Old Dell keeps powering off

[reap70]

I've got a Dell running XP for wfemu. It powers up and boots, but powers down after a little bit. From what I have read, 95% of the time its the PSU. I changed to a good one and it's still doing this. It also says that the CPU may be overheating and to check the temp in BIOS, but there is no option to do this with this computer. Any other suggestions?

[Terryl]

If it's over 5 years old then the heat-sink compound under the CPU heat-sink may have dried out, you can remove the heat-sink, (carefully) and re-apply the compound with some good silver bearing heat-sink paste, but be careful, if you damage the CPU due to static, you will be buying a new one.

Also sometimes the CPU heat-sink gets all plugged up with dust, a good vacuuming will help out, also check the CPU fan.

I use a small piece of a plastic picnic knife, the little serrated edge on the plastic knife applies just the right amount of heat-sink compound, and you won't get any air bubbles.

[reap70]

Right on! I was thinking the same thing, just wanted to be sure because I also read somewhere not to put the thermal paste on the chip (it wasn't the same computer though). Since I've fixed my 360s about 10 times I know what to do. I noticed the heatsink does not "lock" into place over the chip, so the paste should help it stay stuck to the chip too I was thinking.

And the heat sink was full of dust. I cleaned it out and it stays on longer than it did before. The emu starts for about a minute now, before it didn't even make it that long.

BTW, I love your First Rule. I don't know how many times I wanted to "tweak" something and it became an "overhaul" LOL

[reap70]

Well, it shut off again. Dammit!

[reap70]

I do have another Dell that is also having a problem. It won't boot up. I even wiped out the hard drive clean and reinstalled XP on it and it won't boot. It gets to the intro WINDOWS screen (with the loading bar at the bottom), then the screen turns black. It keeps getting a keyboard error message in the log file. I'm guessing it's a BIOS issue? The computer showed up here like that so I don't know the history on it. I think I may try to switch hard drives with the Dell that was working, but now shuts off. LOL This hobby gets fun sometimes, don't it!?

[reap70]

I put that on hold for a minute. Trying to run shuts off Dell on its side so the heatsink stays in contact. So far, so good

[owhite47]

once the p4 dell motherboads start this I have always found that it is the temper sencer on the motherboard that isn't working anymore and never will.....if you have caught it early enough before this happens...you can put new fan and thermal compound on the cpu and that will fix it,,,

[reap70]

Thanks for the reply, but I got it figured out. The heatsink isn't making good contact when the puter is standing up. When I put the puter on it's side, it lays on the chip and works. Been good for about a month now. BTW, that is one crazy avatar pic that you have!