Another possibility is that the CPU heat spreader has come loose. Not very likely, but CPU overheating is the quickest way to initiate a shutdown on many computers, after throttling the CPU down, which could explain the poor performance.
BTW, I once had to completely disassemble an older HP laptop to replace a failed CD-ROM drive. It took about 3 hours, but I was able to reassemble it and it worked until I replaced it. It took some googling, but I was able to find a service manual for the model, (but NOT on the HP site, go figure) which had helpful information and diagrams. > -----Original Message----- > Sounds like a thermal issue to me. > > I wish I had seen this message back then. I would have suggested that > then and waved you off the reformat of the hard drive. > > On a laptop - I used to use a 4300 back when I was at Netscape - look > at > the vents on the sides and back (and bottom?) of the case and make sure > there's no lint or fuzzies blocking them. That's probably not it but > I'd place money on the CPU overheating because the cooling fan decided > to give up or it's gotten bogged down with dust. > > Although I've never followed this page - > http://www.daileyint.com/hmdpc/repair.htm - it looks like a pretty good > guide for diving into your laptop - if you're willing to work on it > yourself. > > Or check HP's support pages and see if it's a known problem. ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
