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Have a compaq presario v2000 laptop. The laptop fluctuated a great deal in its temperature reading, and would shut down every fifteen minutes. The temp, which I find by running speedfan, fluctuates between 48 and 100. I thought it was just that the heatsink outlet was clogged up, so I opened up the laptop, cleaned out the fan from any dirt, blew it out with compressed air, and removed a layer of dirt and dust that clogged up the heatsink outlet.

But the laptop still fluctuates between those temperatures and I dont understand what else to do. Please help Hi, I may not be of much help, but while you wait, I will point out that you should always keep a laptop on a hard surface for proper airflow. There is a possibility that putting your laptop on a bed or, ironically, your lap, may be causing heat issues. If you haven't looked into that already, give it a try - you never know!

Also I would like to add that if it is rapidly fluctuating between those EXACT temperatures consistently, there is also the possibility of a bad sensor. In my experience, Speedfan can also PRODUCE some wild numbers occasionally, usually when it gives readings for a sensor that actually isn't even available.

Good luck!  loder,

yes that is true, keep the laptop on a hard surface always so there is adequate airflow.  I dont QUITE trust the readings of speedfan but the fact is that the fan does go on occasionally, spin slowly at times and then fast at other times, and this does indicate there is a temperature problem. 

But I dont know what else to clean
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the fact is that the fan does go on occasionally, spin slowly at times and then fast at other times,

I'm not sure what the exact problem is, though I'm implied to believe it is a virus of some sort, any help would be a appreciated.

The computer that is experience problems is a laptop with XP installed. When the computer started up first and told me something was wrong and asked me how I wanted to boot, i figured it was because I had held the power button to shut it down, and just selected normal. The computer began to boot with the Windows XP logo and the bar continuing as usual, then the computer just restarted. I again selected normal, and this time I noticed for a split SECOND, before the computer restarted, a blue screen flash. This time fearing the worst, I selected safe mode and everything was going well, then again, after logo and the bar going, the computer restarted. I went to last known configurations, and again it flashed a blue screen and restarted. Any IDEAS?

The computer is old enough that it is reasonable that a hardware issue could be the problem as the fan hasn't been working right for a good while now. It does not sound like malware and I'm moving this to the hardware Forum - especially since you say there have been hardware problems.Please post your Laptop Model/Brand.
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The computer is old enough that it is reasonable that a hardware issue could be the problem as the fan hasn't been working right for a good while now.

I am thinking about buying a MONITOR that has Hdmi support. I currently have my PC hooked up to the VGA on the monitor, but I am wondering if I will get a better picture using a monitor that supports Hdmi? I play online games and wonder if it would give these a better picture. The graphics card I have is a geforce 460 GTX and does support Hdmi. Thankyou!!By VGA, I assume you mean 15-pin D-Sub analog?  HDMI is not generally used on monitors (HDTV, yes).  Desktop graphics cards generally have DVI, laptops have HDMI.  So, is it HDMI or DVI?  There are other issues, such as what is the "native resolution" of the monitor?  Your best picture will always be at the monitor's native resolution, no matter what the input is.Actually the vast majority of video cards are giving hdmi as an OPTION. I have many monitors at the company I work for as a sys-admin that have d-sub and hdmi but no dvi. The main bad thing with hdmi is that it will only go to 1920x1080 (until type b is used) and bigger monitors that use higher resolution would be better off with a dvi connection. The good is that if using a monitor with hdmi and speakers (which I believe most hdmi monitors have) you don't need to run a seperate audio cable.I use DVI with my HD monitor and it works great, it automatically adjusts to the edges of the screen. However there is no real noticeable difference between VGA and DVI cables apart from the adjusting of the image.

The way to get the sharpest image on an LCD is to use that LCD's "native resolution" mines is 1920x1080, and in other resolutions text looks stretched and slightly jagged/fuzzy. QUOTE from: joe3fl on November 15, 2010, 07:35:53 AM

Actually the vast majority of video cards are giving hdmi as an option. I have many monitors at the company I work for as a sys-admin that have d-sub and hdmi but no dvi. The main bad thing with hdmi is that it will only go to 1920x1080 (until type b is used) and bigger monitors that use higher resolution would be better off with a dvi connection. The good is that if using a monitor with hdmi and speakers (which I believe most hdmi monitors have) you don't need to run a seperate audio cable.

I use DVI with my HD monitor and it works great, it automatically adjusts to the edges of the screen. However there is no real noticeable difference between VGA and DVI cables apart from the adjusting of the image.

The way to get the sharpest image on an LCD is to use that LCD's "native resolution" mines is 1920x1080, and in other resolutions text looks stretched and slightly jagged/fuzzy.

I think you've got it backwards, let's not confuse computer monitors with flat screen TV's.  Computer monitors have DVI, TV's have HDMI.
DVI was developed by the computer industry, HDMI was developed by the A-V industry and there is some competition between the two.  DVI was designed specifically to replace the analog VGA.  Actually the majority of video cards have DVI & a minority have HDMI.  Computer monitors have DVI, flat screen TV's have HDMI.  Laptops tend to have HDMI because it's physically smaller.  HDMI may win out because it combines video & audio and is much smaller in size.

I do to and I never noticed the difference from DVI to VGA, graphics card has both outputs, monitor has both inputs.  Just got a 32" LCD-TV and experimented today with the VGA input.  19" flat screen monitor has better resolution and sharper picture.  TV's HDMI ports have higher resolution but graphics card has no HDMI output.

You can in fact get a DVI -> HDMI adapter, the same as you can get an DVI - > VGA adapter. I actually used one to run a PS3 via HDMI into my DVI HD LCD.

BUT, we are talking about monitors here. When using the same computer and my 42" Samsung I can tell a HUGE difference. It tends to flicker with VGA, but clears up with DVI and HDMI.

pc turn on but no display

I reinstalled Windows 7 last night and for some reason my second and third internal hard drives stopped showing up anywhere. My C: drive (SATA) and recovery partition still show up though and seem fine. I've tried using my VISTA Restore DVDs to get the computer back to it's original state but the drives still didn't show up there either. I tried installing W7 over Vista after that and that didn't work either. Finally I tried installing Vista again with the Restore DVDs and replacing Vista with W7 and of course that still didn't work. A few months ago when I replaced Vista with 7 I didn't have any problems at all. As far as I know, I didn't do anything different this time. The drives do not show up in "Computer" or in "Device Manager" or even in the BIOS. Nowhere! Any ideas what the heck is going on? I had a lot of files on those drives that has taken me several years to accumulate. Nothing I can't really live without but it would suck trememdously if I can't get them working again. Thanks.Anyone?? Quote from: munkytown on November 20, 2010, 11:46:29 AM

...The drives do not show up in "Computer" or in "Device Manager" or even in the BIOS. Nowhere! Any ideas what the heck is going on? I had a lot of files on those drives that has taken me several years to accumulate...

If they are not shown in the BIOS, this would infer something else is wrong which has nothing to do with reinstallation or restore.  A drive will show in the BIOS with nothing on it at all.  All 3 drives should show in the BIOS, period.

I use my GMA 3150 to play games from before 2003/4 - No bashing please, only constructive comments!

For some reason, when I change the graphics settings (I think it's when I change the settings) of one game, when I open other games after, they either run significantly faster or slower. Why is this?

And can I permanently make it run faster so I'm not stuck in limbo anymore?

I have changed my GMA settings to No Power Saving, TRIPLE Buffering Off, Driver Memory Footprint = High and Anisotropic Filtering Off

Thanks in advance.Bump.Generic question: Do you have the latest drivers?

I assume what your USING is ONBOARD graphics. If you go into the BIOS, sometimes there is an option to SET how much memory to reserve for graphics. If you find that, try increasing it.Updated with the latest drivers, but when I installed a new game yesterday and changed the graphics setting in-game, when I logged out all my other games began to lag like crazy...

It seems like changing the graphics setting of one game affects the performance of the others....

EDIT: My computer's BIOS (Sony) is apparently locked for some reason, and does not have the option to alter allocated video memory

Hey guys, I apologize if this has been posted before.  I did a search but wasn't able to find anything that sounded that similar to the problem that I have.

The other day, I was starting up my Dell Dimension E520 desktop.  It booted up normally to the password screen.  I typed in my password, and the computer continued booting up.  The desktop background image appeared, the desktop icons loaded, the various programs began loading...and then the monitor suddenly went completely black and its power button changed from green to orange, as if it was in power-saving mode or something.  I wasn't touching the computer at all when this happened.  I tried hitting a couple keys on the keyboard and moving the mouse around, but that didn't help.  I also recycled the power button on the monitor to see if that would help, but it didn't.  It was like the monitor was suddenly disconnected from the computer and wasn't getting a signal anymore.  So I checked the connections, and they all seemed fine.  Since I COULD no longer see anything, I pushed the power button on the computer terminal to shut it down.  After it was shut down, I tried starting it BACK up, and it sounded like it was booting up just fine.  Even got the Windows startup chime.  But the monitor was still acting like it wasn't receiving a signal.  It just remained black with an orange light on the power button.  Could this have anything to do with a failed graphics card?  I've had issues with the card in the past, and I'm actually on the third card in three years (and I don't even play video games on it).  The previous card and this current card were both refurbished CARDS that Dell sent me while my computer was under warranty, and the previous card only lasted two months before it crapped out, so I wouldn't be surprised if this one failed.  I'm actually kind of hoping that that's the problem and it isn't something more serious.Do you have another monitor that you can try?Yes, You can try a second monitor. or if you have another computer you can try that as well. You could also try a different cable.No, sorry.  I don't have any other monitor.  Do you guys have any guesses as to what the problem might be?  Is there much of a chance that it's the graphics card that's doing this, or is that UNLIKELY?You should try to find someone with another monitor that you can borrow to test, or someone with a computer that will let you test your monitor. Quote

The previous card and this current card were both refurbished cards that Dell sent me while my computer was under warranty, and the previous card only lasted two months before it crapped out

Well with Holiday Shopping season approaching, I wanted to buy a set of new headphones. I love listening to music and I try to keep my music in .FLAC, .WAV, or .OGG formats. Also my laptop has a a great sound card and speakers with 7.1 channel and Dolby Home THEATER. So to take advantage those features I want to purchase a pretty good set of headphones to compliment my laptop, that are under 100 dollars. I have earphones and tried canalphones, but they feel uncomfortable and I prefer headphones. I looked a some noise-canceling headphones and audiophile headphones, but they were all too expensive. I head Bose makes great head phones, but they're too expensive in contrast to their features. I heard Sennheiser and Grado make good headphones with good value. Portability is not a concern because I have 17'' widescreen laptop which I don't move around very much. My main concerns are Price, Sound Quality, and Comfort. Any audiophiles in our community with good recommendations? Thanks.Hello, but may offer some thoughts.
Buying headphones is a very, very personal thing. It would be hard on me to recommend to you out of white headphones* that you will like. I can just hear what other people say, or I can give you my personal preferences.
Asked what other people think, he could go to a place like CNET or even PCMag and find their current recommendations.
Here's one of them:
http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,1638421,00.asp
Now if I had my choice, he would have to be a lightweight headphone made by KOSS. They have been around for a long time and know how to make headphones or both the industry and the consumer.
http://www.koss.com/
Take a look.

* white headphone, one that has full spectrum and no colonization.
I was looking at the PC Mag reviews, and the Sennheiser HD238 looked to FIT my needs.

I was also looking at the KOSS website you posted. The Koss HQ is in Milwaukee, WI which is not that far from Chicago, IL and I've seen them do a lot of product testing booths in Chicago. I was looking at the headphones that they offered and there were a couple of headphones that piqued my INTEREST. Some of them where:

Koss Quite Zone QZ PRO
Koss PRO3AA
Koss PRODJ100
Koss TD85

The Quite Zone is a noise canceling headphone that looked good, but I could find any reviews regarding its audio performance. The same goes with the other headsets besides the Sennheiser, I couldn't find many quality reviews. I listen to a wide variety of music from classical, to heavy metal, to rap and hip-hop. I prefer a powerful, but clean bass. I'm also a bit worried about leakage from these headphones. I would like a headphone with not too much leakage.Koss Quite Zone QZ PRO
This is a high end professional headphone. Professionals who work is a noisy environment need these. If you have never used this kind of thing before, you may find it physiologically disturbing. You will think you are dead. But if I had the money, I would buy. I want it.

Koss PRO3AA mixed reviews on amazon.
Koss PRODJ100 hard to find an objective review.
Koss TD85  review on amazon.com  some don't like it.

If you want a good Koss under $100 consider:
Koss Pro4AAT Titanium Pro Headphones

They Pro4AAT is very popular with consumers. I would recommend this over the rest as the best value for consumer use. No, I have not used this model, but I trust Koss and I believe the people who buy Koss are discriminating in their choice.

But this is my own professional bias.
I have a very nice pair of Sennheisers but as Geek says, it's very personal.
Is it this one?
Sennheiser HD 595 - headphones Quote from: Geek-9pm on November 19, 2010, 03:06:33 PM

Is it this one?
Sennheiser HD 595 - headphones

Koss Quite Zone QZ PRO
This is a high end professional headphone. Professionals who work is a noisy environment need these. If you have never used this kind of thing before, you may find it physiologically disturbing. You will think you are dead. But if I had the money, I would buy. I want it

*audiophiles, not to be confused with audio files.

I got some Ableplanet noise canceling headphones (kind of a Bose copy) from Woot a couple of months ago, and they do block out most background noise, plus music sounds good.  I wasn't looking for new headphones, but Woot had such a good price on them I couldn't pass it up.

I hate to sound like a shill for Woot, but they have some great deals and I've got in the habit of checking it everyday.  Their moto is "one day, one deal"  They offer mostly electronics, computers, flat screens,  but some times have vacuum cleaners and other odd stuff.

Heads up, I use to DJ and produce. The best way I found to find headphones for under $100 is to read reviews on sets in the $110-$140 range. Most of these will be DJ Headphones. In fact, just Google "DJ Headphones". You will see the Pioneer's, Sony, etc... Once you pick a set use google shopper. I just found the Technics RP-DH120's for $94 and they are $130 on Amazon and MusiciansFriend.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=best+dj+headphones&hl=en&rlz=1C1GPCK_enUS390US396&prmd=ivs&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=2724051717496420182&ei=Vn_nTJedB8L7lwe_xonUCw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CHUQ8wIwAQ#

What does it mean when it says you have a HARD Drive problem....?

If you wipe off XP and reinstall Vista will this help eliminate any Hard Drive
problems.  No. And WHAT says you have a hard drive problem? What is the EXACT message and how is it generated? Quote from: Allan on February 11, 2010, 08:03:26 AM

No. And WHAT says you have a hard drive problem? What is the exact message and how is it generated?

wing seeker - you may comfortably ignore the inane post above and please just respond to mine. Thanks.

So recently i found two of my old desktops and i tried hooking up a MONITOR to them. They both turned on great; spinning and whirling of fans and hard DRIVES. When i tried to hook up one desktop, the screen didn't turn on, it simply changed the monitors button from green to orange. The other worked great. So i tried to MOVE the hard drive from the FIRST (not working) desktop to the second. shortly after, the second computer no longer can hook up to a monitor either. Is this just a coincidence or did i set off a chain of failing desktops?
Check to see if there is more than one video connection on the computer.

Some motherboards came with built in video and people replace with a video card you may have inadvertently plugged it into the wrong one.

Check the pins on the connector make sure they are not bent, missing or the cable is loose.

Have you tried a different monitor, when the computer is disconnected from the monitor does it show no signal found?

Hi
I have a "INTEL DG31PR" Mobo with one SATA hard drive conected.
Now I want to add a "wd205AA" ATA/IDE Hard Drive, because that my Mobo has only one IDE slot i had to connect the Cd drive and new hard drive on one cable but i dont know how.
If i connect the HDD in the middle and cd at the end or reverse, both don't show up. but both work separately.
PLEASE HELP?!! 
Thanks In Advance!   Hi,

It is so simple, have a look at the following links, they will teach you by step step!

http://www.wdc.com/en/library/eide/2579-001037.pdf

http://www.easeus.com/resource/install-ide-hard-drive.htm

Regards,
Also,  if it is a 80 wire cable you can just set both drives to CS, cable select. Quote from: Geek-9pm on NOVEMBER 23, 2010, 04:12:10 AM

Also,  if it is a 80 wire cable you can just set both drives to CS, cable select.

My computer had been working perfectly until now. I carried it in my backpack for a little bit, and when I tried turning it on at home, a black screen came up saying "Operation System Not Found." What's wrong??

I hardly know anything about fixing computers. I obviously didn't meddle with the operating system or WHATEVER. I really don't know what's wrong.

I remember you're supposed to press the F2 key. I did, and a screen came up that's titled "Insyde H2O Setup Utility Bios Version R029Q2." I have no idea what that's about so I didn't do anything else.

I'm using a Sony VAIO laptop with Windows Vista.

Please help!I've once taken out my harddrive before to be slaved (and backed up), so I just opened the HD compartment in the back. The DRIVE was loose! It wasn't even connected to the little metal things inside the computer. No wonder why I couldn't boot up my computer. I pushed the drive back into its original position and now everything's working fine. =DI was going to suggest the problem was the hard drive.  There should be a retainer of some sort to KEEP it from coming loose. Quote from: Computer_Commando on November 22, 2010, 06:39:09 PM

There should be a retainer of some sort to keep it from coming loose.

Or at the least a screw or two.

Hi All,

Newbie here with a little computer knowledge.  My graphics card has gone out, meaning the display is all jumbled.  I have read the posts on how to install the card, but it seems that I would need to first uninstall existing DRIVER.  But my current display is all jumbled and can't read anything.  Can I just install a new and different graphics card and boot up with existing driver?

I'm running Windows XP that will be using an AGP video card.  The old graphics card is an ATI All-in-Wonder 9600XT.  I'm not doing anymore gaming, so I'm just gonna get some cheap graphics card.  Was thinking that I would need to buy the same card (used off of ebay), but don't really trust buying used sensitive ELECTRONIC items.

Thanks,Hi kylechanh,

You can use a new graphics card but remember to install the driver as well. If you're not in gaming, you don't need high end cards. But a good one is a good investment. It depends on your usage. If you boot into safe mode then Windows will use a generic driver for the new card, you can then install the driver from there. Quote from: kylechanh on November 23, 2010, 01:53:59 AM

Newbie here with a little computer knowledge.  My graphics card has gone out, meaning the display is all jumbled.  I have read the posts on how to install the card, but it seems that I would need to first uninstall existing driver.  But my current display is all jumbled and can't read anything.  Can I just install a new and different graphics card and boot up with existing driver?

Note that I have yet to encounter a Graphics Card driver that will install in Safe Mode.

Really, why is that?
I think I remember doing it in safe mode, but now that you mention my memory could be faulty.

EDIT: although you usually can't install the drivers, you can always uninstall them from safe mode.

I am having some issues with my Philips 200xw monitor. It was running fine one night, and then when I powered down my COMPUTER and switched it of at the plug (Too many LIGHTS for me to SLEEP with the power on at the wall ) the next day I got nothing. When I plug the power on for it, the power light COMES on for a second then goes of, and that's as far as I get, its like it stuck in its sleep mode. The cables are fine, I have tested them on my friends monitor, everything on the comp and my cables are 100% working. Anyone had this problem before and know how to fix it, or is someone out there just CLEVER enough to point me in the right direction?! Thanks for any help Next thing I would do is try your friends monitor on your computer.Plugged friends monitor into my comp and everything was fine. The computer itself is working 100%Then the Phillips is probably dead...

Warranty ? ?Nope no warrenty left on it  I cant work out myself if it is dead, since it powers up for a second. I really have no idea what to do I have the same problem too...Did anyone find a solution??? Quote from: stratostsiou on November 23, 2010, 01:11:20 PM

I have the same problem too...Did anyone find a solution???

Hello, and thank you all for your time. We have an HP desktop computer, maybe 2 years old, that has been working fine until just recently. We normally just keep it on, and yesterday we came to find it on a black screen that said, "Reboot and SELECT proper boot device, press any key." I restarted and the blue HP screen stayed on, mostly unresponsive.

Another restart, I jammed on the diagnostic tool key.

It stopped and said my CD/DVD drive wasn't connected and would go no further. I checked and re-tightened all connections, to no avail.

Could these two problems be linked? Would changing the SATA arrangement help?

Specs:
"HP Media Center PC"
Vista
AMD Penom X4 - 64
4G ram

Toshiba DVD Writer Model TS-H653 w/lightscribe

If you need any other info, I'll be glad to provide. Thanks again.I'd start by running a diagnostic on the hd.When I run a diagnostic, it won't allow me to test the HD. Even if I skip tests, the order is as follows: Processor..good, ram...good, CD drive...BAD, not connected, press "r" to retest or press any key to restart.

Those are my only two options.

Does boot PRIORITY have anything to do with it? First is CD, then HD, Network, then floppy.

I'm a bit confused, does my computer normally boot from CD? I don't understand. 

Thanks again for your time and help.put the hd at the TOP of the boot order and reboot. If it boots, you probably need to replace the cd driveChanged the boot sequence, still same issue. Does this explain why the cd drive isn't being found? I'm guessing my HD is failing or has already. Would there be any way to retrieve information contained on the HD if this were the CASE?You can slave the drive in another computer, or use hard drive enclosure.
Without working CD drive, you're pretty much stuck.I was planning on getting a new CD drive to rule out that problem. What are my options if I have a working CD drive? Quote

I was planning on getting a new CD drive to rule out that problem.

You can slave the drive in another computer, or use hard drive enclosure

Hi,

I recently made a CNC machine and now can't get it to work with MASTERCAM or any other FREE CADCAM software.

I am using a phidgets 4-motor controller it is interfaced with the computer via USB.

There is a VB.NET example program with source but I don't know what the next step is, do I need to make a post FILE?

Any help would be great.

ThanksHave you LOOKED at some videos?
CNC Machine videos - Google search
I LIKE the one about how to make a CNC from two old CD drives.

edit
Oh, about POST files for CNC. Let me direct you to another forum...
http://www.cncsharktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=109

Hi,

Thanks for reading your help with be valuable and much appreciated...
I have checked other posts on this topic but couldn't resolve the problem with the answers posted.

I just put this computer together 2 WEEKS ago and all is ok. Onboard sound didn't seem to work from the GET go so I installed a sounblster xfi card and that worked. But I had system freezes so I uninstalled the sound card and software/drivers and updated video card drivers and all is working ok EXCEPT I cannot for the life of me get the onboard sound working.

My system

Microsoft xp home edition version 2002
service pack 3

asus m4a88td-m evo/usb3 motherboard
AMD phenom II x4 965 processor
3.42 GHZ 4 gig ram

Where can I start...
I have enabled onboard sound in the bios, TRIED the driver that came with the motherboard and tried updating to the latest driver on the motherboards manufacturers website.
System devices says it is functioning properly and there is never any problem with an install. audio properties have realtek HD audio device selected... I don't have front panel working and have selected to enable back panel when front panel is plugged in. I am just running headphones straight into the back for now until I can work it out.
I can hear a pitched/noise in the headphones as though something is there, but no sound works whatsoever although everything seem to read it should be.
I've been trying for a week now so any advice would be great or if someone has a similar setup and can offer some advice.

Thanks


Quote

I can hear a pitched/noise in the headphones as though something is there

I have this Maxtor Basics 500gb external hard drive, which has recently (and suddenly) gone corrupted. I can't open it windows says that it's corrupted and adivcese to format it however, it has a lot of important information on it which I format. I've ran SeaTools, Short & Long dst and short generic. All of which have passed. So I guess the hard drive doesn't have any bad sectors, right? I've tried to run Chkdsk/Error checking (on windows7) however I get the error,  . When I try to open the hard drive by clicking on it, it says that it cannot be opened,, the parameter is INCORRECT.  At the moment im running Chkdsk /r  from command prompt. I've tried some data recovery tools, non of which proved to be useful.

Does anyone know the BEST way to recover the data off the hard drive? Since I have a lot of files in it I need a software which can recover the files, almost as it is, in the folders. Free softwares please.

Also, if anyone can tell me how to (if it is possible) fix the hard drive then please do

Thank you. Quote from: Redcaa on November 20, 2010, 01:49:13 PM

...I've tried some data recovery tools, non of which proved to be useful...

I an not good with this computer tech stuff. I need more room on my comp. what can I buy or add?More ram or more room on the hd?Assuming you believe you are running low on hard drive space the options are many.
1.REMOVE permanently any unneeded files/data/programs.
2.Transfer to alternative media; files/data (photos for example) to portable alternative storage devices. IE: flash drives/CD disk/DVD disk THINGS you want to retain but don't need for your computer to run properly.
3.Replace your current hard drive with one of greater capacity. If this route is chosen it will entail a lot of preliminary work 1st.
4.Purchase an EXTERNAL USB connectible hard drive to be an adjunct to the primary internal one in the laptop.
5.Store data/photos on an external site that provides this service
  There are probably even more ways to do what you want but this should go a long way to achieving your goal.
truenorthI like to use ccleaner to remove my temp files (which at one point in time, was 13 gigs lol) and treesize will give a good indication of what's EATING up all of the space.

Assuming the HDD in question isn't your D: recovery partition on your windows vista partition that's nagging at you that you're running out of space because you set your backup to go there, I would have to recommend a new larger hard drive.Hi,
I suggest you to remove the unwanted things. Use any good PC cleaner tool to remove all temp files, histories, cookies etc. More over do disk defragmenter to remove the space created during cut-paste OPERATION. You can even compress files using compression tools to have more things. If this is not enough my advise is to replace your lapi hard disk (HD) with high capacity HD.   Who's feeding the parrots today?    truenorth

Dear All

I have a desktop PC that has acquired dust , grime over a period of time so i want to clean all the hardware inside it. But i want to do it on my own so i can be familiar with the computer hardware. How can i do it?
Please tell me step by step process . I live in Delhi,India.    Take apart computer.
Clean parts.
Put computer back TOGETHER.Hi Rajesh..

It is important for you to be familiar with the different components before attempting to disassemble it. Disassembling a computer is not a tough task, but for beginners it surely is. I will explain to you easy ways to disassemble your computer either for cleaning or replacing and component.

1. Cut the Power

This is an important step before starting disassembling any electrical device. Same goes for computer. Remove all the connections from the outlets before disassembling the computer. This will keep you from being electrocuted.

2. Open the CPU Case

You first have to look if your CPU casing has any screws or it just needs a slide to come off. Don't use force to remove the casing. Remove the screws if any or slide it slowly away from the CPU. Different CPU DESIGNS have different method for removing the case. Follow them carefully.

3. Make a Note

If you are new to computers, it is essential for you to take a snap or note of each and everything inside the computer. This will assist you later when reassembling. You should have a clear idea of each and everything and their connections... So make a note for all the hardware that are connected and  also POINT out the wire that plugged into the MOTHER board

4. Disconnecting Cards

Cards are usually positioned and secured with screws. It is important to remove the screws before pulling them out of their slots. Don't apply too much force to pull them to avoid any damage to them. Remove all the cards like, sound card, VGA card, and memory card (RAM) etc. memory cards are usually comes in two modules SIMM and DIMM. Both types are modules are usually secured with tabs plastic or metal. You just need to push these tabs to pull these modules out.

5. Disconnecting Drives

Now you ready to remove the drives from the system. Remove all the connections of the drives, unscrew them and take them out of the system carefully. Disk drives usually contain hard drive and floppy drive. CD drive is also there; remove that also by removing the screws.

6. Remove Motherboard (If needed)

Once you have removed all the other components from the system, now you can easily remove the motherboard from the system. Motherboard is the main board on which all the other components are connected. Motherboard is usually secured in place with screws. Remove the screws and carefully remove the board from the system..

7.  Clean the hardwares and put it back carefully

These points will surely help you to disassemble the computer with minimum of hesitation. You will do well as far as you follow the given points. Another point which you need to keep in mind is to keep all the disassemble components in a secure place and treat them gently..

Regards,
JiTh
Server Administrator Quote from: BC_Programmer on November 26, 2010, 12:52:15 AM

Take apart computer.
Clean parts.
Put computer back together.

Hi Rajesh,
Jiths explanation is a good step-by-step guide, but care must be taken when handling computer hardware such as motherboards, memory modules and computer cards as these are sensitive to electrostatic discharge. You should use an electrostatic matt and wristband to avoid damage to the components.
I would just open up the case and use a hand vacume cleaner to remove dust without touching the components. You could also use a can of compressed air to blow the dust away.

Regards.

I would just open up the case and use a hand vacume cleaner to remove dust without touching the components.

Hello,

So I am constructing my first computer, and I am very excited to move along.

After a few days of getting everything connected I am finally ready to power up so that I can install my OS and what not.

I took a spare monitor to do this, I plugged it in and hooked it up and turned on my system, but all my monitor says is "No singal going to sleep"

My GPU is a Radeon HD 5770 with a 6-pin PCI-e power HOOKUP.

Someone suggested to me I might have a bad mobo or the card might not be installed properly, but the fan starts moving when I boot up and all the other parts seem to interact with the MOTHERBOARD just fine.

I am kind of stuck on what to do so any SUGGESTIONS would be really appreciated.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447
GPU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130272
Motherboard
1.  Is the GPU inserted into the PCI-e slot closest to the CPU?
2.  Are you connected to the "master" DVI port on the GPU?
3.  Have you connected the 6-pin PCI-e power hookup? Quote from: Computer_Commando on November 24, 2010, 04:11:38 PM

1.  Is the GPU inserted into the PCI-e slot closest to the CPU?
2.  Are you connected to the "master" DVI port on the GPU?
3.  Have you connected the 6-pin PCI-e power hookup?

...3. I got a red PCI-e cable that came with the motherboard not the GPU, I plugged that into the GPU and plugged it into a red port in my PSU. I also tried taking a black 6-pin power cable and plugging it into the white cables pictured with the GPU and then into a black port of the PSU

I am having some issues with my PHILIPS 200xw monitor and not only me with this monitor...It was running fine one night, and then when I powered down my computer and switched it of at the plug (Too MANY lights for me to sleep with the power on at the wall ) the next day I got nothing. When I plug the power on for it, the power light comes on for a second then goes of, and that's as far as I get, its LIKE it stuck in its sleep mode. The cables are fine, I have tested them on my friends monitor, everything on the comp and my cables are 100% working. Anyone had this problem before and know how to fix it, or is someone out there just clever enough to point me in the right DIRECTION?! Thanks for any help Quote from: stratostsiou on November 23, 2010, 07:39:21 PM

...When I plug the power on for it, the power light comes on for a second then goes of, and that's as far as I get, its like it stuck in its sleep mode. The cables are fine, I have tested them on my friends monitor, everything on the comp and my cables are 100% working...

A few days ago an odd problem occured. When I boot my IBM laptop the screen is all weird, it's really hard to explain how it looks like but there are like small white boxes on the screen. Although the text is quite readable.  The boxes are there only while the windows(XP Pro) is loading, but when my background picture comes then everything is perfect! The laptop works just fine! When I reboot my laptop then the screen is also normal. That weird screen thing only happens when my laptop has been turned off for several hours.I hope that someone can help me:)
1) What is new or DIFFERENT since the last TIME everything worked PROPERLY (ie, new hw, new sw, virus, error, etc)?
2) If the issue isn't there after the desktop loads I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about it.No error messages, everything is the same besides these boxes on startup! oh I actually think that the battery doesn't last that long anymore, it lasted about an HOUR before but now it's about 30 minDo you see the same "boxes" when you boot and are not on battery power?yesWell, again - if everything is okay after the system boots I wouldn't be too concerned.Thank you so much for your help! I'm so glad to hear that!Keep us posted if the situation deteriorates.Today the problem got worse. Now there are several white and blue dots on my desktop.  And the problem now occurs EVEN when I reboot my machine..don't know what to do about it.

Hey, does ANYONE had same problem ? I've bought new Sound Blaster 5.1 VX Sound Card, I've installed all drivers from CD, then UPDATED them...

Sound WORKS fine, but my microphone doesn't, it's built-in into my headset (Creative fatal1ty)...

As I see all of my settings are right...

Any solutions

EDIT: SOLVED !!!

I set up my mic to ORANGE slot... It should be at blueeee

Hey, I just got home from Dreamhack and I decided to hook two monitors up to my Geforce 275 GTX XXX Core Edition. One to play games on (HP w20") and one to use msn on etc etc. (HP 1902). I can get the two screen working and showing their own copies of my wallpaper, and the startbar etc is on my main screen (left one). and I dragged msn etc to the right screen and started let's say... Call of Duty: Black Ops on the left one.

The game starts up on the main screen but if I TRY to use msn or even move my mouse over to the msn monitor it cannot be done, it makes my game MINIMIZE.. How do I fix this?

I used Nvidia Control Panel to set the screen combo up.

Sincerely, PhallanThis is not SOMETHING i have personally done. However i have seen the result many times on other computer set ups. On your behalf i have tried to see how it can be done. Here is a Microsoft site that does explain it. Hopefully there will be something there that HELPS you to achieve your OBJECTIVE.
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/organization/twomonitors.aspx
truenorth

As mentioned in the subject, I have an ECS NForce4-A939 Motherboard. It is a solid motherboard and has all the necessary components to run properly except one thing. It is MISSING the CPU Bracket which holds the CPU fan/ heatsink. I can turn it on and it will run for a couple minutes, although I have some other problems before I can get to the actual OS.  However, it will run for a few minutes and then it will just shutoff. I went into the SYSTEM settings and looked at cpu temperature and it read like 128 'C so obviously it shouldnt have even been turned on in the first place. But here is a picture of the motherboard and piece that's missing highlighted in green. (picture from tigerdirect) Time for the bin...
Give up on it before you fry that CPU and/or other components...Sounds like somebody used that board with a cooler that does not use the bracket, and forgot to HAND it on.

Most of the less expensive socket 939 cpu coolers require the MOUNTING bracket. You can pick up a bracket kit in many places like this one



http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=46_173&products_id=22046

or just buy a more expensive cooler that doesn't need the bracket. Example: ZALMAN CNPS7000C-Cu

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835118047

These have backplates, screws etc.

Read here

http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/911935-solved-amd-socket-939-parts.html

And here

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&q=missing+cpu+bracket+socket+939&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=







Salmon Trout

Thank you so much for the help. I think the cooler that doesnt require the bracket is perfect! I'm going to the store soon and I'm gonna see if they have anything like that. Thanks again!

I'd be grateful for any help I can get regarding this matter.
I cannot use windows update/downloads as I get a white screen.
I cannot use my McAfee because when I load it, it shows only a white screen.
I cannot reformat, as it tells me that there is no disk present.
Here is my system info:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
Windows XP Home Edition SP3 (Build 2600)
CPU Arch : 1 CPU - 2 Cores - 2 Threads
CPU PSN : AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+
CPU EXT : MMX(+), 3DNow!(+), SSE (1, 2, 3), x86-64, AMD-V
CPUID : F.3.3 / Extended : F.43
CPU Cache : L1 : 2 x 64 / 2 x 64 KB - L2 : 2 x 1024 KB
Core : Windsor (90 nm) / Stepping : JH-F3

Freq : 3013.98 MHz (200.93 * 15)
MB Brand : Biostar
MB Model : N61PB-M2S
NB : NVIDIA MCP61 rev A3
SB : NVIDIA MCP61 rev A2

GPU Type : NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS
GPU Clocks : Core 513 MHz / RAM 792 MHz
DirectX Version : 9.0c

RAM : 2048 MB DDR2 Single Channel
RAM Speed : 376.7 MHz (Unknown) 5-5-5-15
Slot 1 : 2048MB (6400)
Slot 1 Manufacturer : G.Skill


PCI Devices
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Description RAM Memory Controller
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 0 (0x00), function 0 (0x00)

Anyone have a solution?
Grateful for any useful information. Quote

I cannot reformat, as it tells me that there is no disk present.

I boot from cd and install with the windows xp cd

Dear All

My computer switches off without giving any warning or error message after some time . Is it heat issue? If it is so, how can i resolve without calling any technician?

RAJESH Chandra TURNS off on what particular event? Powering on or booting/loading OS? While Browsing or gaming?
Is it a Laptop or Desktop? My PC is a desktop and it  switches off afetr some time it is logged on ( May be 1or 1.5 hrs.) Not particular Event.You might wanna unscrew some CPU casing and check for any dust forms to make sure ventilations are not blocked. Make sure to unplug power CORD. When test booting, do not yet close CPU side PANEL to check for any overheat or fan failing. If you are not familiar with these steps, ask someone to do it for you. Almost same nature of trouble with my PC (not a laptop). if talk about heat!! today when 1st time I started it , It show same trouble (even when it was cold)
Have you tried to know the temperature of the COMPONENTS by programs such as hwmonitor
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html
Quote from: aliskhan on November 27, 2010, 01:01:51 PM

Almost same nature of trouble with my PC (not a laptop). if talk about heat!! today when 1st time I started it , It show same trouble (even when it was cold)

...Could this be someone trying to hack my system?...

Every once in a while, maybe twice a year it sounds like its the hard drive making kind of a rattling surging noise that repeats about 2 times a second.  The other symptoms that accompanies this phenomenon is extremely long load time for windows and download times.  Then after about a day or two it disappears as fast as it started.  Could this be someone trying to hack my system?

...It turns out that the noise was one of my fans going bad....

All HDD manuf. diagnostics tools contain a Free cloning tool...

Hook up new drive as slave...boot to the manuf. CD....clone old to the new...power down...connect new as master...disconnect old ...and itt should boot fine 1st time.

NOTE: Retail packaged HDD's will contain the boot CD...if you buy barebones HDD to save money you will have to DLoad the software from the manuf. site and create a boot CD.

I cannot sign into my IE, google gmail, or outlook express.  It connects and sends out the USER and password.  Stays at that point then disconnects.  THe indications are that I do not have a two connection.

I get two ERROR messages. 718 & 734.  One of the dilogs says hidserv.exe created a error. another is that netsh.exe are not working.  How do I reloard these FILES or the IE from the "on board" files or OS disk?I am having some difficulty trying to understand what your problem is (particularly as it relates to your statement "I do not have a two connection.") Are you able to connect to the internet with your 56k modem at all? Is it just mail CLIENTS that are giving you trouble? truenorthWho is your ISP, and have you CALLED them?

Hi everyone, I have an HP Pavilion a850e pc with the fallowing hardware:
1) AMD 64 bit processor
2) Seagate 250gig Hdd
3) DVD/CD read/write combo drive
4) DVD ROM drive
5) Multi card reader
6) OS is Microsoft Windows Pro SVC pac 3, ver 2002

Problem: the system CRASHED and I had to wipe the hard drive and reload the OS not a problem.  The fun started afterwards, my hard drive that was the  C drive is now the I drive. It seems that the OS recognized the drives in the card reader as individual drives and numbered them so. Now I cannot load anything to the hard drive because of it. I have tried to re-letter the drive but Windows will not let me. Please help, thank you Daniel <&GT;<
I'd personally remove the card reader and re-install... Quote from: patio on NOVEMBER 27, 2010, 11:02:40 AM

I'd personally remove the card reader and re-install...

There's not a way to do this without a re-install if Windows is on a drive labeled I...

Warning Do not use the procedure that is described in this article to change a drive on a computer where the drive letter has not changed. If you do so, you may not be able to start your operating system.

Warning Do not use the procedure that is described in this article to change a drive on a computer where the drive letter has not changed. If you do so, you may not be able to start your operating system.

Nothing to lose if you have to reinstall Windows, anyway.

Which is what i suggested...

I have an older Gateway computer. Last night I turned it off and it was working fine before that. But when I went to turn it on this morning, the indication light on the POWER buton turned orange and the computer wouldn't start. Any ideas/suggestions on how to fix it? COULD be any number of things, but assuming it's a desktop the most obvious first thought is the power supplyI tried changing out the power cords and replugging everything in. None of that helped. Anything else power supply rated or other ideas?The POWER SUPPLY UNITWhat do you mean by power supply? And what should I do? Sorry if I seem clueless. I'm 15 years old and I don't know much about computers. I'm not technologically challenged I know how to get around. But I suck and troubleshooting.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_supply_unit_%28computer%29

http://www.google.com/search?q=computer+power+supply+unit&hl=en&rlz=1B3GGLL_en-GB___US394&prmd=si&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&ei=YQTwTNvAFML68AbE_PWsDA&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEgQrQQwAg&biw=1280&bih=637Ok so what you're saying is that I would need to get a nw power supply? So basically I have to take it to someone who knows how to fix computers.
-try start the computer, with NOTHING connected, except for the CPU, power, power button, and monitor
 -got a NEW BATTERY for the motherboard to ELIMINATE that as part of the problem.The likelihood of it being the battery is slim, but it's easy enough to replace so you might as well give it a try. As for the power supply, it's easy enough to do yourself.Ok you guys have been alot of help. By unplug everything do you mean everything inthe innerworkings as well or just all of the external hardware plugged into the back.You can disregard that part of the advice. You don't need to disconnect everything. Just replace the battery and if that doesn't do it try a new power supply.Ok thanks. And the battey is the one thats like a bigger watch batter right?
Correct. Just be sure to pull the power plug before messing around inside the computer. And don't worry - it's hard to do any damage to anything other than the ram (be sure to touch a piece of metal before touching ram).Ok thank youYou're welcome. Be sure to post back with any additional questions or to let us know how things worked out. Oh - and power supplies fail all the time, it's really no big deal if that is indeed the problem.

External Hard Drive and Windows 64 - From Western Digital
(This information is here for reference. Notice what WD does not say. They do not RECOMMEND the user install additional software or RUN  diagnostics.)
Quote

Question
     Do Western Digital hard drives work with Microsoft Windows 64-bit Operating Systems?
     Answer
 
External Hard Drives
Our external hard drives should work with 64-bit operating systems. But, again, there are some things you need to keep in mind:

    * Drivers for most Western Digital USB and FireWire external hard drives are already included in all 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Windows operating systems.

    * When Western Digital drives are connected to the computer, the operating system should automatically recognize that there is a new device and install the drivers for that device to function on that system.

    * Western Digital does not provide any generic drivers for our external hard drives in the event that the system drivers do not load properly.

    * In the event that one of our drives does not install on your operating system, here are some simple troubleshooting TIPS you can follow:

         1. Plug the power adapter directly into the wall to make sure the drive is getting enough power.

         2. Change the USB/Firewire cable to make sure that the cables aren't bad.

         3. Try the drive on another PC. If the drive installs on that PC, and you can see it in the Windows Explorer, then you know that the drive is good.

         4. If it doesn't show up in Windows Explorer, but does show up in Disk Management, then the drivers are installed and you most likely have a format or partition issue. In which case, please see:

                o Answer ID 3865: How to partition and format a WD drive on Windows (7, Vista, XP, 2000) and Mac OSX

         5. If the drive doesn't show up in either Windows Explorer or Disk Management, then the drive should be REPLACED.

    * If the drive shows up on another PC, then there may be driver issues with the operating system where it's not installing. You will need to contact Microsoft Support at http://support.microsoft.com for further help troubleshooting your operating system.

Windows 64-bit Operating Systems working with Western Digital (This article)

Answer ID 3865  (More info)

External Hard Drive and Windows 64 - From Western Digital
(This information is here for reference. Notice what WD does not say. They do not recommend the user install additional software or run  diagnostics.)

Geek...See Here...

My 3 day old 1tb my passport SE hard drive was going through the write delayed stuff, so I tried a number of fixes that google brought me.
 
I changed the performance optimization thing through windows, and when that didn't work, changed the settings back.
 
Then used the program 'cacheset' to change the cache. That didn't work either, so I changed it back.
 
Then, I tried this... http://www.gibni.com/windows-delayed-write-failed-solved/2
 
Messed with the registry and stuff, and it still didn't work. So I deleted all the registry values I'd made, and right click uninstalled the 'max128k' file.
This is where I think I messed up, because now it's never detected, but the light turns on, and I can hear the disk spinning.
As I'm writing this, the drive was detected as just 'F:\'
if I go to properties, the drive has 0 bytes of 0 bytes available, and if I explore the drive, there are no files.
 
I DO have files in it, I don't really care if I lose them, but it shouldn't be empty...
 
please help me.
 
this is so frustrating 3 questions...

1) Why change the performance options on a new HDD ? ?

2) Why use a 3rd party app to get an external drive to do what it should do without it ? ?

3)Why do registry edits ? ?Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for WindowsAnd I just have one question. Why not leave well enough alone?I guess I didn't explain myself well enough, I apologize.
This all stemmed from the drive having an error message of 'write delayed failed' BUBBLE, which WOULD pop up when there was something put on the drive. So to fix that, I did these, and got a totally different problem. :|

Right now it says: Local Disk (F:) but I can't get to it. Quote from: Mr_Duck on November 28, 2010, 02:49:55 PM

...I DO have files in it, I don't really care if I lose them, but it shouldn't be empty...

What is going on? It's four days old. Should I just get the warranty on it from WD?

the disk making a scratching sound

My computer BSOD on me and then proceeded to fail at verifying DMI data pool. I have tried to boot from CD, but that has not worked. I've waited for 10 minutes for it to verify and NEVER worked.

The other problem is that the HDD is showing the remaining amount of space on the drive instead of the full amount of space the drive can hold. It is showing 135GB left when it is a 750GB HDD.What is new or different since the last time everything worked properly (ie, new hw, new sw, VIRUS, error, etc)?The only new thing is a new game, RB6: Raven shield. No new viruses or anything, well, none that came up so I guess it could be a virus.

Also, a little update. It now says the HDD is 0MB, and I have tried 2 other HDD and they both say 0MB, 1 actually started booting  the other didn't.  The one that started booting GOT to the windows logo then said not enough memory.You might want to run a diagnostic on your ram.How would I do that?

Also, I just loaded the fail-safe defaults and it now shows the correct size for my HDD, however it still sticks on verifying data pool.http://www.memtest86.com/Didn't have any blank CDs so I took a stick out too see if it changed anything and went past the verifying and stopped at AMD data change ... update new data to DMI! update success. And then I restarted and it stuck at verifying again. So I took out the other and replaced it with the first and it stuck at verifying again.I just reset the CMOS and the problem is still there.Did you run MemTest yet ? ?Ran memtest, no errors.On the screen it always stops at it says SMBus Cntrlr NA, I just noticed.Here are my specs:
    *
          o GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
          o 1 x Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready Power Supply
          o  AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor ADX240OCGQBOX
          o G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
          o 1 x Western Digital Caviar Green WD7500AADS 750GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Replace the CMOS battery...

Also re-install the MBoard chipset drivers...then re-boot.Replace the battery or just clear the CMOS? Because I have already cleared the CMOS.

Also, how would I re-install the mobo chipset drivers?Go to the website of your computer or mobo manufacturer and download and install the correct chipset driver for your system.

I have a dell inspiron 6000 and was wondering can I hook a antena to it so I can PICK up my air card better. thanksTo the best of my knowledge "aircards" are provider specific ie;verizon/comcast/etc. Therefore the LIMITATIONS of your RECEPTION are dependent on the locality you are in and the availability of the providers signal there. So it is most important when SUBSCRIBING to the service provider to investigate THEIR provision of service AREA. I doubt that there is an extender type of antennae that being connected to your computer in any way is going to alter that. It is THEIR card that is the connection route. truenorth

I have a HP Pavilion a1600n computer with WinXP. I was thinking about getting an external harddrive for back-up. "My Computer" lists two harddrives: HP Pavilion C and HP Recovery D. "C" uses File System NTFS with 177GB total SPACE and 157GB free space. "D" uses File System FAT32 with 8.83GB total space and 568MB free space.

Do I  have two different harddrives? Do I need to buy another hardrive to back-up my files? Thanks.You either have two hard drives or one hard drive with two partitions. The easiest way to TELL is to look in device manager under "disk drives" Quote from: ALLAN on November 29, 2010, 07:36:40 AM

You either have two hard drives or one hard drive with two partitions. The easiest way to tell is to look in device manager under "disk drives"

PS I could not find or at least did not recognize my harddrive in device manager.

Hey, I've GOT an integrated network adapter and also other that uses PCI slot, but I don't have drivers for both of them... Could anyone say me how can I find out what drivers I need ? I don't even know what is the network adapter names...

My internet is working only via USB, I wan't to make them work via LAN ...DLoad and run Speccy....it will tell you what Hardware you have...
Then SIMPLY travel to the manuf. site for the appropiate drivers.Pirelli Discus Multiplay AG - Packet Scheduler Miniport ...

Could you give me manufacturers site

Because I can't find it and drivers... Quote from: addinol on November 30, 2010, 10:48:58 AM

Pirelli Discus Multiplay AG - Packet Scheduler Miniport ...
Could you give me manufacturers site
Because I can't find it and drivers...

For your integrated ethernet controller, you need to get the chipset drivers for your motherboard which you have not named.
For a VIA VT6105 choose your OS here

You can use both 2 NICs simultaneously, depending on the configuration.

Im gettin tired of my small 1GB ram. Im running vista and my ram seems to be always filled up from 80% to 100% all the time. When nothing is running and background programs and processes arnt running its still bout 60-80%

Also when i play operation 7 my ram fills up to 98% and hiccups a bit.

I know where to GET ram and i know how to install and everything.

Just wondering if I should Upgrade to 2GB? I dont want 4 yet because Im POSSIBLY want to get a new comp.
but i want to get 2GB because I WONT get it till the spring of 2011 and I want to play some games ATM.

Will I see a boost in performance? cause 50% say it wont and 50% say it will tremendously. Quote from: johngetter on November 30, 2010, 07:53:46 PM

Im gettin tired of my small 1GB ram.

i want to get 2GB

Will I see a boost in performance?

then get it already


yes

ok well i am in need new computer and i would like one i be able play games when i wish to.

i know building one MIGHT be better but i rather pay LITTLE more avoid headaches or messing anything up because i don't much about the insides of computers

so will this be able play games and do everything i WANT? and how well will it play games?

FIRST post fixed...1)PSU can be a bit higher in wattage.

2)Definitely will need a magnetic storage HDD. 30GB SSD can probably hold a couple of games plus down the road SSD with excessive usage, such as gaming, will wear it out. Plus magnetic HDD are cheap these days.

Didn't really inspect the specs of the Motherboard, but just make sure it has all features for your use.

All in all, should be fine for gaming. Probably won't be able to set the quality of graphics to MAX, but still DECENT.




 

One was white and one was blue?

Thermal Paste Guide...

I dont bother with the small one use white silicone packets that are cheaper for PC's, they have dried up too many times, and cost me a UT99 gaming server on a warm summer day  =(

Wow, a lot more complicated than applying the Silicone.  I think I'll stick with the Silicone which has no application directions at all.  The only warnings are: keep out of the reach of children, do not take internally, may be harmful if swallowed.

I am in search of a cable that will allow me to hook my laptop to my tv so that i can watch tv/movies on my television. my laptop is a gateway md series. it has a vga port and an hdmi port (no s-video). The tv i have isn't the most modern thing so it does not have an hdmi port. it only has the RED, white, yellow inputs. EVERYWHERE i look i get different answers as to what WOULD WORK so i figured ID ask here.
would this work: http://imgs.tootoo.com/37/0d/370d3b8daf76a3d6f4420711aebd4e08.jpg

thanks for the helpThat should work as its your only option really. The only disadvantage would probably be the visual quality.

Can I ask, what other answers have you come about?

Okay.I was on my computer only yesterday and my Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet mouse/pen combo was working fine. Today I come to my computer and lo and behold - my mouse wont work. The blue light of my tablet was also not on.  I assumed I had an error with my tablet, so I stole my Mom's mouse and plugged it into my computer- and lo and behold, it doesnt work either. 

I have moved both the cord for my tablet and the cord for my mom's mouse between the 6 USB ports I have. This made no difference.

Why won't my mice work? I seriously need help here! If you can help, please send your advice my way!

Thanks! Quote

6 USB ports I have. This made no difference.

It might be that your USB controller in your BIOS set-up is turn off/disabled. Or a USB Device Legacy Support. If you have both , enable them and make sure to Save & Exit. 

Have you restarted the computer yet?

How would I do this?  Also, can this be done without a mouse?

I currently have to use my keyboard for navigation and I haven't been able to figure out how to "check" checkboxes using only my keyboard.

Quote

How would I do this?  Also, can this be done without a mouse?

Check your CPU for any PS/2 port to connect a keyboard.

It might be that your USB controller in your BIOS set-up is turn off/disabled. Or a USB Device Legacy Support. If you have both , enable them and make sure to Save & Exit. 

I wasnt asking about having a keyboard.  I said I WAS USING my keyboard. I wanted to know what you meant by:

Thanks BC_Programmer, but after my last reply I went on a googleing rampage for "USB ports not working" and found a crazy sounding solution. I was at my last wits end and while waiting for a reply here, I felt it couldn't hurt.

The process was so easy. Unplug all USB devices.  Unplug your computer. Wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in.  Restart your computer and replug all USB devices.

Surprizingly this WORKED! 

I think I may have had a motherboard glitch? But everything is working now, so thank you for your solution anyways!

checkboxes using only my keyboard.

Oh - sorry. Read the title of the thread and thought there was a rodent strike somewhere

My hard drive is partitioned, I found that out after I BOUGHT my laptop. The other PARTITION is completely unused, there's no operating system on it, nothing. Is there anyway I can tell Windows to overwrite that partition? Thanks.You have two choices. Leave it partitioned and use the other partition as you would a second drive (which is what I would do) or Use Disk Management to delete the partition and merge the space to c: The drive TOTAL is 40gb. haha, i'd rather merge and use my 1tb drive as my stuff drive.
can you explain how to do this to me?Easiest way is with a third party utility. Below is the link to a good, free one. Follow the instructions - it's pretty intuitive. WARNING: Before performing any disk level function always back up critical data.

http://www.partition-tool.com/A 40G HDD is by now fairly old...if you want to trust it to be your OS drive that's entirely up to you... Quote from: patio on November 29, 2010, 03:55:23 PM

A 40G HDD is by now fairly old...if you want to trust it to be your OS drive that's entirely up to you...

My hard drive is partitioned, I found that out after I bought my laptop. The other partition is completely unused, there's no operating system on it, nothing. Is there anyway I can tell Windows to overwrite that partition? Thanks.

Are you sure it doesn't contain the Restore image and/or diagnostics?  If HP didn't supply restore disks with the computer, that's what's on the partition.

If you need more drive space, go get an external drive.
One the has a good warranty.

No, it's actually a partition from when I had it dual booted it awhile ago. I have all the restore discs.Just sent back my broken 1TB to WD :/

I know that its a way to reset some of its memory, but is that healthy for it? Ive been doing it since months (no probs for now) but I am a bit worried..You will not harm a COMPUTER by switching it off every night.
Be sure to save all your files before shutting down... Quote from: br3akth3w1nd on November 29, 2010, 12:11:35 PM

I know that its a way to reset some of its memory

but is that healthy for it?

Be sure to save all your files before shutting down...

Don't know what this means. Reset it to what?I don't know about you, but my computer was off when I got it.

Seriously, if it wasn't "healthy" for it, why would there be a power switch? I might point out that unlike todays OS's earlier OS's you just flipped the switch when you were done. No need for some stupid "shut down" incantation on a menu or otherwise, and no needless scolding for shutting it off without permission.

Hi everyone

I have a computer; an Acer Aspire M3641 with OS Vista Home Premium 32 bit.

My computer does have 2 harddisks and one of them is defect. So i putted the defect one out.
Now I use 1 harddisk of 600gb.

After installation of vista, the pc reboots and then i get these error:
"Reboot and select a proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device and press any key"

My bios DRIVES information:

SATA PRI MASTER channel: WDC-WD6400AAKS-22A
Sata PRI SLAVE channel: NOTHING
Sata SEC MASTER channel: NOTHING
Sata SEC SLAVE channel: HC-DT-ST-DVDRAM

Before I installed vista and after changing the order and taking off of the defect drive I did get that error too.

Could someone help me?

Thanks in advance..I've deleted your other post. Only one is needed.

Hi, I Use Ubuntu Linux and one of my Virtual Operating Systems (VirtualBox) is Windows Xp, I mainly use it for application compatibility, for what i can not do in Linux or Windows 7 on my Dual-Boot system I can do in Virtualization.

Well, I've been pondering about this for a while and I was wondering...

Is it safe to run a Mac OS ROM/BIOS/Firmware Update in Virtualization? The 'Guest' Mac OS is Mac Os 9.0.2 ofc, and I know this sounds really stupid even though, I'd rather be safe then sorry.... I mean, I don't WANT to overwrite my own PC's BIOS/Firmware messing it COMPLETELY up, and i sure as heck don't want to be replacing a Mobo before christmas or ripping off a BIOS Rom Chip and soldering it back on...

So I was wondering if I may ask, is this a safe operation or likely a no-go?

Listen, I know Mac OS uses a Completely different Motherboard +Firmware along with OS, but I still think this may pose a risk, as silly as it sounds I'm actually a bit worried...

And before you say it- Yes, I believe it's very Possible, I actually downloaded the update seriously from Apple's own Support site for older Macintosh Machines, it's not restricted to iMac, or PowerMac, etc... It's a basic firmware upgrade.

Sure Mac users would be able to go ahead with this, after all, they have EFI, it's not like PC-Bios, so-to-speak.

AFAIK, I'm just concerned that's all, if this poses a risk I'm sure many posts would be on the internet already about NOT running a Firmware Upgrade for a Macintosh on a PC, even though it is in Dual-Virtualization. (Make that Windows Xp, +Mac OS 9 in Basilisk II.)

So I ask,bad idea or is it harmless?

And please don't antagonize me just because I'm ignorant... We all once were too!

Thanks for your help.
Also: Moderators: Sorry if this is considered spam or otherwise..I wouldnt do it as for the virtual machines simulated bios does not have a real physical hardware address like your real bios rom in your motherboard. If this flash utility or your bios flash rom has no write failsafe you can brick your motherboard!!!Several things:

First, Look up what "virtualization" means. An Emulator emulates something. When a program running inside an emulator accesses the hardware, it's not accessing your hardware, it's accessing the "pretend" hardware that the virtualization environment gives it. The VM then uses the state of the devices and whatnot to interface as necessary with the actual host environment (networks and such). Therefore, accessing the "ROM" of any machine in virtualization will ACCESS the ROM of the virtual machine environment, which cannot be changed anyway, which brings me to my second point...

a "Mac OS ROM" would only "work" on a Mac Emulator. Additionally, you would use them as separate files (IE, ".ROM" files) not as something you can update from within the emulator. You might clear out your parameter RAM if the update program decides to start off with that before "updating" but I don't  think the emulator would actually write to the ROM file.

Quote

(Make that Windows Xp, +Mac OS 9 in Basilisk II.)

Several things:

First, Look up what "virtualization" means. An Emulator emulates something. When a program running inside an emulator accesses the hardware, it's not accessing your hardware, it's accessing the "pretend" hardware that the virtualization environment gives it. The VM then uses the state of the devices and whatnot to interface as necessary with the actual host environment (networks and such). Therefore, accessing the "ROM" of any machine in virtualization will access the ROM of the virtual machine environment, which cannot be changed anyway, which brings me to my second point...

a "Mac OS ROM" would only "work" on a Mac Emulator. Additionally, you would use them as separate files (IE, ".ROM" files) not as something you can update from within the emulator. You might clear out your parameter RAM if the update program decides to start off with that before "updating" but I don't  think the emulator would actually write to the ROM file.

Wait, you're running XP in a virtual machine, and inside that virtual machine you're running Basilisk II?

Why not run the Linux version of Basilisk II?

Hi guys! I've been here a few TIMES and you're always helpful, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I have a Toshiba L355-S7831 laptop that is about 3 or 4 years old. Its been fine in terms of how it runs up until tonight (other than that I have a few minor issues with some parts chipping and cracking, as can be expected from having a laptop for so long.

Tonight I turned it on and was chatting with a friend, opened photoshop, then about 10 or 15 MINUTES after turning it on it just POOF shut off. No shut down process or anything...I went from doing things normally to having a dead computer. Naturally I f reaked out, tried to turn it back on again. Everything was fine, it started right up, then POOF...shut down. I figured this meant it was too hot (even though it didnt feel too hot) so I let it sit for about 15 minutes to cool. I got my external drive ready so I could try to transfer files over in case this is the end of my laptop...turned it on again...and it lasted ten-fifteen minutes before shutting itself off. I tried it one more time, managed to get a couple minutes into transferring all my files onto the external drive, then it shut off again.

A couple things: I'm pretty sure its not the power supply - that light is green and everything says its plugged in when I can manage to get it on. I'm also pretty sure it isn't any sort of power settings, because I managed to get in there and look around last time before it shut off. I've read there is a computer virus that shuts your computer down by giving it a count-down, so it can't be that - mine just shuts off in a moments time. When it is on, I can hear at least one of the fans going, but I am no computer hardware expert. I've read that you can take it apart and get rid of dust...I'm scared to do that. Never done it before! Is that my only option right now? If I took it somewhere like Circuit City, do you think they'd be able to help?

I'm also worried that this is my RAM acting up. If so, how do I check that/fix it?

Oh and one more thing - the hard drive light doesn't look abnormal when its on. My last computer died after the hard drive light turned orange, so I know what to look for there! Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thank you!

-Edit-

It is staying on in Safe Mode. It's been on for about 20 minutes now! That's got to mean something, right?

-Edit again-

It stayed on for a good 40 minutes and then shut itself off again. Grrrrrr. Well, I managed to get most of my files copied over. Still...any help?Try removing the battery and running directly from AC.

If that doesn't work, try another AC adapter. (just because the light is  green doesn't mean it's working.Sorry, I'm not good at this. How do I remove the battery? I'm just not sure which parts of the computer are where, and I'm afraid of messing something up. 

Also, if this helps, I'm running it in Safe Mode right now and so far so good. Does that change anything about the diagnosis? A couple of updates, in case anyone out there can help me:

I'm on the laptop right now...its managed to stay on for about 20 minutes so far after sitting turned off all night. Last night it stayed on for about 40 minutes in Safe Mode before shutting off after I got 5 or so minutes into transferring all my files to an external drive.

I downloaded this thing called SpeedFan to test the fans because I think this may be an overheating issue.

I'm not 100% sure how to read what SpeedFan is telling me but CPU usage is fluctuating pretty quickly anywhere between 10% and 60% as I sit here with just Firefox and my e-mail open. Normal?

The temperature icon is reading
Core: 0:50C
Core: 1:50C
And going up and down a few degrees every minute. Is that normal, too?

Thanks for any help!!!Those aren't too BAD....any other readings listed ? ?Thank you for the reply!!

No, that's it, and my suspicions about the fans are growing, because I went into "Configure" on SpeedFan and it wasn't showing any fans for me to select. I know they were working last night...I heard at least one of them come on.

Do you know how I might check to see if they're turned on or off?SpeedFan will not always list all fans on some machines....those temps are acceptable.

To see if it's a RAM issue DLoad and run MemTest...let it run 2 hours...
Any errors at all and you've found the culprit...Great, I will do that right now! Unless, of course, it starts shutting itself off again

So far I'm going on about 40 minutes without it turning off! Its getting a little warm on the bottom and no fans have come on yet, but according to SpeedFan its right around 50C for temperature, so I think that's okay!

If it isn't the fans, and it isn't the RAM, do you know what it might be...? There's a computer repair shop in my town that will look at it for 50 bucks and then fix it pretty cheap. I might just go for that, but I'm not sure yet. Money is tight, even 50 bucks would be stretching it for me!

Again, thank you for any help!!!Lets hold off on spending 50Bucks til we've exhausted all other possibilities....

PS MemTest is a bootable CD so a shutdown probably should not occur as the OS is out of the picture...I have to ask a silly question. I googled the Ram test thing and there were a lot of download options. What I DLd didn't look like a program. If I'm on Vista, do I just want the first thing listed on the following link under Free Download?
http://www.memtest86.com/

Thank you!what you download is an ISO; you need to burn it to a disc. You can use IMGBurn to do it.Oh! Ok, I'll probably wait until my mom is home later tonight, she's really good at that kind of thing.

Thanks guys, I'll post it when I can!!You are in excellent hands with patio and BC on board. I would like to draw your attention back to BC's suggestion re the "Try removing the battery and running directly from AC." and "If that doesn't work, try another AC adapter. (just because the light is  green doesn't mean it's working."
It is my impression you have not tried this yet. The fact that you can achieve longer usable time when in safe mode could be reflective of an issue in that area. Safe mode is far less intensive in terms of computer usage and could account for the longer run time with a battery that is taking a charge but a very limited one. If you can i recommend you revisit that suggestion--certainly before you spend any money.truenorthHi Truenorth, thanks so much for the response 

Okay, I definitely will try! I was just weary of it because I've never removed the battery before. I completely forgot to mention something in my first post (d'oh!)

For several months, the part of my power chord that plugs into my computer hasn't been able to go in all the way. I've been too afraid to unplug it from the laptop because I'm worried it won't go back in! It will kind of sit there and slowly slide out until I push it back in. Last night I found a forum where another Toshiba user said this had happened to their laptop too and their computer would sometimes turn off, and someone suggested that they might have a loose connection that is making it so the laptop cannot hold a charge very well.

My only problem with that  solution in my case, is that my laptop always says it is  at 100% charge when plugged in. Does that not matter, though? You say that the green light indicator doesn't mean it's working properly. Do you think this might the case, with a loose connection? I read that is pricey to fix, so I'm concened. Sorry that I forgot to mention it before!

Do you know whether or not it is a good idea to purchase this Atari 2600 power supply, if I get my hands on an Atari 2600 heavy sixer?  This is a gray power supply.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ATARI-2600-VCS-POWER-SUPPLY-HEAVY-SIXER-GREY-1-/320615714260?pt=US_Vintage_Video_Games&hash=item4aa62f8dd4


I CURRENTLY have an Atari 2600 Vader system, plus a later Atari 2600 black AC adapter that is FAR less FAILURE PRONE.