My Computer Won't Start :(

[FlashFrame]

It started about a month ago. I usually have my computer running all day and night going on standby when idle. I noticed that my computer was turning off on its own. Several days later i am on the computer and my monitor blinks out and comes back with a blue screen saying:
"A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down...blah....blah..........
MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION
Beginning dump of physical memory
Physical memory dump complete"
First time i had seen it. then throughout the next few weeks it was doing the same thing from time to time.
When i restart the computer, usually it boots up fine. Sometimes during boot up it stops and reads:
following file is missing
<Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
and over time, occuring more frequently, when i turn my computer on it will not start. I see and hear all the fans working and dvd drives working, but my screen displays nothing. My computer wouldn't even beep.
I would resolve this by turning it off and back on. Now, since yesterday it will not start, no matter how many times i try.
This all started about a month ago. The only new things I have added in the past 2 months are a new Acer monitor and a Wacom Tablet.
I appreciate any help i can get since i need this computer for school.

I built the computer over 1.5 years ago. I use Windows XP SP2.
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 x2 2.2ghz
2GB DDR SDRAM
Asus ATX AMD Motherboard

Thx again for your help

 

[SirCyber]

sounds like it might be one of two things. bad memory module, or CPU. I wouldn't necessarily say that it couldn't be the MOBO either. something for someone a little more savvy than me... maybe windows itself, though it doesn't sound like it

 

[eyeCpc]

When a system sees a sudden shutdown the memory dump message is expected. At first it would appear to be an overheating problem but if the system is a year or older the battery on the board itself probably went. When the lithium battery on the board gets weak these are the usual symptoms and then it simply own't start when the battery is doa.

 

[FlashFrame]

Thx for the quick replys.
I hope it is the lithium battery and not the CPU, since i am on a budget at the moment.
Tomorrow I am gonna buy a replacement battery and see if that will do the trick. I will post the results.

 

[SirCyber]

I have a computer (older) that has one of those soldered in batteries, and it still works... talking from like the 90's, maybe 97 or 98 original build. that's what I'm on right now, but new HDD running linux XP (redhat varient) way old 256 graphics card, NIC, and sound card. it has those one card slots that are like a mile long at the bottom (two of them)

 

[eyeCpc]

The first thought on any system left running 24/7 and seeing unexpected shutdowns usually suggests that something like the cpu or memory maybe even supply is overheating. That can from dust cluttered fans and the cpu paste or compound getting hard and brittle. Or a possible component failure was on the way.

A cpu that went wouldn't anything to be seen except fans running. Faulty memory or a bad video card would also sound off an audio alert. On one old build here the battery that came with the Socket A board then saw sudden restarts and then refused to do anything one day.

Since that's the least costly item for about $2-$3 in the watch/calculator dept in a retail it never hurts to have a few onhand. Most boards take a CR2032 lithium while some take another. If you have a multimeter handy seeing if it shows 3v or less is the indicator since the boards made in the last few years have popout type battery holders.

 

[FlashFrame]

I got the battery and replaced it today. Same thing happened. So i have a feeling it is the cpu, since i can't even get into BIOS.
The problem is that when i installed the CPU i had to force the stock fan and heatsink in order for it to fit. After i did that i couldn't remove it, it was stuck. It seems the only way to take out the CPU is by breaking the fan off, but i do not want to do that

 

[eyeCpc]

That's no good! You never have to force any hsf on. Granted the retainers on the stock hsfs are tough where you have to be careful pressing them down with a flathead screwdriver. But they always should simply snap inplace. If you bent one of the pins when pressing down on everything...

With the hsf on incorrectly you will still have to remove it just to see that put back on correctly if possible plus inspect the cpu. This is one thing you should have mentioned earlier since that's the likely problem right there.

 

[FlashFrame]

I definately had a bad feeling after it snapped in place and i was not able to release it with the plastic lever that held the fan and heatsink together.
If the pins were bent in the process, would it affect the performance instantly or over time? Since it worked fine for 1.5 years after i built it.

 

[eyeCpc]

Since the system has been running over that amount of time you now have to look at some other problem like the board. A bent pin on a cpu would have seen a problem right from the start.

Besides the battery on an older board the need for a bios update could be the problem there if programming was somehow lost lately. That or a now failing component like a bios chip or cap on the board would be a thought.

On the new build here the first board ran 3 days and simply refused to start after that. Once the replacement was in Windows(XP and Vista both) would still load since the replacement was identical but needed a reinstall of Windows all over again. That was either a cap or bios chip there.