If i'm working on the computer for an hour, the PC will probably reboot twice. My brother has a Compaq and he says the same thing happens with him. Sure is frusterating. Especially when I'm logged into a training session at work and it takes me 10 minutes to get back in. Is this a HD issue?
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random reboots from a Compaq HD
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KimberTech
MIS
In my experience random rebooting is a hardware problem, quite often the power supply, sometimes a heat or ram problem.
Do you have the system plugged into surge protection?
When did this start happening? After work was done on the system? After a weather storm?
More details please. Kimber
The more I learn,I realize how much more there is to know!
Do you have the system plugged into surge protection?
When did this start happening? After work was done on the system? After a weather storm?
More details please. Kimber
The more I learn,I realize how much more there is to know!
Accessdabbler
Technical User
Heat, memory and power are the most likely culprits. I lean more toward power though.
First, check your wall outlet. Are you getting good power? If you can, test it. Do you have other devices drawing power on that circuit?
You can try moving the computer to another wall outlet on a different circuit as well. Too many devices sucking juice from the circuit will cause a power "sag" and can make your computer restart.
If all this checks out, it's time to be suspicious of your power supply in the computer. Is it under-powered for your system? Most computers should run with a 300W supply nowadays.
Is the power supply itself starting to fail? This does happen. If you have a volt-ohm metre try measuring the leads from the power supply to see if you are getting 3.3V, 5V and 12V (within a 10% tolerance range).
Some motherboards allow you to check the temperature of your processor. After a reboot, go into the CMOS and see what the temperature is. If it is above 55 degrees, heat is the primary suspect.
Finally, to troubleshoot memory, try removing all the sticks except one. Try this stick in different slots. If the system seems stable, shut it down and start adding memory back in. This won't work with Rambus memory though as you must insert it in pairs.
First, check your wall outlet. Are you getting good power? If you can, test it. Do you have other devices drawing power on that circuit?
You can try moving the computer to another wall outlet on a different circuit as well. Too many devices sucking juice from the circuit will cause a power "sag" and can make your computer restart.
If all this checks out, it's time to be suspicious of your power supply in the computer. Is it under-powered for your system? Most computers should run with a 300W supply nowadays.
Is the power supply itself starting to fail? This does happen. If you have a volt-ohm metre try measuring the leads from the power supply to see if you are getting 3.3V, 5V and 12V (within a 10% tolerance range).
Some motherboards allow you to check the temperature of your processor. After a reboot, go into the CMOS and see what the temperature is. If it is above 55 degrees, heat is the primary suspect.
Finally, to troubleshoot memory, try removing all the sticks except one. Try this stick in different slots. If the system seems stable, shut it down and start adding memory back in. This won't work with Rambus memory though as you must insert it in pairs.
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