IT Help

[dexfarkin]

Hey folks.

I'm running into a computer issue that is randomly shutting down my computer, sometimes at the login stage for Windows 7. It started about four months ago, where it would drop out after a couple of hours of Civ. I figured it was a combination of the heat of my room and the dustiness of it. However, after a thorough cleaning with compressed air, it's not only started up, but has accelerated to the point that I get maybe 15 minutes of operation with the computer. Since it is my main system for job searching, I need to get it fixed pronto.

After some scanning through the system logs, the cause appears to be the following critical error - Kernel-Power. A friend thinks it could be a dying power source, but after a look online, there's some dozen possible reasons listed, from software/driver conflicts to failing hardware. I have the capacity to cover repairs if I have to, but I don't have the cash for multiple guesses. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of issue, and if so, what I should be looking for to isolate the cause?

Comments

[seraangel.livejournal.com]

I don't unfortunately. I'd suggest going through the software and driver fixes first though. Do you have your Windows 7 disk? And what version do you have?

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

If you can get me a copy/paste of the system logs, I can do some research - I have theories but I'll need the system logs to eliminate some of them first.

[dexfarkin.livejournal.com]

Tell me how I do that, and I'll send them to you.

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

Will do when I get home. (on campus doing paperwork, so limited space to explain)

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

Okay, in the control panel where you were looking at the system logs, there should be an option on the right to "save all events as". Use that, then send me the file(s) it creates, and I can open them in a viewer and look at the specific issues. If the file's big, use yousendit.com

Alternately, take screenshots and mail me those.

[silvanis.livejournal.com]

Random shutdowns are always hard to troubleshoot. My first suggestion is to get CPUID Hardware Monitor (http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html) and run that for a while. Check for high temperatures (anything above 80 C is probably bad) and spikes in the voltages.

If that doesn't narrow down the issue, then there really isn't a good way to find out what's wrong without trial and error. If you have a computer store that you can trust, take it to them. They should try replacing the power supply, then the memory, then the CPU. If it's consistently shutting down on you, one of those is the likely culprit.

[just-shai.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!