New Computer, Random Restarts, Help?
February 14, 2008 7:33 AM Subscribe
I already posted this issue on some forums, but since no working solution has been provided so far, I figured I'd ask here. You can view the details of my problem in this thread. Does anyone know what could be causing this? If not, does anyone have any alternate online resources I could consult to seek help?
Thanks.
Response by poster: Changing the RAM is the only thing I haven't tried. And here's my full description of the problem:
I built a computer about two weeks ago, and I haven't been able to get it running for more than 30 minutes (usually a lot less) without a random restart.
Here's my configuration:
Windows XP Professional SP2
INTEL CORE 2 DUO E8400 3.00G/1333/6M/S775
S775 ASUS P5K GREEN P35 PCIE
CRUCIAL 800MHZ DDR2 2048MB BALLISTIX KIT
SAPPHIRE PCIE RAD HD2600XT DDR3 512M
CASE ATX ANTEC NSK4480B BLK 380W
320.0 SEAGATE 7200.10 16M ST3320620A
DVD+/-RW LG GSAH55N DL 20/20/+10
Floppy Drive
Peripherals:
USB Mouse
USB Keyboard
Front/Rear Speakers plugged into onboard Sound
Internet cable plugged into onboard Ethernet.
When I first built the system, it ran long enough to install windows, install drivers, etc. I turned it off at the end of the day. The next morning it kept restarting without ever reaching windows.
I tried combinations of the following:
- Reset CMOS
- Unplug all but necessary components
- RAM sticks one at a time in all different slots
- Swapped PSU for a no-name 500W
None of this had any effect whatsoever, so I assumed the board was defective. Exchanged the board for a new one of the same model, and the same situation as above repeated. The computer ran once without problems, but once I turned it off, it wouldn't post anymore the next time I tried turning it on.
Brought the whole thing back to the store for testing. They swapped out the motherboard again and ran some stress tests. I took it back home. Within ten minutes of turning it on, restart. At this point, it always posted, but it would randomly restart. Sometimes in windows, sometimes during bootup, sometimes while looking at settings in the BIOS. It even restarted while running Memtest. So I took the computer back to the store the same day (last Sunday).
Yesterday, I get a call explaining that the computer has been running since I brought it in. They ran many stress tests over a period of 24 hours. When I picked up the computer yesterday, it was running 3DMark without any problems. Satisfied, I brought it back home, plugged it in and it worked for maybe 30 minutes before the random restarts started occurring again. After that, the computer wouldn't run stably for more than 10 minutes at a time, sometimes less.
I've since tried plugging the computer in with or without the power bar, in various outlets in my apartment, with or without the monitor, with or without the USB keyboard. Invariably the computer always restarts no matter what I try.
I disabled the System Failure > Automatic restart checkbox, but I never get a message when the computer restarts. According to the Asus Probe software the CPU and MB never get above 35C before restarting, which should rule out overheating. Fans seem to be operating normally as well.
Next I tried swapping the PSU out for an Antec Power Trio 550W. At first this seemed to work, but after an hour, the computer was up to its old tricks again. I was running 3DMark when it restarted. The next morning I was able to turn it on and surf the web, but as soon as I tried anything which was resource-intensive, it restarted, and got stuck in a restart loop, often not even posting before restarting again. The only thing I can say is that this more powerful PSU definitely lets me use the computer for longer than the weaker one, but it's still not stable.
posted by exolstice at 8:07 AM on February 14, 2008
I built a computer about two weeks ago, and I haven't been able to get it running for more than 30 minutes (usually a lot less) without a random restart.
Here's my configuration:
Windows XP Professional SP2
INTEL CORE 2 DUO E8400 3.00G/1333/6M/S775
S775 ASUS P5K GREEN P35 PCIE
CRUCIAL 800MHZ DDR2 2048MB BALLISTIX KIT
SAPPHIRE PCIE RAD HD2600XT DDR3 512M
CASE ATX ANTEC NSK4480B BLK 380W
320.0 SEAGATE 7200.10 16M ST3320620A
DVD+/-RW LG GSAH55N DL 20/20/+10
Floppy Drive
Peripherals:
USB Mouse
USB Keyboard
Front/Rear Speakers plugged into onboard Sound
Internet cable plugged into onboard Ethernet.
When I first built the system, it ran long enough to install windows, install drivers, etc. I turned it off at the end of the day. The next morning it kept restarting without ever reaching windows.
I tried combinations of the following:
- Reset CMOS
- Unplug all but necessary components
- RAM sticks one at a time in all different slots
- Swapped PSU for a no-name 500W
None of this had any effect whatsoever, so I assumed the board was defective. Exchanged the board for a new one of the same model, and the same situation as above repeated. The computer ran once without problems, but once I turned it off, it wouldn't post anymore the next time I tried turning it on.
Brought the whole thing back to the store for testing. They swapped out the motherboard again and ran some stress tests. I took it back home. Within ten minutes of turning it on, restart. At this point, it always posted, but it would randomly restart. Sometimes in windows, sometimes during bootup, sometimes while looking at settings in the BIOS. It even restarted while running Memtest. So I took the computer back to the store the same day (last Sunday).
Yesterday, I get a call explaining that the computer has been running since I brought it in. They ran many stress tests over a period of 24 hours. When I picked up the computer yesterday, it was running 3DMark without any problems. Satisfied, I brought it back home, plugged it in and it worked for maybe 30 minutes before the random restarts started occurring again. After that, the computer wouldn't run stably for more than 10 minutes at a time, sometimes less.
I've since tried plugging the computer in with or without the power bar, in various outlets in my apartment, with or without the monitor, with or without the USB keyboard. Invariably the computer always restarts no matter what I try.
I disabled the System Failure > Automatic restart checkbox, but I never get a message when the computer restarts. According to the Asus Probe software the CPU and MB never get above 35C before restarting, which should rule out overheating. Fans seem to be operating normally as well.
Next I tried swapping the PSU out for an Antec Power Trio 550W. At first this seemed to work, but after an hour, the computer was up to its old tricks again. I was running 3DMark when it restarted. The next morning I was able to turn it on and surf the web, but as soon as I tried anything which was resource-intensive, it restarted, and got stuck in a restart loop, often not even posting before restarting again. The only thing I can say is that this more powerful PSU definitely lets me use the computer for longer than the weaker one, but it's still not stable.
posted by exolstice at 8:07 AM on February 14, 2008
You are on the right path. As in software engineering, the only 100% way to solve a problem is divide-and-conquer. Unplug everything. It takes very few components to get a computer to boot: a power supply, processor, motherboard and RAM. Flip it on, does it stay on? Add something else, like a hard-drive. Repeat until you find the bad component. If it won't stay on with a PS, motherboard/process and RAM, start changing out the components until it does.
posted by bprater at 8:08 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by bprater at 8:08 AM on February 14, 2008
I wonder if it might be a power issue in your home. I'm not a PS expert, but I'd certainly test plugging it into a battery backup power strip, which will filter out micro-brown outs you may be having. Run it over to a friends and test. Heck, something may be amuck in your home's electrical system.
posted by bprater at 8:10 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by bprater at 8:10 AM on February 14, 2008
I'm guessing something's funny with your apartment's electrical system too that your computer is sensitive to. Do you have a friend's place you could leave the computer for a few days running at? Also, double-check to make sure the computer repair store was using the exact same cables. You're going to kick yourself if the problem the entire time has been a defective power cord.
posted by onalark at 8:12 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by onalark at 8:12 AM on February 14, 2008
Response by poster: I've tried 4 different power cords, one of which was the one they were using in the store, with the same result. The computer is plugged into a high-quality power bar. I don't remember if I mentioned it above, but two other computers were plugged into the same power bar, with the same cable without any problems.
posted by exolstice at 8:20 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by exolstice at 8:20 AM on February 14, 2008
Is the Bios set to default or optimal?
What about heat issues? When it shuts of is it hot inside the case? Maybe your friends place is cooler or has better air flow. If you turn it on are all fans running? What's the temp in the bios?
Does it shut down when you are in safe mode? Start it up and just let it sit in safe mode.
Anything in the event manager?
posted by bleucube at 8:29 AM on February 14, 2008
What about heat issues? When it shuts of is it hot inside the case? Maybe your friends place is cooler or has better air flow. If you turn it on are all fans running? What's the temp in the bios?
Does it shut down when you are in safe mode? Start it up and just let it sit in safe mode.
Anything in the event manager?
posted by bleucube at 8:29 AM on February 14, 2008
I don't remember if I mentioned it above, but two other computers were plugged into the same power bar, with the same cable without any problems.
Doesn't matter, a power bar is a power bar and NOT a UPS or power conditioner. The only difference we can establish between the shop and your apartment is that they are hooked into different electrical systems and are probably maintained at different temperatures. You need to approach this like a scientist. What are the things that are different between the shop and your apartment? How can you test these things?
posted by onalark at 8:31 AM on February 14, 2008
Doesn't matter, a power bar is a power bar and NOT a UPS or power conditioner. The only difference we can establish between the shop and your apartment is that they are hooked into different electrical systems and are probably maintained at different temperatures. You need to approach this like a scientist. What are the things that are different between the shop and your apartment? How can you test these things?
posted by onalark at 8:31 AM on February 14, 2008
If it runs in the store for 24 hours it's something local. Does it have enough ventilation? Second bad power, second take it to a friends house.
posted by Ferrari328 at 8:32 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by Ferrari328 at 8:32 AM on February 14, 2008
Seconding a power issue at your house. The power at my house is seemingly fine, but have had ZERO computer weirdness since I got a UPS.
You did say it worked fine at the store? Rule this out by bringing it somewhere else and doing exactly what you'd do at home.
Power supplies, wattage ratings aside, are not nearly as tolerant of bad power these days. I used to have an old IBM Pentium computer that would stay up during visible light flickers when newer computers would drop dead.
posted by gjc at 8:36 AM on February 14, 2008
You did say it worked fine at the store? Rule this out by bringing it somewhere else and doing exactly what you'd do at home.
Power supplies, wattage ratings aside, are not nearly as tolerant of bad power these days. I used to have an old IBM Pentium computer that would stay up during visible light flickers when newer computers would drop dead.
posted by gjc at 8:36 AM on February 14, 2008
Response by poster: >> Is the Bios set to default or optimal?
Default.
>> What about heat issues? When it shuts of is it hot inside the case? Maybe your friends place is cooler or has better air flow. If you turn it on are all fans running? What's the temp in the bios?
Monitors show all components at 30-35C, well below the max temperatures. It's never hot inside. All fans are running at their required speeds. BIOS temps are basically the same as windows monitor temps.
>>Does it shut down when you are in safe mode? Start it up and just let it sit in safe mode.
That's the other weird thing, Windows always starts again normally after a restart without prompting me for safe mode.
>> Anything in the event manager?
Nope.
posted by exolstice at 8:50 AM on February 14, 2008
Default.
>> What about heat issues? When it shuts of is it hot inside the case? Maybe your friends place is cooler or has better air flow. If you turn it on are all fans running? What's the temp in the bios?
Monitors show all components at 30-35C, well below the max temperatures. It's never hot inside. All fans are running at their required speeds. BIOS temps are basically the same as windows monitor temps.
>>Does it shut down when you are in safe mode? Start it up and just let it sit in safe mode.
That's the other weird thing, Windows always starts again normally after a restart without prompting me for safe mode.
>> Anything in the event manager?
Nope.
posted by exolstice at 8:50 AM on February 14, 2008
Response by poster: >>Is raid turned on in the bios?
No.
posted by exolstice at 8:50 AM on February 14, 2008
No.
posted by exolstice at 8:50 AM on February 14, 2008
nthing trying at some third place. I used to build friends' computers in college and have seen something quite similar to this. It worked even in a different outlet in the same room and other comps/laptops were working fine in that outlet. weird.
posted by swapspace at 9:24 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by swapspace at 9:24 AM on February 14, 2008
Set the bios to NOT power on after a restart. If the system powers off because of a power problem, it will stay off. This will isolate your problem to a power issue. If the system restarts, it's a power supply problem or possibly a bad switch or the system has bluescreened. Therefore, please also verify that the "automatically restart" option in system failure is ACTUALLY unchecked by checking the option, applying the change, unchecking it again, and restarting.
Let us know...
posted by disclaimer at 9:30 AM on February 14, 2008
Let us know...
posted by disclaimer at 9:30 AM on February 14, 2008
Response by poster: Well, the "automatically restart" option is unchecked for sure. I'll try the BIOS option when I get home tonight.
posted by exolstice at 9:47 AM on February 14, 2008
posted by exolstice at 9:47 AM on February 14, 2008
I initially thought it was the power supply. I added a UPS. I changed the power supply in the pc. I put a fan on it for coolness. Still shut down. I could not predict when it would shut, only that it would shut at an inconvenient time (never a good time, but...)
After repeated attempts with every thing else, I took out one of the RAM bars and ran it. It did not shut down. Then I put that one back in and took out the other. It started shutting down. I had done stress tests on the RAM and they told me all was well. I called the RAM manufacturer and they just said that this happens enough and I should send back the bad RAM and they would ship me another.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:54 AM on February 14, 2008
After repeated attempts with every thing else, I took out one of the RAM bars and ran it. It did not shut down. Then I put that one back in and took out the other. It started shutting down. I had done stress tests on the RAM and they told me all was well. I called the RAM manufacturer and they just said that this happens enough and I should send back the bad RAM and they would ship me another.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:54 AM on February 14, 2008
Buy new ram. Still does it? Return Ram.
Buy new motherboard. Still does it? Return motherboard.
Buy new video card. Still does it? Return Videocard.
Buy new processor. Still does it? Return Processor.
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:29 AM on February 14, 2008
Buy new motherboard. Still does it? Return motherboard.
Buy new video card. Still does it? Return Videocard.
Buy new processor. Still does it? Return Processor.
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:29 AM on February 14, 2008
I've seen this problem fixed by bumping up the processor voltage in the BIOS.
posted by tomierna at 3:01 PM on February 14, 2008
posted by tomierna at 3:01 PM on February 14, 2008
Response by poster: Bought a UPS with AVR: no changes, no reported problems from the monitoring software included. No wiring faults in the appartment either. Computer still restarts at random, even while in the BIOS.
Basically tried everything in this thread, but nothing works. Thanks for all the help though. I think I'm just going to return everything.
posted by exolstice at 9:50 AM on February 16, 2008
Basically tried everything in this thread, but nothing works. Thanks for all the help though. I think I'm just going to return everything.
posted by exolstice at 9:50 AM on February 16, 2008
Man, exolstice, I'm really sorry. I'm guessing you had multiple defective sticks of RAM. I'm still befuddled by the computer store having no problems with the computer. Good luck with the beast in the future.
posted by onalark at 7:32 PM on February 17, 2008
posted by onalark at 7:32 PM on February 17, 2008
Response by poster: The store's been running it all week-end with full stress tests and they all passed. Basically, I'm just going to trade everything in for a completely different set of parts. I'm guessing the particular combination I have right now is unstable for some reason in my apartment.
posted by exolstice at 5:43 AM on February 18, 2008
posted by exolstice at 5:43 AM on February 18, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
(It wouldn't hurt to cut and paste the problem here so it is easier to see.)
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:51 AM on February 14, 2008