Hi everybody,
Recently I have been encountering a rather frustrating problem with my PC. When the PC is switched on it has started to turn itself off during the boot procedure. The CPU fan stops but there is still power to the mobo as the power light is still on. There is no HD activity. Sometimes the system gets as far as trying to load Windows, other times it shuts down almost as soon as the power button is pressed.
To further complicate matters, the SpeechPOST has begun to report "System Failed due to CPU overclocking". Checking the BIOS showed that the FSB had been reset to 100MHz, from the correct setting of 133.
The VGA bios had also changed from AGP device to PCI device.
I managed to get the thing to behave by clearing the CMOS and re-entering the BIOS settings. The machine the rebooted normally..........
But then we went out, saw The Incredibles, came back and turned the PC on.
It turned itself off straight away! I got the system running again by clearing the CMOS and re-entering the values.
Please, please does anybody have any ideas as to what is going on? I am concerned now that if I turn off my PC I will never get it start up again
and I am going away for Christmas soon

Technical info: AMD AthlonXP 2500 Barton
ASUS A7NX Deluxe
512 MB Crucial RAM PC2700
MSI Geforce FX5600
80 GB Seagate HDD
300W Macron Power Supply, Model MPT-301

The system is free of viruses and spyware


Thank you for reading this long message, and I look forward to your replies

Skeeter

HELLO SKEETER


SOME QUESTIONS

what o/s are you running?
have you installed any new software/hardware lately?
have a look at owens help under my signature then posta fresh high jack this log in the virus forum as you migth have picked up something nasty from somewhere

Thanks for getting back quickly.

I'm running WinXP home SP2, but system shuts off before OS loads
No new hardware or software, and I've checked HijackThis and SpyBot S+D

Skeeter

have you thought about updatting your BIOS

Have thought about it, but as clearing it and resetting didn't work I was unsure if that would help.

i dont think you have much to lose
you could wait for a while to see any body else on the forum has any suggestions but i think they will say the same as it seems to me that your BIOS is at the root cause

Thanks, we shall try it and let you know.

Still trying the updated bios theory, but having problems with getting the right one More ideas to try aswell appreciated

Component Wattage Required (< from tigerdirect.ca<Build it yourself guide.)
Motherboard 15-30
Low-End CPU 20-50
Mid To High-End CPU 40-100
RAM 7 per 128MB
PCI Add-In Card 5
Low To Mid-Range Graphics 20-60
High-End Graphics 60-100
IDE Hard Drive 10-30
Optical Drives 10-25
--------------------
Im not much of a Pro on these matters, but add up all these, and if you have upgraded any peice of hardware, then your power supply may be insufficient.
Also, power supplies have been known to die after a certian time. Around 100,000 hours. I dont think your computer is that old, but maybe. (Also defects) , But your wierd BIOS settings being modified from your original settings does not suggest insufficient power. (The Watch battery on your Mobo keeps your BIOS powered.)

Ah, I was just about to say exactly the same thing Puterno

This is almost definitely a hardware problem, not software / Windows / spyware, etc. Your BIOS forgetting your FSB and video settings sounds very much like the "coin-type" CR2032 battery on your motherboard has stopped and, therefore, the BIOS settings have been lost. They normally last anywhere from 3 years to 10 years so you would be pretty unfortunate if this was the cause of the problem in your modern PC. However, it's worth ruling out first as these batteries can be replaced VERY easily and cheaply - just pop down to your local large computer retailer and ask for a motherboard battery. Disconnect your PC from the mains, pop out the old battery and replace it with the new one. Take anti-static precautions to avoid damage to the components inside your PC caused by static electricity.

If that doesn't cure it, then it sounds like your average PSU isn't keeping up with your high-spec components inside your PC, as Puterno has suggested. Fortunately, these are, again, pretty simple and cheap to replace - probably about £40 from a retailer like PC World but definitely cheaper online from Dabs.com or somewhere like that.

Let us know how you get on