It sounds like you are having fun!!!!

I still think you should hire some <Hooters waitresses> though.

They charge about 2.5 times more per month, and they don't even offer the March Madness Package!!

Cost: $177.

We can live with it until some overpaid lawyer-type decides to donate a new computer to the club.

I should point out that we need so little computing power we could probably operate on a Commodore 64. Essentially the only program we run is something called "WinTD," which handles tournament pairings and helps us upload crosstables to USCF for ratings.

But I do wonder, why 2 hours and still shutting off, if the power supply and the fan within is replaced, it should 'cool' the system, and the CPU should have nothing blocking the flow of the air...

Puzzle wrapped in a question, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a Russian doll.

Usually, there is also a fan over the CPU, (on older machines, where the cpu is horizontal to the motherboard), or, on some of the newer machines, they chip is situated in a slot, vertical to the motherboard, and the fan is situated 'adjacent' to the CPU chip.

Is that fan working?? If not, it could be the cause of over-heating, and the cause of PC shutting itself off.

You can also find a Commodore 64, or Apple IIe at Smithsonian, but I think they are not willing to sell it to you.

The $400 dollar laptop/desktop is a good solution, especially if you wish to take the 'cheap' route, and only replace the actual computer, but leave the monitor, printer, mouse, etc. as is.

But please be warned, do <NOT> get a Windows Vista. My sister gave me one of her old printer, and the install CD is for 98/2000/ME/XP of windows, so I went on-line to Lexmark, and try to download a driver for Vista, and lo-behold. It doesn't even exist!!!

So, I'm stuck with an useless printer (Hello Kinkos, I put my employee's work schedule on a jump drive, and go use their printer...), or until Lexmark comes out with a Vista driver. Go fig!!

So, Yoda says: "Power up the computer as needed, once the tournament starts, save the current configuration/pairing, shut it down until you need to power up again". Repeat until tournament is over.

Or, if you get a new one, make sure it's the same OS, (Even if you have to go to a used PC store/garage sale/Goodwill/pawn shop...) such that, the same existing Tournament Directing software, printer driver, etc. <WILL WORK>.

Otherwise, you'll be spending more money on 'newer' softwares that is compatible with Vista, or whatever the next step-up Operating System is. =)

Yep, California is just about as bad, when I stopped to get gas for 'Sally' the pump next to me showed this: "27.0342 Gallons, $97.00"

I wondered if it was a Suburban, Hummer, of one of them big trucks, like a Ford F-150, F-250 or something like a big Toyota Tundra...

Hi <MannBee>!!

Whoo you are zeroing in on 300 pages!!

AROOOOOO