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Hi

Suddenly my Pioneer DVR-105 will not write to a dvd-r disk. It will read cd's and dvd's. I have a Pioneer DVR-104 model installed in a pyro external drive kit and it does the same thing.
Yes, these UNITS are old but before I purchase a new writer I would like to know if I'll just run into the same problem.

Microsoft XP Version 2002 Service pack 2

Thanks for any help!!
So both your DVD WRITERS have stopped working at the same time?
When did this happen?
Have you added or REMOVED any software or hardware or made any other changes?Hi:

I added a program called EZ vinyl converter which came with the Ion turntable used for converting records to MP3, and Audacity.

Thanks for any helpTry uninstalling that program to see if your Pioneer DVR-105works again.I uninstalled both programs but no joy.Maybe one of these will work:

1. HTTP://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

2. http://aumha.org/downloads/cdgone.zip

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.

If you have a 32 Bit CPU I KNOW that it just meens it can process 32 Bits at a time.

But should you be running a 32 Bit Operating System or is that not how this works?
I did not unerstand what a 32 Bit Operating System was and what a 16 Bit Operating System was??Here you go....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32-bit

A LITTLE reading...
Ok I do know that if a CPU is 32 Bits that means it needs 32 Bits to run and it Process 32 Bits.

But what I read just talks about Data BUSS Width and Internal Registers Width and that is what gets me mixt up.

So am I to understand that if an Operating System is 32 Bits that the CPU MUST be 32 Bit Processor so it can talk to the Operating System?I found this article to do with 32BIT and 64bit.

Quote

By using 32 bits your processor can represent numbers from 0 to 4,294,967,295 while a 64-bit machine can represent numbers from 0 to 18,446,744,073,709,551,615. Obviously this means your computer can do math with larger numbers, and be more EFFICIENT with smaller numbers.

I just INSTALLED a new power supply on my desktop. I'm 99% sure all my connections are correct. During boot process i get an ERROR message on my screen. I have a widescreen monitor but it cuts off the leftmost part of the msg.

MGR is missing
ss Ctrl+Alt+Delete to restart

I'm not sure how to retrieve the rest of the message or what MAY have been done wrong. Computer was working fine before. Just needed a stronger power supply.

Any ideas? I'm running Vista Home Premium.what is your motherboard make/model and what is your power supply make/model?motherboard: ASUS IPIBL-LA HP name: Berkeley-GL8E Micro ATX 9.6in X 9.6in
power supply: rocketfish 700watt rf-700wps

Well, there's a 4 . . . I doubt that's ACTUALLY what you saw as that's less than 512Mb. It can be hard to CATCH though.
But if it was SOMETHING similar (it should actually be 4194304K) then the full 4Gb is present, it's just the 32-bit 4Gb LIMIT coming into play again.Ok, I got It that time. 4193280. So It recognizes my RAM?So I got 4193280 reading from bio's. What doe's this mean? Is It reading full amount of ram?Yes, your PC is reading all of your RAM.
It's just the 32-bit 4Gb limitation that's stopping Windows from reading all 4Gb of RAM.Thanks calum! You're welcome.

I bought a Tuniq Tower 120 CPU cooler a while back, was going to use it on my MSI P6N-SLI motherboard, however, the CPU i have, a pentium D 805, is not compatible with it, so, i gave the motherboard to my brother so he could upgrade from his dell 2400 to a core 2 duo E4500 system, core 2 duo works flawlessly with the P6N-SLI.

Anyway, long story short, I am throwing together a 3.0GHz pentium 4 socket 478 on a BIOSTAR motherboard with four gigs of DDR2 667, PCI-E 16x Asus Nvidia Geforce 8500GT 256mb 128b GPU, my 320GB Western Digital hard drive, some 16x or faster DVD burner, ROSEWILL 550W dual 12v rail PSU, all in an antec 900 case. So, i have this heatsink, the Tuniq, that cost me about $40, and, I'd like to find hardware for it to mount a 478 board, it came with the hardware, which i threw in the box, which i believe my grandmother threw out. So, anyone know anywhere i can pick up a generic mount that would work with the tuniq? I still have the mutli-socket H bracket for the tuniq, so i could just rig it onto the board with another shrink wrapped H bracket on the bottom of the board for support, with aluminum bolts and plastic washers with some small springs for tension somewhat like it was mounted originally, but, I'd rather not rig a $40 heatsink onto a $60 motherboard, with a CPU that would cost me $90 nearly to replace being cooled by it.

so, anyone know where i can get some generic mounting equipment for the 478 socket that will work with the tuniq?

I'm going to try to email Sunbeam, already tried tuniq, there as responsive as a week old corpse, tried to email them several times already.

Uploaded an image of the hardware needed, if an EXPLANATION of how it MOUNTS is needed, refer to the manual, images explain better than my rambling

[file cleanup - saving space - attachment deleted by admin]i have never heard of a site selling just the tuniq tower mounting hardware, or any CPU heatsink mounting hardware. i think your only chance to get it would be to ASK the people at sunbeam.

I didn't see any HDD reference on page 46 but that is the correct HDD as far as physical size goes so yes it would fit.
Why there was no listing to what capacity it can use i don't understand.
Maybe FIRE off a quick EMAIL to them to make sure it will run a 120G drive...

BTW that's a NICE HDD you chose.Ok thanks for all your work guys, Im sure it gets annoying when people like me KEEP bugging you, but its greatly appreciated. Im sure you will see me around again trying to get help from you geniuses.No Problem at all...stop by anytime.Hehe Im back again.

I ended up buying this hard drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136130 . It has no manual, so I just slide it in right? From there it works instantly, or what?You should have recieved a CD with it...boot with this CD in to prepare the drive for installing an OS on it...No cd, but when I popped it in, it worked.

Only a few days AGO the CD-ROM drive worked just fine. Then the other day it wouldn't read the disk at all. I CHECKED the DEVICE manager, and there is no CD-ROM drive shown. It disappeared.Try one of these:
1. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060
or...
2. http://aumha.org/downloads/cdgone.zip
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.Is this on a laptop or desktop computer? When you power up the computer, does the LED on the drive itself light up? Are you familiar with checking the BIOS of your computer? Does the drive show up in BIOS?

When you first start the computer, unless you are getting a manufacturer's "splash" logo screen, you'll first see a short DISPLAY that shows the video card. You'll then see the computer go through POST (Power On Self Test). During this brief period, you can press the Delete key (sometimes one of the Function keys, depending on the computer) to get into the BIOS, where you can see what devices the computer shows are installed: hard drives, optical (CD-ROM drives); FLOPPY drives, etc.

I have a 250 gb Maxtor HDD I’m using as a storage disk with a usb enclosure. This setup has worked fine for about a year. Recently when I try to access anything on the storage disk, the PROGRAM I access it with (including Windows Explorer) will hang up. I get an OCCASIONAL message that the drive needs to be formatted with the option to select yes, to do it now. I have data on the disk I don’t want to loose. I tried to open the disk with Linux on CD with the same results as with Windows Vista Home PREMIUM SP1. I tested another HD with the same usb setup and it works fine. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.How is the drive reported in Disk Management ? ?

Right clik My Computer and select Manage and then Disk Management...
Right clik the USB drive and select Properties and report back with your findings...
If it says RAW then it was unplugged prematurely without using "Safely Remove Hardware" and your data is gone...
Hopefully this is not the case.The usb enclosure has a power button; I keep it off unless I need the disk, which had worked well before. Now when I use ANY system function to read the drive, including disk management, the program hangs. If I turn the power switch for the drive OFF, the program becomes responsive again. I get a message that says "the drive needs to be formatted before you can use it".I would suggest then to remove the drive from the enclosure and hook it up as a slave drive to an IDE middle connector and re-boot and see if it can be accessed thru Disk Management...
You may get lucky and find it's the enclosure going bad instead of the hard drive.I already tried another hd in the usb enclosure as a test, and it worked fine. Is that an accurate test of the enclosure? I can try your suggestion as an alternative if the way I did it is less than definitive.Quote from: victor mayman on May 24, 2008, 10:37:54 AM

I already tried another hd in the usb enclosure as a test, and it worked fine.

If I don’t start backing up now, I don’t deserve to get the data back. Thanks for your help

I was cleaning up my jump drive and when I went to DELETE a file I no longer needed, I also deleted another file that is very IMPORTANT. Please TELL me there is a way to retrieve it.

Thanksscrewed, Welcome to CH forms (might WANT to concider a NAME change) here are some "trials,freebees,etc. Good luck,truenorth
http://www.filedudes.com/Memory_Stick_Recovery_Software-download-41946.html;
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/downloads/accidentally_deleted_software/
http://www.softsland.com/file-undelete.htmlOr try Recuva...from the fine folks that make CCleaner.

If I have 6 hard drives, Can I RAID0 two of them as a Drive C and two of them as a storage drive and two of them as a video drive. Of course each two are same BRAND and size.Yes you can, as LONG as you have 6 SATA ports (assuming the drives are SATA) and your motherboard supports RAID.
To do so, the documentation that came with your motherboard will tell you how.Thank You for your FAST answer.You're welcome.
If you need any more help please don't hesitate to post again.
Also, welcome to the forums.

I just decided to redo my computer and bought all new but my Hd ,DVD drive and soundcard and now since I have put it all together I have problems getting it to start up and when it does it goes for so long and then will restart at random..I have double checked all my connections and made sure everything is seated well and in right slots and now am at wits end...any ideas on what to look at or what I may have done wrong..

specs of computer
Case ATX MID tower
Power Supply Power King 650 Watt SLI Gold ATX PSU
Motherboard ASUS P5VD2-VMSE Core Duo Socket 775 VIA Chipset 1066FSB DDR2-667 PCI.e
Processor Intel Pentium 4 651 3.4 ghz - 800 FSB
Memory 4 GB DDR2 Kingston 533
Hard drive Western Digital 120GB Ultra ATA 7200 RPM
Video card Ge Force 8600 GT 512m ddr2
Optical Drive BenQ Dual Layer/format 16x DVD writer
Sound Card Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS PCI

Thanks in advance for any help I can getdid you reinstall your OS?Yes reinstalled the OSdid you use thermal paste when you attached the heatsink? is the heatsink correctly seated? it sounds like an overheating issue. what is your CPU temp?it was assembled when I purchased and was put together with arctic silver 5...and case runs at AROUND 58..3 case fans and Asus silent Knight heat sink fan on chip...Ty again for your help..has me checking THINGS close and means allot

oh and OS is Windows Xp Homehttp://www.memtest86.com/

download and run memtest. this will test your RAM for errors. if overheating is not the issue, the next suspect is the RAM.ty again

Hello

Ok first time posting and I'm not much of an IT boff so please pardon any ignorance!

I bought a USB wireless optical mouse a few days AGO from Asda, it is a Trust brand, and I'm having difficulty getting it to work on my laptop (Dell Vostro 1000 running Win XP).

It initially worked okay, then the next day wouldn't work at all, then I changed the powersave options to USB which got it working again temporarily, but now it won't work at all. Some usb ports make the connected noise but no message is displayed, some either recognize it and nothing else or GIVE an error message saying there is a problem with the hardware, one doesn't seem to work at all as it doesn't even give the bingly bong sound when inserting or removing it!

It works fine with my desktop, and disabling the touchpad doesn't help either.

It's driving me crazy as it has worked those 2 times but now nothing!

Please all help greatly APPRECIATED!

Cheers
MinskiYou may need to uninstall and reinstall the software and hardware drivers that came with your mouse.

The first thing I would do would be to reset your power save options back to their previous settings.

Next, uninstall the software and and hardware drivers that came with the mouse...through your Control Panel/Add Remove Programs.

Make sure you've enabled your touchpad before shutting down the PC.

Shut down the PC...and remove the USB mouse after computer shuts down.

Turn the computer back on...once booted up...reinstall the software that came with your device...

Upon completion of the installation...you may need to reboot. If you're not directed to reboot, do it anyway...just for kicks and giggles.

Before you attach the device, make sure you visit Windows Update and download any high priority updates...at the same time...also look for any hardware updates that are compatible with your laptop...specifically...any USB updates.

Once you've completed everything in Windows Update...again, you may be prompted to reboot...do it...and then check to see if there are any more updates you've missed.

This may be time consuming...but it will PAY off in the future.

Once you've completed the above...reattach your device to see if Windows recognizes it...and if it is functioning properly.

Keep us posted.saviour

Okay haven't done any of this yet, but thought I'd ask first as - There isn't any hardware/software drivers supplied with the mouse.

I assume it therefore runs from some windows DRIVER or something (told you I wasn't a boff!)

What does this mean, how will this affect what I have to do from previous answer?

Do I perhaps need to update my windows driver, and if so how do I acheive this?!

Many Thanks

Minski

Okay...

Let's start with the simple things first...okay, Minski?

While you're computer is off...make sure the cable from the mouse is securely plugged into the USB port on the laptop.

Then turn your computer on.

Check to see if the mouse is functioning as it should.

If it isn't...then you can try another USB port on your laptop. If it's still doing the same thing...see if you have another USB mouse you can test. If the other USB mouse works...with no problems...then you can pretty much guarantee the mouse with the problem is bad. If the other mouse experiences the same problems...then it could be the USB ports on the laptop...or...it could be the mouse driver.

Let's go that route first.

Get back with us and tell us how it went...we'll go from there.It's a wireless mouse and the usb sender thing is securely in the port so it isn't that.

Have 4 USB ports, all but one detect it and it comes up in device manager, which says it is functioning correctly (although it doesn't).

Other USB devices work perfectly on the laptop.

Have tried it (and am currently using it) on my desktop so it isn't actually broken.

There are no specific drivers for it (I even checked the model page on Trust website http://www.trust.com/support/search.aspx?search=15313), it uses a windows driver.

I don't have another USB mouse to test it with.Try moving the receiver away from any known interference such as a monitor or your speakers.

These have been known to cause issues with wireless devices.

Also...try to mount the receiver as close as you can to the mouse without interfering with the mouse.

Have you tried the above?

If so...have you reset the connection on your receiver or your mouse? There should be a connect button on both your mouse and/or your receiver.I have to apologize, as well...I didn't read the initial post as clearly as I should have. However, my last post is very pertinent to your problem.No probs, tried moving it away etc but it does not move at all regardless of where it is situated.

There is definately no reset button on either the mouse or the usb dongle.

As it works 100% on the desktop I feel it is almost certainly a software/driver type problem with the laptop.

I did have to reinstall windows a few months back after a total crash and have encountered a few similar problems since then.
I do this regularly with my desktop with no probs but the drivers for the laptop seem a bit trickier, as the driver disk supplied by dell does seem to include everything and I have had to download some from their website. Do you think it may be linked to this?

Incidentally thanks so much for taking the time to help, people like you are a lifesaver for the half smart!I meant does not seem to include everything!Is this the mouse we're talking about?

http://www.asda-electricals.co.uk/shop/product/trust/450lr.html?

If so, it states it comes with software.

The drivers are here: http://www.trust.com/support/search.aspxQuote from: kam1nsk1 on May 29, 2008, 07:06:08 PM

Incidentally thanks so much for taking the time to help, people like you are a lifesaver for the half smart!

Hi,
I have been researching how to put together a good gaming pc for a while now, and I finally have a list parts that I think I need. Can anyone comment on anything I have overlooked, incompatabilities, bottlenecks in performance, etc? I am especially concerned about the compatability and how to go about adequately air cooling this rig (will the 2 graphics cards need their own cooling?). Any help WOULD be greatly appreciated.

Parts:
Motherboard:EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI
CPU:Core 2 Quad Q9450
Graphics cards: EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 512mb X2 in sli
RAM: G.SKILL 8GB (4 X 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB 7200 RPM X2 in raid 0
PSU:HIPER HPU-5K880 880W ATX12V v2.2 & EPS12V v2.91
Case: Antec P182 mid tower
CPU cooler: Scythe SCASM-1000 120mm Sleeve Andy Samurai MASTER CPU Cooler



Wow . . . that's a very nice rig.
It seems that a few fans are already fitted but you may want to max out the fans if you're worried about temperatures. I believe the P182 can hold 5 120mm fans and comes fitted with (conflicting reviews) either 2 or 3. For a system like that I would recommend at least 3 fans.
Are you planning on doing any overclocking?
If so, you may need some more fans and may also want to replace the standard fans with some that push more air.
I guess you're going to be running a 64-bit OS, right? Otherwise around 5Gb of RAM will be wasted.
You've obviously thought this through very well, I'm impressed.

P.S. welcome to the forums.welcome to the forums estraven.

here are a couple things to consider...

1. motherboard- your spending quite a bit on this build, i would recommend spending the extra $80 and getting a 780i mobo. with the 780i you get 45nm processor support and PCI-E 2.0 technology... and not to mention the 3-way SLI.

2. CPU Heatsink- i recommend the thermalright ultra 120 extreme with a scythe kaze jyuni 120mm fan. the ultra 120 has been the top contender for CPU cooling for quite some time.Do the 680i boards not support 45nm?
My E8200 worked fine with my (returned as it was faulty) XFX 680i SLI board, WITHOUT even a BIOS update.
And 3-way SLI is not possible on the 8800GTS, it only supports 2-way.
PCIE 2.0 is also not that great, there's little to no difference in performance as the X16 gen 1 bus is not yet being used fully.Thanks everyone for the warm welcome .
I will not be overclocking this pc, at least to start, but I would like room (power and cooling capacity) to do so if/when I choose to. I really don't know enough about overclocking to attempt it yet, and am not SURE the benefits are worth the possible risks involved. I will take your advice and install 3-4 non-standard 120mm fans in the case, would the scythe kaze jyuni 120mm fans recommended for the CPU cooler be fine for this as well? I am also aware of the 32-bit ram limit so I will be using the 64-bit vista, but is there really a great benefit in going from home premium to ultimate?

Homer, I will take your advice on the CPU heatsink and fan. It was difficult for me to differentiate the 680i from the 780i motherboards other than the 3-way SLI and the PCI-E 2.0. I am going to give up the 3-way benefit by getting the GTS cards, so that isn't much of an issue. If, as Calum says, the PCI-E 2.0 is not running very efficiently right now, would I really see a noticeable benefit in the upgrade from that standpoint? And does the limitation on PCI-E 2.0 stem from the software (easily upgradeable later) or hardware utilization? Also, I am now seeing that in most cases the 680i supports dual core 45nm but not quad core 45nm, so thank you for bringing that to my attention. I think that will be the deciding factor to get a 780i.PCI-E 2.0 is a hardware, not software, specification/limitation.
It may become useful in the future, but personally I think that you'll be upgrading your motherboard before PCI-E 2.0 is necessary for graphics cards to work efficiently.
I wasn't aware that the 680i chipset didn't support quad core 45nm CPUs, in which case I would advise getting a 780/790i SLI board for upgradeability. 780i is basically just an update of 680i whilst 790i offers a 1600MHz FSB as standard so it's better in the long run, but more expensive too.
The Scythe fans should be fine for case fans as well as CPU fans. I can cool my E8200 very well in a Coolermaster Elite 330 with an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro and 2 120mm fans. Even at 3.2GHz (the maximum it would post at due to my RAM) the temperature never went above 60C on a stress test. You'll have no troubles cooling your system with a far better case and cooler.
I wouldn't recommend Vista Ultimate myself, Home Premium will be fine for most people.

I have a 120 Gig. external hard drive I use only for storage, but was wondering if I can leave it running just as long as the computer, say, several hours a day. Are there any issues with this, other than cooling? Its' fan seems sufficient for the short few hours I have had it on.Quote from: jwfilion on May 26, 2008, 06:20:03 PM

I have a 120 Gig. external hard drive I use only for storage, but was wondering if I can leave it running just as long as the computer, say, several hours a day. Are there any issues with this, other than cooling? Its' fan seems sufficient for the short few hours I have had it on.

I don't see anything wrong leaving it on it will only run when you use it otherwise it doesn't run and also if there is a fan with the external case I would not worry about it overheating at all. Jwfilion I wouldn't worry about the harddrive at all I think it would be fine.


Hey frankie that was pretty bad adviceQuote from: Frankie on May 26, 2008, 06:30:15 PM

Hard drives will only do what they want to do. They die when they decide. Just leave the thing connected to your computer.

Hi, i built a new computer but it doesn't turn on. I'm using the processor, hard drive, video card, and two disk drives from an eMachines computer. PSU from that computer failed and it took out the motherboard as well. So I ordered a few new parts to try and build a new computer but once I assembled it wouldn't turn on. I press the power button and nothing happens. Also i turn the power supply on it makes a strange high pitch noise which didn't occur when i tested the PSU outside the case. It only OCCURS when i have it connected to all the components.
I checked several times the connections and they are all connected correctly.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what i used do?
Computer Specs:
Rosewill TU155 midtower w/Rosewill LC-8400BTX 400w PSU (new)
1GB memory DDR1 400MHz pc3200 (new)
PC Chips SiS746FX M848A v5.0 socket A motherboard (new)
AMD Anthlon XP 2400+ processor (from prev. comp)
48x Max CD-RW (from prev. comp)
16X Max DVD-ROM (from prev. comp)
60GB HD Ultra DMA/100 (from prev. comp)
Ti4280 BFG Technologies video card (from prev. comp)Sounds like the power supply had went bad. Wait for a comfromation.I also would suspect the PSU. When you say "nothing happens", are any of the fans spinning in your computer when you switch it on? Are you also sure that the whining is coming form the Psu?this needs some clarification...
Quote

I press the power button and nothing happens.

i turn the power supply on it makes a strange high pitch noise

this needs some clarification...
Quote

I press the power button and nothing happens.

Quote

i turn the power supply on it makes a strange high pitch noise

you just said nothing happens. please clarify.

is the motherboard front I/O panel hooked up correctly?

the fan does not spin when the system board is connected.
as for the cpu i am assuming that it works just fine because it doesn't look damaged or have any broken pins but it is possible that the cpu is faulty. unfortunately i do not have a known good cpu to test on the motherboard or a known good mobo to test the cpu, but i'll see if i can get some known good parts from some friends.
thanks for all your help.

I'm trying to add some memory to my Acer Travelmate 2350 series Laptop, and I wondered whether anyone knew of a particular RAM board thingy which will be compatible with such a Laptop. I've seen alot of good deals, but having seen the slot to stick the RAM in, i'm really not sure which would be the best to go with. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!Travel to Crucial.com and enter your system info and/or run the online scanner and it will tell you not only what type of RAM to buy but how much that machine will take...
You don't have to get it there but you will be an educated consumer...Sorry for the lengthy, Lengthy delay in my response, but thanks, it's a good website and I shall be using it. I'm in a bit of a conundrum right now, though. My Sister purchased this game, and WANTS to use it on the PC. The RAM bit can be sorted out by the aforementioned website.

The problem now is the graphics card. The label on my PC says it's using

Integrated SiS 661 FX AGP graphics,

The game minimum requirements says it needs 64mb DirectX 9 compatible video card. How could I check that those minimum specifications are met by my PC, and what could I do (Or which graphic card could I get ) that's cheap and effective to bring my PC up to those specifications?Mostly you cannot change the graphics on a laptop without spending a ton of cash even if in fact it can be done...
Laptops = Nice, convenient....but not neccessarily for gaming.

Have her start shopping for a Desktop gaming machine instead and save her the bread...Aha, but that's the good thing, we have a desktop PC! Thats what I was talking about before Sorry, I forgot that i went from talking about the laptop to the Desktop. PC an Game info needed. Beep Beep Processing......Tis that Desperate Housewives game. Minimum System Requirements say:

Microsoft Windows XP, Pentium IV Class processor 1.4GHz
256 MB RAM, 2.5 GB free hard disk space, 8x speed CD-ROM drive
16-bit DirectX9 compatible SOUND card
64MBDirectX9 compatible video card, 32 bit color

Then for the PC,

Intel Celeron D 336 (2.80 GHz)
256 MB DDR Memory
40GB Hard Drive
16x DVDRW dual format
Integrated SiS 661 fx agp graphics
6 USB ports (Probably not necessary info)
Microsoft Windows XP

Any help deciphering that would be appreciated! Thanks.

You'll be able to play the game but not well.
A dedicated graphics card would really help, as well as at least 512Mb, preferably more, RAM. If you got more RAM it would certainly help overall performance, but DDR is getting more expensive now.Thats not a good thing to hear, any way I was going to recomend that you get a card since on board isnt so good. My suggestions:
1. 8500GT graphics card. Even the 256mb version would be enough (which I have) but 512mb version obviously better. It's cheap and it can run a lot of games at high settings fine, given you don't care too much about it being low resolution.

2. A bit more memory, which previous posters have already been suggesting. 256mb is minimum for the game but a little more can't hurt. A little more memory to feed the background system programs and the entire 256mb for the game itself.

Aha, some top advice there thanks. I didn't know Graphics cards could be that cheap. All I ever see are those + £100 Nvidia ones. I shall take a closer look.

How difficult is it to install a Graphics Card? I've installed a Dial-Up Modem in one of the slots in my CPU before, so I have a rough knowledge of what's down there (As well as having studied Computing), but a card would be somewhat different. Similarly, how simple is it to control the relevant software for such cards? I had a huge nightmare with SiS a while ago and drivers, and being the organised person I am, I hate to see a cluttered number of software packages all being used at once. I'm the type that prefers one program as a solution rather than numerous. I presume such Graphics cards come with one driver, or software item and that's that?

mcxeb - The Graphics card you recommended seems pretty good quality for the price! Is this the type of thing you'd be thinking of - http://www.oyyy.co.uk/product.php?xProd=38169 ?

Similarly, am I right in saying that generally, these cards will work on any Motherboard?

Thanks chaps. One of the most infuriating things about my PC is the lack of gameplaying ability. Even on simple games like Championship Manager 01/02 - I have to sit waiting for, sometimes, up to an hour for the season changeover loading. The only game I've ever had any luck getting to work is Rally Championship But thanks!to use the nvidia 8500gt graphics card, you need a motherboard with a PCI-E slot (which I believe any recent motherboards should include)

INSTALLING graphics card is easy! Just install the graphics card into the PCI-E slot and then boot up computer and go to NVidia's website to get the latest graphics card drivers. And if the card isn't detected right away by computer, then you'll just change settings in the BIOS but I didn't have to.

Yes, the website shows the exact graphics card that I have (although mine is the 256mb version and not the 512mb version but it works well ANYWAYS).

If you are not playing Crysis or any of the similar games, then the NVidia 8500GT will serve you enough. I played Age of Empires III, Command and Conquer 3, and Battlefield 2 and all are good a high settings but at lower resolution but graphics still look good enough anyway!The resolution business doesn't bother me a huge deal. I'm not a big PC gamer, I prefer my Nintendo to be fair, but there are alot of games avaliable for PC which you'd have to bite your arm off to get on a console, especially like Nintendo! Thanks. I may come back here with some ones I'm looking at on Play.com - they must have stacked their shelves pretty heftily since their website re-design, 10 or 11 pages worth of Graphics Cards. I'd really appreciate if someone can tell me which I should definately stay away from! Being a student, cost is everything, so i'll try for even cheaper if I can.

Also, secondary question, i'm using Cruical to try and find the right type of RAM to get, could I ask - how would I find out exactely what type of Motherboard i'm using? The Cruical Scanner doesn't seem to be able to tell be the manufacturer, although I'm presuming it's just Intel? My CPU is an ESystems, which I think tends to be a bizarre company anyway, just throwing bits of other manufacturers together.There not these old things its usually one peice of software that you install. YOu have to turn off the on board probably. Know there plug an play so it will set it to use the card instead of having to manually do it. No however I cant say in this case but however there are agp,pci,pci express, ect. So each video card is differnt cause of how tech is. If it is a pci it will but other then that if it dont have that connector it wont work. Depends how much ram an the cpu speed is an the graphics card an anything else on the drive. This will cause it. Theres a program called everst that should bring it up. Gliff, your CPU is made by Intel. The computer is made by ESystems.
It's very easy to install a graphics card, basically plug it in, turn the PC on, install the drivers.
Can you give us a model number from your PC sow e can tell you what motherboard you have?
Alternatively, download Everest Home which can give you system information. Find out what motherboard you have using that program if you like.
If cost is everything to you then I guess an 8500GT might do OK, but if you can stretch a little furhter you can get a lot more for your money, the 8500GT is a pretty poor card. The 2600XT, for ~£20 more, is literally around twice as fast.

if the below lump is TL:DR material skip to the links and rate away ^^

i POSTED here the last few weeks as i was having trouble with my gfx card, i've had an expert look at it and he reckons, in expert "it seems pretty buggered" i've tried it in other computers with a range of drivers and no luck so i'm putting it down to "fried"

anyway, bad news is out the way, so its time to spec up a new comp, i've had a browse around to see whats good, whats bad, and whats probably a current bargin, quick info:
i looked at ddr3 and 1333mhz/1600mhz FSBs but they were just coming out far too expensive, the same i felt was true of quad core processors and duel graphics cards, at least till DX10 really takes off and games can take full advantage in a year or two, anyway, to the spec:

motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-N650SLI-DS4L nForce 650i SLI Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/140949

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3GHz (1333MHz) Socket 775 6MB L2 Cache OEM Processor
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143290

GFX
XFX 9600GT 1GB DDR3 Dual DVI HDCP HDTV Out PCI-E Graphics Card
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144432

RAM
Corsair 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 1066MHz/PC2-8500 XMS2 Dominator Memory Non-ECC Unbuffered CL5(5-5-5-15) E.P.P. & DHX Technology Heat Sink Lifetime Warranty
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119190

thats the basics, got a decent case, a corsair PSU and a good CPU fan and heatsinc

one thing i was wondering, the grapics card, which would be better, the one i posted above or:
Point Of View 9800GTX 512MB GDDR3 256bit Dual DVI TV Out PCI-E Graphics Card
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143104here are my comments regarding your components...

Motherboard: personally i would go with at least a 680i motherboard. 680i supports true x16,x16 SLI unlike the 650i chipset which, upon enabling SLI, goes at x8,x8 speed.

CPU: looks good. i want to get one eventually.

Graphics Card: i would go for the 9800gtx. it is far superior to the 9600gt.

RAM: i would go with the OCZ SLI Ready DDR2 1066. OCZ RAM is known for its overclockablility, if thats a real word. the SLI ready PART will also add a small amount of performance if or when you go SLI. its also a bit cheaper then the corsair RAM.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/120453

hmm, SLI ready would be nice as its pretty much an instant 100% upgrade, with extra ram and a move to vista in a few months i can definitely see the advantages, thanks overclockability....i like it.

Let's make it a real word.

All in favor ? ?

All opposed ? ?

im in favor ayeSo far it's unanimous...8 more votes in the affirmative and i'll make it official-like !

I Like it

I am PLANNING on upgrading my COMPUTER...just wondering if my 550w. Antec POWER supply can handle my new setup?

Current setup:
Case:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156062
XP Pro
AMDX2 64 4000+ (2.11Ghz)
XFX 8600gt
SATA 320gb Hardrive
Lightscribe DVD/RW
2GB G-skill RAM
XFI Sound Blaster

New setup:
Everything the same other than a new video card and processor...
Video Card-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150252
Processor-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773

Will my power supply handle it or not?




YES your power supply will be able to handle your new hardware.Awesome thanks for the quick reply

Hello, I BUILT my computer, and everything worked fine for awhile. Now recently, my DVD drives refuse to install games/programs. I tried to install World in Conflict, and Call of Duty 4 and neither of them worked. The installshield popped up and it began installing, but the green light shut off on the front of my cd drive and the install progress ends up getting stuck half-way thru. I bought a new drive because of this, my old one being a Sony, my new one being an LG with lightscribe... it doesn't work either. It may be worthy to note they are both IDE not SATA.

Shortly after that, upon booting, I now get an error message saying "S.M.A.R.T. status bad backup and replace, hit F1 to continue". Could this have anything to do with my problem? My HDD is a 320gb Western Digital Caviar (SATA). It is still under warranty, so I am going to presue getting a replacement.

So, I decided to reformat. bad idea, as Vista PREMIUM OEM won't install now. It gets stuck on "expanding files" at 7%. So I'm stuck without my gaming rig, which is bad! Can anyone help me, or give me any clues to what could be causing this? It may also be worthy to note that my computer has been running quite sluggish LATELY, my FPS is CSS dropping, startup is taking longer and longer, etc. I ran a virus scan, deleted a trojan and defragged my hard drive but still nothing.

Here's my specs:

MSI P6N SLI-FI (I KNOW i cheaped out here )
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 @ 2.8GHz
Nvidia EVGA Geforce 8800GTS(G92) 512mb x1
2048mb (1024mb x2) Dual Channel DDR2 533Mhz RAM (cheaped out again )
420watt power supply (came with Xion II case)

Please help me!!!If you have a spare HD, I'd reinstall clean to that instead of the 320 that is failing. SMART detecting issues points finger to hard drive either malfunctioning or working outside its normal operating conditions...

Make sure that the JUMPER for MA/SL/CS are set correct for your cable as well. Most are set to CS, but some systems still use the master/Slave config. If CS ( Cable Select ) your cable will generally have it tagged as to the Master and Slave connectors, a standard 80-wire EIDE cable for 40-pins will require Master and Slaves specified by the jumpers on say 2 optical drives one being set to master and the other slave.

Your system is probably getting to 7% then it hits the damaged area of the drive and cant chug any further!!!You may also be experiencing power issues and or RAM problems...
If David's suggestion above is not successful these would be the next 2 items to check...I don't have any other SATA drives, but I will talk to Western Digital, because I am still under a 3 year warranty with them. Thanks alot for the help!

So your tring to find one? Quote from: squally

arcread

arcread?

sorry its Acread

acread?

ArcRead

My diagnosis: Squall, you're in over your head, give up now!

Look guys, I don't have a problem trying to help people here, but there is no need for spamming posts that are not answered. Squall, you do this all the time, spamming your posts when they are not answered and it's not right! Why not just give people a chance to answer? Like waiting a couple of days.

I maybe stubborn but its better then giveing up.

I just got an Nvidia 9600 GT OC. Now during startup, it stops before windows loads and SAYS that the card is running in X1 mode. It then asks if I want to go to the setup utility or press F1 to continue to windows. I can't see ANYTHING in Setup that brings the card out of X1 mode.

There is obviously a problem when I continue and try to run any graphics.

How can I get it out of X1 mode and/or get the most out of my video card?

Some of my computer's INFO:
DELL Dimension 8400
Windows XP
2 Gigs Ram Did you install it in a right slot?yeah I only have one slot to put it in.did you PLUG in the supplementary power connector?

because they dont have the compatible ram i need. They had the ddr2. I need the ddr sdram. THATS why i took the ram out to begin with was to make sure it was compatible.
Ty for asking QUOTE from: poohgirl62 on May 22, 2008, 07:04:27 AM

My ram is 128/2100 ddr. TYPE ddr sdram, speed pc2100/pc1600, and yes i did try to resit it, in both slots and nothing just the beeps. Am REALLY confused no boot nothing just the beeps.

because they dont have the compatible ram i need.

if anyone KNOW a GOOD tutorial on MICROPROCESSOR please post the LINK here

regards
sanHomework, eh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor

More info here: http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa5.htmQUOTE from: BRONI on May 23, 2008, 08:03:49 PM

More info here: http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa5.htm

my drive is 16x

Which number says 16x?

Quote

Which number says 16x?

It's most likely read speed. Write speed, normally is lower. High speed CDs need a drive, which can write with 12x speed, so, most likely, your burner can't
As I said, if it doesn't have a logo "High Speed", or "Ultra Speed" (like mine), its writing speed is below 12x.

hey, i just bought some NEW ram for my laptop (Dell Inspiron 8000) and i put in 2x256
but its only reading what i had before, how do make it so it knows theres 512?

Thanksthe dell inspiron only has 2 RAM slots, what was the capacity of the RAM stick that you took out?it had 128 (2x64), i tried restarting but nuthintry it with just one 256mb stick. report back if it works or not.i did, and it does read it.....so im gonna try it again with both and restart, hopefully it works
THANKS for the help btw according to the specs here

http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/notebooks/0,1000000338,10000051,00.htm

the max your laptop can handle is 0.5gb. that extra 12mb's might be whats impeding it from functioning. POP out the WORKING 256mb stick and put the other one in just to verify if both sticks work.well their both working properly, i put them in again and now its reading it
so i have 512, im geussing that there was dust or i just DIDNT put it in right
but thanks for the help! no problem, come back if you have any other computer-related questions. Quote from: homer on May 22, 2008, 06:24:57 PM

according to the specs here

http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/notebooks/0,1000000338,10000051,00.htm

the max your laptop can handle is 0.5gb. that extra 12mb's might be whats impeding it from functioning. pop out the working 256mb stick and put the other one in just to verify if both sticks work.

Just to be clear: "0.5gb" = 512MB, so there is no "extra 12MB.

Just to be clear: "0.5gb" = 512MB, so there is no "extra 12MB." If there were, the OP would have 524MB total. 1GB = 1024MB, so half of that (or 0.5GB) is 512. Octal system and all. Wink

Is there a quick-and-dirty (but accurate) way to tell the diff between the olcer voltage and CURRENT voltage video CARDS??? Obviously something like a Voodoo3 would be 3.3 volt but on the transition cards like ATI 9700 Pro, it might be harder to tell.Look at the slots in the connector. Quick, but definitely not dirty. And completely accurate.



Very nice post Dias de verano, very nice. QUOTE from: Eg0Death on May 23, 2008, 06:36:20 AM

Very nice post Dias de verano, very nice.

What website did you get that from? If I copy it I'd like to cite the original source.

Hello folks ,

Once again I need some help! lol

Here's my problem my Sony cd / dvd internal drive E: all of a sudden just stopped working.
I creadted an audio cd using Nero. I flipped it over and used my Lightscribe label burner. It appeared to start but I did notice the burning took several times longer then usual and when the disk came out it actually burned nothing onto the disk. Immediately after I tried using the disk drive for anything, playing a cd or dvd and nothing happened. The light just comes on on the drive and the software just hangs there trying to access the drive. I uninstalled the drive and reinstalled it, just rebooting and letting teh computer find new hardware, and it reinstalled but but still does not work. I also reinstalled the lightscribe software. I also tried running the microsoft diag which tells me the drive is working properly and of course it's not.

The drive is hardly used and has worked LIKE a champ when ever I do use it. Any help at al would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Peace,
MP. MP1975,If you have another computer that you can temporarily try the optical drive in i would suggest that. It will be the quickest way to determine the condition of the drive.truenorthGreat Idea, but I do not have another computer.

I know the drive spins I know the computer recognizes the device when I put MEDIA in it. It just doesn't read or write to the drive. Or so it appears. Try one of these:
1. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060
or...
2. http://aumha.org/downloads/cdgone.zip
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.Broni your very close! The drive is now recognized and plays, somewhat. The cd plays for a few seconds then resets itself then plays for a few more seconds so on and so forth you get the idea. I tried uninstalling the hardware again bit that did nothing. Any other IDEAS. I just can't see a drive going south out of the blue.

I was going to try the cdgone software but it wanted to get added to my registry and I wasn't sure if thats a good idea.

Thanks much.Use a different Molex (4 pin power connector) and replace the IDE ribbon cable with a brand new one...not just one that's been lying around.
Be careful to hook up both properly...Nurse scalpel ! Sounds like I need to operate. Best buys should have all the body parts needed? Thanks for the help.Which step made things better?
Quote

I need to operate

I've done quite a bit of searching here but can't seem to find anything relating to this issue...probably because the average person rarely deals with this these days. In any case here is the situation:

(I have some experience with PCs going back quite a while, so I am not completely nascient. Just mostly. )

1. PC's old hard drive is toast.
2. Bought new hard drive to replace it.
3. Old hard drive was SATA. New drive matches this and appears good to go.
4. Removed toasty old drive, installed new drive. Everything is kosher as far as cables and connections.

So, this drive is fresh out of the box. Looking over the skimpy manual that CAME with it, it appears an assumption is made that you already have a HD with an OS on it, and are just wanting to use it as additional storage. Not so with me. This new drive is it. It comes with a drive installation CD, but I cannot find a way to have this CD boot up. The manual mentions installation software, but I haven't the foggiest how to access it.

The good news is, the drive is "seen" by BIOS. So I am curious...should I just try RUNNING my OS CD and seeing if it will install...or, do I need to run the drive installation software first? If the latter, how the heck do I get that going?If you want a clean BUILD, just boot from OS CD and follow prompts...only problem you could run into is if the SATA Controller is not supported by the OS by default. If this is the case during the install it will say Hard Drive Not Found. And to fix this you will need to research your SATA Controller to fin dthe driver to point to for the installation. You will need to press F6 when the option comes up for installing SCSI or RAID Drivers, then insert the drivers on the floppy to a floppy drive. Then once the SATA controller drivers are mounted the hard drive should be seen by the OS for installation and everything should go smooth after that.tharkane ...... well it seems to me that if the new drive is seen in bios, change the boot sequence in bios to cd - rom first boot.......... place your windows operating system disk in the cd- rom drive . Now reboot the system........ your operating system should now begin the installation process.

dl65 I placed the OS CD in and booted from it. Things seemed fine, until SETUP wanted to start Windows...then I saw the blue screen of death. *scratching head* I wonder if this is an indicator of a more serious problem.

This happened three consecutive times. I restarted and tried again, and again, and one more time for good measure. You will now need to travel to your MBoard manuf. website and DLoad their RAID/SATA drivers and create a driver floppy/CD...
Very early on in the XP setup process you will SEE a prompt at the bottom of the screen saying PressF6 now to install RAID/SATA drivers....do that and then insert the floppy/CD that you copied the drivers to.
The XP install will now continue on properly.

Good Luck and let us know...What happened to the old HD? If it was an electrical surge you may have toasted more than the drive. If it just failed you are well on the way.

How about some specifics on the computer or motherboard make model, the make and model of the drive, and the version of Windows (including service pack that you have? Is it a real Windows disk, or some sort or restore CD?If yours was a typical BSOD, it usually comes with a "STOP" error code (usually beginning with "0x0..."). If you could provide that code, it might help us to shed some light on your situation!

Also, which version of Windows are you attempting to install?Mission successful. The SATA driver did the trick. Thanks a million. One virtual steak dinner to you guys. Quote from: GX1_Man on May 22, 2008, 04:14:08 PM

What happened to the old HD?

Quote from: Anythingwill on May 10, 2008, 06:55:45 AM

So wait, is this something that's on the motherboard, not on the back panel? If it is then what would they need to get it working?

Will I have to get a whole new power supply?

Hi folks, just a quick question.

I was given a Dell Dimension 8250 and it uses rdram. Now in searching on-line I see that it can get really really expensive. That is ok, the question I have is about the speed of the ram.

Will there be a problem if I use PC600 or PC700 ram instead of the PC800 or PC1066 that is stated on the Dell website? With the PC1066 the computer would max out at 1.5GB and with the PC800 it goes up to 2GB. Will the PC600 or 700 cause me problems in the long run?

Thanksrdram is one of the most picky types of ram out there. I would stick with the same speed. rdram is all you can use on that machine...no matter the speed.
If you are looking at cheaper alternatives in other RAM formats you are out of luck.I know that rdram is all that is usable. I found pc600 and pc700 ram for a lot less than pc800 and pc1066. It is from the same vendor. The maker is Samsung and the 256mb chip is only 18.00. That price is hard to resist and I just wondered what would be the consequences of using it.Again you need to check your MBoard specs...that's what determines what speed of RAM can be used...
The lower speeds will not be too much of a performance hit if the board supports them.strange that your dell model doesn't show up on crucial or kingston.....Not strange at all. They don't sell it or something like that so it is not on their list of computers. I have seen it with other makes and models.

I looked at the specs from the dell site and it has pc800 and pc1066 listed, but not pc600 or pc700. Guess I will have to check with Dell as to it's compatibility.If it's a pc800 board you shouldn't go below that.
I don't completely understand the issue here. RAM is dirt cheap right now...Thinking about it I guess you are right. As for dirt cheap, rdram is most annoyingly against the norm here. To get the max of 2gb from an ebay seller would cost $478 plus shipping. That 4 x 512. I found a vendor within an hour of me that is selling 256mb for $90 each. With four slots on the motherboard that would cost $360. If I had that for just ram, I could just wait for a Dell sale, add in a discount coupon and be quite happy. In fact I could probably just hit the local computer fair and pick up two computers for $360, P4 2.8's with 1ghz ram no less. I am a retro person and still KEEP a fleet of older motherboards, including several RDRAM boards. I think I can start an RDRAM museum. Interesting enough, the ole RDRAM boards such as the P4T-E and P4T533-R actually boot and shutdown WinXP faster than the last boards I bought while overclocking in 2005: FX-60 running 300x10, 2.5-3-3-6 on a DFI NF4 Ultra-D board. I don't know why this is. The P4T-E would typically be running 156/4x at 3.12 gig on a 2.0A CPU!

In REGARDS to your question, the PC1066 were later technology so they overclocked higher than stuff like PC600 or PC800. For example, the PC800 I have max out around 144/4x. The 45 ns versions would run up to maybe 150/4x. Good overclocking PC1066 is capable of 156/4x, the max clock of the Intel 850 MBs. Bandwidth at the time was huge compared to DDR1. For a short period, the P4T533-R was available with 32-bit RIMM4200/4800. I have cherry sticks that hit 170/4x Memtest clean, but the max stability of these boards were 166/4x where the video card lost signal upon booting into Windows. Bandwidth at 166/4x was astronomical compared to other RAM technology at the time, but it was very hard to find cherry sticks of RDRAM as quality varied greatly. OCZ came out with PC1200 (16-bit) for a short period of time. These sticks were guaranteed to run 150/4x but usually did 156/4x.

I have bought some RDRAM over the last few months as spares, and they are still expensive compared to DDR2/3. Not sure it is worth it to pick up these boards. There is still demand for RDRAM, particularly 512 MB sticks, because I had to pay rather high prices to outbid people on Ebay! Five years ago a 512 MB stick would run $500; today it will run maybe $150. In addition, the P4T533-C board still COMMANDS good prices on Ebay.$478 would be a GREAT start on a Quad-Core MBoard and CPU...i'm building one and i got 2 1G sticks of high end RAM for $54 Bucks after rebate...
I will be adding 2 more.
The total build without a new monitor is going to come in at between $750 and $800 Bucks.

I have a relatively new WD 500 GB external HDD which had been functioning for the first 3 months. I'm using it for back up to my MacBook PRO. At the moment I have 250 GB stored on it.

Currently, the HDD is NOT showing any signs of "life" when I plug it in and push the on button. I've tried multiple outlets, reconnecting all cables and still nothing.

Relevant history: We live in the DR and have frequent power surges, however they SOMETIMES will even "pop" the really GOOD ones we have. I had one episode with the HDD plugged in when this happened. My Mac gave a msg saying that the device had been removed (no damage to the Mac plugged into the same protector.) After this, I successfully used the HDD two more times. Now, a week later, I can't seem to get any response.

Is it possible that the power adapter for the HDD is fried? Hopefully that is it and not the HDD>

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
paz y salud,
Chris
You can check the power adapter with an electrical meter. Do you have ACCESS to one or know an electrician?Given where we are currently living (not in a big city in the Dominican Republic) I don't have all my US tools, nor do I trust the local electricians or "computer experts." I will try to find another Foreign National with some tools.

Thanks and any other suggestions are welcome!Like Mektek said, try to get your hands on a multimeter. This will allow you to test the adapter and make sure it's still functioning properly. It's the most logical first step. Allowing an electrician or computer tech who has a multimeter to just test it for you is of little to no risk and minimal expense (if any).Thanks...I will find someone with a multimeter. When I find out if that is the issue, I'll post back.

Eh, I was wondering if anyone could help me nab the upper temperature limits (*C or F* will do) for my GPU - an NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT (GeForce 7950 GT), for my CPU, and an AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+.

I'd also like any help with knowing what exactly happens upon system overheating, or overcooling. I can't seem to find these answers anywhere specific, and I think my computer may be overheating its components with the GeForce 7950 running at 70*C, the NFORCE running at 53*C (whatever Nforce is).
Have a PEEK at this site.
http://www.heatsink-guide.com/content.php?content=maxtemp.shtmlMost components have a recommended maximum threshold of about 194°F (or 90°C). If you go over that, you risk damaging the components.

If you want to get your temps down, make sure your case is well ventilated and all FANS are working properly. Without proper ventilation and fans, cooler air from outside your system isn't pulled in and warmer air within the system isn't blown out. You might also consider some type of cooling system.

nForce is your motherboard chipset.

Alright, so yes, i'm posting already yet again

This time when i turn on the computer I have no keyboard functionality. (On one of my other COMPUTERS obviously). I just switched the motherboard, cpu, and power supply, but i did have it up and running. I reformatted Windows, had it working for a while, and then when i opened it up again to fix a RAM problem the keyboard stopped working.

I've tried unplugging it multiple times, i've tried other keyboards i know work, but nothing works. No lights or anything. ALSO, for a while it was going into windows, so it even recgonises it has a keyboard, it's just not working... Now it's not going into windows though, because trying a suggestion that was given to me it now requires me to go into CMOS to fix something, except of course i can't. One last thing with it. Right before it started happening it said "found new hardware", it was the keyboard, and it tried to install drivers for it but couldn't. I've never had to install drivers for this keyboard, it's not a fancy one.

So any ideas of what's up?

I was thinking about buying a new keyboard, so i could just get a USB keyboard. I want to make sure that it'll work though, and also it would be nice if i didn't have to limit myself to USB boards.

Thanks as alwaysYou can buy a usb key board adapter. If you can go into windows? try a system restore. Even before i buy an adapter it would be good to know if that will solve the problem, and i can't actually get into windows anymore because of a suggestion someone else gave me. It requires me to press a button on the keyboard, but i can't.

Also, new development. In the dark i can see that the keyboard lights are actually flashing. They're just not at full strength so i couldn't see them in the light. Also, they're just flashing, they're not actually on.You have a hardware issue and the only way to trouble this Pblm. is to 1st make sure all your cconnections inside case are secure if so you are going to have to start swapping out devices. You can also start by [with system off] use 1 stick of ram, cpu with fan connected ,video card connected to monitor screen. [only these ] turn system on and see if it posts,post to monitor.You can have the keyboard connected also and see if you can go into bios screen,refer to your mother booklet to see what key to use to get onto BIOSWell I already can get to post. My keyboard jsut isn't working so i can't hit the button to get into BIOS. As well as it requires me to hit a button to move on from post into windows, so without my keyboard working i can't move past postIts only a small$$$ amount to get a usb to keyboard adapter,i would do that and see the result?If you find you still have a PBLM. I would think its either the board or CPU.How old is this system & what board is it?Forget the adapter...they do not work with all USB keyboards.
Spend 10 bucks and get a PS2 keyboard / mouse combo...everyone should have one.
Even if it's stored in the closet most of the time...Whatever you decide on doing next is up to you? I said if the keyboard is ok & you still have the PBLM. its most likley the cpu or MBsorry patio, i should have made that clearer. all i have are ps2 keyboards.

also, xavier, i just REPLACED both the mb and cpu, and they worked fine. it's possible the PORTS messed up, but the board shoud be fine

not trying to be difficult, sorry, just want all my computers to work for once!Could it be that a pin has broken off in the port? Get a flashlight and a magnifying glass and give it a good look. If you replaced the mobo and cpu and the key board still dont work what does that tell youjj 3000
I took a look at the port, flashlight in hand, but i didn't see anything. I don't have a magnifying glass right now, but i got a pretty good look in there. Still, i'll try to find one and look again.

xavier
I replaced the keyboard and cpu before this happened. Then after having already used the computer for a while, the keyboard stopped working. Everyhting else with the computer is still working, just the keyboard isn't.

Here, i'm going to post what i did that's now keeping me in post. I did a google search and this is what came up http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/other-hardware-support/202090-keyboard-failure-boot-no-mouse-keyboard-functionality.html Now it's giving me some message about CMOS only it didn't fix the keyboard problem so i can't get there. Also, i should mention that i don't actually have a Dell Dimension 9150, i just figured it wasn't something computer specific.

For the past 2 weeks my hard drive has been running all the time. I have not downloaded anything for over a month and do regular virus/adware/spyware scans. It also seems to be running pretty slow on startup. The only things I have on startup are all the drivers I need to have, nothing more. It takes the Networks (internet connection) 3 minutes to load everytime.

It has really effected my gaming too. After about an hour of playing any video game, the game starts lagging really bad and I have to restart. Only to do this in another hour.

Any help is appreciated.i would replace the harddrive ASAP.

just an added question, how do you know that your harddrive has been running all the time?The hard drive is only 2 months old and doesn't make any noises or anything.

And the HDD light is always on. That is how I know it is running all the time. Before 2 weeks ago the light would RARELY turn on after boot up.can you try with another HDD?

you can get them DIRT cheap anyway.

even borrow one from a friend?Quote from: Babare on May 14, 2008, 12:24:38 AM

The hard drive is only 2 months old

The hard drive is only 2 months old and doesn't make any noises or anything.

During the installation of the new drive the RAM modules may have become unseated.

Quote from: Babare on May 14, 2008, 12:24:38 AM

The hard drive is only 2 months old

During the installation of the new drive the RAM modules may have become unseated. Turn off, then unplug your machine and open the case. Ground yourself and then make sure the RAM sticks are securely in place. Also while you have it open you could try to disconnect and then reconnect your Hard Drive's cable.

I was wondering if I just got a faster HD for boot up/games

i have had new harddrives die on me within a week, age is negligible.

Yeah I KNOW I was able to get it DONE any wayhaha Picard... yeah...

Hello, my husband bought what he thought was a FULL flat screen monitor from a bid site and when we received it, it was just a panel. He showed me and figured I'd know what to do with it SINCE I'm the computer nerd in the family. I have no idea, I've never build a monitor. So my question is what do I need and how do I go about putting it together?

Info on the panel is -

• Solar Technologies 19 inch AUO TFT M190PW01 Part Number: M190PW01
• Panel Type: TFT
• Panel Size; 19 inches
• Panel Resolution: 1280 x 1024 SXGA

First of all , I couldn't wait to burn my CUSTOM gh3 disc . Got finished making the ISO , had ImageBurn ready to go ,PUT my DVD-R ( the required disc type)in the drive ( ATAPI DVD+RW 4X4X12 Device Type : DVD/CD-ROM Drives , Manufacturer : (Standard CD-ROM Drives) , Drive Provider : Miicrosoft , Date : 7/1/2001 , Version:5.1.2535.0, Digital Signer:Microsoft Windows Publisher) ,went to burn it and it said cannot read medium . So next I found out using DVDInfoPro that this DVD drive can READ DVD-R but not Write on it . So what to do next is my quandry . Is there anyway possible to change something so it will burn onto DVD-R or do I have to purchase and install another DVD driver with the right burn capabilities ? If i do have to purchase another then which one should i get and where can i get it cheap . Sorry if this is a very long complicated question , Please help with this problem though . Much appreciated. It WOULD probably be cheaper to pick up some dvd + rWhat brand & model is your DVD drive? Not the "driver" (which is a piece of software) but the drive which is the actual disk drive with a tray which goes in and out. Is it actually a writer?

What software are you using to burn? Nero? Roxio?

What brand are the disks you are using?


I actually meant Drive when I typed DRIVER .Sorry .I' m using Sony Dvd-r . I've tried Alcohol 120% , ImageBurn , MagicIso . It doesnt seem to matter what I do . My Dvd drive will not recognize the medium ( dvd-r) . I'm now just convinced that i have to get another dvd burning drive . Am I correct ? What would somebody recommend me to buy ? suggestions please .Some NEC and Sony drives cannot burn DVD-R. The price of a 50 PACK of disks and of a new dvd burner is about the same.
Well , seeing as that it is entirely required that I use Dvd-r to burn a custom guitar hero 3 disc ( correct me if i'm wrong) ,I do have to buy a new dvd burner to install to my computer . Thanx for your help so far. Any idea what type will work with my computer and for what i am doing?We don't know what kind of computer you have, laptop or desktop. If the latter, then just about any IDE dvd burner that supports dvd-r will be OK. If the former, then EXPECT to pay more.

I have a Gateway GT5473E Desktop Computer
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4000+ Processor
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6150 AM2 uATX Motherboard
When i first got this computer after it ran awhile the monitor went disorted, jagged lines all over the screen. After a few reboots windows WOULD not load up it would freeze while in the process of loading up and the jagged line would APPEAR. Now only the fans will come on and nothing else, no lights no beeps no keyboard lights no monitor not anything but the fans will run.. I took it to the shop and the man said it was the motherboard im like huh! I was thinking it was the CPU. I have this other computer that does the same thing and it did the same thing after i broke off some pins on the CPU. I havent even touched the CPU on this one and it acting the same way only the fans will work and nothing else thats why i think that tech and the shop is wrong and its the CPU what can you tell me?
I would first check to see if the psu isn't overheating. what's the watts on your psu?but i dont think its over heating, it doesn't do anything but the fans are working and thats all. It has a blue light around the power button its not coming on anymore... no other lights, sounds, etc. Just the Fans Blow
6506085R - Delta 300 Watt Power Supply
6506086R - 300-Watt Power Supply SATA 20-Pin Non-PFC - HIPRO
6506087R - BESTEC 300 Watt Power Supply

Thermal Power 65 W 3 option:

1st , try your processor in other mboard and memory too...
2ND try to check ur cable connections specially your hard disk cable..
and the last one try to change ur power supply..

all good? means your motherboard has a problem...

if you have no extra cpu that's the problem too...

good luckQuote from: petals357 on May 21, 2008, 12:18:37 AM

but i dont think its over heating, it doesn't do anything but the fans are working and thats all. It has a blue light around the power button its not coming on anymore... no other lights, sounds, etc. Just the Fans Blow
6506085R - Delta 300 Watt Power Supply
6506086R - 300-Watt Power Supply SATA 20-Pin Non-PFC - HIPRO
6506087R - BESTEC 300 Watt Power Supply

Thermal Power 65 W

I am making a Computer again and I need some help with the Towers if anyone can help??

I have had 2. Towers a couple of years ago and the Power Switch alway whent BAD.

When ever I tock the front Beazle of the Tower I chould see the Power Switch was insise the Matel plate.

And even if I whent inside the Tower the Power switch was covered inside as well with a nother pice of Matel.

I am looking for a Tower that if the Power switch goes Bad I can replace it.
But every Tower I ever had the Power Switch is seald between to piceses of Matel.


Now every time I call up a diferant Tower Componey they tell me all Towers can have the Power Switch replaced.

Cand you tell me if this is true or what is going on?
ThanksI can't help you much but I would not chose a tower on this criteria alone. I have had several computers and I have never had a power switch go bad.

I would concentrate on a tower with plenty of room and decent air flow. And, at least in most cases, I would avoid the towers with power supplies included. Or at least BUY a separate (good quality) power supply. That is what I did and it left me with a power supply that I could use to diagnose problems with. Most power supplies that come with computer towers are of poor quality.

I am not sure why you have been having problems with power buttons but I think it is a fluke. Quote from: nymph4 on May 13, 2008, 10:33:01 AM

I have had 2. Towers a couple of years ago and the Power Switch alway whent BAD.

I use Windows XP service pack 2 and currently have an SIS 760series video card on my motherboard. I want to use a new program called Plan 3D but my card was not supported so I bought a new one. It is a PCI NVidia GE force 5500 and when I installed it and started my computer up, it would run for 15sec. then restart. It kept repeating this over and over, and I would get and error message saying System is recovering from a serious error. When I plugged the monitor into the old port, it was fine.
Can you tell me what might be WRONG?Not enough power ? ?
Describe your system components and what wattage your PSU is...The computer is an ACPI Uniprocessor pc, plug and play monitor, amd sempron 2400+, 1.66GHz, 224mb of ram, Windows XP home edition 2002- service pack 2. I checked the UPS and it SAYS it is currently stopped.Does your motherboard have onboard video? If so, you MAY have to go into setup and disable it, and then reinstall your new card and drivers.Quote from: jayajean on May 21, 2008, 02:27:55 AM

The computer is an ACPI Uniprocessor pc, plug and play monitor, amd sempron 2400+, 1.66GHz, 224mb of ram, Windows XP home edition 2002- service pack 2. I checked the UPS and it says it is currently stopped.

Hi everybody!

I've been having an issue with my computer for some time now. Until recently, my computer would freeze CONSTANTLY. When this happened I would need to restart the machine. I now have an issue where the display will freeze briefly, then flicker for a couple of seconds before going BACK to normal. This happens even more frequently than the freeze did.

When I first starting having issues with my computer, I turned off HARDWARE acceleration and this is when it started to freeze. I've turned it back on, and now have this new problem. There has been no freeze requiring restart since turning the acceleration on. Although this flickering can be very irritating, it is not quite as bad as the previous issue.

Does anyone know of any reason this would happen and how to fix? I'm at my wits end!

Thanks A good explanation of the issues...
Plese Click Hereis it a rapd flickering then your screen goes black and then comes back to where you were?

is it a coloured flickering (video hardware) prob pink or green

or a black flickering (video driver or ram)

im assuming its black so i would try going to your video cards MANUFACTURERS website and Dling the LATEST drivers. just make sure you get vista drivers if you are using vista, etc.

if the problem persists try booting up your computer with only 1 stick of RAM in it.

that fixed my flickering tat i was getting but i did both at the same time and havent limited it down to 1 solution yet

power connectors for hard drive ETC are difficult to remove , can they be lubricated?
Thanks,
tpstkI wouldn't recommend it. You sometimes just gotta use force, but be a bit CAREFUL QUOTE from: tpstk on MAY 21, 2008, 04:20:26 AM

power connectors for hard drive etc are difficult to remove , can they be lubricated?
Thanks,
tpstk

Hello,
I didnt know EXACTLY how to word the subject, so...

ANYWAY, I have an HP Inspiron 531s, AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual 4000+ running at 2.11GHz, 2gigs RAM. Onboard 150gig hdd and external 200gig hdd via a Promise IDE bus.

Last month, I lost over 6,000 mp3's, several hundred music videos, tons of family photos and whatnot.

I have owned the 200gig hdd since new, and has always read at 189gigs. Since I lost all the files (I dont know what caused the loss) I have not been ABLE to format the hdd any higher than 137gigs. I have tried several DIFFERENT programs to format, to restore back to factory settings etc, to no avail.

I would really like to get the remaining 60 gigs of storage back. Can anyone help?

Thanks, ChrisIf you are running XP SP2 needs to be installed to go over 137G...
As to the missing space it's not really missing:

My hp pavilion f1503 gets darker and then finally goes blank...COULD it be the monitor. I have no other computer to hook it up to and I have no other monitor to test on this computer. What do you think? well, if it's five years old, it most likely is the monitor. Especially if it fades with time.you can get a new lcd monitor on www.newegg.com for around $150. Maybe the RAM doesn't work. Try to use other RAM and check what will happen.Go with Michaewlewis' suggestion. The monitor is going south.

Alan <>< Sorry, wasnt sure how to reply. As you can see, I am really a novice. YES, the other topic was the same. Any ideas, as to why its WORKING? why it's not working, you mean? electronics don't last forever.... unless you have your computer protected by a BACKUP power supply (UPS) it probably won't last more than 5-8 years.No, why it is working? It has been on for over 2 hours and has not blacked out. can't say..... It's probably read this thread and saw all of the recommendations to replace it, and it just wants to avoid the dump. By the way, don't just throw it away. Recycle it. A lot of garbage companies will take it and recycle it for you, just call them. QUOTE from: randysilverio on May 13, 2008, 02:31:43 AM

Maybe the RAM doesn't work. Try to use other RAM and check what will happen.

My computer recently froze and now won't display video (no bios, no nothing). Of course, the first THING I thought of was that my video card over heated but when I turn on my computer neither my mouse or keyboard (Both usb) will turn on after allowing time for windows to start. I just moved in and during the move my finger popped one of the metal covers on the back of my case into the computer. I forgot about it and it sat in there up until (About a week of operation) this problem occurred. I think widows is still booting up because after my computer is on for a few seconds I still have to hold the power BUTTON for 4 seconds to turn it back off. I may have switched the power cable during the move, but it wouldn't explain why it WORKED for a week while I was here. Could the metal piece have shorted out only part of mother board? If it shorted out the cable interface card it was SITTING on and i remove it could that help? I just took the computer completely apart and air compressored all the dust AWAY, but other than the computer running quieter nothing improved. I'm just scared and alone here, If anyone has any cheap suggestions I'd love to hear them and be very grateful.All these things are a possibility...Clik Here...

I know this is not the PLACE for Q/As about Robotics but so I joned a Web SITE called www.societyofrobots.com/

Noone has replyed to my Q/A there does anyone know of a GOOD web site for Robotics and MAKING Robots and Programming them and things like that and posting Q/As?Quote

Noone has replyed to my Q/A there does anyone know of a good web site for Robotics and making Robots and Programming them and things like that and posting Q/As?