# Computer keeps shutting down....



## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

The computer that I use for the security system cameras at the building that I own keeps shutting down for no reason that I can find. It will do this after a number of hours or days, totally random. I have a battery backup attached, so I doubt that it is power related. I opened the computer today and found a ton of leaky capacitors on the motherboard. Could this type of thing cause this kind of action. The computer is a Compaq using XP that is about 4 - 5 years old. Here's a shot of part of the motherboard showing some of the leaky capacitors.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Absolutely, whatever that effluent is could be causing a short or drawing enough power to trip some sort of internal breaker. I'm afraid I don't see any option but to replace the damaged board.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

New MOBO time... The entire MOBO industry was plagued with this problem... blown and swollen capacitors back around 2003.. I remember articles about it and even one of the MOBO makers... Abit... admitted the problem. There was a bit of a scandal, I don't remember all the details, but there were corporate and government coverups (overseas) and Abit wasn't the only victim

Larry


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

LarryFlowers said:


> New MOBO time... does this PC happen to be located somewhere with high/low temperature exposure?
> 
> Larry


Yep. It's locked in a 5'x10' storage room with no AC.

Is the replacement of a motherboard any big deal to do? I assume that my current XP OS will work fine with a new MoBo? Is there anything complicated involved in replacing it other than just swapping out the parts?


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## elaclair (Jun 18, 2004)

Richard King said:


> Yep. It's locked in a 5'x10' storage room with no AC.
> 
> Is the replacement of a motherboard any big deal to do? I assume that my current XP OS will work fine with a new MoBo? Is there anything complicated involved in replacing it other than just swapping out the parts?


Richard,

As long as you're getting an OEM replacement Motherboard, it's not that big a deal. One thing though, if you get a replacement board for that system, it may end up costing almost as much as a new computer. Compac and HP (and Dell for that matter) use proprietary motherboards, so you're limited in what you can buy to replace them....which increases the cost.

In this situation, eBay is probably going to be your friend.......


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

I had one similar to this about a year ago.
It was on a video surveillance system and the motherboard was a rare make and model.
The customer needed to get back up and running in a hurry, and the closest replacement board I could find was in Australia.

I pulled the board and took it to local electronics whiz who runs a Radio Shack business in town.
In less than an hour, he had replaced all of the swollen capacitors and had it ready to go back in.
It's been running flawlessly now for nearly a year.
IIRC, he charged me about $50 for the fix.
Money well spent.


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## dmurphy (Sep 28, 2006)

www.badcaps.net can help.

They'll repair that board for you.

(no affiliation, just a user of their resources


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

+1 on Ebay.
Your image doesn't show, but the model and version will be printed on the motherboard somewhere.
You can search by that or you can search by the PC's make and model.
Keep in mind that HP/Compaq models are not the number printed on the front of the PC. That's a family number.
The actual model number will be some variation of that prefix and will be printed on a label on the back.


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## dmurphy (Sep 28, 2006)

For what it's worth, I bought a "dead" iMac G5 from someone on Craigslist for $20 ...

All it took was a simple $2 capacitor to fix. Back in business, and solid ever since!

If replacing that whole system is a major challenge (which it usually is in any kind of integrated system), I think that capacitor replacement is a good option. It certainly seems to be the cause of your issue!

The electrolyte has leaked from several of your capacitors, and I'd be willing to bet that's the root cause of your issue.

It was a pretty notorious issue - some industrial espionage too .... very interesting. Here's a brief synopsis: http://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=4


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Richard King said:


> I assume that my current XP OS will work fine with a new MoBo? Is there anything complicated involved in replacing it other than just swapping out the parts?


Windows XP is _not_ your friend here. If you can't find a direct replacement for the motherboard, XP will likely decide to go stupid on you and require that you sacrifice one or more small animals or make a call to Microsoft to get it validated. The ritual sacrifice route is probably easier and you won't come away feeling like you have committed a crime.

If the computer is a common model (Presario), you may well be able to find a drop-in replacement.

I would recommend that if you are going to make any significant changes, you get a spacious case with a sturdy power supply and a bunch of case fans. Heat is evil and may bake even the fanciest capacitors. If it is locked in a storage room, nobody can hear it scream.


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

I'm really surprised the Compaq power supply has outlasted these capacitors.
They usually tank under ideal conditions within a couple or three years.
If you do get a replacement motherboard, I'd go ahead and replace that as well.

In fact, if the computer has much age to it at all, you can probably get the entire box fairly cheaply on ebay and just plug in your hard rive and go.
Compaqs have a resale value rating similar to that of a used VHS player :lol:


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

The problem with buying used is that the caps on the used machine may be about to fail just as mine did. Thanks for all the comments above, guys. I have visited the Badcaps site and I may just go that route. The advantages are many.... cheap (sort of), no OS problems since I would be using the same board, no messing things up even worse myself (a strong possibility if I try to DIY it). I've known several people who have recapped audio equipment (mixing consoles, etc.) but never computers. I had bought a new power supply, but, obviously the wrong one, a sample of what happens when I try to DIY.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

A couple things:

HP and Compaq motherboards are proprietary, that is true, but at least some of them if not most from that period adhere to the ATX form factor so if you do replace the board you should be able to fit it in the case. 

It is true that a motherboard swap may cause Windows to require reactivation which can be a real pain. 

With repair costs being about $90 and even the cheapest PC being about $250, I could imagine you'd be tempted to go for a repair. Just take a look at the motherboard carefully. The stuff coming out of the capacitors is probably an electrolyte, meaning it could have etched into the motherboard much as salt on the road gets into car bodies. If there's damage to the board then $90 isn't going to repair it.


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## sideswipe (Dec 4, 2008)

Motherboard = $50 - $70
AMD X2 Processor = $37 - $50
2gb DDR2 800 ram $35 - $40
use existing Hard drive, power supply, moniter - $0
Windows OEM copy $80 - 120 (XP home/Xp Pro/Vista basic/Vista Home Premium Premium)

this is per newegg last time on there, cases if need start about $20 (Rosewill brand, if hidden in closet looks not important keep cost low here)

roughly $250 will replace that aging PC & give upgrade path if decide to use PC somewhere else in future + benefit of the DIY attitude + no extra's (tons of extra programs to slow down & bug) you would get with most other $250 PC's


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

Time is money.










Dell Vostro 200/220 Slim Tower
2 X 2.4 Ghz Dual Core w/ 800FSB 1 MB L2 Cache
2 GB RAM 800 mhz Dual Channel
160 GB SATA 7200 rpm 8 mb cache
DVD-RW Dual Layer
USB Keyboard & Mouse
Onboard Audio & Video, Ethernet
Windows Vista Home Basic (XP easily installed suing Dell OEM disks)
One Year Warranty

*$325 Delivered*

Benefits of this system:
Run Vista or XP, or both with ease. Dell provides XP drivers for all of their current models.
Maintain factory restore partition for quick and easy factory image recovery.
Manufacturer's warranty.
No user assembly required.
All New tested and compatible components, with hard drive, mouse, and keyboard.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Ah, more options. I think it is very important that I stick to XP, especially since I know the camera system works with it.

Really, I need no Monitor, keyboard, mouse, hard drive, dvd burner, etc. since I can pull all that from the old system. Actually, maybe I could even pull the processor and memory.



> XP easily installed suing Dell OEM disks


But, I don't want to sue Dell.


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

My spellchecker is working, but my Dyslexia-checker is fritz the on. :lol:


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I wonk the feeling.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Richard, sorry I edited my original post about operating environment because I had a memory tickle about those problem capacitors about 5 years ago. I brought up the temperature thing because I know someone who was remote monitoring a storage facility and had a similar problem and it ended up being a temperature issue. He resolved it by installing 2 extra 120mm fans in the case.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Slightly old thread, but here was my solution: http://www.overstock.com:80/Electro...furbished/3678948/product.html?cid=95138&fp=f
A "refurb" Dell tower for $159. Now, here we go again with problems. I'm getting so "displeased" with technology problems that I am about to throw it all away and move into a cave (the way the world is going, that's sounding like a better idea every day).

So, today the Dell arrives and I have to enter the "Product Key" for Windows XP. I take the number off the tag attached to the machine and enter it in the proper slots as required. I then hit the next box and up pops a screen telling me I have to enter a valid number. I *DID* enter a *VALID* number. Of course the telephone number that they have on the "YOU ENTERED A WRONG NUMBER YOU THIEF" screen is closed for the day. Any suggestions as to how to get around this carp?? Why do jerks like this spell out their telephone numbers???? It's a number I hope I NEVER need to use again. Why spell it out since that's simply a memory aid???? PRINT YOUR STINKIN' NUMBER ON THE SCREEN SO I DON'T HAVE TO DECIPHER THIS CRAP!!!!!


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

The number is only valid for the operating system and service pack level that was delivered when the sticker was put on the machine. I'd be looking through the printed matter to see if there is another certificate of authenticity in there somewhere.

Then again, since you left the message at 11:30pm maybe you can just get some rest until they open up tomorrow.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

There is no printed matter. I suspect that's because it's a "refurb" computer. It came with a recovery disc, keyboard and mouse and nothing more. Thanks for thinking of my well being.


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

Richard,
Good luck convincing MS that your number is valid.
I had a similar situation a couple of weeks ago with a customer's PC.
I had to reinstall XP, but they nor I had an original XP first release (no service packs) CD.
I tried using one with SP1 and one with SP2, but no glory.
The Dell was so old, as I suspect yours is, that it wouldn't allow me to install with the Dell OEM CD's that work for most of their PC's I run across.
I called MS and tried to explain that I had a valid license, but I didn't have first release CD from Dell. Basically, they told me to get one and come back.

Nonetheless, you can invoke the activation window at any time by clicking <Start> <Run> and typing in the command %systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe /a

Now then, with all of that said, there is still a way to make all of this go away, but I cannot discuss it here in the public space.

Have you considered installing Linux?
That old PC would do well with Ubuntu.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I got it going. The computer came with two "Certificate of Authenticity" attached. I used the number on the original, not realizing there was another number on the Refurbished tag.

I'll finish setting it up when I return this evening. (mabye)


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