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Old 06-12-2008, 01:59 PM
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Digerati Digerati is offline
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Re: My PC keeps crashing

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Two years.
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(yeah i know...) Since I'm in college I never had the time or money to fix it. I just learned to live with it.
Well, I hear you, but having your computer crash, and possibly losing everything is not good either. A sudden power failure in the middle of a write can corrupt the hard drive, making the computer completely unbootable. Not good when a paper is due. At least you can set Word to automatically save every 5 minutes.

You said it crashes when you connect your iPod, flash drive, printer, or an ext. HD it crashes. What if you unplug your remote first? Is that a TV Tuner remote?

If you do not connect any of those devices, do it run fine?

I think I might suggest a Self-powered USB Hub. These get their power, and supply power to connected devices, through an external power source. Perhaps when you plug in the extra devices, it is putting too much demand on the motherboard's USB power circuits, making the system unstable. The external drive should have it's own power block the the other devices may not.

Understand a perfectly good, but underpowered PSU can cause system crashes - so even though you have replaced yours, it still must have enough power to support your system.

Make sure the system is clean of heat trapping dust and dirt. While in there, make sure all the fans spin freely.

Inspect the motherboard for bulging or leaking electrolytic capacitors. These failed or failing capacitors are a common cause of sudden, but seemingly random system lock ups and reboots. The capacitors look like tall soda cans, many of which surround the CPU socket.

All older motherboards, and many of today's less expensive motherboards use electrolytic capacitors containing a liquid electrolyte. Failing (including flawed and/or abused/over-heated) capacitors literally bulge at the seams due to excessive internal pressures. Extreme (and very rare) cases result in a firecracker type explosion that can really stink up a room. Typically, electrolyte just oozes from the pressure relief points stamped in the tops of the capacitor casings (seen as a symbol or letter). The electrolyte can be caustic to motherboards and flesh. Look for white to dark-brown, dried liquid or foam on the tops or bottoms of the capacitors. Bulging capacitors are a sign leakage is about to occur.

A motherboard with bulging or leaky capacitors can be repaired, but often it is more cost effective in the long run to replace the motherboard.

Be sure to first power down, unplug the computer, and keep yourself discharged by touching the bare metal of the case.
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Bill (AFE7Ret)
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