I use the pencil test only when I can't use the thumb test. If I can stop
the fan with my thumb pressed on its hub, that is kinder to my pencils. Not
a bad idea to pull the power on the hard disk to rule it out should you find
that your fans are good. With onboard video, it usually hides inside the
northbridge chip. Most manufacturers will at least place a chunky heatsink
on the northbridge, but some use a fan there to really cool things off. See
what is hiding inside your box. A video card having issues as opposed to
onboard video would be easier and cheaper to fix, so cross your fingers. As
for your hard drive, should it prove to be the culprit, there are ways to
use an IDE to USB adapter to plug it into a working machine and save your
data without having to go through the bother of opening the good machine's
case. I keep such a device in my toolkit for just that occasion. Friendly
reminder: be sure to touch the metal case of the power supply before messing
around with any components inside your computer. Static electricity does bad
things to delicate circuitry, so take the appropriate precautions. An
anti-static wriststrap that clips onto bare metal inside the case is even
better.

Kenneth Whyman
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"Chance favors the prepared mind."

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