Prev: problem adding memory to compaq deskpro en
Next: USB drive won't assign drive letter
From: James G on 8 Feb 2005 20:48
I recently built a new PC and, having no need for two machines, gave my
old PC to a friend in another state. I packed the PC up myself and sent
it via US mail. The PC is a homebuilt AMD 1800+ with 512MB RAM and a
SOYO Dragon+ MoBo. It ran beautifully for me for three years.

The problem, though, is that it seems to have during shipment developed
an odd problem of rebooting itself. The problem is described to me like
this: At odd times, the PC's screen will go totally black, then will
reboot. The fans in the PC never go out, so there seems to be
continuous power from the PS. Upon booting up Windows after one of
these mysterious reboots, most times instead of going to the desktop,
the PC will instead go to the "improper shutdown" screen offering the
user to start in safe mode or start normally. Sometimes the PC will go
in a loop of rebooting itself without getting to this screen. I've
instructed her to try "start normally", but most times that doesn't
work unless she chooses "safe mode" first, shuts down the PC, then
restarts. Sometimes the PC will stay on successfully for an hour or
longer. Sometimes the problem happens continually over a short period
of time.

It's a real shame, because this friend of mine really needs this PC to
be stable more than anything, but she doesn't have any real PC
troubleshooting skills and I'm not savvy enough to provide much
over-the-phone tech support. But if I can't come up with a solution,
I've basically given her a 20 pound doorstop instead of a computer. If
I can't come up with some possible easy solutions, then I'm faced with
the prospect of shopping for a PC tech in her area to make a house call
and check it out. As fate would have it, she lives in a rural area,
which might make that more difficult than it would be in a big city.

So, any ideas? Does this sound like a problem any of you have had?
Thanks!

From: John Doe on 8 Feb 2005 21:41
"James G" <MisterJamesGovan(a)gmail.com> wrote:

(James G is trying to help someone over the telephone)

....
>Sometimes the PC will go in a loop of rebooting itself without
>getting to this screen. I've instructed her to try "start
>normally", but most times that doesn't work unless she chooses
>"safe mode" first, shuts down the PC, then restarts. Sometimes the
>PC will stay on successfully for an hour or longer.
....
> this friend of mine really needs this PC to
>be stable more than anything, but she doesn't have any real PC
>troubleshooting skills and I'm not savvy enough to provide much
>over-the-phone tech support.
.... she lives in a rural area,

The ultimate troubleshooting tool if the user can get online is
through either Windows XP Remote Assistance or Windows 98 NetMeeting.
NetMeeting is very reliable, in my experience.

Maybe she needs a high-quality power supply, surge suppressor, line
conditioner, or backup power supply.

Buying a backup power supply isn't a waste since you can use it for
another system.






--
United States and British intelligence agencies admittedly break the
law while spying on each other. United States and British governments
claim to energetically share that gathered information.
From: aq on 8 Feb 2005 21:52
When one of the RAM sticks in my PC was dying, the PC sometimes behaved
very much like this. I did not know this until it actually died -- this
stick is still kept
on my desk.


You probably may need to check every components, and make sure all are
seated well in their slots or socket. A poor PSU (power supply unit) might
also
give you similar symptom.


---------
"James G" <MisterJamesGovan(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1107913728.332925.219920(a)c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> I recently built a new PC and, having no need for two machines, gave my
> old PC to a friend in another state. I packed the PC up myself and sent
> it via US mail. The PC is a homebuilt AMD 1800+ with 512MB RAM and a
> SOYO Dragon+ MoBo. It ran beautifully for me for three years.
>
> The problem, though, is that it seems to have during shipment developed
> an odd problem of rebooting itself. The problem is described to me like
> this: At odd times, the PC's screen will go totally black, then will
> reboot. The fans in the PC never go out, so there seems to be
> continuous power from the PS. Upon booting up Windows after one of
> these mysterious reboots, most times instead of going to the desktop,
> the PC will instead go to the "improper shutdown" screen offering the
> user to start in safe mode or start normally. Sometimes the PC will go
> in a loop of rebooting itself without getting to this screen. I've
> instructed her to try "start normally", but most times that doesn't
> work unless she chooses "safe mode" first, shuts down the PC, then
> restarts. Sometimes the PC will stay on successfully for an hour or
> longer. Sometimes the problem happens continually over a short period
> of time.
>
> It's a real shame, because this friend of mine really needs this PC to
> be stable more than anything, but she doesn't have any real PC
> troubleshooting skills and I'm not savvy enough to provide much
> over-the-phone tech support. But if I can't come up with a solution,
> I've basically given her a 20 pound doorstop instead of a computer. If
> I can't come up with some possible easy solutions, then I'm faced with
> the prospect of shopping for a PC tech in her area to make a house call
> and check it out. As fate would have it, she lives in a rural area,
> which might make that more difficult than it would be in a big city.
>
> So, any ideas? Does this sound like a problem any of you have had?
> Thanks!
>


From: Chris Pound on 8 Feb 2005 22:01
On 8 Feb 2005 17:48:48 -0800, "James G" <MisterJamesGovan(a)gmail.com>
wrote:

>I recently built a new PC and, having no need for two machines, gave my
>old PC to a friend in another state. I packed the PC up myself and sent
>it via US mail. The PC is a homebuilt AMD 1800+ with 512MB RAM and a
>SOYO Dragon+ MoBo. It ran beautifully for me for three years.
>
>The problem, though, is that it seems to have during shipment developed
>an odd problem of rebooting itself. The problem is described to me like
>this: At odd times, the PC's screen will go totally black, then will
>reboot. The fans in the PC never go out, so there seems to be
>continuous power from the PS. Upon booting up Windows after one of
>these mysterious reboots, most times instead of going to the desktop,
>the PC will instead go to the "improper shutdown" screen offering the
>user to start in safe mode or start normally. Sometimes the PC will go
>in a loop of rebooting itself without getting to this screen. I've
>instructed her to try "start normally", but most times that doesn't
>work unless she chooses "safe mode" first, shuts down the PC, then
>restarts. Sometimes the PC will stay on successfully for an hour or
>longer. Sometimes the problem happens continually over a short period
>of time.
>
>It's a real shame, because this friend of mine really needs this PC to
>be stable more than anything, but she doesn't have any real PC
>troubleshooting skills and I'm not savvy enough to provide much
>over-the-phone tech support. But if I can't come up with a solution,
>I've basically given her a 20 pound doorstop instead of a computer. If
>I can't come up with some possible easy solutions, then I'm faced with
>the prospect of shopping for a PC tech in her area to make a house call
>and check it out. As fate would have it, she lives in a rural area,
>which might make that more difficult than it would be in a big city.
>
>So, any ideas? Does this sound like a problem any of you have had?
>Thanks!

My first guess is the PSU.
From: Michael Thomas on 8 Feb 2005 22:25
On 8 Feb 2005 17:48:48 -0800, "James G" <MisterJamesGovan(a)gmail.com>
wrote:

>I recently built a new PC and, having no need for two machines, gave my
>old PC to a friend in another state. I packed the PC up myself and sent
>it via US mail. The PC is a homebuilt AMD 1800+ with 512MB RAM and a
>SOYO Dragon+ MoBo. It ran beautifully for me for three years.

<snip>

Constant reboots with windows 2000/XP can be caused by driver issues,
software services, or hardware. There is an option under Control
Panel ==> System ==> Advanced ==> Startup and Recovery ==> System
Failure ==> checkbox for automatically restart. Turning that off will
yield a BSOD (blue screen of death) the next time something causes the
system to halt, and hopefully call out memory or a device driver you
can trace to a program or hardware device. If you don't get a BSOD
after changing this option, and the system keeps rebooting, then I
would look at the power supply.

Since it ran for 3 years flawlessly, I'd think it could be that
something came loose during shipping and needs to be reseated. Memory
and video card are the first things I'd check. I would remove and
reseat both of them.

BTW, shipping PC's with athlon heatsinks is always a risk, as they
attach to the zif socket with one clip on each side. If the trip is a
rough one, a clip can break off the socket, removing itself from the
CPU, and if not caught before powering it up, fry it.

It's a good idea for someone to open it up and inspect it, IMHO.

MT


 |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2
Prev: problem adding memory to compaq deskpro en
Next: USB drive won't assign drive letter