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I don't know much about UPS but now I must decided to buy new UPS for my company.
I read from somewhere more power FACTOR is better than less power factor.
But I'm not sure about that because some expensive UPS has less power factor than cheap UPS.
For example product A price 50 USD is 850 VA and 385 Watt then power factor=0.45
Product B price less 50 USD but it is 500 VA and 800 Watt then power factor is more than 1 if I'm not wrong power factor must be between 0 and 1.

I'm not sure now I should but A or B.
Please help me.
Thanks for your help.Where did you get this notion of a "power factor"?  And, exactly what models are you referring to?  I've never seen mention of a "power factor"; I just looked at some unit from newegg.com, a major online seller of computer components and accessories, and the specifications on them mention no such thing as a "power factor".

I can't ADVISE you on specific models or the VA and Watt ratings.  All I can say is I've used an APC, model Back-UPS ES, for several years on my main computer and it's worked fine.  I have done one battery replacement since I've owned it.

Ok now it won't turn on.
Here is what happened: We moved, I moved my pc in a taxi to make sure it was safe but the cabby grabbed it and the front part of the case came off!

My power switch came right off.
(the white wire pulled out of the  button part and the other end ripped right off  the board)

All the rest of the front panel wiring came off.

I dont know how to put it all back.

I THINK I fixed the pwrsw. I stripped the end wire a bit and put it back on the switch and yeah it turned the pc on but there was no boot sound from the inner speaker and no signal received by the display monitor.

I took some photos that I am going to upload and post here, I UNPLUGGED THE POWER SUPPLY MYSELF. I know how to plug that back in. This is so you can get a view of whats in my pc and what else is not right so I can fix it at home.

I did build this system myself with a little HELP from a friend. I wish now that he did not help me so much because I'd know what I'm doing!

what type of board u have? so that SOMEONE here can know how to help u...if doesnt help alot, only opinion is get ur friend to help you obvisualy because u arent sure how to plug them all back.K here are the photos

My friend lives 9 hours away in Sault Ste Marie and we haven't talked in 3 years.

I'm in Toronto.

Here's what came unplugged:





And heres my board



Zoom In to where the stuff came unplugged...



It's made my asus obviously, I can't seem to find anything else to IDENTIFY it.

Can't turn the lights on my partner is sleepin lolWow...could you sue your cabby? lol. I wish i can help. There are some somebodies here, for sure, will help u through this. Just be patient. Nah cabbie is some poor soul who moved to Canada for a "better life" and ended up driving a cab, his life sucks worse than mine!

I have a laptop but I kinda want to network so I can play warcraft with my spouse. (true love lol)

I'll just keep checking back!I feel sorry for you, but don't WORRY. There are NUMBER of excellent hardware guys around here, so I'm sure, someone will come to the rescue.Look for ID numbers on the board itself...forget about the chip ID #'s they won't help...if you can find an FCC # just enter it in google and if lucky it will tell you what board it is.
Barring that you may be looking at stripping it down and removing the board to ID it. Unless your case also has a removable access panel under the MBoard.

OK...
On my mobo, I have two SATA type data ports, but I need to SUPPORT three devices: 2 HDS, and DVD drive.
How do I do this? Do I need some SATA "Y" cable, or what?
use  one DEDICATED sata cable for the dvd drive



then

use the old  igp  ribbon  unless your  using  sata  drives ?


this could be  too  easy  ?All three devices are SATA, but I have only 2 SATA ports on my mobo.I don't think SATA "Y" data cables are yet available.

You'll probably need a PCI Sata Controller card.

Good luck.

Thanks Dusty

I'm definitely not a hardware guy, but this is the cable, that GOES to my HDs, and DVD drive:



So, if I buy PCI Sata Controller card:



it gives me two extra SATA data ports, right?
The card you posted looks like a 4-port RAID controller which will give you a further 4 SATA sockets.   Using RAID will give increased performance if you think this is necessary, it's very good when video editing if you're into that.

There are also raid/non-raid pci controllers in various configurations including at least one external connection.

RAID controllers are, in general, much more expensive than non-raid.

See here.

Thank you very much for clarifying, man. I think, it's pretty much clear, now. I don't think you'll ever see a SATA Y cable or splitter ...
But i've been wrong before.

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this has been covered before but  I am new here ...so could a kind SOUL please help me with this?

let me explain what HAPPENED,

I had to REMOVE and open my CD burner because a piece of CD label got stuck inside.

I carefully removed the CD burner, carefully opened it, carefully removed the piece of label WITHOUT touching anything. ( The computer was off and unpluged from the wall of course! )

I did not touch the lens ( the label was not stuck to the lens )

Then I carefully re- installed and re-connnected  it in my computer.

But now when I put a CD in it ( for play back or  burning ) not much happens.

I do not HEAR it spinning.

and my computer has no reaction.  and there is no message of error or anything.

Nothing happens. ( the eject works fine though )

So I went and looked at "properties" for the CD burner unit( that one is driver D )

And it says it is at location 0 (zero)

The other CD player unit ( that on is driver E ) already in my computer - which is working fine - is at location 1 ( one )

I am no expert but my guess is when I deconnected my CD burner somehow the computer changed the location to zero, and this is why it is not working.

I think it should be at location 2 ( two )  or any number but not zero.

Am I right?

And how do I change it to a different location than zero ?

Please help ?

Thank you

Ploik359 Quote

I think it should be at location 2 ( two )  or any number but not zero.

I went and looked at "properties" for the CD burner unit

whenever i double click to start a PROGRAM, like IE, it starts CLICKING like million times, then i have to close group. i tried formatting computer and it stills does this sometimes.Download the software from your hard drive manufacturer
and run a fitness test.

http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287This is def HDD problm..If you can nav to Device Manager and ck your HDD under the "IDE ATA/ATAPI CONTROLLERS" use Properties dialogue box to run a performance test make sure your HDD Sustains it's speed..If you do not have the HDD disc chk progrm there, then def dwnload from Manufacturer..If you happen to get those same clicks on boot, you might want to make sure to run an up2date back-upHe may mean a bunch of windows open up instead of a clicking sound ...
In that case it could be a stuck key on the keyboard.
slayer can you be more specific ? ?Where is there a performance test in Device Manager ? ?Im using a computer I built w an AMD64 3200+ (cheap but effective) with an ECS board w Nvidia chipset N&S, The HDD controller (I believe loaded by the Mboard disk) under "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" in Device Manager/IDE ATA controllers/Prop/Primary Channel. Has a tester for the HDD that will speed test and give results for "Sustained Speed-Burst Speed-Theatrical Speed..The HDD is WD SATA1.5Mb/s Quote from: litespeed14 on November 09, 2007, 05:30:17 AM

Im using a computer I built w an AMD64 3200+ (cheap but effective) with an ECS board w Nvidia chipset N&S, The HDD controller (I believe loaded by the Mboard disk) under "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" in Device Manager/IDE ATA controllers/Prop/Primary Channel. Has a tester for the HDD that will speed test and give results for "Sustained Speed-Burst Speed-Theatrical Speed..The HDD is WD SATA1.5Mb/s

As some of you know my HD died on me, and I'm supposed to send it back to Compaq.
Dead to me, but I realize, that it's possible, using some pro tools, to see what's there.
I don't want Compaq to see anything, so....any advice?throw it  away*I can't. My new HD came in today, and they took my credit card number, as collateral, that I'll return fried one.Hey  Broni*

you said  fried one!

send it back a little  "Kentucky Fried Movie" 

wasn't that like  1978  ??Maybe, I should give it a good bath, or some microwave cooking....LOLSome DOS tools such as um. What's it called?

Well any way you want one of these tools HD manufacturers provide for SUPPORT. The utilities either boot their own OS or are loaded in disk after you boot to DOS. Then you can try to zero fill the drive or oh oh.

DELETE PARTITION TABLES

Even if the drive can't be read, you can do these things. Of course, if the drive can't be read, and you don't have ages to waste on a "wipe procedure," there will ultimately be a way to recover some data. Even if you physically damage the drive, there are places that in theory can read platters just like a record player.

But that isn't worth Compaq's time and money. They don't care. Just DELETING the partition tables should destroy data access forever.Darik's Boot and Nuke should be sufficient for your needs...Thanks guys...
I'll give your suggestions a shot Quote from: Broni on November 08, 2007, 08:11:12 PM

I can't. My new HD came in today, and they took my credit card number, as collateral, that I'll return fried one.

Actually, my worries are over (I hope).
I did call Compaq, and they said, that I don't have to worry about it, because, since my HD was pronounced dead, it goes straight to shredder.
Thank you very much for all advices.

Hi. A couple of hours ago, the sound stopped working on my computer. When I click on the audio setting on the Control Panel, it keeps telling me I've got no speakers hooked up. I've encountered this once before, a couple of days ago. I merely turned off the coputer, LET it sit for a day, and when I came back, everything was fine. However, this is the second time this has happened (with the speakers), and I would rather not be forced to let the computer sit, unused, for long periods of time whenever I want sound. I have tried reconnecting the speakers and restarting the computer. Neither has WORKED. I am using Windows XP, and my computer is roughly three years old. I bought the speakers when I bought the computer, and they were fairly cheap ($29.99). Is this a normal thing to have happen to speakers after a period of time? Any help on this MATTER would be appreciated.I've just plugged a pair of headphones into my speakers, and I'm hearing some static. The static sounds louder when I increase the volume on the speakers, and fades away when I decrease the volume. Does this mean my speakers still work? Why isn't my computer recognizing them? Computer Owner ......  It's possible, that there's nothing wrong with the speakers or headset, but rather the actual sound card.  It heats up as the machine is used.... and things EXPAND , creating a poor or no connectionand the sound output stops. You let things cool off they contract and the sound is hear again. The best way to test this is to try installing another sound card( perhaps borrow one from someone you know). 

How long does the audio work before it shuts down ?


dl65  Thanks. I'll try to see if I can wrangle up another sound card. Today, the audio was working for about two hours before it shut down. It didn't work at all the first time.I just got an error message (unrelated to my speaker problem), and it was accompanied by that LITTLE noise that you hear when an error message pops up. Why am I getting some noises (well...one noise) and not others?When your sound works, you actually are playing some music, video, or you mean, that you're just able to hear regular Windows sounds, like new mail, warnings, opening, closing windows, etc.?I'm just able to hear regular windows sounds. Quote

I'll try to see if I can wrangle up another sound card.

hope someone can help me out ...i BOUGHT a pioneer-112d dvd/cd writer with no instructions,ive aready got a dvd /cd writer but i want to install a second one, the pc tower has a second slot on the tower for it to go,it's a sort of spring flap..when you press the eject button the tray pushes the flap out...can someone pleasssse give me some instructions on how to install this second dvd writer..my computer is a ACER E380 4000+..kind regard's theted This link is to Acer Aspire E380 to download your Guide/Manual for changes in Mem/IDE Drives/DVD/CD RW&ROMS and other helpfull information specific to your computer from Acer..Good luck

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/forms/portal20.cfm?recordid=1097&formid=3425&website=AcerPanAm.com&siteid=7117&words=all&keywords=&areaid=2

PS: download and open with .pdf reader like Adobe or Foxit..thank's for the link lightspeed...thetedlol... very odd, but I was about to post the exact same question for the exact same drive only I have a Dell Dimension 4700.

P.S. I'm not so hot with computers and have been trying to fix this problem for quite some time so if anyone can give me detailed step by step instructions that WOULD be very greatly appreciated. Thanks!please any help is very greatly appreciated... Thanks in advance for any help at all.

I've heard that the computer should just recognize the drive and allow me to use it, but for some reason that is not the case. I've been headaching over trying to fix this for about a month now!grabiakel you need to post your own thread from what I understand about how it works in here..Ill look for your thread to help you, but most in here will,, also look for a post from "Patio" GIVES GREAT advice

last day i go to a computer SHOP, i want to buy a 1gb pc2700 RAM,but the man said they don't have it that time, so he suggest me to use pc3200 and he said it is suitable with my motherboard.
My question are, HOW ON EARTH HE KNOW THAT WITHOUT ASKING MY MOTHERBOARD?
can i trust him?
i know my motherboard use pc2700, but not sure if it can take pc3200..clues please
(i will post my motherboard info the next day because now I'm on a different computer, i don't remember it)usually it's OK to use faster memory than you need. 3200 is faster than 2700. That's why the shop guy could be so sure.

memory needed: 2700 memory used: 3200 ----> OK

memory needed: 3200 memory used: 2700 ----> BAD


You should also check whether you need DDR or DDR2You could visit http://www.crucial.com/ and use their Memory Advisor Tool to confirm the types of memory you can use.  I believe it will confirm what contrex said.owh, now i GOT it.Thanks Guys! Quote from: contrex on November 05, 2007, 07:41:38 AM

usually it's OK to use faster memory than you need. 3200 is faster than 2700. That's why the shop guy could be so sure.

memory needed: 2700 memory used: 3200 ----> OK

memory needed: 3200 memory used: 2700 ----> BAD

I am gonna upgrade my gfx card. ATI Xpress200 card I have is simply not good enough.

NVidia's official website RECOMMENDS to me the Geforce 8500, since my computer has only a 300 w power supply. They say it gives me high quality graphics for games is good enough for me.


Right now, my computer system, which has two dvd+/- rw drives, and an ATI Xpress200 graphics card and two (currently unused) PCI 56k modem and one (currently in use) ethernet card, runs perfectly fine with the 300 w power supply.

I just want to know if my computer can handle the geforce 8500 as well as all the other hardware with the 300W power supply I got, as 300W is minimum required for Geforce 8500GT according to their website. I do not want to have to install the gfx card to my computer to find out I wrecked it.

THANKS!!   would you please post you motherboard model , I'll look at the psu issue and I think the most important  thing here is do you have an available  PCI-E slot on that mobo..cause I think you only have a integrated chip-  ATI 200  and probably don't have a pci-e  slot...Let us know*  thanksI have SR1630NX model computer preconfigured by Compaq.

I have a PCI Express x-16 slot, which is CONFIRMED by the specs listed by PC World.

Screenshots of Computer Specs according to CPU-Z:










The specs of my actual computer I believe is same as what PC World lists except that  I have added myself another 256 PC2700 DDR ram and another 512 PC3200 DDR RAM that did not come with original compaq factory configuration and I have upgraded from XP home to vista home premium and I have INSTALLED second DVD +/- RW drive which originally did not come with my computer when I bought it.

Thanks! 


                  Motherboard Name ASUS A8AE-LE (AmberineM-GL6E) (3 PCI, 1 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR DIMM, Audio, .... FireWire Controller Texas Instruments TSB43AB22 1394A-2000 OHCI ...
ajoder.net/lofiversion/index.php?t752.html - 53k - Cached - Similar pages


The above tells me you have one...Make sure you have it  and yes,  your good to go...Check  psu  specks on that card but,  I would ALSO buy at least a  450  watt  psu.Yes, I have a PCI-E slot. PC World simply confirmed what I saw earlier when I opened my computer case to install the new rams.

According to specs listed by PNY,

Minimum System Requirements:

   Intel® or AMD® compatible motherboard
   At least 512MB system RAM
   A minimum 300W system power supply
   A PCI Express® compliant motherboard
   50MB of available hard disk space
   CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
   Microsoft® Windows® 2000, XP
   VGA or DVI-I compatible monitor

That I believe should be the same for all Geforce 8500GT's regardless of whether it's the version manufactured by PNY, EVGA, XFX or some other manufaturer.

Given that information, I can simply install the gfx card with no worries and i'm good to go? Of course, if my PSU doesn't provide enough watts, I run the risk of burning out my motherboard. That's all I'm CONCERNED about.  That's a minimum requirement, remember.
If you have more powerful, or simply more, hardware than they expect, then you will not have enough power and could run into issues.
Basically I would say that if you're going for gaming, go for a new PSU, don't use the stock Compaq one.
And then go for a more powerful card, the 8500 isn't great for gaming but an 8600 is much better.

I just wanted to know, is it normal for a "server busy" message to come up on the desktop while windows is loading? it comes up a few minutes after I log off or RESTART the computer. It is due to the webcam software i recently INSTALLED, because somehow the webcam PROGRAM gets interrupted when trying to load in the system tray. I don't think it's anything SERIOUS, but I'd like to know what it means? That ERROR message usually results from a lack of system resources.
It may be connected to your other error message about being low on memory.
That's why, you need to provide more info, as soybean asked you.
I'd be better to combine all this info in one thread.yeah I should have but I kept thinking about all the issues I have had lately, and kept forgetting.. I posted my system in the other thread...and add a word about THIS error...

Hi

I would like some advice on upgrading my computer, I have a

pentium 4  2.4 GHz
512MB RAM
80 GB hard drive

DVD ROM
DVD R/W

I have recently done a clean install and everything is WORKING fine but I would like my computer to run faster, what can I do to make that happen?

ThanksWhat OS are you running ?
Have you already upgraded ?
I have windows xp home edition, no I havent upgraded my computer is 5 years old and too slow for me You can make your computer MUCH faster by disabling services.
Take a look here.Not much room for upgrade.

I would reccomend you buy the AGP version of the X1950 Pro.

But I would reccomend even more that you buy a new computer.You may want to consider adding some RAM.
Best performance boost for the buck.

Check your MBoard manual to see what type it takes or you could travel to crucial.com and enter your system specs and it will tell you exactly what type it uses... QUOTE from: patio on November 03, 2007, 06:34:22 AM

You may want to consider adding some RAM.
Best performance boost for the buck.

Check your MBoard manual to see what type it takes or you could travel to crucial.com and enter your system specs and it will tell you exactly what type it uses...

If you can produce a valid benchtest report that states that adding a vid card is a more cost effective way to increase performance versus adding RAM then i'll start drinking the kool-aid...
Until then....

Quote from: patio on November 03, 2007, 10:36:31 AM

If you can produce a valid benchtest report that states that adding a vid card is a more cost effective way to increase performance versus adding RAM then i'll start drinking the kool-aid...
Until then....

For your sake, I hope that's a joke.

Quote from: Jess607 on November 04, 2007, 02:45:35 AM

Quote from: patio on November 03, 2007, 10:36:31 AM

If you can produce a valid benchtest report that states that adding a vid card is a more cost effective way to increase performance versus adding RAM then i'll start drinking the kool-aid...
Until then....

For your sake, I hope that's a joke.

It's not...

Are you sure that's not you Track ? ? ?

I am about to sell my laptop - what do I do to make sure that every saved document, internet history, e-mail etc. etc. is wiped clean so that all I am providing is a laptop with XP please? Many software tools for hard drive wiping are available.  To be honest, I'm not familiar enough with them to give a specific recommendation; someone else may do that. 

A Google search on drive wipe yields a lot of info, such as http://www.howtowipeyourdrive.com/HowToWipeYourHardDrive.aspx

I will mention a freeware version of KILL Disk; I recall seeing Kill Disk mentioned in FORUM discussions. 

Quote from: PAULINE on November 05, 2007, 08:15:58 AM

I am about to sell my laptop - what do I do to make sure that every saved document, internet history, e-mail etc. etc. is wiped clean so that all I am providing is a laptop with XP please?

Darik's BOOT and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard DISKS of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.

Hello ,

My dad has a lap top with a touchpad and is in dispair because he SAYS the arrow keeps constantly DROPPING down the screen in freefall and he has no control over it.
He tries to click on stuff but it is a MOVING target thing.
Im only a novice so CANT help him,,,,HOPE someone can
Thanks
ChrisWhy won't your dad post here, so we can get more info?

When I turn off my computer the POWER supply doesn’t seem to turn off, the FANS are still on and so are the LEDs. Windows shuts down and the HD stops too. The only way to turn it off is to press the button on the back. This does not really bother me but I would like it to TOTALLY turn off when I say it to and not have to press other buttons. Is it bad that this is happening and/or is my PSU shot? All of my voltages monitors show the same thing as before, nothing has changed. My PSU is a Thermaltake Toughpower 700W Cable Management

PC specs:
Core 2 Duo E6600 3.4 GHz
EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB
4 GB of OCZ SLI-ready RAM
500 GB Hitachi HHDHow long have you waited for a complete shutdown ? ?

Temp sensors to cool down the system before power off ? ?
Not sure on this one...what MBoard ? ?I have waited for three hours for it to turn off before, now I just turn it off after a few minutes. This has been happening for about a month now. I don’t know about the temp sensors, at ideal they are, CPU:23, system:42, GPU:57, all in degrees centigrade (I have a Thermaltake Ultra 120 with a Thermaltake Smart Blue 120mm LED). The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6.Check the power connectors at the front of the case. You may have the reset and power leads mixed up.They should not be, I have not opened my case since I built it. I will check any ways.Gotcha...i didn't catch the part where you stated this just started happening a month ago.
Strange indeed.I finally got AROUND to looking at the power button wires and they matched with both the motherboard and case manuals. I just unplugged and repluged them and it worked.

My New ACer Aspire 3684 wxmi cant read cds ,Dvds the cd or dvd when inserted it doesnt show anywhere on my computer.it just makes the usual noise of opening up BT after SOMETIME it keeps quite and nothing shws on the screen.Can some one there help with the solutions?  the optiarc DVD RW AD-7530A ATA Device is the one installed as the drive software.With a CD/DVD in if you open up My Computer or Windows Explorer is the drive showing up ? ?when i open the device manager, i see   the optiarc DVD RW AD-7530A ATA Device but there is a yellow mark which to me indicates that the software isnt working though i have tried to scan or get updated it doesnt work. wht can i do then.
even the My computer isnt shown on my Vista at all.I think that in Vista "my computer" is called just "computer", check it out.Right click the CD/DVD drive with the yellow ! and select uninstall...you will get a warning message, ignore it.
Close all programs and re-boot. Vista will automatically re-install the device.when i click uninstall and reboot it says i consult the manufacturer and i have no adress to consult. still the cds and dvds cant b read. any other ALTERNATIVE that i ca use plz to access and LISTEN to my Cds and watch Dvd. or if iam to buy a software wht can i buy?Joseph.79.......  It's sounds as if your Acer Aspire is brand new..... Have you tried GOING back to the retailler who sold it to you ?

Has it always refused to read a cd or dvd ?

Quote

My computer isnt shown on my Vista at all.
 

there is a yellow mark

Hi all I have a problem with my mainboard
My mainboard's BIOS is AMI and the sound beep that I hear is 3 short.
I check the AMI sound beep table (http://www.flazh.de/bios/english/beeps.htm).
And found this problem is cause from Base 64K RAM failure.
I try to solve this problem by replace old RAM but not solve the problem.
Then remove all RAM but not solve the problem too.

My mainboard is ECS p4vmm2 and here is the spec
Chipset   VIA ProSavageDDR P4M266A VT8235
North Bridge   VIA VT8751A
Socket   Socket 478
Processor Types   Pentium 4
Number of CPUs   1
Front Side Bus   533/400MHz
Memory Type   DDR
Memory Channels   Single
Maximum Memory   2GB
External Graphics   AGP4X
IGP   VIA ProSavage 8
South Bridge   VIA VT8235
Audio   6-channel
IDE   133/100/66/33
SCSI   None
SATA   None
RAID   None
LAN   10/100
Firewire   IEEE 1394a
USB   USB 2.0
Expansion Slots   

    * 1 x AGP
    * 1 x CNR
    * 2 x PCI

BIOS   AMI
Form Factor   microATX

I don't have any additional VGA or other cardYou still have a problem with bad ram,or wrong type ram.
Have you tried memtest ?

http://www.memtest.org/
QUOTE from: street1 on November 07, 2007, 08:24:09 PM

You still have a problem with bad ram,or wrong type ram.
Have you tried memtest ?

http://www.memtest.org/

So I SET out to redo my girlfriends computer, repartitioned the hard drive and installed WINDOWS xp with no problems.  Reinstalled some drivers from the disk she was given with the computer with no problems.  During one of the MANY updates to windows xp though, the cd ROM drive developed a problem where in device manager it shows a big yellow exclamation mark and says the drivers can not be uploaded and that they are either corrupt or missing.  There is also a dvd rom drive that developed the same problem.  I have uninstalled both drives and reinstalled them and the problem persists.  Now I cant even start over as I cant boot from the cd rom drive.

The computer has an AMD 2400+  1.67 GHz with 480 Ram, and I believe is on a VIA motherboard, at least that is what the driver disk is labeled as.  Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should TRY next? I would really appreciate it.I would try another IDE cable....
Also DLoad a WinME bootdisk from bootdisk.com and extract the file to create a bootable floppy. Get the one with CDRom support.
You should then be able to use the drives.Thanks.  I think the problem started when I installed the drivers that came with her computer.  I restored to an earlier point and was able to complete the install by being more choosy about which drivers I installed.  Thanks for the advice though.  I've made a bootable disk like you suggested in case the problem comes up again.You probably skipped over one of the MBoard drivers that was needed...

I am looking for a CPU for my fanless MoBo i cant quite seem to find what i am looking for, porbably because i dont know where, or what to look for so if someone could give me some advice i would appreciate it, i am also looking for a tower that will fit my motherboard and i need 2 DDR2 sticks, so, if you could guide me to where to look i would appreciate it
What EXACT motherboard do you have?
We will need a make and model number to be of assistance.Have a ReadYou're looking for DDR2 PC2-4200 RAM for that board, or DDR PC-3200.
And as for the CPU, Pentium 4 may be a little hard to find right now because it's obsolete.
As far as I am aware they will usually come with a heatsink and FAN, I'm not sure how EASY it is to fanlessly/passively COOL a P4 as they generate a lot of heat.I would def not try a 3.* Ghz CPU with out ATLEAST a sizeable heatsink, not sure that would even work with out a fan..Im sure it's not recommendedI don't understand why you call it a fanless MBoard...an Intel CPU will ship with a heatsink and fan. These have to be used or you will melt the CPU.

ok I recetly saved data from one of my PC and out it on an external HD. I reinstalled windows and microsoft office and all the drivers like I have done many times before. But now I can not OPEN files. with .php, .zdp, .zdx? I cat seem to find anything that will HELP me open these files, and I have NO idea about these file names I have NEVER seen file saved with this root.

Thanks.You need to reinstall the software that uses files with those extensions.

This site http://filext.com/ can give you the information you need

eg. zdp = File used by AVERY DesignPro Label Software

I assumed that this was because my colour cartridge was running out, but I've REPLACED it with a new one and still only magenta will PRINT.  Possibly something needs cleaning, but I have no IDEA what or how.  My printer is a HP Deskjet 895Cxi. 

PLEASE help?There should be a head cleaning function inside the printer's control panel software.Had a simular problm, only this was a Lxmark 2400 series a few yrs ago..I had to unistall driver and reboot and then re-install drivers. May or maynot help, somethng you can try if all else failsHi
If cleaning the printer heads by using the utility in the printer properties box doesn´t fix it then you will have to take it to an HP service center and since printers are cheap these days you COULD buy a new one with warranty.

Good Luck

i need help!ASAP!!
I dont know how to undo this problem...
  Does it TYPE, while BEEPING, or not?
Desktop, or LAPTOP?
USB, or PS2 keyboard?
What Windows VERSION?

I recently bought all the parts for a new system and finally had the time to put them all together, with not as much luck as I'd have liked.  Below is my problem...sorry if it's long, but I wanted to include as much info as I could.

Specs for my system:
CoolerMaster CM 690 case
Raidmax RX-530SS psu
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
c2d e4500
2 gb OCZ Platinum rev. 2
Powercolor x1950 pro 512 mb
samsung sata dvd/r
WD 250 gb sata HDD

~8 last night, here's what happens: I have everything plugged in, hit the power button on my case, the fans/LEDs start/light momentarily, for about a second or two, then turn off, then on again, off again, on again, and so on. If I try to turn the computer off with the power switch on the case, nothing happens, I have to hit the switch on the power supply in order to power down. Also, when the computer is trying to run, there's a faint "bzzzzt" noise when the fans/lights are on. My guess is that I have a faulty PSU, already have gotten an RMA number from newegg, but ask some questions around, and fiddle some more.

around 9:30: Hmm...OK, maybe progress has been made? Just went and checked the front panel connections, turns out I had the power LED on the CI connection. I moved the LED to the proper place (it has 3 prongs, but my case only has a socket for 2...just put it on there anyway). Plugged everything in and hit the switch...same thing fans on for a second, and then off again and the weird "bzzzt" noise. I scooted the case over a little bit to get a better look inside to see if I could pinpoint the noise, and lo and behold, the lights and fans stayed on! And then turned off again. I hit the power button again, it did the on/off/buzz for a second, and then it turned on full steam, the computer started to boot up and I at least got to the "insert system disc" prompt. Troubling thing I NOTICED though...as everything seemed to inexplicably be running smoothly all of the sudden, one thing that wasn't working was my cpu fan. Made sure nothing was interfering with it, but it all looked clear.

It was suggested that I pull the mobo out of the case, and hook the essentials up, to see what happens. I might try that later, but it was more than I wanted to fool with last night, but I did try unplugging the ATX_12V connector, b/c I had to stretch it way over my videocard and close to the cpu to plug it in (the PSU is on the bottom in this case). With that unplugged, I tried firing it up again. It did the on/off thing once, and then turned on, cpu fan running and all, BUT this time, there was no video signal or any sign of BIOS or anything, and the power/reset switches were unresponsive, had to power off with the PSU switch. Tried it again, same thing happened. Then I unplugged everything, reattached the ATX_12V, plugged everything back in and tried again. Started up OK (might've done the on/off thing...they all blend together now), but got to the boot screen at least, CPU fan was working and everything. Then all of a sudden, the computer shuts down. Try it again, same thing. Try it one more time, it does the on/off thing for maybe 7 cycles or so, and then everything appears to be running, but no video output and no response of the switches anymore. I think even if this PSU isn't DOA, it's still a POS. The ATX_12V connector JUST BARELY is able to plug in, and I'd need to rig up something to keep the wire out of the CPU fan (had to manually hold it out of the way in the latest test batch.)

Sorry for the huge post, but like I say, I'm guessing it has to do with the PSU. If anyone has any other guesses though, I'd sure like to hear them. I figure headaches are inevitable with a new build, but I've never experienced problems quite like this one before. Is the reset wire in your case touching anything?? It is usually a white single wire, that causes the computer to restart when it grounds to the case. This happened to me one time.Because there are so many symptoms happening here it'll be some effort to track things down but here's what i would do.

Remove the MBoard from the case, place it on a rubber mat or a piece of cardboard and hook up ONLY the following;

PSU
1 stick of RAM
Mouse and keyboard
Monitor ( if the MBoard has onboard video leave the VID card out for now cause you mentioned wiring issues with it in the case...)
CPU and fan.

Power up and see if you get a proper POST. If so continue by adding 1 at a time the following;  testing with a cold boot after each item:
Hard drive.
If good continue...
2nd stick of RAM
If good continue...
SATA DVD drive
If good continue...

At this point you would have to install any OS on the HDD to continus testing further components such as the vid card etc.

But this is enough at this point and here are a few other things to check before proceeding further:

CPU and fan seated fully.
Thermal Compound applied.
Power leads to header 1 at the front of the case hooked up properly.

Let us know...

p.s. If at any stage of this procedure you get that buzzing sound and/or the intermittent power downs then it is the PSU and don't try to proceed or you risk damaging expensive components...OK, I did as suggested.  Took the mobo out, had it sitting on a cardboard box, only 1 stick of RAM, only mouse and keyboard connected.  I had to leave the vid card in b/c amazingly I don't have any VGA cables laying around.  When I plugged it in and hit the power, I got the same issue of the on/off, no power button response.  Any other suggestions before I RMA the PSU?  One thing that seemed weird to me was that the polarity of the reset switch is marked opposite of the power switch, does that seem right?On the polarity issue double check at the MBoard manuf. website for a schematic diagram...
Sounds indeed like the PSU.
Only other thing it would be is the board itself but i'd wait to swap the PSU first.All right...now a week later... 

I returned the old PSU and bought a Thermaltake Purepower 500W instead.  Just pulled it out of the box and connected the bare essentials, and ZANG, all looks good!  Now to put everything back together and cross my fingers.

Word of advice to anyone out there that doesn't know better yet...DON'T BUY A RAIDMAX PSU!!!Urrrghhh.  I know profanity isn't welcome here...just know that I'm using my POWERS of restraint right now.  Got everything put back together, got into the BIOS fine, I was just cruising around in it looking at all the options.  The only thing I changed was the order of boot devices, as I was in it, the computer suddenly shut down.  Turned it on again, everything seemed fine, so I shut down, unplugged everything, put in the second stick of RAM, plugged everything back in, and then thppppt...back to the same original problem.  Thought it might have something to do with the RAM, took out the second stick, tried to start again, and again, it wouldn't start.     I thought all was going well, but no such luck.  Any ideas?At this point i would have to say you wound up with a faulty MBoard...Interesting development...

This morning before I left for work, I looked inside the case to see if there could POSSIBLY be a short somewhere...didn't see anything that looked to be causing that.  One thing I did do, if you recall, the mobo has 3 prongs for the power LED but the connector provided with the case only had 2 FEMALE connectors.  I moved the connector from one set of prongs to the other set, and strange as it seems, things seem to be running fine.

I did the start up/shut down, adding a component each time, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.  Got up to the point of needing to install the OS, which I'll try to tackle later tonight.

Would something as simple as the LED be the cause of all my headaches so far? Quote

Would something as simple as the LED be the cause of all my headaches so far?

Hello I'm running a:
Dell Dimension E510
Pentium D dual core 2.8ghz
1gb ram
80gb Hdd
128mb ATI radeon x300 SE Hypermemory

The Problem I'm having is that sometimes when I restart my computer, the computer gets stuck on the dell logo screen usually if I force restart 2-3 more times it would work FINE but just yesterday I restarted and the same thing happened...even after several force shutdown/restart it wouldn't work...I opened up the computer and unplugged all unnecessary HARDWARE to boot a computer but the same problem persisted.
I went away for a while and came back then tried a couple of more times and luckily I got it to boot. Now that the computer is on what steps should I take to prevent this from happening again?
1.  Dell Logo.  Stop staring at the Dell logo during boot.  Because you're having problems booting your system you should be viewing the Power-On Self Test (POST) diagnostic screen instead.  You NEED to become familiar with what a normal boot looks like for your machine.  If you get "lucky" you might see a DIFFERENCE for an abnormal boot (different messages, time delays?).  Maybe it appears hung because it's taking time to count up and check the memory?

To view the POST diagnostic screen, try hitting the "Escape" key when the Dell logo appears.  Hopefully this is the right key to take down the Dell logo and show you the diagnostic steps that happen during boot.

You should also change your BIOS settings via CMOS SETUP to display the most information available during boot.  Within CMOS setup look for and set the following POST behavior parameters:

    Fast boot :  Off  (Off - slows boot as more POST diagnostics are run)
    Numlock key:  On
    POST Hotkeys:  Setup & Boot Menu
    Keyboard Errors:  Report

The information above was taken from page 113 of your Operator's Manual:

    http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5150/en/om/WD846A02.pdf


2.  Dell Diagnostics:

Your could try running the Dell diagnostics that originally came with your system:

    http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5150/en/sm/tshoot1.htm


3.  Hard Disk Drive.  Wild guess...  I'd look toward the hard disk drive or its cabling.  Maybe it's having trouble reading the disk...  You could go to the disk drive manufacturer's web site, download and run the disk drive diagnostics most of them provide.


4.  If you're logged in under your operating system, per page 33 of your owners manual, you may "RUN DISK CHECK":

    1  Click the Start button and click My Computer.
    2  Right-click Local Disk C:.
    3  Click Properties.
    4  Click the Tools tab.
    5  Under Error-checking, Check Now.
    6  Click Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
    7  Click start.
I know the computer runs POST when I turn on the computer, I was just being on the safe side and letting you know exactly what screen..

Well, just when I think I get computer up and running, there's another problem..... been battling with my comp-- ended up wiping the drive and reinstalling windows.  The computer originally had two identical sound cards in it, but I figured I'd get it working with one first.

Installed the drivers, ETC, off of the install CD.  Everything seems to be running fine, except that it's emitting an extremely low volume.  When I put on headphones in a silent room, I can just barely hear a sound effect of an alarm clock... very very quietly.  Everything looks fine, as far as I can tell, in Device Manager, etc..... onboard audio doesn't work either (ended up disabling it in BIOS).  All volume sliders that I can find are turned all the way up.  I switched it with the other identical sound card, and same problem.

Sound card is:
Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102002

Any thoughts? I need to get this computer playing audio ASAP! It's for my job!Do you have speakers at all?
Do you connect your headphone to front panel jack, or to your sound card?Headphones connected to proper (green) jack in the sound card.  Speakers shouldn't matter, I wouldn't think.  Headphones work fine, I use them at work every day.

I uninstalled the audio device (via driver tab), took out the card, and put in the other sound card in the PCI slow below it (thinking maybe the PCI slot was busted).   Same problem.  Extremely low volume, barely AUDIBLE.

*note-- I reinstalled the drivers, of course, using the CD given from Audigy.  I tried to download the Audigy SE drivers from the SoundBlaster website, but it made it look like it was for Vista...... the install window for the drivers said Vista install.Open Control Panel>Sound and audio devices. Under Volume tab, click on Advanced. Go to Options>Properties and under mixer device choose your card. Now set the audio volume to max.pretty sure I did that already..... not to be a pain in the *censored*, but I fiddled with all those levels for hours last night....I don't won't to be a pain in the *censored*, either, but, did you try another pair of headphones?Ha, yes I did  I feel helpless, then...
Two different sound cards, two different PCI slots, two different headphones...what else could it be?
Unless there is some motherboard amplifier, which got busted, but this is beyond my expertise, because I even don't know, if there is some motherboard located amplifier in addition to soundcard's one.Grr I was afraid you'd say that.... 

Do you think it could be a driver problem? Could a driver mis-match cause extremely low volume, or would it just cause the card to be completely disfunctional?

Possible...which card (name/model) are you using now?
Do you have on-board sound disabled? (this is another good question)
What Windows version are you with, anyway?Sound card is:
Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102002

Operating Windows XP

I BELIEVE that I disabled the onboard audio, via BIOS (or CMOS, whatever that whole menu is called...).  I found an item in BIOS that had the word "audio" as well as onboard audio device name, and DISABLED it.  Maybe there's another option I missed....

I'm hesitant to wipe windows and start from scratch because I just got the computer up and running again...If you go here:
Creative
you'll see your driver. It says:
Quote

Microsoft® Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows® XP PROFESSIONAL x64 Edition, Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP MEDIA Center Edition 2005 or Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004

I'll try uninstalling the audio device again (from driver tab) and update from those files only.... maybe what I've been doing is installing the drivers from the disc first, and then trying to install the downloaded files on top of that....

Couple of days ago, I bought 2gig SanDisk Cruzer USB FLASH Drive, and strange thing happened.
At first, I connected it to my Vista computer, and everything was nice.
It was listed as Flash Drive with whole 2gig.
Then, I connected it to my Win 2K computer, which has only USB 1.1 port. Flash drive requirements says USB 2.0, but I just thought, it's gonna be slower with USB 1.1.
While plugged into Win 2K, it showed only 5.45MB CAPACITY with no free room.
I brought it back to Vista, and now, it's listed as:
CD Drive (K:) U3 system
with same 5.45MB capacity:

Any ideas?Apparently the U3 drive has two partitions on it, a system partition (small - read only) and a data partition (rest of drive).  Two drive letters should be assigned, one for each partition.  Is it possible the second drive letter is being masked by a network drive using same letter?  I don't KNOW why bringing it back to Vista should give you a different presentation of drive. 

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U3

    http://www.everythingusb.com/u3.html

There is also mention of a security feature that requires password to access the second data partition.

You should know that I have no practical experience with a U3 flash drive, so maybe there is someone out there with first hand knowledge.
Quote

Apparently the U3 drive has two partitions on it, a system partition (small - read only) and a data partition (rest of drive).  Two drive letters should be assigned, one for each partition.

A good thing to do with thumb drives is to assign them a volume label and a drive assignment that is out of the normal range of drives.

When I try to play music and basically any sounds on my computer, the sound is very low coming out of the speakers and I really can't hear it. I checked all the VOLUME settings and everything is up as high as it can go and STILL the sound is very dull. I don't understand why it is doing this. Do you have self-powered speakers (a power CORD GOES to electric OUTLET), or are they just connected to your computer?

I am very new to the world of computer microphones.  I was wondering if you could recommend models for the following applications:

1.  Speech recognition with headphone playback capability plugged DIRECTLY into a laptop or desktop.  The microphone should work well in noisy conditions, to include wind, as it may be used outdoors.  Also, it is highly desirable that there be a push to talk capability, or at least a mute switch.  An added feature might be passive or active noise canceling in the earphones, although this would just be a nice to have.

2.  The next application is similar.  That is, speech recognition application interfaced with a computer with push to talk capability.  This device must not have playback capability, and can be a standard desk microphone with high recognition quality.  Although, this device will be used indoors, it might still be in a crowded/noisy room, thus it should not be sensitive to the UNINTENDED inputs.

USB Microphones are desired, but if a great microphone does not come with a USB connection, perhaps you can also recommend a whatever(3.5mm/XLR/etc)-to-USB adapter.

Any suggestions will be appreciated?  Also, I am trying to keep the price below $150-200 per device.

Thank you in advance.Why does it have to be USB?soybean,

If you have a different suggestion, I am all ears.

I had read on another site that speech recognition programs perform better if you feed the input through the USB port as opposed to directly through the sound CARD because unless one has a really great sound card it can be susceptible to electronic noise from other components reducing the recognition accuracy.

Thanks for your help.I've never used speech recognition programs, so you may be right about USB having an advantage in this case.  My use of a mic with my computer has been limited to USING my computer to make phone calls. 

Still, I'm wondering about your statement about USB being better.  I Googled hardware requirements for computer speech recognition and I'm not seeing references supporting your claim.  One article, Speech Recognition HOWTO, is rather dated but may still be valid; see the comments there about microphones and sound cards.  And, you may want to browse some of the other references in the Google search results.Thanks for the links.  They are helping out.

Here is where I read about sound card problems with speech recognition.
http://www.emicrophones.com/docdetails.asp?documentid=38I didn't take time to fully digest the info on that website, which, BTW, SEEMS like a comprehensive reference on the subject, but I gather that there may be an advantage to getting a USB Sound Pod.  And, any mic that would normally be connected to a sound card can be connected to the USB Sound Pod, as I understand it. 

So, it seems that you could try using your speech recognition software by connecting a mic to your sound card and, if that does work to your satisfaction, you could get USB Sound Pod and connect the same mic to it. 

This is a different situation than what I understood from your original post, which was to use a "USB mic".

The Idea
Yesterday I came up with the bright idea of painting the palmrest of my laptop.  It was beginning to look rather ugly from heavy usage and my mouse burning the plastic. Please note, this laptop worked fine before I took it apart.

The Disassembly/Reassembly
I started to disassemble the machine piece by piece using some very nice directions I found online: Link - http://www.irisvista.com/tech/laptops/ToshibaM45/Satellite_M45_disassembly_1.htm. My goal was to get this one piece of plastic separate from everything else so I could just spray paint it, so I removed the keyboard, removed the LCD, removed just about everything except for the motherboard (I skipped the part where it said to remove the heat sync because I didn't feel like redoing the thermal compound) until I just said "forget this" and decided to put it all back together. After reassembly I plugged the laptop back in and pressed the power button. The button light came on, the fan spun, the HD spun, everything seemed fine for about 2 seconds: Then it shut down. Now, this is where I have been for the past 24 hours. (note: The LCD gives no sign that it has powered up) In this time I have tried narrowing down what could possibly be the problem here.

So far I have done the following things...
- removed the HD and tried to power on, same results.
- removed both memory cards, swapped their positions, tried one at a time, all with the same results.
- reseated every connection that I removed during my initial disassembly, same results.
- tried to power it on with/without the battery, same results.
- disconnected the touch PAD, usb ports, Ethernet ports, keyboard, LCD, each one at a time, same results.
- tried powering on with/without the DVDRW drive installed, same results.
- I did one final test where I unplugged absolutely everything (all ports, devices, keyboard/touchpad, display, etc.) eliminating any chance that it was one of these items causing this malfunction, in hope that maybe it would go to the bios (even though I would have no display), same result.

I read somewhere that a GUY had a similar problem because of a bad LCD connection, so I took apart the flip top portion of the laptop and inspected the connector behind the actual screen, everything looks fine. I even went as far as disconnecting the heat sync, which I HATE doing, cleaning off the old compound, and adding new, same result.

In Conclusion...
I am beyond frustrated with this thing right now.  I have BUILT my own desktops in the past and consider myself fairly knowledgeable in computer hardware/software. I have tried everything I can think of at this point and am begging for advice. I called Toshiba's technical support line where I was reminded my laptop went out of warranty status last December and it would now cost me $425 to have it looked at. "Yeah Right," I said. I could probably find the same machine on ebay for less than that. Thanks in advance for all help.

Laptop Specs:
Toshiba Satellite M45-S2653
1.6GHz Intel Pentium M
Windows XP
512MB RAM (factory) plus 1GB RAM (upgraded)
80GB HD

Manufacturer's Description:
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition, Intel Pentium® M Processor 730, 512MB DDR SDRAM, 80GB (5400RPM PATA), DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer), 15.4” TruBrite™ widescreen WXGA, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900, Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200BG, CD control buttons, IEEE® 1394, 6-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter, Express Media Player, 1 year limited warranty

Thanks,
Downward SpiralI'm sure this is going to sound obvious, but I would triple check and make sure you have everything reconnected correctly.  I would go though the guild again making sure everything that got disconnected got reconnected.  I would also check for any forms of damage.  Check for any loose screws or anything else that might be shorting something out.  Also make sure its plugged into the power.  My laptop will only power on for a second or two if the battery is dead.

Like I said, I'm sure you've checked this, but another look never hurts.I took it apart again, this time all the way. I separated absolutely everything from the motherboard except for the power switch which is connected with a ribbon cable, plugged the power cord into the port which is soldered correctly to motherboard leads, and pressed POWER... same result! It turns on for 3 seconds, then light goes back out. It MUST be something soldered onto the motherboard because everything else has been ruled out. If I can't find a cheap motherboard I GUESS this is a good excuse to get a new laptop I s it possible one of those tiny screws has fallen into the cas and is shorting out the MBoard or a component ? ?Not possible. I had the motherboard by itself, out of the CASE, with only the power switch and power hooked up to it. I even tried without the processor.  it is definitely either something in the power switch or the motherboard. Does anyone know what swtich S1 does on this motherboard? It doesn't appear to do anything, though I could be doing something wrong

I am looking to buy an LCD FLAT Panel Monitor for my IBM computer.  I am using Windows XP right now.  I am CONFUSED as to what I should consider the most important factors when purchasing one.  I was told by my local PC dealer to beware of buying the kind that has height adjustment and viewing adjustment because there is a bulb inside that can get jostled or BROKEN somehow when the monitor is moved around too much.  So, what brand name is the best, what type is the best and what should I look for when buying? Quote from: ben.gal on November 04, 2007, 02:09:50 AM

I was told by my local PC dealer to beware of buying the kind that has height adjustment and viewing adjustment because there is a bulb inside that can get jostled or broken somehow when the monitor is moved around too much.

I use my computer largely for gaming and generally like to KEEP up-to-date with my video cards and capabilities.  As of late I've noticed my two SLI linked geforce 6800 gt's haven't really been doing the job (frequent freezing and the like) and so i'm looking to upgrade.  I just recently bought vista so I'm good to GET a nice video card (or 2!). 

I was thinking about the 8600 gts... but do you think it wiser to spend the extra MONEY for the 8800 GT  or 8800 gts?

Thanks for the opinions get 2 8800gts cos 2 8600 are same as a 8800ultra so think wat u can with 2 8800'skind of off topic but what r u gonna do with the old cards...........?You might notice a performance drop from two 6800GTs to an 8600GTS, but the 8800GT or GTS will run the latest GAMES at high settings, and another can be added later on for even better performance.
It's always best to buy the best you can afford now rather than get a slower card and then SLI it, that leaves no real upgrade path other than replacing the cards.I have studied these video cards ( a little bit ) because im also uprgading, and im buying a 8800gt,
i think it is very good value for price. Quote from: FilluX on November 05, 2007, 02:21:31 PM

I have studied these video cards ( a little bit ) because im also uprgading, and im buying a 8800gt,
i think it is very good value for price.

I need to know the top 10 brands of psu there are out there .

Anyhelp .

Im looking for a 500watt.

Tony

Don't know if you how much you're willing to spend, but this one, and this brand, should be on your list: FSP Group Blue Storm II 500 ATX 2.2V 500W Power Supply.  Here's one that's more affordable: FSP Group (FORTRON Source) AX500-PN ATX2.2 500W Power Supply hmm i will take a LOOK.

Cheers soybean.  PC Power and Cooling

You don't neccessarily have to buy one of theirs but their info section and database will give you a well rounded insight into what to look for... Quote from: TonyRichens on November 06, 2007, 06:06:18 AM

I need to know the top 10 brands of psu there are out there .

Anyhelp .

Im looking for a 500watt.

Tony

Quote from: TonyRichens on November 06, 2007, 06:06:18 AM

I need to know the top 10 brands of psu there are out there .

Anyhelp .

Im looking for a 500watt.

Tony

You can't just know that you need 500w, you have to know how many amps you need.

Tell us what components you need to power, exactly.

I recently did a full system restore on my WINDOWS XP Desktop. I connected to the internet and got all of the latest DRIVERS for my hardware. Initially my sound WORKED fine but then after a little while it just stopped working. I have a Soundblaster Audigy Gamer card. I have checked all the audio settings and it is not muted. The device manager says the device is working properly. I don't know what to do. I uninstalled the card and reinstalled after rebooting and it worked again for a while but has since stopped working again. I have tried several different programs to play the audio also. Never had a problem in the 5 YEARS of operation prior to the restore. Please help. Thanks.Do you have the old drivers for the sound card?  Try installing them.

Alan <><  No I do not. I have looked everywhere for my original CD and have looked online.

I am wondering if my COMPUTER can handle a 16x DVD burner. The current config is:

asus A7N8x mother board
AMD 2400 cpu
1 Gig ram, (pc2100 I think)
120 gig HDD
Windows Xp Pro SP2
550 watt power supply
ATI radeon x850 video card (added about 2 years ago)
I built this 4 years ago.

I have NOTICED that on most dvd burners they require at least 1.4 mhz . I have 1.2. Will running the burner totally bog my system down? What burner would you recommend for my system?

Thanks,

Tom Quote

I have noticed that on most dvd burners they require at least 1.4 mhz . I have 1.2.

what are the differences between the standard "superclocked" EDITION of the 8800 and the "KO" edition? CHECK this FAQ out.
Hope this helps.

OK, so this is one you might not get every day...  I want to slow down my processor further if possible.  It's a pentium 4-m which has speedstep.  In windows xp if I choose max battery as my power scheme, it automatically slows down to 1.2ghz from 1.8  There has been once or twice I caught it down around 450mhz.   I would like to know if there is a way I can MAKE it go there when it's on battery to further help save battery.. With a new battery this thing would last 3-4 hours now I'm lucky if I can get 50 minutes.     1.8 and even 1.2ghz is plenty fast  450 would work fine when on battery.   I've tried speedswitch xp and I can't get it to go under 1.2 with that either.  Unless i'm setting things wrong-- there is a few things i'm not 100% sure about but still I don't care for that program.      So I'm pretty sure this is possible somehow, and I know I could just go buy a new battery but If you know anything about those I'm sure you also know the prices of them lol.  Usually it's not a big deal for the battery life, I mean I alawys have my power cord with me I keep one on the dock and one in my case and I have an inverter in the car but other times it's just more convenient you know?  Well thanks if anyone can help!


JayThe reason this will not work is that even with speedstep the CPU is still going to ramp up according to the demand PLACED on it.
If it's just sitting there then the speed is constant but as soon as a task is launched that demands more gusto it will step up to the appropiate speed.
Sorry.On the max battery scheme, the CPU should slow down to the slowest speed and stay there when running on battery power.
Also, you could try NHC.
Hope this helps. Quote from: tommy gusack on October 30, 2007, 10:19:49 AM

slow down your processor -,-' if so just smash it rofl

The reason this will not work is that even with speedstep the CPU is still going to ramp up according to the demand placed on it.
If it's just sitting there then the speed is constant but as soon as a task is launched that demands more gusto it will step up to the appropiate speed.
Sorry.

Hi all,

I currently have a poor poor graphics card in the form of the Nvidea 7300, i want an upgrade and am looking at the Nvidea 8800GTS 320MB or 640MB card. Obviously this new card would require a 16x PCI-E slot on the motherboard and a spare PCI-E 6-pin power connector on the power unit. My problem is IM a bit of a computer novice and dont know how to identify if my PC has this, can anyone help? as i have my computer open but cant tell what im looking for. I believe my mother board is a MS-7301 ver 1.0 but again this might be totally incorrect LOL

I cant find the manual at the moment but if i did would that give me the data i need? aaaaaaaaaaaargh i hate being so ignorant.

  Do you know what power supply you have?

The MS-7301 motherboard does have a spare PCI-E X16 slot for a graphics card upgrade, however I see this is a small form factor board.
Do you have enough ventilation for a higher performance graphics card?
And what do you do that necessitates such a high performance card?  I.e. what games do you play?
You might not need an 8800GTS.Hi WOW that was quick!

Well as i said my card at the moment is pretty pants and with the new Directx10 games coming(ok just Crysis at the mo) i didnt want to buy a card that in 12 months time leaves me seriously behind in gaming terms! i have the new generation gaming consoles in the form of a PS3 but have always been dedicated to my PC so really wanted it to be the best i can get it and as it seems Directx10 is the FUTURE i wanted to be there now rather than wait.

As for the cooling fan, again not sure but i thought the GTS has a built in fan ANYWAY, or is that not enough?

Help i have a 28ogb hard disk that is installed as a slave on a MACHINE running xp pro, the hard disk will not format and keeps tellin me it is an ms-ramdisk ( where it got that idea from i DONT KNOW ) but how do i get it to revert back to an NTFS DRIVE plz

I just purchased a new Acer computer.  I opened it up and added a WIRELESS card.  Now when the computer starts up, I get the message "Warning! Your chassis has been opened" - I now have to hit F1 to continue (or I can GO into the BIOS).

I have looked through the BOIS and just do not SEE anything that will stop this from happening.

Does ANYONE know how to disable this annoyance?

CHEERS -

georgeCheck this out.
Hope this helps.That's exactly what I needed - thanks so much.

Cheers -

georgeYou're more than welcome, thanks for posting back.

Calum.

I recently purchased a new harddrive, reinstalled windows,INSTALLED all program and hardware updates and this time i am unable to switch my monitor over to DIGITAL. There is a option in the monitor menu and it lets me move it to digital but does not stay. Viewsonic has been no help. Hopefully SOMEONE here can. ThanksI need more info.

What monitor? What graphics card? Are you using DVI? What exactly happens when you connect the monitor - does it connect via the analog connection?the monitor is a viewsonic vx2025wm. Video card is a geforce 8800gts yes i am using DVI. My monitor WORKED great before I reinstalled windows on the new harddrive. Now it only allows a analog signal. The monitor settings on the monitor allow a switch to digital but it does not take.If it worked well with you older copy of Windows XP, then it's a software problem.
Go to nVidia's SITE and download the newest drivers.

I installed a pioneer dvd-rw DVR-111D in my computer.  It didn't come with a driver so I downloaded it and it is in my device manager.  When I try to copy a video file from my hard drive to the burner, I GET d:drive is inaccessible error.  Also, when I insert a dvd-r disc into the player,  the d:drive icon in My Computer changes from "dvd-r" to "cd".  THANKS for any help! What DVD burning software are you using?


And what flavor of Windows ? ? Quote

I downloaded it and it is in my device manager

ok, the tittle already shown my problem. this computer just clean up by myself, what i do is just clean the heatsink and apply new thermal heat compund, and i ALWAYS do this and its part of my job.
direct to the point, i turn on the cpu and in random time it will shutdown,i already check the psu and try it with another psu giving me the same result.it just doing that random, like when i press the power button and not even 1second last long, sometimes 5 minutes,depend on my luck
It could be loose cable, but even without touching or doing anything to the computer it still shutting down random.the fans is working.

oh, and i didn't try the computer before im cleaning it.That's make it a bit difficult.
any comment will be much appreciate.Okay first off lets get some bottom LINE specs from ya. Processor, psu wattage, any other component that would matter wit the issue.psu -450watt
processor - intel pentium 4 2.6 Ghz
windows xp (doest it make any sense)

i have 10 computers like this, all of it using the same HARDWARE so i don't think its about unsuitable hardware or windows, what i think its a loose right now, but i can't find it.could be loads of reason. Quote from: TOMMY gusack on October 29, 2007, 09:51:20 AM

could be loads of reason.

Hi
Sometimes when I turn on my computer the screen doesn't come up and the computer beeps continuously and rapidly (I would say around 50-60 beeps). Then the beeping stops for a few seconds and starts all over again. I have a Phoenix BIOS.
What is the problem?
Remove a side panel or the case if needed and make sure the video card and RAM are seated properly.
As always when working inside the case remove all power sources and take anti-static precautions.
You may want to do some housekeeping while you are in there. Do NOT use a vaccuum.
Compressed air in a can works well.I did it for hunderds of TIMES, it doesn't help. I understand that the beeps mean SOMETHING, but I couldn't FIND what these beeps mean.It should say what it is in your MBoard manual...if you do not have one they are usually available for DLoad at the manuf. site.
Let us know.I found this site:
http://www.amptron.com/html/bios.beepcodes.html

And it says:
Repeating (Endless loop)  Memory error  Bad memory or bad connection

It sounds like the beeping I have, but there is one problem. I don't have any extra hardware, so I need to know the exact problem before I buy a new one.
From the begining I suspected the problem is with the memory or with the video card. From the beeping it seems that the problem is with the memory, but sometimes the colors on my screen change (to some weird colors of pink, green and blue) and when I restart the computer it beeps like I told you. Can a memory problem do it? Or is it the video card?DLoad and run MemTest...it makes a bootable floppy/CD and boot to it...
Let it run a few hours.
Any ERRORS then the RAM is bad.
No errors and it's probably the video card.ThanksMy computer has passed the memory test, but I STILL think the problem is with the memory and not with the video card. Is it possible that the problem is with the memory even though it passed the test?It's highly unlikely...highly.

Dear Users
ASUS CD-RW is reading the CD's and DVD's ok but not detecting CD-R my operating system is windows 2000 PRO WHATS the prob help help help
T hanksThe drive MAY not RECOGNISE CD-R FORMAT...check the documentation...

how do i find out what type of vga i have in the computer it is only got
16 colours i need to find out what type of driver to download  to get true
colourRight-click on your desktop -&GT; Select "properties" -> Select the "DISPLAY" tab.

Your graphics chip should be listed. Report back with the results, and I'll tell you what drivers you need.

And the FULL specifications of the system would be appriciated as well. Quote from: Jess607 on November 04, 2007, 02:52:53 AM

Right-click on your desktop -> Select "properties" -> Select the "display" tab.

Quote from: Jess607 on November 04, 2007, 02:52:53 AM

Right-click on your desktop -> Select "properties" -> Select the "display" tab.

You meant select Settings, right?

Hello all. I was hoping to get some help hooking up the FRONT panel audio JACKS on a NZXT Nemesis Elite case with the MSI P6N SLI Platinum motherboard. The cables coming off the case have like seven connectors, and the socket on the motherboard has nine, none of which are labeled anything CLOSE to matching eachother. Any way anyone could give me some help with this?