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Computer starts up on its own!!

Cloudmaster
Grafter
Posts: 257
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Computer starts up on its own!!

Hi all,
For the past week my PC has developed a habit of switching itself on after being switched off.  I've just been timing it this morning, & it waits a clear two minutes from being completely powered down to starting up again, so I'm not accidentaly pressing restart.
This only seems to happen in the mornings, my routine is that it's switched on for not more than half hour before going to work, the problem never arises at night when the machine's been switched on all evening.
I'm guessing at a faulty MB / PSU (some sort of power switch problem?), but am generally clueless to as to the problem.
All help appreciated
10 REPLIES 10
Spider
Grafter
Posts: 1,100
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

Is it connected to another PC or Router via a LAN cable. I experienced this problem and it was because the network settings were set to 'Wake on LAN'.
MikeWhitehead
Grafter
Posts: 748
Registered: ‎19-08-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

How very strange!
At first my guess would be something faulty with the power switch connection to the motherboard. I'm not really sure what the solution would be.
If it was me (I'm not saying you should do this!), once I had shut the PC down, I'd remove the power switch wires from the motherboard (just pulling the connector off the jumpers) and see if it starts itself up again.
Then after testing that, I'd connect my reset button to the jumpers for the power switch, and try switching on/off with the reset button connected, then see if it starts itself up.
It would give a good indication/rule out anything to do with the switches themselves and the power jumpers on the motherboard.
EDIT: I'd go with Spiders suggestion first, since it's a lot less intrusive.
Cloudmaster
Grafter
Posts: 257
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

Hi Spider,
I've just checked my network interface properties (it's an nForce Netwoking Controller) and WakeOnLan From PowerOff was enabled.
I've now disabled this, but if that is the cause then I'm puzzled why the problem's only just arisen (I've never touched this setting before).
MikeWhitehead
Grafter
Posts: 748
Registered: ‎19-08-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

Have you recently made any driver changes, or installed any more systems onto your network?
It won't have arisen previously if you never had anything else on the network. if you did already have more than the one system on the network, it's possible that a driver update for the controller made the setting enabled AFAIK.
Cloudmaster
Grafter
Posts: 257
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

I've just tried powering down again after disabling WOL, it powered up again after about 90 seconds.
I'll try Mike's suggestions about the power / reset switches later.
RobDickson
Grafter
Posts: 653
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎06-08-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

I'd hang fire on the power / reset switches for the moment, if I were you.
I'm pretty sure that there's an option in either BIOS, or Windows, that if there's a driver conflict, a driver not working correctly, or some hardware not working correctly, that the PC should reboot instead of actually shutting down. It sounds more likely to be a Windows function, but I'm not sure.
Sorry I can't give any more information at the moment, but I'm sure that a quick search on t'internet will find something out.
MikeWhitehead
Grafter
Posts: 748
Registered: ‎19-08-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

Quote from: RobDickson
I'm pretty sure that there's an option in either BIOS, or Windows, that if there's a driver conflict, a driver not working correctly, or some hardware not working correctly, that the PC should reboot instead of actually shutting down. It sounds more likely to be a Windows function, but I'm not sure.

If it was simply rebooting, why doesn't it happen until around 2 minutes after it's completely shut down?
Peter_Vaughan
Grafter
Posts: 14,469
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

Why not just unplug the network cable, printer cable and any other attached devices (i.e. USB) then shut the PC down, quickly remove the keyboard/mouse and see if it still starts up again? If not, you know one of those is the cause, if it does its something within the system.
It could be a faulty PSU or the power/reset switch cables on the mobo. Or possibly even a mobo fault.
ed
Grafter
Posts: 191
Registered: ‎15-08-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

if you have Wake on LAN turned off in the BIOS and it's not a TV Card set to record a program you better just switch it off at the mains! More enviromenal that way too Tongue
7up
Community Veteran
Posts: 15,824
Thanks: 1,579
Fixes: 17
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Computer starts up on its own!!

As unlikely as it sounds, check your scheduled tasks.
In honesty it does sound like a WOL issue but I have heard of other cases (WOL pointing) which turned out to have just one scheduled task running - Windows had (using ACPI) set the bios to boot the PC up after shutdown.
I've never successfully got ACPI to interact with windows (IE I can't set windows to wake at a pre-determined time) but on some boards it seems far too sensitive.
Take a look, you never know.
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