flickers is too weak a word for the mini meltdowns. have spent two dreadful weeks trying to figure out what is wrong, disconnecting all, getting dedicated grounded outlets, replacing surge controls, cables, purging data, etc. i thought it was the monitor and got a new apple 23" which i can't use because even dvi adaptor cannot ...etc. the flickers seem like an electrical prob because the frightening popping sounds and partial shutdowns. at one pt when i disconnected all but screen and drive, i was okay for a day, but horror came back. monitor does not pop when plugged alone, and neither does tower. but put the two together and soon i will be able to roast marshmallows. i am desperate for all the usual reasons. tomorrow i have to go out and charge another newer hard drive i guess or return the display, but i am afraid to buy a fancy g5 drive and then the price dives due to intel or intel leaves it in the dust. meanwhile, i have to get going tomorrow or jump off the roof. does this sound like death of hard drive? before last mini death, there was no failure of performance or software type issues and disk utility found nada. what should i buy tomorrow? patty