2010-11-06, 12:22 PM
Just going to add a couple things that I don't think Fiel mentioned
If your computer is full of dust, take it outside and blow it out, especially the heatsinks. Watch out for static if you have low humidity. Dont' try to use an ordinary vacuum cleaner to do this, they often build up static electricity.
If you have one of those fancy motherboards that lets you tweak up the CPU clock, bus, or memory chip access speeds, set the speeds back to whatever normal is for your components, or perhaps even try below normal to see if it changes the problem. (Probably unlikely though, since most times the BIOS defaults to normal settings if a boot fails.)
Many problems with ageing electronics have to do bad connections. What was previously good connection oxidizes and becomes poor. Gold plating prevents this, but not all connections are gold plated, or else the thin plating can get worn off with repeated handling. Carefully remove and replace boards and connectors to try to renew the connections. Again, if humidity is low, be careful of static electricity. Touch bare metal on the case every time you approach before handling the boards.
If your computer is full of dust, take it outside and blow it out, especially the heatsinks. Watch out for static if you have low humidity. Dont' try to use an ordinary vacuum cleaner to do this, they often build up static electricity.
If you have one of those fancy motherboards that lets you tweak up the CPU clock, bus, or memory chip access speeds, set the speeds back to whatever normal is for your components, or perhaps even try below normal to see if it changes the problem. (Probably unlikely though, since most times the BIOS defaults to normal settings if a boot fails.)
Many problems with ageing electronics have to do bad connections. What was previously good connection oxidizes and becomes poor. Gold plating prevents this, but not all connections are gold plated, or else the thin plating can get worn off with repeated handling. Carefully remove and replace boards and connectors to try to renew the connections. Again, if humidity is low, be careful of static electricity. Touch bare metal on the case every time you approach before handling the boards.