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Last week I bought a used laptop from a friend's garage sale for just 150 bucks.
Everything is working just fine.
I've replace the VISTA OS with a Windows 7, and upgraded the memory from 1 to 2gb.

The problem is the bios, can't access it due to a password prompt.
I tried asking the original owner about it's password but he does't know either.
Apparrently one of his nieces played with it's bios and can't recall it.

I have tried REMOVING the CMOS but it still continues to ask for a password.

Can anybody help?

Specs:
   System Manufacturer:       Hewlett-Packard
   System Model:              HP 530 Notebook PC(GY170AA#ABG)
   System Type:               X86-based PC
   PROCESSOR(s):              1 Processor(s) Installed. Intel Core Duo T2300
                        [01]: x86 Family 6 Model 14 Stepping 12 Genu
   ~1667 Mhz
   BIOS Version:              Hewlett-Packard 68MVU Ver. F.04, 5/23/2007It needs to be taken to an HP Service CENTER to re-set a BIOS password...
Be prepared to show Proof of Ownership as they will ask...

CPU fan turns on but suddenly it turns OFF for a few second.. then it turns ON again , the monitor is "No signal VGA and DVI" then automatically it turns off  system unit does not turn off by clicking power button .. so what i did is to unplug directly... what should i do to resolve these

Hi,

I have a PC with XP. When I connect my flash drive to it, nothing happens. I went to the registry and the value is set to 3. I went to computer management and all I see is the hard drives. There is nothing under removeable storage. I have another PC with 2000. This PC detects my flash drive. Any ideas? Does it mean, all flash drives attached to XP not being detect?Can u tell us u r systems configuration ?

This will help us solve u r problum my frndAll drives attached to XP arent detected.

What you mean by my system configuration? CPU, Memory etc?Try running USBDeview. It lists all USB devices that are currently connected to your computer, as well as all USB devices that have previously been connected.

The output you want to look at will look something like this (only with more information in each string):

Port_#0005.Hub_#0005 Generic USB Device (or the name of the flash drive)

If you see it named then right-click it and choose Uninstall Selected Devices. Then plug the USB back in and see if it starts the install process.
- I'm not sure but you may want to restart the computer after Uninstalling Selected Devices.I hooked up my flash drive to the port BEHIND the PC and Windows detected it. But if I hook it up to the ports in the front, Windows wont detect the flash drive. Any fix for this?Did you follow my instructions?Yes I followed your directions. Just curious as to if other devices work on this front USB port? Such as do you have 2 ports in the front and both dont work or just 1 port doesnt work to where it could be an issue with the port itself. Have you tried other USB thumb drive(s) on this same front panel jack that is having troubles.

I have seen issues before with front USB ports unable to handle larger draws from external 2.5" drives which are both powered and communicating though them and the wiring that is from the motherboard and the front panel jack is insufficient for the load. Thumb/Pen drives draw very little power that this shouldnt be the case here, but could be verified if you had a powered USB hub ( powered off its own power supply vs off of the computers PSU ) to plug in between the front panel and the USB Thumb/Pen drive which then isolates the need for the PC to power the device and then you are only dealing with USB communications vs Communications plus power off the PC's INTERNAL PSU.Thanks to everyone for replying.

I connected a printer to both front ports and I was able to print. I have tried about 5 flash drives to the fron USB ports and Windows didn't detect any of them. Quote

I connected a printer to both front ports and I was able to print. I have tried about 5 flash drives to the fron USB ports and Windows didn't detect any of them.

The USB Pinout:
Pin Name Cable color Description
1 VCC Red +5 VDC
2 D- White Data -
3 D+ Green Data +
4 GND Black Ground

Dear Experts,

I have an Acer Aspire 5755G. It's configuration is as follows:-

Intel CORE i3 2.53 GHz
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
2 GB DDR3 RAM (but I have increased by 7546 MB using Windows ReadyBoost on an NTFS FORMATTED pendrive)
and Windows 7 64-bit

Will I be able to run games like Crysis 3 on medium settings? Quote

Will my laptop be able to run games now and in the future

2 GB DDR3 RAM (but I have increased by 7546 MB using Windows ReadyBoost on an NTFS formatted pendrive)and Windows 7 64-bit

Minimum System Operating Requirements for PC
* Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
* DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video RAM
* Dual core CPU
* 2 GB Memory (3 GB on Vista)

* Example 1 (Nvidia/Intel):
    * Nvidia GTS 450
    * Intel Core2 Duo 2.4 Ghz (E6600)

* Example 2 (AMD):
    * AMD Radeon HD 5770
    * AMD Athlon64 X2 2.7 Ghz (5200+)

Recommended System Operating Requirements for PC
* Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
* DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video RAM
* Quad core GPU
* 4 GB Memory

* Example 1 (Nvidia/Intel):
    * Nvidia GTX 560
    * Intel Core i5-750

* Example 2 (AMD):
    * AMD Radeon HD 5870
    * AMD Phenom II X4 805

Hi-Performance PC Specifications
* Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
* Latest DirectX 11 graphics card
* Latest quad core CPU
* SLI / Crossfire configurations will run even better
* 8 GB Memory

* Example 1 (Nvidia/Intel):
    * Nvidia GTX 680
    * Intel Core i7-2600k

* Example 2 (AMD):
    * AMD Radeon HD 7970
    * AMD Bulldozer FX4150

I just tried to power my terra drive on an it started smokeing thinking its the electronic board.Probably a good guess i'd say...Hello... seems that you have the worst of luck with everything or are inquiring about other peoples problems as your own to help them out. Only time I have seen a hard drive smoke was an external in which the customer plugged their laptops 18VDC power into it and its meant for a 12VDC input.  If your lucky it just fried the 5V & 12V voltage regulators on the small power/com board of the external and didnt go up stream to the hard drive itself as can sometimes happen.

Was this drive powered with the incorrect power supply? Or smoked on its original "correct" power supply?

If your lucky only the small board inside the enclosure that handles power and communications is fried and damage is localized to that. I wouldn't remove the hard drive and connect it to any computer that you wouldnt mind trashing if say the drive was internally shorted allowing for 12VDC to cross over into 5V and 3.3V circuitry and fry your motherboard.

Even better is if you have a "Good" external enclosure with correct power supply, that you can install this drive into to test it, so that if its dead, 99.9% of the time the problem will remain with the drive and maybe only take out an enclosure vs back feading the USB port to your computer.sorry, was upset last night especially, since I couldnt get the drive backed up.  I really couldnt tell you for sure till I get the board off but, I dont have any too swap out.  I used one of those apadters that has a molex an changed it to a SATA.  Yeah, sad thing is I was just about to get a new enclousre since someone told me ESATA would of worked. Quote from: DaveLembke on December 05, 2012, 10:14:11 PM

Hello... seems that you have the worst of luck with everything or are inquiring about other peoples problems as your own to help them out.

I got the board off its something else that failed.   

Beginning to think he does this on purpose........

I don't see how.

Cause, I dont have time to all ways post here. 

Hello
My laptop cant show my external hard drive inspite of it installs drivers ?
Can anyone help me what can I do for it ?What makes you think it's a virus ? ?
How is the HDD reported in Disk Management ? ?Hello saeid

I take from your post that the Laptop detects the drive ( you said loads drivers for it) but you can't access the drive.

You could try a program called find and mount from here http://findandmount.com/
PLEASE not the size of the partitions found if they are showing as 0  size or not ntfs or fat please report back here

THANKS

Lisa_maree
First of all thank you for your reply
I didn't explain very well, when I attach my external hard to USB, first a sign APPEAR that says you attach your hard then when I want to OPEN my hard there is no icon in My Computer for it, so I tried this with another laptop and it did worked. I don't know how to fix this problem.Plug it back into the PC it doesn't show up in...wait 20 seconds then open Disk Management and see if it's listed...if it is right clik it and select PROPERTIES and post back with the info....

Note: For Disk Management right clik My Computer...select Manage...then Disk Management...give it time to populate.I did it,
here I have

Disk 1
Basic
698.64 GB
Online
Healthy (Active, Primary Partition)
and in properties I have 0 bytes free space and when I want to check for error I get this notification : Windows cant access the disk.there is something wrong with my windows I think, because with other systems I dont have this problemhello

From what you listed disk manager is reporting about the drive all you need to do is right click on the drive and and select assign drive letter.
Then windows will give it the next drive letter. and you should be able to access the drive 

Lisa_maree
thank you very much for your help .

Hello

I have an oldish Toshiba Equium laptop which I hope to repair.

I can hear Windows loading up, but the screen has no light on it. A couple of years ago I bought one of those little chips - I can't remember its correct name, sorry - that connects to the motherboard (the chip sits inside the base of the laptop if I remember correctly just NEXT to the hinges of the laptop cover) in order to light up the screen. I bought it in the mistaken belief that it had failed and so this accounts for why the screen didn't light up.

The screen still didn't light up so I took it to a repair shop and they told me that the chip worked fine and that I had fitted it in correctly, but what was responsible for the screen not LIGHTING up was the wire that connects to this chip (or that connects to the motherboard) and goes up the back of the laptop behind the screen inside the laptop cover. I don't know what this wire is called, either.

They gave me a price of roughly US$100 which I thought was expensive and decided against it.

The laptop has been sitting here ever since, and I have now renewed my enthusiasm - money permitting - to repair it. So, how do I find out what the chip is called, what the wire is called, and determine what type of wire I need for this Toshiba Equium. I wonder, also, please, if they are DIFFICULT to fit in?

Thanks

High1I'm sorry to say, but a laptop more than a few years old is not worth repairing.  Since new PRICES have dropped in recent years, it just makes no sense to fix an old one, unless you can do it yourself for free.Hello Computer_Commando

Thanks for your message.

Yes, maybe. It's not actually my laptop - it belongs to a friend of mine and her original PhD is on it. She just wanted me to scrub the hard drive before ditching the laptop. Do you think it's just worthwhile removing the hard drive for keeping and ditching the rest, or are the parts inside it likely to prove useful at some point?

Thanks again.Don't know what size & type the hard drive is but you might be able to sell the laptop for parts if it's not more that a few years old.As a side note if she need her data back from the HDD for any reason i'd suggest an EXTERNAL HDD enclosure...
Tip: Get one that has an A/C power adapter...and get one that accomodates full size HDD's...there are adapters that let you use them on both full size and laptop HDD's.

So I reformatted my computer after getting a new SSD and getting it plugged in, and when I went to put a disk into my computer, my DVD drive wouldn't OPEN(button does not work at all). So I checked in my device manager and disk management saw that it didn't show up at all in the CD drive section (my magicjack is there though). I even tried those Fix It programs but it didn't help.
 
I have a feeling my DVD drive is not actually plugged in into my PSU, and to be honest that would really suck because my computer is super compact so the wires are everywhere and it would be *censored* to reconnect it.Hi Thehandyman,

Sorry but you forgot to plug the power in that's the only thing that would cause it.

Lisa_maree  Ok I will check that. ALSO I know this is unrelated but is it normal for an Intel SSD 330 series to be so loud? Because I looked at the reviews and nobody complains about the loudness being an issue. I know because after I plugged in SSD and installed my OS, the boot up was real fast but the computer just got really loud. It sounds like a LAWNMOWER, it's really annoying unless I put headphones on. Quote from: thehandyman on December 09, 2012, 11:17:10 PM

I have a feeling my DVD drive is not actually plugged in into my PSU, and to be honest that would really suck because my computer is super compact so the wires are everywhere and it would be *censored* to reconnect it.

It sounds like a lawnmower, it's really annoying unless I put headphones on.

Are you sure of where the sound is coming from, that could just be a cable in a fan.

Hi,
I've just built new PC consisting of

Asus M5A 78L-M MOBO
16GB DDR3 1333Mhz        (INSTALLED by vendor)
AMD FX8150 3.6GHz CPU (               "               )
PSU:  XFX Pro 650 w
Antec 300 case
Samsung DVD RW sata drive
3 used sata hard drives   

Booted up no problem. Tried to install Win 8 which said (I don't remember the exact words) none of the drives were suitable and wouldn't TRY to format them They were all working prior to this.

Sooo..... I thought I'd try to format using an xp disk. It was quite happy to have a go but while I was off making a coffee everything went dead. I tried to restart but nothing happened. The green light on the mobo  was on but nowt else.
Asus site suggested reset cmos   - no good
                               disconnect everything except mouse - no good.
When I reconnect the mains lead and try to switch on the mobo green light comes back on and the psu fan and the cpu fan + case fan all move briefly but they're the only signs of life.

Is this a 'send the mobo' back situation?

Thanks,
Geoff
All MBoard standoffs in place ? ?
4 pin power CONNECTED to CPU ?
Thermal paste applied properly ? ?

If yes to all the above try and bench test it out of the case before giving up on the MBoard...
BTW...is that a new or used PSU ?Yes, stand-offs in place, 12v supply connected, psu is new; cpu, cooler & memory were bought as a package, already assembled .   CPU assembled by whom ? ?
Have you tried it with only 1 stik of RAM ? ? The single stik should be in the slot closest to the CPU........and the reason I bought the mobo etc as a package was because I've had trouble in the past putting coolers on amd CPUs  because they do up so tight I think something's gonna break (even when everything's seated right!!) .
.....just seen your reply, Patio.   Assembled by a company on ebay:
 http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/envizage2000?_trksid=p2047675.l2559Just tried your ram suggestion but no go.Not familiar with the seller at all...but it could be either the MBoard and/or the CPU at this point if all i suggested was tried...
I'd start up the return/warranty process immediately...Yep, I might try out of the case first [when I clear some room]. Thanks for your help.Anytime...Welcome Aboard...and bring us good news...

P.S.S....On the benchtest also try another PSU...i've seen them DOA as well...Hee hee!
Patio,  good suggestion about the psu...... connected up an old one and pc booted no problem.
Thanks again.Excellent ! !

Well not really...now you have to RMA the PSU...
           
But seriously...good news.

Trying to access a HDD from a SonyHandyCam (DCR-SR47) for a friend (that has been dropped by the video taker of wedding video...very precious of course)  downloading to a Win XP comp. The HD (on the camera)is giving me HDD foremat error E: 3100 again on the camera screen. Have downloaded all the Sony software (PMB Downloader PMB LAUNCHER) and for editing the video files. Yes, I do have the camera connected to a non-hub USB on my computer. And the camera is not on battery, but CONN. to a plug outlet.
Updated Windows with the latest KB update for Image Mastery.  My Computer shows the Sony Cam as connected but I get a "G:\ not accessible" or "I/O device error" when trying to use Sony software for accessing the Hard DRIVE on the Camera.
I have read that the HD on the camera if damaged will not emit sounds when accessing, but I hear these "spring sounds coming at intervals of 5, then 3, then 1  and then the HDD Error shows n the Sony Camera screen when trying to ask the camera's HD to play or download to the computer. I have tried a second computer with Win 7 that I have all Sony download/ editing software on and no joy with that either.
So, that I have tried nearly everything I know to do...any further ideas?
Can I trust a local company to PULL the video from the camera or is $ony the only way to go here? Not being familiar with the device you are trying to access the HDD on i cannot specifically suggest  a reliable action to take. However is the HDD on the Camera readily accessible and user removable. If yes then perhaps it could be placed in another camera (PROBABLY at least the same brand--maybe even only the same model) and the data could be recovered from it. At this point it is difficult to know whether the problem is compatibility with the computers (software) or is it from the possible damage to the camera from the fall. Is it not possible (if the camera is still operable) to view the pictures from the viewfinder of the camera itself?truenorthHi

First the more things you try and the longer you run the camera the harder it will be for a data recovery company to get the movie s off the camera. The fact that it is given a drive letter by windows looks like the data may still be able to be recovered. I suggest emailing a few data recovery companies in your country explain what you have here and see if any are experienced enough to do the work. Nothing will be achieved by dismantling the camera and removing the hard drive that is better left to the recovery company you select. I base this advice on the drive making those noises. if it was spinning and not making any noise then data recovery software may have recovered the file structure.

Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news

Lisa_maree

Hello, I just purchased an ipad and was LOOKING to transfer some files from my pc to my iPad. I don't really want to install itunes on my pc and was wondering if there was another easier way to transfer files. Thanks!!There are SEVERAL options, but iTunes is by FAR the easiest. I don't know why you don't want to install it, but you should. The iPad was DESIGNED to work that way.

Here are some links you can look at for other options:

http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/how-to-transfer-files-from-windows-to-the-ipad/

and of course: http://www.google.com/search?hl=&q=transfer+files+from+pc+to+ipad&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGLL_en-GBUS430US394&ie=UTF-8

I put a new fan in my HP Compac desk top power supply because it was very noisy (way out of warrantee) but it's not working. (Thermaltake, Thunderblade LED) I had to cut the power wires and splice the new fan to the old plug.  New fan same specs as the old fan.  6v starting and 12v to run and .16 amp draw.  The new fan had a FOUR pin connector and part of that I suppose is the led feature.  But anyway the new fan had a label that said 'Power' wrapped around the black and red wires so I spliced them to the red and black of the old plug.  I made good pig tail splices and taped them.  I called Thermaltake and the tech didn't know but said to put 12v to it to see if the fan might be defective.  Then he suggested using the four pin connector if POSSIBLE.  I didn't look because of the mass of wiring but just assumed it wouldn't match.   Any ideas?So why didn't you try the four plug like your technician has said?
Hi

Is this the TYPE of connector that plugs into a motherboard. If so the wiring is black is ground, orange is +12V,  Yellow is sense the speed output if there is a 4 th wire then this isn't used.  So if you only have 12 VOLTS use the black and orange wires.

Lisa_maree

Hello,

I'm having a really weird problem with an old 16 bit ISA interface card that I'm trying to install in a new computer.  This card works perfectly well in a very old 486DX 60 MHz PC under DOS 5 and above, with no special settings for the config.sys and autoexec.bat files other than the usual himem.sys, emm386.exe, ... etc, etc.   The software running this card is of course DOS based.

When I try to operate this card in another PC the whole system hangs even before the OS iteslf has loaded and I cannot even enter the BIOS commands. This sounds like a basic I/O setting problem that should be resolvable by the appropriate configuration. 

PLEASE REMEMBER - I cannor even load the BIOS when I add this card.

Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Steve


 I have an idea what the problem could be, but before I ask what may be a stupid question, could you answer these questions?

Quote

that I'm trying to install in a new computer.

When I try to operate this card in another PC ...

When I try to operate this card in another PC the whole system hangs even before the OS iteslf has loaded and I cannot even enter the BIOS commands. This sounds like a basic I/O setting problem that should be resolvable by the appropriate configuration.

In order to keep good power filtering and avoid fire explosion, Electrolytic capacitor and Ceramic capacitor are used to replace traditional Tantalum capacitor.

My Dell computer OS is Windows 7.  I am considering upgrading my HD to a SSD and transferring my OS & data to the SSD.  From what I understand, I will get the best performance if I have SATA III instead of SATA II.  How can I determine what version of SATA my computer has?The MANUAL should tell you...Major brands took awhile to include it so CHECK at the Dell site...
Medium / high end MBoards have had it longer.Unless you bought your computer new within the last year and was fortunate enough to have SATA III support its most likely SATA II. From my experience with upgrading to SSD, I was going to upgrade my motherboard to support SATA III, but found out that with an addon controller card to get SATA III, information online suggests that these bottleneck at 5Gb/s using pcie 8x slot. To get a true 6Gb/s you need to have a motherboard with the latest Intel 6 or 7 series chipsets that has SATA III support.

I upgraded to the OCZ Vertex 90GB SSD SATA III   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227759 almost 6 months ago and I am running it in backwards compatability at SATA II and it is VERY FAST at SATA II 3.0Gb/s, so instead of replacing my motherboard, I am just using mine in backwards compatability mode on SATA II and no problems and way faster than the 1TB SATA II Seagate HDD I was using.

*Some SATA III SSD's have a jumper that needs to be set to have them run with backwards compatability at SATA II speed, others like mine automatically operate backwards at SATA II making installation flawless.

I originally had mine setup as the C:\ drive for Windows 7 and World of Warcraft and then had my 1TB in there as other games that I didnt need fast load times for etc. But since then I switched it to 1TB C:\ being my standard SATA II HDD for Windows 7 and all games but World of Warcraft. I then installed World of Warcraft to the 90GB SSD as drive X:\ and this allows for me to have about 50GB free to install other large games and make them load fast as WELL. For the fact that the biggest performance gain is with games that are started and stopped throughout the day, it didnt make sense to keep Windows 7 on it which only has to load once. * I also pointed my swap space to the SSD which also added speed to the SYSTEMS processes.

I picked this drive up for like $65 with free shipping on a special newegg deal, I also picked up an OCZ Agility 3 60GB for $45 which i installed into my netbook running Windows XP Home SP3 and that is pretty much as fast as a dual-core Atom processor will run at now to load and run applications. Biggest gain with the SSD in that netbook was the extended battery life of about 2 more hours of use on the 12 cell lithium.

Friends I GAME with are jealous that I can teleport, hearth, or take a portal somewhere and be there in less than 2 seconds, and it takes them a good 6+ seconds to get there with loading screen. Other parts of the game also spead up such as lockpicking with my rogue. When performing commands, its instant vs the small amount of lag of the HDD I was using prior. With a game that needs to address various locations of 32GB of data as the game has become huge compared to years past, SSD's and World of Warcraft are a good match up between hardware and software.

So if you are into gaming and want the most out of your SSD, I'd suggest putting the games on it and  pointing your swap space to the SSD so the regular hard drive with Windows 7 and all other programs and software is pretty much idle until addressed. BUT when it comes to SSD's the harder you work them, the sooner they get tired and as memory cells die the drive will actually shrink in capacity. I wrote down the capacity of my drive new and using it daily for 4 to 8 hrs for 6 months, I still havent seen any cells die to cause its size to shrink yet.

My hardware I am running this drive on is:

Biostar MCP6PB M2+ Motherboard ( AM2+ motherboard running AM3 CPU )
Athlon II x4 620 2.6GHz Quadcore
4GB DDR2 800Mhz Matched Pair ( 2 x 2GB ) Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Performance Ram
1TB Seagate HDD SATA II
90GB OCZ Vertex 3 SATA III (Running backwards compatability as SATA II  3.0Gb/s )
ATI Radeon 5450HD PCIe-16x Videocard with 1GB DDR3
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS

I'm about to purchase a new tv that I will use as a tv and a monitor also. I have a HP 200-299wm laptop with 15 pin VGA output 'only' that I'd like to use with it so VGA input is important. I also want to use my HP 6715b laptop that I have a conversion cable to feed into S-Video, so I'd like an S-Video input also.
Also I want 1080p resolution because my old eyes have trouble most of the time.
 So I've done some searching and found this Sceptre 32" Class (31.5" Diag.) 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV X328BV-FHD from Newegg
 Here are the specs from Sceptre
The main reason I selected this model is based on inputs and it's 1080p resolution.
I have no experience with this Sceptre brand, and may be able to find what I need in a better brand, with better customer support (I don't know) but I need to keep the price below ~$250, so any suggestions, directions, advice is certainly welcome.
 As always, thanks so much for any help from you guru's on here!!!!
Mike
 i do NOT own the TV you are currently considering. However i have read all the reviews as posted with the product on the Newegg site. By in LARGE with one notable exception that seems to be universal the sound quality LEAVES a lot to be desired. So depending on the importance of that or your desire/ability to compensate for that deficiency must be a consideration if sound is important for you. (It would be for me) Now as to the connections re your current computer output options. Options do exist for transfers between different input/output available requirements. If you will have to go from VGA to HDMI for instance i would want to know the efficacy and cost of that as with your current computers that would be necessary. Almost without exception those that commented on their experience with the Sceptre model you are thinking about raved about the picture quality and the low price. Given that you express a concern about ongoing support one review had only negative comments on that.Were i in your shoes i would continue to research (as indeed you are doing in this post) other brands. But i suspect compromises will be needed most probably in the cost area.
I just did a search on Google for you to see what arose from a "32 inch tv/monitor with 1080 resolution available". I was initially tempted to link you to specific sites that deal with various suppliers or manufacturers. However i think it may serve you better for you to examine the total search results yourself so you can have access to all that is offered and hopefully that will assist you in your decision.
http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=32+inch+tv/monitor+with+1080+resolution+available&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest
truenorthThanks for your help and your time TN!
Yes I read the feedback concerning the sound quality, but with your help I suppose we can remedy that with a quality audio SYSTEM.
 I went ahead and ordered this TV from newegg today because I searched the link you gave along with every possible google I could come up with, but found nothing that looked like a better machine - 'for the price'!!! I hate the fact that customer service/parts availability is not better (based on the information contained in some of the owner feedback on Newegg and elsewhere), but, the price is certainly the defining factor for me on this one.
 About that s-video input -  I'll deal with that later. What I really need is to be able to connect from the 15 pin VGA output on my HP2000 into an input on the tv. I suppose into the HDMI input would be the best approach... but what cable/converter will work?
One of  these?

or 

this?

And back to the audio, the specs say Digital Audio 1 Coaxial Out?
So do I need an audio amplifier ect with a digital - coaxial input?

Once again I thank you for your expertise, time and willingness to help!!!
Mike

I guess I can try VGA to VGA. I ordered this 16ft cable today and it should be here Friday. I'll try it and post the results here then.  http://superuser.com/questions/270054/pc-vga-out-to-tv-hdmi-in-cable-possible
http://sewelldirect.com/articles/HDMI-Converter.aspx
The above two sites will explain what your problems are likely to be and how they can be overcome.I have done as you are seeking to do (laptop to tv).However my options were different that yours in that i had both a vga output on the laptop and a vga input on the tv.I am very pleased with the resultant video quality. However as you may know such a method does not carry the audio part of the video being transfered. So a separate (red/white rca) input on the tv is used from a mini stereo output from the laptop.To further enhance the sound (which sounds like what you will need to do with that tv).I run a mini stereo out from the tv to powered computer speakers (which i can interchange with volume controllable headsets) as my optional sound source.Muting the tv sound will exempt that sound from the equation. I cannot speak from personal knowledge (i believe computer commando has knowledge in this field better than i) but it seems to me a simple vga to hdmi cable will NOT suffice and some form of a signal convertor will be necessary and you would still be left with needing a separate connection for the audio.truenorthI really wouldn't go with a spectre brand TV. I know the price and specs seem great but the brand really lacks quality. If you can I would look into a vizio. They are on the less pricey side but they do have all the inputs you would need such as VGA and S-video. I actually have a 40inch vizio hanging on the wall in my office that I use to hook my VGA output into when I'm having a meeting and it has never done me wrong. Check out some reviews at tvrevs and see if you cant find a better brand in your price range. Vizio and Samsung in my opinion are the best brands to go with. Good luck in your searchmaxpoweraff, Welcome aboard and your attempt at guiding the O/P towards alternatives for the reasons you state is commendable.However me thinks it is a titch too late " I went ahead and ordered this TV from newegg today " We all bring our own criteria forward when making our life's decisions and it seems that the O/P is primarily concerned with price in this purchase.Hopefully the o/p will not regret the choice.truenorthDito truenorth's welcome! The help I've received here since 2006 has been a true life saver many times and hopefully you'll hang around long enough to give and receive help among all the resourses we have here.
Again, Welcome!   
 Yes I already ordered and received the Sceptre TV I ordered from Newegg (gotta love Newegg's shipping)! I've found no problem with it so far, and contradictory to the customer survey reports, I really see nothing wrong with the sound quality as far as a base tv amplipier goes. I do now have an analog output connection to an old 1976 Sansui 9090 receiver which sounds fine.
 I was able to download the user manual for this tv from the Septre website, which is better customer service than some of the 'crap' hardware I've purchased in the past.
 I hope the thing will hold up for a while, and I purchased a 1 year extended warranty from Newegg, for what that's worth?
  So I'll hold my breath and all that because I do like reputable brands like most of my computers are HP (excellent service!!!), but as originally posted - The price is the defining factor here due to............long story.
 Thanks again to you and truenorth!!!
Mike
 
As of today, I see 27 buyer reviews on newegg.com and 41% are 5-star and the same percentage for 4-star; that's a pretty good review RECORD.  And, the most frequent complaint seems to be sound.  So, if you're satisfied with the sound, I'd say you made a good choice. 

The prices on many electronic devices today is amazing!soybean,very much agree--particularly on TVs.Saw a 55" inch recently at below $600.00 and 32"in. are common now below $200.00. Tiger direct today on it's daily special has a WD 1TB external HDD at just below $50.00 (not long ago you couldn't buy a 16gb flash drive for that price). truenorth Quote from: soybean on November 30, 2012, 08:30:48 AM

As of today, I see 27 buyer reviews on newegg.com and 41% are 5-star and the same percentage for 4-star; that's a pretty good review record.  And, the most frequent complaint seems to be sound.  So, if you're satisfied with the sound, I'd say you made a good choice. 

The prices on many electronic devices today is amazing!

I would just like to know which monitor would be most ideal for my situation. At the same price, I am deciding between the BenQ GL2750HM and the Samsung S27B550V. The monitor would be used for gaming, SCHOOL work and movies equally. Possibly in the future a PS3 or Xbox may be used with the monitor. Also, how far AWAY from the monitor should I be looking ideally at this resolution and size?
Thanks in advance.I like Samsung brand myself. Have had them for years all the way back to syncmaster CRT's and they lasted me lots of years of continuous use. The CRT's wouldnt die and I eventually had to get rid of good working 15 and 17" CRTs because I didnt want a bunch of power hungry huge deskweights. Today I have a 19" Samsung flatscreen that I bought back in 2007 that is used daily, as well as a 17" flatscreen that is Samsung that I gave to my daughter which use to be my wifes that is about 7 years old, and I have a 24" on the wall that is also Samsung that I use with my dual video output from video card to be able to watch netflix etc from my bed with surround sound of the PC setup etc. My wife I upgraded to a 20" wide screen Hanns-G brand LED Flatscreen when it was on sale for $79.99 with free shipping from newegg. I also bought myself one of these at the same time since whenever my 19" dies, if it ever dies, I will have a display right away to take out of box and use a 20" widescreen for myself as well. The price was right to go with a different brand since it was like getting 2 x 20" Hanns-G flatscreens for the price of 1 x Samsung at the time. And there were like 462 feedbacks with 4 eggs, and browsing through 2 pages of feedback it seemed like an ok display to take a CHANCE on.

As far as PS3 and XBox as long as this display has a HDMI input you should be all set with the display running the game systems.

27" is a fairly large display, I actually bought my 24" widescreen to replace my 19" square screen but found the 24" to be just way too huge of a viewing area for my computing needs, so thats why I bought a VESA bracket and mounted it on the wall with dual video between my 19" and the 24" vs using it as my computer display. Maybe 27" wont be too large for your needs, but sitting like 2.5 feet away from it, I literaly felt like I was having to turn my head a lot when gaming etc, vs just being able to follow STUFF with my eyes. Maybe if I sat further away from it it wouldnt be so bad, but if I did that I'd be conflicting with my wifes computer space since we are set up in a room sort of back to side. Back to back didnt work out with seat backs conflicting so we are in like an L setup in the room.

I would go with the native resolution and see how that is. You can always adjust the text to be larger with the browser or windows settings for icons etc. Quote

Check out of the REFRESH rate of the monitor. Resolution should be  1024 * 768.

A while ago I made a thread talking about these girls in college who would make fun of my laptop, call it a Mac wannabe cuz its windows and they all use macs.

Well i was writing a paper in the cafe and one of the girls comes up like "hey how's it going?" and I'm like good how are u, and then she just took her coffee and poured it all over my keyboard, then said "oops" and they walked away laughing!

I'm so pissed, idk what to do! I been thinking of getting a Mac to fit in, but now I HATE them!

But anyways I shut it off immediately an left it to dry took the battery out too if it helps.
Anything else I cando? Also if I go to the dean or security office, do you think they can help me with these "bullies"? Cuz they are popular and very active with school activities so the staff think they are all nice brilliant girls :/Report it. Where I live this would be called "criminal damage" and could be a police matter. They clearly need a lesson. It would be good if you had one or more witnesses.

I concur with ST re your course of action.Bullying thrives where it is tolerated.On the practical matter re the coffee/keyboard. While no liquid is of benefit to electrical hardware, components of the liquid can exacerbate the problem.In this case sugar/dairy product. So given that the incident has already occurred HOPEFULLY the coffee was black. truenorth Quote from: STC on December 14, 2012, 06:30:23 AM

Cuz they are popular and very active with school activities so the staff think they are all nice brilliant girls :/

I been thinking of getting a Mac to fit in

Honestly, I don't see why people are so stuck up about Mac and Linux.

Because they're idiots. Are Adidas better than Nike?? Are Ferrari better than Bentley??  Anyone who does not understand that it's only their own opinion and that, in the real world, their opinions not only do not matter, but are also not important.

I'm writing this because my friend is lending me a LAPTOP -- because MINE won't turn on.

I'm looking for advice -- the thing is, the FIRST time it wouldn't turn on, I took out the battery and unplugged it and waited a moment, then put everything back together and it TURNED on fine.

Second time it happened, same deal.

This morning, no dice -- and, AMUSINGLY, one of the times i pressed the power on/off button, the button literally CAME OFF ON MY FINGER which -- it was amusing, but not helpful (it's a press on/off button, so not as nerve wracking as snapping off a switch, or something)

The computer in question is a Compaq Presario CQ50, for what it's worth.Presuming your beyond the warranty period.It seems to me you have found the problem your on/off switch is defective.truenorth

Hi.

I am trying to install a new gigabit network card that I bought for $6 on Amazon.  When I installed it I lost video out to the monitor.  The COMPUTER apparently booted, but there was no video.  I took the network card out and video was restored.  Put the NIC back in, and lost video.  Took NIC out, and got video back.  I made sure both the video card and NIC are properly seated and that they're not touching each other, or anything else.

I suspect a hardware RESOURCE CONFLICT, but I have no idea how to go about resolving it, especially when I can't see the NIC's settings with no video.  What can I do?

The specs:

Dell Inspiron 620
Windows 7 Home Premum 64 bit, 6GB Ram, Intel i3 CPU.
Nvidia Geforce 9500 GT video card
PCIe NIC: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005JTCN7K/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

Thanks!

I'd buy a better card...i've seen lot's of cheapo ones DOA.Thanks, but I'd like to make the one I already have work SINCE, well, it is here now.  Not to mention that I have no idea what DOA is.You have onboard LAN.  Why do you need a LAN card?
I see your motherboard has one x16 slot & three x1 slots or I would have suggested a PCI card.

Latest BIOS update (A04) might fix conflict, but not sure.DOA = dead on arrival...How would the card being dead cause the video card to stop working?Try card in different slot.I have.Dead card...and yes i have seen them affect other cards...
That or the MBoard slot is bad,

Hi guys,pls help me..my computer is dead..this is what HAPPENS..
This morning when i TRY to on my desktop, the cpu beeps..it beeps 2 times quick PACE follw by 8 times on a slower pace..and den follow by 2 separate beeps..after that i COULD hear the window  7 start up tune..but my screen is blank at all..i can't do anything with it..please help me..
These are my desktop's specs
Motherboard - msi H55M-E33
Intel core i5-760
Geforce GTX 460
4Gb RAM
Andyson F500M
LG monitor Flatron E2050
I hope it HELPS..
Pls give me advice..i'm really really a noob with computers..=(You need to go to the website of your bios manufacturer and check the beep code errors.

Been looking at Macs but found a dell at Walmart for half the price and better specs, i5, 6gb ram, HD 3000 Intel card.

Overall it looks good to me, but I heard someone say Walmart isn't a good place to.buy computers. What would you say?

ThanksThe variables that could affect any credible answer to your question are almost infinite. What i would be concerned with more is during the warranty period do you have direct access to the manufacturer for any issues that may arise? Customer satisfaction is much more a factor of who is 1st in line to provide it than where the  product was purchased (unless they are the same). As i have proffered many times before re these type of purchases it is to your advantage to have and use a credit card that has free product warranty extension for the purchase (even if you pay off the purchase immediately after having made it). Just make sure that you retain your purchase receipts showing the credit card purchase event until the extended warranty period is over. In the case of a one year warranty it usually doubles and covers more things than either the original warranty and even store purchased extended warranties. Such as loss or theft.truenorthYou can buy a "bad" computer from any retailer. It comes down to brand name and specs. If they are both what you want/need then go for it. Agreeing with truenorth, IMHO, the only things you ALWAYS want to buy an extended or in-store warranty on are automobiles and electronics (given the price is reasonable).

Wal-Mart can sell the exact same computer as other retailers at a lower cost because when it comes to retailers Wal-Mart is an absolute GIANT. They buy more quantity therefore they get a better discount which leads to lower prices to the consumer.

I bought a Black Friday HP Laptop with similar specs as you described a few years ago at Wal-Mart. It works today just like it did when I took it out of the box.I am in agreement with everyone else. It depends on the computer brand, model, specs vs the merchants name.

I never bought a laptop from Wal-mart, just a lower end cheap Desktop HP with Celeron 700Mhz processor 13 years ago to replace my $50 in mixed guts aged Pentium 75Mhz. I got 2 solid years of daily gaming out of the HP minitower from Walmart with no problems, then sold it to my brother inlaw for 50% of what I paid for it new and he is still using it oday with Windows Me. And then I upgraded to a Pentium 4 2.0 Ghz that I bought at Staples ( as an $799 open box unit that was returned that was for sale for $569 to move it out) in which I wasnt happy with that HP Pavilion full height tower because its motherboard was lacking an AGP slot, and thats probably why the orginal owner returned it as well because it couldnt run any good games without a video card upgrade and a video card upgrade using a PCI slot wasnt going to CUT it. So I had to sell that within 6 months of owning it to a guy at work for about 75% of the price it cost me and buy a Compaq Presario with AMD Athlon XP 2800+ at Radio Shack for $549, in which I got permission from the Radio Shack clerk to open the side pannel on the floor model and look inside before buying one sealed in a box.

My laptops that I have bought new have been through Best Buy, Tiger Direct, and Newegg. When going in to buy a laptop at Best Buy when attacked by the geek squad patrol, I told them that I wasnt interested in the Acer that they were promoting, and was only going to buy Toshiba. Then the kid brought out the most expensive Toshiba they had that likely had the largest markup and I said I will tell you which one I want I dont need suggestions. I then selected a Toshiba Satellite AMD Dual-core for $429 with 17" display around black friday of 2009 and that has been a good reliable and fast laptop. It also can run World of Warcraft with the integrated Radeon GPU in which the GPU/CPU combination was what i was looking for. I needed for it to be able to run games, and so when I saw that model, I was like COOL, it will run WoW under normal settings and its price isnt bad.

So I have bought computers from Wal-Mart, Staples, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Tiger Direct, and Newegg and as far as junk computers go... you just have to know what you want and not be manipulated into buying something based on a sales clerks suggestions. My worst experience has to be buying the HP Pavilion Full Height Tower from Staples as an open box under clearance terms so I wasnt able to return it like the prior customer did. I had to take a $150 loss and sell it to a coworker who wasn't a gamer and didnt have money to afford a brand new computer, so to him he got it for like 50% off back then and it replaced his 486 SX 25 Mhz running Windows 3.11 on 4MB Ram, 120MB Hard Drive, and 14.4k modem, and he was so excited to connect to AOL at 56k vs 14.4k.
Quote from: evilfantasy on December 04, 2012, 10:51:22 PM

Agreeing with truenorth, IMHO, the only things you ALWAYS want to buy an extended or in-store warranty on are automobiles and electronics (given the price is reasonable).

I believe you misunderstood what truenorth said.

Hey I work at Walmart and we build them computers real good!  No really they just get em from the manufacturer like anyother place. 

and deal with the lesser IQ of the population

Can someone please HELP me:

link removed by AllanI've removed the link to the other SUPPORT site. If you WISH to ASK a question here, feel FREE. But please don't direct us to a competing site to see your question.

Hello Everyone!
I have received a new Toshiba Computer but the AC adapter did not get shipped when they sent it! Specs SHOW it requires 19Volts 3.42 amps, I have a Dell AC adapter which is 19.5V 4.62A from am old computer, will this safely work on the Toshiba or will it damage it? I'd stick with the correct adapter. You can USUALLY find 3rd party adapters with the exact same specs at much lower prices (Google), just MAKE sure you enter your make and model computer in the search.Unless there are extenuating circumstances why do you not advise the source of your laptop of the OMISSION of the adapter and REQUEST the omission be corrected ?truenorth

I don't know much about hardware so please bear with me if my question sounds STUPID.
Is there any special type of hard drive I need, i.e. some special specification I should look into before buying (the wrong) ONE?

For instance, would this be ok?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148591As long as your chipset supports SATA it should work fine, because SATA is backwards COMPATIBLE; SATA II and III will work with SATA I ports. What is the model of your VAIO?
There are some old notorious chipsets that require you to have a jumper on your drive to force it to operate in SATA I mode; e.g. http://forums.seagate.com/t5/Barracuda-XT-Barracuda-Barracuda/Seagate-barracuda-7200-12-jumpered-to-SATA-150/td-p/33122 . Those are USUALLY chipsets with old Intel ICH4/5/6 / VIA8237 I/O controllers.thanks for your helpnever mind I GOT my answerHuH ? ? ?

Hello

Do you know of any mouse that has both high pitched left/right clicks and silent scroll BUTTONS?

I have an HP mouse that does this but it's bad at detecting rough surfaces.

And I've used plenty of Logitech mice which are far better at detecting surfaces. Some even have quiet scroll buttons, but plenty have very low pitched bass-like scroll buttons, and all of them have relatively quiet but annoyingly low pitched right/left clicks.

I'm hoping you can all recommend me a mouse that's as good as my HP mouse only better at detecting surfaces, preferably cheapish, but if that's not possible also open to the more expensive.Kind of lost at what you are looking for here as for most people don't care about how loud or quiet button clicks are since you can feel the steps in the scroll and the left/right clicks, and as far as detecting surfaces if you are using a laser mouse you shouldn't be using it on a very reflective surface, transparent surface, or heavily porous surface in which the beam can not detect the surface below it. If you have a rough surface and can not add something in between to make a laser mouse work, I'd suggest a ball mouse, but you would PROBABLY require a PS2 JACK for a ball mouse as for I haven't seen any that are usb, as for they are primitive compared to today's laser mice.The link below is a year old. It covers the basic mice that people use.
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-mice/
If you want something better, you might CONSIDER using a puck instead of a mouse. Or a DRAWING tablet.

*just a little note, I use this computer on average 4-8 hours a day every day, so urgency in getting this fix is a must for me, and I REALLY appreciate anyone who helps*

For Christmas I had received a Gaming mouse (Ttesports Black Gaming Mouse) and later that day I had plugged it in and tried it, worked great! I played around with it and thought I had better install the drivers in case it had other features that could only be used with the appropriate drivers. My CD drive isn't plugged in so I just downloaded them from the site, had no problem and along with the drivers had a snazzy little program that I enjoyed that let me play with the sensitivity. Yesterday(or the next day) I got on and was browsing the internet, nothing special, didn't download anything mostly just looking at a image board and facebook, I turned off my monitor because I thought I was going to be stepping out for a short time, after getting a call notifying me that I was going to be waiting around for about an hour I thought I would browse some more. When I turned my monitor back on and went to move the mouse the cursor wouldn't move, the buttons worked fine, but the cursor wouldn't move. I plugged in my old mouse(just a cheap usb ONE) so I could scour the internet for solutions, after about an hour of trying fixes and searching the USB mouse's cursor stopped working(and not immediately after a fix, while browsing google). I am not using my Tablet, but about 10 minutes ago it started acting a bit funny, it would occasionally freeze for a few moments then start again.

I have uninstalled all the drivers(except for my tablet) for all the mice, I have restarted the computer into safe mode and switched my monitor from hdmi to VGA. I have started hardware wizard after uninstalling the drivers and it never finds anything. I am at my wits end!


TL;DR
*mice stopped working for no reason(no software/hardware change)
*I have Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
*already tried uninstalling/reinstalling the HID Complient Drivers
*switched from HDMI to VGA in case of conflict
*restarted in safemode, still didn't work
*tried both mice on a different computer, they worked fine, tried other computers mice on mine, wouldn't work
*Only my tablet will work as a mouseYou said you restarted in safe mode but you didn't say if the mouse worked in safe mode. Quote from: Allan on December 27, 2012, 01:30:10 PM

You said you restarted in safe mode but you didn't say if the mouse worked in safe mode.

Did you use the same usb port for both mice? Do you have other devices connected via usb?

Please open device manager - are there any yellow or red symbols?

Just some random thoughts:

I'm not big on coincidences, but if both mice don't work I'm leaning toward a cause other than the new mouse or software

The fact that it doesn't work in safe mode rules out something loading with the OS - including the mouse software

Your usb ports seem to be okay, so let's rule that out for the moment. And I'm guessing it's not malware for several reasons.

Sooooo, let's check a few things:

1) Please open task manager and on the Processes tab sort on the cpu column. Is anything spiking?

2) Does your system by any chance have a ps2 mouse port? If so, do you have a usb to ps2 adapter? If so,................

3) Let's run checkdisk (right-click on a command prompt icon and open as administrator. In the command prompt window type: chkdsk /r  (then press ENTER). You'll be told the disk is in use and asked if you want to run checkdisk on the next boot. Say yes, exit the command prompt window, and reboot).

4) Let's check the ram (download memtest (http://memtest.org/). Burn it to a cd using a dedicated .iso burning utility (http://www.petri.co.il/how_to_write_iso_files_to_cd.htm), make sure the cd drive is at the top of the boot order in bios, then boot to the newly created cd and run the utility).

To be honest, I'm just guessing here. It's odd that two different mice don't work but other usb devices do. And it's odd that the problem is also occurs in safe mode.

Daemon tools has been known to cause all sorts of problems. Let's try something just for the heck of it. Please uninstall Daemon tools and reboot (you can always reinstall it later if you like). And yes, there's certainly no harm in checking ram and hd.

Been tempted to buy one of these latest Mobile Processing Power Desktop boards that are for AMD, however I have held off until I get more feedback and do more research. According to Tomshardware it seems as though its a repackaged Mobile CPU for Desktop application. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-5350-am1-platform-review,3801.html

I was thinking about going with a Gigabyte Motherboard shown here, although I was surprised that they didnt use the better quality solid state CAPACITORS and it has the cheaper electrolytics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128696&cm_re=gigabyte_am1-_-13-128-696-_-Product

And as for the CPU, I was thinking of getting the 25 watt 1.6Ghz Athlon Quadcore shown here with 2MB Cache: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113365&cm_re=socket_am1-_-19-113-365-_-Product

The application for this is going to be for a low power consumption workstation that will run very often, but it WOULD also be nice to be able to play games equivilent to what a laptop could handle, however since this board has a PCIE 16x slot, you can throw some good GPU processing power at it, however I am not sure what the maximum GPU you can stuff into this before you cant gain any better performance because of the CPU bottleneck factor?

The most complex game to run on this would be World of Warcraft, which should run fine on this since it can run ok on my daughters old Pentium 4 2.8Ghz HT with an ok video card. However there is not much info out there showing benchmark results for this CPU that I linked to know if its better than, equal to, or less than the Pentium 4 2.8Ghz HT. My assumption is that it should be better since its a quadcore, but if the CORES are 4 weak cores then the quadcore is more of a marketing feature with the quadcore assumption of processing power which may fall way short of expectations.

Has anyone here built one of these Socket AM1 systems to give some feedback on the performance and which CPU you are using?

My intention on building one of these low wattage systems is to get by on less wattage than running a 95watt CPU system and save electricity, so I could cut my power usage by 70 watts per hour possibly. Only a small savings of money, but it all adds up. I have a laptop that is low wattage and can play games, but like the feel of a desktop computer, and the fact that it has a PCIE 16x slot, it means that I have the ability to give it better GPU processing power than what my laptops capable of. If I wanted to, I could just plug the display into the VGA output etc and have desktop keyboard and mouse etc, but if I had a desktop that had the processing power of a laptop CPU and a decent GPU, I THINK it might work out ok, but there is that uncertainty factor since these AM1's are so new to the market.I've never used one but they do look interesting.

The only issue I see is the upgrade path - With FM1 you are really limited to low end CPUs and limited expansion potential, with FM2 you are a bit better but still can't go that high, with AM3+ you can get pretty high end but then you get into power hungry CPUs - With an Intel based platform you can start off with a Celeron and later upgrade to an i7 if you want.  It really depends if this is an issue for you or not.

Also bare in mind that while the slot is physically a x16 slot it is only wired for x4 speed so any sort of decent video card is out of the question.

Interesting to see electrolytic caps on that board - With the CPU being a SoC, it means the motherboards are very simple but it's strange seeing a board released today (especially from Gigabyte) with electrolytic caps.  The larger ones appear to be United Chemi-Con so at least aren't bad but I'd still look at other boards to be on the safe side.Thanks for into info... also... thanks for catching this fine detail that I didn't notice initially.

Quote

Also bare in mind that while the slot is physically a x16 slot it is only wired for x4 speed so any sort of decent video card is out of the question.

Hello,
I have a problem with my external hard disk, when I wanted to access to my hard disk I saw this error [you need to format the disk before you can use it] , I have a lot of information in it and I dont want to format it, do you have any idea what can I do for it ?

Thanks,
      SaeidIf you cannot access the drive there is little that can be done to try and recover your files. As a chance to see if it changes anything you could try accessing the drive with different computers . In some instances this has been shown to produce better results.This type of problem can ARISE from an improper REMOVAL of the drive connection to the COMPUTER. truenorthHello,

You could download a evaluation copy of Easeus data recovery and select the complete recovery .
Although if you want to recover the data you have to pay for the software, if the data shows up after the scan there MAYBE free programs that will do the same job.
Easeus from here http://www.easeus.com/It may be that the drive is ok but the gubbins in the enclosure has stopped working - as a last resort you could try installing the drive in something elseHello,
I recover my file with several programs but I want to get back my file with their names and folders, do you know any program with this capability ?
Saeid

Hey everyone, I'm having a diffcult time finding the meaning of these logos and symbols. I was only able to find FCC and CE..
These logos are all FOUND on the back of a Sandisk USB drive.

help me find what the others are for:

- check sign and RoHS (shown in image)
- rectangular object with X across it (shown in image) (also see this on phone adapters)

not shown in image: (I tried my best to describe)
- solid white circle with BLACK check mark in middle and very small CIRCLES in that circle (the small circles may be diffcult to see if not under good lighting)
- C with the endpoint of the arrow at the midpoint of the C, tip of arrow where the opening is

[year+ old attachment deleted by admin]Also, Quote

solid white circle with black check mark in middle and very small circles in that circle (the small circles may be diffcult to see if not under good lighting)

hi im new to this specific forum but i do love to try new stuff and this semed like a nice comunity so i thought id try and post my problem here.

My problem is that my pc started to give me a few BSOD. At the start i thougt i damaged one of the ram blocks when instaling the new CPU cooler, but im now starting to think i was wrong on that since i keep geting different BSOD all tha time but at the same time still unsure becos a defected ram dosent neceseraly cause the same BSOD all the time.
I then re instaled windows (needed to do that anyhow for a long time and this gave me the exuse to get of me *censored* and do it ) but after the reinstal and the lovely BSOD just keeps haunting me. And now i suspect it being my aging hard drive or the cheep motherebord i got my hands on (il EXPLANE the thinking behind the motherebord further down) now il edmit that im lazy when it comes to my pc seing as a make my living on pc maintenence and selling custom build pc's but can never realy be to bothered with my own 

here are the specs on my pc il post it as detailed as i can

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
CPU: AMD FX-9590 8 core runing at a standard 4.0 GHz (old one was a AMD Phenom2 965)
CPU Fan: Noctua DH-D14
RAM: 1x 8GB block (in ram dock 1) 2x 4GB blocks
HD 1: Hitachi HD103SJ 500GB (its bin with me for about 4 years and for some reson i still have OS on this one so this might be problem)
HD 2: SAMSUNG LaCie 2TB (use to be a usb drive but now internal  )
HD 3: SAMSUNG 1TB
CD Roms: TSST corp TS-H653L(second one is TS-H653N)
GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTX 590 using driver version 9.18.13.3523
Power supply: corsair cmpsu-850TX
Motherbord: Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 (the reson i suspect this is that i got a hold of few of there for next to nothing becos there old REV 1.0 and there fore have no official support for my curent CPU but i was told by a colleague that he was runing that motherebord and CPU together without any problems so i decided to save a few bucks for myself and nick one of the ones i got for myself which might have bin a blunder in hinsight  )

and now on to the fun stuff 
i used bluescreenview to compile the BSOD dumps into a text file and il post them here (these are just the ones i got the last 24 hours after re installing windows)
PS. so sorry for the bad spelling but im sleepy and dyslektik and i just dont feal like staring at the text for an hour 


==================================================
Dump File         : 051714-36551-01.dmp
Crash Time        : 2014-05-17 16:46:29
Bug Check String  : IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
Bug Check Code    : 0x0000000a
Parameter 1       : 00000000`00000004
Parameter 2       : 00000000`00000002
Parameter 3       : 00000000`00000001
Parameter 4       : fffff800`034dcb54
CAUSED By Driver  : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+6f880
File Description  : NT Kernel & System
Product Name      : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company           : Microsoft Corporation
File Version      : 6.1.7600.17273 (win7_gdr.130318-1532)
Processor         : x64
Crash Address     : ntoskrnl.exe+6f880
Stack Address 1   :
Stack Address 2   :
Stack Address 3   :
Computer Name     :
Full Path         : C:\Windows\Minidump\051714-36551-01.dmp
Processors Count  : 8
Major Version     : 15
Minor Version     : 7600
Dump File Size    : 291 776
Dump File Time    : 2014-05-17 16:51:15
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File         : 051614-38360-01.dmp
Crash Time        : 2014-05-16 20:58:22
Bug Check String  :
Bug Check Code    : 0x00000124
Parameter 1       : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 2       : fffffa80`0e102028
Parameter 3       : 00000000`b0800000
Parameter 4       : 00000000`00040151
Caused By Driver  : hal.dll
Caused By Address : hal.dll+12903
File Description  :
Product Name      :
Company           :
File Version      :
Processor         : x64
Crash Address     : ntoskrnl.exe+6f880
Stack Address 1   :
Stack Address 2   :
Stack Address 3   :
Computer Name     :
Full Path         : C:\Windows\Minidump\051614-38360-01.dmp
Processors Count  : 8
Major Version     : 15
Minor Version     : 7600
Dump File Size    : 293 488
Dump File Time    : 2014-05-16 21:00:20
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File         : 051614-41246-01.dmp
Crash Time        : 2014-05-16 00:06:31
Bug Check String  :
Bug Check Code    : 0x00000101
Parameter 1       : 00000000`00000019
Parameter 2       : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 3       : fffff880`02fd5180
Parameter 4       : 00000000`00000003
Caused By Driver  : tcpip.sys
Caused By Address : tcpip.sys+3e206
File Description  :
Product Name      :
Company           :
File Version      :
Processor         : x64
Crash Address     : ntoskrnl.exe+71f00
Stack Address 1   :
Stack Address 2   :
Stack Address 3   :
Computer Name     :
Full Path         : C:\Windows\Minidump\051614-41246-01.dmp
Processors Count  : 8
Major Version     : 15
Minor Version     : 7600
Dump File Size    : 288 424
Dump File Time    : 2014-05-16 00:09:27
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File         : 051514-21450-01.dmp
Crash Time        : 2014-05-15 22:36:23
Bug Check String  : SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
Bug Check Code    : 0x0000003b
Parameter 1       : 00000000`c0000005
Parameter 2       : fffff800`03315c22
Parameter 3       : fffff880`0a464980
Parameter 4       : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver  : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+71f00
File Description  : NT Kernel & System
Product Name      : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company           : Microsoft Corporation
File Version      : 6.1.7600.17273 (win7_gdr.130318-1532)
Processor         : x64
Crash Address     : ntoskrnl.exe+71f00
Stack Address 1   :
Stack Address 2   :
Stack Address 3   :
Computer Name     :
Full Path         : C:\Windows\Minidump\051514-21450-01.dmp
Processors Count  : 8
Major Version     : 15
Minor Version     : 7600
Dump File Size    : 292 944
Dump File Time    : 2014-05-15 22:39:23
==================================================



Well they are quite varied in cause and all over the place...
3 most common causes of this would be HDD issues ...a weak/flakey PSU...or Windows corruption.
1st think i would do tonite after your done with the PC is open a Command prompt and run chkdsk /r.....let it run to completion...you don't have to watch it so it can be done while you sleep.
For the PSU if it's a cheapo model or off name brand try and borrow one for a day and swap it in there to see if they go away...if they do replace it with a quality unit.
For the OS since it's Win7 you can run a Repair Install...which if done properly will retain all your Apps and Data.

Let us know the chkdsk results 1st and we'll go from there...

Note: There is a space between the command and the/switch.sorry for late reply bin upp for 32 hours and had to sleep alittle
And now i cinda feal stubid here becos i forgot to say what iv alredy done so far
i alredy ran 10 ram test with the Windows Memory Diagnostic and that gave me no ansers as no problems were encountered and i did run a chkdsk and didint say much there ithere but i dug it upp in EVENT viewer for ya and il post it here and as far as the PSU goes its a good brand (corsair 850w) so i wasent to worried about that one but i did change it for the one in my stream pc and didint make any diference. The window being corupt is a possibilaty but not likely since i just instaled it about 48 hours agou that is whie i leening towars the botherbord being the problem becos of it being a rev 1.0 with no offical support for this processor but like i sead earlyer my colleague did say he had the same motherbord/pross setup but im thinking he was wrong and had a later rev bord in his settup

anyhow heres the chkdsk log


Checking file system on C:
The type of the file system is NTFS.

A disk check has been scheduled.
Windows will now check the disk.                         

CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 5)...
  224768 file records processed.                                          File verification completed.
  270 large file records processed.                                      0 bad file records processed.                                        2 EA records processed.                                              60 reparse records processed.                                       CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 5)...
  291714 index entries processed.                                         Index verification completed.
  0 unindexed files SCANNED.                                           0 unindexed files recovered.                                       CHKDSK is verifying security descriptors (stage 3 of 5)...
  224768 file SDs/SIDs processed.                                         Cleaning up 205 unused index entries from index $SII of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 205 unused index entries from index $SDH of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 205 unused security descriptors.
Security descriptor verification completed.
  33474 data files processed.                                            CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal...
  37623776 USN bytes processed.                                             Usn Journal verification completed.
CHKDSK is verifying file data (stage 4 of 5)...
  224752 files processed.                                                 File data verification completed.
CHKDSK is verifying free space (stage 5 of 5)...
  15335985 free clusters processed.                                         Free space verification is complete.
CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the
master file table (MFT) bitmap.
CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the volume bitmap.
Windows has made corrections to the file system.

 128303090 KB total disk space.
  66519404 KB in 161523 files.
    106972 KB in 33475 indexes.
         0 KB in bad sectors.
    332770 KB in use by the system.
     65536 KB occupied by the log file.
  61343944 KB available on disk.

      4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
  32075772 total allocation units on disk.
  15335986 allocation units available on disk.

Internal Info:
00 6e 03 00 c1 f9 02 00 0e 8d 05 00 00 00 00 00  .n..............
33 01 00 00 3c 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  3...<...........
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ................

Windows has finished checking your disk.
Please wait while your computer restarts.


and heres anothere fresh one ran on the command prompt


Chkdsk was executed in read-only mode on a volume snapshot. 

Checking file system on C:
The type of the file system is NTFS.

WARNING!  F parameter not specified.
Running CHKDSK in read-only mode.

CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 3)...
  224768 file records processed.                                          File verification completed.
  270 large file records processed.                                      0 bad file records processed.                                        2 EA records processed.                                              60 reparse records processed.                                       CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
  291718 index entries processed.                                         Index verification completed.
  0 unindexed files scanned.                                           0 unindexed files recovered.                                       CHKDSK is verifying security descriptors (stage 3 of 3)...
  224768 file SDs/SIDs processed.                                         Cleaning up 203 unused index entries from index $SII of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 203 unused index entries from index $SDH of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 203 unused security descriptors.
Security descriptor verification completed.
  33476 data files processed.                                            CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal...
  37523360 USN bytes processed.                                             Usn Journal verification completed.
Windows has checked the file system and found no problems.

 128303090 KB total disk space.
  67080016 KB in 161557 files.
    106976 KB in 33477 indexes.
         0 KB in bad sectors.
    332198 KB in use by the system.
     65536 KB occupied by the log file.
  60783900 KB available on disk.

      4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
  32075772 total allocation units on disk.
  15195975 allocation units available on disk.




i should also mentsion that my primary disk is partisioned 350GB and the system is on the 122GB part of it  just had this one when loading a webbpage tab in firefox


==================================================
Dump File         : 051714-23899-01.dmp
Crash Time        : 2014-05-17 23:02:30
Bug Check String  : IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
Bug Check Code    : 0x0000000a
Parameter 1       : fffff800`00000000
Parameter 2       : 00000000`00000002
Parameter 3       : 00000000`00000001
Parameter 4       : fffff800`0350c6f2
Caused By Driver  : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+6f880
File Description  : NT Kernel & System
Product Name      : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company           : Microsoft Corporation
File Version      : 6.1.7600.17273 (win7_gdr.130318-1532)
Processor         : x64
Crash Address     : ntoskrnl.exe+6f880
Stack Address 1   :
Stack Address 2   :
Stack Address 3   :
Computer Name     :
Full Path         : C:\Windows\Minidump\051714-23899-01.dmp
Processors Count  : 8
Major Version     : 15
Minor Version     : 7600
Dump File Size    : 293 456
Dump File Time    : 2014-05-17 23:04:19
==================================================
Quote

The window being corupt is a possibilaty but not likely since i just instaled it about 48 hours agou that is whie i leening towars the botherbord being the problem becos of it being a rev 1.0 with no offical support for this processor

This jumps out at me...i don't care if your colleague got it to work it's not a good way to run a PC.
Replace the MBoard with one that supports the CPU.

I have an ASUS Essentio Desktop PC CG5275 and would like to be able to watch Blu-Ray DVD's on it with my external ASUS Blu-Ray DVD player. I'm not a gamer for the most part although I do play on occasion. I don't want to spend a ton of money. Below is the info I hope that will help you. Also if you see anything else that might be upgradable I'd love to know. I might just give the machine a GOOD update on stuff if possible.

 Thanks for your advise in advance.

Sabes 
*****************
Processor / Chipset

    Type Intel Core i5 650 / 3.2 GHz
    Number of Cores 8-core
    64-bit Computing Yes
    CPU Qty 1.0
    Max CPU Qty 1.0
    CPU Upgradability Upgradable
    Chipset Type Intel H55 Express
    Front Side Bus 1333.0 MHz

Cache Memory

    Installed Size L2 cache - 4.0 MB
    Cache Per Processor 4 MB

RAM

    Installed Size 8.0 GB / 16.0 GB (max)
    Technology DDR3 SDRAM
    Memory Speed 1333.0 MHz
    Form Factor DIMM 240-pin

Hard Drive

    Capacity 1.0 x 1.0 TB
    Interface Type Serial ATA-300
    Spindle Speed 7200.0 rpm

STORAGE Controller

    Type 1.0 x Serial ATA - Integrated
    Controller Interface Type Serial ATA-300

Optical Storage

    Type DVD±RW (±R DL)


Graphics Controller

    Type Integrated
    Graphics Processor / Vendor Intel HD Graphics Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0
    Video Memory 32.0 MB

Expansion / Connectivity

    BAYS 1.0 (free) x 5.25",
    1.0 (free) x 3.5"
    Slots 4.0 (total) / 1.0 (free) x PCI Express x1 - DIMM 240-pin,
    1.0 (total) / 2.0 (free) x Processor - LGA1156 Socket,
    2.0 (total) / 0.0 (free) x PCI Express 2.0 x16,
    1.0 Memory,
    1.0 PCI
    Interfaces 1.0 x Display / video - Input ( 1 front, 1 rear ),
    1.0 x Network - VGA ( 4 front, 6 rear ),
    1.0 x Keyboard - SPDIF input,
    1.0 x Audio - Output,
    10.0 x Audio / video - HDMI,
    1.0 x Headphones - Generic,
    2.0 x Microphone - DVI-Digital,
    1.0 x Display / video - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T,
    1.0 x Hi-Speed USB


Operating System / Software

    OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit



http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-029871.htm
Actually, your integrated Intel HD graphics should suffice for typical 720p Blu-ray playback, but it may not do for 3D Blu-rays and post-processing.
http://forums.anandtech.com/archive/index.php/t-2220152.html
Any cheap discrete card that supports UVD3 will be absolutely perfect, like the Radeon HD 6450.

I am running Win 7 on a Dell XPS M1210. It a 1GB hard drive, which, initially, ran Win 7 fantastically. That was a week ago. Now, I turn it on ( with NO cords accept the power cord), the RAM indicator shows 75%. As I type this, I only have this window open, 83%. I am waiting for another MEM. stick to put in it. Until then what can I do to free memory for RAM? I have tried messing with the paging system, but I was not comfortable doing that. Fortunately, I knew what I changed, so I changed it back QUICKLY because I did not see any progress. Hi

Have you checked to see nothing is using up the RAM? No programs running that are ram hogs, nothing running that shouldn't be? What about virus checking? No malware chewing up the system?

Just a few things I could think of that I'd check if I had that problem.

Cheers

Razor Quote from: notenoughRAM on December 25, 2012, 04:38:55 PM

...It a 1GB hard drive, which, initially, ran Win 7 fantastically...the RAM indicator shows 75%.....

Win7 uses all available RAM so I see nothing wrong.

I have this sudden overheating problem. When im playing games, the thing just starts to burn.

Here's my specs

intel i7 2.2 ghz
nvidia gt 520m
6 GB ram

i know that this isn't exactly the best gaming computer ever and that the gt 520 is a low end card, but it used to work just fine. It was hot before too but never shut itself down before. I could play my games for hours.
Why did it start overheating  now? I did some research and most people seem to THINK the reason could be dust or something blocking the fan but i dont know how to check it on a laptop. Is the activity of using the game the only time when the overheating occurs or is it present all the time now? Yes dust/dirt inside can cause the cooling ports to be restricted and reduce airflow.To get a better picture of what the actual temps are you should download/install/run this free program.
http://download.cnet.com/SpeedFan/3000-2094_4-10067444.html
It would serve us better to have a comparison of gaming temps and computer just on and running the test results. So please provide both. Have you noticed any audible change in the fan sounds (increase or absence of sound)? To try and remove any internal debris you should open all available user access panels and using only canned compressed air endeavor to remove it. You can also apply the air via the cooling ports but caution there as you will be significantly increasing the fan rotation speed and that can cause a fan failure. If you have access to stop the fan rotation when applying the air that is desireable to PREVENT the possible fan damage. Also remove all power to the computer when doing the CLEANING.report back with your findings/results.truenorth
Thank you for the reply

I did the test you asked. here are the results

GPU       65C
HDO       38C
Temp1   73C
Cores     72C

in game they all go up to around 90 except hdo. And about the fan, the sound is pretty high, even higher in-game. But it was high the first day. No changes in fan sound. Those temps are well within RANGE for that i7...
If it gets close to 100C is when to start watching.what's wrong then?Your query re "what's wrong then?" i assume is based upon your perceived elevation of temps. While as member patio has stated these determined temps are NOT outside the acceptable range of temps for that computer. However i can appreciate that as the owner of the computer noting a change can be worrisome. If my research is borne out this is an Apple Mac Book of 2011 vintage. Is that correct? If so then it may well be that you still have some warranty left. If that is the case to diminish your concerns i would suggest taking it to an Apple store and let them test it to see if there is something to be concerned about. You can proceed with the cleaning with the cautions i mentioned in the interim. You could also buy a laptop cooler. They are readily available and quite inexpensive I did not detect any user concerns on the computer re overheating issues.truenorthWell it's not a mac book It's a Casper Nirvana. Casper is kind of a domestic (i don't know if i used that correctly  ) computer company from Turkey (where i am from). They do not make their own parts though, i guess they buy it from the bigger companies. They do make some rather decent and less expensive computers though, using the customs tax system of Turkey which charges computers much more than computer parts. 

I dont know why i just told you all that but anyways thank you for your help. I dont think i'll go with the cooling, mainly because it says "Any unauthorized interference will disable the guarantee" on the back

I'll go ahead and buy myself a cooler now. Thank you again for your attention.OK but given this " "Any unauthorized interference will disable the guarantee" on the back"  if that is still a concern (due to an existing in force warranty) the belief of excessive heat--my suggestion re taking it in to an authorized dealer would still be at the top of my list.If indeed things have changed that concern you time to do it is BEFORE it is out of warranty.truenorth

I recently install an external 500 GB hard drive  but my computer is not recognizing it. I get an error message "Code 12 not enough resources". Please help[
THANK youHi

You SAY an external hard drive which would suggest it is USB but that error is normally with IDE DRIVES. Can you give a make and model of the 500gb hard drive and how you are connecting it please.
Western Digital  WD5000AACS. Installed using USB and SATA connections Quote from: hughii on December 28, 2012, 04:07:44 PM

Western Digital  WD5000AACS. Installed using USB and SATA connections

(I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, if it isn't, sorry!)

I'm going to build a computer to play Mirror's Edge and Call of Duty: World at War on. And probably Adobe Flash, and recording gameplay, and stuff like that.

First of all, don't tell me to get a i7 and the ASUS board they released yesterday just because it's the best. I don't want the best, I'll be building that system later. This ONE will sort of be a test, so that I know what I'm doing and don't mess up a thousand bucks. I know what my plans are, I just need help picking the components.

Keep it under $300, I don't want to be bankrupt when I'm ready for my $1,000 system.

Anyway,

I'll only do INTEL and NVIDIA stuff for the CPU and GPU.

A friend recommended a Intel Pentium G860 for the processor, but I don't know much about it, I'll just do it unless anyone thinks something else would be better.

I have no clue for the motherboard.

For the graphics card, I don't know about the manufacturer, maybe MSI? For the GPU I'm figuring a GeForce 9000 something, or (up to) a GT 440, or something like that. My friend said a 550 Ti, but it seems like it's unnecessarily new.

For the RAM, 4 GB, but I don't know what brand or whatever. I think I'll do Crucial Ballistix.

For the PSU, I want it to be modular if possible. I was thinking a OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W 80 PLUS?

I don't know about the case.

I'm using pcpartpicker.com for a reference to parts and prices and stuff. Here's what my friend got: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ttsB and here's what I got: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tCesI will be commenting on only one hardware item of your intended build. I would suggest that you investigate using an SSD drive instead of the choice you currently have made. I do note your upper price range so that might preclude your options there. However given the intended use (gaming) the SPEED advantage could greatly enhance the performance for that purpose. To help you asses the various offers here is a link to a testing web site that has performed comparison tests.
http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/storage/best-ssd-10-of-the-top-ssds-on-test-994095
truenorth
Quote from: truenorth on December 23, 2012, 12:14:23 PM

I will be commenting on only one hardware item of your intended build. I would suggest that you investigate using an SSD drive instead of the choice you currently have made. I do note your upper price range so that might preclude your options there. However given the intended use (gaming) the speed advantage could greatly enhance the performance for that purpose. To help you asses the various offers here is a link to a testing web site that has performed comparison tests.
http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/storage/best-ssd-10-of-the-top-ssds-on-test-994095
truenorth

I think they're more unreliable than a HDD

and if you lose your data, can you recover it like a HDD

And I heard that you can't keep on read/writing to it, like a HDD, it's more like a CD.

And I don't really understand how a super-fast drive would help performance with gaming, besides for maybe loading stuff, but isn't that to RAM?

Presumably, you are asking if you can use tools like 'recuva' to recover files if you delete them by accident or something.

But here's the thing. This is sort of a shallow argument against SSDs, because data recovery is not a data backup. If you keep a proper backup of your data, you aren't going to need to recover anything to begin with, and if you aren't making backups, you should be. Relying on a Recovery program to restore data when you lose data is analogous to not avoiding dangerous situations because you can always go to a hospital.

This is false. I would imagine in the large majority of cases, the actual failure rate overall is no different. SSDs can be written and read from immensely faster than a magnetic platter drive.

Games don't load everything all at once. Usually data is loaded into the game as it's needed.  It usually depends on the game itself, however.

As a contributor to this thread i had thought that you came to us asking for our assistance. Which i obviously mistook that you were seeking comments on the components that you have intended to purchase (otherwise there is not a great deal of benefit of having listed them). I am sorry that i misunderstood that basically it appears that you really only wanted affirmation that your choices were the best or correct ones. Please accept my humble apologies and good luck with your computer. truenorth

Anyone?

After the way you (a) asked your question and (b) treated the replies you got, do you seriously expect any more answers? (Other than ones like this, of course!)

If u are building it for practice why not use a kit?
 www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7535052&CatId=31&SRCCODE=MDOTTD&MobileOptOut=1
This one is cheap and has everything but a hdd and an os.
P.S. When you build this practice computer put linux on it; if u aren't framilular with linux. It'LL be good for u.

My only suggestion here...and i do it with reservation...is if you're planning on building a gaming rig for 3 Bills...even if you're just practicing would be to save some more money...then start...

Hello,

I have the above named machine with a dim screen, when an external monitor (em) is attached the em will only work if the laptop screen is completely detached or attached and open no more than about 20%. I have replaced the inverter which didn't correct the dim screen issue. i researched the external monitor issue and i got the IMPRESSION that the magnet on the top right of the power board was involved in the em display issue and i replaced the power board, that did not correct the problem. I am leaning towards replacing the screen or replacing the backlight. However something tells me this will not correct the problem with using an em.  Any input is appreciated.Have you tried adjusting brightness CONTROL on laptop. Most use a FN + another key to INCREASE or decrease brightness. Reason why I ask this is because I have seen CUSTOMERS come to me with laptops that appear to be a dim backlight and in the end its just that somehow the brightness control got set to the minimum.

Also confused on the 20% you are talking about, Quote

will only work if the laptop screen is completely detached or attached and open no more than about 20%.

Status: 0xc0000225 Info: The boot selection failed because a REQUIRED device is Inaccessible.

I have a HP TouchSmart 300.

When I try to turn on my computer it crashes at the loading screen. It only started today morning (27/12/2012). It also tells me to try and use the Installation disc, but every time I use the Installation Disk it loads the information but re-starts at the loading screen again! Is there any other way I can fix my computer?

Also when I try to safe mode (all 3 safe modes) It stops at the same file every time and to re-start it I have to turn the whole computer off.

I've also SET the Bios on CD and ROM loading.

Please can someone help?

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/837/img1144jr.jpg/

Kind regards WillI had problems similar to this on a laptop about a MONTH ago. Same status and everything but after i repaired windows it would say starting windows then bluescreen.  The recovery partition became unusable. So i had to back up the files and reinstall everything.  Before i reinstalled windows i scanned for malware with HIREN's boot cd with all the antiviruses available on minixp mode.  It found a few viruses and removed them but it was to late... I sugjest that you scan for viruses with hiren's boot cd.  I hope your system is not to FAR gone.What is new or different since the last time everything worked properly (ie, new hw, new sw, virus, error, etc)?

My mother gave me her old GATEWAY Acer Netbook, and it has major problems. It runs slowly, it has no SOUND card, its missing alot of files, and is just overall screwy . I would love to have sound on it, but i can live without it for the moment. I just want the COMPUTER to act normal, and to be at its original settings, so i want to reset to factory settings. Only issue? I have NO idea how to do this!  So please, Please, PLEASE help me!  I would LOOK up the Model # at the Gateway site and check the info on using the Recovery partition...
NOTE: This takes the PC back to DAY One status...all other data and apps will be gone...

Just a quick question, I GOT a new hp and it came with the graphics in the title. The amount of memory is 512mb and according to what I have read it is capable of going as high as 4gb. So, how I increase the amount of shared memory? I have installed the latest drivers from AMD, I went over all of the options in the Catalyst Center, but I just can not find that particular option.

Do I just have to BREAKDOWN and get a separate video card?

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all.Laptops wont take an addon card...
Did you check the manuf. site for more info ? ?You generally set the amount of system RAM used by integrated graphics chipsets in the BIOS. If you have a paper manual, look in it for instructions on entering the BIOS. If not, get an electronic copy from the maker's website.

 The new computer is a tower. I will check the bios for the setting. I checked it before, but maybe missed something.This is a DESKTOP processor yea http://shop.amd.com/US/All/Detail/Processor/AD540KOKHJBOX?SearchFacets=category%3AProcessor
The max amount of shared memory SUPPORTED by the on-die GPU in AMD APUs is 512 MB. http://www.behardware.com/articles/837-3/amd-a8-3850-and-a6-3650-staking-it-on-the-apu.html
Thanks for the response. Another question, why does it say in the specs of the computer that it has up to 3gb shared memory? Seems kind of shady to me if the max on the graphics is only 512mb. That is more than I have on the old computer, but I was hoping for more than 512mb in the new one.

My computer seems not to turn on anymore, I've opened the side panel and see MANY disconnected wires/clips. The power button is disconnected from one port, but connected to another, and I can't seem the TWO connection points on the motherboard to turn it on. All power externally works fine, so I know it's an internal problem. The computer is an Asus essentio, and the power button's microswitch is functional, so it's not the common bad button problem.
Would these happen to be the two points you can connect to turn on the computer? (The two prongs with the blue rectangles NEAR them.Which model of essentio would that be? Are there any model numbers on the motherboard?I see JUMPERS on those pins, so I would not connect anything to them other than the jumpers themselves for whatever mode this enables/disables, or setting they control speed etc of etc. It would be good to locate the motherboard manual online by looking up the ASUS Essentio ( board identification part number ) which will have a layout showing all features, what these jumpers are for that you have pictured, as well as the proper pins for power on, reset, hard drive, power led, internal speaker, etc. This is where Kurtiskain is going with asking what model number that board is, which should be white silk SCREEN on that board near the CPU, RAM, or central to the board itself. My wifes ASUS motherboard starts out as P5Q-xxxx

OS is LinuxMint13-KDE.
I regularly make BACK ups with Grsync.
I have an external HDD (1TB and just over a year old) that suddenly refuses to cooperate; when using it as destination to back up to, it says about every folder that it is "read only".
I discussed it on the Grsync-forum and it appears to be a disk problem - not a grsync flaw.

How can I check what exactly the problem is with the HDD?

Not familiar with the O/S however researching on your behalf uncovered this site where the problem was successfully resolved by method provided therein. Hopefully this too will be your result.Good luck,truenorth
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=104411 Quote from: truenorth on January 01, 2013, 01:44:11 PM

Not familiar with the O/S however researching on your behalf uncovered this site where the problem was successfully resolved by method provided therein. Hopefully this too will be your result.Good luck,truenorth
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=104411

Computer Specs:

CPU: i5 3570K
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7970
MOBO: Gigabyte Z77-DS3H
RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3
PSU: 750W Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 80 Plus
HDD: 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black SATA-III
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (Service Pack 1)

Software & Peripherals:

Avast! (current) & Symantec Endpoint Antivirus (old - same problems)
Google Chrome
Guild Wars 2, Rift, Planetside 2, League of Legends (a few other installs that have since been REMOVED)
Spotify
Skype

Razer Naga 2012
Razer Black Widow Stealth Edition
Steelseries Siberia v2

Background/General INFO:

To start, I received my computer (built by CyberPower) on the 15th of December. I had black screen issues within days but I thought I had fixed them. More issues arose. Most of the problems are black screen crashes but I've also seen a couple issues where the screen turns a color (purple, for instance) and features dark, vertical lines running down its length. When the black screen occurs, I lose sound as well. This has happened primarily during my time watching video content (Twitch.tv's live-streams and Netflix) but it also occurred once during a game of Tribes: Ascend (the first time playing the game, by the way). To my recollection, none of the crashes have similar circumstances other than the existence of a video streaming service. Most of the time I'm running a few browser tabs in the background and Skype at random intervals but my attempts to replicate the issues mentioned above have failed. They seem to be completely at random so I've found it difficult to diagnose.

I have been in contact with CyberPower and, by their recommendation, I have re-seated the card (it wasn't really out of place the first time but, at that point, I was trying anything). I have also re-installed the drivers (three times - the first two failed for one reason or another) and used DriveSweeper during the re-installation process. I have also taken the time to ensure that every driver for other components of my system are up-to-date as well as software updates for programs. I've checked event logs again and again but I have found nothing related to hardware problems. The only events that occur are the one that tells me that the kernel lost power unexpectedly (Event ID 41) and the event that the previous shutdown occurred unexpectedly (Event ID 6008 Qualifier 32768). I've monitored temperatures under load (no stress tests or anything of the sort, just CPUID).

I've spent hours looking on other forums and I have found similar problems to my own but very few have defined solutions (I'm guessing there is no one solution but I have yet to entirely grasp what is going on with my computer and I would like to cover all of my bases). Through my own fiddling and browsing other forums I think it may be the video card which means that an RMA would be in order. I would like the opinion of someone else aside from the service representatives that I have spoken to (not that they are wrong or anything, they've been great, but I just want to be sure).

Thanks in advance,

Para

P.S.  I can provide anything else you would possibly need to assist me with my problems. Just let me know what I can do to help!It certainly sounds like a graphics card issue. Lines and colors on the screen generally point to graphics V-Ram being bad. Does your motherboard support MVP by LucidLogix at all? it is possible the shared memory lines are being corrupted and causing these issues.

I would also have pointed to power as a culprit but I see you have a decent supply in there

I had an issue with my P8Z77-v LX similar, my old HD4870 would post and run, but at 4x only, not 16x. My new HD7870 didn't run at all, until  RMA'ed the motherboard.

Are you overclocking your computer at all?Thanks for you reply!

I had actually figured about the same as you did. I was fairly sure of it being a graphics issue so I pulled out the GPU and have been running with the onboard graphics for a few days without issue so I'm going to RMA the card (which hopefully doesn't take too long!). I did, for a little while, think that the power supply was an issue but I didn't bother with it after the onboard graphics worked without a hitch. I've been doing most (I can't play a game or two) of the stuff I did before that caused problems (mostly the video streaming but games in general are running better). For example, Netflix and Twitch.tv's streams would crash on me all the time and I've watched hours of their content over the last few days without a problem.

I was planning on doing a little overclocking down the line but these issues popped up. 

About the MVP support... I actually had to look that up because I had never heard of it before. I'm not sure if my motherboard supports it or not. I read that it COMES with certain models but none of the listed ones were the model I'm using.

Once again, thanks for the reply! I wanted another opinion to consider before I went any further.

HI   

Ok So I have this HP desktop that its due for a graphics card upgrade ( PSU as well)

So far I am running a 365W PSU and a XFX Geforce GT 240 and it RUNS ok for games but definaltly time for a better card.

SEE, as in this picture here,

http://tinypic.com/r/2utp3k4/6

My motherboard ( in a sense) is upside down, and my PCI X16 is facing upwards, making it so all my cards face up. Therefore,
Limiting me to a single slot card. ( see pic above)

I was pretty mad when I got the machine, realizing this problem.   

What are some ideas that I could do? Is there any gaming cards that only take the one slot? ( as seen in picture)?

Im stuck and I dont know what to do   


Additional Pictures:
http://tinypic.com/r/2ro27vm/6

http://tinypic.com/r/16bj7sy/6
What do you mean the MBoard is upside down ? ?

Most vid cards are single slot design...more info on the actual PC and what MBoard is gonna determine what vid card it will take...

I have a custom built machine running Windows 7, 64bit. My friend built it because I'm pretty hopeless in that area, so I'm not certain what exactly is inside, only that it's a pretty decent computer. I think the video card is an ATI 4xxx something, it's got a couple gb of ram. I recently reformatted it and started with a clean install (as in, like 2 days ago). I did download and install all of the windows updates before this trouble started. There's AVG on it, but it's not like I've had time to riddle it with viruses. It's literally just AVG, Steam (a couple games from Steam), Firefox and whatever comes with Windows.

Anyway, last night I was playing a game and all of the sudden the fans in the computer go into overdrive and it stops transmitting to my monitor. The computer is still running, as far as I know. Anyway, I turned it off and tried turning it on today and no hash. When I boot it up it sounds like it normally does, only the fans go into overdrive again and the picture never comes on. All the lights turn on in the box like normal as well. I'm completely lost here, so I thought I'd give this FORUM a go. Here's a picture of the inside, in case you need it. There's one more fan on the case door.

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j373/lmarts/0104132206_zpscd7c693e.jpgHow long ago was this computer built? It sounds like an overheating issue to me.Just to see if you can get the computer to operate again try removing the side panels of the case (both sides if you can). Then with a portable fan blowing into the case see if you can get it to run. If you do get it to run (or when you eventually do) i recommend downloading/installing this program:
http://download.cnet.com/Everest-Ultimate-Edition/3000-2086_4-10499291.html
This is the paid version but there is a 30 day free trial on it . So use it and you will get a list of all things hardware/software on your computer which you should save or print out to a location other than your computer for future reference if and when other problems arise. This version also contains diagnostic features for possible problems. So if you do get the computer running via my suggestion make it a priority to use. Report back as to the RESULTS of what i have suggested being as detailed as possible.truenorthIt was built 2-3 YEARS ago, roughly. I tried what you said, was able to take off both side panels, but no luck. Unless the thing is overheating instantly, I don't think it could be that. Maybe the first time it happened it overheated, and now it's just messed up somehow? Anyway, after fiddling around some, I think the fans that are mainly going wild are the ones on the bottom of that black box in the middle, which I suspect is the graphics card? I have no idea how to tell which parts are which if they aren't in a box that says so, but that thing is connected to where the video output cable is, so that's my guess. There are two fans underneath it (and for informational purposes, two more fans on the top of the box I had no idea existed). It's hard to figure out which fans, if not all, are the ones going haywire, but I think it might be those.

Could it be the graphics card overheated? I suppose that might explain why there's no picture and wacky fans."Could it be the graphics card overheated?" Yes it could be the card has failed.Before trying another with all power disconnected and first grounding the chassis for any electrical discharge you could try re-seating the card if that is possible.truenorthI did what you said, about reseating the card (had to call a friend to walk me through it) and no dice. However, I then scavenged an old card from another computer and voila, that one works. So I must have somehow blew up my card, which for future reference is This One. Not that any of you would buy it now.

So I guess this means I'm shopping for a new card. Any suggestions as to cards either the same as or better than this one for somewhere around $100, maybe $150 if it's really nice? Now that I'm actually on this computer again, I can tell you:

Intel Core i7 CPU 920 2.67GHz 2.67GHz
RAM: 6GB
Now sadly running on a Nvidia Geforce 8400 GSWell done. I SHALL leave it to OTHERS to advise you re a replacement card. They will want to know the wattage of your current power supply as depending on whether you want to stay within the range of a straight replacement (same wattage) as the one you have or depending on the card recommended it will become necessary to increase the capacity of the power supply unit (and maybe the RAM as well). So you may have some decisions to make. Take your time experts in that area shall be along soon to help you make your decision.truenorth

my PC was WORKING fine yesterday , today it powers on for seconds and then powers off again , what could it be ? it's a pentium D 3.4 GHz , 2 GB RAMIs this a desktop over 3 years old?
Is it running Windows XP? Vista? Any error messages?

Most likely hardware issue is a fan has stopped working. The will stop a PC is less that a couple of minuets.
yes it's 6 years old ... running windows XP , doesnt wait  to boot into windows ... the processor fan and the case fans both work Sounds like the power supplyi removed the processor fan and found the processor very hot , is it normal or there's a problem with the COOLING ?

Also if it's a power supply , it WONT power on in the first place right ?Power supplies don't always just die - they often start to go bad with different symptoms - including the one you're describing.ok thanks ... is there anything i can do to make sure or i am LEFT with buying a new PS option Just make sure you GET it from a retailer who will take it back if you don't need it.Many Thanks AllanTwo more things to check.

1. A failing floppy drive or a failing CD-drive could also cause the symptoms.

2. Judging by your comments, the CPU may have lost intimacy with the heat sink. Check and see if the heat compound has dried up or  caked. In six years it  could happen.

thanks geek , so i will try cleaning the heat sink and applying new thermal paste if that's what u mean Quote from: superdupermido on January 01, 2013, 02:17:49 PM

thanks geek , so i will try cleaning the heat sink and applying new thermal paste if that's what u mean

That's what I mean. Make sure is is seated right. Heat transfer is very important with modern CPUs.

Hi all

I am looking at replacing the RAM on my gaming desktop PC but need some technical advice first rather than making a 'best guess'.

Machine Specs:

OS: Windows XP Pro SP3 32 bit. (Max 3GB ram recognised)
Motherboard: Asus P5E Deluxe
CPU: Core 2 Duo 3Ghz
Ram: Current: 2 x 512mb Corsair PC2-5300 333mhz DDR2-667 plus 2 x 1024mb Kingston PC2-5300 333mhz DDR2-667 (Total 3GB)


The Mother board can take "4 x DIMM, Max. 8 GB, DDR2 1200*/1066/800/667 ECC,Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel memory architecture" (From Asus website)

My question is twofold.
1) Since Win XP can only recognise 3GB ram is it better to buy 2 x 2 GB and let it only use 3, buy only 2 GB, or buy 3 x 1GB modules and run two as a pair and one as a single? (I understand there are performance issues but not sure which is the best option.
2) I am currently using PC2-5300 333mhz DDR2-667 modules. Will the motherboard accept a PC2-8500 module (DDR2-1066)? The Asus website says it will take up to DDR2-1200 but says nothing about the PC2-5300/8500 bit. Can this part of the Ram be explained please?

Many thanks

RazorYou don't need new RAM.  A different configuration will offer no improvement.Hi computer_commando

Thanks for the advice.

So to get better performance I'd have to upgrade to a new PC? I had thought that because I was running different sized ram etc that it might be degrading performance.

Thanks again

RazorAlso to mention that you will need to upgrade to XP, Vista, or 7 ((64-bit)) OS to get more than 3GB usable. My wife has that same ASUS P5E Deluxe motherboard you have and she is running the Pentium E5400 2.7Ghz dual-core in it with 4GB 800Mhz FSB DDR2 RAM on Windows 7 64-bit with GeForce 9800GT video card. For games my wife runs its plenty. But this system would be stretching itfor some modern game titles and play the games without lag etc.

1.) If you want to upgrade for better performance, first I'd detrmine what games you want to run. 2.) Find the game in your list of games that you want to run that requires the Most of your hardware for Recommended Performance. ( *Always use Recommended Hardware Requirements and ignore minimum requirements for best performance ).
3.) Lastly check to see if its worth while to spend the money to upgrade pieces of hardware or to completely replace the system for all new hardware.

The most powerful CPU that this board can handle is a Core 2 Quad Q9650 3Ghz with a passmark score of 4376, your Core 2 Duo scores 2175, and my wifes Pentium E5400 scores 1609.

Here is link to CPU's supported: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_775/P5E_Deluxe/#CPUS
Also when it comes to games video cards make a big difference, its not all about CPU power as GPU processing power is equally important.

What are you using for video card(s)?
This motherboard supports Crossfire with 2 x ATI PCIe video cards where you can team up 2 video cards. (* I never used this feature of this motherboard yet as for a single GeForce 9800GT video card was plenty for the games that she plays, and the power supply I am running in her system is only 500watts. If running any Dual Video Card setup, I'd always go with at least 650 watts of power available. )

Depending on what you want to play for current games as well as games that are released in the next few years, it might make more sense to keep your current system as a 2ND computer and buy a new system with say a Core i7 CPU etc and modern video cards with Windows 7 or 8 and 4 or 8GB RAM and then add a memory upgrade to this if needed where depending on what games you want to run you will probably get more for your investment with future gaming hardware demands. My youngest brother spends crazy amounts of money on hardware when it first comes out and was one of the first to have the Core i7 2600k 3.4Ghz with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD with dual high end video cards running Windows 7 64-bit. I wish I could have that kind of power for gaming, but I can see so many other uses for a couple grand and am happy with my current Athlon II x4 620 2.6Ghz quadcore system on 4GB Ram with a cheap ATI 5450HD videocard with 1GB DDR3 running Windows 7 64-bit.Hi Dave

Additional specs is

Nvidia Geforce 9600 GPU
750 watt PSU (So from what you say plenty of power to spare)

I think from what you are saying I will need a completly new PC and keep this one for older games that won't run on Win 7. I want to get games like Cyris and Skyrim but haven't because of performance issues. The main reason I am looking at upping current performance is I play Age of Empires 3 online a LOT and the game is constantly lagging. I know some of it is network performance, but we have fairly good speeds here so was thinking that PC performance might be affecting things.

Thanks for replying and I think I will have to price up a new PC... and save

Cheers

Razor
Quote from: Razor on December 26, 2012, 02:48:50 AM

...I know some of it is network performance, but we have fairly good speeds here so was thinking that PC performance might be affecting things...

Tests from speedtest.net show I constantly get 15mb upload and 1mb download.

The only other thing that was suggested by a friend is getting a new cooling fan for my cpu - it runs at 100 degrees C during gaming when the day is hot.... might be cooking the poor thing.

Hi just got a Toshiba 500Gb external HDD. I am running Windows 7 (64bit). Brand new, PLUGGED in drive, disk management eventually recognized it but as read only. Cannot CHANGE permissions or reformat and Toshiba haven't sent a REPLY so you're my last hope. Is there anything else I can try? Try here http://www.petri.co.il/external-hard-drive-read-only-solution.htmYep that seems to have FIXED it. Many thanks