I am presuming I will need a new case of some sort.
The computer that runs my camera system shuts down once a week or every two weeks and I can’t figure out why.
I am guessing updates or something. The system will shut down but the tower lights and fans will all still be working.
I have to physically push the power button for it to start up.
It is not a huge deal as my 3 main cameras have their own backup system that I can live view and onboard recording which I can access all the time. Though it is only limited to motion alerts and about 6 days.
Main machine records all cameras continuously.

Since I have to physically push a button on this case/tower to start it up. I am presuming a new case is needed.

Why not just create a daily/weekly reboot job in the startup? Maybe that'll solve your problem.

Turn off automatic updates in the OS?

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Turn off automatic updates in the OS?

Those are off as is the setting to never go to sleep.
But I think it may be with my camera program as many of the updates are security fixes.

quote:

Originally posted by Shaql:
Why not just create a daily/weekly reboot job in the startup? Maybe that'll solve your problem.

Because I am not very technical and did not know one could do this or how.

What you need a motherboard with OOBM (out-of-band-management).
I build a lot of ITX small form factor servers for SMB and specialty purpose and all have it built in.
OOBM allows to access the computer even if off from a web browser.
You can do a number of things including reboot.
It is not limited to ITX by any means as it is available in all form factors.
I use mostly Super Micro now but all have used ASRock and Gigabyte server board and Intel for larger servers.
There used to be add on OOBM cards we used for Compaq and HP but perhaps do some research for "OOBM Cards for Desktop" might yield some results.
Good Luck

My first guess is a thermal shut down.

Here is a good place to start.

If this does not fix the problem it would be time to check the logs and go deeper.

https://www.techwalla.com/arti...computer-system-unit

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

quote:

Originally posted by Shaql:
Why not just create a daily/weekly reboot job in the startup? Maybe that'll solve your problem.

Because I am not very technical and did not know one could do this or how.

Win 10?
Task Scheduler
Fairly straightforward guide.

This may not solve your problem if something is causing windows to hang on shutdown or preventing it from shutting down completely. It won't hurt to try & it might help you diagnose.
New case likely won't help if it's hanging. You'll need a motherboard that can power-cycle the PSU, IPMI is the only thing that comes to mind (basically, you can access & manage the BIOS via ethernet, needs 2 network connections, etc). This would be an expensive & a pain in the ass fix.

If you can narrow the time it occurs, you can probably use 'Event Viewer' to see what is happening at that time & go from there.

Task Scheduler &/or Event Viewer can be found by typing the name into the search bar/box on either the start menu or taskbar.

If you can't solve the issue, I'd look to see if there's a linux version of the camera software you could run in docker. That way, if a program shits the bed, it doesn't take the OS with it & you can restart it remotely. Sounds more difficult than it is - I'm only slightly technical & I'd rather figure out a linux/docker solution than try to unfuck windows issues... I typed this from a computer running UnRaid, Win10 virtual machine & 10 dockers. I've played with free camera software in VM/docker & it wasn't hard to figure out.


*Edit - maybe ignore my advice since it took me 8 tries to post a damn picture.

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
My first guess is a thermal shut down.

Here is a good place to start.

If this does not fix the problem it would be time to check the logs and go deeper.

https://www.techwalla.com/arti...computer-system-unit

While possible ~ I would go look at the logs first .
Event Viewer is your friend as the saying goes.

Sounds like you need to figure out why this is shutting down weekly as that is NOT normal. Configured correctly a PC should stay on until the end of time unless you tell it otherwise.

I would suggest methodically working through every possible scenario, is it the OS? Is it the hardware? Definitely check the event logs.

If you can't figure out the software/hardware issue, you could also use a wifi-controlled outlet to remotely cycle power and/or schedule a power cycle - If you have a UPS, you can set up the computer to shutdown as soon as the UPS looses power, then power back on when AC is restored. The UPS will need to shut off after PC powers down as well, or PC won't see AC loss. check to see if power on after AC restore is an available setting in BIOS as well before you buy anything. Or, you could just put the wifi plug between the UPS & PC.

I have a couple TPlink Kasa wifi plugs, I think they are about $20. I have a dimmer as well. All have been reliable, but I'm moving stuff over to zwave/zigbee as I add function -I don't want wifi/internet connected devices.
Security wise, I don't care if someone can turn on/off my porch lights or Christmas tree from the interwebz, but I do care if they can access door/window/HVAC settings. While the Kasa devices phone-home to china, their schedule & everything else is controlled locally via HomeAssistant. I think it can do cameras too (or interface with free programs that can).

First task is to figure out why it's hanging. If the fans are still going and the lights are still on, it's not in a power-off state where remotely powering it on would matter. Check temps and OS logs to see if there's anything odd going on.

Check your email.

Go to Amazon and search for "IoT Button Pusher".

Devices exist that literally will just push the button for you to power on the computer remotely.

You can then log in using a remote desktop software to do the rest.

Back when I needed to do that sort of thing there was a bios setting that controlled whether the machine came back up when power was cycled or the button had to be pressed to get it to restart. I set it to just try to restart every time the power came back on, then used a network controlled power outlet to remotely cycle power. It was crude and kludgey, but it worked.

I agree that you’re best off figuring out what is happening and fixing that if you can first, then resort to remote power cycling as a last resort.

So we (the SF Hive) looked into the shutting down issue a year or so ago.
Probably should have mentioned that.

smschulz (if memory serves correct) set me up with a program that monitors a bunch of different temperatures and we ruled out the thermal issue.
Also looked into the event log and seemed to rule out any hardware issues.

So we concluded it was something in the software settings. Being that antivirus and the camera program are the only things that run on the computer it was kind of concluded it was something ina software setting causing the shutdown.

I don’t have the knowledge to sit and figure out all the settings to look for or adjust that may be causing the issue and don’t feel like paying someone to look at it to figure it out.

It is not a huge deal in reality it would just be nice to flip it back on when I am away if it has shut down.

I have used remote power switches on occasion. If you have confidence a power cycle will restart the system that may be an option to consider.

Double check your Power Settings too including advanced and sleep settings.
It can be elusive to the cause, that is for sure.
Thermal issues to a complete shutdown are very rare, throttling happens before that.

I'm going to guess you need a PSU in there, but I would start with an automated restart on a regular basis. If it still happens, probably the PSU for sure. Otherwise, look into enabling "wake on lan" and using a magic packet to turn it on remotely.