No OS Pent 4 2.66 Gh 384 RAM Dell inspiron 5100 My comp was suddenly shutting off during movies, music and internet browsing. It gen didn't shut off while standing still. I used the Dell OS CD to erase the partition and format NTFS (reg, not quick). During the menu's before the formatting and during the formatting, it continue'd to shut off. Now I don't have an OS. On another comp, I burned two CDs, one is Window MEm Test and the other is memtest. The computer passed the Windows mem test on all 11 counts of the adv scan. It keep restarting during the other CD, with memtest. Neither memory testers show an error while they are running. Both are run in default mode, as configured when I burned the ISOs the their CDs. I ran the built-in diag tool in the Bios, but it could only run half the tests, because the diag utilies on the HD are erased. I don't have the drivers and utilities CD that it asks for. Is this a memory prob, power supply, or what? I don't really have money to take to a repair shop or buy parts without knowing the prob. Let me know if you need any more info.
either the PSU or something is overheating, if you still had an OS you could have used Speedfan to help you diagnose if any thing is overheating[ot]how long before it switch itself off because you can view some temps in the BIOS (e.g. CPU and i think the north bridge)[/ot] BTW: can you borrow a known working PSU Edit: it would have being easier to diagnose if you had not formatted, but we can only hope
lol - maybe i can put the laptop in the freezer during the reinstall. actually, maybe that's not a bad idea.
no, because strange things can happen with such a drastic change in temp, no to mention the condensation[ot]:swear: i did mention it, oh well[/ot]
It might be wise to open the case and clear any dust there (including any dust in the cooler). Because that can harm the airflow. [ot]I don't think that it might be the cause, but it's worth the try[/ot]
It's fixed. Turns out the heat sink was covered in dust and dirt. I took it out and now the fan blows the air right through the heat sink. Hasn't shut down since. wish I would have done that before reinstalling. Then again, now Ill have a nice fresh install and a backup too! Thanks all!
