Scary shutdowns!

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Socoder -> On Topic -> Scary shutdowns!
Sat, 02 Nov 2013, 05:14
Afr0	So, my stationary PC is starting to show its age. Yesterday it started shutting down at randomly. At first I thought it had to do with Windows, but it started doing it when I entered the BIOS as well. The first thing I checked was obviously the fans, and they both seem to be running. Then I noticed there was an orange light right underneath the lithium battery on my main board, but I believe this is just the light that indicates the PC has power. Has anyone experienced this symptom? I'm worried that the CPU fan is getting worn out and the CPU automagically shuts down when it is getting overheated, but I don't want to spend money unless I can pinpoint the issue more accurately. -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
Sat, 02 Nov 2013, 05:16
Afr0	I should mention that it ran fine last night (after the two shutdowns I let it stay off for a while), and it is running fine now (after one shutdown after I had logged into Windows...) -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
Sat, 02 Nov 2013, 05:29
Jayenkai	I used to leave my PCs running 24/7, but lately the tech doesn't seem to handle that as well as they once did. Sleep Mode is now my preferred status, whereas previously they would've been working away as Servers, and Network Drives and other things.. My PCs seem to be coping a little better, now that they get rest-periods. I assume this might be more to do with Windows getting more and more shit over time, as opposed to the tech getting crapper, since even older tech with newer versions of Windows don't seem to hold up like they used to. Bloody Microsoft!!! My recommendation, worryingly, is to consider Win8. From what I saw of it during the Trial-Period thing, (early 2012!) it was really quick at booting up, even on my crapola, dodgy, half-dead, piece of shit, 4 year old PC. If nothing else, this means you can quickly and easily turn the PC off and on, and it won't be a 3 hour wait whilst Windows struggles to get into gear. -=-=- ''Load, Next List!''
Sat, 02 Nov 2013, 13:57
Afr0	I don't think this has to do with Windows though, because, as I said, yesterday it shut down whilst I was inside the BIOS trying to change the boot sequence! I'm worried that the CPU fan could be getting old and suddenly stopping! Is that even possible, though? If it keeps shutting down at random, I can't think of any other solution but to stick my laptop beside the stationary PC to record what's going on. I've also considered a harddrive failure, but I've experienced those before, and it wasn't like this! However, currently I only have one harddrive... do you need a harddrive to boot into the BIOS, or would a harddrive failure cause an immediate shutdown if there's only one available? o_O -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
Sat, 02 Nov 2013, 15:05
Jayenkai	Nah, a harddrive failure would, instead, bring up an "insert boot device" kind of error. Similarly a memory issue should trigger a bios warning, not a complete freeze/crash. I'd guess it's processor related. ... But I'm no electrician, and am only guessing! -=-=- ''Load, Next List!''
Sat, 02 Nov 2013, 20:43
9572AD	It's possible for the CPU fan to wear out, but if it was running sometimes and not others I can only think "bad bearing" - and if that were the case you'd certainly hear it. I've also heard of the heat sink becoming un-attached because the old thermal paste dried out and cracked. It'll sit so close you can't see a difference, but it won't conduct the heat like it's supposed to. -=-=- All the raw, animal magnetism of a rutabaga.
Tue, 05 Nov 2013, 08:15
Afr0	Could this be a heating problem? o_O I'm thinking the PC might not like my room when I get home from uni and it is sub zero temperatures (that's -17 for you Celcius guys). -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
Tue, 05 Nov 2013, 08:38
Jayenkai	I could imagine it being the case if it were too hot, but.. Too cold!? Not sure. Never thought about cold temperatures on chips, before! -=-=- ''Load, Next List!''
Sat, 09 Nov 2013, 15:34
Evil Roy Ferguso	Overheating is possible, but my experience has been that machines are more likely to just appear frozen when that happens than to outright shut off. It sounds to me like the PSU might be failing.
Sat, 09 Nov 2013, 18:53
9572AD	I've only had one machine that overheated, and it would reboot every time it started overheating. If you deigned to keep running it, it would eventually freeze up, but I generally took the reboot as a sign it was time to stop. -=-=- All the raw, animal magnetism of a rutabaga.
Sun, 10 Nov 2013, 16:09
dna	I thought mine had a problem until I ran Malware bytes. There was something embedded in machine that made the screen turn completely gray like it was failing. I ran Malware using Full Scan and then it was gone. Back to normal. -=-=- DNA