Hello This Q is for my moms pc. I am not a know it all but I know a few things about computers. But there is always somthing new they do so thats why im here. Her computer is a 3 1/2 years old HP Pavilion a3o5w. Within the last few days her computer will randomly shut off and on occation it will turn its self back on a few moments latter. Some times it will shut off and wont turn on if the power switch is pressed and it will have to sit a few minutes befor turning on. The pc has been virus scaned, spyware scaned, clean disk, Defragment and scan disk. I am guessing its the power supply. I would greatly like some feedback on this. Thanks everyone :)
2007-05-31 11:04:49 · 5 answers · asked by Mike T 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
I've seen this problem before in many homes. The first place to look for the cause of the problem is the power connection. Check the cable plugged into the wall outlet. The wall outlet may be defective or loose. Do not use an adapter to connect to the wall, for example three prong to two prong. Consider the cables in the computer being loose. Check for integrity of those connections. The power supply may be defective so get a voltage checker and test it or get a dedicated power supply tester.
Another real problem might be overheating of the CPU. Clean the computer fans with a horse hair brush like a paint brush, use Q-tips, or compressed air for electronics. Pay special attention to the CPU heatsink and fan. Vacuum out all dust and debris. If you suspect that there is not enough cooling then get another case fan and install in an empty location or get a faster fan to replace a slower one.
Lastly, consider the problem to be that there might be hardware conflicts or software conflicts with resources used. This is hard to identify, but can be a source of random shutdowns. I would suggest checking the event viewer in computer management for this.
This shows how to use event viewer.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic40108.html
Use of the internet to determine solutions might be required when viewing the event viewer.
Most likely it is an overheating problem as you noted that it takes a few minutes to turn the PC back on. Stop using the PC so you don't cause any heat damage. Unplug it and clean it as suggested above.
2007-05-31 11:27:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be over heating. See if there are any tools that are on the computer, or that you could download, that will detect the case temperature and/or CPU temp. Sometimes you can see that in BIOS but of course by the time the computer has shut down and you can get to BIOS, it's cooled down.
But yes, this also sounds like it could be power supply problem, to me. If it's in a standard sized ATX case, I'd suggest:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104952
Fortron PSUs are quality, without huge expense.
2007-05-31 11:13:37 · answer #2 · answered by Krista 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You could try monitoring the voltage rails with Everest. The +3.3, +5 and +12V should stay to w/in +/-5% when loaded. It looks like it is losing the "power good" signal, thus the shut-off and when it recovers the signal, it turns on.
When you replace your power supply, consider a higher rated one. It will run cooler and last longer.
2007-05-31 11:30:21 · answer #3 · answered by Karz 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get a new power supply and use a ventelated case with a low breeze fan next to it
2007-05-31 11:18:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
yeah get a new power supply it prolby needs it
2007-05-31 11:08:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋