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Computer randomly shutting down
Ok, I have been having this problem with my PC and it seems to be getting a bit worse.
From time to time my computer randomly shuts down. It seemed to be caused primarily by graphics and video applications (e.g. games). In recent days however, it managed to do it with nothing running but Windows. That’s when it really bothered since it can interfere with my work.
Now, the odd thing is, it doesn’t fully shut down. The monitor goes to sleep, and there is no response from keyboard/ mouse, but I can hear that part of it is still running. The fan is still on for example.
Oh and just before shutting down it makes a short, stuttered noise.
I went online to try to sort this out and people generally pointed towards overheating issues. I monitored the temperature and that does not seem to be the problem. I am even running it wihout a cabinet as someone advised, but its hard to find a pattern to the crashes.
Any input will be much appreciated :)
Oh, I run a 2200 Athlon PC with 1GB Ram and an Nvidia 6600 graphics card if this makes any difference at all…
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Hello there,
Sadly, the symptoms you describe could be caused by just about anything. With this in mind I will tell you the TOP THREE things I have encountered over the years that caused the exact scenario you described:
Power supply failure. Everything seems fine, but as the voltage regulators slip further off the mark, things get progressively worse.
I have had this happen to me personally as well as client workstations.
There is a power supply tester you can acquire to check this out, but if you aren't in the habit of doing this, it would be just as well to go ahead and buy another power supply.
Here is the tester in case you are interested:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
... and here is a less expensive one if budget is a serious concern:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Here is a list of power supplies from a fairly well known on-line vendor:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Now, they are sorted by price, but I wouldn't go any cheaper than this:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
If you are planning on upgrading your system components beyond what you have, I would step up to one of the Antec power supplies they offer.
Second thing that has caused this specific error scenario: Corrupt swapfile (Virtual memory) or a failing hard drive.
The system will go to access the disk, and when it hits the magic bit that simply can't be read, the system did what you described.
Third thing: Something else modified a file your video drivers depend on for reliable operation.
Theymos already suggested that you remove and re-install the drivers. That is a good call, and should be the first thing tried, not the last thing.
Also worth a mention is an oddly corrupted registry file. I have only seen this cause your issue once, but I figured you should have the info in hand, just in case.
There are other possible culprits... many of them, in fact, but I would look first and foremost at the power supply.
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Sounds like a graphics card problem. Uninstall your NVIDIA drivers from add/remove programs, restart, and install the newest version from their website.
If that doesn't work, turn off and unplug your computer and open it up. Carefully remove the graphics card, and then immediately plug it back in. This is called reseating, and it ensures a proper connection. Turn your computer on and see if it works.
If that doesn't work, uninstall NVIDIA drivers and completely remove the graphics card. Your screen will be small, but it may fix the problem. If it fixes the problem(and I bet it will), either the power supply is supplying insufficient power for the card, or the card is overheating. Because of the sound you hear, I would guess the latter. After you've made sure that the PSU is supplying enough power, you'll need to replace the card. If it's under warranty, they'll do it. Otherwise you'll need to buy one.
If that doesn't fix the problem, then the PSU or motherboard might be malfunctioning, or the CPU might be overheating.
Good luck. Feel free to contact me if you have trouble with any of this:
Email: theymos@gmail.com
ICQ: 214850779
AIM: theymos
Yahoo: theymos
MSN: theymos@hotmail.com
Advicenators isn't known for it's computer help. Your question is the most in-depth computer question in months. If Nova also answers, then you'll have gotten all you'll get from here. I recommend these sites for serious tech support:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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