Well, back on the issue at hand, it seems like a new problem has cropped up while I've been testing my computer. When the test OS (KNOPPIX) is booting up in it's usual text mode, the screen will suddenly seize, and random cells will take on different characters or colors, some will even start flashing. Then just now, it halted at my BIOS logo screen, with varios artifacts all over the place. I recently removed my dedicated graphics card in favor of the onboard graphics, in hopes that I could reduce any kind of strain on the power supply so I could atleast boot the system into a usable state.
I've been using a multimeter on each charged pin on the ATX 24-pin connector on my motherboard, and all of the voltages seem to be showing up within their own safe ranges, even while the computer is in its "seized" state.
Have I somehow made the situation worse, simply by running the computer? I didn't dare turn it back on after the heart attack at the BIOS logo, I had had enough for the night. Should I/can I continue testing? Or should I change the testing environment in some way? Would it be safe to test my components with a different, but functioning power supply?
I sent an email to the company of this supposedly malfunctioning power supply, in the hopes that I can milk every last drop out of my purchase in the form of a replacement.