Hello Boathome, and welcome to the forums,

arty:
> Maybe it is getting too hot and not functioning well? There has been a
> funny plasticky smell last few days.this does not sound good, can you post the full specs on your system
especially the Graphics/Video card and Power Supply
You may want to have a look at 'this '
(
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/17...ool.html)which
will do most of the reporting for you
paste the output into {CODE} tags (advanced editor) If you have a
graphics chip built in to your motherboard you may want to remove the
drivers for your card and then remove the card, enable the on-board
card in the bios for diagnostic purposes.
if you are getting an overheat problem then doing this will protect the
card from further damage
post back with this info as it will allow people to better diagnose the
problem
--
barman58
Regards,
*Nigel*
the beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not
understand.,- frank herbert