When the computer boots up it works just fine but at random intervals (usually within 5-10 min) it will just shut down. Completely turns off. It is not a soft shutdown either, it just turns off like someone pulled the plug! My first guess is power supply, but then I reset the bios settings to default and the computer worked fine for about 5-6days but since then it has started again? Please I really need some help on this, Thanks Eric

What are the cpu's temperatures? Did you clean the computer, when you opened the case and reset the bios?

Sorry I forgot to include all that, CPU temps were 54.0* C average with a spike at 56.6* C It never got any hotter than that, The case is clean the computer isn't much more than about 3 months old and there is no dust at all in the computer. Any suggesstions? Thanks, Eric

Those are pretty decent temps, so that is eliminated. What about your ram? How much do you have, have you tried using a single stick if you have two? Try the performance scan at http://www.pcpitstop.com/ and see if anything is detected there. Have you checked your task manager? Have you installed the "msconfig program" for XP? This will allow you to control the number of startup programs. Have you noticed any unusual outgoing traffic program requests by your firewall. Have you checked for virus/trojan/worm try http://www.pcflank.com/ for a test of your firewall and a trojan scan.

No odd outgoing traffic, and I thought maybe a virus or trojan, but I havn't been able to complete a scan yet. It just seems wierd because of the way it shuts down, like someone pulled out the power cord from the back. When I heard the symptoms I figured Blaster Worm but that counts down usually, although I thought maybe I do remember reading somewhere that the blaster worm shut down some Win2K machines cold like that? I didnt do the msconfig program, I checked the task manager and nothing suspicious pops up. It has a single stick of PC2100 I believe, 256meg. Ill try that scan tomorrow if I can get it running long enough. Any other ideas?

I had a computer with Windows 95 that did the same thing. I fixed it by upgrading to Windows Me. Try changing your OS to see if that works.

Sounds like it's not Blaster if you checked already. But just make sure and run blaster.fix from the symantec site. And if it's not any of the above mentioned stuff, ... Try increasing your page file. You've got 256 of 2100 RAM. Increase your page file to 500 or maybe 1000 within Performace Options. And make minimum and maximum the same. And maybe dumb-down the system to Run for Best Performance rather than all pretty. A good rule is to keep your page file about double whatever your RAM is. If the system can do it. The page file bails out your RAM when you have a bunch of stuff going. Not necessarily programs but processes too. So when your RAM is overtasked and the page file doesn't have enough to pull up the slack, your PC just says, "Eh, I'm out." It restarts to reset everything but a lot of good that does you. Not sure if that's what's going on. But it could be. Especially if you're not getting any specific errors about anything.