Pesky PC - random shutdowns *shakes fist* - wha'gwan?
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gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
It made a huge difference to this 6 year old PC I just rebuilt.
It sounded like a jet engine with knackered bearings before - luckily we have a compressed air supply for the purpose.
CPU cooler, plus masses of fluff in the PSU.
It sounded like a jet engine with knackered bearings before - luckily we have a compressed air supply for the purpose.
CPU cooler, plus masses of fluff in the PSU.
editor
hiraethified
My ancient machine is whisper quiet compared to the recently departed one. That one seemed to work together to emulate the sounds of a DC10 at take off, but it's pretty slow and the hard drive seems to be constantly busying itself doing something or another.
My new PC arrives on Monday. Huzzah!
My new PC arrives on Monday. Huzzah!
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
I was running an XP machine until a couple of months ago
:luddite:
I hope you've established they are not sending it via shittylink...
:luddite:
I hope you've established they are not sending it via shittylink...
Actually, you can belay that as the WHS workstation backup has a big problem with computers that have motherboards with UEFI (i.e. modern) BIOSes. And somehow I don't think you'll be springing the £400+ for Windows Server 2012 Essentials.
I still am. Although tbf I took a step backwards when Vista was the current OS and i'd experienced its shitness. Upgrading soonish though.
maomao
普費斯
If anyone doesn't like wasting £1.50 on a can of compressed air that's not very environmentally friendly, has to be replaced and goes so icy cold after a few seconds use that you start worrying about all your components being frozen to shit then those Giotto air rockets for cleaning camera lenses are very good and last forever. Good for cleaning out coffee grinders too.
editor
hiraethified
So my XP machine decided to swiftly follow its successor into oblivion - it doesn't recognise any keyboard that's been posted into any USB port and won't boot up - so I can't even get into BIOS (it stops at a boot-up system error that needs F1 to be pushed to continue the boot. But it's not possible to get any keystrokes to register!)
I'm now down to my laptop but my new PC should be arriving tomorrow. Huzzah!
I'm now down to my laptop but my new PC should be arriving tomorrow. Huzzah!
CosmikRoger
Well-Known Member
Mine kept turning off every now and then.
I tried reformatting, defragging, reinstalling all kinds of shit and spending hours on google problem solving.
Then I moved my stash box from the top of the tower where it was blocking the air inlet for the cooling fan.
I tried reformatting, defragging, reinstalling all kinds of shit and spending hours on google problem solving.
Then I moved my stash box from the top of the tower where it was blocking the air inlet for the cooling fan.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
USB keyboards are weird - more than once I've had to fire a PC up with a PS2 and then introduce it gently to the USB.
editor
hiraethified
It didn't want to talk to the PS/2 either. The new machine has arrived anyway, so I'm done faffing about and am going to strip both PCs down and offer some of the parts on urban recycle.
editor
hiraethified
I must be freaking jinxed. So my main machine borked out after many years of hard service. Fair enough. But then my temporary machine (the XP one) swiftly followed it into the abyss.
And then my shiny new machine arrived today and - yes, you've guessed it - it's fucked too.
The thing booted up and I only got to briefly gaze at the glossy sheen of Windows 8 before I got an error message saying that my PC has run into a problem and needed to be restarted.
Except it doesn't restart. Turning it on and off again takes me back to the very familiar territory of the last machine with random shut downs. Sometimes it looks like all is going to be well (I've tried most of the self-fixing options) but it rarely lasts more than three minutes before borking.
The company I bought the machine from - the generally well rated Palicomp Computers - have been dire as well, and never troubling themselves to answer an email in any kind of haste. The machine turned up with a scratch on the case and a screw roaming free in the box. Never a good sign.
So with the tax return looming ever closely I'm getting more than a little bit pissed off. The only option I haven't tried is the complete reinstall but I'm not sure I should be doing all that on a machine that hasn't even been up for more then 5 minutes.
Not a happy chap. Stress levels reaching critical!
Oh and any 'hilarious' wag who wants to add another comment about buying a Mac can just fuck off. It wasn't funny the first time around and it'll be plain cunty the second time.
And then my shiny new machine arrived today and - yes, you've guessed it - it's fucked too.
The thing booted up and I only got to briefly gaze at the glossy sheen of Windows 8 before I got an error message saying that my PC has run into a problem and needed to be restarted.
Except it doesn't restart. Turning it on and off again takes me back to the very familiar territory of the last machine with random shut downs. Sometimes it looks like all is going to be well (I've tried most of the self-fixing options) but it rarely lasts more than three minutes before borking.
The company I bought the machine from - the generally well rated Palicomp Computers - have been dire as well, and never troubling themselves to answer an email in any kind of haste. The machine turned up with a scratch on the case and a screw roaming free in the box. Never a good sign.
So with the tax return looming ever closely I'm getting more than a little bit pissed off. The only option I haven't tried is the complete reinstall but I'm not sure I should be doing all that on a machine that hasn't even been up for more then 5 minutes.
Not a happy chap. Stress levels reaching critical!
Oh and any 'hilarious' wag who wants to add another comment about buying a Mac can just fuck off. It wasn't funny the first time around and it'll be plain cunty the second time.
maomao
普費斯
Do your tax return on your laptop, stop using the PC as an excuse to procrastinate.
I would send a pc back with a scratch on the box and a loose screw. Full refund, bollocks to second chances.
PC specialist are very very good. Excellent build quality and they had included an extra hard disc connector in the accesories box because I mentioned on their forums that I was going to put my old one in there.
I would send a pc back with a scratch on the box and a loose screw. Full refund, bollocks to second chances.
PC specialist are very very good. Excellent build quality and they had included an extra hard disc connector in the accesories box because I mentioned on their forums that I was going to put my old one in there.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
I'd have sent it back at that point tbh, like you said, not a good sign.
Do you need the machine to do your tax return because of files/records on it? Or can you not just access the HMRC website via a laptop or your Transformer thingy?
maomao
普費斯
If that was the case how would a new PC help?
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Take the data drive out and chuck it in the new machine...
maomao
普費斯
Buy one of those disc enclosures and stick it in the back of the laptop. Much cheaper.
editor
hiraethified
It's definitely not that because nothing else connected goes off.I once had a puter (ibm pc xt) shut down on me at random intervals and it turned out to be a dodgy contact at the house mains fuse box, after I'd had someone come and replace the power supply which logically enough didn't solve the problem.
editor
hiraethified
I was hoping to use my old copy of Money which I'd been using for my accounts. When the main machine went down I thought, "No problem, I'll use the copy on my old machine as a handy backup."
Then that went down so I guess I'll have to use something else, which is a bit of a pain.
I'm going to take so many drugs when this fucking tax return is done.
editor
hiraethified
I'm more or less set up to go but it's a job I loathe so much that I'm almost welcoming this distraction.
That said, I'm falling behind on a lot of my regular work because of all this pissing about with computers.
That sounds a little too coincidental. I wonder if you might have a power problem. Are you running your PCs through UPSs? Noticed any flickering lights?
editor
hiraethified
The faults are all different though and, no, everything else runs just fine through the same power sockets.
editor
hiraethified
There was no peripherals plugged into the new PC - just a wired USB keyboard and mouse - and everything that has been plugged into the same socket has been working fine before and after PCgeddon.
Teepee
like livewire voodoo
And just to be clear, the keyboard was a new one - not the one that was plugged into the broken PC? If so it seems like you're having some real bad luck. The only other thing I can think of that could cause hardware failure in 3 different computers is a noisy power supply or power surges. If I were in your position I'd be borrowing a laptop off a mate, or booting from a persistent USB stick to get my tax done. Not a permanent solution, but it would take the edge off the stress and let me fix the comp at leisure.
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