Sorry if this post is quite long.I have had this problem with fs9 rebooting the system for 1 month now. I have tried everything that I can think of to solve it but to no avail. The computer simply reboots itself out of the blue sometimes. It seems to be happening especially when flying the PSS A3xx and PMDG737NG and the following actions are performed:- calling a menu item (pressing Alt)- returning to virtual cockpit when leaving the menu- calling FSnav by pressing F9- right-clicking the mouse over an empty area (i.e. not over buttons or dials on the panel). This happens a lot when flying in VC-view!The above list is not cummulative or complete. Either one of the listed actions will provoke a reboot, as does (sometimes) going from the outside view or gound view to virtual cockpit. What's strange is that I have been able to fly PSS A3xx and PMDG737NG for several months without any problems at all, but now it crashes nearly all the time. I have tried many things to narrow things down:- using new ram modules- using one ram module instead of two- working the bios' ram settings- using the latest graphics-, audio- and VIA chipset drivers- disabling AGP Texturing in the DirectX diagnostic tool- restarting computer by using a clean boot procedure- adjusting graphics hardware acceleration 1, 2 and 3 notches to the left- lowering sound acceleration- temporarily disabling the sound card- uninstalling and completely removing my sound card- deleting fs9.cfg- reinstalling most recent version of DirectX (9.0b)- removing and reinstalling fs9- formatting harddrive and reinstalling WinXPNeither of these have helped though. Unticking 'Automatically restart' in Startup and Recovery has no effect as the computer reboots out of the blue just as if someone pulls the cord. There is no error report being generated either. Executing dxdiag in Start -> Run does not reveal any errors. Everything works properly according to diagnostics!My specs are:System: VIA VT8367-8233BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PGProcessor: AMD XP 1800+,Memory: 1024MB RAMPage File: 176MB used, 1518MB availableGraphics: RADEON 9800 PRO 128.0 MBSound: Onboard; Vinyl AC'97 Audio (WAVE)DirectX 9.0bWinXP Pro (5.1, Build 2600) SP1Has anyone had the same problem with their fs9? I would be EXTREMELY grateful if someone has a solution!!!Regards,Sebastian

First of all, Sebastian, let me applaud you for such a concise report. Nicely done! Far too many folks simply write "my computer keeps crashing".The one thing I don't see in your troubleshooting list is heat. Please remove the left side cover of the computer and stick a house fan in there to blow fresh air onto the components. Then go fly! Let us know what you experience. We'll be here to help.Greg

Keen observation there Greg. Overheating is about the only thing I haven't seriously considered because I already have two fans installed. But of course you're right; I should give it a try at least. Thanks. I'll give a briefing later on how it works out.Regards,Sebastian

I have the same problem. I will be most interested to find out what is causing this. Since it has started I have installed a new HD and CDRom. I will flash the Bio's tomorrow. All updates are installed as well as the latest drivers.My computer runs at 44C / 111F 34C / 93F I don't know what the temp is with FS runningI hope we get a solution. It used to run great!Regards,EdAMD 2.01 gig ramGainward 4400 TI

My Intel P4 2.4 CPU runs at around 47C rising approx 10C when FS is in full swing.Mike

Here is what I have experienced so far.Following Greg's advice I have focused on the heating issue. And, well... it seems that overheating IS the culprit in the rebooting issue. Or an accomplice at least. I do not own a house fan but I have removed the casing lid and placed the pc on the side so the heat can dissipate more easily and so far I have not experienced spontaneus system reboots.This being said, I haven't really pushed the envelope. I wanted to see first if I could obtain a stable system with the 2d cockpit and this I can. I can enter the menus, call FSnav, go to outside view, and even enter VC for shorter periods. I believe that this is because I have removed the lid. This is not to say that overheating is the only factor, but at least it seems that the heat dispersion increases the error margin, e.g. from erroneous components, which is tolerated by the system so that they cease to be a critical factor.I have still to do a complete flight in VC mode. Some people from this forum have written to me in private to ask if I would tell them if and when I get this solved and to give them the details. I will of course post the results when I'm done but so far I believe that it is Greg who has pointed me in the correct direction. Try to remove the cover and see if it makes a difference.Regards,Sebastian

Good to hear you're making headway with your problem, Sebastian.I clean out my case once every 3 months. Even using that short of a schedule the fine powdery dust clogs at least 1/4 of my CPU Heatsink. That is why I like the Thermalright coolers... they have a quick detach mounting system that holds the fan in place. I can easily remove the fan in a few seconds and blow the dust out between the fins of the heatsink.You might want to make the jump and remove your CPU fan from the heatsink. I believe you'll be shocked by what you see. The same holds for the fan on your graphics card... they cake up full of dust pretty easily, too.Good luck,Greg

HelloI too want to say thanks for all the advice. Still having a problem with a now clean computer. I used my air compressor to blow all the dust out (using my finger to keep the fans from moving) but still the computer will reboot. I installed another fan that sits in the slot just above the graphic card. Thought that might help as it blows air out the back (all other fans blow air into the computer or just blow air). Still having a problem.Will keep trying. Please post as to your findings. With help I think we will get to the bottom of this.Regards and ThanksEd

Hi Ed,You might run Prime 95 to check your memory: http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htmAlso, Motherboard Monitor is a great utility for checking system temps (accurately): http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_desc...fid,7309,00.aspThese can be a bit daunting to configure to your system, but give them a try and report what happens for you.Cheers,Greg

hi there Sebastian,somethings in addition to Your great Report of (really!!!) possible fault issues is missing...(i know them all.. ;)What did the trick (reprocudeable) for me is, and i own the same graphic card: in Bios, AGP-Voltage, i set it to 1.6I have been told that even a quite good power supply delivers some unsteady inaccuarate voltage, and that cards seem to be very sensible.another idea could be your powersupply in general. this cards quite take some power and unstable system performance occured only in "heavy" gaming conditions at a friends computer.also i read, setting from agp 8 to 4 helps (reports about performance differences are very unspecific as far as i know...)Good luck,chris

Hi Sebastian,If all else fails I would bite the bullet and invest in another PSU. Go for a good make and one rated at 400W or more. You can often get away with less when running a 9800 Pro but it all depends on the PSU's tolerances during peak loading.MikeP4 2.4GHz (400FSB), 1Gig PC2100 DDR Crucial, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB (Omega 2.5.36b), SB Audigy (5.12.0001.0443), Hyundai ImageQuest Q17 17" TFT LCD 20ms Monitor (1280x1024x32), Gigabyte GA-8IRXP MoBo, Ultra-Quiet PSU 400W, WinXP Home (SP1), DirectX 9.0b, AGP Aperture = 128MB

Here is the latest information that I have found out. When I set my computer shutoff temp to max it will still reboot. All the dust is out of my computer and it reboots. I have a 550 watt power supply and it still reboots.If I had to guess, I think it is the shutoff portion of the mother board or the graphic card. Before I spend any money, I will follow this thread some more and see what develops.Regards,Ed

Chris, Mike. Thank you both also for the additional advice. I'm having trouble setting the AGP voltage to 1.6 in the BIOS but I think maybe I will try to remove the core fan and put new paste on. It seems to do the trick with less heat./sebastian

Sebastian... your video card wants to see 1.6V minimum (at least to be happy). If it's not getting that, then the problem is in your MB. Less than 1.6V for the 9800 Pro is a bit on the weak side.Greg

New graphic card. Yes that was the problem. Purchased a Gainward 5700. When it arrived I quickly installed it and was expecting the worst. To my delight, FS now works great and I am "back in business".Happy me!Regards,Ed