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Help... i got a weird sound problem..
i recently format my computer cos its not working properly, the sound not working and i keep getting the blue error screen. after i've done reinstall(os,driver,etc) the blue error screen terror are over. but i still have my sound problem. the sound work fine, but after a couple of minute playing, its getting scratchy and distorted, then it stop working. if i restart my comp SUDDENLY my audio driver are gone. it keep missing until i shut it down, and turn it back on.i have 6 month old computer with abit kn9 motherboard, onboard sound(ac97), os windows XP sp2.. i check the device manager, no problem there(no mark), check the bios setting(audio enable), check jumper on my motherboard(well placed), check the FRONT or rear connector with different speaker(same result), reinstall the driver(all), and update the latest driver.. whats next?
anybody can tell me whats wrong? its starting to hit my nerve...
-thanks-3 things:

Do you have the same problem in Safe Mode

Update the sound drivers from the motherboard site

You can try another sound card instead of the built-in one

Alan <&GT;<

Hi all,

When I turned on my PC this evening, I found that the "Enable Audio Effect" in
EAX console did not work properly.

I was able to check the box to enable the audio effect, but just after a few SECONDS,
the box was unchecked by itself. I have tried to check the box to enable the audio effect, but the problem just happened again.
I am really new to Creative Soundblaster system, and so curious to know if it makes a difference between "audio effect enabled" and "audio effect disabled"

Please kindly HELP if you could!Having it enabled means better sound quality in games, and potentially better performance.
What happened before this started?
Did it ever work FINE?Quote from: Calum on July 09, 2007, 11:39:19 AM

Having it enabled means better sound quality in games, and potentially better performance.
What happened before this started?
Did it ever work fine?

Thanks Calum!

I have a hp a350e with a motherboard A7N8X-LA and wanted to replace it with a nother mobo that WOULD fit my case and how to figure if the new motherboard will support a geforce 6800 gtJust why did you remove the video card topic? It might have been helpful to others. People come here via a Google search quite often.What interface is the video card?
You will be able to get a new board that supports your card, but consider whether it will support your RAM and CPU too.
Why do you want a new motherboard anyway?
Usually, it's better to get a new video card, CPU and RAM at the same TIME as a new board.Well i want to replace the mobo cause i it SEEM it doesn't read or its no compatible with a geforce 6800 gt agp. was reading maybe this one would MSI K7N2 Delta2 Platinum.read the reviews, if you want one that is almost idiot proof, overclocks to a degree and has GREAT features for the $ bling, get the one I have........ see reviews at newegg............. I have a few decent shots on myspace page when I was building it.....ahh sorry cortrex i didn't MEAN to delete the post i guess i thought there was no solution to my problem so i gave it up. And is it really hard to change mobo and look for a fitting one and is it all worth it

I'm trying to reinstall my video card but I cannot find the drivers. I found the drivers at NVIDIA's site, its a GeForce FX 5200. I tried to install the driver from their executable file, but after it extracted everything, it said it could not locate the proper hardware, and closed the set-up. I thought this meant I had to install the card first. So I did, but windows will not load (I assume this is because the driver is not INSTALLED properly). Any idea what I'm doing wrong here?

Thank you.
You need to have the card in your PC, then boot.
Windows will load generic drivers, cancel out of any installation if you can.
Then install the drivers you downloaded.When it finishes extracting the drivers and goes into the install shield wizard, the computer restarts every time.Okay, I found the drivers finally, by chance, so I might try this again. But I have a new concern.

I'm worried that my computer might get too hot with the card installed. I only have two or THREE fans in it at the moment. The gfx card has a FAN attached, but I'm not sure if this is enough air flow; heat may have caused problems in the past.

Just out of curiosity, it seems like it would be much cooler if the removable side of the case were left removed. Is this bad practice? That's usually fine, but most people don't like to do it because of the way it looks.
If you're worried about heat, just monitor your temperatures.
Cooling fans are pretty cheap, so if the temps are high, it's easy to fix.
Hope this helps.Okay, using the drivers I had for it isn't helping, the computer still restarts on its own when the video card is installed. I cannot install the drivers before it restarts, it usually restarts right before the install wizard can begin.

wen i try to install ma sound driver i got prompted dat HD AUDIO BUS IS REQUIRED AND NOT FOUND!
can any body HELP me out?
thanksI beg of you please.... when you post give us some TINY hint as to what HARDWARE/software configurations we are dealing with... The answer to whatever query you have might be hardware or software specific i.e. one cure does not fix all...

Your query might be fixed by KB888111. See here...

Good luck

To me the error code appears to be indicating that HD sound drivers are being installed when there is no COMPATIBLE hardware, or if there is HD hardware then the sound card or BIOS may not be configured correctly to accept HD audio.DeltaSlaya - I second that..

If the OP ever comes back hopefully we'll get the info or at the very least the make/model of the laptop so we can do a bit of research.

Thanks for your comments.Thanks, and yes it would be BENEFICIAL if we were informed of the hardware or drivers concerned.

i bought a double ended VGA cable and fitted it to my laptop and the TV, how do i make it so that i can see the laptop screen on the TV ?

thanks..The laptop video has to support this or it will not work.
The TV needs to also.
Since we don't know what either of them are we'll await more info...its a 4-5 year old Acer Travelmate 240(0) not SURE and its a new LCD 42" LG Tele, they both have them things erm...where i fit double ended VGA cable, i fitted them and nothing came up , i tried every sort av1 (etc) on list.

Thanks..I've noticed on most laptops that to switch displays you press and hold the "Fn" key and hit an F-something key. It usually cycles laptop screen>TV>both.Quote from: Soviet Genius on July 10, 2007, 08:29:12 PM

I've noticed on most laptops that to switch displays you press and hold the "Fn" key and hit an F-something key. It usually cycles laptop screen>TV>both.

I've noticed on most laptops that to switch displays you press and hold the "Fn" key and hit an F-something key. It usually cycles laptop screen>TV>both.

i have a dabs VALUE 30gb hdd mp3 player, i belive that i have unwittingly deleted the file structure on the player and it displays the above message before defaulting to the usb screen. in device manager on my xp computer the usual yellow exclamation mark and the information "this device cannot start code 10".is there a way to revive the player or ALTERNATIVELY to use the drive just for storage (fujitsu MHT2030AT)Right click My Computer and select Manage...
Then CHOOSE Disk Management. Find the offending drive and right click it and see if XP will ALLOW you to format it from there...if so you should be good to go.

If not report back with the drives properties as listed above...there may be another way.many thanks patio for your RESPONSE, have tried what you suggested but the drive is not recognised, any other thoughts?So it doesn't show up at all in Disk Management ? ?thats right.........weird or whatHave you tried it in another USB port and or on another machine ? ?

If you want to experiment you could DLoad and try a HDD manuf. utility just to see if it is recognised. Try Data Lifeguard tools from Western Digital. These can format it as well...many thanks patio.......tried it in a different usb port........was recognised...could format but decided to try an save it as an mp3 player.....there were just 2 files on it, couple of songs so made new folder called mp3, put them in it and after trying a few button combinations on the player it plays them. hope this may help some other numpties out there We are the knights who say nikk

I have an X800GTO graphics CARD. It worked fine with my SCEPTRE monitor while the vga cable was hooked up. I recently found my dvi cable and decided to give it a try. It works great until either I go into standby or the monitor shuts off, then it will not wake BACK up. Any ideas?*bump*
No luck? I went back to my VGA and the monitor works fine, I just hate that I paid for DVI and can't use it. Try installing the latest drivers for your graphics card.
What model is the monitor?
You could try the monitor on another PC with the cable, or another DVI monitor on that PC so you can see what the problem is.Ok I know it's been awhile but here is my update because I know there are others with my same problem. I have a X20WG Naga btw. I sent it to be RMA'd, got it back and was told it was fixed. It is not. I think this could be a specific conflict between ATI and Sceptre. I found out that simply turning the monitor off and back on will be enough for it to lose signal. However, yanking out the DVI connector and reconnecting it will USUALLY bring the dusplay back up. Cycling the power on the monitor doesn't seem to go anything. Any ideas anybody? Has anybody seen a DVI on-off switch so I can just disconnect my monitor when I don't need it?hmm... it seems unplugging it from the wall and turning it off from the monitor give different responces. If I cycle the power button it refuses to show. But it seems if I just unplug it, I can plug it back in and the screen comes right back up. If it's that simply all I need is a surge protector and I can just kill monitor power when I LEAVE. Can any of you forsee if this will shorten the life of the monitor? It does seem alittle abusive to kill all its power all at once.

ever since I got my new microsoft vista laptop, it has been so *censored*. my pc games dont work, nero doesnt work, and my lexmark z615 printer doesnt work. I got all the plugs hooked up, I got blank paper ready to be printed, but whenever I PRESS OK when I'm ready to print, it says

windows cannot print due to a problem with the current printer setup
try one or more of the following:
check the printer by printing a test page from windows
make sure the printer is on and online
reinstall the printer driver

i really dont understand. I tried printing a test page, but it also gives a similar error message, my printer is clearly on with the green light, and I dont see a point in reinstalling the printer. I even did it by reconnecting the plugs and all that and it's the same thing. The printer also came with a disc, and when I finished the disc setup, everything just disappears and doesnt even give me a confirmation that the setup is finished so Im just assuming the setup was complete. how do I fix this problem because even windows 95 is BETTER than this crappy vista. I've downloaded and installed a new driver for my z640 and it's working ok now. Maybe you could try the same?Here is the advice I gave chrisr and as you can see from their post, it worked for them.

Have you searched on Lexmark's website for updated drivers? Did this printer ever work with Vista? If it never did, maybe you need to wait and eventually Microsoft or Lexmark will make a driver for it.

I think the drivers that were originally shipped with both of these printers were not tested with Vista before they were shipped out. Download the latest drivers from Lexmark and you should be GOOD to go like chrisr.

I hope you get your printing working one way or another! Let us know.wow it's working fine now. I cant believe I didn't have the common sense to just go to their official website. Thanks a lot. wow I don't know what's going on now. the paper is going through the printer smoothly and it pretends like it's printing when it does the stuttering movement. when the paper comes out, THERE'S NOTHING on the paper. plus the cartridges were barely used. I dont know whats going on. I bought the printer early '06 but the age of the printer shouldnt be a factor 'cause nothing's wrong with it. You may need to CLEAN the contacts on the base of your cartridges. To clean these, do the following steps:

Remove the cartridge(s) from the printer.

Be sure to have a sheet of paper or paper towel to rest the cartridges on during cleaning.

Using clean distilled water and a clean cotton swab or any soft, lint-free material wipe the bottom of each cartridge.

Be sure to clean the contacts quickly enough so it is not out of the printer longer than 30 minutes. The ink can dry and CLOG the nozzles if the cartridge is outside of the printer for too long.

After this is complete do a cartridge alignment to be sure the cartridges are aligned properly and print a test page.

If this still doesn't work, you may need to buy some new cartridges. It could be that the ink dried if you haven't used the printer for quite some time.

Be sure to keep us updated. well I used cotton pad. I soaked it and was wiping the base of the two cartridges, and the ink was coming on the cottonpads. however when I try to print right after, still nothing is on the paper. meanwhile the cartridge status of the amount of ink for both the color and black, keeps decreasing. it just makes no sense. Im guessing I have to buy new cartridges? How old are your print cartridges? If they are over a year old and they haven't been used, I think it is time for some new cartridges.

How low is the level in the program you are using that shows the level of ink? Maybe you used up all the ink the last time you used the printer.

If I remember correctly Lexmark makes really small cartridges, so it could be that you used up all the ink.

Bottom line: I think it's time for some new cartridges. Sadly print cartridges don't last forever. (Wouldn't it be great if they did though?)i bought the printer, which came with the cartridges like feb '06, old comp broke july '06, so the cartridges were sitting there until late last month when I tried to fix it. so basically it was a year so yeah I think I need new ones. thanks for the help. You are very welcome. Hope all goes well installing the new cartridges.

Anyone know if it's possible to add ide drives to machine that is already running a SATA drive? if it is, how do I make the ide drive visible and usable?Yes, you can...

Does your motherboard have an IDE slot? No? Buy an IDE board for one of the PCI slots on your motherboard.Yes there are two ide and four sata

Okay, the ide drive's in and according to the DEVICE manager it is "working properly". only problem is it don't show up anywhere. anyone got any ideas What operating system? What is the make and model of your hard drive?

If this is a blank drive...you'll need to partition and format it.XP pro, Diamondmax plus 8, the drive full with data that I need to access do formatting isn't NEEDED. my old machine that it CAME from was XP pro, this was a slave.What file system was the old (& new) HDD on?

If one is NTFS and one FAT32 the FAT one won't see the NTFS (or vice versa, I forget... they don't like each other anyway)

Although, if it's SHOWING in Device Manager, I doubt thats the problem.

Does the BIOS recognise the IDE HDD? Ntfs on both. And yes Bios did recognise it.Is it still configured as a slave? If so, try setting jumpers to Master.

Just a heads up...confirm boot device is the SATA drive that has the OS installed.

Post results, please...drive is set to cable select.

yes the sata drive is the boot deviceIf it's still not recognized using cable select jumper settings...did you try master as I suggested in previous post?Is the drive showing in disk management, if so has it been assigned a drive letter, and does it show as "active"?

I'm buying this computer.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=BDL10002106&catid=
And I was wondering what you think about it? I am going to be upgrading the PSU, Graphics Card later on but everything there to me seems pretty good. I'm going to be getting an 8800 card. Thanks.Why does everyone have more money to spend on computers than I do....... lol Looks great man! Hope you enjoy it! Let us know how it all works out!wow, not a bad deal at all for a PUTER "package" purchase* ~ "you will love that monitor "

you MIGHT inquire about them putting in an "instant" upgrade psu if POSSIBLE, other than that it looks real nice...

check the back of the monitor panel and or inquire and see if your getting an "S" panel (insist on an S if possible) Looks like a nice PC, and you've already tagged the upgrades that I would recommend.
Nice FIND, good buy.

Ok so I bought an xbox 360 controller for my computer and I really do like it. It has only worked so far with HALO and counterstrike I heard theres a program that you can use to make it work with any game or just use different drivers. can someone inform me more about this.Page three of this has a link to a driver which SEEMS to FIT the BILL..

Good luckkoool thanx

I was changing memory and accidentally changed the something in the BIOS. Now the computer won't startup no matter what memory I have in it. I have no way to access the BIOS. I have a GIGABYTE 965P-S3 motherboard. It has two pins for clearing the CMOS. To clear the CMOS would I just create a short between the pins? What is the difference between puting a short between the pins and removing the battery for a while? I tried removing the battery for about a minute but the computer for will still not start up. I was reading some where that sometimes you have to leave the battery disconected for quite some TIME or you have to discharge something. Do you think this is the case?

Does anyone know what could be happening?

Thanks in advance for your response.Try leaving the battery out for about 15 minutes and see if that does anything. If not, then you MIGHT be able to reset the jumpers and see if that would clear it.And HIT the power button a few TIMES as well to discharge any latent power...with all power unplugged of COURSE.

Personally I have the Logitech G5 Laser mouse, the 2007 Edition.

It has tiltable scroll wheel, two side buttons DEFAULTING to 'forward' and 'back' (instead of the ORIGINAL 1). Adjustable sensitivity, it does become useful, amazing control in the driver application (setpoint), invisible laser and an adjustable WEIGHT cartridge. Which SOUNDS outrageously gimmicky though you can feel the difference between an additional 36g and 1.7g. It's adjustable from 0 (to light for me) all the way to 36g (too heavy) in 1.7g steps. It was very easy for me to find just the right balance which is 19.7g lol.

I just went on a BIT on something I regarded as gimmicky...

I have recently aquired a compaq proliant 3000 server that has an 8-disk hot SWAP bay in it. I was wondering, does the circuitry on the carriage limit the speed of the bus? Follow me if you will...

There's the wide ultra SCSI card in there, connected to the HARDDRIVE tray, which ORIGINALLY had wide ultra scsi drives in it. However, some of the drives have already been upgraded to wide ultra scsi3. Can I simply swap the controller card for a wide ultra scsi3 card, since the drive carriage is a glorified ribbon cable? Or is there actually something to the carriage that LIMITS it's speed?

After deragging and installing software, I got a message that my system32/hal.dll is missing but before that I heard some noises from the inside of my computer, Hard Drive I beleive. So I quickly shut down since I never heard that hummm before.
Now I cannot even boot up in Safe mode or get to the POINT to try a system restore with the OS CD .
OS win XP. The message keeps stopping me.
When trying to recover with the CD, I ran into a wall and had to bail out because I got a message that Windows could not detect a HDD in my system
Sata hard drives 2x80gig New since April 07
I have a feeling I am in trouble, is there any one out there that can save me or is time to buy more hard drives?DLoad and run the HDD diagnostics from the drive manuf. site. The programs let you create a bootable floppy or CD to test those drives and see if they are working properly or getting ready to fail.

I would also unplug both drives and power up that machine and let it run to see if that noise happens again. If it does then it wasn't a HDD noise ...possibly a fan failing or a bad power supply which will both cause booting problems.Much better reformat your HDD. If you don't want to reformat your computer then USE an application to fixed your HDD.Quote from: SHENGTON on July 11, 2007, 08:25:40 AM

Much better reformat your HDD. If you don't want to reformat your computer then use an application to fixed your HDD.

Quote from: SHENGTON on July 11, 2007, 08:25:40 AM

Much better reformat your HDD. If you don't want to reformat your computer then use an application to fixed your HDD.

Skip this advice until we determine what the issue is...

I recently bought a new Dell XPS 720 with a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic(D) Sound Card and with Dell A525 2.1 STEREO Speakers with a SUBWOOFER. I have another set of speakers that I used to use on my old computer which I would like to hook up to work simultaneously with my current speakers. The older speakers are Dell A425 2.1 Stereo Speakers with a Subwoofer. How do I go about setting the two up.

I am also THINKING about reformatting the XPS 720 to repartition the hard drive so I may end up needing to setup the original speakers as well. It would be easiest if I could install both immediately after reformatting and partitioning.taking a shot at this but; go read on each one and see which if or both would work*

you need either an amplifier or an EQUALIZER with 4 speaker inputs and you should be good to go, the creative sound card will setup the output levels.Thank you very much. Do you have any recommendations for a good amplifier or equalizer?If these are powered speakers and non USB, they might work by using a simple Y adapter. Radio Shack should have them.Quote from: 2k_dummy on July 12, 2007, 02:31:59 AM

If these are powered speakers and non USB, they might work by using a simple Y adapter. Radio Shack should have them.

i DONT KNOW what happen to my computer that evertime i restart my computer there always hav smos setup is wrong and windows xp not openWe'll need some more information, like what model of computer do you have, system specs, how long has this been going on? Did it ever WORK before? Any hardware or software changes RECENTLY? What kind of protection do you have? Your SAYING that you can't boot?
Or you only can't restart?
I can't figure out which on it is.

Jonas

hello,
this is my first post so i hope you FOLKS can lend me some help.
my PC has started to make a really shrill high pitched noise a bit like an alarm clock,
its starting to get worse- it had been an intermittant problem, happening every couple of weeks- but now it happens just about every time i use the PC.

i've posted a clip of the noise here:
http://livingtonerecordings.bravehost.com/



it seems to be happening when-

accesing cd's
burning cdr's (usually as disc writing session is closing)
BROWSING the internet, particularly when roaming the bands on myspace
downloading big files
running a virus scan

so far i've FIGURED out that it could be the hard drive, or perhaps a fan thats not working properly.

any ideas would be helpfull.
i'm currently toying with replacing the hard drive or adding an extra one- so if this is something simle to fix like a fan it would be super- if its something tragic i'll have to save my pennies for a new PC. (boo-hoo)It was hard to make out with your recording, but it is a failing fan.welcome to the forum !

it "sounds" more like a humming from what I could decipher *

(might help to turn the tv off in the background!)

but great effort providing the wav TA chaps, i should have turned the tv off but i was catching up on Rome.
i'm GOING with the fan theory, as its cheap to fix and going by some other stuff i have researched it sounds like the problem.

if replacing the fan dont solve it i'll return with a pristine super deluxe recording complete with curses from me in the background!

cheers!well then! let me be the first to screw up your thread~ I heard that show Rome is really good !! never seen yet ?

Hi all,

I am having a problem connecting a DELL d510 laptop to a hitachi projector, the problem is that i am not able to GET an image on the projector.

I Have tried swapping out the cables and have also tried the same laptop on the same model projector in a different room, which works fine.

I have also tried a different model laptop on the on the projector, which also works fine.

The reolution is fine and all of the equipment is working.

If anyone has any ideas on how i can overcome ths problem please let me know.

Thanks

StuartHave you ever been able to get the project to work with the Dell before now? Or have you always had this problem with this PARTICULAR projector hooking up to the Dell?I'm using 3 of the same laptops but all were built using the same ghost image, i have TAKEN down the projector and set it p and managed to get it working for a short period but once i restart the machine it fails again. I have also tried connecting them to benq and a NEC projectors but am getting the same result. They will work on one of the projectors in another oom but none of the others.

Someone has mentioned to me that it may be a power phase issue but I have no idea what i can do to rectify this.

i have a toshiba satallite SA-60 with a few problems
i installed a bit more memory and a new hard drive and all was well Xp pro went on there and was runnning great until one morning i turned it on to find two problems

firstly
there are little lines when i first turn it on (only on the logo screen) for which i have attached a few pics, but to make it easier for you guys to see i attached it to a monitor..

secondly
i cannot load windows on there it gets as far as copying all the files then when it says starting windows nothing happens after that

i have had various people tell me a few different things( graphics , motherboard,needs a BIOS update???) but as i know nothing of laptops i am a little apprehensive about trying something
it would be very much appreciated if you guys could supply me with your knowlege,
Many THANKS all the best
Simshi

ahh i have just found out my file is too large as i can not descibe it very well i would like some of you to see them and would gladly email them to you If they are too large, you can host them on imageshack.us or similar, and use the [ img ] tag to show them here.
Or, you can attach just one image per POST, if it will fit, or make them smaller.

Did these problems start straight after installing the memory and hard drive?
Are you sure these PARTS were compatible?
And you said you installed XP Pro, but you then say you cannot load it because it stops after it copies the files. Which is it?the memory and hard drive are both compatable for the laptop
i had xp running fine for about a week then one morning the lines were there i thought that maybe i had a virus so i wiped the hard drive and now it freezes up on the staring window bit after the files have been copied from the disc,,

the smallest file is 280kb how can i reduce that
Many thanks all the best
SimshiYou could edit the image and reduce the resolution, or change the file type.
How large is the image, in terms of resolution? Example: 1280x1024
What file type is it? Example: jpeg
A size like 800x600 would be large enough, and jpeg offers quality levels which can be reduced to reduce the size.

imageshack would offer a way to show us the full size images.Quote from: Calum on July 13, 2007, 10:26:32 AM

You could edit the image and reduce the resolution, or change the file type.
How large is the image, in terms of resolution? Example: 1280x1024
What file type is it? Example: jpeg
A size like 800x600 would be large enough, and jpeg offers quality levels which can be reduced to reduce the size.

imageshack would offer a way to show us the full size images.

i have the logitech x530 and only 2/5 speakers work, the FRONT SIDE speakers and the subwoofer work. via ac'97 is having troubles starting but phillips audio is WORKING fine....does ANYONE know why only part of my speakers is workingnever mind i fixed itWhat was the problem?
If you post your solution, it may HELP other users with the same problem.

Intel Quad Core
Dual GeForce 8800 Ultra 768MB in SLI
8 GB of ram

well maybe not that crazy but hard to put together a rig until we know your budget

I hae an older P3 IBM Thinkpad 600X. I need a new hard rive, but I do not know how to tell which type to buy. I have seen a wide variety of hard drives from places like newegg or ecost, but I do not know which one will fit my LAPTOP. How can I figure this out?

DanGet an ATA drive that is a 2.5" form factor.Go to the IBM/Lenovo website and make sure you find out the largest size HDD your system will SUPPORT before you buy.** he has a laptop ** listen to Calum, read the reviews at newegg.com on the 2.5's and make a decision..

ibm laptops rule !I'm not disagreeing with Callum, I just know from experience (my first REFURBISHED laptop a few years ago - an IBM ThinkPad with a Pentium 3) that older models can have HHD size caps. MINE capped out at something like 6GB.

After reading back I wasn't clear enough what I as referring to when I said "size" - I mean GB of space, not physical dimensions.now that you bring that up* that older model might not be able to handle a hd much larger than a 6 gig my thinkpad 600e only has a 3 i THINK ? it don't work anyway..........

YEAH, he might need to make sure and read the mainboard specs on that puter before comiting to a hard drive purchase!

I've read of similar problems, but none quite like this. EVERY time I OPEN a video or audio file, watch video on the web, view flash content, or use a java app on the web, the CPU use begins to climb out of control until it reaches 100%. Then the videos, audio, etc. become choppy and skip, and the computer grinds to a halt until I quit the media player or browser. It usually takes about 3 minutes for the CPU use to reach 100%.

Here is my system information:
Machine: Sony VAIO PCG-K45 15"
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Version 5.1 Build 2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254: Service PACK 2)
Memory: 512 MB PC2100 266 MHZ SODIMM DDR RAM
Page File: 1024 MB static
Graphics: ATI Radeon IGP 345M
Audio: Realtek AC97

My Windows installation isn't off a Windows disc, but from the System Restore discs provided by Sony. I regularly use anti-virus and anti-malware scanners, and my computer is clean. My graphics and audio drivers are up-to-date. My BIOS is up-to-date. My HDD DMA settings are CORRECT. My registry is error-free.

Basically, every time I try watching video, listening to music, or playing games on the web, this problem shows itself. It first started about three weeks ago, and it has persisted through a reformat. Every video player, every audio player, every browser exhibits this problem. Aside from this problem, the computer runs beautifully. It is maddening, because I can't figure out what's wrong. What is going on?

Edit: I posted it under "hardware," because it encompasses such a wide range of software, that I'm afraid this might be a hardware issue... I'm not sure anymore.Seeing as the problem affects a CPU could you please tell us what it is. (ie Manufacturer, Model, Speed, Socket, Dual-Core? etc.)Oops, sorry. I forgot that. It's a Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor 538 3.20GHz; 533 MHz front side bus; 1 MB L2 cache; Socket 479; single-core.

The drive should open EVEN if a IDE cable is not connected and the motherboard is not aware of it's EXISTENCE. I am fairly sure of this and you should attempt it. If it does not work try another rail on your PSU or a new PSU entirely. If the issue is occurring with more than one optical drive when they are not being controlled by the MB it has to be a PSU issue.What do you mean the screen is BLACK, is then when the PC is powered on? As if it is it should be posting and you will SEE output on the screen.It's a used drive, it isn't working, but you're convinced there's nothing wrong with it ? ?
Install it in a known working machine and see what happens...

The other day I lost power to my USB ports. I may have caused a spark inside my computer when I was attempting to install a new video card. Any help will be greatly appreciated.Jourdyn ......Quote

I may have caused a spark inside my computer when I was attempting to install a new video card.

Ok thanks Patio
The RPM is the speed of writing but does it do anything else besides that?

Jonas It's actually the speed the HDD spins at but it results in quicker read/writes and seek times. It is a performance boost that's worth the extra cabbage.I almost got that right
Thanks ok I will take that cost then that would be the perfect laptop in my price class. (I hope)
Thanks

Jonas You could actually lower the CPU more if needed to lower the price and not see much of a difference. The $100 for .2GHz is not worth it at all, high end models are always at a premium LIKE this.
As has been said, a 7200rpm HDD will be a big difference compared to a 5400rpm version, trust me.
It's definitely worth a little more CASH for the performance, even if battery life suffers a tad (only usually maybe 10 minutes).
The wireless card is fine, it supports wireless G which is mainstream wireless now. My uncle has the very similar 1370 card and has had no problems.
The difference between the video cards . . . the Intel X3100 is integrated, it uses system memory so performance will suffer from the loss of 256Mb RAM. They are also not all that powerful.
The NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 140M is the workstation equivalent of the GeForce Go 8400/8500 series.
So it's a pretty powerful card in itself, which will not steal system RAM.
It's quite a lot more powerful than the X3100, and is good for workstation applications too.
Either option is fine for the Aero interface, but if you plan on gaming or any 3D work you should get the dedicated Quadro card.

Nice laptop you have sorted out there, how much is it? Couldn't see a price.
Oh, ONE last thing - English keyboards are qwerty, yes.I wasn't out for gaming sow the prefix will do.
This is the one I tried to punched: ($1471)
Code: [Select]My System Details
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7100 (1.80GHz) 2M L2 Cache, 800Mhz DUAL Core

OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista™ Ultimate, with media

LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen WSXGA+ LCD Panel

MEMORY 2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS

HARD DRIVE 120GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 7200RPM

OPTICAL DRIVE 8X DVD+/-RW w/ Roxio Creator Dell Edition Digital Media for Vista Ultimate

VIDEO CARD Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless™ 1390 802.11g Mini Card

BLUETOOTH WIRELESS Dell Wireless® 360 Bluetooth Module for Vista

FINGERPRINT READER OPTION Touchpad with UPEK® [b][i][/i][/b]Fingerprint Reader[b][i][/i][/b]

My Accessories
BATTERY 9 Cell Primary Battery

PRIMARY POWER OPTIONS 90W A/C Adapter

FLOPPY DRIVE No Floppy Drive

My Software
My Support & Services

WARRANTY & SERVICE 3 Year Limited Warranty plus 3 Year Mail-in Service

PURCHASE INTENT Purchase is not intended for resale.

ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
Ship Group US - System Documentation, Power Cord
OS Labels Vista Premium Label
Miscellaneous Latitude D830
BACKUP OS DRIVERS AND SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION No System Documenation
Internal Keyboard Internal English Keyboard
But when I clicked that it should be send to Belgium they told me I had to create the PC at Dell.be.
When I did that I noticed that it was much more because I don't get discount in Belgium
I totally loved it but without the discount it costs $1867 and that is just to much.
(otherwise my 50cc wouldn't be of good quality.)
Man, I hate that Europe is has to pay more money that's just not fair.

Jonas

I'll keep looking and post when I found something thanks for the advice and if you want to add some comment: feel free.
Finalise what you want on that machine and i'll ship it to you disguised as a cake...I called Dell and asked why there is such difference between those pricess.
They asked me to send both the spec and prices.
And they also told me that it would be possible to ship one from Amerika to europe.
Because the power suply is different sow you wouldn't be able to load te battery even with this:

Now there looking in to it and they 'll mail or call me when the have an answer.
I hope they have the solution.
Thanks, Patio, for the offer but it looks like this isn't a solution for this problem.

Jonas
They still haven't called or mailed me I hope the will look in to it as they say!
If they haven't called me by Tuesday I'll give them an other mail.
One thing I learned: Never be to kind in this cases.
Or should I start looking at an other portable?

Jonas I'd contact them and say you are considering another machine since they have been lax in assisting you...that oughta get things rollin pretty good...

I just got an Emachine for my friend and put a compact CD burner in it its HOOKED up in the back the light is on and the CD rom drive I installed works perfectly but the CD burner drive doesnt open and I dont think the right driver is on the computer to work the burner is their a site I could go to so that I might download softwear to make my burner work after I figuer out the model and EVERYTHING of course but am I right what else could it just be broken? any ideas would be helpfulQuote from: rockstar4cs on July 11, 2007, 09:35:57 PM

I just got an Emachine for my friend and put a compact CD burner in it its hooked up in the back the light is on and the CD rom drive I installed works perfectly but the CD burner drive doesnt open and I dont think the right driver is on the computer to work the burner is their a site I could go to so that I might download softwear to make my burner work after I figuer out the model and everything of course but am I right what else could it just be broken? any ideas would be helpful

Quote from: The Saviour on July 13, 2007, 07:42:58 PM

There's a free PROGRAM out there called CPU-Z. Something you may want to take a look at.

It gathers information about your CPU, Mainboard, System and Memory.

Here's what it checks when it comes to memory:

1) Frequency and timings.
2) Module(s) specification using SPD (Serial Presence Detect) : vendor, serial number, timings table.

Any variations between modules will be displayed.

There's also the possibility that one of those modules does not conform with the other three, hence...why BIOS and Windows do not show the full 4GB.

Give CPU-Z a shot...

What've you got to lose?

Edit (I've changed my answer)
I've been doing some researching on this issue and there seems to be a lot of confusion and trouble with win xp and 4 gigs of ram. The following page explains why you're not seeing the full 4 gigs of ram.

http://www.crucial.com/kb/answer.asp?qid=4251

So basically you can't utilize the full 4 gigs of ram.

I recently bought a kv8 pro amd athlon 64 754 motherboard off ebay. It appeard in box and the owner said it was new and un-used. So I went and bought a case with a 400w PSU. WHen i went to connect the PSU to the motherboard, i noticed a yellow 4-pin plug cellotaped to the main power plug that gets plugged into the motherboard. THe letters 20+4 was written on the end of the cable head, what is the extra 4-pin plug for?

ANyhow i installed ram and i installed a video card, and the processor and heatsink obviouslly ( though the fan is not very secure in place! ), and went to turn on the box pressing the switch at the back of the PSU ( then pressing the switch at the front, which does nothing at all there is no response from the motherboard ), all that comes on is the green light on the motherboad and down in the "post code" LED thingie what resembles 2 letters 'JJ' or upside down 7's!!! There is no noise off the motherboard to suggest it is loading up or doing anything. what am i doing wrong? what do i need to check for? is the motherboard dead?

Just to note that the PSU fan doesnt even come on.....any help is greatly appreciated!!Do you have a place on your motherboard labeled 'ATX12V1'for that 4 pin connector you haven't used ?This should be your MB, correct?

You need to plug that 4 pin connector in where I've circled.Deerpark has it. A picture is worth a thousand WORDS. i connected a white 4 pin plug ( that was seperately connected to the PSU ) to the atx12v nothing HAPPENED bar the led on the motherboard coming on, and i connected the yellow flourescent one you will see in the plug below but still nothing happens save the led coming on on the motherboard and the "post code " light thingie in the bottom left corner:


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/pronane/Image058.jpg

yes that is my motherboardYou say that when you press the switch on the front of your case nothing happens? First of all we need to make sure that the switch is connected correctly to the motherboard. There should be a diagram in your manual that shows which pins the power switch needs to be connected to.althought there is no cable connected in this picture, if i connected either the white one or the yellow one ( 4 pin ) this is all that happens, led light and something that resembles a J in the post code thingie.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y236/pronane/Image001.jpgdeerpark its down in the bottom corner, the Fpanel is down around where you see that j, and i have connected it as described in the manual.....but nothing happens when i click the on switch.

Does this look like an error between chair and keyboard or is the Mboard fooked? why doesnt the fan come on on the PSU at least?sorry to bust in here but my 2 cents with this problem I have had on 2 builds*

1. the fan has to be seated correctly and tight to the heatsink (cpu) some units are hard to fit together or "snap" in but that is critical to get the connection operational

2. most of my issues on initial setup were incorrectly placed "case" wires from the case to the clear pins on your mobo < check those out closely, make sure all the positive & negative wires are seated on the correct pins < this one has caused me weeks of lost time!

the 4 pin is for extra juice to the cpu > ie....

* The 20-pin (or 24-pin) motherboard power connector.
* The 4-pin auxiliary power connector, which supplies extra power to the motherboard to cater for modern AMD and Intel CPUs.

most of my experience on these snags were dumb little things overlooked hmm the power cables i have look like this

http://www.pctechguide.com/images/tutorials/MBoard/Power.jpg

but i have 2 extras called +p led, -p led.....the thing is on the mobo i have it doesnt MENTION anything about these, all it mentions is about Suspended LED, SPEAKER, GURU, HDD LED, power switch and reset switch but there is nothing for +p led and - led, could that be whats wrong?

i am having problems getting the fan and heatsink to stick in i think.....i am not sure its properly in, its a bloody bastid to get in. The instructions are a diagram with no words, and i beleive i have followed what it says but i am not convinced....

thanks for the reply guys.Yeah it's usually some stupid little mistake, but it can also be a compatibly issue or a bad piece of hardware. But lets try and eliminate all the stupid little mistakes I've done when doing custom builds.
And on that note you should make double sure that everything is seated correctly.

And can you post the full specs for the build?
Like the exact model of the cpu, what kind of ram you have, the wattage on the PSU, etc.

I think +p & -p refers to to the power LED. I.e. the power indicator on the front of the case.ok the ram is 256 266 mhz ddr ram. the video card i cant remember cos its from an OLD pc but i think its a geforce 64mb ....something... cant remember full specs, the cpu is a 2800+ sempron processor, the PSU is a 400W mercury. i think thats pretty much it.

i am pretty sure its all seated correctly.....but i dont know if i mentioned even when i turn on the power supply unit switch, the cpu fan doesnt come on.......shouldn't that come on no matter what?

even if you dont have the heatsink and fan connected porperly and you plug the cable from the fan into the motherboard, should the fan still come on and spin?

this is really frustrating as i have bought lots of different crap to get this working ( that i wont need if the motherboard is at fault ) and it appears to be the motherboard....i actually have another question, why was there a yellow 4 pin plug connected directly to the 20 pin main PSU plug? ANd also what was the other white 4 pin plug for if that yellow one is meant to be used in the atx12v socket?Both plugs is for extra 12v juice for the CPU, some new CPUs requires both. (Like the Core 2 Duo if I remember correctly.)

Hi,

First of all, the relevant information about my system: Windows XP, Alienware PC purchased in early 2005. Video card is a Nvidia 6600GT.

Recently we had some hot days and my brother played games on it for extended periods of time. Of course, the computer STOPPED booting after a while, instead giving washed out colors and strange vertical lines on bootup over the logos, and then ending when the screen displayed garbled white text on black background, then going black and refusing to boot.

I took a look at it and ended up booting it up in safe mode so I could mess with settings. Safe mode is still really messed up (washed out colors, tiny resolution size, vertical lines on the screen still), but I can get around in it. Now, I'm thinking the issue is the video card - it probably just blew up or melted or whatever those things do In addition, he said he saw a "CPU Overheat error" or something at one point.

Anyway I disabled the video card and rebooted. Now it boots up (still with everything all messed up) without safe mode; I don't have to press anything. The thing is, the functionality is wrecked. It doesn't LET any games be played, it doesn't let me boot up the resolution of color bit-age. It's basically useless with the video card disabled (not letting me use the internet either, but that's probably unrelated).

So, here's what I'm thinking: the video card is completely shot and I need a new one. Before I go and DROP $100+ on a 7900GS, I need to verify that the issue is definitely the 6600GT. While I have it disabled now, the monitor is still physically connected to it on the back of the card, meaning that the display is still interacting with the ruined card. I want to take that completely out of the equation by making the computer recognize the crappy integrated graphics as the display device. This way I can take the monitor cable, unplug it from the broken 6600GT, and plug it into the the original integrated graphics plug/port/hole thing. Then the graphics card isn't affecting anything, meaning that if everything goes back to "normal" it was the card's fault and I can safely buy a new one. Of course, if everything is still messed up its back to square one, but I'll deal with that when I get to it...

My questions to you are:
[1] How do I make the computer start recognizing the integrated graphics as the display device? I can't just plug the monitor in there without doing this, or the screen is just black as the PC looks for the monitor to be in the 6600GT's port. I swear I used to be able to do this, it's probably something simple I forgot.
[2] Any further advice on this problem would be great.
[3] KIND of unrelated, I did some research and found that the 7900GS is significantly better than the older 6600GT. I'd just like to double-check and make sure this is true before I make the purchase (if I make the purchase).

The first question is the big, important one.

Thanks in advance! Hope I was clearfirst of all there are a couple of ways to do this firstly you need to make sure that the onboard graphics have not been disabled in the bios...
secondly you can remove the Graphics card and the on board will automaticallly pick up the signal,
you may even be able to disable the Graphics card in device MANAGER but not quite sure about that one but the second one will get the onboard up and running just to see if it is the G/card
hope that i have helped you as i am a little new to computers myself
all the ebst
Simshi

Before i upgraded my ram i had 256mb sd dimm ram. i have now bought a new 1GB ddr dimm stick of ram.

Both the OLD and new ram are COMPATIBLE with my computer as there is slots for them both. however when i check how much ram i now have the computer only displays 992mb of ram. what has happened to the previous ram i had?

thanks for any help.
The problem could be that even though the MB supports two types of ram, it doesn't support using both at the same time. But could you please specify what MOTHERBOARD and ram you have.Deer park i think that you have hit the nail on the head, the motherdoard will only support 1 type of ram at a time as i have researched this for a friend of mine, i do not know of any mobo that accepts two or even three different types of memory at any one time
all the best
cheers
SimshiYeah I'm also pretty sure that's the problem, I just didn't want to rule out the possibility of a MB that supports using two or more types of ram at the same time.i was told by my comp lecturer that it is phisicaklly impossible to run different types of memory on 1 mobo because the types and speed s are completly different and could not distinguish between the two or even three he said but if he is wrong the sombody please let me know i would love to put him in his place...
cheers
Mattthank you guys. so shall i remove the old ram or shall i leave it in or does it even matter.

thanks again. take out the 256 because obviously you want the larger ramand see howyou get on let us know
Simshi
Yeah the old ram is PROBABLY not hurting anything but I'd take it out to be on the safe side.okay will do thanks again guys Glad I could help no worries dude will help where i can
Simshi

I have an Intel mobo that supports DDR2 667 memory and DDR2 533 memory. I had 1 STICK of 512 MB DDR2 533 memory and I just added 2 sticks of 1 GB DDR2 667. I have 4 DDR2 SLOTS. I have installed the memory correctly and the system is seeing all 2.5 GB of it, but I am guessing that it is running at the slower 533 speed. My question is: Should I leave it this way or should I remove the single 512 MB stick? Will the 2GB alone running at 667 Mhz be faster than the 2.5 GB memory running at 533 Mhz?absolutely , take out the 512

UPDATE* drw & I spoke on an email, I didn't ignore him ~ honvetops,

I will remove the 512 memory stick, but do you mind explaining why? I know that the 2 1GB sticks will be running in dual channel mode at the 667 Mhz speed if I remove the 512 MB stick. Is that why? Did I just answer my own question or is there another REASON to remove it? Mismatch in Speed should be alright. Only thing is overall memory speed will be slowest of all the memories. Look up the Notes in http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-009033.htm.If your motherboard has dual channel support, then yes, remove the slower 512. Realistically, you WOULD not notice a difference between 533 and 667mhz memory except in dual channel, which requires A1+A2=B1+B2, as this effectively doubles the speed.Thanks for the replies and LINKS. I appreciate it.

hi all,
i have p4, 512 ram, dvd DRIVE + cd rom drive, xp pro, computer,when i start computer their are no beeps at all, keyboard is dead,monitor WONT switch on ,cd drive light stays on but door wont open, harddrive light stays on and reset button wont work. can anyone help?please.ground yourself real good
open it up, check all your connections, look closely at your heatsink/fan on the cpu...make sure its all secure on the socket
try (small wires) and see that all your case wires are attached to the clear small pins on your motherboard...
dumb but- make sure all your cords are plugged in TIGHT after checking inside.
if problem is still there, sounds like your power supplythanks honvetops,
thanks for your help,CHECKED all wires and cables like you SAID but problem still exists, even though power supply seems to be working ie.fan is spinning and power and harddrive lights on, i think you are right about power supply being faulty,i will replace it and see what happens. cheers!wouldn't hurt if you can * borrow someones and check that out before buying IF you think it could be something we are over looking ?

Originally, I had two 160 GB drives making up a RAID 1 volume. I then upgraded one drive to 300 GB and rebuilt the RAID 1 array, which resulted in no RAID 1 array volume size increase...it was still a 160 GB RAID 1 array. Then, I replaced the remaining 160 GB drive and installed a 320 GB drive. I rebuilt the RAID 1 volume again. I was expecting a jump in RAID 1 volume size from 160 GB to 300 GB, but to my surprise, it remained at 160 GB!

Both drives currently installed are Seagate Barracuda Serial ATA drives. Intel's Storage Utility (software I use to manage the RAID 1 array) recognizes they are of 300 GB and of 320 GB capacities, respectively, but it LISTS the RAID 1 array as having a 160 GB capacity.

Also, Intel storage utility won't let me break the RAID volume (split the MIRROR) so I can increase the main partition of one of the disks using Partition Magic.

Can't I just disconnect a HARD drive from the computer, resize the partition in the remaining connected hard drive using Partition Magic, reconnect the hard drive I previously DISCONNECTED, and then rebuild the Raid 1 array using Intel Storage Utility? Please help!
Did you really need to start a new thread? This problem appears to be remarkably similar to your previous thread, which I recommend you focus your attention on so that your problem is RESOLVED more quickly.

I recently purchase a new ipod, but my PC only has 1.1 USB OUTLETS. Would there be any SPEED adavantage in buying a 2.0 USB hub to plug in the existing PC USB outlet, or do I need to CHANGE some hardware in the PC to increase the transfer speed.If your PC has USB 1.1 outlets, you are going to have USB 1.1 speeds, whatever hub you connect. You need to get a USB 2.0 PCI card and INSTALL it in your PC.


Hi . Thanks for the reply. I'm not very computer literate and the answer may have been obvious to most people but it just wanted to confirmed by someone with more technical knowledge than my self. You are welcome. These cards do not cost very much. Chillblast in the UK sell a card with 3 external and 1 internal port for £11.74 including tax, about $23 US dollars, I daresay they come even cheaper if you search.

Ok. I've got a Compaq Deskpro with a Pentium III and I don't remember how much RAM. It had a Seagate U8 IDE HDD in itthat had 6Gb in it and ran Windows 98 SP1 or older.

My main computer now is an Acer laptop with XP Home. I connect to the Internet with a Lynksys Wi-Fi router.

My initial problem was this: Windows 98 SP1 or older does not support Wi-Fi. So, I cannot download SP2 from Microsoft (do they even have it there anymore? If they do, could someone provide a link?) because my Router is in another part of the house.

So I got the bright idea to buy a new HDD and install XP Pro (aquiried through MSDNAA) on it. Well, I didn't even know that a new HDD setup had been made.

I bought a Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 with 160Gb on it. Lo and behold, the plugs weren't the same.

Now I did try to amend this by buying a "IDE to SATA Adapter" from a CompUSA that was shutting down. I installed that and hooked up my new HDD to it.

The problem now is I'm getting an error #1782 "Disk Controller Failure" "No fixed disc present."

So my QUESTION is: Why isn't this working? Did I miss something?

Here are some pictures if they are any help:
This one is of my error.

This is of the IDE to SATA adapter I bought. If you want a better look at it, I can scan the box if you like.

Thanks in advance,
LBI'm not familiar with the Compaq bios but is there a sata setting in Advanced Bios Settings?I am sorry but there is no such thing as WINDOWS 98 sp1 or sp2 or anything like it, there are 25 varieties of windows 98 none are now supported by microsoft or anyone else. There are no SATA drivers that can work with windows 98 or 98se,

Effective June 30, 2006, support for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second
EDITION and Windows Me (and their related components) will end. After
this date, incident support, security updates and Custom Support
Agreement will no longer be available to the public.

some help and maybe other downloads can be had from here:-
http://murfsgarage.cybertechhelp.com/index.htm
this message was from July 2003:- Murf said...Working on having all the "98" updates available on "Murf's Garage" hope to have up in a couple of weeks if not sooner.

several parts of the site are under construction so don't hold your breath
i suggest you update to xp or linux ubuntu fiestyThat Lynksys router also has ports on back for connecting COMPUTERS by cable, right?

Regarding the SATA hard drive, I believe you'd have better luck with a SATA controller card than that adapter.

Edit (7/12/07): link fixed.

Second Edit (7/13/07): to add the PHRASE, SATA controller cardHere

Soybean your link was blank... I think I should rephrase this.

If I can get the SATA HDD to work I'm installing XP Pro on it. Though the computer does have to recognize that the HDD is hooked up to install XP.

If there is no way to hook up my SATA HDD to my old computer I'm putting the original HDD back in it and I'll try to find Win 98 "SP2" (what they Belkin Wi-Fi reciver told me I needed) so that way it can actually connect to the Internet.

So, if you need any more info, I'll give it to you the best I can.Did you read this:Quote from: soybean on July 12, 2007, 08:50:21 AM

Regarding the SATA hard drive, I believe you'd have better luck with a SATA controller card than that adapter.

That Lynksys router also has ports on back for connecting computers by cable, right?

If I can get the SATA HDD to work I'm installing XP Pro on it. Though the computer does have to recognize that the HDD is hooked up to install XP.

If there is no way to hook up my SATA HDD to my old computer I'm putting the original HDD back in it and I'll try to find Win 98 "SP2" (what they Belkin Wi-Fi reciver told me I needed) so that way it can actually connect to the Internet.

So, if you need any more info, I'll give it to you the best I can.

That Lynksys router also has ports on back for connecting computers by cable, right?

There was never a Windows 98 SP2. There is a Windows 98 Second Edition, and a Windows XP SP2. Either you've misread it, or there's a typo in the manual (which isn't that uncommon.)

I've used those little SATA to IDE adapters before and never had any luck. A controller card would definately be a better choice. With any luck, you won't need any drivers to install XP onto the SATA drive connected to a controller card. If you do, when the XP installation first gets to the blue screen, across the bottom it'll say something like "Press F3 if you need to install third party drivers..." You may be able to load the necessary drivers from there. Again though, you probably won't need to install any drivers.

I recently replaced the hard drive in my laptop because it was having problems starting (it would get to where it checked the drives, then CONTINUOUSLY restart). After I did this, it now starts and is usable but gives a "fatal overheating problem" error. Trying to fix that, I added some silver thermal compound between the HEATSINK and the cpu, but I’m still getting the same error. I haven’t been using it, so I’m really not even sure if the laptop is actually overheating, or if it just thinks it is... Anyone have any IDEA what the issue might be? The laptop is a TOSHIBA satellite s45-a151 if that helps anyone... Are there any obstructions to the airflow, such as dirt, dust, the placement of the laptop itself, ETC?

Is the fan working properly?

Did someone fiddle with the BIOS and set the thermal shut-off to a lower temp?You may also want to look at this article.

Ok so I've been looking around for awhile for a new VIDEO card for my desktop PC, is this a good card?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7048795&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat107700050041&id=1108124982622

Not saying that I'm going to BUY it from this place, it was just the first place I checked and just wondering what everyone thought. I want to play higher end games like Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, possibly even Halo 2. But for my other specs I have a:

400W PSU
Intel P4 2.8 GHz
1GB RAM

And the card is AGP which is what my MB requires. Thanks everyone!if thats your price range it looks rockin* get it !!!!!!!!!

nothing wrong with that dx 9 card !Yeah I can't afford too much right now, I just bought a car so I'm kinda low on cash but am frustrated cause my desktop just sits at home doing nothing and i just bought 2 new games for it not too long ago lol. (before I knew my video card was bad) Oh well, yeah I just was wanting something that would run some good games. Thanks for the help!what games did you purchaseI bought Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and I have a few others I want to try. (some Star Wars ones and Duece Ex Invisible War) (yeah I know it's old but still pretty cool) well i dont know what ghost reacon's requirements are but just make sure you meet them preferably above minimum because games don't run well on minimum and a video card MAY not help at all if the rest of the comp isnt up to parYou can find a much better AGP card than that for the same price or cheaper.
What's your max. budget?
The 6200 is a very low end card and will not run modern games satisfactorily.
Graphics card FAQ article - LOOK where the 6200 is.

Hey, I'm using this computer for gaming but I was wondering which ONE is better. I will in time upgrade the PSU, Video Card, but for now which one is better for performance/price thanks. Here we go.

1.HP $1,269.99
CPU-Intel Core 2 QUAD Q6600
Graphics Card-NVIDIA 7350LE-Turbo Cache
RAM-2Gb. Exp-8Gb
HD-400Gb
OS-Vista Home Premium
Extras-HP Keyboard and OPTICAL Mouse, HP Media Centre Remote Control with IR Receiver.
Monitor-HP 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor (W2007)

2.Acer $1,099.98
CPU-Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Graphics Card-ATI Radeon X1650 256MB
RAM-2 Gb
HD-500Gb
OS-Vista Home Premium
Extras- Norton AntiVirus, ADOBE Reader, CyberLink PowerDVD, NTI CD-Maker Gold, Acer Empowering Technology
Monitor-LG 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor (L206WTQ-BF) - Black
have you been to any of those sites which benchmarks these products and read the specs / results ??

do a google on the make/model then a coma and type reviews < The second PC is much better, but I think you'll be able to find a better deal.
Quad core is not necessary for msot people now and will drive the price up.
The HDD is bigger on the second (Acer) machine, and the graphics card is a lot better too, plus it's cheaper.
The only disadvantage is that it comes with more rubbish, like Norton Antivirus, but you can remove that when you get it.
One last thing - you MAY have trouble using that as a gaming machine with Vista installed.

I have a Toshiba Satellite 2435-S255. My cd-ROM has stopped working since I tried copying one of my children's games. I thought I would make a spare for my kids to both be able to play. I tried everything to get it to work again. I even called the company that made the game and told them what I did. They SAID it was not their software, that they have no copy right protection that would do that. Since then I have made a mess of my computer. I have restored it a million times in the system restore program. It is playing DVD's but no data cd's will play and it does not register any BLANK cd's. I went out and bought a Memorex external USB disk drive and recorder. I just want to recover my computer to factory settings using the recovery disks I have. The TEAC disk drive in the Toshiba wont read the recovery disks at all and the external drive reads the disk but when it reboots it looks for the disk in the internal and wont registers the USB drive automatically. I'm hoping their is a way to bypass the reboot and just start the recovery or any other solution. I even reassigned the drive letter and have since put it back to original.Check and see if Toshiba has the restore info on a hidden partition and how to proceed using it...most laptop manuf. set them up this way.How or where would a hidden partition be?If XP right click My Computer/select manage/ then Disk Management...if you have one it should show up there...Hey Patio I really APPRECIATE your time with me, and hope you can excuse my ignorance with this. I found the disk management and found quite a bit I didn't know about by reading the tutorials about it but saw no BAK files. I wonder if my drive has crapped out because it starts and sounds like it dies out but then runs a DVD great. I really think it's my settings but I just need more detailed directions. I'm guessing someone who understands it will have to be paid to look at it and it will probably be something real simple. I have just spent so much more on this computer and my husband is getting very angered. I do property research and got the computer in exchange for property info and have spent about $1000. since. I have three desktops and have actually built a few for friends out of garbage that work fine so it irritates me that I don't understand this. Drive addresses and disk management? And I am so good about backing up system files and did not with this one because I FELT so comfortable that I had the recovery disks. I however have backed up all my personal and research files thinking if anything went bad I could just recover the hard drive. I'm sorry if I've wasted your time and appreciate your help.It is possible the internal drive is getting ready to go South. Some optical drives have more than one laser in them for DIFFERENT functions. What jumps out at me is the fact it will read/play DVD's but not data discs. So even though the mechanics are fine one of the lasers is shot.
Depending on how much you want to invest in this laptop do some research but you'll probably find that replacement optical drives for laptops are more expensive than their desktop counterparts.

It may be time to start looking at a new laptop if that's what's needed to run your business...after all it can't be too productive having a machine you have to struggle with.

Let us know if there are any other questions and by the way none of our efforts here are wasted time...

So guys

My previous motherboard got broke and I ordered a new one which just arrived today.

Then, to make things worse, my heatsink is broken. The peice of metal that goes through the middle is bent slightly (that clips onto the motherboard), preventing me from cliping in the heatsink properly, When trying to manouver it in, the proccesor got forces out of its socket and some of the pins bent.

How do I unbend the pins without causing further damage? At first I though all hope was lost and that I would have to throw my $200 processor away. But my freind says he managed to unbend a badly damaged processor and fix it with some special tools.

How exactly would I got about fixing this? and what tools would I need and where from?
-------
And my second question is, what do I do about the heasink? I have tried BENDING the peice of metal back into place, but it just wont budge (I held one side flat while trying to get the other level with it).

If I cant fix it, where can I get a new fan + heatsink from? I need it to ben an AMD Athlon fan for 939 socket processors. I've tried looking around but cant seem to find one.Quick answer, wait for better instructions

yes, those pins can carefully be straightened out... I would google for awhile on straightening out pins on a damaged CPU < google combinations with words like these and you'll see posts where people had the same type of problem and how they fixed it...

AMD socket 939 fans & heatsinks (below are 248 to look at )

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110574+1370826092&name=Fan%26Heatsinkswell I did find some "solutions" but it didn't work for me. I tried straightening out the pins with a credit card but it doesnt work that well. Becuase some of the pins are bent downwards so theres no help there...

And as good as newegg is, they dont deliver to the UK, and I need somewhere that does.Hi Touchstone i have always used a stanley BLADE on its own( take the blade out of the stanley it's self), even when the pins are bent towards other pins just gently coax the pointed end of the blade underneath the pin and run it along the grooves, it will work in one direction or another. then when you have ENOUGH space to get the blade through you can line it up with the others, this method has never failed me,
good luck
all the ebst
Simshi
And make each bend gradual...if you try to do it all at once you risk snapping the pin.Thats exactly what happened. I managed to straighten out a lot of the pins, but a little one in the corner snapped off. What do I about it? I think I'm doomed un fortunatley you are doomed mate and will now hvae to fork out, but i am curious which method did you use?
simshi
Yep.

That normally spells Doom....sorry.hmm thats sad news. I used a TINY knife, I was able to bend most of them just one tiny little one in the corner broke of.

Its kind of a shame I just baught that processor
I'll have to use my old processor instead....

If you still have access to you brothers computer, then try the memory in there if his board will take it, oor EVEN try your brothers memory in yours see how it fars, if not i can not OFFER any other suggestions than the mobo, but usually when a mobo goes you get a burning plastic smell and maybe even a little puff of smoke, but it will still power on, okey dokey sorry i could not help you anymore than that please let me know how you get oon with it.
all the best regards
Simshiok i switched slots with my video card and then i moved the ram into the alt slots also started up and GOT the 1 long beep followed by 2 short beeps, it says its Display adapter problem (MDA, CGA) on the web but i don't know what that means, i know the video card itself works in other computers. Can you recall the name of your BIOS? I doubt that that is what the code is referring to because you probably don't have a "Standard Original IBM BIOS"...

Try all the sticks of RAM you have in the slot closest to the motherboard and note any POST error beep codes, one at a time.The Asus Crosshair uses an Award bios according to Asus' homepage and 1 long and 2 short beeps should INDICATE a video error.yeah thats what i KEPT reading. however i decided to try putting my ram in one at a time for the millionth time and i lucked out and it turned on with the one stick, im gonna test the other one to confirm that it is a bad stick before i RMA it, god bless corsair and their warrenty

After BOOTING up the CD will work fine the first TIME the tray is opened. After the CD is used the tray will not OPEN automatically. After I replaced the CD with a new unit the same thing happens. Running Windows XP and this the slave drive on the primary IDE cable. do you have a secondary ide if so what happened if/when you tried it?
cheers
simshiWorked the same way on the secondary.
After I spent some more time exploring this problem and not changing anything the problem went away and the drive now is working NORMALLY. Will see how LONG this lasts because I remember having a problem like this when the drive was first installed.
Thanks for the relply

Alright, i opened up my pc to CLEAN it, and while i was doing that i messed something up. When i start up my pc, it will POWER on and everything, but my USB, normal keyboard/mouse plugs, and probably the rest of the plugins i havent tested will not work. I have checked every connection in the PC and they are all snug and not loose, i am stumped!
Its my work PC and i have alot of things to get done this week, with no other computer to use. I need URGENT help!

Can anyone help?


Thanks for reading,
JimmyDoes the BIOS recognize your keyboard or mouse? I don't see what connection would affect those I/Os but if you were using a vacuum cleaner or was not grounded properly then you could have zapped something.Dont know if BIOS detects it, as i can't get into it without a keyboard.
To clean it i just used a air can, just blows out air.Borrow or buy a PS2 keyboard to diagnose further...everyone should have one just for times like these....
If no USB devices work on any ports you may have blown the MBoard USB jumper wires clear off.
Check your MBoard manuf. website for a manual and images of the wiring for that board and carefully inspect it to see if they are still connected.Yeah i tried PS/2. Sorry wasnt more specific i didnt know the name so i just said the "normal mouse/keyboard" ones.What about the other suggestions in the previous post ? ?Which post is that? Ive answered them all.

EDIT: OH sorry, that was suppost to be "can't" get into bios without keyboard.Quote from: patio on July 15, 2007, 08:03:24 AM

Borrow or buy a PS2 keyboard to diagnose further...everyone should have one just for times like these....
If no USB devices work on any ports you may have blown the MBoard USB jumper wires clear off.
Check your MBoard manuf. website for a manual and images of the wiring for that board and carefully inspect it to see if they are still connected.

Yeah i tried PS/2. Sorry wasnt more specific i didnt know the name so i just said the "normal mouse/keyboard" ones.

hi,

For the past week or so i've been getting messages when PRINTING telling me the parts in the printer need a service.

Now it wouln't let me print at all with the message saying "Parts inside your printer are at the end of their service life. Contact your dealer for replacement."

As i intend to get a new printer as soon as i've used up the two COLOUR carridges i've still got, so don't intend to pay for a service. Is there any way to ignore this so it'll allow me to print.

thanks, John

sorry forgot to mention
there's two flashing lights. the ink drop and the paper.

the paper is ok and i've just put a new cartridge in a couple of hours ago and been using it ok.

ta.From what I've just read on the site below, you can use SSC Service UTILITY to reset the protection counter and as far as I can see your printer is supported. That should let you bypass the message, but whether or not the printer will function is of course a different story. But since you're planning on buying a new one anyway it can't hurt to try.
http://www.hm2k.com/posts/parts-inside-your-printer-are-at-the-end-of-their-service-lifethanks deerpark,

will try that, like you say i've got nothing to lose

cheers, john.Glad I could help you sure did deerpark.

took it to bits, cleaned the pads (how THICK with ink??) , reset the counter and now back to normal

i'll have to WATCH out for other tips

cheers, John. I'm glad to hear it worked. And now you can service an Epson printer to boot.

Hey EVERYONE I just want to THANK everyone for HELPING me out on GETTING a new computer. I ended up getting a good computer and I have already upgraded the PSU to a 700W! So thanks!

i have a 256mb PC 2700 DDR memory and i added another 256mb pc 2700 ddr memory, but the PROBLEM is when i added it, my memory decrease into 96mb. what is the problem here? tnxPull your old memory module out and put the new one in the slot the old one was in. Then, start your computer with just the new module in it. Does it report 256MB?also make SURE that the memory is all the way in and the tabs on each side lock.