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My PC Reboots itself

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9 replies

by abcee

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I have a PIII@450MHz machine with Win XP installed on it. The first few weeks after intallation it worked fine. Lately when I'm working, say I open a folder,any, my PC reboots itself. I wonder if the OS is corrupted.

9 replies

by mmerritt

Check the system.log file located in the \windows\system32\config\ folder. By default WindowsXP is configured to re-boot when a system failure occurs. Also check the event logs. Just a reminder, "what changed just before this problem started hardware, software..?" Previous versions would usually display error messages in the event of a system failure but WinXP just re-boots and logs the error. Good Luck!

by de karen

Recent (painful) experience has shown me that certain viruses can cause this, too. I'd virus scan if I were you.

by dbesenho

i've seen that happen if the computer is overheating. check all the fans, be sure the case is on properly, and no open slots in the back. also, if you have two hard drives stacked on top of each other with no breathing room, that can cause the drives to overheat. if that's the case, remount one of them up a slot. make sure there is space around the computer (not tucked in one of those cupboards), and airflow is circulating in the back. hope that helps!

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