My computer shuts off for no apparent reason on it's own. Should I replace the hard drive? What to do?

Question

It has been doing this for about a couple of months. My bf put in new memory and an additional hard drive, but the problem still persists. Should i have the old (first hard drive) taken out...would that fix it. I've tried recovery disks, done maintenance, ran virus protections....

Answer 1

A likely reason for this occurring is the system could be over-heating. Try cleaning the ducting for the fans & fans themselves, since dust & debris could be blocking them, causing the cooling system to operate less efficiently, thus removing less heat from the system.

Answer 2

I do agree with the hardware scenarios, but don't overlook a software error causing the reboot. Have you added any programs lately? Did the problem begin about the same time? In other words, apply this basic rule of troubleshooting. What changed when the problem began to occur? If you are running Windows XP, you can use the system restore program included with XP to restore your computer to a time when it was working fine. One more thing, you may just need to dust out the insides. Dusty fans and hardware will overheat. Get a can of computer grade dust off and blow out the dust. Don't overlook the power supply fan. Give it a good dusting as well.

Answer 3

PC reboots = check all fans, replace power supply. If you run your hand along the top and sides of your computer you should feel very little heat. If it's warm or hot I would say a fan has stopped running.... 9 times out of 10 this will fix it.

There is always the chance it could be something else like swollen caps on the motherboard or some spyware that is messing with your opperating system...

Answer 4

Usually when auto shutdown, the first thing that comes to my mind is the power supply unit, PSU. Either the PSU is about to reach the end of its lifespan or it couldn't take the extra load of the added ram and hard disk drive. Either way would meant the PSU might need replacement. But of course you're advise to test your system with another PSU to comfirm it rather than go get a new one immidately.

If the PSU needs replacement, then I think it would be better to get not just a new one, but one that is more powerful than the previous ones, with higher power rating.

The other possibility would be some virus or malware at work.

CPU overheating might be another possibility too. Just monitor your CPU temperature.

Answer 5

Two things.

1) Possible overheating, very likely, whats the cooling like inside your case? He may have knocked the CPU fan, or the new hard drive may be drawing in a lot of air.

2) He might have damaged the memory by:

a) not discharging the static from his body (memory is the worst culprit for this)

b) inserting the memory into a live board, the power must be removed (from the mains) before inserting memory.

Answer 6

Could be a lot of things.

First I would think of is overheating which wasn't helped at all when your bf put another hard drive in.
> Make sure your computer has good air flow and isn't too dusty. Buy new fans or a heatsink.

And Second would be a bad PSU. Which also wouldn't be helped by plugging another hard drive into it.
>Think about replacing it.

Answer 7

Take to a pro.
You have spent $100 to $200 so far. If you keep replacing parts without determining the problem first, soon you will spend more than if you replaced the computer.

Answer 8

No, what your boyfriend did makes no difference.
You might have a bad power supply, or you might be getting a power surge or sag.
You may also be having your computer overheat.
Are you playing any games when this happens? Games are the most common reason for a CPU to overheat.

Answer 9

may be your processor fan need to be changed

High temperatures may cause this trouble try to clean it from dust or replace it with new one