Geek Squad only need apply....

[errand]

Alright guys, I'll admit my knowledge of computers pales in comparison to my highly educated political and football takes....(J/K)

i have a problem i'm hoping someone on here might know how to solve....

My computer, on numerous occasions now will shut down, all current work is lost and go into like a stand-by mode, and the monitor screen will say "power saving mode"....and I cannot get it to come back on unless I unplug the cpu and monitor and plug it back in and turn it back on.

I've scanned it for viruses, and spyware, i've adjusted my setting in the power options section...nothing works. One alleged genius @ Staples told me that my cpu needed to be more available to air and not in one of those cubby holes most desks have for them, so i took it out of there and have it on top of my desk....i also opened the side panel and vaccummed and blew it out with compressed air. Now my cpu is breathing better, and is cleaner...and now it seems like it's happening more frequently....

please help!

[UKBronco]

Just a quick couple of questions:

How old is the computer?

Its possible you're processor fan could be ageing, and its possible it might need replacing.

How hot is the room the computer is in?

Some computers have a safe guard where the computer will shut down if the temperature exceeds a certain level.

_______________________

another possibility would be an insufficent power supply unit - its possible, especially if you've upgraded a lot of components through the years, that your power supply no longer matches your computers need for power. for example if you've upgraded DVD RW's new graphics, other hardware etc...but still have the same PSU it might not be powerful enough.

don't know if that helps you out much though.

[XtremeReaction]

Try this.....a lot of older machines have a problems coming out of hibernation (power saving mode) so you can try turning it off if enabled and see if that works...


click on....Start......control panel .....display.....settings.....

near the bottom next to energy star symbol click .....power then change all 4 settings to never......if that doesnt work let me know......

[Boogerboots]

Try this.....a lot of older machines have a problems coming out of hibernation (power saving mode) so you can try turning it off if enabled and see if that works...


click on....Start......control panel .....display.....settings.....

near the bottom next to energy star symbol click .....power then change all 4 settings to never......if that doesnt work let me know......

Along that same line of thinking, you could also disable those same settings in your BIOS. Usually you can enter the BIOS menu by hitting the ESC or F1 key during boot up ( within the first few seconds of powering up ) .

If it's a BIOS that was made within the past 5 years or so, there would be a powersave menu in there somewhere that you could disable to help prevent your problem.

[errand]

Just a quick couple of questions:

How old is the computer?

Its possible you're processor fan could be ageing, and its possible it might need replacing.

How hot is the room the computer is in?

Some computers have a safe guard where the computer will shut down if the temperature exceeds a certain level.

_______________________

another possibility would be an insufficent power supply unit - its possible, especially if you've upgraded a lot of components through the years, that your power supply no longer matches your computers need for power. for example if you've upgraded DVD RW's new graphics, other hardware etc...but still have the same PSU it might not be powerful enough.

don't know if that helps you out much though.

[] it's an HP pavillion 533w purchased in January '03...

[] the room temp is the same as any other room in the house we try to keep the temp @ about 68-70 degrees F

[] the only upgrade performed was the addition of more memory in '04

[errand]

Try this.....a lot of older machines have a problems coming out of hibernation (power saving mode) so you can try turning it off if enabled and see if that works...


click on....Start......control panel .....display.....settings.....

near the bottom next to energy star symbol click .....power then change all 4 settings to never......if that doesnt work let me know......



I did that after reading your post...it shut down like 2 minutes afterwards.....

[Mile High Shack]

Alright guys, I'll admit my knowledge of computers pales in comparison to my highly educated political and football takes....(J/K)

i have a problem i'm hoping someone on here might know how to solve....

My computer, on numerous occasions now will shut down, all current work is lost and go into like a stand-by mode, and the monitor screen will say "power saving mode"....and I cannot get it to come back on unless I unplug the cpu and monitor and plug it back in and turn it back on.

I've scanned it for viruses, and spyware, i've adjusted my setting in the power options section...nothing works. One alleged genius @ Staples told me that my cpu needed to be more available to air and not in one of those cubby holes most desks have for them, so i took it out of there and have it on top of my desk....i also opened the side panel and vaccummed and blew it out with compressed air. Now my cpu is breathing better, and is cleaner...and now it seems like it's happening more frequently....

please help!

my only thought is

your power source may be going bad

if the temp of the CPU isn't getting too hot, that is the only other thing I can think it would be

[broncosteven]

Also check/replace the power supply.

[Needa Pass Rush]

I did that after reading your post...it shut down like 2 minutes afterwards.....


How long have you been having this problem? Are you running XP?

[Eagles Turn]

There might be a short between the keyboard and the chair? hmmm...

[UKBronco]

I read somewhere that it could be to do with a inconsisten electrical source.

Might be a bit of a pain, but try booting it up from a different set of sockets in the house.

Open up the sides and check the processor fan - is it running smoothly?

Are the other fans in the computer blowing air properly?

_____________________

Another note. Take a look at:

http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?t=14361&highlight=stops+system+shuts+fan&sid=c471f887b7c6228a96afd60aebb55ee4

There might be something on there that helps.

[errand]

There might be a short between the keyboard and the chair? hmmm...

Yeah, like my wife hadn't already thought of that one........ LOL

[errand]

How long have you been having this problem? Are you running XP?

About a week now, it wasn't that frequent and i figured it was some spyware problem or virus so i kept scanning and all.....now it happens very frequently and has becomea very big problem. Also, yes it is XP

[errand]

my only thought is

your power source may be going bad

if the temp of the CPU isn't getting too hot, that is the only other thing I can think it would be

That might be the problem according to the guy who just called...unfortunately for me he can't get here today to fix it.

[errand]

Also check/replace the power supply.

I'm assuming there's no way to check this from my home, without buying some special tool or device?

[Mile High Shack]

That might be the problem according to the guy who just called...unfortunately for me he can't get here today to fix it.

power supply is only like 60 bucks? (for a decent one)

I suggest you put it in yourself, it's a pain in the butt in some cases to get to, but pretty easy to do..........

[Needa Pass Rush]

Here is the link to the HP product support page for your machine. Hope the link works.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?product=90862&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&submit.y=5&submit.x=10&lang=en&cc=us


Here is a link that relates to your power supply. Seems like there is a good chance that is your culprit.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?dlc=en&lc=en&product=90862&lang=en&cc=us&docname=bph06788

[Garcia Bronco]

Alright guys, I'll admit my knowledge of computers pales in comparison to my highly educated political and football takes....(J/K)

i have a problem i'm hoping someone on here might know how to solve....

My computer, on numerous occasions now will shut down, all current work is lost and go into like a stand-by mode, and the monitor screen will say "power saving mode"....and I cannot get it to come back on unless I unplug the cpu and monitor and plug it back in and turn it back on.

I've scanned it for viruses, and spyware, i've adjusted my setting in the power options section...nothing works. One alleged genius @ Staples told me that my cpu needed to be more available to air and not in one of those cubby holes most desks have for them, so i took it out of there and have it on top of my desk....i also opened the side panel and vaccummed and blew it out with compressed air. Now my cpu is breathing better, and is cleaner...and now it seems like it's happening more frequently....

please help!

Errand...before you go spending any money....you haven't isolated the issue. First things first....try another monitor and see if you have the same issue. I'm sure you know someone that can let you borrow one.

[Mile High Shack]

Errand...before you go spending any money....you haven't isolated the issue. First things first....try another monitor and see if you have the same issue. I'm sure you know someone that can let you borrow one.

you really think the monitor would cause his system to shut down or freeze?

when my power supply wasn't good enough it kept doing the same thing it's doing to his computer

but you are right garcia.....best thing to do is check the easiest thing first

[Garcia Bronco]

you really think the monitor would cause his system to shut down or freeze?

when my power supply wasn't good enough it kept doing the same thing it's doing to his computer

but you are right garcia.....best thing to do is check the easiest thing first


I just read the first post....and when you see "Power Save Mode" it typically means that the Video isn't connected. So the first thing I want to do is figure out which device is going bad....the PC...or the monitor. Once I isolate the device...then I'm looking at the PC's video drivers, BIOS, and maybe power or I'm replacing the monitor. I will say that if I'm having power issues I would most likely have other problems. I'll bet without looking at the PC that either the Monitor is going bad or the video card is going bad. If the video card is integrated on to the mother board...then I most likely will replace it...or put in seperate video. Also Errand...look for bent pins on the d-connector that hooks into the back of your PC for your video. I would also reload the latest video drivers from HP.

[DomCasual]

About a week now, it wasn't that frequent and i figured it was some spyware problem or virus so i kept scanning and all.....now it happens very frequently and has becomea very big problem. Also, yes it is XP
One thing that people always forget to do is to update their BIOS. I have a decent computer - P4 3.4 GHz, 2MB RAM - that I built myself. Over the time I have had it, I have upgraded RAM, added hard drives, put in a new video card and sound card, etc. I have started to have little irritating issues with it, like slow boot times, occasional crashes - nothing major, just irritants. I keep daily updated virus and spyware protection, and clean the registry regularly. It should be running great.

The other day, I checked for a BIOS update, found one, installed it, and voila - my computer runs smooooooth.

[Needa Pass Rush]

One thing that people always forget to do is to update their BIOS. I have a decent computer - P4 3.4 GHz, 2MB RAM - that I built myself. Over the time I have had it, I have upgraded RAM, added hard drives, put in a new video card and sound card, etc. I have started to have little irritating issues with it, like slow boot times, occasional crashes - nothing major, just irritants. I keep daily updated virus and spyware protection, and clean the registry regularly. It should be running great.

The other day, I checked for a BIOS update, found one, installed it, and voila - my computer runs smooooooth.

I have no idea how to check for a BIOS update. :-[

My ethernet port gave out a month or so ago. I took it to geek squad to have them fix it. While the box was there the tech uploaded CCLEANER. It is a better version of disk cleanup. Only problem is it will wipe away your password holding cookies. Not a big deal, really (as long as you know what your passwords are). A very quick download. After I run it my spysweeper can't find anything to delete. www.CCLEANER.com

[Raidersbane]

Is he getting any fuel in the carburator?

[DomCasual]

I have no idea how to check for a BIOS update. :-[

My ethernet port gave out a month or so ago. I took it to geek squad to have them fix it. While the box was there the tech uploaded CCLEANER. It is a version of disk cleanup. Only problem is it will wipe away your password holding cookies. Not a big deal, really (as long as you know what your passwords are). A very quick download. After I run it my spysweeper can't find anything to delete. www.CCLEANER.com
Here's a decent resource about updating BIOS: http://www.pcmech.com/show/bios/81/

If this is confusing, do a Google search on "update BIOS" - you'll find a wealth of information.

[Needa Pass Rush]

Here's a decent resource about updating BIOS: http://www.pcmech.com/show/bios/81/

If this is confusing, do a Google search on "update BIOS" - you'll find a wealth of information.

Thank you, Dom. I appreciate you making a reply.

[i4jelway7]

1st Problem: [] it's an HP pavillion 533w



2nd Problem: it's most likely the power supply especially if it is the original power supply that came with the pc, I work on dell, hp, & compaq computers all day long, and I know they have really inadequate power supplies that come with them, do yourself a favor and go to www.pricewatch.com (http://www.pricewatch.com) and find a good 400w power supply for around $30, even if turns out to not be the pwr supply I would recommend replacing the original power supply, and if you have to get a new computer you can put the new power supply in it... unless you build your own computer any computer that you buy from hp/compaq or dell is going to have an el cheapo 250w power supply that will have to be replaced in a year or less anyway...

[Mile High Shack]

1st Problem:


2nd Problem: it's most likely the power supply especially if it is the original power supply that came with the pc, I work on dell, hp, & compaq computers all day long, and I know they have really inadequate power supplies that come with them, do yourself a favor and go to www.pricewatch.com and find a good 400w power supply for around $30, even if turns out to not be the pwr supply I would recommend replacing the original power supply, and if you have to get a new computer you can put the new power supply in it... unless you build your own computer any computer that you buy from hp/compaq or dell is going to have an el cheapo 250w power supply that will have to be replaced in a year or less anyway...

kinda what I was saying :)

[Needa Pass Rush]

1st Problem:


2nd Problem: it's most likely the power supply especially if it is the original power supply that came with the pc, I work on dell, hp, & compaq computers all day long, and I know they have really inadequate power supplies that come with them, do yourself a favor and go to www.pricewatch.com and find a good 400w power supply for around $30, even if turns out to not be the pwr supply I would recommend replacing the original power supply, and if you have to get a new computer you can put the new power supply in it... unless you build your own computer any computer that you buy from hp/compaq or dell is going to have an el cheapo 250w power supply that will have to be replaced in a year or less anyway...

What benefits will you realize by plugging in a better power supply? Faster performance or boot times?

[i4jelway7]

What benefits will you realize by plugging in a better power supply? Faster performance or boot times?


you won't get any noticeable better performance, but the power supplies that come w/ those systems simply does not provide enough power to run p4 or gigahertz processors, get a 400w power supply and you shouldn't have to replace it for a long time... as opposed to a 250w that will last a year maybe 1 1/2 yr if you are lucky, also inadequate wattage power supplies can damage componets in your system.. higher wattage power supplies give your system and componets more stability

[DomCasual]

you won't get any better performance, but the power supplies that come w/ those systems simply does not provide enough power to run p4 or gigahertz processors, get a 400w power supply and you shouldn't have to replace it for a long time... as opposed to a 250w that will last a year maybe 1 1/2 yr if you are lucky, also inadequate wattage power supplies can damage componets in your system.. higher wattage power supplies give your system and componets more stability
excellent point. I have 400 or 450 in all my computers. It's an easy upgrade to make, and doesn't cost all that much ($50, or thereabouts).

[rotovet]

could he just not be deleting his cookies and temp files. i say that because i'm forced to every week or so or my system does the same thing. i'm sure he knows to do that though

[i4jelway7]

could he just not be deleting his cookies and temp files. i say that because i'm forced to every week or so or my system does the same thing. i'm sure he knows to do that though


if your system does that because of cookies and temp files.. you've got a majorly F*cked up system.... mmm.. must be a gateway

[rotovet]

it is a gateway... that's funny, and it also makes this annoying buzzing sound that comes from the hard drive , i think. i keep it in a trunk with the lid closed while i'm on it, no f'n joke.

[Ratboy]

Build a new computer.

I'm building one right now for my mom's boyfriend. He wanted to buy an HP, Dell, Gateway, etc.. He bought an HP 2 or 3 years ago for $1200 and it was absolute ****, He won't learn (common sense is lacking with him). Those computers are hardly upgradable and cheap parts. He was always complaining about his computer (He still does). It's pretty sad that my $300 computer was faster than his $1,200 HP.

www.newegg.com

Look at building one. Depending on what it's used for it can vary in price.

[Garcia Bronco]

If you put one more dime into a PC other then for graphic design or gaming....you're wasting your money. It's a depreciating asset. Don't throw money at it unless you absolutely have too. Avoid building your own unless you really know what you're doing.

[GreatBronco16]

Ok, forget about the bios update. If you don't have a clue on how to do it, do not mess with it. You can screw your motherboard up beyond repair if you don't do the update correctly, and being that it is an HP, there probably isn't an update for it anyway. Second. Right click on 'My Computer' and then click properties. In the box that comes up, click on 'Advance'. Under performance, check the 'adjust for best performance', hit apply. Now go to the next tab at the top that says 'Advanced' now make sure that 'Programs on both sections are checked. Now on your page file, set it to 1 and a half times your Ram. So if you have 512 megs of ram, then multiply 512 by 1.5 and set it to that, which would be 768 I believe.

Now these are just performance upgrades. The next thing you need to do is update Windows XP if you haven't already. Get every damn update there is. Download them restart and keep doing this till there are none left.


After all of that. Goto 'start, run', and type in 'msconfig'. On the box that pops up, click on the 'startup' tab and click 'Disable All'. Hit apply then restart your computer.

There are alot of other Windows things you can look through and it would take me forever to run through them trying not to confuse you. Now if you do all of this and you still have the same problems, then you very well might have a hardware problem that could be a number of things. It could also very well be that your Windows operating system is very corrupt that you might just need to do a clean install of Windows XP. Which would be the cheapest thing to do and is fairly easy.

I'd really hate you to start spending money on hardware that you might not need. Your PSU could very well be the problem but then it might not be. Without being in front of your computer it is hard to find the problem. Just do what you can with the advice given.

[GreatBronco16]

Build a new computer.

I'm building one right now for my mom's boyfriend. He wanted to buy an HP, Dell, Gateway, etc.. He bought an HP 2 or 3 years ago for $1200 and it was absolute ****, He won't learn (common sense is lacking with him). Those computers are hardly upgradable and cheap parts. He was always complaining about his computer (He still does). It's pretty sad that my $300 computer was faster than his $1,200 HP.

www.newegg.com

Look at building one. Depending on what it's used for it can vary in price.


Newegg is where I buy all my computer parts from. They are great and I've been dealing with them for the past 4 years.

And building you own computer is very easy and alot better in the longrun.

Props to you for mentioning them.

[DomCasual]

Newegg is where I buy all my computer parts from. They are great and I've been dealing with them for the past 4 years.

And building you own computer is very easy and alot better in the longrun.

Props to you for mentioning them.
I wouldn't go as far as to say that it is "easy" - at least for the first time. But I will say that it is a lot better in the long run.

What it did for me was that it got me into the mode of thinking through the process through which the computer ran. So, when something went wrong, I had a much better understanding as to what the problem might be. When something was slow, I had a much better understanding as to where to spend my money on upgrades.

Plus, it's addicting. I am always thinking about what I want to do to it next.

[DomCasual]

Ok, forget about the bios update. If you don't have a clue on how to do it, do not mess with it.
I don't know. I guess it depends upon who made the motherboard. I hadn't really considered it from an HP, Dell, Compaq, Behemoth perspective. I have just always used Intel and Asus motherboards, and have found both pretty user friendly with BIOS updates.

Couldn't you just go around HP and go straight to the board's manufacturer? Or does HP manufacture its own boards?

[GreatBronco16]

I wouldn't go as far as to say that it is "easy" - at least for the first time. But I will say that it is a lot better in the long run.

What it did for me was that it got me into the mode of thinking through the process through which the computer ran. So, when something went wrong, I had a much better understanding as to what the problem might be. When something was slow, I had a much better understanding as to where to spend my money on upgrades.

Plus, it's addicting. I am always thinking about what I want to do to it next.

Well it might depend on the person. The first one I built took me about 3 hours and I thought it was pretty damn easy. It was easier than installing the OS for me atleast at that time. The hardest part for me my first time was getting the cpu in it's socket, applying the articsilver(thermopaste) then attaching the heatsink/fan.


Now, I can knock them out in an hour or less. Depends on if everything is in their boxes and if I have to keep getting up for some reason.

Once you build one, you will never go back to Dell or Gateway or any other manufacturer, well, I won't.

[GreatBronco16]

I don't know. I guess it depends upon who made the motherboard. I hadn't really considered it from an HP, Dell, Compaq, Behemoth perspective. I have just always used Intel and Asus motherboards, and have found both pretty user friendly with BIOS updates.

Couldn't you just go around HP and go straight to the board's manufacturer? Or does HP manufacture its own boards?

Most of the time, these manufacturers use either the Intel board or AMD board depending on which you are using. They normally also lock all enhancement features that come with the board if you were to buy it yourself from a dealer. It just depends how lucky you are really when it comes to Gateway or Dell. Sometimes they will allow you to update them from their websites though. I haven't checked on his, but I still wouldn't reccomend him doing it until he learns more about doing it.

He could build himself a very nice computer from newegg. He doesn't have to buy all the parts, he can reuse some of the parts from his HP like his CD-Rom, Hard-drive, monitor, keyboard and mouse. All he really needs to buy if money is tight is a new case, motherboard, cpu, memory and PSU. I could probably build him a nice AMD64 system for around 250-300 bucks if not less by using newegg. That is if he wants to and has the means to do an upgrade. That is what I would personally do if I was him.

[Mile High Shack]

whatever happen with this errand?

[errand]

I just wanted to thank all of you who responded to this thread, it ends up a lightning storm had caused the power supply to go out and it fried my motherboard, but not the drive or something like that, anyways, I'm up and running now.

I really appreciate you guys and gals that know how to do all this computer stuff......because Lord knows I haven't a clue.

again, thanks very much.

[i4jelway7]

glad your back up and running errand... if anyone wants to build their own $500 gaming machine check out the link

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20051014/the_500_gaming_machine-01.html

[Rigs11]

glad your back up and running errand... if anyone wants to build their own $500 gaming machine check out the link

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20051014/the_500_gaming_machine-01.html


I just built a cheap gaming machine. Total came out to $640 just for the tower. Got all at newegg.

Asrock Dual sata2 mobo
Athlon 64 venice 3000+ overclocked to 2.4ghz
1 gb pc 3200
200gb Maxtor Sata HDD
samsung dual layer DVD rom
Nvidia 6800le 128mb unlocked and oveclocked 400/900
Aspire atx case

[Rock Chalk]

That might be the problem according to the guy who just called...unfortunately for me he can't get here today to fix it.
Take your power supply out and go down to an electronics store and find one that is compatible.

Its not hard, im sure yo can figure it out. Its either your power supply in the box OR its you power to the CPU itself from the sockets.

Someone suggested plugging it in to another place or removing some of the plugged in items on the same circuit. If you are not on a surge protector you should be summarily shot in the face for being stupid, if you are, try unpluggin some of the things in the surge protector.

[Rock Chalk]

There is one other possible cause. The heat sink between the chip and the motherboard may have gone bad..