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Random Lightning quick shutdowns

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7 replies

by pellegr1

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This is a P4 running XP Pro with a new WD 250 gig hard drive and new 580 watt PS. I am beginning to think it might be a hardware or M/B problem.I tested the memory with memtest86, it tested ok. I am going to see what a SOYO TechAid diagnostic card can tell me. This is a relatives PC and of course they no longer have a software CD/DVDs for it. (Someone else built it for them, but now he moved to another job.) Sometimes it will be on for quite a while, before shutting down. I checked all the fans and blew out all of the dirt thinking it might be caused heat, but it still happens. any hints?

7 replies

by ic-it

It may be set to Automatically Restart on sytem errors.
This will happen when it gets a blue screen error (it may be so quick you don't see it).
You can turn off this "function" in System Properties, Advanced, Startup and Recovery, system failure section, uncheck Automatic restart.

by pellegr1

I remember looking at this but I don't remember how it was. I will check. The blue screen being so quick you don't see it is a very good point. Thanks for the idea. I just remembered that I saw some logging functions that were turned off, I checked them "on" now and assumed it was too late for this problem, but i haven't become too skilled at following through with using any kind of logs with PC yet anyhow. When I have tried it didn't help me with the problems I was trying to correct. I need to remember this. Thanks.

by oh smeg

If you have different Brand Sticks of RAM Installed you can hit a timing issue where you get a clash or error and this causes the system to restart.

Both Sticks of RAM can be perfectly OK but they just do not work together. I had this happen last week with a system that was recently increased in RAM and the system became unstable a little while latter. Remove one stik of RAM and it works as it should replace the RAM from the same maker but from a different Batch and it is constantly restarting without warning or erros in the event logs.

Col

by pellegr1

This P4 PC needed a new hard drive so using Acronis I cloned a WD 250 gig SATA drive for it. The m/b has SATA connectors so I found out how to set the BIOS to enable what turned out to be a third IDE channel and that worked. The PC had only 512mb of ram so I stuck in a 256 that I had removed in another upgrade, so I am going to remove it and see if that is it. This P4 is fast enough for their use, the power supply was also upgraded. If the memory is the problem then a couple of new matched 1 gig sticks will be worth buying for it. Thanks for this suggestion.

by pellegr1

It did turn out to be the memory. Like I said, someone else originally put this PC together. When I donated the 256 mb memory stick I stuck it in the empty slot. I did notice the empty dimm slot was the slot closer to the processor but I couldn't see the markings for the dimm slots. After your suggestion, I got curious with a bright flashlight and looked until I found the dimm1 and dimm2 markings. Of course dimm1 was closer to the cpu. I wondered if reversing the sticks in the dimms would fix it and it did. I ran memtest86 be be sure they were fully seated. It doesn't crash now.
Thanks again for an on point tip. This PC was originally crashing because of a bad power supply which I replaced and then accidentally caused the crashes to continue by installing a smaller memory stick ahead of a larger one. (I guess the m/b didn't appreciate that?) I might not have thought to check the memory again until who knows when?

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