I have a P4 2.6GHz 256M with 80G Hard drive Desk top used as a DVR system in a tight room(not much ventilation). The power supply got busted due to the temperature of room and I replaced the power supply and turned the computer on, all of sudden the computer shuts down by itself when I was trying to download files from a cd. I have tried a different power supply, but the same result. I suspect that the motherboard may have been damaged due to the sudden power failure(?). I have checked the cpu, it was OK. What might be the problem with the computer? Please help. Andy

 

FIRST thing to check is RAM. Move the RAM to a different slot. Any better? Replace with other RAM if you have some. Any better?

Chris

 

CPU fans running?
Case fans Running?
How much dist covers the motherboard, ram, etc.

 

Check to make sure ALL the fans are running. Does it just shut down all by itself even if you aren't doing anything, or only when using the cd player? Is the bios set to turn off the computer when it reaches a certain temperature? You said you checked the cpu....did you take it out, or what? If the computer starts up, the cpu is probably good. If you did take it out, did you pull the fan off? If you pulled the heatsink off, did you put more thermal grease on after? no matter what the problem turns out to be, if the room gets that hot, you should think about investing in a more powerful fan or two and bigger heatsinks for the computer.

 

There is no dust at all. The side cover is totally off the case.

 

Believe it or not, running a properly ventilated and cooled case with any of the covers off is a bad thing. Essentially what you want to do in a computer case is to create a wind tunnel - air comes in from one direction (usually front and bottom) and exits through another (usually from the back - near the CPU - and the top back through the PS.) If this is not the case in you case, then you need to either add more fans or change the direction of the fans.

This certainly sounds like a heat issue - but it should be an easy fix. Make sure you are also ventilating the area the case is sitting in (IE: if you have the case inside a desk or an enclosure of some kind, it probably needs some ventilation) - recycling hot air is not going to do a bit of good.

Tell us more about your setup (CPU, # of fans and position/size, amount of RAM, etc.) That will help us determine where the problem lies.

Quick thought: If proper ventilation is not an option (due to space limitations, etc.), then you may want to consider a liquid-cooled setup.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I have moved the RAM to a different slot, but the same result. I do not have any other RAM available. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

Keep in mind that you could also have a virus.

 

This computer has never been connected to internet and has been used as DVR Surveillance system.

What is shutting down the computer when it gets hot? Is it the mother board or some other component(s)?

 

Let me ask again...if you turn it on, and just let it sit there, will it keep on running, or shut off? Are all the fans working, including the processor fan? Did you ever pull off the heatsink or fan on the processor?

 

If I turn it on and just let it sit, it shuts off after a while, but if I work on the computer, it shuts off quicker than when it's been sitting. There is only one fan on top of the CPU and it has been pulled off to check if the CPU is working or not. I'm still wondering what shuts down the computer. Is it the mother-board, or an other component?
Thanks in advance.
-Andy

 

Well, that depends on which component is overheating. If the CPU is overheating, then most Mobo's have an option in setup to shutdown the computer (usually at a certain temp.) If it's an older system and doesn't have built-in temp sensors, then the CPU could simply be overheating and shutting down (not good) or it could be the memory. It's hard to say.

If the computer is fairly new (5 years or younger - give or take, depends on manufacturer, etc.) then it probably has built-in temp sensors and safeties, so the Mobo would be what's shutting it down.

Sounds like one fan is not enough though - hit up Froogle for some good 120mm case fans. Or, like I said, go with a liquid-cooler if you have limited space to work with (fans don't do any good if they have no air to pull.)

BTW, this still all assumes you are having heating issues - but, it certainly sounds like overheating (not to mention, it's much cheaper to add a few $10 fans than to replace CPU's or Memory or HDD's, etc.)

Good luck!