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