PC RIP

[caddyman]

My PC has died - actually I think it may be the heat sink - the fan IS working, but the machine only works for about 10 minutes and then dies. The screen goes completely blank as if turned off (ie no blue screen of death or egg timer of eternity), though the power is clearly still coming through. Nothing works and even holding the power button in for 10 seconds doesn't work. I have to pull the cable out.

Any ideas? I don't think, or rather hope that it's not a virus - Norton is there to stop that.

I am pondering buying a new machine anyway, but could do without the expense until January. Any ideas on that, too, would be welcome. I was thinking Dell. Can't afford a Mac...

In the meantime, thank God I have this lappie...

Comments

[romney.livejournal.com]

Does sound like overheating. Had a similar problem which was resolved by removing the heatsink and blowing ALL the fluff out from where it was insulating it from the fan.

Careful when remounting it, it has to go on JUST right.

[agentinfinity.livejournal.com]

My Dell has been good since I bought it (last night's software complications aside).

Although if you want to enter a whole new world of crap delivery companies they're your people. Since mine got to my house it has been fine. But be prepared to have to clean it out of a lot of crap bits of demo software if you get one.

[cybersofa.livejournal.com]

Had my first ever problem with a Dell last week at the office, after buying a dozen or so over the past few years. (Caused by user, obv.)

I was expecting to have to ship it back, but after online chat-based troubleshooting they shipped me a replacement disk which arrived the next day.

The disk was blank and came with CD-ROMs of all the Dell installed software - neatly avoiding the problem of the crap bits of demo software as mentioned by agentinfinity above.