# Windows XP restarting randomly



## captain_Y (Jul 17, 2003)

Hi all, I recently built a new computer: Asus P4P800 deluxe board, P4 2.8 ghz cpu, 2 256mb of Kingston PC3200 ram, and a 80 gig WD harddrive. I installed Windows XP pro without any problems, and got servcie pack 1 installed w/o any problems either. However, soon after, my computer started to reboot every few hour or so. Most of the time i'm running IE, but it has crashed on AIM, quicktime, media player, winamp, just about anything and everything. I've tried running memtest86, and it checks out fine, so no ram problems. I've checked my temperature with Asus probe, running at about 32 degrees C, so no problems there either. I've tried unchecking the automatic restart box under My Computer's properties, only to get the blue screen of death. Afterwards, the box remains checked and i still get random restarts about once per hour or two if i'm using the computer, and if its idle about once every 8 hours or so. 2 other things i have noticed, the usb keyboard does not seem to work outside of windows, I had to use a PS/2 keyboard to start my installation of windows and to run memtest86. Also, my computer used to make a few beeps when it booted up at the Asus screen, but just today it stopped beeping. Sorry for the long post, but I'm just really sick and tired of these restarts and "windows has recovered from a serious error" messages. If anyone has any suggestions, please respond/PM/email me. Your help will be appreciated! 

[email protected]

P.S. Not only is my system restarting a lot, but IE, word, AIM, all have had to close at one time or another due to some "error", especially explorer, it screws up just as often if not more than the restarts


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## DaYFree (Jul 20, 2003)

I have the SAME problem. I installed Win XP pro and SP1 and my pc reboots every couple hours!! I can not figure out where is the problem  If anyone knows how to solve this, PLEASE help!


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## dfehlberg (Jul 29, 2003)

I experienced the same problem. When I upped the RAM performance, it got worse.

Get Memtest86 and check out your RAM. Mine showed a problem at some settings. 

Memtest86 does not necessarily show an error during a few iterations. Turn on "Performance Mode" to STANDARD and then try. The tighter the timing, the sooner errors will crop up. BUT - don't use the SPD override to exceed the manufacturer's settings and expect to get away with it.

I'm not happy with the performance I'm getting, so I'll start a new thread to see if some 'ole pro can help me...

:|


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## GameDude (Jul 27, 2003)

Ok fellas its your memory the kingston memory is crappy but any brand can be wrong even corsair but the memory i use works fine with this motherboard And it is very picky when it comes to memory. I use the Corsair DDR Twin X XMS 512-3200LLpt 400 MHz much better. well any back to the problem the reason that you can you use the machine for awhile and then it shuts off is because it will work fine untill it gets to the part of the memory that is not working and then it shuts off/Reboots. Trust me. I cant stress this enough its the memory make sure if you have more than one stick that both of them are exactly the same this is very important.

That serious error message is a memory error even if everything installed correctly its doesnt matter. The memory is wrong.


Computer Tech. Jim


Knowledge is power read it, think it, use it.



My system

ASUS P4C800 Deluxe onboard AI
2.4 GHz Cpu Hyperthread technology
1024 MB of Corsair Twin X512-3200LLPT 4x256 400 MHz Dual channel memory running @ 400 MHz
G-Force 4 Ti 4400 128 MB
SoundBlaster Audigy gamer 
Zalman High speed Cpu Fan with air Funnel
Operating system XP pro with sp1


Also if you are going to run alot of memory the best way to run a gig is with two 512 sticks or 4 256 sticks on this motherboard. it doesnt handle like say the 1 gig chip that good Asus recommends
That if you want 512 that you do it like this 2x256 or 1 GB 4x256/2x512 etc.


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## pellis (Sep 16, 2003)

*XP random restarts*

I'd love to agree that Memory is to blame , but I have suffered the same restart problems ever since I got my new PC with XP, (back in Feb 03). After waiting for Broadband so I could download all windows patches (so the vendor couldn't blame the OS) I took the kit back to the store I got it from.
They tested all the h/w - only found that the fan sometimes stopped.. they replaced it under warranty.

Got it back home to find it STILL restarted 4-5 times an hour. The second visit back to the vendor ; they had it running over night for days without finding ANY fault. Did all manner of tests.

Conclusion ? They only had the tower unit to play with ; no peripherals that I have .... yeah, like that *should* make a difference.

I have now had the machine back at home for over a week and (Shhh) it's been stable - I only have the keyboard/mouse/adsl modem and monitor plugged in.

What's not plugged in yet ?
Smartmedia USB reader
USB hub
old 56k modem (not connected to the phone line)

It must be one of these....I'll plug 'em in one by one and report back...


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## clintfan (Sep 4, 2003)

Frequent reboots for no reason are also a classic symptom of the W32.Welchia.worm, also called Nachi worm, and MSBLAST.D. The worm can hit regardless of what model mobo you have. I had that worm about 2 weeks ago, what a shock! The unexpected reboot is when it started. On mine the worm showed up in DLLHOST.EXE, I think it was. Might have been SVCHOST.EXE. The LAN was going crazy for no apparent reason.

Update your virus definitions, pull your LAN, and run a virus scan (you _do_ all _have_ antivirus tools and firewalls, right? A search of PCCillin's site only showed solutions for MSBLAST.A, not the .D variant, but you could give it a try. I hear PCCillin periodically kills your LAN, though. Personally I recommend Symantec (Norton) Antivirus, and a Symantec Firewall, looks like Symantec Norton Internet Security 2004 is the way to go today, has what u need at under $70.

There's Microsoft info buried in here about preventive patches, and removal tools, for this worm and its variants.

Hope this helps,

-clintfan


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## Shadow Hunter (Jul 21, 2003)

you guys are all thread hijackers....

i would just reformat since you guys seem to have new comps.. you wont be losing much


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## knight44 (Oct 9, 2003)

*Asus P4C800 Reboots*

I have the same problem with my puter rebooting lately. 
My System:
P4 3.06 - Asus P4C800 Deluxe
1 gig DDR PC2100
Qaudro 2 FX2000 AGP-pro
Thermal Take Case
300Watt Power supply

The thing is - the system use to run great! With no changes to the hardware or software the system started to reboot in the middle of nowhere. At first I thought it was the memory or video card. So I went out and bought new memory (cheap anyway) and the new Quadro card (I wanted anyway). Still have the same problem. So I decided to rebuild the PC. - I bet your thinking virus huh? Well in the middle of the build (copying files) it rebooted - cant be a virus now! After multiple attempts and several reboots later I got WinXP Pro installed. Well it of coarse rebooted after awhile tring to get windows configured.

So not that leaves me with either its the chip or the motherboard.
Being that I see alot of post about this problem here - Im leading to think it may be the board.

Any thoughts?


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## knight44 (Oct 9, 2003)

*Correction*

Correction. The power supply is actually:
Enermax 460Watt


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## clintfan (Sep 4, 2003)

Maybe you have  the solder problem?

-clintfan


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## knight44 (Oct 9, 2003)

Hmm.. pretty interesting! I think Ill just have to check that out.


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## knight44 (Oct 9, 2003)

*Found Problem*

I checked out the solder, but everything was OK. Going cheap to most expensive - it turned out to be the CPU. Maybe a bad batch? Chip was never overclocked and never had any thermal problems. So who knows -


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## pellis (Sep 16, 2003)

Knight44 - what led you to the CPU !? How do you check to solder ?

Look back up the list - my PC was running fine for weeks until just recently; started rebooting again.

Everything but the USB hub has been in for ages (never got around to the hub) and no bad effects... the differences ?

Well a batch of MS hotfixes,
AV updates (yes I've been running AV & firewall all the time).

It's been gradually getting worse over about two weeks and yesterday it booted three time while closing down.

I'm wondering (hoping!) loose boards of some kind, or loose wires inside.


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## pellis (Sep 16, 2003)

BTW - my M/B isn't an ASUS - it's a Gigabyte


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## knight44 (Oct 9, 2003)

Well basically like I said. I started replacing everyting from cheapest (and most probable) to the more expensive (also, less probable) componants. Now basically I have an identical system of new parts. Everything in my system is original now except the CPU. Which, BTW - is being warrantied by Intel as I write this. 

Now before I started to just swap out parts I did try to rebuild the system (thinking it might be that), but while installing the OS (copying files) the system would just reboot itself. So it wasnt the OS at all. After I would change out a part (eg. memory) I would try to install the OS again - (REBOOTED!!) Basically thats how I came to find it was the CPU. Bad batch? Its not the first time from Intel this happened to me either - but its been awhile (P166 days).

Good luck.


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## music freak (Sep 27, 2003)

Shadow Hunter said:


> *you guys are all thread hijackers....
> 
> i would just reformat since you guys seem to have new comps.. you wont be losing much *


I just built my PC a month ago and very quickly configured it and tricked it out with software. Even now it would be a real hassle to reinstall Windows.

I don't know. I keep up on all of my OS patches, update my firewall and antivirus weekly...why is it that people keep getting these viruses and worms?

After reading this board, i'm beginning to think that the Asus P4800 board is a real problem. Makes me kind of glad I bought an Intel board, which no one else seems to have bought.


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## jgvernonco (Sep 13, 2003)

Virusus are getting to be rather passe amongst the terrorists, with the backdoor Trojans, etc, gaining in popularity. Actually, they are often larger pieces of code that more can be done with.

Since this stuff is largely based on "adware" technologies, a new layer of protection is needed to prevent the loading of these things, and to help us scan for them on a regular basis.

So, I did a little list, and you can peruse the sites for your own edification. I hope that this will answer some of your questions.

jgvernonco’s
recommended 
security
software

Zonealarm Firewall (free edition) Zone Labs:

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/conte...reeDownload.jsp

Free antivirus software

http://www.avast.com/i_idt_153.html 


Spyware blocking programs (free): 

Spyware Blaster and Spyware Guard (the link will take you to the Blaster page. The menu bar at the top will take you to the Guard page. These two programs, written by the same developer, work hand-in-hand to protect you from invasions).

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html


Spyware Killers (free)! 

Spybot Search & Destroy

http://download.com.com/3000-2144-1...&tag=button

Adaware
Ad-aware - Software - Lavasoft

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

I run both of these, as they occasionally find something that the other did not.

Additionally, Microsoft has made some poor choices about default settings in the OSs, resulting in multiple security weaknesses. Gibson Research has a number of little programs that will help you close security holes without having to edit your registry, wander My Computer, etc., just to get secure. I highly recommend this resource.

Gibson Research Corporation Home Page 

http://grc.com/default.htm

The secret to running these programs is to update at least weekly! Update Adaware and Spybot before you run a scan every time. Don’t forget to update Blaster and Guard when you are doing your maintenance. Make sure the antivirus software us up-to-date. Put a note on your computer reminding you to do it!

Last, but not least, if you are a Microsoft user, update, update, update! Put it on your list! The only Trojan that ever made it through my security did not take me down because I was current on my security patches, which limited what the Trojan could do. (It was still a big pain, though). Most of you will have a Windows Update selection when you click “start”, but if you do not, here’s a link:

Microsoft Windows Update

http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

Stay safe! Enjoy the WWW!

jg

[email protected]


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## pellis (Sep 16, 2003)

So, it gets more interesting....

Booted today and no CD-ROM recognised...no CDRW recognised..
Had this once before (rebooted and all okay). Rebooted today, and still no IDE drives other than main drive....
Entered BIOS - no IDE drives found, 

Rebooted again, and the bios found the IDE drives but then all hell breaks loose - system keeps rebooting ; won't get past the checking IDE drives...

humph.


Took it apart and pushed a few cables etc. The only cable that is less than really tight is the power cable to the cdrom.

Connected back up and it powered up okay - it's running right now and sounds v. stable (normally the fan which is noisy varies speed a LOT). But its running with the side panel off.

Any comments/suggestions/thoughts anyone ?


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## pellis (Sep 16, 2003)

*Random restarts - solved*

Problem FINALLY (I hope) resolved....it was the fan.

I found that the voltage readings for the 12v was going up & down between 11.8v and down as far as 9.5v...

Took the machine back to the shop (AGAIN) and asked them to check the PSU which I was sure was faulty.

Two days later - I get a call and they've put in a much bigger/quieter fan (Spire FalconRock II) which gets the CPU running far cooler and for some reason the voltage exceeds 12v (although today its back around 11.8v).

Could be that the old fan was sucking too much voltage which dropped the fan speed (cos less juice) and this spiralled the cpu heat....


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## dara (Aug 12, 2004)

*mess*

I have a similar problem. Few days ago I've started with checking and cleaning on my PC. I did following: 
TrendMicro on line scanning (400 files were infected mostly with I-WormNetsky.P - deleated / cleaned) 
Panda - scanning 
Symantec removal tools downloaded and used 
some other on line scannin (can't remember now!) 
Downloaded, installed and run: 
AD-AWARE 
Spyboot Search and Destroy 
Spygard 
Trojan Remover 
bought and installed: Kaspersky Antivirus and Antihacker 
Microsoft Windows Update: done 

Anyway, as you may assume, my PC looks clean now, but the problem is that my xp now is restarting. Firstly, it was without any message showing on the screen, but just restarts in the middle of something and after restarting Error reporting pops up on my screen and before sending the error message to Microsoft I've checked the tech. details of the error and I remember that some minidump file was mentioned in WINDOWS directory and another one which I cannot remember now. 
I unchecked "automatic restart" and after that xp continued to restart but this time showing blue screen with 'wellknown' text: 

bla bla bla. .... 0x0000008E (0xC0000005, 0x00000000, 0xF3247C00, 0x00000000) .... bla bla bla.... "Check BIOS updates .... disable BIOS memory options such as caching and shadowing..." (no ideat what this latter means?!) 

The next time it restarted showing the same message but this time also: 0xF3359C00 


2. After all these cleaning and scanning jobs I did, another problem came up: My Quick Launch toolbar is dissapearing each time my pc is restarted or shutdown and turned on. Each time I have to go to toolbars and select Quick Launch in order to see it. It looks like my PC "forgets" this "setting" and I have to do it again and again each time I turned my PC on. 

I am just afraid that I made some mess doing different "HELPFUL" things while browsing through Internet for different advices. 1000 PC experts, each giving another solution, and when you mix all these solutions on your PC it is even logical that it crashes! 

Thank you in advance for any concrete solution you might have for the above problem. 

Cao, 
Dara


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## matt2256 (Sep 8, 2004)

*usb keyboard thing*



captain_Y said:


> Hi all, I recently built a new computer: Asus P4P800 deluxe board, P4 2.8 ghz cpu, 2 256mb of Kingston PC3200 ram, and a 80 gig WD harddrive. I installed Windows XP pro without any problems, and got servcie pack 1 installed w/o any problems either. However, soon after, my computer started to reboot every few hour or so. Most of the time i'm running IE, but it has crashed on AIM, quicktime, media player, winamp, just about anything and everything. I've tried running memtest86, and it checks out fine, so no ram problems. I've checked my temperature with Asus probe, running at about 32 degrees C, so no problems there either. I've tried unchecking the automatic restart box under My Computer's properties, only to get the blue screen of death. Afterwards, the box remains checked and i still get random restarts about once per hour or two if i'm using the computer, and if its idle about once every 8 hours or so. 2 other things i have noticed, the usb keyboard does not seem to work outside of windows, I had to use a PS/2 keyboard to start my installation of windows and to run memtest86. Also, my computer used to make a few beeps when it booted up at the Asus screen, but just today it stopped beeping. Sorry for the long post, but I'm just really sick and tired of these restarts and "windows has recovered from a serious error" messages. If anyone has any suggestions, please respond/PM/email me. Your help will be appreciated!
> 
> [email protected]
> 
> P.S. Not only is my system restarting a lot, but IE, word, AIM, all have had to close at one time or another due to some "error", especially explorer, it screws up just as often if not more than the restarts




and the reason ur usb keyboard wont work on setup is because usb start to work when windows start thats when it gets power for use, it will not work dorin bootup. thats y its better to have a ps2 keyboard cause it will work whenever.


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## pellis (Sep 16, 2003)

*Windows restarting - MY solution*

Okay, earlier I stated that it was the fan at fault...not so !! The problem came back shortly after they replaced the fan.,,,,,,

It was actually a faulty PSU - it was replaced with a same-spec unit and the system has been rock-steady (not a good analogy if you live on a fault-line of course) ever since.


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