Windows... Rebooting... Driving... Me... Insane...

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Talinok

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I'd had problems with it before (albeit rarely), when I was playing come computer games, such as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, so I decided to do a reformat and a fresh install...

So after I reformatted, installed windows, and got ready to start installing stuff, bad things happened... Double clicked on something to install it, and my computer crashed (and rebooted - beeped a lot, too)... So I got back in, and tried it again... Happened again... Successfully installed some stuff, and then I went to windows update, and crash... Tried again, crash... And again... And it crashed... One more time... And it worked! So I started to download the updates, hoping that something in there would fix it (I had already installed my graphics driver, and my sound [I think] and network card drivers were in there... So there's like 48 things downloading, and I'm waiting at my computer, and I was pretty bored... So I clicked on the screen and... You guessed it... My computer restarts AGAIN... Had AIM installed, and every time I try to right click on the icon in my tray to close it, it restarts...

All of my hardware was working just fine before this, I didn't get any new programs, so there is nothing there that wasn't there before, and I'm at the same place driver-wise (at least I'm pretty sure)...

Anyways - I'm going freaking insane here - Anyone willing to help?

P.S. I tried to access my minidump file to post some stuff here to help, but when I typed the address that howard recommended in his sticky, my computer restarted AGAIN...

By the way, every time it restarts, it's after I clicked something...
 
Sounds like a dieing or very weak PSU. What watts/make is it? How old?
Try running one 1 stick of ram, then the other (if you have 2 or more).
 
Sorry - Didn't quite understand... PSU? And how would I check? (I'm only so-so with computers :()

Though I'm pretty sure its not a hardware problem because it worked fine until I reformatted...
 
Anyone there? :(

Sorry if I sound impatient, but I can't move forward with this until I get some help... Heh...

And I'm about to throw my computer out the window :mad:
 
PSU= Power supply unit. You'l have to take the side off the case and look at the label. It will read for example power = 300Watts, 3.3Volts@25Amps, 5V@35Amps, 12V@18Amps. This is what I'm looking for. I;m pretty usre so far this is your prob. A new PSU will cost less then 40 US.
 
i think they've gone to sleep or something rite now..

psu = power supply unit - the thing you plug the other end of the power cable from the wall to the pc

- crap psu/generic will give you 60-70% of power, and a lot, lot of headaches
- a lower watt rating than your pc needs can also give you headaches, and may damage components as well
- good known brand psu will give you about 80-90% efficency and you'll be very happy :)

use a psu calculator to determine what your needs are, then add 50-70watts to the calculations to give you a bit of headroom. Google: psu calculator

you will need to open up at least the side of the pc case to see its ratings and stuff (usualy on the bottom or side of the unit) unless you have one of those perspex cases... the watts and amps ratings are the most important bits you need to chek
 
Said it was 400W, and there's a chart on the side of it - Need any specific info from that?

Also - Why would it have suddenly started like this, after an OS install, and why would it only happen when I click stuff? It doesn't just do it on it's own... I'm no computer expert, and I won't pretend to be, but it really doesn't make sense to me how the power supply would be insufficient after a click only after an OS install (it never happened before)...
 
A..n..y..o..n..e.. There...?

Heh... Again - Sorry for being pushy, but I'm in quite a bind here =(
 
I went to the Event Viewer under the Manage tab of My Computer, and every single thing (well almost every one) says Service Control Manager - This mean anything to anyone? (This was under the syatem part)

Under the application part, it's mixed between ATI Smart and SecurityCenter

Since it says ATI, I'm going to try reinstalling the graphics drivers AGAIN, but I'm pretty sure that won't work - Anyone feel like helping? Heh...

----Edit----

Also - It seems that it only restarts when a window is about to pop up... Every time, I hear a beep from my computer, and a window pops up (alert window), and my computer immediately restarts... The alert windows have been different... This help at all?
 
Well the thing is a PC uses more power, ie. current draw as you open applications etc. I'm not saying for sure it's the PSU, but lets start there and work our way through other possibilites.

The amps are what I need to know. It should look like 3.3V and then 30A and 5V/35A The A stands for amps and this is what is critical for good PC operation.
BTW, all thingas get old and then they fail or just slowly wear out. PSU is really the heart of a good PC and they produce alot of power and heat. Eventually their heat starts to kill them.

Do you have auto restart turned on in Windows? Check this here: My Computer/r click select Properties/Advanced Tab/Start-up and Recovery. Is it on or off? Turn if off for now, but let me know what state it WAS in.

Cheers.
 
It was off already - I turned it off when this started happening, so I'd see the screen... (No screens show up, btw)

And - I'll take a look at it when I get back (Have somewhere to be in a few mins here), but I still dont understand...

This all just suddenly started happening, and it's not spontaneous - It only happens after I click something, and an alert window pops up...

Like I said - I'll take a loot at it like you say because I know I'm not computer expert, but I'd really like (so that I might be able to learn) it if you would explain to me how reinstalling an OS would suddenly make it so that my power supply stops working, and how alert windows are related...

I'll check it when I get back, and thanks for your help so far!
 
try and use safe mode to post the minidumps you may have got here (i'm pretty sure internet connections are still able)
it maybe not enough power, that is what we are trying to see first, then if need be to look at other components of the pc...

oh yeh.. be patient.. kirock although he is the expert of psu here, he does have things to be done at the same time, and since its 3.12 am here i'm about to go back to sleep.. without msn messenger beeping new mail every 2 minutes..

have fun.. N30
 
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it IS the PSU, but the symptom you describe is classic for a failing under powered PSU. Why this occurred just after a reformat is not necessarily coincidence. Why did you reformat?
I'd had problems with it before (albeit rarely), when I was playing come computer games, such as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, so I decided to do a reformat and a fresh install..
.


If I am correct, then underload, ie when playing graphics heavy games the PSU starts to be overworked and it will vary in the voltage supplied to the mobo. This is terminal to CPUs and all the other electronics in the PC and get instant BSOD or reboot. When you did a freash install this was never really the source of the problem in the first place, so effect was nothing. you still have reboot issues. It happens when you open something bc then the CPU requires more power from the PSU which at it's limit already. You try and unplug all extras, like the DVD/CD roms, a second HDD etc. to reduce power draw and see if this helps.

The other thing it maybe is a faulty mobo, a dieing CPU or overheating CPU. If you can, dwnload Everest and on the mobo tab you can see the voltages of the PSU and the temps of your CPU. Post them back here.

Cheers. I too most take off for a bit, will check on this thread when back.
 
Yeah... I reformatted and installed windows again, with a different CD, and it's still doing it... I believe you now that it's the power supply, so I'm going to go have it checked out at a tech place (and have the power supply installed)...

I still don't understand how the alert windows have any correlation (because half the time I wasn't opening something, but was instead closing it - and I can have 8-9 things running at the same time, but I couldn't close one program when it was the only thing open just because I got an alert window)

At least I won't get charged for this diagnostic because I brought my comp to the place a few days ago and had them run one then (they said they didn't check the power supply... Fancy that, eh?)
 
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