Computer keeps restarting on its own. hoping for some help! - Windows 8.1 x64

[nickrant]

Hey guys, name's Nick. I have been having these problems for a good few months. Initially, it all started by my PC would just freeze/hang and at the same time it would produce a short but sharp sound. After that, I read on forums for solutions to this problem. One thing I did was updating my BIOS to the latest version. It was working fine for a good few hours, and suddenly the computer auto restarts. Ever since then, it has been auto restarting on its own after awhile, from like 15 mins - 30mins. It happens most often when I have my game(Dota 2) turned on. However there were times that the game was not on and I was just browsing the net and it restarted too. I just followed the steps from the sticky, however i am not able to get the perfmon /report. Previously like what i read from previous threads, to uncheck the auto restart thingy under the advanced settings page but the PC still auto reboots. I have also tried uninstalling my video card drivers and installing with the most updated one but to no avail. Right now the computer has been turned on for a good 30mins because i am assuming my game is not running in the background? Really hope someone can help me out with this as I have been annoyed by this issue for a long time. Thank you all so much! Do let me know if you all need other information!

Below are my specs for my comp:
· Windows 8.1
· x64
· Windows 7
· Purchase OEM from retailer.
· Since March 2012
· Upgraded to 8.0 when it first got out, to 8.1 today.

· Intel Core i5-3550 @3.30GHz 3.70GHz
· Sapphire AMD radeon HD 7850
· Gigabytye b75m-d3v f13
· Superflower 550w

Self-made PC. Assembled by retailer.




​

 

[Patrick]

Hi,

Abrupt/random restarting/shutting down is generally faulty RAM or Power Supply. I'd recommend running Memtest for NO LESS than ~8 passes (several hours):

Memtest86+:

Download Memtest86+ here:

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Which should I download?

You can either download the pre-compiled ISO that you would burn to a CD and then boot from the CD, or you can download the auto-installer for the USB key. What this will do is format your USB drive, make it a bootable device, and then install the necessary files. Both do the same job, it's just up to you which you choose, or which you have available (whether it's CD or USB).

Do note that some older generation motherboards do not support USB-based booting, therefore your only option is CD (or Floppy if you really wanted to).

How Memtest works:

Memtest86 writes a series of test patterns to most memory addresses, reads back the data written, and compares it for errors.

The default pass does 9 different tests, varying in access patterns and test data. A tenth test, bit fade, is selectable from the menu. It writes all memory with zeroes, then sleeps for 90 minutes before checking to see if bits have changed (perhaps because of refresh problems). This is repeated with all ones for a total time of 3 hours per pass.

Many chipsets can report RAM speeds and timings via SPD (Serial Presence Detect) or EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles), and some even support changing the expected memory speed. If the expected memory speed is overclocked, Memtest86 can test that memory performance is error-free with these faster settings.

Some hardware is able to report the "PAT status" (PAT: enabled or PAT: disabled). This is a reference to Intel Performance acceleration technology; there may be BIOS settings which affect this aspect of memory timing.

This information, if available to the program, can be displayed via a menu option.

Any other questions, they can most likely be answered by reading this great guide here:

FAQ : please read before posting

Regards,

Patrick

 

[nickrant]

Hi,

Abrupt/random restarting/shutting down is generally faulty RAM or Power Supply. I'd recommend running Memtest for NO LESS than ~8 passes (several hours):

Memtest86+:

Download Memtest86+ here:

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Which should I download?

You can either download the pre-compiled ISO that you would burn to a CD and then boot from the CD, or you can download the auto-installer for the USB key. What this will do is format your USB drive, make it a bootable device, and then install the necessary files. Both do the same job, it's just up to you which you choose, or which you have available (whether it's CD or USB).

Do note that some older generation motherboards do not support USB-based booting, therefore your only option is CD (or Floppy if you really wanted to).

How Memtest works:

Memtest86 writes a series of test patterns to most memory addresses, reads back the data written, and compares it for errors.

The default pass does 9 different tests, varying in access patterns and test data. A tenth test, bit fade, is selectable from the menu. It writes all memory with zeroes, then sleeps for 90 minutes before checking to see if bits have changed (perhaps because of refresh problems). This is repeated with all ones for a total time of 3 hours per pass.

Many chipsets can report RAM speeds and timings via SPD (Serial Presence Detect) or EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles), and some even support changing the expected memory speed. If the expected memory speed is overclocked, Memtest86 can test that memory performance is error-free with these faster settings.

Some hardware is able to report the "PAT status" (PAT: enabled or PAT: disabled). This is a reference to Intel Performance acceleration technology; there may be BIOS settings which affect this aspect of memory timing.

This information, if available to the program, can be displayed via a menu option.

Any other questions, they can most likely be answered by reading this great guide here:

FAQ : please read before posting

Regards,

Patrick

Hi Patrick, thanks for posting. I just read the FAQs with regard to memtest. However I still do not really get how the entire process works. How long do I have to leave it running for, and what should I keep a lookout for etc? Right now I am using 2 x 4GB ram. Is it possible to just remove one and try to run the comp to isolate the problem? If the problem still persists, the problem would probably lie in the faulty PSU? I am asking this because it may take awhile for me to acquire a blank CD for burning, and i thought meanwhile i could actually try this out.

 

[Patrick]

I would for now just run Memtest for as I said no less than ~8 passes (around 6-7 hours real time). The beauty of Memtest is it's a test that you can start, and then walk away and go about your day. You don't need to be present for it, because there's only a few outcomes (none of which you need to be present for):

1. No errors after the ~8 passes.

2. Errors after the ~8 passes, which implies bad RAM. If there are errors, Memtest keeps running.

3. Memtest is frozen, or Memtest caused the system to shut down. At this point, it's bad RAM or overheating.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[nickrant]

I would for now just run Memtest for as I said no less than ~8 passes (around 6-7 hours real time). The beauty of Memtest is it's a test that you can start, and then walk away and go about your day. You don't need to be present for it, because there's only a few outcomes (none of which you need to be present for):

1. No errors after the ~8 passes.

2. Errors after the ~8 passes, which implies bad RAM. If there are errors, Memtest keeps running.

3. Memtest is frozen, or Memtest caused the system to shut down. At this point, it's bad RAM or overheating.

Regards,

Patrick

right now, it just restarts then power shuts, and it restarts again. going into a loop. However the interval time is different each time. I am not even able to go into the boot screen. Am i right to say there's smth wrong with the PSU?

 

[nickrant]

K while checking my tower, i realised that below the psu (on the tower itself), there is a huge layer of dust covering the thin webs. I am guessing that's where the PSU draws cool air from into the unit itself? After cleaning it up, it appears that the computer was able to start up and it seems to be running fine as of now. I will leave the comp turned on for the night while running my game to see if the comp restarts. I know this might not mean anything but i will run the memtest as soon as i get hold of a blank CD

 

[Patrick]

I would definitely clean the heat sinks of all dust, the fans, their filters, etc. It may be worth it (if possible) to reapply the thermal paste to the CPU.

Regards,

Patrick