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  1. Default Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    I'm hoping some people can give me some ideas on what to tell my brother in regards to his computer. He texted me about an hour ago in regards to his computer shutting down every 20 minutes or so with no errors or anything like that. Please note that I have no ability to go down there and diagnose any issues myself(He lives over an hour away from me and I don't have the time to go down there anytime soon), so I'm going purely on what he says to help figure out what is wrong.

    This is the conversation I just had with him:
    Him: "Hey, I need your help...my computer just randomly resets...and sometimes won't even turn on...lights on the motherboard are on...any ideas?"
    Me: "Are the lights on the motherboard always on?"
    Him: "Yea, and the monitor stays on...so it's not the house power." (Note: He was having some power issues with flickering lights and TVs and stuff, so that's why he mentions it not being the house power.)
    Me: "How long does the computer usually stay on for before it crashes?"
    Him: "Twenty minutes? Give or take...it doesn't crash like software (BSOD I think is what he means) it just turns off."

    I could get more information from him if necessary, but from what he was saying I suspect it might be the PSU, I'm wondering what everyone else thinks. The lights on the motherboard tells me that it's a "receiving power" light and that everything is okay from the motherboard side of things, if it's always on that makes me think that there's nothing wrong with his motherboard. In addition, the PSU he has now is an old one he found in our basement after his last one shorted out. This makes me think that the old one is starting to go as well.

    I suggested to him that he could test voltages on the PSU with a voltage tester (He's a mechanic, so he has one), however I don't remember how to do that or what voltages to expect, so I don't know if he will or has the ability to find out how.

    Wondering what anyone else thinks, I can get more information if necessary however he mentioned that he doesn't know the specs off hand and with it turning off like that he doesn't want to turn it on unnecessarily to find out.

    Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks in advance.

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    Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    Does the shutdown happens instantaneously or like a regular windows shutdown? If its the latter, checking on windows power plans to look if he have the auto shutdown on inactivity or something on, if not then its indeed a hardware problem (Like the PSU)

  3. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    Yeah it's definitely instantaneous. He was saying it just turns off with no warning or anything. It definitely seems hardware related, and considering the old PSU that's why I'm leaning towards the PSU. I just don't want to go off of a whim, have him buy a PSU, and it not be the issue, which is why I made this thread.

  4. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    Overheating due to dust or dying PSU

  5. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    processor fan

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    Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    If its overheating, it should say after you boot it again... He should prolly check the bios setting or install a tool to check Processor Heat just to be sure

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    Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    Yeah first thign I would do is rule out overheating. Use like HWmonitor to read temperatures. the saftey limit for most computers is usually around 105 celcius before auto shut down activates to preserve the chip. A good rule of thumb to possibly find out if its overheating is if the fan is not on at all, or the fan is spinning rapidly.

  8. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    Ah, yes, thanks guys. I never considered overheating.

    I recommended he blow out the dust with compressed air, and then use this to keep an eye on temperatures and see what temperature it shuts down at.

    Thanks a lot, I'll update this thread as I learn more.

  9. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    if it turns out it's not from overheating, it is most likely your power supply. My previous one would turn on for anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours, and would then completely shut down. Got it replaced, and the problem vanished.

  10. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    +1 for overheating. More than likely its hitting TJ max and cuts out to save itself. My old laptop did the same thing. No BSOD or anything just *bwoooop* dead.

  11. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    So he responded to me a few hours ago with the following message:

    "Had it off all day, I came home, blew it out, but it still wouldn't even turn on at all. I kept hitting on and it turned on but shut off before it could even get to Windows."

    If the fan on the processor died, that wound probably still support the shutting down...but not even turning on at all? Starting to sound more like the PSU or Motherboard to me.

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    Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    If the pc checks the bios setting then its almost certainly it isn't the motherboard (maybe). Did you tell your brother to keep the computer with the case open to see if the Processor Fan is running? Did he clean the dust of the processor too?

    Edit: Does the PSU feels extremely hot after shutting down?

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    Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    I had very similar symptoms when my CPU was overheating. I'd suggest using some monitoring software like HWmonitor as suggested (if he's able to turn it on). Keep in mind, these programs are not always accurate.

    The best answer would be to get a DMM with a heat probe and check it out, especially if it no longer fully boots.

    Alternatively, he can go out and buy a new PSU from RadioShack or wherever and swap them just for diagnostic purposes. Return it if it doesn't help.

    My best guess is the CPU is overheating.

  14. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    I asked if the CPU fan was still turning on when he finally got it on today, and he said yes. This leads me to believe that it's not overheating, because it was off all day and wouldn't even turn on right away. Why would overheating prevent it from turning on at room temperature? It really seems to me at the moment like the PSU can barely provide the necessary power to turn on, and then afterwards cannot maintain that level and it turns off due to lack of proper power supply.

    I advised that he not try to turn it on again until he replaces the power supply or tests the voltage on the one he has now, because a lack of proper powering can cause other parts to short out and break (something I've experienced myself).

    The worst comes to worst, he can indeed just return the PSU if it doesn't fix it.

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    Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    I don't have an adequate explanation; I can only say the exact same thing happened to me. My computer initially had similar inexplicable power loss after a period of time 10-15min. I attempted to diagnose the problem using various hardware monitor programs and came up with nothing unusual. The status then deteriorated until I could not power on the computer at all because it would fail to boot, getting as far as the Windows logo at best.

    At this point, I attempted to replace the power supply which did nothing. I then broke out my DMM to try and determine if there was a short somewhere along the line (there wasn't). After much frustration and head scratching I noticed some slight discoloration near the CPU fan and decided to use a heat probe when I turned it on.

    Despite several software programs reporting normal temperatures, the CPU sensor area was reaching over 100 C and simply reporting it incorrectly. It's rather remarkable the safety shut down functioned properly.

    If I had to guess the exact cause, repeated shut downs due to overheating triggered some secondary precaution related to fan monitoring. It seems a bit far fetched, but simply swapping fans did the trick and I've been fine ever since. If I were less frustrated and more inquisitive at the time, I might have tried simply unplugging and reattaching the fan to see if that allowed the OS to boot.

    It could easily be the power supply; I just wouldn't rule out overheating until actually tested.

  16. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    I'll definitely keep that in mind, thanks for the info. I didn't think something like that could happen, although it does seem like a pretty weird and unique case. My brother said that he's going to get a new PSU, and if that doesn't help it he can just return it and I'll mention this to him and see what he thinks.

    I'm hoping it's just the PSU, because that's a rather simple thing to fix in comparison to what other things could be the cause.

  17. Default Re: Computer Shutting Down After ~20 min.


    Hey guys, sorry for the late reply.

    My brother mentioned to me earlier this week that installing a new PSU has fixed his issue. Thanks to everyone for your input!

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