Oren wrote:

Heat from the CPU can certainly be a problem. Remove the mounted
processor fan and add "thermal compound". between the two. The
compound displaces the heat evenly.

Depending on the vintage there may also be an active cooler (fan) on the
north bridge. Even if it's a passive (heat sink) make sure it isn't packed
with crap.


Some folks may not know that in
the day Win98 issued a thermal meltdown (red alert) and shut the
computer off so the processor was not melted - trashed.

There was one gneration, 2000 maybe, that played "Für Elise" on the speaker
just before it succumbed to heat stroke.