Pc locking up+ blank screens

[Moloch]

...And sometimes my HDDs power down for about a sec.
Well it's my old system since my new one likes to shutoff randomly, I'll list specs down below...

Well I was able to install windows fine but then every once in a while it would lockup and screen would go blank, and sometimes hdds would turn off, but now it's much more frequence, like as soon as it finishes booting up it will shutoff.
I had the same system working a week ago but now its gone allw rong
The one thing in common with my new system that I think might be the cause is my PSU which is noisy.. coil whine I think, really high pitched noises.
Other than that I don't know, and I've never had HDDs power down and my screen go blank during a lockup.


System specs:
AXP 2500+
NF7-S 2.0
512MBx2 ddr
6600GT
2 hdds and 2 optical drives
Allied 500watt psu (eww.. not my choice).

 

[chavvdarrr]

open PSU and see if all capacitors look ok... and clean it

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

My first guess would be faulty PSU (especially if everything hiccups for a moment and then resets the machine), or possibly a poorly attached heatsink that is triggering a CPU protection shutdown.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

open PSU and see if all capacitors look ok... and clean it

Don't do that. Those stickers on the outside of PSUs telling you not to open them is because the capacitors can store a big enough charge to kill you even after a couple of days.

 

[{Sniping}Waste]

If the PSU is out of warnaty then up it up but don't touch any thing inside. Just look at the caps near where all the wires that plug into you rmotherboard, harddrive, CD-ROM solder inside the PSU. Its the caps that do the filtering that go bad. Just look for bulges on top of the caps.

 

[Moloch]

My first guess would be faulty PSU (especially if everything hiccups for a moment and then resets the machine), or possibly a poorly attached heatsink that is triggering a CPU protection shutdown.

No it doesn't reset it, just locksup with a blank screen and sometimes my HDDs will turn off.
It may be worth adding that sometimes I have to turn it on twice to get it to post.
With my old system, the enermax 420 watt would cause it to shutdown just like it does now with the new (crap) psu.
Though as I said, it makes a whining noise so it's quite possible it croaked.

my cpu temps are fine.. stays at a warmish 45C, which I have always though was odd since I have a thermalright si-97 with a high flo 92MM on it.

 

[chavvdarrr]

It may be worth adding that sometimes I have to turn it on twice to get it to post.

PSU.
If it makes this on a regular bases (like 50% chance), try shutdown, plug the power cable off, press power-on button, plug on, press power... usually with failing PSU which need several "turn-ons", this procedure gives ~100% success. (so repeat several times). It will be just another indication, not decisive proof of course.
2 Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Can you share the info, how this could happen? I'm quite sure many many people around the world regularly open PSUs, and so far never heard of someone "killed by capacitor after opening PSU"... so there must be a simple way to avoid the damage, no?
I'm not trying to make a joke.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Can you share the info, how this could happen? I'm quite sure many many people around the world regularly open PSUs, and so far never heard of someone "killed by capacitor after opening PSU"... so there must be a simple way to avoid the damage, no?
I'm not trying to make a joke.

They don't put those "do not open electic shock hazard" stickers on the outside of PSUs just for fun.

PSU's have large capacitors that hold a large charge. If you short them to earth (like through your body) it's a large enough charge to kill you. They electricute you, and you have to know what you are doing in order to drain the capacitors before you work on the inside. It's the same as opening up the back of a TV and poking about inside, but most people don't realise that even when they are turned off, PSUs still carry a large charge.

A guy I used to work with who was an expert and repaired monitors and other high voltage equipment got it wrong one day when draining the capacitors of a PSU and ended up flung across the room and three days in hospital with an erratic heartbeat.

 

[_xxx_]

The very thing you described also happens if the HDD's are cooled badly. If they overheat, the PC will do a shutdown to protect the system. Especially the newer ones tend to get pretty hot, I had the problem in my PC a few weeks ago. Check the HDD temperature (not with any tool but the old proven "touch" method). Other than that, my vote goes to the PSU as well.