computer shuts off

[=112=]

when i'm installing a pretty big program or running several things on the computer, it just automatically shuts down. i'm thinking maybe the cpu gets too hot and shuts down on its own or maybe its the power supply? anyone experience this problem before? i'm running a xp 1600+ with a thermaltake hsf. the ps is just a basic come with ur tower ps. if anyone has an solutions i'd appreciate it. thanks in advance.

[moosehead]

Hmmm.....

I had a random shutting off issue, and it turned out to be the motherboard. It did it when I had a heavy load on the system, like when I was playing games. (forced me to quicksave a lot when playing Neverwinter Nights :rolleyes: ...that is until it got so bad that I couldn't play anymore).

Anyway, the problem with the random shutting off issue is that it could be caused by several things, such as the temp or possibly the power supply (and not necessarily from not having enough power, a bad power supply could cause that too). I spent money on a couple things I didn't actually need before figuring out that it was the motherboard

I'd suggest starting by doing some free diagnostic testing. Check out Motherboard Monitor (http://mbm.livewiredev.com/). It's free and it lets you view several different things on your system, including temperatures, voltages, and fan speeds. You can even have it display stuff in the system tray. Set it up to display your system temp(s) in the system tray and then try doing the stuff that causes your computer to shut down and see if the temps go way up or not (it's normal for them to go up a little, but if the air temp gets well over 100F, like 120F +, it's probably getting too hot) If so, you need some better cooling. If not, I have a couple other ideas. I'll post them later, cuz I need to get to bed.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of motherboard do you have?

[shocky123]

I had a random shutting off thing too, turned out to be ghetto ram, and/or mis-matched sticks of ram (i.e. they'd have different timing ratings, so things go screwy).

Motherboard Monitor will be helpful, also I might suggest Lavalys' Everest Home Edition... also free.. lemme get a link for it here (http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?pid=1&lang=en).

Those will help you diagnose some issues, the later being more comprehensive than just cpu temp.. etc.

good luck,

~Kyle

[=112=]

k. found out my cpu is running average around 71degrees. which is probably way too hot. i dont know why its running so hot all of a sudden. maybe the thermal paste isnt working? ive had this comp for bout 2 years now so i'm sure i'll run into some problems. i'm thinking maybe i should reapply thermal paste. so if its running at 71 degrees constantly, its most likely shutting down due to cpu heat rite? thanks for all your help.

[moosehead]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I've been really busy the past few days. When you say 71 degrees, do you mean Fahrenheit or Celsius? If you mean Fahrenheit, then you're in great shape. If celsius, then yes, you've got a bit of a heat problem. If it's getting that hot definately redo the thermal paste. Take a look at Arctic Silver, I've had really good luck with it. That still seems rediculously warm (for those of you who are used to fahrenheit temps, 71C converts to about 160F). Might want to double check that you selected the right motherboard in Motherboard Monitor, cuz if you didn't, it can give you off readings. If it's right, you might want to look at getting a bigger heatsink too. Also, make sure that the other fans in your case are working so the heat has somewhere to go once it's pulled away from the CPU.

Hope this helps

[navyones]

While every one of the previous posts gives great advice, I still start with the power supply as the source for any problem that causes a comptuer to shut down in that manner.

I would recommend replacing the power supply, if you can rule out the memory sticks.