System gets shutdown due to a thermal event

Asked By Yusuf 830 points N/A Posted on - 06/20/2011

Hi,

I have a Intel 845GV motherboard with 2.4 GHz processor.
I have Windows XP.

Sometime after booting, the system automatically got shut down and tells that:

"The CPU was previously shutdown due to a thermal event (overheating)
Service the unit right away to resolve this"

Even i have checked the CPU, fan is operating fine. And chip fans on the motherboard are also operating.

I am not sure what i have to do now.

Thanks friends.

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Answered By maria.carrie 0 points N/A #126496

System gets shutdown due to a thermal event

I think you might want to consult your MoBo manual, but my guess is that shutting down the CPU for a "thermal event" does not necessarily mean a thermal event of the CPU. Perhaps something else has overheated.

I have had two issues in the past when "dusting" a computer with compressed air. Once a machine with a slot loaded CPU would have to be rebooted several times to successfully boot and would not run for more than a couple hours before having unrecoverable errors. That was many years ago. Recently I had a problem with a video card after dusting.

In both instances dirt/dust had been pushed into the slot creating a poor connection between the CPU/VidCard and the slot it was seated in. The solution for both (in my case) was the same. Remove the card and blow out the slot and ensure the contacts on the card were clean before reseating.

You may want to do the same for any components where dust could have been pushed where it shouldn't be – video card, PCI cards, ram, etc. Also make sure all fans are functioning properly – especially CPU and chipset fans. You should also check the PSU – make sure there's no accumulated dust and that the fan works OK.

Thanks for the question

Maria

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Answered By Sollis Parallag 45 points N/A #126498

System gets shutdown due to a thermal event

Hello Yusuf.

A defective fan is not the only cause of processor overheating.  Even if the fan works fine, it is possible that there is poor contact between the heat sink and the processor surface.  Make sure that the heatsink has is properly mounted on top of the processor.  Check for loose mounting brackets.  You may also need to apply thermal paste.  Thermal paste is applied in between the processor surface and the heatsink.  It ensures maximum contact between the 2 surfaces to ensure efficient heat transfer. 

With the power turned off, remove the heat sink from the processor and remove any old thermal paste.  You can clean it with a lint-free cloth and some alcohol.  Do the same for the heatsink.  Now might also be a good time to remove any dust build-up on the fans and the heatsink as dust can interfere with the fan's airflow.

Good luck!

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