Hello,

I'm here on the recommendation of "ddeerrff" from the hijackthis forum.

I posted about a problem with my computer randomly restarting, without an error message, it just restarts whenever it wants to. I tried scanning the computer with many programs: spybot, adaware, AVG, activescan, and ewido suite. The computer restarts during the scan without allowing it to finish! Something must be preventing it from finishing! I posted a hijackthis log thinking it was a hacker, but with the help of ddeerrff I was able to clean the log, yet the computer continued to restart unexpectedly. For reference, here is a link to my old post: URGENT! Computer needs help!

Figuring there was no problem from malware, we came to the conclusion that it must be a hardware problem. That is why I am here.

I have a hard time thinking it is a hardware problem considering no new hardware has been installed on this computer! Again, I would scan for a problem, but i can't, because the computer reboots during the scan!

I would greatly appreciate any help to solve this problem! Thanks.

Check your Event Viewer for errors (go to Start...Control Panel...Administrative Tools...Event Viewer) around the time that the crashes happen. Please let us know what the error messages say.

Tell the computer not to automatically restart when it crashes (go to Start...Control Panel...System...Advanced Tab...Startup and Recovery Settings button. Then uncheck the box that says "Automatically restart" and then click on OK. This should give you a blue screen with an error message then next time it crashes. Please let us know what the error message says.

I already did uncheck "automatically restart" and it still restarts! i have it unchecked as we speak, and it still restarts without warning, no blue screen, nothing!

but as for the event viewer, i'm scanning through the events rite now, but i can't remember the time at which the reboots occurred, although i have found a few "warning" messages under system errors.

some say:

TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts.

however, most of the "warning" messages involve the computer automatically configuring the IP address for the network card. I would post the messages but I don't want my IP address out there.

Any ideas? Thanks.

Not a problem. If you're concerned about your IP address on the web - just convert it to a series like this: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx This will signal to all that there was an IP address there.

Since you don't get a Blue Screen, and there's no significant errors in the Event Viewer, I'm suspecting a hardware problem.

Hardware degrades over time, and components degrade even faster when exposed to excessive heat.

Try installing this free program to monitor the heat inside your case: http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php It also has the added ability to scan the SMART status of your hard drives. Please let us know what the temperatures are inside your system and if the SMART tool shows any problems with your hard drive.

Next, have you ever opened your computer's case? If not, over time you can expect an enormous amount of dust and fuzz to accumulate inside the case - and this will affect you computer's performance and will also retain heat. This also causes the crud to creep into your connections and degrade them - so unplugging, cleaning, and then replugging all connections is important.

Let us know how this works and we'll work from there.

usasma is heading you in the right direction. All it takes is a killer dust bunny to clog the processor fan to super heat your system. Not only can it make your system act erratic it can also damage the CPU, memory, and just about every other component in your box. Get a soft brisol tooth brush and 2 can of electronic compressed air and go to town. You should do this at least once a year if not twice.

these guys have got the idea, but i always like to start with simple solutions. Make sure the case is in a relatively open area. Usually you just need to have the front and back clear so the air can run thru. a fan being blocked by something jammed behind it could also be a cause

has windows updated itself recently, before thte problem started? (what a dumb question, huh?) I'm no MS programmer, but I think that an update could trigger a hidden hardware glitch. there was this one time I had a modem suddenly hate a new NIC, but i wont get into that here.

PS talk about dust bunnies in a case. I opened my friends comp to install a NIC and it looked like an actual bunny had gotten in there and blew up. I can only compare the area around the exhaust fan (Gateway had some weird plastic wind tunnel attachment suckin past the cpu) to the lint trap on the dryer after 5 loads without changingit. I thought the stuff had evolved into some kind of ordered organism!

We've got 5 dogs and 8 cats. I have to leave the side off of my case because I go in there so frequently to clean it.

And, although I love the uncluttered look that's achieved by putting the computer underneath the desk - it sucks up way too much hair and dust down there. So, I've put mine back on top of my desk and don't have to clean it as often.