Computer Randomly Shutting Off

A

absltmike

Geek Trainee
I've been having a problem with my computer recently. I myself have no clue about computer, so I guess you'll have to bear with me. My friends at school helped me put this system together, but since school is out for the summer, I can't get in good contact with them.

Basically, my computer randomly shuts down. Not shuts down through windows, just plain shuts off. Now its been suggested that this is either the Power Supply or the CPU fan, but I don't know which and really have no idea of that out.

I have an Antec 350w power supply on an Asus P4C800 deluxe and a Pentium 4.

I am also getting an error message sometimes when I start up (sometimes after the random shutdown, sometimes not) that the "System Failed CPU test," but again I have no idea how to correct this. This isn't as bad because I just try again after that message and the computer boots up fine.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
does it instantly turn back on, or boot up instantly after it turns off. if so its windows at fault. give us your pc specs.
 
It doesnt shutdown through windows.. the whole system just shuts off

Intel P4 2.4 ghz
Asus p4c800 deluxe
1024g kingston RAM
ATI radeon 9800 pro
2 HDs
2 CD drives
350 w Antec PSU
 
As the power supply is generally cheaper than the CPU, I'd try another unit, but do make sure it's of a high-quality brand: Sparkle, Antec, PC Power & Cooling, Fortron, and don't get anything less than 350W.

What OS are you running? WinXP?
 
What are the temps your computer runs at? Maybe it gets hot and shuts down! Install Motherboard Monitor and see what temps you get! http://mbm.livewiredev.com/ My friend had this problem just a few days ago, where as removing the side window fixed the problem...or maybe the heat sink needs to be re-seated?

You can try maybe strip down the system, to lets say just the video card, one HD, one CD-Rom and try again!
 
absltmike said:
Thats the thing.. I'm running an Antec 350w PSU right now...
Click to expand...

PSU's don't last forever, and Antec probably has a dud or two they don't catch. While it should be okay, it's worth making sure it's not a problem.

The other thing that might be happening is that you're getting a BSOD or other error message. The XP is set to reboot automatically with these errors by default.

To change it so it won't reboot, do the following:

Right click on 'My Computer'-->Properties. Go to the Advanced tab, and then click the Settings button under 'Startup and Recovery. Under 'System Failure' make sure that the box by Automatically Reboot is unchecked. Hit 'OK' to apply the setting and exit the box.

Now, if you get a BSOD, write down the entire message, especially any files it lists. It could be a driver screwing around with stuff.
 
when did this start? (ie: has it always been doing it, or has it started more recently?)
 
Its started about a month ago, about 6 months into the systems life.

I found some other people with this problem, and they found that they had some faulty RAM. So I've removed one stick to see if that is the faulty one. If not, I'll try the other one.
 
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