[kratos69]

I bought a used htpc and when i turn it on it shutsoff after 10 sec. my questions is do you think its the cpu fan that has to many dust( it has dust) that cause the problem? I cant think of any I change the hd and still giving me problem. I havent cleaned the fan yet i just tought of it just now...thanks in advance for the reply.

[artrafael]

It could be due to any number of issues, such as (but not limited to):

• Your dirty fan theory
  
• Bad power supply
  
• Improperly installed heatsink
  
• Bad components on system board
  
• Bad components on any add-on cards
  

Start by opening up the case and cleaning out all the dust. Power on the system with the cover off and see if the CPU and system fans are functional. If this doesn't correct the problem, you should contact the seller and tell them they'd sold you a lemon and that you want your money back or they should fix the system. If it was sold to you as-is, you should contact a "geek" friend, co-worker or family member to see if they can take a look at the system and figure out what's wrong. Since you'd bought it used, it's probably not worth the cost to take it to a professional technician for diagnosis.

[kratos69]

thank you for your help...

[artrafael]

One note of caution: When you open up the computer case, be sure you unplug the power cord from the AC power source before you start cleaning out the accumulated dust inside.

[Stranger]

Bad ram will cause this, well at least every time I've encountered this problem...

You can just try switching the ram sticks around to refresh/reset/realign. If that doesn't work run memtest.

Dusty fans will not cause this, 10 secs isn't enough time to over heat. Unfortunately It could also be caused by anything, like faulty motherboard components, broken PSU, overclocking issues etc.

P.s. This is vital...

One note of caution: When you open up the computer case, be sure you unplug the power cord from the AC power source before you start...