Hello,

I work with computers and networks on a regular basis, so I have a decent idea with what I am doing, but I am no professional.

The PC I'm trying to work with randomly shuts down, usually only when in use, not when idle. The machine did have a worm on it, but the hard drive was completely reformated and Windows XP Home Edition was reinstalled. I am currently running good antivirus protection on it, and have not had any problems. Even after completely clearing the hard drive, it still randomly shuts down, just like it did before.

So I figured, along with the Microsoft website, that it is most likely hardware failure. When reinstalling Windows, I removed the case and gently cleaned out the entire unit and ensured all cables and parts were set securely. None of the original hardware has been removed or upgraded.

Today, I downloaded a motherboard monitoring program to try and monitor temperatures, etc. and most of the temperatures seem normal, except for the CPU temp which reads "-29 degress Farenheit" which is obviously incorrect. Could there be a sensor on the processor that could be malfunctioning, causing the machine to restart? Are there any other possibilities along this line?

The machine is a Compaq Presario 6000 with 2.5GHZ pentium processor running Windows XP Home Edition.

Thanks very much for your help!

I had a gateway at work that was doing a similar thing. It would just shut off but I am not sure if it mattered whether it was idle or not. I believe the solution was the switch. Just a shot in the dark but if it helps great. Someone else might have an answer that knows the newer computers better.

Could be a fault with the processor/fan, causing it to overheat and shut down. Could also be device drivers etc. Try booting to a dos prompt or something other than windows and leave it on, does it still shutdown?

There is an option in windows 2000/xp that shuts the computer down automatically when a problem occurs. To check this setting right click my computer, click properties and under the advanced tab click startup and recovery. You'll see an option that says "automatically reboot" try unchecking this!

Another option is faulty power supply unit, if possible, swap with a known working unit.

Thank you! When I get a few free moments later today, I will give that a try. I know on the system I'm using now, it is unchecked by default, but I will see if that PC has it checked.

After checking that, I have a few power supplies lying around so I'll have to switch one over... it's just that it doesn't happen very often so its hard to tell - the only reason it matters so much is because it does it right when you are in the middle of something important - awfully coincidental, huh? :D

The fact that the PC shuts down only when somebody is doing something leads me to think it's overheating. I had a similar problem a few months back. After a clean install my PC seemed to restart every time I tried to do anything graphically intensive. In the end it turned out to be nothing about the clean install. The fan on my graphics card was clogged up with dust :S

When you cleaned out the case Wzar, did you get that any heatsinks & fans were dust free (graphics card, CPU, case fans or motherboard).

You could also try running the PC with the side off the case for a while. That should improve the air flow. Try and do some tasks that would take a lot of resources up - games, video editing, something like that.

Hello,

Yes, in fact, I did make sure all the vents and fans were clear of dirt and dust. I will try taking the side off for a while to see if that makes any difference.

This PC has many, many hours on it and has been used to no end. I will also double check to make sure all of the fans and everything still operate correctly.