IMac 17" 1.25GHz crashes after using for a while

Hello, I have the following problem that started happening last week:
When I turn on my iMac, and use it for about 5-10 minutes, the screen freezes and changes color either to almost totally black or either the contents kinda slide down and all that is left is different colors of lines and patterns that change colors after a while.
When this happens, the computer doesn't respond to anything, and I have to shut it down by pressing the power button for a while. Sometimes when I try to reboot after this, it wont even go to the boot screen or make the startup noise.
Usually before this happens, I can hear this sound that sounds like the harddrive is trying to do something, or maybe the DVD -drive ? Anyway, it's a short sound.
I have tried the following to troubleshoot this, none have helped:
- Ran the extended Apple Hardware Test, everything passed
- Zapped the PRAM and NVRAM
- Checked the S.M.A.R.T. status of harddrive, status passed
- Removed all external hardware
Probably it is a hardware issue, but is there anyway to troubleshoot it, or do I have to take it to Apple repairs ? The machine is about 2.5 years old, and the only thing recently that has changed is that I installed the Airport card about 2 months ago.
iMac G4 17" 1.25GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6) 512MB RAM addon (768MB total) and Airport Card installed

Yeah I might think it's overheating too, but the harddrive always makes this strange noise before the crash happens, so it could be related to the hdd? Or in the worst case, the motherboard.
Any tips on how to check for overheating? I have tried to run temperature monitor software, but the only sensor it detects is the hdd, and it looks fine.
I haven't opened my iMac fully ever, just the user serviceable parts. I installed an Airport card about 1 month before this started happening, could this be related?
Pierre, what did you do when your iMac started overheating? How did you fix it? Mine just full crashes and the screen goes weird. Thanks for your answer.

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Hi jennyoutwest,
Welcome to the Support Communities!
The following articles will provide some troubleshooting steps for your iPhone.
iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Turning off and on (restarting) and resetting
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1430
If that does not resolve the issue, refer to page 146 in the iPhone User Guide to Reset All Settings:
iPhone User Guide for iOS 7
manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1565/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf
The final troubleshooting step would be to restore your device:
iTunes: Restoring iOS software
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414
Restoring your device will delete all data and content, including songs, videos, contacts, photos, and calendar information, and will restore all settings to their factory condition. Before restoring:
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Yeah I might think it's overheating too, but the harddrive always makes this strange noise before the crash happens, so it could be related to the hdd? Or in the worst case, the motherboard.
Any tips on how to check for overheating? I have tried to run temperature monitor software, but the only sensor it detects is the hdd, and it looks fine.
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Pierre, what did you do when your iMac started overheating? How did you fix it? Mine just full crashes and the screen goes weird. Thanks for your answer.

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IMac 17" 1.25GHz crashes after using for a while

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