My system suddenly turns off

My PC was working pretty well, but then suddenly it started randomly kind of rebooting (I'll explain it later).
Sometimes I'm playing games and then my monitor turns off but I can still hear the game running, but other times the whole system just enters some kind of hibernate process (it doesn't restarts at all). Oh, and sometimes (but this happens rarely) it happens on Windows (using the explorer or playing Solitaire).

I checked monitor cables and I tried reinstalling Windows (previous disk quick format in case of virus) but it doesn't help. My system configuration is as follows:

P4 2.4 Ghz
XFX Geforce 6800 GS/XT 256MB
1GB ram
Biostar motherboard (P4-M40)

PS: the oldest piece is the processor which I bought in 2003, the other parts are 1 year old tops.
PS 2: if it serves as a clue, the PC did the same thing when I tried to install the video drivers, but when I restarted the PC they were installed.

It's a pretty average setup (not to say old) but it's enough for me (for now).


By the way, pardon my english.

first off your english is fine, congratulations :P.

the problems you appear to be experiencing, would appear
to be heat/overheating related, either on the cpu or videocard...
could even be a dodgy ram problem, but i would say that heat
is the most likely culprit...

unless; its only happened with new/old drivers on your videocard
just recently, in wich case it could be that...

just my thoughts hope they help...

I agree, something is overheating. Check all your fans/heatsinks
to start with.

did you use thermal paste when installing your cpu? check that all fans are running, uninstall nvidia drivers and install newest ones from there website, if possible if everything else is good...update bios(carefully)

p.s: did you install the cpu on your own? and did you maybe crush the pins or some how mess up the board, cause a long time ago I did that and somehow messed up the mother board, it always crashed on me so i grab a new board and everything was great..

Always a good idea to use compressed air to air out your case. Dust and stuff can clog up fans and vents in the case, which can make the temperature soar.

CPU fans are especially prone to getting clogged with dust since they have the headspreaders.

Originally posted by Cameraman@Jan 27 2007, 04:00 AM
Always a good idea to use compressed air to air out your case. Dust and stuff can clog up fans and vents in the case, which can make the temperature soar.

CPU fans are especially prone to getting clogged with dust since they have the headspreaders.

No, not compressed air. It's a worldwide fairytale that that works, while it actually makes sure that most dust get's blown right into the bearings of your fan's and straight into the unreachable sticky small corners of passive coolingelements. I think it's fair to assume that dust already burned into the microchips of your GPU, and it's causing the card to malfunction after it reaches a certain temperature. Try underclocking your videocard to see if that gets you the stability you wan't.

Cameraman is right about cleaning your system though, but I suggest you use a vacuumcleaner for the case and to hold it slightly above your components (don't risk damage by letting them touch!) and use a simple brush to clean out the dust from all components and especially the fans, that way you are sure it won't get into the bearings.

I use a compressor to clean my PCs at home and at work, but you need to remove the fans first. When the system fans are dirty I just replace them. When the GPU fans are dirty I pay extra attention and clean the fins with a non-static foam cleanser and dry thoroughly before re-use. Do not spray any form of liquid in the fans, put it on a nice quality cloth (lint-free?) and wipe clean.

If your GPU chip is dirty you have some severe issues, as it means you have a gap under your heatsink. I would imagine you haven't, but if you do have to this problem. I would remove the heatsink, wipe carefully and apply some fresh heatsink compound.

All components can be cleaned to be honest, but you should make 200% effort to make sure you are protected against ESD and that you work in a nice ventilated area. Most important is to make sure everything is completely dry before re-use. I am qualified in electronics and can repair expensive networking and power equipment to board level. I have had to clean some horridly dusty and smoke damaged equipment before. I left them to dry infront of a fan for 48 hours and they still worked fine.

My last company used to bathe whole circuit boards for some USA Army Networking Kit in a cleaning solution and let it dry. Made em look new too! If you have ever soldered anything, it smells like flux cleaners! Just take care and if you are unsure, don't be afraid to ask for help.

Any problems let me know.

Originally posted by Gazz+Jan 27 2007, 11:52 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Gazz @ Jan 27 2007, 11:52 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Cameraman@Jan 27 2007, 04:00 AM
Always a good idea to use compressed air to air out your case. Dust and stuff can clog up fans and vents in the case, which can make the temperature soar.

CPU fans are especially prone to getting clogged with dust since they have the headspreaders.

No, not compressed air. It's a worldwide fairytale that that works, while it actually makes sure that most dust get's blown right into the bearings of your fan's and straight into the unreachable sticky small corners of passive coolingelements. I think it's fair to assume that dust already burned into the microchips of your GPU, and it's causing the card to malfunction after it reaches a certain temperature. Try underclocking your videocard to see if that gets you the stability you wan't.

Cameraman is right about cleaning your system though, but I suggest you use a vacuumcleaner for the case and to hold it slightly above your components (don't risk damage by letting them touch!) and use a simple brush to clean out the dust from all components and especially the fans, that way you are sure it won't get into the bearings. [/b][/quote]
I tried underclocking my videocard. At first I though It worked cause I played Quake 4 for like an hour on some pretty intensive scenes and nothing bad happened (it just was a little slow, but duh). Then my brother tried Psychonauts and it worked fine too. Then we turned the PC off. BUT after some time I turned it on and played some music and the error occurred again (the monitor turned off but the music was still playing).

I'm gonna try giving the PC a deep cleaning. I'm also thinking that maybe one of my memory dimms may be be broken so I'm gonna swap them and see what happens.

I'll try both these things and I'll let you know.

You were playing some music and the monitor turned off. It sounds like your
video card is dying fast. When you under clocked your card did you check the
box to apply the settings on start up? It might of reset itself to the original
settings. I would check to make sure the fan is spinning properly on your vid
card. If not then you need to order a nice aftermarket unit. If the fan is good
then I would remove the fan/heatsink from the vid card and clean the GPU and
reapply some new thermal paste. If that doesn't help I would start saving my
cash for a new card as you'll be needing one soon it sounds like.

If you over clock your video card DON'T do it!! that 6800xt sucks for overclocking, this is why you have a problem no doubt, just deal with the crappy vid card you bought and it's default clock speeds.. :dennis: