Gateway 310x desktop - shuts down

hmmmmm - not much activity here -

A neighbor has a Gateway 310X desktop,
and I was asked to change a few things in XP for her...

While I have it here, it's been running most of the day,
but it has now - 3 times - just turned itself off !!

This is NOT the Windows power setting,
as I also had it turn off with a bootable Linux CD
while I was running a virus scanner.
Now, as another test, it's just sitting at the BIOS screen.... running.

Then, when attempting to get it turned on,
it will not..... internally, on the motherboard,
there is a green led at the top, that is always ON,
and when attempted to turn on,
there is a red led at the bottom, that briefly flashes...

Any thoughts ??

--
----------------------------------
"If everything seems to be going well,
you have obviously overlooked something." - Steven Wright

ps56k wrote:
> hmmmmm - not much activity here -
>
> A neighbor has a Gateway 310X desktop,
> and I was asked to change a few things in XP for her...
>
> While I have it here, it's been running most of the day,
> but it has now - 3 times - just turned itself off !!
>
> This is NOT the Windows power setting,
> as I also had it turn off with a bootable Linux CD
> while I was running a virus scanner.
> Now, as another test, it's just sitting at the BIOS screen.... running.
>
> Then, when attempting to get it turned on,
> it will not..... internally, on the motherboard,
> there is a green led at the top, that is always ON,
> and when attempted to turn on,
> there is a red led at the bottom, that briefly flashes...
>
> Any thoughts ??
>
If the computer powers itself down when running a Live Linux distro, you
have eliminated Windows and its infernal structure as a problem.

I'll place my largest bets on the power supply, especially if it is a
Bestec brand, notorious for poor quality. Other possibilities include
clogged and malfunctioning system fans with lots of dust bunnies, and
failing CMOS battery. If the system has experienced power failures and
power spikes, most anything can be wrong... Ben Myers

ps56k wrote:
> Ben Myers wrote:
>> ps56k wrote:
>>> hmmmmm - not much activity here -
>>>
>>> A neighbor has a Gateway 310X desktop,
>>> and I was asked to change a few things in XP for her...
>>>
>>> While I have it here, it's been running most of the day,
>>> but it has now - 3 times - just turned itself off !!
>>>
>>> This is NOT the Windows power setting,
>>> as I also had it turn off with a bootable Linux CD
>>> while I was running a virus scanner.
>>> Now, as another test, it's just sitting at the BIOS screen....
>>> running. Then, when attempting to get it turned on,
>>> it will not..... internally, on the motherboard,
>>> there is a green led at the top, that is always ON,
>>> and when attempted to turn on,
>>> there is a red led at the bottom, that briefly flashes...
>>>
>>> Any thoughts ??
>>>
>> If the computer powers itself down when running a Live Linux distro,
>> you have eliminated Windows and its infernal structure as a problem.
>>
>> I'll place my largest bets on the power supply, especially if it is a
>> Bestec brand, notorious for poor quality. Other possibilities include
>> clogged and malfunctioning system fans with lots of dust bunnies, and
>> failing CMOS battery. If the system has experienced power failures
>> and power spikes, most anything can be wrong... Ben Myers
>
> it would seem like a thermal of some sort...
> but the rear fan is clear, the CPU mounted heatsink & fan are ok...
> Not sure how the CMOS would enter into a "running" system.
>
> I HATE to have things break while sitting in my family room (
>
>
Agreed, battery failure is a remote cause. I'll still place most of my
money on a failing power supply, as the hardware repair roulette wheel
spins. Which brand is it? ... Ben Myers

Hi!

> it would seem like a thermal of some sort...
> but the rear fan is clear, the CPU mounted heatsink & fan are ok...
> Not sure how the CMOS would enter into a "running" system.

Most any modern motherboard has hardware monitoring functionality on it
somewhere. The system BIOS may ignore this (many times it does so, either by
default or because the manufacturer doesn't have anything watching the
readings) or it may act on it when things are perceived to be too hot. This
can go on quietly in the background, unbeknownst to the operating system or
software programs.

Thermal sensors can go bad. The cure for this may not be easy, unless you
can tell the BIOS in SETUP to not pay any attention to thermal sensors.

Software does exist (Motherboard Monitor or SpeedFan are two popular ones
for Windows, lmsensors can be used on Linux) to tap into these sensors and
see what they are reporting. Depending upon the design of the board, you can
get comprehensive statistics on voltages, temperatures and fan RPMs. Or you
can get nothing, ridiculous out of range readings, or only minimal data.

My bet is on the power supply. It's probably right on tilt for replacing.
And while I've never lost a Bestec supply on any of the computers I have
using one, experiences would dictate that you replace such a power supply
***before*** it fails. Or the computer will probably be dead.

William

Ben Myers wrote:
> ps56k wrote:
>> Ben Myers wrote:
>>> ps56k wrote:
>>>> hmmmmm - not much activity here -
>>>>
>>>> A neighbor has a Gateway 310X desktop,
>>>> and I was asked to change a few things in XP for her...
>>>>
>>>> While I have it here, it's been running most of the day,
>>>> but it has now - 3 times - just turned itself off !!
>>>>
>>>> This is NOT the Windows power setting,
>>>> as I also had it turn off with a bootable Linux CD
>>>> while I was running a virus scanner.
>>>> Now, as another test, it's just sitting at the BIOS screen....
>>>> running. Then, when attempting to get it turned on,
>>>> it will not..... internally, on the motherboard,
>>>> there is a green led at the top, that is always ON,
>>>> and when attempted to turn on,
>>>> there is a red led at the bottom, that briefly flashes...
>>>>
>>>> Any thoughts ??
>>>>
>>> If the computer powers itself down when running a Live Linux distro,
>>> you have eliminated Windows and its infernal structure as a problem.
>>>
>>> I'll place my largest bets on the power supply, especially if it is
>>> a Bestec brand, notorious for poor quality. Other possibilities
>>> include clogged and malfunctioning system fans with lots of dust
>>> bunnies, and failing CMOS battery. If the system has experienced
>>> power failures and power spikes, most anything can be wrong... Ben
>>> Myers
>>
>> it would seem like a thermal of some sort...
>> but the rear fan is clear, the CPU mounted heatsink & fan are ok...
>> Not sure how the CMOS would enter into a "running" system.
>>
>> I HATE to have things break while sitting in my family room (
>>
>>
> Agreed, battery failure is a remote cause. I'll still place most of
> my money on a failing power supply, as the hardware repair roulette
> wheel spins. Which brand is it? ... Ben Myers

it is an FP - Additional Notes: Replaces and upgrades original FSP 200-60
ATV Power Supply and others.
http://www.911forpcs.com/ga31posufrde.html

can't figure out the "smart" power button - and what is really the logic
flow...

ie - after it powers down, the green led is still on,
as is the Ethernet cable/jack led and the green led on the motherboard.

1 - if you try power on now - the red led on the motherboard blinks, but
nothing happens
2 - if you hold the power button until the green led goes off,
and then wait - and try again - random yes/no-go
3 - if it works, the red led on the motherboard flashes (longer than a
blink)
and the system powers up
4 - if not, then nothing - and back to #1

SO - not sure what it thinks is going on or not... GRRRRRRR

ps56k wrote:
> Ben Myers wrote:
>> ps56k wrote:
>>> Ben Myers wrote:
>>>> ps56k wrote:
>>>>> hmmmmm - not much activity here -
>>>>>
>>>>> A neighbor has a Gateway 310X desktop,
>>>>> and I was asked to change a few things in XP for her...
>>>>>
>>>>> While I have it here, it's been running most of the day,
>>>>> but it has now - 3 times - just turned itself off !!
>>>>>
>>>>> This is NOT the Windows power setting,
>>>>> as I also had it turn off with a bootable Linux CD
>>>>> while I was running a virus scanner.
>>>>> Now, as another test, it's just sitting at the BIOS screen....
>>>>> running. Then, when attempting to get it turned on,
>>>>> it will not..... internally, on the motherboard,
>>>>> there is a green led at the top, that is always ON,
>>>>> and when attempted to turn on,
>>>>> there is a red led at the bottom, that briefly flashes...
>>>>>
>>>>> Any thoughts ??
>>>>>
>>>> If the computer powers itself down when running a Live Linux
>>>> distro, you have eliminated Windows and its infernal structure as
>>>> a problem. I'll place my largest bets on the power supply, especially
>>>> if it is
>>>> a Bestec brand, notorious for poor quality. Other possibilities
>>>> include clogged and malfunctioning system fans with lots of dust
>>>> bunnies, and failing CMOS battery. If the system has experienced
>>>> power failures and power spikes, most anything can be wrong... Ben
>>>> Myers
>>>
>>> it would seem like a thermal of some sort...
>>> but the rear fan is clear, the CPU mounted heatsink & fan are ok...
>>> Not sure how the CMOS would enter into a "running" system.
>>>
>>> I HATE to have things break while sitting in my family room (
>>>
>>>
>> Agreed, battery failure is a remote cause. I'll still place most of
>> my money on a failing power supply, as the hardware repair roulette
>> wheel spins. Which brand is it? ... Ben Myers
>
> it is an FP - Additional Notes: Replaces and upgrades original FSP
> 200-60 ATV Power Supply and others.
> http://www.911forpcs.com/ga31posufrde.html
>
> can't figure out the "smart" power button - and what is really the
> logic flow...
>
> ie - after it powers down, the green led is still on,
> as is the Ethernet cable/jack led and the green led on the
> motherboard.
> 1 - if you try power on now - the red led on the motherboard blinks,
> but nothing happens
> 2 - if you hold the power button until the green led goes off,
> and then wait - and try again - random yes/no-go
> 3 - if it works, the red led on the motherboard flashes (longer than a
> blink)
> and the system powers up
> 4 - if not, then nothing - and back to #1
>
> SO - not sure what it thinks is going on or not... GRRRRRRR

have tried booting into BIOS screen - and waiting -
sometimes it runs for a long time, sometimes not.

tried booting into Windows or a CDrom bootable Linux,
and these have been about 5 to 8 minutes before shutdown.

Heatsinks are still cold to the touch - can't figure out what's going on
?????

ps56k wrote:
> ps56k wrote:
>> Ben Myers wrote:
>>> ps56k wrote:
>>>> Ben Myers wrote:
>>>>> ps56k wrote:
>>>>>> hmmmmm - not much activity here -
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A neighbor has a Gateway 310X desktop,
>>>>>> and I was asked to change a few things in XP for her...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> While I have it here, it's been running most of the day,
>>>>>> but it has now - 3 times - just turned itself off !!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This is NOT the Windows power setting,
>>>>>> as I also had it turn off with a bootable Linux CD
>>>>>> while I was running a virus scanner.
>>>>>> Now, as another test, it's just sitting at the BIOS screen....
>>>>>> running. Then, when attempting to get it turned on,
>>>>>> it will not..... internally, on the motherboard,
>>>>>> there is a green led at the top, that is always ON,
>>>>>> and when attempted to turn on,
>>>>>> there is a red led at the bottom, that briefly flashes...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Any thoughts ??
>>>>>>
>>>>> If the computer powers itself down when running a Live Linux
>>>>> distro, you have eliminated Windows and its infernal structure as
>>>>> a problem. I'll place my largest bets on the power supply, especially
>>>>> if it is
>>>>> a Bestec brand, notorious for poor quality. Other possibilities
>>>>> include clogged and malfunctioning system fans with lots of dust
>>>>> bunnies, and failing CMOS battery. If the system has experienced
>>>>> power failures and power spikes, most anything can be wrong... Ben
>>>>> Myers
>>>> it would seem like a thermal of some sort...
>>>> but the rear fan is clear, the CPU mounted heatsink & fan are ok...
>>>> Not sure how the CMOS would enter into a "running" system.
>>>>
>>>> I HATE to have things break while sitting in my family room (
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Agreed, battery failure is a remote cause. I'll still place most of
>>> my money on a failing power supply, as the hardware repair roulette
>>> wheel spins. Which brand is it? ... Ben Myers
>> it is an FP - Additional Notes: Replaces and upgrades original FSP
>> 200-60 ATV Power Supply and others.
>> http://www.911forpcs.com/ga31posufrde.html
>>
>> can't figure out the "smart" power button - and what is really the
>> logic flow...
>>
>> ie - after it powers down, the green led is still on,
>> as is the Ethernet cable/jack led and the green led on the
>> motherboard.
>> 1 - if you try power on now - the red led on the motherboard blinks,
>> but nothing happens
>> 2 - if you hold the power button until the green led goes off,
>> and then wait - and try again - random yes/no-go
>> 3 - if it works, the red led on the motherboard flashes (longer than a
>> blink)
>> and the system powers up
>> 4 - if not, then nothing - and back to #1
>>
>> SO - not sure what it thinks is going on or not... GRRRRRRR
>
> have tried booting into BIOS screen - and waiting -
> sometimes it runs for a long time, sometimes not.
>
> tried booting into Windows or a CDrom bootable Linux,
> and these have been about 5 to 8 minutes before shutdown.
>
> Heatsinks are still cold to the touch - can't figure out what's going on
> ?????
>
>
Still seems like a power supply problem to me... Ben Myers

I'm beginning to lean towards a software and/or ACPI problem.

Running various tests to see how things react when booted differently.

1 - boot into BIOS screen, just let it sit - runs fine 18+ mins
2 - boot into Norton DOS prompt, just let it sit - runs fine 45+ mins
3 - boot into Linux, ACPI active - ??
4 - boot into Linux, ACPI off - ??
5 - boot into XP safe mode, power savings = never - ??
6 - boot into XP normal mode, power savings = never - ??

ps56k wrote:
> I'm beginning to lean towards a software and/or ACPI problem.
>
> Running various tests to see how things react when booted differently.
>
> 1 - boot into BIOS screen, just let it sit - runs fine 18+ mins
> 2 - boot into Norton DOS prompt, just let it sit - runs fine 45+ mins

> 3 - boot into Linux, ACPI active - ??
> 4 - boot into Linux, ACPI off - ??
> 5 - boot into XP safe mode, power savings = never - ??
> 6 - boot into XP normal mode, power savings = never - ??

well - it seems when we boot with nothing "smart",
but using "dumb" DOS from a bootable CDrom,
or even just sitting at the BIOS screen,
that the computer will run forever -
and.... the fans appear to be running "more" in this "dumb" mode

when we boot into Linux, even with a ACPI=OFF and NOAPM
it appears that "something" still controls the APM,
and I think the fans run slower than in DOS mode,
and the computer then randomly turns off after only a few minutes.

same is true with Windows XP - all power settings turned to "off"

I'm stumped ?????????????

ps56k wrote on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:11:00 -0600:

> well - it seems when we boot with nothing "smart",
> but using "dumb" DOS from a bootable CDrom,
> or even just sitting at the BIOS screen,
> that the computer will run forever -
> and.... the fans appear to be running "more" in this "dumb" mode
>
> when we boot into Linux, even with a ACPI=OFF and NOAPM
> it appears that "something" still controls the APM,
> and I think the fans run slower than in DOS mode,
> and the computer then randomly turns off after only a few minutes.
>
> same is true with Windows XP - all power settings turned to "off"
>
> I'm stumped ?????????????

I haven't been following this thread very closely. But just what I see
above... I would swap out the memory. As Windows and Linux hits it hard
and uses all of it while DOS does not. If you have more than one RAM
card, take one of them out. And then later swap it with the other one.

And you better check to see if they have to be used in pairs or not.
Most don't, but you never know until you check. You can check with one
of the more popular RAM manufacture websites to check this for your model.

--
Bill
Asus EEE PC 8GB 1GB SoDIMM Adata 16GB
Windows XP SP2 and Xandros Linux