My computer is finally dieing /sad

[Iokau]

My computer I've had for over five years has begun to die. The specs are:
CPU:AM Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2mhz
GPU:ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 series(onboard gpu)
RAM:2x512 MB Samsung and 1gig Wintec stick(not sure about specific model, but I could find it if needed.
Mobo: Micro-star MS-7184 SB400 chipset
OS:Windows XP media edition
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Yeah, I know. It's a piece of junk. It's a pre-build e-machine as well. However, I need it to last me another month or so, unless I can get a loan from a friend or the parents to cover the rest of the cost.

But anyways, the problem. Basically, I'll turn my computer on, it'll get to the windows XP splash/loading scree. Then after about 20 seconds or so, the bar stops moving and then won't boot. After this failed I tried booting from last known working configuration. That failed the same way. So I tried to boot into safe mode, failed as well. It stopped while loading up the drivers(I think that's what it was doing at least.)

I also tried going into the system restore, it would get past the intro screen. Last hope, I tried skipping the boot software and tried booting directly from the HDD, it worked! So, I came here to ask, why would it do this, and is there anything I could to do lengthen the lifetime of my rig?

~thanks in advance,
Iokau.

[Gravion]

CPU:AM Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2mhz

Well that might be your problem! >.>

...Joking aside, you should probably look into getting a new hard drive. This happened to my laptop, and just buying a new hard drive and reinstalling worked out great. If you have any important files, you can retrieve them with a hard drive case with a usb output.

[Nixia]

So you are in Windows right now? Do a backup on all important files because this might be the last time your PC boots.

[Cilraaz]

It sounds like it's having issues with accessing information from the hard drive. Whether it's a bad block on the drive, a failing drive, or just a corrupted file remains to be seen. Try booting from your Windows installation CD (or a linux Live CD even). This will: 1. tell us your system will boot, and 2. allow you to troubleshoot your Windows installation (chkdsk to verify your hard drive is working and a repair or install over top of the current installation to be able to boot while saving your data).

Also, go into your BIOS and check your CPU temperature. If your CPU is overheating, it might be locking up during boot.

[Iokau]

Update: I forgot to check this post before I shut off my computer >< Luckily, it booted without fail when I turned it back on. I didn't even have to boot it straight from the HDD.

Also, I have no important files on this computer anymore, that's what my External HDD is for =P I don't trust my computer as far as I can throw it...and I won't know how far I can throw it till I get a new computer. Oh, and I know my CPU sucks...thanks for reminding me T_T