<p>Ah, you are lucky then. I would not say that bad CPUs are things that I see normally, but I have seen more than I can directly recall. Usually, as a result of consistent overheating conditions, but I am sure some of them were due to years of powering on and off, but determining the cause is not what I am ever concerned about. If I get to the point of suspecting a CPU or motherboard problem, I just replace both.</p>
<p>Much like working on cars, knowledge will take you only so far. Beyond that, you must employ a process of elimination. As with cars, look at what the problem is and list all the causes, and start replacing the least expensive component first. It sounds like what you need to try next is the mobo/CPU. That usually means memory at the same time. Though if it is an option, try changing out the video board. If video is onboard, try an expansion card. Or vice versa. It may be a dead end, but it is possible that the video is doing stupid things and causing general system instability. I had that problem with an onboard video chipset in my desktop computer, and replacing it stopped my spontaenous power-off problems.</p>
<p>--<br>
Sent from my G2.</p>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Oct 11, 2010 9:36 AM, "Calvin Harrigan" <<a href="mailto:charriglists@bellsouth.net">charriglists@bellsouth.net</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution"></div>