Windows 2000 restarts when system gets busy, why?

[RedPenguin]

I have a couple of older systems running Windows 2000.

They are all the same brand/model of computer.

They are Compaq DeskPro EP Series 6400.

For the most part these systems seem to stay up (not reboot or
anything) but once in a while, they just restart, but I never normally
catch it because it restarts when I'm not around.

The big problem though is that, these machines, for some reason, only
when running 2000, they work fine with Linux, restart when they are
under pressure.

Usually when I am starting a bunch of programs at once, the computer
just reboots. Yet when I try the same thing on the same system(s) with
Linux, the computers act like a beast and nothing crashes them.

Is there something that that makes these systems and Win 2k just
fight? I believe I tried XP on them before and still stable, it's only
with 2k for some reason.

Note: This problem has been confirmed on at least 4 of these systems
running Win 2k.

[I.C. Koets]

Post by RedPenguin
I have a couple of older systems running Windows 2000.
They are all the same brand/model of computer.
They are Compaq DeskPro EP Series 6400.
For the most part these systems seem to stay up (not reboot or
anything) but once in a while, they just restart, but I never normally
catch it because it restarts when I'm not around.
The big problem though is that, these machines, for some reason, only
when running 2000, they work fine with Linux, restart when they are
under pressure.
Usually when I am starting a bunch of programs at once, the computer
just reboots. Yet when I try the same thing on the same system(s) with
Linux, the computers act like a beast and nothing crashes them.
Is there something that that makes these systems and Win 2k just
fight? I believe I tried XP on them before and still stable, it's only
with 2k for some reason.
Note: This problem has been confirmed on at least 4 of these systems
running Win 2k.

Are you sure that 2k is doing the reboot? My first suspect would be an
overheat reboot. 2k usually gives Stop Errors, which result in a blue
screen, not a reboot.

[RedPenguin]

Post by I.C. Koets

Post by RedPenguin
I have a couple of older systems running Windows 2000.
They are all the same brand/model of computer.
They are Compaq DeskPro EP Series 6400.
For the most part these systems seem to stay up (not reboot or
anything) but once in a while, they just restart, but I never normally
catch it because it restarts when I'm not around.
The big problem though is that, these machines, for some reason, only
when running 2000, they work fine with Linux, restart when they are
under pressure.
Usually when I am starting a bunch of programs at once, the computer
just reboots. Yet when I try the same thing on the same system(s) with
Linux, the computers act like a beast and nothing crashes them.
Is there something that that makes these systems and Win 2k just
fight? I believe I tried XP on them before and still stable, it's only
with 2k for some reason.
Note: This problem has been confirmed on at least 4 of these systems
running Win 2k.

Are you sure that 2k is doing the reboot? My first suspect would be an
overheat reboot. 2k usually gives Stop Errors, which result in a blue
screen, not a reboot.

I was thinking that but then why do the systems operate just fine with
Linux or I've seen someone put Windows Server 2003 on one of them and
it stayed up for weeks. I even once swear I heard of people putting XP
on them.

I know for a fact Linux doesn't screw it up because I put many Linux
distros on and forced the PCs to do a lot of work and nothing made
them reboot, just when they run 2000 for some reason.

Why would only 2000 cause them to overheat?

[I.C. Koets]

Post by RedPenguin

Post by I.C. Koets

Post by RedPenguin
I have a couple of older systems running Windows 2000.
They are all the same brand/model of computer.
They are Compaq DeskPro EP Series 6400.
For the most part these systems seem to stay up (not reboot or
anything) but once in a while, they just restart, but I never normally
catch it because it restarts when I'm not around.
The big problem though is that, these machines, for some reason, only
when running 2000, they work fine with Linux, restart when they are
under pressure.
Usually when I am starting a bunch of programs at once, the computer
just reboots. Yet when I try the same thing on the same system(s) with
Linux, the computers act like a beast and nothing crashes them.
Is there something that that makes these systems and Win 2k just
fight? I believe I tried XP on them before and still stable, it's only
with 2k for some reason.
Note: This problem has been confirmed on at least 4 of these systems
running Win 2k.

Are you sure that 2k is doing the reboot? My first suspect would be an
overheat reboot. 2k usually gives Stop Errors, which result in a blue
screen, not a reboot.

I was thinking that but then why do the systems operate just fine with
Linux or I've seen someone put Windows Server 2003 on one of them and
it stayed up for weeks. I even once swear I heard of people putting XP
on them.
I know for a fact Linux doesn't screw it up because I put many Linux
distros on and forced the PCs to do a lot of work and nothing made
them reboot, just when they run 2000 for some reason.
Why would only 2000 cause them to overheat?

Yes, that is strange. I don't know your specific situation, so the culprit
could be any number of things. Maybe the 2k boxes are on automatic update;
this causes them to reboot once a week if there are updates. Maybe the 2k
boxes are used for something else than the linux boxes; more processing to
do means more heat to bleed off. Have you found any clues at what time or
operation they reboot?

[RedPenguin]

Post by I.C. Koets

Post by RedPenguin

Post by I.C. Koets

Post by RedPenguin
I have a couple of older systems running Windows 2000.
They are all the same brand/model of computer.
They are Compaq DeskPro EP Series 6400.
For the most part these systems seem to stay up (not reboot or
anything) but once in a while, they just restart, but I never normally
catch it because it restarts when I'm not around.
The big problem though is that, these machines, for some reason, only
when running 2000, they work fine with Linux, restart when they are
under pressure.
Usually when I am starting a bunch of programs at once, the computer
just reboots. Yet when I try the same thing on the same system(s) with
Linux, the computers act like a beast and nothing crashes them.
Is there something that that makes these systems and Win 2k just
fight? I believe I tried XP on them before and still stable, it's only
with 2k for some reason.
Note: This problem has been confirmed on at least 4 of these systems
running Win 2k.

Are you sure that 2k is doing the reboot? My first suspect would be an
overheat reboot. 2k usually gives Stop Errors, which result in a blue
screen, not a reboot.

I was thinking that but then why do the systems operate just fine with
Linux or I've seen someone put Windows Server 2003 on one of them and
it stayed up for weeks. I even once swear I heard of people putting XP
on them.
I know for a fact Linux doesn't screw it up because I put many Linux
distros on and forced the PCs to do a lot of work and nothing made
them reboot, just when they run 2000 for some reason.
Why would only 2000 cause them to overheat?

Yes, that is strange. I don't know your specific situation, so the culprit
could be any number of things. Maybe the 2k boxes are on automatic update;
this causes them to reboot once a week if there are updates. Maybe the 2k
boxes are used for something else than the linux boxes; more processing to
do means more heat to bleed off. Have you found any clues at what time or
operation they reboot?

Well I have one running Linux that acts as a firewall, file server,
and way more, and if it was processing that killed the machines, I
don't see why that machine doesn't randomly restart.

It seems that only when I start a bunch of programs at the same time
right while it's booting up, is when it just restarts.

I did notice when Linux runs, the system seems like it's not accessing
the HD all the time, but when 2000 is run, the HD light is constantly
on while programs run, and it's like you can hear the hard drive
grinding or something. It's like for some reason 2000 is making the
hard drive work harder and more for some reason. Page file perhaps?

[I.C. Koets]

RedPenguin wrote:
[...]

Post by RedPenguin
Well I have one running Linux that acts as a firewall, file server,
and way more, and if it was processing that killed the machines, I
don't see why that machine doesn't randomly restart.

My PC does that beside all else it does. Firewalling and file and
printserving doesn't take a lot of processing power.

Post by RedPenguin
It seems that only when I start a bunch of programs at the same time
right while it's booting up, is when it just restarts.

Which bunch? The precise programs might make a big difference.
I assume you have scanned for trojans and virii?

Post by RedPenguin
I did notice when Linux runs, the system seems like it's not accessing
the HD all the time, but when 2000 is run, the HD light is constantly
on while programs run, and it's like you can hear the hard drive
grinding or something. It's like for some reason 2000 is making the
hard drive work harder and more for some reason. Page file perhaps?

The page file is a suspect, but dependent upon which other apps you run,
there might be much more going on.

[RedPenguin]

Post by I.C. Koets
[...]

Post by RedPenguin
Well I have one running Linux that acts as a firewall, file server,
and way more, and if it was processing that killed the machines, I
don't see why that machine doesn't randomly restart.

My PC does that beside all else it does. Firewalling and file and
printserving doesn't take a lot of processing power.

Post by RedPenguin
It seems that only when I start a bunch of programs at the same time
right while it's booting up, is when it just restarts.

Which bunch? The precise programs might make a big difference.
I assume you have scanned for trojans and virii?

Post by RedPenguin
I did notice when Linux runs, the system seems like it's not accessing
the HD all the time, but when 2000 is run, the HD light is constantly
on while programs run, and it's like you can hear the hard drive
grinding or something. It's like for some reason 2000 is making the
hard drive work harder and more for some reason. Page file perhaps?

The page file is a suspect, but dependent upon which other apps you run,
there might be much more going on.

Well I noticed sometimes right when I'm booting and if I start
uTorrent (for legal stuff, of course) up, it seems like it can just
restart the machine. Yet at other times uTorrent can stay up for days
on my system without ever restarting. Like I said, all the programs I
run at boot can stay on for days, weeks, sometimes months, it just
seems when I start too much at boot, boom restart.