Al Olry wrote:
>
> My computer goes absolutely crazy at times.
> It will lockup, no matter what I am doing with it.
> I suspected that heat might be the problem, so I turned it off
> for the night.  The next morning it worked fine for awhile and
> then went goofy again. Once again I turned it off for the night.

You never said how long you had your system. When was the last time you
took the cover off and cleaned the dust from the CPU fan and power
supply? This should be done at least once a year. In my opinion that is.

I experienced the same thing a long time ago and I discovered the power
supply fan had stopped. <smile> Back in the days when I was not so into
computers, I also mounted the "C" drive above the power supply. <smile>
Needless to say, we know where this is going...
> The next morning I removed the side cover and left it off.
> It has worked far better since then, however it is not
> trouble free yet.
> Is it possible that heat is the problem and if so, what do I do
> about it?

Turn your system on and look in the back of it and see and feel if there
is air coming out. When a fan goes bad it will usually tell you by
making a rumbling noise and if you ignore it, it will begin to squeal.
Have you heard any strange sounds leading up to the point? The CPU fan
can get clogged with dust too. If this happens, like the power supple
fan, your system will act in a very erratic manner. Turning the system
off, letting it cool and restarting it allows the components to cool to
the safe mode of operation and when you apply power, the heat begins
again.

Have you ever noticed when you loose coolant in your car it doesn't act
the same way? Different system same results.

If you allow the CPU fan to fail, the heat will probably fry the innards
and the CPU may become history.

My suggestion is to check these fans on a regular basis. You can even
put a small piece of ribbon on the grill of the power supply so you can
tell if it's working.

Those of us who are in tune with our systems can tell if something is
amiss. Sound is the deciding factor. LOL This may sound strange but it
is true.


> I have Norton System Works and it doesn't catch the problem.

Norton System works won't. If you had a modern day mother board, case
and sensors, the RPM of each would be noted not to mention the
temperature of the CPU would also be noted and an alarm would be sounded
or you system would be shut down.


Please check the air flow from these two components. If all is well then
the problem is elsewhere.

Sincerely,

Frank Suszka
netTek Computers
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