Nekar Xenos wrote:
> It all started with blackouts. No, it wasn't the power company. The PC would 
> spontaneously reset itself.

Which OS?

By default, Windows XP doesn't display the Blue Screen of Death, it just 
instantly reboots.

> It became more and more frequent. then it 
> wouldn't start up again unless I unplugged the power cable.

I've seen that a few times. It's *usually* a motherboard fault. (Not 
always.)

> Soon the PC 
> started crashing while Windows was loading.. . and after that all I could 
> get was CMOS. and then I couldn't even get the PC switched on.... After 
> removing the CMOS battery for a couple of minutes I could switch on the PC 
> again.

Yeah, sounds like a motherboard fault of some kind. Diagnosing exactly 
what is going to be lots of fun...

> With Windows badly damaged I had to reformat the HDD and reinstall 
> Windows a couple of times. Every time I install Windows it works fine for a 
> while and then starts crashing untill I can't start the PC up anymore. Last 
> night I tried installing Linux and it crashed with 20minutes of install 
> remaining.

Have you tried running a memory test? There's a small possibility that 
might be the cause - although I doubt it - but if it is, that's easier 
to fix than replacing the whole motherboard.

> I can't afford a new PC at the moment at all, so is there anything I can do?

Replace the motherboard with something that's compatible with your 
existing stuff - if you can find such a board...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
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