Did your heatsink have a clear plastic disc (Almost invisible) over the core where it touches the cpu...

If you didnt remove it that is the source of your overheating.

Did it have a big brown...

If you switch off your computer does she see a dramatic increase in the speed of her PC..

Is she talking about locally run programs or is she talking about internet access? Shared internet access...

You can use the newer (More conductor) cable for an older device without a problem. You can still use the newer ribbon in the future when you get a device that supports it.

I know you have an MSI motherboard but what type of BIOs is on that system?

You can reset the CMOS by pulling the battery for a few minutes or an hour... then putting it back in..

You might also have a burned out cpu...

Is the which came first quiz... The Chicken or the Egg?

The fan can stop because of worn bearings, poor lubrication or just worn out...

The fan can also stop because the system is overheating...

Xcel 2000 is the chipset...

Get out the manual for it and see how fast a processor will fit on that board.. I am thinking you could double your cpu speed..

You would need more ram..
...

You need to do some more troubleshooting before you pop in another motherboard..

It could easily be your power supply...

There is a good tutorial in the hardware section about pulling all the...

I would run hijack to see what process is running or possibly trying to get out of your computer and onto the internet.

It is a software problem...

Possibly spyware or adware... or worse...
...

We need more information about the video card you were trying to add to this system.

My first guess is that this was an AGP card that you were trying to add and that maybe you were trying to add a...

Upender..
It is not polite to post your question like this...
You need to start your own thread...
But.. to suggest an answer to your question..
It sounds like your cmos battery is dead or...

How long has this sytem been in use...

Store bought or home made?

If you normally checked your cpu temp from cmos or ran a utility telling you the cpu temp then you can rule out overheated cpu....

Just curious...
What CPU is in that machine...
What motherboard ?

Specs of 256 megs of ram and 15 gig hard drive has me wondering if you are going to need more than just a video card...

Does...

What kind of CPU usage during these extended periods.

I just have a feeling if you try to run some intensive games and recheck it you could be in for a shock.

Just curious, did you make sure you have the right one in the right port...

Not to make fun but I have had people bring in PC's and they had the mouse where the keyboard goes and the keyboard...

For around $5 you can get an adapter that will let you plug your laptop drive into a standard IDE cable on a PC. You can then access the data, do a backup or whatever. You may need to run Knoppix...

We need more information...

Did you try to update or flash the bios and now have a blank screen with no post?

If so, you now have a doorstop...

Seriously, give us more to go on...

I dont know how to test one of those other than what you have done.
One of the few good things about being a packrat is all of the extra power supplies and assorted parts I have around.
You might...

I said... You sure the CPU NEVER got power...
Powering up your CPU even the shortest time without a heatsink can damage it.
This whole problem seems heat/fan related...
A heatsink that is off...

Friends dont let friends do Dell or HP...

Get yourself a good clone.

You will save money and have a better, easier to repair and upgrade unit.

I usually just put a thin coating on the copper contact spread thin and the same on the heat sink, then a tiny drop right in the middle as I put the two together.

Double check before doing this...

The CPU can reach high temps in a few seconds in not properly cooled.

One thing does come to mind.

Does your fan have two wires or three wires...

Your motherboard should have three...

The first thing on the list should be to make sure you buy the correct type of ram for your machine, and to know the maximum ram your machine can support.

All RAM is NOT created equal.

The default setting (no jumper) should work.

Is your CPU fan plugged into the motherboard CPU fan connector.

If it is connected directly to the power supply this board will shut down.

Did...

How many memoery slots do you have?

Did you install one chip or two?

Was your old memory single sided or double sided?

Those should be for different ram types.

I have not seen a PC that would work with different types at the same time.

Do you see all of the ram on power up?

I have to agree with you CM...
It is doubtful that the ram would work between those two machines.

About the only thing to try is pulling the cmos battery for an hour, putting the original ram...

If you fried the MB you need to replace the MB

You can swap out the other components and test them individually..

We just had someone else do exactly the same thing.

All ram is not created...

Is this on-board sound?

How about a link to the manual for the card or board?

What does it say when you try to install the driver?

Have you checked your hardware manager for problems?
...

For 12 pounds you cant go that far wrong...

The only problem will be with onboard components that your old system had that the new one might not have.

I would not worry about the Tiger Direct...

Did you do a clean install of XP or did you patch it up..?

I dont know that the Win 98 system information actually differenciated between the K6 version 1 , 2 or 3 ...

We all agree these AMD are older than 2 years...

We all agree it will handle the...

The AMD K-6 also came as fast or faster than 550 mhz...

This machine was new two years ago...?
My guess would be closer to 5 or 6 years...

When you get it come on back.

The only stupid question is the one you dont ask. (Almost)

When you are sure of which MB you will purchase post a link to the manual for me so I can download it...

Just because the fan is spinning does not mean the power supply is working or had the wattage necessary for your computer.

You dont say what the wattage of the power supply is..?

You dont say...

Here is a board from Tigerdirect...
It is $69 with a $30 rebate (expires 5-31)

Socket A and DDR and USB 2.0 which will work with your 1.1 devices...
...

Assuming the three wire on your case led has an unused connector in the middle cut the connector in half and use as individual connectors

I see two changes I would make...

You dont need XP Pro...
This is not a business machine and Pro will not give any preformance improvement... So save some money there.

$1800 to watch and burn...

XP, Office 2003, and internet. Nothing major apart from that.

Well, that is asking quite alot from an old P II...

For under $100 you can get an AMD 2000+ motherboard and CPU and 256 megs that...

You might want to reconsider that P II upgrade...

You would be buying ram that will not work on a newer machine and you will not be happy with the final result.

For $199 you can get a decent...