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Random reboots

D

Deathheadmoth

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 23, 2001
Messages
288
For the past week or so I've been experiencing random reboots on my machine. For a while they were happening very infrequently, but today I started experiencing them consistently. Sometimes it happens when I'm loading windows and other times when I'm just sitting in windows. The first thing I did was reset my cpu to stock speeds and that didn't fix it. Then I thought it might be my power supply so I unhooked everything but my hard drive and it still happened. My CPU temperatures appear to be fine. Only thing I can think of is it being my hard drive or RAM. Does that seem possible? When the reboot happens the screen goes black with no warning and then it instantly starts up again.

A bit about my computer:
P4 2.4C
Abit IC7
Radeon 9500 Pro
1 GB PC3200 Corsair
Main drive 37GB Raptor
Storage drive 120GB WD
Antec 430W PSU

Thanks in advance if you can help me
 
Are you using win2k/xp? if so make sure you disable the "automaticly reboot" option. It's under control panel->system->advanced->preformance or startup and recovery or something. After this is done you may get a BSOD with an error message pointing you to the problem. I would still suspect the PSU, it could be going out on you. It could also be your ram but I wouldn't suspect the hard drive.

I have had many problems like this and they were caused by my memory or psu or even once I had bad onboard sound in my comp and unless I disabled it I would get BSODs so there could be a variety of causes.
 
Too late to try runnin memtest. I formatted last night and now during the install for xp its been restarting. Since I have 2 sticks of ram, when I get home from work I'll try the process with just 1 stick in at a time to see if one of them is the culprit. If not I'll see if I can convince my roomate to borrow his PSU for a bit and see if that does the trick. I tried playing with the voltage a bit by increasing it, decreasing it, going back to default, and none of it seemed to make a difference. I dunno I'm kind of leaning towards RAM because the format of my hard drive went fine, it wasn't until the install where the RAM is being utilized that the system kicks out on me. I'll keep you guys posted thanks for the suggestions.
 
Memtest doesn't require an OS to run, it is a bootable utility
Download it, put it on a floppy, toss it in your comp and let it run for a couple of hours.

The only acceptable result is 0 errors.
 
I had a similar problem (ie: random reboots) not so long ago and the culprit was ram - but not the sticks, the slots i was using. I have a MSI K8T800 mobo and 2*512MB DDR3200 ram. For some reason having ram sticks in slots 0 and 2 would lead to memory errors (using prime95) but when i put the sticks in slots 0 and 1 the problems went away. if the problem was due to this, you should be able to find out by running for awhile with just a single stick in slot 0 though.

Anyway, hope you get your problem sorted.

CadniuM
 
usually your comp will blue screen if it was the ram. i'd guess it's the psu, but an antec? but not all antecs are perfect.....
 
Had a similar problem recently. A couple of weeks after installing a new vid card, the system started locking or rebooting randomly. Memtest ran ok, the power supply readings on the hard drive connectors were ok, and it was not the software. Even after I put the original vid card back in, the problem remained. Finally picked up a new power supply, and the problem went away.

Even if the voltages look ok in the bios or with a meter, don't assume your supply is ok.

Don
 
Just had an almost identicle issue, even to the increase in frequency. Turned out to be the processor. I'd give it a minimum RAM usage overnight loop at stock and see what happens.

Processors will die, just like everything else. Give it a try and good luck :).
 
GAHHH...

So, I had tried out my friends Antec True430 PSU in my computer, and it seemed to be working okay. I was able to install windows without any problems at least, but I didn't have much time with it so I didn't get to test my computer too much. I went to CompUSA yesterday and bought another Antec True430 PSU, slap it in my computer, and the reboots return.. :mad: CompUSA was closed by the time I went back, think they'll let me return it? I hope so, they're freakin overpriced.

Anyways I just don't know what to do. Like I said I tested the ram one stick at a time and that didn't help. So whats the problem? Motherboard? Processor? Video card? Both sticks of ram? I'm getting dangerously close to either breaking my computer or upgrading the main components, neither of which I want to do.

I haven't run memtest yet cause I don't have a floppy drive. I'll see if I can get it on a cd. Maybe its the processor like was said in one post. Any way I could test this or would I have to bite the bullet and buy one in faith. I suppose I could convince my friend to try his proc but not til the weekend probably.
 
Get a floppy and run memtest! Other than that, try different mobos, vid cards, different memory, etc. Sounds like bad hardware. Also, check your capacitors on the mobo.
 
Well, memtest has been running for about 2 hours so far with no problems. I checked out the capacitors and I didn't notice anything that appeared visibly bad, but I can't be certain. I didn't see any ones that were bulging or leaking at least. Do they have like a processor tester similar to memtest that I can use to see if the processor is all good?

I don't get why it can do memtest for 2 hours but it can't even get through a windows install... :confused:
 
Its a conspiracy I tell you. If you search on google there are tons of people with this same problem. Different things seem to fix it for different people, makes getting help a real pain.
 
Well, you narrowed it down to the hdd, cd/dvd drive/ processor/motherboard/card.

Could be a failing proc or motherboard. HDD/dvd/cd i doubt, so i would try your proc in a differant mobo. If you cant find one, take it to a local store. Tell them you're getting random reboots on your machine and you want to see if its the proc. Tell em to test it. But make sure to mention it can be awhile before something shows up. That should be the cheapest option and help to narrow it down.
 
It shouldn't be my cd/dvd drive cause I have 2, and I've tried with both 1 at a time. I can probably test my processor in a friends computer over the weekend, just gotta wait some more. And I'll try my roomates video card today to see if that helps. I also doubt it is hd because I can do a full format every time without any problems. I'm hoping it turns out to be mobo, cheapest thing to fix.
 
Another update:
Tried diff video card, had a restart problem, although I actually got a IRQ NOT LESS OR EQUAL error whatever. Then I tried disabling Hyperthreading and that seemed to work so far. I put my vid card back in and it still seems ok. So does the computer only working with Hyperthreading disabled mean proc is bad?
 
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