HELP! Nothing works! No O/S!

[Bandman1955]

Please Help! My computer has gone crazy and it is driving me mad! It began with the computer randomly rebooting and stange clicking noises. I thought it was the power supply (It was a VT-300TATX). I replaced it with a suggested VT-400ATX). Everything seemed to be fine for several weeks. My daughter installed THE SIMS game on it and suddenly it started freezing up when it got to a certain point in the game, and then it started rebooting. I thought it was a problem with the OS so I wiped c:\ and reformated it and tried to reinstalled Windows 2000 Professional, which is what I was running on it. Now nothing works right. Sometimes when I turn the computer on, the fan runs bu the computer doesn't boot. After flipping the off/on switch a couple of times it will boot. I can usually get it to the C: prompt, but sometimes when I try to run commands it freezes up. When ever I try to install Windows I get errors. WIndows 2000 Professional: OE, 06 and OD errors. WIndows 98: file XXX.XX corrupted, error 14, etc., always with a different file or else the system freezes up during installation of files. Same with 2000: freezes during file installation. Windows 95 (I even tried that) won't even start up. Sometimes, the system won't recognize the CD ROM drive. I am at wits end. Most of the diagnostics I have will only run under windows, and I can't even install it. Most of Microsofts DB articles don't apply or you need windows installed to complete their suggested fixes. I ran MEMTEST86 and the memory is ok. I even swapped out the memory card so that's not the problem. I tried reinstalling the MBR but nothing there. And all the registry diagnostics I have need windows to run. I am at wits end! Help! Anyone have any idea before I commit hari-kari?

PC-AT(X), ISA + PCI + AGP 2x
AMD Duron, 1200MHz, Real Mode, 2/6/41/18
Internal Co, 1200 MHz, 3/3/100/28
AMI, American Megatrend, PnP, 05/16/02
S3 VGA 31 MB Vesa VBE 3.0
96 MB, 640 KB, 65535 KB, XMS (3.0,65471 KB), No EMS
A: FDD C:HDD
Windows 2000 Professional

 

[KreleanX]

At first it sounded to me like it was your power supply but it could also be your hard drive. When your fan starts and the rest of your pc doesnt that usually means its your power supply, but when it doesnt acclowlege your cd rom drive that sometimes means its your hard drive (or atleast thats what it meant for me)

 

[BVR]

That sounds like a MB failure right there. There are diagnostic tools out there that you can plug in your PCI slot to pinpoint the problem.

 

[KreleanX]

but can you run those diagnostics with your pc not functioning?