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My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 9:54 am
by reganathome
Hi all,
I'm having trouble with my home PC.
After a few minutes of me starting it up, it just cuts out, as if I'd removed the power cable. I have a feeling it's to do with dust getting on the inside of the pc (I have wooden floors which leaves the room quite dusty, and the pc sits on the floor).
While I don't mind opening it up to clean it, I'm not sure which parts I should be taking out to clean that would be directly effected by dust. Can anyone help?
Thanks!
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 9:58 am
by kellys_eye
Have you knocked it recently? You may have displaced the heatsink assembly on the CPU. Check that the CPU heatsink FAN is running too (often missed due to the noise made by the power supply fan).
Whilst the case is open give it a hoover!
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 2:45 pm
by Bob225
as above, classic overheating and the bios responds by shutting the machine down, re-seat the cpu heatsink with fresh compound, a slight knock can make the plastic pins pull out the mobo*
*unless its a late I3/5/7 haswell chip
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 4:17 pm
by Argyll
The exact same happened to mine a few months back.
Take off the cover and give it a good vacuum.
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 7:46 am
by blackvenom
When you say the power "cuts out" do you mean that literally? Or does it automatically just shut itself down?
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:32 am
by lagi
If its heat related, take off the cover and see if it runs for longer, if it does then its probably heat related. Easy elimination.
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 9:50 am
by reganathome
Excellent thanks for the tips, I've hoover the bugger out and have a good look at check the heatsink + fan.
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 10:14 am
by BillyGoat
Be careful with the hold hoover....some of the attachments are made of plastics that harbour static, which will kill the machine dead.
Can of compressed air or an air line if you have a compressor would be my first choice. Will cost you a few quid for a can (maplins, computer shop, pc world, etc) and you can take it outside and blast it all out. It'll shift most of the crap quite easily.
BG
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 4:50 pm
by Bob225
look around for fellowes air duster aka air in a can sometimes you can pick it up for 1/2 price from the supermarkets
Re: My PC power cuts out after a few minutes
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:28 am
by Liam2349
Could be the heatsink, definitely sounds like a temperature problem.
Download some freeware like CoreTemp to see the temps in your CPU. If the heatsink has come loose, you can't just screw it back down. You have to clean the CPU and heatsink with, some rubbing alcohol (I use Isopropyl 70%), then apply new thermal paste and stick them together again.