Plagued by random reboots

clyner79

My specs:
Intel core 2 quad Q9550 @ 2.83ghz,
6gb ddr3,
ati hd 4850,
750 gb hdd,
vIsta home premium 64 bit.

I bought the above XPS 430 desktop online direct from dell last year and shortly after it began rebooting at random times without any blue screen. I also disabled the 'automatic restart on system failure' option to see if i could get any error codes but the pc still restarts without any blue screen or error messages. I was unable to link it to using any specific program. It happens at totally random times like browsing the net, watching a movie or even at idle.
I ran the system diagnostics tests and it passed everything.
I contacted dell on numerous occasions but they couldn't explain it and seeing as the pc passed the tests they insisted it was a software problem and told me would fix it as long as i purchased a software warranty, i refused to buy this warranty and decided to hold off and save to buy windows 7 instead.
I got a copy of windows 7 home premium 64 bit full version last week, did a clean install and for 5 days i had no reboots so i believed vista had been to blame but again it began rebooting, leaving me to believe it must be a hardware problem. Checking the event viewer in windows 7 shows (event id 41 kernel power) after every reboot.
I've been onto dell support this morning for over an hour and they used dell connect to remotely access my pc and check the logs themselves. Now they are sending me a new power supply on monday. The original ps is 375 watts, now they are sending a 425 watt ps to see if that will fix the problem.
I'm posting here to see if anyone has had this issue with an xps 430 and if it was due to an insufficient or faulty power supply? and if they resolved the problem?
Also, can all the rebooting cause any irreversible damage to components?

Thanks!

Biggins

...can all the rebooting cause any irreversible damage to components?

I can't say I have had that issue with that particular make but I have come across similar rebooting issues that have damaged CPU's, Ram (memory) and hard-drives.
When you get back up and running, save any data/vital stuff for a while to an external source just to be on the safe-side till you feel that your system is back to something you can trust.

Anti

Could quite possibly be the PSU, but have you checked the temps of your cpu? Could be possible the HSF has become a little loose and the cpu is simply overheating.

clyner79

I'm a little worried that you mentioned damage to my cpu/ram/disk is possible biggins, but at least the pc is still under warranty with dell for another 3 months. I make it a habit of backing up my important files as well.
As for the temps i have a program called CPUID hardware monitor running at the moment with no other programs aside from the normal servies.

Minimum temps in celsius are as follows:
core #0 31
core #1 31
core #2 27
core #3 40

Maximum temps are:
core #0 36
core #1 32
core #2 33
core #3 40

Is this normal for a quad core? Could core #3 being higher than the others be a sign of a loose HSF like you mentioned anti?

jbloggs

(If "maximum" is full load, ie 100%) then those temps are ok...

I would think it is either your PSU, which the new 425w could rule out/in, or your ram; either a faulty stick or an incompatability due to ram from different manufacturers being installed (which will depend on how your 6GB is made up)...

clyner79

Checked my ram and they're made up of 2 x 2gb samsung and 2 x 1gb elpida sticks. The order they're installed (from highest slot down) is 2gb-1gb-2gb-1gb

jbloggs

clyner79 wrote: »

Checked my ram and they're made up of 2 x 2gb samsung and 2 x 1gb elpida sticks. The order they're installed (from highest slot down) is 2gb-1gb-2gb-1gb

Firstly, I would try taking out the 2 (1GB) Elpida sticks and see what happens...

If that does not work you can check the ram for possible problems by running Memtest86+...put all 4 sticks in and run 10 loops (each) of Test 5 & 8, if you get errors, test each stick (separately) in the first slot and see which one returns erros, before you begin running Memtest, check that the ram voltage and timings are correctly in BIOS, ie set them manually...

clyner79

My BIOS doesn't give the option to access to voltages etc. Even if i could i don't have experience when it comes to changing voltages and timings so it's probably for the best
Anyway i had an engineer out this morning on behalf of dell and he has changed the motherboard and the PSU to a 425w so i'll just have to use the pc as normal for a time and see if that has solved the problem or not. Thanks for your input guys, will let ye know how it turns out..fingers crossed!

clyner79

I've been using my pc now since my last post and havn't had any reboots in that time. Because both the motherboard and power supply were changed i'll never be 100% certain what the problem was but i have a feeling it may have been a faulty motherboard, but at least it could be a starting point for anybody looking for a solution to a similar rebooting problem in future.
I'm just happy to finally have my pc running smoothly the way it should have from the beginning