Computer crashing - looking for thoughts

[lakelover]

A couple weeks ago our computer started crashing (Dell Inspiron 620 (2011), Windows 7, 64-bit with all the latest updates etc).

With no warning, it would shut off to a black screen and usually restart. It got worse and worse, sometimes unable to restart itself.

I finally ran the F12 diagnostics and it said the hard drive was bad. So I replaced it and it worked OK for several days, and now it's crashing again, although it seems less frequently. No warning, goes to black screen, then restarts itself. I've run a full virus scan, malware scan and F12 diagnostics again, and everything is OK that way. No new sofware installed that I'm aware of.

Any thoughts?

 

[MTboatguy]

Actually it sounds like you have a power supply going bad, power supplies get hot and they will cut out, I have replaced many of them over the years. Other things to check, memory modules, make sure they are seated correctly as well as the video card, Yours might not have a separate card for video, it is most likely built in, if any of the memory malfunctions it will exhibit this behavior, but make sure and check the power supply and cord.

 

[lakelover]

Thanks, I reseated the memory and it checked out OK, but didn't check the video card, I don't think it's built in. I am wondering about the power supply.

 

[Cofe]

The processor chip may be overheating. Check the cooling fan on the processor. My other thoughts are it may be the power supply.

 

[bassman284]

Another possibility is one of your peripherals, if you have any. About 6 years ago I started having a problem with an older Dell (Dimension 4300) running XP. Mine didn't crash when up but kept going to black screen on boot. It got where it would take 5 or more tries to get it started. If I never shut it down, there wasn't a problem. One time I got a message that indicated a problem with a driver. I couldn't find anything wrong with the drivers so I decided to try booting without peripherals. My only external peripherals were the printer and the wireless adapter so I unplugged the WA and booted without a problem. While it was running nicely I plugged the WA back in and Kerbang! The computer shut down just like I'd pulled the plug. I played with it a little bit more but finally went to Best Buy and got a new wireless adapter and never had another problem.

That's an odd one but food for thought.

 

[thumpar]

It sounds thermal to me. I am a Dell ND warranty tech. The first thing I would do is remove the heatsink and fan and check for dust/hair and then reapply thermal grease.

 

[lakelover]

Thanks for the replies, I haven't been on the computer much in the last few days - it's been OK for 4 or 5 days now. I'm in the midst of renovating a bedroom, so no time to look further right now, but appreciate the ideas. I'll get back to it soon, I hope! :juggle: