Pc restarts on it own sometimes

[mazmas]

Hello,

 

My computer restarts on its own and then freezes. I noticed when it restarts it does not make a beeping noise. when I opened the cover noticed that amber light where hard drive cable sonnects with the motherboard keeps blinking. In normal restart it turns off. I tried to fiddle with various componants and found that if I dislodge and reconnect the Intal heatsink fan on top of the processor it works or may be I am totally wrong. Sometimes it works whole day without any problem and sometimes it does not work on first start after a long gap.I was told by somebody it could be a PSU problem or failing CPU. Following are my details.

 

my computer has

pentium 4 3.2 GHZ

512 MB RAM

XP HOME EIDTION 2002

CPU INTEL PENTIUM 4 CPU 3.2 GHZ

CPU SPEED 3190.3 MHZ

PSU MODEL NO FSP300-60PN(PF)

Power Provided 300 Watt

 

Any help will be appreciated

thanks

Edited January 17, 2009 by mazmas

[BeeCeeBee]

It is highly unlikely that removing and reseating a heatsink is going to correct a PSU problem.

 

The act of replacing it, however and the fact that it appears to correct the problem temporarily does indicate that there may be a problem with the cpu.

 

It also creates another problem if you are not properly sealing the heatsink. Have you replaced the paste when you perform this "operation?" If not you may face a serious overheating problem.

[DirtyPolo]

Hello,

when I opened the cover noticed that amber light where hard drive cable sonnects with the motherboard keeps blinking. In normal restart it turns off.

 

 

do you know what motherboard your computer has?

 

If not, what is the maker/model of your computer?

[mazmas]

do you know what motherboard your computer has?

 

If not, what is the maker/model of your computer?

 

It ia a HIGRADE COMPUTER (CHATTER) following are its specs:

 

Internet Explorer: 7.0.5730.11

Memory (RAM): 512 MB

CPU Info: Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 3.20GHz

CPU Speed: 3190.6 MHz

Sound card: Realtek AC97 Audio

Display Adapters: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 (Microsoft Corporation) | NetMeeting driver | RDPDD Chained DD

Monitors: 1

Screen Resolution: 1024 X 768 - 32 bit

Network: Network Present

Network Adapters: Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC - Packet Scheduler Miniport

CD / DVD Drives: E: JUMBO CDRW/DVD DBW521A | F: NU DVDRW DDW-082

COM Ports: COM3 | COM1 | COM2

LPT Ports: LPT1

Mouse: 3 Button Wheel Mouse Present

Hard Disks: C: 30.0GB | D: 65.0GB

Hard Disks - Free: C: 4.3GB | D: 52.2GB

USB Controllers: 5 host controllers.

Firewire (1394): Not Detected

PCMCIA (Laptops): Not Installed

Manufacturer: Phoenix Technologies, LTD

Product Make:

AC Power Status: OnLine

BIOS Info: AT/AT COMPATIBLE | 05/29/06 | IntelR - 42302e31

Time Zone: GMT Standard Time

Battery: No Battery

Motherboard: Foxconn 865A01

Modem: NetoDragon 56K Voice Modem

 

thanks

[mazmas]

It is highly unlikely that removing and reseating a heatsink is going to correct a PSU problem.

 

The act of replacing it, however and the fact that it appears to correct the problem temporarily does indicate that there may be a problem with the cpu.

 

It also creates another problem if you are not properly sealing the heatsink. Have you replaced the paste when you perform this "operation?" If not you may face a serious overheating problem.

 

hello,

 

Thanks for your reply I have only seperated the cpu from fan once. And yes there was a paste which is still there, do I need to replace it with new paste ?

[BeeCeeBee]

If you choose to remove the heatsink it is always advisable to use fresh paste. As I said it can become the cause of serious overheating.

[Tootech]

If you power it up, and it doesn't start, what happens ?

 

Does it start to loads Windows, or does it just not do anything. Does the hard drive light come on and nothing else happens, does the power light come on, do the fans come on?

 

 

If it is a hardware fault it could be tricky to track down. If it is a PSU problem testing the one you have or swapping it for another is the only way to find out.

 

I'm almost certain it won't be a CPU fault - they fail very rarely in normal use.

 

If it's a mainboard fault it would need replacing and then retesting to be sure.

 

First thing to do is unplug the internal power connectors and then plug them back in - there are two on your board, a 4 pin and a longer 20 or 24 pin connector. That will reseat them and make sure the connections are good.

 

Make sure you do this with your PC powered off at the mains.

 

Also, do the same with your memory modules - unplug them and plug them back in again.

 

And the same again with your hard drive connection cable - at both ends.

 

The other thing to do it unplug any USB devices you have connected such as printers and USB hubs. Sometimes they can prevent a PC starting. Leave them unplugged for the moment.

 

The CPU you have creates alot of heat and as beeceebee points out , you do need a new layer of heatsink paste. Over time it can dry out and lose its ability to transfer the heat to the heatsink. Worst case your CPU would burn out, best case it may run ok but it's not worth the risk.

 

If the reseating and removal of USB devices doesn't fix the problem, it may be worth taking your unit to a repair shop. They will have the equipment and spares to fully test your hardware.

 

Let us know how you get on.

[BeeCeeBee]

I need to clarify my previous post lest someone decide that my reference to possible cpu problems is based on knowledge superior to that of Tootech which is, by far, simply not the case.

 

My point was that the act of removing and replacing a heatsink by the very nature of the task effects the amount of downward pressure placed on the cpu. The fact that it seemed to offer a temporary fix simply made that possibility at least worthy of consideration.

 

That being said it, even if I turn out to be correct, that does not mean that it is the CPU itself that has a problem.

 

The bottom line is, follow the instructions just given by Tootech as they give you the best chance of a solution. :)

[mazmas]

 

If you power it up, and it doesn't start, what happens ?

 

Does it start to loads Windows, or does it just not do anything. Does the hard drive light come on and nothing else happens, does the power light come on,

do the fans come on?

 

 

 

If it is a hardware fault it could be tricky to track down. If it is a PSU problem testing the one you have or swapping it for another is the only way to find out.

 

I'm almost certain it won't be a CPU fault - they fail very rarely in normal use.

 

If it's a mainboard fault it would need replacing and then retesting to be sure.

 

First thing to do is unplug the internal power connectors and then plug them back in - there are two on your board, a 4 pin and a longer 20 or 24 pin connector. That will reseat them and make sure the connections are good.

 

Make sure you do this with your PC powered off at the mains.

 

Also, do the same with your memory modules - unplug them and plug them back in again.

 

And the same again with your hard drive connection cable - at both ends.

 

The other thing to do it unplug any USB devices you have connected such as printers and USB hubs. Sometimes they can prevent a PC starting. Leave them unplugged for the moment.

 

The CPU you have creates alot of heat and as beeceebee points out , you do need a new layer of heatsink paste. Over time it can dry out and lose its ability to transfer the heat to the heatsink. Worst case your CPU would burn out, best case it may run ok but it's not worth the risk.

 

If the reseating and removal of USB devices doesn't fix the problem, it may be worth taking your unit to a repair shop. They will have the equipment and spares to fully test your hardware.

 

Let us know how you get on.

 

 

Hello,

 

Following are the answers to the question you asked:

 

1) screen stays blank,no beep sound.

 

2) no loading of windows, screen stays blank.Amber light where the hard drive cable is connected to motherboard keeps blinking.All fans work fine.

 

Thank you for the list of steps to find out the real problem I will give it a go and will update you. Once again many thanks for your help.

 

mazmas