PC Shutting Down Just After Boot-up

[Zambo]

My PC shuts down just after booting and can take 3 or 4 goes before it stays on. I took it back to the place of purchase and they said they tested it and it was OK, but the problem continues. They cleaned the fans and tested the power supply unit. Have checked all of the connections and they are OK. Have also tried disconnecting everything but it still goes off.

Problem only occurs if the system has been off for a while e.g. overnight. Comes back on OK if not been off for long on on a re-boot.

Any ideas?

 

[alwest197]

Can you tell us what type of PC..desktop /laptop what operating system xp/ w7 etc.

Something that can cause this is overheating, are all of the fans working and all vents clear?

 

[Astra99]

One thing to consider a possible hard disk problem. When the PC is booted up, open a command prompt, (click start-run and type in CMD, hit enter) and then type in CHKDSK /R (there is a space between the word and the forward slash) and hit enter. Windows will tell you it cannot run chkdsk now, and do you want to run it on reboot. Answer Yes. Reboot your PC and allow CHKDSK to run. If it finds problems with the hard disk, it will (usually) fix them and give you a report at the end. As the whole of the hard disk is being scanned for errors (including free space) it will take a fair bit of time to complete, so keep that in mind. Please post back how you got on

 

[Igorian]

Sounds more like a defective PSU.

 

[Zambo]

Can you tell us what type of PC..desktop /laptop what operating system xp/ w7 etc.

Something that can cause this is overheating, are all of the fans working and all vents clear?

Something of an IT pigmy, so I just copied this of the bill, it doesn't mean much to me. I've had the PC for around 4 years

EZCOOL LC4 MICRO TOWER 450W
ECS GEFORCE 6100SM-M PCT-E
AMD SEMPRON 3400+ SKT AM2 64 BIT

OS = XP Home

 

[Zambo]

Thanks for advice everyone.

 

[Zambo]

One thing to consider a possible hard disk problem. When the PC is booted up, open a command prompt, (click start-run and type in CMD, hit enter) and then type in CHKDSK /R (there is a space between the word and the forward slash) and hit enter. Windows will tell you it cannot run chkdsk now, and do you want to run it on reboot. Answer Yes. Reboot your PC and allow CHKDSK to run. If it finds problems with the hard disk, it will (usually) fix them and give you a report at the end. As the whole of the hard disk is being scanned for errors (including free space) it will take a fair bit of time to complete, so keep that in mind. Please post back how you got on

This is what I've got so far with this....

'the type of the file system is NFTS cannot lock current drive

chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts?'

Is this is what I should say yes to? Please excuse ignorance.

 

[Zambo]

double post

 

[Monsterminty]

yes zambo you should select ok when prompted to schedule a chkdsk, then restart and let it work. also ignore the above post (FloydChandler)

 

[Zambo]

OK did that. It went through a verification stage of:

Files, indexes, security descriptions, USN journal, file data, and free space.

It did give a report at the end, but it was only on screen for about .5 of a second. Got another screen saying 'the volume is clean' though.

Will wait now and try again first thing tomorrow, because I only get a problem with 'cold starts'

 

[alwest197]

I think Igorian is probably correct and its a symptom of a faulty PSU.

Another issue with a machine of this age could be leaking (and therefore faulty) capacitors on the motherboard. If possible have a look at the motherboard, best with a torch, to see if any of the capacitors have any goo coming out of them. It usually shows up on the top of the capacitor.

If you do decide to have a look please be careful and
a) ground yourself
b) make sure the power plug is out
c) push the power on button (no power plug in ) to dissipate any energy from the capacitors
d) if its a metal torch make sure you do not touch any of the componants inside the machine.

Power supplies (PSUs) are not too expensive and quite easy to change.

 

[Igorian]

If it's caps on the board, they will (often) be visibly swollen compared to others.

 

[Astra99]

Thanks, MonsterMinty for prompting the OP regarding my post to run CHKDSK. I only get a chance to post in the evenings! From the machine spec, it looks like the power supply is 450W, more than enough for your average PC, but if there have been any additions like extra internal drives (hard disks and/or DVDs), or if external USB powered devices like MIDI devices or USB-powered external hard drives are plugged in on boot, it can cause strange problems such as that which the OP describes.

 

[Zambo]

Took 4 goes this morning before it stayed on.

All I have is printer (USB), monitor, mouse, keyboard, Cable bb modem (ethernet) plugged in.

Think it's time to take into the PC shop, but thanks for your help with this.

 

[Astra99]

Please post back and let us all know what the PC repair shop found.