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I am struggling to figure out what is causing an issue on my 9 year old Dell Inspiron 531 desktop PC. I use this PC as a machine that runs backups for me using Windows 7 and a few weeks ago I started having an issue where the PC will randomly shutdown. Here is what I have tried so far:

  1. Tried to boot of a USB version of StressLinux - occasionally the computer will run a test for a few minutes, most of the time it barely gets to the login screen.
  2. Tried installing a new power supply, with a new plug connecting to a new outlet in the house (with and without a surge protector). New power supply brought it from the stock 300w to 430w EVGA.
  3. Tried removing all PCI cards, graphic card, all but 1 stick of RAM and disconnecting all hard drives
  4. Thoroughly removed all visible dust from within the machine

Booting into safe mode doesn't seem to impact the results - it will sometimes shutdown during the startup process and sometimes will shutdown a couple minutes after the login screen. I checked out the CPU and noticed the thermal paste was slightly dried up but not sure how to test to see if there an issue with the CPU. I confirmed all fans are spinning and look/sound OK.

I am open for any ideas! Any help is greatly appreciated!

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4 Answers 4

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First question to answer: Is it hardware or software? If you can boot into the BIOS setup menu and have it happen, it is almost surely hardware. Maybe a heat sensor, a memory fault? I can't imagine that it is worth fixing this system if it is hardware.

If it is software, there is almost surely some log of it coming out of your OS. Event Viewer is a place to start.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766401(v=ws.11).aspx

Or more generally

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3106831

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  • It can sit in the bios for hours with no issues but also shuts down randomly when booting from Linux off a USB flash drive :(
    – AAA
    Commented Oct 19, 2016 at 1:22
  • I'd say if it happens in both Windows and Linux, it is a hardware fault. You still may be able to narrow it down from logs. If not, it probably means it crashes so bad it can't even write the log--which would indicate something close to the CPU or disk.
    – Mike Layton
    Commented Oct 19, 2016 at 21:46
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Confusion results because you are trying to fix the problem without first identifying the defect. What determines when a PC powers on and off? A power controller. How many even discussed the part fully involved in your symptoms? No one. Because numbers must be obtained before any informed response can exist.

Get a meter, request instructions, and perform a whole two minutes of labor. Then a next reply to those resulting numbers says what part is defective or exonerate so many 'accused' parts. Only numbers results in an informed and productive reply.

Otherwise just keep replacing good parts until something works. Also called shotgunning. That takes more time, increases costs, often only cures symptoms, and is why you are confused.

You can best choose what part to swap next. Nobody else can make a better recommendation. No reason to post if you do not provide numbers. Only way to obtain a useful reply here is to post those numbers.

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  1. Try replacing the paste and CPU
  2. If that proves negative, try to insert the installation CD and select Repair (if it gets that far) or just do a reinstall of Windows
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So far - I think I have it up and running again! I removed the motherboard and EVERYTHING else from the case. Removed the CPU/Heatsink and cleaned up the old thermal paste. Reapplied new thermal paste... started it up outside the case and success! I then put everything back in the case and we are still up and running. This doesn't say for sure what the issue was or if this will continue to work (was it a short? was it just the thermal paste?) but it seems to be working perfect again. Thank you all for the ideas.

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  • Thermal compound does not go bad. Worse, if you applied so much (that it squeezes out near edges), then other strange failures can occur. Things can be defective and the computer may still work. Little correlation exists between 'working' and 'not defective'. Normal is for a defective part to work in an otherwise good system.
    – westom
    Commented Oct 21, 2016 at 12:38

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