Resolution of my OP back at the beginning of September titled, "Any suggestions, please?"

[Mark]

It's spelled "kaput," Basil, not "kapoot."

Jeez.

<RBFG>

Glad your system is back - I hate it when my main machine does
anything bizarro like that.  Since I put Linux on it almost 4 years
ago, it has lost a power supply and a video controller, but I have
also replaced all the disks (PATA -> SATA), the m/b twice (more power,
then on-board SATA-II), CPU (Athlon X2 -> faster X2 -> Athlon II X4)
and memory thrice (1GB -> 2GB -> 4GB) each, and both DVD writers.  She
hums along quite comfortably these days.