[aupilotxp]

My computer just shuts off. I will run it for days straight, and I'll be in the middle of something important and it just shuts off. I try to turn it back on but it starts for a sec and then beeps and shuts off again. The only way I can get it to work is to take the power cord out of the PS for about 5 minutes and then plug it back in. I hear a little pop and it starts fine. If I don't wait a few mins, but try to plug it in, I still hear the pop, but when i start it, it beeps and shuts down again. Once I get it started, it works for a few days and then does it again. I have it plugged into a power strip but im not sure if its a surge protector too. Could that be the problem. It's getting really annoying and the thing is, its hard to diagnose because it only does it every few days. If it happened a few minutes later, I would know right away whether a proposed solution worked or not. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks alot.

Marc Payne

[FTC]

aupilotxp,

I bet either your power supply is heating up/overloading, or ... your CPU is heating up... or you have a bad connection somewhere (power lines). I would do the following :

1. Open it up. Verify all the fans are running fine (CPU, Video, PSU)
2. If not fixed, check and reseat all connectors and cards.
3. If not solved, then look at your PSU (power supply) as main suspect. Verify max. spec wattage per line and try to estimate your power consumption... measure voltages if possible and/or try to swap it for a more powerful one, or reduce power by underclocking or deisconnecting devices..

Hope this helps
Regards
FTC

[Godsmoke]

sounds definately like an overheating problem. and what concerns me more, is it isnt a random reboot, just a shut off. hmmmm. also, that pop youre hearing, that is NOT normal either.

[stool]

Could be the PSU, but if this just started recently, you could be experiencing a heat buildup from dust. Check inside and give everything a good cleaning if needed.

[JimmyG]

It sounds like the PSU to me. The pop could be breakdown of a capacitor. I would try the PSU in another computer or borrow a PSU to put in your computer and run for awhile to see if the problem follows the PSU.