Windows Vista PC reboots itself

hii
my pc restarts itself first i thought it might be a windows problem but then it rebooted while i was configuring bios so i fear it might be a processor problem the processor's fan works fine so i don't think it's a heat problem plz help thnx

processor type intel (r) core (tm) 2 quad cpu
processor speed 2.40
system bus speed 1066 mhz
system memory speed 800 mhz
l2 cache ram 2X4096 kb
total memory 2048 MB
memory mode dual channel

the pc has been working for more than a year without any problem like this the first time it did this was while i was playing a game the PC rebooted from then and on every time i try to turn it on it just lasts some seconds then reboots again i tried to use safe mode but it rebooted before opening windows. and it also reboots while in the bios page :S

 

Give your system configuration first so that people can help you

 

thnx man sorry i am new to this forum so i didn't know what to write exactly

 

if it's a psu can i change it without having to change the mother board?

 

And how can i make sure it's a psu problem,is there a test or something? thnx

 

I had my pc working without any problem for more than a year.this problem happened 3 days ago while i was playing a game the pc just restarted without any sound.it was just like it lost power.from then and on every time i try to turn it on it restarts after some seconds sometimes before starting windows and sometimes in the Bios page.
if u need any other info plz ask

 

if your pc continusly reboots after showing the post or bios screen then following file will be missed in your c drive.
"c:\ntdetect.com "

 

You say it restarts while you have booted into the BIOS.

Look in the BIOS for temperature settings/alarms. Are there any voltage readouts in the BIOS?

Something might be overheating, check other fans (like the one in the PSU, of course, don't open the PSU, just say, aim a flashlight through the grill or put your hand next to it to and feel the air flow). Is dust built up in the heatsink under the CPU fan? Loosen any dust with a straightened paper-clip and blow the dust out.

Heat or power supply would be my guess if you cannot work in the BIOS.

Matt

 

thnx matt i checked the temperature throw the bios the processors temp keeps going up till 81 c i putted the pc right in front of an air conditioner but it only bought me some seconds the processors fan works fine . i checked the heat sink and it's clean but i found a strange grey liquid between the heat sink and the processor . could it be the reason ?

 

could it be also the high temp of the processor ? thnx

 

Break the unit down to a base unit, ie, no drives, cables, minimum memory and see if the unit reboots with the components unistalled. The gray liquid is thermal compound, it's there for a reason, don't remove it.

 

i removed the hard the dvd-rom all the other fans the cpu covers and still the heat keeps going up till 80 and then it crashes . i am about to shoot this pc :SSS

 

could it be the thermal liquid ? should i change it ?

 

The thermal compound should not "go bad" unless you disturb it. If the fans are working and there is is no dust blocking the cooling system, it should have similar temperatures to when it was new.

Although...
If you have disconnected then reconnected the CPU heatsink, air could be trapped in the thermal compound. Air is a an insulator, so it can stop heat from being drawn away the CPU (that's why they fill the space between the CPU and the heatsink with a thermal [heat-transfer] compound).

Read here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease

Matt

 

Someone else mentioned heat especially of the CPU
Check the heat of the heat in the CPU
Blow out the metal fins on the CPU and the cooler / radiator
You can use a compressed air can or failing that a vacuum
Make sure the computer is unplugged
While you are at it clean out other fan and exhaust areas

 

C'mon people really .......... Michel said

This should tell all readers that Michel removed the heatsink from the CPU. Let's stop right there.

Michel, you have to clean this "strange grey liquid" from both the heatsink and the processor and then apply a new layer of thermal paste. Quit all other activity until this has been completed as you have a good chance of burning up your processor in the present condition of your machine.

Personally, I would recommend Artic Silver 5 and you can view a tutorial on their website as to how this should be applied.

 

thnx everyone i bought some thermal grease and replaced the old one and now the heat is 25 c at max,but still the pc makes a (tic) sound and then restarts,maybe it wasn't the heat after all,the old unknown problem still exists but at least the heat problem is resolved,all i know about the original problem is it makes the pc reboots even in the Bios, thnx 2 all of u for ur help