3RD time this pc cut off:(

[FREELINE57]

What gives? the pc that it is giving me this problem is in my sig. For unknown reasons this pc has cut out on me for the 3rd time in the last 3 months. It justs shuts down no power except for one flashing light just above the power button on the NZXT APOLLO case. What is strange it only seems to happen only when surffing and not when playing games. I will assume it is not heat related because i was just in the bios 5 minutes ago and was checking my temps and they were running 33c (steady). I also have running core temp in my task bar and there is only a 4 degree c difference. I have already checked device manager no question marks there.My gut feeling is it could be the power supply or my ram. Should i run prime 95 or is there a different direction i need to investagate. Anyone have any ideas?

[minsonngo]

Run memtest from memtest.org on your memory modules.

Do you have the newest Windows updates installed? What about the newest drivers for your hardware?

Have you ran virus and spyware scans?

Are the capacitors on the mobo leaking or bulging?

Do you have the computer hooked up to a surge protector. If the problem continues... and none of the above are issues... try replacing the PSU and see if the problem still occurs.

[flanzig1]

Could be that the PSU is too big. Some PSUs don't work right if there isn't much load on certain voltage rails. The system in your sig could have gotten away with a PSU in the 400w range.

[FREELINE57]

I will run memtest86 asap, yes i do have the latest updates, i will check to see if there are newer drivers available for my hardware. I run virus updates 2x a week and i also run adware se, spybot s&d just about evertime i sit a this computer. Have checked mobo capacitors they look fine. The psu is hooked to a apc which i have checked to see if it was running hot and that it still holding a charge. I will let you know what i come up with and hopefully have solved this issue. thanks again....

[Cricket]

Your computer cut out a 3rd time in 3 months? This type of problem is real hard to pin point since it happens so infrequently. The flashing power button LED is odd too...seems to indicate the computer went into sleep mode for some reason and didn't really shut down. It only does this while you're surfing the net? Do you scan for viruses and malware regularly? What kind of security are you running on your computer? Anti-virus? Firewall? Spyware/malware scanners and blockers?

Cricket

[FREELINE57]

Yes i scan regularly for viruses and malware and now using avg 7.5. I also have windows firewall up all the time and i'm also behind a linkys router. I don't even know where to begin looking for a problem. Temps are always steady (33/35) surffing the net or checking emails or even posting my problems here. Where should i start?

[minsonngo]

Did you run memtest?

[FREELINE57]

Just run memtest86 v1.70 no errores. So i'll assume my memory is ok. I don't know if this will have anything to do with my problem but when i am booting up i have noticed when the words verifing dmi it is not saying update successfully anymore. And i know it used to say it up dated successfully. Tomorrow i am going to crack open the case and clean it out because alot of dust has been building up on my fan filters and i think the heatsink may have some dust buildup. I'll also go over all connections with a fine tooth comb. Is there other things i can check while i'm in the case? Thanksxxxx

[LeftyAce]

dmi.....you might try running diagnostics on the harddrive, but if harddrives are dying, they usually do so much more quickly than just occasionally shutting down once a month.

Just to be safe, download the ultimate boot cd (www.ultimatebootcd.com) and run the full harddrive diagnostics for your harddrive.

Also, just curious, but how often do you reboot or shut down the machine?

[FREELINE57]

Will run hhd diagnostics and get back with you. An yes the pc gets turned on and off 2/3x a day. Instead of shuting down, what should i do?

[LeftyAce]

Instead of shuting down, what should i do?

Nothing wrong with shutting down. It's just that if you hardly ever shut the pc off, windows can get unhappy.

That's not the problem in this case though; 2/3 times a day is more than enough. (but shouldn't cause problems either).

[FREELINE57]

Well as of right now i have solved the DMI problem. I rebooted the pc went into bios checked my FSB and pushed it back to defalt settings rebooted and i got a successful DMI update and now i'm gonna let this pc run all day to see if any problems come up. I think this mobo is so baseline that you can't make to many changes so on that note here soon i'm gonna be swaping out this board and replace it with on i can do alot of changes. So i have a question for you all! What asus or msi board would be a really good one that is very OCable, very upgradable for the future, easy to update bios, and is a AM2? let me know as your word means alot to me. THANX...

[LeftyAce]

Aha....you didn't mention you were overclocking! That's always the first thing to try to fix issues....back off the overclock.

I would deffinitely go with an ASUS motherboard, but I'm not sure which models are good for overclocking...I'll let someone else comment on that.

As far as upgradable, any AM2 motherboard will be good for as long as AMD is producing AM2 processors.

[doubledragon5]

The A8N32 by ASUS is a good board for overclocking.. I have one but haven't done much OC with it. I hear on the over clockers forum it is the one of choice when coming do that...

[FREELINE57]

Yea, my bad! I forgot to mention that i was ocing. ASUS A8N32 I'll be checking that one out Thanks again!!!

[Cricket]

Ahhh...overclocked computer. Yeah, that's something you gotta mention when asking for help with problems. First thing to always do is to set the system back to stock speeds and see if the problems go away. Some motherboards just don't like to be overclocked.

Cricket

[FREELINE57]

O no! crashed again! this time i went in and cleared the cmos re-did my boot sequence saved settings rebooted and i still can't get a DMI update seccessfuly. What else can i try? Can i try and do a system restore?

[whubbard]

possible. Can't hurt to give it a shot.

[minsonngo]

Originally Posted by FREELINE57 O no! crashed again! this time i went in and cleared the cmos re-did my boot sequence saved settings rebooted and i still can't get a DMI update seccessfuly. What else can i try? Can i try and do a system restore?

Are you still overclocking or running on stock settings?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by FREELINE57 O no! crashed again! this time i went in and cleared the cmos re-did my boot sequence saved settings rebooted and i still can't get a DMI update seccessfuly.

That indicates a hardware problem...something is wrong with one or more of your components.

Originally Posted by FREELINE57 Can i try and do a system restore?

Won't help in this case.

Cricket

[FREELINE57]

No OCing running stock. If it is a hardware problem could that also include cables and wires? And i have one more thing to add to a possibility! what about a UPS backup that the manu. says should last 5 years and i've been running it for 6 years now. I guess i'll get a new ups anyway and start with that then check ALL connections and replace the hhd data cable. And if that dosen't work then i'll start removing one piece at a time. What do ya think?

[minsonngo]

Yeah... just try only leaving the core components hooked up and see if you are still getting trouble.

Core components = motherboard, ONE stick of memory, PSU, video card, processor, and processor heatsink & fan.

If it still gives you issues... then one of the core components is faulty.


If is does not give you issues... start adding in the other parts one by one starting with the HDD... if the problem pops up... usually the last thing added is the problem.

[FREELINE57]

Well, i think i may have solved the cutting out problem. First off i went out and bought a new cyber power backup, charging it overnight and swaping it out with the old one. I have been running it for over a week now and haven't had a cut out at all. I still can't get a successful dmi update when windows starts to boot up but you know what, at this point i don't care anymore because the pc is running like a champ! The old saying goes DON'T TRY TO FIX WHAT AIN'T BROKE!!! Thanks for all your help on this thread.....