Start a Conversation

Unsolved

This post is more than 5 years old

3397

August 14th, 2004 22:00

System will Shutdown but not Restart

Hello all,

My Dimension 8250 has developed a bad habit in which it will not respond to Restart commands from the OS (Windows XP SP1) although it does still Shutdown properly. When asked to Restart, Windows will proceed normally through the process but stay forever on the "Shutting down your system ... " screen. I have to hold down the power button for several seconds at this point to get it to shut off.

It's not an OS problem, I've reformatted twice since it began. Something is either damaged or disconnected, I'm sure.

I've built computers for the past 11 years, and my first thought is the power supply has a problem of some sort, but I know how expensive (and proprietary) Dell's power supplies are. I am hoping there might be some other, less expensive problem I've simply overlooked.

Yes, I've had the computer open several times. I've added a second HD and upgraded the video card to an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (which requires a power connection). I also added a second bank of Dell-direct RAMBUS memory. Other than that, the guts are stock.

I've also been through the BIOS a few times and configured things to my tastes, and don't remember the settings I adjusted ever having an effect on reboots in the past.

Thanks for any help from "the pros" that hang out here!

4.8K Posts

August 15th, 2004 02:00

meadorg,

Try disconnecting any external devices and uninstalling the related software.  This problem can be caused by a USB device not releasing the communication between itself and the computer.

Steve

1.4K Posts

August 15th, 2004 03:00

If you feel it's hardware related, try reseating your HD cable at both ends. Also reseat your memory sticks until you get an audible 'click' from each. If you don't get a 'click', they're not seated fully. The first suspect is the HD cable. 
No Events found!

Top