[Ham-Computers] Computer shutting itself down

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Dave,

First, the "bandwidth" consumed by discussing problems like this is the only 
reason for this list's existance.  So don't apologize for consuming it.  It's 
free to those who don't pay and subsidized by those of us who do in order to 
support forums like this one.  Besides that, text accounts for less than 1% of 
the total Internet traffic.

In your original msg you said that your machine turns itself off.  Assuming 
that you meant that literally, and that you have to push the power button to 
start it up again, I would first try reseating all of the pluck-out components, 
including the CPU as Dale indicated.  Then I would swap the power supply with 
one in another machine that doesn't exhibit this problem.  If you have one.  I 
had a sorta similar problem two years ago except that the machine would 
reboot, not shut off.  But as in your case, it never went through the CHKDSK 
routine.  So there is more than one case where the machine (BIOS or OS) will not 
recognize that an ABEND event has occurred.

My problem was overheated RAM, solved by buying better quality with integral 
heat sinks, moving one fan from intake to exhaust and turning off the fan 
speed controllers and letting them run 24/7.  Since doing that, the machine has 
clocked some 17,000 hours without a problem.  If reseating everything and 
swapping the PS doesn't fix it, try turning off all power monitor and fan related 
controls in Setup.

In a message dated 4/27/2007 9:39:43 PM Central Standard Time, 
stpatrick3 at twlakes.net writes: 
> Dave Corio wrote:
> >Anyone have any experience with a computer simply turning itself off
> >for no apparent reason? I get no error messages, and no warning of any
> >type. When I turn it back on, it comes on fine, without even going
> >through chkdisk, as if it was turned off intentionally. This is a
> >Gateway Pentium IV, 3.4 Ghz unit with 1G of RAM. No other signs of
> >trouble.
> >
> >Please respond to dcorio at zitomedia.net instead of via the reflector. I
> >hate burning good bandwidth for OT stuff.
> >
> >Thanks in advance
> >Dave
> >KB3MOW
> 
> Dave, the one time I had that happen my cpu heatsink wasn't making good
> contact with the cpu.
> So the computer would shut down because of overheated cpu. You may have
> to remove the heatsink and carefully clean the cpu and bottom of
> heatsink and reapply some heatsink compound and remount the heatsink.
> If you don't feel like  you can do this, then you should find someone
> that can do this for you.
> 

Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
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