Did I tell you I got a new desk? Its a solid oak roll-top computer desk and it looks pretty good. On the left side of where your knees go is a cabinet that holds the main chassis/cpu/case. The solid oak door really looks like three drawers. Its attractive, I swear.

But I’ve been a little concerned about a lack of air in there. Yes, there’s a small hole for cables to leave the cabinet and a small vent but they both looked insufficient to dissipate all the heat that my beast generates. I had decided to drill some holes in the back of the desk for additional air-flow. In the meantime I just made it a habit to leave the cabinet door open while the computer is in use.

Last night I was running a full system-wide virus-scan and a defrag. I left the computer for a couple of hours while I went upstairs to watch TV.

When I returned I saw that the cabinet door had fallen closed.

And the computer was dark and quiet.

DISASTER!

I opened the door and I could feel the heat billow out of the cabinet. I knew instantly, of course, that this was what we in the business call “very very bad”. I pressed the power button and nothing happened.

Nothing.

At all.

This was very very bad indeed.

I pulled it out and let it cool down for ten minutes and tried to power it up.

Nothing. The computer’s LED’s just looked at me as if to say “He’s Dead Jim”

In the morning I tried again. Still nothing.

Since the LED’s are still on I suspect the power supply is still good. However, I have grave concerns about the CPU and motherboard. The hard disk is probably fine. I dropped it off at my favorite local shop to have them look at it and see what they can find.

If the repair is inexpensive it will be a no-brainer - I’ll just have it fixed. But if it gets pricey (>$200) I will have to start considering other … ahem … options.

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