need to keep my computer alive.

[Chaos2003]

Look, first off before I say anything, my family has been going through some tough times lately. so, I don't want to here buy/build a new computer because money is tight and, I know I need a new computer. I just need to know how to keep my computer alive for maybe 3 monthes, just for basic using. It's a dell dimension 4100. And, last month, didn't want to start. It would start the drives but, then just died. It told us the problem was the memory but, that proved false after it not starting. Eventually, I got so fed up with it, I hit the front side with a hammer and, HAPPY NEW YEAR, it started. Unfortunatly, it's very unstable, and I don't shut it down for that reason. I believe that the PSU is fried based on these problems. So, do you think the PSU is the problem, and how else can i keep this computer alive without much money? I matience it VERY often to keep it stable, so give me some advice here.

Thanks in advance.

[logixrat]

Free Upgrade: Don't hit your computer with a hammer!

You noted your drives, do they make a crunching noise at the beginning? If so I would anticipate a hard drive failure soon. Not sure about the PSU, but they are relatively cheap. Perhaps it would be worth picking one up to try?

Was there a specific event that made your computer start doing this? You know, lightning storm, spilled drinks, overheating, etc.

[Chaos2003]

I thought it was dead already when i hit it. Nothing triggered it, it's just old. The only noises it made where POST. And very good ones, which also said to change the memory. (What a help that was...)