Virus or bad hardware?

This computer is the main one from my daughter's school, this just started about a week ago. They go online with it a few short times a day with AOL dial up.
(WindowsXP pro - sp1)
Every other day or so it's been just turning off, (Randomly) when it does this you can't just turn it back on, must unplug the power cord for a few seconds first.
It has temp monitor in the BIOS, MB stays about 97 degrees and CPU at around 107 degrees, not getting too hot.
I was planning to replace the MB, but thought I'd try a virus scan first, got the latest files (pc-cillin 2002 with firewall) every time I run the virus scan for C drive it shuts off, did it 3 times in a row, about half way through the scan it shuts off.
This really makes me think it's a virus, but I downloaded the trend system cleaner (from pc-cillin) and it found no virus.

What do you think? suggestions?
Thanks

 

Look here (under How to Tell If the Worm Is Affecting Your Computer). I'd suggest running one of the Blaster-specific cleaners - unless that's what the "trend system cleaner" is!!!

 

No, it's not a Blaster-specific cleaner, I will try that.
from what I've seen about Blaster is it gives a warning that it's going to be shut down or restarted, this just shuts down with no warning, the monitor goes black and you hear the fans slowing down, like it was unpluged from the wall.

I'm downloading the windows updates now, I found out I can Not enable the XP firewall, the properties will not open.

 

I got the Norton Blaster worm fix tool, when I ran it, it also shut down the computer.
I tried running it from safe mode and it made it all the way through the scan, then said it found No blaster worm on my computer.

 

Now it will only run in safe mode, as soon as windows starts up normally it shuts down.

I just tried to do a system restore with Drive Image and as soon as it restarted in dos (or dr caladra whatever) it shut down.

is this a virus???

 

With XP, you have to disable the "restore" feature before you do any anti-virus repair. Everytime its reboots, the virus comes back.

 

I just formatted C drive and now trying to boot up with Drive image boot disks to restore my image that is in D drive and it shuts down before it boots all the way up.
how is it that I can start up and go to BIOS or use my 98 boot disk and it stays running, but I can't use drive image with out it shutting down?

 

When I did turn off the restore and ran the Norton tool, I was unable to start back up to winXP normal, ....as soon as it started up it shut down.
It would only start up in safe mode.

 

I remade the Drive Image boot disk and this time it worked, I restored my image from a couple weeks ago, when my resored XP started up it shut down again.
If I had any hair I'd pull it out.

What is it?

 

Incase anyone was wondering, ...it was a bad power supply. Fixed now

 

Hoot,

I was gonna suggest this but you beat me to it Glad your up and running again


FireDancer

 

Now it's doing it again.
I put in another new power supply (400watt) and a battery back up and it still shut down about 6 times today.

I took the MB in to where I bought it and they ran some tests, said it was OK.

What other hardware could it be?

MB is an Albatron via 400-8x
Athalon XP 1700
256 mg PC2100

 

Hi Hoo t

Bad memory stick(s) can cause this type of behavior.

 

OK, Thanks!
I just replaced the MB with another almost the same, so if this dont help I'll replace the memory next.