Guest rushs_99 Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 I am having a weird problem that is driving me insane. My computer just shuts itself off in the middle of playing a game. It happens when I play Oblivion and when my son plays Command and Conquer. There is no warning....the computer just shuts off. It can happen after 2 minutes of gaming or an hour. Time does not seem to matter. The other weird thing is that it never happens doing other mundane tasks like word processing or surfing the Internet. It only shuts down while playing games. I am running the latest video card driver and my copy of Windows XP has all the latest updates. I also do not have any virus/malware. I do not think it is software related and would rather not have to reload XP. Please help. My computer specs are: ASUS MB P4 3.0 GHZ Processor ATI X1650 256MB Video Card (AGP) 1 Gig RAM 2 X HDD 2X DVD On board audio card 300 Watt Power Supply
Guest R. McCarty Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 Re: Why is my computer shutting off? Based on your hardware, I'd suspect that the 300-Watt power supply is not adequate for the hardware it's supporting. A P-4 in that Ghz Range has a high wattage requirement. It's also possible that heating is the cause. Game playing causes the Video card to heat up appreciably. I'd install SpeedFan 4.32 and monitor the thermals. Most BIOS today have a page/segment for Environmental monitoring. You should check if the voltages are close or near the thresholds. PCs (Desktops) should be physically cleaned at least twice a year. Check vents for clogs and use a can of compressed air to loosen and displace accumulated dust. Also do a visual inspection to make sure EVERY fan in the PC is turning. "rushs_99" <rushs99@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:CA6457E6-F94F-412C-9862-2460ADA3E624@microsoft.com... >I am having a weird problem that is driving me insane. My computer just >shuts > itself off in the middle of playing a game. It happens when I play > Oblivion > and when my son plays Command and Conquer. There is no warning....the > computer just shuts off. It can happen after 2 minutes of gaming or an > hour. > Time does not seem to matter. The other weird thing is that it never > happens > doing other mundane tasks like word processing or surfing the Internet. It > only shuts down while playing games. I am running the latest video card > driver and my copy of Windows XP has all the latest updates. I also do not > have any virus/malware. I do not think it is software related and would > rather not have to reload XP. Please help. > > My computer specs are: > > ASUS MB > P4 3.0 GHZ Processor > ATI X1650 256MB Video Card (AGP) > 1 Gig RAM > 2 X HDD > 2X DVD > On board audio card > 300 Watt Power Supply >
Guest Patrick Keenan Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 Re: Why is my computer shutting off? "rushs_99" <rushs99@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:CA6457E6-F94F-412C-9862-2460ADA3E624@microsoft.com... >I am having a weird problem that is driving me insane. My computer just >shuts > itself off in the middle of playing a game. It happens when I play > Oblivion > and when my son plays Command and Conquer. There is no warning....the > computer just shuts off. It can happen after 2 minutes of gaming or an > hour. > Time does not seem to matter. The other weird thing is that it never > happens > doing other mundane tasks like word processing or surfing the Internet. It > only shuts down while playing games. I am running the latest video card > driver and my copy of Windows XP has all the latest updates. I also do not > have any virus/malware. I do not think it is software related and would > rather not have to reload XP. Please help. > > My computer specs are: > > ASUS MB > P4 3.0 GHZ Processor > ATI X1650 256MB Video Card (AGP) > 1 Gig RAM > 2 X HDD > 2X DVD > On board audio card > 300 Watt Power Supply This kind of spontaneous shutoff, when *not* accompanied by an automatic restart, normally indicates hardware failure. The failing hardware starts with the power supply, but then progresses to the memory, then any memory-related component on the motherboard, the processor, then the drives. Unfortunately, this also normally means that you have to start replacing hardware to figure out what is actually failing. Start with replacing the power supply, as yours has a fairly low rating. Try for a 450 watt+, and perhaps look at "quiet" supplies - the power supply makes a lot of the PC's noise. You must, of course, be sure that the connectors on the power supply match the ones for your system's motherboard. While you have the case open, use cans of compressed air to clean dust out of all the vents and heatsinks. Heat buildup due to restricted ventilation will kill PC components. If you find that replacing the power supply does not resolve the problem, stop and consider other options, as your next steps in this direction would be replacing the memory... then the motherboard... then the processor... and this gets expensive. HTH -pk
Guest Unknown Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 Re: Why is my computer shutting off? More than likely heat. To verify, open case and blow a fan on it. "rushs_99" <rushs99@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:CA6457E6-F94F-412C-9862-2460ADA3E624@microsoft.com... >I am having a weird problem that is driving me insane. My computer just >shuts > itself off in the middle of playing a game. It happens when I play > Oblivion > and when my son plays Command and Conquer. There is no warning....the > computer just shuts off. It can happen after 2 minutes of gaming or an > hour. > Time does not seem to matter. The other weird thing is that it never > happens > doing other mundane tasks like word processing or surfing the Internet. It > only shuts down while playing games. I am running the latest video card > driver and my copy of Windows XP has all the latest updates. I also do not > have any virus/malware. I do not think it is software related and would > rather not have to reload XP. Please help. > > My computer specs are: > > ASUS MB > P4 3.0 GHZ Processor > ATI X1650 256MB Video Card (AGP) > 1 Gig RAM > 2 X HDD > 2X DVD > On board audio card > 300 Watt Power Supply >
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