[SOLVED] PC Shutting off and on randomly over and over. No blue screens. Loud Fans.

[Manny.Pardo]

The PC is a Dell Studio XPS 9100.

Randomly and suddenly started shutting down within the last 2 days. It will attempt to automatically boot up after shutting down. Will turn off and on until it successfully boots to user login. The diagnostic page will also come up for a system repair on some occasions it does boot up succesfully.

It is old but cleaned a lot. I recently had problems with the heatsink not properly being installed correctly. I Fixed it but noticed I had accidentally cracked the plastic frame which holds it down to the motherboard and on top of the CPU. There are 4 screws and one is loose because of the broken frame. I applied thermal paste after not having any for years. Its been over a few months since I applied it so I do not think these are related to my current problem.

The computer seems to be overheating and shutting down to save power. The improper connection between the heatsink and the CPU could also be the problem. I doubt it is a power supply issue. It could also be a sudden power management setting being turned on.

I would be grateful for any help.

 

[popatim]

It's most likely the broken plastic frame causing your issue.
Can you upload a pic of it to an image hosting site, such as imgur, and link us to it so we can see about repair/replacement options?

 

[Manny.Pardo]

It's most likely the broken plastic frame causing your issue.
Can you upload a pic of it to an image hosting site, such as imgur, and link us to it so we can see about repair/replacement options?

https://ibb.co/2Z9WP7C

It is not fully pressed but it shouldn't be a problem considering it must have been like this for a few months. Should I also apply new thermal paste? How would I get rid of it?

Edit: I just noticed that all of the rings are cracked. All of the screws could pop off.

 

[Manny.Pardo]

The heatsink is useless. All the screws meant to fasten in on top of the CPU are broken. No proper heat transfer is occurring which is creating too much heat. The excess heat is causing the PC to shutdown. I looked for a new replacement for the same model but cannot find any online. The PC is only 10 years old but it is my only one. I could try to repair the cracks but I do not think superglue will work so since it will be so close to the heat. I do not want glue dripping onto the motherboard.

I just realized the plastic frame surrounding the heatsink can be replaced on its own. But the heatsink does have a sort of indentation to allow the shape of the frame. I could just replace the plastic frame with something very similar in size while still keeping the old fan and heatsink. They are not broken they just cannot be use because they aren't tight enough to allow for proper heat transfer.

 

[popatim]

Pic please so we can identify which heatsink you have and maybe come up with an easy solution.

 

[Manny.Pardo]

Pic please so we can identify which heatsink you have and maybe come up with an easy solution.

https://ibb.co/2Z9WP7C

Did this not work for you? I cannot use imgur since I do not own a phone number to verify my account registration. I think I going to simply replace the heatsink entirely. The amount of work required to fix the plastic piece is a lot. A shame since the actual heatsink and fan are still in working condition.

The CPU cooler model is a Dell P281K Heatsink CPU. I'm going to just buy a replacement part but you are free to make any suggestions. Im marking this as solved.