Re: windows shuts off

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Tashtego (anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 03/05/04 

Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 17:06:07 -0800

Cerridwen -
The is nothing here that makes it definitely a hardware
problem. Software can do exactly the same thing, and if
you wanted to place a bet I'd go 60/40 software to hrdwr.
Tash ---------------------------------------------------'
:
>-----Original Message-----
>trudy wrote:
>> My computer shuts off all by itself. I can have it on and
>> have my email open all day and it doesn't do that, but if
>> I try and run McAfee for virus scan or I tried to install
>> some software....it shuts off! Just flat out, poof, OFF!
>> The monitor stays on, just the tower part shuts off.
>> I've tried various things, like running the repair deal in
>> My Computer. But I really don't know what else to do. Is
>> my Mother Board going bad? What do you think could be
>> wrong? Or is there anything that I can do to fix this?
>> Thanks for any help!
>
>This isn't a software issue - it is, without doubt,
hardware. All the things
>you mention (installing software, virus scanning) put your
system under very
>heavy load and, if it's shutting down completely (i.e.
turning off, not just
>rebooting) then it could be one of a number of things.
>
>1) CPU overheating (many motherboards - certainly the
more modern ones -
>have a mechanism in the BIOS that tell the system to shut
off if the
>processor temperature reaches a certain level). I do *NOT*
recommend
>switching it off - that could cause irreparable damage to
the CPU and maybe
>other parts of the system as well. There is an applet
called Motherboard
>Monitor (www.livewiredev.com) that will tell you the
temperature of various
>parts of your system, but it's not the most intuitive
thing in the world to
>set-up and you will need your motherboard or system
manual. If you do decide
>to download it, the author is always very willing to
assist novices in
>setting up.
>
>2) Inadequate - or malfunctioning - power supply. All
PSUs are not
>created equal. Let me give you an example. I have two PSUs
here - both rated
>at 400W. One cost me £15, the other £45. If I was to build
two identical
>machines and put the cheap one in one and the expensive
one in the other, I
>can guarantee you that the cheap supply would die long
before the expensive
>one - why? Because the cheap one is, well cheap. It's a
generic supply that
>could have been made by anybody - they are churned out in
their millions and
>are built from the cheapest parts available - you can cut
the rating in
>half. The other, OTOH, is branded (it's an Antec) and,
therefore, fully
>guaranteed (it has a half life of 50,000 hours or,
roughly, five years) and
>is made to a high standard and, when it dies, or develops
a fault it won't
>jeopardise the rest of the system.
>
>I strongly recommend you have your system looked at by a
qualified
>professional. Do *NOT* attempt any repairs yourself!
>
>
>.
>

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