Computer turning itself off on boot-up

Hatake

Hatake

Hatake

Associate
Joined
7 Mar 2005
Posts
197
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
My computer has recently started turning itself off during boot-up and I'm unsure of why its doing this.

I've not installed any new components or anything although I have moved it into a new room a little while ago but I doubt that would have anything to do with it as it was not dropped or anything.

I got a virus a while ago but got some anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed to clean my windows but I think it's more likely to be a hardware problem.

When I press the power button on my computer, everything is starts normal, no beeps or anything, although nothing comes up on the screen but I don't know is it on long enough to actually display anything.

In about 5 to 10 seconds, the computer turns off and when I press the power button again, nothing happens. If I wait a few minutes or turn it off at the plug and then back on and push the power button, the computer powers up again but turns itself off after 5 to 10 seconds.

It does this for a while but sometimes it starts up fine and the computer stays on until I turn it off, so I am totally stumped.

My mate said I might have blown the processor but I haven't done anything that would be likely to fry the thing and it doesn't explain why it sometimes boots up fine and works fine.

I'm thinking it might be a dodgy power unit but I was wanting a more experienced opinion before I go out and buy a new one. Anyone got any ideas on what it might be?
 
Well, it sounds like you may have an infection in your pc. A virus or something simular. Can you try a different Virus program? Which one did you use? Failing that, what are your readings from your PSU?
 
It could be a software problem?

I used McAfee virus scanner to remove the virus and its not detected anything since when the computer decides to boot up.

How would I get readings from my power unit?

When the problem happens, I can't get the computer to stay on for more than 10 seconds at a time so taking any readings when the problem is present will be hard.

I plan to open up my computer later when I get home from work to see if any components or wires have become loose but I don't see how that would be possible.

Seeing as the computer doesn't actually boot-up windows before it turns itself off, I think the problem is mainly hardware.
 
It doesnt sound like a virus or a software fault from the description you give.

Does it access the HDD during the times when it doesnt boot? If not then its something earlier in the boot process causing the problem.

My first thought (as yours) would be to swap out the PSU (borrow one if poss).

After that i woudl say mobo issue - as you arent getting the single BIOS beep that tells you everything is A-OK.

M
 
Last edited:
Thats a good point, I never thought about listening to see if the HDD is accessed or not.

IIRC, I think I heard the DVD drive spinning up just before it turns off. I might try disconnecting the optical drive and then see what happens.

On a side note though, what would be the symptoms of a broken processor?
 
hatake said:
Thats a good point, I never thought about listening to see if the HDD is accessed or not.
Click to expand...

A HDD LED on the case would tell you this also (if you have one).

hatake said:
IIRC, I think I heard the DVD drive spinning up just before it turns off. I might try disconnecting the optical drive and then see what happens.
Click to expand...
Might be a drive problem - worth a shot...

hatake said:
On a side note though, what would be the symptoms of a broken processor?
Click to expand...

It woudlnt work at all, and you'd get a beep code form your mobo to tell you it was broken i believe.

M
 
thanks for the quick reply but when you say wouldn't work at all do you mean the computer wouldn't even power up when the button is pressed or do you mean it would hang on start-up with the BIOS beep?
 
hatake said:
thanks for the quick reply but when you say wouldn't work at all do you mean the computer wouldn't even power up when the button is pressed or do you mean it would hang on start-up with the BIOS beep?
Click to expand...


Sorry - that was poorly put.

It would 'hang' and give you the BIOS beep, yes.

M
 
No worries. Thanks for your help, it's a relief to hear it's unlikely that the processor is broken from the problems I've described.

But then again, if it's the power unit, when my computer does decide to boot up fully, why doesn't it turn itself off when I'm using it?

Is it because the PSU is possibly faulty and not just underpowered or just the first few minutes of boot-up require more wattage?
 
hatake said:
Is it because the PSU is possibly faulty and not just underpowered or just the first few minutes of boot-up require more wattage?
Click to expand...

You are extending beyond my meagre knowledge...but

HDDs spinning up DO require more power, and GFx card fans often come on at full power until initialised so bootup could use more power from that perspective.

I was personally thinking of an intermittent PSU fault tho...

M
 
yeah, I'm thinking a faulty PSU too.

I think the lack of wattage thing is just hopeful thinking lol. Thanks again.
 
This is a long shot too, but perhaps when you moved your PC, you unseated the heatsink and the PC is turning itself off as a precaution to stop the processor getting too hot. Although in this scenario I would expect you to hear certain beeping messages from the motherboard.

What I would say to do is disconnect all the non-essential pieces of hardware. So - disconnect any CD Rom drives, secondary hard drives, etc. Also, try with only one stick of RAM (if you have two), or try the RAM in a different configuration (i.e. swap the DIMMS). Try to isolate the problem in other words.

If you don't get any joy that way, your best bet is to try and borrow a PSU from a mate or something, you don't want to fork out £50+ for a new one and find that it was never the problem in the first place.

Also - disconnect every connecting lead inside the PC and reseat it. Give the heat sink a wiggle and a push, make sure it's firmly secured. Push all the PCI-e/AGP/PCI cards into their sockets nice and firm.

It would be lovely if your problem is just a loose connection and in my experience this has happened to me before. It's a relief I hope you can share!

Good luck.
 
If it shuts down straight after you start it up its quite possible something is loose or overheating (could be caused from being loose), could be anything from a slightly loose graphics card to the heatsink getting knocked.

Unplug everything and put it back piece by piece as suggested, but may be worth just double checking all the connections to the slots etc...
 
Well I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to the PSU. I took the computer apart and cleaned everything, made sure everything was properly seated, all the fans were running, and unplugged everything to clean the connectors before reconnecting. No problems there apart from the usual gathering of dust on stuff.

My computer starts up fine now but the PSU makes a horrible buzzing sound until a few minutes after windows has completely started up. The PSU fan was clear of foreign objects as well.

Either way, it doesn't sound particularly good or healthy. Even though my computer boots up now, with previous behaviour and now this loud buzzing noise, albiet for a few minutes, I think its probably best to change the PSU.
 
Maybe best just to admitt defeat and take it to a repair place. After all if it's not the psu, you've just spent wasted money. That is unless you have access to various components so you can test things by substitution.
 
Well if I take it to a repair place, I have no guarantee that the person taking my computer is going to be able to identify the exact problem or are they just gonna tell me I need to replace X amount of parts for an overpriced amount +labour.

It's the PSU that makes the horrible noise on initial startup and is the only plausabe reason I can see for my computer to turn off on startup. Everything else sounds healthy and when my computer does boot-up, nothing stops working. I'm almost positive it's a faulty PSU thats causing the erratic startup.

Plus, either way I'll be changing the PSU due to the noise its recently started making anyway. That noise can't be healthy so if my computer is still erratic after the swap, I won't have really wasted any money and I can start looking for the problem again.

Thanks for the concern though :)
 
Strange that it happened just after you moved it.
Gotta double check all devices are correctly seated and no cables of any kind are loose. or something is possibly touching something else?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom