Time for a new computer
Yep, it looks like it is time for a new computer. I don't know what is wrong but it seems it may be hardware related. The USB drive was fried a while ago and I've been using a PCI card to replace it for ages. Since now it may be a motherboard problem it may just be worth getting a new computer. I guess I shall go shopping for computers today instead of reinstalling everything on my old one. Oh well. c'est la vie.