Hey all.. Well, I didn't really know which thread to put this in, because I'm not quite sure what the problem is

For the first time in a couple years, I decided to plug in a box I had.
(2 GB ram, Pentium 4, 60 GB hd) More specs available if need be.

I booted up Ubuntu Linux on it, it goes through all the initial pre-install steps just fine.. I format the hd, let ubuntu take over completely. And about halfway through the install, the whole machine just locks completely. This same box had a history of locking in the past, when I had Windows XP Home on it. But since then, had slack installed on it by itself with no problems. The only thing i really tried on my own was taking the whole cover off, and putting a huge plug in fan (that i use to sleep) next to the machine, assuming it was an over heat problem.. But it was to no avail. The machine still locks up about 93% through the install. Hardware issue ? Has to be.