Problem with a computer. help please

[dantheman420]

hey i have a buddy that has a hp computer (1st mistake, i know lol) that is shutting itself off every 5 to 10 min. Sounds to me that it could be a problem with the power supply or video card over heating.

 

I just wanted to see what you guys think it could be or what not.

[Guest louise]

Could be anything

 

Power

Drivers

Bad RAM

 

i would change all the ram first then go from there

[ECF]

Bad RAM would most likely show immediately on startup. I would replace the power supply. If that does not work you could have a bad motherboard.

[pjdaley]

I would take it a step further. If it is idling and shutting down every 5-10 minutes, it is most likely caused by a heat issue, maybe the heat sink is not properly put on, no thermal grease or too little amount. Could be poor circulation, see if you can increase the speed of the CPU fan in the BIOS.

 

Try pulling the ram out one stick at a time, this will tell you if its bad, or go to http://www.ultimatebootcd.com and try ram tests.

 

You would easily be able to tell if the power supply is not giving your mother board enough power by looking in bios (most modern bios will show live stats for this)

 

The last thing you should do is replace the power supply or mother board, you should first make sure everything is plug in, and pushed in firmly, then make sure all fans are working, and get this: http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php this will tell you live stats about your temp as well as fan speeds, mother board info, smart info for hard drives, etc..

 

Exhaust every option before replacing anything. I have seen way to many "techs" replacing things, and wasting money, when they could spend an extra 5-10 minutes and troubleshoot for free.

[dantheman420]

Ok that sounds good. Thanks for the help. Ill keep you guys updated

[Dan M]

Did the video card or CPU come with the PC?

 

If not, it's probably down to lack of space and airflow. HP chassis' don't have that much room iirc; I had the same problem a few years back.

[pjdaley]

Did the video card or CPU come with the PC?

 

If not, it's probably down to lack of space and airflow. HP chassis' don't have that much room iirc; I had the same problem a few years back.

 

True, I forgot, make sure the motherboard has spacer under it , so that the motherboard is not screed directly to the case, can cause a short..... seen that one too many times too....

[Dan M]

True, I forgot, make sure the motherboard has spacer under it , so that the motherboard is not screed directly to the case, can cause a short..... seen that one too many times too....

Can cause a fire also