ignorance is bliss...

Well, I had a minor crisis last night... my computer crashed. I kinda' saw it coming, the funny noises at start up the stranger than normal smells coming from behind the computer box. The midsentence freeze my computer did without allowing itself to start back up, irregardless of my best efforts to revitalize it. No, I'm afraid this was somewhat expected. Unexpected however, was my ability to make a reliable guess as to what exactly went wrong. You see, I've been suspecting that my fan on the motherboard would fail pretty soon, and believe it or not I think that's what actually happened.

Due to the faint odor of an iron being used for the first time in months, I deduced that the fan burnt out, and in doing so was allowing the computer to run far too hot. As a result, I had a system malfunction. My question to anyone who:
1. cares
2. knows anything about computers
is simply, assuming it is the fan... do I just go buy a new fan, or is this most likely endemic of something much larger, more sinister... say a shorted motherboard. In which case I guess I have to replace the motherboard. Or do I have to replace both motherboard and fan regardless of damage done to the motherboard, as they work hand in hand. Or am I just crazy and this is something much worse.

As of now, I'm living in the ignorant bliss of feeling secure in a very limited understanding on the inner workings of computers and the conclusions that ignorance has brought me to. At any rate, if someone must burst my bubble go right on ahead.

This computer has sucked from day one!!

shea