Thanks for the checklist, Rose! It didn't find the problem but at least it's a start!
Frustrated with working inside this tiny hp box and outdated technology, I decided to go for an alternative solution:
Box: Antec P182 Case with Gun Metal Black Finish
- External Fan Controller
- 3 120 mm TriCool Fans
Here's a nifty review on Overclockers Online with step by step photos.
Mother Board: ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe WiFi-AP Edition
Video Card: ATI VisionTek Radeon 3850 512 GDDR3 PCIE
Brain: AMD Phenom X4 9500
- Quad Core 2.2 GHz
- 4MB L3 Cache
- Hypertransport 3.0 (Whatever that is.)
RAM: 2 GB Kingston Dual Hyper X PC2-8500 1066 MHz
Hard Drive: Seagate SATA/300 750 Gigabytes with 16 MB Cache
CD: Pioneer DVR-2810
Power Supply: Coolmaster Extreme Power 550 W
System: Windows Vista Home Edition
Now I just have to put it all together!
Erm... and then reinstall all my software, and then see if I can scavenge some parts from the ol' hp box.