Have you tried a memory tester like MemTest86 (http://www.MemTest86.com)? It's on the newer Knoppix discs, or it can be downloaded either as a floppy-disk image or as an ISO bootable CD-ROM image.

A lot depends on how old, what brand, what model, what processor speed, etc. It sounds like the clock battery is dead (not keeping time), so you need to determine that aspect. This might also...

Yes. There is a signal line from the power supply to the motherboard called PSG (power supply good). If the voltage goes out-of-bounds, the system may well shut down. the upper bound on the 12V...

Not harder per se, but definitely different. The MacOS and its graphical user interface are built on top of a Unix-clone OS similar (but not identical) to Linux. One drawback is its one-button...

Most monitors have a setting called Reset or Factory Defaults or something similar. Try that.

Let me give my background up front. I have been an electronic technician for 40 years and a PC technician for about 25 years. I was a major PC warranty station for Zenith in 1984 and have taught...

What you are asking can be done, but will be relatively expensive. The case "above" the desk could be more like a rack, containing external drives that can be connected by long cables, such as SCSI,...

I have found, from previous experience, that the best bet in a situation like this is:

* Determine the manufacturer and model number of the hard drive.
* Go to that manufacturer's web site.
*...

This indicates that the hard drive has a partial or corrupt installation of Windows NT, 2000, or XP. Do you consider the HD "blank?" Are you about to install a new operating system from scratch?

It sounds like it's most likely a hardware problem, a defective modem. It can't load the installer bcause it can't find the hardware, it seems to me.

It could be, but we need more information. How far does it get? What's the last message that you see before shutdown? Is it consistent?

You should also check around the back of the unit and see...

For your information, current AMD processors have had a thermal diode (temperature monitor) for nearly two years, and are now no more susceptible to overheating than the Intel P4 series--so it's time...

The USB 2.0 standard itself is backwards-compatible. What the more likely problem is that the motherboard chipset drivers need to be updated, since USB functionality is contained there. I have seen...

You almost certainly need newer drivers. Which version of Windows are you using? Go to the Zoltrix (http://www.Zoltrix.com) site and download the apprpriate drivers based on the model number and...

Yes, it could be a conflict--and if on the same IDE channel, slave is best. Also possible (though unusual) is that the cable is set up for cable select, in which case it can confuse the system. A...

Does the monitor go into standby mode?

One possibility is shutdown due to overheating--that is, an improperly-fitted CPU heat sink or an improperly-plugged-in CPU fan. That function can be...

I agree with ajax--it would appear that OpenGL is working OK, DX9 is not, for whatever reason. I think it's an ATI driver issue.

Does the LED stay on all the time? If so, the problem is that the floppy-drive cable is plugged in upside-down at one end. They are supposed to be keyed to prevent this, but it doesn't always work...

It could be a driver error. Did you install the newest drivers after the Windows reinstall? Older drivers will usually work OK with 2D graphics due to backwards compatibility, but anything that...

You could always do a search on eBay or uBid.

There are a number of wireless solutions, of varying quality and price. USRobotics, for example made a decent one that was widely available on closeout for as little as $30, but there are many...

There may be some updates for Windows that enhance the nForce sound drivers that have not yet been installed, primarily the WDM stuff, which is built into WMP, but not Windows itself. Try this...

Yes. Many third-party screen savers have memory leaks -- so, over time, the free memory drops to zero. This is especially true for Win 9x, since GDI, SYS, and User RAM is limited to 512 KB or less....

Here (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-135-143&catalog=22&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1), for example.

How about the virtually-identical ECS (http://www.ecs.com.tw/products/pd_spec.asp?product_id=375) board? It might be easier to find.

Possibly, but not directly. It is of a vintage (and a cheapness) that probably will not support hard disks larger than 8.4 GB unless you can find a third-party BIOS upgrade or add-in a PCI IDE...

Try unplugging the HD's power connector first. If the problem does not clear up, your motherboard is probably at fault. Be aware that all power management is done in software on modern (read ATX)...

What brand and model of headphones are these, may I ask?

You left out an important one. There has been a spate of problems with bad CPU filter electrolytic capacitors across all brands and types of motherboards in the last couple of years, so watch out for...

Some of the software used includes Alias|Wavefront Maya (http://www.alias.com/eng/products-services/maya/maya_ple/index.shtml) (free for personal use); Blender (http://www.blender3d.com), which is...

A blinking power light indicates an initialization error before the normal power-on self test (POST).

* Check that the CPU heat sink is on properly, and secure.
* Make sure that the CPU fan is...

There's a fix for this; search on the Microsoft website. What's happening is that Windows is crashing while shutting down -- and the default action under XP is to reboot on a crash. This can be...

Are you getting any beep codes or any other indications that the system is starting up (such as the keyboard lights flashing)?

I'm speaking here in relatively general terms -- I have not seen your exact model of monitor.

Not likely CRT. Possible flyback. Most newer monitors have multiple focus controls, especially...

Good point, CJ. It's a good idea to make a diagram of the connectors before unplugging the wires; MBs are sometimes not marked too clearly, and even if they are, polarity markings may be hard to...

It may depend on which machine is which. Compaq formerly used custom motherboards, as did HP, but Compaq persisted later. Compare the two motherboards. One giveaway is power supply connectors,...

Whichever one you do buy, get an add-in sound card--the ADI audio in both machines is a "host-based codec" which is weasel-speak for AC '97 audio. The drawback to this kind of sound system is that...

Is it possible that your CMOS settings have become corrupted? If, somehow, your RAM clock settings were dropped to 60 or 66 MHz, something like that could happen--or if the CPU frequency multiplier...

Which version of the operating system? Which filesystem on the disks? It sounds like you have a damaged master boot record (MBR) on Drive 0. More information would help.

If all else fails, go...

Overheating is possible, but it's more likely a clogged or bad power supply fan. If it's clogged, yank out or blow out the killer dust bunnies. If it's slow-spinning, they are relatively easy to...