Sidebar Sidebar
  • You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
  • Click here to find out how to win free radios from Retevis!

Weird thing happening with my computer.

Captain Kilowatt

Captain Kilowatt

Professional Amateur
Staff member
Apr 6, 2005
17,347
12,413
823
61
Nova Scotia,Canada
Today I went to use the computer which had been on for a couple hours.I had just left it a few minutes before but when I returned the screen was black and the power indicator on the monitor was flashing slowly as if there was a loss of video. Not only that but the keyboard appeared to have lost power as nothing happened when I pressed the Caps Lock button. Usually a light comes on to tell you the caps is turned on. I had to hold the power button in to reboot the machine.About an hour later I was sitting in front of it and POOF! the same thing happened and again later. It has been fine the last several hours but it did happen one day last week as well. Computer is nothing special just a Cisnet off brand unit from Staples I have had for a few years. The video card is integrated on the mother board.It has worked fine but now has me a bit worried. O/S is Windows XP Media Centre. I'm wondering if anyone has had this thing happen before. Maybe it's the power supply taking a dump or (gulp) the mother board? I do not use any screen savers or power saving schemes like shutting down disks or hibernation modes.
 

Take the PS out and blow out the dust. Biggest killer of PS is the heat build-up. If it does need replacing, I'm sure that the replacement supply isn't a big one - probably 350 watts or less. Which means it will be cheap to fix/replace...
 
could be the video section going on ya .if your power settings are set to never power down anything and your losing the screen i would suspect the video section .

you could add a aftermarket video card and see if the problem goes away .
borrow a video card ,pick up a cheap used one ,something,just to test and see.
ask around a few riends and see if they got a old video card you could try .
thats where i would start if my power settings were set to never power down.

are you losing just the video?the computer keeps running?
 
With the problems you're having, and the ones I've been having, I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't something going around causing this @#$. That's more speculation and paranoia than anything, but I still wonder...
- 'Doc
 
As a precaution I would run a virus check on your system:

http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/home.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym&plfid=21&pkj=JUYXFCSGFZVDTPSOERZ

A friend of mine was having the identical problems you describe and it was being caused by a couple of unwanted critters residing on his hard drive. I'm not saying this is definitely the problem, but (imo) it's worth the time it takes to run the scan. You may also want to run the security check afterwords - it will bring to light any vunerable access points - like a port that isn't being monitored or a firewall that is allowing unsolicited requests for outbound communication...
 
The power supply is one thing to look at, another would be as stated before , the heat sink on your CPU might be dirty, and another thing to look at as far as the heat sink goes is when you take the heat sink out and clean it, look at the heat compound that is on the CPU and the heat sink, ive had problems bfore with the heat compound getting old and heating up to the point it would shut the computer down, , one good thing to get would be speedfan, you can find it on filehippo.com, its a program that will show you the all the temps inside your case , if you see that one is really high compard to the others they maybe the problem, let the program run and leave the computer on and see what it goe sup to even if your not useing the computer, if your temps are getting up there then up will need to either add more fans to it , clean the heatsink , clean off the old heat compound, add new heat compound, clean each fan, , these are all things that i do to keep mine nice and cool and running good, heat , just like with radios is the number one killer in computers, if you have to much heat it will shorting the life of your computer, , ive seen power supplys go bad, video cards go bad and CPUs go bad all from heat, ihad them go bad on me before i learned this few tricks, but go and get speedfan and install it and go from there, best of luck to you,,,,mark
 
OK I was at work today and will try and reply to all in one post.

First,all fans are working and there is no dirt buildup around the CPU. It looks like new. I make sure of that. Actually since the carpet is now gone from the den/shack the computer is cleaner than it has ever been.

Second, ran a couple of virus scans and malware scans-nothing.

Third, as stated I do not run any screen savers or hibernation modes or power saving schemes at all I even rechecked all settings regarding those. All normal.

Fourth, when the screen goes black I also loose power to the keyboard as evidenced by the lack of LED's showing when Caps Lock or Number Lock is pressed.

I have to press the button button in and hold it until the computer shuts off and then turn it back on. When it power back on everything is normal. While at work today the computer had no issues. The wife said it worked fine all day.

Fifth, as to the one suggestion of a Poltergeist, we won't go there. I could tell you some stories about when we first had children. New home on old family property.Grandmother and infant died in fire on the property where I now live. Hmmmm......entirely possible. :eek:

Beats me. I just wish it would either never happen again or go POOF! and get it over with. :censored:
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • @ kopcicle:
    If you know you know. Anyone have Sam's current #? He hasn't been on since Oct 1st. Someone let him know I'm looking.
  • @ BJ radionut:
  • dxBot:
    535A has left the room.
  • @ AmericanEagle575:
    Just wanted to say Good Morning to all my Fellow WDX members out there!!!!!
  • @ BJ radionut:


      Top Bottom
      Back