Quote Originally Posted by epilepticme
My first guess would be the power supply.

Next stop Motherboard.
start here. don't waste your time. it's almost certainly not a virus. most virii are written to replicate themselves and spread. they gather information or use your computer to spam or help DoS attacks and what have you, not to damage your computer, not that it's not possible.

WWidow, just because the fans will spin for a sec doesn't necessarily mean that they work. and like you stated it might be the processor cooling fan. but it's unlikely. the thermal paste (or pad) that resides between your cpu and cooler could need replaced. it's not that hard. if it was a cooling problem the computer would more than likely turn on and run for a minute before the system cuts off for safety (yours and your components).

so JRAD, start with the power supply. this could of also killed the motherboard like daihashi said. it could have killed any components attached to your motherboard for that matter.

is your computer custom build or did you buy/order it from an OEM? if it's OEM and still under warranty contact them for repair/replacement. if it's custom or the warranty is up you can troubleshoot this yourself pretty easily if you know what you are doing. if not, take it to somebody, or if it's a really old computer it might be time to think about upgrading. the cost for the parts (old parts can be pricey, they stop manufacturing them so supply and demand) and the repair (if you can't do it yourself) might be close to or more than the cost of a new rig.

you can buy a power supply tester (usually inexpensive and good to have for cases like this) or you can just go buy a power supply from somewhere (make sure you can return it without a restocking fee) and swap it with your current one. if you've upgraded any components, especially cpu/video card/added hard drives/or disc drives you might need to upgrade the output of your power supply.

if that doesn't work then you can get a new motherboard too. most places won't take this back without a restocking fee.

it is possible that it is a stick of ram, i've seen stranger. you can google for memtest86, download and burn it. use it according to the instructions. this will run a battery of tests on you memory and let you know that they are both ok. if you can't figure out how to do that you can pull one stick (assuming you have more) and try your system again, if it doesn't work, swap the sticks and try again.

one of those should fix your problem. if not post back with as much information as possible and i'm sure one of these smart people around here can help you resolve your issue.

hope this helps.

-shake