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PC suddenly shut down

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by yoginc

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I was playing a video game and almost half an hour into the game,the screen suddenly blacked out and i realized my pc had shut itself down.I switched off the mains and switched them on again after 2 mins to see if it started up but there was no response.I opened up the case and when i checked again,the cpu fan itself wouldn't start,its been an hour since and still it isn't working..i checked all connections on the motherboard and all were fine.I do know that the fan is the problem but i don't know why it suddenly stopped working..did it overheat or something?

PS:ours is a shared pc and my dad was working on it for almost 4 hrs the previous night.Also i used it for an additional 3 hrs in the morning..this problem occured at around noon.

6 replies

by oh smeg

It could have taken a hit from a Power Spike and died.

Worst case scenario is that the PS has overloaded and burnt out the M'Board, CPU and so on.

You need to start testing with a Known Good Power Supply and work from there replacing anything that is not working.

Col

by rob miners

Remove the Power cord from the PSU to discharge the Capacitors in the Power Supply. Then press the Power button for 10 seconds to discharge the Capacitors on the Motherboard.
Plug the power cord back in and see if it will start. If it does start you can replace the Power Supply Unit (PSU). If it doesn't start it is a faulty PSU.

Reseat the Central Processing Unit

Faulty Fans, Dust and Grime build up on the Heatsink restricting air flow. Remove the Power cable from the rear of the System and disconnect the Video cable. I would give the inside of the case a blowout with compressed air. When blowing air through the fans make sure that you physically stop them from spinning, as they may generate power and damage something. Use an Anti-Static Wrist Strap to ground yourself or by placing the back of your hand on the Power Supply Unit and not moving your feet. This will prevent electrostatic charge from building up and by not taking this precaution it is possible that you could inadvertantly cause damage to the PC from an electrostatic discharge.

Then remove the Heatsink, giving it a thorough clean and reseat the CPU applying new CPU grease. If the Fans spin freely when you give them a spin they are probably OK. If there is resistance replace them.

Clean the golden edge of each memory stick with a soft rubber/eraser, remembering not to touch the golden edge of the memory stick. Check with one stick at a time, remembering to disconnect the power from the PC as you replace them.

Also check the Capacitors around the CPU for swelling or bulging.

by sreejith_kv

Hi

I am also faced this same problem when I used my system to play games that time I suspected PowerSupply and changed to higher Wattage but no luck, same thing happened again .Later I Upgraded My RAM ,after that problem got solved,,,Try this,,Hope it will work 4 u also> While playing games check your CPU temperature by using any hardware probing utility (It is available to download for free) if your CPU temperature going beyond 90Cel give extra care to your CPU by providing Extra cooling

by yoginc

Well as u all said,the PSU was the problem,it stopped working due to unidentifiable reasons.We suspected that the inner ckt was either faulty or burned out.We replaced it with another PSU of higher wattage.Its working now so far.Thank you all for ur answers.

by oh smeg

Many people think that a PS is a PS is a PS but there are massive differences in the different brand PS's on the market.

My preferred PS are from Antec who make a Power Supply that filters the mains much better than other brands and much more importantly will die and not pass through the more horrendous Power Spikes to the insides of the case.

I had one case where a tree fell onto the Overhead Service and brought the 11,500 V Service into contact with the Mains and promptly fried everything connected in that neighborhood.

Only thing that I know that survived was a computer which had a Antec PS in it. The PS was naturally dead but when I replaced the PS with a new one the computer fired up and worked for the next 3 years.

Also with Antec PS's they are rated to a Continuous Power Rating and not a Peek Value so if you get one rated to 350 W that is what it can supply 100% of the time where as most are rated to a Peek Value of what they can supply for short periods of Time then have to drop back to a lower load or burn out.

Here is the Antec PS Calculator that should be used as a guide to what you actually require

http://www.antec.outervision.com/

Col

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