right, my problem is that i'd be using my computer and all of a sudden the monitor powers down and the light goes from green to orange. the power supply is still running but windows has shut down and any other program that was running. i know this because if i'm ever playing music or watchin a video it just stops playing. i have also noticed that when this happens i can hear the buzz from the computer just dull down a slight bit as if somethin had stopped running inside. also the hard drive lights and the cd-rom drives do not work either, although clearly the power supply is still running. can anyone identify if this is a problem with the power supply or the mother board??? thanks

Do u mean that power suply fan is still running while for example cd-rom tray does not open? could u try/verify this pls.

few questions / possible solutions

1. Is this just happing when you are doing something strenuous, b/c the mobo/hd may not be getting enough juice to do high end stuff.
if so: Try disconnecting accessories, a.k.a. case fan, second cd rom drive, etc.., and see if it works then.

2. Is it completely random and running hotter than usual?
If so: Try opening up the computer and seeing if there is a lot of dust/ something blocking air flow, overheating can do weird things to a computer.

3. Make sure all cables are snug.

4. Try disabling stand-by mode, some keyboards have a button that will set it to stand-by which it sounds like may be doing. to do this go to control panel > Power options > system stand-by (on the bottom) change to Never.
If this is the case, the computer should start up again by hitting the power button and do exactly what is was doing be fore it went into stand-by.

5. Make sure you have continuous A/C current (yes that is an oxymoron), if there is any change with the power, the computer may act up.

6. If possible try a different p/s, if it is not giving enough juice, everything will be underpowered.