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#1
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computer turning off
My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started
turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne |
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#2
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computer turning off
Jo-Anne wrote:
My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob |
#3
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computer turning off
"Bob Willard" wrote in message
... Jo-Anne wrote: My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! The power scheme was Home/Office Desk (not sure what that means). I changed it to Always On. Also, regarding the monitor, would I want to turn it off at all? It would be turned off when the computer is turned off, of course, but otherwise, wouldn't I want it on as long as the computer is on? Thank you again! Jo-Anne |
#4
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computer turning off
Jo-Anne wrote:
"Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! The power scheme was Home/Office Desk (not sure what that means). I changed it to Always On. Also, regarding the monitor, would I want to turn it off at all? It would be turned off when the computer is turned off, of course, but otherwise, wouldn't I want it on as long as the computer is on? Thank you again! Jo-Anne Letting the system turn off the monitor after 10-20 minutes of non-use will reduce your electric bill and probably make the monitor last longer. Some folks also let the system turn off their hard drives, but I don't: the power saving if minimal, and drives have a somewhat limited spec on number of power on/off cycles. -- Cheers, Bob |
#5
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computer turning off
"Bob Willard" wrote in message
... Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! The power scheme was Home/Office Desk (not sure what that means). I changed it to Always On. Also, regarding the monitor, would I want to turn it off at all? It would be turned off when the computer is turned off, of course, but otherwise, wouldn't I want it on as long as the computer is on? Thank you again! Jo-Anne Letting the system turn off the monitor after 10-20 minutes of non-use will reduce your electric bill and probably make the monitor last longer. Some folks also let the system turn off their hard drives, but I don't: the power saving if minimal, and drives have a somewhat limited spec on number of power on/off cycles. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! Jo-Anne |
#6
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computer turning off
"Bob Willard" wrote in message
... Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! The power scheme was Home/Office Desk (not sure what that means). I changed it to Always On. Also, regarding the monitor, would I want to turn it off at all? It would be turned off when the computer is turned off, of course, but otherwise, wouldn't I want it on as long as the computer is on? Thank you again! Jo-Anne Letting the system turn off the monitor after 10-20 minutes of non-use will reduce your electric bill and probably make the monitor last longer. Some folks also let the system turn off their hard drives, but I don't: the power saving if minimal, and drives have a somewhat limited spec on number of power on/off cycles. -- Cheers, Bob Hi, again, Bob, The computer turned itself off again. Guess it's time for repair or replacement. Jo-Anne |
#7
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computer turning off
Jo-Anne wrote:
"Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! The power scheme was Home/Office Desk (not sure what that means). I changed it to Always On. Also, regarding the monitor, would I want to turn it off at all? It would be turned off when the computer is turned off, of course, but otherwise, wouldn't I want it on as long as the computer is on? Thank you again! Jo-Anne Letting the system turn off the monitor after 10-20 minutes of non-use will reduce your electric bill and probably make the monitor last longer. Some folks also let the system turn off their hard drives, but I don't: the power saving if minimal, and drives have a somewhat limited spec on number of power on/off cycles. -- Cheers, Bob Hi, again, Bob, The computer turned itself off again. Guess it's time for repair or replacement. Jo-Anne One of the most common causes of a PC powering down is overheating. If you feel comfortable doing so, you may want to open up the case and do some housekeeping: clean the air filters (if your case has any), blow the dust out of the CPU (and other) heatsinks, and make sure all of the fans are turning. In this non-airconditioned environment, I need to clean the innards of my PCs at least every year; for my main PC, it lowers the CPU temp. by several degrees C. -- Cheers, Bob |
#8
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computer turning off
In ,
Bob Willard typed: Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! The power scheme was Home/Office Desk (not sure what that means). I changed it to Always On. Also, regarding the monitor, would I want to turn it off at all? It would be turned off when the computer is turned off, of course, but otherwise, wouldn't I want it on as long as the computer is on? Thank you again! Jo-Anne Letting the system turn off the monitor after 10-20 minutes of non-use will reduce your electric bill and probably make the monitor last longer. Some folks also let the system turn off their hard drives, but I don't: the power saving if minimal, and drives have a somewhat limited spec on number of power on/off cycles. -- Cheers, Bob Hi, again, Bob, The computer turned itself off again. Guess it's time for repair or replacement. Jo-Anne One of the most common causes of a PC powering down is overheating. If you feel comfortable doing so, you may want to open up the case and do some housekeeping: clean the air filters (if your case has any), blow the dust out of the CPU (and other) heatsinks, and make sure all of the fans are turning. In this non-airconditioned environment, I need to clean the innards of my PCs at least every year; for my main PC, it lowers the CPU temp. by several degrees C. Or see if the power settings are still at "never". If somethiing changed them,, then suspect malware of some sort. HTH, Twayne` |
#9
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computer turning off
"Bob Willard" wrote in message
... Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! The power scheme was Home/Office Desk (not sure what that means). I changed it to Always On. Also, regarding the monitor, would I want to turn it off at all? It would be turned off when the computer is turned off, of course, but otherwise, wouldn't I want it on as long as the computer is on? Thank you again! Jo-Anne Letting the system turn off the monitor after 10-20 minutes of non-use will reduce your electric bill and probably make the monitor last longer. Some folks also let the system turn off their hard drives, but I don't: the power saving if minimal, and drives have a somewhat limited spec on number of power on/off cycles. -- Cheers, Bob Hi, again, Bob, The computer turned itself off again. Guess it's time for repair or replacement. Jo-Anne One of the most common causes of a PC powering down is overheating. If you feel comfortable doing so, you may want to open up the case and do some housekeeping: clean the air filters (if your case has any), blow the dust out of the CPU (and other) heatsinks, and make sure all of the fans are turning. In this non-airconditioned environment, I need to clean the innards of my PCs at least every year; for my main PC, it lowers the CPU temp. by several degrees C. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you again, Bob! My husband opened the case yesterday and vacuumed and blew out as much dust as he could. After that, the computer ran for the rest of the day, which enabled me to back it up. I've put just about everything on my laptop, which I'm using now. The computer is going in to the repair shop today anyway, since it and my old printer are no longer communicating (started happening after a nearby lightning strike that knocked out my phone line and my husband's electronic weather station); they should be able to say if the fans/power supply are OK. I've noticed, though, lately that the fan is very quiet, although still running... Jo-Anne |
#10
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computer turning off
"Twayne" wrote in message
... In , Bob Willard typed: Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: "Bob Willard" wrote in message ... Jo-Anne wrote: My WinXP Dell desktop computer, which I've had for seven years, has started turning itself off at night. I thought at first that a program was simply freezing the screen, but that's not it. It's fine when I leave it at night; but when I come back in the morning, it's off. At that point, the fan isn't running; and when I turn it back on, the fan starts up. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem myself, or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I'm in the middle of a work project right now and would like to keep the computer running for at least another month or two if possible; then I'll have the time to research a new one. I do have a laptop that I can use while this one is being worked on. Thank you! Jo-Anne For starters, check the power options for your XP PC: Click on Start, then on Settings, then on Control Panel, then double-click on Power Options; make sure the Power scheme chosen is Always On. You can select a time to Turn off monitor and (if desired) a time to Turn off hard disks. At least initially, select the Never setting for System standby. That may fix your problem. Good luck. -- Cheers, Bob Thank you, Bob! The power scheme was Home/Office Desk (not sure what that means). I changed it to Always On. Also, regarding the monitor, would I want to turn it off at all? It would be turned off when the computer is turned off, of course, but otherwise, wouldn't I want it on as long as the computer is on? Thank you again! Jo-Anne Letting the system turn off the monitor after 10-20 minutes of non-use will reduce your electric bill and probably make the monitor last longer. Some folks also let the system turn off their hard drives, but I don't: the power saving if minimal, and drives have a somewhat limited spec on number of power on/off cycles. -- Cheers, Bob Hi, again, Bob, The computer turned itself off again. Guess it's time for repair or replacement. Jo-Anne One of the most common causes of a PC powering down is overheating. If you feel comfortable doing so, you may want to open up the case and do some housekeeping: clean the air filters (if your case has any), blow the dust out of the CPU (and other) heatsinks, and make sure all of the fans are turning. In this non-airconditioned environment, I need to clean the innards of my PCs at least every year; for my main PC, it lowers the CPU temp. by several degrees C. Or see if the power settings are still at "never". If somethiing changed them,, then suspect malware of some sort. HTH, Twayne` Thank you, Twayne! I did check, and the settings hadn't changed. I'm guessing too much heat. As I mentioned to Bob, yesterday my husband cleaned out the computer as best he could, and it worked for the rest of the day. I backed everything up and put as much as I could on my laptop, which I'm using now. The computer is heading for the repair shop for an evaluation of this problem and its inability to communicate with my printer (after a possible power surge). It's 7 years old and has worked really well all this time, but I've been having some hard drive problems too. It may have reached replacement time. Jo-Anne |
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