System shutting down automatically

Please provide system details, OS etc if you want answers.

"shutting down automatically"?? Do you mean just powering off, logging off Windows, freezing...?

Could be power supply or overheating CPU. Are all fans working?

Ron

Dimension 8400, OS XP Pro.  System bought late Nov 2004.  Power goes off  to tower all by itself and I have to turn off power at wall socket, wait for up to 10 mins before system will reboot. This is happening more and more.  Using surge protection.  Dell technical support unable to diagnose fault so they are prepared to replace memory, harddrive and possibly motherboard!  Virus and trojan check done without finding anything.  Formatting of harddrive and reinstallation of OS attempted but that failed.   I bought a Dell PC as members of my family have Dell PCs and have not had any problems.  I paid for next day on-site support but on instruction from a Dell technician I have removed various components from the MOBO and reseated them.  Just as well I have taken a couple of courses on building a PC from scratch (which I mentioned to the technician), and is that why I did all the work and now have to return my tower to base for attention?

Sorry you're having so many problems. My first 8400 went back in Nov after 9 days of blue screens and other problems.

Have you tried eliminating the surge protector? Possibly it's overloaded or failing? If that's not the problem, then probably best it goes back to the factory. Make sure you back up everything important and wipe any personal info that you don't want strangers to see.

Poke around these forums. I think others have reported the same problem and its resolution.

Good luck!
Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 01-15-2005 03:52 PM

have you have checked the fan of your video card if it's spinning? e-mail me with all the information that you could provide so that i could on this issue, ok? ciao..

i'll be 99% sure it's your power supply unit failing. Lots of people with Dimension 8400's bought mid/late 2004 had this problem. Look at the psu and see if it's REV00. If it is there's your problem. Hopefully Dell will change it for rev 03 or rev 04 for you too.

Surge protection removed but problem persists.  As for checking for model of power supply, thanks for the tip but I'm so fed up with poking around inside the tower because I paid for next day on-site support that I'm now resigned to Dell taking the tower back and sorting out the problem.

Does anybody know if Dell are likely to compensate me in some way for the problems I've suffered.  I know I keep banging on about having paid for next day on-site support but It's true, why should Dell not keep to their side of the bargain?

 

Check out this thread http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dim_other&message.id=212055

Tower back from repair today, hard drive replaced (?).  Within 2 minutes of booting the PC it turned itself off automatically again!  Now awaiting engineer visit.  Dell .... (the word rhymes with fell and starts with an H but I can't use the word I want as the site will not accept it)

I have the same problem. I had a 8200, it had so much problems that they replaced it with a refurbished 8400 system. From the minute I got it the system just shut down the minute it got to the desktop and getting worst. On Friday a tech replaced the Motherboard, Memory and Processor, also with refubished Parts and now its worst then ever. I called  Dell yasterday and he said to leave the system on and see what is happening over the weekend, and he will call me back on Monday and maybe replace the Hard Drive? Righr now I can not get it started anymore past the desktop and then its gone again. (No Computer for the Weekend-really getting tired of Dell)

 

Regards,

 

Helmut Ross