Computer problems

In My Humble Opinion
1

My computer is giving me all sorts of issue these days. My roomate, who is much more techno-savvy than I, has suggested that either my driveers are out of date or my computer is about to annihilate itself.

It’d prefer the former, of course.

But I have no idea how to go about fixing the problem. Especially on a budget of next to nothing.

Symptoms:

It shuts off occasionally on it’s own. When I turn it off and boot back up, it often goes to a black screen with only a blinking cursor. Only several attempts of on and off gets it to the sign on.

It now refuses to play my few burned DVDs ( I only have four, and they are all Doctor Who series 1-3).

Are there alternatives to a compete refurbishment or buying a new computer?

2

The first thing sounds like a heat issue. Open it up and clean out all the dust bunnies.

For the second issue, have you tried playing them in a different computer or dvd player? You may just need to get codecs, although it is strange that it stopped working all of a sudden.

3

It could also be a dodgy PSU (power supply unit).

4

Seconded

5

I don’t own anything else to play them in.

As for the PSU possibility, would that account for my having to try repeatedly to sign in? It doesn’t seem a hardware problem would affect what seems to be a software glitch.

But then if I knew any better, I wouldn’t be asking.