Help offered can only be as good as information provided by the person with a problem. Your HP Pavilion has a model number beside it I believe. Is it a laptop or desktop? Also are you using a CRT or LCD screen if it is a desktop? Do you have the opportunity to use another monitor to help identify it as the cause or eliminate it?

are you using it on your lap on a soft surface that could be closing off the vents on the bottom? Laptops will get very over heated if their vents are not fully open and over heating will cause one to shut off to prevent further damages, the noise could be a fan that is going bad. I think I would have it looked at. You can buy air circulating pads to put a laptop on that have little fans in them which help to keep them cool and the air circulating under them. here are a couple of different type examples Cooler Master Notepal X2 Notebook Cooler R9-NBC-4WAK-GP Cooler Master Notepal U2 Notebook Cooler with Two Fans be sure you read the reviews on the laptop coolers because some are not worth the money. Also some use the power of the pc through the usb port and some plug into a power supply, those have much more power and strength to cool with out tasking the laptop usb power supply. When it does this is it running on battery power on plugged in? could make a difference, many will run hot with battery.

So this is a local build computer from MDG Computers who have a far less than stellar record sadly. Now the small issue of recovery CDs becomes VERY important. This is because with factory built computers the operating system is tied to the motherboard but you can use an XP CD as long as the 25 digit code on the tower is used. MDG does not have that so for any re-installing of XP your friend needs to find those CDs - or he'll have to buy a new copy of XP and that may not be a wise decision. Have your friend check ravencajun's link to see if dirt inside is an issue. Have him/her use my link above to check the hard drive so we can eliminate those 2 items or blame one of them. Also get him/her to remove the left side and tell us the make and wattage of the power supply. Here is a link that might be useful: MDG sucks

Les, thanks for the links. I'm looking at all the options. Summiebee, we don't presently have an alarm system, but we've thought about purchasing one. It would be great if it also doubles as child protection in some way. I know ADT is a reputable company. Daisyadair - thanks for sharing your story about your creative daughter. Aren't they inventive? Hope all is going well for your family. Thanks for the link. I now feel more informed about the various options out there. I'm wondering if my son could figure out how to remove window stops. parsonse, I've looked at the Guardian Angel window guards, and they seem to be an excellent option. I also wondered if my youngest could figure out the unlocking mechanisms though. ideefixe, you're right that it's probably unlikely that our child would exit out of the home through his window in the case of fire. However, we just built our home, and there are codes related to emergency exit situations. I know we could bolt all the windows shut, but I'm hoping there is a better option than that. Yes, any 7-year-old might take out a window screen, but I need to stress that my boys do not display normal fear reactions in dangerous situations. When my oldest was just five years old, he ran up to the top of the balcony at our church, after the service, and to our horror, proceeded to climb over the edge. He was hanging by one arm! This is not "normal" on a daily basis. Even though we've discussed the dangers of opening upstairs windows and told both boys that they are not allowed to open windows in the house, they have both done so anyway. I have no faith whatsoever that my youngest won't try this again in a more daring fashion in the future. Thanks for the window safe link. Jan