a continuing problem...

Jesusfrk611

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I posted awhile back about my brother's system randomly restarting (http://www.computerforums.org/showthread.php?t=65962). I decided it was a good bet to get a PSU since that was most suggested on the last thread. I install it and all seems to go well until I try logging on to my email, then it restarts... I dunno why I didn't try it before, but I take out the GFX card just to see if it would restart. When running integrated, it never restarted once in the maybe 30 minutes I had it on. I put the GFX card back in and it seems to work well and I think maybe it just needed to be reseated...I spoke too soon. It restarted again when my brother attempted to play COD4. I have a pretty good idea it's the GFX card. The PSU is 400W, so it's enough to power the 7600GT. Is there anyway to test out the GFX card? It's passed the newegg warranty, but EVGA still covers it right (if I register it)? Only been owned a little over a month I think. The only other thing I can think is it screwed up the processor in same way. I can test it out with a 1.7GHz Celeron b/c that's the only other CPU I have for that socket. I can do more thorough tests without the GFX card installed. It's not the RAM b/c I tested another stick in it and it still restarted. My only other hunch is the wireless PCI card.

Any other suggestions? My brother is now always wanting to play NFSMW on my desktop and it's getting annoying. I want my computer back and I want to stop having to deal with all his stupid problems (problems are attracted to him)...
 
If you read the previous thread, I ruled out overheating (since it wasn't getting hot enough to restart), and have reinstalled windows a while back thinking it was viruses, but the problem still persists.

I would have my brother just buy a whole new system, but he has $20 to his name, and the only income is his allowance and whatever gift money he gets. He's bad with money anyway, so by the time he has any money saved there will be processors with 8 cores out, and the standard amount of ram in any system will be 32GB... Yeah, that's how bad he is at saving. I'm not about to dish out $100 or so to get him a new system b/c I'll never be paid off any time soon.
 
Don't have another socket 478 mobo unfortunately. Just sold a system with one not long ago.
 
I don't want to replace the mobo until last resort. Even then it's going to be hard to find a used mobo for $20 that is microATX, socket 478, and PCI-e 16x all in 1... He just got the new GFX card and I'm not trading back down to a PCI card (those can't play COD4 anyway), he just traded his PC for this one so he would have a PCI-e slot... I might be lucky and find another one for more like $50...which is what I bought this current mobo for on newegg about 9ish months ago.

I just want to rule everything else out before getting a new mobo...

I'm running it in integrated and am about to play Halo on it just to put some load on it to see if it stays stable.

EDIT: it restarted in Halo on integrated, so much for the GFX card theory. Will test the CPU tomorrow. Might just see if I can get another mobo for $50 from newegg if the CPU idea doesn't work... He can eventually pay me back on that at least.
 
Have you tried reformatting then running it with just xp on? then gradually add a few programs at a time, if it runs fine then you know its a driver/software problem.
 
Well, it restarted once when I was formatting the drive in the XP reinstall, so it can't be drivers because Windows isn't even being used, let alone any drivers. It did restart again after I got it installed but before I could really even get on the desktop, so there's another instance w/o drivers...

Hmmm... This is getting annoying.

Now I'm beginning to think it's the mobo. The only socket 478 mobo being sold anywhere that I can find is a Biostar for $50ish. Then I would need to get new RAM b/c the board only supports DDR2 667... Might as well get 2GB of RAM which puts the price to $93.

I need to check the CPU first though. I don't really want it to be either, it's hard to find P4 prescotts at a good price, and it would be just as expensive to buy a new processor as the mobo/RAM...
 
I had this same problem for two years on and off and I have only just resolved it in December, I first thought it was my HHD so I added a second and made that my primary(system drive) but alas a day later same problem, so I took out both sticks of memory, cleaned them, took out my graphics card an cleaned that paying special attention to the heatsinc on the card, then I took the CPU fan of cleaned it, then brushed between the panels of the CPU heat sinc then hoovered it, I then used the fine paint brush to go over all the jumpers and connectors and Hooverd the tower throughly, I even blew out and hovered the PSU in the tower, all this I had tried before but not all together at the same time, I then started to switch off my computer at the mains when not in use just as a trial, Guess what my PC has Never restarted or failed to load since, My PC temp was always around 46-51 so it did not seem to be heat related but I was convinced it was,I even nearly bought a new MB and CPU as they are the only things I HAD NOT REPLACED, I'm gad I didn't as I would have waisted my money, I had taken my PC to a shop TWICE with the problem and they never solved it, I did it myself TWO YEARS LATER!!!
 
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