"Delboy" wrote:


Sorry to be so verbose. Questions; is it likely that 1 & 2 are indicative of
a failing HD?

Yes. Identify the manufacturer of the hard drive, go to their website
and download the free diagnostic utility and run it. Almost all of
the hard drive manufacturers have these available.

Is it likely that 3 is indicative of a CD/DVD ROM drive
failing (and/or HD)?

It might be an indication of a CD/DVD drive problem, or it might be
another manifestation of the hard drive situation


IYOs is it worth replacing HDD, replace CD/DVD ROM,
replace CD-RW with a DVD-RW, replace PSU?

Replacing all of these is probably not going to be worthwhile,
although it depends on how adequate the machine is for your current
and anticipated future needs.

OR Hope it hangs on for another
few months and replace with a new Vista box?

It will almost certainly be more than a few months before you see new
Vista boxes in the stores. Figure on at least 6 months and I would
not bet against it being a year or more.

OR replace right away with a
new XP box?

Given the very low prices of basic XP systems with faster CPUs, the
same amount of RAM, and larger hard drives than what you now have I
would give this option some very serious thought before spending
anything close to half of the price of a new system on fixing up the
old one.

Check out the hard drive first, that is a zero cost item. If it is
on the way out and if you have a genuine need for a DVD writer then
that should tip the scales in favor of a new system with XP.

Good luck
Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."