[Techtalk] Frozen computer

[percila orphan]

Power supplies were a common cause of
hard to diagnose computer problems. A
not-quite-dead-but-fading power supply
can cause all kinds of weird, hard to pin-down,
problems. Of course, a fading power supply
is much better than one  that suddenly frys and
takes the mother board with it. There is a
fuze that is suppose to protect the mother board
from a fried power supply, but sometimes they are
not fast enough.
If you make sure your hands are free of static, you
shouldn't be too worried about messing around
inside your machine.  I'd check all the ribbon cable
connections, especially the one for the hard drive,
and make sure they are firmly connected.  Do
any of them looked nicked? A small break can cut
off one of the data/communicaton lines. You probably
can buy a replacement and install it yourself.
  And off-course there is always that favourite: a
failing CPU fan that allows the CPU to overheat,
but most systems today have an alarm for failing
CPU fans. I hope yours does. There should also be
a temperate reading given inside your BIOS that
will compare your machine's temperature to what
it should be. 
  I really hope you can figure this problem out on your
own.  Getting any non-warrenty computer repairs done
is expensive and you never know who to trust. They're
like car mechanics. Condecending and shifty.