Help! Computer Shutting Down Constantly

slobbery

since yesterday, my comp has been restarting constantly.
sometimes it doesn't even boot up fully, other times it will run for a few mins. The error message detail i get is:

BCCode : 9c BCP1 : 00000000 BCP2 : 8054D5F0 BCP3 : FE000309

BCP4 : 200C0151 OSVer : 5_1_2600 SP : 2_0 Product : 256_1

Have run virus check, ccleaner etc yesterday when this started and all was fine and afterwards the comp ran for several hours with no problems. Today, no chance, 3 mins was the longest i can get it to stay on.
Running xp home with avg, kerio etc

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

jpe20

Things to try ....

(1) Run a memory test program like memtestx86. This will diagnose faulty memory.

(2) I would try doing a system restore to the previous week say. If this works then this may indicate a software issue. (Though it can still be a hardware fault!)

HTH Jules

PS ... Can you boot into safe mode and remain stable???
PPS Is the error message delivered via a blue screen???

culpepper

Check it is clean internally.If its very dusty it may be overheating. Unplug at the mains first of course.
While it is open , check that the hard drive cable/s are secure They are flat and usually have more than one connector on them.
Check graphics card has not come unseated Long flat circuit board type thing parallel to the mother board.
Check the power supply is not coated in thick dust (box with fan at back of computer).
Absolutely no idea what the code means but they are the things I would check as they are easy to do.

sevlow

My own problem a few months ago was due to overheating. I spent weeks formatting and re-installing to no avail. I finally installed a freeware programme that reported on the temperature of the cpu and other components. The CPU was running very hot and when i removed the fan i found the cooling fins were clogged with dust.

The BIOS has a max temp setting for the CPU and is usually set to shutdown the system if exceeded.

jpe20

Article on error here

Looks like a hardware problem.

So I would perhaps run memtest86 as it is easy to do to check your memory.

Open up BIOS and check your cpu temperature is ok and that the fan is working at its correct speed.

Then check inside the machine that all fans are working correctly.

If the above are ok then take a look at....

(1) Graphics Card .... Can diagnose to certain extent by running 3dMark06 (or whatever version your card will support). Any corruption in images/scenes will indicate a faulty card. Also image corruption in normal windows can indicate a faulty card.

(2) Power supply ... HARD TO DIAGNOSE ... remove as many devices/cards as you can this will lower the power required and will indicate whether the power supply or device removed is the problem. Clean the PSU etc as OP mentioned. There is software you can run in xp which will monitor the voltages in your PC (dunno what it is called .. was mentioned in this forum a while ago). Any large deviations/fluctuations from what is expected will indicate a failing PSU.

(3) Motherboard .... personally I find very hard to diagnose this. Best thing to do is update the chipset drivers to latest version along with reflashing/updating the BIOS. Other than that u can reset the CMOS by taking out the battery and/or changing a jumper called something like Clear RTC. Other than that the only option is to replace the motherboard with another to diagnose a faulty motherboard.

(5) CPU..... can be hard to diagnose this .... but possibly stressing the cpu with a program like Prime95 - small fft can quickly stress the CPU itself and if it fails quickly then looks like possibly you have got a dodgy cpu.

Good luck .

There are other suggestions in the article.

No harm giving the machine a good clean like the OP said.

I assume you are NOT overclocking the system.

Browntoa

another vote for hardware problem...update video card drivers and test the ram as suggested

maybe open up Pc and remove 1 stick ofram at a time (ifyou have more than one) and see if it still happens....or reseat them and any of the other plug in cards

johnmc

Looks like a hardware or driver problem. Have you added or changed anything?

Try unplugging everything except the keyboard and mouse to see if it's that.

Main causes for random resets are overheating (normally get a few beeps just before it switches off), the power supply or a fried memory module.

Try taking all the memory out and leaving just one in. Change it if that doesn't work.

If you've got a spare power supply give that a go. It's like trying to run a car with a kink in the fuel supply - it works fine for pottering around, give it some stick and it just stops. I've had this on a few PC's I've repaired for others.

slobbery

Thanks everyone.
I have looked inside and it's very clean, no dust at all on the fans/vents etc.
The system is just over a year old and has had very very little use. It's not my main comp, and has been used maybe once a fortnight for an hour or so.
The only thing different is that i installed World of Warcraft on it last week, but it has been playing that fine for a few days until yesterday.
I will try some solutions you all suggested and let you know what happens.

slobbery

Update - have tried running memtest from cd boot but even without loading the os, system still keeps shutting down, so haven't managed to complete memtest yet.
Am I right in assuming this means it's definitely hardware and not software or drivers?

johnmc

Try removing all memory modules and replacing one at a time.

If that fails to resolve it then I favour the power supply.

jpe20

Try the memory stuff out as JohnMC suggested. Definitely a hardware problem now.

I personally would take out the graphics card out of your working PC and see if it your gfx card is faulty. Only suggested this as it is easy to do (provided they are both PCI express cards). Eliminate as much as you can.

Try the power supply of the other PC (a pain to remove and put back I know ... so do this last!).

Jules