[khmahi]

Dear All,
My problem is my PC autometically shuted down after working for 1 to 2 hours. If I try switch on again it just try to on for few seconds and get off itself. If I power off for more than 2/3 hours and switchon again it starts for 1/2 hours and again autometically shuted down and happened the same. Please give me some suggessions so that I can try to get rid form this problem. Thankz

[Gkhster]

I would lean towards a overheating problem. I conclude this from what you are telling us. When you let it cool down for a time, it stays on for 1/2 hours. If you don't let it cool down, it shuts down within seconds.

Here are some things to check:

-Are any of the air vents blocked?
-Have any of the fans failed? Are they dusty or blocked?
-Is the system overclocked?
-Is the power supply over taxed?
-Are the heat sinks (radiators) properly attached?
-Is the computer case open? Often with the side panels off, the proper airflow is disrupted.

How about new hardware? Any hardware that was installed just before the shutdowns should be highly suspect.

-Some video cards draw a great deal of power.
-Did you add a new hard drive? Is it blocking internal ventilation? Are power requirements exceeded? Does the drive feel very hot to the touch? (Be careful!)
-In my experience this is not real likely, but sometimes the memory chips can run hot. You can get special heat sinks (radiators) for them.

Remember, heat is a COMPUTER KILLER! Actually, shutdowns are a relatively GOOD thing! Heat will cause the lifetime of all the componants to be drastically shortened.

Now, after all that, there is a small chance that the motherboard is registering a false alarm. On many systems there are temperature sensors and fan rpm sensors. If the temperature or the fan goes out of range, it may trigger a system shutdown. Perhaps you have monitoring software installed, or perhaps the BIOS can be tweaked. But, PLEASE don't do this until you rule out ACTUAL overheating. If you provide us with motherboard or system specifics, we may be able to provide you with ways to access and tweak the temperature and fan settings.

I am sure that others on this forum will have good suggestions. I have never melted a system myself, but I have been called to many a post-mortem for heat killed PC's. Feel free to return with your findings and ask more questions. Of course, the more information you give us, the more specific we can get.

I hope that this helps.

Guy

[khmahi]

Thankz for the wonderful solutions. My power supply's
Fan makes sound while rotating. My mother board is Intel Original (845) and 32MB riva TNT Intel P4 1.6 Mhz.

I use to open my system one in a while.

Please help me out.

With thankz

[Gkhster]

Great, we've got good information!

#1 - That power supply fan is certainly suspect.

Can you carefully blow the dust out with a vacuum cleaner on reverse?

Check out

http://www.ehow.com/tips_3664.html

And

http://www.ehow.com/how_3664_clean-c...s-insides.html

Make sure that you are well grounded, as static electricity ranks right up there with heat for killing PCS!

I'd first attack it from the outside vent (probably in the back). Then I'd power up and see if the power supply's fan noise had changed. If it hadn't I'd take the cover off and CAREFULLY blow the dust out. If there is a lot of dust, you may want to do this outside.

It is possible that the power supply will need to be replaced, but first lets try this:

# 2 - Your motherboard should have temperature and fan sensors. We need to see how hot it is in there, and also if any fans are failing.

If you have a utility installed for this purpose, then use it. If not, you can download and install Intel's active monitor from:

http://support.intel.com/design/motherbd/active.htm

I don't have an Intel motherboard, so I can't test it. If the application is able to keep logs, let us see a few hours worth of them. If not, just keep a notepad handy and write down some history. If you can, start from the cooled off state.

If I were to place a bet, I'd expect one or more temperature zones to gradually increase over time.

Let us know what happens!

Also, my comment about the case cover wasn't meant to discourage you from going into your computer. I meant that you don't want to do what I've sometimes done and LEAVE THE CASE OPEN for weeks at a time. That will disrupt the airflow!

Have fun,

Guy

[cremedies]

Bottom line... It sounds like an overheating problem. Check the CPU fan to see if it is spinning correctly if at all. Place your index finger squarly on the "center" of the spinning fan (NOT THE BLADES!) and make the fan stop for a couple of seconds and then let it go. If it spins slowly or jerks, then you must replace the fan immediately. Do not use the PC until the fan is replaced.