Overheating?

[rjbinney]

My computer has been powering off at random.

This is NOT a crash...

I am running XP SP2.

Seemingly at random, my computer will power off. When it reboots, it acts as if nothing had happened. (In other words, no "Windows unexpectedly shut down"-type messages).

When it reboots, all of my menus are exactly like they were AT THE TIME OF MY LAST REBOOT. In other words "Recent Documents", etc. (Start Menu AND inside Office) do not reflect what I was working on since the last reboot. (Although all saved documents are indeed saved - just not on any Recently Used menus.)

It happens pretty consistently when I run NAV - but not in the same "place" in the scan. Ditto for Spyware Blaster. Sometimes when updating AvantGo on my Palm, but not always. Also in Safe mode with NAV.

Obviously, I don't have enough information to search out what's wrong. But it's all the information I have.

I’m thinking it may be a heat-sync issue… For no good reason, I blew compressed, cold air, over my fans every few minutes while running NAV last night, and it didn’t power off for the first time in a month.

So, do different programs and processes run at different temperatures?

And, is there a utility to monitor this?

Thanks!

[merlin_2]

http://reviews.cnet.com/Norton_AntiVirus_2005/4852-3681_7-30998882.html?tag=uoreturn        read more!

take your pick>>http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads14.html

[dl65]

 rjbinney...Certainly sounds like a temperature issue ..
What temp is the processor operating at ?
Have you looked in the event monitor to see if theres anything showing up in there .
You might also try d/l ......  pc wizard 2005 from ........
http://www.majorgeeks.com/PC_Wizard_d3846.html
This little app will give you all sorts of info about you system ........

let us know

dl65  

[rjbinney]

What temp is the processor operating at ?

Not a CLUE... That's what I'm trying to figure out!

Have you looked in the event monitor to see if theres anything showing up in there .

Not yet, but I will.

[merlin_2]

hold down the del key on boot......bios screen setup display cpu temp.

[rjbinney]

OK, so I downloaded the PC Wizard.

I am currently running at 66 deg C.

Don't know if that's high or not, I do know my fan runs constantly.

So, we'll see.

Thanks for the tip!

[rjbinney]

Neat utility. I rebooted, and my processor was 53 deg C, my HD was 34 deg HD.

I ran Ad-Aware, CPU did not change, HD went up to 41.

Running Norton now, seeing what's cooking...


Thanks

[merlin_2]

what cpu is this.......amd //intel all cpu run hot.....thats why the heatsink/fans is sitting on them.....more info on sytem specs.......if you are a gamernut maybe you need this>http://www17.tomshardware.com/howto/20050609

[Fed]

You might want to try turning off 'Automatic Reboot" in Startup & Recovery.

[Raptor]

Sixty-six degrees celcius would be considered very warm. For an Intel processor. However, if you have an AMD processor. There should be no need to worry. (According to AMD)

Installing a more powerful cooling solution is advised.

[rjbinney]

It is a P4...

If by "Gamernut", you mean, have I played Minesweeper while on hold once or twice, then Yes.

Otherwise, um, no.

[Raptor]

Any hardcore gamer has had to have played Minesweeper at least once. The action, the excitement. Ho Chi Min all over.

For a Pentium processor, I would consider sixtysix Celcius degrees to be very high. It should be no more than fourty Celcius degrees. fifty Celcius degrees at most

I suggest that you do the following:

1. Clean fans/heatsinks
2. Set fans to maximum RPM capable. BIOS may be using Smart fan functions to determine how fast they should operate during certain temperatures.
3. Remove excessive dust.
4. Install more powerful and efficient cooling solutions.