PC starts, restarts or shuts down in weird ways

[RandomHero]

Hello everybody,

I am desperate for a solution to this problem as it's getting me on the verge of throwing ht PC off the window. Past the last months this happened for a week or so, then things ran normally again.

• The PC shuts down by closing my programs and displaying that "logging off... shutting down" screens and then it may restart or remain shut down.
  
• The PC starts by itself in the middle of the night but keeps restarting at the Windows logon screen or even earlier, during the boot screens.

I have no more ideas on what to do, I have reinstalled fresh copies of OS-s many times, including Windows 7 and XP, with no luck at all. I have unticked the "automatically restart box" in the settings of the PC. Also, I have tested a lot of antiviruses thinking this would be such a problem, but it still persists, like a week in two months or so.

Specs: 3GB of RAM (2GB + 1 GB)
AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Processor BE-2300 - 1,9GHz
Gigabyte M61SME-S2
Nvidia Geforce 9600 GT


Could you help me, please? Thanks in advance for any anwsers.

 

[Veniathan]

I'm not a professional on this but are you sure your CPU is not overheated or something? However i used to have problems where my PC would randomly shut down.

What caused this was the PSU ( Power Supply Unit ) Maybe you should check if that is the problem.

 

[RandomHero]

Overheating couldn't be a problem as the PC does this in the morning after a night of coolness, I don't think that in 10-20 seconds it can get to a dangerous temperature, so this could not be a cause.

Also, if the PSU is the matter, wouldn't it shut down completely without closing my programs? How can I check if the PSU is faulty?

 

[Veniathan]

Overheating couldn't be a problem as the PC does this in the morning after a night of coolness, I don't think that in 10-20 seconds it can get to a dangerous temperature, so this could not be a cause.

Also, if the PSU is the matter, wouldn't it shut down completely without closing my programs? How can I check if the PSU is faulty?

As i said i am not a professional in any way possible, I just said what COULD be the problem.

Checking a PSU is impossible i think. Its noticed when the computer shuts down and restarts all randomly.

You COULD have a virus that shuts down programs of yours to annoy or do its own stuff instead. I suggest you scan your computer.

 

[RandomHero]

As i said i am not a professional in any way possible, I just said what COULD be the problem.

Checking a PSU is impossible i think. Its noticed when the computer shuts down and restarts all randomly.

You COULD have a virus that shuts down programs of yours to annoy or do its own stuff instead. I suggest you scan your computer.

I have scanned it with BitDefender, Kaspersky, NOD32 and Norton with no results of infected files. Also, the HDD's were completely formatted at one point during one of the OS reinstalls so a virus couldn't do this.

 

[Veniathan]

I have scanned it with BitDefender, Kaspersky, NOD32 and Norton with no results of infected files. Also, the HDD's were completely formatted at one point during one of the OS reinstalls so a virus couldn't do this.

Then i myself dont know .. This could be so much. Ive had so many problems like this aswell.

Heck .. Now i even have a problem where only certain games associated with Steam and the Source engine give me System Freezing and Blue Screens.

I wish i could help you but i cant. I say wait til a Techspot technican responds

 

[RandomHero]

Interesting fact, now the problems have reduced their frequency, as I expected, and will be gone in a matter of days, until they reappear in a month or two...

 

[westom]

Interesting fact, now the problems have reduced their frequency,

Power cycling is controlled by a power controller. Many reasons can cause your symptoms due to the many inputs monitored by the power controller.

For example, you power supply could have always been defective. Normal is for a defective supply to boot and run a computer. Most will "know" that supply is good only because the system booted. Only way to see a defective supply is numbers from a multimeter. Numbers that show a supply to be defective even while the computer appears to be OK.

Until those numbers from six wires are established, then other perfectly good hardware can also act defectively. Just like a house. Don't fix doors and floors while ignoring a defective foundation. Those multimeter numbers will define your computer's foundation as good or defective. Should you choose this alternative, then buy or borrow a multimeter. And ask for instructions. Only later move on to other suspects.

 

[skipper86]

This problem normally appears when processor heats up... open the case of your PC and check that whether the fan is working fine or not...!!

 

[RandomHero]

The problem was a defective power button from the PC case. I bought a new case and it now works like a charm, and I also have smaller temperatures inside.

 

[westom]

The problem was a defective power button from the PC case.

Switch connects directly to the power controller. That meter would have identified that problem in minutes. Assuming it was a switch. Having moved so much, it could have even been most anything else.