reboot problem

have a p4 1 gig asus motherboard running xp pro. system doesn't reboot and gives blue screen of death. when trying to reboot, get the sliding bubble screen. bubbles stop at some point, restart, but proceed slowly until system goes into blue screen. get various error msgs - all different. have auto restart off. seemed at one time to be a heat problem - still may be. but if I wait a few minutes and retry I can get into safe mode - which I am running now. At wits end trying to figure this out. can anyone help? oh, also get memcheck not run when it does reboot successfully.

seemed at one time to be a heat problem - still may be. but if I wait a few minutes and retry I can get into safe mode

Yes, that could indicate a heat problem - what are your temperatures? But the fact you can boot into safe mode may also indicate a driver issue, or some other file corruption.

Note that summer months bring higher ambient (room) temperatures which can greatly affect the heat inside the PC.

Is the system clean of heat trapping dust and dirt? Do all fans spin properly? Once clean, try blasting a desk fan into the open case.

get various error msgs - all different.

Knowing what they are might help.

oh, also get memcheck not run when it does reboot successfully

Please rephrase. And what memcheck? There are several programs by that name and all the ones I know are for developers to test how their programs manage memory, They are not for testing RAM modules for hardware problems.

You can test your RAM modules (sticks) using one of the following programs. Both require you to create and boot to a bootable floppy disk or CD to run the diagnostics. Using the floppy method is generally easier and yet another reason I still include floppy drives in my new PC builds. However, the CD method is just as effective at detecting RAM problems. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors.

Windows Memory Diagnostic - see the easy to follow instructions under Quick Start Information.
or
MemTest86+ (for more advanced users) - an excellent how-to guide is available here.

don't know what temp is. But opened case and cleaned out all dust and verified all fans are working. Any idea what driver problem? I have run driver detective and all are up to date. If it was a heat problem, would I not be able to run in safe mode?

oops Digerati was on this one, disregard please. Greetings bfgranpa Sorry to hear about your troubles with the computer. I can get you started, but others may chime in with suggestions as well. First if you are comfortable taking off the side of you computer, (remembering to unplug the power first please) have a look around in side. You should be looking to see if the cpu cooling block is firmly attached to the motherboard. Observe if the cooling block, usually made of metal with a fan on top is clean and clear of dust and debris. Observe as well any other fans in the computer, case, and powersupply are also free spinning and clean. Look to see if there is other dust and debris in the workings of the computer. Drives, Ram slots, etc.. If found dirty, use compressed air to blow them out clean. Keep the fans from spinning while cleaning hold a pencil against the blades so they don't over rev and break. Avoid using shop compressors since they generally hold moisture and can blow water and vapor all over your electronics. With your hands out of the computer, plug in the mains and observe if all fans spin up. Especially the power supply fan and the cpu cooling fan. For memtest to work, you must boot "into" the disk. This means you have to set the boot order either by accessing the BIOS and set the order there or hitting a "certain key" while the asus splash screen is showing. Usually the Asus splash screen will enumerate what key you need to either access the BIOS or set boot order outside of the BIOS. You want it to boot to the optical drive first and not the Hard drive first. Mine happens to be F12 at my splash screen to do this but yours maybe different. This will get you started and get you closer to a resolution of your computers troubles. Good luck Kaz

oops Digerati was on this one, disregard please.

Good information here - no need to disregard - it seems to me we reinforce and complement each other - that can't be bad.

FTR, I use an air compressor all the time. However, Kaz's warnings are valid and must be heeded. Not only can compressors spray condensed moisture all over your electronics, on older tanks that were not periodically drained, it can be a blast of rusty water. Not good. And oil particles from the compressor can enter the air stream too.

In my case, I bought my compressor with working on electronics in mind. My compressor is of the vertical type like this:[external image: Posted Image]With this type, there would have to be a lot of moisture built up to splatter. But to ensure no moisture builds up, I frequently open the drain valve to drain out any moister collected in the bottom. And most of the time, my compressor draws air from inside the air conditioned facility to minimize moisture intake.

Remember, many folks use air compressors for air brush painting or other tasks where splattered water and oil would not be appreciated - so filter options are available and should be purchased with the compressor. Mine is similar to this and you can see, only cost $60. Much more expensive filters and dryers are also available, but mine seems to work fine for me.

And finally, I blast a white piece of paper first to make sure nothing but air comes out.

That said, an air compressor is an expensive investment - but worth it IMO. Absent my compressor, cans of compressed air are readily available at your local Wal-mart, Radio Shack, or home improvement store.

And in every case, take the PC outside before you blast with any compressed air - no need to throw all that dirt, dander, microscopic critters that eat dander, and the microscopic droppings from those microscopic critters back in to the air again to be drawn back into the case (or sinuses) by the cooling fans.