Random reboots.. whats going on?

buurin · 04-09-2007, 04:33 PM

Recently my carPC has been suffering from random reboots (every couple of days).

I will be driving along and all of a sudden I see the boot menu (Memory test, IDE info, and all that stuff you see when you first turn a computer on). It then will not boot into windows (fails soon after memory and IDE info appear) and continues to try to reboot a couple of times until it just stops outputting to my monitor. However, I hear the fan so the PC is still 'on'. So i unplug the pc to turn it off.

I then let it sit a couple of days / weeks and will randomly plug it back in and it will work fine for a couple more days.

I know I have not provided much info, but I have not investigated much. Currently everything from my wiring, to my psu, to my motherboard is suspect.

Any suggestions on what is likely the issue?

Thanks.

TruckinMP3 · 04-09-2007, 04:44 PM

Heat issue, Power or a loose connection are what I would look at first.

Is it about the same amount of time from a fresh boot for each instance?

Yes may mean a heat issue.

If it is over a bump is may be a loose connection of a data cable, power cable or the like.

buurin · 04-09-2007, 04:48 PM

No the timing is not the same... Once I went almost a week until the issue struck again while driving on the highway...

Another time I had drove about 20 minutes, went into the store (PC now on standby) and upon re-entering the car it would not power back up.

I have my carPC power supply triggered by my car stereo's ACC line which I can toggle with the car stereo's on/off button... I toggled this button many times and the PC refused to power up

TruckinMP3 · 04-09-2007, 06:37 PM

Right, Probably not temperature related then.

Start looking for loose connections.

Are you running windows? If so check the event viewer for messages that maybe related to the shutdown.

nobb · 04-09-2007, 08:37 PM

This sounds alot like a hardware problem. Ive had similar problems and I know how frustrating it can be. Here are somethings you can try:

1) emf. when my cables were arranged in a certain way, I would actually get so much emf that the screen would get all fuzzy and windows would crash within a few minutes. Rearrange cables (if you have a power cable, make it 90 degrees with any intersecting cables, if possible). My cables are wrapped in foil, and the foil grounded.

2) A few months after, I had more stability problems, and the culprit turned out to be a failing CMOS battery.

3)check your power. monitor the voltage and make sure its stable. Maybe try taking it indoors and see if it is working properly at home.

4)remove some devices, like pci cards. maybe you have bad ram? bad capacitors(are they bulging)?

Emo · 04-10-2007, 01:26 AM

I am having similar problems but with a blue screen of death.. I'll be driving along and I'd get one... I've had 3 in the past 2 weeks.... recently it's been ok but I hope it's not an issue... :/

meddler · 04-10-2007, 02:16 AM

Emo. check your ram. I have had this happen before due to ram chips either getting dirty or becoming loose.

Tower Boss · 04-10-2007, 02:44 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by buurin

Recently my carPC has been suffering from random reboots (every couple of days).

Quote: Originally Posted by Emo

I am having similar problems but with a blue screen of death.. I'll be driving along and I'd get one... I've had 3 in the past 2 weeks.... recently it's been ok but I hope it's not an issue... :/

Hope they survive burrin & Emo! I was not as lucky! I just posted long drawn out story about mines demise!

Here if you got the time! http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/gene...long-post.html

It seems many people are having same thing happen this spring. Could be just like a car getting oil leaks when things warm up! That is what I think my problem was, very long winter, and extreme fluctuations in temperature for 6 months.

Anyway, I have been looking at more rugged systems like the MICROSPACE MPCX47 or MPCX48/48A to prevent happening next spring.

Good Luck!

crooper · 04-10-2007, 04:15 AM

My CarPC did this kind of thing shortly before the hard drive died.

TruckinMP3 · 04-10-2007, 08:51 AM

I'd be 'VERY' surprised if the failures Tower Boss described are temp fluctuation related.

Bad hardware is, well, bad hardware. Colorado has seen record lows in the last several months, additionally members are running set ups in much colder places than Colorado and Washington without the trouble he describes.

Much more likely are poor connections and the occasional bad bit of hardware that would have the same issues on a desk.

WebDog · 04-10-2007, 09:36 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by crooper

My CarPC did this kind of thing shortly before the hard drive died.

same here...

Emo · 04-10-2007, 12:48 PM

thanks meddler, I'll check the ram...

my problem cannot be heat because it's done it at night when the temps are way cooler and plus I check them constantly even on hot days the temps inside my glove box keep the CPU at around 95F, mobo at 80's, and the hdd at 80s also...

summer here in FL can be tough so that'll be a challenge

-Emo

buurin · 04-10-2007, 01:44 PM

I have brought the PC indoors and powered it up fine... The problem is, this test doesnt tell me much because then I reinstall it in the car and it boots up just as it did indoors.

Id like to reproduce the failure indoors. I'm currently waiting for my next failure, at which point I will have my voltmeter ready to test the power and IGN/acc lines.

I'm hoping its wiring... thats the cheapest faiure

As for the EMF, do you think its reasonable to suspect that after 1 year of uptime EMF has decided to wreak havoc?

Thanks for the suggestions.

TruckinMP3 · 04-10-2007, 02:05 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by buurin

I have brought the PC indoors and powered it up fine... The problem is, this test doesnt tell me much because then I reinstall it in the car and it boots up just as it did indoors.

Id like to reproduce the failure indoors. I'm currently waiting for my next failure, at which point I will have my voltmeter ready to test the power and IGN/acc lines.

I'm hoping its wiring... thats the cheapest faiure

As for the EMF, do you think its reasonable to suspect that after 1 year of uptime EMF has decided to wreak havoc?

Thanks for the suggestions.

I believe the issue is related to the system being in the car.

Power supply and car electrical may have a problem.

rijk · 04-10-2007, 02:54 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by buurin

Recently my carPC has been suffering from random
Thanks.

it could be a lot of thinks, you just need to rull out each one sytimaticly.
First gues is power related.

at my work, i had a desktop that reboot every one / two hour, it turned out there was a thiny break in the powersuply on the mobo.
The current in the system produces the heat so it wil lose the connection, once cooled down, the connection is reasteblished.

problem i also had was a bad harddisk, not the os, but the date, that would switch of randomly, bij disconnecting the powercabel of the drive the broblem would stay away a month or two.

hope it's not the mobo, took ages to find that out.