Why is my computer restarting?

[spitz10]

*Update as of 4/23/07*

Well, I finally caved and reformatted my computer. And what do you know, that isnt the problem either. So if you refer to the list below, I have now done all those things, plus reformat my computer, so I am pretty much officially out of ideas. I am still convinced this is some sort of power issue, whether it has somethign to do with the current running through my place, or some kind of short or something. Is there anything else I can try?


*Update as of 4/3/07*

Over the last week or so, the restarts starting increasing to about once every 2 days, and one day it happened 3 times in one day - the restarts had never been more frequent than once every 3 days. So i decided to screw it and go ahead and get a new PSU, the Antec Earthwatts 500W which got great reviews from numerous places, most notibly, jonnyguru. And what do you know, my computer ended up restarting within about 5 hours. Luckily I got the PSU for 46 bucks after shipping, so if anyone wants to buy a brand new PSU for $40, or if you know anyone that does, let me know.

So as of now I have:

Throughly tested both RAM and CPU overnight
Tested both sticks of RAM separately
Disabled onboard sound
Updated motherboard bios
Uninstalled all old, unused programs
Unplugged all case lights from mobo
Tested computer in 3 different houses

Now I just dont know what to do. What should be my next step? I really do not want to have to reformat, especially considering that doesnt seem to be the problem. Please help!!

Thanks guys.




Alright guys, I will try to make this as quick as possible. I put together a new rig about half a year ago, and I was having some problems with restarts, so I started these two threads:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...hreadid=1905763&enterthread=y&arctab=y

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...hreadid=1906985&enterthread=y&arctab=y

I never really resolved the issue because I stopped gaming and the restarts only occur about once a week, so I didnt feel like dealing with it. But now, I am about to do some video editing, and I dont wanna risk losing stuff through a restart, so I want to get it resolved.

Here are the specs and situation:

Asus A8R-MVP
3700+ SanDiego
2gb OCZ platinum
1 36 gb raptor
1 extra hard drive
1 optical drives
2 120mm case fans
X1900GT (75 watts)
Centurion 5
fortron FSP400-60GLN 400W
CPU Temps are consistently below 30 but can get up to 40 during gaming. Case temp is never above 30.

So basically, my computer will just randomly restart, about once a week, for no apparent reason. Often times, I am not even on the computer when it happens, and nothing is even running. Gaming does seem to increase the rate at which it restarts, but I have played games for hours without a restart.

I have done testing on my RAM and CPU and neither seem to be the culprit. My temps are low enough that heat doesnt seem to be the problem either. The obvious choice seems to be the PSU, but I have been told that I have plenty of power - maybe I jsut have a faulty PSU.

So my question is, does anyone know what could be the problem? If no one really knows, I am just going to order a new PSU, but I am looking for recommendations. Thanks guys.

 

[SparkyJJO]

broken links....

Anyway, your CPU temps are fine. If you were higher than mid-50's I'd be worried. I'm assuming you aren't overclocked?

I don't know what was discussed in those two links since they don't work, so I'll just list off things off the top of my head. If you have done this stuff already, please say so

1. Run memtest86+ for a good several hours - like overnight - to test your RAM. Download the pre-compiled ISO file and burn that image to CD, boot from it. Let it run.
2. Run SP2004 overnight to test for CPU errors.
3. Try another PSU if you have one handy. Those FSP units are good units but you might have a bad one. If you have a DMM test the voltages with it at system idle and load.
4. Update your mobo drivers with the latest from the Asus website. The A8R-MVP had some bugs with the older chipset and the drivers.

To get an idea of what might be going on, right click on your "my computer" and go to properties. Go to the advanced tab, and under startup and recovery hit settings, then uncheck the "automatically restart" box. I'm guessing you are getting a BSOD but it is so quick to restart you don't even see it. This will keep the BSOD up so that you can see for yourself what it is. If this happens please report back with what the message said (the main error, not all the binary/hex code stuff).

 

[spitz10]

sorry, I fixed the links, not sure what was wrong with them

1. I have done the memtest and the RAM was fine
2. I used prime95 to test my CPU, and again no problems
3. Dont have another PSU, (I do, but only that old kind)
4. I think I updated my mobo drivers, but that is something I am not positive about, I will have to check

I have had "auto restart" unchecked for awhile now, but the BSOD still doesnt come up. Basically, my computer will hang for about 10 seconds (if i am listening to a song, it would skip during this time) and then eventually reboot.

I have also checked the event log, but no errors seem to be corresponding to the restarts.

 

[SparkyJJO]

That hang for 10 seconds then reboot sounds like what happened to me. My PSU was going bad and it finally did a week ago. Only 9 months old too! Hence the reason for my angry face in my sig.

If you could borrow a PSU from a buddy to test your system with for awhile - like maybe swap him PSUs for a week - that would help. If your problems go away you know the problem. If you still have trouble then it must be something else, in which case I'd point at the mobo next.

 

[spitz10]

I think it sounds like I jsut got unlucky and received a faulty Fortron PSU, so I might just screw it and get a new (different) PSU. Any suggestions? I dont wanna break the bank.....

I would borrow from a friend, but all of my friends are still running agp boards, without pci-e, so they dont have the newer PSU models. Yes, they are worthless.

 

[RallyMaster]

Corsair HX520W or Enhance ENP-5150GH?

 

[spitz10]

I have been recommended that enhance 5150GH, and I am pretty sure I can get it for cheap. Anyone have any experience with this one? How quiet is it? I put pretty big importance on a PSU being quiet.

I think this is the one i want.

 

[smthmlk]

problems with restarts... have you turned off the "automatically restart on blue screen" option in the System control panel (under startup & recovery tab I believe)? Perhaps you're just experiencing blue-screens and not really random restarts.

 

[RallyMaster]

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html

The Silverstone Element ST50EF-Plus is based on the Enhance ENP-5150GH and should be quiet enough for you. The Seasonic built Corsair HX520W is rated to be slightly quieter but you'll barely be able to notice.

 

[spitz10]

the silverstone looks good, but I can get the 5150GH for almost 35 bucks cheaper. Is it really much quieter/better?

 

[stevty2889]

I had a problem with the onboard audio on one of my machines that had the exact same symptoms as you as well, try disabling the onboard sound and see if the reboots stop.

 

[AznVenom]

If u dont care about the 1yr warranty then go ahead and get that ... others such as corsair and seasonic offer way way better one. It also depends if u want modular cables or not. What's more important to u? Looks? Warranty? Saving a few bucks? Figure that part out and u know which psu to get ... All 3 are very good psu's.


Veno(V)

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: spitz10
I think it sounds like I jsut got unlucky and received a faulty Fortron PSU....

Then why not just RMA it for another one? Why cross horses mid-stream? The FSP 400W should be enough for your system and should still be under warranty. That means it won't break the bank.

Also, how long did you run Memtest? Can you try the RAM one stick at a time to see if the reboots go away?

 

[spitz10]

jonnyguru commenting on my thread - I feel special!!!

Anyways, I dont really know much about the RMA process, I ordered it OEM from ewiz, so I dont know if that makes any difference. Could I just ship it back to Fortron? But yea, like you said, I have been told my PSU should be fine for this system - thats why I was doubtful it was a power problem, and my temps seem plenty low that it doesnt seem like a heat problem, so I just didn't know what to do next.

What makes this really annoying is that the restarts have become so sporadic - sometimes they will happen 2 days apart, other times 2 weeks apart. And its not like during those two days I was playing games or anything, just general school work, etc. So basically I would have to wait at least 2 weeks or so to have any idea if I have "fixed" the problem.

I will try memtest for longer, and also try taking out the sticks again. I did this a while back, and it seemed to be fine, but I might as well double check.

While you are here jonny, I wanted to ask you a question. On my old computer, I would get similar restarts that happened about once a day, but ONLY in my house at home. In my apartment up at school, friends houses, grandparents houses, the restarts NEVER happened, ever. Do you know what would cause something like this?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[spitz10]

also, how long would it take for them to send me a new PSU if i did that? I cant afford to wait too long seeing as I have no back up PSU.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: spitz10
What makes this really annoying is that the restarts have become so sporadic - sometimes they will happen 2 days apart, other times 2 weeks apart. And its not like during those two days I was playing games or anything, just general school work, etc. So basically I would have to wait at least 2 weeks or so to have any idea if I have "fixed" the problem.

So it coud be a RAM or a motherboard problem.

Originally posted by: spitz10While you are here jonny, I wanted to ask you a question. On my old computer, I would get similar restarts that happened about once a day, but ONLY in my house at home. In my apartment up at school, friends houses, grandparents houses, the restarts NEVER happened, ever. Do you know what would cause something like this?

If not temps, could be bad input power. Was the PSU a non-PFC PSU? If the input voltage changed drastically, the PSU would be less tolerant to maintaining output voltages.

Originally posted by: spitz10
also, how long would it take for them to send me a new PSU if i did that? I cant afford to wait too long seeing as I have no back up PSU.

Depends. Contact eWiz. If they tell you it's out of their hands, get FSP's ifo from them and then contact FSP.

 

[spitz10]

just a little update on the situation:

my computer hasnt restarted since I started this thread, I guess that is good. I ran memtest for 45 passes - ZERO errors. I also updated my motherboards bios, so we will see what happens from here.

After all this, and if we assume that I got a new PSU and the restarts didnt disappear, what would be the next step?

 

[AznVenom]

Swap PSU's with someone
Make sure you are running default settings on the motherboard

Ram timings and voltage
CPU voltage
Disable anything u don't use in BIOS such as firewire/sata/ etc.


I can't think of anything else for now.



Veno(V)

 

[tylerdustin2008]

Looks like PSU.....I could be wrong. Oh and you have the same name as my cat...LOL Spitz.

 

[WoodButcher]

Have you taken a look at the event viewer to see if any events are triggering the shutdown?

 

[spitz10]

yep, no events triggering the shutdown

 

[SparkyJJO]

Well that means there hasn't been a BSOD.

Is the power in your house generally stable, no flickers or anything? If you get a voltage drop the PSU won't put out enough voltage during that drop and it can cause the system to restart.

Have you tried a friend's PSU yet? If not, try to do so. Swap him PSUs for a bit.
If you do have power fluctuations in your house causing the problem, a battery backup would help that. I recommend APC.

 

[spitz10]

I am not sure exactly what stable/instable would be, I dont think I have ever experienced "instable." But I wouldnt be surprised if we had some power fluctuations considering all the electronics we have in our place.

With that being said, my old computer, which would restart frequently at my parents house, but never anywhere else, is running out in our main living room and it hasnt restarted once in over a year, while my new computer does about once a week. So if power fluctuations were the problem on my new computer, they would seemingly impact that my old computer as well.

Quick question, would it make any difference if I have my computer plugged into an outlet with numerous other power sources, vs. another outlet with the main computer power as the only source?

 

[mozirry]

This sounds to be an obvious power issue. Usually, if your memory is at fault, your computer will not function properly at all. If it is your CPU, it will not turn on. If it is your video card, you will not see anything.

Either
1. Your PSU is bad
2. Your motherboard isn't handeling the PSU Properly
3. Your electrical receptacle that your computer plugs into is not producing adequate power supply (i.e. , when another power unit such as a hair dryer turns on there is a significant reduction in electricity which causes your computer to reboot/crash)

Also, just for kicks, take out all your unneeded motherboard lights such as the HDDLED, etc... as in the off chance you have one of the tiny cords plugged in wrong it will cause random reboots.

 

[spitz10]

a quick update on my situation:

The rate has stayed at about once every 6 days or so, but 3 of the last 4 times it has happened was while I was burning a dvd. And the last time, the restart occured only about 2 hours after the last, with both happening during the ripping/burning process. I am burning about 10 dvds a week, so obviously it is not the ripping/burning process directly, but it seems like quite a coincidence if over the last 2.5 weeks, my computer has restarted 4 times, and 3 of those during rips/burns. What could this mean?