There are a few things you can try, to isolate the problem.
When the computer goes to the blue screen, write down the
error numbers and the name of any software module involved
with the error. You can either search for the error number,
driver name, or error message, on groups.google.ca or at the
Microsoft Knowledgebase. That may identify a particular piece
of hardware (if it is always the video card driver), or will
indicate memory, if the error message is always in different
pieces of software.
The first test to run on a new computer, is a memory test.
The memtest86+ program is free, and is available at memtest.org .
Execute the program while in Windows, and the program will
format a blank floppy for you, with the test code on it. When
you boot a computer from that floppy, memtest runs standalone.
Run it for two or three passes - to be acceptable, the memory
must be error free. If errors are being printed on the screen,
you either need to slack off the memory timing numbers, reduce
memory clock speed, increase Vdimm voltage from 2.5V to 2.7V
(if that adjustment is available).
Passing this test, means there are no obvious faults with the
memory. Memtest also tests the processor and power supply, to
some extent, so it can also indicate that other parts of the
system are reasonably healthy.
The second free test to run, is Prime95 from mersenne.org .
That program has an option called the "torture test". The
"torture test" runs a known calculation at 100% processor load,
and is a good test for the processor, memory, and the
Northbridge. It is still possible for memory related problems
to show up at this stage, so if you see error messages in
four hours of testing, then the processor, memory, Northbridge
or even the power supply could be at fault. When properly
adjusted, the program should not show any error messages.
When running Prime95, you can make good use of Asus Probe
at the same time. Just before starting the "torture test",
fire up Asus Probe and check the voltages on the power
supply. Start the "torture test", and note whether any
of the voltages is dropping more than 5% below nominal.
For example, the +12V should not drop below 11.4, the +5V
should not drop below 4.75V, and so on. It could be that
the power supply from the old system is not strong enough
to run the new computer (I like to see a 25 amps rating
for +5V on the power supply label, for computers that use
+5V to power the processor - seeing which rail of the
power supply droops in Asus Probe, will give you a good
idea of where the processor power comes from).
For telling you stuff about video, I like Powerstrip from
entechtaiwan.com . When you install this program, and use
the Options menu item from the task bar popup, it will tell
you whether AGP texture transfer is enabled, fast writes
are turned on and so on.
For video testing, I like to use 3DMark2001SE. It has a
demo mode, that runs the same 3D demo code in a loop. You
can leave it running over night, as a test of the video
card and the AGP slot. If the test freezes rather quickly,
if could be that you need to drop the AGP transfer rate
("AGP Capability Setting") or turn off AGP Fast Write.
The only disadvantage of test codes like this, is the
rather large download size. For that reason, if any of your
son's games have a 3D demo mode loop you can run, you can
use that for testing instead.
http://www.futuremark.com/download/?3dmark2001.shtml
Turning down video acceleration is admitting defeat,
and simply hides whatever problems are there (many modern
games won't work properly unless the video card is working
100%). You want to fix these problems, either by returning
merchandise while in the first 7 to 30 days, or using a
warranty if past that period. Some of my adjustment
suggestions above, are to help identify which component
is defective - the extent to which the adjustment reduces
the computer's performance, will help you decide whether
you can live with the adjustment, or really need to return
some hardware. Turning off some hardware features can make
the computer pretty useless.
If you get some more symptoms from using these
tests, post back with your results.
