Ok, so my computer started rebooting by itself a while ago. I found that whenever the screen saver came on it would reboot. So I turned screen saver off. I also turned off "Automatically restart" under "System failure" in the "Startup and Recovery" section of the "Advanced" tab of "System Properties". This worked for a while. Then it started rebooting when winamp would start playing an mp3 or randomly when I was doing stuff, like surfing the net. So, I reformatted everything. But now it's starting to happen again. Now I know it's a hardware issue. But which device is at fault? I'm running MemTest right now and still no errors. I did a S.M.A.R.T. HD test and that had no errors as well. My buddy says check the Mobo's capacitors or try switching out the power supply or CPU. This is a ton of work. Can anyone give me some tips and/or shortcuts to help me diagnose? Much appreciated, thanks

Weak power supply.... ASUS A7N8X-X Athlon XP 1800+ 8.5 x 200MHz 1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7 Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB WinME/WinXP Pro SP1

Often, random restarts are related to motherboard or power supply issues. The first thing I would do is a quick visual inspection of the motherboards capacitors. Look for any that are buldging at the top, or are lifting up and no longer flush to the PCB. If either of these is the case, then it is most likely a capacitor issue, and either the board will have to be recapped or replaced. If the capacitors are fine, then I would swap out the power supply with a known good unit. If all is well after the swap, then we know what's the matter! If not, then obviously something else is at fault. I would swap the CPU if you have another or could borrow another, though be careful. If there is a serious motherboard problem, you probably don't want to risk ruining someone elses CPU! Hmmm, let's hope something has fixed it, becuase otherwise we've ruled out memory, motherboard, CPU, power supply, hard drive. That leaves other components such as Sound Card, Video Card, etc. These could all be tested by a simple swap as well. I know, it's a pain in the butt to go through all of that, but then at least you know that if none of the other components are at fault, and the capacitors on the motherboard seem fine, then most likely there is some sort of hidden motherboard problem. That's when you just try replacing the motherboard! So there's my thoughts on the matter!

I think that your power supply has problem already. If you have an extra power supply, you should try to replace it and see if that solves your problem.

If you use 2 sticks of memory, take out one, and leave in the other. If the problems still persist, take out that module, and put the other module in the other slot. But if you use just 1 stick, take it out, and put it in the other. I had this exact problem before, and the problem turned out to be the RAM sockets that hold the RAM in place. This can even make Memtest show up with good results. If this is the problem, then you can put the RAM in the good sockets and use it that way, or just replace the whole thing. Just my 2 cents. Keep us posted.

"...or just replace the whole thing" I meant replace the motherboard. Sorry.

just list your PSU specs. Make/model, wattage, & how many amps on the +12v rail ASUS A7N8X-X Athlon XP 1800+ 8.5 x 200MHz 1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7 Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB WinME/WinXP Pro SP1