Restart Issue

[penn22]

I have my friends computer which I am taking a look at for him. Hes been having some restart problems and I was seeing if I could get some feedback on a couple of things to try. The computer used to work fine but now it cant stay on for longer than 20 min. It just restarts. I already tried to make sure all the power connectors were properly snug and I tried changing the hard drive. My next option probably will be the Power Supply. I also have an extra case and may take everything out of that one and put it into my other one just in case their is a short somewhere. I also know that Pentium D's have a problem with over heating but he has a huge Scythe heat sink.

Computer Specs: Aspire mid-tower case, Intel Pentium D @2.8 ghz, asus mobo, 1 gig of corsair XMS DDR memory, Radeon X1800, 300 gig SATA Maxtor hard drive, and a 500 watt NZXT power supply.

 

[Southpawz]

I would try the power supply..... I have had the same issues with a PC and a new power supply did the trick

 

[Dangman]

- Download Memtest+ v2.01, unzip it, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP install CD. Let Memtest+ run for at least three hours on each stick of RAM separately. Go for a full 24 hours if you want to be completely sure that the RAM is not a problem. If you start seeing errors, than your RAM is bad.

- Download the CD image of Hitachi Drive Fitness Test, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP install CD. Test the hard drive and see if any problems are found. DFT will run on most manufacturers' hard drives. Alternatively, you can use Seagate's SeaTools for DOS to test a Seagate or Maxtor drive. For a Western Digital drive, you could use Data Lifeguard Tools for DOS to test a Western Digital drive.

- Just because he has a huge Scythe HSF doesn't mean that it was properly fitted or clean. So monitor the temps using Speedfan.

 

[penn22]

Thanks guys for the responses I will try the PSU and get the mem test and the hard drive tester programs. I will keep you updated.