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I have a Toshiba Satellite 1805 laptop. I got it about a month ago and the battery was having issues. It wouldn't stay on for more than two minutes. When I could get into windows I would get a low battery message. The ORIGINAL OWNER just wanted rid of it, so he gave it to me.

So I ordered a NEW battery. It came yesterday. I was excited about having a working laptop again. So today I turn it on and the monitor is not working. I can hook it up to an external monitor and see that the COMPUTER is working. If I hold a flashlight up to the screen I can just barely see the image. So I'm thinking that the LCD's backlight or inverter has gone bad.

Does anyone know how to repair the screen? I'm afraid that it is a lost cause.
It works fine other than the screen. I can use it as long as I plug a monitor into it, but I got it to use as a portable computer. I'm pretty handy with electronics but I don't know how hard this screen will be to repair.
Any ideas?

the ANSWER PEOPLE is easy.

More then you NEED.

Ok is its christmas and I got a new geforce nvidia 8800 gt. I turned my computer off. Unpluged everything. Opened the case. Took the old card out(geforce 8300gs). PUT my new one in. Connected what I think is the POWER adaptor to the BACK of my gfx card and the other two plugs into the matching plugs on the power SUPPLY (not sure what the plugs are called. They had 4 boxes in a line is 1 prong in each). Then I plugged my monitor, mouse, and key board in. Turned my computer on and it booted up. Once it got fully booted it went to the "MICROSOFT failed to start up correctly. Looking for possible solutions. If one is found we will attempt to fix it." or something like that. Then 2 seconds later the monitor went extremly dark. I almost thought it was off. Any idea what is wrong? Was I suppose to load the CD in before I plugged in the card? Could I be Im low on power? thank you for the help. Im writing this from anouther computer btw.

MattBump in hopes that I might get this sorted out and ill be able to play total war 2 on uber graphics.What power supply do you have?
Sounds like it could well be a power issue to me.
The documentation with the card and/or PSU will tell you which pwoer connector is required, by the way.

I think I have a problem with my CD ROM DRIVE.

I use LG DVD RW Drive and Windows XP Professional SP3 with Intel P4, 1 GB RAM and Windows Live One Care anti virus programme.

From yesterday onwards I am getting a error message as I have SHOWN in the attachment.
It says "Windows - No Disk".
The DVD drive could able to read and write the cd's and dvd's normally but the error message is not completely disappearing by pressing the 3 options it has provided. It GOES back and reappears again with the same message.

I have tried Windows restore to restore my computer to an earlier time but of no use.

I have also tried to uninstall and reinstall and drive but this is also of no use.
I have tried to update driver but...... no use.
Finally i have disabled the DVD drive, but this also couldnot delete the error message.

Please help me in this regard.

Thanking you in advance.

[attachment deleted by admin]This problem seems to be caused either by malware (virus or spyware etc), or by software following a Windows update or some other software installation or uninstallation (particularly HP, Norton or QuickTime software) trying to check for removable media that isn't there (e.g. disc in DVD drive or card in card reader), when it shouldn't be doing that check.

If you have not RECENTLY done a Windows update, or software, install/uninstall as listed above, you may have a malware problem.

Scan your computer with a virus checker and anti-spyware etc - try more than one product (e.g. there's also NOD32 ESET), clean any infections and reboot.

Next post in CH's malware section.

I dropped my laptop today an i cannot get it to boot up. When i boot up in SAFE mode it works but i every 30 seconds windows EXPLORER needs to restart. But when i normally boot up I see the windows logo and the loading bar but after that the screen does blank.

Toshiba SATELLITE
2G RAM
Windows Vista Office 64-bitRemove the HARD drive and re-seat it...PULLED the Hard Drive out and put it back in and still the same story. Any other ideas?Take it to a repair store. Seriously.

hi am new to the forum and i am in dire need of help if anyone is able to give me advice please .i am working with xp and have tried to create a network using peak powerline home plug turbo . i am trying to connect a laptop and x box to a pc and cable broad band modem .the story so far .
although internet is available to the pc the other DEVICES are recognised on the CONFIGURATION utility but are unable to connect .resulting in no internet connection .this is so frustrating as by all accounts of the systems user they say their networks were set up in 5 Min's this has TAKEN me 2 days and i am sure all ETHERNET cables are connected because the devices are recognised .
please please please can anyone help me get connected on line.
bazza. Not very many have experience with that.
Exactly wish brand are you using? Power line Ethernet is said to be tghe most easy kind to set up if compared to wireless and broadband.
Did you try the FAQ on their website?
Some more details please. Are both machines in the same Workgroup ? ?
How exactly is your Network set up ? ?peak powerline instructions . failed to say turn on all PERIPHERALS before router .
all well and good now .thanks for input .bazza

Good AFTERNOON. New computer user and member here. We are looking for some help in trying to determine what is going on with our Dell Optiplex GX270 desk top computer. It has Windows XP Professional installed. The problem is that when it is turned on the Dell logo APPEARS and then it goes immediately goes into power saving mode. When this happens you cannot turn off the CPU using the power button on the tower so the only ALTERNATIVE is to disconnect the power supply. We then reconnect the power and repeat this process numerous times before it will continue booting up. ADDITIONALLY during use after being in use for a short while it will shut down and the power saving mode message appears and the only way to get it back up is to repeat our start up process. Ths problem started during this past week, there has been no new hard or soft ware installed.
Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks.How OLD is this computer? Is it new?

If so, I would get it replaced (for free) using the reciept or warranty.The Dell is about 5yrs old. Additionally it now won't even do as described in original post. We are beginning to think that the problem may be terminal (no pun intended!!)replace power supply.

I connected my lap top to my hdtv (VIZIO) with a vga connection along with a sound cable. It worked the first time with no PROBLEM and the picture on the tv was almost as high quality as the picture on my lap top. Now when I try to connect my lap top, neither device RECOGNIZES the other. The tv's lap top input is blank and says no signal and the lap top does not change or have a window pop up with options (like it did the first time I connected the two DEVICES). Why is this connection no longer working? How can I fix it?any help WOULD be much apreciated

im running an 8 month old TOSHIBA with VISTA and realtek audio with updated drivers. surround sound speakers bought in iraq were USED on audio output for about a week... then the speakers STARTED acting funny, LIKE with one speaker and one headphone working when headphones were plugged in. then the internal speakers squealed loudly whenever the computer was powered. had to take the speakers out just to get them to stop, and now audio output does not work at all. computer tests both devices as working properly, and drivers are updated.

Toshiba Laptop was working fine until new OS was upgraded. To do that I had to configure system to boot to CDrom. Loaded new system without problems. After I loaded Toshiba system programs I rebooted and then got the Bad Checksum error. Have gone through the process of resetting basic cmos setup and have powered machine off right after to set the new cmos seatings. For the first boot no problem, but next boot, same problem again and the clock had reset to Jan 2000. Any ideas? once again the Toshiba laptop was working fine prior to installing new operating system. Help Please!!!! You need a new CMOS battery. Its a Small coin sized battery on your motherboard.
I don't believe laptops have cr2032 batteries- at least none I've seen.


Sounds LIKE the backup battery is unconnected or discharged, or there is another problem with one of the batteries. most laptops have at least three batteries:

the mains battery, which supplies power when not on AC- and in fact CONDITIONS power from the AC as well.

The "standby" battery, in some computers, which provides enough power to keep the machine running on standby for changing the mains battery. (usually not user-replacable)

the CMOS battery, which may be cr2032, but is often a proprietary type of battery or chip.

Each battery charges the SUBSEQUENTLY listed battery.

Try leaving the machine plugged in to the AC overnight, and see if that helps.The laptops I've opened did have CR2032 batteries (MSI MS-1039, an Advent I FORGOT the model of, and Toshiba Satellite Pro M40).
I wasn't AWARE that some laptops don't have them, thanks for the info BC.must be really old ones then- my thinkpad I know doesn't have one, it has some strange green capacitor type thing labelled "LITHIUM"; and my Toshiba 440CDX I simply haven't been able to dissassemble (stripped screw).I have left it on over night. Still no change in error. However, as I noted in my 1st post there was no problem prior to loading OS. It seems like the process of setting the bios to boot to CD and loading Toshiba laptop programs had something to do with this problem. What do you think about that possibility?

Hello, I think my motherboard might have shorted on me. Here is what happened. Last night was the last time I was on it and everything was working fine no problem. I left it on since then, and came back to it today and it was still on, didn't seem like there was a problem.

I turn on my monitor and nothing comes up, I move the mouse and notice the laser isn't on. Neither are the LIGHTS on my keyboard. So I mess with the USB a little bit and I get nothing. I get inside my computer and start testing things out and here is where I am now.

Everything powers up, my hdds are powering up, my cpu fan is working fine, the video card fan is spinning, and my fans on my case work. But here is where it gets weird, when my cd-rom drives are plugged into the motherboard they won't open. But as soon as I take off the IDE cable so its just connected to the PSU they open fine.

I tried messing with the cmos but that didn't do anything. I also plugged the speaker in to listen for any beeps but thats not working either, I'm not sure if thats because the speaker is OLD and possibly not working or if the motherboard possibly shorted. The thing that gets me is how would anything else recieve power like normal but just not post or anything? Anyways I hope this is enough info, so right now I am at a loss any help is appreciated.I am having this same issue. I had been having intermitted issue where if I powered down my computer for a long period of time it wouldn't power back up. I would have to fiddle with it for AWHILE. I would jiggle cables and replug in stuff and eventually it would work again though the CMOS would always give me a "CPU Settings have Changed" message at post afterwards. The last time I removed my CMOS battery and restarted like that and it seemed to come up fine. Now I get nothing no matter what I do. I replaced the CMOS battery with a new one and have removed everything from the computer and replaced one at a time to see if it will start and get nothing. Case powers up and motherboard LED light comes on but the power switch light on front of case remains off and no POST takes place. I am getting a PSU tester to see if its the PSU but is there any IDEAS what else it could be. Thinking it might also be a dead MB.

Biostar 945P MB
I have four motherboards like that. I am going to put them in an open abox and set them on the sidewalk. I will take a felt pen and write "free" on the box. I hope some youngsters passing by will take them all. sounds like dodgy IDE cables...Replace em with 80-wire IDE cables and try again

Could also be a failed HDD or CDD that is causing this to happen, try plugging them in one at a time to find the culprit.Finally found my MB booklet and got ahold of some more information. There are supposed to be 2 working LED's on MB for alls clear and one is out. The booklet says that means its an VGA error so it looks like it might be my Video Card. Uhhh now I gotta go out and get a cheap one to test it outWhat is your Motherboard?

I have two on mine too but one only lights up when I install a 2x AGP card as they are not supported.

Other one lights up to indicate power going through boardBiostar 965PT
A new video card didnt do it and the psu came back good. Looks like its time for a new motherboard.Quote from: Geek-9pm on December 22, 2008, 11:03:08 PM

I have four motherboards like that. I am going to put them in an open abox and set them on the sidewalk. I will take a felt pen and write "free" on the box. I hope some youngsters passing by will take them all.

i posted something about this the other day and a moderator locked it saying that we cant deal with pirated software issues. It seems that they should read these posts a LITTLE more thuroughly since I am not using a pirated version of vista. Here is the original post. Please read it all the way through before locking the thread again....

So i built this computer a while ago. Originally I had a downloaded version of vista on it but was having ALOT of problems with it so I decided to change the OS. I downloaded a different version of vista that was modded and put it on the computer. Before switching to the new OS my sound worked fine but AFTERWARDS I cant get a thing out of the speakers. Since then I have installed a STORE bought legitimate version of Vista on the computer but the sound is still not working. I have plugged the speakers into a different computer and they are working fine... I have uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers and unplugged the speakers and plugged them back in about a billion times but am still getting the same result. Anyone have any ideas?

Like I said, that is the original post. I am still having the same issue. I have CONTINUED to try to uninstall drivers, checked every plug for the speakers and I am still getting no sound. When I go to plug the speakers in I am getting feedback and i know the speakers arent bad since they will work on my other computer.... Please help!!

I have a old lucky star k7va133 motherboard which it seems like it's hard to FIND info about it but does anyone know what the maximum amount of ram I can have in it?

Chipset is a VIA VT8371 Apollo KX133

This article on the chipset SAYS it can do 2 GB max memory support. With three dimm slots on the motherboard I assume I put 1gb and 2x 512mb sticks in it then?

HTTP://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hope-athlon,161.htmlVisit www.crucial.com and use their Memory Advisor TOOL or System Scanner tool to get some details on the amount of memory your motherboard can support and what configuration of memory modules that would be.

Hello I am currently running a Dell Dimension 3000 with this basic specs.
CPU
Minimum: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
You Have: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.80GHz PASS
CPU Speed
You Have: 2.79 GHz PASS
System RAM
You Have: 1022 MB PASS
Operating System
You Have: Microsoft WINDOWS XP Home EDITION (Build Service Pack 32600) PASS
Video Card
You Have: NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (Intel(R) 82865G Graphics Controller) PASS
Video Card Features - Minimum attributes of your Video Card Video RAM: Required - 32 MB , You have - 96 MB
Video Card 3D Acceleration: Required - Yes , You have - Yes
Video HW Transform & Lighting: Required - Yes , You have - Yes

I play wow alot so someone who does as well would be very helpful, I get 20 fps regulary and drop to about 4 in dalaran.

these are the two i am lookin into

http://dealnews.com/Dell-Studio-Core-2-Quad-2-4-GHz-Desktop-with-20-LCD-for-799-free-shipping/270492.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229042

I UNDERSTAND the second is the better of the two...but is there anyway you could give me an estimate of how many fps the first will give im leaning towards it only because of the monitor

i know this is alot to read so any comments will be of great help

I would suggest a new graphics card if you are worried about FPS.

I am thinking of RUNNING a Raid on my System. I have never done one before but I know its not complex. My question is, which setup should i go with a 0+1 or 1+0 Raid. Main reason I wont go with a Raid 1 because, I want to insure I do not loose data just in case of FAILURE. But At the same time I looking for a increase in performance. Homework; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID. The little chart halfway through should tell you what you want to know.

All hard disks are prone to failure. Your best bet is to Copy it to a CD/DVD. Twice. Store each disk in a nuclear shelter on both sides of the equator.

Ok, then there's the problem that DVDs might not hold data forever. So make sure those bunkers come with a statis field.

I know the general definition for both Raid setups already, what I am really asking (please excuse me for not clarifying what I am asking ) I want someone with knowledge using Raids, because I am looking for someone that has hands on experience with both raid 10 And 0+1 to tell me which raid gives overall better performance. How many hard drives do you have? Raid 0+1 or 1+0 require a minimum of 4 disks. If you're comparing Raid 0 vs. Raid 1, then I believe Raid 0 gives yields the best overall performance improvement, per http://m-techlaptops.com/raid.htm. But, Raid 1 also has a performance advantage over single, i.e. non-Raid, drive systems because it has Twice the Read transaction rate of single disks, but same Write transaction rate as single disks.
Well I am concerned about having a complete Updated backup of my data that is why i narrowed my choices to 10 or 0+1 , And yes I am going to be PURCHASING 4 Seagate 250 GB Drives Be sure to read the section on Nested levels in the link Raptor posted. I think the facts there will be your basis for deciding.

Quote from: joevh09 on December 26, 2008, 11:27:16 AM

Quote from: Joshuashaw on December 26, 2008, 10:47:49 AM

I would prob end up buying another desktop or paying someone to build one, ALTHOUGH my step-dad is apparently fluent in computer language and could build one up if it is cheaper to my advance, I suppose I just need to LOOK into the possibilties, after all I do have til December '09.

It would be a lot cheaper to have someone build one for, and you would get exactly what you want into the pc if someone were to build it.

that's a good question, and it really depends on the ratio of seniors in your neighborhood. The more there are, the more likely your living near a motor home park or similar establishment; following that line of thought we can assume you could have a old folk infestation in the RAFTERS and walls. They'd chew away at the wood, but they haven't any teeth, so you'll just hear soft moans from your walls.

when your sleeping, the old folks will come out and use your computer for on-line shopping and disclose their credit card number for all to see. However, they rely heavily on cookies to remember passwords(heck they rely on relatives to remember their last name sometimes); thus the requirement for a repair install and deleting of the cookies. without access to online shopping, the seniors will become confused, and fixated on your tool shed. Care should be taken to sharpen your tools in the shed, as they often start fighting each other randomly. This helps you financially since you could sell tickets to your "Senior Scuffle" games, which only lasts until the police arrive and break up the party, at which point you can claim ignorance on the whole issue.this is before I started doing this on a usual basis."Woom".....Quote from: BC_Programmer on December 13, 2008, 07:04:39 PM

that's a good question, and it really depends on the ratio of seniors in your neighborhood. The more there are, the more likely your living near a motor home park or similar establishment; following that line of thought we can assume you could have a old folk infestation in the rafters and walls. They'd chew away at the wood, but they haven't any teeth, so you'll just hear soft moans from your walls.

when your sleeping, the old folks will come out and use your computer for on-line shopping and disclose their credit card number for all to see. However, they rely heavily on cookies to remember passwords(heck they rely on relatives to remember their last name sometimes); thus the requirement for a repair install and deleting of the cookies. without access to online shopping, the seniors will become confused, and fixated on your tool shed. Care should be taken to sharpen your tools in the shed, as they often start fighting each other randomly. This helps you financially since you could sell tickets to your "Senior Scuffle" games, which only lasts until the police arrive and break up the party, at which point you can claim ignorance on the whole issue.

this is before I started doing this on a usual basis.

I have SEARCHED the forum under HARDWARE--(printer is busy)--no info; I changed the ink cartridge then could not print; using dell computer, windows xp; dell printer with copier, fax;
there is no tape on the cartridge covering the ink port; the printer and computer are connected;
the only other possiblity is that the color cartridge is almost out of ink, however, I have also CHECKED print in black and white only with no results; can't FIND an answer.
Any suggestions? thank youDisconnect printer from the computer, and from the power source.
Uninstall printer driver through Device Manager.
Restart computer.
Reconnect printer's power.
Reinstall printer driver, and reconnect the printer to the computer, when ASKED during installation.

i have a emachines w3107 with amd sempron 3100 processor. it has a integrated nvidia geforce 6100 video card. a few weeks ago i lost all of my red color to my display, i only have a bluish green tint. so i bought a sparkle geforce 6600 ,256mb ddr +DV + HDTV +TV out + CRT card and installed it in my pci-e slot. it worked good for about a week, and then it would only put red and black blobs with what looked like tiny x's across the screen. i swapped back to my integrated card and have been using it AGIN. it still has the weird tint but i can see to use it.i pulled out my new card and looked things over, when i put it back in it gives the message no input signal, check video cable. i know the cable is good, because i am using it when i use the itegrated card. i figure my new card was dead so i SENT it back and they sent me a new one. well it gives me the same message about no signal.does it sound like i have major problems? maybe a motherboard problem ? as i am low on funds, due to the holidays, any help or info would be greatly appreciated..........thanksI would try another monitor...if it does the same thing it's the vid card...if not it's the monitor.i had hooked up my monitor to my laptop when i first started having these problems and everything works fine.what are the odds of a new video card going bad after a week, and then another new card being bad out of the box ?All i can tell you is i've seen it before...THANKS for the replys patio. i dont have an extra video card that i can try. and i hate to go buy another new one just to use to test it out. so i will have to think about which way to go with this.Do you have a friend you can borrow one from ? ?
I wouldn't put too much money into an eMachines myself but only you can decide that in your situation...i am having to think about that. i got a dead tower from a friend but it only has a integrated card. i have another friend who may have a card lying arount that i could borrow. if not, i guess i could steal the card out of my wifes comp, abd give it a tryo.k wifes card wont work. her card is for the wrong type of slot. bout my luck. so i am going to check with my friend.well i couldnt CATCH up with my buddy.so i checked with the only computer place in town and he didnt even have a card that would fit my mobo.he said to disable my onboard and then try to reinstall my new card. but when i went in to do it, i coulnt find the onboard to disable it. well i have TRIED everyone i know of that may have a video card i could try, or a comp with a pci express x16 slot.and still no luck.also i dont know if i am just not looking in the right place place or what, but i cannott find anywhere in my system where it even shows that i have a video card installed. all that i can find is my onboard card. anyone have any ideas ?ok update time. i finally found someone with the right mobo in there system . i plugged in my video card and everything worked fine.so now i know that the new card isnt the problem.so now i am not sure which way to go.any new info would be appreciated

I have an HPa6300f pavillion, I'm going to upgrade to 4g ram, GT9800 512mb video card. I need a bigger Power Supply, probably at least 600w. How do I KNOW what size to get so it will fit in my case? Any reccomonendations or suggestions. I want to keep it under 100 dollars if at all possible.Power Supply's Are pretty much universal in size for the most part. Make sure when purchasing the power supply it comes with the proper connectors for your PC's components. I purchase all my hardware at Newegg.com / tigerdirect.com Here are a few PSU's I recommend:

HTTP://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341001

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

And i do believe all the products i just LISTED have FREE shipping! Mini ATX is a bit smaller than regular ATX but if this is a Pavilion it will take an ATX size...
As stated decide on a price point and post your specs of what else is in the machine and we can advise further....http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883107511 here are my specs. Okay that makes sense, so ATX is a size of power supply.Correct...

ok well i bought new parts from a store near me, the parts were designed specifically for gaming and dvd's.
my system is as FOLLOWED;

Motherboard: LanParty DK 790FX series
CPU : AMD Atlon 64x2 duel core processor 5600+ 2.90 GHZ
Ram: 4g of Corsair ddr2 ram
Graphics: MSI Raedon 4850
Western digital 160g IDE Hardisc
HP Dvdl1035 DVD drive
Operating system: WINDOWS xp Sp3

ok so the problem is that windows boots really SLOWLY and software E.g games take for ever to install, the desktop is really slow and can only support a couple of programes at a TIME, where as my old system : P4, AGP graphics and 2g of ram had no problems at all, i know this is not a PSU issue as my mate has pretty much ths same system and his runs with no problems at all. also what really blows my mind with this problem is that once the game/programme is installed it runs fine.(not the computer, the game) e.g last night i was playing Guild wars and there was not lag (except for the occasional internet lag) so im am really confused and would really like some help

thanks
Did you install the MBoard drivers from the LANParty CD ? ?Quote from: patio on December 26, 2008, 06:19:28 PM

Did you install the MBoard drivers from the LANParty CD ? ?

It's christmas time, and i got a new processor and a new case for christmas.

I install everything, plug everything up, turn the power supply on, press the on button.....


..... Nothing.

Was like, ok, i didn't plug something up. I check everything, try again, nothing.

Open it up, and look inside. Once i turned on the powersupply, the fans would spin once, stop, and two SECONDS later spin again.

I unplugged everything, and tried to just get it too boot up, same thing.

So i figured it was the power suplly, wen't out, bought a new one since my old one was still in warrentt...


Not it. Tried the new power supply on an old computer, not it.

Hooked everything BACK up same issue.

Unhooked everything, same issue.

So i have narrowed it down to two possible choices

1. Motherboard
2. Processor.

Now for a three...

Something minor i don't know about?

Thanks.A bad floppy drive can do that.
Maybe you were in a hurry and did not read all the information in the motherboard BOOK. Sometimes they ship with the jumpers not set right.
Did you forget the extra plug to the motherboard from the Power Supply?
Was the motherboard tested by the vendor before they sent it?
Not all do that for you.I don't have a floopy drive, and the processor is new, before this all the other parts where working. This was the same board that i was using.Thats why i either had to mess up the motherboard, or the processor, or i am not doing something right, like i said, i checked and rechecked everything, with no luck.Supercreck - Welcome to the CH forums.

You haven't given us much to go on, how about telling us your hardware setup especially the motherboard and new processor specs, we COULD at least then check compatibility.

Please read this..

KKK sorry,

550 Watt Power supply Thermalke black widow (this is the new one i bought, but i need to get an 8 pin for the motherboard, but i couldn't get it to boot with the other)

Motherboard - XFX 750a AM2+ socket

(New) Phenom 9950 2.6 GIG true quad core (old) Nvidia 3800 Athlon X2

2 gig gskill ram ddr2

250 hd

cd/dvd combo

8800 gt alphadog

Nzxt Case (new)

I'm not sure if this is a hardware or OS problem, seems more likely to be hardware.

Anyways, my laptop will just blink off every so often. It does not shut down, the screen simply goes blank. Any AUDIO playing begins acting like a skipping record for a few seconds, then goes SILENT. All indicator light (power, battery, plug, etc) continue to act normally.

This laptop is about a year and a half old. There seems to be no corrrelation as to when it cuts out. Playing a game, surfing the net, watching a movie, it's random. This has been going on for approximately a month or so, and becoming more frequent. I am nearing the memory limit, but that shouldn't affect this, should it?

Information:
Toshiba Satellite A215-S4747
Windows Vista
Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control METHOD Battery
ACPI x86-based PC
TOSHIBA MK2035GSS ATA Device
ATI Radeon X1200
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T20N ATA Device
Texas Instruments PCIxx12 Integrated FlashMedia Controller
TOSHIBA Software Modem
AMD Turion(tm) 64 X2 MOBILE Technology TL-56
Microsoft iSCSI Initiator

Probably more than is needed, but that's better than not enough. If you need other information, let me know.How much free space do you have on your hard drive?

Did you make any hardware or software changes before this started?

What happens if you plug in an external MONITOR?

Do you have any virus protection?

Have you tried System Restore?

How long has it been since you did a disk cleanup and defrag?

If you go into BIOS, does the screen blink off?

Hey Everyone,

I have an old HP Pavilion a815n. The only upgrade I have ever done to it was Ram about 2 years ago. I just recently returned from Iraq and the Computer needed a restore. I did a back up of all the nice stuff, pictures and what not, and reset it back to the factory settings. My wife and I both have Laptops so this computer was not our everyday user. I got my wife a new desk for Christmas the other day so I unplugged the computer and everything else on her old desk and set it to the side. After COMPLETING the new desk I hooked everything back up the way it was before I had started. The desktop wouldn't power up. I pulled the side of and blew years of dust out of every little place, then checked all the connections. Nothing was unplugged, out of place, and there was no leakage of any of the capacitors. The light on the power supply blinks randomly. I LIVE in Germany, and the power in my house is 110 and 220. The power supply has settings for both. At first I though that there was not enough power going to it so I tried to turn it on PLUGGED in to 220. The light WOULD still just blink. Its funny, because when I unplugged the power cable, then unplugged the motherboard, the green light was solid. Do any of you have any other suggestions as to what else I could try? Like I said before, it is not my main computer, but I had my set up to just brose the internet and message and stuff. All my tech buddies from the Army are home in the states or on leave for the Holidays. Thanks and Late Merry Christmas/Happy New Year..I would borrow a known good PSU of the same or greater wattage and swap it in there...
This will let you know if it is the culprit.I was actually going to head down to the recycle point here on base and see if they have any old CPUs lying around. Thanks for the suggestion. I will let you know how it turns out.Some components especially PSU's will die from just sitting around without any usage...especially if they are cheap ONES.

I had to reformat the disc on mty t20 ibm thinkpad.
Reloaded 200 all ok.
in the display mode it will only give vga mode 16 colours.
How do I get the type of graphic card in the machine and how do I get it to work?
thankyouRe-install both the MBoard and graphics drivers for that machine...
They will be on a Tecrsa CD labelled Drivers.
If you do not have it travel to their website.You should have save your graphic drivers.
ANYWAY, if you can get on the internet, try to find both the motherboard and video drivers for your system. Or, you could go into device manager, select the video adapter and try to update the adapter using windows update service. Sometimes that works. Or do it like this:
Here is a screen shot:

You can get to the drive from the desktop. > display properties > adapter >driver >update drive.
And pick windows update. Otherwise you have to get it off hte site of WHOEVER made your computer and video graphics.
Why on Earth you would suggest Windows Update for drivers is beyond me...Thank yu patio.
I have googled tecrsa but cannot find.
would you have the address?Here you go

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-4JSQHB.htmlPatio said:
Quote

Why on Earth you would suggest Windows Update for drivers is beyond me...

Why on Earth you would suggest Windows Update for drivers is beyond me...

How do I get the machine to accept the driver and stop opening in vga default.

Why is it we get all the idiot posters APPEARING at this time of year?you say that like it's some simple configuration change. I doubt any video driver has a "use as red channel for use with merging video circuitry for one monitor".

Quote from: Dias de verano on December 25, 2008, 05:00:22 PM

Why is it we get all the idiot posters appearing at this time of year?

Well then if that's the situation short of getting another monitor then you NEED a KVM switch as Soybean stated...
You cannot run both machines at once though...if this is what you're thinking.

Code: [Select]you say that like it's some simple configuration change.The Topic Started said he wanted to "Morph" the two computers. This step would require some local surgery on the VGA cables.

Less that a hour of work.

Hard part is put the two video cards in sync. Maybe somebody knows how to do that

Please tell me your joking.

Hello, my mother has a relatively new Compaq Presario F572US LAPTOP that won't boot reliably. Usually, after you press the power button, the lights come on, the fan spins a bit and the CD drive makes a LITTLE noise, but nothing ever comes up on the screen. It then powers itself off and does it all over again. Sometimes it does this power cycling a few times and then the Compaq splash screen comes up, or it just powers off again without booting. Once it does boot (if I am so lucky), the computer works fine. I am writing this on it even. I tried flashing the BIOS to the most up to date and that didn't help. I am only here for another day and I am running out of ideas on how to fix this, if it even is fixable. I've read somewhere that HP and Compaq had a lot of bad motherboards. Unfortunately, my mother has owned this for 1.5 years, yet she stopped using it after only 6 months and now I'm afraid her warranty is up. Thank you all for any help you can give and Merry Christmas!

The laptop is a Compaq Presario F572US:
AMD Athlon X2 1.7Ghz
1GB RAM
NVIDIA Chipset and integrated graphicsWhy did she stop using it? Is the battery in it? Try removing the battery and then starting it. Does that work?

Can you see the Recovery partition? I believe it will identified by Windows as drive D.

Does the computer show the correct time after startup?Quote from: soybean on December 25, 2008, 06:16:18 PM

Why did she stop using it? Is the battery in it? Try removing the battery and then starting it. Does that work?

Can you see the Recovery partition? I believe it will identified by Windows as drive D.

Does the computer show the correct time after startup?

I am tempted to just tell her not to ever shut it down, but we all know that is impractical, especially since every major update from MS requires a restart.

Hi. I am going to buy more ram for my laptop and this is my question. Each SLOT SUPPORTS 2 gigs of ram, but obviously windows will only see 3 and on crucial scan it says the maximum amount of ram SUPPORTED is 3. If I were to buy 4 gigs (2X 2 gig chips) would they both still work only recognizing 4 gigs or do I need to buy only 3 gigs. Thank you in advanceIf 4G is cheaper than 1g +2 x 512MG then it will do no harm to install 4G...
Did you RUN the scans over at Crucial to verify this ? ?

I have a laptop with 2000 proffessional in.
on the key board the " key gives @ anf the @ key gives ".When typed.
This is the same on a desktop.
How do I reasign the keys.
thankyouIf I remember right - go to control panel --> regional and language options .... the choice of English US as against English UK - or VICE versa should set up the keyboard to suit ..... assuming US keyboard set for English US and UK keyboard set up for English UK - etc.

There may be even another SETTING mode but it's way too long since I NEEDED it.!thankyou

Hi, Thanks in advance for the help. I have an older Acer CRT Monitor, that I can’t afford to replace right now. Model number is either 7133S, or 71335. – Monitor picture is perfect at computer start up (with windows xp): dell startup perfect, windows startup perfect… and then when it gets to the user sign-in screen it messes up. The user signin screen is duplicated five times side-by-side. – Any ideas? Drivers, downloads, fixes?? It has done this before and snapped out of it, but not this time. Thanks-AllieJust after the BIOS finishes, start tapping F8 to get to the startup menu.
Select VGA Mode from the list and boot into windows.
Set your resolution to something medium but not low eg 1024x768.
Restart and it should be fixed.

If that worked, here's why:
Your video card was outputting a resolutions too high for the monitor to display, but rather than the monitor shutting off, it decides, *censored* I'll just display what I can and the result is what you see

I've had this a few times...It is only really on the older MONITORS though, newer ones have features that turn themselves off to prevent any damage from occurring.

KurtisHi Kurtis, Thanks so much! It worked like a charm. My hero

... Since you a guru, perhaps you can help with the other computer that's messed up. (Why do these things happen in multiples?) My laptop is also not working right, and again I can't afford to replace it right now.-- It's a Compaq Presario V5000 running windows xp. The bottom third of the screen is all messed up. The top two thirds is normal. The bottom third is black with vertical colored lines. Any ideas? I'd really appreciate it!

And to return your kindness please ask me for help in the following areas that I am knowledgeable: business development, marketing, pr, recruitment/ job placement.

Thanks again, AllieGlad to hear that

I may be just about to become a lot more unpopular with you but I can tell you that does not sound good.

For a LCD monitor to show lines/black space normally means it is cracked under the plastic/glass covering, or the connection to the monitor is not secure in those places.

Though it could be ok, because I can't tell what you mean exactly. Are the lines thick and evenly spaced or completely random and thin? Is there any way you can get a picture of it? you can upload Jpeg's under 256KB to the forum under the additional options arrow just under the reply box (so just make sure you take a smaller picture, eg 800x600 instead of 1280x1024 or something like that.Hi again and thanks again- Unfortunately I have no means of taking a pic and sending it- no digital camera yet. But I can give more details. I doubt that it's cracked, because it rarely gets moved. At the beginning of this problem he bottom third showed the wallpaper displayed, yet it would get fuzzy. Then it turned to the bottom third being a dark background color with vertical lines. The lines and colors are of varying widths and change. They seem to pick up the colors in whatever is displayed on the top part of working display. So, when the display changes, the colors and lines change too.

Hope this helps because I really need this laptop. And the problem appeared without any incident preceeding it. Fine one mnute, mutant the next.

Thanks again-Allie Ok - More questions.

Do the lines appear as soon as you turn it on?

If so then the screen is stuffed, you could use an external monitor but that kind of defeats the purpose of having a laptop,

but if they only appear after coming into windows, it could be GRAPHICS card RAM that is stuffed.

Do they appear in safe mode? (same way with the F8 button just select safe mode)Hi Kurtis, Hope you've been having happy holidays! Sorry to now get back to you after all your kind help. I have a wicked flu. ---

Weird things about this laptop monitor: I haven't been able to officially "shut down" or "restart" since both buttons were below the area that was weirded out. Lines have been on at all stages: when waking from hibernation, at user screen, during use... Tried to see if it was in safe mode and it kinda froze-wouldn't let me select safe mode, had to shut down. And how do I determine if my "graphics card RAM is stuffed"?

Then yesterday, it just started flickering back in. The wallpaper would show thru on bottom , then fade out. Then lines, etc.... Now it's back to normal! I don't know why, it's been out for quite awhile.

I'd still like to figure out what the problem has been with your kind help. That way I'll know if it can be fixed, and how much parts are, etc... A few things I thought I'd mention that might help: monitor is set on "multiple monitors"- is that correct? What does it mean?-- And the display is a ATI Mobility Radeon Xpress 200 series, if that helps. I downloaded the most current driver.-- Also the monitor option is set on "generic television", instead of the other options "default", or "plug & play." Should it be set on one of the others?-- And lastl, while it has been working agan, it did flicker to liines on bottom very briefly when I picked it up once. Could there be a pinched wire in hinges?

I know I'm being very needy here. I appreciate your kind help so very, very much. I'm a great researcher in so many areas. But when you're as CLUELESS as I in this stuff- it's hard to know where to start.

Bless you for your kind help, again. And remember to ask for my help in the areas I listed for you.--AllieHello again That's not good to hear! Flu's are horrible things! And same to you I hope your holidays were going well too.

Quote from: hungry_mind on DECEMBER 27, 2008, 03:34:31 PM

And lastly, while it has been working again, it did flicker to liines on bottom very briefly when I picked it up once. Could there be a pinched wire in hinges?

Have managed to install a new HARD DRIVE along with my OLD hard drive, am on vista 64 bit hp. my computer is an nforce 4 a939 motherboard. Would like to know how i can transfer some of my PROGRAMMES and files from the old hard drive to my new hard drive. Thanls. You can transfer the data files [I don't know if Vista has the "Files & Transfer Wizard" on it] but you'll need to reinstall any of your applications.

Alan <>< Have installed all my applications and drives, just need to transfer some files and programmes from the old drive to the new one THATS all.

My Hyundai M-Life laptop was too slow and hangs. The agent says mobo hit by lightning and need to be replaced - a used one cost $160. How come laptop works but only too slow and no startup. Should I go ahead or have a second opinion? Thanks. If your motherboard was 'hit by lightning', you most likely would not have a functioning laptop in front of you.

Define Quote

How come laptop works but only too slow and no startup.

If I take care of my laptop that is to detach the power and internet cables when not in use - can I avoid any surge or stray lightning strike?

A new laptop of this brand will cost $600. What do you think; is it worth spending the $160 and maintain protection of laptop or trash it and look for a new one? It is less than 3 years old. Is warranty period really important?

I had a malware problem which really irritated me, it refused to go, so in the end I ended up rebooting my Dell Dimension 9100 back to the shop standards, I did back all my FILES up onto a Maxtor Basics 500GB external hard-drive, I had an error code which I presumed was because of a malware infection, but now I've rebooted it, I still get this "resycled\boot.com is not a valid Win32 application", I presumed because of the spelling mistake 'resycled' it was malware originally, what do you guys think my problem is?

I get this error when I simply double click on the drive in My Computer, but I can right click & explore, and get into the hard-drive fine.

Any help much appreciated.The spelling is the clue.

resycled/boot.com is a worm that propagates on local fixed and removable USB drives. It infects drives via autorun.inf files it creates that run a command each time the drive is accessed. Malicious files will be copied to drives attached on infected computer. It probably infected your USB drive which is why you got it back after you "rebooted". (Did you mean you reinstalled Windows?) Re post in the malware section, where the qualified experts can help you. Yes, rebooted to shop standard Windows XP with Service Pack 2 until I'm fully clean and then I'll up to Service Pack 3, I've also posted a thread in the Antivirus/malware forum.reboot simply means to restart your computer... "reformat" is probably the word that better describes what you had done.Okay, apologies.

Dias de verano, thanks very much for you stating the obvious, I google the virus name and came across a small freeware software developed by SUBS called Flash Disinfector what kills problems like mine. Hopefully I shouldn't have this problem again. I don't normally comment on the format/reformat terminology, but it does bug me a bit. To "format" a disk means to lay down a file system on it. Whether it be FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, ext3, reiserfs, whetever. I suppose it it had been formatted already, you could put a 're' in front of the 'format' but it isn't really needed. However, these days a lot of people refer to the whole process of formatting a disk and reinstalling Windows on it as 'reformatting' which I don't really like but I suppose I'm in a minority.


your right- I don't usually use the term Reformat to INDICATE a complete reinstall of an OS as well as a format of the disk containing it. I was merely giving them a more appropriate term then that they USED- reformat is far closer to format/install then "restart", albiet not completely accurate for the ACTION being referred to.

I am trying to add a slave hard drive to a desktop that I have. Normally I can figure out which pins to put the jumper on. I recently picked up an OLDER compaq and removed the hard drive, I am going to install it as a slave in one of my working machines. The jumper config is a little confusing to me. I was hoping someone could shed some LIGHT on the subject.

The hard drive is a Western Digital and has 5 rows of pins.
The FIRST row has only one pin. then there are 4 more rows of two.
The instructions on the hard drive read.

single: 1 to 2 7 to 8
master: 5 to 6 7 to 8
slave: 1 to 2 3 to 4
cable select: 1 to 2 5 to 6
See if this will help ......... if you need info for SATA drive and things look different - go to WD website and dig - that's where I grabbed this PIC ......

Hey everyone.

Im having a few problems with my new Dell Vostro 1510

I didnt wanna post each question, so could SOMEONE add me on my hotmail to help me out.

I wont post it in the topic, but if you wanna add me, tell me, and ill tell you my email.

One of the problems is:

When my adapter is plugged into the laptop, my touchpad doesnt work PROPERLY. It freezes, then moves, then freezes, and its very weird. It goes back to normal once I unplug it.

That is just 1 of my few problems with my dell.

Thanks for the help in advance.

- Zain

P.s Dell was of no help. I called them SEVERAL times. Either they dont pick up, or they say that I have to contact something else...
Have you called Dell?yes, they were of no helpQuote from: Zain on December 28, 2008, 01:30:40 AM

yes, they were of no help

Dell OPTI PLEX GX 260
When Booting it starts normally and try's to start windows 2k then flashes the blue screen of Death at me to fast to read. I think I got a drive FAULT but I cant read it to find out. Tried safe mode and everything else shut of other drives in boot settings nothing works. Help me it just keeps rolling over and over trying to boot and cant then starts over. Please Help In safemode GO to Control Panel/System/Advanced/Startup and Recovery and uncheck "auto RESTART on errors"
...
This will let you see the full BSOD next time you get one.OK I pressed F8 and selected safe mode and It still wont Boot so I cant get to control panel what else should I try?OK I reloaded win 2k again there are two on the hard drive. one will boot and one wont so I guess the operating system got corrupt somehow. how do I move everything from the corrupt to the new good operating system?.

I bought new INK yesterday, i went to PRINT something of but the picture has lines through it and the image is not clear.
My printer is only a year old now, so im sure it can't be broke. Also IVE always bought the RIGHT make of ink for my printer.
Thank youThere should be a "cleaning" cycle for your printer. Typically it involves pressing a series of keys on your printer or using a utility from the manufacturer.

Check Epson's website for info.

The other the day I got a new LCD tv. I PLUGGED my laptop (vista) into the pc port and it worked FINE. However, now for some reason when i plug my laptop into the LCD the LCD doesnt display anything and my laptop simply shows my background display and im unable to change any of the settings because there is no icons or start menu. When i first plugged in the LCD it gave me options of whether to mirror the monitor etc. How can i GET this option again. I have since plugged the laptop into other monitors and LCD TVS and it works fine...just not mine.
any help would be great.

ThanksRight-click anywhere on your Desktop -> left-click "Personalize" -> click "Display Settings" - > click "Advanced settings." Is there a tab that references your VIDEO adapter? If so, click that. There may be an option there to setup multiple monitors.

alright well i got a bit of money for christmas and i decided i'd like to upgrade my graphics card. im currently using the 256 MB ATI x1300. my computer is using PCI Express ports for the card.

im a gamer and plan on playing NEW games so i need at least a 512 MB card. wut do u think the best would be for me to get considering that the max of my price range is about $250.

also i was wondering if u think i would need a new power source to USE a much more powerful card.

my computer is a DELL DIMENSION E520. ill check back later tonite, thanks in advance!I would bet you will need a better ps.

It would be nice to have a few specs so we could help you. Processor/ ram/ current power supply just to name the most important. My guess is your current system will bottleneck a top end card. its intel core 2 duo 1.8 GHz processor
2 GB of ram
im using vista(not sure if that matters)

im not sure how to FIND what power source i have, any help?Most power SUPPLIES have a tag on the back or bottom.

If it were me, I would just plan on buying a new, quality power supply. A power supply that does not provide enough power, or is not of good quality can cause all kinds of problems.alright well i wasnt ABLE to see any lable or tag but i assume its a firly standard dell power supply, the computer is only about 2 years old.Depending on your budget, get an ATI Radeon HD 4850 if you don't want to spend more than $200 or a 4870 if you do.

As for power supply, make sure it's at least 550W with multiple +12V rails. It should also have a dedicated connector that connects to your video card.ya i think i will go with the 4850 thanks. i was wondering what the difference was bettween ddr3 and ddr2 cards and which one will be better for me, what do u guys think?

HP - Vista system. Had corded MOUSE with round PRONG plug. New mouse is a Microsoft wireless and appears to be recognized (in control panel) but does not control of pointer. I needed to replug in the old mouse to direct anything. I have shut down and started up with just the new mouse - didn't work. I have checked properties and updated drivers - both mouse say all updated and working properly. Any suggestions? Did you install the mouse software ? ?
Any wireless devices near the machine ? ?
Replace the batteries.
Then RUN the setup settings in Control Panel/Mouse.

Some recievers have a small button you need to PRESS first to establish a CONNECTION...
If all this fails return it as defective.

Hi-

I've been to about 10 sites searching for how to change a cmos battery and every one has said something LIKE, "...write down the necessary bios settings." But they neglect to mention what those settings are.

I've been into the bios before and it looks like a maze to me with 10 screens of settings and 100 ways to screw it up . Somebody, please post a list of what settings I need to write down, or a to a URL with the settings.

It's a friends machine. It's running Win98 and it's an HP. If you need other info, please ask.

Thanks, much!
HomerSet the bios to best known config. or DEFAULT, if there is a setting in bios?Actually this will happen automatically if the battery is changed out...Thanks for the replies!

I just want make sure I'm understanding correctly: it sounds like you're saying that when I replace the battery the bios will automatically reset. Is that CORRECT?

I'm confused because I Googled it and several articles said I need to write the settings down. Sorry, I'm a noob and don't want to mess up this girls computer.

It is an older computer. It's an HP running Win98 if that makes any difference as far it resetting itself.

Worst case scenario, if I replace the battery and reset the CLOCK and it won't boot I can log onto HP's site with the model number and get the settings can't I?doh,very unlikely that HP will provide any tech support for a computer that old. However changing the battery (as stated by PATIO) should NOT create any issues BIOS or otherwise. just ensure that you obtain the same value of battery as is currently installed. Normally there are not a great DEAL of variants in the battery.truenorthThanks, truenorth!

Hey, I play some games, such at GunZ, which i used to play, and it worked fine, but I open it now and instead of the game, my whole screen fills with just like a bunch of colors...I know i have at least all the recommended requirements for the game, I have no idea why this happens...if anyone knows what i should do please tell me. There is a screenshot of what happens attatched.

Thanks

[attachment deleted by admin]Try removing and re-seating the Monitor CABLES...
If no luck remove a side panel and make sure the FAN on the vid card is operating...Okay thanks, I'll try it and then post again took off the cables and checked them and the fan...it was running but very covered in dust, I cleaned it and tryed running gunz and still got the same thing...should I turn my pc off and let it cool down and try again or is there anything else i should try?Hey, I just noticed that some of my programs that use more advanced graphics are not WORKING and i checked my graphics card and found the fan throughly covered in dust...I cleaned it off but i was wondering if the graphics card may have overheated? How could I tell, and is there a way to fix it or would i simply have to buy a new one?(NVIDIA GeForce4 MX Graphics Card)

ThanksIf the fan and heatsink were very dusty, then the graphics card may have been damaged by the heat. If it's still acting up, I'd say it's been damaged, which unfortunately is not REALLY fixable.
A newer, faster card should be FAIRLY easy to find and quite cheap though.

Edit: merged two topics.Thanks Mate

The HP PAVILLION dv7t (with intel pro/wireless 5100 AGN) or the HP pavilion dv7-1133cl

hi,

i WOULD like to KNOW if there is a WAY to TEST a cpu out of the motherboard?

is there a way to test it with a multimeter?No.

I have a home as WELL as a guest cabin that is about 750 feet away. I was given a AirLink 101 w\ MIMO Technology and told I could have wireless from my HOUSE to the cabin. I have found this is very much not true and am now trying to FIGURE out how to do so. Anyone got any suggestions?Look up instructions on building a "cantenna"...
Pringles cans work rather well for this.Patio, My dear man you seem to be way behind the curve on high technology "cans" for the "cantenna". This is but one of many examples of "expert" opinion re the "pringles" technology.truenorth http://bloggedopinions.blogspot.com/2005/11/how-to-build-cantenna.htmlSo they've switched to Chili cans ? ?
My Pringles setup works great ! !

Hey i recently got a computer and it only has a 350W PSU with rails at 12VA = 12A and 12VB = 18A and i was wondering do you guys think it would be able to run the 9800GT? I KNOW it says required 400W but some people have told me it would be able to handle it. So i figured i would ASK some other people.

Other info.
Quad Core Q6600
3GB Ramyou could try it with your old power supply FIRST before getting a new one. im not sure if a 350W PSU will be able to run that card thoughPSU Calculator

I am an extreme novice, but you have to start somewhere. I have an old computer that I am looking for info on. SYSTEM info says Pentium(r) with 32MB. Sticker on back says Creations Computer, Pentium 200. Cracked it open tonight and FOUND intel chip 95 , with what looks like a sayo motherboard. Just researching now, want to KNOW what I can do with this before I go changing to much.
any help is appreciated.Does it boot?The computer works fine for what it is. I am just WANTING to learn about UPGRADING hardware and this is where I am starting.Download, and install Everest: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html
You'll know more, than you need.