Hey peeps, hope you can help me out with a problem that's been bugging me for awhile!

Every now and then, about 2-3 seconds into the boot routine, my PC will just shut itself down. Hitting the power button does nothing, I have to switch it off at the wall socket for a few seconds before trying again (the PC and its bits are plugged into a ~3 year old Belkin surge protector, if that's relevant).

It started a month or so after I swapped out the dead PSU for a generic one (bought out of desperation). Crappy PSU is all I can think of, although the vid card has a habit of working loose - it's a pain to screw in properly.

Sys specs:

Generic 400W PSU
P4 1.4gig
ECS P4S5A2 mobo
512MB PC2100 DDR RAM (2x 256MB)
Seagate 120GB HDD
Hercules Radeon 9200

...plus the two burners in my sig, and a few other cards etc (if you need info, I can give it!)

Hope you guys can give me a hand here - it's been annoying me for awhile, although it's not urgent, the machine still boots after a time, I'm posting on it now!

TIA

I would offhand suspect the generic PSU to be the cause

I'd go along with that. When you switch on & the drives spin up etc that's when you get quite a surge in power requirement and a crappy PSU might not cope with that.

My son has just ordered a Hiper 480w from this place (http://www.directfrom.com/default.asp) for a very reasonable £44. I might get one myself.

Currently running a Q-Tec 500w big fan which I got from Maplins for £39.99 which is quite quiet & copes well. These can be had for a lot less on Ebay.

Whew, thanks guys - I'm actually pretty glad that you suspect the PSU - I've just received a new Antec one (from www.overclockers.co.uk), but didn't want to put it in if something else could be the culprit*! Yes, I am so lazy

And yeah, the boot power requirement makes sense - in fact, I just swapped out 2 HDDs, and replaced them with one drive, in case it was putting a strain on the PSU at boot!

*I should just explain, for the record, why I didn't try the new PSU before. My PC is pretty much at floor level, maybe a couple of inches off it - and it's very heavy, so I try not to lift it if I don't have to!

Thanks again guys

Well all those Antec ones look good. I'd like to know which one it is & what you think of it once it's up and running.

Tim

Ah...it's an Antec NeoHE, 380W (all I could afford, plus I was going on the premise that the original PSU in this old case (300W) powered everything OK til it died - it was 5 years old, and had almost constant use, LOL - 24/7 before it died!).

Once I can be arsed to lift this elephant of a PC and fit it, I'll be sure and let you know!

Update for Tim...

Well, either my rig hates the Antec, or vice-versa, or it's simply not enough juice to power everything in here. I got one second of activity (before and after making sure everything was plugged in snugly), and then, nada.

Plugged the old generic PSU back in, booted perfectly first time.

Oh well, guess I can always keep the Antec for a spare. I think what I'll do, is just carry on the way things are for the moment...and then purchase a Q-Tec Big Fan 500W like you have, Tim - I know a little PC shop near me that stocks them (at least I've seen 400W and 600W ones there).

Fun with PCs, eh? Good job I don't mind poking about in there, when I can be bothered to lift the thing!

I would think that Overclockers would give you a refund or replacement. It could always be a faulty PSU as I think Antec have a reasonable rep & 380w should be OK for your rig. I've managed to run 3 opticals & 2 HDs with 4 fans with a generic 350w PSU. Mind you it's got a very basic video card.

Always have a look on ebay, none of the 500w bigfans currently but a firm local to me does them for £18 + carriage. Try here
The thing about the 500w is that it's quite quiet what with having a 120mm fan. The other q-tecs are noisier.

Cheers, Tim...I'm hoping that it is faulty - I'll call OcUK tomorrow and see what they can do about replacing it.

Thanks for clarifying whether that wattage is adequate for my PC, too - that's one of the things that crossed my mind when it didn't boot.

I'll deal with OcUK re: the Antec first, but I'll definitely keep in mind your info on the Q-Tecs!



Edit: Woohoo, their number is local rate, and they provide tech support!

Well, I called OcUK a while ago, and they want me to do the RMA shuffle (I hope they find a fault with the thing, or I'll get charged an extra £10)...and I have to send it back via Recorded Delivery.

I believe, at the end of this, I may have the most expensive 380W PSU ever - maybe I should frame it, not put it in my PC.

i got weird thing too sometimes when i put the cd in cdrom my pc just restarts and makes me want to throw it out the window

I've got to say that from personal experience I've had 2 Antec 480w PS's die on me. Well, one was DOA, and the replacement one died after about 4 months. The place I bought it from had closed down in the meantime, so I was stuck with it.
Needless to say, I've avoided Antec ever since.

Hehe, yeah, seems as many people swear by Antec, as at them. - after I shipped back the dead Antec, I did some "research" on the net about experiences with Antec...came across a whole web page full of bad experiences!

My replacement has apparently just been shipped (no mention of a charge, so they obviously found it faulty)...crossed fingers all the way here.