computer randomly restarts

[bigdaveangell]

A few days ago my computer started to restart randomly. I havent installed anything new or changed anything. Any ideas what could be the problem. After it restarts I get a message saying the computer has recovered from a fatal error. Im scanning for virus and spyware now but other than that I dont know what to do.

[texasboy]

Dave I also had this problem a while back After running through several checks it was put down to corrupt xp boot file.
All I did was use xp cd to boot and used the option "repaiir" and it cleared up the problem.
Hope this helps
cheers

[Quantum]

Well if it doesn't happen again, don't worry about it.

If XP knows it has crashed then that means you got a BSOD (though some times you don't see them they are do fast). BSOD are generally caused by driver errors.

[texasboy]

Dave, did you get your problem sorted.
cheers

[bigdaveangell]

It hasnt restarted since I posted this. I didnt do anything.

[TheNightWatchman]

This used to happen to me on my old PC.
It is possible that your computer is overheating?

[Synbios]

This could happen for a bunch of reasons.
As EB has pointed out, this could happen from a computer overheating.

Also, it could be a quick BSOD, a driver error, or a windows error.

I hope it doesn't happen again, good luck.

[chip!]

Yeah.. overheating is a real problem that causes random issues. What kind of computer is it? Other things to look at would be if its a faulty power supply or you could run a RAM test..

[bigdaveangell]

Its a compaq desktop. I havent had any problems with random restarts since I posted. I dont know what the problem was but it seems to be gone.

[bigt304]

Yes...a BSOD can be vague in trying to resolve issues.  If the computer restarts from immediately after a BSOD, you can change your Windows settings not to reboot in XP ==> Right-click My Computer -> Select Properties -> Select Advanced Tab -> Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings -> uncheck Automatically restart from System failure section...Now if you get a BSOD again, you can google the error message or go to the microsoft.com website.

Additionally, you can use a boot cd to test hardware such as your RAM, HDD, CPU, etc.  There are several out there, but I like using the UltimateBootCD = http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

good luck

[rob5150]

i had the same problem my pc would restart every 3 to 7  days
i was going nuts
until i remembered the built in windows tool
goto control panel > double click administrative tools
open event viewer
on the left pane highlight system
check the right pane window for errors double click
should help some it said my hard drives were timing out and had to recover
so i changed drives and it still done it
but it turned out to be my psu the wires that where feeding the hard drive were loose
and turning off my hard drives causing a restart
the psu is the heart of a pc

[billyfridge]

my problem is the opposite, my PC randomly turns itself off. It wont restart off the switch, I have to unplug for a minute or two, then it will restart. It did it last night when i was watching...errr..Iceage 3, it's a bloody nuisance.....I think my power pack is going......any ideas guys??

also i'm trying to put films etc, that i've d/loaded, on a CD/DVD so i can watch them on the DVD player in my bedroom.
I d/loaded 'dvdflick' and tried one for the first time last night.....nothing......the cd loaded (taking longer than usual) then the message 'cannot play this cd'. i recoded the video file to MPEG-2 and dvdflick loaded the file on the new cd in about 25mins, everything looked ok, so i dunno...........
what video files do you put on dvd's etc, mpeg 1or2, svcd, wmv, there are so many?

[peacefulguy]

Hi Billy, I use a program called WinAVI video convertor, to convert my movies to a .avi file or other format, then burn it to disk using Nero. It also depends on your dvd player, wether it will play copied disks. I have 1 that does and one that doesn't. Good luck 

Peacefulguy

[billyfridge]

Hi Billy, I use a program called WinAVI video convertor, to convert my movies to a .avi file or other format, then burn it to disk using Nero. It also depends on your dvd player, wether it will play copied disks. I have 1 that does and one that doesn't. Good luck 

Peacefulguy

thanx Peaceful, i will d/l it and see how i go on

[texasboy]

   Billy, how many times have I told you that those "Ice age " movies eat up a lot of yer HD, and you may be a victim of natural overheating. Put a blind over your eyes every 5 minutes to ease the pain.
cheers