PC re-starting itself

[Teabag]

Hi, My PC has developed a habit of suddenly re-starting itself, which can be a real pain. Over the last few months it has been acting-up a bit, sometimes not shutting down at all, just sticking on the 'windows is shutting down' screen. Other times shutting down instantly, without even going through the normal stages. Now it keeps spontaneously re-starting itself, right in the middle of something!! Several times a day. Any ideas?? It is about 4 yrs old, Athalon xp 1700, Windows XP Home. I have been told that this chip has a nasty habit of developing faults, could this be what's happening here. I've also noticed that recently the hard drive makes a rather funny whirring noise on start-up (it stops if I 'tap' the case!!??). I have done a few checks, like the fan, powre supply and I have up to date anti-virus.

Thanks

[rojash]

The chances are the funny noise you hear on startup is one of the fans. Tapping the case may well re-align the beraings and make it run quieter - but equally that the noise goes away because the fan stops - in which case your other symptoms could weel be due to overheating.

However, MS included a wonderful innovation in XP - a facility to have the machine simply reboot rather than tell you what's goin on (not one of their best ideas!)

If you right-click My Computer, choose properties, go to the Advanced tab and click the Settings button for startup and recovery, you can turn off the automatic restart by unchecking the box. That way, at least when the problem occurrs next time, you should get an error message which might give a better clue as to what the problem is.

[jake-the-peg]

Could be a hardware fault - overheating springs to mind.

Check the fan at the back of the case is still running and the fan on top of the Athlon. If the CPU fan dies it'll overheat and hang

[Teabag]

Hi rojash and jake-the-peg, thanks for your advice. I've checked both fans and they seem to be working ok. I've had another shut-down since I did the unchecking of auto restart thing you suggested. PC just went off, when I switched it back on I got the 'session manager' box telling me my last session had crashed and offering the list to choose last good session. I'm wondering if I should be thinking of a new PC, as I really need a reliable PC for my studies. I've been told that the one with Athalon 64 is a much better option??

[rojash]

Well, if you can afford a new PC, I'd just go for it and avoid all the hassle. Personally, I'd love an Athlon64 too, but can't afford it!

[jake-the-peg]

Well sudden shutdowns and hangs on XP does sound like hardware although I'd be surprised if the processor "developed a fault" like that.

You could be a long time tracking it down so an upgrade might not be a bad idea. Before you do though, try removing and reseating the memory and possibly the processor. These can become slightly loose over time and stop making such a good connection. Odds are it won't help but it has been known to work wonders.

[Teabag]

Thanks both, I've reseated the memory, the processor doesn't want to budge though. I'm not going to force it. PC still being a pain, ho hum, thats life. I'm really impressed with this site, a great place to ask questions and get advice. I'll look on ebuyer for prices on an athlon 64 system, might be in for a shock!

Cheers again