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computer turning off



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 18th 10, 05:34 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Jo-Anne[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,101
Default 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  
Old August 18th 10, 08:41 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Bob Willard
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 273
Default 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  
Old August 18th 10, 09:03 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Jo-Anne[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,101
Default 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  
Old August 19th 10, 04:04 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Bob Willard
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 273
Default 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  
Old August 19th 10, 06:49 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Jo-Anne[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,101
Default 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  
Old August 19th 10, 05:22 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Jo-Anne[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,101
Default 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  
Old August 19th 10, 10:59 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Bob Willard
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 273
Default 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  
Old August 20th 10, 01:27 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Twayne[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,276
Default 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  
Old August 20th 10, 05:33 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Jo-Anne[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,101
Default 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  
Old August 20th 10, 05:39 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Jo-Anne[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,101
Default 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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