Question
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CreatorTopic
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February 14, 2011 at 5:13 pm #2173330
Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Lockedby slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
Ok, so this is strange.
It started off two days ago, I closed a cabinet in my room, and when I stood up, my computer turned off and restarted (my computer is set to stay off in a power outage). I figured, maybe it vibrated the video card, its happened before. Ok.
So I wiggle the tower a little, no issues. Stand up, walk passed it from right to left across the front of it, and it restarts again, wtf?It didn’t occur to me yet, but ok, so I just turned it back off (held power button) and walk away. I came back to put the item back in the cabinet, walked passed the machine from right to left again and the computer started itself!
So I waited for it, got to the login screen and it froze at the login….
So I hard restarted it, froze immediately after login, hard restarted again and it was running, but suddenly now, it didn’t like resolutions under 1280 x 1024, anything less and it left about 50% black space on the screen on either side (25% on the left, 25% on the right). So I rebooted, I could see the windows logo and post was getting squished. Then it booted up again and 3 seconds after logging in, the screen turned black and white!
I thought maybe my old monitor dying, so I turned on the second monitor and turned on duel view, black and white on both!So reboot again, same problem. So I go update the video drivers. Problem solved, but it still hates the resolutions. Ok, screw it, moving on.
Last night, it shut down again while watching a movie, it would not beep at the post for the first few tries, then it fired up after I unplugged it for a bit.Now brings me to today, when I made the real connection.
I fired it up, and walked out to change the TV channel, I came back to grab the stereo remote out of the cabinet, and when I walked passed the computer, from right to left, I heard it restart. So I stepped back, and repeated my walk, and sure enough, it restarted again the very moment I stepped on the carpet.So I tried standing there, lifting my foot up and down, etc, nothing. Only when I walked passed it. I made sure I did not rub the case, I even tried walking passed it naked, it still restarted! Then I closed the front door on my case (One of those cases that can cover the CD drives) and walked by it, it restarted one more time, so I tried again, on my last walk through, my monitor made a click sound and the video re snapped to the edges properly again. And it has stopped restarting when I walk passed it (for now anyways). I now take the long way around my computer to avoid walking in front of it.
WTF????? Any thoughts?
Edit-
I double checked, all my games that suddenly had problems with the resolution are fine again.Edit-
Here is a folder of images.
The silver computer is the one with the problem. Its ventilation is on the front, left and rear, the right side is where the board is mounted, so no fans. So I can’t see there being any ventilation issues.
http://trevorsarchives.homenet.org/temp/PC%20Pics/Edit-
It has started doing it again. I have removed the filter on the power, its still doing it. But the monitor and display seem fine so far.Edit-
Confirmed that the monitor is causing some problems, I can smack it and have the edges of the screen wiggle or even snap to the sides, to the top, etc.
By keeping the door closed the restarting has stopped. I’m starting to wonder if static is affecting the reset button, the next time I am in the case I am going to unplug the reset button and see if that solves the problem.Topic is locked -
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February 14, 2011 at 5:13 pm #2890192
Clarifications
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Clarifications
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February 14, 2011 at 6:40 pm #2890188
Gremlin in the machine stopped liking you????????
by oh smeg · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
However more likely a bad Power Connector somewhere so have you looked at the power lead s/Power Boards involved?
Could also be something that is moving when you walk past that is resting on a power switch/plug or whatever and that ripple is causing the start stop process.
Don’t rule out loose wires in things like Plugs/Sockets either. 😉
Col
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February 15, 2011 at 6:32 am #2890143
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Gremlin in the machine stopped liking you????????
I tried shaking the tower and moving it, no issues. Would a bad power supply cause the display to turn black and white, and why did my walking stop bothering it when the display fixed itself?
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February 15, 2011 at 6:41 am #2890142
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Gremlin in the machine stopped liking you????????
Maybe I need to feed the gremlin? What do they eat?
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February 14, 2011 at 9:29 pm #2890174
You don’t live in a house with knob-and-tube wiring, do you?
by seanferd · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Or maybe you have an alien implant. But I’d check the wiring running to the socket to make sure that pressure on a spot in the floor isn’t disrupting a circuit. I bet running the mains through a UPS would keep the computer from behaving this way, but it will eventually kill that if it is a wiring problem.
ed. – (Or a power cord under the carpet?)
Or do you, even while naked, walk around wrapped in copper wire? Maybe while shaking an iron rod?
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February 15, 2011 at 6:31 am #2890144
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to You don’t live in a house with knob-and-tube wiring, do you?
I live in a condo, the carpet effectively sits on top of cement, better not be wires under it. And I tried standing and jumping on the spot, no effect, Walking left to right didn’t bother it, just right to left.
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February 15, 2011 at 12:43 pm #2890098
Reponse To Answer
by seanferd · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to You don’t live in a house with knob-and-tube wiring, do you?
OK – weird. Then no flexion in the floor, no old, bad wiring scheme…
Does this thing have an active IR port that can wake it? Or any other wake (like WOL) enabled?
And this doesn’t occur if you walk left-to-right? I’m just trying to imagine how you could be creating induction or a signal that this (otherwise oddly behaving) machine could interpret as a wake signal. Is there a fairly powerful RF signal permeating your condo?
Truly odd.
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February 15, 2011 at 12:50 pm #2890095
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to You don’t live in a house with knob-and-tube wiring, do you?
There is a very high concentration of Wifi signals, maybe that’s it???
I figure the auto turn on could have been a USB splitter I had hooked up, I noticed when the machine was off the light on it was still on, and I remember reading how that can trick a power supply into thinking its time to start up.
But even unplugged, walking passed it was causing it to restart. If it was power related, I would expect the BIOS to keep the system off. I have seen a bad video card restart the system before, the black and white would indicate video card problems, but how can it be when I only walk passed it???
Maybe it’s time just to replace some of the core components again, they are getting strange, time for a new mobo, video and power supply?
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February 15, 2011 at 7:00 am #2890139
The first thing that comes to my mind is….
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Static from the carpet interfering with the monitor. Do a test and see (if at all possible), raise the computer above the floor and place on a woodwork table.
If the issue comes back i would suggest another power supply unit.
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February 15, 2011 at 7:06 am #2890136
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to The first thing that comes to my mind is….
It presently sits about 8 inches off the ground, on a metal rack, and in the metal rack, the tower sits on top of a wood platform with rubber legs.
The monitor is on a solid wood desk. I proved the problem happened on the other monitor as well, which is run using HDMI, and is in the other room and is actually an HDTV.
I can provide pictures if needed. It does sit side by side with another computer, they are both plugged into the same outlet, the other machine had no issues. Both are plugged into a power filter.
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February 15, 2011 at 9:32 am #2890114
Oh Smeg’s Gremlins idea sounds right… they don’t like closed doors
by cg it · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
keep the door open, keep the gremlins[ mogwai ] happy…
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February 15, 2011 at 9:37 am #2890113
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Oh Smeg’s Gremlins idea sounds right… they don’t like closed doors
Bahahaha, I like it.
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February 15, 2011 at 12:15 pm #2890106
Sounds like ESD
by oldbaritone · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Check the grounding on the cabinet, and make sure the electrical plug has a good ground. (PLEASE say they aren’t using a “cheater plug” adapter, or just snapped the 3rd prong off because it wouldn’t go into the 2-prong outlet in the old building…)
Get some anti-static spray and spray the carpet around the cabinet.
Get anti-static mats and put them around the cabinet. Be sure they are properly grounded. See #1 above…
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February 15, 2011 at 12:25 pm #2890102
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Sounds like ESD
I would assume the wood stand with the rubber legs would protect it from ESD should it not?
It is not touching the cabinet, the cabinet is just my only reason to walk through that spot.
It is grounded nicely using one of those dirty electricity filters. There are a lot of cables touching each other behind the machines, but all are in good condition, no exposed wiring.
When I can get a picture and post it, I will, maybe that will explain the situation better. -
February 15, 2011 at 12:28 pm #2890100
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Sounds like ESD
Wait, do those filters maybe wear out? It has a lot of use on it, it used to be used in our body shop to keep our computers from blowing up, worked great too, before it, we were popping motherboards every 2 months. After we added it, the machines had no issues.
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February 15, 2011 at 2:58 pm #2890074
Depends on the filter
by oh smeg · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Some are single use only and then they need replacing, others can take several hits before expiring and then others are used to just divert Surges through Capacitors to earth.
Here it depends on what the filter gets hit with as to what happens but that may be a starting point to work from. 😉
Col
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February 15, 2011 at 3:41 pm #2890072
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Depends on the filter
I have added pictures
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February 15, 2011 at 3:44 pm #2890070
I have added pictures to the original post
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I have added pictures to the original post
http://trevorsarchives.selfip.net/temp/PC%20Pics/ -
February 15, 2011 at 4:08 pm #2890063
OK, a couple of points to try
by deadly ernest · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
1. The picture labelled ‘Filter Box’ – the white plug at the top doesn’t seem to be fully seated. in the image the left hand side looks to be deeper in, as if the plug is on a slight angle. not sure if this will have much of an affect or not.
2. The boxes are too close together, move them as far apart as you can on that stand. There appears to be some space between them and the uprights, well push them apart and right up against the uprights. That will maximise the ventilation around them, thus the cooling effect of the air while reducing the risk of electro magnetic interference between the two systems.
3. The wiring, try to separate the data wires from the power wires, even if it means using some cable ties to run them in channels a few finger widths apart. this will minimise the risk of electromagnetic interference between the two as well. The power cables have a stronger and larger field around them to the rest and if close enough to the data cables, it can cause some troubles.
4. Check the cables for fine breaks in the wire within the cable. This can be done by carefully running the cable through your fingers while looking at it closely. Some breaks can occur in the copper inside without having a break in the covering plastic.
5. Apart from this an what the others have said, watch out for free radical electrons staging a revolution.
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February 15, 2011 at 4:24 pm #2890057
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to OK, a couple of points to try
The cases are about as far apart as possible now, I was only able to add about a 1.5 cm between them.
I checked the plug, its seated against the wall flat.
The power cables are separate from the ethernet lines, the USB and power and VGA cables are intermixed. Could that cause restarts and black and whites?
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February 16, 2011 at 7:34 am #2889999
Reponse To Answer
by deadly ernest · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to OK, a couple of points to try
The issue with the cables is that ALL of them have an electromagnetic field around the. If properly shielded and the shielding is working they should be OK. But I’ve learned from experience that the concept of proper shielding and it working well is rare. The field around the data, usb and vga cables isn’t that strong, but the one around the power leads is far stronger than the rest. I generally try to run the power cables well away from all other cables as much as possible. If I can separate the other cables any more, then I split off the video cables as they are the next highest in power levels. You may wish to try moving the power away from the other cables and see if that has any effect.
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February 16, 2011 at 7:39 am #2889998
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to OK, a couple of points to try
But the power cables can be strapped together and moved away, is that correct?
Also, should the power cables avoid contact with the case, cause presently, not sure if you can tell from the pictures, both power bars sit on top of the white machine, and the power lines are draped down between them. That would technically be the mother board side of the silver machine, the one with the problems.
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February 17, 2011 at 3:28 am #2890587
Reponse To Answer
by deadly ernest · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to OK, a couple of points to try
As a general rule it doesn’t hurt anything to have the power cables near each other as they aren’t carrying any signals that can be interfered with. The Electromagnetic field will only set up an echo current, as the worst possible damage – ie a current when that cable is not powered up. The power boards will also have an electromagnetic field around them, and these should also be separated or shielded from the data cables and the electronic components.
In most cases a few finger widths is all that’s needed as the field is weak, but electronics are touchy things and you can never know for sure, as some components are more susceptible to interference than others.
In most cases PC’s have their PSU at the top of the case and the motherboard is four or five inches lower down, thus a power board on the top of the case shouldn’t affect the motherboard, but may affect a hard drive that’s set right at the top of the case.
A basic home made shield can be a couple of sheets of rubber, say some old thick rubber mouse pads, with a sheet of aluminium foil between them and the foil earthed to the steel frame on the shelf above the computer. If it is a EM force field issue from the power boards, that should redirect it away from the PC and protect the PC. But you really shouldn’t need to go to this extreme due to the note above re psu location.
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February 15, 2011 at 9:29 pm #2890037
Very nice
by amitmaniar · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Thats an innovation.
Just kidding !!!
Check your RAM. Might be not plugged well.-
February 16, 2011 at 6:55 am #2890008
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February 15, 2011 at 10:08 pm #2890035
Unplug
by dogknees · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Remove all except the KB, mouse and screen from the PC. Plug the PC into a socket and disconnect ALL other equipment in the area from the power.
Then try it and if the ghost goes away, start adding one device at a time until he(she) returns.
Also look for the Wakeon settings in your bios and disable those you don’t need.
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February 15, 2011 at 10:19 pm #2890034
You’re Not Alone
by dogknees · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Many years ago we had a person who told us that their PC was turning itself off AT THE WALL!!! They swore that the switch on the outlet was being turned off when they weren’t looking. Not only that, they said they could hear something behind them when it happened, but couldn’t see anything when they turned and looked.
We never did find out the real cause, but to this day he still believes it happened. As he’s now a Partner in the firm, we tend to keep it quiet.
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February 16, 2011 at 6:35 am #2890009
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to You’re Not Alone
Maybe [b]I am[/b] a ghost? And I am causing the interference?
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February 16, 2011 at 6:58 am #2890006
Maybe this is the result of all the masturbation?
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
The computer can’t bear to look at me when I walk passed, full leg spread, so it shuts down and restarts? And then I accidentally blinded it and it could only see in black and white?
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February 16, 2011 at 7:10 am #2890004
Power Supply or Memory Problem
by dugup46 · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Since you said tower, these problems are typically caused by one of two things. #1 the power supply is beginning to fail. It happens on new or old towers alike. When a computers power supply (400WT) begins to provide less power than the tower needs to, the computer will shut off and restart. That is one cause. The second cause could be faulty memory. The same will happen with memory when it starts to go bad, the PC will shut off and restart. Typically a power supply will not allow the user to restart the computer after it gets shut down for a short while; however, the power supply is typically always my first guess. Hope this helps.
Cords touching one another, not being plugged in all the way, stuff like that is typically first response because it’s free; however, it very rarely will ever fix the problem. Keep us updated.
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February 16, 2011 at 7:14 am #2890003
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Power Supply or Memory Problem
Interesting, it DID once not let me restart it till I unplugged it for a bit.
Could a shortchange of power also cause the video card to turn black and white for a bit?
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February 16, 2011 at 7:48 am #2890708
Reponse To Answer
by cg it · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Power Supply or Memory Problem
probably a power supply getting ready to fail if you have to unplug the power cord, plug it back in to get the thing to boot.
If it boots, and your BIOS has a PC Health check, take a look at your voltages that the BIOS sees.
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February 16, 2011 at 7:52 am #2890707
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Power Supply or Memory Problem
I did check the voltages and they seemed good. I suppose our bodies natural RF interference could cause it? And those other times when it just randomly shut down.
Though oddly enough, the random shut downs during a movies would be when its barely working, I have never had it shutdown while gaming, even when on marathons, even last night I left Atlantica running on it for about 30 hours now, its still running.
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February 16, 2011 at 7:53 am #2890706
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Power Supply or Memory Problem
I was looking at an earthwatts 750 Antec anyways, maybe I will just go and buy it. Was like 150 bucks last I saw.
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February 16, 2011 at 8:27 am #2890701
ESD and electrical.
by alpha_dog · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Check the ground on the outlet, the ground from the power supply to the motherboard (check from the solder pads on the back of the mobo) and check the power for dips and spikes. Repair as needed. Before you put the machine back in service, remove the cmos battery and short the cmos clear jumpers for a while. Set up the machine’s BIOS from scratch. If it persists, call a priest.
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February 16, 2011 at 8:30 am #2890698
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to ESD and electrical.
Dips and spikes in what exactly, I am not very electrical engineering inclined.
And you show me in a picture what to look for on the mother board? -
February 17, 2011 at 8:53 am #2890567
Reponse To Answer
by alpha_dog · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to ESD and electrical.
Dips and spikes in your AC voltage, and the possibility of an intermittent open or short. Your best bet, given a limited knowledge base, is to replace the power supply and reset the BIOS, sometimes called CMOS, as specified in your motherboard or computer manufacturer’s documentation.
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February 16, 2011 at 11:47 am #2890685
processors, motherboards and memory are very particular about power
by cg it · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
while the voltages might look fine to you, they don’t to the CPU or motherboard or memory,…
a +5 voltage that actuals are +4. 999 to +5.005 when it’s supposed to be +5.148 is enough.. or the +12 that comes in on +11.814
if you overclock, you could be at the edge of what’s stable… but my experience is, if the damn thing keeps randomly rebooting, a new power supply usually stops the problem.
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February 16, 2011 at 12:56 pm #2890670
Power Supply
by nocjock · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I’d almost bet money it’s the power supply. Don’t make it more complicated than it is.
1. Reseat all boards and components, ie memory, cards, power connectors internally.
2. Verify all cables are tight, no breaks, grounded, no frays, kinks
3. Check for leaking capacitors on mainboard. If any replace mobo
4. If new cards have been added make sure power supply is sufficient (+400W min)
5. Replace power supply, my money’s here 🙂-
February 16, 2011 at 1:14 pm #2890667
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Power Supply
What does a leaking capacitor look like?
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February 16, 2011 at 1:46 pm #2890662
leaking caps / bulging caps . . .
by who am i really · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
the top is blown out like a frozen beer can
see these:
http://www.facilitateit.com.au/images/Bulging_capacitors.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5JFl07VLeDw/SxO0kQmeeBI/AAAAAAAAAUY/qGPIVEtq7rM/s400/bulgingCap%5B1%5D.jpg
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February 17, 2011 at 2:35 am #2890590
What Latitude are you at?
by snak · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I note your message is dated 16th Feb. Since 14th Feb the sun has been blowing out unusually huge sunspots; such sunspots play havoc with elecronic equipment. China has already reported some radio communications have been affected. Today (17th), these sunspots are expected to give us a good lightshow at lattitudes much lower than normal.. Which means of course that there’s likely to be some wierditude happening ‘lower’ down the planet….
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February 17, 2011 at 6:43 am #2890578
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to What Latitude are you at?
Winnipeg. Lat/Long
Winnipeg, Man., Can. 49 , 54 / 97 , 7
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February 17, 2011 at 8:54 am #2890566
You are far enough North, I think ….
by snak · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
… for it be a feasible area of investigation. Perhaps your neighbours are suffering similarly. Any patterns you have discerned may be entirely coincidental (which means you can out your clothes back on 🙂 )
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February 20, 2011 at 7:08 pm #2891107
Ok, It’s doing it again, so i removed the filter, the problem continues
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Its still the same, if I walk infront of it from right to left, the computer restarts.
Need help, this is irritating.
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March 2, 2011 at 7:35 am #2811860
Reponse To Answer
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Ok, It’s doing it again, so i removed the filter, the problem continues
Here you are SinisterSlay…
Swapping your board without so much as a reinstall:
http://arstechnica.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=42051 -
March 2, 2011 at 8:34 am #2811850
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Ok, It’s doing it again, so i removed the filter, the problem continues
I intend to replace my board soon, so thanks.
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February 28, 2011 at 8:53 am #2812099
Chg Power Supply and add chokes
by cpusteve_wired · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I feel the electricity in your room.. seen the pics 1. new power supply rated to 400 watts 2. clean up the cables behind the rack (velcro ties) 3. put rf chokes on all cables you can. 4. if still happens, then replace video card./ mobo. Good Luck
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March 1, 2011 at 9:10 am #2811976
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Chg Power Supply and add chokes
Whats an RF choke?
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February 28, 2011 at 10:31 am #2812085
Mother Board
by gario · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I had a similiar with an machine and after replacing all the peripherals, it turned out thta my mother board was the culprit.
Good luck!
Garo-
March 1, 2011 at 9:11 am #2811975
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Mother Board
It restarted when you walked in front of it?
I guess I could replace the board, what was that command to XP so you could change the board without reinstalling?
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March 1, 2011 at 5:49 am #2811998
definately a motherboard issue
by rapzkilla · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
definately motherboard
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March 1, 2011 at 9:12 am #2811974
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to definately a motherboard issue
Why do you think so? I haven’t had a hard look at the board and its capacitors yet but what could be going wrong when I walk in front of it?
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March 1, 2011 at 3:39 pm #2811943
Voodo or No Voodoo???
by jpnagle59 · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Do you have a wood floor, or concrete? It really does not matter, all floor types will flex and move. I would remove all peripherals to the machine, and move all other electrical items- computers, TV’s – etc..away. BUT do not move your computer with the ‘ghosts’ in it at-all if you can. Do the ‘mystery’ walk again, (everyone has seen a TV picture flicker/fade out when someone walks near it before because of static or body galvanization) with only your machine on. If it does the ‘voodoo’ again, I bet you have some problem with the mother board. But before taking the machine apart, check the connection of all your cabling used to attach all your printers, USB, monitor’s , etc., into the back of the computer. Had a bent serial plug pin one time that drove me nuts… If that problem goes away when the peripherals un-attached, start adding them one by one to see if the problem returns with one of them. I you can, check your BIO’s on start up.The fact it is reboot, not rebooting problem, it could be the wiring in the wall, or plugs, sockets, and such, —plug it in to a different plug socket, with a good ground, some where else- out of the room- you are using the machine in. I just fixed my brother’s house where a plug was bad, and badly installed 18 years ago, and his stove would come and go. Check for blue tooth items- in other words, eliminate all that you can, add them back in, and do the one by one test. If all else fails, take the computer to a pre-build state- in other words take it and ‘re-build it’ all over again- One of my favorite test’s to do also, is to give the wires and components the ‘finger flick’…Take your middle finger, and ‘flick’ it on the offending device, wires, cords and all. You know the finger I am referring too…a little tap will do you at times…
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March 2, 2011 at 6:38 am #2811870
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Voodo or No Voodoo???
I plan to move the computer out this weekend, so I will give it a try.
But first, Dragon Age 2 demo downloaded last night, must try it :).
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March 2, 2011 at 3:26 pm #2811807
So have you actually checked the Power Point for
by oh smeg · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Loose Wires at it’s back where they screw in or the switch being faulty?
Both of those issues could be causing the erratic behavior of you computer. 😉
Col
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March 2, 2011 at 6:18 pm #2811799
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to So have you actually checked the Power Point for
Well I of course haven’t pulled the plug from the wall. But erratic doesn’t really explain why it restarts when I walked passed it. if it was a power issue, the board is set to keep the computer off in the event of an AC failure. Also, the second computer is plugged into the same outlet and is not having any issues.
But come to think of it, one day I came home and the breaker for that plug was mysteriously tripped. If it happened again (Which it hasn’t) I was going to replace the breaker.
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March 2, 2011 at 7:05 pm #2811793
It can’t be the circuit breaker
by jotek_atlanta · about 13 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
The CPU could be overheating, or Motherboard has a short, inspect the board to see if any of the capacitors are bloated, if they are the board is bad, Check the CPU fan and the temperture. If it keeps rebooting it has a virus.
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March 3, 2011 at 6:41 am #2810319
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to It can’t be the circuit breaker
CPU temp is good, between 40 and 50C, GPU temp is good, between 50 and 60 at idle.
Definitely no viruses, and has nothing to do with the OS, as I can walk in front of it while it is performing POST and cause it to restart again.
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March 3, 2011 at 12:02 am #2811773
What I have learned …. and found out …
by lani osi · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
First of all – you did not indicate what OS System you were operating in; if it was a x86 (32 bit); for it is a known issue in some cases that Windows Update had installed WOW64 (which is for 64 bit OS. I have been in rapport with Microsoft Team and we have seen this but not until I had found out why and then bringing forth the manifestation and resolution to them. However, there is another indication of the fact; what specifically is your graphic card are you running on? I am on the latest nVidia with its own slot and I recommend folks to have their own PCI cards – each having their own memory in reserved for their own purposes. Without the sufficient information provided; I am not able to elaborate in specs to narrow down to the field of scope of what causes it might be. If your security system is working and you had ran it; I strongly recommend to download (you can uninstall it after you are done with it) Malwarebytes just to be on the safe side; for so many viruses, trojans, and worms are out there including variants and mutants can also be a trigger where it can actually disable and “hide” in your own security system (I actually have 4 – Win 7 Firewall, Extension Firewall, MSC (or aka MSE), CA Security Plus). Having experienced the same issue yet with a brand new mainboard and everything else et al. While the above poster is correct pertaining to possibilities of Wi-Fi, but if yours is disabled; then check with your DNS/IP Provider or Host Provider if you run on a Modem/WideBand/HDMI – sometimes hacks can manage to creep into those equipments and leech into those and manipulate your OS via the modems (for indeed they are a computer itself) so this is another avenue to look into if your OS is coming up clear regardless of what OS computer one is using Win, Mac, et al – even a Server … sometimes it can be the “middle man” that is infested that is actually leeching or breech into your OS via your own DNS/IP via a hack which is why nothing may not necessarily show up or manifest anywhere in your OS from registry to what-not. So if all else comes up clear – check the modem, but I also agree with everyone – computers needs to “breathe” for even my OS has a powerful fan – in fact I have installed 4 fans not just the Master fan itself. In addition to the ‘overclocking’, one can actually do this configuration in the BIOS (if you know what you are doing) and put the limitations on it; for you do not want to want to end up having a “southern fried crispy motherboard” (or mainboard); in addition whatever graphic card you have, regardless it is, make sure it is up-to-date per your graphic card; and do not be tempted to leave it running on ‘overclocking’ all the time for it brings wear and tear on the graphic card itself, even if the manufacturer says wise and otherwise; it is not necessary. For why would one want to run their OS on overclocking on a forum? Turn it off when you are not using it or in development. Just my own humble opinion here. For those on 64 bit OS – there have been complaints on the overclocking and freezing up or locking up which in turn they have to reboot or the OS reboots itself. Whether x86 or 32 bit or 64 bit OS – if everything is cleared and good as go, and it is the overclocking, then I would strongly recommend that you are pushing it too far; turn it down a little bit. Honestly, like with “muscle cars” of old days, the temptations of revving up the engines and pedal to the metal constantly including burning up the rubber (tires), would always end up with overheated radiators to burnt valves … think about it for it is a fact there. One can’t truly keep running at that pace all the time as tempting as it is, whether if you have 500 GB or 1 TB in your graphic card if you installed it; however this is not the case for those with OS that comes with built-in graphic card pre-installed; that’s a different story … Hope everything here sums it up as blunt as possible…. (getting off the soap box)
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March 3, 2011 at 6:45 am #2810318
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to What I have learned …. and found out …
Wow, long post. Saddly you missed a key part, I can walk infront of the computer to restart it, even before it finishes POST. I can run back and forth and just keep restarting it.
But the info you wanted. ITs XP Pro 32 bit, running nVidia 9600 GT, 650 Core, 900 Memory, not overclocked though I know I can safely overclock it to 725 core and 1100 memory without any heat or power issues. The card uses a PCI Express 2 16. And that’s what my board provides.
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March 3, 2011 at 6:54 am #2810315
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to What I have learned …. and found out …
Ambient temperature according to the board is 24C. HDD1 temp is 28, HDD2 temp is 29, HDD3 temp is 28. HDD4 temp is 32. I touched the RAM, its room temperature, no heat, the air coming out the back of the machine is cool and all the fans are clear.
my CPU is currently doings its automatic overclock, I could turn that off but the CPU temp and voltages look good. It OC’s itself from 2.4 to 2.5 ghz, and I can use the Asus AI boost to have it safely go to 2.7 GHZ without any power or heat issues. I could definitely try it but I don’t see the connection between that and my computer restarting when I walk passed it. Also, strangely, I have never had it restart when I am actively using the machine and working it hard, such as playing games. It has only ever died when watching a movie.Perhaps if it is still restarting itself Friday night, I will quickly hop into the BIOS and change the setting, its worth a try.
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March 3, 2011 at 4:34 am #2811765
Front panel pushbuttons
by techrepublic · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Does your computer have frontpanel pushbuttons that are linked to the motherboard via slide-on printconnectors ?
Does your computer have any kind of infrared eye like for a remote control ?
What you need to look at is if the lines to the RESET button are connected to the proper printconnector pins, and you need to check if the reset button smoothly glides into the surrounding frame of the cabinet. If it sticks or sits cramped in, it could generate false contacts.
This reset signal being at the TTL logic level in terms of current and voltage, could also be triggered if an infrared detector eye would receive any IR light.
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March 3, 2011 at 6:46 am #2810317
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Front panel pushbuttons
No IR but I could check on that reset button, that’s a good point, I forgot about it. I can probably just unplug it from the board right?
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March 3, 2011 at 11:45 am #2810287
I hate to say this but..
by patb071 · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Shut it down, unplug the power and give it a nice kick. I had a crt way back in the day and it had a loose wire or something. I would be working and then all of a sudden it would go black. I tap the side it would come on. One day i got pissed enough wacked it good and never had a problem with it again.
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March 3, 2011 at 11:48 am #2810286
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to I hate to say this but..
The computer is restarting, not the CRT :).
Though the CRT is starting to have problems, I am not made of money, it will have to limp on.
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March 4, 2011 at 11:11 am #2810154
Reponse To Answer
by patb071 · about 13 years ago
In reply to I hate to say this but..
I wasn’t saying give the monitor the boot. Kick the tower. what else you have to lose. I don’t know how you have the patients to keep tring to figre it out.
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March 4, 2011 at 11:44 am #2810150
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to I hate to say this but..
Patience comes when you can’t afford to replace things. But I did give the tower a minor shake while it was running POST, no issues. I of course don’t want to shock the HDD’s, they are ancient, my C drive is from 2003!
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March 3, 2011 at 1:13 pm #2810274
would that system be located . . .
by who am i really · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
in such a fashion that when you walk past in one the direction
that you are actually facing Southin that case yer system is acknowledging yer current direction of travel saying
“I’m going south too”
time for some new components
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March 3, 2011 at 1:35 pm #2810270
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to would that system be located . . .
Nope, it would be north
Nice thought though 🙂
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March 4, 2011 at 2:21 am #2810195
E.D.
by slapfire · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
How old is your computer? I ask because at a certain age they can sometimes experience electrile disk function. Maybe your hard drive has gone floppy. And, perhaps the computer is not actually getting turned off, but is using that as a coping mechanism because it is embarrassed. Did it ever have issues with it’s Motherboard?
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March 4, 2011 at 6:45 am #2810182
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to E.D.
When it was new it did, it refused to even start POST unless the CMOS jumper was in the reset position, after a few hundred tries it suddenly became happy and started working properly, has been every since. Its about 2.5 years old now.
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March 4, 2011 at 12:38 pm #2810145
not enough juice in the wall
by terajay2 · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I once had a computer that would shut off at random times and for no apparent reason. After I spent a lot of money replacing different things, I realized that I had too many computers and other electrical things, plugged into a 15 amp circuit. Just an idea…
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March 4, 2011 at 12:56 pm #2810141
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to not enough juice in the wall
Its possible, though in my last house, the main floor, basement, and all electronic devices, everything, was run from a single 15 amp. I’d think a 15 amp should be enough for 2 computers. I guess its possible the HDTV on the other side of the wall, the outlet shares the same line. That would explain why the shutdowns have happened while watching movies. Doesn’t explain why it would restart when I walked passed it from right to left.
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March 4, 2011 at 10:01 pm #2810093
Left to Right
by ntmann · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Carpet has nap that lays down in one direction, and stands up in the other (when pushed against). You are causing more static in one direction than the other, when you walk.You are prob. generating static that is causing a reboot. You strip is not of high quality at this point, as you stated it corrected some harsh problem before. It is prob. at the end of its useful life. They do not last for ever. Buy a good one or a good ups. Your pics of the rack show it is not isolated from the carpet. Put some wood under those wheels, (an extra shelf that is not needed would work). Verify your ground is actually working, (testers are about $6.00). It only takes 10 volts to cause a video card or mother board to fail, or cause an upset failure (works but not like it should). If you were to hear static snap that would be 1500 volts. So you can image what just walking by would cause.
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March 8, 2011 at 7:01 am #2811538
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Left to Right
Replace bar and filter, got it.
Wait, didn’t I already remove the filter… Anyways, I will try replacing the bar as well, and the reset button sounded like a good idea.
As for grounding, that case itself, is sitting on top of a piece of wood with rubber legs. It’s black so it may not be visible from the pictures. You can kind of see it in this picture.
http://trevorsarchives.selfip.net/temp/PC%20Pics/IMG00082.jpg
Notice the silver computer’s height is far higher than the white one. The silver one is the one with the problems.I wish they would hurry up with making AMD 8 core motherboards, then I would just upgrade :).
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March 5, 2011 at 5:29 am #2810075
When was the last servicing done?
by snabibax · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
When was the last time you had your PC serviced? When dust builds up on components like capacitors, this may cause those component to fail in the long run.Use a can of compressed air to carefully blow around circuit components like capacitors especially those located within the power supply unit.
Please do not touch any internal components unless of course you are wearing an ESD wrist strap.
If this does not help, then you might consider replacing the power supply unit.
At this point the automatic restart issue should be a thing of the past.-
March 8, 2011 at 6:56 am #2811539
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to When was the last servicing done?
I last blew it out about 2 years ago. Visual inspection shows it to be pretty clean. I didn’t know dust in the capacitors could cause problems, when I think back to my first computer, with the huge clump of dust stuck in the fan slowly spinning…
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March 5, 2011 at 5:04 pm #2810015
Just a thought here
by oh smeg · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Is the Monitor and Computer Case plugged into the Same Power Strip?
If it is try swapping the leads over the One to the Monitor plugged into the one where the computer is plugged in and the one from the computer plugged into the socket where the Monitor was.
Now if the Monitor starts turning on and off you know you have a Bad Socket on the Power Strip.
Could also work if they are on different Power Strips but it could just as easily be a faulty Power Strip as well. 😉
Col
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March 8, 2011 at 6:54 am #2811540
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Just a thought here
That’s a good idea, I might have another power bar lying around I could try.
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March 14, 2011 at 6:57 am #2809481
Update to problem
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I first noticed it in Dragon age, but thought nothing of it as an upgrade I did said I could run out of video memory and cause funky artifacts, but just playing oblivion, this happened, it has never happened before.
http://trevorsarchives.selfip.net/temp/oblivion001.png (1.9mb)
This isn’t the only one I saw, it was just the funniest :).So its looking like my video card is dying, do you guys agree? Unsure how this could cause the computer to restart when I walk passed it, but it would explain the shutdowns when watching movies.
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March 14, 2011 at 10:21 pm #2809410
Reponse To Answer
by who am i really · about 13 years ago
In reply to Update to problem
moving one direction versus another changes the airflow in the room
going one way may move cooler air
and moving another direction may move warmer airif yer video card is gunked up, overheating and ready to go pop moving warmer air may just put it over the edge and the system shuts down
does your card have monitoring software?
ie.
the ASUS card I have uses Smart Doctor to monitor
– fan speed,
– memory and GPU temps,
– memory and GPU clock speeds -
March 15, 2011 at 6:36 am #2809378
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Update to problem
Yeah, video card reports its running cool, 60-70C under load.
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March 15, 2011 at 8:52 am #2809359
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Update to problem
Under the extreme burn test, it reached about 90c, still within operating range. (Though barely 🙂 )
http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/#techdata
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March 14, 2011 at 1:29 pm #2809452
Hello SinisterSlay. I have a spare video card if you need one..
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
It is a:
NVidia GeForce 9800 GT
* 600MHz core clock
* 112 stream processors
* 1,500MHz
* 512MB GDDR3 RAM
* 256-bit memory interface
* 1.8GHz memory clockSimilar to this one:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_9800gt_us.htmlLike i said it is a spare to me just laying around and fully working.
PM me and see if we can come up with a price unless you have a spare/new one already. Need to know about the postage weight first though but if you need it we can sort that out also.-
March 15, 2011 at 6:38 am #2809377
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Hello SinisterSlay. I have a spare video card if you need one..
I would expect the shipping from Finland would be expensive, but how would you have me pay for it? A new 9800 GT is worth about 100-120 Canadian.
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March 15, 2011 at 9:05 am #2809358
Re: spare video card….
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
This card is not new, just second hand but working.
It only cost me 10 euro (About $13 Canadian dollars) so with postage packing say around 40 euro ($54 Canadian dollars). I can get nearly any second hand video card (given time). We have a recycling center here in Oulu in Finland that handles every component you can think of from memory, motherboards, power supplys, old servers and processors. If you are still interested i can send you my email. The price of packaging and postage might be cheaper, i just pulled the prices from my head so to speak. 🙂 If you have a bank account you just need to do a bank to bank transfer. I can give you the details that is no problem.-
March 15, 2011 at 11:15 am #2809335
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Re: spare video card….
If you reply to your own message, it stacks it under the replies to the original answer, put simply, click reply on your own post.
I have never done a bank to bank transfer before. I use a credit union, I don’t know if that would throw a wrench into it either.
I am thinking of buying one of these anyways.
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31479(ME).aspx
(Copy and paste the link, the brackets mess up TR clickable links) -
March 15, 2011 at 12:16 pm #2809327
Reponse To Answer
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years ago
In reply to Re: spare video card….
Well that graphic card is even cheaper than mine. 🙂
Joking of course. Nice card. Bank to bank transfer is easy, the banks do it on your behalf while you are in the bank so that you can check to see if ALL of the information that you gave the bank is ok so that they can forward it over here, sometimes it is free to do a bank to bank transfer sometimes there’s a fee. -
March 15, 2011 at 12:55 pm #2809324
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Re: spare video card….
I don’t want to drop the money on a 580 when benchmarks on the Asus 570 are so close anyways, but nearly half the price.
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March 16, 2011 at 3:55 am #2810635
Reponse To Answer
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years ago
In reply to Re: spare video card….
You decide what you need/want. If you need a cheaper one then let me know. I know money is tight now-a-days so if you can get something at a lower price then that is better for you.
All of my componants are tested and cleaned, so no fluff or guff on these. If any componant does not pass my testing crunching/burnin then it goes right back and gets stripped down into smaller componants for recycling. -
March 17, 2011 at 11:19 am #2810414
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Re: spare video card….
Thanks for the offer, but I think I will just go for the massive upgrade and get some new blindingly fast speed out of my machine again.
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March 15, 2011 at 10:07 am #2809347
Very interesting problem.
by kevin · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
As a 30+ yr systems technician I find this problem and the sugestions very interesting.
My first suggestion is to go back to square one in your troubleshooting flow chart.
So, IS IT ENVIRONMENTAL? In other words does it have to do with the placement of the tower where slight changes in the position caused by walking past it in one direction is causing the reboot?
To test that, remove the computer from the current location. Take it to a table in your garage or your kitchen and set it up there. Does the system still reboot randomly? YES/NO
If it does the problem is following the computer and not the location.
There are many good suggestions made concerning your power connections and some not so good about other cables etc. These other cables should not interfere in any way. Loose or worn out outlets on a power strip could cause this to occur. Since it can occur when the MOBO is still posting, I would rule out the OS and virus related issues since a system has not even booted yet.
I do question the power supply and the fact that you have 4 HDDs in this system. A 400w supply may not be enough, but then again, that doesn’t explain why it happens walking past it in only one direction. Or why you can sit in front of it for long periods with no problems.
My first take is that something with the mobo is flexing just enough as you walk past.
Try putting the tower on it’s side, which will change or eliminate the way the case is able to flex. Modern cases are built with much thinner materials.
Check that all the screws that hold the mobo down are properly tightened. Most of those connections are grounded to the chassis and if even one relaxes when flexed it could cause this sort of problem.
Two things you can try regarding the power supply unit.
First, try disconnecting HDDs that are not required or even all of them and the CD/DVD, floppy etc. Anything that has a power cord going to it. Be sure to pull the data cables loose too.
If the power supply is being overworked, even the slightest amount of stray inductance can cause it to ‘crowbar’ the system and cause a reboot.
Stray inductance could be introduced simply by walking past the computer. Also when a tower is in an upright position there is a double layer of the case protecting the mobo on just one side and not the other.
Second thing might be to try swapping the power supply out with your other computer.-
March 15, 2011 at 10:55 am #2809341
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Very interesting problem.
Some good suggestions.
The machine did live in a different spot for awhile, it wasn’t restarting but to be fair, I had little reason to walk in front of it :). It used to be located behind the big screen TV just out of site.
It is a 550 Watt Antec, about 3 years old, so it should have more than enough juice I would think. The other computer has a 120Watt PSU, so that’s not gonna work :p . Where I used to live, had pretty dirty power, so I am not ruling out the power supply yet. I plan to buy one of these 🙂 http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX24742(ME).aspxCome to think of it, the newest hardware in it is a new DVD recorder, I could try unplugging that, I am not presently using it anyways. I have 2 DVD drives anyways.
Tightening the mother board screws, good idea, it HAS moved around a lot in the last half year. Its a real pain to move that computer off that stand, so I am lining up tasks I plan to do while its out, I’ll add that to the list.
I don’t see how it could really flex though. The metal shelving is in solid metal baskets, and the tower sites on a wood base with plastic legs and rubber feet, you can wiggle the tower a touch, but flexing it? Wiggling it a bit doesn’t seem to bother it, not that I get violent with it.
I could disconnect the floppy drive too, its useless these days.
I forgot to change the power strip last night, if I remember I will do it tonight.
Thanks for the suggestions.
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March 15, 2011 at 11:53 am #2809331
Static electricity is clearly one of the culprits here.
by varseller · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I’m certain of that from everything you’ve said and the pictures. Someone else mentioned bulging capacitors. If a capacitor is burst or leaking, strong ESD can overload the capacitor (remember, it stores electricity) and produce exactly the results you’re getting. Moving right to left from that bed on a carpet is producing a very strong charge. The PC may be well grounded but you’re carrying that charge through the air and it is going to look for the path of least resistance (any exposed metal). There may be other things going on, but that issue needs to be ruled out, period.
Did you check the capacitors? Can you disconnect the entire PC and connect it somewhere else and see if the problem still exists? If it goes away, the problem is ESD. If it still exists and your capacitors are OK, the problem is hardware or cable related. Swap the cables with the other PC to rule that out.
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March 15, 2011 at 12:13 pm #2809328
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Static electricity is clearly one of the culprits here.
Yeah, I think I really got to pull it out and examine it.
Unsure how I can check the capacitors on the power supply, but the board should be easy.
As I said above, its just a pain to pull out, so I am getting together a list of things to check before I do. -
March 15, 2011 at 1:23 pm #2809319
Reponse To Answer
by oh smeg · about 13 years ago
In reply to Static electricity is clearly one of the culprits here.
The way to check the capacitors in the PS is to unplug it and press the on Button for about 10 seconds.
Then plug it back in and try turning on. If it turns on straight away the Capacitors in the PS are failing.
Col
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March 15, 2011 at 9:30 pm #2809247
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Static electricity is clearly one of the culprits here.
I unplug it every night, so I already know you gotta give it a second or its like it ignores the power button press. The mobo light only comes on about 1.5 seconds after I plug it back in. I just assumed this is normal.
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March 15, 2011 at 5:23 pm #2809277
Have you ever made sure that Wake-On-LAN is off?
by seanferd · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
In your network card properties.
Sorry to ask again, but between the new forum formatting and all of the responses which clearly do not address “turning on by itself”, this is becoming a tl;dr exercise, unfortunately. (OK, even though I did try to re-read it all.)
I ask because since this may involve you somehow creating induction when moving past the system, it is one place to stop a wake signal if it isn’t in the power button assembly or the PSU itself.
Still an awesome mystery, this. (BTW, the 256 color-style purple house was really cool. 😀 )
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March 16, 2011 at 7:03 am #2810620
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Have you ever made sure that Wake-On-LAN is off?
I had a look in the bios, there is a lot of “wake on” options, but non for lan, closest is wake on dial, or wake on PCI event. All of them were turned off though, and still are.
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March 16, 2011 at 8:27 am #2810599
Reponse To Answer
by seanferd · about 13 years ago
In reply to Have you ever made sure that Wake-On-LAN is off?
What about the device properties for the NIC in Windows? Power Management tab.
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March 16, 2011 at 8:37 am #2810596
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Have you ever made sure that Wake-On-LAN is off?
How do you access device properties for a NIC within windows? I only know of the connection properties.
XP Pro SP3 32bit.
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March 17, 2011 at 10:51 am #2810420
Reponse To Answer
by seanferd · about 13 years ago
In reply to Have you ever made sure that Wake-On-LAN is off?
Ah – you can get that via connection properties (with like 8 clicks), or go straight through the Device Manager.
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March 17, 2011 at 11:15 am #2810415
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Have you ever made sure that Wake-On-LAN is off?
Just looking at this on my work computer, I see a lot of options. but “Wake up Capabilities” sounds the best. Which do I want?
“Both”
“Magic Packet”
“none” <-- I assume this one, but just being sure. "Wake up frame"
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March 16, 2011 at 10:25 am #2810575
Microwaves?
by bsharpe37 · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Have you tried putting it in your microwave? If you haven’t you should, Once it’s all cooked good, you should go to Newegg.com and buy another PC. Either that or Re-install you OS and see what happens.
Take it apart. Take every piece of your computer apart, then put it back together. Make sure everythign fits good. Make sure you have you RAM in the correct positions.
Would it be possible to get an entire hardware list of your system and installed OS version.
The BIG Question I didn’t see anyone ask ( I may be wrong there were a few wall of text posts i skimmed), What Changed? Obviously it wasn’t like this from day 1? New hardware – you mentioned you installed a USB hub, did it hagve a driver that faults when under powered by a board causing a short in a wire?
Maybe just maybe if you have another computer around, change out that computer with this one for testing purposes. Does it Restart when you walk by it?
If no then we can rule out a power supply issue, I think the gremlins would have given up by now also.
OK, saying it doesn’t restart after moving you 2nd machine into the same location of this machine does moving the faulting machine to another location solve the issue?
Saying NO, it still has the same issue in another location, lets try changing some components. Take the faulty machine and throw it out your window ( Not really) get your good machine and thiis one change out each component one at a time. Start the system and Test.
Yes this is a lot of run around work to find a solution but seeing that there is such an a large amount of replies it’s time for some real troubleshooting. That right PCMechanic.com fix’s all issues LOL JK.Change out you hardwarte with the unit in question with known good. If you have changed out every pice of hardware except the motherboard, then Try changint hat out too.
Still having the same issue? after changing out the hardware? 100%
Look in the case, is the board correctly grounded to it’s case or did someone forget to put some spacers in it?
All the wires from case plugged into mainboard in correct locations as per diagrammed when you got the board?Lets say it’s all correctly grounded in the case, 100% of the hardware was changed out and even the HDD and OS were changed with all cables correctly connected. SO theres no External sensors built into you case such a IR ect?
Lets say No there’s nothing special about this desktop. So whats that leave us with? Well if its not a internal issues with the desktop lets move external.
Cabling I know there were several people posting about it. So you moved your desktop and it still has the same issue. Well. Lets start Unplugging all the extra crap you have plugged in. Even that nifty surpe protector. Yes we are going to use the standard wall socket! “WHHAAA!” Thats right, plug 1 monitor in and the desktop into the wall. Nothing else. Plug just your monitor and PC in to eachother ( VGA I assume) – Do not plug you your Mouse Printer Portable Cellphoen charger or keybaaord into your computer at this point. Then Walk by it.
Still rebooting?
Ok so its not a mouse or keyboard issue, GREAT – Well i figured it wasn’t but couldn’t hurt to test. Also you were able to test if the system was getting under powered or Circuit overloading.So lets say it is still doing it, you have friends right? Well lets say you do, take the PC to their house with your monitor and keyboard and mouse. Thats right box it all up.
Say you arrive at their house, Install your PC at their house, walk by it, does it still reboot? This will test is the wifi signal theory someone suggested was causing an issue. ( That is assume your friend doesn’t live next door or near a super mall of wifi’s)
Lets say the issue still happens, you even hooked it up on his kitchen counter so that it’s not touching the floor and is correctly grounded. You even left your gremlin at your house. Hum, at this point it’;s looking fairly strange…
So lets take another approach, take all your hardware out and out it in your other computer case, YES Change cases. We probably could have done this sooner but I didnt think of it till now. Luckily you can arrange these in any order you want.
So we changed out the hardware into your other case and the issue still happens, well at this point we just ruled out the case, all the hardware all the software independently. SO Something much be conflicting with each other. Time to look into compatibility. Lets check each piece of hardware. You had mentioned you video card had some trouble seeting correctly. well lets swap it out and test with one that is approved.
Do the same for each hardware.
So you issue still persists. I believe you have gained super powers to restart your PC by walking in-front of it, a task I could only hope to achieve as my users forget to restart their computers before they call me. That or there’s something wrong as I ran out of IF-Then statements. 🙂
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March 16, 2011 at 12:51 pm #2810561
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Microwaves?
Ok, go over these 1 at a time…
Can’t be OS cause it can reboot during POST.I can give you a rough list, not by model number
AMD 4800+ Duel core
Asus board with nForce chips
nVidia 9600 GT
Antec 550 Watt PSU
Soundblaster Live 24Bit sound card + onboard sound, both are active and in use.
4 Seagate HDD’s of different sizes
2 DVD drives, one reader only, one is reader/writer. Reader/writer is new.
Standard floppy drive.
RAID controller for extra IDE plugs.
It has 3gb of RAM (3 chips out of 4 slots)The only significant changes I can see is that DVD drive. I intend to unplug it to test if it is the problem. I unplug that USB hub when I turn the computer off to prevent damage to the PSU from the low draw of electricity.
The computer sitting next to it is not restarting when I walk passed it.
Computer parts are expensive, even the cheapest pieces, if I need to buy new parts for the computer, every part to test it, why am I bothering, I’ll have enough parts for another computer. Otherwise, I have no other computers that are within 13 years of that computers hardware.
The board has been in use for about 2 years before I moved, it is possible something got shuffled in the move, when I take it out to open it up and re-hook up my video cards HDMI audio cables, I will check that (Or when I get a new video card and power supply, whichever happens first)
Lord knows if they are all in the correct locations :). I was thinking recently, the HDD activity lights have been broken for ages, the wires to them are broken. The wires run to the door, and then inside the door. But right at the hinge, the wires are bent each time you close the door, resulting in them breaking. Could it be possible that my walking by sent just enough electricity down one of those lines to freak out the mother board and cause a restart? Could this explain why the problem seemed to stop happening when I closed that door?
Of course there are no IR sensors, would be pretty useless on a desktop, especially pointing forwards at a user.
Surge protector is gone, still had the problem.
I can try unplugging some devices, but do those devices even draw full power during POST?My condo is only slightly bigger than my friends bedroom, no way in heck could he have room to try that, though it would be cool if we could :).
My gremlin always travels with me, he sits in my car and play swith the ABS and check engine lights.
My video card has no trouble “seeting” correctly, it seats perfectly. Randomly the computer will restart if you jiggle the video cables. This has happened for awhile now. Leads me to believe this is all related to some failure of the video card.
To restart a computer remotely, use the shutdown command with the appropriate switches.
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March 17, 2011 at 6:51 am #2810474
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Microwaves?
Forgot to mention, this was happening when I had nothing hooked up via USB. While investigating it the first time, I figured while I was back there, I’d finish hooking up all my toys 🙂 .
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March 17, 2011 at 2:17 am #2810508
One MORE thing to try out….
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Place the computer on its side and then restart it and then do a walk past it and see if reboots by itself. If it does not then something is loose.
Other than that i will say your computer is asking for for your help the only way it knows how by rebooting to grab your attention.
Very weird situation you have. I have not heard or seen this happen before, only beeps to say either the video card is not slotted in properly or missing memory. Take it apart completely and give everything a good clean including your processor and heatsink, i do this every six months with every one of my computers (five altogether). It takes me about four to five hours on each one then i do a test to find out if i missed anything out. Your issue is very weird, i would put it in the town museum for being the only computer with a ghost attacted to it. 🙂
Hope you find out what is causing the issue.-
March 17, 2011 at 6:46 am #2810479
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to One MORE thing to try out….
Sadly it stopped restarting again, will have to wait for it to break again before I can try putting it on its side.
Maybe the gremlin is on vacation?
I had an idea though, maybe I should just re-overclock my video card, if it can run stable at the clocks it used to run a year ago, its probably fine, if its now unstable, its probably dying.
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March 17, 2011 at 10:54 am #2810419
Reponse To Answer
by seanferd · about 13 years ago
In reply to One MORE thing to try out….
You know, I’ve never seen a computer do this, but plenty of other electronics (stereos, TVs, etc.) turn on by themselves. Because most stuff is never really off, but on standby. Half the people I know who have also seen this will insist that it is caused by visitations from “the” spirit world.
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March 17, 2011 at 4:39 am #2810491
overheat?
by nick_bear · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I believe your computer can overheat. Check Bios settings you’ll find the answer there.
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March 17, 2011 at 6:46 am #2810478
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March 17, 2011 at 5:02 am #2810489
Earthing Problem
by meghal.shah · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
check for the proper power connection in the Room. Have a proper Electrical
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March 17, 2011 at 6:48 am #2810477
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Earthing Problem
I could always run an extension cord from another outlet and try that…
I don’t think I have a thick enough cord available that is long enough to escape that breaker circuit.
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March 17, 2011 at 12:47 pm #2810401
Power fluxuation influences
by alatech · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Computers are so much fun when they do something weird until it is absolutely irritating. I have read for the most part the conversation and find that some people don’t read the previous posts :). I Thought many of the similar considerations and if indeed this machine is still acting consistently in this manner; there is one other thing I have not seen mentioned yet.
I could indeed have missed this but what got me thinking of this possibility is that someone mentioned electric contacts like in stereos, we have such a stereo if plugged in it will mysteriously come on. This problem is dusty contacts in the (drum roll) POWER SWITCH. It may indeed that with all the reasonable solutions which I would have thought too; that the real culprit here is possibly the simple power switch at the front of your machine. Changing the way it lays may possibly shift the minuet weight of the switch to ‘solve’ the problem for now; and yet the problem may still exist tho dormant for now.
Given what sounds like so minor rough treatment of the machine, there may be wear or dust inside the power switch that the slightly different motion is just enough to activate ‘the ghost’. This is also evidenced by that while you are not walking by it works normally; maybe even have someone else walk by while YOU are sitting at the machine as you normally would; have them walk the ‘offending’ path.
Possible solution: Replace the power switch.
Let me know. I am eager to know the final solution.
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March 17, 2011 at 1:08 pm #2810393
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Power fluxuation influences
I’m thinking reset button, but yeah, its definitely possible. How do you disconnect those to find out?
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March 17, 2011 at 1:45 pm #2810389
Switch connections
by alatech · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
It varies between vendors. Some of the switches if you look will have slide connectors on those, some unfortunately soldier them in thus you would need to trace those wires to the Motherboard connection and unplug at the motherboard. It should be a simple slide plug. Of course use a ground strap so that you do not fry any of the components.
The reliability of these switches is very good, but they can of course get damaged. Your machine does not sound old enough for wear issues. I have some antiques that still work fine in that area. Which means in one of your moves you may have had excess pressure on one of the switches that may have given the circumstance for the current problem.
Someone else may have to answer this part tho…The reset switch might not have to be connected for the machine to work, and then again might be in the POST check and may be required. If it allows no reset button that would mean you don’t have the reset control. A minor inconvience by comparison. Either switch could still be the problem; but I think it will only be one. I would possibly take a picture of both switches and head to the local tech store that sells parts. The switches should not be expensive, they are for the most part simple relays with a spring release toggle built in.
The Power Switch must be used…I am not to comfortable with ‘hot wiring’ the power switch as a bypass.
It explains other things you described too; if the power cycles in mid POST then it can give some rather weird problems like the monitor issues you mentioned that is usually ‘solved’ by a clean problem free boot. If power fluxuates in operation it can have odd acting results too; that was a reason to suspect the power supply.
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March 18, 2011 at 7:12 am #2809933
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Switch connections
I forgot to mention, the case is from 2003, I upgraded the contents recently, but kept the old case.
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March 18, 2011 at 7:29 am #2809930
Well time for a new case…
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
It will certainly get rid of the Ghost in your computer for ever. 🙂
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March 18, 2011 at 11:39 am #2809897
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Well time for a new case…
I do want to get one of those nice big ones with the big fans and such. I certainly work my computer hard enough to deserve it.
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March 18, 2011 at 11:52 am #2809894
Reponse To Answer
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years ago
In reply to Well time for a new case…
How about one of these:
http://windowspassword.org/info/coolest-computer-cases/ -
March 18, 2011 at 11:58 am #2809893
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Well time for a new case…
The pyramid is pretty cool.
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March 18, 2011 at 10:45 am #2809902
right to left misery/mystery
by jdeerobins · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Ever thought of putting the box against a wall so you can’t walk past it from right to left? Might help you get a good nights sleep.
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March 18, 2011 at 11:39 am #2809898
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to right to left misery/mystery
As you can see from my photos, not many walls available 🙂 . I have a very small condo.
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March 18, 2011 at 2:52 pm #2809880
try a different location
by i_tiberius · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
is there a different power outlet in your place? if not, pack it all up and take it to a friend’s place and try there.
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March 19, 2011 at 5:23 am #2809840
Winter+ heated house =>low humidity =>ESD
by Anonymous · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
This is very familiar here in Scandinavia. You may easily develop 100 000 Volts just by passing nearby, meaning a few meters away. I have measured, it is true. Do not use artifical fabrics like nylon …xlon made clothes. Do not use anything plastic or woollen. Ground your equipment properly. Use shielded cables. Do not use open or windowed computer cases. It is sad but the manufacturers in Taiwan, China or California know nothing about static electricity and all the problems it causes. If they knew they would not pack hard drives into EPS which is one of the worst materials in ESD sense.
Mane
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March 20, 2011 at 9:29 pm #2809703
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 13 years ago
In reply to Winter+ heated house =>low humidity =>ESD
Well, the cables are covered in rubber… how do I ground out the tower? The face of the tower is plastic.
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March 19, 2011 at 8:31 am #2809835
Hello mauno.aho… So, if you are correct…..
by peconet tietokoneet · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Then why does the computer only reboot when walked passed in one direction and not the other?
If it was ESD then the computer in question would also reboot when walked by in both direstions would it not. -
March 19, 2011 at 6:47 pm #2809800
Extremely tight space with high fabric content
by varseller · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Looking at the picture, he’s going right to left from the cabinet and passing by the bed in a very tight space while walking on a carpet. It looks almost impossible to pass through there without his clothing rubbing against the bedspread. That’s generating one heck of a static charge. Not so in the other direction.
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March 21, 2011 at 8:42 pm #2810977
TRY THIS ….
by lani osi · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
I would like for you to try this: click on Start – Run (or if you have the Search feature, you can use that) – type in this word: command – and it will come up. Now right click on the command prompt; “RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR” – the Command Prompt box will pop up, and I want you to type in or just copy and paste (or cut and paste): sfc/scannow
This way your computer will automatically scan without having you to be offline or anything to do this and repair any damage and/or corrupted files and/or duplicated files and even fix registry keys or duplication or replication, et al.
Since from reading everything above; NOTE: This scan may take time the first time you run this but do not turn your computer off while it runs the first time – it will work on XP, VISTA and 7. (Everyone, if you didn’t know this, you might want to make a note of that; it comes in handy! Trust me! Doing this without having to roll-back or anything is absolutely wonderful, even more so if you’re on Win 7)
After the Scan is completed – the log files is found in C Drive in LOGS in CBS – you will need to run under Administrator to view it (the report that is); if everything is cleared – it will indicate that everything is cleared. If there were errors, it will indicate that it was logged –> Just so that you would know in advance.
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March 22, 2011 at 11:26 pm #2810804
A slight correction in my above statement
by lani osi · about 13 years ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
The correction in my last paragraph of where the file is located:
C Drive – Windows – System32 – Logs – CBS
I apologize for this slight oversight for those who are wanting to review the entire format. And in addition; it does make it easier to read via Notepad in “Word-Wrap” format than any other options (for your info) for easier reading.
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April 9, 2011 at 5:42 pm #2882133
Update
by slayer_ · about 12 years, 11 months ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Today it let me walk passed it, but died when i vacuum in front of it. lost display and hung. picture went out, audio stopped, but the computer appeared to still be running, at least the lights were still on, it was just dead?
So I decided, since I am cleaning anyways, lets rip this thing out and have a look.
it is almost perfectly clean, a tiny bit of dust near the back of the case where the CPu fan blows passed.
None of the caps appear to be bulging.
Everything appears to be plugged in tight, I took out my RAM and examined it. It is 3 chips of 3 different makes, 1 of them is slower than the other two.
Its spring now, so humidity is back up.
This latest [breakdown] was with the front door closed.
No funny smells in the case.Using a flash light, I looked into the power supply, I see nothing obvious.
The temperatures at the time of freezup (I had speedfan open checking portable drive SMART data) 45 CPU 38 GPU, HDD1 was at 25C, HDD2 was at 28C. -
April 10, 2011 at 7:46 am #2882122
Time to invest in a new motherboard…
by peconet tietokoneet · about 12 years, 11 months ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
A new motherboard plus a new graphic card would be a good investment for the future, minus one ghost. 🙂
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April 10, 2011 at 12:24 pm #2882109
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 12 years, 11 months ago
In reply to Time to invest in a new motherboard…
Perhaps I should, I just dont like the current crop of boards and processors. Its impossible now to get an AMD processor with nForce chips or nVidia graphics because, obviously, AMD owns ATI. And Intel processors always seem so slow. It frequently requires 30% more speed from an Intel processor o match the real speed of an AMD processor.
I am hoping if I wait, nVidia will start making their own processors like they already do in their phones. I suspect they will be the first to come out with the consumer 500+ core processor. They already have on in their video cards…
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April 11, 2011 at 8:58 pm #2882017
Computer turning off and on, on its own
by bzabor19 · about 12 years, 11 months ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
Many folks use a wireless mouse, keyboard, printer etal, which operate on infrared light (IR)
Is it possible that the IR sense is detecting a normal level of IR light, which is interrupted by your passage by the thing? Do you have wireless stuff on it, or are you using wireless connection? Many, many, many devices* operate on 900 mHz and 2.4 gHz these days (routers and more)…. perhaps you’re interrupting a constant signal on one of these bands, that’s coming from a device in your home, or somebody else’s (the condominium).
*Routers, cordless phones, remote control ANYTHING, garage door triggers, etc… Even an un-used wireless keyboard that’s stored in a closet with the batteries still inside.
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April 12, 2011 at 12:29 pm #2881957
I have now replaced all 3 mismatching RAM modules
by slayer_ · about 12 years, 11 months ago
In reply to Computer turning off and on, on its own….
With 2 matching ones. I will see if the problem continues…
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September 17, 2012 at 1:11 pm #2887831
Reponse To Answer
by slayer_ · about 11 years, 6 months ago
In reply to I have now replaced all 3 mismatching RAM modules
This actually made it worse, apparently the board doesn’t like running in dual channel mode, putting back the 3 mismatched ram improved stability.
However, the restarting seems to have fixed itself.
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