Computer Problems

Butlers1982

Hi all

My friends computer keeps crashing, No error message popping up or anything like that.

It started when i plugged the new modem into the Ethernet Port.
Ive removed it now and it seemed ok
Until I plugged in speakers- it switched off- so i unplugged them and it was ok
I then plugged in the Printer and it shut down again

Now when its turned on a screen comes up and says something along the lines of:

start in safe mode
restart at last successful reboot
start windows normally

and if you click start windows normally it works

Anyone any ideas whats up with it?

Buzzbox

Sounds like it is a hardware conflict... you will need to identify which component is causing your windows to restart. After you have identified it, you might need to find an updated driver for it...

Unplug everything and test one at a time....

Butlers1982

After you have identified it

How would i do that please?

stan747

when you say it crashes, do you mean a blue screen? does it reboot? or as i interpret, it switches straight off with no warning.
if its the latter and like you say, when you plug/unplug items, it could be hardware, maybe something loose and shorting on the case as can happen on the plates at the back (shorting against the edge of the mainboard).

Butlers1982

hi stan

no warning
Switches off: reboots to a black screen as if the monitors turned off

any idea?

drunkenmonkey

sounds like it is a hardware conflict somewhere, I assume it's XP by what you've said and it will be a blue screen of death except the manufaturer has set the options to reboot automatically and not show the blue screen rather than show it and stop everything. What make and model is it? Will help to narrow down the components inside (assuming its made by the likes of HP or Dell etc)

Browntoa

go to windows update, then choose "custom" and see if there are any updated drivers for your ethernet

Butlers1982

ive taken out the ethernet card that was the only way it would reboot.

Its a dell computer and its about 5 years old! ill have to find out the model

it is runnning on XP

unfortunately it says they dont have genuine copy of windows so it wont do any updates- stops after windows validation

Browntoa

if you go on control panel, system, then device manager...then update the driver from there, or look on the ethernet card and see if you can identify the make/model and go to to makers web site

Butlers1982

Ill have a look then update here

if you go on control panel, system, then device manager

is that any driver?

drunkenmonkey

Chances are it will be using windows standard Ethernet controller drivers which haven't been updated in a long time but the device manager should also be flagging up any conflicts.

If you can't find the model number there should be a sticker somewhere with the support code tag which will identify the model