Unexpected Shutdowns And Restarts

[Shack]

I've been having problems with my compter unexpected shutting down and restarting while flying PF.

I can't seem to nail down a trigger as to what's happening though as it happens online and off, anywhere from 5 minutes of flight to an hour and either alone or in with others and AI clutter and no frightening temprature indications.

All my video settings are well within safe levels of my system.

The really strange thing is that when I look at the Windows System Errors Event Log, I find error 6009 recorded at the same time I was dumped which says;

The user restarted or shut down the computer by clicking Start or pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE, and then clicking Shut Down.

Well that sure isn't the case. I don't even have to be touching the keyboard or any joystick keys to disappear suddenly.

Any ideas?

It's not the fastest rig around, but here it is.

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer System Manufacturer
System Model System Name
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 0 AuthenticAMD ~1614 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Award Software, Inc. ASUS A7S333 ACPI BIOS Revision 1005, 10/30/2002
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 251.01 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Name NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0250&SUBSYS_00000000&REV_A3\4&3525EC23&0&0008
Adapter Type GeForce4 Ti 4600, NVIDIA compatible
Adapter Description NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600
Adapter RAM 128.00 MB (134,217,728 bytes)
Installed Drivers nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version 6.14.10.8421
INF File oem2.inf (nv4 section)
Color Planes 1
Color Table Entries 4294967296
Resolution 1152 x 864 x 60 hertz
Bits/Pixel 32

[EURO_Snoopy]

This could be caused by overheating. Running a game like Pacific Fighters taxes your graphics card and cpu more than normal use.

Turn off your PC and open it up. Check that the fans are not clogged with dust. You can buy cans of compressed air for about £10 these will blast any dust out of there. Alternatively, using a non metallic object, lightly tap the sides of your graphics card and cpu fans. At boot up the fans will blow any excess dust away.
Also check that the rear of the PC has adequate ventilation.

Next possibility is a failing power supply. These can be replaced cheaply and easily, please let us know how you get on.
PC Cleanup Guide

[Shack]

Well while I can't completely rule out heat, I've gotten no warnings from my system temperature monitors to indicate that.

The fans are clean and I replaced the power supply about 2 weeks ago.

[MaXMhZ]

I also thought of temperature problems first. It could be the PSU is having problems too. Did you do a burn-in test? Try SiSoft Sandra Lite utility (free) Link to download.com:
http://www.download.com/3000-2086-10018691.html
I only know Runtime Error 6009 from DOS - it meant the space for environment variables wasn't big enough. can't imagine that is still used in XP though It can't hurt to try SiSoft Sandra though, it's quite good at analyzing systems.

[EURO_Snoopy]

Does your power supply have sufficient wattage?

PSU Wattage Calculator

[Shack]

Thanks for the suggestions and your time guys. I'll give it a try.

Pleanty of power here according to the test. 239 watts was reccomended and I've got a 500 watt power supply.

[Luckyboy1]

Please gimme name and model of power supply in question.

Please post your entire diagnosis. Yes, copy and paste the entire mess to this thread. If you need instructions, see Luckyboy's Guide For Complete Users.


You'll need more RAM by the way, like a gig and all on two RAM cards of the same type.