[Ham-Computers] Computer shutting itself down

[wxfreqrs]

is there a chance the power cord is loose or the socket it plugs into is 
loose causing power surges

Don
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Corio" <dcorio at zitomedia.net>
To: <ham-computers at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2007 7:15 AM
Subject: [Ham-Computers] Computer shutting itself down


>    Wow! Thanks for all the fast responses! Let me expand on the situation 
> a bit more.
>
>    This PC has been a lemon since day one. So far, the hard drive has been 
> replaced three times, the motherboard has been replaced twice, the CPU fan 
> once, and the power supply once. Also, when the motherboard was replaced, 
> they used a 3.4 Ghz P-IV instead of the 2.6 Ghz that it originally came 
> with. All under warranty, thank goodness! It was shipped with a 250-watt 
> power supply, but I have added the following:
>
>    NVIDIA TI-4200 video card with 128M of RAM (with a big honking fan!)
>    Soundblaster 24-bit sound card (also still using the on-board sound 
> card)
>    4-port RS-232  card
>    two to three USB devices
>    Added 512M of RAM for a full 1G
>
>    All this requires power - and I suspect that the power supply just 
> isn't up to all I am demanding of it.
>
>    I have tested the memory using a stress tester, in addition to running 
> the memory test at each startup. The CPU fan is clean and unobstructed and 
> working very well (it was just replaced by Gateway to "fix" this shutdown 
> problem). All vents in the PC have been cleaned, and you could eat off the 
> interior of the PC! I also did a Windows Repair per Gateway's instructions 
> in case it was an OS problem. (The OS is Windows 2000 Pro, if I failed to 
> mention that)
>
>    If I don't ask much of the CPU, it will run forever without a problem. 
> However, if I put a demand on it, chances are it will shut itself off. I 
> run a program called "SETI at home" which does computations when the computer 
> is idle. Whenever I tell the program to use both of the dual processors 
> available in the P-IV, the PC will turn itself off.
>
>    The machine never shuts itself off when I'm actually using it. It waits 
> until it is idle, then simply dies. No warning, no error message, it 
> simply turns itself off. There are no events logged at this shutdown, 
> although using the event viewer I can see the startup routines when I 
> restart it.
>
>    The killer part of this is that while the CPU fan runs very well, it's 
> dumping the heat it vents directly into the power supply! There is a great 
> deal of heat coming out the back of the PC via the fan in the power 
> supply. If I hold my hand over the outlet of the CPU fan, I can tell it is 
> moving the heat very efficiently.
>
>    I am thinking of just ordering a 450-watt power supply, but with money 
> a little tight right now, I want to be as certain as possible that this 
> will fix the problem. Replacing the computer is out of the question at 
> this time, and I also don't have another I can use.
>
>    Sorry for being so long-winded, and thanks again - and in advance! - 
> for any and all help!
>
> 73
> Dave
> KB3MOW
>
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