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I'm wanting to know about Flash drives. The difference in prices as well as performance when storing files and such onto them. I've found some flash drives to store the same amount, yet be much more pricey then the other. Can anyone explain them to me?Not sure I can explain all but - the category I avoid PERSONALLY is the stuff with software on already - such as the U3 "Cruzer" for example. I want simply a STORAGE device, altho some have just ONE small file on board - I guess to help ID the stick to Windows.

I have bought my drives often when Circuit City had a good deal going and this applied to my Memorex sticks - 2 x 2Gb and a 4Gb ... no complaints with these at all. The Lexar sticks seem OK too.

Not sure PRICE is a guide entirely - as Sony examples seem higher priced and not sure if any advantage at all. Then Kingston - well right now we have a thread running where someone's Kingston flash sticks are not recognized on his puter - or won't run properly.

Worth Googling ''Portable Apps"' BTW - you can run a good useful set of apps from the flash stick - enough so that you could work on another computer with just your own stuff.Look for the lifetime warranty always. And make sure that the service center is near/accessible from your location. Quote from: randysilverio on October 02, 2008, 07:31:26 PM

lifetime warranty

I've never seen a Lifetime Warranty on a flash drive...have you seen this randy ? ?

Quote from: patio on October 02, 2008, 07:54:40 PM

I've never seen a Lifetime Warranty on a flash drive...have you seen this randy ? ?

Yes, Patio. There are too many flash drives in the market with lifetime warranty.

Quote from: patio on October 02, 2008, 07:54:40 PM

I've never seen a Lifetime Warranty on a flash drive...have you seen this randy ? ?

Yes, Patio. There are too many flash drives in the market with lifetime warranty.

Hi I have a IDE harddrive and I was thinking about buying a SATA 3gbs harddrive. My motherboard is compatible with it I'm just wondering how these SATA drives run because I never had one. I have a IDE DVD burner will that have any impact on the SATA drive.SATA drives are generally no faster than IDE, however the cables are easier to manage, and newer drives tend to only be SATA.
My OPINION: if you're after a new drive anyway go for SATA, otherwise there's no compelling reason to change.I understand that S-ATA hardrives are a lot faster. They can go as up as 3GB/s.
As for the dvd unit, the speed should be the same. (52X for reading) So I don't think S-ATA would help you much.If you can show me a benchmark or situation where the higher theoretical maximum transfer rate of SATA actually has an advantage over IDE, I'd be interested to SEE it.
SATA - 1500Mbit/sec (actually more like 150MB/sec) or 3000Mbit/sec (300MB/sec), WHEREAS IDE has a maximum rate of 133MB/sec. Hard drives can't generally transfer DATA that fast, so the extra 17 or 167 MB/sec transfer rate has no real impact.
Do correct me if I'm wrong.
Also, DVD drives can't read at 52X speed, the maximum is 20X which equates to 211Mbit/sec or 27MB/sec.

I'm not trying to be harsh on you Cheetah, just stating the facts.I don't have any benchmarks, but SATA 3Gb/s drives have Native Command Queuing.thank you guysEg0Death, you're right about NCQ, however most things I've read say this is only useful in a server type of environment, and that for "normal" use it could even reduce HDD speed. I don't use it on my drive.

I have an old IBM KEYBOARD that I love. It fits my ham-fisted hands. I can get it to work with my Dell computer by configuring it and ENABLING it, but every time I shut down and re-boot I have to do it all over again if I want to use this keyboard.

What can I do to permanently enable this keyboard?

Thanks....buy another keyboard

Are drivers installed??Quote from: dnjjohns on OCTOBER 02, 2008, 06:53:03 PM

What can I do to permanently enable this keyboard?

buy another keyboard

You GOT it...
It may be a SATA drive if it's NEWER if so no jumpers are involved just hook it up to SATA 2 or above on the MBoard.Quote from: PATIO on September 29, 2008, 03:09:11 PM

You got it...
It may be a SATA drive if it's newer if so no jumpers are involved just hook it up to SATA 2 or above on the MBoard.

okay the computer is having trouble STARTING up, it freezes on me, sometimes it DOESNT get past the TOSHIBA start up and windows LOG in screen before it shuts off by itself or freezes. i can hear the fan trying to spin, it goes from a HIGH spin to low stuttering. then shuts off. hellp!How old is it ? Has it ever had a thorough cleaning?

I am looking for a wireless headphone set for my laptop, does this even exist? Wireless Headset, something like this?
http://www.techgadgets.in/images/logitech-clearchat-wireless.jpgYOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>>>kisses&LT;<<Carbon, you SLY dog... Quote from: Aegis on October 04, 2008, 03:04:34 AM

Carbon, you sly dog...

This is going to be a long winded post, but I want to give as much info as I can with the problem I’m having. I worked on my neighbor’s Dell Dimension 3100 desktop pc recently.

SYMPTOMS:
1. VERY slow
2. Occasional BSOD = BEGINNING Physical Memory Dump
Physical Memory Dump Complete

REMEDIES TAKEN:
1. Ran Trendmicro Housecall. Minor threats found and removed, but wouldn’t fix a
macro vulnerability in MS Word 2000.
2. Ran Adaware 2008 Free, Spybot S&D, A Squared Free, Hijack This, CCleaner.
Removed all threats, etc. successfully.
3. Upon numerous reboots the BSOD with the same message indicated above
reappeared and the pc would freeze.
4. Replaced a bad RAM stick with a known good one.
5. Formatted and reinstalled Win XP with the Dell provided disk and Dell provided
drivers disk. All went well with no more BSODS.
6. Reinstalled all the latest versions of Adaware Free, Spybot S&D, A Squared Free,
Hijack This, CCleaner along with the latest definitions where applicable. Deep
scanned with all in Safe Mode just to be sure. Obviously, no threats found.
7. Reinstalled all her personal software and All Windows updates including SP3.
All worked flawlessly.
8. Connected to the Internet--no problems there. Man, I’m on a good roll now so I
returned the pc to her so she could reinstall her printer since all seemed to be
working OK.

Got a call from her last evening and she said she was having problems installing her
printer so I led her thru the uninstall procedure via the HP disk uninstall option. Rebooted the pc and tried to reinstall the printer again. This time the “Found New Hardware Wizard” popped up. We didn’t go any further with that and I had her end that task via Task Manager. The printer installation completed successfully (according to what it said), but didn’t put an HP printer program group into the All Programs list. The printer will print and copy a document, but will not scan. This, I suspect is because the printer did NOT install completely after all.

I then had her reboot and the “Found New Hardware Wizard” reared its ugly head again, so I asked her to check the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in the System Tray. It showed an F: USB Mass Storage Device along with her printer as well. The F: USB
Mass Storage Device also shows up in Windows Explorer as a DISK drive if she told me correctly.

Now, to finally get to the point of this post--there is NO USB Mass Storage Device connected to the pc (external HD, flash drive, etc.). What is this device and is the “New Hardware Wizard” looking for this F: device? I was wondering if anyone can give me some ideas as to what this “phantom” device is and how to find out what “New Hardware Wizard” is wanting to install? I plan to go over in a couple of days and am trying to pick your brains for a solution(s).

The only devices connected via USB are the Dell keyboard, Dell mouse, and her HP 7100 printer, scanner, copier with fax--all connected to the rear panel USB ports. There is nothing connected to the 2 front panel ports.

I’m not so concerned with the printer problem as I believe I can fix that once I lay my own beady little eyes on the situation myself. (Kinda HARD to fix ’em over the phone).

Thanks in advance for any and all ideas that I can try when I get my hands on that machine from *censored*.

Dell Dimension 3100
Windows XP Home Edition SP3
HP 7100 printer, scanner, copier with fax
Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz
Intel 915GV chipset
512MB DDR2 SDRAM
USB 2.0 X 6 ports (2 front, 4 rear)
PCI X 1, PCI Express X1 X1 expansion slots
ACPI/APM power configuration
Hyper Thread Technology Ready
80GB EIDE HD
DVD +/-RW (D:, E)
Integrated 10/100 network card, Ethernet + Fast Ethernet
What hardware shows up in device manager that is not installed on the computer?A 4 way printer will as a matter of fact will show up as a mass storage device under certain conditions...or if it has a built in card reader.
Have her try this:
Unplug the printer.
Go to Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager...find the printer and select Remove...she MAY get a warning...ignore it.
Then go to Add/Remove Programs and remove any HP applications.
Re-boot and check for any remnants in the above mentioned places.
Re-boot and double check.

When all is good have her install the printer software...tell her to NOT hook up the printer until prompted to do so.
After the printer is successfully installed and a test page is printed power down.
Re-boot and all should be well

P.S. Your suspicions are dead on...the printer software didn't finish installing the first time completely and was interrupted by the wonderful Found New Hardware thingy....(i refuse to call it a w___ard)

Very GOOD

I have an Acer Computer (New) it has an integrated ATI radeon X1200 IGP video. I only have a 250 watt power supply on the MACHINE. I would like to insert a better, upgraded, seperate, Video card to handle some video editing? To include some more information:
AMD Athlon 64x24200 DUAL core

Thank YouMotherboard model # ? ?
You are going to need a new PSU ...Agree with Patio.

Probably GET a 450W minimum - or better. Also - you will probably have to disable on board integrated vid thru BIOS when you eventually add a new card.

Patio's question re motherboard model is relevant re whether you have an AGP slot or just PCI or PCI-E slots - which will influence your choice of new card.ya no point in keeping that psu if you want a better gpu...Motherboard: AMD Athlon 64x2 4200+ Dual Core

PC-e for card slot

Acer guy told me that with the PC-e slot, a 300 watt card would work without overheating? However, I like second OPINIONS,and thirds etc ThanksWell what graphics card were you looking to get? Maybe then SOMEONE will tell you what PSU you will need.

my cd and dvd rom both suddelnly stopped working.

if i go to 'my computer' the icons for the cd rom and dvd drives are MISSING.

if i open device manager and check properties it says this--

for my cd drive
Windows successfully loaded the device DRIVER for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41)


and for my DVD drive: Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41)


It seems like too much of a coincidence that both the cd rom and the dvd rom went dead at the same time. it's a backup computer that my son uses so it's not connected to the internet.

help would be greatly appreciated.
Go to your Computer Manufacturer's website, go to Downloads and Drivers, look for your SPECIFIC computer model, and DOWNLOAD and reinstall the drivers.Remove all power to the mahine.
Open the case and carefully re-seat all drive connections.
There will be 2 for each drive...one data one for power.Another option...

Try one of these:
1. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060
or...
2. Download, and run Restore Missing CD Drive patch
Double click on downloaded file, and ALLOW registry merge.
or...
3. Go to Device Manager, click a "+" sign next to IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers.
You'll see two items:
- ATA Channel0 (or Primary Channel)
- ATA Channel1 (or Secondary Channel)
Right click on each of them, and click Uninstal. Confirm.
Restart Windows. They'll be automatically reinstalled.

I have been trying to play a DVD. I can play CDs just fine, but it's DVDs that are giving me issues. The DVD contains a movie (it's a regular DVD, not one that was burned from a computer).

When I try to play it using Media Player, I receive a message that I do not have a decoder installed. It routed me to the WINDOWS website, and from there it ran a test on my laptop to see what was installed. It told me the decoder was already there. ??

If I try to play the movie using Real Player, I get an error message that says I need the decoder, and it brings me to the Real Player site to d/l it. Once I get there I get an error message that says I need DVD software.

I have an HP Pavilion DV4000 laptop with 1 gig of RAM running Windows XP Home. I'm not sure what other info you need.

Thank you for your help!Try VLC media player and see what happens...FREE.I've tried that. I try to play the dvd and nothing happens. I do prefer to use Media Player though, as they have the tracks lined up (the menu) and with VLC from their website it doesn't look as though you can see the tracks menu.

However, it still wouldn't solve my decoder issue. Any ideas?

Thank you!Have you tried Cyberlink PowerDVD? That's a good program to me. (I use it, that's for certain.)QUOTE from: Ryan on October 03, 2008, 08:09:12 AM

Have you tried Cyberlink PowerDVD? That's a good program to me. (I use it, that's for certain.)

Mickapoo, have you always had this problem? Does the DVD work on other machines?
In fact, can you watch other DVD's?

Thanks for this. I will do this TOMORROW evening with my dad to help me. I will keep you updated tomorrow. Ok. So I can't get admin RIGHTS until I am back at school, (which is Monday) so I can't start in safe mode, and I thought I had rights.
Is there anything I can check on, in the mean time? These random tasks keep POPPING up though, one at a time, and the name changes each time, I haven't once had the same.Without admin rights you aren't going to be able to clean this and we are just wasting time.Oh, OK. Will do on Monday. SORRY for being such a pest. I know I am probably ANNOYING you, with this wierd laptop business.

Hello,
I have bought new pendrive KINSTON 8GB and I have problem to write/copy any data/files on this pendrive on any windows xp/vista.
I have this error:
Can't copy 'filename': Can't FOUND destination file.

DP(1)0-0+7. Data are lost...

System starting copy( but very very slow...). Normaly on another PC is possible and is fast but on this PC is not possible.
Motherboard: GA-MA790X-GS4, Athlon X2.
I have all USB options in BIOS settings needed enabled. I s possible that it coud be problem with my motherboard and why(its new motherboard)? another usb devices working... (my another pendrive not KINGSTON working good BUT another 2GB KINGSTON doesn't working too;/). So my KINGSTON 8GB & 2GB doesn't working BUT only on that PC... AND only KINGSTON doesn't working because another pendrives and usb device working on that PC. funny???
thx for reply


Try the suspect drives on another machine just to make sure. I checked drives working on another machine. all 2 & 8 gb kingston and one 512mb unfirmed. but on my pc working good only that unfirmed 512.Quote

System starting copy( but very very slow...). Normaly on another PC is possible and is fast but on this PC is not possible.

Actually it's the one that survived a full washer and dryer cycle in my jeans pocket but i don't suggest this method...

So, I have a problem. I have three computers and a decision to make. In my home OFFICE I need to have a desktop to run my Adobe CS3 software and connect to the internet. I have a…..

Dell Dimensions 4500
Pentium ® 4CPU 2.00 GHz 1.99 GHz
256mb of RAM
Not sure of hard drive space, but minimal I would think
It has Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 2002

Packard Bell
Intel ® Core ™ 2 CPU 4400 @ 2.00 GHz
1022 MB of RAM
(currently just use this as a main point for the wireless router and itunes media library, indecently, if the internet is running slow on here would that mean it then runs slow on wirelessly connecting other computers, such as my laptop?)

Dell XPS M1210
Genuine Intel ® CPU T2400 @ 1.83 GHz
1.8 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM
It says it uses 1536mb for virtual memory
( I currently run my Adobe on this, but it is so so slow, especially if I have anything else open. Adobes website says I need 2GB of RAM?!!)

Is it going to be best to upgrade my Dell Dimensions desktop, and if so I figure I need to put on about 1.5GB of RAM. Will this all fit on the motherboard? It comes as cards doesn’t it? It also only has a Ethernet connection, so can I just use a USB plug in for the wifi?

My Packard Bell is very noisy, so I don’t want to use this really.

I also wondered about upgrading the RAM on my laptop and somehow connecting it to the 26inch screen I need to use? But my laptop gets really hot for some reason, and I will be working for about eight hours a day.

They all seem to run pretty slow at the moment, but Im figuring that none of them have enough RAM for anything really?!

All suggestions very, very welcome. Thanks very, very much.
The Packard Bell is superior to the other machines.
More RAM would help it, another GB or 2GB would be a cheap and easy upgrade. If it's too noisy you could change the cooling.
Trust me, it's by far the best option to use.Open the Packard Bell and replace the noisy fans and add a 512MG stick of RAM and that's the machine i would use...
The PSU may be the loudest fan however which would mean a new PSU...
I'm sure you're aware how many resources CS3 can gobble up.O really, I hate the retched Packard Bell, but thats great thanks. I think I will add 2 GB to it. Is there anything else I can do to improve performance? It has 351GB of Hard Drive and CS3 takes 5GB and then I will have Microsoft Office sweet and a few other bits.

Crucial.com seems to be a good cheap place to buy my RAM? Do you think? And when I get it can I put it in myself? The thought of cracking open my desktop (and my laptop, as thanks to your advise I think I will put 1GB of RAM in that) fills me with fear, but my friend tells me that Im more than capable?

Thanks very much.RAM is fairly easy to replace but a few THINGS to keep in mind:
Make sure you remove all power sources first.
Make sure you touch the metal case to discharge any static.
Make sure it is the correct RAM for your machine.
Make sure it is snapped all the way in

In the case of the laptop consult the manual before proceeding as they are all a bit different...Hi Kotsbrown,

I shudder when someone mentions Packard Bell.
They went belly up here in the US years ago and I've not seen one of their PC's in a very long time.

But if you access www (dot) crucial (dot) com from your computer (any one of them) and let Crucial scan your PC, they will tell you exactly what's installed and what you can buy to make the PC run better.

It's better to use Crucial than to just guess at what you need and maybe come up wrong. I don't buy a lot of ram from them because I have a great local source, but I use their on-line scanner to verify what size and speed of ram that I need for any particular PC.

For any kind of performance at all, any PC running Windows XP should have at least 2 gig's of ram. Sure XP will run on less, but not very well, and when you get into some heavy hitters like Adobe or AutoCad, RAM is King!

Also, when you're running a program that wants all the system resources that it can get, you really need to minimize what you've got running in the background.
You can start minimizing, by running MSCONFIG and going into the Startup tab and turning off every program that you don't absolutely HAVE to have running all the time.

I see people's PC's with twenty or thirty programs in that "RUN" list.
That's absurd! And, it will seriously impact system performance.
My own "Run" list is only three items long.

Then, with a laptop, especially, you need to keep it cool.
They were never meant to run continuously and run heavy production programs.
Never set a laptop on a soft surface like a bed, rug or even on your lap.
The air intake on the bottom will be blocked off and the lappy will overheat.
When it comes to Electronics.....HEAT KILLS!
Always set it on a hard surface and even elevate the back of it about an inch off of the surface, for better air flow.
The care and feeding of a Laptop, is a science unto itself.

I wish you all the luck, with your three computers.

Cheers mate!
The Shadow

The XPS system,

More RAM is always good no MATTER what you are doing. Now to run an external monitor you would want to make sure you have an AC adapter that is high enough to run it. For the heat, you might want to think of a cooling station for it. Especially if you are going to spend a lot of time on it.

One of the best things to do for both Dells is to go to their website and put in your service tag number. This will allow you to bring the specs up for your system configuration, and this way you will KNOW the exact limitations on your computers motherboards.

For the noise of your HP, have you cleaned it out lately with a can of air ? Sometimes the dirt will build up and cause the fans to have to work harder. But even then one of your best bets is to just get a new one. Save from any further issues that might arise.

Your best bet is to search around for the RAM, I did find some RAM at a place called Onhop as I needed to upgrade my system. And so far they are one of the lowest priced. Even when I had to pay the shipping, it still was cheaper than the local store.
Ummmm, what graphics cards are involved with these systems? (I am dreading hearing "onboard graphics"!)

As a person here used to say "the graphics card is the ONLY thing that matters". Of course, that's not true, but Proph, I mean "Anonymous", really must be celebrated for the incredible talent he thinks he is.

The graphics card in the XPS system is one of 2. By going to this site:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/topic.aspx/ca/shared/support/product_support/en/product_support_central?c=ca&l=en&s=gen

you can put in the service tag to find out which video card you have in which system.

Hope that helps...have a great day!
Quote from: Shannon P on October 02, 2008, 09:41:48 AM

The graphics card in the XPS system is one of 2. By going to this site:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/topic.aspx/ca/shared/support/product_support/en/product_support_central?c=ca&l=en&s=gen

you can put in the service tag to find out which video card you have in which system.

Hope that helps...have a great day!

Ummmm, what graphics cards are involved with these systems? (I am dreading hearing "onboard graphics"!)

As a person here used to say "the graphics card is the ONLY thing that matters". Of course, that's not true, but Proph, I mean "Anonymous", really must be celebrated for the incredible talent he thinks he is.

Build a SIMPLE desk lamp into an LCD instead of having built in speakers! You POWER up the lamp with the PC.

Lamp replaces CRAPPY speakers and FREES up one slot on the power strip

I just wanna ask.. how can i CONFIGURE RAID 1 without USING smart start cd... could be POSSIBLE?... Tnx N advance...

Should I change my settings for the Slave drive to Master after i have installed the SATA drive?

Can I replace the RIBBON cable between the CPU and monitor on my COMPAQ PRESARIO 2100 myself or should I take it to a shop?Yes.However, if the laptop is under warranty or you don't KNOW what you're doing, a shop MAY be PREFERABLE.

Well I've been snooping around google looking for some answers and it hasn't helped me too MUCH so I decided to save myself some time and come here.

Right now I'm looking to upgrade my ram from 2 gb to 3 (or maybe 4 if there's any reason to get 4 on a 32-bit system?) and somebody told me that if I have two different sticks of ram and one is running faster than the other, it will slow down to the speed of the slower stick. I'm not sure if that's true, it sounded legit to me, but if it is how can I figure out how fast my current ram is running? There were also people talking about ram running at the speed of your fsb which I'm not completely sure of, but my mobo's box says it supports 1066mhz ram.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is; how can I find the speed of my orignal stick and given that information what would be best to purchase?

Thanks for any help in advance, I look forward to being amazed at the collective knowledge in this place.

Oh this is on vista, forgot to include that sorry.Travel to Crucial.com and do the online scan...not only will it tell you what RAM is CURRENTLY in there but it will let you know the fastest it will take and how much...
And yes if faster RAM is mixed with slower it will run at the slower speeds...I went there and did the scan but it says it can't find an exact match. I clicked the button to do it manually but my manufacturer patriot isn't on the list. I only got information that didn't pertain to my ram from them basically

thanks for the help though.

Edit: My nvidia control panel says "Memory bus frequency: 1250.37 (ddr) mhz" Is that how fast my ram is running of my bus speed? And I'm pretty sure I have ddr2 ram so why is it saying ddr? Oh the confusion Didn't it tell you the spped of your RAM ?
Didn't it tell you what RAM your MBoard can take ? ?

I thought that was the info you were after.No it didn't tell me the speed of my ram, it said it couldnt find an exact match. All I was really told was my processor speed and how much ram I have and I already knew it was 2gb. I'm just trying to figure out what speed I should buy and wether it's worth it or not to have 4 gb on a 32 bit os.download pc wizard and cpuid.com. itll tell you everything you need to know about you r computer, and yes if you have one stick at a slower speed the others will slow down to the slower speed.Wow my computer pretty much refuses to give me any useful information. I downloaded the cpuid thing and tried to run it, but it stops loading at the detecting busing frequency step. I tried reinstalling twice and letting it run for a while when I was out.

Is there anything I need to know about ram timings that's important to know before purchasing more, and if so are there any more suggestions as to how I can find my information From my scan:

Quote

Currently installed memory:


1GB
1GB
EMPTY
EMPTY



Each memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-6400,DDR2 PC2-8500,DDR2 PC2-5300 with a maximum of 2GB per slot.*

* Maximum Memory Capacity: 8192MB
* Currently Installed Memory: 2GB
* Available Memory Slots: 2
* Number of Banks: 4
* Dual Channel Support: Yes
* CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
* CPU FAMILY: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz Model 15, Stepping 11
* CPU Speed: 2405 MHz
* Although the memory can be installed one module at a time, the best performance comes from using matched pairs of modules.



Q: Will my system recognize the maximum upgrade?

A: Possibly

How much memory your Windows OS will recognize depends on which version of Windows you are running. 32-bit versions of Windows will see (and utilize) only 3GB or 3.5GB. To utilize more memory, install a 64-bit version of your OS. More information about OS memory maximums can be found at http://www.crucial.com/kb/answer.aspx?qid=4251.

Q: What memory goes into my computer, and can I mix speeds?

A: DDR2 memory with support for DDR2 PC2-6400,DDR2 PC2-8500,DDR2 PC2-5300 speeds.

Q: How much memory can my computer handle?

A: 8192MB.

Adding the maximum amount of memory will improve performance and help extend the useful life of your system as you run increasingly demanding software applications in the future.

Q: Do I have to install matching pairs?

A: Yes.

Your system requires that you install memory in pairs.

Q: Does my computer support dual-channel memory?

A: Yes.

To benefit from the performance advantages offered by dual-channel systems, you should install memory in identical pairs. Installing a kitted pair is the best way to ensure that your modules are identical, right down to the chip count.

Q: Does my computer support ECC memory?

A: No.

Your system does not support ECC. Because ECC and non-ECC modules should not be mixed within a system, install the same type of modules that are already in your system.

Ok, so I have a 4CoreDX90-VSTA mobo. It had:

P4 3.0ghz
2gb G.skill ddr400
750gb Seagate SATA
250 IDE
160 IDE
Raidmax RX-500 PSU
NVIDIA 7800GTX 256


And I was upgrading:

NVIDIA GTX 260
ENERMAX EG565P-VE


So here is what I did. I wired it all up, had to re-arrange my hard drives since this new gfx card is huge. I was upgrading my PSU to meet the video card requirements. Anyway, I get it all plugged in, set it up and push the button. The light on the FRONT of my computer lit up, but no noise, nothing. Tried to turn it on/off couple times nothing so I opened it up again and I realized I put the wrong power cord into the cpu power slot. For some REASON, the "NOT FOR CPU" plug fits in the CPU plug. And the Motherboard power, and the NOT FOR CPU power cords are banded together. And the CPU cords were seperate and there were two (dual cpu mobo?) so i thought they were for 4 pin PCI-E power. My GFX uses the dual 6pin.

Anyway, After I unplug the cpu cord, being a trouble shooter, I pushed the power button again, and it all starts up!!! Not sure if the CPU fan turned on, but the PSU for sure and the GFX card fan I believe as well. I instantly noticed a funny smell, looked inside my case and I see a glowing amber colored light that increased in brightness fairly quick. This 'led' was on a chip and It took me only a SECOND to realize this was not right so I held the front power button down, five or six seconds later it shuts off and there is a terrible stinch in my kitchen. Oh, and also one of my ram chips wasn't plugged in correctly.

So anyway, I have a picture of the keypoints of what I talked about. And this is what I would like to know:

Is there a chance i've friend anything besides my mobo? I assume it was 'overcharged' and when unplugged somehow turned on. Regardless, i'm going to buy a new mobo, this of course depends on the condition of my cpu wether i need a new one. I was thinkin of buying a core2. I'm not here for purchase advice, I just want to know what else I might have damaged in case the new mobo doesn't work. Thanks.


[Saving space - attachment deleted by admin]when you say CPU cord, do you mean the AC input?

If the NOT FOR CPU plug fits in the CPU socket- that is why they labelled it NOT FOR CPU.



Quote from: BC_Programmer on September 29, 2008, 09:50:07 PM

when you say CPU cord, do you mean the AC input?

If the NOT FOR CPU plug fits in the CPU socket- that is why they labelled it NOT FOR CPU.

I downloaded that pc wizard to keep my temps on check, I have a 478 socket motherboard and cpu, but when I used pc wizard it tells me that my Mainboard is upgradable to socket 775, have you EVER HEARD of this being DONE? or is it like an adapter that can set in the motherboard to use 775 cpus?What make &mod. # is itbiostar p4m-80 and northwood p4 2.6 ghzThe PC Wizard info is probably incorrect...yeah I think so because the temps are JUMPING on the cpu temps like 3c then to 23c then 37c then back to 25c then 3cYou may want to STOP recommending PC Wizard then...
Here...the program was working realyy good for over a year but the new update for september is where the problem is for the temps, everything else is on the mark but the cpu temp.

Ok I have an HP s3400f slimline tower PC running windows VISTA home premium. It has one open "PCI express x16" slot in it, but the case is pretty small... obviously the plugs on the MOBO are different than pci E. x32, but the actual "hole" on the PC is also smaller. will all pci express x16 cards fit in my computer? Do they all have uniform size? (I'm talking about the metal plate that HOOKS into the outside of the case, not the mobo plug)

also, when a product is labeled "PCI express" does that imply that it's x32?

i have been the victim of several hard drive failures recently so i wish to have an extra drive in my box to backup important info. Is there a way to make it so this drive is not always running but can be used when NEEDED?

i run windows xp pro What about an External Hard Drive?

In fact, if you suspect your hard drive will fail soon, I would get a new one immediately.the old drive was under warranty but i could not wait that long for it to COME through the mail so i purchased a new drive and got my system running again. now i have the replacement drive here and was going to install it as a backup only drive. i was WONDERING if there was a way to have it in the system but only running when i needed it.

I'm not sure, but I don't see the harm in leaving it on as a slave.Probably the easiest and SAFEST way to use that extra drive would be in an external enclosure. They can be had for about $30 and that would allow you to have it plugged in and running ONLY when you need to write to it.
You can't just turn an internal drive on and off at will.
You CAN however set the drives to POWER DOWN in just a few minutes of inactivity, by setting the shutdown time in "Power Management" in your control panel.
I set mine to power-down after ten minutes of inactivity. That saves power and creates less heat inside of the PC.

Most backup programs will write to an external USB drive.

Good luck to you!

The Shadow

I have a Toshiba Satellite P100 which is about 18 months old. (OS is Windows XP) It has developed a problem which I have been unable to fault find myself hence my visit to this forum.
The computer will unexpectedly shut itself down and then reboot with no error messages or indications as to why. When it reboots back up there is no log of the shutdown and no indication of why. It does not seem to be related to memory or cpu load as it will do it in all situations from when simply surfing the web up to running high memory usage games.
So far I have tried the latest Virus scans from Trend Micro Security Pro, and ran a Registry checking program. Also I have not had the problem occur WHILST in safe mode but am UNSURE if this mode "loads" up the system enough.
Also I have completely cleaned all the internals, including both fans and heat sinks on motherboard. The temp does not seem too high but I wanted to eliminate this as a reason. The system has two 1 GB memory chips and ran the computer with one at a time installed (I suspected memory faults) but it still did its own thing and rebooted unexpectedly.
I am about to clean the decks and reinstall Windows XP, but am intersted in any suggestions before I try this approach.
Thanks for any advice in advance
It could in FACT be an overheating issue.

I suggest downloading Speed Fan and installing it.
Once installed, post the temperatures it reads.Thanks for the LINK for the temp monitoring.

I have installed the temp monitor and run the computer for over 2 hours with no shutdown...go figure.

The highest temp readings achieved are:
HDO 33C
CPU0 62C
CPU1 68C
Video Card 63C
Video Ambient 61C

I will continue to monitor and report.

Thanks for your assistanceOk, keep monitoring the temperatures and if/when the computer shuts down, tell us what they are.
Quote from: allawah0401 on September 14, 2008, 10:21:50 AM

Thanks for the link for the temp monitoring.

I have installed the temp monitor and run the computer for over 2 hours with no shutdown...go figure.

The highest temp readings achieved are:
HDO 33C
CPU0 62C
CPU1 68C
Video Card 63C
Video Ambient 61C

Hi I'm having trouble when I TRY to use another monitor. I have a HP533w running Xp and I've been using hp70 series monitor, but when I try using any other monitor the picture shows multiple times and is unusable. I have a laptop w/ XP and I can use the other 2 monitors w/ no problem. I compared the Device mgr list. I found a "General monitor," as well as, a "Hp70" listing on the laptop, but only a "hp70" on the hp533w's list. Can anyone help me. Thanks! (This post maybe familiar to some because I had to re-post since I deleted my old PROFILE for security reasons.) I found that the listing is not "General monitor" BUT "Generic TV" Doesn't anyone have a clue to solve this issue?? Problem solved!! Could you SHARE your solution? I continued to search for help in CH's HELP page and followed the screens for troubleshoot until I got to Hardware troubleshoot page. I then scrolled down to select off the list "monitor troubleshooting." Then had to choose the problem and chose "distorted view." Then I chose "windows issue" and chose document CH000121. I then followed the directions. BUT this didn't solve my problem.

The next day , I went into safe mode again, and then to control panel to appearance to display then clicked Troubleshoot. Then chose "problem multiple monitor" then next choice was "yes" then the next choice was "Yes." The next screen led me back to the original directions listed above except the addition of selecting "Advanced." What I REMEMBER here is clicking an arrow list that gave me the choices of the lowest to highest settings and I found the setting that was given me in CH000121 document, which is 800 x 200 with 256 colors. I chose that one and applied it. I then restarted the computer and problem solved, plus I can still use the hp monitor as well.

I hope this helps someone out there. Basically Windows XP had the answer in HELP and CH helped me get there.



Glad you found a solution and thanks for sharing!

I'd be incredibly thankful if someone could help me!

original build:
evga 7800gt
evga mobo (forget model #)
2gb (2x1gb) corsair xms ram
amd x2 4400
antec truepower 2.0 550 watt

First problems:

Windows XP wouldn't boot up. It would get as far as the BIOS but it would never get to the graphical windows loading screen. The monitor would turn black, and I wouldn't even have to hold the power button to turn it off. It would simply turn off with a press. I left my pc alone for a few months until I could save up enough for parts.

Thinking it had to do with my dying 7800gt video card, I purchased a new EVGA 9800gt.After installing that, I wouldn't get ANY display at all. I tried switching monitors to no avail. Zero display! EVGA tech support said to check my power supply..

At this point I noticed my Antec power supply's fan was not RUNNING! So I went back ONLINE and ordered a brand new corsair 650w power supply (and two sticks of ram, hah). I just plugged everything into their appropriate slots.. Power turns on and things start humming....

Still no display! >_<

Now, I do have some assumptions, but I thought I'd ask you guys for help while I try to figure this out...

1) switch DVI cables. I USED the same cable with the secondary monitor.

2) Get a surge suppressor. I've been running without one for a while. Would the outlet I'm plugging it into be a factor? I am receiving power.

Again, please help! Thanks so much. This sounds like LESS of a graphics card or power supply issue. You get the display showing you it is running the bios right? That means at least the card is working if you see something on the screen at all.

Do you get an option to go to safe mode or anything? I hate to beat against the obvious have you checked your cables and connections to make sure thay are solid?

thank you for your reply!

earlier, i had no option to go to safe mode...

after i installed the 9800gt, i got zero display.

popped the 7800gt back in and still no display.. none at all.

i'll triple check all the connections, but i am positive that they are solid.

one thing i just realized: there's an LCD numerical display on my motherboard that reads "FF" .. anyone know what that means?

Greetings and salutations to all. I am hoping for any insight someone may be able to give.

I have a HP Pavilion DV6000 that my wife uses primarily for school. It is as it came out of the box about 2 years ago running Windows Vista Premium with all updates and service packs. It has AMD Turion processor but I cannot recall the speed and 1GB Ram

Beginning yesterday the machine simply will not start up. When attempting to turn it on the neat little blue lights for the media CONTROLS light up, the HD indicator light comes on only very briefly....then nothing. Completely black screen no signs of life at all other than the blue lights. If left alone LONG enough (30 seconds, sometimes longer) the lights go out and same process repeats.

I've tried removing and reinstalling RAM as was listed in the help section on HP site and removing battery and power supply then pressing "on" for a few seconds then reconnecting (again a tip on HP site) with no luck at all. Only sign of life in it at all is the little blue lights across top of keyboard and that the fan does start for only a moment then shuts off. Do I have a high priced door stopper or is there hope it may survive?Not sure there is anything I can offer but - as ever in these situations wonder if anything has been very recently installed or changed.

It seems you can't of course even reach safe mode but - wonder if it would boot from the OS CD. When power is on - will CD drawer even open?

There is somewhat of a hint of something having failed of 'door stopper' magnitude but for now - let's see what other folks have to offer.Borrow a known good PSU from a friend of the same or GREATER wattage and swap it in there...
If it runs get a new PSU.

Do yourself a favor and don't get a twenty dollar special...

Hi I'm having trouble changing from one monitor to another. I have a HP533w running Xp and I've been using hp70 series monitor, but when I try using any other monitor the picture shows multiple times and is unusable. I have a laptop w/ XP and I can use all my monitors w/ no problem. I compared the Device mgr list and found a "General monitor" listing on the laptop, but only the "hp70" on the hp533w list. Can anyone help me. Thanks!Hmmm....Where'd he go?Yes the "GENERAL" has been found to have never existed. The missing is "Generic TV"Problem solved Uhhh....All right. What did you do?I continued to search for help in CH's HELP page and followed the screens for troubleshoot until I got to Hardware troubleshoot page. I then scrolled down to select off the list "monitor troubleshooting." Then had to choose the problem and chose "distorted view." Then I chose "windows issue" and chose document CH000121. I then followed the directions. BUT this didn't solve my problem.

The next day , I went into safe mode again, and then to control panel to appearance to display then clicked Troubleshoot. Then chose "problem multiple monitor" then next choice was "yes" then the next choice was "Yes." The next screen led me back to the original directions listed above except the addition of SELECTING "Advanced." What I remember here is clicking an arrow list that gave me the choices of the lowest to HIGHEST settings and I found the setting that was GIVEN me in CH000121 document, which is 800 x 200 with 256 colors. I chose that one and applied it. I then RESTARTED the computer and problem solved, plus I can still use the hp monitor as WELL.

I hope this helps someone out there. Basically Windows XP had the answer in HELP and CH helped me get there.


So it appears changing the screen resolution fixed the problem.

Good Work.

This is a staaange problem

I have A Dell Dimension 3100 and i bought it 3 years ago with the windows XP media centre package. It had the Tv tuner and such but it didn't come with a restore disc. So when i had to restore my computer i had to use a normal XP restore disc from another computer. This seems to have really MESSED up my computer as i now do not have my Media Centre, TV options. The strangest thing is though is that my computer no longer plays DVDs. It will play games and will allow you to burn things onto blank CDS. But put in a bought DVD into the DVD RW drive and it just crashes the PC bringing up the 'beginning system memory DUMP' message with the blue background.

I am stuck on what to do as i have no restore disc to refer to and have TRIED installin the drivers on the Dell Website :S.

Any help would be greatly appriciated, if you need to contact me i have msn to talk over

thanks in advance

MattXP is different from Media Center so you will be missing some features you are used to having...
That being said i would travel to Dell's site, enter your Service tag # from the machine and DLoad and install all the available XP drivers...

Chipset drivers ALWAYS go first.will try that now thanks for your help boss hmm hasnt worked, thanks for GETTING back to me so QUICK thought. I'll keep trying What exactly hasn't worked ? ?downloadin the drivers from the dell website, i might just restore again and re download everything, but i dont know if itll work.

I have a TOSHIBA labtop M35X-S309, the computer is on, but the screen is black. I have tried clicking the FN and F5 to try to go through screen OPTIONS, pushed on the little white (screen on and off) button, putting in the recovery CD, try to restart in SAFE mode, the safe mode screen won't even come on. Does anyone have any other recommendations??? If you tilt the screen at an angle or put a light to it, can you SEE anything on it?
It is possible the blacklight is damaged.

I just recieved my new montior Asus VK222.

I plugged it into my new PC (first time it was BOOTED) and it worked. I saw the splash screen logo for my motherboard and then i went into the BIOS. The only things i changed was the time (was out by 6 hours) and i turned off the splash screen on startup.

I saved and exited and the pc rebooted. Now all i get is No VGA Signal on the monitor. I'm using DVI-to-DVI so the VGA message is weird. I have tried using a VGA cable with DVI-to-VGA adapters. Still no luck. Although at times the message becomes No DVI Signal.

I have tried reseating the gfx card, clearing the CMOS and TURNING the computer on and off several times lol (wishful thinking).

Any ideas what may be the problem?

My specs are:
Asus p5n-e SLI board
intel E8400 cpu
2GB kingston hyperx ddr2-800 ram
nvidia geforce 9600gt cardHave you tried booting into safe mode ? ?

On my Dell Inspiron 1501 Laptop, my Battery is no longer charging. What happened was one day I tripped over the cord, and pulled the plug slightly out of the SOCKET. Now, whenever I use the cord, 90% of the time the battery will not charge. It will use the plug's power instead of the battery, but on screen it says: "The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge." It has been like this for a few months now, annoying but never a big problem because of the few TIMES I did use it it was plugged in, and the few times it wasn't the battery was able to charge eventually. Now, I am back in COLLEGE, and don't have power all the time, and the battery has gotten to 0%. No matter what I do now, I am getting that error message, and the battery is staying at 0%, but is still able to run as long as it is plugged in. I have yet to try a new cord, because it is a dell and I HEAR the plug is completely different then all other laptops, but some people are even telling me I need to get a new battery. What are your thoughts on this situation, and if I should go for the new cord, battery, or if there is a way to get this thing to charge?If the power cable can power your computer without the battery, it should be fine.

If the battery is not charging, and you have tried multiple batteries, it is possible you knocked something out of place when you tripped over the wire.

Unfortunately, unless you can get into your laptop, I don't know what you could do.

Is the laptop under WARRANTY?
No, I haven't tryed either multiple batteries or multiple cables yet. I am asking what is the most probable thing to replace. As for being under Warranty, I am not sure. I guess I should just turn it in, if there are no quick fixes.If you don't have a spare battery, or access to another battery for the same model laptop, I don't see anything we can do on this end.

Unless anyone else has any ideas...

My computer info:

HP Vectra VL 420
Bios Version: JA.01.04US
WinXP Home SP1
Pentium 4 CPU 2.00 GHz
1.99 GHz, 512 MB Ram
Motherboard: Version 1.4 2003 American Megatrends, Inc.
AMIBIOS ROM size - 512 KB
Motherboard Manufacturer Code: 1292 Asustek Computer Inc
SMBIOS - HP, HP system board, version A08

Did I forget anything???

Problem: The computer came with an 80 GB drive. only 10 GB allocated to the OS and the rest was allocated to free space and some kind of repair utility.
Several years ago, I installed a 300GB Maxtor (seagate?) as a 2nd drive. I was very cautious not to install extra programs on the C or D drives - I exclusively installed all other programs on the larger 300 GB drive. All was well until a few weeks ago when I kept getting the dreaded 'running out of free space' warning. Then the computer shut down of its own accord several TIMES and I realized that I had to install a new main drive. I have another 250 GB Maxtor drive. I erased it with KillDisk, then tried using MaxBlast 4 to partition it. It seemed to work fine. I got to the part where it tells me to reboot and wait for the blue banner STATING that a DDO is installed, then I'm supposed to click "C" and insert the OS disk, and continue with the install. It all begins well enough, however, after the 2nd or 3rd shutdown in the process, I get the following #90 error: "EZ-Drive has been detected on Drive 0, but EZ-Drive is corrupt. Run the EZ-Drive setup to correct this problem. For EZ-Drive support contact your EZ-Drive provider." Huh?? Anyway, I click OK, then it appears to reboot, and then it says: Error Loading OS.

It's been a long time since I've done this, but I know for SURE I didn't have this problem the last time I went through this process. Can someone give me some guidance here?

I want to install the 250GB as my main drive and keep my 300GB as the 2nd Drive. But I can't seem to get where I want to go....

Thank you in ADVANCE for any help you can provide, but if at all possible, could you try to keep your answers in layman's terms because I'm not a computer wiz or anything....

PAM

thanks carbon,already helping,didn't know u could burn photos to cd's,my daughter has mad photos on this computerNot only photos, but videos, old files (work). Burning them to CD's and deleting them from your computer can free up quite a lot of space. Quote from: delgado on September 26, 2008, 06:31:32 AM

this os came preinstalled

this os came preinstalled
Roll Eyes

my bad it is .99 gb ,sorry

I installed a NEW 250 GIG hard drive on a cable to the COMPUTER as a slave, but when I go to my computer I cant see it.

When the computer boots from cold the bios recognizes it, it just doesnt show up in My Computer?

Can someone give me some insight please as to what I need to do? Dont worry I found it.
Ok Ive initiallized it and the drive shows up as Basic and online but when I check with my computer I dont see it yet??

I know I have to partition it and so on but how do I get the computer to actually see it so I can move on?

This computer is an AMD Athalon 20 GIG hard drive 512 RAM XP SP3

I think you have to format and partition the drive for it to be fully available. The drive may have come with software on a CD for this purpose.indeed- partitioning and formatting would take place in disk management, not windows explorer. (well, you could format in explorer, but not partition it)Thank you Aegis

They STORE didnt give me anything else just the drive.

Ive got it in Computer Management as unallocated so far.
The screens asked me to partition it, so I did that at its full amount (232 gig).

Going through the wizard it asks me to allocate a drive letter to it, and this is where I come unstuck.

I posted about putting the drive in but wanting the data from my both original drives on the 250Gig drive and Patio suggested cloning the drives. A great idea, but its a process Ive never done and there isnt much info on cloning that Ive been able to find yet.

What I'm afraid of, is dedicating a letter to the drive then after I finish "cloning" to it, removing both my old drives and using the new 250Gig drive only to find that the drive letter allocation is not reverseable.

eg: Drives C+D and 250 remove D, in its place 250 as slave, send data from C (has the O/S on it) to 250 (but it has to have a letter assigned to it, Probably D)

Remove 250 and old C:

Replace 250 as New C, copy data from old D to 250. Then delete drive D from the computer box.
Net result is all data from OLD C+D is on 250 as the new C: Drive.

I hope I explained that correctly!!
It sounds very complex.

And is Cloning just a matter of Highlighting the whole lot and Copying to the 250 Gig drive? or is there a command available that says "Clone Drive"?

OR

can I add the 250 drive to the CD Player cable as a slave and do both the old c+d drives at the same time (eg one after the other that is)

My head hurts..... Im going to bed now and I'll get a FRESH look at it tommorrow.

Thank you to all that have helped me. I find you guys amazingly knowledgeable.
Im sure some ppl that come here dont give you enough credit for your help.

I most certainly think your worth your weight in Gold.As far as the letter's being stuck, this shouldn't be a problem. I have heard of it causing issues, but it is also possible to reassign drive letters in Disk management if necessary.


By "clone" I believe it's referring to using a special program (often on a CD included with the Hard Drive) to duplicate the data from one partition to another.

you're plan has one hitch- it won't be bootable. You're data will be on the drive, to be sure, but the boot sector won't be copied. I think recovery console could be used (fixmbr command) but honestly I have always either cloned the boot drive or simply reinstalled everything, depending on how cluttered my previous INSTALL was. That is to say, I haven't really experimented with it myself.


In summary, your plan has a big hitch that I see, the fact that the new drive won't boot from simply having the contents of C:\ copied. In addition, a lot of system files are locked while the OS is running-


Did your new hard drive come with a CD?Quote from: ImnoGuru on September 22, 2008, 09:45:53 AM

They store didnt give me anything else just the drive.

In summary, your plan has a big hitch that I see, the fact that the new drive won't boot from simply having the contents of C:\ copied. In addition, a lot of system files are locked while the OS is running-

This would have done it all

The 250 would have become C: and you wouldn't be re-installing everything....

Sigh.

a Hard Disk Cloning utility would be ideal. Who is the drive manufacturer? often you can download their specially branded cloning utility from their web site.

I have acquired an older Dell Latitide D400 laptop and I am trying to get it up and running. I installed windows XP on it and I would LIKE to connect to the internet wirelessly. I would like some flexibility on my wireless CONNECTING. I would like to ONE USE " hot spots" and also use a list of wireless connections available. Does it require a wireless internet card? Do I have one? What is the name of it? where do I find this info? (easily and so that I can understand it). How do I set this laptop up to connect wirelessly. Maybe I need drivers? if so can you help with that? Don't know where to start or what and how to do it? Any help would be GREATLY appreciateld. Thanks
R. Mc.According to this:
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/dell-latitude-d400-series/1805-3121_7-21207517.html

Product summary CNET's Editor's Choice
The good: Excellent performance for its class; great keyboard and screen; versatile design; built-in wireless networking........

Since you install Windows XP, I would head over to Device Manager and look for any Yellow Question or Exclamation Marks. Post back with the results.

Hello,

Alright, this topic is completely separate from my other MOTHERBOARD frying. I'm dealing with that.

Now with my second computer, though, the HARD drive seems to have stopped working. I don't know what to say about it except one day the computer was running fine, and then a few days later when i started it up it wouldn't recognize the hard drive.

So simply because it was on hand, i tried another hard drive and the motherboard recognized it. Now not only is this a hard drive that windows crashed on, but since you can't quite swap hard drives i tried to reformat it (i didn't have any files really on the first hdd so i was ready to simply switch them). The problem is that it isn't working.

I start up the computer with the windows xp disc and I get to the point of formatting, and it takes forever. I left it running for 6 hours because i forgot about it, and in that 6 hours it completed 2%. In fact, it completed 1% and i happened to be standing up there when it reached 2%, which is how i know it didn't freeze. I tried it on my final computer (the one i'm using) and the same thing happened. Well, i left it for about 30 mins and it was still at 0% so i stopped it.

Obviously my first thought is that it's dead. It's the fact that the format didn't actually fail but take a ridiculously long time that makes me wonder, though.

Is this a simple QUESTION? Is the hard drive done?
I'm going to take more of a look at the original hdd and i might end up back here about that one as well.

ThanksWho is the hard drive manufacturer?

Have you tried downloading their diagnostic software to test the drive in question?I would suggest downloading the diagnostic utilities from the manufacturer of your hard drive. Make the boot CD and run the "long" test on the problematic drive.Quote from: Saviour on September 26, 2008, 09:39:58 PM

Who is the hard drive manufacturer?

Have you tried downloading their diagnostic software to test the drive in question?

It's a Quantum Fireball, and i think you answered my addition question drmsucks: it runs from a boot cd so you don't need windows?

Hello everyone! Boy am I having probs with my new build (See prev. POST!!) My Sata DVD drive was working ok until today, when I decided to make a RAID floppy, I put in the Driver disc & it did not autoplay, so I went to computer & it is not listed anymore. I checked cables etc, went into BIOS & it was there, rebooted but still no luck. Dev.Mngr showed a yellow warning so I reinstalled drivers but WINDOWS said they were ok, but then said code 39, windows cannot load drivers for this device. Please help!!Try one of these:
1. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060
or...
2. Download, and run Restore Missing CD Drive patch
Double click on downloaded file, and ALLOW registry merge.
or...
3. GO to Device Manager, click a "+" sign next to IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers.
You'll see two items:
- ATA Channel0 (or Primary Channel)
- ATA Channel1 (or Secondary Channel)
Right click on each of them, and click Uninstal. Confirm.
Restart Windows. They'll be automatically reinstalled.Many thanks Broni, Step 3) worked. Now the drive is back! AlexmaGood work Mr. 16000.

Cool Thanks it works for me too!!!!!!!!!!!!OH, I'm glad. It's nice to kill two birds with one shot

The image is on CD, so: CD R1 HL-DT-STCD-ROMIt says that it was not made by norton , retry

This is where I wanna murder someone!!!

Guess I should just give up!!Check what kind of files you have on that CD.Files??Try to boot the computer from the Norton Ghost CD he gave you.If the image were on that CD Ghost would START and then point to the image file automatically...
This means that when you created the Ghost image it probably was saved to another drive since Ghost cannot create an image on a drive it is TRYING to image.
Search the CD first for *.gho......if no LUCK then search all the hard drives on that machine for the same thing.Doh! That's right, Patio! It's been a while since I've used Ghost.I called the guy who made the CD, He checked it, it doesn't have some files anymore, guess it won't work.

Thanks guys Search your hard drives for star dot gho files:

Enter *.gho in the search window and hit Enter
If it finds any then they are your Ghost backups. I would check the dates on them and use the most recent one.
Now you simply go back to launching the Ghost PROGRAM and when it asks for image file to restore from point it to the LOCATION of the .gho file...
Good Luck !Quote

I called the guy who made the CD, He checked it, it doesn't have some files anymore

No, I have had windows xp for quite awhile now.. in FACT SINCE close to when it came out. :/
according to what i have read, you will NEED to download catalyst 6.4 for the 9100 IGP.

you can find the catalyst control center and the display DRIVER here

http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/xp/previous/radeon/radeonxip-cat64-xp.html

also, here are instructions on how to uninstall/reinstall drivers.

http://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894Thanks so much for your help

Every time I try to burn CDs and DVDs lately I keep getting an error

Sense: 03 ASC: 0C ASCQ: 00 (Command 2A)
-------------------------------------------------------
Px.dll: 4.4.49.501
PxAFS.DLL: 4.4.49.501
pxdrv.dll: 1.2.31.0
PxMas.dll: 4.4.49.501
PxSFS.DLL: 4.4.49.501
PxWave.dll: 4.4.49.501
pxwma.dll: 1.0.0.3

I'm on A Dell XPS with Windows XP and I'm using Roxio Easy MEDIA Creator 10 Suite. I've used Verbatim CDs and Maxell DVDs and get the same message with each. Anyone know what causes this or what can be done to fix it? Thanks! Google search hasn't been very helpful...

Does this happen with all CD's/DVD's?

I suggest reinstalling the Roxio Suite.

I was using an older version of Roxio before and got the same error, so I got the latest version and started having the same problem after a week.I would have a look in Device Manager and SEE if there are any Yellow Question or Exclamation Marks.

Also, no harm in reinstalling the program.Carbon Dude can u help me.... View my post.. today..Quote from: KennMobelhaus on SEPTEMBER 26, 2008, 02:56:47 AM

Carbon Dude can u help me.... View my post.. today..

I would have a look in Device Manager and see if there are any Yellow Question or Exclamation Marks.

Also, no harm in reinstalling the program.

I have been looking to see if anyone has the same problem, i found some close but well a few variances. My computer is a Pentium 4, windows xp home, with 120 gig hd and 512 memory. When I start it, it will POWER on the fans and everything like it would normally then just stops. The fans still run and the lights are on but no power to hard drive, cd drive or monitor. If I boot it with a cd or floppy it will work while running either of those THINGS but once through it stops, with fans on and lights on. I had it set to do automatic updates with microsoft, and well it tried to do service pack 3 update and for some reason never able to install until the other day. Now this is happening. I did do the recovery cd that came with it but once the cd stopped the computer did the same thing. So it never finished recovering the os and programs. I got half way through with it before it quite. Any HELP would be greatly greatly appreciated!!!!!!

Do you get anything on the screen while it is booting before it just stops? Does it always stop at the same point?Yes, it stops SOMETIMES right after the windows logo appears and sometimes it doesnt get to that. The other day it stayed on for about an hour I believe but now just that little bit. Like it is teasing me. You may have to save all the data you want to save, and then completely re-install Windows and the service packs. (Not much help, I know, but it seems like the operating system has become corrupted.)I have tried that and the minute the recovery cd stops the computer shuts off. If I am running a bootable cd or floppy it will stay on until that is done. very weird huh? Little same what happen to my pc huhh always rebooting in random time... so I format the HDD to the other pc but it getting worst.... now i face another problem can't boot my cd-rom.. hehehe...I wonder if it is a problem with the hard drive, itself?It may be hard drive itself, RAM, or power supply problem.
Run memtest: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic62524.html
Run HD diagnostic: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287

Monitor is lit orange won't go to green says to push any key on key BOARD or move mouse. But when I do nothing happens - the mouse/keyboard is wireless. The wireless device that controls them is not lit - can this be the problem?If the computer is on and the wireless LIGHT is off, that is most likely the problem.

Can you try any wired devices?I'll have to take my wired keyboard over and try it. THANKS! Is there a way to fix the wireless device or will we have to buy a new one?
Which wireless device? The receiver or the keyboard/mouse?

Are you sure it doesn't NEED batteries or it isn't plugged in properly?Replace the batteries in the keyboard/mouse and re-boot...

My system:
Dell Dimension 4400
1g RAM
2.0 ghz P4
Radeon 9550 256mb
Windows XP SP3
HDD Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 40gb

OK, I had 2 HDD's the Seagate, and a 40 gb Western Digital. SOmehow, the WD went BAD. I removed it, and did a fresh XP install on the Seagate. But when it loads Windows, it's extremely slow. It's so slow, it can't keep up with the mouse, and can take up to a half hour to boot up. It can be ANYWHERE from 20 to 30 minutes to load the start menu when I click the start button. I tried an extra 10gb WD HDD but, the same problem. If I run direct x diagnostic It recognizes all my RAM and processor, but I am unable to reinstall video drivers, it just SHUTS down, and will only let me boot into safe mode until I remove the driver. Why would a brand new install on a seperate disc than the one that malfunctioned be so slow. Not spyware/virus slow, but really really slow. Please help. Any advise is much appreciated.
EDIT:
Also, I read a forum that suggested I remove the motherboard battery for 5 minutes, then reattach it. I did, but it reset all my BIOS settings, maybe one of my BIOS settings is incorrect, and causing the PC not to respond correctly. Have you ever had problems with the Seagate before? Such as slow transfer speeds and what not? If it is a 40gb it's probably pretty old...The Drive/controller may have dropped into PIO mode which Windows does automatically if more than 5 or 6 disk errors happen...
Go to Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager and click on IDE/ATA ATAPI controllers to expand it...
Right click Primary IDE Controller and select Properties and then select Advanced...
REPORT back with your findings,
It should be set to UDMA/DMA if available.To answer #1: I doubt it's the actual HDD because I tried the small 10 gb WD HDD from my P3 and it behaves in the same slow way. I think it may be a BIOS setting or something.

To answer #2: I will follow your instructions, it may be an hour to get back, as the PC is so slow it will probably take that long. I will continue to use this old P3 to check this forum with the results, ty for the help so far OK, Patio
I did what you suggested. It is already set to DMA. Any other ideas? I'm completely baffled on this one. Is it possible one of my Bios setting is wrong, because I removed the motherboard battery and reset the BIOS? Also whenever I install the seagate on my P3 600mghz 128mb RAM, it runs fine, which by TROUBLESHOOTING process makes me believe the problem is on the motherboard or BIOS. Try setting the BIOS to "Optimized Defaults" or similar; "Save and Exit."1) Try it on another IDE channel
2) Use a brand new IDE ribbon cable

If you are able to get it recognised in Disk Management right click it and select Properties...
Report back with your findings.

the CD-ROM drive right???

YES i hear spinning on it....

but i can't see the bios settings if i will connect the cd-rom drive....

if i will disconnect it... I can enter the bios settings.....

here is the priority configuration:
1. floppy
2. HDD
3. CD/DVDwhen i can enter the bios I set it like this:

1. cd/dvd
2. disabled
3. disabled

or

1. cd/dvd
2. hdd
3. disabled

but still the same prob....You usually press the plus and minus keys to move your devices up and down in BIOS.
Try this order:

1. CD drive
2. Floppy
3. Hard drive

Are you saying that, when you connect the CD drive, you cannot get into BIOS? yes... I can't get into bios...

i PRESSED f2 for the bios.....

i keep press f2 when the cd-rom drive is connected.. but still i can't get into bios..That is odd.

Do you have another CD drive that you can try?Yes, I have...

but i already tried it...

still the same.....

i tested the cd-rom drive already in the other COMPUTER... There is no problem in the CD-ROM drive....

I think it is the mobo.... i've try the other IDE cable... the new one but still the same

the MOTHERBOARD was fried. GAY

I have a Dell dimension e310 and YESTERDAY it started to read a disk failure i fixed it all (somehow) and now it runs flawlessly, except that it doesn't read EITHER of my drives. I have the original drive that came with the computer but i bought a samsung DVD burner a while ago and had to disconnect the original although i would really like to have both work either one will be fine. There are 2 sets of cables each will fit into the drives. 1 is short and fat with about 5 holes and is in the same bundle as a long and skinny one for pins please any help will be greatly appreciated. I am not very good with computers but i have gotten very familiar with the boot screen and setup screen today. Thanks again for any help.http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3100/en/sm/parts0.htm#wp1244168JJ 3000 thanks it's a bit technical for me but one of my FRIENDS should be able to GO through it with me thanks again

I have an EPSON Stylus Color 777 printer. It works fine but when I print out documents the text size does not look large enough. Can anyone offer advice on how to enlarge the text to print out larger? Thanks.
I have an Intel Pentium 3, 27 GB hard drive, 384 MB RAM, ATi Radeon 7200 video card with 64 MB RAM, with Sound Blaster audio, DVD-Rom, CD BURNER, a 10/100 network card, a US ROBOTICS v90 56k MODEM, and I have Windows XP Pro SP2. Any help is much appreciated.

jandalWhen you decide to print something choose Print Preview instead of print...there you can adjust Font sizing, page layout etc.