Random Restarts

[Deaf Pilot 1]

This is so maddening! Almost every time I load up FS2004, a little while into it, my computer just restarts out of nowhere, as if someone pushed the restart button. No warning messages, nothing. I heard its some kind of variation of the Blue Screen. Win XP just restarts instead of displaying the Blue Screen. Others have said that it's a heat issue but I highly doubt its that. Ive had this computer for a while and it hasnt been doing this until recently. No hardware changes. Anyone what what might be causing this and how to stop it?

[Guest Muppet22]

What's your CPU temp?

[Deaf Pilot 1]

usually in the 120 F range

[Guest Staggerwing]

Well, open up that case and get a big fan blowing on it and see if it keeps going then.. at least you'll know :-)Blow out all the dust while it's open..

[Deaf Pilot 1]

Sounds like it's a little bit hotter than it should be?

[Guest Staggerwing]

Doesn't hurt to test it... Mine tops out about 90 FJust because it didn't USED to do it, doesn't mean the dust hasn't built up on everything and blocked the cooling :-)I believe old FlyBert just had the same problem..

[Deaf Pilot 1]

Thanks... I'll check it out. Whats your CPU speed? Mine is 2.8... that might make a difference in temps.

[Deaf Pilot 1]

Well... during a short test with the computer case side panel off... I didnt get a system restart... instead FS quit on me... :-lol

[Guest Staggerwing]

Mines a 3.0Don't forget, just taking the side panel off might not improve cooling depending on your case setup.. get that fan going..BUT you've already made a difference in what it does soooooooHmmmm :-)

[Deaf Pilot 1]

Well... its still doing it. Last time, my CPU temp was only about 50 C... doesnt seem like its a cpu heat issue. Any other ideas?

[Guest Staggerwing]

Did you blow out ALL the dust and set a fan to blow cool air into the case ? Or still just with the side panel off only ?I do believe that the P4 has an upper limit of 80 c , so that does not seem like your real problem.. (IF your temp reading is correct) P4 also is suppose to have a "step down" setup so if it starts getting too hot, it just slows the processor speed down. Does it slow down before it crashes ?You still have ram temps and video card temps that can be out of range..(at least I think they could cause your problem)What about memory , does it test 100%You should see some more knowledgeable forum input along in a bit... I just figure Sunday might not get anyone here but ME :-lol

[Guest SoarPics]

Hi Todd,From the way you describe the crash (a cold reboot) I would look at two items right away. You should check your memory using Prime95 or something like that (plenty of mem testers on Google). Also, I would be concerned about the PSU. Motherboard Monitor or EVEREST Home work well to check PSU rail specs and activity. Industry spec is +-5% on all rails.Good luck,Greg

[Deaf Pilot 1]

The PSU? Rails?These are acually new to me... could you explain?Also... I downloaded Prime95 but I have NO idea what to do...

[Guest Staggerwing]

Power Supply :-)Need to see if all the various voltage that it puts out to different sections is well within range and stable over the long run.Do you have anything installed that can monitor and keep record of voltage etc ? You should be able to read them all in your Bios, but that does not keep a record like one of the others will..If not, you might want to get and run one in order to get a clear picture of what's going on over the span of time you are talking about.

[Deaf Pilot 1]

FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.499830246, expected less than 0.4Thats what I got after only 7 minutes of a stress test with Prime95... it doesnt explain anywhere what that means though. Tom, I dont have anything installed right now but I'll get Motherboard Monitor or something.