Strange Problem with PC - Advice Needed

[manatarms]

Hi, i'm currently having a big problem with my pc and need some suggestions as to what might be causing this problem, and any possible solutions. I'm going to try and be as specific as possible with this.

System Specs:

PIII 750mhz
Abit BE6-II motherboard
3 HDD's
Matrox Video card
SB Audigy Sound Card
3com ethernet card
cd-rom
floppy
promise HD controller card
512mb pc133 ram

Heres the deal...

I normally run my pc 24/7, this ones been going good for about 2 years now with no problems. The other day I come home and move the mouse to get the monitor out of standby but nothing happens. Then I notice there is no power to the mouse or keyboard (lights were off) but the PC fans and stuff are still running. So i reboot thinking it just froze, everything boots up as normal but after a few mins the monitor goes into stand-by mode, and the power to the mouse and keyboard turn off. But the PC remains powered (at least the fans do). From then on this happens every time I use it. Randomly it just switches off.

So, I make sure i didnt have any weird power seetings set, then I view the system logs and see that an ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) error occurs at the time this happens. So I disable ACPI in both windows and in the bios, and try again. Still the same thing happens, only now no error is logged. I also tried looking for any info on this error but couldnt find any that related to my problem. (most of them were problems with brand new motherboards, but i've been using mine for quite some time now)

Now, after having this happen over and over, some other strage things happen. I would try and power on the PC and the fans and HDD's would start up, then you would hear them loose power or speed, then gain it again like the power flow to them were being fluxuated, until they finally stopped for good. The monitor would also not even come out of stand by mode during this. So i unplugged everything besides 1 HD and 1 Fan and after a few tries the system was able to boot up. Sometimes it'll start to boot then just run out of jucie, sometimes it'll make it into windows then freeze with glitches all over the screen, and sometimes it'll boot all the way up then shut down randomly.

Now the weird thing is, I have not made any hardware or software changes lately. Nor have I ever had probems with freezing before. I'm currently in the middle of a big web design project for a client so I havnt had time to install anything new on my system or change any settings or anything because i've been busy doing that. Also, you dont have to be doing anything to make the computer shut down. It could be sitting there doing nothing and it will happen. I've tried booting up with nothing but a video card,ram,and 1 HD installed to see if something was conflicting but no luck.

One solution i tried was buying a new power supply becaues i figured mine had failed, but that wasn't the case, then same thing happens with this new more powerful power supply.

I'm assuming since this just happend out of the blue (and while I was away) that some piece of hardware like the motherboard has messed up? I just wanted to know if anyone had any ideas on how to fix this, if it is a piece of hardware that needs to be replaced such as the mobo then thats fine, i just want to know if thats it for sure before i purchse one (which i'd probably buy a new processor and RAM for too).

I just now tried to boot up the broken PC and the fans came on, but the monitor didnt. then the HDD started powering up and spinning then started making a high pitched noise like it was struggling to move. ( I also have tried booting from other HDD's, they all do the same).

I have had a few friends look at it, and they suggested things that have to do with changing bios settings or flashing it. I've tried a few but none have worked. The only problem with these fixes are that they involve doing something thats changing a wrong setting,but since the settings are all the same since day 1. I dont see how they would just now start causing a problem.

So anyways, I hope I was specifc enough and any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[manatarms]

Heres an update:

I took out the CPU and cleaned all the dust out of it and made sure the connections were nice and tight. I then removed the battery to clear out the bios. Then i hooked up a blank HD and was able to get it to boot up just fine. I set the settings in the BIOS to the correct settings, then i formatted the HD and installed windows 98 on it. It installed just fine and everything, but once it loaded into windows... BOOM the monitor goes into suspend mode and the mouse/keyboard/hdd lose power and i have to shut her down.

So no i know that its not a software probablem. Although i can once again boot up into windows XP from my normal HD just fine now. But im back to where i started. Everything loses power randomly and i get an ACPI error.

[Jitterbug]

If you checked all the BIOS settings and know they are right the BIOS chip may be bad. If you have the manual for that motherboard check the where the pins go in the header where the little cables like the reset switch, hard drive LED, etc goes. I would switch the hard drive LED to the pin out for "Suspend LED". That way you know it is not some wacky power thing, the BIOS turns that light on.

PS I almost forgot. When one clears a BIOS on a ATX motherboard you need to unplug it from power (because a ATX has power even when shut off), take the battery out, and then you have to move a jumper to clear the BIOS and then put the jumper back where it was. You will have to check the manual (or look it up at the motherboard makers site) where the clear BIOS jumper is. It is usually three pins with the jumper on two of them (like 1 and 2). You move the jumper to clear the BIOS is like 2 and 3 for a few seconds and the put it back to 1 and 2.
If it is a ATX, still has power going to it just taking out the battery will not clear the BIOS.

[Disk_Contented]

Sounds like the power supply to me.

[snakeboy]

Hi,

Sounds like a PSU problem to me as well, usually when you have a PSU go on you the hard drive will try to boot...... gets a little way and then everything falls over, but the fans will still run as it has a little power going to them but not enough to boot the system.
Try a new Power Supply Unit first.
Hope this helps

Snakeboy

[leemartin]

I have the exact smae issue as you do and have been looking way too long now for a fix. Once my PC shuts down it's nothing but trouble trying to get it back on.

If you found a resolution to your issue please let me know via email. leemartin@sympatico.ca

Thanks.

[chrusted]

probably a power supply or possibly a hard drive issue, check with a multimeter available at radio shack or similar that the power supply is withing specs for your processor. also check your hard drive, it may be dying. if you have another hard drive, you can substitute it and see if you get it to boot.

[svMedia]

I used to build PSUs (generic) for a company up in Chicago. And honestly I don't care what anyone else would tell you... you CANNOT leave them on continuously for months at a time. I mean yes... sometimes it's good to leave your computer on, but not for months at a time. PSUs are not designed to do this. If they were, there would be no need for a power button on any computer. PSUs over time, like anything else except cheese and wine, will deteriorate and when this happens it causes your PSU to fluctuate voltages. The PSU can no longer hold a consistant voltage and "spikes" every now and then. Granted there have been plenty of cases where people have left their computers on for years at a time but I still hold true to what I said earlier. PSUs are NOT designed to do this. The more high tech PSUs become the better they are at handeling extended use but this is only an unintentional perk... not a feature! My theory as to what happened with your PC is that your PSU became unstable and poked your motherboard, hdd, memory, or whatever, in the wrong place. This would explain the issue of your PC still not working after a new PSU was installed. If I were you I would have someone with a volt meter or anything that can measure resistance, test your motherboard. That would be step 1... or if you can find a new motherboard, try it out. Then you would need to test your memory with Microsoft Memory Test (I think you can get that from Microsoft's website). I honestly don't think it's your memory though... but just to be on the safe side I would test it. If you've already tried a new HDD and the HDD seems to be fine then you can skip that. I'm willing to bet that the problem started with your PSU and bled to your motherboard. Good luck!

[shipstylin]

I am having the exact same issue, windows was working and even when it was working you would hear something lose power and then get it back and everything would lag for that second but after that it was fine. It sounded like a hard drive so I figured either the hard drive or power supply right? Well tried both and issue still occurs. With a slightly lower wattage power supply it craps out right as it is counting up the memory. This is what I have tried with no success.

original specs: we'll call this Main PC to avoid confusion
UPS APC RS-1500 Backup Power Supply
Antec True Power II 430 watt power supply
AMD Athlon XP 2100+ 1.733 Ghz processor
Asus A7v8X motherboard
2 sticks of pc3200 memory 1-256mb 1-512mb
sony dru-810A DVD burner
Lite-on DVD-52X CD Burner Combo Drive
Create Labs Sound Blaster Live Platinum 5.1 Sound Card
Ultra ATA adapter PCI Card
SATA Interface Card (nothing currently attached)
WD 160GB Hard Drive (what windows xp sp2 is on)
WD 200GB Hard Drive (hooked to Ultra ATA adapter card)
WD 80GB Hard Drive
4 Port USB 2.0 PCI Card
ATI All in Wonder 9600 Pro 8X AGP Graphics card
Floppy Drive
7 or 8 usb devices plugged in

1.) tried different Power Supply (antec smart power 350 watt)
2.) Tried different hard drive (working WD 12GB with windows xp installed)
3.) accessed original hard drive through a usb to ide converter on laptop and could read everything fine no power issues
4.) removed all components so all I had left is hd, mb, cpu, memory in Main PC
5.) tried original cpu in a different working pc and everything booted up fine (Asus A7N8X-X, 512 MB PC3200) (granted this was only for maybe 15 minutes)
6.) Then took the mb from the working pc and put in Main pc with the AMD 1.733ghz and everything booted up fine and didn't hear any issues
7.) tried different power supply when everything was disconnected
8.) tried different memory (512 from working system)
9.) tried different agp video card
10.) removed thermal grease and put fresh thermal grease on


I am currently at a different location as my pc but the next two things I am going to try is taking the 1.1 Ghz AMD and putting that in, try resetting the CMOS, and maybe hooking pc directly to the wall without the UPS in between. Don't know really what else to try. Any thoughts??

[dirtfarmer]

i have the same problem
comptet reboot with out warning
reboot when i put a cd in
reboot a couple time when i start up compter
but it funny it happen a lot then it stop then it start up again, but noting you can time

but i did find this to read

How To Recognize And Repair Power Supply Problems

The Power Supply convert's your regular household current into low DC voltage used by the computer. When this component fails,there is simply no activity going on wih your computer.Remember to do the easy troubleshooting first.Inspect the Power Supply for any damage.Double-Check all connections.

Learning how to check your power supply and how to replace it when needed can be a life saver if you're a computer buff or in business with the trusted PC.Don't take for granted the simple pleasure of turning on your PC and everything works just fine.

We turned on one of our computers recently and in about one hour,it just re-booted itself.And it continued doing so about 10 times a day until we found out the power supply was the culprit.Things to look for when your power supply is going bad or just dies on you are the following.

NO POWER TO THE COMPUTER

Here you must first check the wall outlet for power by connecting another device such as a radio or lamp to be sure power is present.If the computer is connected through a surge protector,check it as well.

If the wall out has power,check the power cable going to the PC to see if AC voltage is making its way to the system unit.Do this with the use of a multimeter.

If there is power,you will have to open the PC and check for power from the power supply to the motherboard.

When using a multimeter to check voltage,be sure you have a good ground for the black lead of the multimeter.

RE-BOOTING PROBLEMS

One main problem you may face with an ailing Power Supply is that it may re-boot the computer without any warning.All information is lost and it seems as though this happens at the worst possible time.

Booting errors when the computer first start's up is another indicator of this component going on the blink.

POWER DISTRIBUTION PROBLEMS

When the power supply begins to fail,you may receive power at one device and not another.For example,the Hard Drive may receive power but the CDROM Drive has nothing at all.

Another headache with would cause re-booting is the intermittent power going to the drives or the motherboard itself.Follow the steps below to check your power supply should you experience some of the above problems.

CHECKING THE POWER SUPPLY

If the wall outlet,and the power cord are good,make sure the connection at the motherboard is secure.Then you may have to face the fact that the power supply itself is bad.If you have a Multimeter you can test the power supply output before purchasing a new one.Simply follow these steps.

Turn off the PC,but do not unplug it,open the system unit. Set the multimeter to read DC volts in the next range higher than 12 volts.Locate a power connector similair to the hard drive,or cdrom drive connector that is unused and turn on the PC.

You can also unplug a drive connector and use it as well.Turn on the PC and insert the BLACK probe into the power connector on one of the BLACK wires.Touch the RED probe to the YELLOW wire on the power connector.

The multimeter reading should be +12 volts Now touch the RED probe to the RED wire and the reading should be +5 volts.If no readings or different readings occured,you'll have to replace the power supply.If the readings were correct,you should check the P8 or P9 connectors at the motherboard. These connectors may also be named P4 and P5.To check these connectors,perform the following...

Insert the BLACK probe into P8 at one of the BLACK wires. Insert the RED probe into the P8 connector at the RED wire. The reading on the multimeter should be +5 volts

Check the power going to the Motherboard connections by inserting the RED probe into P8 at the YELLOW wire and you should get +12 volts.Leave the BLACK wire touching the black wire at the P8 connector.Check the BLUE wire and the reading should be a -12 volts.

Now move the BLACK probe to the BLACK wire on the P9 connector.Test the WHITE wire by inserting the RED probe and the reading should be -5 volts.Check the RED wires on the P9 connector and you should get +5 volts on each red wire.You won't get exactly 5 or 12 volts but the readings will be very close, such as 5.02 volts.

If the Power Supply is a couple of volts off,in either direction,such as when the RED wire should be reading -5 volts but it reads -8 volts,or if there are no readings,replace the power supply.

DO NOT remove the power supply from the system unit case when performing these tests.DO NOT perform these tests if you do not feel comfortable.Be sure to remove any and all electrical static build-up from your clothes and body BEFORE touching any parts inside the system unit.And NEVER open the power supply case for any reason,since high voltage may be present.