I have an E Machine T5020 and have had it for about a year and a half now.Up until about 4 days ago I had'nt had a single problem or complaint,thats when the circuit breaker that controls the power outlets in my desk area started tripping.I can log on and usually work for about 3 or 4 hours and then POOF!I havent added anything new to my PC nor have I added anything new to the circuit that may be interfering.I took turns unplugging different items that are opperating on the same circuit such as my printer,monitor,speakers,etc.it kept tripping until I unplugged my main power cord to my tower.Is it possible that it may be something as simple as a collection of dust inside the cabinet thus causing a tempurature increase, but then wouldnt there be like a thermal overload device that would just shut down the system and not cause the whole supply circuit to become cold ? I'm just hoping that it something simple and inexpensive that possibly I could correct on my own.Any ideas folks? Thanks in advance for your help !

A very odd problem indeed - As you stated, most machines these days have failsafe devices to stop your PC overheating and in most cases will either beep to warn you or simply shut the machine down. Additionally, many power supplies have internal fuses that can trip out to protect the machine should there be any power surges.

Your first bet would be to clean your machine out paying particular attention to the PSU. Under NO circumstances should you open the PSU itself - It houses capacitors holding lethal amounts of charge long after you shut down the machine - But what you can do is take a can of compressed air to the fans and surrounding grills. It seems unlikely, but it's worth trying just to check that there isn't a build up causing problems with the power supply.

Other than that I can only really suggest checking the circuit breaker itself and replacing the PSU. Faulty PSU's can cause many problems, and whilst most concern the PC itself, it's not impossible for it to be causing a problem externally.

One other thing - Have you added anymore hardware to that outlet recently? I suppose it could be possible that you are drawing too larger current from the outlet, particularly when your PC is under load or if you are using other devices in addition. That would account for the circuit breaker tripping, though only really makes sense if you've upped your power demands recently.

Hello, can I suggest borrowing a friends PSU to see if it resolves the problem, and if it does the relatively inexpensive solution would be to buy a new one, they're pretty cheap.

Regards

Martin

Hey.... Thanks a lot folks for the ideas concerning my Breaker problem! Seems that the problem was actually being caused by my battery charger for my digital camera.The receptacle that I had it plugged into,which is also on the same circuit,has become worn over the years and doesnt "grip" the blades of plugs as tightly as it should, this was causing a poor connection, which was causing the charger unit to become overheated,usually took about 3 hours or so of this "poor connection strain" to heat the charger enough to cause it to "fault " the circuit and trip the breaker .Mystery solved ! Thanks again for your offers of help !