I need help!! Is it my processor or what?

I've been working on this computer for about 2 weeks now. I'm not a computer wiz but I do know how to put computers together. The computer is an old Dell Optiplex GX110 SSF. I know it's old but hey it was free. The problem I'm having is the computer keeps on freezing up. It won't load in windows. I thought maybe the hard drive, I put it in another computer and works fine. Then I thought maybe the motherboard. I bought a working used one and installed it. I was actually able to get windows to boot up and was working fine for a couple of hours. I reformatted the hard drive and reinstalled windows so I could start out fresh. I ended up getting all of that done and reinstalled the drivers needed and desired software. I turned it off and started it up the next day...it froze on startup again. I restarted it and loaded up fine. The next day again I restarted and froze up on startup. I thought maybe a hardware problem. So I disconnected everything except mouse, keyboard, and hard drive. Still froze up. I disconnected the hard drive and the darn thing still freezes up. It will let me go into the bios but as I'm just moving arrows on the keyboard navagating through it freezes. Could it be the processor? Or maybe I got a bad motherboard? I need help and would appreciate any assistance!!

 

Thanks for the recommendation but it didn't do the trick. At first it seemed like it wasn't going to freeze, so I shut it down and booted it back up and it froze the sencond time around. I still have just the processor, keyboard, mouse, motherboard, and ram installed. Nothing else so it's freezing on the bios screen. When the hard drive was installed, it would load into windows but would freeze before it totally loaded. Other times it wouldn't even get to begin loading windows. Any further help would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Does it boot in safe mode?
Keep pushing F8 before the wiondwos loading screen.
Anotehr thing when ti dosent reach the loading screen does it come up with an error?
and have you checked your error log in your bios i know all intel Mainboards have it and dell always uses intel mainboards this way even if the error dosent come up for you it might have come up before you got the computer and it was all stored.

 

No the system does not load in safe mode. Tried it several times!! I checked my Bios screen and there isn't an error log. There is an event log but there is nothing there. Thank you for the help!!

 

I forgot you took your old mainboard out that one might have had it but never mind Format c:\ and dont install windows then Re-Flash the Motherboard and then install XP.
Beofre you do so is motherboard set to Rapid Boot? or normal the difference is if you ahev rapid you wont see any WHite Bios Writting instead you see a Pictuer of the Mainboard manufacturer if there is a pic that means rapid is on turn it off in the bios restart this way you will see it say what parts are Initilized and which dont.
But I doubt its your CPU if it was you wouldnt have it in your bios you do dont you? you must without a cpu your pc wont start at all.

 

Well, as I said in the beginning I'm not a computer wiz so if you could, please explain how to re-flash the motherboard. And could you tell be what re-flashing does? The motherboard is set to normal.
I really appreciate the help!! Thank you!!

 

Is there any errors?
on teh POST test (the white writing as your pc starts) you wont see this if rapid boot is on it gets replaced by the MOBO logo or CPU logo.
reflashing an Intel Mainboard there is 2 ways.
for the first one you need windows you get the auto update util find the bin file and it updates the MOBO's flash and the next time you start it will detect everything like its new it will take about 10min it will sya detexct controler,blah blah like 30of them but you cant do it cause you cant get to the OS.
2nd way;
Get your mainboard details donwload the flash file of Intel (Is your mainboard the one that you bought intel?) if it is find the exact model very important when flashing done muck around download teh .bin file for the model put it on a Floppy Disk Go to the stuffed pc insert the floppy turn on if it dosent boot of it restart it eneter the Bios and where it says Boot Device Priority or near that there is liek 4 numbers next to each is a Device eg
1)Hardrive
2)Removalble (FLoppy)
3)DVD drive
4)Boot Agent
it will be in any order go and change removable to 1st place then exit save the changes with the floppy in there and then it will reboot and boot of your floppy then follow prompt to finsih the process or just take your pc to a technician about $40au here or if he is nice and cant fix it he will do it for free like my guy.
Good Luck! If you need more help just ask!

 

Thanks for the help but it was just the processor!!!

 

It also may be the PSU. If the processor is a decently high one(2.8GHz+) you might not have the power