Computer keeps turning off randomly

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My PC (Windows 7) keeps turning off randomly. As in - I'll be doing a piece of work and the PC will suddenly go off. No shut down process. Just goes off.

I suspect this is because I've relocated my PC upstairs and it gets very warm - particularly in the afternoon. My son's room which is the mirror image of my study is between 25-28 degrees on the afternoon in the current hot weather.

How can I cool my PC down? It sits on a table on it's own. So not surrounded by anything which could impact air flow or on the floor. The fan at the back looks a bit dusty so I'll vacuum that tomorrow. But is there anything else I can do?

I'm happy installing RAM or a new PCI card on my PC. But I'd say I'm very much an amateur so if it's anything too complex I'll call in a "man" ;) <insert pun here>
 
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it could be a thermal shutdown, pop the case off the computer and have a look if the fans and heatsinks are clear of dust. also power the computer on with the case open (carefully) and check all fans are spinning.
 
Even from the outside I can see the fan is a bit dusty so I'll clear that tomorrow. Is it safe to take a domestic vacuum cleaner to the fan without the case on? It certainly looked like the fan was turning earlier - but I'll double check tomorrow. Thanks.
 
How old is it? If its a few months old or more, and previously been sitting on the floor, it could well be full of dust and fluff etc clogging the cpu fan up. Cleaning it out is always a good first step, be careful with the hoover though.

If it still shuts down after being cleaned out download and install this

http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

It should let you know how hot the cpu is getting, if it is still getting hot the only options are more case fans and/or a bigger cpu cooler, if its not getting hot then you might need to get that man in as its somewhat more serious ;).
 
i know people who have used a hoover with no bother, however a lot of static can build up on some nozzles which wil not be good for the inside of a computer.

you could try a brush to break down the clumps so that when the fan comes on it can blow it through more easily.
 
The unit was sitting on the floor up until a couple of months ago. So it may well be clogged. As for the interals ... The computer is a bit of a mishmash tbh. I first bought the original unit about 10 years ago but various bits (possibly all the bits!) have been replaced since. I doubt the fan has ... I can't remember if the motherboard has.

If I'm better not using a domestic vacuum, what's the best thing for a proper clean. I have a can of compressed air but I'm not sure that's safe for using inside the case. Is there something better (bearing in mind the only vaguely technical place in a 50 mile radius is a PC World ... And Argos!).

I'll download that core temp program and see what that throws up. Thanks.
 
not compressed air either personally, moisture in the propellant.

just a brush, old makeup brush etc. id still keep it clear of the circuitry though.

(for the record in 15 years tinkering with computers ive never killed something through static, i dont use earthing devices but i am careful where i poke around)
 
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I'll see if someone I know has one ;) Or maybe a kiddy toothbrush might be more accessible!
 
Ive used compressed air to clear the computers in quarries....man they get thick with dust!!

Never had a problem with it although sometimes inverting the aerosol can cause liquid to spray.

You can have a fan on the power supply, processor, case and I think some graphics cards have them.
 
My computer will shut down occasionally like you describe.....here it is usually due to a brief interruption in the power supply. I did have a ups fitted but the battery is long gone so I just put up with it...happens once or twice a week on average.
 
I *think* I have a fan on the power supply and one on the graphics card. Having just not long installed a new graphics card I'm pretty sure of that.

I'll check tomorrow though. Thanks for the help everyone :)
 
neil_g said:
not compressed air either personally, moisture in the propellant.

just a brush, old makeup brush etc. id still keep it clear of the circuitry though.

(for the record in 15 years tinkering with computers ive never killed something through static, i dont use earthing devices but i am careful where i poke around)
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ditto - **touches wood for next time** - I first got into building pc's and a 2 yr college course 8 years ago when I had same problem - I removed the fan/heatsink, and replaced it without new CPU paste [ :eek: ] because I knew no better - still worked for another 6 years afterwards though :lol: As neil says, best trying a brush first, a good quality flat paint brush works well as the bristles are a bit stiffer. Hold onto metal framework of case with spare hand if you are worried about static.
 
neil_g said:
not compressed air either personally, moisture in the propellant.

just a brush, old makeup brush etc. id still keep it clear of the circuitry though.

(for the record in 15 years tinkering with computers ive never killed something through static, i dont use earthing devices but i am careful where i poke around)
Click to expand...

Static is usually only a problem with CMOS type devices with thin metal oxide gates where a potential difference of several thousand volts (not untypical of a static charge) can 'punch through' - it won't always kill the device but it will weaken it. It's only usually a problem when the devices are out of circuit - once they're plugged or soldered in, the pins are connected to other components that will act as a lower impedance 'pull up' or 'pull down' - this will prevent significant potential differences appearing between pins and protect the devices. Using a vacuum cleaner shouldn't be a problem ;)
 
I've been in the computer game since 1977 and have never had problems with tinned compressed air. Computer duster spray or compressed air is perfectly safe to use in PC's to blow out the fans but beware that the dust should not be breathed in.

Turn off the pc and blast the heck out of all the fans and especially the CPU heatsink. I don't understand why you would remove the cpu heatsink and put more heat sink compound ( CPU paste ) even if you do clean the cpu and heatsink off first. The minute layer supplied on the heatsink is perfectly satisfactory and taking the heatsink off risks breaking the fan retaining lugs or worse pulling the cpu out of it's socket with the risk of bending the pins.

Air duster is designed specifically for the job, it's only downfall is the generation of dry ice which is non conductive.

Just don't hold onto the tin too long it can get down to freezing temperatures.

In case you are interested the dust can be carsonogenic and may contain high levels of bacteria, apart from the fact your snot will turn brown :D
 
AndyB1976 said:
Ive used compressed air to clear the computers in quarries....man they get thick with dust!!

Never had a problem with it although sometimes inverting the aerosol can cause liquid to spray.

You can have a fan on the power supply, processor, case and I think some graphics cards have them.
Click to expand...

We have a quarry on our network and it kills any moving part in a PC and clogs everything else up with horribly fine rock dust (sandstone/mudstone/siltstone). Extremely hostile environments for electronics!
 
Go and ask a shopkeeper to look in the PC's they use for tills, most are kept in the worst of conditions. Ethel Austin pc's used to fill up with fine fibres that turned to felt. They where in a cupboard under the counter near the floor. They got dust and cloth fibres. 6 months and all the vents would be blocked. They never got cleaned out.
I went to a back office PC at a Texaco petrol station yesterday and needed a fine particulate dust mask when I cleaned it out. I used airduster and cleared all the fans, the pc was doing exactly as the OP's pc is doing.

If you have a standard Phoenix style bios it includes a section in the bios setup called PC health that gives you running temperature and fan info. The fan speeds may be really slow through clogging or the CPU temp may be excesively high.

You may have got a bit of software that came with you mainboard that does the same.
 
Islander said:
We have a quarry on our network and it kills any moving part in a PC and clogs everything else up with horribly fine rock dust (sandstone/mudstone/siltstone). Extremely hostile environments for electronics!
Click to expand...

Yeah..no matter how dusty you think your home pc is.....open one from a quarry or concrete plant and you will be amazed at what they can suck in and remain working.

You can shake dust out of them :lol:
 
Islander

I used to have a similar problem at a FADS ( anyone remember them LOL ) that was opposite a builders yard with a readymix cement tower. There was one occasion where damp conditions and cement dust had filled the till with a solid 5mm layer of cement LOL.
 
ChrisH said:
Islander

I used to have a similar problem at a FADS ( anyone remember them LOL ) that was opposite a builders yard with a readymix cement tower. There was one occasion where damp conditions and cement dust had filled the till with a solid 5mm layer of cement LOL.
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We have a wireless WAN running over 10km or so from a hill mast to a monopole and flat antenna on the quarry and it kept dropping out for no apparent reason. A look at the antenna showed it caked with a layer of caked rock dust and clay - every time it rained it absorbed water and a large portion of the available signal :lol:
 
ChrisH said:
Go and ask a shopkeeper to look in the PC's they use for tills, most are kept in the worst of conditions.
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tell me about it i work with the flaming things. theyre always getting completely (and i mean completely, think all space inside the unit full) of that clumpy grey stuff.

carrier bags stuffed down the sides/top/back of the base unit is s great one.. :cuckoo:
 
When I were a lad, we had to get up 2 hours before we went to bed and lick 't road clean with our tongues........... ;)
 
And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.
 
i must admit i am a bit OCD on keeping the comp clean. allways hav been with my 10 years of pc building. with cats about you tend to find their fur gets sucked in quite easily.
 
i have an antec p180 case it has filters but vents on the front of the case which arnt filtered. So tempted to duct tape them up so there is no air moving through them.
 
I find a rocket blower works wonders in blowing dust out of computers.

Realspeed
 
33L said:
i have an antec p180 case it has filters but vents on the front of the case which arnt filtered. So tempted to duct tape them up so there is no air moving through them.
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DON'T!!! its part of the cooling process those vent help with the air flow even if appears to be of no use.

Realspeed
 
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Did you find out what temps you were hitting when running?
I find compressed air fine but can get expensive if you clean out the case often. As said, the rocket blower works brilliantly and never runs out.
Make sure you don't do it in a confined space though as you don't want to be breathing the stuff in!
 
Thanks everyone. It's been cooler the last few days so I haven't had the switching off problem. But I installed core temp and the temperature continually rises the longer the unit is on, sometimes reaching over 100C. I haven't had a chance to take the cover off yet, but will do tomorrow when the baby is at his granny's for the day and is at no risk of trying to "help". Hopefully a good clear out will help.
 
Sounds to me like the cpu fan isn't shifting air or it's no longer attached to the cpu. Running a cpu that hot will kill it.
 
Sounds like it's not seated properly or something. Get some MX-3 or similar and reseat it. As said, you might kill your cpu by letting it run that high.
 
This is all starting to sound very complicated! I think it's might be time to call in a "man"!
 
Ah you haven't moved the heatsink? Then it's probably seated correctly but hasn't been cleaned in ages so it'll definitely benefit from a good dusting and reseating.
 
Right - I've dusted it off using a mixture of vacuum and compressed air *cough* And it appears to be running a lot better.

The "office" is warm today, and I have core temp readings of Core#0 at 49°C (Low 38°C; High 51°C) and Core#1 at 57°C (Low 48°C; High 59°C).

Do these still seem high? If so, what's the next step???

Thanks :)
 
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