Unexplained crashes w/ no changes in hardware!

[French Ninja]

Specs:
Nvidia GeForce 6600
1 GB RAM
Pentium 4 CPU 3.20GHz

For about 3 months I have had perfect FPS on highest settings.
Yesterday, I loaded up Quake 4 and about 5 minutes in it freezes. After a few more tries it keeps on freezing. So I decided to CS:S. After deciding which team to play on, it freezes right after I teleport in. Now I am really getting annoyed. Finally a few minutes ago I loaded up BF2. Once I click "Ready", the screen goes black and goes back to desktop! :|

I did a spyware check but still no changes! Someone help me please!

 

[JNightshade]

Shit, I dunno.

Not much help, I'm afraid :\

 

[Laivasse]

Well, I'm no PC genius but it almost certainly sounds like a graphics problem. If not for the fact that you say that it worked fine before, I'd think it was an overheating prob. Have you done any overclocking at all?

Maybe reinstalling your graphics drivers is something worth trying *shrugs*

 

[French Ninja]

Have you done any overclocking at all?

Nope.

I downloaded(or at least I think I did) new drivers for the 6600 but after 5 minutes in Dystopia, it froze again. :x

Edit: I also found it to be a bit jumpy.(People just teleporting infront of me)

 

[Laivasse]

Well that's my limited knowledge exhausted, anyone else...

 

[TheGrimSweeper]

just format your computer and reinstall Windows.

A good format fixes all problems.

 

[Reginald]

How often do you clean the inside of your computer? I'm being serious. My computer was crashing like crazy due to a build up of dust inside it. And cleaning out the dust made it run much smoother. It turned out to be a motherboard problem aswell, but that's irrelevant.

 

[French Ninja]

Funny you should ask that. About a month ago, our furnace "exploded" and put all this black soot in the air and clogged the inside of the computer. It fried the power supply and we needed to get a new one. We made sure to get the compressor and clean it out so I doubt that it has gotten to the point where it affects the performance.

 

[giant384]

did you try older drivers?

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

A good format fixes all problems.

Right................Format won't fix faulty hardware issue, crashing sounds like maybe ram issue or video card overheating.

 

[Shasta]

Funny you should ask that. About a month ago, our furnace "exploded" and put all this black soot in the air and clogged the inside of the computer. It fried the power supply and we needed to get a new one. We made sure to get the compressor and clean it out so I doubt that it has gotten to the point where it affects the performance.

Doesn't this alone make you think there is a possibilty that frying your PSU may have fried anything else? I know you will say "but it went fine for a month after that" but still- stranger things have happened. I know people who have dropped cell-phones in water, dried them, they work for a few weeks, then they just stop. Something may have been damaged, and after weeks of fighting for it's life, finally said "screw you, I've had enough! Tell my wife KN8x27435 I will always remember the good times". Just a thought. I say format etc, and if that doesn't work, you know it's hardware.

 

[French Ninja]

Update:
Apparently, the fan on the graphics card just went dead(cause unknown), it wouldn't spin and that's the reason its been freezing; overheating. It should be a few more days before a new fan gets here. At least I still have my onboard graphics card so I can play old school Marathon. :O