Desktops forum: Sudden Computer Re-Start

I'm pretty thorough on maintenance. Physically, I keep PC equipment clean and wiped down. Very liberal with the compressed air to get the dust out, including opening the tower and giving it a good blast. Software and OS wise, it gets daily care, deleting browsing history and temporary files. A more thorough cleaning of extraneous files weekly with Easy Cleaner, and at least once-a-month full system scan with Norton. Systems and software updates are all current.

There is a bit of work we do on older machines that usually is never done since folk replace the cranky machine since a service counter will be around 100 or more to do this. If we DIY it's a few dollars. What is it? Replace HEAT SINK COMPOUND on CPU and possibly the GPU.

Some owners will trot out temperature readings so you nod and hand the machine back if they insist that's not it. But it's something I've done too many times.

Yes, it could be an old power supply but the owner or PC has given us clues to the non-operational fan by them.

There are some older machines that you just hand back. One of the ones on this list is at the top of the list is any Socket A machine. These are not accepted for repair since owners may think you can fix that model. That one is well beyond its service life and owners that want them fixed have to go elsewhere. No reason for the shop to get a bad rep over a machine that was repaired and still is cranky.
Bob