computer restarting

let me guess, yo udidn't have this problem before you replaced the PSU?

what is the wattage on your new/old PSU?

i think the problem first occured a while after the psu was replaced.

open up your case and it will say right on the side what the wattage is

i'm sorry i can't see any indication of the wattage.

Howdy:

At 83C, you are getting very close to the shutdown temp for your precessor (90C).. Could be it is hitting that and the temp is shutting you down..

Murray

thanks murray. i wonder whats causing my processor to be so hot. i think i'll take it to a professial, not be able to play counter strike is hell.

What's in your startup folder? How many, and which, processes do you have running in the background? How large is your pagefile/virtual memory? Is your Windows configured for optimal running of programs, or for background services? When did you last defrag your machine? How much freespace have you on your hard drive? Apart from the power supply, have you recently upgraded any other components, such as modem, network adapter, USB or Firewire card, display adapter or soundcard? How many USB and/or Firewire peripherals and/or hubs do you have connected to your machine? Are all of your fans operating properly, including, if any, those on your display and audio cards? Are all inlets and exhausts free of dirt and debris? What was the power rating of the original power supply, and what is the rating of the new one? When the power supply was replaced, was any interior air ductwork disturbed, or was a ribbon cable displaced resulting in reduced or redirected interior airflow?

A few immediate thoughts are that more RAM will lessen both processor load and swapfile useage, and adding a fan or two, if your power supply can handle the power load, is cheap-and-simple quickfix, and trimming startups and unnescessary background apps is all but guaranteed to help some.

thanks timberlandko, you've raised many good questions. recently i broke a usb port on the front of computer (the two horizontal walls of the port were pushed apart when i forgot to remove a the usb lead while moving the tower) could this be having an effect? in addition, how would i ascertain the size of my pagefile/virtual memory?

To determine/set your resource allocation and virtual memory in XP, right-click "My Computer", then select Properties > Advabced > Settings > Advanced (yup, a second "Advanced"), > Settings (yup, another one), and be sure Processor Scheduling and Memory Usage both are set to favor prgrams over background services, then click the "Virtual Memory" button, select "Change" then "Custom", and set your pagefile size to a 2MB minimum and a maximum of about twice the amount of your actual RAM. Click "Apply" and "OK" as necessary to close everything out, reboot, and see what happens. That busted USB socket might be shorted, which would be a constant power drain ... do you have any other problems with USB peripherals since that port got mangled? Do your USB Controlers check out OK in Device Manager?

And make it a point to get rid of junk files, unused apps, stuff in the recycle bin, and in your email client's "Deleted Items" folder on a regular basis, and to defrag regularly. There are better defrag utilities out there but the one included w/Windows, but it will get the job done ... usually best to defrag while in safe mode, with absolutely nothing else running, screensaver disabled, and no power management active, IMO.