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Computer restarts randomly

Last response: in Windows 7
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Hello, I wasn't sure where to post this as I'm new to the forum, however I'll post it here.
My problem started about a month ago, at first I was ignoring it because I didn't care much, now it's becoming annoying.

Let me explain what my problem is. When I turn on my computer it does the normal stuff, but at some point before I get the chance to log in it either: Freezes, automatically restarts with no error, sends me a blue screen, the screen goes like when your tv doesn't have signal (all those colors) or it either shuts down.
Now, 1-2 times I actually get to log in and when I'm prompted in my user desktop it always does the same thing I listed above. The weird thing is, after about 6-7 restarts when I log in it actually works with no restarts whatsoever, I can play all day long with no more restarts.

I've tried googling for about a week, nothing has fixed my problem and it's becoming annoying.

Specs:
CPU:SX 9100, BLM, i7-930(2.80GHz)
RAM:12GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
GPX:ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
HDD:1TB SERIAL ATA 2, 7200 RPM
CD/DVD:Blu-ray 8X Disc Combo
Audio: 7.1 Ultimate HD AUDIO
OS: Windows7 Ultimate x64

If anyone could help me fix this problem it would be great, my computer works fine on anything else but this is a pain in the ass.

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mcunrated said:
Hello, I wasn't sure where to post this as I'm new to the forum, however I'll post it here.
My problem started about a month ago, at first I was ignoring it because I didn't care much, now it's becoming annoying.

Let me explain what my problem is. When I turn on my computer it does the normal stuff, but at some point before I get the chance to log in it either: Freezes, automatically restarts with no error, sends me a blue screen, the screen goes like when your tv doesn't have signal (all those colors) or it either shuts down.
Now, 1-2 times I actually get to log in and when I'm prompted in my user desktop it always does the same thing I listed above. The weird thing is, after about 6-7 restarts when I log in it actually works with no restarts whatsoever, I can play all day long with no more restarts.

I've tried googling for about a week, nothing has fixed my problem and it's becoming annoying.

Specs:
CPU:SX 9100, BLM, i7-930(2.80GHz)
RAM:12GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
GPX:ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
HDD:1TB SERIAL ATA 2, 7200 RPM
CD/DVD:Blu-ray 8X Disc Combo
Audio: 7.1 Ultimate HD AUDIO
OS: Windows7 Ultimate x64

If anyone could help me fix this problem it would be great, my computer works fine on anything else but this is a pain in the ass.


Are the BSOD messages consistent ?

This sounds like a typical PSU going bad, or RAM issues.

How old is your PSU and what is the model ?

I wouldn't say BSOD messages are constant, they happen from time to time. Random restarts are more constant if that helps.

I don't know how old my PSU is, and I don't know the model. How can I check that?

mcunrated said:
I wouldn't say BSOD messages are constant, they happen from time to time. Random restarts are more constant if that helps.

I don't know how old my PSU is, and I don't know the model. How can I check that?


You have to open the computer up, usually from the left side. Then the power supply unit is the usually blocky metallic object that has the power cable plugged into it from the outside of the computer. Check what make (manufacturer) and model this is, and with any luck, that is the extent of the problem.
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As you said, I've open my computer and I looked at the power supply. There's no name or brand there's only a white sticker with what seems like a serial and Made in China.
I've google the serial or code nothing came out, I googled part of the code and it seems to be a dell custom Power Supply. I kept googling and it seems XPS9100 computers have a custom dell 525 watt power supply, I'm unsure but it should be that.

mcunrated said:
As you said, I've open my computer and I looked at the power supply. There's no name or brand there's only a white sticker with what seems like a serial and Made in China.
I've google the serial or code nothing came out, I googled part of the code and it seems to be a dell custom Power Supply. I kept googling and it seems XPS9100 computers have a custom dell 525 watt power supply, I'm unsure but it should be that.


Okay, so it is a dell custom, makes sense. You had a typo in your first post and I couldn't tell what brand your computer was. In this case, do you still have warranty ?

A few things you can do to be sure that there is a problem with the hardware:

1) Do a complete system restore with the provided discs or use the recovery partition if your computer has one

2) Do a visual inspection of the inside of the computer to make sure all fans are working, especially the CPU fan and GPU fan.

Dell may also have a bundled (on cd or dvd) utility to test the hardware, or it may be even in the BIOS (some special key combo to get to hardware test).

My warranty expired about a year ago or so.

1) I would like to keep this option as a last resort.

2) Both of my fans are working perfectly, however I notice the inside gets really dusty within a low amount of time.

mcunrated said:
My warranty expired about a year ago or so.

1) I would like to keep this option as a last resort.

2) Both of my fans are working perfectly, however I notice the inside gets really dusty within a low amount of time.


Okay, then with the computer off and unplugged, gently blow away (out doors) the dust with some compressed air, or just use your mouth, but careful with the spit. Get as much dust off as you can. Dust inhibits proper thermal exchange in the case, and components build up heat until they either shut down due to thermal issues, or cook themselves when there isn't adequate intervention.

Do you have a spare hard drive ? With that you can easily do a restore to test things out. OR, you can download a copy of UBUNTU (free) and do a Live Boot into the OS and see if that is stable.

I already tried blowing the dust off, it doesn't change anything. I don't have an extra hard drive. I'm not an expert but I think the problem could be related to system configurations, as I said after 5-6 restarts happen my computer works fine afterwards.

mcunrated said:
I already tried blowing the dust off, it doesn't change anything. I don't have an extra hard drive. I'm not an expert but I think the problem could be related to system configurations, as I said after 5-6 restarts happen my computer works fine afterwards.


System configuration ? You mean software ?

You can get a copy of an imaging software like Acronis, Norton Ghost, etc, and us that to image the entire hard drive and put that on a USB key or external, or even use the options to split it to DVD size and burn it to DVDs. If you can, you can also temporarily split the primary hard drive into 2 partitions, so you can image the OS partition and allow that file to be stored on the 2nd partition. Back that file up elsewhere...

Then you can try a complete restore, I know you said it is your last resort, but if you wan to get to the bottom of this... If the problem goes away, then you know it was your installation of windows that had issues. If it doesn't, something more serious is happening.

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