Power supply overworked

Hi,
Computer is a Compaq SR1030NX with 1 gig ram. Everything works fine except burning DVDs. The computer freezes after about two and a half minutes into a burn. I did add an older GeForce graphics card a while back and am wondering if there is a little too much draw on the psu(250 watt) and this is causing the system to freeze.
Thanks for any help!

 

Well, a 250W is wimpy power but 6 or 7 years ago it was a standard for off-the-shelf PC's. The 2.5 min. you state, is that consistently on a cold or warm PC? At what point does it freeze and is it always at the same spot? Any error messages associated? Can you swap a known good writer with yours?

Anyways, an old PSU like that is always suspect as they lose power over time.

 

Pc is warm. Freezes at the same spot consistantly. No error messages. I found some threads on google that relate precisely to this problem. I am going to experiment this evening.