Computer shuts off in less than a minute.

[Eric Bentsen]

I have a Dell Vostro 200 from mid-2008 with Windows 10 installed on it. I've been using it steady & hard for over a year after I upgraded the RAM to 8 GB and got a new hybrid hard drive of 2 TB and installed a USB 3 4-ports card on the back and connected using an extra hard drive power plug.
Today the computer just shutdown by itself randomly. I came back a few hours later and it would boot to the Windows 10 screen that says Preparing To Repair Your Computer... & maybe it might get to Diagnosing Problems... then it would just shutdown. I could hear fans whirring, the floppy drive light came on during bootup. I don't remember hearing the usual beep during startup though. I downloaded a Windows 10 Installation/Repair onto a USB drive and plugged that in on both the back and the front of the computer but nothing takes. I got my Avast! Rescue Disk plugged in but no sign of it catching on during the boot cycle. I booted into the BIOS by pressing F2 repeatedly (old Phoenix BIOS) and I could read there for less than a minute before the computer would just shutdown by itself. I've unplugged all USB devices except for the mouse & keyboard and the mouse did work for a moment during the Windows 10 bootup when the screen went black, and the keyboard did work in the BIOS. I got a glimpse of the time and date in the BIOS and they were accurate. If it's a mobo or power supply problem I'll probably call it quits on this computer since things are so outdated. If I just have to replace the CMOS battery, that's doable. If I have to replace a hard drive and reinstall Windows 10, well, the machine is dying in the BIOS too.

 

[panathas]

It's either a bad PSU, a failing motherboard, or the CPU is overheating. Check the CPU cooler and make sure that is dust free and its fan is spinning. If the cooler is fine then you most likely have a failing PSU or motherboard. Getting a new PSU is easy and I think it's worth it, if the rest of your system is in good condition. However I don't know if your system has a proprietary PSU, as a lot of those Dell system do. If that's the case, I'm afraid that your options are limited. Good luck.

 

[Eric Bentsen]

I have a mini tower.

Repost: 04-27-2013 07:20 PM
Re: Power supply replacement for Vostro 200

Yes, there is a difference, the Vostro 200 Mini Tower supports a standard ATX power supply and the Vostro 200S, Slim Tower supports a TFX unit.

If you have the Mini Tower version, generic standard ATX power supply units can be installed, with either a 24-pin or 20+4-pin main motherboard power connector, with or without the on/off switch.

You should be able to buy a compatible power supply from either a local or online computer store.

Note: You require a power supply with four SATA power connectors.

Check out the Corsair line of PSU's, look for a 450w+ power supply.

 

[Eric Bentsen]

I unplugged the computer from the battery side of my BackUPS to the non-battery side. The computer stayed on an extra few seconds, but still shut down. My cable TV signal keeps glitching out too.

 

[panathas]

You are lucky that it uses an ATX PSU and not a proprietary one. Most likely it's the PSU responsible and if you have a spare unit available or if you can borrow one from a friend or relative it will help a lot. Since this is an old system, it doesn't worth getting a new PSU and then finding that the motherboard is failing. You have to first test another PSU in this system and if it works then go and purchase a new PSU. Good luck.

EDIT. Also try to plug the system directly to the wall, just in case the UPS is dying and causing this issue.