[SavedByGrace]

My friend lives in Upper Michigan where the temperature is often below freezing. He went away for over a month this winter and left his PC at home with no heat on (no plumbing so no problem) in the cabin. Arriving home, his computer seems to have problems. Sometimes he can get online, sometimes not. It comes and goes. I've read numerous posts about PC's being sensitive to over-heating. Anyone know what extreme cold might do to a PC? Thanks for any help! My friend is an author and really needs his computer to work.

[mjd420nova]

My experience with frozen PC's has been the most difficult errors to find and cure. This sounds like a true cold solder joint and can be the most difficult to locate. The cure would be to use a low wattage soldering iron, a good ground strap and a lighted magnifier. Reheating every solder joint can be tedious and frustrating if you have to do it in more than one setting(it's easy to lose track of where you left off). If you're careful and diligent, it will pay off. Quick cure is to replace the motherboard.

[SavedByGrace]

Thanks for the diagnosis. I was on the phone with my author friend when I read your reply. I think he's going to go with either a new motherboard or, more likely, a new PC. He knows little about computer technology so working inside his computer is a bit beyond him and knowing what motherboard he would need and a fair price for one (I saw quite a few listed in a Google search at many different prices..many removed from old PCs) would be another daunting task. Thanks again.