Kitz Forum

Computer Software => Windows 7 => Topic started by: renluop on July 06, 2014, 06:48:54 PM

Title: Once every day or so system restarts: no effect on router
Post by: renluop on July 06, 2014, 06:48:54 PM
I am browsing or whatever and the screen goes black, followed by the Dell screen inviting to select restart method. Once restarted and logged in, I find it is as if nothing had happened; no effect on performance.

I hope I have not asked this before (potential  :-[), but what could be the cause?
Title: Re: Once every day or so system restarts: no effect on router
Post by: roseway on July 06, 2014, 06:54:52 PM
If it's spontaneously rebooting then I think it's most likely to be a hardware problem, such as dodgy (or badly seated) memory, or some other intermittent connection somewhere. You could try opening it up and reseating the memory and jiggling any plugs and sockets (while switched off of course).
Title: Re: Once every day or so system restarts: no effect on router
Post by: burakkucat on July 06, 2014, 07:20:52 PM
Agreeing with Eric, I would first suspect physical connections and then possibly a failing power supply. Next, overheating. All all the fans operating? Has one stalled? Finally, is the system clogged with dust?  :-\
Title: Re: Once every day or so system restarts: no effect on router
Post by: renluop on July 06, 2014, 08:09:08 PM
Thanks all. Although It was not that long ago the box wold have been opened up, I am wondering after you comments about dust. Our house sits on the edge of town by the boundary of the New Forest ( horses in field at the rear) and does get very dusty.
Title: Re: Once every day or so system restarts: no effect on router
Post by: kitz on July 06, 2014, 09:10:18 PM
Im only echoing Eric and b*cat have said, but just wanted to add one more area - graphics card.

For me personal the graphics card is one of the things that has caused me the most grief over the years on various PCs.  Usually its due to over-heating especially this time of year.

I also had a blackscreen issue circa xmas time, which turned out to be related to my nvidia drivers.
Title: Re: Once every day or so system restarts: no effect on router
Post by: renluop on July 06, 2014, 09:48:18 PM
that was replaced not so long ago
Title: Re: Once every day or so system restarts: no effect on router
Post by: Berrick on July 07, 2014, 08:45:30 PM
Reboots of this nature can be just about anything, Software/OS, drivers, faulty memory, hard disk motherboard even the PSU.

Memory is fairly easy to check with memtest, hard disk checked with manufactures extended diags (though they tend to be destructive). I have had to date two issues where customers complained of these sorts of symptoms and running the quick hard disk tests came back as OK. Running the extended diags on these disks returned error codes at about the 99% complete mark. When the errors where looked up it just said replace disk. Once the disk was replaced, no more problems.

Last week another customer was having the same issue as renluop. Theirs was a Dell. Luckily they had several identical PC's so I moved the hard disk between the machine and the fault followed the hard disk. Disk diags ran clean so I took a look in the event logs and found errors indicating updates issues and dump files where being created. When I analysed one of the dump files it related back to the other errors found in the logs. More importantly the dump file was telling me that the system was experiencing Video_TDR_errors. Unfortunately these errors can be caused by video hardware or drivers.

Rebuilding the system (quickest option) so far appears to have corrected the problem (fingers crossed).

renluop; you aren't my customer are you  :-[ ?