computer shutdown,need help

Eldon Buckhannon · Post by **Eldon Buckhannon** » 1 Apr 2006 4:45 am

morring guys,i have a dell dimension 4550,win xp,two days ago it started shuting down when left idel for more then 15 min.or so.i ran a vris check but it came up clean,it seems to work ok but i know something must be wrong,and i don't need it to get worse, it's not supose to shut down like this it never has in last 3years,maybe it nothing to worry over but i just don't know,any ideas,thanks in advance for your help,eldon

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 1 Apr 2006 5:00 am

Dell's have several fans and if one is not working correctly or not working at all it could be overheating.

It may need a "clean out" too. But, you have to be careful as there are static sensitive devices. And check all power cables - both at the PC and at the AC power outlet or power strip to make sure they are all OK and if you have a power strip, try a different one in case the power strip is flakey.

Unfortunately there is no CPU temperature monitor in most Dell's (Dell disables this option) so you can't monitor the CPU temperature unless you use an external unit with a temperature probe.

Eldon Buckhannon · Post by **Eldon Buckhannon** » 1 Apr 2006 6:42 am

THANK YOU SIR,we will try to clean it out,but i don't think it's a power proublum,it shuts off just like you would go to the start mune and push the turn off,and you can push the power button the comupter and it comes right back on,it just seems to shut down on it's on,but we will check out everything and let you know,i thank you very much for your time,GOD BLESS,ELDON

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 1 Apr 2006 8:41 am

Are you getting a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) as the shutdowns occur, or just a sudden power down? Is there a system messenger alert notifying you that the workstation is going to shutdown?

------------------
Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
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Eldon Buckhannon · Post by **Eldon Buckhannon** » 1 Apr 2006 9:27 am

no sir,we get no warning at all,it just shuts down,we also have a screen that comes up that never came up before,but other than that everything works fine,i updated musicmatch jutebox,and then this started,i thought it must be a bug of some kind but i scaned and no bugs showed,thanks for your time,eldon

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 1 Apr 2006 12:35 pm

Eldon;
What screen comes up that never came up before? Please describe it better as it may yield a clue.

Sudden shutdowns without a BSOD, or any popup warning can be caused by your CPU overheating. This can be due to a bad or clogged cooling fan, or a broken clip on a plastic cradle used to secure certain heatsinks, allowing the heatsink to come loose from the top of the CPU.

I just repaired a broken heatsink cradle on an Intel motherboard, on a computer that was suddenly shutting down for no apparent reason. With only one clip in place the heatsink was lifting up on the bottom side and the CPU would overheat in about 60 seconds and shut off the computer. I used a combination of super glue and JB Weld to fix the plastic cradle that screwed to the motherboard, around the CPU area.

I hope this helps.

------------------
Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.

Eldon Buckhannon · Post by **Eldon Buckhannon** » 1 Apr 2006 12:50 pm

hi bob,the screen thatcomes up is like a home page it says to click on user name to start,it has a box with my name in it and a picture of my granddaughter,there in a message that reads that one program is running,when i click on my name it goes to our reg.home page, thank's for your help,eldon

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 1 Apr 2006 10:43 pm

Eldon;
That is called the graphical login screen. When you have more than one account on your computer you usually boot to a login screen where you can choose which user to login as.

There is another login screen used by offices and pros like me, that has one field for the user name and one for the password. Without knowing the correct login strangers can't get to the desktop.

You can manage logins by going to Control Panel > Users and Passwords.[This message was edited by Wiz Feinberg on 01 April 2006 at 10:44 PM.]

Eldon Buckhannon · Post by **Eldon Buckhannon** » 2 Apr 2006 3:22 am

morring sir,thank you for your time and advice,can you tell me what would cause it to start going to that sereen on it's own, it's not done that in the three years or more we've had the comp.,and do you think the shutdown is caused from over heating,,eldon

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 2 Apr 2006 3:32 am

Just as a clarification, going to the "log on" screen is not a "computer shutdown". Shutdown would be where the computer goes to a power off condition.

I realize computer terminology can be confusing but using the wrong description is also confusing for someone trying to give assistance. My initial response goes along with that, as I was trying to figure out why your PC was powering off ("shutting down").

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 2 Apr 2006 10:31 am

Doh! I just figured out what is probably happening to his computer.

For whatever reason, the Screen Saver settings and login settings have been changed so that after the screen saver has run for (15) minutes the computer logs off to the graphical login screen.

Eldon;
Here is your solution:

Right click on a blank space on the Windows desktop
Select Properties (bottom option)
Select the Screen Saver tab, on top
There is a setting for how long the computer remains idle before the screensaver turns on. Set it to the number of minutes of idle time you prefer.
To the immediate right of that timeout select box is a checkbox labeled "On Resume, password protect" UNCHECK that box
Click APPLY and then OK

After this your computer will not log off after x number of minutes of inactivity.

As for the graphical login screen, you can adjust the login settings by going to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change the way users log on or off.

Do one of the following:

1: To specify that users log on to the computer using the Welcome screen, select the Use the Welcome screen check box.

A user logs on to the computer by clicking his or her user account name on the Welcome screen. If a password is assigned to the account, the user is prompted to type it.

2: To specify that users log on to the computer without using the Welcome screen, clear the Use the Welcome screen check box.

The Welcome screen will no longer appear when you start the computer. To log on to the computer, type your user name (and password, if you have one) in the standard Log On to Windows dialog box.

Note: Fast User Switching is available only when the Welcome screen is turned on.
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I hope this solves your problem Eldon. Please let me know if it does.

------------------
Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.

Les Pierce · Post by **Les Pierce** » 2 Apr 2006 10:32 am

Unexplained, sudden shutdowns can be caused by bad memory modules. If you think that might be it, you can have them checked at your local computer shop. (You can take them out and just carry the cards to the shop).

It kind of sounds like your computer might be going into a standby mode of some kind, where the "log in" option on recovery has been set. Go to the control panel, select the "Power Options" icon, and see if is set to Hibernate, etc.

You might disable your screensave just to see. (Control panel, "Display", etc).

When you push the power button to start it back up, does it go through a complete reboot, or just come right back up to the log in screen?

Les

Eldon Buckhannon · Post by **Eldon Buckhannon** » 3 Apr 2006 2:30 pm

THANKS GUYS,SORRY IT TOOK SSO LONG TO REPLY HAD TO GO OUT OF TOWN,I GUESS SOME HOW THE SETTINGS GOT CHANGED IT WAS SET TO TURNOFF EVERY 15 MINS. BUT IT'S BACK TO NORMEL NOW,SO I WANT TO THANK ALL YOU GUYS FOR YOUR HELP,MAYBE I'LL BE ABLE TO RETURN THE FAVOR SOMETIME,YA'LL HAVE A NICE DAY AND GOD BLESS,,,ELDON
p.s i am new to steel so you can expect to hear from me often i need all the help i can get and it's nice to know we have such a great place to turn to get the help,thanks so much