Ailing computer -- any suggestions?

Being a Unix sysadmin unfortunately hasn't given me "mad skillz" in troubleshooting Wintel PC issues, especially those which I suspect have a hardware component. But I have my suspicions, and perhaps someone who's done more of this than I have might want to chime in.

( Symptoms of my ailing PC )

Any advice will be appreciated.

Headlines

Army Chief Ends 'Geek' Bar On Site For Troops

A couple of points...

At first glance I thought "OK, they started a tavern catering to geeks on a military base and the head of the army wanted it closed." Nope, it was "The head of the army told the geeks not to restrict access to a Web site for troops."

This all occurred in Australia. Somehow I think the current US government would be less inclined to reverse a decision like that, First Amendment be damned. Still, I like the way the general in the story handled the situation.