[rko123]

Ok so I went to burn a DVD the other day with MKV the and my computer shutdown. So I started it back up and thought nothing of it and started to go on the internet and it shutdown again, it did this 3 times until it wouldn't even turn on anymore. I hit the power up button and it would start to power up and then shut off in about 3 seconds. Anyway, I took the fan out and cleaned it, tried to start it up, no go. So then I took the rest of it apart to see if anything was wrong about 10 times and it still wouldn't start. I finally saw these 4 long chips back to back in the thing, and they each had a white lever on each end of each chip as if to hold it in, I pressed 2 down, The one's on both ends of 1 chip, but didn't remove the chip, I pressed the power up button and the computer started up. Once i was on I pushed the chip holder things back down and it was still ok, so i don't know if that's what made it start or if my computer just decided to start up at that time as a fluke. Anyway, I don't know when this thing is going to shut down again, so I wanted to ask if anybody knew what the heck is wrong with my computer and why it keeps shutting down? thanks

[etaf]

from your description - sounds like you uncliped the memory modules

Never do anything with the PC while its switched on - Nothing I know in PCs can be "hot swapped" thats changed while the power is on.....

you may also disturbed some cable connection

Did you also clean the CPU fan - Do not take the fan off unless you have thermal grease to replace
Just use a vacuum cleaner over the fan....
WITH THE POWER OFF AND UNPLUGGED

[rko123]

Originally Posted by etaf

from your description - sounds like you uncliped the memory modules

Never do anything with the PC while its switched on - Nothing I know in PCs can be "hot swapped" thats changed while the power is on.....

you may also disturbed some cable connection

Did you also clean the CPU fan - Do not take the fan off unless you have thermal grease to replace
Just use a vacuum cleaner over the fan....
WITH THE POWER OFF AND UNPLUGGED

It wasn't working BEFORE! I unclipped the things! That's why I unclipped the things! and it was off, I didn't clean or take anything apart until after it stopped working. I want to know why it was doing that and how to fix it................??????????????????????? smart one

[etaf]

Just thinking of your safety

I pressed the power up button and the computer started up. Once i was on I pushed the chip holder things back down and it was still ok,

sounds like you worked on the PC while it was on from the above

[rko123]

Yeah well is that what I asked? That's the only time I took exception to do that and i was very careful. If your not gonna help, bye now

[Cookiegal]

You need to adjust your attitude if you wish to remain a member here. Rudeness to other members is not acceptable and I suggest you read the site rules.

[valis]

knee jerk reaction is overheating, but I agree with etaf on the power issue. Even if the pc is off, yet plugged in, juice is going to the system board. You need to be sure to unplug it and ground yourself (usually touching the power supply will do the trick) before you pop out memory sticks.

And by the description you gave, that is exactly what you popped out.

hth,

v

[rko123]

Ok, but what I'm asking is, why does it matter if I don't care and that's not what I asked? I'm grateful for your concearn, now lets move on. Also Why does it matter if i popped out a memory card or not? I asked what was wrong with my computer before I did that. THANKYOU!

[sjpritch25]

rko123,
We are trying to gather as much information as possible from your post, but your posts aren't that clear. Making knee jerk reactions to our member's posts isn't going to solve your problem. Finally, i recommend giving as much detailed information as possible.
We need as much information as possible before you unseated your memory modules.

[rko123]

this is what happened before i unseated them "I went to burn a DVD the other day with MKV the and my computer shutdown. So I started it back up and thought nothing of it and started to go on the internet and it shutdown again, it did this 3 times until it wouldn't even turn on anymore. I hit the power up button and it would start to power up and then shut off in about 3 seconds." clear?

[dant22185]

Sounds like either the computer thinks that its going to overheat, it is overheating, RAM is out of position, or the Power Supply is failing. Does it make any alarm sounds? Generally If ram is miss-seated an alarm will sound. The computer should stay powered however, it will not POST (Power On Self Test). When you took things apart did you reconnect the CPU fan power cord to the mother board? If you did not the computer will sense it has no power to the fan built on the heat sink for your processor and automatically turn its-self off before damage can be done. That's generally within a few seconds of it getting power.

And some further advise. NEVER take out a ram stick while the PC is powered. It could cause a short through the motherboard and completely destroy every electrical circuit. Also never clean your PC with a vaccume, it generates large amouts of static electricity that can also short out your motherboard if it comes into contact with it. Lastly you can hot swap some things like SATA cables but i wouldn't suggest on pulling anything out of your motherboard while the computer is still running.

[win2kpro]

So far you have posted nothing about the specifics of the machine other than the fact that it's a Gateway machine with Windows XP. You need to provide the EXACT model of the machine, and provide a link to the machine at the Gateway site. There may be known problems with a specific machine.

What you did was partially reseat the memory. One of the first things done with non bootable machines is remove the memory and reseat it. The procedure that should be used is to turn the power to the machine OFF at the back of the power supply. Press the POWER ON button for 20-30 seconds to discharge the motherboard capacitors and remove all the sticks of memory clean, and reseat them.

Many people clean the memory contacts with a soft pencil eraser, however I don't do that since the gold plating on the contacts is very thin. If the contacts on the memory need cleaning, I put some electrical contact cleaner or denatured alcohol on a soft cloth and gently wipe the contacts then blow them dry with compressed air. Before reinstalling the memory use compressed air and blow out the memory slots. You can use the same procedure on other add in cards such as graphics cards, ethernet cards, audio cards, modems, etc. Cleaning the contacts removes any oxidation that may have accumulated on the contact areas.

Many times just cleaning the contacts and reseating will solve the problem. If the problem continues then it would be necessary to proceed further with diagnostics starting with the power supply.

[valis]

Originally Posted by rko123

Ok, but what I'm asking is, why does it matter if I don't care and that's not what I asked? I'm grateful for your concearn, now lets move on. Also Why does it matter if i popped out a memory card or not? I asked what was wrong with my computer before I did that. THANKYOU!

I finally saw these 4 long chips back to back in the thing, and they each had a white lever on each end of each chip as if to hold it in, I pressed 2 down, The one's on both ends of 1 chip, but didn't remove the chip,

sure looks like you are talking about memory to me.