Question

Your system crashes at various times: sometimes on startup, sometimes when running a software application, sometime when a certain group of applications is running. you suspect a malfunctioning cpu, but none of the common issues seem to be present. you have not configured overclocking. there is no overheating. the cpu is seated correctly and locked into its socket. what can you do to definitively determine if the cpu is causing the system crashes

Answer 1

Only install applications that you are going to use and uninstall those that you do not use.
Download software only from trusted sites to reduce the risk of downloading malicious software.
Install more memory than you need for normal use. If all other system components are working fine, the problem may be due to lack of memory.