Hi all,

My computer doesn't restart (ex app installs that needs a restart to complete or a cold shutdown when my computer freezes). It shuts down then it brings up the initial Bios screen and shuts down. I can get it to boot if I wait about 5 minutes. I tried the battery trick I saw elsewhere (taking the battery out of the motherboard then replacing after about 5 minutes. Bios restores to default settings but still have the same problem). Windows 7 ultimate, 2 gig ram, AMD Duron 1800 mhz, aTI X1300 vid card. Any suggestions?

Regards,

Barry

wow thats a tough one,and it doesnt sound good.This could be something serious like a bad motherboard.Lets wait for other opinions.

Hi Geo,

Other than being a pain in the neck everything does load up after the 4-5 minute wait so I'm not sure if it is the MB as everything works fine once it loads up.

Regards,

Barry

I'm not sure how to read that one -

But, if you were installing something that required a restart - try selecting a restore point prior to the install.

Windows Backup and Restore Center

Hi InlandAZ,

I didn't have system restore on at the time this problem first started as I use rollbackRX (can restore a computer to an earlier date before Windows even boots which can't be done with System Restore). Unfortunately I had just uninstalled it and this problem occurred after that (it eats HD space unbelievably so when It reaches a certain point I uninstall and reinstall unfortunately you lose all restore points when it's uninstalled). I also formatted my drive and reinstalled Windows 7 but the problem was still there when Windows 7 was installing the computer would shut down on every restart and I had to wait 4-5 minutes till I could boot into Windows.

Regards,

Barry

If you've formatted and reinstalled the OS (or at least tried to reinstall the OS) it sounds more like a hardware issue (and a not so minor one).

Have you checked the cables and reseated all the add-in cards and memory?

Or -

From what I can see - rollbackRX modifies the MBR. You may need to fix the MBR before you try to reinstall the OS.

How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the W...sues in Windows

Barry,
Some of what you are reporting seems impossible.

Just to be clear, you've said a reformat and reinstall of the OS results in a computer that takes several tries to boot. Once booted, it works normally for any amount of time until you turn it off?

If the above is correct, it should eliminate software as an issue. About the only thing that makes any sense is a thermal problem.
There seems to be some hardware, which when cold does not function but becomes more or less normal when warmed up. That just about has to be bearings in fans or the hard drives.
You can clean and oil fans but there is not much that can be done for failing drives.

You can pinpoint the possibility of a bad drive if it is possible to cold boot to the BIOS and stay active in the BIOS for the amount of time that would cause the computer to shut down.
That would mean the mother board, power supply, and fans are OK. The hard drives are not needed to run the BIOS.

My brother thinks there may be two problems...

1. The turning off instead of rebooting might have been caused by some change in the MBR made by uninstalling the RollbackRX.

2. Not being able to turn on again for 5 minutes might be caused by a failing power supply that can't supply enough voltage to start the computer when it's hot. Starting a computer draws more power than keeping it going once it's started.

Barry,
I think this may take using some test equipment to find the problem unless you have spare parts you can try swapping.

Did you ever get your computer to start?

Unfortunately no Gamenut. I'm going to bring it to a computer repair/tech place tomorrow. Hopefully they'll figure ths thing out. Thanks all for the replies.

Regards,

Barry

Very sorry Barry to hear pc still ill. i don't know much about this stuff and i am always curious if someone gets a problem solved because i might need that advice someday! Hope it gets fixed soon and not too much $$'. I always check 'Glitches' when i am at gameboomers...very informative spot!

Barry,
I hope you will let us know how this problem gets resolved.

HiRobert and Gamenut,

Will let you know once I get it back from the shop. The initial thought is that or fans got messed up creating an overheating situation. If that's all it is it should run me around 90-100.00.

Regards,

Barry

Nope wound up getting a new computer for 250.00 (neighbor is a compouter tech and built this for me from spare parts):

MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 MB with built in Realtek ALC888 sound, Nvidia 6150se 256 nforce430 video, MSI AMD Athlon(tm)64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5400+, 2812 MHz, 4000 MB DDR2 RAM, Thermaltake TR2 430W Power Supply, Maxtor 250 & 150 SATA HD's, 2 CD/DVD-RW Sata drives & Windows 7 Ultimate. To say the least this thing is blazing fast and plays games I wasn't able to play on my old system (Teasure Island: wouldn't even install, Art of Murder 2: cutscenes choppy and Secret of Monkey Island Se: wouldn't install).

Regards,

Barry