I've had this computer for 5 yrs.(built by my brother). It started rebooting randomly 4-5 mo ago. At first I reformatted (xp) and that didn't solve the problem. So I replaced the power supply (550w max), then cpu (P4 2.4ghz), then upgraded memory from 2x256mb ddr to 2x512mb ddr, then the hard drive (put in 300g ide.. i did partition it), finally the video card (put in diamond stealth with radeon 9250, 256mb/mo ddr). After each part was replaced, it was still rebooting randomly. I would like to know if its the motherboard or something simple like the battery. Or should i just replace the motherboard since it's pretty much a new pc anyway? And if so what mb would be compatible with all the new parts?please help thx, laverne
Check the capacitors on the motherboard near the cpu and ram. They're the little round cylinders found all over the board. If the tops are bulging out or there is a brownish goo coming out of any of them, this is your problem. Normally the top will be perfectly flat, but if the capacitor has failed it will do what i mentioned above. Sometimes, if it hasn't failed completely, it will cause the motherboard to reboot randomly. I would definitely replace the motherboard if you find this and it should fix your problem. While you're at it, buy another motherboard and CPU and build yourself another entire computer because all those other parts you replaced are still probably good.
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