Hello all! Computer Specs at the bottom of post!
I recently started up a server computer that I ran a few years back, and realized that I would have to upgrade past W2K to get the hosting programs again.
I borrowed a Vista Upgrade disk from my brother, as I heard you can do a clean install with one. Tried over and over, but didn't work. Closest I got was to the installing bar on Vista, but my computer would die* at this point.
I then found a copy of Vista that I tried to install. I wiped my drive of everything after making a backup, and tried to install it. Same thing as the other disk. I got to the install bar and the computer died.
I thought that maybe it was Vista, but before I bought Windows 7, I asked around to see if there may be other explanations. I was told that it may be that my BIOS and drivers are outdated, so I dusted inside the computer, reinstalled 2k (Worked fine), and updated everything.
Tried to install Vista, same problem. At this point I thought it may just be Vista, so I bought Windows 7, but it's the exact same thing. I try to install, it gets to the "Installing" bar, and then the comp dies.
I had a recent idea, and that's one of the reasons I'm posting; to see if it's a possibility. I've been playing Dawn of War and Fable (as my other games require XP and up), but recently the game will lag for a few seconds, then when it gets the focus back, the graphics are all wonky (IE: In Dawn of War, the terrain is made up of my troop's facial pictures, and in Fable the models are all highlighted with a gray blob and the coloring is random).
*When I say die, I mean it as the computer just shuts down. There's no BSoD, and usually I have to unplug the power for ~10 seconds or it won't restart when I switch the comp's power on/off.
My Question:
I tested to see if the problem would fix itself when playing, but the games just end up freezing. My theory is: Is it my graphics card? It would explain the games, and might it not explain the OSes? If they're too for my card, would my computer be unable to handle it and just shut down?
Specs:
OS: Windows 2000 (Real copy)
Service Pack: Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
Computer Make/Model: Custom-built: Mainboard: MSI K8N Master2-Far Chipset: nVidia nForce Pro 2200
Proc: AMD Opteron (DP) 246 @ 2000 MHz (x2)
RAM: ~1g (1,048,044kb)
Anti-Vir/Anti-SW: I use tools included with Hiren's Boot-CD (Mainly Malwarebytes)
Thank you to everyone willing to take a crack at it! If you need any more information, just let me know!
