Restart Problem

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

H

Harms Way

Senior Member
Hey guys, I recently built a new computer and up until now it has been running flawlessly. The problem is this: Every now and then the computer will randomly restart. It is not a heat issue. I have 3 different temperature gauges on the front of my tower and I took the sides off to allow better air flow. Also, it isnt a virus. I have free AVG and update it all the time and ran a test to look for viruses which came up clean. I did a little search and found that it could be RAM, however, I read that if it is RAM then your picture will be somewhat hazzy or distorted. My picture is not distorted and when it restarts it doesnt give me the bue screen of death, it simply restarts. Can someone show me a program where I can detect what is wrong or.....? This is my first PC build, so i am kind of a noob, but not TOO noobie. My bro is majoring in Network Administration, so he knows the in's and outs of a PC pretty damn good. I asked him but he didn't really give me a good reply, plus, ten people are better than 1.

BTW - I am running Windows XP Pro.
 
Last edited:
Taking the sides off actually makes it run hotter. Put the case back together. Its like driving with your a/c on, and windows down.....

what cpu are you using? I had a similar issue with a sempron chip before...
 
The temperature gauges have been reading lower since I have taken off the sides. I am running an AMD Athlon 64.
 
i had that same promblem for the first two weeks after assembling my newest pc... for me the problem was the mobo BIOS (whatever the original was for the Asus A8N-SLI)... i put there newer one on (for completely unrelated reasons) and never had the problem again...
 
yeah, my brother said I might have to update to a diff. BIOS. I will try that and see what happens. Thanks for the input.
 
bad RAM can cause random reboots too without the fuzzy or watever you're talking about. download and run memtest with 1 stick in at a time. should take about 30 minutes or so for each pass.

make sure your 12v is stable and that the psu isnt a shitty branded one. those cause random reboots too.

did you add any new hardware or software or adjust anything via BIOS. with the newer setups, RAM timing could cause the system to reboot for no reason.

i would install a voltage monitor and see if the power is fluxing and then run memtest. if everything is fine, see if there is a newer bios like mentioned above. sometimes that fixes everything, mainly RAM issues.
 
all my random reboot problems were solved with either replacing a power supply or memory.

ive had a few machines here with this issue.
 
It doesn't happen every day, or even every other day. I run Counter Strike and Half Life on it and it's fine. However, just sometimes ( I would say once every 4 days) it will just reboot in the middle of anything.

Also, when I restart my computer it goes to a black screen telling me that it's reading my memory (1gig) just fine, but then it gives me 3 options.

F1 - continue
F8 - (I believe) is enter start up configuration
F9 - I can't remember, but it doesnt matter because the only one that works is F1. Do I need to update to a diff. BIOS?
 
Last edited:
If it is giving you a memory update, that is either bad memory, or a failing CMOS Battery.

But What TurboMirage said is right. Majority of all random reboots are either memory or power supply issues.
 
Okay, I did a memory test with MemTest and before I put my PC together I bought a Thermaltake 480w Power Supply.

I was watching a short clip from Filecabi.net today and about half-way through it kinda stalled and then my PC restarted. I went into propoerties under my computer/advanced tab/ ect..and unchecked the "restart" check-box.

I also was told it could be another power source (dishwasher/washing machine) that makes it restart, but I did laundry and ran the dishwasher and it didn't happen. Also, like I said before it happened while watching a short clip from filecabi.net.

Any other ideas on what else I can check.
 
Try to reset all the BIOS back to default.
I've seen BIOS errors that will lower the temperature at which the computer will restart.
If you're running cool, that's great, but if BIOS thinks it should restart at a temperature 15C below normal, it's not going to matter.
 
I went to reinstall BIOS and it asked for a zip disk. My PC doesn't have a zip drive. When I built it I didn't include one, well, because I use a flash drive or CD's. Is there another way I can do it?
 
I've installed a BIOS update with a floppy, maybe try that?
 
that power supply maybe the reason why its rebooting. thermaltake makes lousy ones. its probably that 20 dollar one after rebate. invest in a good power supply. again check the 12v and see if its dipping below 11.80 or if its fluacting heavily. if it is, replace it with a good one. FPS is a good brand. i have a 400 watt model and its powering a dual core rig with no problems what so ever.

if you're thinking about resetting CMOS, thats it and it could be the problem too. just move the jumpers and unplug the power supply. then tap power on a few times to drain whatever is in the lines. then wait for a few minutes and move back the jumper and see if that makes it stable.

check the manufactuer's site for bios. most if not all, have alternatives like Winflash or bootable ISO discs. be very careful when doing this. SHUT DOWN ALL programs not need and antivirus. if the BIOS install is interrupted it WILL fubar your chip and renderer it useless until its reprogram or replaced.

to check for stability, download and run SuperPi 1M and then run an instance of Prime95 torture test.
 
Try reseating the memory. If you have multiple RAM sticks take one out and see if the problem still exists. If it does put the other stick in and take the other one out. Update the BIOS. Install a Clean full format of XP, I had to do this 3 times once, as I was having random issues each install, and finally it worked out.
I would also check out your powersupply. I run a Antec Smart Power 480 (it was free), but I like the antec NeoPower 550HE, and Thermal take has some really nice PowerSupplies out now too. A good power supply is more important than you would ever think.
After all of that then I would swap the processor, then look at the motherboard in terms of replacement.
 
what type of mobo do you have? i know my Asus one i changed my bios once using a burned cd... but that was a while ago...
 
:-D

I have since ran a MemTest - it came out fine. I have also updated my video card drivers and downloaded a patch/driver thing from AMD's site. Also, in the same day I was told that since I had my PC siting on the carpet with the sides off that the static electricity was interfearing with it. So, I elevated it onto my desk. It hasn't restarted since the day I downloaded the new video drivers. Think this fixed it?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top