open it up and look at the fan on the CPU to verify it is spinning. if you are booted now, it is spinning. i think i set mine for auto shutdown at 55C. maybe 60C.

also, check the connections on the CPU fan lead. and spin it by hand to make sure it isn't binding, not even a LITTLE BIT.

how does your firefox look now?

looks fine now

I guarantee it is now and always has been spinning. The fan is so damn loud I have trouble hearing on speakerphone...

Karma for your recent post flood?

if it is that loud, i'd be willing to bet it is having problems.

How dusty is the inside of the box? Might want to consider taking some pressurized air to the inside to get the dust off of everything.

Dust is a major problem, as it can cause things to get really, really hot, regardless of air flow through the box.

and don't use a vacuum. my experience with using a vacuum cleaner on a PC was VERY bad.

it has been that loud since new

it is only 4 months old - if it builds up dust related problems this fast, I need to throw it away

the Dell XP system lasted 3 years in a dustier environment - no problems

I also checked into a MAc Mini - not enuff HDD space on it, so I'd have to pay $1,500 for an iMac, which the Apple sales guy said would be comparable in power to a Dell 8300 XPS system.

Could be a bad stick of memory.

It may take a while, but try this route -> Memtest86.com - Memory Diagnostic

~shrug~ possibly the fan has been bad since new....

fan works fine tho noisy - it might be undersized