"Random" restart

pashbe1

Member
May 5, 2009
93
2
71
The issue: In the last two days my system has been randomly shutting down and then rebooting. There are no errors or BSOD's, just straight power off and restart. After this starts happening the time between restarts can be just a few minutes or even during post.

Data:There are no "Windows shut down unexpectedly" messages or other errors. The CPU, GPU temps are normal. There have been no software or hardware changes to the system. All drivers are up to date. Paid AV detects nothing, even with a boot scan.

My Theory: Hardware related, probably MoBo.

Questions: What are your ideas? What troubleshooting techniques should I attempt? What diagnostic software is available?

My system: i920 no OC, AsRock X58 Extreme MoBo, 12GB Ram, boot disc Samsung SSD, 3 HDD's.

Thank you for your time!
 

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,553
248
106
What power supply do you have?

I am guessing either power supply or a stick of RAM is going south. See if you can run Memtest on the system.

Does the system freeze for any length of time, or do a straight reboot? When it does reboot, does everything come back up right away, or does it take a couple tries/have to leave it off for a minute?
 

denis280

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2011
3,434
9
81
What power supply do you have?

I am guessing either power supply or a stick of RAM is going south. See if you can run Memtest on the system.

Does the system freeze for any length of time, or do a straight reboot? When it does reboot, does everything come back up right away, or does it take a couple tries/have to leave it off for a minute?
Agree:thumbsup:
 

pashbe1

Member
May 5, 2009
93
2
71
Hey Ketchup,

Its a 750w Corsair, I don't remember the model, but it is three years old. I will test this with another psu I have.

I have not run memtest. I will google that to get the details.

No freezing at all, it goes straight to a zero power, then reboots without any input from me. Sometimes it dies during the reboot, sometimes not. When the problem starts it starts repeating every couple of minutes.
 

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,553
248
106
Hey Ketchup,

Its a 750w Corsair, I don't remember the model, but it is three years old. I will test this with another psu I have.

I have not run memtest. I will google that to get the details.

No freezing at all, it goes straight to a zero power, then reboots without any input from me. Sometimes it dies during the reboot, sometimes not. When the problem starts it starts repeating every couple of minutes.

OK, cool. I forgot to mention in my first post to make sure you are leaving a power strip, battery backup from the equation.
 

Gunbuster

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,852
23
81
My old system did something similar. Found out recently while throwing the board away that two of the power regulation chips under the heatsink by the CPU socket were blown up and scorched. Board looked perfectly normal until I pulled the heatsink off just for kicks.
 

Matt1970

Lifer
Mar 19, 2007
12,320
3
0
What power supply do you have?

I am guessing either power supply or a stick of RAM is going south. See if you can run Memtest on the system.

The majority of the time I get a machine in with that complaint it ends up being power supply.
 

Steltek

Diamond Member
Mar 29, 2001
3,222
991
136
The majority of the time I get a machine in with that complaint it ends up being power supply.

+1

And, even with a good brand like Corsair it is always possible to get a dud. Never had a problem with an RMA with them, either.
 

pashbe1

Member
May 5, 2009
93
2
71
Hey guys,

I've pulled the Corsair TX750W, but I haven't had a chance to either put in another psu or put a multimeter to this one. I'm going to do that after work today. The psu is still under warranty, so if it is bad, I will try to RMA it. In the mean time I will be heading to CompUSA for a replacement because I need my gaming fix this weekend. I will update you on the results of the test.

I was going to run the memtest last night but the power-off/reboot cycle took over almost immediately so I couldn'd do that, and then the wife needed help with her homework. Some people just don't understand priorities.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.
 

pashbe1

Member
May 5, 2009
93
2
71
Thanks everybody,

I just put a meter to the 24pin connector and found no voltage on #14 pin which should be putting out 12v apparently. I will be installing a new psu tonight, and that should fix the issue. Now to RMA the Corsair.
 

pashbe1

Member
May 5, 2009
93
2
71
The rig ran all weekend without a hiccup. Problem solved. Thanks to all who responded.

I replaced the CorsairTX750W with a Coolmax1000W. Never heard of the brand but it was reasonably priced at CompUSA. Since I don't know their reputation I will be reinstalling the Corsair when I get it back, if I get it back.