Unknown problem: Please help!

[iori57]

these days my pc will suddenly hang itself and stop responding. When it hangs, the monitor also turns blank like it was disconnected from the pc, i can do nothing but turn off the power and turn it on again, even the "hard reset" button on my pc dun work in this situation

what could be the problem? it only started since few days ago...it happen randomly, sometimes when i'm playing game, and sometimes when i am surfing the net using internet explorer...and one time when i went to toilet (i leave the computer in the desktop, without any program running) and come back, the monitor turns black already

wat could be the problem? i want to fix it, but i don't know where to start with

is it hardware or software problem?

 

[capricorn]

It's helpful with these sorts of posts to describe what kind of PC you have. Type of CPU, speed, etc. Amount of memory, type, etc. People with similar systems that have had the same problem are the best at giving you hints. Also, you should mention if have you made any major changes recently such as adding new hardware or upgrading the OS or installing virus protection.

That said, I'd be thinking heat problem or component failure. For the first hypothesis, try taking off the cover of your system and blowing out any dust with a can of compressed air. It's amazing how much dust can pack itself around the fins of the CPU heatsink. With the cover still off, power up the system and make sure all the fans are still running - especially the one on the CPU if there is one.

If the system is still acting up, I'd start looking at the components that could cause the effects you're seeing. Step 1 is to take out and put back in your memory and PCI cards. Over time, the heating and cooling of the computer as you turn it on and off can cause these to work loose or build up a bit of corrosion on the contacts. "Reseating" them often helps. If the problem still persists, I would look at the power supply, memory, motherboard, and CPU. (For testing memory, try memtest86.)

That's all that I can think of right off the bat.

-cap