Need urgent help please, PC won't boot

[Lee James]

My PC has been slow in recent months, sometimes slow to boot, sometimes errors saying "CPU over temperature". Windows sometimes grinds to a complete halt when running Firefox. The machine also seems to work better when I unplug a few of my hard drives. (I made an earlier thread about this.)

But things have now taken a much worse turn and I need URGENT help! When I switch my PC on, it only boots for a few seconds then shuts down. A moment later it will start up again then shut down even quicker than the last time. I've got it to boot right now, but this is rare.

I'm guessing this must be a hardware problem, since the time it lasts before shutting down is different every time, sometimes it only starts for a fraction of a second.

Please, does anyone know what hardware might be failing? I would guess PSU but I don't know.

 

[Minibiker]

You've stated that the PC has said it's the CPU temperature so I'm guessing you need to start by taking the cooler off and repasting the CPU, cleaning radiators (if you have them)

What sort of CPU cooler have you got installed?

 

[Mattus]

I've looked at the other thread and think you should start by stripping the system down to the essentials - CPU, 1 stick of RAM, 1 HDD, graphics card, no unnecessary cards / peripherals. If it still doesn't boot then it is one of those core components and you can swap things out. If it boots with the basic config then you can add things back until you find the issue.

Process of elimination is the way to go. I see it's a 12 year old machine and wouldn't be surprised if it's the motherboard. These things do have a lifespan.

(edit) Can you also go into the BIOS and check the CPU temperature? I'd be surprised if CPU is over temperature when the machine has just been turned on, unless the CPU cooler is not attached properly.

 

[Lee James]

Thanks for the replies, guys! All extremely helpful advice!

For the reference, my PSU is 450 watts and I normally have 6 HDDs installed, so maybe this is pushing things a little?

you should start by stripping the system down to the essentials - CPU, 1 stick of RAM, 1 HDD, graphics card, no unnecessary cards / peripherals.

I don't have any additional peripherals and I've already stripped it down to just one hard drive, but I will definitely try taking out all the RAM sticks except one, good idea! I forget that RAM sticks each require power.

you can swap things out. If it boots with the basic config then you can add things back until you find the issue.

Unfortunately I don't have any extra hardware lying around to swap things out, or I would have done that!

I'm guessing you need to start by taking the cooler off and repasting the CPU, cleaning radiators (if you have them)

What sort of CPU cooler have you got installed?

Thanks! When I bought the hardware I was looking for a really quiet system, so the motherboard is an old ASUS P7P55D iP55 with an integrated heatsink system, and a fan with "active cooling". I don't know what this means but I think it's meant to be low power and quiet. It's been a while since I bought any thermal paste but I will have to get some so I can take your advice and re-paste the CPU.

Thank you guys!

 

[EsaT]

For the reference, my PSU is 450 watts and I normally have 6 HDDs installed, so maybe this is pushing things a little?

HDDs don't push anything, except during spin up when they can draw over 20 watts. (some up to 30W)

But that old PSU is well past its intended life time at least if you're enthusiast/power user with lots of daily usage hours.
Also 450W doesn't mean anything certain without actual model name.

 

[pc-guy]

I used to get “CPU over temperature” from a work computer constantly and then it fail to boot and the IT manager said the PC died. It was really old core2duo. Anyway I think you would be better off getting something a bit more capable.