I'm hoping someone can help me. I built my very first PC, consulted many websites and friends to help. Since the beginning my PC would at random times just reboot itself. I kept logs to see if there was any rhyme or reason. There was no clear cut pattern. I swapped out each component individually. The random reboots were few and far enough in between that it didn't really bother me TOO much. Recently, I stupidly updated my BIOS. Flame away if you must, I know it was dumb. Well, the system reboots happened so frequently I couldn't even get to the login screen. It would just happen over and over. I fiddled around with BIOS, changed a few settings and changed them back. Nothing really helped. One thing I did notice was that the JCLR1 jumper was on the wrong setting. It was on the clear data setting. I unplugged, changed it to where it should have been all along and rebooted. I thought all was well for a little while and I think I jinxed myself. Rebooted again. I'm at a loss. I've also since installed a second hard drive. As a temporary fix, I installed XP on the drive and have been booting up to that one just to be able to get online. Unfortunately the same thing is happening with the second hard drive. This leads me to believe it's not a HD issue. I have also tried unplugging the optical drive and booting up without it to see if it's a power issue. Please help! Intel Processor WD hard drives NVidia video card MSI motherboard (PM8PM-V) HP DVD RW drive

There's nothing wrong with flashing the BIOS IF the latest BIOS contains fixes or updates that are beneficial to your system. Other than that, you really haven't supplied enoguh info about your system...we need detailed specs. For instance, Intel Processor? Which one? nVidia card? which one? And you didn't even bother to list the RAM or power supply. It *might* be a software issue but more likely it's hardware related. Random reboots are often caused by an overloaded power supply, which would indicate either the PSU is undersized or it's simply an "el-cheapo" unit. Another possibility is an overheating CPU & another might be defective RAM. Post back with the exact make/model of the PSU, include wattage & the amperage ratings for the +3.3v, +5v & +12v rails. If you don't know, see the label on side of the PSU. "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions" - Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction

Wouldn't hurt to check your RAM. http://www.memtest86.com/download.html There is a version to create a bootable floppy diskette and/or an ISO for creating a CD. Run it overnight and any failures are unacceptable.

One thing I neglected to say is that if you still have the system set to "automatically restart", you should disable it. This will allow the blue screen to display an error code & *may* help you to pinpoint the cause of the reboots. Right click on My Computer > Properties > Advanced tab > Startup & Recovery/Settings button > under System Failure, uncheck the box next to Automatically restart, then click OK, then click OK again. "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions" - Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction

Thanks so much for the quick replies! To answer a few of them... -I have already run the memtest but will try it again. I did not have any errors. -I did disable the "automatically restart" but it still happens. That in itself puzzles me! Intel 945G (LGA 775) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.40 GHz 2.0 GB RAM (kingston) Nvidia GEForce 6200 Worlwide Marketing Limited Switching Power Supply (purchased at CompUSA) AC Input 115V/230V Fuse Rating 6.3A, 250V DC Output: +3.3V = 20.0A, +5V = 30.0A, +12.0V = 15.0A, +5vsb = 2.0A. -5V = 0.5A, - 12V = 0.5A Motherboard-MSI PM8PM-V

A 250W PSU with only 15A on the +12v rail isn't adequate for a modern system. You still didn't list what type RAM you have but the 6200 was a poor choice for a video card. Hopefully this isn't supposed to be a gaming system? Could have done much better with the motherboard choice too. "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions" - Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction

"A 250W PSU with only 15A on the +12v rail isn't adequate for a modern system. You still didn't list what type RAM you have but the 6200 was a poor choice for a video card. Hopefully this isn't supposed to be a gaming system? Could have done much better with the motherboard choice too." Ahhh...ok I will get a new power source tomorrow. We'll try that route. 6200 was sufficient b/c I'm not a gamer-I mostly use my computer for photo editing and digital scrapbooking. I hope it helps-fingers crossed for me tomorrow!