Windows XP on dual core - Powers off! :(

I have a system with two operating systems installed. Windows XP SP2 and Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope.

My Laptop has a dual core capability of 2.16GHz each. Let me get straight to the point.

My Windows, which I am almost forced to use at work, because all the tools I need to use are tested well there (irony) and some of them don't exist in Ubuntu, POWERS OFF by itself randomly. By powering off, it's like pulling the power chord from your old PCs. It's running now, and ta da, heck you imagined that.

Just imagine you working on a code with a knowledge it's gonna turn off any instant. Saving your files for every damn line of code or comment. Sure pissed me off!

Searched the net and found numerous numerous queries on the same topic.

a) Many lesser techies with an almost religious belief in MS pooh pooh it as a power problem.
b) Found one hit about worms that do this, but I have an official version of Symantec with regular updates that is good enough to find any virus this powerful. Rule that out.
c) Found this issue on a Windows help central site which claims this is an issue due to a leaky capacitor in your motherboard. They ask you to replace that so that this would work. You'd say you can't argue with that.

Yes you can.
What I have that those question-posters didn't have, is Ubuntu. :)

Ubuntu ran flawlessly under this situation.
That told me options (a) and (c) can go spank themselves.

While the issue seemed to happen very rarely before, it powered off on loading windows today. Again, again and again.
Ubuntu, on the other hand, ran like Forrest Gump. Nothing could stop it.

...and hey, did I tell you? I seem to have found a workaround. I tried various options to see if it had any effect. (I have to use Windows to get to a few things I need to work :( ) Among those attempts, I switched dual core to single core in BIOS.

I was able to log in to Windows. It seems to be running fine for over an hour now. What's funny is that "My Computer" still believes two cores are running at full speed.

If you have any ideas on this issue, let me know. Thanks. I would sure want to use both the cores because I have them! Why should I not use one for the sake of an OS? :( I have a feeling this will happen once your laptop is two years old or something. It was a rare thing and started showing up more frequently, one step at a time. One more GUESS is that this is not related to dual core at all. After all, it is not like it's been showing up since day 1. Setting to single core might have changed some other config by default, or something like that. I don't know.

Again, please let me know if have faced this issue and found the issue / solution for good. Badly need it, man. You never know when the single core system will go down too! F1!

PS: By the way, there's no free game in Windows that'd get anywhere near the Battle of Wesnoth! Wicked addictive.