Weird Computer Issues

xstephenx · 09-11-2007, 11:48 AM

Hi, I installed my carputer in my car a few months ago. Everything was going well for a while, and then my computer started doing weird things. Either it would take an eternity to boot up, or it would not boot up at all. I live in socal, so I thought maybe it was an over-heating issue. Someone also mentioned that I might have some loose connections. Anyways, the weather has cooled down significantly, I built a larger case for it to get more airflow, and I moved the location of the case to a place that would have larger airflow. In this time, I removed and replaced all of the wiring and other connections to ensure they were secure.

After I did all of this, the computer worked like a charm....for a day. And now I'm back to the point where it selectively turns on. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Does anyone have any idea why a computer would act so unpredictable? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

BartDP · 09-11-2007, 01:42 PM

Or it is due to the hardware or to the software.

Try to eliminate.

I would start with a (small) spare harddisk and put a clean WIN on it, without any other software.

See what this gives as result.

If same problem, build down your pc on hardware.
It may also be the motherbord.

My 5 cents.

salvi · 09-11-2007, 03:05 PM

I would try a different HD first. If that doesn't solve the problem, start eliminating the rest of the hardware.

I'm in Socal as well, in case you need additional help, let me know.

2k1Toaster · 09-11-2007, 04:23 PM

+1 for HD.

Had it happen to me. Reformatted with XP, and worked perfectly. Potholes and spinning platters dont go well. It corrupts data.

marshallh · 09-11-2007, 08:43 PM

What power supply are you using? Check to make sure it is running, and try swapping out if you can.

On all circuit boards check for bulging/leaking electrolytic capacitors, especially on the power supply/mobo near CPU.

WarDriver · 09-11-2007, 10:35 PM

Did you test it out of the car?

As stated above its a good chance it is a HD issue. You might want to try some disk analysis to see if you have bad sectors/corrupted data before wiping it clean.

Then again...it might be (but probably not) spyware, torjan or a virus. How much surfing did you do off of your own network?

xstephenx · 09-13-2007, 12:10 PM

Thanks for the responses....I will try some things this weekend and hope I can get it worked out.

Interesting little tidbit: my carputer worked perfectly for two and a half days this week, but then this morning it refused to come on. Grrr, hope I can get this fixed. Thanks again!