Random reboots

[JeradR]

I've replaced the motherboard and powersupply so far. I've used HDTUNE and chkdsk on both harddrives in the system, I've ran Prime95 for 48 hours, memtest86 for an hour, and no errors at all. However during normal usage the computer randomly reboots. I can't reproduce the issue, however when I put the system back into production it will reboot randomly for whomever is using it. Any other ideas on what it could be? Could a bad video card cause random reboots? What is a good temperature reading utility? This is a Dell Precision 390.

 

[JeradR]

Any ideas?

 

[JohnSearle]

I had my system randomly reboot whilst I was running XP for over a month or so. I thought it might have been a heat issue or something, but then I ended up formatting the system, and it took care of the problem. I have no idea what was going on, but I have to conclude that it was software related. Never happened again.

If you have spare parts lying around, then you could always switch the pieces out and see what fixes the issue. Process of elimination... but I would first suggesting a clean install of your OS, just because it resolved my similar issue.

Let us know if you figure it out.

- John

 

[HardwareGuru]

Heat issue would be the common problem for rebooting. Also, maybe the pc can be infected with a virus also. A particular program within the pc may be the culprit also. You can do this in XP, under Run type msconfig and under startup tab, uncheck all the programs that start. You can then find out what item in the startup may be causing the pc to reboot. Try checking the cable connections on the Harddrives also.

 

[gud4u]

Do you have all programs set to manual update - or auto-update?

Few things kill a game quicker than Windows or AV program update.

Hope this helps!