HELP - PC shuts down "due to Thermal Event" !

I would replace the fan. If it sounds quieter than normal the fan is not operating at full speed, and most likely not cooling your CPU properly.

Add a fan in the back, it's very easy and cheap. I also added a PCI fan it to is easy and cheap. You can buy them at any computer store or even cheaper on line at http://www.tigerdirect.com.
Ideal, a fan in front to pull in cool air but most cases aren't made to handle that without cutting a hole in front.
Clean your computer out with compressed air every month making certain that the CPU fan is clean.
FS9 run very hot and an add-on aircraft is harder on the system because of the higher LOD.

Great help - thanks to you both - DELL are to replace the standard Processor Fan (which incidentally is v.small) and Mother Board, so I think I'll safeguard things further by getting additional fan as per your advice.

Thanks guys.

David,
Sounds like you have it under control.

I am not familiar with Dell, but most of those proprietary machines have some sort of monitoring program. You can look and see at what speed the CPU and case fans are turning.

Here is a free program that will monitor your temp. sensors and fan speeds.
Takes a little configuring but is very reliable. You set the parameters for warnings and shutdowns.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=204

Sounds like your CPU fan slowed down under load and went below the minimum speed set in the monitoring program.

Best thing to do in a case like this is to trust your own eyes. Open that baby up. If it shuts down after 10 minutes, it would be easy to watch that CPU fan maybe with a flashlight. If it is slowing down much, you will see and hear it.

Also, if you can't find the monitoring program from Windows, you should be able to boot it into the BIOS/SETUP and look under the Power Settings for something like 'Hardware Monitor'
See what fan speeds are reported there.

"am I imagining the link between the fault, and the software ?"

It would not have anything to do with you installing software from the CD.

Michael H - That's really great help - many thanks for that. 😀

I'll see if I can check out the Monitoring Programme tonight - when I reboot the PC after it's overheat, it automatically gives me a F2 option to get into the BIOS / SET-UP menu, so I should be able to check out the Hardware Monitor setting, as you've suggested.

Some really useful pointers that I'm sure will help - also reassuring to see that you don't think the Software would have triggered this in any way.

Many thanks... 😂

"I'll see if I can check out the Monitoring Programme tonight - when I reboot the PC after it's overheat, it automatically gives me a F2 option to get into the BIOS / SET-UP menu, so I should be able to check out the Hardware Monitor setting, as you've suggested."

I don't know which processor you have David, but to give you an idea, I am running a P4@ 2.4 gig. stock intel heatsink and fan.

My BIOS hardware monitor reports it running at around 2700 RPM (give or take one or two hundred RPMs.

Athlon heatsink fans usually run faster. Some heatsink fans run at as much as 5000 rpms or even more probably.

It seems pretty unlikely that a 2 month old fan would fail.

I have seen different motherboard monitoring software report a CPU fan at 0 rpm when I am staring at it with my own eyes watching it fly along full speed.
Asus Probe is notorious for this.

Anyway good luck, hope you're back in the air soon... 😳

I have had the same type of problem with myideo card overheating. Not with flightsim, but Doom 3 at 1152x864, ultra high settings...yeah, you could cook a hot dong behind my PC in around 10 minutes.

😞 Sorry to hear of your being grounded

A couple of free utillities ➡

http://www.7byte.com/

Hot CPU Tester To stress test your cpu

http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

SpeedFan 4.17 To monitor fan speeds

Hope they help you get to the bottom of things and get your wings back

Hi Guys,

All sorted - it was the Motherboard.... The engineer advised that it is a common problem with the P4 3.0Ghz Dell Dimension PCs.... so he put a new Mother Board in but also out a new Fan in as well, just to be sure... he also advised that I could consider putting a 2nd fan in and he showed me the spare power plug that a 2nd plug would go into....

So ALL SORTED ! Yeeeeeha.... So I am going to resume the "BARON 58 World Tour" tonight to celebrate...... I just managed to get from Australia over to New Caledonia (before the PC problems started), but from here I need to get to FUJI which is much further (really getting into the deep Pacific).....

Thanks to all for the help - this was a really useful post for me.... definately going for a second fan...

Great news David,

Yes, go for an 80 mm case fan at the back to suck hot air out and away from the CPU.
they are cheap and take a minute or two to install.

michlin wrote:

I would replace the fan. If it sounds quieter than normal the fan is not operating at full speed, and most likely not cooling your CPU properly.

Fire_Emblem_Master wrote:

yeah, you could cook a hot dong behind my PC in around 10 minutes.

I realise that it's bad form to comment on typos, but I couldn't resist this one 😂 [/b]

And i admire the guests talent to dig-up this almost two years old post.... 😉

Greekman72 wrote:

And i admire the guests talent to dig-up this almost two years old post.... 😉

Good point - I never even noticed that. 😀

antone wrote:

Greekman72 wrote:

And i admire the guests talent to dig-up this almost two years old post.... 😉

Good point - I never even noticed that. 😀

I knew it...But it doesnt happens only to you 😉

Despite the oldness of this thread, this same problem just happened to me (18/04/2007)! 😳

DELL are still replacing these MOBOs regardless of Warrantly status, I have just been told. So give them a ring anyway!

They've thrown in a new fan too, even tho the old one is Ok!

Hope this helps. 🙂

yes i would addd a fan you know those deep freeze things that dell has