Although this isn't specifically a linux question, I hope someone can help. I'm having a general hardware issue.

Recently, my computer began randomly shutting off and restarting. I looked around and found out something that suprised me - my system was hanging.

I built the computer from parts, all of which I bought new. Not even so much as a cable has been pushed past its labeled specs. The computer is running OpenSuse 10.0, although it began it's life with Mandrake Linux 10.1. I thought hanging was only a problem for overclockers.

I opened up my case, and everything looked fine, except that it was a bit dusty. Could the dust be causing it? I blew as much out with breath as I could, and I am off today to buy a can of air.

Whenever the system hung, I would immediately restart, go to my BIOS and check the CPU core temp. which was almost always 97.5 degrees F. Is this typical for a Celeron (2.4 Ghz)? Does hanging mean that the processor has already been damaged?

Do I just need a new heat sink/fan (I'm still using the stock) or is my processor fried?

Thanks for your help.

I would look to memory before CPU. 97.5F is hardly hot for a processor... my routinely reaches 120 under load. Since it's a P4-based celeron, I would imagine it has similar thermal characteristics and my P4's max design temperature is 75C or about 165F. You should be fine.

As far as memory is concerned, you might want to try running memtest86 to make sure you don't have any issues with bad RAM.

Well, dusting it off didn't work, it hung again. I should add that my BIOS now tells me that I hung because my CPU was set to the wrong speed, although I can assure you, it was not. I will check the memory and see if that is the trouble. Thanks.

How do you check that? My machine hangs too, so I could use that?

To check what speed your cpu is set to, go into your BIOS at boot. There should be directions on how to do that at the first screen you see while booting. Usually you enter by hitting "Del" or another key depending on your BIOS manufacturer. Look around the menu that comes up and you should find something labeled CPU speed. Just make sure it is set to what it should be. Unless, as in my case, it is set to what it should be and the system still hangs.

first two passes of memtest86 found no errors. I'll keep running, but memory seems okay. My processor is still under warranty, is it time to collect?

There's a lot of other things that could be causing it, including motherboard or power supply. If, however, you feel it's the processor, a replacement couldn't hurt. (It'll just take a while, i imagine)

I'm a little confused with the exact symptoms you are experiencing...

You first say:

and then say:

So, is it hanging OR shutting down OR rebooting on its own?

Hang - System is frozen and unresponsive to mouse or keyboard.

A "hanging" system and a "rebooting on its own" system are two different issues. If the machine is shutting down or rebooting on its own then that is deffinately something related to the processor, especially if it is shutting down. Usually that will happen when the core temperature rises to high, crosses a threshold, and the system goes down ungracefully to protect the processor.

If it is only hanging and you still can see what's on the screen then try exiting out of X Windows and leaving your system at a console. When the system hangs the kernel will pipe out a whole load of info to the screen that you can write down... a lot like windows blue screen, only difference is the info is not logged in any files that you can access later, so make sure you write it all down.

The system, as you describe it, was not hanging. It was shutting off and occasionally restarting. I didn't really know what hanging was, I only used the word because my CMOS twice gave me the error message "During the last run the system hung because of incorrect CPU settings..." I suppose that the CMOS could be getting some incorrect info. I only got the message twice, and the system has shut down 20+ times. (Yes, I've been making it crash by hogging resources to try to identify the problem.) My father suggested that it could likely be the power supply, and I'll try replacing that.

Thanks All!

Yes, power supply is possible. Also, I assume you don't overclock? It sounds like the CMOS thinks you might be.

This sounds like it could be an overheating problem to me. Are all your fans installed correctly, spinning fast, and can you check your system temperatures? Many times the CPU fan has its own wire, which may have become unplugged and/or a bad connection

my case fan and cpu fan are spinning, and quickly. I can't say for certain about the fan in my power supply because it is completely enclosed. 18 more passes of memtest86 confirmed that nothing at all is wrong with the memory. The power supply seems to be the most likely (and least expensive) culprit, and I am replacing it today.

Hopefully that will work. I've killed a motherboard with a bad power supply, so instability is the least of worries.