Could my CPU be dying?

Guys: My wife is starting to have trouble with email she sends. She gets replies from recipients saying that the email the get from us is being given "sent on" dates from a few years ago. She says we're also not saving what we send out in the "sent Items" folder of Outlook Express (OE 6). She's wondering if this means that the computer is starting to go downhill. We've deleted a bunch of items that were in the sent items folder, but nothing new is being saved when we send email out. I don't know if this is a problem with my ISP or in the machine or something else. I haven't checked with the ISP yet. The machine is a Dell Dimension XPS T500 with 768 MB of RAM, using Win2K Pro, SP4. Thanks in advance for the help–Tom vonHatten

And is the time on the computer correct?

Is the setting to save sent mail checked in OE?

Have you done a complete anti-malware scan? One of the firsts thing I do when troubleshooting a PC is make sure I have a clean platform to work from. That's clean of heat trapping dust and dirt, as well as malware. Here's a link to my canned text on Cleaning Out Malware. Use it if you don't already have a complete security suite and disk cleaning utilities to rid your system of malware and clutter. You can also use it as a guide to build your own security suite, and to help you develop or enhance a "Practicing Safe Computing" self-discipline.

The answer to both questions is yes. The time isn't apparently going on the outgoing mail correctly. I'm going to do a test message to see what time/date stamp is being used right now. I've got McAfee Security Suite on this thing. That doesn't mean it's pristine, but it seems to be working fine otherwise. Thanks–Tom vonHatten

I would create a txt file notepad and check the time stamp with that too.

Does your clock (in system tray) display the wrong time and/or revert to a wrong time even after you correct it. If so, you could be dealing with a weak or dead CMOS battery. CMOS battery provides power to the BIOS to "hold" settings, including time and date. This is battery is a coin cell type flat battery about the size of a US nickel. Here's the Dell Website instructions for replacing the battery. They cost about $2.50 each, but often come in a two-pack for $5.00 at any office supply store. Please be sure to read and comply with the Dell Overview and Precautionary Measures. Best Regards

Yeah, my first thought too, though he said the time is correct. It will be interesting to see how his test message and malware scans come out.

Right you are Digerati. I originally "misread" his reply, then when I caught my error, decided to post the recommendation anyway.

Well, it shows we are both thinking alike - let's hope we're not both wrong.