My PC is Dying.. what next?

[hinch]

Whiirrrr click click... dead. RAM, HD and Processor apparently suffering from elderly conditions.

Well, I have it limping to allow me online so I it looks like I need a new PC sharpish for work and simming.

I'm a student, I have about £400 MAXIMUM and obviously want the best =)

I'm not looking at Windows Vista, I need to use Flash and have no desire to upgrade. I only need this computer for 18 months or so to finish university with.

Just fishing for suggestions on where I can get the best deal on a new PC?

Fortunately I backed up yesterday onto my lovely Lego Lacie

[ianhind]

Hinch

If everything is dying at the same time, I would suspect the PSU.

As I recall you have a 3.4 P4 - why should that be elderly when my 2.8 P4 is still going strong? And RAM doesn't get old!

HDD do die but you should still get the boot screen.

Ian

[hinch]

I'm not particularly knowledgable about hardware, but I ran PCPitStop which tells me the only thing working well is my graphics card.

The problem arose when my PC turned itself off. I suspected the overheating problem had returned but no, I cranked up FS and it would not go anywhere near hot enough for shut off. Either way it switched off again when just using media player. Next I suspected a virus so I ran NOD32 and nothing came up. The next time the PC shut down I left it but when restarting it made some awful noises - I guess eminating from the HD.

That's when I ran PC pitstop and gave me bad warnings about the health of my PC parts.