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Brew Man
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Posted: Thu Dec 13th, 2007 17:27 |
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Hey,
PC is starting up by itself,if you connect to internet it shuts down by itself in awhile.If you start pc and connect it stays on like it should, till you sign off and shut down.Anyone know whats up,it's also running pretty slow.
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Brew Man
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Posted: Sat Dec 15th, 2007 17:19 |
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Hey,
Computer is starting to shut down when you are usung it. I figured the added info might help.
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Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Fermented Grand Master of Appliantology
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Posted: Sat Dec 15th, 2007 17:58 |
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| May be a flakey power supply-- I've had this problem on several PCs. Or could be a virus in your PC. I'll tell you the same thing Microsleaze tech support will tell you: re-install the operating system. Doesn't that suck? That's why I went Mac two years ago and haven't looked back. Leaving the Windoze world and going to Macs was like breaking out of jail.
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rofiguer
Apprentice Appliantologist
| Joined: | Sat Dec 15th, 2007 |
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Posted: Sun Dec 16th, 2007 16:03 |
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If your system is connected to the Internet via an ethernet cable you may want to check to see if the "Wake On LAN" feature is enabled in the BIOS. This is an advanced feature that will allow a System/Network Admin to turn machines on and off for remote maintenance. This feature can also be used to by hackers to gain access to a machine, so its best to have this feature disabled if not needed (most home users will not need it). In your case, if it is indeed connected to some network the system may just be getting some random system causing it to "wake up" (a few years back several updates were released to correct this problem for multiple PC manufacturers). This can be done from the advanced settings in the BIOS. Different systems have different ways to access the BIOS, so you'll have to bring out that owners manual to see how to access yours (if you provide the type of computer we can look that up). Disable it and see if the problem persists.
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pmik
Apprentice Appliantologist
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Posted: Sun Dec 16th, 2007 21:34 |
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Sensei Samurai is probably correct.
A bad power supply will do exactly what you describe.
Replace it and all will likely be well.
Make sure you get exactly the same voltage/wattage/ and Amps or you will fry the motherboard.
Power supplies are fairly cheap,probably around $40.
Also, please use at least a surge protector to protect against transient voltage and current variations which can ultimately fry or slowly destroy a power supply.If you get an inexpensive UPS[uniterruptible power supply] which is basically a battery that plugs into the wall and your computer plugs into the UPS, it *may* also condition the power to eliminate or reduce high/low voltages.APC is a brand that is reliable for example.Most office supply stores carry UPS.
I live high in the Sierra Nevada and our utility supplied is power is horrible.It has high and low voltages like you wouldn't believe, and this wreaks havoc on the my network and the many computers I manage for a local town.Everything goes through at least a conditioner/ surge protector or UPS.
arigato and gokouun o inorimasu
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-Patrick
http://www.tahoecomputech.com
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Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Fermented Grand Master of Appliantology
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Posted: Mon Dec 17th, 2007 14:13 |
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Hey, Patrick, nice pictures on your home page and contact page. 
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Keinokuorma
Sublime Master of Appliantology
| Joined: | Mon Jun 26th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Dec 18th, 2007 03:16 |
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pmik wrote: Sensei Samurai is probably correct.
Most likely yes, I suspect the PSU too.
If it does that with the network cable detached, it is unlikely to be the WOL function. Which is mostly useless anyway. Either disable if from the Setup menu, or remove the wire from between the LAN and mobo, or turn the jumper off on the mobo, whatever the method. If the computer turns on on its own volition even then, I suspect the PSU first. 7 of 10 cases in my history have been solved with new PSU, the rest mostly had flaky capacitors on the mobo.
Make sure you get exactly the same voltage/wattage/ and Amps or you will fry the motherboard.
Input voltage from the mains must match, yes, but most PSU's are now international and rather omnivorous, will run off of 120ish ar 240ish Volt systems regardless of frequency... mostly with a hand set switch, but some newer ones work with anything between those (or closely around) without user intervention.
Otherwise, as long as the voltages for the mobo are correct and there is enough reserve wattage output, the system will take care of the amperes. You can wire a new 600W supply to an old P200 motherboard, and it will probably work just fine, while you can't run a modern system off of the 175W supply from the old P200.
Even if the modern system consumed no more than 150W mean power, it will draw peak load which will far more than exceed the capacity of the old supply. The 175W supply is thus more likely to blow the new mobo, than the 600W one to blow the old board. If the secondary circuit FETs give way, you may be feeding 24 to 60V to the 12 and 5V inputs (yes the PSU chops such a high voltage to a low voltage, by PWM, producing RMS 12V and 5V voltages etc).
Matching the supply too closely to the mean power of the system is one reason why they go bad. Even if they survived the peak load for a year or two, maybe even five, the underrated semiconducotrs as well as other parts will grow old. They no more switch as swift, no more pass as much current, or hold as much voltage back. They will eventually get smoked if constantly maxed out. It is better to have reserve than shortage.
If you get an inexpensive UPS ... it *may* also condition the power to eliminate or reduce high/low voltages. APC is a brand that is reliable for example.Most office supply stores carry UPS.
Good advice there. Most UPS devices contain a surge protector wired in BEFORE the battery backup circuitry anyway, and most now have also outlets that bypass the battery but are surge protected. Good for connecting a laser printer or such high peak load device that the backup can't deal with. BUT, no good for connecting a coffee maker and vacuum cleaner like a friend of mine did. D'OH!
Note though, like you said, they *MAY* condition the power. Some of the cheapest UPS devices will not produce very pure power at all times. A pure sine wave output from battery backup would require a more sophisticated and expensive circuit than the usual, which produces "modified sine wave". That is technically some 70 to 75 per cent wide bipolar pulse wave at the nominal peak voltage of the power network. This would give out RMS voltage roughly the same as the sinus wave of the network, and thus be sufficient for the modern omnivorous PSU. You may encounter trouble with highly inductive loads employing a conventional transformer, induction motor, or fluorescent light etc. However the PC PSU is a capacitive load and will compensate the parallel inductive loads to an extent.
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"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
- Ken Olson, Digital Equipment Corporation (1977)
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Brew Man
Master Appliantologist
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Posted: Wed Dec 26th, 2007 17:03 |
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Hey,
Thanks for the input everyone,I'll let you know what happens.When the power supply was mentioned I thought you were talking about the surge protector.
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ether.real
Apprentice Appliantologist
| Joined: | Sun Aug 20th, 2006 |
| Location: | Nampa, Idaho USA |
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Posted: Tue Jan 8th, 2008 02:10 |
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A bad PSU will explain the random power offs but not the random power ons. WOL might explain the random power on, however this usually not enabled by default, especially on an OEM system like Gateway.
Because he has both issues, I wonder if it is a bad power switch on the case. It is rare for one to go bad, but it does fit the symptoms.
So, here is a question for the OP:
When it powers off, does it shut straight off, or does it go through the shutdown sequence?
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Keinokuorma
Sublime Master of Appliantology
| Joined: | Mon Jun 26th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Jan 8th, 2008 19:05 |
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A bad PSU can cause spontaneus power-ons, sometimes partial so that all of the sudden you have 12V but no 3.3 or 5V, etc... I had one that did this. Changing the PSU solved the problem, I certified by plugging the old one to another motherboard, where it did the same thing.
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"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
- Ken Olson, Digital Equipment Corporation (1977)
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ether.real
Apprentice Appliantologist
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Posted: Tue Jan 8th, 2008 19:57 |
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| In all my years of PC repair, I have not seen one do this, so I would say its a pretty rare occurance. In order for the PSU to randomly power on, the 5VSB rail would have to be intermittently shorting to ground somewhere. Not impossible, but unlikely.
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