Win XP Abrupt Shutdown

[Guest]

After a year plus of no problems, my notebook with Win XP Home began
abruptly turning off, not orderly shutting down, when working with large
graphic files. Now a few seconds to a minute after loading 'User Settings',
sometimes showing the error message 'Windows Product Activation', 'A problem
is preventing Windows from accurately checking the license for this computer.
Error code 0x80070013,' it is just turning off. Also happens in 'safe mode'
though a little more slowly. Three consecutive boot ups will give three
different times before and after the desktop appears before turninf off, and
one of those will show the error for maybe a second.

No new programs installed, only Windows Updates, since before problems
started.

How can I keep it on to trouble shoot the problem?
Are the two unrelated but share the same result?
Is this related to WGA installation?
Are there better alternatives to a reinstall from the HP System disk, and is
that likely to solve it?

Any help appreciated.

 

[LVTravel]

First, what surface has the system been used on for most of its life. I
can't seem to keep my wife from laying hers down on the bedspread when she
works before going to sleep. It gets awful hot at times. A system that
abruptly shuts off like you are describing sounds to me like it is a
hardware problem. Probably overheating. Do you hear the system's fan turn
on and run at all before the shutdown? If not, a fan has probably died.
Unless you are really comfortable inside these systems it is time for a
repair shop. Here is a quick check. If you cool the system will it operate
longer before it shuts down? Operate the system until it shuts down. Cool
it by blowing compressed air (from a can) into the computer's vents before
turning back on and also during operation. Does this slow down the failure?
Definitely overheating.