I have an emachines desktop (t5254) that has recently begun having problems. It will boot up but when it starts to load Windows, it will completely shut down. I have tried switching the ram around and making sure all connections are secure. I reset the bios to the default settings. I am at a loss as to the cause. Any help would be appriciated.John

That sounds like a faulty PSU to meCheersSteve

Try removing everything except for the graphics card and 1 memory stick, test 1 stick at a time, and add things progressively until you find what's the faulty component.See if you can get another graphics card to test it too. If it fails to boot no matter what, it's probably the PSU as Steve said

Unfortunatly, the graphics card is intergrated with the motherboard. I have tried removing each stick of ram and each time, no go. Could it be that both sticks are bad?

Another possibility is you are having a temperature problem, as a fan could have gon bad (PSU, CPU, Exhaust) and/or heatsinks covered with excessive dust, so make sure you check all relevant temperatures are within perating range. You can do this in the BIOS Setup.Cheers,- jahman.

Tempratures are good. All fans are operating correctly and temps are within correct range. I cleaned off all of the old thermal grease and replaced it with new artic silver thermal grease. I am completely stumped by this problem.Thanks,John

A virus can cause shut down. Also,if you can boot into safe mode, you can check your Event Viewer for clues to the shut down.Bob

I can not even get the computer to boot into safe mode. When it tries to load crcdisk it shutdowns on its own. I am out of ideas about this problem.

I can not even get the computer to boot into safe mode. When it tries to load crcdisk it shutdowns on its own. I am out of ideas about this problem.

The first things I would check are the memory and harddrive. For memory, try something like Memtest86+. For harddrives, you can download software from the site of the drive's manufacturer. usually, these tools have to be burned to CD or put on a bootable USB stick which is OK since windows isn't running anyway.If both of these are OK, then either your windows installation is corrupt or there is another hardware error. In that case I would remove all non-essential hardware (cards, usb devices etc.) and try if that solves the problem. If you have another harddrive available, exchange it with the current one and do a fresh Windows installation on it. If the problems are still there, you know that it is most likely an hardwareproblem. You can use the original drive when the problem is fixed. If the new Windows installation works, you have the option to either repair the original one or reinstall.Good luck,Allard.

Thank you for the advice. I will give it a try and let you know later how it goes.John

You might also find some useful tips in this thread.Cheers,- jahman.

Did some of the tips on that thread. I think I have narrowed it down to a bad power supply. I will buy one this weekend and give it a try. Thanks for all of the help.John

Just an update. Changed out the power supply for a higher rated (250w to 430w) thermaltake power supply. Using a recovery disk, it will boot to the install screen then it shuts down. The next step will be a new motherboard. Ram checked out correctly. Any other ideas?

i think it could be a faulty hard drive. If you look, he said it happens when it starts loading windows, suggesting a corrupt HD or a HD failure. Its not mobo, CPU, ram, PSU, graphics etc because the system wont boot up without them, so if they were faulty it wouldnt even get to BIOS.

Just another question. The computer will boot using a windows recovery disk (hard drive not even connected) but shuts down after making a selection from the installiation menu. Any other ideas? I am going to replace the hard drive with another and try to load windows to it.Thanks,John