To Michele Sayer, message posted on Apr 1-2, 2003   (M_SAYER_@NTLWORLD>COM)

        In my opinion, the short diagnosis would be a fried processor. Did
your friend double-check voltage reqirements/settings before installing?
Thermal paste is part of a good installation, and its possible that the
cooling characteristics were just degraded enough to cause an eventual
meltdown over time. The paste eliminates tiny air spaces in between the chip
and heatsink allowing for more efficient heat transfer, as air acts like
insulation. I believe (and I may be wrong) that Pentium chips react less
favorably to overheating than AMD chips, although you didn't specify which
kind is being used. I think when the computer starts up, initially it loads
BIOS info from the CMOS directly into memory. That is independent from the
processor (Am I on the right track everybody?) then the computer starts to
recognize all it's parts and pieces which would be processor dependent. If
I'm on the right track, sorry. If I'm on the wrong track, sorry.  :^)
Chris Ryan
[log in to unmask]

              The NOSPIN Group is now offering Free PC Tech
                     support at our newest website:
                          http://freepctech.com