Clues Needed

[MMPerk]

Howdy to all,

Over this last weekend my wonderfull homebuilt computer has developed a hickup.

Three times yesterday...it just shut down. Not a reboot, but a total shut down. Nothing has been lost, other than a few brain cells I've killed trying to sort this out.

My CPU, MB, and system temps are very good. There are no unusual ordors coming from the maching either.

My PNY GeForce 8800GT card on the other hand has been running @ temps of 65c...while under load they do climb towards the 75c mark...or 149F - 167F. I'm no expert, but this does seem a bit on the high side. But then these cards have been known to run a little on the 'hot' side.

I've tweaked the fan speed on the video card and under little/no load it's now running at 48c/118F.

I'm used to dealing with a reboot due to an overheating problem. Not a complete shutdown when all appears to be well.

Anyway...please toss some ideas out my way. I'm running an MSI MB with an intel Q6600, Thermaltake Toughpower 700W PS, 4 gigs ram...Thermaltake CPU fan to keep things cool.

Up till shut down there are no obvious signs of system instability.

Many thanks for and ideas, and yes, I've backed up...

LP

[Mluvara]

Re: Clues Needed

Howdy to all,

Over this last weekend my wonderfull homebuilt computer has developed a hickup.

Three times yesterday...it just shut down. Not a reboot, but a total shut down. Nothing has been lost, other than a few brain cells I've killed trying to sort this out.

My CPU, MB, and system temps are very good. There are no unusual ordors coming from the maching either.

My PNY GeForce 8800GT card on the other hand has been running @ temps of 65c...while under load they do climb towards the 75c mark...or 149F - 167F. I'm no expert, but this does seem a bit on the high side. But then these cards have been known to run a little on the 'hot' side.

I've tweaked the fan speed on the video card and under little/no load it's now running at 48c/118F.

I'm used to dealing with a reboot due to an overheating problem. Not a complete shutdown when all appears to be well.

Anyway...please toss some ideas out my way. I'm running an MSI MB with an intel Q6600, Thermaltake Toughpower 700W PS, 4 gigs ram...Thermaltake CPU fan to keep things cool.

Up till shut down there are no obvious signs of system instability.

Many thanks for and ideas, and yes, I've backed up...

LP

Power supplies can be finicky at times... Might be an expensive test to figure out if it is the issue. You could also start unplugging drives,etc to reduce the load and see if that is causing the issue. Also, make sure the Power supply and system is dust free. The power supply can often overheat and shut down due to dust in the fan/cooling system. I often take the system outside with one of the dust cans and blow it out.

Michael

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Clues Needed

The only times I've ever had a PC just shut off is either due to heat, or a virus.


I suspect it may be your 3D card, but one can't tell unless you try another video card in it and see if the PC still turns itself off.

I did read a few comments about your videocard, and it does run hot, some say due to too-small of a fan. One person said his failed after only one year.

[Fiveft18]

Re: Clues Needed

Power Supply or Motherboard

[Leo]

Re: Clues Needed

Video card failures are common in my office. Usually it is partial and you lose image quality, with a complete failure you don't get anything. But the computer still boots up. Rarely do they fail in use, usually they are dead when someone starts up in the a.m.
I have had corrupted windows profiles shut down programs seemingly randomly AND run the computer shutdown scrips on their own when overtaxed. In a company our size with intensive use of 250 network stations it happens frequently.

[flyingjibus]

Re: Clues Needed

I had a pc that would shut down completely due to Overheated video card. I also would suspect the power supply.

Check your BIOS and see if there is a safety shut down for video card overheat.

[Jim58]

Re: Clues Needed

DITTO on the ps. a failed PS can cost you a Mboard. should be able to replace one for 39.95 and 20 min of your time.

not a pro...just fixed ALOT of FUBAR puters for folks.

[sierra fox]

Re: Clues Needed

Also look at the cooling fan, mine was so covered with dust, it stopped cooling as needed, took it out, removed the dust and re-installed, works great

[LearFanKid]

Re: Clues Needed

May be some clues are being logged in the system or application system event logs? right click My Computer>Manage>Event Log> from here select system or application log. Look for events with timestamps around the times of shutdowns. If you're dealing with a legit H/W issue with the PS... you might not see anything. but if something else is going causing an automated shutdown... you might catch some clues here. Good Luck

[LearFanKid]

Re: Clues Needed

Just realized I assumed you are running some variant of Windows (sorry if I'm incorrect). But let us know what Operating system you are running and we may have some more tips.

[MMPerk]

Re: Clues Needed

Just realized I assumed you are running some variant of Windows (sorry if I'm incorrect). But let us know what Operating system you are running and we may have some more tips.

I hadn't thought of this...Windows Vista Home Edition Premium 32bit version.

Also good ideas...thanks a bunch. I'll take the time in the morning to check for an event log, and also the bios...

I've got warrenty left for the video card and the MotherBoard. I hope to gather a couple of extra parts so as to swap out and test.

Thanks for all the ideas...I'm not used to things just shutting down...but I have experienced the reboots due to overheating. I feel lucky that I'm able to boot up and get a few things done without any troubles.

Lonnie

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Clues Needed

Lonnie, when it quits, does it just *quit* or does it go through some processes then quit?

If it's just up and quitting, as in beginning a reboot but not starting, it's likely the power supply. Relatively cheap / easy place to look, for starters.. hook up a new one, see if it still does it.. If it does, take it back.. if it doesn't.. guess that was it..

[MMPerk]

Re: Clues Needed

Lonnie, when it quits, does it just *quit* or does it go through some processes then quit?

If it's just up and quitting, as in beginning a reboot but not starting, it's likely the power supply. Relatively cheap / easy place to look, for starters.. hook up a new one, see if it still does it.. If it does, take it back.. if it doesn't.. guess that was it..

Yo Bro...

It just up and quits...no shut down process and no beeps or bleeps. The problem I have at the moment...I don't have a big enough power supply to swap out with. I'm going to check with my local guru today and see if he has one I can use to check out this theory.

About the event logs...holy crap batman!!!
Not sure what to make of it...but there is all kinds of crap going on. I'm still sorting out what it all means, but there are some issues...odd that without looking at these event logs that other than a problem with IE crashing every now and then, that the system has been very stable.

I still to sort through the events and see if the times match up with my shutdowns.

Thanks for all the tips and clues...I'll update as I unravel this mystery.

Also...the forecasters here can't decided what's going to happen...'Winter Storm Warning in effect from 10AM today till 10AM tomorrow...one says we are going to get up to 6 inches of snow here in Reno, and another says we may get some rain/snow mix with a slushy accumulation of an inch tonigh and tomorrow morning. I would love to get paid to be so flexible...it might rain...it might not. It might snow, it might not....LOL

Lonnie

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Clues Needed

I'll bet you a round that it's the power supply.. Have you tried taking a can of compressed notair and blow through the power supply housing backward? It's amazing how much stuff collects in fan vented cases, laptops are particularly vulnerable, either because they sit on a lint source, or the passages are so small but I've had several issues with plugged heat sinks that a quick blow off did wonders..

Also, you might try running with a lesser power supply, just don't hook everything up.. like maybe one drive, just to see if it's stable..

Unless that monster vid card of yours drains too much to do that...

[Skyracer]

Re: Clues Needed

Yo Bro...

It just up and quits...no shut down process and no beeps or bleeps. The problem I have at the moment...I don't have a big enough power supply to swap out with. I'm going to check with my local guru today and see if he has one I can use to check out this theory.

About the event logs...holy crap batman!!!
Not sure what to make of it...but there is all kinds of crap going on. I'm still sorting out what it all means, but there are some issues...odd that without looking at these event logs that other than a problem with IE crashing every now and then, that the system has been very stable.

I still to sort through the events and see if the times match up with my shutdowns.

Thanks for all the tips and clues...I'll update as I unravel this mystery.

Also...the forecasters here can't decided what's going to happen...'Winter Storm Warning in effect from 10AM today till 10AM tomorrow...one says we are going to get up to 6 inches of snow here in Reno, and another says we may get some rain/snow mix with a slushy accumulation of an inch tonigh and tomorrow morning. I would love to get paid to be so flexible...it might rain...it might not. It might snow, it might not....LOL

Lonnie

There is lots of info in the logs, but most of it is just inconsequential fodder (until you have a problem [usually software, security, or access]). My vote is clean the lint and crap out and if that does not fix it, replace the power supply. Have you done any recent upgrades or part replacements with components that may have pushed the PS over the edge? Have you moved the computer or piled anything near/in/on/around it that may affect airflow? Is it sitting near a heat vent or other heat source?

RE: Weather - Always brings to mind the guy who called into a radio station and and told the weather guesser, "I just finished shoveling six inches of your 40% chance of rain off my sidewalk."