# PC randomly shutting down



## Certi (May 5, 2011)

I've had my PC for a couple of years and never had any issues with it till recently. In the last couple of months it has started randomly shutting down at times. It will do it a couple of times, then be fine for a few weeks, and then the same thing happens again. When it shuts down it's like there has been a power cut, it just cuts off. Then after a few seconds it tries to restart, but half the time it won't give me a BIOS 'beep' so it just sits there doing nothing and I have to switch off the PSU at the back, unplug it and leave it for 30 seconds before it'll start back up.

It always seems to cut out when I select something. 9 times out of 10 it's when I try to open a video file using VLC media player, but it has also done it when opening a JPEG and when trying to open Google Chrome and selecting a link on a website. I've tried looking online and everyone seems to have a different idea of what the problem is, some say the PSU is on it's way out, some say the motherboard, the BIOS etc. etc.

Here's my PC spec...

Intel i7 930
Asus P6X58D-E motherboard
Corsair 6GB DDR3 (3x2GB)
Samsung 1TB HDD
Asus GTX 460 graphics
Coolmaster GX 550W PSU

Anyone got any idea what the problem could be?


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## Vossman (Aug 5, 2010)

Sound very much like an overheating problem, maybe it needs the vents on the back cleaning out, they fill with dust so easily, the symptoms you describe are typical of this, are you savvy enough to open the case and either blow or gently vacuum all the dust out using a fine brush, I think that will sort your problem or at least be a starting point for you.


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

First thing to do would be re-install windows. If it happens after that then it's hardware.

Then it's a case of trying each component.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

ardandy said:


> First thing to do would be re-install windows. If it happens after that then it's hardware.
> 
> Then it's a case of trying each component.


Clean the dust out as it sounds very much like it is overheating.

If not then I would be looking at the graphics card.

Any coloured dots on screen when the video is playing shortly before shut down?


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## Mr.Ry (Nov 14, 2011)

Vossman said:


> Sound very much like an overheating problem, maybe it needs the vents on the back cleaning out, they fill with dust so easily, the symptoms you describe are typical of this, are you savvy enough to open the case and either blow or gently vacuum all the dust out using a fine brush, I think that will sort your problem or at least be a starting point for you.


+1 :thumb:


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## essjay (Mar 27, 2007)

Before you start doing anything drastic like re-installing windows I would try a few things, Like already been stated could be overheating but unlikely, give it a clean to be on the safe side. Next go and download and make a boot CD of memtest 86 let that run, should take around 40 ins to run. 

If there are errors then you've got a memory or motherboard fault, take each memory stick out and test one at a time in each slot.

Could be a PSU fault Ive got a PSU tester you can borrow if you like, its quite light to post.


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## DampDog (Apr 16, 2011)

Do the simple stuff that won't cost you any money first. Check to see just how dirty/dusty the vents and fans are, the smaller fans on graphics cards tend to "fluff up" quite badly. Also check the case has adequate ventilation, cases plonked on a carpeted floor hoover in dust quicker than a vacuum, and the vents at the bottom get no airflow because the carpet blocks em.

Check ALL the connectors! Make sure they're all pushed home, check the fans are actually running in the first place and the power cable to the graphics card. Also give the ram a little push to check it's been seated correctly. (and and graphics cards etc)

All that is dead easy and cost you nowt..

Now the stuff that's a little more time consuming. I've asssumed you're running windows 7.

Start command line and run sfc /scannow to check for any errors.

Windows also has it's own basic memory test diagnostic built in
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/Diagnosing-memory-problems-on-your-computer.

My suspicion is you have a corrupted driver, I'd ensure all my driver are latest and greatest and re-install graphics.

Following that I'd do an OS clean install as has been mentioned above.

Some graphics cards will advise a "minimum" size for the power supply that you are using it also worth checking that. 550W should be OK, but it may just be a little near the knuckle and shutting down due to load, especially if the vents are blocked/covered.

Good luck, PC's can be a pain in the bum when it's random in nature.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. I've ran the memory diagnosis thing and it came back with no issues. I'm going to give it a good clean inside and see if that makes a difference. Is it OK to wipe everything with a microfibre cloth (with everything disconnected) or will it cause static that could fry something?



Kerr said:


> Any coloured dots on screen when the video is playing shortly before shut down?


Nope, just turns off like there's been a power cut.


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## Alzak (Aug 31, 2010)

ardandy said:


> First thing to do would be re-install windows. If it happens after that then it's hardware.
> 
> Then it's a case of trying each component.


Re-installing windows should be Your last option ...



Certi said:


> Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. I've ran the memory diagnosis thing and it came back with no issues. I'm going to give it a good clean inside and see if that makes a difference. Is it OK to wipe everything with a microfibre cloth (with everything disconnected) or will it cause static that could fry something?


I would clean everything with some brush and if You have access to thermal compound I will get this changed as well as You said that YOu have Your PC couple of years so ideally I would get thermal compund changed, should be easy to take radiator and fan off and simply wipe old thermal compouns off and put new one on






Not the best video but is just to give You some idea


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## R7KY D (Feb 16, 2010)

I had an all singing / dancing PC custom built for me , Twas the dogs undercarraige , then it started doing what you say , I was :wall::wall: for days , In the end I gave up and went and bought a new one convinced that the old one was dead , Then just as above someone said have you removed the cover and hoovered it out , I said PAH !!! yeah right as if .

Well............I removed the case saw loads of fluff clogging the fan , Hoovered it all out and it worked just fine . 

Might not be your problem but worth trying before you do anything more drastic


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## tommyboy40 (Feb 28, 2012)

i7's do run quite hot and pc's do suck in all sorts of crap. As has been suggested clean it out first. I do also advocate an os clean reinstall. I would do this every year or so on all our machines and it really does make a difference


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

I'd clean it all out as suggested (could be fans not running properly, build up of crap on GFX card, the PSU full of fluff) don't worry about static. Although use a bit of sense, don't go shuffling about on your carpet in your socks or rubbing balloons on your head.
I've scratch built PCs, put hard drives in playstations and stuff with no problems.
Invest in a can of air duster. Or if you're tight like me, buy a cheap 1L pressure sprayer and use that  Obviously, don't use one that has recently had fluid in it!


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

I've given it a good clean out today but the problem is still there. It's weird, the video files will work fine when played through Windows Media Player, but as soon as I try to play it with VLC it shuts down. I thought it might be VLC that was the problem, but it also shuts down when doing other activities mentioned in the OP.

Off to look at new PSUs lol


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

Get another Hard Drive and install windows on that purely as a test, it doesn't matter how old it is. Your original will be untouched if unplugged. 

If it behaves you know what the problem is without buying something. This way is free and is why I said it at the beginning. I've been fixing PC's and more for 16+ years and have pretty much come across everything. 

Installation of Windows = free
New PSU = Isn't and might not be that

I've gone under the banner of 'it'll take a couple of hours to install windows/updates/drivers and whatever programs you use compared to days trying to fix/repair it' for years now. It will definately take 2 hours or potentially days??

If new install doesn't work you've ruled out Software AND your Hard drive. Then it gets fun.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

I don't have any spare hard drives lying around. I've got an old PC that runs XP, so I could stick that hard drive in and see if the problem's the same?


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

It won't work in a different PC I'm afraid.

Anyone you know have a spare?


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

OK, cheers :thumb:. I'll ask about. Might just do a fresh install.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

DampDog said:


> Start command line and run sfc /scannow to check for any errors.


I've done this and got the log...but it's all gibberish to me. What should I be looking for?

I've also tried updating my graphics card driver but when trying to install it comes up with "%1 is not a valid Win32 application"


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## DampDog (Apr 16, 2011)

When you ran sfc/scannow did it actually find any errors. It tells you as it completes the scan.

Says something like "sfc has found errors, only some of which can be repaired"

Error logs are a nightmare unless you know what you're specifically looking for.

If you can't update the device driver for the video card, you're either trying to install the wrong driver for you system, or the original one is corrupted badly.

What are you running Windows 7? it 32 or 64 bit. You need to know so you can select the correct driver. Also where did you get your drivers from? Best place is

http://www.nvidia.co.uk/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-uk

Also un-install previous drivers first.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

Yeah it said it found errors that couldn't be repaired. I'm running Windows 7 64 bit and that's the driver I selected. I even let it scan my computer and it came up with the same one.


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## DampDog (Apr 16, 2011)

Certi said:


> Yeah it said it found errors that couldn't be repaired. I'm running Windows 7 64 bit and that's the driver I selected. I even let it scan my computer and it came up with the same one.


May be worth un-installing the old one first before you bite the bullet and do a Windows re-install.

If you have the original OEM windows install disks, you can choose an "Upgrade" install from one of the options, it's one step back from a full re-install and will allow you to keep you old documents/files/etc.

Might be worth while seeing if anyone else can throw up any ideas.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

Tried starting it in safe mode and it played the video files perfectly fine...well as fine as you'd expect in safe mode. Only problem is now it won't give me a BIOS beep on start up, so it just hangs there!


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## braymond141 (Aug 13, 2008)

> Only problem is now it won't give me a BIOS beep on start up, so it just hangs there!


All the ASUS X58 boards have this issue and need a BIOS reset after awhile. This is more common when overclocking.
-Pull the power cord
-Pull the onboard motherboard battery 
-Press power button to clear capacitors of any left over charge
-Wait a minute and reinstall the battery
-Boot and reconfigure all your BIOS settings (Memory speed, boot order, etc)

If you are running Corsair memory that requires 1.65v, change your AI Overclock Tuner to X.M.P.
http://www.3dnews.ru/_imgdata/img/2008/12/12/asus/bios_select_overmode.jpg

A random shutdown (power off) is more indicative of a power issue (power supply failing), NOT overheating.
A random reboot (restart) is more indicative of heat, incorrect BIOS settings (mem/cpu), video card failure, driver incompatibilities, bad memory, failing cpu, overclocking instability, etc, etc.
Please define more clearly which you are experiencing.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

Thanks for that, yeah I've got Corsair memory, will give it a try.

EDIT: I've done all that and got it booting again, but it's still randomly cutting out.

EDIT 2: It's now playing video files without crashing.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

braymond141 said:


> A random shutdown (power off) is more indicative of a power issue (power supply failing), NOT overheating.
> A random reboot (restart) is more indicative of heat, incorrect BIOS settings (mem/cpu) or overclocking instability.
> Please define more clearly which you are experiencing.


I'll be sitting on the PC and then double click on a .mkv video file to play it. VLC media player will open up and the computer will cut out like there has been a power cut then start booting again after a couple of seconds. But sometimes I don't get a bios beep and have to unplug it all.

It has also cut out when doing different things like browsing on Chrome and clicking on a link and also when opening a jpeg (only done that once)

My PC isn't over clocked and I can't think of any major changes I've made to the bios.


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

If you've more than one stick of RAM, remove all but one and then try either of them one at a time. If you've only one stick, swap slots for another.

Then try and get a spare HD! Please! Otherwise you'll be trying various things for days!


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

I've tried booting with each stick individually and they all work on their own.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

I think the latest cut out might confirm that it's a PSU problem...

I've just updated my BIOS to the latest version and was saving the changes and as soon as I hit 'enter' when it asked if I was sure I wanted to save the changes it did the power cut thing again.

Or could there still be another issue causing this?


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## DampDog (Apr 16, 2011)

Eck mate I feel for ya..

If it was me I think I'd bite the bullet and stick in a new power supply, simply because it's just about the cheapest component to swap out. I'd be tempted to go slightly larger, say 650W.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

Thanks. Yeah I'm going to stick in a 750W modular psu.

I still cant get rid of this damn "%1 is not a valid Win32 application" error though. I've installed an older driver, every C++ thing thats suggested and it still comes up with that message. When I try to uninstall the previous driver is comes up with this...


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## Matt197 (Dec 27, 2006)

What you need to do before you start replacing items (can get expensive) is to test them one by one, from reading back it looks like you started to with the memory.

Remove and disconnect everything from the motherboard (CD/DVD drives, PCI cards, USB, fan cables but not the CPU fan) apart from the hard drive and graphics card and check if the problem still happens, if its ok then plug them back in one by one.

Test the hard drive, go to the manufacturer's website such a Seagate and download their diagnostic software.

Check the graphics card for artifacts, Evga has a good bit of software called precision x that can check to see if the graphics card is on its way out (not sure if it works with other brands but give it a go)

Check the PSU, get hold of a multimeter and test that it is producing the correct output.

I have come across a faulty CD drive before that was making the computer do some very strange things; soon as it was replaced the computer was fine so sometimes it's not always the most obvious things you should be checking.

And the problem you are having with that message sounds like you have installed a 32bit driver and not a 64bit one (or vice versa), uninstall everything to do with NVidia and run a driver remover software such as Driver Sweeper to remove any leftover entries in the registry (can download it from here)


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## braymond141 (Aug 13, 2008)

Certi said:


> I think the latest cut out might confirm that it's a PSU problem...
> 
> I've just updated my BIOS to the latest version and was saving the changes and as soon as I hit 'enter' when it asked if I was sure I wanted to save the changes it did the power cut thing again.
> 
> Or could there still be another issue causing this?


Video card failure/driver issues can cause random reboots 
Failing power supply can as well too (didn't mean to make it sound like reboots couldn't be it either). When capacitors go bad any sudden draw can trigger a power loss. Typically it's a complete shutdown though...

You really need a few extra parts to confirm issues. This is how we identify issues in the repair field.

Oh... and I totally forgot. On my X58 the onboard audio would cause the same exact issue after it suddenly failed on the hardware side. You can try disabling the onboard audio, boot up and try everything to get it to crash.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

Thanks guys. I'm going to have another go at clearing the nvidia drives tomorrow and getting it up to date, then I'll try the sound card thing.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Sounds exactly like the issue I had with my laptop. It drove me insane. Took the CPU out and refitted it and it has been fine since. It was the last thing I was going to try before binning it.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

braymond141 said:


> Video card failure/driver issues can cause random reboots
> Failing power supply can as well too (didn't mean to make it sound like reboots couldn't be it either). When capacitors go bad any sudden draw can trigger a power loss. Typically it's a complete shutdown though...
> 
> You really need a few extra parts to confirm issues. This is how we identify issues in the repair field.
> ...


Would the video card or on board audio cause a shutdown when in the BIOS though?

Today's update...

Had my first shutdown/cut out today when just browsing the net, no other files or program's running.

Installed precision X but I can't see any sort of diagnostic option. It just shows the running speed and temp etc. I've also run disk cleaner, it deleted a bunch of nVidia files, but there were 5 it wouldn't delete. Anyway I tried to install the latest driver, but kept getting the same error message. So installed the initial driver that came with the card. It installed fine, rebooted the PC, got to the desktop and the power cut out. Now I can't get it to give me a BIOS beep again.


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## Matt197 (Dec 27, 2006)

Certi said:


> Would the video card or on board audio cause a shutdown when in the BIOS though?


It can yes, most the time if it's the graphics card thats on its way out you will have artifacts all over the screen but that's not always the case.



Certi said:


> Installed precision X but I can't see any sort of diagnostic option. It just shows the running speed and temp etc.


When you load precision X under "Stress Test" click "Start stress test" and let it run for an hour and see if under "artifact count" the number increases.

It does sound like either the power supply is at fault or the motherboard, however without ruling out all other hardware it will be hard to say for certain.


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

Today's update...

Disconnected everything from the PC except the RAM and it still wouldn't boot up. Then tried connecting the power supply up to my old PC and it wouldn't boot up either, but it works fine with its own PSU. It's only 250w so couldn't try it on my problem PC. Surely this must confirm that the PSU is the issue?


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## sirkuk (Mar 5, 2012)

Sounds like the PSU to me. 

PSU failures are common in my experience as it tends to be an area skrimped on. Go for the best you can afford. I've seen failed PSUs destroy other hardware before now although uncommon. 550W sounds a little low to me. My old Pentium 4 machine runs on a 550W supply but I'm not so up to date with hardware now. 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk


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## Keir (Aug 31, 2010)

What do you have connected to this 250w PSU?


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## Certi (May 5, 2011)

Keir said:


> What do you have connected to this 250w PSU?


The 250w PSU is my old PC which is a pentium 4 with a 256mb graphics and 1gb RAM.


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Have you got it sorted lad?


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