View Full Version : Computer keeps restarting!!!
Cheetah_SEKT
23-Nov-2002, 05:51
:evil: Hello, I'm having a problem with my puter, it will spontaneously reboot without warning, it happens at random times, so you cant track it. I've tried different bios settings, and different Windows settings as well, but to no avail. I hope someone here can help fix it, any help would be HIGHLY appreciated.
Windows XP SP1 installed (Home Edition)
Athlon 700
FIC SD-11 MB
320 MB SDRAM
Geforce 4 4600
Hercules Game Forttissmo II (sound card)
Creative modem (name unknown)
1 20 gig HD (brand unkown)
1 6 gig HD (Western Digital)
I thank you very much if you can help! :D
Thowllly
23-Nov-2002, 14:10
Spontaneous rebooting can be a sign of bad memory. Try a memorytester, like GoldMemory (http://www.mtsoftware.cz/).
arjan de lumens
23-Nov-2002, 19:23
FIC SD11, IIRC, has known problems with AGP: turn the AGP down to 1X and turn off sidebanding to see if this helps any.
Otherwise the usual suspects: check that you don't have leaky capacitors or defective/clogged fans in your system, if you haven't done this already. Then memory (heard a lot of good things about memtest86 (http://www.memtest86.com)), motherboard in general, and power supply (getting old?). Less likely: sound card, hard disk.
Crusher
23-Nov-2002, 19:36
Could be a failing power supply too.
Fruitfrenzy
23-Nov-2002, 20:45
Windows 2000 and XP reboot by default when they encounter a kernel mode error. If you go into the "Startup & Recovery" options in the system part of the control panel (that's where it is on win2k, I beleieve XP is the same but it may be slightly different) you can disable the auto-reboot option. Then you will get a blue screen of death instead which may be more helpful in diagnosing the problem.
I suspect one of your drivers is causing the problem.
BorisYeung
04-Dec-2002, 09:52
Windows 2000 and XP have the same problem is you will never see the error blue screen. It will reboot at 0.001 sec.
Someone said that Windows Xp after setup service pack 1 will crash. Maybe the windows is longer to use... ( All of M$ windows will usually crash after longer used.)
i think you may set the default of BIOS setting or take out one of your SDRAM. :roll:
Windows 2000 and XP have the same problem is you will never see the error blue screen. It will reboot at 0.001 sec.
Someone said that Windows Xp after setup service pack 1 will crash. Maybe the windows is longer to use... ( All of M$ windows will usually crash after longer used.)
i think you may set the default of BIOS setting or take out one of your SDRAM. :roll:
The solution to the automatic rebooting and no blue screen is posted below BorisYeung.
Just to reiterate I will post Fruitfrenzy's reply in its entirety for the benefit of End Users not aware of the solution:
Windows 2000 and XP reboot by default when they encounter a kernel mode error. If you go into the "Startup & Recovery" options in the system part of the control panel (that's where it is on win2k, I beleieve XP is the same but it may be slightly different) you can disable the auto-reboot option. Then you will get a blue screen of death instead which may be more helpful in diagnosing the problem.
I suspect one of your drivers is causing the problem.
Exact location in WinXP
1. Right click on My Computer, left click once on Properties
2. Left click once on the Advanced Tab at the top of the menu
3. Left click once on Startup and Recovery --> Settings Button
4. In the middle of the next menu you will see the subheading System Failure. Untick Automatically restart by clicking on the tick box with the left mouse button once.
5. Left click once on OK.
There you go. Blue Screen Galore :)
Cheetah_SEKT
10-Dec-2002, 22:50
I've tried all of these things, they do not help what-so-ever. Same things. Thanks for help, anymore would be welcome. :evil: :( :-?
They only help in trying to diagnose the problem, not actually fixing it.
When you get a bluescreen try to write down what it says... it may give you clues as to what is happening when your OS crashes.
Regards,
Cheetah_SEKT
12-Dec-2002, 05:52
It doesn't stop to give me the blue screen, and just simply restarts, so it doesn't help to diagnose the prob either!
Fruitfrenzy
12-Dec-2002, 09:21
If you have enabled the blue screens as described above and it doesn't give you a blue screen then it does help to diagnose the problem. You now know that it isn't a kernel mode driver crashing.
That leaves a shorter (but still quite long) list of possible causes.
If it was happening to my PC I would initially suspect the power supply. Are you sure your power supply is powerful enough for your requirements ?
I'm sure others can suggest more likely causes.
The Alcatel USB Speedtouch modem is known to do this kind of thing on some VIA (mainly) and SiS chipsets.
It could be a USB device also, as well as something completely different.
Need some specs... some description on when it occurs etc.
Maybe we can help in some way together.
take everything out of your pc except , ram , hardrive , cdrom drive , floppy , cpu , graphics. start it up see what happens. Start adding things till you get the crash. what ever you added when you get the crash is most likely the problem. IT could also be your power supply isn't strong enough
Cheetah_SEKT
13-Dec-2002, 07:31
My power supply is new, it has the power. When it reboots, you could be typing, surfing the web, playing a game, listening to music, etc., then the screen goes black, and out pops the POST. It reboots fast, so the fan motors don't stop, so I really doubt its the PS.
Thowllly
13-Dec-2002, 08:49
Did you check your memory as I suggested? I got a bad stick of memory once that caused programs to crash. I tested it in a friends computer, and it started behaving exactly as you describes. Running the memory at lower speeds with slower timings did not help, it had to be replaced.
Fruitfrenzy
13-Dec-2002, 09:58
My power supply is new, it has the power. When it reboots, you could be typing, surfing the web, playing a game, listening to music, etc., then the screen goes black, and out pops the POST. It reboots fast, so the fan motors don't stop, so I really doubt its the PS.
I am not saying that it is your power supply, but what you described there doesn't rule it out. Do you know what power rating your power supply has ? You have a lot of power hungry kit running in your box.
Cheetah_SEKT
14-Dec-2002, 08:35
I calculated the total power, and the PS is enough, the other power setting will not work. I tried to remove one ram stick, it done nothing, so I'll try the others....
Cheetah_SEKT
15-Dec-2002, 08:35
The ram is not the problem, tried removing all the sticks, it still restarts. I will try to remove modem and sound card next.
Maybe some sort of grounding between the case and the motherboard? Good luck.
Cheetah_SEKT
19-Dec-2002, 22:54
Hi, I'm the person that built the computer.
Originally this was my computer, and it did the samething to me.
Cheetah, who I gave the system to, once fixed it by changing a BIOS setting. He doesn't remember what he changed, but changing one BIOS setting fixed it. Then, in adventerous overclocking he had to reset the CMOS, and the setting was set back to the default. This overclocking was several months later, and he forgot the setting.
I've been here today, and changed some BIOS settings that may be accountable for this.
By the way, the motherboard is using the AMI NC610 Bios.
Jimmy1405
26-Oct-2005, 07:38
Hi, I'm having the same problem as cheetah, I know this is gonna sound stupid, but where can I find the BIOS settings?
AlphaWolf
26-Oct-2005, 07:43
Hi, I'm having the same problem as cheetah, I know this is gonna sound stupid, but where can I find the BIOS settings?
Wow you found a really old thread. :)
Assuming your motherboard isn't ancient, you just need to reboot and hold the del key.
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