Strange restart problem!

[Kaitech[SanD]]

Hi, I just reformatted my main drive last night, and installed XP SP2... I installed WC3 and then it just restarted my PC, and it's back to it's old tricks...

PC setup

Microsoft Windows XP
Home Edition
Service Pack 2

Intel(R)
Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
3.00 GHz, 512 MB of RAM

ASUS DVD-E616P
NVIDIA GeForce 6600
ACPI Multiprocessor PC

Any other Info you need?

 

[Dr Super Good]

Make sure all drivers and applications in question are upto date with the lattest drivers. Also maybe up your RAM, as that can cause some problems if it is near maximum useage.

Check you have fully updated your OS, as that is often a major cause.

Your processor or RAM might be defictive, resulting in random errors when the defective part is used, which can even result in the Blue Screen Of Death you are getting (restarting automatically with XP/vista). I recomend testing those parts just to make sure as if it is hardware based, we can not help you (you have to replace those parts).

 

[Samuraid]

You should also check to make sure your machine is properly cooled and that all your fans/heatsinks are clean from dust.
The Pentium 4 chips (along with all the netburst CPUs) generate a fair amount of heat and need sufficient cooling to run stably.

You may also consider entering the BIOS setup and checking the voltages provided by your power supply to ensure they are stable and accurate.

 

[HINDYhat]

Mhm, I've had a problem like this before. Turns out my processor's fan was malfunctioning. You should check that out, as well as any other cooling systems, as Samuraid said.

 

[Dr Super Good]

Also check your PC does not have too much running in the background. As especially with low RAM, with a lot running the programs may malfunction and overwrite RAM they should not (instant BSoD) but this should only really happen when running memory hogs like supreme commanders or medevil total wars (what happens to me).

 

[Kaitech[SanD]]

Ok, I just dusted out my machine, seems like that isn't the problem... Isn't Avast Antivirus meant to be one of the best going virus scanners out there? 'Cause it didn't pick ANYTHING up at all...

Microsoft said that I should contact Blizzard, Blizzard told me to reinstall, which I'd already done, they said contact Microsoft and Microsoft started saying crap like "Ooh, you have viruses! Check for a virus!" So I did, there were none, so I just thought well screw that, 'cause they will just send me in a massive loop which will result in me replacing everything I have >.>

Anyway, all my drivers are up to date, memory stick is fine and everything is dust free.

Anything else you think?

Oh, and before my PC malfunctioned a few months back, which meant I had to replace my Hard Drive, this machine could run loads of stuff in the background... DO you think it may be my new hard drive?

 

[HINDYhat]

You most likely don't have a virus; it's probably a malfunction in the hardware. So yeah... if it isn't a fan manfunction, I've got no idea. But then again, I've very inexperienced in that domain, so just follow Samuraid's advice

 

[Kaitech[SanD]]

You most likely don't have a virus; it's probably a malfunction in the hardware. So yeah... if it isn't a fan manfunction, I've got no idea. But then again, I've very inexperienced in that domain, so just follow Samuraid's advice

Do you class malfunctioning as your pc shutting down unexpectedly, hearing a small BANG and watching black smoke produce from your processor?

Yeah, my processor blew up -_-

 

[HINDYhat]

Yeah, pretty much.

 

[Kaitech[SanD]]

Thought so, it only gets an error when I close it down... But that's of no major annoyance.