Thanks for the reply and excellent info, Petera...
I do not have a laptop. I have a Dell Dimension 440 (yeah, the dinosaur...).
I will try to clean the box of dust first, then see what happens.
I never did find how to access processor temp., fan speed. I tried to download sandra, but somehow this just didn't download properly, as it wouldn't respond.
To access BIOS in XP home, don't you simply press F2 after restart? Is there an F button for accessing BIOS?
Thanks for your help...I feel better with helpful folks like yourself out there...