Posted by fiddlepogo on Tuesday, December 9, 2014
I finally did a search on what my computer shutdowns might mean, and I found someone with the exact same computer and the exact same symptoms... yup... dying power supply.
And the computer warned the guy to stop using the computer, or when the computer died totally, it would fry the motherboard.
So.... what to do?
(By the way, I'm writing this from the computer center in the lobby of our apartment!)
There is a computer company that recycles computers, equips computer labs out of the refurbed good ones it can get enough of, sells the good ones that it can't get sufficient quantities of, and strips the rest for useable parts, and recycles the stuff that is fried or useless.
They have a business quality desktop computer for $100.... but they also have deals where you can work for the computer.
A new power supply for my computer is a possibility... but I think I've already done that once years ago. The sound card blew a channel... eh, maybe just time to write it off.
But, ya know... with the computer shut off, I'm getting SO MUCH done. Last night I quietly tweaked the toms on my drumset, and today had a good practice session. Then I had a good fiddle practice session. Hmmm.... maybe not having my own computer for a while would be a GOOD THING! Break me out of some ruts!
4 comments on “Spontaneous Computer Shutdowns Mean.... a dying power supply!!! And fiddlepogo bein' SCARCE!”
Humbled by this instrument Says:
Wednesday, December 10, 2014 @1:56:23 AM
Say it ain't so!
KCFiddles Says:
Thursday, December 11, 2014 @10:26:23 AM
If it's a laptop, it's probably overheating due to dust inside. If it's a desktop, it could be a dead or clogged fan. First place to look. I just went through that with my office computer (laptop). There's a free program called Coretemp that will tell you your CPU's temp; try it before anything else. Overheating will definitely fry your CPU fast, and take some of the MB with it.
Best to take a laptop to a tech; they're just too much trouble. Cleaning desktops and replacing fans is easy. If the CPU fan is dead, that's a little more complicated, since if you remove the heatsink you have to clean and replace the thermal paste, and it's vital that that be done correctly.
fiddlepogo Says:
Thursday, December 11, 2014 @11:55:05 AM
It's not a laptop.
Well, I did a search on the symptoms with "power supply" and the model of my eMachines computer, and it just so happens that this series of eMachines was noted for flakey power supplies.... and I found a guy with the same computer that was having the exact same problems and it was the power supply.... in fact.... I think this IS the computers second power supply- I think it flaked out after a year and got replaced.
Hey... it was a Best Buy closeout special in 2005. And I checked at the computer recycling place, and this model gets scrapped regularly- they don't try to fix them up, so that may tell you something.
I checked the fans.... they're working.
One thing I've noticed is that every time it shuts down, it's doing something that might increase the power draw, so I might take out the second hard drive, the add-on sound card, the modem, and see if that doesn't stop or reduce the shut downs.
Humbled.... how are you EVER going to get along without long Pogoposts to parody???? ;^D
KCFiddles Says:
Thursday, December 11, 2014 @5:34:44 PM
Could well be the power supply. Easy to replace / upgrade. I'm not sure whether Coretemp will work on a computer that old, but it's worth a try, and will help narrow things down. If the CPU is overheating, it might not be power supply. If it's shutting down and the CPU is not overheating, it most likely will be the power supply and needs to be addressed immediately. Easy swap out, if you can keep track of the wires.
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