PC keeps restarting

Winga

I have most of my PC's running off UPS as the power outs where I am staying is legendry

One of my PC's keeps re-starting when the power goes out and the UPS kicks in, which kinda defeats the purpose. It's probably just a simple Bios setting but I'm out of my depth here.

I have a ASRock P4VM8 moard in this particular machine.
Can anyone point me in the right direction as to solving this problem?

Thanks

Winga

I know I posted this on Sunday with very few viewers online, but it seems to have slipped between the cracks. I would really appreciate any suggestions regarding my problem.

Leonardo

Your guess on BIOS settings being your culprit and answer is probably correct. There is one section in the BIOS called Power Management Setup. Under the AC Power Loss option, you need to select "Last State". My guess is that you have it set to "Power On", which restarts your system. Give it a try.

It's been a while since I've looked at BIOS settings in a fairly current Asus board, so my terminology may be a bit off.

Winga

Thanks for the response.

In my ACPI settings I have a sub menu called: Restore on AC/Power Loss
It only gives me two options. Power Off or Power on.

I have tried both options and the PC still restarts if the UPS kicks in.

Any suggestions on where else to look

profdlp

What UPS software are you using? Is the UPS Service enabled, disabled, or in manual mode?

My dads UPS wouldn't get along with the built-in Windows program. When he installed the software from the UPS manufacturer it worked great. I don't remember for sure, but I think he had to disable the UPS Service to avoid having it conflict with the program.

You could try playing around with different combinations of enabling/disabling the UPS Service, plus try either installing the manufacturer's software or disabling it and using the Windows version. Since what you have now isn't working, any change may be helpful.

Winga

Thanks for the advice prof.

This problem is indeed a strange one. I have two PC's running off this particular UPS and only one of them has the problem. Both computers have XP pro as the OS. Neither of them has the manufacturers software installed (actually I do not remember receiving any disk with the UPS) and the UPS service on both computers is currently stopped. I therefore do not believe it to be a software problem. I have tried different settings in the Bios but have limited knowlege with that and do not like messing around with settings I know little about. Especially in the Bios.

I will keep at it though. Hopefully It will come right. Otherwise I may have to revert back to you guys some time

XPhater

My computer started the restarting thing too which was really scratching my head. Then for some reason I decided to remove the connector of the ribbon cable on the harddrive and spray the connector with TV tuner cleaner and plugged it back in. Bingo, no more restarting. You may want to either replace your ribbon cable or use TV tuner cleaner on the connectors of the one that's on now and see if that helps.

edcentric

My guess is that the one that is restarting has the smaller PSU and weaker onboard power section. It is seeing too much voltage drop and restarting.
I have one computer that is very sensitive to voltage fluxuations.

alexdcd

I protect all my equipment with UPS's and i have never had this problem, all i can suggest is check all your hardware (make sure there are no IRQ conflicts in Bios). If this doesnt work try unplugging the data cable, whether it be com or usb, and try again. Some settings that Ups manufacturers include arent always perfect. Windows is perfectly capable of controlling the UPS. So try uninstalling the software leaving the drivers behind. Did you use the same ups beforehand, then the problem emerged, or has it been a little b*tch from the word go? Good luck

Winga

edcentric wrote:

My guess is that the one that is restarting has the smaller PSU and weaker onboard power section. It is seeing too much voltage drop and restarting.
I have one computer that is very sensitive to voltage fluxuations.

I think you have nailed the problem. I have no software loaded for the UPS. I have no cable plugged into a USB or COMM port so windows will not be able to monitor the UPS anyway. It is dependant purely on the UPS's ability to handle power fluctuations.

I am now convinced after trying all sorts of settings that the problem computer just doesnt like the voltage drop and obviously the UPS is not switching over to battery backup fast enough to prevent the restart

The reason It was confusing me, and maybe I did not make this clear from the beginning, I have 2 computers running off the one UPS.

When the power fails the one stays on and the other restarts go figure.
I guess I will have to buy another UPS as the combined load must be too much for the machine to handle or as edcentric pointed out my power supply just isn't up to scratch. I will have to see which is the cheaper option; replace PSU or get another UPS.

Watch this space....I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks so much for your feedback to date.

Leonardo

If you need to buy a new UPS, do yourself a favor and go for quality. I hate to seem like a shill, but ignore the other brands and get APC. It pays off in the long run. Also, it never hurts to have more reserve power than you think you need, both for AC power (PSU) and DC reserve (UPS).