Spontaneous Reboot

[sitswithmouse]

Lately my main box has been rebooting spontaneously during normal desktop operation. It happens sporadically, after probably an hour or more of internet surfing or some such other non-stressing activity. I first noted it last month during a heat wave, and the ambient temp was pretty high in the room where this thing sits. But it is happening even when things are cooler, and there are other slightly weird events happening that make me think I have a hardware problem.

I'd like to know what kind of things would cause this, and any information toward how to troubleshoot it would be helpful. The system information is below, approximate component ages included. Case cooling info is in there too, although it has happened with the case open when things were particularly warm. Thanks to any and all who respond!

Intel Celly II 566@850 w/Global Win FOP 38 hsf (15 months)
Abit BX6R2 mainboard (3yrs)
385Mb Crucial system ram (3 128Mb sticks)
2 80mm case fans, one in front intake, one in back exhaust, cannibalized from a CardCooler
Enermax whisper psu 350W (7months)
SBLive (3 yrs)
ATI Radeon 8500 64Mb (9 mo.)
Creative DVD 6X drive & DXR3 decoder board (3 yrs)
IBM 10Gb HDD 7200 RPM (3yrs)
Plextor 24/10/40A cdrw (9mo)
2 NICs

 

[nanaki333]

sounds like a power supply or motherboard issue. i had a FIC motherboard awhile back that would reboot out of nowhere which started happening not long before it died. or your power supply could just be dying, or again, it could just be the heat. i think it's time to upgrade that celery 566 anyway, u can get an athlon xp1500 + board for $100 now. well that's my 2 cents.

 

[Sanityy]

I get that sometimes, just reboots.

Though I know it can't be a heat problem cause my cpu is runnng at 36c and my chassis at 34c

plus my motherboard is just brand new and so is the power supply, so hmm can't be those.

what else could it be ?? just xp's way of showing a blue screen is what I'm thinking ?

thanx

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Some motherboards are known for power issues. I had a Bf6 (bx chipset) that had known power issues. My system would reboot at random and on a fairly regular basis. It pissed me off soooooo much. I replaced the power supply and it still happened.

That's when Viper GTS told me that he used to have the same mobo and also included the nice little tidbit that the model has known power issues. And he's the one that suggested the motherboard choice. Jerk. j/k

<edit>
I just read your system config. Lookie what I found: "Abit BX6R2 mainboard (3yrs)" You might want to look into it.

nik

 

[sitswithmouse]

Originally posted by: nanaki333
sounds like a power supply or motherboard issue....<snip>... i think it's time to upgrade that celery 566 anyway, u can get an athlon xp1500 + board for $100 now. well that's my 2 cents.

I'm right there with you on retiring the BX setup, it's pretty long in the tooth. I picked up one of the newegg XP1600+ and am actually waiting for the MSI board for it to get back from RMA. If my venerable Abit board is going south on me, it really isn't much of an issue except that I won't put it up for sale, since it will be out of my box shortly anyway. But, if my psu is going bad, that's a different kettle of fish. It is a recent replacement for my former psu and still under warranty, so I need to determine if that is the problem. Also, since it was a replacement for dead gear, I don't have another psu to do replacement troubleshooting with. (My Other Box has an AT psu). I was thinking ahead to an Athlon half a year ago or so when I bought the Enermax, since the old 250W would have been Not Good Enough to carry over into an upgrade. One more thing, I'm running W98SE, though this is gonna change very soon as well.

I'd like to find out who the culprit is, hopefully without making any unnecessary purchases. Anyone have a handle on how to troubleshoot a live psu to determine if it is giving trouble?

Also, can I assume the innocence of the video card in this situation? By the way, thanks again to all.

 

[sitswithmouse]

Originally posted by: Sanityy
I get that sometimes, just reboots.

Though I know it can't be a heat problem cause my cpu is runnng at 36c and my chassis at 34c

plus my motherboard is just brand new and so is the power supply, so hmm can't be those.

what else could it be ?? just xp's way of showing a blue screen is what I'm thinking ?

thanx

lol, that would be a rip. WinXP is kinda scary anyway. Well, I wish that just because it was new it was good, but it ain't necessarily so.