BleepingComputer.com: Computer Shuts itself off

I've been having trouble with this computer for quite some time now and have been on the hp help desk thing about every three months or so to see if anyone has an idea that makes sense to me.. Here's the problem, in a nutshell the topic tells it all.. I can be doing anything on this computer and it shuts itself off.. That means messing with pictures, listening to music, watching a movie etc. My stats: this computer is a hp AMD 64 Athlon HP Pavilion Slimline s7627c PC.. OS win XP (vista compatible) I'm not sure what else to add, but here's a list of programs I have loaded;


McAfee Total Protection (with five months left on the sub.)

Lexmark x6170 AIO with software to run it..

I was told the printer was the problem and I should get rid of it..

I have MSN messenger or live messenger and I list that also because they (the hp helpline is the "they" that told me about the lexmark printer and everything else) told me the messenger was the problem..

They had me run a diagnostics test and told me whatever the final results were that the hard drive was faulty..

Another time they told me to reset the memory chip sets.. I waited a few weeks and recontacted them and that would have been the wrong thing to do.. No doubt..

I've contacted hp quite a few times over the past few years and I don't get a definitive diagnostics idea from them enough for me to say "that's it, EUREKA they figured it out"..

I think this computer is in fact just a lemon.. They make them, just like everything out there, there has to be a lemon in all things including a computer, and we got it..

All I'm really wondering is is there anything that can be done or do I just live with this thing shutting itself off every whenever it wants to.. By the way the record for this thing shutting itself off is nine times in six hours.. Amounting to a contact with hp I'm sure.. I hope I gave enough info on the computer specs.. we are on a cable modem as well, if that helps..

Thanks for your help..

This post has been edited by hamluis: 14 July 2010 - 08:22 AM
Reason for edit: Moved from XP to Internal Hardware ~ Hamluis.

"Shuts itself off"...does that mean the entire system powers down...or does it mean that it reboots?

Louis

Shuts off as in no power.. Black screen.. There's never any warning.. I never know when it's going to shut down.. it can be working fine, and it's like someone pulls the plug on it.. There's no message before or after the computer shuts off.. I wish there was because then there would be a starting point to do something about this.. I figure there really is nothing because everytime I go to the hp help chat site they come up with a new idea as to what could be wrong.. They have never said the same thing twice..

Have you taken a look in Event Viewer...for errors indicating a problem with a hardware device?

How To Use Event Viewer - http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic40108.html

Seems to be an HP problem, from what I see. Various users of slimline report similar situations.

Rather than visiting the HP chat/help/user forums...have you contacted HP Support?

Louis

I only talk by way of the instant chat mostly because I'm afraid I'll get someone on the phone who is incredibly hard to understand.. Like from India or New York by way of China or something.. With chat they may be from those countries but at least I can read the words and not have to decipher the language it is being delivered in.. I will check event viewer and see what happens there.. Right now for some reason I can only get the computer to run in safe mode.. Probably some virus the hundred dollar mcafee didn't catch...

I looked at the event viewer and saw all those errors.. And then I came across one that was marked "WARNING" then in the source column it had "mfehidk" catagory "256" event "516" user "n/a" then the computer name.. I have found several of these "warning" type of things in the event viewer thing, could this be a problem??

Generally..."errors" are what you need to focus on.

Warnings generally require no action by user, nor do information items.

Louis

Hello and welcome to Bleepingcomputer.

Lets get the ball rolling here on diagnosing your computers shut down problems.

First as always, I like providing support information as I try to help people figure out what is wrong with their computer when it starts acting up.

I am providing a link to the Hewlett Packard web site for your HP Pavilion Slimline s7627c Desktop PC.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product...p;submit=Go%20»

This is what type of motherboard you have in your system.

•Motherboard manufacturer's name: Asus A8N-BR
•HP/Compaq name: Pyrite-GL8E

Here is a link that displays what your motherboard looks like inside of the case.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/documen...t=3307449#N1390

I seriously think your shutting down problem should be looked at as a heat issue first, then we can move onto other solutions if it is required.

You should open the side of the computer and inspect the motherboard, cooling fans and heat sinks for dust accumulation. This includes inspecting the power supply as well.

If you feel there is evidence of dust, it is time to purchase a can of compressed air and blow out the inside of the computer, concentrating on the cooling fans and heat sinks.

If a computer's components reach a certain threshold of intense heat, those components will shut down to avoid permanent damage, this may be the case here.

Once you have inspected the condition of the parts I listed above and have found dust build up not to be the case, I will recommend that you try removing the processor's heat sink and applying what we call thermal grease for heat sinks, this grease helps transfer heat away from the core of the processor and into the heat sink where it is moved away into the air and discharged by the exhaust fans.

You should also check any cooling fins that may be attached to your video cards processor for dust build up as well.

Before I go onto to other possibilities and solutions, I prefer you check the things I suggested above and post back the out come as to whether we found a solution that works or not, or if I have to give further instructions.

Don't worry, we'll find a solution because you've come to the right place for help.


Kind regards.
Bruce.

I can't get the error message(s) to do that copy thing.. I've sent it to the clipboard and still can't figure out how to get it to load to here.. Also it is a "brief" note and not at all like the way it is described in that link for the "event viewer" where there is any computer type of code type of a thing.. There is no code that I can see at all..

MrBruce1959, on Jul 14 2010, 02:25 PM, said:

Bruce, thanks for the advice and I will try the grease part of your suggestion as the rest I have already done.. I try to clean this computer at least twice a year because of the area we live in (western Nebraska, hot.. windy & dust).. And keeping the fan and everything dust free is priority number one.. The computer can shut itself off early on in a session though.. Like within an hour of being turned on for the day.. I know what you're thinking "why do you shut your computer off?" Well it shuts itself off anyway so why not shut it off.. Your final quote of "Don't worry, we'll find a solution because you've come to the right place for help." I felt that when I was looking at your site before I ever thought to register.. Thank you and the entire BC nation...

Okay, please keep us informed as to how things turn out.

Kind regards.

Bruce.

stutch13, on Jul 15 2010, 06:13 AM, said:

sorry...just want to adding something...hope it's Ok
sometimes people always adding thermal grease for heatsink without knowing or noticed where the thermal grease that they adding before...
in overheat situation...sometimes the thermal grease loose their function to reduce and transfered the heat from proccesor to heatsink and becoming like rock that hold and give more heat / turn back the heat to processor...so its better if you try to check the old thermal grease before adding it...cleaning the old thermal grease much better...just to make sure the old thermal not becoming like a rock...

are you have try to check the heat???
this is the most important thing for make sure that you have overheat situation or burned capasitor or other situation...

This post has been edited by abauw: 15 July 2010 - 03:25 PM

abauw, on Jul 15 2010, 04:24 PM, said:

I used your quote above just to say to you, this is an open forum.

Input, suggestions and advice from anyone is always welcomed here at BC in any open topic, which is what the forums here at BC are..open topic.

Also, you are absolutely correct, the old thermal grease can harden or loose its effectiveness and it is better to remove the old paste/grease before applying a new bead of it.

You are also correct about checking those electrolytic capacitors for bulging or leaking electrolyte.

Thank you for your most welcomed input and for being a valued member of Bleepingcomputer.com.

Bruce.

The "thermal compound" I got is called polysynthetic silver . high density and on the back of the carton it says it is 99.9% pure silver.. I got it at the local radio shack.. Just thought I'd check before I crack the case open and do that...

MrBruce1959, on Jul 16 2010, 04:07 AM, said:

thanks...
just join this forum for learning about something
and reading this thread while waiting combofix running or scanning...

stutch13, on Jul 16 2010, 04:42 AM, said:

do you mean Arctic Silver - 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal
if yes...you cant download the instruction at here...
http://www.arcticsilver.com/instructions.htm
click How to apply thermal compound...under Arctic Silver - 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal icon...
if new window show up...choice your type of processor...
then a new windows will show up...choice the processor that you use...download it...

read and apply instruction for get the best heat transfer process...

by the way...
how about the temperature of you computer???
please check it first to make sure that you have overheating problem or else...
the easiest to check it is from BIOS setup...if its over than 59 C (sorry in Indonesian used celcius not farenheit...so I dont know what degree in fahrenheit)...you can consider that you problem is overheat...
now days...motherboards factory have protect their motheboards from burned because overheat...they have make an auto shutdown to protect burned capasitor...some have lock that fitur and some have give a chance for user to disable it (not 100%...still there a maximum temperature that cant tolerance that mainboard cant handle)

if you really sure you problem is overheat...
play in BIOS first before go to OS...
try cek the temp...raise a litle bit of autoshutdown setting...5 C...keep you computer turn on...still in bios...wait a 10-20 minutes while watching the temperature..if the temperature still high and going up...shutdown the computer...open the case turn on the computer and watching the fan (heatsink fan) is running fast or slow...if slow please consider to buy a new fan that cant fit in heatsink or buy a new heatsink fan if you cant find the fan...
the key is how to dispose maximum heat that processor create...