Thanks Chris. There is a good computer shop near me who I am sure will advise correctly. Regards Peter > If not the battery - then it could be a failing CPU or related chipset and > that is NOT what you want to find. There are some simple diagnostics that > interrogate the chipset. However, if the PC is not yours, then you wouldn't > want to become involved with those. It would be a job for a trusted repair > shop - trusted not just to say "buy a new one" without first bothering to > find out what is wrong. Chris >