Problems with computer....Help...

Caveman Jim · Feb 18, 2014

during this last week I have had a problem with my computer shutting down (turning off) while on line I have no idea what's going on. Im to the polnt of going to go outside the cave and grab a BFR (large rock) and beat it till it works or dies completly, so if any one can save me from spending a lot of money please help....
Thanks, Caveman Jim

Mark W. · Feb 18, 2014

Is this a desk top? what does it take to get it to come back on?

First guess is Power supply going tits up.

Riot · Feb 18, 2014

I had a few towers that were doing that to me.

One ended up a kink in the power cord because it was pushed all the way to the wall

The other was that the power supply unit was just going out

My bet is that either the cable or the power supply needs to be replaced....these are not expensive parts, nor are they hard to fix. Good luck to you! Hope this helps!

Caveman Jim · Feb 18, 2014

It is a 5 year old desktop built for AutoCad drafting ($1200 video card& HD power supply).
All it needs is rebooting to come back on.

PiratePast40 · Feb 18, 2014

Might want to check out a little utility called SpeedFan. SpeedFan - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com

It'll give you CPU temps as well as voltages. Might help to narrow down the source of the problem.

Caveman Jim · Feb 18, 2014

PiratePast40 said:
Might want to check out a little utility called SpeedFan. SpeedFan - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com

It'll give you CPU temps as well as voltages. Might help to narrow down the source of the problem.

Cool. I'll check it out...

mrblond · Feb 18, 2014

my guess is heat. open it up and blow all the dust and such out of it.

Caveman Jim · Feb 18, 2014

mrblond said:
my guess is heat. open it up and blow all the dust and such out of it.

I did that a few days ago and no change.

JackThompson · Feb 18, 2014

If it stays on for the same amount of time each time it's likely an overheating problem. This can be caused by not having enough heat sink compound under the CPU heat sink.

You can get tubes of heat sink compound online or sometimes at best buy or radio shack. Just remove the heat sink, clean off the old gunk and put enough on to barely cover the bottom of the heat and clip/screw it back on.

JackThompson · Feb 18, 2014

Send me a PM with you phone and I'll try to help you diagnose it.

teflon6string · Feb 18, 2014

Hanging onto old toys that work, I've been guilty of slipping behind in technology from time to time.

In fact one of my computers is a Pentium I had built in 2002 and it's been running since then. I replaced the power supply twice ($25 the first time and $35 a few years ago). They get old and dirty inside, and they fail. Is your fan noisy? Both of mine got that way when they started to go (for like a year apiece).

I hope that's all you have going on there. Cheap and butt-simple to replace.

duane black · Feb 19, 2014

Some machines will power off due to a " thermal event " ...

Basically, overheating. When it comes back up are there any messages ?

BAMCIS · Feb 19, 2014

Caveman Jim said:
during this last week I have had a problem with my computer shutting down (turning off) while on line I have no idea what's going on. Im to the polnt of going to go outside the cave and grab a BFR (large rock) and beat it till it works or dies completly, so if any one can save me from spending a lot of money please help....
Thanks, Caveman Jim

This is what I did one time to a lawn mower that wouldn't start reliably. But I used a BFH (large hammer).

Sometimes my machine won't shut off because it's in the middle of updating, or installing updates. I'm guessing though this is not the case otherwise you wouldn't be seeking help from the combined NWFA braintrust.

Caveman Jim · Feb 19, 2014

Yeah, found out it is the power supply causing the problem. Thanks folks for the recommendations!!!
Dang, I was getting excited and found a suitable BFR for my entertainment, but Alas, I shant beat it today.....

Mark W. · Feb 19, 2014

Caveman Jim said:
Yeah, found out it is the power supply causing the problem. Thanks folks for the recommendations!!!
Dang, I was getting excited and found a suitable BFR for my entertainment, but Alas, I shant beat it today.....

My 2000 Gateway behaved this way both times I had to replace the power supply. Now I would love to replace the power supply one more time so I have a Puter that would run all my XP dependent programs but the stupid power supply is mega spendy this far down the line.

Special smaller case computer dedicated power supply.

deen_ad · Feb 19, 2014

When I used to build rack mount industrial computers and home computers I almost always found that a freeze and shut down was a power supply or overheating processor. The power supply was the first (cheapest) to fix!

Got tired of the chair/keyboard interface problems and got out of that rat race after I set up Freightliners SAN on Swan Island.

Deen
NRA Life Member, Benefactor Level
Defender of Freedom Award
NRA Recruiter
Second Amendment Foundation Member
Washington Arms Collectors Member
Arms Collectors of SW Washington Member

"A gun is like a parachute. If you need one and don't have it, you'll probably never need one again!"