TenPc :
CPU's are really quite difficult to "brick" unless the thermal paste has dried up, there was none to begin with or too much applied then the cpu fries in its own juices.
The thermal paste was old, but could still be partially wiped off, so I take it was still viable. It was well within the boundaries of the CPU. There appeared to be a barrier outlining the boundaries of the CPU imprinted on the bottom of the heat sink. The old CPU paste had some thin spots in it, but pretty much over most of the area of the CPU, I would guess 85-90%.
TenPc :
Did you blow out the dust inside the heat sink, clean the muck off the fans fins? Did the PSU have dust clogged in it?
The problem might actually be an old PSU that is no longer able to perform its duty and needs to be sent to the PSU retirement home.
I blew off the dust on the heat sink. I cleaned off the muck on the heat sink fan (really bad clogging there) and then the case fan as well. I air dusted the rest of the cabinet. I could not adequately force air into the PSU from inside the case, but I did what I could. I did notice a thick shroud of dust clinging to some cables inside the PSU when I was done. The case had a heat sink inside of it, and wondered how I would clean that off without opening its case, which someone once told me never to do. I did not see any dust on the heat sink in the PSU, however.
TenPc :
Does the PSU actually turn on at all, even for an instant?
The PSU has a light in the back of it near the plug. It used to stay on when the plug was in whether the machine was on or off. I assume as long at the plug had power, the light was enabled. Now when I plug in a power cord, the light enables only for a second or two, then goes out.
After that one start up, I noticed the power switch in the front panel was "stuck" in the on position after the machine had stopped running of its own accord. I could only correct it by taking off the front cover and replacing it. Though the switch works again (goes in, stays in, until you hit it, then comes out again to an off position), nothing happens when the switch is placed into the on position and the cord is in the PSU.