My PC turns off?

[who6489]

I was wondering if anyone can help me. My tower just turns off, as if I unplugged it from the wall. It happens all the time. Now it's getting worse. It'll stay on for about 10-20 minutes at a time. Sometimes when I try to turn it back on, it goes on for a second and then off again.
What is doing this and how do I fix it?
Thanks

[Sue_Bender]

I was wondering if anyone can help me. me tower just turns off, as if I unplugged it from the wall. It happens all the time. Now it's getting worse. It'll stay on for about 10-20 minutes at a time. Sometimes when I try to turn it back it, it goes for a second and then off again.
What is doing this and how do I fix it?
Thanks




Perhaps it's developed taste.

[KingGeno]

It completely shuts off, or does it blink off and then reboots? That could be an indication of a failing power supply.

[Hottub]

My first guess would be your power supply is crapping out. You can pick up a new one for cheap at your local shop. Or check newegg or tigerdirect.

[drjoek]

Sounds like a problem with the fan overheating. Should be simple to repair

[KingGeno]

Yea, power supplies are pretty cheap. Few things you can try:

UNplug the power plug from the back of the tower, and hold the power button in for about 20 seconds. Should discharge any residual power left in it.

-or-


Unplug your computer COMPLETELY from the wall
Open the computer's case (as long as it won't avoid the warranty, would say something on tower or receipt when purchased)
The power supply is the big unit in the tower that you'll notice the plug lugs into, and has tons of wires coming out of it. Look for the one connected to your mother board
Unplug this big plug, and examine the plugs insidea nd out and look for any sign of brown or burning look. Smell and see if it smells like burn. Do not lick the plug.


Most likely it is the power supply. Ya gotta keep that fan on the outside to it as clean and clear of debris as possible. Bring the power supply with you to your comp store, and pick up another. SHould be on average 30-50 bucks.

[KnoxHarrington]

Software failures (i.e. the Blue Screen of Death) usually lead to a reboot, not a total shutdown like that, so I'm thinking dying power supply as well.

It's a cheap and easy fix. Do it yourself; don't give those idiots at "Geek Squad" a damn dime.

[KingGeno]

It's a cheap and easy fix. Do it yourself; don't give those idiots at "Geek Squad" a damn dime.

This man knows what he is talking about. It is an easy fix, it will help you to start to understand the inner workings of computers, , and increase penis length.

Geek Squad is the biggest rip-off I've ever seen.

[KnoxHarrington]

This man knows what he is talking about. It is an easy fix, it will help you to start to understand the inner workings of computers, , and increase penis length.

Geek Squad is the biggest rip-off I've ever seen.

I was standing in line to return something at Best Buy. At this location, the Geek Squad guy is right next to customer service, so I could hear what they were saying to customers.

I heard them selling one guy on "virus protection" -- that is, they'd "secure" his computer against viruses for him. For the low, low price of $75. I felt like screaming at the guy "JUST FUCKING DOWNLOAD AVAST AND SPYBOT FOR FREE! GET OUT OF HERE! RUN!"

But I also wanted to get my money back for the piece of shit I'd bought, so I kept my mouth shut. Oh well.

[KingGeno]

I was standing in line to return something at Best Buy. At this location, the Geek Squad guy is right next to customer service, so I could hear what they were saying to customers.

I heard them selling one guy on "virus protection" -- that is, they'd "secure" his computer against viruses for him. For the low, low price of $75. I felt like screaming at the guy "JUST FUCKING DOWNLOAD AVAST AND SPYBOT FOR FREE! GET OUT OF HERE! RUN!"

But I also wanted to get my money back for the piece of shit I'd bought, so I kept my mouth shut. Oh well.

Dood. I've been in Best Buy before, and I'm usually around that area listening in. Us tech guys tend to do that. I've heard just what you described, and I have stopped people before. I got some business out of it, too.

[who6489]

I had a feeling it was the power supply. Do they come with all the wires or do I have to transfer them?

[PapaBear]

I had a feeling it was the power supply. Do they come with all the wires or do I have to transfer them?
Most of them probably come with more wires than your original has. It's definitely cheaper to get them from a place like newegg, than in the store (unless you need it right away). I've bought a couple of Ulta XFinity power supplies and I love them. Lots of power, low noise, and the wiring is designed to allow for better air flow.

[Fez4PrezN2008]

I had a feeling it was the power supply. Do they come with all the wires or do I have to transfer them?
They come with all the wires attached and they are not too bad to replace. Same thing happend to me once and it turned out that the plastic housing for the little fan on my graphics card had actually melted (damn you Call of Duty2) and the GPU fan had stopped running some my graphics card was over heating and the system was shutting it down. Might check that first. If you do get a new power supply unit be sure to get one with a little more wattage than the old one in case too much draw was causing your system to become unstable. I didn't see in your post what you are running, but probably safe w/ a 500+ watt power supply if its a pretty standard set up. Good luck, keep us posted...

[Fez4PrezN2008]

Most of them probably come with more wires than your original has. It's definitely cheaper to get them from a place like newegg, than in the store (unless you need it right away). I've bought a couple of Ulta XFinity power supplies and I love them. Lots of power, low noise, and the wiring is designed to allow for better air flow.
Besides newegg compare prices at TigerDirect.com and Geeks.com














(yeah, I'm a nerd)

[Fez4PrezN2008]

Yea, power supplies are pretty cheap. Few things you can try:

UNplug the power plug from the back of the tower, and hold the power button in for about 20 seconds. Should discharge any residual power left in it.

-or-


Unplug your computer COMPLETELY from the wall
Open the computer's case (as long as it won't avoid the warranty, would say something on tower or receipt when purchased)
The power supply is the big unit in the tower that you'll notice the plug lugs into, and has tons of wires coming out of it. Look for the one connected to your mother board
Unplug this big plug, and examine the plugs insidea nd out and look for any sign of brown or burning look. Smell and see if it smells like burn. Do not lick the plug.
Most likely it is the power supply. Ya gotta keep that fan on the outside to it as clean and clear of debris as possible. Bring the power supply with you to your comp store, and pick up another. SHould be on average 30-50 bucks.
TigerDir (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2707943&CatId=1079)ect has some nice how-to advice sections too...

[who6489]

thanks for the info. I'll let ya know what happens:clap:

[ANC]

Is it a Dell GX270 or 280 by any chance? There is a known issue where the capacitators on the motherboard are faulty and they corrode and rupture. If this is the case, dell will either send you a new motherboard or dispatch a tech to do it for you.

[KingGeno]

They do have recalls out on Manufacturer PCs all the time. If it is a manufacturer pc, I'd call that dealer and find out if it could be something they wil lfix for free. Never hurt to try.

[Willmore]

If you get a new power supply, make sure it has more wattage than the last one - you could have been running out of juice, if you added new componenets to the PC lately.

[reillyluck]

thanks for the info. I'll let ya know what happens:clap:

the same thing is happening to my tower.

im going to take it apart to see if i can actually do this. :surrender:

[who6489]

Well, I replaced the power supply & one of the fans. It's been on for over 6 hours, and all is well. The power supply is 350 watt. The old one was 300.

Thanks for the help
:clap::thumbup::smoke:

[PapaBear]

Well, I replaced the power supply & one of the fans. It's been on for over 6 hours, and all is well. The power supply is 350 watt. The old one was 300.

Thanks for the help
:clap::thumbup::smoke:
My 550 watt could beat up your 350 watt. Glad it worked!:thumbup:

[who6489]

I was gonna go for higher wattage, but I don't do alot of gaming or any major stuff, so this should be ok, I hope:wink:

[TonyStark]

Yeah, you should be fine, that's good though, there's nothing worse than having the thing shut off when you're using it.

[MobCounty]

I was gonna go for higher wattage, but I don't do alot of gaming or any major stuff, so this should be ok, I hope:wink:

When is the last time you cleaned it?
Take the door off and blow everything off with canned air. A thick coat of dust can cause overheating that looks like a failing power supply.