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Hello everyone, I hope somebody can help. I have a SONY Vaio laptop, and the usb PORTS on the back are damaged. Can these be fixed?I'm sure they can but they are normally integrated into the motherboard, so it is not a "do it yourself" TYPE repair.  MIGHT be easier and cheaper to purchase a PCMCIA(cardbus) to USB card like seen here....

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006B9GE/qid=1112356626/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/103-4011780-8270249?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846

I have enjoyed using the Epson Perfection 1660 Photo Scanner. Unfortunately, the light source has failed. Can anyone tell me what my options are with RESPECT to repair or replacement/exchange?

Thank you,

Richard J. Peters
[email protected]How old is the scanner? Is the warranty expired?

[glb]Flame[/glb]March 31, 2005

Flame, many thanks for your interest. There is no warranty on the scanner, and I'm guessing it is about 2 years old.

ThanksWell... I never enjoy telling people this, but... You can either take it to some professionals to have them repair it, or go buy another one... (Although fixing it would be easier)

[glb]Flame[/glb]Flame, you say fixing it would be easier. Where can I get the fluorescent tube(s) required, and the directions to do the repair?

RichardYou can get the "tube" from the manufacturer, for a rather small price more than likely... Also, did you receive a user's MANUAL with the scanner? it SHOULD tell you how to replace the "tube"...

[glb]Flame[/glb]Flame, thanks again for your help. Guess that is where I started--trying to find the tube. The Epson scanner sites i searched did not provide a clue to purchasing the tube. The only manual I have is the electronic source that COMES with the program.

Thanks again,

Richard J. PetersWell... That's interesting, and confusing... Have you tried LOOKING in a computer store?

[glb]Flame[/glb]Flame, I tried Fryes, and they have nothing in that line. They said such a tube is specific to a machine.

Richard J. PetersRichard.

Look here...
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&category=Products&infoType=Contact&oid=14583&prodoid=21643925

Click on "find a service center".  Maybe someone on the resulting list can help you find a lamp.

I contacted AVTEK. They said they could repair the unit, but turns out the total cost is more than buying a replacement unit.

So, I went to Fryes and purchased a refurbishe Epson.
Thanks a lot for your interest in this problem.

Richard J. Petersrichworld......Unless things have changed recently...it's cheaper to consider a new scanner ........ If its the lite scource ......a new scanner will probably be cheaper .

DL65

On the keyboard problem, I found out that SOMEONE accidently had his elbow on the shift key (holding it down) while not paying attention and it started beeping and things didn't work quite right for a while, like the caps lock button wasn't on but it would type in caps.  He thought it was working normal before he shut it down, but OBVIOUSLY not.  I can get to the login screen now by holding down the shift key until a bird-like sound is made and then I can push control, alt, delete to get to the login screen.  The computer works fine while it is on, but after he shuts it down, he has to go through the same RITUAL again on the next boot up.
Could this be some kind of hot key problem?  I have the hotkeys disable, but that didn't change anything.
Could be damage to the keyboard, one that we can not see without taking it APART... He might have broken something inside...

[glb]Flame[/glb]I hooked up another keyboard, but it did the same thing, so it has to have changed something on the OS.Have you tried updating the keyboard drivers? A Windows Update? How LONG ago did this problem happen?

[glb]Flame[/glb]

I have a liteon 52x cd rom (MODEL: LTN526D) and i cant SEEM to locate the drivers. Can you guys HELP me to locate the drivers.

I need to get the drivers so i can put it in an older computerI haven't used this type of help before but you should be able to get the drivers from http://www.liteonit.com
I believe that the company uoy are after is LITE-ON IT.pang ......If you cant FIND a driver ......I'm sure you'll find it here.
http://members.driverguide.com/index.php


hope this helps

dl65

Can you please recommend an extremely RELIABLE brand of EXTERNAL hard drive for use backing up an 80gb laptop. I'd like it to be simple, plug-and-play via usb 2 for a non-techy.1.  What kind of backup are you intending to perform?
 1a.  Image backup of entire drive.
 1B.  Data backup of your important stuff.

2.  How small or portable does backup drive need to be?I normally buy the bare drive, then the USB case.  A couple minutes with a screwdriver, and I have the best deal on a USB 2.0 external disk.  For my laptop use, I have a 60gig 2.5" drive in a case that's not much LARGER than the drive, the USB cable has two connectors to draw enough power for the drive so that you don't need an external P/S.  Very compact and travels WELL.

Here's the case: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-155-701&depa=0

Here's the drive: http://www.gogocity.com/product_details.asp?dept%5Fid=211&pf%5Fid=CO02HDD0735

You can also get someone else to put it into the case: http://www.gogocity.com/product_details.asp?dept%5Fid=214&pf%5Fid=CO07HDD0735USB


This is the one I use, it comes with PS2 adapter for +5V power, which is required for reliable operation.
http://www.usbman.com/Reviews/usbgear_notebook_drive.htm

ADVICE PLEASE    MY COMPUTER WONT STAY ON GRN LT TURNS ON FOR 3 SEC. THEN  TURNS YELLOW BUT WONT COMPLETELY TURN COMPUTER OFF YELLOW STAYS ON .Friend plz it will help me to diagnose the problem if you give me some more information about your problem.
D WahabFirst, are we TALKING about your monitor, or computer? Second, please turn off your CAPS... USING all CAPS means that you are yelling at us, and is seen as being "rude".

[glb]Flame[/glb]REN:

Try checking the Power Options Properties:

1. Right-click the desktop and select Properties
2. In Display Properties, click the Screen Saver tab, then click the Power button
3. In Power Options Properties, make sure the "Turn off monitor" setting is set to Never
4. Click Apply and OK to close Power Options Properties, then click OK to close Display Properties

Let us KNOW if that does not work.

Regards,
DocThere is nothing in ur question without confusion. So plz tell us the details.

hi
i'm trying to connect ascanner and printer to acomputer through aparallel PORT,but the printer doesnt wanna work...its an hp LASERJET 1100.if i connect each seperately (to test them)..they work fine,but when i connect the printer to the scanner i get no response from the printer when i try to print something out,and sometimes when i try to scan i get this message CANNOT FIND SCANNER..disconnect the plug and power source of the scanner and reconnec them again..AM I MISSING SOMETHING OVER HERE?..its just so frustrating..i'd apreciate the support if any 1 has aclueIf I am right, you NEED to set the properties on the software for your scanner to KNOW to detect the printer, because it will be unsure of which to use otherwise...

[glb]Flame[/glb]How old is that scanner?

Chances are the printer requires bi-directional printing (the computer talks to the printer, then the printer talks to the computer) and the scanner is not allowing this to happen.

This was a common problem at one point in time when lpt scanners came out about the same time as bi-directional printers. ???I have printer/scanner problems as well. Should I start a new thread? Don't want to impose. Thanks from another newbie.New problem or New Person = New Thread

Thanks for asking.

I'm running a P111 coppermine 1Ghz on cusl2-c MB. The cpu is continually reported as running at 500mhz, although diagnostics (sandra etc) show cpu range as 500-1000mhz. The bios settings have changed and I cant reset them to 1000mhz because on save & EXIT the bios just reappears saying that the settings are wrong. (have updated bios etc etc.)It will only work on a lower setting. This is causing me major probs with CAD apps. It was running at full speed  a while ago.
What can this be??

Try one thing. Take out the CMOS battery from the motherboard. It is about the size of penny and its colour is shiny silver. After taking it out, turn your PC ON and goto BIOS SETUP. Now exit wihtout save and turn your PC OFF. Now put the battery back into its orignal place. Also CHECK if the battery is slow, replace it with new one.
After putting it back, goto to BIOS setup and load BIOS's default settings and then 'save and exit".
I do hope that this will solve your problem.
D Wahab

I have several problems, this is just one.  I am unable to print online.  I can print everything else.  I have uninstalled and reinstalled printer. The problems seemed to begin when I uninstalled norton security.  os is xp, printer is lexmark z25. I also have an hp1100 printer with the same problems connected to this computer, so it may not be a hardware problem, but i'm lost.  I am not able to download any updates or drivers, I get a "timed out" message.  I also have problems with links, and other small THINGS.  Can you help at all?  I am running AVG, Spysweeper.  What is your operating system?? and have you uninstalled norton??.what happens if you right -click on th webpage............print..........what printer are you using .....now..and is it networked shared!![home network]Os is windows xp. I use both printers, lexmark is default.  When on web, right click does nothing, hitting  file, print does nothing.  Norton was uninstalled, then I would get c:/program symantec\s32evnt1.dll.  Got rid of that, but still problems.  not networked.maybe a uninstall will sort it.............. UN -plug the usb....no mention if its a serial cable one  nevermind?.....and now uninstall the software.....and reboot pc...now load the software first...then attach the printer....>>this timed out message ....Are you on  56k MODEM...?? or you could  TRY the quick-maybe fix..........re-boot pc and hold down the f8 on boot...and chose the last good config..option....maybe the norton firewall may have caused it...Just got BACK from short trip.. I tried the unistall earlier, but will try again, and unplug usb.  Have a 56k modem.  Will try the reboot if that doesn't work.  Also can not download on some websites.Why can you not download on select websites? What happens if you try?

[glb]Flame[/glb]Nothing happens.  It doesn't even start.  I tried to download updates, and nothing.  I haven't tried since I've returned, was hoping it was the microsoft site.

help... when i turn on my PC it instantly stops
iv took the SIDE off and watched the cpu FAN it has a burst of life for less than a sec then stops
the little YELLOW lite on the MOBO stays on
i have to turn power off at the plug to make the little yellow light go out then when i turn it back on it will do the power burst again and the light stays on

i havnt got any spare parts to try n suss it out

Have an AVERATEC mod. 5110H notebook, just 10 days past the one year warranty, with a defective DVD/CD drive and Averatec has IGNORED several requests to repair under warranty.

The next logical step, of course, is to repair the notebook myself, having been an electronics/communications/computer tech for about 50 years and have never been unable to dis-assemble any piece of hardware I ever encountered, but this *^$~& has me stumped. Apparently this pile of junk has a secret dis-assembly feature. I get to the point of seperating the keyboard half from the lower half, with all VISIBLE SCREWS, clips, hooks etc. removed..... STILL can not seperate to get at DVD/CD drive.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jack

Looking for help with my cdrom.  It reads disks ok but if it stops reading data for more than a few seconds (5-10) it doesn't recognise the disk anymore.  BIT of a problem when installing PROGRAM and cdrom waits for prosessor to do it's thing.  
Can anyone help?Hello friend, how are you? Friend can you plz give some more information INCLUDING CD ROM, OS.
D e WI'm running win98 and the drive is a mitsumi FX140S !B.
128meg RAM and 600MHz cpu. (getting close to an upgrade   )

I have a Win XP on a Gateway laptop, connected to a HP 1315 with USB cable. The computer SEEMS to save jobs until the O/S is shut off/on, and then I get what ever print spoolers have saved from when ever. I am hooked up to a router/through wireless link. The main computer is a gateway Win 98 w/Epson USB to computer, and Ethernet to DSL modem, also hooked to router. After manuel setup by ISP, printer functions are lost, except as noted. Scanner/printer for Win 98 have no function, and I have uninstalled/installed every driver available from Gateway, HP, and Windows. Excess of six hours with HP, India. Telephone trouble shoot, COUPLE of hours with ISP levelII,(now they want to come out to the house 60.00hr). Gateway says not their problem. As an aside, I took the DSL speed test, and speed does not enter the picture. Moderate at best, and I would have rated it lower. They were too kind. As soon as the lake thaws I may have a NEW speed test for these high TECH wonders, but not sure what size fly rod to use.

Hey Guys I bought a usb cd burner and I dont know where to GET software for it.  Can anybody help me.  I WOULD like to use it to burn CDs


ThanksIt's not PLUG and Play? That's a LITTLE strange for new hardware.... Have you read the instruction manual for installation information?

[glb]Flame[/glb]maybe you have windows 98?  It cant read USBS Quote

...I bought a usb cd burner and I dont know where to get software for it.  Can anybody help me.  I would like to use it to burn CDs...

I have a NEC LCD1850E monitor driven with an ATI Redeon 9200 AGP card.
Istalled latest drivers for both. Normally, both work fine. When I try to
boot in safe mode, I GET a mesage from my monitor "1 d-sub out of range" and
the display flickers up and down so that it is impossible to read the words
on the screen. Also, the RESOLUTION of the screen SEEMS to stay at 1024x1280
and not drop down to VGA 0r SVGA as notmally HAPPENS when you boot in safe
mode. Can anyone help me with this?  TIA Jim BHello friend, how are you? Friend safe mode is generally used for trouble shooting. In safemode, system uses minimal set of resources. It does not load CD DRIVE, modem, printer, scanner and also VGA drivers ans also not the sound drivers.
So inorder to get full resolution display you must boot system in normal mode.
Take care of you and others and be happy.
Dr Wahab
I'm familiar with what you said. Sometimes need safe mode to troubleshoot system.

Does anyone KNOW if Pionex made a Configuration Builder CD for their computer. I'm looking to wipe EVERYTHING out and START all over. Any help will be great!Is Pionex your operating system? (I've never heard of it before)

[GLB]Flame[/glb]I had a Pionex Computer many years ago.  How old is this one?  Is it even a PENTIUM?

Had a bit of trouble with this external hard drive again this morning.
I have got a dodgy USB socket on the pc though the box where u plug the USB into the front of the pc ha sbeen pushed in quite far, this may be the cause.

Anyway, copied a load of episodes to the hard drive. Done a check on DivFix (DivX file error checking program) It got onto the last 3 episodes to check and it said on divfix 'File Not Found. I then thought aah this is an issue with the file so closed divfix and the divfix folder, Clicked 'My Computer' to find the drive was recognised but it never had the logo of the drive it. Clicked the drive and accessed folders with movies in to find the thumbnail view and wasnt displaying the thumbnail view as it usually would, it was just display the windows logo in everysquar box instead of the first frame of the movie.

So i closed that and TRIED to open the divfix folder when it froze so i pressed ctrl+alt+del and ended task to 'new folder - not responding' I then lost the desktop and loaded back on when it had sorted itself out.

I restarted the computer, double click 'My Computer' and the drive wasn't even recognised!! The logo wasn't there at all this time!! So i unplugged the drive's USB and plugged it into the bottom socket and the drive was recognised.

I then thought it might say something in the event viewer on the time the drive was erroring and i did! this is what it said under system: and it was a warning, 'An error was detected on device \Device\Harddisk2\D during a paging operation.' What does this mean? Then i looked under Application: Source: Userenv it said this: Windows cannot unload your classes registry file - it is still in use by other applications or services. 'The file will be unloaded when it is no longer in use.'

The drive works now anyway and i managed to perform error checks on those divx files and it finds them ok now.
My worry is that the drive was having error checks on it with divfix and i dunno what could have HAPPENED..

Can someone tell me:
A: what the heck caused this to happen?
and
B: Is the drive completely screwed now?

Please reply to this as soon as possible cos im really, really worried now.

cheers guys.


If this is a problem with the hard drive id imagine its because i was disconnecting it incorrectly.

It sees it fine now anyway if the drive was guna fail would it immediatly fail.
Can unplugging it incorrectly cause bad clusters or sectors?
Does clusters permanantly corrupt data and sectors dont?

Basically if i had bad clusters and moved my data elsewhere to another drive or something it would still be corrupted??

therefore with bad sectors if i moved the data elsewhere it wont be corrupted??OK i know the problem now is from an I/O error i had memory loss everything froze. I'm baffled now because when i restarted after this freeze happened the drive wasn't recognised by windows, i had to disconnect and reconnect the drive fir windows to recognise there was the external drive CONNECTED..why did it not recognise??
data??If i did mess up the drive what would the problems be id start noticing??

If i have sectors on a hard drive would moving the data be ok they wldnt be AFFECTED then on another hard drive or does sectors affect the data aswell permanantly??

and clusters would be caused from unplugging the drive by the mains?? which is where data cant be repaired, right??

HELP PLEASE!!

I am trying to figure out what is WRONG with a friends computer. The computer, which was purchased on HSN and says "Systemax Ascent" and runs windows ME, was running properly about 2 weeks ago and when he attempted to boot up again, it had no picture on the monitor, just a blank screen with the green power light blinking. I thought maybe it was the monitor so I brought it to my house and tried it on my monitor which works but it did the same thing. I also noticed that his CD Rom drive doesn't work either which he says was also working before. I took the CD drive out of mine and put it in his and it works FINE. Does someone know what could have caused these 2 problems and what I can do to get them both working? THANK you so much for any help you can give me.

Tina


Does your friend have virus PROTECTION?

[glb]Flame[/glb]Hi, I don't think he did. He had AOL he said which OFFERS a firewall but no known virus protection. Please advise!!Probably picked up a virus... Hard to say though... It probably killed his hard disk...

[glb]Flame[/glb]

Prints FINE in color, but suddenly STOPPED printing black. YES, TRIED new black ink cartridges!!

Anybody know where to kick it?

Pls reply direct to [email protected]

Thanks.Have you installed the correct drivers for the printer?

[glb]Flame[/glb]

x box wont work with netgear rp114 router. Netgear sort of tried to help ,no luck. So I thought of installing another network card in 1 of my computers to CONNECT up to the XBOX, can not get it to work any IDEAS would be much appreciated as this has been a long on going thing.Are you PLUGGING the xbox directly into the computer, VIA a network cable?  If so, is it a crossover cable?  You can't use a standard cable.

Disclaimer.....
I have never networked an xbox so this advise is based on peer to peer and client/server networks only.

Hi guys!  I have a VAIO desktop computer with a Samsung LED monitor.  Lately the monitor has been "graying out" about half screen, or more.  It actually looks like flickering lines horizontally ACROSS the screen as it goes off and comes back on.  Sometimes it will clear itself up, then will go out again.  I have updated the drivers, updated BIOS, checked for viruses-- any and all TROUBLESHOOTING that I could find to do, but nothing has helped.  Confession time: I did load a bootleg copy of Office XP Professional just before this started, but have REMOVED it.  The only thing I have left to do is full system recovery.  Any other suggestions?Check your monitor connections, both ends of the cable, and make sure they are tight.  Also make sure the monitor cable is not crimped (monitor push up against wall etc.).

I am attempting to build a computer and am unable to get it to boot.  I have tried two separate mother boards that I've tried and neither work.  The monitor just stays blank.  Can anyone provide any suggestions?  Thanks!Michaela.......Well..... with all the technical information you have passed on to us ......I'm absolutely baffled ..........LOL .....

Now if you'd like to give us some useable information , we may be able to assist you . Little details like....
Are the components your USING NEW or used ?
Do you have a CPU ?
Is the PSU working ok .
Does the MOBO have an integrated vid card ?
Does the pc beep at you when you power it up ?
What kind of a MOBO are you using ?
Do you have the case wiring correct ?
Do you have the MOBO manual ?
Is the wall plug your using working ?

Let us know

dl65  1 new mobo, PSU and case, all other components are used
YES I have a CPU
PSU -- lights and fan are on
vid card-- yes
post beep-- one system-no  other system no internal SPEAKER.
MOBO-- elite group K7VMA ATX
case wiring-- yes on one    all except for internal speaker on the other
MOBO manual -- 2 mobos- 1 has manual
wall plug-- yes it worksMichaela .......Is this you MOBO ?
http://www.mainboard.cz/mb/ecs/K7VMA.htm

let us know

dl65  yes, looks just like it.Are you certain the video card WORKS?I know that both video cards used to work.

I just got one of those combo binocular/digital cameras. I installed the driver (it TOLD me I needed to cause I'm running 98SE) and the software for the PHOTO manager, but it will not download photos from the camera. So a couple of questions:
1. Do USB ports have to be "turned on" somehow and if so, how do I do that?
2. If I'm running the wrong-rated port, how do I find that out and how do I switch it to the correct one?
3. What else can I try?
4. It wouldn't be something as STUPID as a bad cable, would it?

Tommy.Your USB port should work if your computers on


Heres a link to some info about USB that you may find helpfull

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/usb.htm

NigelTommy Bruner....Several qestions........The first is did you follow the installation instructions to the letter ?
Does your pc have USB1.1 or 2 .0 ?
What type of connection is your camera looking for USB1.1 or USB 2 ?
Could be a COMPATIBILITY problem ......

Let us know

dl65   
sorry to tag on here but i am in a perhaps similar position
i have a epson cx3200 printer attached to a usb port and it works fine..
i will be buying a xd card reader for a new digi cam and see there are usb 1.1 and 2.0 models available.
which should i buy..?
my device manager for XP doesnt say 'enhanced' or anything and although i bought the pc in sept 2002 i see the device drivers were for 07/2001
i have read a bit on this site's help page and now assume i may be usb 1.1...
if i buy a card reader for 2.0 will it still run..and i will be upgrading to a new pc in a bit.
the camera spec says 2.0 port for connection..
i am just a bit confused as well..
thanks in advance for any help.
yours
mrcrow
manchester england

I bought a Presario and formatted it and installed Windows 98 se I am only getting 16 colors max I have a old rage 3d card I want to replace the orignal VIDEO with do I just pull the old card and PLUG the rage card up and see if windows automatically loads it?If it is an older card then no... You need to install the drivers first...

[glb]FLAME[/glb]W98 doesn't have video drivers for your CARDS, so for the old or new video, if you load the drivers, you'll probably see the proper color depth and screen resolution choices.
You just don't have the Plug and Play capability...

[glb]Flame[/glb]

Does anybody KNOW if I have to install drivers for my mouse? My mouse is a A4-tech wireless ball and socket mouse (I dont actually know what it's called). If I do, can somebody give me a site to go coz i cant FIND it.To answer your first question...

You rarely "have to" install drivers for a mouse to work in Windows.  The generic drivers will allow you to point and click.

If you WANT to use the advanced features of your mouse and fine tune it the way the manufacturer intended then YES you need to install the drivers SUPPLIED by the manufacturer or in some cases Windows and/or Windows Update.

Now on to your driver search.  By typing A4 Tech in Google I found your drivers on the first item return by Google.  They are located at........

http://www.a4tech.com/en/download1.asp?ovmkt=23G00LDM1H7ED4IN21T1G7OFRSthanks a bunch XD

hi all great site, just looking for help regarding my problem. when i am on my computer it re-boots its self for no apparent reason, finding this very annoying. just wondering if any one has an idea ?

thanks
kopkidI answered that on your other post.  Please post in only one section, it can be confusing to US and you and you MAY end up doing 2 or 3 DIFFERENT and conflicting things at one time since not all users READ all sections.

Does anybody know what "reset FBS and multiplier in BOIS" mean? CNA anybody teach me how to do it? I am using a ASUS P4XP-X MOTHERBOARD----flash bios. I am NEW to computers so please teach me in english. Cheers FSB (Front Side Bus) and multiplier determine your final processor speed.  If you are not familiar with this then I would suggest that you consult your motherboard manual and have someone personally help you with it.

If you set these incorrectly you can severly DAMAGE your CPU.

I've read a similar post to this but the solution didn't work for me.   The 'sound and audio devices' is telling me there is no sound device installed. I hear no sounds at all except the occasional bleep . No WMP , No Winamp, No CD/DVD music ETC.  This started after I had a problem with booting, the laptop wouldn't get past the windows log on screen.So , as my original xpcd was damaged I had to buy another one to reinstall. SINCE then I  get a message saying 'bad directsound drivers or no device'. In device manager there is  "other devces" with multmedia audio controller listed with the yellow exclamation mark on it. I have all windows [except SP2] updates installed, I can't update any sound device COS it says I aint got one . PLZ Help.Well friend it seems to be clearly drivers problems. Friend you must have an orignal CD which came with your laptop containing all the drivers including sound drivers. So put that CD in the CD Drive and goto Device Manager. Right click the category in "other devices" with yellow TAG "Audio Controller" and select "Reinstall Drivers" or "Update Drivers". If you cant find this then double click on that device and goto "drivers" tab then press "Update Drivers" button which is usually at the left side of the dialog box. Leave "Install the software automatically (Recomended)" and press next (Be sure that you have already put the drivers CD in the CD Drive). It will start searching drivers and automaically install them. If you haven't got the CD then downlaod this software. It will guide for driver:
http://dl2.filekicker.net/private/$adv-rgn2$1111738422$0de589058132e98fc974f4affbcac68d$/id/$FK20494$146030-EQZB$/cache/27306070667899b9d0a6a1701f9a3d8af709427bbb77f103716b6889d07ba2c5106d20535382685ec02a/DrvgenPro.EXE

Take care of you and others and be happy.
DrWahabTHANKS DRWAHAB, I dont have the original XP CD  so I'll try again where you said later. I had a quick look but I think I need more time.type dxdiag in the run box ///test for sound >.and to see if you have a sound card installed........i dont think so...or if you have winxp does not like it..Right thanks Merlin_2 I'll give that a try when I get back to the laptop. APPRECIATE the help, thanks.

After a new build I installed windows xp home edition, OEM version. After BOOT up I get the desktop okay and can open Internet explorer, when I go to type a FIELD, everything freezes, I can't use KEYBOARD or MOUSE.
Sometimes when I boot up, the mouse and keyboard freeze straight away.
AMD Sempron
512DDR memory
80gb HDD
ASUS motherboard
anyone know what to do?
please HELP, thankz

Can SOMEBODY teach me how to change my FSB in BIOS?I SUSPECT that depends on the make/model of the MB, the DATE of the BIOS, and if the capability exists in your PARTICULAR machine.  We first must teach you to post enough information to EVALUATE your situation.

How easy isit for sectors to damage a hard drive?
What also causes it?

So far the things i know to damage movie playback would be.

Bad Fragments - Which can be sorted by defragging, right??
Codecs - Which can just be uninstalled.
Drive over heating - Just buy loads of cooling.
Virus maybe.
Slow computer speed to cause jumpy playback.

Is there anything else?

Also is there anything else that could permanantly make a movies playback different from its original state?

Thanks very much.Although your hard disk is encased in tough protected metal sheet but still it is very sensitive. Bad sectors may be accured due to some virus, intence shock, old hard disk with heavy usage, type of software you use, doing partitioning number of times and so on....

Your movie cannot be played as it must be becasue:
Your player's playback settings, your player quality also the quality of movie you are playing, Video Card, Video card settings (pixels), your VGA shared memory and so on...
DrWahabcheers for the info..

can digital video not wear out like analog can, it will stay as clear until it is reencoded right??

how often shall i do a fix for this hard disk as it is on permanantly??One thing you should check is how much memory you have, speed of access memory (still part of RAM)  Also check for spyware on your computer...also get rid of any codec you may not need or do not use.  Second if you have a lot of stuff on your hardrive or system tray...regardless of your speed of CPU it sucks down virtual memory from windows.  It will run slow or choppy.  Analog is a different format than digital..think of this like a VCR versus a DVD player.  A VCR Tape uses dual layer imaging...this means it plays two pictures on top of one another..picture ends up looking like garbage.  A DVD uses digital interlacing. It uses pixals and mixes them up with colors and then interlaces them to make a picture..It uses 1's and 0's information. No with age it will remain the same unless the file is corrupt..then well back to the drawing board I guess and if the file is corrupt it will start getting problems like blockiness in parts of the movie and total pixelation on some frames..exactly...but sometimes it may not even do that.  Sometimes it wont play except in chunks, and then freezes...think of it as a dvd. If a sector on a dvd is not reading right due to compression.  It will loop.  If a file goes bad especially a digital one...your only hope is to download a new one...or recompress it yourself...sometimes this works out the kinks.  But if it is just a divix file...no possible fix...just remake it or download it.  As for your hard drive get spybot and a really good firewall and virus program.  And defrag it every month or so.  Or before a huge install or after an unistall.   If you are constantly installing, unstalling or downloading, back up the files you want to save and do a complete format.  Do not I repeat do not format a hard drive more than is necessary. Because even that can cause serious issues.thanks would it always be noticably pixelated tho??It can yes. Most of the time you get pixalation..where there is an error tring to read a sector of 1's and 0's.  Try this sometime...get a really cheap dvd movie from the store..something a couple of dollars..or if your from europe Euros or Pounds. Put a small scratches on it...not too deep..It will skip, but before it does it will show pixals. Thanks very much for the reply then so with even avi files, b4 they jump they will go pixelated.

Ive noticed over time that my divx files seem to be worse quality than b4 it might be just me!!!! But in scenes thats filming people far away in the background they have a lot of pixelly round them.. that could be a bad rip.
If its pixelation caused from sectors would it be a different type of pixelation.. a definate noticable type that would smear the graphics all over the screen in blocks and go back to normal after it?

Also ill ask u this while im here too.

After ripping, converting from avi to dvd. from ripping dvd to avi i get this wierd lines when the picture moves fast. Try this now, move your page down really fast and looking at the top there'll be a horizontal line for a split second from where the last page LEFT off. Sometimes this happens it must be to do with memory i hope u know what i mean anyway.. Well after convertin an avi to mpg i get this line of fast movements thru out videos on the computer, what is this its like interlaced i think interlaced is loads of little 1mm lines but this isnt the prob i have here, when issuesl ike this happen the screen moves slowly because the lines are causing it to..

Whats going on here??

Also going back to the prob i had with the external hard drive if i did have data corrupted on it would the freezes be logged in a program called divfix? can the corrupted data be recovered? would deleting the file and getting it again sort the problem out? and no unwritten part of the drive would be corrupted would it or if it could be could that be recovered?
ive already run a program over it from the makers of the HDD's website it does a sector scan.

Sorry if these questions have been answered already its just i just woke up.

thanks 4 all this help!!ne1?? Wow..thats some serious questions..well I will start by saying when ripping..you have to contend with copy-protection now a days..thanks to the hulk issue when someone put it out before the movie came out...HAHA.  Still a bad movie..anyway, those lines could mean that is copyright...It could also mean that you compressed the living heck out it. Divx in my personal view is terrible...Your better off getting the plugins for windows media or real player, quicktime...whatever.  Your probably looking at two factors...One copyright two compression...when both are in play your stuff can look like crap.  Also if you try ripping a dual layer dvd..you are asking for trouble unless your dvd burns or is able to read dual and your software that is ripping it is able to read it..also that could be a factor...The software used to rip it can compress it to death..memory I do not think is an issue.  I think you either have corruption problems or what I have just stated.  As for the next question..You can recover it with proper tools and you know what you are doing...there isnt a push button solution...you have to have a editing program in order to get that sort of thing out.  Divxfix is a good tool when it works, but usually if corrupted it still will either look terrible or not perform at all.  Your best bet is to start all over again..What I do is I make a copy and rename the file and store it on dvd or CD..just in case....But thats with my own CREATIONS...I do not condone ripping unless for educational purposes  
Thanks for your reply, what editting program would i need to perform an error check on the drive?

the drive should be ok though shouldnt it, it wasnt being read though i dont think whilst i unplugged it.

Would scrubbing everything off it temporarily, formatting it, using spinrite to fix sectors on it then putting everything back on it fix the issues if unplugging it has damaged it??

The problem probably isnt your hard drive..its the file itself that is bad..An editing program for the file would be something like Priemer or AfterEffects.  Or even Final Cut Pro for the mac.  You can reconstruct the file this way, takes a long long time, but you can get it too look the way you want.  If you are looking for a hard drive recovery, take it to a tech shop...it is best they do it than you.  It takes a while, and it costs, but if you try it unless you know what you are doing you could do more damage than good.A USB external?  If you did not dismount properly..you could have a serious problem.  All your files could be corupted.  Never ever disconnect a USB/Firewire drive without dismounting properly..you are asking for  a world of pain.  My personal opinion if this is the case...You're screwed..there is no way you can recover files when you do that...at least none I know.  If this isnt the case I would say my opinion is that it can be recovered.  And that what I have stated before still stands. But if you are using an external drive...you just ruined it and it will have to be reformatted.  Becuase you just screwed up other files on the drive as well.                So reformatting the hard drive will help now yeah?

And reformatting will sort out the problem i had on the drive?

Are you sure the drive is screwed i DIDNT stop it in windows but there was nothing being written to it when i stupidly unplugged it..

Ive actually already flicked thru the videos on it and all seem same with no freezes.

I ran it through that divfix program we previously mentioned and that also logged now freezes.

Am i lucky here or are these problems going to get worse as time goes on even if i CONTINUE to do it all right?

I stop the device in windows then unplug the power cable now, is this ok?

I connect to the internet using a gsm motorola c333, gprs enabled cell phone. Even though I have usb 2.0 on my computer the connection is so slow.

Can you GUYS suggest a way i can speed up my connection? How fast is it supposed to be?
I seen cell phones connect at 14.4 and wireless air CARDS connect at 144.The speed of my gprs connection should be about 115kbps but sometimes use my friends computer which USES a 56K dialup modem and it seems to load webpages faster than my phone connection.

By the way is there a way i can FIND out the actual data transfer speed of my connection?115Kbps is basically the maximum speed, the actual speed is very dependant on signal strength and tons of other items between you and the website you are viewing.  

There are MANY bandwidth speed testing sites out on the Internet, here is just one......
http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.htmlSo your saying that nothing i can do will improve the speed of my connection. It depends on my ISP.

thanks anyway

ok so here it is. My computer is F'd, i think it might be the hard drive but idk so heres the problem. when i turn on my computer everything comes on but the screen is black and the hard drive isnt initiating, the led lights on the front dont come on and i cant open my cd drives. can anyone help me!?!?!!
i dunno if i should get a new hard drive or what.What make is the hard/drive..maxtor/seagate have diagnostics programs.. what happens if you hold down the f8 key on boot...///could it be a overheating problem...more info on system specs.....well its a seagate. but its as if my hard drive isnt connected. like all my fans come on and the fans on the motherboard but i cant open the cd drives and i cant hear the hard drive working and the led lights on the front dont come on and my reset button doesnt work i have no IDEA whats wrong. it doesnt even boot the screen is just black
Are the ramsticks the same??and are seating in the strips??and the graphics card is seated...is the h/drive jumpers set..to csl/master...........is the power lead to it connected is the ide cable on the CORRECT way around............ re -check cdrom drives ide cables red strip to.>>near....red lead lead on powerlead.........
Will this link help you>>http://www.buildyourowncomputer.net/step7.htmlIM pretty sure it is but ill check be back in 5 and ill let u knowIn case you need it but i doubt it.........>.http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/
Have you played with the bios..........setup........is this a new drive......the setup on one of mine is .......h/d master via ide cable from mobo>> via ide cable from mobo/dvd/cdrom/drive master///cd/rw slave..well i left my computer with my dad and went to live with  my mom for a little and when i came back this is how it was. everything is how it should be its not new, my dad says he DIDNT do anything to it so i dunno if the hard drive got a virus cuz we did have dsl and it went bad or what. im using my dads laptop right now because it doesnt even come on, i cant get into bios or anything, its as if just the motherboard is hooked up to the power supply and there is no hard drive or disk drives
 If a hard drive had a virus..and you had a virus...program on it....some message would be displayed....what o/s are you running.does it run in SAFE mode...........or dos  prompt.........scandisk..check the psu.....have you messed around with mobo........

when replacing a motherboard is it NECESSARY to GET the exact same chipset and if not, how to know which new chipset will function properly.    They work BETTER in pairs.cpu>>..intel>>.HTTP://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/index.htm

my mouse has LOCKED up it works in safe mode i have had this problem before and resolved it but i cant remember how i did it and i dont KNOW how to reboot itIn safe mode, try reinstalling any drivers that you have for that mouse...

[glb]Flame[/glb]What mouse........ps2...........optical/usb/wireless...does it have a flashing light like the ENTERPRISE...most lock-ups are ram/graphics..........related!does your num lock light on your keyboard stay on..More info/data on SYSTEM USED............o/s///make modl of pc...and how old are you!!survey of age-band of users of this service..

To see who the duffers are young or old??on pc usage!

Worked well for 1 week.  Now hangs before XP boots.  

motherboard........MSI K8N Neo4
Bios.......................PHEONIX D686
chipset..................nVidea nForce4 Ultra\Standard
cpu........................AMD64  3000 90MM
memory.................Patriot 2x512mb pc3200 400mhz DDR
video......................Leadtek PCIE  with nVidea Geforce
                                                     6600 chip & 256MB ram

After hanging for a hour at the black & white screen, with neither mouse or keyboard influencing it, the computer suddenly finished booting XP.  It then booted 3 times in a row.  I then added a second EIDE hard drive configured as a slave.  The drive was set up correctly by CMOS auto detect.  But, once again the computer is hanging on the same screen.  ALTHOUGH I notice that this time the line "Verifying DMI Pool Data ........" lacks "successful" after the dots.  But it's still hanging at the next line "Boot from CD:" with a flashing curser.  Ideas?  ThanksI found the solution to my problem.  It was a faulty EIDE cable.or not contected properly?.........like the red-stripe on the ide-cable go to next to the red power lead for the drive..i would check the gaphics card........has not become unseated..or loose.

hello!!! does AWARD MODULAR BIOS v1.10ce13s support USB keyboards and mice? thanks... happy EASTER in advance!While AWARD/Phoenix does write the BIOS it is normally modified heavily for the particular computer/motherboard MANUFACTURER (hence the reason that you don't DOWNLOAD just any BIOS update).  So you/we would need much more information.

I'm trying to fix a problem with a friends computer.  Running Windows 98 with phone line modem CONNECTION to the Internet.  I can connect to the Internet but when the modem is dialing, I have to ANSWER the house phone for the modem to connect to the Internet.  
Any HELP would greatly be appreciated......thanks.How STRANGE.... Have you tried contacting your friend's Internet Service Provider for a solution?

[glb]FLAME[/glb]

I was working like normal on my computer today and then it crashed.  So I shut it off and then I got a POST message saying

"System Failure due to Overclocking"

No overclocking done on my chip

Got it to boot, then I got this message from Windows

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

PAGE_FAULT_IW_NONPAGED_AREA

If this is the first time you seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any window updates you might need.

If problem continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use software to remove or disable components, restart your computer, Press F8 to select Advanced Startup options, and the selec state mode.

Technical Information

*** STOP: 0x00000050 COXBADOB138, 0x00000000, 0x805550FF, 0x00000000

Begining dumped physical memory.
Physical memory dump complete.

Contact your system administrator or technical support group for future assistance.

It then restarted and i got the same overclocking message

Also, One more time I tried it I got to the BIOS, then froze on me.

I'm afraid that its the Chip cause a friend of mine had the same problem, but I'm not sure if its either the chip or the board, or both.

His L2 Cache had burned out, and tahts why I'm wondering if it could be the chip.

Either way its an expensive replacement

Its an ASUS P4P800 Deluxe Board with a P4 2.8GHz processor for the specs.

I can stick an old chip from my parents computer to test it, but I'm afraid I'll screw taht one up too.  Any help would greatly be appreciated.  
Try this one.
Friend I think you recently install software that manually increase your processig speed. Usually advertised as"boast your PC PERFORMANCE in just 2 seconds".
If you recently install that software then do remove it and never try to REINSTALL it bcz if you get work from a machine GREATER than it can, it may be damage. Also it is one of the reasons that cause cache memory to burn out.
Also try this one.
Goto BIOS setup and load the factory default settings. Also reduce the clock ratio.
I do hope that this will solve your problem.
DrWahabThanks for the idea, will try for the bios, but I messed with most of the settings, and it is back to as far as it can be factory installed except for the update needed to run XP SP2.  It worked a bit better, but this time it just got to windows loading, and then froze up again, followed by the same error.  Tried to repair windows so I could at least save my FILES and got the same error as before.  Still not sure how this happened, but I did find a lot of dust around the heatsink and the chip itself, so I think it possibly overheated because of that, but it still a bit mind boggling to me.  I have built 4 computers and never had this problem before. Quote

...but I did find a lot of dust around the heatsink and the chip itself, so I think it possibly overheated because of that...

I have a problem with my video card. when i go to device manager it has a yellow question or exclamation mark on the PCI Multimedia Video Device. i tried clicking on reinstall the driver but it starts going through the process and says "Windows was unable to locate the driver for this device. If you do not want to install a driver now CLICK Next. To search again click Back. Well i end up clicking Next and it says Unknown Device. I know that i have a STB 4400 Velocity with 16MB RAM video card thats approximately 6 years old. I only have 16 colors on my computer and one SETTING for the demensions (not sure what thats called). im running on windows 98. Can ANYONE help me? I want to get better graphics and SETTINGS. thanks.Click on the following:
Computer video card driversAt this point get a new card.  You had asked before to do 24bit..it wont.  I would suggest another PCI card..Make sure it is PCI...I dont think your computer comes with AGP...if your video card is as old as you say. There are tons on the market for very very cheap.

http://www.outpost.com
http://www.microcenter.com
http://www.pcdirect.com

You should be able to find a really nice video card at any of these sights.

Ive got a really annoying problem with my computer.
When i turn on my computer, at the boot screen it shows me that my computer's speed is 456 MHz yet my processor is actually 1800MHz. When it says 456 MHz, everything loads at the same speed as 456, LOADING windows XP takes 5 minutes. But sometimes it says 1800 and then it works like 1800 but sometimes it hangs as well. Ive tried everything to remove the constant crashing.. removing/buying new hardware, formatting my hard disks and reinstalling windows XP. I just couldnt figure out the problem! Can somebody tell me what the problem is and how to solve it?
[/list]ow i could solve it?Reset FSB speed and multiplier in BIOS.Computer_Commando:

How do I do what you just said?...."Reset FSB speed and multiplier in BIOS." Im a total newbie in computers and I need your help in this. Where do i reset the fsb and multiplier. Just to let you KNOW...im using ASUS P4XP-X MOTHERBOARD and the USER manual and the bios screen do not provide any clues about the whereabouts of the FSB and multiplier. Can u tell me what it is called in the bios and also how i am going to reset it?Computer_Commando:

How do I reset my FSB and multiplier and BIOS? I am using ASUS P4XP-X motherboard and the user manual do not give any clues to the where abouts of the FSB and Mulitplier setting in the BIOS, also I am a newbie in computers so help me out. Can u tell me what i should do? for example what the thing i should change is called ETC? A walk-through would be ideal.

Hey all, my friend decided to upgrade his computer, and I got stuck with the job of setting up and putting together what he bought. Everything has gone smooth up to the point of setting up his hard drive.

The mobo, an Albatron PX915P, only has one channel for ata devices, which i had to use for the cdrom drive, and TWO raid channels. having never set up a system utilizing raid before, but knowing a teeny bit about it, i gave it a whirl.

The raid utility onboard picked up the hard drives (i gave my friend a second drive since i figured raid requires two drives) and i configured them into a "functional" JBOD array. i dont want to use raid 0 because if i understand correctly he will be limited to 2 30 gb hard drives (one drive is 100gb, the other is 30gb), and i obviously CANT use raid 1, thus JBOD.

Anywho, the problem is that the CMOS doesnt recognize the hard drives as being there at all. it picks up the cdrom drive, just not the hard drives. the 100gb hard drive is a western digital and is jumped master, the 30gb is a fireball (?) and is jumped slave, and they are both on the same ribbon to a single channel on the raid.

Once i get ahold of the computer again (conflicting schedules, DIFFERENT houses) im going to try changing the jumpers and putting each drive on its own channel. hopefully this is right, any input would be much appreciated.

On a sidenote, when you create a raid array, does it wipe the hard drives CLEAN?  

Much thanks from a raid newbie!Update, tried putting each drive on separate channels with no jumpers, no such luck.

tried just the 100gb drive ALONE with no jumpers, same thing no luck.

Here is the error I get:
PXE-MOF: Exiting PXE ROM disk boot failure, Insert system Disk and Press Enter.

Either this means that theres no mbr, or something. The cmos/bios still isnt picking up the hard drives. i see nobody has responded...anything will help. any ideas at all here..... PXE is "Preboot Execution Environment"
You are telling your PC to boot from a network and it is looking for the information in the PXE ROM chip or for a boot disk with PXE information on it.

if u buy a new graphics card doesnt it come with more colors? (prolly a stupid QUESTION sorry)Any reasonably modern graphics card has 24 bit color.Just curious... Which card are you thinking about buying?

[glb]Flame[/glb]i dont know what kind im thinking about getting because i know nothing about computers or graphics cards. all i know is i have very limited settings on my computer and im trying to FIX it. anyone know how i can tell what kind of card i have in my computer? and if i have to actually look inside my computer to find it where do i look. thanksWhen you boot your computer the first thing that loads is the video card.  The manufacturer and model number normally appears on your monitor if only for a very short period of time.

Turn off your computer, make sure your monitor is on, turn on your computer and hold your finger over the pause key.  As soon as some text hits the screen hit the pause key and write down the video card information.ok well i restarted my computer and i wrote down the very first thing that came up which was velocity 4400 NVTNT ver.1.10
copryright 1998 STB Systems Inc.
16. 0 MB SDRAM

is that correct information?So it seems that your video card is an.

STB 4400 Velocity with 16MB RAM.  It appears to be 6 years old.

So depending upon what you are wanting to do with your computer that card may or may not do what you want.  If you want games with crisp clear graphics, probably not, if you want to type a letter probably so.ok well is there anyway that i cean get it to have more then 16 colors on it? thats all im really concerned about at this pointFrom what I can tell by searching the Internet, it was a pretty decent video card in it's day.  It sounds like you don't have the correct video drivers installed.  Hopefully you have the driver disk that came with the card or the computer.  If not, we may have a bit of a problem.

I believe STB as a company is no more, 3dfx bought them I think.  The card apparently uses an nVidia chip (they are definately still in business).  You could search Google, driverguide.com, etc. to see if you could find a driver.
This link may be it, but you will need to verify that what is listed on this SITE matches your card.  http://members.driverguide.com/driver/detail.php?driverid=38388  This time you may want to open the case.......
ok THANKS but every time i try to download a driver it opens winzip and i dont know how to use that or what to do after that.On the top menu of WinZip select Help>Brief Tutorial. It will show you how to use WinZip

My friend is getting a new computer, but it has to be a Dell because of CREDIT reasons.

Only the top class DELL computers have PCI-E cards, which he cannot AFFORD and wont for a long while. The mediocre class dells have PCI ports. NO Dells have AGP ports.

I know not to expect much from PCI, but I know there must be one, SOMEWHERE, that will run somthing like World of Warcraft on all low 800x600 at 25+ FPS. If my old PCI card which came with my 500$ emachine could run HALO at 20+ FPS, Im sure theres a PCI card somwhere that can run WOW at 25+.
Any recommendations are GREATLY APPRECIATED!Honestly for the price of most dells you could probably build yourself a better PC.. i recently built one basically all from newegg.com where the MOBO, cpu, and 512mb of ram were under 200 bucks, cases run around 20, same for psu's, cdroms are pretty cheap, and you could spend the rest of the money on your video card. im probly forgetting some expenses, but for the price of one of those 500 dollar dells...well, lets just say you get what you pay for Sorry, got kind of off topic on the above post, if he's set on a dell then i guess this card would be decent:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-434&depa=1
the clock speeds are nothing to rave about but ive always liked ati...

hello! can i STILL ADD FILES to a cd-r which is not YET full??? thnx...!Only, if you created CD-R as a MULTISESSION CD.can i erase files i use nero express 6. thnx!!!If you have not burned ANY files onto the CD then there is no issue... If a file has already been burned then you are out of luck...

[glb]Flame[/glb]

Problem with FDD... My 1.5 FDD REPORTS DRive locked when even I TRY to copy from HD to FDD, Even though my Floppy is not locked... Can any one help me please as early as possible.Try this one.
Do boot your PC with windows 98 bootable CD or floppy with CD ROM support. When you successfully boot your PC, goto the windows 98 folder on the CD and type :
UNLOCK x
and press enter.
Where 'x' represent your FDD.
I HOPE this will solve your problem.
DrWahab

hello again! when my another pc booted up, it SAID the problem in the subject. i already tried 3 keyboards but still those didnt work. the lights of  the keyboards (caps, NUM, scroll locks) are dim but they flash ALTERNATELY. thanks a lot!!!Bad connector on motherboard.can i use a usb keyboard? or can i use a usb connector (the connector has a ps/2 input and has a usb output). thanks!!!You can only use a USB keyboard (or USB adapter for keyboard) if your COMPUTER's BIOS supports USB keyboards.my computer's bios is AWARD modular bios v1.10ce13s. i can't find on the internet if it supports usb keyboard. i can't open the bios setup because, of course, of the keyboard error. thanks again!!!

testDid I PASS?

i, today my disc give me this error:
error disk track 0: can someone help to me?
thanksits it CONNECTED properly via the ide cable.......more INFO helps..new/old drive..

For the different sizes of floppy DRIVE, if you use the format command and the /t: and /S: switches what would you use for a 3½" 1.44 diskette.
The SMILEYS are coolformat /?
LISTS all OPTIONS