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This section includes InterviewSolutions, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.

10401.

Solve : when I explore a dvd drive it shows all files the same?

Answer» FIXED it myself - Just reinstalled the dvd drive.Its usually not the best to delete the original question as then PEOPLE looking for SIMILAR answers will not know what your problem was. But good NEWS you SORTED it.
10402.

Solve : FORMATTING PROBLEM HDDs?

Answer»

I have two almost new 160Gb HDDs which have been loaded once with Windows XP home Edition (genuine).

In SERVICE, each has become CORRUPTED and I have tried to REPAIR them by booting from the XP disc and selecting 'repair' option. The system then loads the required files, STARTS the repair then freezes and will not respond to inputs. I have to switch off the PC.

I have tried selecting the 'Install XP' option which leads to a screen which offers 'repair' or 'install' but regardless of what is selected nothing works; after some initial activity it freezes.

The current HDD that I am USING was previously corrupted and I managed to format the drive and then re-install XP but I suspect that some of the disc is 'bad' since it is again causing problems.

Should I now consider moving up to Vista because the real ballsache of 'loading' a new HDD from scratch is updating XP with SP3. I have not copied my current drive to an 'image' because if there is a problem it will copy that too.

So, my question is; what step by step actions should I take to be able to reformat and recover the corrupted HDDs bearing in mind that I have my valuable data backed-up to an external drive?


10403.

Solve : CD DRIVE BLOCKED+BOOT FAILURE?

Answer»

Hello
Please help me i am tired
FIRST the MOUSE not detetecd  by the computer , i THINK it i in conflict  with whom i don't know?
Than i insert a window xp disc, the MESSAGE: was Boot failure
I read in your FORUM the cause can be from cd inseretd, i tried to to move out the cd drive blocked
please help me

10404.

Solve : Get Windows XP 64bit or a better graphics card??

Answer»

I plan on doing a bunch of HD video editing and watching, and some gaming as well as 3D animation.
What I'm wondering is, what would be BETTER for me, getting Windows XP pro 64 to get more Ram and STICKING with the alright graphics card that comes on the mother board. OR going with the 32bit and getting a PRETTY awesome graphics card(any recommendations? 200-300$)?
I've heard a lot of bad things about xp64bit too about drivers or something.What graphics chip is on your board?
What programs will you be using for editing/what games will you be playing/
What are your other system specs?
For up to $300 you could easily upgrade to XP X64 and get a good graphics card, with cash to spare.

10405.

Solve : 4870x2 cooler?

Answer»

Does anyone know of a good AFTERMARKET  COOLER for the 4870x2,any info  will be helpful.
folding 24/7 with it and it gets kinda warmHTTP://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118037

mabye http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110576%2050002108&name=Scythe%20USAFrom memory, the only aftermarket cooler for that card is the Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme 4870X2.
From what I've heard it can be difficult to FIND though.
Hope this HELPS.

10406.

Solve : canoscan 3000ex Vertical lines?

Answer»

I have got a canonscan 3000ex scanner,RECENTLY whenever i am SCANNING, a vertical line of light bluish/greenish appear on the screen.i am not been able to FIND a solution.So how can i REMOVE the line.Thank u.

10407.

Solve : Need help connecting external hard with broken connection port to computer?

Answer»

I have a WD 500GB EXTERNAL hard drive (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=351) that i CANT connect to my laptop as the connection port inside it has broken off. I have STRIPPED it to just the bare hard drive and now need to connect it, i took it to a repair shop and using a wire the man said he could get everything off of it for a fee of £15. Is there any way i can get the information off of it myself? A wire i can purchase or something?

A sticker on the hard drive reads (not sure if its any help):

"Master/Slave jumper not required for SATA"
"Jumpered pins 3 and 4 enable PUIS (Power Up In Standby)"

Please help, i have data that i REALLY need on it as well as all the documents from my old laptop and PC.

Thank you in advance!

Jack Is the drive a SATA? Or IDE? Does the connection to the drive look like a bunch of pins in 2 rows or does it have a small black slot?





If you have removed it from the enclosure it can be hooked up to any working Desktop machine to retrieve your data...
If IDE set the jumper to slave...
If SATA it needs to be connected to SATA slot 3 or higher.

10408.

Solve : dual monitor issue - getting the 2nd to work?

Answer»

Hey all, general question about setting up dual monitors.  I bet its been asked before but my situation is a bit different because the computer is a tad old.

The computer in question was just running video from the motherboard, always worked of course.  Its a workstation, so it never really needed anymore then one screen.  With the introduction of new software, the employee who uses the computer has had considerable loss of productivity because the computer couldn't handle the extra software running.  We put in another memory stick and all was well.  However, inefficiencies still ran rampant because the screen was too small for him to handle so many programs.  A solution that management agreed upon was to setup a 2nd monitor to split up his programs in a more organized fashion.

I've setup dual monitors before, didn't think it was going to be a big deal.  The motherboard already had its onboard video, so I installed a Nvidia GeForce3 Ti 200 (Yes, this is a very old computer but it runs awesome).  I plugged one monitor into the motherboard and another in the newly installed video card.  Installed the drivers and updated, seemed everything was going well. 

After restarting the computer, this is windows XP, I turned on both monitors and it seemed to only be WORKING on the one plugged into the geForce card.  After some investigation there seemed to be no option in the Display Properties to have a dual monitor function.  I went to the device manager and it was only showing the geforce video card, not the onboard one. 

Kind of stumped here, any suggestions would be helpful.  I'm not sure of the motherboard type on the computer, got a bios reader and the motherboard name was identified as:

62-0100-001131-00101111-121103-SIS66IFX$M963G

I'd assume the SIS661FX would tell the BASIC info about what it is, just not sure myself.

I know this is relatively simple, but I guess I'm just missing a STEP.  Any help would be cool.

Thanks! Quote from: Karroog on April 10, 2009, 06:38:17 AM

Hey all, general question about setting up dual monitors.  I bet its been asked before but my situation is a bit different because the computer is a tad old.

The computer in question was just running video from the motherboard, always worked of course.  Its a workstation, so it never really needed anymore then one screen.  With the introduction of new software, the employee who uses the computer has had considerable loss of productivity because the computer couldn't handle the extra software running.  We put in another memory stick and all was well.  However, inefficiencies still ran rampant because the screen was too small for him to handle so many programs.  A solution that management agreed upon was to setup a 2nd monitor to split up his programs in a more organized fashion.

I've setup dual monitors before, didn't think it was going to be a big deal.  The motherboard already had its onboard video, so I installed a Nvidia GeForce3 Ti 200 (Yes, this is a very old computer but it runs awesome).  I plugged one monitor into the motherboard and another in the newly installed video card.  Installed the drivers and updated, seemed everything was going well. 

After restarting the computer, this is windows XP, I turned on both monitors and it seemed to only be working on the one plugged into the geForce card.  After some investigation there seemed to be no option in the Display Properties to have a dual monitor function.  I went to the device manager and it was only showing the geforce video card, not the onboard one. 

Kind of stumped here, any suggestions would be helpful.  I'm not sure of the motherboard type on the computer, got a bios reader and the motherboard name was identified as:

62-0100-001131-00101111-121103-SIS66IFX$M963G

I'd assume the SIS661FX would tell the basic info about what it is, just not sure myself.

I know this is relatively simple, but I guess I'm just missing a step.  Any help would be cool.

Thanks!

First off, once you install a video card, that's where the moniter goes. Does the video card allow 2 screens, if it does, it should have 2 plugs, not 1. THEN go to your control panel and check in your Display Properties.I had thought you could hook up a monitor to the video card and then to the motherboard to get two signals.  Is that not the case? Quote from: Karroog on April 10, 2009, 07:20:37 AM
I had thought you could hook up a monitor to the video card and then to the motherboard to get two signals.  Is that not the case?

Nope.
One or the other...
There are dual display vid cards however...What if I acquired 2 video cards?  I have one slapped in there, but if I got another one would I then be able to setup dual screens?I believe that would get you closer.  I'm not sure if the motherboard itself PRESENTS any special requirements.Step by Step

1.Verify original video card works, decide whether it's PCI Express or AGP,

decide if it's to be primary monitor.

2. Verify new PCI card is compatible with XP.

3. Boot PC and enter CMOS. If CMOS has option to select the order that video

cards are initialized, verify current card is to configure first. If it doesn't start

first, when you install second card, video might not work at all when you first

boot with two cards.

4. Install second video card in PCI slot nearest to the AGP or PCI Express slot.

and attach second monitor.

5. Boot the system. Windows recognizes new hardware and may prompt for

location of drivers. If Windows does not recognize new hardware, go to Control

Panel and select Add Hardware to manually install the drivers.

6. Right click the desktop and select Display Properties. Select Settings tab.

7. Notice two numbered boxes. When you click on one of these boxes,you can

adjust screen resolution and display settings. This lets you customize each

monitor.

8. On the settings tab of Display properties box, adjust resolution and color to

preference. Check Extend my windows desktop onto this monitor. To save

settings, click apply. You may be asked to restart computer. The second monitor

should initialize and show the extended desktop.

9. Close Display properties box. From the Start menu, open an application and

verify that you can use the second monitor by dragging the application over to

the second monitors desktop.


After you add a second monitor to your system, you can move from one monitor

to the other SIMPLY by moving your mouse. Switching does not require any

special keystrokes or menu option.If you have the geforce3 ti 200 and the latest firmware. There is an option in the nview desktop manager properties where you can enable multiple desktop. You can switch between multiple desktop on one monitor with hot keys or right click and select from menu. Each desktop can have their own program running. This would be cheaper than buying more hardware and setting it up.

Quote from: Karroog on April 10, 2009, 06:38:17 AM
Hey all, general question about setting up dual monitors. 
Has this problem been resolved? Quote from: soybean on May 27, 2009, 09:38:57 AM
Has this problem been resolved?

Dunno, but I've put up my solution.I wasn't asking you.  I was asking Karroog, who started this topic.

By the way, you do not know whether his video card supports two monitors.  Are you saying he could run one monitor off the onboard video adapter and one monitor off his video card?  That point was already covered; unless there are a few exceptions, most motherboards will not support two monitors that way. Quote
most motherboards will not support two monitors that way.

That's rather what I thought, since most BIOS's I've seen allow you to choose either on-board video, or video from another souce, like PCI or AGP, but it always seems to be an either / or proposition.
10409.

Solve : Hughes Net ??

Answer»

I am LOOKING into getting satelite NET. Can any of you recommend any of the company's. It seems that Hughes Net is the biggest. That could be a good or BAD thing depending on the Co. I need information good and bad on Co that you KNOW about. Thank you for your time.

10410.

Solve : please help..problem with thumb drive/pen drive?

Answer»

i GOT 8gb pen drive. used space 5.xgb, FREE space 2.xgb (this info shown when click property).yes, it correct.BUT my today problem when i put thumb drive into usb drive, nothing files/document shown on my thumb drive. but, if click property...it not change anything about total used space and total free space...still used space is 5.xgb and free space 2.xgb.i dont use any folder lock or any softwore for my thumb drive. really scare to format this thumb drive coz i surely think...my important folder/document still in there. please help...really appreciated. tq  [Email REMOVED]

tqI removed your email to prevent SPAM and because we'd like to keep everything on the forum.

Have you tried accessing your USB Flash Drive on different computers?ok.thanks.
already do ...same problem. already run antivirus..nothing virus foundTry this.

*  Go to Start --> All Programs --> Accessories --> Notepad
WITHOUT typing anything into Notepad, go to File --> Save as --> autorun.inf.
*  Save it to the desktop.
*  Now copy it from the desktop to the root of your USB flash drive.

Is there any message telling you to overwrite anything?done...then, appear error message "file already exist.specify another file name (but no such exist that file there)Was this pen drive from eBay ? ?NOPE..self buy at pc shop. kingston DT101How is it showing up in Disk Management ? ?

I'd return it for a replacement.

10411.

Solve : HARDWARE ISNTALLATION?

Answer»

Please can kinly let me know how to detrmine MEMORY upgrade.
 I bought a new hp 500 LAPTOP and the size of hard disk is only 40GB is it possible i can
upgrade my Ram 2GBFirst, Hard disk size and RAM are TWO different things.

Second, any reason why you've left MANY of your topics unresolved?

10412.

Solve : determine if my computer is using both cores?

Answer»

I KNOW how that is GLAD it all PANNED out then.

10413.

Solve : HD Won't run, recovery help!?

Answer»

The computer will not start up. TOOK HD out and hooked up to external case and it does not get recognized on the other computer. Seems it is not running.  Looking for ways to recover information off it. Post your system & EXPLAIN what its not doing.POWER up & what does it do?1) Put HD in heavy plastic zip lock bag (like a freezer bag).
2) Put HD in a freezer overnight.
3) Remove and insert either into a PC or enclosure (BE FAST!) and pray it boots...

No go?
At least few hundred bucks for pro recovery. Quote from: Broni on May 24, 2009, 03:43:07 PM

1) Put HD in heavy plastic zip lock bag (like a freezer bag).
2) Put HD in a freezer overnight.
3) Remove and insert either into a PC or enclosure (BE FAST!) and pray it boots...

No go?
At least few hundred bucks for pro recovery.

Can you explain, why ? This is the first time, I read something like this. An HD in Freezer? Tried that. No luck. Took to the pros to try a data recovery. they said 60% chance they could pull files off.
THANKS for the suggestions. Quote from: burned703 on May 25, 2009, 03:34:13 AM

Can you explain, why ? This is the first time, I read something like this. An HD in Freezer?
Not really sure, but it works. I believe it has something to do with the internal components contracting and expanding.

http://geeksaresexy.blogspot.com/2006/01/freeze-your-hard-drive-to-recover-data.htmlIt has worked for me in the past...however i would put the success rate on how MANY times i have done it at about 8% or less....and a few of those were only partial recoveries before the drive died completely.If you have tried the freezer idea and are out of other ideas you can try this....only as a last resort.

With the power off and your drive set as a slave rap it 2 or 3 times firmly on the table and than power it up as fast as you can.

The 2 main reasons these ideas work on a bad drive is that the spindle is locked up so the cold shrinks it enough for the motor to start it spinning again. The other idea of rapping helps is because the cold didn't shrink the spindle enough to get it spinning. The rapping can break it free and let the motor get the platters moving.

Both of these ideas are long shots at best. And if your drive spins up get all your data off of it in one shot. Don't think you can COUNT on the drive to come up again.

I tried the freezer method, no go. 

It is an Emachines T6520 running WXP.
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/emachines-t6520-media-center/4507-3118_7-31466280.html

 I took to Geek Sq. and they tried to get data off but were unsuccessful. As far as I know the only option I have is a data recovery that costs $300. Unless anyone has some ideas how to do it myself.

10414.

Solve : No input signal Dell 24" Monitor?

Answer»

I have a 24" Dell monitor that was moved by one of my co-workers and when it was set in its new location, the monitor shows a blue box in the upper right HAND corner that says "no input SIGNAL". The box is 4" x 5" but does not effect the rest of the monitor. It's business as usual except for the blue box. I'm using a NVIDIA GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i video card and have Vista Home Premium 64 bit OS. Manufacturer is Gateway and model is DX4720-03. PROCESSOR is Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5GHz. Any SUGGESTIONS on how I can get rid of this blue box? Thanks
It sounds like the CABLE in the back of the monitor is not plugged in right. Check both ends to be sure its plugged back in correctly....the monitor and the back of the computer.

10415.

Solve : evo 610c / hp pavillon dv 6000?

Answer»

My hp pavillon dv 6000 screen has chit the bed. Is it possible to take the hardware out of that and stick it in my old evo 610c?What hardware? Also, if its a laptop, you can probably just hook up an EXTERNAL monitor to it and use that.i wanted to swicth everything down to the motherboard over.. but the case is alot smaller then the hp's..what do you think i can get into the evo from the hp??Probably not too much. First off, do both computers use the same type of hard drive? (IDE or SATA?) Also, do both computers use the same RAM? it looks LIKE the evo uses DDR, and there are many dv6000 MODELS, so I am not sure what that uses. Motherboards will most likely not WORK at all, especially if it will not fit. Most likely you barely can switch anything over. You will have to give exact model # of the dv6000.thx man..ill do farther RESEARCH online and let you know what i come up with..

10416.

Solve : CPU Difference??

Answer»

I have a 2.8 ghz cpu that I can move to another machine given that this one will work.  The site is haveing a sale I wondered if there is a differnce between a 3 ghz cpu and one that is 3E ghz.  Does it allow more threads an how do I know if my board will support such a thing.  Not hyperthearding.Could you give us a link?
I believe the E would EITHER denote hyper-threading or a faster bus.yes, it seems like a good enough of a deal for what I would be useing it for.  http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=P43000E478&cat=CPU  I wanted to switch the one in my gaming machine with this one.  That's a Pentium 4 socket 478, Prescott CORE.  The E means it supports Hyper-Threading and has an 800MHz FSB, rather than 533, as well as 2MB of L2 cache rather than 1MB.
Be sure your cooling can handle it, those chips run hot  I got a large heatsink but not sure if the board will support it ether since its a prescott http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/se7210tp1-e/This link will give you the supported processors.
Using this list of P4 processors from Wikipedia, you can match that processor on Geeks to four different CPU codes (SL7E4, SL7KB, SL7PM, SL79L), all of which are supported by that board.
Hope this helps.ummmmmmm.......... sadly now cause I dont get any of that an just want to know if it will handle it being a prescott, ALSO I see that it will run a celeron D would that be better to get?  I dont have any thing in terms of heatsink that would probably work with it though just wondered for sake of speed if its good priced as well.  OK ... that board will support that processor, yes.
A Celeron D would be worse in terms of performance.   It would be???  I thought that its the equilvent of a pentium d and the start of daul core?Nope.
The Celeron D is a Celeron with a little more cache ... it's better than an equivalent Celeron but not as good as a P4.
Pentium D was completely different.
The naming is definitely confusing.Just keep in mind where the Celeron came from- as a Low-cost alternative to some of Intel's pentium processors. As such they are also stripped down. I believe that is still true.from what I still know of, I know why do that?

10417.

Solve : Help please.my computer wont bo0t?

Answer»

My computer wont boot since i have tried to reset my cmos.this cpu is p4vxasd2 ECS, i tried to reset my cmos because my computer alway say to press f2 before it continues to boot.i have tried to manualy change the date and time settings but it returns BACK from the previous setting after i use my computer.and my friend told me that reseting cmos would fix it.the procedure ive done 1st was,i turned of my pc then,pulled out the jumper and waited a minuite before i put it on.turn it on,but my computer dont display anythng.it boots on. And beeps like this.(BEEP . . . .beep,beep. . Beep)and the red led light turns of.but the cpu fan are running.but still no display,so ive search the web for proper procedur and tried it.the procedure was,turn off.nd move the jumper frm 1 and 2.to 2 and 3.then wait pres power button once.and wait a minuite.then turn it back to 1 and 2.and turn on computer.but still have the same results.help me please.i dont know what to do anymore.What about pulling out the CMOS battery for a bit, then placing back in? Or replacing it altogether?Not total ANSWER on this ,suspect ram or BOARD Quote

i have tried to manualy change the date and time settings but it returns back from the previous setting

definitely needs a new battery.

If that doesn't work- it could be a bad PSU.
10418.

Solve : High Pitched Tone?

Answer»

Hi all!

I just purchased a new HP computer with dedicated graphics and it's very fast.

But ONE thing I noticed when I first plugged it in, was that it was making a high pitched yet quiet tone. I did a bit of SEARCHING on Google and FOUND out that some power supplies do this when something has gone wrong and now I'm getting a little paranoid from it.

However I also read that some power supplies do this even when nothing is wrong.

Today when I went out I put the computer on Sleep. When I came BACK, it was making the same noise. But there's a little light on the front of the computer that flashes during Standby/Sleep (as a feature) and the tone or pitch CHANGES as the light flashes on or off. If I turn the computer on, the noise seems to go away or is not noticable.

Should I use the warranty? Or am I worrying too much for something normal?

Thanks,

~DairymanDepends how high pitched it is?...

many small fans make that noise, even big case fans do.Warranty...that's what it's there for.Ya, return it.  It shouldnt be making those soundslike i said some pc's just make that noise.... even mine does, and i know its the fans,,...

10419.

Solve : paper jam?

Answer»

I have a HP Deskjet F300 All in One Printer.  I am operating with a DELL 1735 Studio Laptop with Vista Home premium.  Encountered a PAPER jam, but was able to clear jam and also can use printer to copy print (not involving computer) and everything working fine.  when I try to use printer from the print function on the computer I am told that there is a paper jam.  I have gone to control panel, clicked on printer, and cancelled all documents in the printing queue.  When I click on "Status" it still says that there is a paper jam.  I have unplugged everything, power cords, USB connection, re plugged and still get paper jam message.  The printer is working fine copies with no problem but will not print from the "print function on computer"  Can somebody out there help me get rid of this paper jam message as I am at a complete standstill here with no print function.  thanks You've restarted both the computer and printer?oharac, Probably your quickest and least complicated way is to uninstall (from add remove programs & remove hardware) both the software for the printer and the hardware.Also once this is DONE unplug the printer from the computer. Then with the computer running plug in the printer and "new hardware found "should come up. Then go through the process of reinstalling the software. I am not familiar with that particular printer but i have a Brother all in one and there is a small led window on the machine that tells you (when a malfunction occurs) and what to do to correct it. You may have that function if so see if it is telling you anything. Also how you got the jammed piece of paper out may be what is creating your problem. If you just by force pulled it out often that will CAUSE the problem as the printer does not recognize that the jam has been cleared. Your "help" section of the printer program may also help you.Read the installation instructions before trying my method as sometime certain printer manufacturers specify an order for installing the software and/or plugging in the hardware. Please keep us posted,truenorthI think the easiest would be to restart....but that's just me.carbon, I could be wrong but i BELIEVE the OP has in effect "restarted" both the printer and the computer by his/her original post. The one additional element not yet addressed which is a possibility is that not all the paper that was jammed has been removed. Maybe a small portion is still there. Anyway at this point we need the OP to reappear.truenorth

10420.

Solve : how to upgrade laptop RAM?

Answer»

I have a laptop of TOSHIBA brand. Can you please tell me if its RAM SIZE is upgradable. The model number is below:
TOSHIBA:
2610DVD/6.0 SYSTEM UNIT
MODEL NO. PS261L-1KKJ6

Please HELP...... Go to crucial.com & RUN CHECK my system

10421.

Solve : Recovering Data from corrupted HD?

Answer»

Hi Folks
I have a laptop which got this errors:

Windows COULD not start because the following files is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\COFIG\SYSTEM

I havent got a recovery dics but i have got an windows XP disc
I DONT want to format the computer because i have some IMPORTANT files
I do have another additional laptop thou

How do i recover DATA from that computer?

Help Please asap     Hello, TChai
Visit this page

                  and please do not miss stuff Thanks

It was really long

What i did is downloaded ERD and burn it to a cd then use that to restore windows to the previous date

10422.

Solve : Constant Freezes with graphically-intense applications?

Answer»

when a memory test FAILS- there is an issue with the RAM. the memory test isn't video intensive, so if it takes 3 tries to get it to get through the test without issues there is something wrong there. albiet, it could have encountered issues with  mapped VRAM or something, too.


out of curiousity what's your new card?Nobody Special, What a treat to SEE that your PROBLEM is solved and ESPECIALLY since it was something that YOU suspected at the outset. Good on you. truenorth

10423.

Solve : Align Heads???

Answer»

Hi,

My name is Mary.  I have need having a hard time with my hard drive lately.  It does not recognize Cd's in the drive, and it will not write anything to the disc's. I ran the PC Doctor today. It came back with the following errors. CD 523-5w  CD523-6w  CD523.7w and DW529-1. The last one could be RW-529-1, I may have written it down wrong. My drive is a Lightscribe DVD+-writer/CD-writer. I am using XP.   I have a HP a1118x.  My drive is HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GWA-4166B. I did a search on the internet and found out the codes mean I have the light heads are out of alignment.Can someone please help?  I did a live chat with HP ad they told me I would have to take it to a service center. I really do not want to do that if I can fix it myself.

 If there is any other info that I may have forgotten, please let me know.  I am not even able to open the drive at this point to remove the disc from the testing that I did.

Thanks in advance for the help!

MaryWelcome Mary...
Optical drives are not made as well as they used to be...that being said it would be silly to have a shop repair the unit you have.
Here is a link to current pricing on dual-layer drives and some are LightScribe...around 40 Bucks.
And you could replace it yourself or have a friend do it in about 10 minutes.
Best of Luck.Thanks for all of your help.  If I do relpace the drive, I will have to reinstall all of the windows programs right?  I know how to replace the hardware, but i am not goo on the programing side. :0)  Thanks again.

Maryif you are replacing the drive that reads your CD-ROMs, this is not the hard drive, but rather your "optical" drive, in common parlance. Your hard drive is probably just fine.

You can just replace the CD-ROM/DVD drive with a new one. The computer will notice the change, but in it's modest gratitude it won't acknowledge it in your presence.  - no need to reinstall windows.Not shure if you have IDE or sata but a ide lightscribe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136147Ok,

This is getting really complicated for me.  Isn't the drive that reads the disks the same as the hard drive? If not please explain.  Like I said, I am not good with the program side, but I sure can tear apart a computer and put it together again.  I just did trying to "fix" the optical drive.   :||Needless to say, I will have to buy a new one.   

Thanks for all of teh help!The optical drive reads cds and dvds.  The hard drive has these big magnetic disks in them that store information.

This is what a hard drive in your computer looks like, more or less (different brands look a bit different).  Inside the unit are platters which spin, and there are little arms with "heads" that read the data.  If you think of the old time record player with the arm and the needle on the record, the needle is like the head which reads the data on the DISK.  It's a rectangular box about five inches long, three and a half inches wide, and anywhere from a half an inch to an inch or so in thickness.

Your LightScribe is a totally separate unit inside the computer case.



Optical drives use a laser to read and write the information to the discs.

Some people make the mistake of calling the whole computer case, "the hard drive," and then they get OTHERS to doing it.  It's understandable, but not accurate.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This really helps out. I understand now.  This is a lot easier then I thought it was. There was a person near me that was giving away FREE computer parts. I didnot know what I was getting till I saw this post. I wound up getting  a 18.2 GB ulta3 SCSI. 2 of them!! I was told I have to buy a converter (?) for them. What ever that means. I am really stoked about this!! Thanks for all of your help..

MaryYou will need a PCI SCSI controller card to run those drives...may not be worth it for 36G of storage...On the other hand, if you want to brag to your non-computer friends that you have SCSI (pronounced "scuzzy") drives in your computer, then they will think you are some kind of super-user!   

It may cost anywhere from twenty to thirty dollars - I haven't PRICED these in a long time! - to get the controller card.  It may be cheaper to just try to get another conventional IDE hard drive.

If you want the experience of "playing" with the SCSI, go for it!  We'll help you out if we can!

Thanks do MUCH for everything. Actually I stopped by a computer store on my way home, and was told the hard drive was used for big corporations and it was junk.  So it went to the recycle pile at there store. .The back area was different then the plugs I have on my computer, so I figured that it will not be worth it So I junked it. He said it was for about 200 drives.  Of course I have no idea, but he seemed to know what he was talking about, and he owned the shop. So I trusted him.  Thanks again for all of your help. I would have gone bald with out you. I was yanking my hair out till you came along! 

Thanks again,

Mary

10424.

Solve : Graphics card maybe??

Answer»

Hi i Was using my ocmputer last night when the entire system crashed for a few minutes when its started again i restarted it. The boot up screen came up as normal however there were SETS of 4 vertical blue stripes running up the screen. I was worried wbout this and just before my login screen apeared the monitor seemed to lose sync with the tower UNIT, displaying the message that apears when my monitor is switched on but not connected to my unit. It restarted itself and gave me the option to go with my last known good configuration which i tried but this gave the same results. After restarting itself again I started it in safe MODE as soon as this came on the blue lines disapeared and i could run it as i normally could in safe mode. Ive tried system restore butthis didnt work either and opening my towere nothing is oout of place. Has anyone experienced this before or do you have any advice i could take towards solving this problem?

Edit: i am sorry if this is in the wrong forum im just not sure of the problem and my original thought was it may be a problem with the graphics cardtry booting into Safe Mode With Networking, and go into Device Manager..

START>RIGHT click My COMPUTER>properties>hardware tab>Device Manger.

click on the plus sign next to Display Adapters and right click on the submenu item, then select UPDATE to see if Windows will find a better display driver for your system.....Then see if the problem go's away

10425.

Solve : Iomega?

Answer»

I have Iomega 100 disks, can they PUT into the 250 MODELS?YES.

10426.

Solve : Motherboard or power supply problem??

Answer»

I recently replaced ASUS M2N32 SLI wireless deluxe with same.  MoBo was not responding.  First, I replaced Enermax 600 watts psu with same that also was not responding.  After replacing both, pc will only start if i unplug and replug the 12v cpu power while the pc power is on.  I know, that I was told at other forums not to do this, but this is the only way it starts normal.  Also, I noticed that the A: LIGHT stays on and isn't functioning.  I removed all devices and tried starting without A: CDR/W//DVD with no success.  I was considering another psu, but may instead settle for a psu tester.  Any ideas ANYONE?
My pc is a Velosity Mirco Vision custom build
AMD 64 x2 6000 Athlon
Windows xp home sp2
Nvidia 8600 gts
creative x-fi xtreme music sound card
3 gb ddr2 sdram 667mhzhere:

http://www.xpcgear.com/psuaccessory.html


What kind of Floppy drive is it, internal or USB?

If it is internal, make sure that the cable is connected the right way (not backwards)....look at the cable and verify that the the end with the twist is connected to the floppy drive..

Also, do you hear any beeps when you power on the computer?





Internal floppy, connected with twist to floppy drive.  No system beeps even if I unplug the keyboard.  Very odd.hmm, there might be a CMOS setting that needs to be adjusted......google for the BIOS SETTINGS  for your motherboard and see if there is something that can be adjusted, before you buy anything else...


anyone else?

Quote

After replacing both, pc will only start if i unplug and replug the 12v cpu power while the pc power is on. 

You may have managed to take out 2 consecutive MBoards with this technique.
Or the CPU itself...The A: ribbon cable was backwards as far as the A: is concern.  I replace the MoBo again with a ASUS M2n32 green and everything boots up normal. 
Thanks for all your great HELP.
10427.

Solve : Power supply for LCD monitor?

Answer»

I bought a MAG Innovision 17" LCD monitor at a garage sale. Of course it came with no cables. VGA cord was no problem, but I can't find the power supply it needs. It has a port labeled "DC in", looks like your basic 12v DC jack. Needs a 4 v. I can't find these anywhere! Best Buy, Radio Shack....am I just calling it something they don't understand? Am I the DUMMY, or are they? What all do I need to make my bargain monitor work?Go to the manufacturers website and order another cord.....I believe LCD monitors use proprietary connections so you can't use alternate sources of power


edit: try this

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=MAG+Innovision+17%22+LCD+++power+cord&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=KdkaSvShHpu0tgOyuqDWCw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=4&ct=titleOr, find any old 12v and 5 amp power thing Quote from: computeruler on May 25, 2009, 05:26:35 PM

Or, find any old 12v and 5 amp power thing

lol       what's a "power thing" 



edit: oh wait, did you mean a "watchamcallit" this

I know its DELL but its all I could findI thought lcd monitors all have different power connections, depending on the MANUFACTURER........I guess if the polarity of the power source is the same as on the lcd it would work........but wouldn't it have to fit too yes it would haveto fit and the monitor was a regular dc in
10428.

Solve : What impact does prolonged accumulation of Dust can make on PC Performance??

Answer»

Hi Geeks!!

Since 2002(purchase date of my branded Compaq Desktop), I have never opened its Tower to clean up the Dust that gets accumulated on the 2 Fans; Tower Fan & CPU Fan.

Is there any 'Fair' Study being EVER conducted to know the pitfalls in an overall performance of the PC (more processing time, slow speed..etc.) owing to prolonged accumulation of Dust on Fans, Motherboard components??!!

What percentage of 'Performance Gain' can I expect by taking on this ORDEAL?! too much dust can clog up the vents and the fan holes so that it's hard for fan to spin.

like a kitchen sink with too much junk in the drain and you know what's happening.Continuation to what he said it can cause your processor to over heat. When that happens your PC might just turn off UNEXPECTED, bad performance, and restarts unexpected.It will make your computer OVERHEAT and thats not a good thingThanks to you all 3 Guys!

That surely means that I can WAIT for few more years till my CPU Fan start making gruntling noise to clean its nappies!

So far so Good! Quote from: Saurabhdua on May 25, 2009, 06:20:14 AM

Thanks to you all 3 Guys!

That surely means that I can WAIT for few more years till my CPU Fan start making gruntling noise to clean its nappies!

So far so Good!

That would be a ridiculous approach but to each his own...but waiting few years to clean nappies will give your computer good dreams  the suggested approach is akin to waiting until it's too late. But as Patio said- to each his own.Never clean??? I dont think so.

Quote from: patio on May 25, 2009, 06:41:29 AM
That would be a ridiculous approach but to each his own...

Clean it!!! It is OVERDUE!!!

The CPU HEATSINK will accumulate dust on top of the cooling fins under the fan. If possible remove the fan, loosen the dust and blow out with DRY air.

Why are you screaming at me ? ?

I'm not the one who is looking for a new hobby here...Patio,

My apologies for not being clear. To clarify myself, I was agreeing with patio's quote. To not clean is ridiculous.but think about it, all the dust being blown out of the case, you're gonna be breathing it LOL  Quote from: kenny9dorf on May 25, 2009, 03:32:23 PM
Patio,

My apologies for not being clear. To clarify myself, I was agreeing with patio's quote. To not clean is ridiculous.

Gotcha...no problem.
10429.

Solve : $59.99 MSI Nvidia 9800GT graphics card from newegg?

Answer»

$79.99 + $20.00 mail in rebate to make it $59.99 final cost.

I think it's a good DEAL, maybe you should go buy it? It's available TODAY from the link below (check between 3 pm and 11:59 pm PST, that's when NEWEGG is running the deal on the below link)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127406&Tpk=N82E16814127406That is a really good deal!  All gone now.  And good luck with your REBATES!

10430.

Solve : Raid 1, mirror?

Answer»

Hi,

I am out of space on the hard drives in a raid 1, mirror, array. Only two 36gb hard drives in this machine.

Can a raid 1, mirror array, be increased in size by substituting larger discs one at a TIME and ALLOWING the system to rebuild the array?

Some PEOPLE THINK it is possible. I have tried it and cannot get the array to show up any bigger. Perhaps I am doing something wrong. I substituted 1, 74gb drive at a time, allowing it to rebuild each time. After both drives were REBUILT, with 74gb on each of the new drives, the array is still only 36gb.

Help please. If it is not possible, I will have to reload all, I guess.

Kenny

10431.

Solve : My computer flickers the sound and mouse pointer?

Answer»

Hi
I have a problem with my computer. Sometimes it starts acting strangely. For example, when it happens , if I'm listening music, it starts flickering or mouse POINTER jumps. I checked my CPU and system temperature, but they're ok.
My system info:
M.B: Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9
CPU: AMD Athlon 3000+
RAM: 1 GB
Graphic: WinFast PX6200 TC
OS: Windows XP pack 3It seems no one could help.Have you recently reinstalled anything?  When did the symptoms start?  I had a similar problem when I reinstalled XP and a SLIGHTLY newer version of a display ADAPTER / graphics controller than was CALLED for by the manufacturer.  I uninstalled and reinstalled the slightly older version and everything worked flawlessly after that. No, I didn't change anything. And here is no exact time for it.

10432.

Solve : Dead HD or MotherBoard??

Answer»

I can understand that one Hard drive won't even make a sound, but two?
I installed both HD and none of them boot. I've slave them and Nothing!!!
Why won't my machine reconize them?  Are they DEAD? Try the HDD's on another machine...
Try a CD drive on your machine...
By process of elimination you should discover the cause.Nothing happens.  The machine is working well, SINCE I did install a working HD and it boots and runs.  The other two, won't be reconized thru slave or usb. Are you using the auto-detect feature in the BIOS ? ?
Does the BIOS see them at all ?
Where are these drives from and did they ever work ?

More info...Both were working. One of them was detected and I put it aside for when I had time to retrieve the infor.  Then later I had the other one in the tower working and it was striked with a SVC.host.exe.  I tryed the R with license, then later the MOTHER board did not reconize any of them.  ARE THEY DEAD? No
A virus cannot cripple hardware.
yes it can, granted it's NEARLY impossible but it could screw with the firmware gone, ALSO there's a virus that came out not too long ago that can screw with the bios of the motherboard and short of actually getting a new bios chip you're screwed.

Not sure if you tried changing the jumpers but that's worth a shot Quote from: ghaldos on May 23, 2009, 01:49:48 AM

yes it can, granted it's nearly impossible but it could screw with the firmware gone, also there's a virus that came out not too long ago that can screw with the bios of the motherboard and short of actually getting a new bios chip you're screwed.

Not sure if you tried changing the jumpers but that's worth a shot

Source ? ? Quote from: ghaldos on May 23, 2009, 01:49:48 AM
yes it can, granted it's nearly impossible but it could screw with the firmware gone, also there's a virus that came out not too long ago that can screw with the bios of the motherboard and short of actually getting a new bios chip you're screwed.

Not sure if you tried changing the jumpers but that's worth a shot
U know, that's what I've thought all along.  Two HD and New to go out on the same machine, puts one to think.  How would I jump the jumpers? Any site on how to step by step?Hard drive jumpers:



Each drive is different so look at them both.

Hookups:

MB===============================Slave=======Master.
10433.

Solve : code 4-2-3-3?

Answer»

g'day ive got an ibm think CENTER. i have been running a on bored video card and a seperate dvi card. ive recently UPGRADED to a asus eah4650 and i put it in and the computer beeps CODE 4-2-3-3 wich means extended block move but how do i fix this problem? is there a setting that NEEDS to be changed or a jumper? or something? please help this is driving me nuts. does it have something to do with havnig 2x d sub outputs or sometheig?  HELP!I don't have an exact ANSWER, but this THREAD, from another forum, might help put you on the path to recovery.

10434.

Solve : RAID 0 Array error.?

Answer»

Specs of PC:
ASUS A8N-E
AMD ATHLON 64 3500+ ClawHammer 2.2GHz Socket 939
2 x Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JD
2 gigs Corsair Ram
Windows XP Pro

This computer just had a PSU and video card failure, which caused a failed POST condition, both now replaced and will get through POST. Now on boot up, I get an error when detecting my SATA RAID 0 array which is causing windows to not start up and is giving a message about inserting a windows system DISK which leads me to believe that the array is broken. Going into the RAID manager during start up the array shows up at correct volume, but says error. Selecting the array brings up the options of repair, delete, and clear, of which repair is grayed out. Disabling RAID all together, the drives show up fine in the bios.

My guess is when the PSU gave out, it caused a voltage spike and caused my current situation.

Is there any way to remedy this without CLEARING the hard drives? or any other way to get data off them before clearing the drives (I have multiple computers at my DISPOSAL)? Or is this a classic example of the short comings of RAID 0?

Thanks in advance for the help.

REMINDER TO ALL USERS: Backups are your friend as you never can TELL when your computer is going to explode! Wish I had an up to date backup for this one...

10435.

Solve : Accidentally boughtgh an SCSI hard drive; only have IDE?

Answer»

Is there any way to fix this without taking it back? I really don't understand what SCSI means. Would all MOTHERBOARDS have this? A motherboard from 1995?fix what?

What problem are you having?Well, it hasn't arrived yet, but a friend told me that I can MIX the two, but now that I read further, I realized that you can't. I don't have any SCSI slots on my computer, so can I still use this Seagate Cheetah?Small Computer System Interface, or SCSI, REFERS to a type of interface standardized in the mid-1980's.  If you have the space, you could conceivably install a SCSI controller card in an empty expansion slot of the computer (if one is avilable).  You could then attach the drive the the SCSI card.  Other than that (unless there are adapters of which I am unaware) you'll have to EXCHANGE the drive for an IDE drive.Seagate Cheetahs are high performance SCSI drives intended for servers and other SYSTEMS where the high rotational speed and low seek time give the data throughput that such systems need. They have a very high price per gigabyte of storage. Such a drive is totally wasted in a standalone home user system, and especially if the system has not even got a SCSI interface. A mistake that needs reversing. Get it changed and swallow any restock fees, and do your homework in future

10436.

Solve : HP 2159m 21.5" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD HD Monitor?

Answer»

I just purchased this monitor a couple of weeks ago and wanted some opinions. This unit has a sleep mode I've been using and wondered if it was a good idea to USE it or should I TURN the power off using the power switch?

Opinions please!

Thanks! Its totally up to you??? I don't GET the question.Ok let me rephrase, does it shorten the monitors life by using the sleep mode SINCE it's powered up all the time?  No

10437.

Solve : how do i know if my computer was turn on??

Answer»

im concerned someone is trying to use my computer, how can i know if my computer was turned on? is there some log or something somewhere that i can see, or a program i can use? i have a bios password so computer wouldnt make it to windows if turned on and no password is accepted.Well, if you have a bios password you don't really have anything to worry about.  If you have to know WETHER it has been powered on, you can always dust it for fingerprints...
To be on the safe side i would change your BIOS password...if they have the current ONE which is unlikely changing it would make it even more difficult....the event log will show times that the PC was started and SHUT down. In the "SYSTEM" event log, items titled "Event Log" with "the event log service was started" indicate STARTUP and of course "the event log service was shut down" indicates the PC was shut down (or crashed).so would a log be filed for event even if windows dont start? say if computer was turned on and turned off before windows boots.No.

10438.

Solve : POssible bad PSU?

Answer»

well  i accidently turned off my computer this morning and when i went to turn it back on nothing.  i took it apart and cleaned it not disconnecting any wires. the light on the MB is lit and when i try and turn it on the lights on the fan flash and attempt to turn the fan(less then a second).  The heat sink and nothing else SEEMS to try and turn on.  GUesses on if its the PSU or POSSIBLY the MB. this computer is less then 1 year and i built it myself.

G skill 4 GB ram
ASUS M3A78-CM [email protected]+/AM2
ASUS EN9500gt GeFORCE 9500
AMD Phenom 9600 2.3 quad core
Broadway com corp atx case 550W PSU
ordered an built 3/10/09
vista 64
if anything else is needed info wise just let me know.

You did put all the wires back right? Try a different psu never DISCONNECTED anything. it just didnt turn back on. so i pulled it out and air sprayed the dust out and was looking at the lights. makeing sure the MB was getting power. or at LEAST the light was on on it . Quote from: computeruler on May 23, 2009, 10:21:32 AM

Try a different psu
borrowing one from my neighibor. hopefully this is all ill need.BAd PSU time to contact neweggOk you tested it with the other one and it worked?  Need some help selecting a psu? Make shure to check with us id you deiced on your own because the one you chose LAST time isnt very good
10439.

Solve : Problem with sound and also a query about an infected hard drive?

Answer»

Right where to start. My computer recently contracted a virus that turned AVG and firewall against the computer. This lead to AVG deleting many necessary windows components which when the computer was restarted it just kept rebooting over and over.

So I switched the hard drive with an old one that used to be in the same computer. Only problem is the sound has gone COMPLETELY. Volue control will not open at all. I used to have aprogram called adeck.exe that MADE it work and I have ried downloading thos but the installer will not complete.

Now the second question. The raher heavily infected hard drive has some really really important stuff on there that I would really like to salvage. This may be a stupid question but would I be really stupid to PUT this in the computer to try and salvage the stuff or will it certainly infect the other hard drive?

Any answers would be helpful. Many thanks

OS is XP service pack 1

Also motherboard is made by VIA.
For me yes it will infect the other hard drive. It's like putting a infected flash drive to a clean PC.I presumed so. Could I ybe no do it in safe mode?  Also I have kind of figured out the problem there is a question mark next to VIA AC 97 Audio controller WDM (code 10) so I have figured out that I need Vinyl v700b however when I try to install this it will not do it. It says it has been interupted

EDIT - fixed the sound problem - Hooray - AC97 was disabled in setup on reboot. Dances AROUND the room. Only took 3 days

10440.

Solve : HELLLLP!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Answer»

Just added new hard drive, took out one old one, left in one, and now get nothing.  Can't even BOOT up at this time. Not sure if jumpers and wires are correct. PLEASSSE HELP.  Ok.  It's now Tuesday the 26th., and I'm back to give further info. Thanks to all that have responded even with my scant info.  I apologise that I was running out of time at the library computer and couldn't give more info.  I had a 20 GIG and a 40 gig h.d. in operation, with 2-  40 pin- 80 wire connectors, not the flat ribbon type. The one labeled master was connected to my cd/dvd unit, and to #2 slot on MOTHERBOARD.  The other cable with master/slave was connected to hard DRIVES and to slot #1 on board.  The system did work.  OS on 40 gig drive.  I took out the 20 gig drive, purchased a 160 gig drive, and am wanting to use it as main OS drive. When I re-installed everything, I could not even get any kind of boot up even with boot disk for hard drive.  I will have to ghost OS from 40 gig to 160 gig once system starts functioning again.  Therein lies the problem. I must have wires and jumpers wrong.  Any Ideas out there??  Would appreciate any help and I thank you in advance for it.  Gotta start doing my music but can't obviously.  Thanks again!!!!!Did you install the operating system?hopefully you don't have the same problem i did, and shocked your boardIf the OS is later than WinME you cannot simply swap a drive in there from another machine and expect it to work...
More details on what you are trying to accomplish here.wait did the op put the new hard drive in plus the old one?

10441.

Solve : New Computer-what should I do for wireless??

Answer»

I previously wanted to build a computer, but decided it was too much of a hassle. I have chosen this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9174564&productCategoryId=pcmcat168200050002&type=product&id=1218044490119

It does not come with integrated wireless-so do you know any good ones? I have a wireless 802.11 g router. I don't want to open up a new computer-I don't know if it will give me warranty trouble. So do you know any USB ones? I was thinking this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8993903&productCategoryId=abcat0503007&type=product&id=1218007083590

I know its for 802.11n, but the others had bad reviews.

Thanks a lot!

well i have either-net connection and wireless going to my computer and there are things you may want to know. Wireless will KILL your downloading speed by about 10x either-net is much faster but if you cant get either-net then go wireless

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315041

is what i use it is a PCI slot but it is cheap and gets the job done...Well...there is a phone line in my room. Will I need a separate modem thing from my service provider to get wired internet? if you have DIAL up which i hope not....i use cable which you will need to run through a modem then router  Wireless will not slow it down that much.  You dont need to waste your time with a pci adapter either.  Just get the usb adapter.  What type of internet do you have? That might helpI have broadband. 1.5 Megabits/second. I am using a Linksys router that can transmit at a max of 54 Mbps. Just get a wireless adapter then if you aready have the router and stuffthere is no point to spend 40+ more dollars on a usb adapter when you get a perfectly fine pci adapter for 20ish and all you need to do is plug it into ur comp and your comp should have an open pci slot and just make sure you have one free

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Pci-slots.jpg

that is what they look like if you DIDNT know Quote from: aniketkar94 on May 21, 2009, 08:02:22 PM

I don't want to open up a new computer-I don't know if it will give me warranty trouble
Quote from: computeruler on May 22, 2009, 08:29:58 PM
I don't want to open up a new computer-I don't know if it will give me warranty trouble

if you open up your computer you will not void warranty.....all you need to do is touch something metal before you touch anything internal and its a PCI slot its super super super easy to installstill, if the person wants usb and doesnt want to mess around opening it then thats ok.it WILL void the warranty. Don't make claims that it "won't do this" or "won't do that" ESPECIALLY when you cannot see the PC. If there is still a warranty on the PC- opening it will void that warranty. It's a fairly common fact.

I'm curious where you are coming up with these facts- wireless-g, the more common type of wireless at the moment, runs ar 54mbps. a standard ethernet card is 100mbps. that's 2, not 10 times. Even then, most services providers hardly break 54mbps, or 6.75MB/s, so really it's a moot point.

Additionally, Wireless-N is FASTER then standard Ethernet, at 300mbps.


Quote from: inchy97 on May 22, 2009, 04:16:32 PM
there is no point to spend 40+ more dollars on a usb adapter when you get a perfectly fine pci adapter for 20ish

there is a point, actually. one is USB. one isn't. there are computer's being made now without ANY PCI slots at all. a USB device in that sense is more "future-proof".really? They have computers now with no pcis? I am glad you could clear everything up I'm wondering if they have a wireless router...They said they did somewhere in there
Quote from: aniketkar94 on May 22, 2009, 02:43:58 PM
I have broadband. 1.5 Megabits/second. I am using a Linksys router that can transmit at a max of 54 Mbps.
found it
10442.

Solve : Just got a new computer case, now it won't boot?

Answer»

My name is Kevin, and i just bought a new computer case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144156&nm_mc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_- Now my computer will not boot. I know there is power going into it. The light is on, and when I press the power BUTTON everything spins up. ie the fans (including the CPU fan), the hard drive, the cd-rom, etc.

I was thinking this may be a grounding issue, so I turned it off, and unpluged all non essential PIECES like the fans. And still nothing.

What happens is everything seems to work, but there is no start up, not even the bios boot screen, no beep, no anything. I have checked and rechecked the screws and all power connections. I have even gone as far as taking it all apart and putting it back together again.

I would appreciate any advice or feedback because I am at a loss here.Stand offs in?The motherboard is screwed into the sliding stand. I used the provied spacing screws for the tray. Then screwed the motherboard into those.
Your shure everything is plugged in right?yeah, I've plugged and unplugged everything a bunch of times. Ive also tried starting it up with only the motherboard plugged in. Plus the LED light on the motherboard turns on. And i think that that is at the end of the circuiti just put the whole *censored* thing back into the old case, and now it wont work there either. *censored*?Well are you shure the pos and neg where you put the power switch, reset button ect are put on the right way?yes they were labled for pos and neg and so were the grounds. when i press the button everything turns on, it just doesn't boot up. like everything runs, but it wont even get to the screen where i can choose to enter the bios settings.

i have another power supply, for the computer I'm USING now, i think I'm going to try and put that one in tomorrow. Is it onboard video or a card?

Do you have a different monitor you can try, just to rule that out as the culprit?the video card is not internal, its an nvidea and only a few months old, it does require a power line to it, however the fan spins up when i turn it on. i have 2 monitors connected to it, i can try another one i have, ill do that before i change out the power supply.

the thing is though, that the internal little speaker doesn't beep when i turn it on either.

the computer worked fine a few days AGO, before i changed the case. and now I'm back in the old case and it still doesn't work.

could i have damaged something in the switch over?I would do a out of case test >use 1 stick of ram> cpu& heatsink fan connected> video connected to monitor>keyboard.You will have to short the power pins [2] on the board to power up, see if it displays bios on monitor. Quote from: Nivek on May 21, 2009, 10:18:02 AM

could i have damaged something in the switch over?
most likely yesunless you have pluged in something wrong it is a hardware issue...most likely cpu but just run checks to see if it works....it might be DOA or you might have shocked somethingI think I may have damaged the motherboard when I was changing it over.

I tried a different power supply, I tried it outside of the case, and I tried it with a different monitor, and still nothing. I then tried my power supply on a different build and it worked fine.

this has defiantly been a lesson to me for when I deal with parts. I'm going to invest in a grounding wrist band and be much more carefully in the future.

you have all been a help to me for troubleshooting, thanks.
10443.

Solve : Periodic freezing and hard drive issues?

Answer»

I upgraded motherboard and processor recently, and during the installation process I ACCIDENTALLY dropped the computer on the floor (NOT a good idea!). SINCE then (or possibly before then) I've been having some bizarre issues that I'm beginning to think are related to the hard drive (but could also be due to the new motherboard):

  • My Ubuntu installation periodically freezes, with the hard drive LED stuck at on. Switching from X to console causes the entire system to lock up. This often happens when using the CD drive.
  • If there is a CD in the disk drive, trying to log into Ubuntu through GDM produces the same freeze.
  • I tried to reinstall Ubuntu (64-bit), having been told that my problems were due to replacing motherboard and processor (an issue I've never had before with Ubuntu due to the breadth of its generic kernel's support). Every time I try to use the partitioner, on desktop or alternate, the disk scan takes ages to complete and fails to detect any partitions on my drive. Otherwise, the drive appears to be working perfectly, and I haven't received any SMART failure warnings.
Is my hard drive on its way out, or is there something else amiss? I'm using an Asus P5Q Premium motherboard, Intel Core2 DUO E8500 on 32-bit Ubuntu 9.04.As you will know, hard drives don't like shocks.  Run the drive manufacturers diagnostics - see this post.

Good luckI ran smartctl, a Linux SMART testing facility, which says that the drive is healthy, but I ran a test and it came up with

Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Extended offline    Completed: read failure       40%     12801         9860923

Hmm... read failure.

Here's the contents of smartctl -a /dev/sda -d ata, which displays SMART values:

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

General SMART Values:
Offline data collection status:  (0x82)   Offline data collection activity
               was completed without error.
               Auto Offline Data Collection: Enabled.
Self-test execution status:      ( 116)   The previous self-test completed having
               the read element of the test failed.
Total time to complete Offline
data collection:        (2283) seconds.
Offline data collection
capabilities:           (0x5b) SMART execute Offline immediate.
               Auto Offline data collection on/off support.
               Suspend Offline collection upon new
               command.
               Offline surface scan supported.
               Self-test supported.
               No Conveyance Self-test supported.
               Selective Self-test supported.
SMART capabilities:            (0x0003)   Saves SMART data before entering
               power-saving mode.
               Supports SMART auto save timer.
Error logging capability:        (0x01)   Error logging supported.
               General Purpose Logging supported.
Short self-test routine
recommended polling time:     (   2) minutes.
Extended self-test routine
recommended polling time:     ( 118) minutes.

SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   184   182   063    Pre-fail  Always       -       20529
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       1522
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   252   252   063    Pre-fail  Always       -       13
  6 Read_Channel_Margin     0x0001   253   253   100    Pre-fail  Offline      -       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
  8 Seek_Time_Performance   0x0027   249   234   187    Pre-fail  Always       -       57815
  9 Power_On_Minutes        0x0032   217   217   000    Old_age   Always       -       787h+03m
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x002b   253   252   157    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x002b   253   252   223    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   250   250   000    Old_age   Always       -       1549
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0032   050   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       31
195 Hardware_ECC_Recovered  0x000a   252   251   000    Old_age   Always       -       53351
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0008   240   240   000    Old_age   Offline      -       13
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0008   252   252   000    Old_age   Offline      -       13
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0008   252   230   000    Old_age   Offline      -       1
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0008   199   199   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
201 Soft_Read_Error_Rate    0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
202 TA_Increase_Count       0x000a   253   251   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
203 Run_Out_Cancel          0x000b   253   252   180    Pre-fail  Always       -       11
204 Shock_Count_Write_Opern 0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
205 Shock_Rate_Write_Opern  0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
207 Spin_High_Current       0x002a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
208 Spin_Buzz               0x002a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
209 Offline_Seek_Performnce 0x0024   240   240   000    Old_age   Offline      -       158
210 Unknown_Attribute       0x0032   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
211 Unknown_Attribute       0x0032   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
212 Unknown_Attribute       0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0


13 reallocated sectors?
This is also interesting (kern.log):

May 23 23:58:32 hayashi kernel: [46249.924600] sr0: CDROM not ready.  Make sure there is a disc in the drive.
May 23 23:58:32 hayashi kernel: [46250.048892] sr0: CDROM not ready.  Make sure there is a disc in the drive.
May 24 00:13:35 hayashi kernel: [47153.226057] sr0: CDROM not ready.  Make sure there is a disc in the drive.
May 24 00:13:36 hayashi kernel: [47153.381430] sr0: CDROM not ready.  Make sure there is a disc in the drive.
May 24 00:14:03 hayashi kernel: [47181.265660] sr0: CDROM not ready.  Make sure there is a disc in the drive.
May 24 00:14:04 hayashi kernel: [47181.451978] sr0: CDROM not ready.  Make sure there is a disc in the drive.
May 24 00:36:57 hayashi kernel: [48554.788635] sr0: CDROM not ready.  Make sure there is a disc in the drive.
May 24 00:36:57 hayashi kernel: [48554.912929] sr0: CDROM not ready.  Make sure there is a disc in the drive.Run the Free diagnostics from the drive manuf. site.
10444.

Solve : The sound, she don't work.?

Answer»

All right, so here's the deal...

PC Profile:
Dell Inspiron 700m laptop
Windows XP

SP3
Sigma Tel C-Major Audio Sound Card

Wireless Internet Connection

The Case Specs:

So, the sound on our computer seems to have stopped working, but only only the laptop's internal speakers.  When speakers are hooked into the headphone jack on the computer, sound works fine.  The odd things is, every once in a blue moon the start up or shut down music will play from the internal speakers (Of course, when external speakers are not attached).

We've looked over the sound specs in the Volume Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices window in the Control Panel, and the Sigma Tel settings in the Device manager.  Everything seems to be in order here.  Nothing muted, no errors.

I've heard that the inspiron 700 has a weird wiring design. The speakers are situated in the screen portion of the laptop and the wires running to them can GET pinched by the joints in the laptop.  If open your laptop screen too far it can pinch/cut the wires so that your sound won't work.  I don't THINK we've done that, but it MAY be an issue.  Although, I've heard that doing so will generally only cut out one side of your speakers, and then the other.  This seems to be the whole shebang; and, once again, sometimes some sound will play, and that comes through both sides of the speaker.

The MRS. suspects that there may be a software problem.  Inasmuch as Windows stopped officially supporting XP in April, the rumor is that the automatic updates these DAYS may have several bugs in them.  Apparently one of her friends has a very similar problem which may have been caused by an Automatic Update.

Anyway, I thought I'd see if anyone else had any insight.  Thoughts, Comments, Questions, Complaints?

Thanks a ton.

-Aedo

10445.

Solve : Monitor turned pink??

Answer» EVERYTHING is all pink now.  The white on this site is now pink.  I CHANGED deskes, and PUT my computer and MONITOR on the bed for a little and then put it on my NEW desk.  I turned it on and its all pink! Do you think my monitor just died somehow?ok ok never mind.  Its a bad connection
10446.

Solve : Laptop calabration?

Answer»

First of all let me say that I got what you might call a Late start in the computer world so please bear with me if I may ask some pretty elementary questions and seem a bit lost. Having said this I would APPRECIATE any help that could be offered concerning ONE of the problems I am having . Todays problem deals with the fact that I have invested a good amount of money in a digital SLR camera , a copy of Photoshop Elements 7, 1 DVD to learn how to work PSE7, one very large manual ,to learn how to work PSE7, yet another DVD tutorial on.....you guessed it ,how to work PSE7. I thought I was finally making some progress and then I saw what the photos that I was sending out to my friends actually looked like when they arrived in their mailboxes. Couldn't understand it the very same picture LOOKS like a perfect picture postcard on my laptop ,so I asked and was told that I might need to calibrate my LCD monitor so I googled this and after browsing through two pages of sites with people looking for the same info it seems that a laptop can't be changed . So this brings me to my main QUESTION..... what good is a photo editing program if you have no idea what your photo will look like on the persons screen you're sending it to ?That's like saying what good is a webpage if it isn't going to look the same on all computers and in all browsers there are so many things that make the color different it could be the type of gloss or matte they used on the lcd, quality of the lcd, color profile etc. I have no idea what's going on with the photos but I'm assuming that there is a problem with the color difference between the computers and I'm not sure where you are reading that you cannot change the color profile of an lcd screen but you can, it's controlled by the operating system and not the monitor. This would also not work as the PERSON you are sending to would have to have it set up the same way as yours and even then unless you have the exact same monitor it's going to look different there's no way of getting around it.

The main point of having a photo editing program is mainly for printing in which case you can set up a color CALIBRATION for your prints to look like what is on screen, of course this is dependant on the quality of your printer, ink and paper as well. Thanks for your input Ghaldos.

 Any suggestions concerning which brand or model of photo printer you have found to perform well ?

10447.

Solve : --BUILD-- a PC for a budget.?

Answer»

I was originally going to make this over "help me find the proper hardware" but instead, help me determine if all this hardware is compatible and is not underpowered or overpriced

prices are rounded to nearest 5$. if more than one price is given, average will be done.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_8300_mgpu_us.html -- that board fits in my current case and is not outrageously overpriced or outrageously underpowered. = 80$

http://www.nvidia.com/object/buy_now_results_ci.html?id=GF8400GS -- that GPU fits the board, it is not a -killer- card, but i plan to upgrade most parts in this eventually. = 30$

I could rip the PROCESSOR out of the machine I am using, but that is no fun =P

this processor: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=phenom&cid=2966616771054947439&sa=title#ps-sellers provides the power I need, (well not need, but power is good until it corrupts =) ) and fits in that board. = 160$

Does this RAM fit? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR2_SDRAM I am not sure... when I look at the top-down view of the motherboard... looks too small. if it does, that would be 30$ per 2 gigs. Going to go with 1 stick for now = 30$

I have a few 250-gig 20-pin hard drives laying around the house. not much of a problem. if it does http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=SATA+hard+drive&hl=en&cid=1071888079588455489&sa=title#ps-sellers doesn't look too bad. = 100$

Total without replacement HD = 300 on the dot. (add 100 for replacement HD)

What do you think about this SYSTEM's configuration? is it overpriced, under priced? any foreseeable problems? Should I have gone with Intel? (I didn't just because generally they charge a bit for the brand)

am I forgetting anything?

Liam.

EDIT: I own a copy of Vista so no need for OS.I'll start reviewing, but i need to know what this PC will be used for.Casual gaming. I'm not a big gamer, but I do like to try games that do need power. My previous desktop (the one this is going to replace) had trouble playing OpenArena. lol. *censored* Intel integrated graphics.

Right now I have an AMD ATHLON dual-core 64 bit 1.9 GhZ, ATI Radeon 3200. in a notebook. just seems too little power.

I also enjoy coding, and compiling Visual C++ projects on this machine gives it trouble =0.

I don't want to exactly have a machine where it takes a millisecond to do anything, but I don't want it to lag.

10448.

Solve : Power Splitter Diff??

Answer»

I wanted to place an order for a new cpu but along with that I have to get another power SPLITTER Since the psu doesnt have all the required connectors but I wondered whats the differnce 14" Cables To Go Internal Computer Power "Y" Splitter Cable VS 6" Tripp Lite Internal Computer Power "Y" Splitter Cable

Other then the length, I found these at computergeeks.com.  Practiceing/training and such so sorry that I really cant look at it with the break I want to PUT my order in so I can get it as early as possible.can we have linkshttp://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=P920-006-DT&cat=CBL


http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=20413-DT&cat=CBL


Also, I am CLOSE to a terminal but I dont like to get on during the LESSON if I can help it.The only difference is lenght.  The 1st one is 6" per thingy and the other is 7". Go with the secondseems like prices have changed, I dont really need one that long but it be okay.  Not going to make the break order but I know what I need.  Also thought that there was like differnce in resistance and I just wanted to have it weighting for them Tuesday moring so I can get it like Friday.  Instead of the week following.No squall, no difference in resistance. They are the same type of wire.  Mabye if one was A LOT longer there might be a little more.  And I mean really long.  Even if there was more resistance it wouldnt matter.  I had an excelerator running at the time and you can tell it wether or not to display the imgs clear, thought that it was differnt for some reason not really sure probably since I seen sata ones that were cheaper.

10449.

Solve : accidentally removed the heatsink?

Answer»

Hi, first time here, and I have a problem. Big surprise. lol

Anyway, so this is what happened...
I really needed to clean the fan that was attached to the heatsink, so I got my screwdriver and started to unscrew what I thought was the fan. I've done this on my main computer several times, so I thought I knew what I was doing.  Well, I accidentally removed the heatsink from the CPU instead of just the fan. When the screws loosened, it just fell away from the CPU, like it wasn't attached by the paste at all. When I realized what I did, I immediately screwed it back together.  Now, it won't power up unless I hold the power button. The power lights come on, all 4 fans (PSU, 2 rear, 1 CPU) all start up, but it won't stay on and I don't hear it accessing any of the drives or anything. Could it be that I just need to reapply thermal paste? Of all the times I've messed AROUND inside of a computer, one thing I never touched was the heatsink/CPU so I'm not exactly sure what kind of problems can arise from doing that. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks What motherboard? What cpu? What fan? What brand/model computer?

The paste is not meant to be a glue for the heatsink, so it's no surprise that a heavy heatsink would fall off. (You had the motherboard vertical when you were doing the unscrewing?) Have you checked for unseated cpu or damaged/bent pins?


gateway emachines intel P4 504GR  skt 775
Augsburg 915G Motherboard w/ PCI & 1394 4000966


Yes I had it vertical, I was just QUICKLY trying to remove the fan, not the heatsink. It was stupid, I know. No damaged or bent pins. It happened really fast, it didn't hit the bottom of the case, and as soon as I NOTICED I had the heatsink and not just the fan, I positioned it back and screwed it back in, however, I did do this vertically. When it didn't start up properly, I positioned it horizontally and loosened the screws and tightened them up again, but that didn't solve the problem.

Quote from: jcoverload on May 16, 2009, 04:50:28 AM

Sorry

It's a gateway intel p4 504GR




If it is like the picture, with a standard P4 cooler, then the fan is an integral part of the retention frame over the top of the heat sink. The screws that you undid hold the mounting frame onto the motherboard.

Have you done these things?

- examined the cpu for bent or damaged pins

- cleaned off old thermal compound from cpu and base of heatsink

- applied new thermal compound

- checked that heatsink frame is properly screwed down

- reassembled heatsink to frame and properly closed retention clips, avoiding excessive bending of motherboard

- checked motherboard for cracks or damage to mounted components caused by heatsink falling off

- checked fan power lead is connected (if not, the motherboard will probably refuse to power up the cpu)

You need to do these things, and if you don't feel confident, then a repair shop may be a good idea.




Dias de verano,

No, that's not the one...this is what it looks like...


http://www.skyline-eng.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=6160
the top part is the shroud, but there is nothing else holding the heatsink on besides the 4 screws that hold it to the motherboard, which is how I managed to remove it without intent.


I don't normally tinker around with my CPU's/heatsinks, so I don't keep thermal paste handy. I'll be heading out to get some tomorrow.  I could see that the old stuff was definitely dried and crusty.

I just want to understand if this situation is plausible and not extraordinary (that if a heatsink is loosened from a CPU and the paste is old, the computer will likely not power up properly?) 

Thanks
lisa Quote from: jcoverload on May 16, 2009, 05:34:47 AM
I just want to understand if this situation is plausible and not extraordinary (that if a heatsink is loosened from a CPU and the paste is old, the computer will likely not power up properly?) 

I don't think it is plausible. If those were the only things that were incorrect (loose heatsink, old paste) then the computer would boot up; however the cpu would get rather hot in a short time*. Depending on how good the thermal contact was between the cpu and the heatsink, this could be seconds or minutes. However you would definitely see signs of the computer booting up as opposed to the dead PC you seem to have.

* If you did not shut down fairly quickly you would see and smell smoke and thereafter would need to buy a new CPU.



The paste (thermal grease) isn't there to hold it onto the cpu but rather to minimize the space between the cpu and heatsink as well as to distribute the heat a little better and yeah the heatsink not being on correctly is the cause of it, at that point the thermal grease will do nothing to help it. When a cpu can't be properly cooled to prevent from overheating and frying itself as with many older cpus, there was a sensor put in so that when it reaches a certain temp it will cut off power going to it. Just having the computer on it's side allowing only gravity holding it in place won't be enough you have to have it tightly against it using the screws. Having said that good luck they're just annoying to get on. Quote from: ghaldos on May 23, 2009, 02:03:57 AM
and yeah the heatsink not being on correctly is the cause of it

I do not agree; the cpu would not heat to the shutdown point instantly. The OP's system does not even POST. I have run a cpu (accidentally) with a loose heatsink; the PC booted normally but reached an excessive temperature after about 2 minutes.
depends on the cpu really. Quote from: ghaldos on May 23, 2009, 08:57:42 AM
depends on the cpu really.

This was a Prescott core P4, well known for heat production and rapid increase in temperature. Please name at least one processor that can heat to shutdown temp instantly. Or leave us to draw the natural conclusion.

the heatsink for these are like a quarter of the case, I've encountered the same problem with a cpu that uses this type of heatsink. Screw the heatsink in right and test it out it's always good to test things before running out and spending xxx amount of dollars only to find out that whatever wasn't the problem.

Dias I see that you don't agree and really was no need to get back solely for that purpose the guy can test this out see if it works if it does great and if it doesn't then you go on to the next thing, it's about trial and error. There is probably a reson why the heatsink is like quarter the size of the case, and yes I know it's not a literal quarter of the case I'm just exagerating to prove a point. Also it only started doing it AFTER he removed the heatsink so he either shorted out the cpu by a static charge (unlikely) or the heatsink isn't right.The Op has been gone for 1 week now.
10450.

Solve : Screen dark, cursor not?!?!?

Answer»

Hello,

I'm running an HP m8400f (Vista) upgraded to a NVIDIA 9800gtx GRAPHICS card. My screen is a 23" widescreen HP w2338h.

The BRIGHTNESS on my monitor has seemingly dimmed. I don't believe this to be a monitor problem however, as my cursor is still a very bright white and the HP monitor STATUS box that pops up when I restart the monitor is also uneffected. Everything else has tinted a bit. IE: When running Microsoft word, or opening Yahoo, Wikipedia, or Google, things that should be white appear grey -- yet oddly, the cursor is unchanged and still very bright white.

I'm dualboxing and there has always been a slight difference between the two monitors (on seperate computers); however, now its vastly different and hard on the eyes.

Any ideas anyone?Check the obvious first, connections on bad monitor, monitor cable, swap for a known good one, also make sure you didn't touch the contrast or brightness by accident.........then swap the monitor to eliminate that.Much to my surprise (mainly because the cursor and the monitor status window were bright). I think it may be the graphics card.

Bad monitor to opposite computer -- picture showing up fine.
Bad monitor to opposite computer with DIFFERENT cord -- picture showing up fine.

So monitor is not bad...
Cable is not bad...

That LEAVES graphics card...

Any advice besides reinstall drivers?Reseat the card.It worked; thanks for TAKING time out of your day to help me!Super...Way to go.