Random restarts!

[disastra]

Recently my PC has started randomly restarting itself. It has got slightly worse over the passed week. In Windows 7 on my main HDD it restarts every ~20 mins, in Ubuntu 11.10 on my secondary HDD it only restarts every ~6-8 hours, so I'm having to use Ubuntu if I want to get anything done.

 

The main HDD is partitioned and I've re-installed Windows already to see if that helped, I also re-installed Ubuntu, that didn't change anything either. When I installed the proprietary driver for my graphics card (an old 7800GTX) in Ubuntu it began to restart more often so I just run it without. In Windows I uninstalled the driver for the card and it still restarted itself just as often.

 

When it restarts itself what I mean is the power appears to completely cut out as if the system is off, it then attempts to restart itself 3 or 4 times failing and cutting out before successfully starting up. I checked all the temp monitors and the hottest it gets under load is ~78 on graphics and ~65 CPU.

 

I'm guessing it's caused by the power supply dying? I can't think what else it might be, but some suggestions might help find out what it is, I don't really have the money to go replacing my power unit to find that it's some other hardware that needs replacing!

 

 

Specs:

PSU: 500W

HDD1: 1TB - Windows 7

HDD2: 160GB - Linux Ubuntu 11.10

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz E8400

RAM: 2GB

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 7800GTX

[KenB]

Hi and welcome to ExTS

 

Initially I thought ....overheating. Your CPU temp looks a bit on the high side.

72 deg is a max from what I can find.

Just to confirm download speccy from here:

click here

You need to put the system under load and not look at the temps when idle.

 

Check the case for dust.

In particular look at the heat sink fan on the CPU

[disastra]

Hi KenB, thanks for the reply.

 

The 78 (GPU) and 65 (CPU) are the max temperatures under load. On idle the system runs at 41 (GPU) and 36 (CPU) which is fine. Also the restarts occur when the system is completely idle - no programs opened after start up, this happens in Windows as well as Ubuntu.

 

I already have a good spec application (PC Wizard) that allows me to see all the temps (HDD, CPU, GPU) at once and under load. The inside of the case is not dust free but close enough.

 

If you still think it may be a temp problem could you please explain why? - why when it restarts when idling at 37 degrees, thanks!

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, In Kens absence till he returns, I think you are right about those temperatures, though a little high for the cpu, you do state that is only under load, yet at much lower temperatures it still shuts down, that is pointing to a power supply, or possible motherboard fault. Have you tried running it in safe mode for any length of time? if so did it shut down then or not?

Here is something worth a try, turn the power off at the wall first for safety, then disconnect the CD/DVD drive and if fitted floppy drive, also anything plugged in other than the keyboard, mouse, and monitor. See how long it lasts for then, just in case an intermittent fault on the disconnected stuff is pulling the power down.

 

Nev.

[disastra]

Thanks for the reply Nev. I tried it without the other hardware connected and it still restarts. Also just tried it in safe mode, same thing.

 

I did just try and time it for 3 restarts and it seems to be restarting every 30mins almost to the minute. It also beeps once before restart - the same beep it makes on start up. It also occasionally does it when I manually restart, as in it almost completes the 'shutting down half' of a reboot, then the power dies and it starts itself up again.

 

This just confuses me more....:confused:

 

Worth updating the BIOS?

[KenB]

I already have a good spec application (PC Wizard)

Software is rarely accurate this is why I asked you to run speccy - "to confirm"

 

If you still think it may be a temp problem could you please explain why? - why when it restarts when idling at 37 degrees

You never said this in your first post ( the one I replied to ) You quoted the temperatures as

78 on graphics and ~65 CPU.

 

I tried it without the other hardware connected and it still restarts.

If you have taken RAM / Sound / Video etc cards off the m/b

disconnected the HDD and CDROM

Left only the 20(4) way PSU connector attached and it is still restarting then you have a problem with your PSU or Motherboard.

 

Try swapping the PSU for a known good one.

To test it does not need to be the same wattage.

[disastra]

Hey Ken, thanks for getting back to me.

 

Just to say, I wasn't being flippant when I asked about the reason for the temp issue, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't completely missing something! :) Alas I will need to use speccy to confirm temps before I start writing bits of hardware off.

 

But between the both of you, you have confirmed my suspicions of either motherboard or psu.

 

Now to go find someone's psu to borrow! Thanks guys!

[KenB]

Let us know how you get on with a different PSU