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Computer restarts


Grake

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I have this problem with my computer. I've replaced the power supply, the hard drive, the ram, took out the video card, sound card, modem and all it does is restart at random times. I can be on it for 10 min and it would restart suddenly, or I can just start it up, load notepad and would restart. I have no idea where the problem might be. It's either the mobo or the cpu, but can those cause random restarts? It's not getting cooked by heat, it's sitting outside the computer desk with fans and nice ventilation. Any clues as what to do?

Edited by Grake
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Turn off the "Automatically reboot on bluescreen" option in XP.

- Right click My Computer, choose Properties

- Go do Advanced Tab

- Click Settings under Startup and Recovery

- Uncheck Automatically restart under System failure

Now when it restarts see if it's actually blue screening. If it is tell us what the error says.

Yes, the CPU can cause random reboots if the cache has been fried (usually by too much voltage while overclocking).

Edited by nmX.Memnoch
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oh wow thanks. Got somewhere with the error. I get two types of errors.

One is: DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL

The other: page fault in nonpaged area

I googled those, but no site gives me a straight answer. I know i've eliminated everything except the mobo and the cpu. I'll go read some more stuff I guess :wacko:

@Jeremy

Tested, and it reported no errors. The RAM is actually brand new, but tested it anyways after removing the old ones I had.

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I googled those, but no site gives me a straight answer. I know i've eliminated everything except the mobo and the cpu. I'll go read some more stuff I guess

9th one down when Googling "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL": This page.

Typically due to a bad driver, or faulty or incompatible hardware or software.
@Jeremy

Tested, and it reported no errors. The RAM is actually brand new, but tested it anyways after removing the old ones I had.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to verify. :hello:

Are you sure the new RAM is compatible with your motherboard? Can you check your Event Log for any errors relating to the problem? If there are many, clear the logs, wait for it to restart and then check the Event Viewer again. You could always make a full memory dump and ask Cluberti to analyze it for you (lol @ nmX.Memnoch). I'm willing to bet its the new RAM but it wouldn't be the first time I've been proven wrong.

Edited by Jeremy
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I'm willing to bet its the new RAM

From what I gather about his first post, he replaced the RAM trying to fix the problem. So it appears he was having the random reboot issue prior to the RAM replacement.

Edited by nmX.Memnoch
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Yes, I have 3 sticks of ram with me right now. The first two has been compatible with my mobo for 2 years now. The 3rd one I just bought and yes it is compatible with my motherboard too. I think it's just spitting out random errors on me. Now I also get a tcpip.sys BSOD. Im at work now, i'll go do w/e you said later.

Thanks for the replies guys.

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Well it's the weekend, so I hooked it up again to diagnose it. Now it won't crash lol. It did restart when i turned it on today, but the 2nd restart, it's been on nearly for 5 hours now. Used to restart in the first 20 min. :angry:

Edit: Can this problem be caused by my on board network card? I tried it twice now, that whenever I try to access the shared drive from another computer, this one crashes.

Edited by Grake
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you know, i have similar issues with this computer, but it could be on for 16 hours, it could be on for less than 5 minutes and do the same thing...when i find a solution, i'd be glad to share it with the world...and yes, my computer lasted 16 hours straight, and didn't overheat at all...brought it home, random restarts left and right....

heres a good question...could it be unsteady voltage from the wall causing this? it never happens to my sisters computer, she's got a 150w PSU, it never happened to my old computer, still doesn't, but now, with a 300w PSU, it'll restart randomly...oddly enough this thing doesn't shut off with dips in power, the lights dim, the tv might turn off but this will stay on, but sometimes this just goes.

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heres a good question...could it be unsteady voltage from the wall causing this? it never happens to my sisters computer, she's got a 150w PSU, it never happened to my old computer, still doesn't, but now, with a 300w PSU, it'll restart randomly...oddly enough this thing doesn't shut off with dips in power, the lights dim, the tv might turn off but this will stay on, but sometimes this just goes.

Low voltages can cause unexpected behaviour in PSUs. At SPCR, a new part of the PSU tests is low voltage testing. I can tell you that we find some pretty strange stuff there... One power supply actually sparked and then died when run at 100V. It's definitely not uncommon for the voltages in a poorly wired house to drop to 100V when a large load is applied (vacuum starting, turning on TV, etc).

Different PSUs react differently - and don't think for a second that a higher wattage PSU is better at low voltage - usually the opposite. Higher wattage means that at any given voltage, a higher current is needed. High current spikes can overload capacitors, which we all know is a bad thing. ;)

Does this all happen with a fresh XP install (no drivers)? If so, then I'd guess that it's the motherboard. CPU problems are typically all-or-nothing, whereas motherboards and PSUs are usually the culprit of those "at random" errors. I'd try getting a simple PCI network card to rule that out, but since the onboard card is the one that might be giving you problems, it shows you that the future life of this board is limited.

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Yeah, im thinking of replacing the mother board. Just my problem is that I need to replace everything else cause the RAM and CPU aren't compatible with the new mobo's. The one I have seem to be so old that it's not found in stores anymore.

If it's not too much trouble can you guys help me pick a motherboard under 120-130$ for this CPU.

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?d...&cid=CPU.84

The store at which im looking at is here:

Clearance

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?d...l&id=MB.825

Socket775

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?d...l&id=MB.157

Thanks.

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I know it's a bit more than you're looking at (and I hate doing that), but I have the Asus P5B-E and love it. The only reason I went with the -E version was because I wanted the ICH8R (for the RAID) instead of the ICH8. If you don't care about having RAID functionality, then look at the Asus P5B (which the site you linked currently has for $139.99CA).

The only thing I don't like about it is the onboard NIC...I immediately purchased an Intel PRO1000 PT (PCIe X1) Desktop Adapter and disabled the onboard NIC. I know you're looking for Canadian prices, but I found the NIC on TigerDirect for $34.99US...

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