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General discussion

My PC powers off frequently when using certain applications

by kinzonl Jun 8, 2006 11:32AM PDT

My PC powers off frequently when using certain applications and I have to actually turn off the power strip, wait about 20 seconds, then turn the power strip back on. Holding in the power button will not restart the PC. I can leave my PC on all day with no problems, but when I use Comcast Rhapsody, a music service, it may run for a couple of hours with no problems, other times it will power off after listening to just a couple of songs. This application is a memory hog.

This also occurs when running a virus scan on my C drive using Symantec Antivirus and sometimes using Microsoft Money, which I probably need to archive some data as the file is about 14 meg now.

My PC is a Gateway X86 series with a Pentium 4 1.3 Mhz processor. I only have 384 mg of memory, which I upgraded a couple of years again from the original 128 Mg.

If I was sure that this is a memory problem, I would upgrade in a minute, but 512 mg from Gateway costs $299. I would hate to spend that money if that does not solve the problem.

I do not think it is a heat issue, as I mentioned above, I can leave the PC on all day and surf the web with no problems.

I am trying to hold off buying a new PC until after Windows Vista is released.

Can somebody help me?

Thanks!

Discussion is locked

8 Posts
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I think it's heat related.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jun 8, 2006 12:02PM PDT

Your story is just like what happens when more demanding applications run.

Tell us how long it's been since the machine's insides were dusted out and the heatsinks, fans been checked.

Bob

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Just the other day, I cleaned the inside of the PC
by kinzonl Jun 8, 2006 10:41PM PDT

Bob,

Just the other day, I opened the PC and did see a lot of dust around the heat sink fan. I vacuumed the fan, the area leading into the power supply, and any place I saw dust.

The fan does run. Is there suppose to be a fan for the power supply? There is a black shield that was dusty, that I vacuumed, but I could not see a fan, or at least it was not running.

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About that shield.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jun 9, 2006 12:04AM PDT

You may own a model in which they used fancy design to avoid adding 'costly' fans. As machines age some parts can become heat sensitive so I pull the cover and point a fan at the machine's internals and repeat the test the caused it to reboot or shutdown.

This issue is only annoying in that it is a little troublesome to troubleshoot and find what to replace.

Bob

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I will try it out and let you know
by kinzonl Jun 9, 2006 3:42AM PDT

Thanks Bob!

I will try it out this weekend and let you know.

Bill

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Heat was the problem
by kinzonl Jun 11, 2006 2:05AM PDT

Thanks so much for your help Bob. Heat was the problem. Yesterday I bought a small fan and two cans of that spray "Dust Off". I opened my PC and this time actually layed it on it's side. I could then see that there was another fan going into the power supply, behind that shield I was talking about. This fan is not working. I did remove the shield and vacuumed as much as I could and sprayed that with the "Dust Off". I also removed the heat sink fan, that does work and found all kinds of dirt caked on the heat sink. I vacuumed it also and sprayed the heat sink with that dusting spray. I then mounted the fan back onto the heat sink and put the shield back onto the power supply fan. I turned on the PC and the heat sink fan works, but the one for the power supply does not.

I then stood my PC back up and setup that fan I bought beside the PC on the side that has the cover removed. The fan is adjustable, so I pointed it upwards towards the power supply fan.

I was able to use that music service software, Comcast Rhapsody, all evening with no problems.

I'm debating whether to replace the power supply or just use the PC with that fan I bought. My PC is 5 1/2 years old and I will probably buy a new PC sometime after Windows Vista is released.

I really appreciate your help Bob and to CNET for providing this forum.

Thanks so much,

Bill

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That's good to read.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jun 11, 2006 2:27AM PDT

Thank you for the success story. It's always nice to read when people dive in and get themselves out of a jam.

Bob

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Fan replacement
by awildey Jun 16, 2006 3:16AM PDT

If your power supply has two fans and only one is bad, I would think you're okay doing what you are doing. If it only has one fan I'd be nervous, unless the fan you have pointing is pushing a lot of air. However, you mention buying a new one, if that is the case then it shouldn't be too big a deal running as is, but keep an eye on your heat level. If your power supply surges (or anything else bad) you could lose your hard drive from a spike. Congrats on getting as much done as you did.

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So far, my solution is working well
by kinzonl Jun 17, 2006 4:07AM PDT

So far, having the side cover off my PC and a small 8" fan pointing up to the base of the power supply, which the second fan was not working, is working quite well. The power supply is located at the top of the PC tower. I had previously noticed the top of the PC was pretty warm, but thought it was the new external CD burner sitting on top of the PC. Now it is cool there. The PC sits beside my work station and the side where the cover is off faces the work station, so it is not noticeable when entering the room. I do risk getting more dust in my PC, but will have to check from time to time.

I believe I would have to replace the whole power supply, since I think the fan is built into the base of it. I also need more memory, as I have only 384 meg. Since my PC is 5 1/2 years old, I don't want to spend a lot of money on it. I will probably buy a new one after Windows Vista is released.

If I was more technically knowledgable, I would probably replace the power supply. I could probably find a much cheaper one than what I could get from Gateway, but I would be afraid of buying the wrong one and messing something up when trying to install it. I am not totally technically inept, as I did add a second hard drive and upgraded the memory from the original 128 meg, but I pretty good installation instructions. I guess it is more economics than anything why I will probably try to live with my current setup for now.

I appreciate the help I have received from CNET.

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