Hmmmmmm PC doctors can I get a consult please?

[Matblack]

OK, main rig is dying

Can in the other day and it had stuck, nothing would move it from the desktop total freeze. Restart and it gets it working but after 10 minutes it blue screens, restart again and it dies quicker, next restart it won't post.

Frustrated I leave it off whilst I think about a solution, a couple of hours later I switch it on again and it posts and gets to the desktop for a while before it dies, I have to say I was suprised, it then proceeds to die over time to a point where it won't post again

Two days later I try again and it works for 15 minutes before dying again.

No other symptoms apart from a very quiet high pitched squealing which I hadn't noticed before.

Now my bet is on the power supply, would a power supply recover itself after a few days for another effort. My second guess is the mobo. I suspect the squealing is a capacitor dying but I'm no expert.

Second opinions?

MB

[Matblack]

Ahhhh I forgot to add, I tried to run speedfan to get an idea of the psu performance and the results were very very odd, so much so I've discounted them, the 12+ was reading about 4 and the 12- was reading about 16!!!!!

MB

[Streeteh]

Squealing does often mean a suffering capacitor, i wouldn't say its infeasible that if you gave a dying capacitor time to 'discharge' that it would function properly again for a little while. My bet would also be on the PSU.

But then with that said, i've heard of GPUs and CPUs emitting a squealing sound too so it's difficult to say for certain. When in doubt i always dismantle the PC and then rebuild it again, this can sometimes help and in the process of doing so you can get inside and try and figure out what's making the noise.

[EDIT] Actually what i'd do is remove the PSU from the case, power up and see if it is indeed making the noise.

[Matblack]

Its a media machine in an awkward place, don't really want to take it apart if I don't have to, I will but its not ideal :D

MB

[Streeteh]

Ah, mega hassle then, how easy would it be to just remove the PSU as per my edit?

[Matblack]

Simples to do that, I've very tempted to go to Maplin get a cheapo one and see if it is that, if that fixes it I'll get a decent one online in the new year.

MB

[Belmit]

I've also had similar symptoms to this when the CPU was overheating, but this is probably less likely.

[iCraig]

RIP PSU IMHO MERRY XMAS

[kaiowas]

I've also had similar symptoms to this when the CPU was overheating, but this is probably less likely.

Squealing aside the symptoms do point towards overheating with it lasting less and less time between reboots the longer it's been running. Might just be that the heatsink/fan need a dusting.