Computer Technical Assistance Request ^(n-1)

[SkyeFire]

Here's the kicker:  I've booted this thing with a Linux boot CD and run it for hours with no trouble.  And when running Linux, I can access the original XP boot drive and pull files from it.  All the hardware checks out as far as I can tell.  So WTF won't even the XP boot CD start up?  
The only thing I can think of is that I'm using 32bit XP on 64bit hardware.  But I've never had trouble doing that before.  So why now?  I could just bite the bullet and buy a copy of Win7 64bit, but if my hardware has somehow developed some sort of Windows allergy.....

I'll tell you what your problem is right now.  It is very much likely that there are no WinXP drivers for your mobo and/or CPU.  Windows and other hardware manufacturers are slowly phasing out XP support because they're moving on to bigger things.  In fact, I've recently downloaded the installer for Microsoft's preview of Windows 8.  No, I am not kidding.  For the most part it's Windows 7 only redesigned to work most effectively with tablet PCs, but it'll also work on laptops and desktops fairly well.

Yeah, I suspect you're right.  I bit the bullet and ordered a Win7 Pro install ($250, arrgh!).  I just have to make a just-in-case copy of the contents of the XP drive before I nuke&pave it. Aaaand, it turns out I spoke too soon about using Linux on this box.  If I boot into Linux, the machine starts slowly but surely heating up, until the system craps out at a CPU temp of roughly 130C.  It looks like the Great Big Multi-speed fans I paid for the original system to have aren't doing their jobs (which might actually have contributed to the death of the old mobo).  So, assuming I get out of work before 10PM tonight, it looks like another trip to Micro Center to pick up new replacement fans.  The new mobo actually has sockets for controlling *four* additional fans, not including the dedicated CPU fan.  Mobo-controlled fans are actually new territory for me -- it'll be interesting to see what happens.