This is _not_ really a Linux issue, because we're seeing basically the 
same behavior under both Linux and Windows.

The computer is a built-box, with an Azus P5NSLI motherboard, somewhere 
between one to three years old.  Any time it gets left on too long it 
resets.  Working on it tonight, I noticed that if you're in Linux when 
this happens you get the two blinking keyboard lights which (I think, at 
least) indicates a kernel panic; they stay on for about ten seconds 
before the thing reboots.

It seems to be a heat problem -- the problem takes a long time to happen 
from a cold start, but will happen often when you're using the box hard, 
shut down for a bit and it'll take a bit longer to happen the first 
time, etc.

What I _don't_ know, since I purposely stopped being current with PC 
maintenance about ten years ago, is (a) if there's anything I can do to 
verify this other than by swapping parts (the fans do all run -- I know 
that), (b) if this could be anything other than the motherboard or 
memory (i.e. is there any chance this is the power supply?), and (c) 
what I might do to isolate the problem without having to run out and buy 
a bunch of parts.

Clearly if I want to start swapping parts I can just go by a nifty new 
motherboard, which will force me to buy a nifty new processor and nifty 
new memory -- I want to avoid that if I can, particularly if that'll 
just lead me to finding out that the power supply is intermittent.

-- 
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
Voice: 503-631-7815
Cell:  503-349-8432
http://www.wescottdesign.com


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