+1. if that doesn't work try unplugging all cables and replugging them in and making sure they are tight. not trying to be sarcastic as I did this and it worked after a power outage turned off my comp and when i turned it back on one of the monitors didn't work.
Thanks for the additional suggestions, guys! Hi mgookin: The netflix movie flickering... well, when I played a movie, I got the audio tracks but the images were mostly blanks (black) some some color blocks here and there. I played different movies on the same box, and got similar problems. I played the same movie on a different computer, and it worked fine. So the problem is not with the Netflix content but with that particular computer, at that particular moment. Yesterday I previewed the situation with opening the side panel. Both chasis fans are working. The CPU heat sink fan is also working. I have been using the Intel-provided heatsink with the CPU chip. There was no thermal glue involved. All fans are dusty, as well as the grills on the chasis. I have bought a more heavy-duty CPU cooler. This will be a weekend maintenance cleanup project, along with installing the new CPYU cooler, and see how that goes. These cleaning works are like restoring a vintage car. You need to have a lot of patience, and be willing to spend a little time, and not afraid to get your hands dirty. I have an old toothbrush. Will dust off most of the dust with it the best I can before blasting things with compressed air. Best to do this cleanup work while watching a mindless comedy movie on Neflix. Yeah, have already moved the Bose USB to another box.
I'd stay away from the toothbrush or any alcohol, ammonia, or oil-based compounds. A couple of lint-free rags and compressed air ought to be enough. Just pop the panels off and remove the cards, and then hit it with the compressed air from all directions. Including the fans, fan covers, and any "filters" between the covers and the fans. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to give your system a thorough cleaning. Using thermal paste between the cpu and your heatsink/fan isn't a bad idea. Just remember, a little goes a long ways. Too much, and it won't spread evenly and/or spread over the edge, giving you the extra job of cleaning it up.
Anyone ever try one of the vacuums made for cleaning pc's? Find one with a long stick and it should do a real nice job quickly.
They are usually not powerful enough. Pretty gimmicky. All you need is compressed air. I've used air compressors without a problem, just be aware of potential moisture (let it evaporate). And I wouldn't install the CPU cooler until you see if the problem is still occurring. You can always return it.
try a cpu cover if you want to prevent dust from getting inside in the first place. http://www.computerdust.com/products/cpu_covers.html#shopshield
Thanks everybody for your input. Sorry I was mistaken. I did use some thermal glue when I first installed the Intel-provided heatsink. In short - my computer is back in business. No more "CPU overheating" error. (But the past few days have been much cooler too.) I got all 3 of my USB-to-VGA displays back. Everything is back to normal before this problem occurred. I am providing some details if you want to read on... = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Normally, cleaning the dust off inside the box may take 10 minutes or so. But in my case it was taking much longer because I decided to install a new, more heavy duty CPU cooler, which requires taking out the mother board... it means taking out all the cards and unplugging all the cables and dismounting the MoBo. Basically it is unassembling everything, and reassembling all the components again as if I am building the box for the first time. So it took me a while. CPU cooler may not be needed. But I figured - for some $30, I want to put it in to reduce the chance of getting future CPU overheating again. Just a one-day down time during a trading session is not worth risking. You guys' suggestion of compressed air is great. It worked very well. The dust is off the box and on to my lawn. After reassembled everything back together, BIOS went through a reset (need to reset the clock, bootup sequence, etc..)... not a big deal. Re-installed the driver for the SIIG USB-to-VGA Pro software (DisplayLink). Not a big deal. Brought the USB-to-VGA Pro adapter with monitor back, one by one, and tested. All worked okay now. For some reasons, the CPU Overheating corrupted some driver software or setting or something. Hard to know the exact. But everything is back to normal now. Gallery: I installed a new Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU cooler on top of the chip.
Reassembled everything together, attached all cables, tied things up, unit-tested all the fans. Back "almost" like new. Compared to my original build... wow... 3 years it has been. Time flies! http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?threadid=195662&perpage=40&pagenumber=1
It appears that ET did not keep my picture attachments. Let me repost the picture gallery: Gallery: I installed a new Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU cooler on top of the chip.