In article <620f3c2d.0308101059.525cb9a5@posting.google.com>,
Kirsten <kirsten@setihome.dk> wrote:

I hope hardware troubles aren't completely off the mark in this NG.

My IT pusher has had the machine for overhaul three times concerning
the subject. The first time he put a new video card in. It helped just
for a short while - it was a periodical failure in the beginning, now
it's there all the time: if I start SETI@home as commandline in a
"dos" window, via SETISpy, or as a screen saver it's the same result:
a crash after 10-60 seconds. I've tested different commandline
versions I had on store.

  [ ... ]

That's a classic symptom of the CPU getting hot; go get Motherboard
Monitor 5 or a similar product, install it, see what your CPU temp
is before starting SETI, then watch it when you start SETi. I'll bet
it climbs rapidly beyond 70C, then the system shuts down.

The cure is a larger heatsink/fan assembly installed with a good
thermal compount--I prefer Artic Silver or Artic Alumina--and better
case ventilation. Get more fans blowing into the case than blowing out.


Gary

-- 
Gary Heston  gheston@hiwaay.net 
PHB: "That's the sort of leadership that will turn this company around."
Wally: "Were we doing well?"
          Dilbert, 5/23/3