My PC Shuts Itself Off Mid-Boot
Ablang
Lincoln Spector
Dec 14, 2009 8:01 am
http://www.pcworld.com/article/184448/my_pc_shuts_itself_off_midboot.html?tk=nl_ptx_h_crawl
Dominican1 asked the Answer Line forum why his PC shuts itself off
partway through the boot process.
A PC that starts, then fails to boot, probably suffers from an
overheated CPU or a bad or underpowered power supply unit (PSU). But
I'm going to suggest you check the power source first. Not because
it's more likely the culprit (it isn't), but because it's easier to
diagnose and fix. If you go to the trouble of replacing the PSU, and
then discover that you only needed to plug it in somewhere else,
you'll hate yourself in the morning.
So let's get the easy stuff out of the way. Try another outlet on the
surge protector. Try another outlet on the wall. Try another surge
protector. If the problem is with a desktop PC, try another power
cord. If it's with a laptop, remove the battery and try with only the
AC adapter.
None of these helped? Okay, I didn't really think they would, but they
were worth trying. Now let's get on to the more likely issues:
A serious ventilation problem could cause your CPU to overheat and
shutdown before the boot is complete. Make sure the PC's fans are all
turning properly. This is easy to do on a desktop: Just open the PC
and watch the insides as it boots. It's more difficult on a laptop,
but if you listen attentively you should hear the fan.
You should also check the vents and air passageways to make sure
they're not blocked or clogged with dust. If they are, use a can of
compressed air to clean them out.
I'm tempted to recommend software like the free SpeedFan to monitor
your CPU. But if you can't boot your PC, it won't help.
Speaking of software, if the failure happens while Windows is booting,
the operating system may be the problem. Try booting into Safe Mode:
Boot the PC and press F8 just before the Windows log-on appears (it
may take a few attempts to get the timing right). At the Boot Menu
(assuming you get that far), select Safe Mode. If you can successfully
boot into Safe Mode, it's a software problem. See My PC Won't Boot for
recommendations.
If you can't even get into Safe Mode, try booting from something other
than the hard drive. You likely have a bootable CD or DVD lying around
(a Windows installation disc, for instance). If you don't, try Puppy
Linux. It boots quickly from a CD, and gives you access to the files
on your hard drive (a real benefit if your PC won't boot). Puppy
downloads as an .iso file; double-clicking the file will likely bring
up your burner. If it doesn't, download and install ISO Recorder.
If all else fails, try replacing the power supply unit. Desktop PSUs
are inexpensive--you can get a good one for less than $40. They're
reasonably easy to replace, although if you're not comfortable working
inside a PC, go to a professional.
For a laptop, try replacing the AC adapter. You'll need one specific
for your model.
kony
<ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
>My PC Shuts Itself Off Mid-Boot
>
>Lincoln Spector
>
>Dec 14, 2009 8:01 am
>
>http://www.pcworld.com/article/184448/my_pc_shuts_itself_off_midboot.html?tk=nl_ptx_h_crawl
>
>Dominican1 asked the Answer Line forum why his PC shuts itself off
>partway through the boot process.
Not sure quite why you're posting this here, but the method
seems a bit flawed so I'll respond.
>
>A PC that starts, then fails to boot, probably suffers from an
>overheated CPU or a bad or underpowered power supply unit (PSU). But
>I'm going to suggest you check the power source first. Not because
>it's more likely the culprit (it isn't), but because it's easier to
>diagnose and fix.
A CPU may run nearer full load while booting, but if started
from a cold off state the heatsink would have to have fallen
off (an otherwise running system till the problem arose), or
have continued to run without the fan for awhile. Instead
of flipping a coin just yet, the cover can be taken off and
a visual inspection of the heatsink performed. If the
heatsink looks like it's still on there, fan still spinning
(even with a lot of dust buildup), the PSU becomes the more
likely culprit.
However I would argue the PSU is no easier to diagnose and
fix, since the PC had an operating system installed
presumably at some point the heatsink was adequate, merely
removing the heatsink, cleaning out dust and putting a fresh
coat of heatsink grease on it quicker and easier than
pulling the PSU out, trying it elsewhere, and
ordering/receiving/testing/installing a new PSU.
A initial test can be voltage readings with a multimeter,
but for system that does start successfully then shut off,
presumably the voltages were within tolerance until that
point (if PSU is the problem), it becomes more likely
something like a capacitor failure in the PSU (though
checking motherboard caps is also a good idea) which an
o-scape rather than a typical multimeter might be needed to
find.
>If you go to the trouble of replacing the PSU, and
>then discover that you only needed to plug it in somewhere else,
>you'll hate yourself in the morning.
Hate might be a strong word, simply buy it from someplace
with a good return policy and accept a restocking fee and
return shipping cost if it doesn't resolve the problem.
Some would even think it is better to go ahead and order the
PSU to minimize the possibility of continued downtime if
they rely on the system, then if it is the PSU they aren't
waiting addt'l time.
>
>So let's get the easy stuff out of the way. Try another outlet on the
>surge protector. Try another outlet on the wall. Try another surge
>protector. If the problem is with a desktop PC, try another power
>cord. If it's with a laptop, remove the battery and try with only the
>AC adapter.
While an outlet or power cord can go bad, for the system to
successfully go through the initial surge of turn-on and
start to boot, these things become less likely. It's not
likely to be the battery if the AC adapter is also plugged
in.
>
>None of these helped? Okay, I didn't really think they would, but they
>were worth trying. Now let's get on to the more likely issues:
>
>A serious ventilation problem could cause your CPU to overheat and
>shutdown before the boot is complete.
That is fairly unlikely. A completely sealed PC case will
be able to boot windows unless there is some several several
minutes long pause due to a windows problem. Certainly as
mentioned above an initial inspection of the heatsink fan is
important, perhaps even the chipset or video card fan if a
mediocre heatsink is under it, but there is a fair amount of
time before the chassis itself becomes heated to it's normal
operating temperature, all those parts do absorb heat from
the internal air sufficient to minimize chances of chassis
airflow interfering with completing a normal period of
booting the OS.
>Make sure the PC's fans are all
>turning properly. This is easy to do on a desktop: Just open the PC
>and watch the insides as it boots. It's more difficult on a laptop,
>but if you listen attentively you should hear the fan.
At this point I will counter that it may not be a good idea
to continue running the system. Whatever the problem is it
may be severe. No need to go through the whole boot
process, the system can be put into the bios health or
hardware monitor screen where many now have voltage and
temperature feedback features.
>
>You should also check the vents and air passageways to make sure
>they're not blocked or clogged with dust. If they are, use a can of
>compressed air to clean them out.
Lots of PCs are dusty, probably including this one if it
hasn't been checked for dust recently, but it's not likely
to be the primary problem at such an early point in the
running period.
>
>I'm tempted to recommend software like the free SpeedFan to monitor
>your CPU. But if you can't boot your PC, it won't help.
>
>Speaking of software, if the failure happens while Windows is booting,
>the operating system may be the problem. Try booting into Safe Mode:
>Boot the PC and press F8 just before the Windows log-on appears (it
>may take a few attempts to get the timing right). At the Boot Menu
>(assuming you get that far), select Safe Mode. If you can successfully
>boot into Safe Mode, it's a software problem. See My PC Won't Boot for
>recommendations.
While I won't suggest it is impossible, an OS problem
generally causes a halt in the boot process rather than
turnning off. Better to be in the bios hardware health
monitoring screen, to have reinstalled the heatsink, and use
a multimeter to check voltages than just keep trying to boot
windows and incurring potentially damaging events.
>
>If you can't even get into Safe Mode, try booting from something other
>than the hard drive. You likely have a bootable CD or DVD lying around
>(a Windows installation disc, for instance). If you don't, try Puppy
>Linux. It boots quickly from a CD, and gives you access to the files
>on your hard drive (a real benefit if your PC won't boot). Puppy
>downloads as an .iso file; double-clicking the file will likely bring
>up your burner. If it doesn't, download and install ISO Recorder.
>
>If all else fails, try replacing the power supply unit. Desktop PSUs
>are inexpensive--you can get a good one for less than $40. They're
>reasonably easy to replace, although if you're not comfortable working
>inside a PC, go to a professional.
>
>For a laptop, try replacing the AC adapter. You'll need one specific
>for your model.
You can also find fairly poor PSU for under $40, depending
on where you look. Seek professional online reviews and
stick with major brands. Buying locally greatly increases
the odds that $40 won't buy a sufficient PSU for long term
use - and it might not even be able to start up the system
on the first try or duplicate the problem the moment the
system becomes compute-loaded during boot.
I would agree that a crash during boot is cause to try
another OS like Puppy or Ubuntu LifeCD, etc, but not so much
if the system is shutting off, not yet at least unless there
is a clear reason to suspect sudden OS problems like
installing a new driver or app closely tied to the driver
(like with tv tuner or other software front-ends for
hardware functions).
If someone isn't capable of installing a PSU, all of the
above is probably beyond their capability and they should
consider going to a professional before rather than after
continuing to try restarting their system only to have it
keep failing. On the other hand a professional might better
be able to help them wade through the myriad choices
available in selecting a replacement PSU, and might even
have a suitable replacement in stock so the downtime is
minimized... but it will tend to cost more, a decent PSU
installed by a professional might range in the $200 total
bill range if there is no further work done, while DIY with
a deal found on the internet could be closer to 1/4th that
price.
I mention this last part because depending on the age of the
system, $200 starts closing in on the make or break cost to
just replace several parts, or at the very least making it
questionable whether the system value is worth this expense
to keep it as-is, or whether it is time for an upgrade.
Since we didn't have the initial system history and specs,
we are left in the dark as to the relative value at this
point in time an any events that might have recipitated the
problem.
Having written all that, if you don't see any failed fans
(or vented capacitors with today's systems having more and
more solid capacitors), it's the PSU 2 times out of 3.
Heatsinks don't usually fall off unless it was shipped with
a fairly large one pre-installed.