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The HDD failed in the HP. I see there are available adapters to connect SATA drives to IDE machine.
I have all the hardware and am curious about just what to anticipate.
Ivan CopasDid you already post his?
Low COST compatible IDE DRIVE are available everywhere.
If the motherboard was not made for SATA, it may or may not work. Yes, t any old motherboard that does NOT have SATA is very, ,  very old and  is not compatible.


Is this because the old bios is incompatable or something else?The old BIOS does not know some things changed. The SATA is a NEWER SPEC and some of the old  IDE commands may not work.
One issue is the 48 bit LBA standard now used by machines made more recently.
For IDE drives under 127GB it is not an issue.

Hi. I have just purchased a EPSON xp-215 wireless printer. I spent all last NIGHT, and hour on Epson LIVE chat to get it to connect to my sky router with  no success. I took it to my local computer shop and paid for it to be set up , which took 2 hours. I brought it home and it still wont connect although it did in the shop. I have already had this model  printer and it set up ok. (it broke and was replaced with this one) I cant get back to the shop for a few days so was wondering if anybody could give me any advice please.
Thank you Hi

Do you have the old printer ?

If so what condition is it in does it still power up , does it still print

If it does still power up  then you can get the network settings from it and LOAD them into the new printer?

Here is the Epson network trouble shooter. http://www.epson.co.uk/gb/en/viewcon/corporatesite/products/mainunits/faq/12299/1767#toc5

To assist with settings I would need your network settings which you can get with IPCONFIG /all command
And your windows version


 

Hello All,  I'm new to this forum.  I'm not sure if any of you computer gurus can help, but here is the quest.  I have an old Lowrance Airmap 100 GPS.  It's not supported any more and the Lowrance techs will not give me any answers on it's OS or anything else.  I want to reprogram it to be able to upload maps and take out the aviation stuff.  I have connected  to it and updated the firmware with my laptop.  Because I think it's just a small computer, can anyone help me hack into this creature to all least clear it's memory of the aviation stuff.Welcome to CH. Just wanted to give you a heads up that, not many have hacked GPS's here, or at lease since I started in 2006, its very infrequent that anyone requested info on a GPS, let alone hacking ONE is a first here that I know of.

GPS's are pretty much throw aways, especially these days, so when its no longer supported you can simply buy a new one for like $50 or get one already integrated into a modern phone. You would have better luck finding or making an app for a phone that has a GPS in it that can be interfaced.

Unfortunately the easiest way to hack this device would require using illegal tools that I can not state here and do not advise using at all. It would require decompiling the software that interfaces with the device to see how it communicates with the device and would require you to be proficient in the language that it was programmed in. Then recompile an alteration of this interface software which is extremely illegal.

The only legal way to interface with this device would be if someone WROTE from scratch without decompilation of the original software, used in the process to make and open source tool to use that is not in VIOLATION of EULA and generally non competing. For this to happen you would pretty much need someone who was part of the original team of programmers on this project available to assist, because otherwise you can program all you want, but its like trying to pair up a key to a lock and the lock is unknown type and tooth combination.

If this was a device that boots with ability to serial term it without authentication required then alteration would probably require a reflash of it, but to do that you would need an altered custom ROM for it, but the likelyhood of such a ROM existing for it is very slim.

Best of luck with this, however I dont believe anyone here will have a solution for this device. Didnt want your post to sit at 0 replies thinking this is a dead forum, its very active, but your request is outside of the norm.

My suggestion would be to use a modern phone that has a GPS and of which apps can be programmed for it to interface with this more easily than that of a regular off the shelf GPS. Best of Luck and hope to see you back again sometime 
Hi

There is so much information on that gps on the internet you should be able to get what you need. here is some links i found with a google search "Lowrance Airmap 100 GPS"

http://www.easygps.com/gps-receivers/Lowrance-AirMap-100.asp

http://www.lowrance.com/en-NZ/Software-Updates/

mypdfmanuals.com/user-manual,LOWRANCE,AIRMAP+100Why is this request so sinister.  The manufacturer (Lowrance) does not even support the product anymore.  Numerous requests to Lowrance for the original software provided with the unit have been denied.  Can't believe a company like that would not ARCHIVE that data.  I have a Thinkpad running Crunchbang, isn't that the same thing?  Have been looking for the original software, Lowrance IMS MapCreate Marine and RECREATION CD ROM, to no avail, so far.  It's not so much as the price for a new one, it's that this unit only has 10 hours on it and works great.  Also the prices are way more than $50 for a product that will do what this one can.  I just want to upload maps to it.  It's now becoming a "quest".2 to 3 e-mails a day and a hand written letter once a week should do the trick...Just 2 - 3 ?  I can do that!Awhile back i was able to get a WD HDD replaced when it failed less than a month out of warranty...i'm assuming they just got sick of me and gave in.

Being polite also is the proper approach.

Been thinking of getting a external blu RAY burner to play blu ray movies and burn cds/dvds.

Is the only disadvantage of going external usb that it takes a bit LONGER to burn discs? As for watching blu ray movies will it still be good quality?

My internal dvd drive crapped out RECENTLY and I want to get a external blu ray drive. Quote from: STC on February 17, 2014, 09:08:43 AM

Been thinking of getting a external blu ray burner to play blu ray movies and burn cds/dvds.

Is the only disadvantage of going external usb that it takes a bit longer to burn discs? As for watching blu ray movies will it still be good quality?

My internal dvd drive crapped out recently and I want to get a external blu ray drive.

Hello everyone

I have been having a problem with my HDD space disappearing recently and was hoping someone here might have an idea what is going on. I will post the details below and below that I will post my specifications and computer information.

So, a while ago I noticed I was low on HDD space (around 90 GB) so I deleted old games and programs I no longer use and after some time ended up with 300 GB of space, which I was happy with. A few days after this whilst I was playing a game I got a windows error message saying something similar to "You only have 11 MB of disk space left, clear some space to avoid problems" which left me shocked as I know I had 300 GB, and I had not installed anything recently. After receiving that message I quickly deleted more games I don't play and cleared 150 GB of space again. However, the next day I was on 40 GB and the day after that (today) I am now on 22.2 GB when I have not installed anything at all since then.

Specifications:
HDD - 1 TB Western Digital
CPU - Intel core i5 2500k
RAM - 8 GB 1600mhz Corsair Vengeance
Graphics card - MSI TWIN Frozr II GTX 580
Operating System - Windows 7 64 bit home premium
Anti Virus and firewall: McAfee LiveSafe Internet Security (Antivirus, firewall etc all in one package)
I also use Malware Bytes Anti Malware to scan my system weekly.

I don't have any back up programs or anything I could think of taking this memory.

If you need any more information please let me know, and thank you for taking the time to read this. 

EDIT: I should probably mention I have SCANNED my system with McAfee, Malwarebytes Anti Malware, Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool, and Super Anti Spyware and none of the programs found any viruses or trojans etc.1) Do you have both Microsoft Security Essentials and McAfee Anti Virus installed?

2) Download and run treesize and let's see where the space is being used https://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free/ Quote from: Allan on February 18, 2014, 06:00:25 AM

1) Do you have both Microsoft Security Essentials and McAfee Anti Virus installed?

2) Download and run treesize and let's see where the space is being used https://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free/

Okay, good. As you probably know you should not have more than one AV installed at any time. By the way, just a personal observation if I may -- I think McAfee products are absolutely horrible. I would recommend virtually ANY other AV over McAfee.

Good detective work on your part with an assist by Allan...

We love success stories here...Welcome Aboard.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out. Personally, I'm a Kaspersky fan. I have KAV installed on all of my systems. There are also a lot of good free alternatives (Avira, Avast, AVG, etc. - and Microsoft Security Essentials is still decent - certainly better than McAfee). I suggest you do some homework on the web and pick something that sounds good to you.

My sound adjuster from the LOWER right HAND taskbar is hidden. How can I get it BACK. I have an HP G60 laptop RUNNING WIN 7.
Thank you

have a philips iqon pc and i want to upgrade the hdd. think there is only a 40gb in it at the moment. How do i find out what sort of HARD drive it is and where to go to get another one all be it a higher one. kinda stuck here at the moment so help would be appreciatedOpen up a side panel...
See what connectors go to the HDD...
If it's a 2" flat wide ribbon cable it's an IDE HDD...
If it's a thinner 1/2' wide cable then it's a SATA HDD.

My guess being a 40G HDD it's most likely IDE. Quote from: patio on February 18, 2014, 09:03:23 AM

If it's a thinner 1/2' wide cable then it's a SATA HDD.

Hi all

I have recently purchased a SOUNDCARD - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190975345542?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

that is connected to my creative 5.1 surround sound, the only problem is after I have connected the new hardware it installs properly but only plays 2 channel. I have tried to MESS around with the properties of the soundcard, but I can't seem to find a WAY to change the output.

This has been doing my head in as i have bought this soundcard to get the full output of my surround sound.

I have a samsung i3-2330M CPU 2.20 Ghz running Windows 7 hp.

Any input or solutions would be very helpful and i would be most grateful

Thanks again

Mitch Did you use the CD that came with it to use the MFR driver or are you using the default driver that Windows 7 decided to use for this device?I let windows 7 do all the driver installs. when i use the cd provided i can't seem to get anywhere with it, i get a bit lost. I had a small USB sound card device that also was defaulting to setting of 2.0 vs 5.1 with windows 7 when using default windows drivers for this device. I was able to fix it by locating the driver on the mini CD that came with my device and go into Device Manager and then locate this USB audio device and then telling it to use this oem driver instead of the default and that fixed my problem. ( Just have to be sure to use the Win 7 32 or 64 bit driver that matches your OS. ) Some discs are structured easily with folders like a root folder of drivers, and then within that you find sub-folders of 98, 2000, xp, vista, 7, 8 However some make you dig for them. And in some cases you have to use an older driver and cross your fingers that it works. However; if you cant find a Windows 7 32 or 64 driver for this device, I'd check the mfr's website for this device to see if they have a newer updated driver. If this device is like the USB audio device I have that was made in china, the drivers are nearly impossible to find online and the CD is the only option.

The problems you have now are probably because the device was connected before the CD was run with the drivers/software and so Windows has associated this device with a default driver satisfying this device. Trying to run certain drivers after the fact will malfunction by not applying if they are designed to not look specifically for this device but instead for a device that is unknown to windows ( essentially driverless ) to target and then apply the driver to.I used the cd and searched and tried out a few more things on it and managed to track the driver needed. Have now changed the driver settings and i finally have 5.1 surround with it.

Thanks for the help, life SAVER!!!

 Awesome

My main goal is to be able to play my Star Wars, Star TREK games. Basically everything after 1990. These are all my systems and components. I am LOOKING for opinions on switching components between the machines. Basically building to the best of my hardware on hand. Cheers!

Windows XP Gaming
Motherboard:
CPU: AthlonXP 3200+ 2.21GHz
RAM: 1GB
GPU: nVidia GeForce 6200
Audio: Onboard
OS: Windows XP

Windows 98 Gaming
Brand: Dell Dimension 4100
CPU: Pentium III Coppermine 867MHz
RAM: 256MB
GPU 1: nVidia TNT2 M64 32MB
Audio: SB Live!
OS: Windows 98

Windows 95 / DOS Gaming
Brand: Gateway G6-333
CPU: Pentium II 333MHz
RAM: 64MB
GPU 1: ATI Mach 64 2MB PCI
GPU 2: Voodoo 2
Audio: AWE64 (CT4520)
OS: Windows 95 OSR2.5

DOS 6.22 / Windows 3.11 Gaming
Motherboard:
CPU: Cyrix 6x86-P166+GP 133MHz
RAM:
GPU: ATI 3D Rage II+ PCI
Audio: Sound Blaster Pro 2 (CT1600)
OS: DOS 6.22 / Windows 3.11

DOS 6.22 Gaming
Motherboard:
CPU: Intel 486DX 2 33MHz
RAM:
GPU:
Audio: ESS1868
HDD: CF IDE Adapter
OS: DOS 6.22 / Windows 3.11

Unused Machines

HP Pavilion 6343
Motherboard: Asus SPAX v1.01
CPU: AMD K6-2 300MHz
RAM: 32MB
GPU: Onboard
Audio: Onboard
OS: Windows 98

Dell OPTIPLEX GX150
CPU: Pentium III Tualatin 1200MHz
RAM: 512MB
GPU: GV-R92S128T Radeon 9200SE 128MB AGP8x
Audio: Onboard
OS: Windows 98

Recently Purchased and LAYING Around
Voodoo 2 12MB (Being Mailed)
Voodoo 3 3000 16MB (Being Maild)
Tyan S1854 Trinity 400 Pentium II/III (On Hand)
Asus P5A-B Super Socket 7 - 6X86MX, Cyrix MII, K5, K6 MMX, K6-2, K6-2+, K6-III, Pentium, Pentium MMX, WinChip 2 (On Hand)
Intel Pentium MMX 166MHz 2.8v (Being Mailed)
ATI Rage 128VR 32MB PCI (On Hand)

I need to REPLACE a KEYBOARD in a Macbook PRO 17 Inch Mid 2009. One of the tiny screws HOLDING in the old keyboard is stuck and the screwdriver insert location is rounded off. Any idea how I can remove this screw?

These screws are the tiny ones that SECURE the actual keyboard to the aluminium keyboard recess, one of about 50. Too small to get needle nose pliers on.

Thanks

I installed 2pcs. of 2Gb of RAM TOTAL of 4Gb RAM but it SAYS 2Gb usable. can anyone help me? thanksMore info...
What Mboard ?
Which WINDOWS version ?
What RAM ? ?

I just REPLACED my mb with a duplicate.

I'm running my favorite mp3 player (Muzikman) and it ASKS which sound card I'd like to use - Audigy 6400 or Audigy 7000.  I stupidly selected 6400 and the sound quality is poor.

I cannot FIND any way of changing that decision.  When I look into Muzikman's settings, it only offers the 6400 version.

As far as I know, I only have one sound card in the SYSTEM and I can find no way of changing it through XP Help.

Can you provide any assistance?


ThanksMore info on the MBoard...ASUS A8N-SLI Premium

Hi,

Was just moving some IDE CABLES around, and I forgot to note which end was which, I THOUGHT they would be labelled, like they are in some other systems I've worked on.

Here's a picture of the CABLE


Would I be right in thinking that the connections are as follows:
1) mobo
2) slave
3) master
Is this correct?

What is the recommended way to identify the connections?

TIAMBoard=================================Master=====Slave.Cool - thanks

So on my picture that's
1) mobo
2) master
3) slave

Worked PERFECTLY :-)That is a really old 40-wire cable, you can clearly see the year 2004 printed on it near the motherboard. The modern 80-wire cables which are used with modern hard drives UDMA 3 and above, have coloured connectors. The blue connector attaches to the motherboard, black to the master, grey to the slave.

Quote from: Salmon Trout on February 22, 2014, 10:59:50 AM

The modern 80-wire cables which are used with modern hard drives UDMA 3 and above

That is a really old 40-wire cable, you can clearly see the year 2004 printed on it near the motherboard. The modern 80-wire cables which are used with modern hard drives UDMA 3 and above, have coloured connectors. The blue connector attaches to the motherboard, black to the master, grey to the slave.

Hi!
It's been a while since I perused this Forum and I am in need of its services again.
I hope someone can help me.

I have the HP C8180 all-in-one printer (scanner, copier, printer) (no Fax)... and it has developed trouble.  I have found out what I need to do to fix it.

But in trying to do so, I'm afraid I damaged one of surface mount resistors on the circuit board.  I need a schematic of the printer (and/or circuit board) in order to know what resistor value it was that I damaged.

I did some initial internet searching and found no schematic for this printer.  I have not tried to contact HP as the printer is long out of warranty.  And I have read other peoples comments that HP cannot be contacted in any case.  I would not know how to contact them.  Maybe someone reading this knows how to contact them and can tell me who at HP can actually give me some results to my questions rather than a runaround.  I have tried their website and all I get is the runaround self help which seems to go in circles and doesn't come anywhere near to addressing my problem.

But what I feel like I need to start to fix this new problem I have created is a schematic of the printer) or more precisely, the value of the resistor I damaged). It is one of the surface mount types with no numbers on it.  Exceedingly tiny, it is.  It is on the part of the circuit board labeled R 12 13.

Can anyone give me some leads?

Thanks and I await any replies.  Please bear with me if I don't respond quickly.  My work schedule permits me little free time.

Thank you.In this situation, HP would very rarely release schematics for fear that someone would use their designs illegally. Even on obsolete products the manufacturers will retain the schematics as ownership of such and they are not required to provide them to customers.

If your really lucky and know the resistor location such as R241, you can request for HP to share with you the value of this single resistor and maybe they will help you. However the last time I had to deal with HP SUPPORT I was talking with a guy in India who was following a flow chart for customer service and I couldnt get him to answer anything on his own. I even informed him that I am not a regular user of HP products, but I field service them and while performing this maintenance on a business line laser printer a tab snapped to a manual feed door, and so I need this plastic door piece that had a part number like 35-098638 on the mold of the plastic part, and can you connect me to someone who can sell me this plastic part. I was met with no assistance from HP. I ended up finding a guy on ebay selling a DOA unit, and I worked out a deal to buy this door of this dead printer for $20 which included shipping, and $75 to fix this problem wasnt worth it to then also have to pay to dispose of the carcass. He was selling the DOA printer for $25 with $50 shipping. I guess this was the last time he decided to post it for sale, I was the only bite he had of INTEREST on it, and he agreed to make something on it vs throw it away as a total loss.

If you know that its this specific resistor, I'd try to find a same model printer that is mechanically dead but powers up on ebay and buy it to use for parts for this printer if its worth doing so. With these printers so inexpensive, its usually a better choice to REPLACE the printer. However maybe you can also work out a deal to buy just this board from the seller and have the seller keep the carcass like I did for like $20.Hi and thanks for the reply.  I apologize for my tardiness in finding sufficient time to interact with you all.

Before I tackled the repair of this resistor, I decided to look over the Internet one more time for a lead.  It bothered me that some SMD resistors on the circuit board were labeled and some were not.  This must mean something, I thought.

So I stumbled across a site that mentioned that unlabelled (or SOMETIMES just black in color) resistors are nothing more than zero ohm resistors that are used where a jumper wire is NEEDED on a board.  By letting the automation machine install these zero ohm resistors on a board while they install all the other components, it saves money by letting the machine do the work rather than having a person physically install jumper wires where needed.

So I looked over my circuit board and it looked like there may be several unlabeled resistors in the vicinity of integrated circuits as well as elsewhere on the board and I suddenly recalled my electronics classes of 30 years ago when we would breadboard circuits and would tie together pins of the IC chip on the breadboard with a jumper wire.  Suddenly it made a little sense to me.  My damaged resistor may be nothing more than a zero ohm resistor.

So I decide to take a chance and solder bridged together the two holes where that resistor had been and decided to try the printer.  What did I have to lose?  I'd just have to buy a new printer anyway.

So far, it has worked just fine for over a week now.  I feel like I have finally solved my problem and learned a little something about zero ohm SMD resistors along the way.

I had considered your idea of finding the same kind of my printer on ebay and buying it for parts.  I may have to do that someday if I keep on wanting to fix mine rather than buying a new one.  But it was a relatively easy fix once I knew what to do and I feel like I've saved $300 if I were to have had to replace it with a similar one.

Thanks and I would consider this problem solved.  Knock on wood!!

i'm having trouble with web PAGES loading extremely slow or not at all, any help will be appreciated...Travel to SpeedTest.net and check your connection SPEEDS...ping : 66 ms, download : 5.47, upload : 0.75after investigating further i have found : mysearchdial toolbar & search engine, however i am unable to get rid of it, please help.....HTTP://www.wikihow.com/Remove-the-MySearchDial-Toolbar

I deleted your post in the malware forum.Use also MALWAREBYTES free and Adwcleaner to remove it completely
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/malwarebytes-anti-malware/ - Update then run a quick scan then remove found threats.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/ - Use the Scan button followed by the Clean option.

Restart may be PROMPTED on each scan to remove the infections.

I just built a new computer and I can't get it to RECOGNIZE my TV. I am using the HDMI port that came on the motherboard which is a MSI FM2-A55-E33 with windows 7 Home 64 BIT. I got to try and set it up but when I click on the detect button nothing happens. In the "Display" area it only SHOWS one choice and that says "...Standard VGA Graphics Adapter". I looked on the drivers disc for graphics drivers but I don't see any. I looked on the internet at the motherboard specs to see if it said what kind of on-board graphics it has. So my question is how do I get the TV set up. I know the HDMI cable is good and the TV works because I had it set up before I built this computer.Well, I did something right because I now have it all set up. I was downloading some Windows updates while I started this thread and after the computer rebooted I had an image on both the monitor and the TV. I had to change the RESOLUTION and set the same image in both, the TV showed the mouse pointer, icons and the like, the monitor just had a picture. Also quite by accident I figured out by double clicking on the image of the monitor before it rebooted after the updates that it's AMD Radeon HD7480D graphics.

So my psu blew out today, LOUD bang, smelled like burned something, no smoke, or visible signs of burning. Removed the psu(Solid Gear ATX SDGR-500),  luckily had an old pc with a 500w power supply(Okia 500w) . Removed it with no issues. Put it in my pc, only had one sata CORD, so I didn't plug in the disk drive as I don't use that anyway. Plugged it in, hit the power button on my pc, booted it up, worked fine, shut it down. Had some old files on the old pc, thought I could access them. So I plugged up two moxels to the older hard drives. Turned it on, worked fine, however the hard drives didn't show up. So I shut it down, unplugged the sata cord from my hard drive, turned it on, it booted to a screen asking for a correct boot device. Turned it off, unplugged the moxels from the old hard drives, put it back together, forgot to plug the sata cord back in, removed side panel, plugged it in, put the panel back on. Hit the power button, and it didn't turn on. Took it apart, checked all the cords, EVERYTHING was plugged in, tried to boot it again, still didn't turn on. Unplugged, and re-plugged in the pwer supply multiple times, checked all the cords multiple times, still won't turn on. Extremely confused as to why it won't turn on now. Any ideas?

http://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-Gamer-Ultra-GUA880-Desktop/dp/B0089KDCIU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392949898&sr=8-1&keywords=gaming+computer
^That computer model, as purchased.1.  What are moxels?
2.  What do you mean "I didn't plug in the disk drive as I don't use that anyway".
3.  Something is causing your PSU's to overload, maybe the "moxels"?

Moxels, at least to my knowledge, are the four pronged cords that attach to certain part from the power supply. Four in a line, not to be confused with a 4-pin, which is two x two. As the older power supply did not have a SECOND sata cord, I figured it wouldn't matter, and used the only sata cord to plug into my hard drive. The disk drive remained unplugged. It's possible, but I assume the original supply overheated and blew out. The second on however, worked, and didn't make a loud noise, or smell like smoke. Just wouldn't turn on anymore. Not even sure if the power supply is the issue anymore. Thanks for the speedy response, and idea.Molex's...Oh, my bad. Molex is the correct term. Thanks for correction. HI

interesting way to go about finding why your original power supply blew up. Find a used supply and test the computer with that .   Don't say why the original supply blew up . Without knowing that the second supply could have failed due to the same cause,  and you haven't said what part of the supply failed and what tests you did to isolate that the fault was just the power supply. Before replacing the power supply a technician would visually check and if necessary  check what parts of the supply had failed.
And from that decide where next to check for possible other damage or or faulty components. Only after that would you fit a NEW power supply.

I think you are assuming that when a power supply or part of a computer fails the damage will always be isolated to that part. That might be the case in 80% or so but there is always the chance that other damage has occurred. You need to start testing each component perhaps using your old computer starting with the power supply you borrowed then your drives and lastly the motherboard with a new power supply  Yes, I made mistakes. I am indeed not a technician, yesterday was my first day inside a computer. Although I read it could be pretty dangerous opening PSU's, so I didn't do that. Not sure how to check exactly what was wrong with the PSU, could you walk me through the steps if you know how, please?
And no, I didn't assume that it was contained damaged. I was actually worried it might have damaged my hard drive. Graphics card is not very good, not bad either, so I wasn't worried if it got damaged, as I want to replace it anyway. But, when I initially placed the older power supply in, everything worked. All the fans and LED's, booted up fine, files were okay. So then, I did assume that none of the components were damaged by the original power supply. The older power supply however, did not cause the computer to turn off suddenly, or make a loud noise. So if it failed, I am unaware. Also unaware how to test this. I apologize for my unfamiliarity with this subject. Thanks for the input though!

Side note: If the other psu is now broken. I do not have any others, and would have to wait to get a new one.

In all likelihood my HDD has failed, but I ran into some odd things.  The problem happened when I was alt tabbing from firefox (installed on SSD) into a program installed on my HDD, the screen froze and I powered down (probably a mistake, but I gave it 5 minutes and nothing).  I don't know if where the programs were installed matters but figured I'd mention it anyway.

When I rebooted, the system did not recognize my SSD, which has the windows install, so I rebooted and opened boot menu and surprisingly my SSD showed up, but the HDD didn't.  I ran a windows repair program and it said it found a fault but could not recognize what the fault was and could not fix it (I think, I honestly couldn't understand any of the info anyway..).  I have re-attached and visually checked the HDD cord at both the motherboard and the HDD itself, though I did not swap this cord to test on my SSD, so this cord could have an issue potentially.  The PSU wires are fine, as I tested my SSD on all slots and there were no issues.

I disconnected the HDD and my computer boots up in a matter of seconds, yet with the HDD connected it takes over 2 minutes, I assume the computer is perplexed and checking things during this time. 

I recently swapped my PSU, about 3 weeks ago.  I am wondering a few things.

Could the PSU swap have caused an issue?  is it at all likely that the cord from mobo to HDD is faulty?  Why did the SSD not get recognized on the first reboot, does this offer any insight?  What could the start up delay mean, if anything?

I am not LOOKING for solid answers, I am just looking to hear opinions because I understand none of you are here to look at things directly.  If there is anything else you guys would like to know, I will find that info for you.  Thanks for reading .No solid answer will be given.
First, the make and model of the motherboard, please.
Why did you replace the PSU?  Did it really fail?
Can you verify the old PSU was weak?
Make and model of your SSD? How old is it? Did you do the configuration.

Wild guess. Your graphics card is pulling  too much power and the SDD does not WORK right because of weak power. YEAH, wild guess.  What I mean to say is that something else could make the SSD fumble.

Some things to try Go back to using the built-in video and remove the graphics card. Also, disconnect the DVD drive. And remove  one stick of RAM. Many boards  can run on a single stick. And swap sticks too.

How old is the SSD?

One more wild idea. Install the OS twice.
First on the HDD by itself.
Second on the SSD.
The install should create a dual boot menu.
Now you can select which OS to test.
The above dis a way to isolate the a problem with the SSD.


The motherboard is hidden, but it is a dell XPS studio computer.
I replaced the PSU when I replaced the video card, UPPING the wattage.  I have the old working PSU right now, and I had considered putting it back in for testing but I realizeed that isnt necessary.  The old PSU ran the current video card, but I replaced it anyway just to avoid the risk as it was under the recommended wattage.

I may have misguided you in my post, however, because the SSD is working fine, it is the HDD that doesn't work. Regardless, the SSD is a CT128M4SSD2 from a few years ago.

I will consider removing the CD/DVD drive, as I have never used it once anyway, just to do some more testing.  As an aside, is it alright to simply disconnect the wires at the device end, or is it important to disconnect them from the MOBO as well?Disconnect power and data cables from the DVD drive.
The cables can remain connected no the motherboard.
Of course, you must work with the power cord disconnected from the main on the wall. Otherwise you run the risk of the thing STARTING up while you are working inside the box.

Did you say the computer would not boot and the OS was on the SDD?
Does your system boot up with the SSD omly?

The BIOS should boot either device even if the cables are swapped. Wait, not knowing what motherboard you have I an guessing.

Recommendation: Get a free download of EVEREST Home Edition from the
soft32 web site.
Here is the link:
http://everest.soft32.com/free-download/

That will help identify what kind of computer you have. It may even find the number of the motherboard. Also, it will give the BIOS name and version and date.
BTW: Don't buy anything or download anything else.
Just get the Everest Free Edition.What make/model and wattage of power supply did you install?Hi

Your 2nd drive has a problem and you have 2 options. Either diagnose the problem and try and fix it or just replace the drive.
If you want to diagnose the drive you should make a backup first as hard drives seem to fail quickly once the early signs are there.
There are lots of disk backup programs, I use Paragon home backup free or Easues partition manager.   
Once you have a complete backup then you can run the manufactures diagnostics to find what is wrong with the drive.
The above programs will also transfer the old drive to the new one if you decide to replace it.

Hello, back with an update.  I used a PSU calculator and my rig came up to about 400 watts (not sure of motherboard though..), my PSU is rated for 520.  The HDD works, but having it recognized on boot up can be an issue.  I think the problem may be with the connectors because I ran into issues getting my SSD recognized on certain wiring configs.

EVEREST can not recognize my mobo or bios.  The new PSU (currently not even using as I am testing) is a Dynex dx520wps.

Currently I only have my SSD and video card plugged in to the computer, and aside from all the bull I have to deal with missing links to my HDD the computer seems to be working as normal.  I may just forget about the HDD and give it to a friend to avoid the hassle as my SSD should be enough to cover my purposes.

I finally decided to replace my rickety old case today and surprise surprise something went wrong. So to be clear no other hardware changes have taken place & the computer was working fine this morning.

Symptoms are a failure to POST, beep or respond to the power button to turn off. I've gone through the standard problem solving check list:

1) Unplug everything except bare minimum: 1 stick RAM, Power, keyboard, graphics device.
2) Alternated different RAM in different slots.
3) Swapped PSU for a known good one.
4) Swapped graphics card for a known good one
5) Reset the BIOS
6) Threaten with violence.

Oh and the monitor works fine as well. I'm thinking that my motherboard did not survive the transplant.Last time I had a client with a similar issue it was that they added too many stand offs in a case that allowed you to add the bronze stand offs in the needed locations and one of them was in a location that is not a mount point, but just happened to be where IC legs were sticking out from, sending the signal to chasis ground.

Hoping this is not the cause of your failure as for they blew the motherboard by this oops.

The other time a person had an issue like this was because they were attempting to use a flat headed screw driver to eject the RAM out of the wings and the screw driver slipped off of the wing and struck the surface of the motherboard and travelled about 1/8" inch in a scratch motion. They cut across about 9 hairline traces that went from the CPU and RAM. I ended up helping them save this board by using an exacto to scratch the mask off of the traces to expose the copper and then with a soldering iron and solder added solder bridges at the gouge and reconnected the RAM traces to the CPU. 

So if a screwdriver jumped anywheres inside when working look at the motherboard surface..


Other causes for this can be the following:

- Motherboard was flexed during the process causing an open to occur.
- Screw somehow loose is lodged and SHORTING component(s).
- Screws tightened down with too much force and cracked/fractured the motherboard material which broke traces internally.
- New cases sometimes have rivot material or metal filings that fall into contact with board.
- Jumper(s) fell off in process such as BIOS Jumper etc.
- Other devices that the motherboard connect to were damaged and so you need to see if you get different results with minimal boot on integrated video etc vs video card etc.
- Static discharge through the process by not following proper ESD safe procedures
- Molex Power connectors not inserted properly or open connection between male/female pins
- 12v ( 4 pin ) molex power connection is not plugged in near CPU ( This has been found more than once!!!! )
- power switch and LED wiring to front panel wired wrong such as to RESET vs the POWER BUTTON so its actually holding the reset into a high vs low state ( and yes I have seen this before in my travels assisting people for 25+ years ) This was on a old 486 33Mhz years ago with button that was not a momentary switch as I believe 100% of modern computers are momentary switches so getting power switch and reset backwards just means that the reset buttom powers and the power button resets.
- Part on motherboard or other device damaged in the move.
----------------------------------

I think that covers all... but feel free to add any that I may have missed for him to try.

In this situation you could pull the motherboard, PSU out and try to boot it outside of the case on a tabletop with a tabletop surface that is dry and non conductive and if it boots then, work your way backwards to the case to find the cause of the failed boot. ( verify that component legs on the board are not comming into contact with the case and shorting out as for many cases now ship without the bronze stand offs, but instead are a press formed platform that are drilled and tapped and sometimes the dome of the raised mount point can CONFLICT with IC legs etc. This can spell disaster for the board depending on which leg is sent to ground.When I say bare minimum that included switching on via screw driver with the front panel disconnected and the case disconnected entirely. I'll be honest I was using the CPU heat sink as a handle to move it about (It felt more fragile than what I'm used to). Then there is the RAM that's not on a supported part of the board so there was flex there...

I miss my old Pentium II boards that just got thrown in cupboards and yet still somehow worked afterwards.If you had a POST card to plug into a PCI slot that might point you in the right direction at this point.

I have an older version of one of these with a LED readout that you can see where it is hanging. Mine is called a POST FLIP card because it has ISA on one edge and PCI on the other so you can plug it into either. But its like 13 years old and I should probably get a newer one, but rarely need it. I paid like $49.99 for it and used it maybe 3x in 13 years.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2C51051131Unfortunately I'm not American so newegg products aren't any good to me.

It appears that the motherboard is still under warranty, if it counts that I probably broke it. The question is do I want to put up with the hassle of returning it for ?weeks? or just splash out the extra £55 for a new one.I have always used my warranty when available. Never had to send a motherboard back before, but have had to send Hard Drives ( Seagate x 3 )and RAM ( 1 x Kingston + 1 x Crucial ) back and it has been no hassle replacements.

Seagate was great for all 3 drives, and of the 3 drives, they shipped me back a 160GB IDE replacement to the 120GB IDE drive that died as well as a 500GB Maxtor drive that was not covered by Maxtors 3 year warranty and became a paperweight instantly was covered by warranty when Seagate bought out Maxtor and rolled their 5 year warranty over to the Maxtor product line in which the drive was 4.5 years old, and Seagate gave me a RMA approval on this drive and I got shipped back a healthy Seagate branded 500GB SATA II drive for just the cost of shipping $ 8.00 (USD) and they gave me a 3 year warranty on this replacement drive that started from the delivery date of the drive to me. This 3 year warranty is just about up and the drive that is a work horse for video EDITING and compression is still healthy  One last after thought, what would the typical response from the motherboard be if it thought that the CPU fan wasn't working properly/at all?Have you tried running it out of the case? I'd predict that something is shorting the board out.

Moving the board by the heatsink shouldn't be an issue - In fact, that is one of the recommended WAYS to hold a board when putting it into the case as the cooler is always very solidly attached and is not sensitive to static.It's on a table now. Quote from: Accessless on February 16, 2014, 04:40:58 AM

One last after thought, what would the typical response from the motherboard be if it thought that the CPU fan wasn't working properly/at all?

assume that it's my computer in question unless I otherwise say so

Have you tried running it out of the case? I'd predict that something is shorting the board out.

Moving the board by the heatsink shouldn't be an issue - In fact, that is one of the recommended ways to hold a board when putting it into the case as the cooler is always very solidly attached and is not sensitive to static.

It's on a table now.

Again, have you tried running it out of the case?  It is very probable that the board is shorting on something in the case - Very easy mistake to make.

I am looking to upgrade my laptop's operating system from XP to Windows 7. I have run Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to check if this is possible. Everything seems fine except for the device "Realtec RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC", with regard to which the advisor suggests I visit the manufacturers WEBSITE to download the latest driver. I am not having much success in this regard, however.
I connect to the internet and my printer via a wireless router. The only other connection I use is a USB2 hard drive which I use to backup FILES etc.
Can anyone help with regard to updating the ethernet device driver or do I even need it?
P.S. I intend to update to Windows 7 via Vista as I have a XP to Vista upgrade disk that originally came with the laptop. (I never installed it as Vista was rubbish!). Then I will upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 via a Windows 7 disk.
Many thanks.You can get a PCI or PCI-e network card that won't cost a bunch of money...
The NIC they are REFERRING to is onboard so all you would need is a card that has Win7 drivers...Not clear what the issue is.
The OP can get internet over wireless - Right?
And also his printer.
So, even if the NIC did not work in Win 7, it should not be a problem.
And as Patio said. a NIC is very cheap nowadays.
Under $15 in USA
Hi

If you upgrade as you say then there won't be a problem. The drivers are updated or carried forward as you go from windows xp to vista and then 7. I would backup the Laptop before you start as I think you are doing this to avoid reloading all your programs? if so there is lots of things that could go wrong especially in the vista to 7 part of the operation it would be a shame if you had to do a clean install instead of the upgrade.
At least with the backup you will be able to restart the operation if something does go wrong. 
The other thing when using upgrade versions of windows make sure you have plenty of free disk space
   Thanks for the replies so far. They've been very helpful. Geek 9pm seems to indicate that I don't REALLY need ethernet if I can still connect via wireless modem anyway which is what I was hoping for (as I don't connect any other way to internet or my printer). If not I guess I can always get a cheap PCI. All my files are backed up to a USB hard drive and I will do this again before starting the whole process. If your fine with using it wireless than i'd just make sure there are Win 7 drivers for that PC...they will be listed as WLAN.

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad T510 type 4384-BR2 and the sound KEEPS dying within a few minutes a booting. If I boot linux Fedora 18 then once the sound has died, I have not found any way of getting the sound to restart without rebooting.

Strangely, with Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 plus optional Sound patches both from Microsoft updates and Lenovo, the sound dies just the same however I can be repaired by a) Looking at recording devices in one of the control panel menus b) adjusting the volume using the volume icon on the task bar. A quick google search says this problem happening on YouTube clips and was fixed by a flashplayer update, however I get this problem using every application even just using VLC to play an mp3.

A year ago linux suffered an issue with identical SYMPTOMS (didn't have Windows installed then), and that appeared to be fixed by replacing the Motherboard under warranty.

Is this a HARDWARE fault, that gets reset by Windows? or is this a software fault? Has anyone seen anything like this before?

BTW linux calls the onboard sound device:

Code: [Select]00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset High Definition Audio (rev 06)
        Subsystem: Lenovo Device 215e
        Flags: bus master, FAST devsel, latency 0, IRQ 44
        Memory at f2620000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
        Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
        Capabilities: [60] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
        Capabilities: [70] Express Root Complex Integrated Endpoint, MSI 00
        Capabilities: [100] Virtual Channel
        Capabilities: [130] Root Complex Link
        Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
If I remember correctly, I think Windows called it a Connexant sound device.

Finally, the same problem arises when using ordinary headphones in the 3.5mm jack, but there is absolutely no problem at all when using Logitech USB headphones, or connecting ordinary headphones via the 3.5mm jack on a USB C-Media audio adaptor.As changing the volume under Windows restores the sound for 30 seconds I started to think this might be a software problem, but ....

IBM changed the motherboard today, and the issue is resolved !!!

Can someone suggest why changing the volume would reset a hardware fault with the audio

Im likely going to a best buy today for one but, I wondered once I got a reader.  WOULD it see it as a LIKE a removeable drive like a FLASH drive would beYes.
It'll designate each slot with a drive letter.I just wanted to note that I didn't find any when I went but, I had gone to the local radio shack a while back an he had a nice basic one in stockSo you decided to waste space and TIME by resurrecting a 10 month OLD thread that nobody cared about in the first place. Locked

I've got a 3-4 yr. old HP laptop with WIN7 on it. Can I  CONNECT the LT to the TV using the HDMI conns. on both and get video and audio on the TV using the "dual DISPLAY" feature on the LT? I'd like to display some of the PBS programs available on the internet on the TV. I'm afraid of "overdriving" the TV (for LACK of a better description)This should work absolutely fine, it's not possible to damage anything doing this.

If audio still comes out of the laptop when it is connected to the TV you may need to go into Control Panel -> Manage Audio Devices and then set the TV as the default audio device.O.K. Thanks for reply and info

Hey

Ive got a weird problem with my laptop. Whenever i try to use any program i have this weird stopping in the program. It is similar to when you would play a game and not have the min req. for the game.

I have an Asus G74sx, win 7 64bit service pack 1 6.1 build 7601, Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM CPU 2.00 GHz, Nvidia GeForce GTX 560m, 8 Gig Ram, 1 Terrabyte Hardrive (Not SSD).

I have done several virus scans with Ad-Aware and Avast Anti-virus software pro, including a full bootscan

I have recently had my fans and usb board replaced. The was a small heat problem. This problem started before i had it repaird and am wondering if the heat may have messed with my prosseser, cpu or gpu. I could use some help in perhaps testing this or help in finding out what is wrong in the software of windows or if it is a driver problem.

I do not know enough of computers to know what mor information anyone would need.

Any help is appreciated

[recovering disk space, attachment deleted by admin]The more likely thing is software, not hardware. IMHO.
Just a suggestion. I think this might help.
Boot in Safe Mode and log in as Administrator. (The user whose name really is Administrator.) Run some virus scans again. If there is any kind of virus still in the system, you need to get some help from Super Dave or one of the other experts.

I tried what you said to do, but I'm still having the same problem.OK, lets consider another possibility

The Asus G74sx is a four core. -Right?
Any way to make it work on just two cores?
Some posts seen elsewhere suggest thee is a problem using quad-core with some software. This doers not mean your CPU is evil. But some software does not behave as expe4cted. I think there is a way to doable cores in task manager, but I have never tried that.
Here is an OLD post. Do you think this is your problem?
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/66c72d00-e8e7-4e57-a528-2cbcb48000e3/asus-core-i7-quad-core-problems?forum=W8ITProPreRel
Quote

Windows 8 only shows and USES 1 core out of the 4 cores but shows 8 threads, does any body know what to do for this? I have installed the ati catalyst but hasnt changed anything. Not sure what I am missing.
Thank you

hi guys , I am making my first pc build and I need your advices
are the components which I choosed compatible ?
here is my thoughts
1.Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid-Tower Computer Case
2.Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler
3.ASUS Z87 Pro Socket LGA 1150 ATX Intel Motherboard
4.Intel Core i7 4770K 3.5GHz Socket LGA 1150 Boxed Processor
5.GIGABYTE GV-N770OC-2GD GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready WindForce 3X 450W Video Card+ free assassins 4
6.Corsair Vengeance Blue 16GB 1600mhz
7.WD BLACK 1 TB SATA 6 GB/S 3.5" DESKTOP HARD DRIVE
8.SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
9.Corsair CX Series CX750M 750 Watt ATX Modular Power Supply
10.ASUS 24X DVDRW SATA OEM

any sugestions are welcome
thanks Quote

any suggestions are welcome

Have you thought about buying some kind of warranty?
With a high-end home build like this, you have to pay extra for warranty .

thank you for help
I am still confused about the power supply capacity, this one looks fine but its hard to understand, it will be 650w enough for sure? even with future sli, ram upgrade, extra fans, cooling stuff (who knows)

I got this unit in attempt to get the data off ANOTHER one of these units an use this one to store some small files.  I don't know what kind of SCSI drives these are an looking for a adapter that can connect these via usb to windows an get the files offGoogle took .ooo1427 secondsHi
The link Patio posted will work but it is likely these drives are running a version of raid.
Which would preclude accessing drives individually you would need all the drives in the raid set attached to the PC to rebuild the raid array. As the controller is on the motherboard you can't swap the controller to the PC. You would need to find a controller the same for the PC.
If this isn't possible then you could do the recovery remotely across a network.
I you want to TRY this please ask and i will try and help further
There is some form of adapter that I heard you can get for the drives but, I don't know what they are to actually get it.I'd suggest buying a SCSI Controller CARD such as the Adaptec 2940 and install the drive(s) to that to interface with the drives at their SCSI address and terminator at the end of the chain, unless self terminated jumper is set.

***Also .... Format the drives before use !!!!  So your not looking into other peoples data on them !!!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Adaptec-AHA-2940UW-PCI-SCSI-card-/301102953524?pt=US_Computer_Disk_Controllers_RAID_Cards&hash=item461b227434#ht_780wt_916Once again we are gonna need alot more info  on the PC...and how it was setup...whether there is a RAID setup...or not etc... Quote from: DaveLembke on February 27, 2014, 05:53:47 PM

I'd suggest buying a SCSI Controller card such as the Adaptec 2940 and install the drive(s) to that to interface with the drives at their SCSI address and terminator at the end of the chain, unless self terminated jumper is set.

***Also .... Format the drives before use !!!!  So your not looking into other peoples data on them !!!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Adaptec-AHA-2940UW-PCI-SCSI-card-/301102953524?pt=US_Computer_Disk_Controllers_RAID_Cards&hash=item461b227434#ht_780wt_916

Once again we are gonna need alot more info  on the PC...and how it was setup...whether there is a RAID setup...or not etc...

Is this the server you are using http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.BINARYPORTLET/public/kb/docDisplay/resource.process/?spf_p.tpst=kbDocDisplay_ws_BI&spf_p.rid_kbDocDisplay=docDisplayResURL&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&spf_p.rst_kbDocDisplay=wsrp-resourceState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-lpn11461-1%257CdocLocale%253D&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken

If so was the drives being backed up to  dat tape as it would be easier to access this than the drives.

You said you had another server the same why can't you swap the drives to that one and then  see if they boot.

Well then ask the previous owner...or did this one come off the tree lawn like the last one ? ?

Today i was browsing the web when my screen started flashing violently. Instinctivly i THOUGHT the monitor has done something again and shut it down (only the monitor). When I turned it on again a few seconds later my computer was alterady auto-rebooting and started again normaly. Everything is back to normal.

Should I be worried?Many times vid problems are due to excessive heat...
DLoad and install SpeedFan...Free...then post all your temps here...
I know and I have speedfan. That was the first thing the I thought of. All temperetures were at idle levels for my hardware (checked like 5 minutes after).
Having a Radeon GPU makes you check this stuff regularly.

Why do I think i asked here?Sorry i didn't assume you already had SpeedFan and a Radeon GPU....neither of which were mentioned in your Post...My bad.Sorry about that. It's just the way your wrote that in your post (like talking to a 5 year old) that made me mad. No hard feelings?

Also un update on the issue:
A simmilar thing occured today (the same circumstances) but the result was a blue screen. Its so funny that i've replaced about 4 gpu's in this pc (mostly still in warranty) but the 7 year old Vista install is still working. MAYBE now it't close to dying now as this is the first time it gave me a bluescreen...Hi

Your problem could be any one of a lot of things. Without you giving the following information it would all be speculation.

It would help if you could give the make and model of motherboard, power supply, monitor, graphics card and there approximate age.

If you would like to take some photos of the inside of the computer and post them, it would help as well.

Also check if there has been any driver updates installed.

Thank you

   
I gave direct advice...if you felt like a 5 year old i apologise...
Lisa_maree
Alright, heres the data (and thanks in advance ):

-GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7750 2GB GDDR3 Sapphire / Age: 11 months (upgraded)

-PSU: 600W LC-Power LC600H-12 120mm / Age: 11 months (the gpu requred more power)

-Motherboard: Pegatron Corporation 2A73H Mainboard / Age: 5 years (now that i checked it seems i've overestimated a bit before - for the OS)

-A NEC monitor running 1600x1200 (yeah i know) / Age: 5 years

Photos may be a bit harder to get since i have like 2 million cables plugged in and the side that opens is against the wall. Maybe I should go clean the dust by now though...

The drivers had some problems a few months ago so I had to totaly delete them and REINSTALL catalyst (current version: 13.4)Thank you for that list.

Could you visually check the motherboard for failing capacitors or over heating ?

If the computer is dusty then it would help if you kept ed it free of dust. This maybe as easy as cleaning out the present dust and shifting it ONTO a clean desk.

I know you have only recently brought the power supply but there are better supplies you could get. And the flickering is most likely an overloaded power supply.  Or noisy power hence the suggestion to check the capacitors on the motherboard.

Could you remove the graphics card and use the onboard this would isolate the monitor causing the problem. If the flickering goes away then and everything else checks ok then you would need to get the power supply replaced, a certified AMD supply would insure that the supply will work with your card.   Well its hard to test what is causing this since it's only happened twice a time period of like 14 days. Also I have a Core2Duo CPU, no onboard GPU so that plan's out. I'm going to clean it, reinstall the drivers and report back if it happens again. Thank you for your time.

• HWMonitor - I use this to check the temperatures of the CPU and GPU when running the tests below - http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html
• Prime95 - I run a 'blend' test on this which puts 100% load on all CPU cores, this is the highest load the CPU will ever see so it will let you check that your temperatures are fine, even at the highest they will ever get - http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/
• Unigine Valley Benchmark - I use this to stress the video card, turn the quality up to ultra and increase Anti Aliasing as high as you can while getting acceptable frame rates, then run this for a while to stress the GPU - http://unigine.com/products/valley/download/

I'm on a Windows XP desktop, and I'm trying to figure out a way to hook my computer to my TV, I used to have a laptop and used a S-video cable, and that worked great, but my laptop died and my desktop does not have a s-video port.

I have been on google trying to figure this out, came across a USB to 3RCA cable but I read 'video' will not work through a cable like this....

So I'm wondering if a 4Pin USB to 3RCA/DC3.5mm Audio M/M Cable like this in the link would work?
http://www.miniinthebox.com/4p-to-3rca-dc3-5-m-m-cable-1-8m_p598644.html

Or would a USB to S-Video cable work? Something like this?
http://www.miniinthebox.com/usb-2-0-male-to-6rca-s-video-female-video-audio-capture-adapter-pro-support-xbox-360-psp-ps3-dvd-vcd_p809954.html

I'm confused on what way I should go, and what will work, can anyone help?


Neither of those will work - the first is only for audio and the second is for capturing video into the computer, not outputting to a TV.

I cannot think of any way you can connect a laptop over S-Video through USB.  You may be able to get an adapter from your VGA port but I cannot vouch for if these will work.  Also bear in mind that generally the quality from a computer over a connection like S-Video is generally dreadful.Thank you for that info, can you think of any reason this will not work? Its a little expensive but if it will work....
http://www.svideo.com/vga2videosmall.htmlWhy not spend that money towards a vid card that'll suit your needs ? ? Quote from: patio on MARCH 01, 2014, 11:02:30 AM

Why not spend that money towards a vid card that'll suit your needs ? ?

I also take it the TV is older and doesn't provide any better inputs such as VGA, DVI or HDMI as these would be better options.

Yeah, its an older tv, forgot to mention that....Only has the S-video port....

Google:" Hook my PC to my TV"

What make/model is the PC in question as this would help us look at other possible solutions?
You do realise that most people find this place by Googling problems they are having?  Giving people search terms for Google is hardly helpful and is often seen as patronising.

i am using windows 8 suddenly my computer started restarting no error and no messages

steps taken:

checked for viruses, memory test,windows diagnostic tools,etc found nothing

Finally Changed My Operating System to Windows 7 Ultimate Even Then Computer Keeps Restarting but works fine safe mode


Thought it is a Hardware Problem swapped my hard disk and ram with my friends
my hard disk and ram working fine in his system but when i try to check his hard disk and ram there is no display and i checked with my hard disk and ram still there is no display

i have given my motherboard in servicing center and got it today got display and the computer keep restarting but works fine safe mode
 
don't know whats the problem Please any one Help

Details of PC Desktop:
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit

Processor: Intel i3-2100 CPU 3.10 GHz

RAM: 4gb

I moved this out of the FAQ section...Download BlueScreenView:
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html
unzip downloaded file and double click on BlueScreenView.exe to run the program.
when scanning is done, go to EDIT - SELECT All
Go to FILE - SAVE Selected Items, and save the report as BSOD.txt
Open BSOD.txt in Notepad, copy all of the content, and paste it into your next replyHi

From what you have said, the only thing that hasn't been confirmed as not faulty is the power supply and graphics CARD. Have you tried starting with VGA mode from the F8 START menu. If it works without restarting it's likely it is a graphics driver causing the problem. If it's still faulty then I would try a different power supply.

Did you have the motherboard tested with your memory?

Do you know what tests the service center USED to SAY the motherboard was OK.

PC was in use, SUDDENLY in CPU all indicators & fans switched off, Monitor blank, But Num lock on keyboard was on & mouse light was on. After hard RESET only mouse light getting on.Hi, peearekay

My first thoughts point to a failing power supply. If you are comfortable with opening up your computer and you have a known-good power supply lying around then you could use it to test. If you don't have another power supply lying around then you could borrow one from another PC you have or a friend. (As long as it is compatible with your motherboard). Open the side of the broken PC and disconnect the main power from the motherboard (20 or 24-pin "EGG crate" connector). There is typically a 4-pin power connector also that should be located near the CPU, disconnect this as well. Then plug the main board power connect and the 4-pin power connector from the known-good power supply into the board. Plug the power supply into the wall and fire it up. (be sure that the switch on the back of the known-good power supply is switched on if it has one).

If the machine FIRES up and works then you know it is time to buy a new power supply! If not, then you may be looking at something more serious such as a motherboard.

Good luck!

Mike

There might also be some instances where some of your hardware must have just moved a bit.

Try removing the RAM cards and put it back in PROPER place again.

That was the case for me a few months back.

My computer is a Acer Aspire X1420G running Windows 7. Its only a few months old and I have never had any trouble before this.
The dvd drive was just fine one night, and the next morning it had vanished from "Computer". I can still see my hard DRIVES and any USB drives i plug in, but no dvd drive. When I looked in Device Manager it just said "CD-ROM drive", no name. After reading several of the posts here I tried a system restore to the last time the dvd drive worked, but no luck. Next I uninstalled the drive in Device Manager and restarted the computer. This had some luck as I can now see the dvd drive name in Device Manger. Still not showing up in Computer or running any of the cds or dvds I put in. When I try to troubleshoot it all I get is to update the device drivers, but when I try that it says they are updated. Device Manager gives me this message, "Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)" I don't know what that means. When I look on Acer's website for updates it says that they only have updates for drivers that are "not contained in Windows 7" and I didn't see an update for a dvd driver. My computer did not come with any discs so I don't have any drivers to reinstall.

The device name listed under Device Manager is HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH70N SCSI CdRom Device

Can someone tell me where I can find the driver to download? Or is there a different way to fix this?Prior to doing this i suggest you run a utility program such as tune-up utilities which has a trial PERIOD of 30 days or CCleaner which is completely free.
Run both the disk cleanup and registry cleanup.

To find a driver for any device on any computer is pretty simple all you need to do is go into device manager the steps vary on various operating systems.

1. Click Start
2. Right Click on My Computer / Computer and select Manage
3. Select Device Manager from the items listed on the left
4. In the list on the right, click on the plus sign to collapse the list or type of device in question
5. Right click the sub item of the device and select properties
6. Go to the Details tab
7. From the drop down where it says Device Description underneath Property, select Hardware Ids
8. Copy everything after the last ' \ ' into notepad

e. g. " USB\VID_046D&PID_C018&REV_4300" in this case i would omit " USB\" and only use " VID_046D&PID_C018&REV_4300 "

Now TAKE the information you just acquired and place it in any search engine, the search engine will right away find the driver for your device, download install and reboot.

If you install the driver and your device is still not recognized by the operating system i suggest to turn off your computer and detach the device turn it on let the operating system load this will allow the operating to detect a systems configuration change, confirm the change and shutdown the machine.

Re-attach your device and boot up the system.

If your system does not install the new hardware got back into Device Manager and from the Main Menu select Action > Scan for hardware changes

If your issue persists this could be due to a shared driver which another device on the system uses, this would require a reinstall of that shared driver.

It could also mean a faulty port connection, misconfiguration in the bios, resource conflict, faulty hardware ETC..Good evening tricia201426

Please don't take this the wrong way and I am not trying to be a wise guy I have seen this happen to many people in windows 7 and is done by mistake.

#1 if the cd/dvd drive opens normally so that means the drive has power

#2 Open my computer and you see your hard drive now look below it and the next item "Devices with removable storage" to the left of that line is a small white arrow and click on that arrow it now turns black and your DVD shows up.

It can't hurt to check it but by mistake people have done this when really there is nothing wrong.

If the arrow trick doesn't work please look in the "device manager" look down the list to see if there is a cd/dvd listed and or if there is a yellow ! 

Please let us know if that was the issue, Mike 

 Did you read the post?

"Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)"

A registry problem was detected. This can occur when more than one service is defined for a device, if there is a failure opening the service registry entry, or if the driver name cannot be obtained from the service registry entry.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772156%28WS.10%29.aspx


If the device is a CD or DVD drive, follow the procedure in Article ID 929461 on the Microsoft Web site
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929461Please disregard the posts by the above poster.

1. Uninstall the drive through Device Manager.
Restart computer. The drive will be automatically reinstalled.
or...

2. Delete Upper & Lower Filters
 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982116
Restart computer.
or...

3. Download, and run Restore Missing CD Drive patch
Double click on cdgone.zip to unzip it.
Right click on cdgone.reg, click Merge.
Accept registry merge.
Restart computer.
or...

4. Go to Device Manager, click a "+" sign next to IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers.
You'll see two items:
- ATA Channel0 (or Primary Channel)
- ATA Channel1 (or Secondary Channel)
Right click on each of them, and click Uninstall. Confirm.
Restart Windows. They'll be automatically reinstalled.
There is more then your way Allan to solve a problem.

Indeed there are. But none of the methods you suggest make sense. Please handle any further conversations about this with me via PM. Thank you.Allan, thank you very much.

#2 on your list worked perfectly.Glad to hear it. Thanks for the update. QUOTE from: Artthetech on July 26, 2012, 10:02:59 AM

There is more then your way Allan to solve a problem.

Hi: This is my first post here, so please be gentle.  I've had PCs since '92 but there's still a zillion things I don't KNOW about them.

I had to revive an older Compaq DESKTOP, XP Pro, SP3, 2.08gHZ, 704 M of RAM, 111 G hard drive and a Samsung flat screen.

I do not remember if it used to be this way or not, but most things displayed are too wide. I can see it in people’s faces and various other images. The problem seems to be worse within the browser (Firefox V. 27.0.1)

Also, most things, including text, were a bit fuzzy around the edges. I did fool around with the resolution and a few other settings and got most of the fuzziness out. An odd thing: The SLIDER bar for resolution adjusting would only go extreme left, extreme right, or right in the middle. As I remember on other PCs, it had at least 5 positions.

As far as I can tell there is no way to fix the image width problem with the monitor CONTROLS (the centering is okay). So I updated the monitor driver and now the problem is worse than it was, and to make matters even worse I cannot roll back to the previous driver; I guess it automatically deleted it.

And now the resolution slider has only TWO positions, extreme left or extreme right, and neither setting is any good. The text is no better than with the old driver, and some things on Firefox now go off-screen (horizontal scroll bar now appears). It never did that before.

Help?

Is it onboard video ? ?
Where did you get the DRIVERS from ? ?1) I don't know.

2) I used the "Update Driver" function through the Device Manager.Post the Model # of the PC and we'll have a looksee for ya...It's a Compaq Presario. Under System Tools/Info it says "PC133A-ABA SR1124NX NA430."

My 1200 series HP printer won't turn off and it's all lite up
anf everything but none of the switches [buttons] work.The last
time I used it all worked.It shows in the printer WINDOW that everything
is ready to go.I tried to put my disk in that came with the printer but I
couldn't use that because it already has a newer update added.I tried
to update the driver and couldn't get that to work.Printer won't accept
the info from the computer.Turn printer on without cable connected between computer and printer. If it experiences this problem while disconnected then its probably time for a new printer. Some HP printers had an ability to clear by holding online button and then plugging power in to printer. Hold for about 15 SECONDS and then remove finger from button. If this doesnt clear it then its LIKELY a fried main board to the printer.Manuals are AVAILABLE from the HP site, in case you lost it.
http://h20565.www2.hp.com

Checking to see if anyone who either has or worked on newer ASUS computers might know the key used to enter the BIOS of a 5 month old ASUS X401A laptop.

Info online has stated F2 and then others with ESC key.

I have tried ESC, F2, F10, F12, DELETE, and none of them are working. Very frustrating since I have never had a computer keep me out of its BIOS like this before.

I sent in a form submission to ASUS North America support asking them for info on how to get into the BIOS to change the boot preference. I figured I'd post here as well in case SOMEONE here might have the answer before ASUS gets back to me.

I want to downgrade this laptop from Windows 8.1 64-bit to Windows 7 64-bit and without the ability to tell the system to boot off of the external DVD-RW drive first in the BIOS before the internal HDD, I am stuck with Windows 8.1 on it. 

Personally its almost acting like keyboard support isn't even there until Windows 8.1 is booted for the fact that I can hold down multiple keys to try to get a keyboard failure and it never fails for keyboard failure. But the keyboard and mouse work fine when Windows 8.1 is running.  I may have found something on this... UEFI may be the cause as to why i cant get the BIOS to take F2

 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2417361,00.asp

Quote

Disable UEFI and Enable Legacy Boot
Unlike past PCS, which would let you access the BIOS at startup, you'll need to first enable Advanced Startup Mode.

Please enter the BIOS (press and hold F2 key when power on). Switch to “Boot” and set “Launch CSM” to Enabled. Then switch to “Security” and set “Secure Boot Control” to Disabled. Press F10 to save and exit.

The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) (pronounced as an initialism U-E-F-I or like "unify" without the n) is a specification that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. UEFI is meant to replace the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface, present in all IBM PC-compatible personal computers.[1][2] In practice, most UEFI images provide legacy support for BIOS services. UEFI can support remote diagnostics and repair of computers, even without another operating system....

I recently bought a new mouse:
Tecknet Optical Gaming Mouse Model M268
(USB, manual says it requires no drivers)
I have had no problems with my computer up to now (this mouse has caused me so much hassle).

The problem I'm having with it is that I can't get it to work properly on my system, I've spent a good few hours browsing for a solution online and attempted to resolve the problem myself. I have had no success.

When I first CONNECTED the mouse to my computer nothing worked. It tried installing drivers but it failed and although the computer recognized it as connected and the manual saying it required no drivers it still wouldn't move the cursor.

Shortly after disconnecting the mouse and my current mouse and trying to reconnect this new one it was slowing my computer down and eventually my computer blue screened. I thought that it may have been possible the mouse was infected and tried installing something on my computer (not sure if this is possible) despite that I ran 2 anti-virus scans and nothing showed up.

I tried the mouse on my laptop to see if it would work, it installed drivers and the mouse was successful in working. After this I tried it on my computer again, still.. nothing.

I went into device manager on the laptop to see the M268s driver files and strangely enough they were the same file name and device name as my current mouse working on my computer (some cheap standard shop mouse.. not sure on the model). I tried moving the driver files off the laptop onto the computer and then attempting to use the mouse but it still wouldn't work.

I'd really appreciate some HELP on this, I have no idea what to do and I'm not even sure if I can ever get a new mouse on my computer SINCE this model M268 obviously works but my computer is being stubborn.Could you please specify what the computer make/model is or if its a custom build the specs + OS version and 32 or 64 bit?   I am assuming you are referring to a Windows 7 system based on your profile info.Hi

You could try removing the USB devices from windows using nirsoft from here.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html

After you run that all of the usb history will be deleted and the present devices will detect and be installed.

You may also need if you use your old mouse and the new one when plugged in doesn't work try the program again to delete the old mouse USB drivers.

2 or 3 yrs ago my laptop charger cord broke and my laptop has been off ever since I want to charge my laptop. And I attached Some Images of my laptop.

And I'll Give Some Specs if needed.


LAPTOP IMAGES
https://fs06n4.sendspace.com/dl/cf336a7b9f8304cb9ffa494a9d650cbe/531f1ff90f381969/jrtj5f/Laptop1.zipAND DO YOU THINK THIS POWER CORD WILL DO IT?


MY BATTERY IS:
HP-NX5000LIt is really a bad idea not to use the correct charger for a battery.  The battery is the only part of your laptop that really does have the potential to catch fire and/or explode!

Look up the model number of your laptop (Not just the battery) and find the correct charger.  ALSO avoid cheap, generic chargers as they are often cheaply made and potentially dangerous. Quote from: camerongray on March 11, 2014, 10:14:38 AM

It is really a bad idea not to use the correct charger for a battery.  The battery is the only part of your laptop that really does have the potential to catch fire and/or explode!

Look up the model number of your laptop (Not just the battery) and find the correct charger.  Also avoid cheap, generic chargers as they are often cheaply made and potentially dangerous.

It's generally not a good idea to post pictures that show your Windows Product Key in the clear.  If I were you, I would obscure your Product Key in the pictures that show it.

I used to have an old LCD 19" desktop monitor which would KILL me with headaches.

Recently I got a 24" LED 1080p Dell Monitor that I USE via HDMI cord, got it set to 1080p resolution at 60hz, even have the brightness turned down...but after a few mins of using it my head feels all DIZZY and hurting.

However, when I use laptops I don't have any problems at all - when I use my dell monitor with my xbox, I don't have any problem either (though I'm much further away) - i even try leaning back in my chair to make as much distance as possible when i use my dektop and it still hurts

is this a common problem? should I just get a gaming laptop? My gaming desktop rig is killer, but my headaches are unbearable!

One thing I will mention, I don't get headaches when I use the cheap small monitors you see in libraries and schools, so should I maybe try to get a smaller screen monitor? do they make 1080p hdmi monitors with small screens?Your problem might be called an 'ergonomic issue' rather than a hardware issue.
A few relavant links:
http://www.ergo.human.cornell.edu/ergoguide.html
http://ergonomics.about.com/od/office/a/laptopasdesktop.htm
http://physicaltherapy.rehabedge.com/tm.aspx?m=59226&mpage=1&key=ergonomic&

The above are not quick solutions you your problem. They do represent the vbrad scope of the issue.
User discomfort, such as headaches,  can be cause by the DISPLAY and the ambient lighting as well as the display size. And as we get older, out eyes can not focus well at short distances, except in a well lighted room. Also, back strain and wrist strain  can contribute to fatigue.

In answer to your question, Yes. There are good old small 15 inch  monitors with high resolution. In fact, a local computer dealer may have one you will sell for $25 just to get rid of it.

You'd really need to work out what is causing the headaches - It could be a number of different things.  It may or may not help but you could look into F.lux - It changes all the colours on your screen to a more reddish tone depending on the time of day - You stop noticing it very quickly but it makes the image a lot easier on the eyes. http://justgetflux.com/I pushed my monitor ALL the way to the back of the table and pulled my keyboard and mouse to the front edge of the table.

so now theres about 3 ft distance between me and the monitor rather than 1 ft previously -  hope this helps!You can as well then get a wireless keyboard mouse and sit away from the table. So that there is more distance between you and the screen some computers have a setting you can use that may help get rid of your headaches it was designed for people with epilepsy or photo-sensitive seizure warnings.... go under your computers ease of accss menu in the control panel (not sure but i think it would be under that category). what it does i'm not sure but i think it lessens the intensity of the colors on the screen without messing with the brightness.I have had very bad experiences with dell monitors too.  I got a new dell wide screen at work a couple of years ago and had to go back to my old one.  I would get a headache in a few minutes no matter how I adjusted the settings.  I use samsung and a toshiba and no problems. 

Today I got a new monitor at my new job  Dell wide screen  Within an hour I had a splitting headache.

I hate dell monitorsThis is now an old thread.
FYI; The evidence points more to the type  of monitor ,not  the brand name. But the research is not yet absolute. Some people are more susceptible than others. Of interest is the term 'flicker rate' as to how it affects  human vision.

We FIND absolute contradictions made by so-called 'experts'.
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/focus.php?subaction=showfull&id=1362457985
Which claims:
Quote

PWM is not the problem. The problem is the way PWM has been implemented in modern LCD monitors with LEDs, as it can cause eyestrain...

The flat-screen LCD monitors have no flicker rate, so they don't trigger Migraines. The prices of them have come way down the last few years. With an LCD monitor, you should be safe from triggers unless you come across a SITE that still has one of those awful flashing ads.
... Teri Robert
Lead Health Guide, Health Central Migraine Community

Here's the problem: 20 minutes ago I accidentally deleted the wrong partition while setting up for a windows install, the partition in question was my external 2TB Toshiba drive with 200GB+ of photos and other valuable data... As soon as I approved the deletion process it clicked for me and I IMMEDIATELY unplugged the drive and plugged it to my laptop to run a GetDataBack scan (it's running currently while I'm writing this) without any formatting.
  So the question is, can I successfully recover the data from the drive, or do I have to format it and risk some/full data loss ?First off

Don't format it . At the moment the data is recoverable, you should recover the data to another drive and check that the photo's open before writing anything to the drive.
If Get Data Back doesn't recovery the FILES I would be very surprised.

To reduce the time required if this happens again I would have used the free program Find and Mount available from here.   

http://findandmount.com/

It's not data recovery software like Get Data Back but is very fast at getting deleted partitions back. Just wanted to state that I own a license of GetDataBack NTFS in a software package I bought from the vendor and the software works awesome however the interface doesnt look very professional with a dancing floppy disk with legs bitmap as its processing which may make the software look like a joke, however its ability to get the data back is no joke. It works very well. However just as LISA stated you dont want to format this drive. So hopefully you havent yet. GetDataBack NTFS you can download and try on it and try before you buy. It will run and display your data if it finds it, but they require you to buy it to recover the data found. Quote from: Lisa_maree on March 04, 2014, 01:00:26 PM

First off

Don't format it . At the moment the data is recoverable, you should recover the data to another drive and check that the photo's open before writing anything to the drive.
If Get Data Back doesn't recovery the files I would be very surprised.

To reduce the time required if this happens again I would have used the free program Find and Mount available from here.   

http://findandmount.com/

It's not data recovery software like Get Data Back but is very fast at getting deleted partitions back.

Just wanted to state that I own a license of GetDataBack NTFS in a software package I bought from the vendor and the software works awesome however the interface doesn't look very professional with a dancing floppy disk with legs bitmap as its processing which may make the software look like a joke, however its ability to get the data back is no joke. It works very well. However just as Lisa stated you dont want to format this drive. So hopefully you haven't yet. GetDataBack NTFS you can download and try on it and try before you buy. It will run and display your data if it finds it, but they require you to buy it to recover the data found.

Sorry I wasn't very clear. Find and mount will recover deleted partitions and allow you to mount the partition and assign  a drive letter. Then you can use windows to copy what you need.

Awesome to hear you got your data back 

A moderator can lock it if you dont have the ability to select solved towards bottom right actions.

I've marked it solved for you...
Good to hear you retrieved your data.

I started getting 0xd1 when I WATCH videos. The videos will play for a little bit but WINDOWS will eventually crash.

Geforce 6200 with the 306.81 driver update (most RECENT version for windows xp)
Windows XP HOME edition
2 GB ram
150GB hard drive with 100GB free

I think the CULPRIT would be the video card because it is the only piece of hardware I have on the Mobo at the moment.

I did insert a Wifi card into the computer shortly before the BSOD started happening but immediate took it out when it didnt work.

The computer is a custom built I bought off Craigslist for school because my laptop got demolished.

I also attached minidump files if it helps any.

Anything else you need to know just ask.

[recovering disk space, attachment deleted by admin]

I suddenly lost the sound on my ACER laptop with WINDOWS 7 ultimate, I tried updating drivers, deleting and reinstalling. So I thought maybe the sound card was damaged.  I then purchased a USB external sound card and I have the same problem.  When I try to INSTALL drivers for onboard sound card I get ERROR code 39, when I try to install drivers for external sound card I get error 28. Is there a way I can recover the situation without reinstalling windows as I do not have the windows 7 disc.

I would APPRECIATE some assistance.I took the liberty of moving this here...

The FAQ Section is not for general Posts.

Hello all, this is my first post. I've browsed this forum many times in the past and always found something useful for issues I've been having, so I figured this would be a good place to go for a very unusual problem I've been having.

I don't have all the specs handy, and I know I'll probably be chastised for not posting them, but for the intent of at least getting the post started, I just wanted to ask. I honestly don't know how much the specs will matter with the situation anyway.

TL;DR version: Has anyone ever seen hardware go bad and not work at all on one OS, but work consistently in another? Read below for the full story.

I have a Dell Vostro 230 Windows 7 computer I'm having NIC problems with. The card is an INTEGRATED Broadcom Netlink Gigabit Ethernet card. No matter what mode it's started in, it always gives a device manager Code 10 error (cannot start device), yet the card gets a flawless connection using a Kaspersky Rescue Disk to boot. Here's what I've done so far (may not be in order):

1) REINSTALLED driver
2) Clean driver install
3) Clean updated driver install
4) Clean original driver driver install
5) Let Windows reinstall driver on reboot: With this option, the only difference was instead of listing the actual ethernet card, it just said "ethernet Controller," but still gave the code 10
6) Checked system policies/startup items/system SERVICES - All good
7) Ruled out changes to the system
8 ) Passes all hardware tests I can think of (RAM, HDD, MoBo, Dell Diags), and no visibly bad components on the motherboard
9) Reset BIOS
10) Startup repair
11) Repair install from OEM Windows disk
12) Factory restore from recovery partition
13) Factory restore from recovery media made with Dell's utility
14) Clean install from Windows 7 disk
15) Nuclear option: Complete wipe of hard drive with Darik's Boot and Nuke, then clean install from previously made recovery media

At this point, the only thing I can think of that I haven't tried is the last option with a Windows 7 disk, but something tells me it wouldn't matter. I normally would just chock this up to faulty hardware back a few steps, but then it doesn't make sense to me that it would work using the Kaspersky boot disk. Has anyone seen hardware work in one OS, but not another like this?Kaspersky boot disk is not  like Windows. It is based on a GPL system. (Linux.)

In short, windows installed the wrong drivers. Or else the chip is not really what the software developer vendor THOUGHT it was. Does not happen OFTEN. But it does.

At this point do you want to:
1.) Find out what rally went wrong.
OR
2. )  Come up with a quick answer.

We suppose you have a laptop. Right? This is a quick
fix to do Laptop to Ethernet.
USB  to LAN  adapter. (Amazon.)

Less that $20 US.
Thanks for the reply. It's actually a desktop. I have no problem replacing the card, but since it's integrated on the MoBo, I'm worried about sinking anything into it if it is just the first noticeable symptom. It was very sudden that it started.

I know about the Kaspersky disk being linux. My main point with that was if it were hardware, it SHOULDN'T work in any OS right?

Also, with the card, I double checked the driver 3 ways:
1) Verified model in specs/Dell's driver downloads
2) Verified Same driver was already on identical working model (I got multiple of these from a business auction)
2) Used vendor/device ID on www.pcidatabase.com

I should also note, I did already try extracting the driver from the known working model.Having two NICs in one computer does not present a conflict.  The software and hardware deal with this automatically.

If you  need and answer, there are anecdotal examples of this  sort of thing documented elsewhere.  Because it is rare, many deny that it happens.  Notwithstanding, there is documented examples of a driver not working on a peculiar  motherboard with a certain OS. Such a thing is labeled d  "Esoteric Abnormality" and subsequently ignored.

Some will call this "pseudo science" , but in reality is is based on physical laws. Too often many superpose because s something has worked before in almost identical environments, it must always be that way. In other words, computer hardware is much, much more complicated than  even well-educated engineers think.  The fact is that some components used in a motherboard do not stay inside a 1 % Torrence. Some components may vary as much as 20% and still work most of the time. I will stop here. The long story is much  too long.

Hi,
I have a Biostar Tseries TA790GX 128M board and AMD Phenom X4 9650 CPU.
Everything has been FINE up until I REMOVED and re installed my CPU. There's another board I wanted to test, but had no CPU handy. So I USED this (my) CPU to test it. Now that I installed it back, the computer didn't go any further then preBIOS screen, no beep, nothing, just that screen with Biostar logo. Decided that I've screwed the CPU. Uninstalled again and installed on that other board. Everything is cool. So CPU is OK. Tryed installing it along with putting some pressure on it (pushing down). After a couple of attempts video SIGNAL was GONE too, no video at all. Later on after more attempts video came back, but still that screen. So my guess is one/some of the pins on the socket is broken or displaced I don't know. Is there a way how to dismantle the socket itself to see what's going on underneath?
Your help is appreciated.

Kind regards
 Thanks all.
I just resolved it. Believe or not after uninstalling, re installing MoBo it started normally. My guess though is it had nothing to do with re installment, this time I was just lucky. Restarted, stop-started multiple times. It's still OK. I know that it may reoccur in the future if I remove CPU again. Will try to not remove it.

Kind regards

My PC is now three years old and I am considering a new unit.  My interest has been sparked in building my own PC starting with a bare bones kit. (Cheers and Boos from the audience.)

ME: Retired electrical engineer and P. Eng. Handle most of my affairs, taxes, investments, eBay selling, and a little gaming on my PC. Close up eyesight, with glasses, still good.

POSSIBILITY:

Intel Core i7-4770K Processor/Asus Z87-A Motherboard/8GB DDR3 1600 Patriot Viper Xtreme Memory/Ultra 550W PSU/Cougar Solution Steel Gamer Case Barebones, package at a $539 price.

EXTRAS I THINK I NEED: Windows Software, keyboard & mouse, monitor, more DDR3, super display driver card, hard drive, DVD read/write.

WHAT DO YOU THINK: Go this way or buy a complete unit? Did I forget some extras? I (at lease initially) have items in red. When all done investment will reach $800, $1000, $1500, or more?

Happy to receive your views and opinions. Anyone had a disaster doing this?With your background as an EE, building your own desktop should be a cakewalk, it's not rocket science.

Biggest mistake you can make is to force the CPU into it's socket and possibly bend some pins, those little buggers cannot be straightened and mobo mfrs don't replace boards with bent pins.What strollin said is right on. Should not be hard for you. You can do it all with a screwdriver and a VOM.
One note. Modern design is moving away for units that use a lot of electrical power and make a lot of NOISE. So don't get to involved with a water cooled motherboard.
The actual act of building the PC is very easy, just take your time and if you get stuck, look it up rather than guessing.  The only way you can muck up is by forcing something in the wrong way or physically dropping/sitting on a fragile part.

The hard part is ACTUALLY getting the parts in the first place - http://pcpartpicker.com/ is a great site for this as it will warn you if any of the parts that you pick are not compatible.  It will also give you a "permalink" to let you share the list of parts you have chosen on here.

As far as your current part selection - It looks pretty good, the only part I would change would be the power supply (Not that much information about that ultra unit) - Something around the 550w mark is fine though, just get it from a good BRAND like Corsair (Not the CX line), XFX, Seasonic or Antec. This is a great option - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8592253&CatId=1483.  Getting an expensive PSU now makes a lot of sense as it's the one part that will never really become obsolete - For example, my current PSU has seen 3 Motherboards, 4 CPUs and 3 cases and is still going strong!

Don't feel the need to buy EVERYTHING in a bundle, you'll be fine if you use something like pcpartpicker and get us to check that everything is compatible.

As far as the CPU goes, the 4770k is a great chip without a doubt but is probably way more than you would need, only a few games take advantage of the i7 and even then the difference in performance is minimal.  Something like the Intel Core i5 4670k would do the job brilliantly.

As far as your extras go:

• Windows - Yes, you will need to purchase a copy of Windows - This will do the job fine: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8588430 (It includes a DVD containing the Windows installer and a sticker with your product key to be stuck onto the PC case)
• More DDR3 - For the tasks you have listed, 8gb is fine - Don't worry about getting more RAM at this stage, you can always add it down the line if you feel that you need it.
• Video Card - You will need a video card for gaming - For a mid range card that will handle all current games on good quality settings, you can't go wrong with the NVIDIA GeForce 760.  You can of course go up to something better like the 770/780/780ti if you wish, but this is probably overkill for gaming on a single monitor.
• Hard Drive - As far as the hard drive goes you'll know what capacity you'll use, 1tb is fairly cheap nowadays so I wouldn't go below that.  One thing to really consider is a solid state drive (SSD) - This does the same job as your hard drive but is a lot faster meaning the PC will boot and load applications significantly faster than on a traditional hard drive.  The trade-off is that SSDs are much smaller in terms of capacity (Around 120-250gb for a reasonable price).  What you may want to do is get an SSD and use that to hold Windows and all of your programs and then have a hard drive as well and use that to store larger files like music, videos and large games.  As far as SSDs go, you'd be best to look at the Samsung 840 Pro/Evo, Crucial M500 or something from Plextor (Avoid ones that mention 'Sandforce').
• DVD Drive - Don't fret too much over this, DVD drives nowadays are all pretty much the same.  Just make sure whatever you get is a DVD-RW drive, and get the cheapest that you find - The only real deciding factor between them nowdays is how the front of the drive looks.

Hi this might be pretty stupid but I've never really used a laptop before and somehow I've GOT the KEYBOARD using the ALTERNATIVE keys instead of the "normal" ONES ie 5 instead of i. How do I change it back to normal use and what did I do to make this happen so I don't accidentally do it again? ThanksSounds like you have enabled "Num Lock" - This is probably displayed in a different colour on ONE of the keys and is accessed by pressing Fn (Bottom left) and this Num Lock key.

If you can give the model of laptop I can take a look to find the exact combination of keys you need.

Operating System
   Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
CPU
   Intel Core i3 3110M 2.40GHz   49 °C
   Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
RAM
   4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 798MHz (11-11-11-28)
Motherboard
   FUJITSU FJNBB2B (CPU Socket - U3E1)   49 °C
Graphics
   Generic PnP Monitor ([email protected])
   Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Fujitsu)
   1023MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M (Fujitsu)   40 °C
Storage
   465GB TOSHIBA MK5061GSYN (SATA)   36 °C
Optical Drives
   MATSHITA DVD-RAM UJ8C0
   DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device
   ZKTIXE Z4HA7OH SCSI CdRom Device
Audio
   Realtek High DEFINITION Audio


Ok ! Hello EVERYONE ! I am just trying to play around with my laptop, and I came across the MSI After Burner. My available options, those that I can modify, are the Core Clock and Memory Clock.

I am not a computer wiz, I want to learn because I spent too much time with games and not knowing about PCs in general is kinda embarassing. So, if I set these options to max what will happen? What will I IMPROVE? Is it a bad idea? How much will it overheat?

I also got the MSI Kombustor but I have no idea how it works.


Thank you very much for your understanding!Never even attempt to overclock a laptop - The cooling and power distribution SYSTEMS are not up to the job!

Tools like afterburner (and overclocking in general) are designed only to be used for desktop systems where cooling can be upgraded to a level that will allow safe overclocking.