computer reboots, but not really...

XenogearedXenogeared
edited September 2004 in Hardware
well i'm noticing a small problem here. my computer is rebooting when I play FFXI (it just started doing this so I dont know exactly whats causing this) but it acts just like the reset button was pushed... however the screen stays black as if it's not getting any info from the computer.

so basically its like it's been told to reboot then doesn't...

checked for dust bunnies, no problem there, all fans are spinning.. i dunno :(

specs:

amd xp 2500+
abit nf7
512 mb ram
ati 9700 pro
turtle beach santa cruz
470 watt ps by demon
2 maxtor drives : one 40 gig and one 200 gig

Comments

  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited September 2004
    Ok, possible, barely, the video card is overheating if it has ANY dust in the GPU cooling fan between fan and HS under it. I would also make sure the video card has not come unseated a tiny amount. OTHER possibility is a monitor seeing close to the end of its life, losing sync and XP detecting a video failure (or possibly even the BIOS thinking it has a video failure and causing a reboot that XP is not expecting).

    Note I am not saying you do not try to keep your box squeaky clean, its just that there are places where dust gathers in small amounts that you notice much less often that bite fastest when they are not regularly cleaned also. Where someone tells me this just started to happen, I look at heat and then power issues. I will rule those out, usually finding things that really should be cleaned, and then isolate down to drivers for CHIPSET AGP and video card and monitor inf files for a completely video issue.

    So, some question-and-problem-solving steps to take:

    One, what happens when you turn off the computer next time this happens, and feel teh chips on video card and the GPU HS(gingerly adn for a short time if real hot, you do not want to burn your finger on a GPU HS and a thermal sensor is better for this, or an IR thermometer device will give you better non-contact results and also let you map temps). IF this is a temp issue, could be one of two things-- GPU O\H or GRAM module O\H-- especially if the video card is OC'd.

    NOTE, it is just possible this is a CPU O\H due to dust just under the CPU fan near top of CPU HS cooling fins-- I pull the fan off the CPU HS (gently unscrew the four mount screws or remove the pins holding fan on, then blow out the BARE HS) VERY carefully and clean its underside (side nearest HS body) and the fins near underside of where fan goes when mounted. One clue to this kind of semihidden clogging being there is a fan that is starting to make noise when it is running full speed. Ditto for North Bridge and South Bridge fans (or the other "bridge chip" names you choose to think of if this is a NForce or up NVidia chipset board_ and you have fanned those or the one "bridge" that is not normally fanned.

    This also holds for GPU fans and HS's. A dust layer, even a thin one, under the fan on HS can insulate the GPU (Graphics Processor) on a video card from the cooling airflow produced from the fan. This is bad, the GPU will OH fastest when pushed to full capacity even if not OC'd, and if you OC a video card you need-- if anything-- more than normal cooling, not even a tiny bit less than normal cooling. OCing makes hyperclean machine even more important.

    Now for next usually hidden place for dust that can casue an OH, though this is general OH that is critical for video card because heat rises and fans are on bottom of card when a tower or minitower is upright. Airflow has to come into case to get good flow, right???

    Dust between front panel and front metal of actual case chassis (metal framework and panelling) can clog front vents. Back and top or higher side fans suck dust into box, but after a while can clog front vents in between front panel and front chassis panel. Try examining the case, look for the tangs or screws that hold front plastic or metal panel on and remove it.

    Clean out vents, any front fan filters, and any dust in front case venting or close to or blocking the "slot" at bottom of front panel. This slot like cutout, if that is all you have, on bottom of front plastic or aluminum case panel, is your case air intake. If no good flow in, then case gets hot and back fans and PSU fan get more load, you have negative pressure inside case as opposed to outside case and you get increased strain on the fan bearings on both front and back case fans (top ones also, probably NOT side).

    Look there for hidden dust bunnies, and try decreasing the video card OC some if this is a VERY video intense or high graphics game and is one of the highest graphics and most demanding graphics games you have. IF that fixes the problem soem after cleaning everything SQUEAKY clean in the places I mentioned, I think you need to look at system OC and RAM and check voltage levels.

    IF all those are good, look at drivers for video, anything you have that can OC dynamically for intense graphics, and see if you have a lot of other things running in the background when you are playing this game. Also, do you have XP SP2 running??? There are some bougs in drivers against SP2 and these are just beginning to become obvious. Microsoft now has an XP SP2 LOGO and driver standards tightening for drivers to qualify for XP SP2 adn it shows up as a non-logo notice when you install drivers. There are not many Logo'd drivers for SP2 yet, and some (a trickle so far, probably many more later as XP SP2 starts shipping as STANDARD current new XP) revised drivers for SP2 are coming out in revised form for chipsets and AGP and video cards.
  • XenogearedXenogeared
    edited September 2004
    hmm yeah sp2 is installed, anyways off to check the video card
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