# PC shuts down at boot.



## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Hey guys! Well I'm new in this forum, and I saw several topics and were answered very good.

So I was wondering if you could help me. Thanks in advance.

So, my PC for some time has been sounding kinda weird but nothing to worry about, but last week I decided to clean my CPU from inside, so I opened it and cleaned it carefully with a brush, then I turn it on and it was OK.

But the next day, when I tried to start my PC, it started but after 10 seconds or so, it shut down (nothing appeared in the screen). And then, it start over again automatically and the same thing. I touched some cables and like at the 7th intent, it would start.

At first, I thought it was my Power Supply, but the next day (when it happened again), after the boot trouble, it appeared in the screen: "Disk read error", so I think it's the Hard Drive.

But that's not all, then I get this message: "The previous performance of overclocking is failed" (here's the picture: http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/1681/pc01sn0.jpg)

So I don't know what to do, I need to figure it out as fast as I can because this week and the next I have a lot of work to do in my computer (video things), and don't know If I have to buy a new Hard Drive or Power Supply. I just hope it's not the motherboard cause it's almost new, only has 1 year!

Oh and also, I always get some noise warning about something, made by the DualCore Center software (something about CPU going to 0 for a little while).

*My configuration:*

- Intel Core 2 Duo (E6750 @ 2.66 Ghz)
- 2 GB DDR2 RAM
- 250GB HDD (5400 rpm)
- Motherboard: MSI P35 Platinum
- Video: ATI Radeon X550 (256MB)

All the pieces bought on July 2006, except the Motherboard, the processor and the RAM memories (December 2007).

Thank you very much!

P.D.: I'm appending a video file of what's going with my PC.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/gnnnto


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## forgotten332 (Jan 18, 2009)

according to the computer somthing was changed in the advanced bios and i have a friend who had the same problem as you with the disk read error. for the "overclocking failed" message you dont need to do anything it was only informing you that the settings were restored. for the "disk read error" my friend did this took out all the cables attached to the hard disk, blew in some air to clear dust/debries (maybe from when you cleaned somthing got in) and he cleaned the area where you connect the power cable to the power supply. but I KNOW that its a problem with the power suply and that the power supply might have sent a surge to your hard drive corrupting it. try what i have said and tell us how it goes also if the "overclocking failed" keeps coming up then go to the bios and restore defaults


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## forgotten332 (Jan 18, 2009)

if you recently installed any new hardware (anything at all) try taking it out and starting again if all this works its probably the power supply


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

You might have knocked something while cleaning inside the case. It's better to use a can of compressed air, because a brush can cause damage.

Make sure all the connectors from the power supply are firmly attached to the motherboard, graphics card, hard drive, etc. and make sure the RAM, heatsink, graphics card and any other cards are locked into position. If they all look ok, try taking them out, cleaning the gold fingers with a pencil eraser, then reseating them.

If you've overclocked anything (FSB, voltages, clock speeds?), either in BIOS or software, set it back to default. (Remember to save settings before exiting BIOS)

It could be the PSU, but more likely the motherboard if you've overclocked.


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Hello! Thanks for the reply, I'll try to do what's forgotten332 told me... and then what Koala said. To get to the BIOS, I should press F8 right? I don't remember exactly where I restore to default settings...

What means overclocking anyways? Sorry my ignorance, hehe. I hope it's not the motherboard... X_X

I'll let you know if I get it to work  Thanks again!


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

But the strange thing is... that If it would be the power supply, the PC wouldn't stay turned on that long... so maybe it's the Hard Drive? but again, it would wouldn't work either... What's ur guess? Motherboard I don't think so, cuz then the PC wouldn't work AT ALL!

Well, Ill let u know in a bit.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

To enter BIOS, reboot the computer. As it's starting up, keep tapping the F1, F2 or Del key. It's a different key depending on what computer you have. It should tell you which key to press at the top or bottom of the first screen you see after starting up.

Your error message mentions overclocking, so set the BIOS to Default or Optimized, *save settings* (important) and then exit to get back into Windows.

Overclocking is where you change the speed of your CPU and other more complicated settings to give your computer a speed boost. If not done carefully, it can cause the computer to crash. Resetting to Default sets everything back to a safe level and should fix it.


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Hey guys, well, I did what you said and... I still get the trouble... I don't get the "disk read error" anymore, and now, It still shows up that red Warning that I showed you, but then i rebooted again and after going through the same booting problem, and it didn't show it... and it did again...

I went to the BIOS settings, and restored it to Optimized Default Settings. I found something weird... Boot sequence, the Hard Drive wasn't in any of the 3 options selected (1st: floppy, 2nd... DVD reader), so I had to choose the HDD manually, while in the CMOS features, the Hard Drive was indeed shown...

I really don't know what's happening... Oh, and also (maybe it's that?) in the motherboard, there's a 8 pin connector, where only 4 pins are connected cuz the Power Supply didn't bring more pins... (picture here)

But I never had problems with those empty pins... *so the Hard Drive is discarded?*

I guess I have to buy a new power supply? And speaking of that... Mine is 550W, and I saw that there's PSU of 800 and 1000W, which one should I buy? I have this right now: http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2862/pcx011ju0.jpg

if it's PSU, I'm thinking of buying this (it's in spanish but still, look the pictures): Power Supply

It's the one appropriate? Sorry guys, but I'm kinda desperate xD


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Oh! And I also, ALWAYS get this and I ignore it, because I don't know what it means (it makes this alarm sound):




But just for a few seconds, then it restores again to 1970 or so...


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Hey guys again! Well, today I bought a new Power Supply (800W) and.............. I still get the 10 sec rebooting thing  Crap........ Then MUST BE the Hard Drive, right?


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

There's a CMOS reset button on that motherboard. It's a little red button just below the battery. Unplug the power cord and hold that button in for about 15 secs. Plug the power cord back in and try turning on the PC. If it POSTs then enter the BIOS and load the defaults once again.

Also, if you still have your USB HD connected disconnect it from the PC.


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## nzproduKt (Oct 21, 2008)

Anton5000. I'm just throwing another scenario into the ring:

By the sounds of it, it is most likely CPU fan related.
*Some motherboard BIOS programs will shut-down the system* if it doesn't detect the fan speed (which is indicated by that MSI program).

Also judging by the video, something does NOT sound right, like fan bearings \ sleeves are badly worn. And it also sounds like you have a western digital hdd (the heavy click when shutdown) 

In the meantime Please check that:
The CPU fan spin's rapidly and freely while booting up.
The 3 wire plug is properly plugged into the motherboard.

And reply back to us after you have attempted this.


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

nzproduKt said:


> And it also sounds like you have a western digital hdd (the heavy click when shutdown)


Hey! Ok I will do what you said in a bit and I'll tell you  And btw, I'm going out to buy a Western Digital HDD, but your comment made me thinking... they're bad HDDs, cuz they sound like this? I think the place where im buying it, has also Samsung HDD, should I buy that one?


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Oh and you know what guys. Since I installed the new Power Supply yesterday, I don't get anymore the Alarm sound from my MSI Software 

And btw, all the fans works perfectly :S But I still get the shut down thing... Ill try later the 15 sec button to see if it works... Maybe it's the HDD that is about to die xD


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## nzproduKt (Oct 21, 2008)

Anton:

Unplug the harddrive when you boot the pc, and see if it still turns off after 10-15 seconds.

Western digital hdd's aren't bad, infact they are believed to more overally more reliable than seagate - it's just that WD hdd's have a few characteristic noises that some hdd's don't have.

Buy me a ticket from NZ to Venezuela and i'll come fix the problem


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Heeeeeeeeeeey!! Guys... This is SOOO WEIRD! Yesterday, I installed the new HDD and kept the old one too, and then I formatted both Hard Drives (full NTFS format which took HOURS!).

So I installed Windows again, and I rebooted my pc several times, and today, when I turn on my pc (with lots of fear lol), it started as a charm! :S

Still I don't sing victory and let's see how it works in the next days... What I'm thinking is... maybe it wasn't hardware at all? Maybe it was some kind of virus that used to screw up the HDD boot?


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Glad to hear you got it sorted.


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

mattlock said:


> Glad to hear you got it sorted.


Thank you!  And thank to you all for your help and concern!  Let's hope my PC don't give more troubles.... I'll keep ya' posted.

P.D.: And nzproduKt, when I have money, I'll pay u the ticket to here, to be my personal technician xD lol!


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## nzproduKt (Oct 21, 2008)

Gladly !

Never been to spain or whereever before 

And sorry, but did you take my advice and turned on the pc without a hdd attached? If you did, then that would have largely pointed towards the problem


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

nzproduKt said:


> Gladly !
> 
> Never been to spain or whereever before
> 
> And sorry, but did you take my advice and turned on the pc without a hdd attached? If you did, then that would have largely pointed towards the problem


Hey!  You can come, it's very pretty here. And yes, I also did that... and the strange thing was that without the HDD attached... the PC also turned off... :S Don't know what it was, maybe a mix of power supply with some incompatible system files of windows? :S


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Ok now... it almost dont give problems, but now, i left my pc on and I went to eat, when I get back, my pc only showed my wallpaper and so, I pushed the reset button, and when It rebooted, it turned off again but then, turned on (only once) and everything is fine again... :S


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## nzproduKt (Oct 21, 2008)

..... weird...

This is why i have computers. It's N E V E R anything simple 

Anyway, label this thread as solved now ^^


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

nzproduKt said:


> ..... weird...
> 
> This is why i have computers. It's N E V E R anything simple
> 
> Anyway, label this thread as solved now ^^


Yeah, it's so difficult. Well, you know... I'll wait until the weekend to see how my computer behaved this week. If by sunday nothing wrong happens, I'll mark it as solved 

Thanks! (P.D.: That's why I want a Mac xD)


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Ok, I'm freaking out again... I wasn't at home, but my mom called and said that the PC had the rebooting problem AGAIN! Now I got back home, and it did it again, but this time, only once and then I got the overclocking thing again but I pressed the ctrl+alt+del and everything went fine...

Geez, it's the motherboard? :S


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## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

Sounds like a power supply failure. Please list the the make and model of the computer if it is OEM and the specs if it is custom built.


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Jtsou said:


> Sounds like a power supply failure. Please list the the make and model of the computer if it is OEM and the specs if it is custom built.


Hello!  Well, I don't think its a Power Supply because it's brand new (I bought it on monday).

Well, here's the specs (it's a custom built):

- Motherboard: MSI P35 Platinum
- Intel Processor E6750 @ 2.66 Ghz
- Memory 2x1GB (DDR2)
- Video: ATI X550 Radeon. 256 mb.
- Audio: SoundBlaster Audigy 2 Value
- HDD's: WesternDigital: 250GB and 1TB (which is brand new also).

Don't what it can be. I know that the heavy part is solved cause it won't reboot like 10 times until Windows turns on. But now it happens sometimes and only makes that weird shut down like once or twice...


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## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

Make and model of the PSU?


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Oh! sorry, it's: Agiler AGI-PS800 (My system properties are in the drop-menu below my avatar )


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## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

Ok the bad news is that I have really never even heard of that PSU company. Thats bad. A low quality power supply unit, no matter how new it is can bring a system to its knees.

For your system, if you dont plan to upgrade it too awfully much more, will probably be sufficient with a 650W psu.

Recommended PSUs:

Seasonic - any model
Corsair - any model
Thermaltake - "Toughpower" series only
Coolermaster - "Real Power Pro" series only
PC Power & Cooling - any model
Silverstone - any model


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Jtsou said:


> Ok the bad news is that I have really never even heard of that PSU company. Thats bad. A low quality power supply unit, no matter how new it is can bring a system to its knees.
> 
> For your system, if you dont plan to upgrade it too awfully much more, will probably be sufficient with a 650W psu.
> 
> ...


Hey! Oh well, I found their website: http://agiler.us/ver.php?proid=280 And who knows what my pc has... Right now I turned it on, and everything went fine... Let's see how it behaves later...

For the next time, I'll make sure to check a good PSU hehe. Thank you!

So you're sure that it's the PSU and not the motherboard or something, right?


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## Jtsou (Jul 13, 2007)

anton5000 said:


> So you're sure that it's the PSU and not the motherboard or something, right?



A faulty PSU is what i would blame your troubles with, yes.


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## anton5000 (Jan 18, 2009)

Hey guys! Problem not solved yet... But, I think I know what it is.

I think its the old Hard Drive, here's why:

Today, when I turned on the pc, something very noisy was coming up from the PC, didn't bother about it, then I was browsing the web, watching videos, etc. when suddenly I hear a noise coming from the HDD (like one user said about the particular noise of WD HDD's), and everything FROZE! minutes later, I got this blue screen message: http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5663/65625965vv7.jpg

Then, I pushed the restart button, and I got the initial Motherboard picture and it hanged there, restarted again, and I got this message: http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/6637/19421050iz5.jpg

I rebooted again, my PC shut down like 5 times, and when it started again, I had the same HDD message, I logged in to the BIOS and guess what, it didn't recognize the old Hard Drive (but obviously recognized the new 1TB one).

I opened up the case, and I saw that the fan cooler connected to the HDD wasn't working, I touched slightly some cables and my old HDD revived, and turned on Windows normally.

So I believe it's a problem of the HDD, what you think should I do? Get rid of it and install Windows and everything on the new HDD?


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