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I donot hold an answer to your question. -You may WANT to do a google search or see if there are any other manufacturers that have MANUFACTURED the same card under a different NAME.

I installed new memory module from Dell in a Dell computer. Now the computer won't boot up . It keeps on beeping, but does nothing else.
Thanks to anyone who can answer the question.
JerrySwap the STICKS. Maybe the new one is slower than the old and should be in the FIRST DIMM slot instead of the second.

Or maybe it's defective, in which case you should send it BACK...

Remember, UNPLUG the power SUPPLY before doing anything with memory, CPU, video card, or PCI bus cards. Take static electricity precautions.

...now my keyboard won't respond, so I can't enter the activation key. (Is this the right board?)

Anyway, the keyboard is plugged in and it RESPONDS up to a certain POINT while Windows is loading and then it stops responding, although the power is clearly still on. (Little lights are all operational)Gatika, you're a really NICE poster, but please do STICK to one thread.Sorry, I thought it was important to post in the appropriate forum.  

T'will not happen again... Quote

Sorry, I thought it was important to post in the appropriate forum.  

T'will not happen again...

I have a three year old Gateway Solo 1450 notebook.  I've USED it for the past three years at college.  I put the computer into 'standby' when I left my room around 3 pm this afternoon and EVERYTHING had been working fine.   I got back around 7 and turned the computer on and the monitor was not working.  I got no image and no illumination at all from it.  I turned the computer off by HOLDING the power key down for 5 seconds (as the user's manual instructs).  I waited about 15 minutes and turned it on again.  There were faint images that showed that it was booting up correctly.  I've tried letting it rest for a few hours and it still doesn't WORK.  Is there anything (short of replacing the screen/computer) that I COULD try?

I installed new VIDEO card in my Compaq Win ME pc and a new monitor. The picture is GREAT ..........  exceeeeeeeept.......... when I go from one screen image to the next there is a long delay with a black screen (like a long blink) before the new screen image comes up. Maybe about 2 seconds. Also, when I use the scroll on the mouse there is a delay with a black screen until the screen image refreshes again. Any suggestions? Please help!!! Am a grandma of 2 and NO pc techie..... so please not to complicated... have tried altering the refresh mode ...right-click desktop with the right-click of your mouse properties settings  advanced button click -it adapter TAB click ...refresh ... chose optimal.maybe 75mhz. or try the performance tab ...hardware accelarater slider .or try updating graphics drivers...also the new monitor came with drivers did you LOAD these...........are you on high colour 16bit...

A driver issue, perhaps?I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Can someone look for UPDATES on their WEBSITE (I can't be online much)?

http://www.mdmm.com/did you download this one>CMI8738 WinMEyesI'm a genius! I downloaded an older driver and it WORKS perfect! My computer hasn't CRASHED once since.I permanantly SOLVED the problem by giving the sound card to someone else. It's next victim   (snicker snicker). I now have a nice Ensoniq AudioPCI.

I am looking at a COMPUTER for a friend (IBM 300 GL- 350 MHZ, 128 MB RAM, USB, CDRW) and it doesn't always start up and load windows.
 Most of the time it starts the POST and freezes and shows the cursor and 7A in the upper right and NO beeps. Sometimes it will boot up without a hitch but most if the time it doesn't I cleared the hard drive and started over and it did this without any operating system at all.
 I checked CMOS and it seems to be set correctly and tried to update bios but it keeps telling me to restart which hardly ever works and gets me no where. Is it time for this one to sink or you think it can swim? Any help appreciated.will fire up to safe mode?un plug the cdrw usb and see if this helps?merlin_2. thanks for the reply. I disconnected the USB and CDRW... same deal, NOTHING DIFFERENT. I did notice the case was a little beat from being OPENED many times before me and did a little minor adjustment and that seemed to take away the 7A hang up. I updated the BIOS via IBM's website and that went well. It now passes POST, goes to splash screen but sits a long time at the black screen after splash with the blinking cursor and then finally boots up to WIN 98SE. It takes like 1 min. 30 secs. You think it might need the WIN 98 updates to clear this up? Not sure but your opinion would help. TIA I would think you either require a format/defragmentation or a faster PC..

I finished building my computer yesterday but had to go to work so waited untill today to turn it on and when I started it everything worked just fine and it started to boot. I got a message about how one of my IDE cables are too slow for a drive so it would be downgraded in speed. Then it said that a new CPU has been detected press F1 for setup. I pressed F1 and then it just hung there for about 7 SECONDS and then it just truned off.... I tried to turn it back on but nothing happened... I unplugged it and opened it up and disconnected some case fans thinking that maybe my 450W POWER supply wasnt good enough and then plugged it back in and turned it on. this time it stared up and was running tests again and gave the same message about the IDE cable and then it just turned off again. the SMALL led light on the motherboard was still on but it wouldnt start up.  I found that if I unplug it and then replug it back in I can get it to light up the fan lights for a split second but it wont even start up now... ummmm help?


P4 530   3.0 ghz 775 socket
Motherboard : ASUS P5GD1
2x 512MB DDR 400
radeon rx600 xt
WD special edition 120gb hard drive
Asus 16x dvd rom
lite-on 52x cdrw
4 red led case fans
chiefmax 450w power supplyre-check bios settingsIt never booted far enough to let me into the bios settings.
And now it doesn't even turn on.
All I get is a flash of light on the cd-rw drive and the hard disk light on the front and then its off again.look at this website half way down the page>http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/   and look at the  list..in otherwords retrace your work?I found out it was the power supply that died after I tried turning it on with just the psu and the motherboard (no CPU). Didn't work untill I tried it with a different psu. Then when that little light stayed on I nearly cried.
Thanks for the help

My old ones worked fine for years, but recently the left one would stop working for a few seconds before starting again. This problem got WORSE over weeks. So, I decided to buy new speakers.

I connected them but there is no sound! They are Sicuro 2.1 speakers. My computer's sound card is fine because the old ones worked.

What am I doing wrong?You've supplied them power?Are you possitive your soundcard can work with 2.1 and higher audo sets? Have you configured the sound menu in Windows?So far, I've gotten better with the speakers. The power works fine. The 2 satellites now work, but the SUBWOOFER doesn't. I got the satellites to work by moving the green wire to the white slot instead of the green slot in the back on the computer.

I checked the audio under control panel, and I saw a lot of options for speaker types, but 2.1 wasn't there. I think I might have a software issue.You can see if updating your drivers work.

What type of soundcard do you got?C-Media AC97 Audio device sound device is what I have.An onboard, correct?

I suggest you update your motherboard drivers. These should include new soundcard drivers as well.I found the company's web site but I didn't know which driver to get. I also don't know how to see what motherboard I have.It should be written on your MAINBOARD.

I suggest you CONTACT the manufacturers Technical support to aquire the information you need.

OK, I have just build my own computer. its an AMD 2500+ Barton. i have everything set up in it, but, as most of you probly kno, most computers RUN of 115v. mine will not. When i do have it on 115v and then i turn it on, it only stays on for a split second before shuting its self off. So i SWITCHED it over to 230v and it worked..it was running. YAY. untill i smelt a smell no computer guy wants to smell. the smell of electricty BURNING through something. so i shut it donw right away and started flipping out. haha jj. but i was like *censored*..so then i waited awhile and started it back up again. then i put my head near the power supply and it was making some weird noises, almost as if it was working too hard, and then...i started listing to the CPU fan. and it was like shuting off and turning back on....ok so, im not a computer guru but the only thing i can come up with is that the power supply isnt strong enough...its a 400watt though, i dont know what to do...please help me outwhat mobo this sounds like you have fried it?if this is us built it wil not run on 115v? 220/250v is british voltage ?where in the world are you? when your pc turned itself on /off this may not mean thats its a power issue?MAN, it means ur frying that computer!lol. ok i found out what was wrong with it. i hooked one thing up wrong, it now works fine. thanks for all your help tho.What thing did you have hooked up wrong? I am having a very similar problem and I would gladly like to know what it was that was wrong.

I recently posted here about a problem with my hard drive, and thanks to the advice I recieved here I was able to resolve it.  Thanks a lot to everyone who offered advice.

Unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived, as my new Radeon 9800 Pro 256mb suddenly malfunctioned while I was testing my computer with Unreal Tournament 2004.  During the GAME the graphics were completely corrupted for a short TIME, but then went back to normal, leading me to believe it was just a bug in the game.  After a few minutes the game went back to being corrupted, but did not go back to normal.  After restarting my computer I tried the game, a few video card demos, and a few screen savers, all of which were in 3D and all which displayed the same corrupted graphics.  I then began to notice patches of color on my desktop and in Internet Explorer.  When starting my computer I notice short lines on my motherboard's start-up screen and on the Windows start-up screen.  With the APPEARANCE of the lines so early on in the boot process, I think the problem must be either hardware or an incorrect BIOS setting, but I haven't changed anything on my BIOS and the graphics did display correctly for a few hours before the problem occured.

I thought that with the good luck I had here with my last problem, I would ask for help again.  If anyone has any advice, I would appreciate the help.I assume you have scanned for viruses?

It could be that your videocard is overheating, what are your system temperatures?

Although I don't have a virus scanner installed yet, all of the files I have put on the computer have either been drivers DOWNLOADED directly from the hardware manufacturers or files downloaded and scanned on my old computer.

As for system temperatures, I have a thermometer on my cpu heatsink that has just barely hit 100°f, and the video card is just below my cpu heatsink.  The previous day I had played the game for about an hour with no problems, and I had only just begun to play the game when the problem first occured the next day, with temperatures on the heatsink in the upper 90's.I just started up my faulty computer to double-check a few files for viruses and to check the system temperature.  I CHECKED the fan on my video card, and it was running, but after I turned off my computer I touched the video card's fan/heatsink and it seemed abnormally hot, and I only had the computer on for a few minutes to load Windows and copy a few files to a disk.Your videocard temperature can not be read off your CPU temperature.  Even the case temperature would be more accurate.

Are you overclocking your videocard? - I suggest you set your videocard to it's default Core and RAM speed.


- There are Omega drivers that allow you to monitor your videocard its temperatures. You will have to uninstall your older drivers. These drivers are optimized, I have been using them ever since I installed my 9800Pro and I have yet to run into any kind of problem at all.

http://www.omegadrivers.net/

You may not be able to monitor your temperature. My 9800Pro has not got a temperature chip.

I am not aware of a 256MB 9800Pro edition. I believe you are referring to the 9800XT.I am starting to download the Omega drivers you recommended, but I am on dial-up so it will be awhile.  I'm not sure if drivers will make a difference; but here's a link to the card, maybe you will be able to tell if there is a way for me to check the temperature on it:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-361&depa=0

I haven't overclocked anything on my computer and almost all of the BIOS settings are still factory.

If my card is damaged (and I believe it, or something else, is) is there any way for me to tell if it was just a faulty card or if for some reason my system is running too hot?  My case came with four case fans and a 420-watt power supply, which I would thnk would be enough to keep it cool.I was not aware of a 256MB version.

Do you have a proper airflow inside your case? It could be that a lot of heat that is supposedly to be sucked out is now blocked due to the 9800Pro (Which is quite a large videocard) or by cabling and building up near your videocard.

If there is still a warranty on your videocard, I suggest you take it back or have it looked at. If there is not, you may me able to try it on someone else his PC.

I suggest you contact the manufacturers technical support and see what your choices are for warranty and/or technical support if you have not yet done so

Perhaps installing these new drivers will help you solve your problem. Usually, heat is not much of a problem for any type of videocard unless you have overclocked it. Standard coolers are built to solve the heat  emanating from the videocard, and yes, they can become quite hot.


http://www.ladydragon.com/z/atiradeon9800pro256mb.htmlI was able to get an older video card and put it into my computer, and it worked fine, so I'm sending the defective Radeon back to be replaced.

Thanks for all of the help.

Problem: Right from the bootup BIOS screen all the way to windows XP PRO desktop and application displays, the screen looks like a really bad degenerated images with flickering GREEN pixels all acroos the screen

Laptop: Compaq Presario 2500 series (2538CL)
Graphics card: Radeon IGP 345M

I have rolled back the driver, reduced resolution, cannot change refresh rate, practically eliminated any hardware acceleration, dedecated the video ram in Bios setting so it does not SHARE with OS.

I am fresh out of IDEAS about how to fix this. I think it started happening after a DirectX update I did recently. Any link?
All help is tremendously appreciated, may the providers of help never have their computers crash......are u using openGL graphics drivers
could be directx?9.0a was it type dxdiag in the run box... more info here>http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q307960&ID=KB;EN-US;Q307960

Good day everyone!

I know just enough to be DANGEROUS and I can't REMEMBER if I made the change but now I have to hit F1 to continue during the boot process.  How do I disable or bypass the F1 to continue.

Thanks for any support anyone can give me.Try TAPPING the DEL key instead of F1, see if it puts you into BIOS setup, and correct the apparent error. The 'DEL for SETUP, or press F1 to continue' message occurs if you have an error in Power On Self Test (POST). ALSO see if there's an error message along with the 'F1 to continue' message, perhaps a CDROM or hard drive or something isn't set RIGHT or has quit.Waht o/s and what has caused this ...new hard drive or?

im having a problem with a new mic i bought, the person on other computer is only hearing a clicking noise when i use it, its is connected in the right spot. is there somewher on windows 98 to check mic, i cant seem to find it. thanks marybOpen the VOLUME Control (should be in Tray, otherwise open Start Menu, PROGRAMS, Accessories, Media Tools, Volume Control or Start Menu, Run, SndVol32) and select Properties, check the Record radio button, press OK, and MAKE sure the microphone is selected. Also in Properties, enable the Advanced controls and turn the Mic Boost on and the AGC off. Use the Mic Volume slider to adjust the Mic.

If the new Mic takes batteries, make sure you have good ONES in it.dont need batteries in this, it was woking fine in msn then just quit. but i hear my own voice in my speakers when talking. any reason for that. any other clues to fixing. THANK youjust to add to  MalikTous reply tick the mute box and you will not hear yourself and turn on the boost tick the box< control panel/sounds and media icon click it  voice play back click that/ volume/advanced>>>micro boost tick box.

Son just got a laptop from a relative  for college. The number 1 KEY seems to have the same function as the F1 key  and when pressed it opens the Help And Support page and the number 3 key seems to have the same function as the F3 key and when pressed it opens the Search Results screen, can't figure it out help needed and SONY won't .....

                Thanks C.R.

Sony Vaio FX 120 RETAIL XP HomeI suggest you SEE if the language of your keyboard is set correctly:

Right click on your task bar, select the option "Workbar" (Upper option) then go to "Task bar" (Option in the middle) this should bring up an icon next to your task tray that should allow you to choose languages. I suggest you try the different languages there.

If this does not work, see if SEARCHING the Microsoft database will bring about any information.either reboot and hit the f2 key if you can and see if you can ALTER it in the bios or try this >http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm  or control panel  click the  keyboard icon and then the  language tab

I have an OLD Midwest Micro Elite computer that I have not fired up in about 3 months. I started it up today but the BIOS no longer thinks I have any hard drives installed. It indindictes only the 2 Floppys are installed. It also does not think I have a mouse installed either. (PS/2).
And one more CLUE the BIOS states that the PCI IDE Interface is disabled for some reason. I thought the CMOS battery might be dead but the Date and Time are still accurate.

Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing these symptoms?

THANKS in advance for any suggestions.

AjaxWhat happens if you set the bios to defaults..maybe the cmos battery ...could be on its WAY out ...its recommanded that the cmos battery be renewed after three years ...check all the ide cables to the mobo/drives and the GOOD old dust comes into play also+ storage where was it stored? damp wet etc..

I had some problems with my computer so we decided to format the computer we put Win Me back on it and the color was working fine before..... i onlt have 16 colors and i cant set the res. any higher than 640 X 480... i just cant figure it out... i have a standard PCI Graphic Adapter (VGA) and i looked it up online and it says that i only get 16 colors and all that but... i didnt change any hardware. Do i need to find an upgrade cause if i do someone please tell me where to do that from because i have been looking!!!

Please help me...

Thanks,
MelodyYou need to reinstall the drivers for your graphics adapter. What you are seeing is windows default DRIVER. It lets you use the computer but 640x480x16 colors is the best it does. If you don't have the drivers disk for it, visit the adapter MANUFACTURERS web site. You can usually download the drivers from there.i dont know how to find the manuf. the only hting i know is that it is a standard PCI Graphic Adapter (VGAand i dont know how to find the website...i dont know the drive that is SUPPOSE to be there how would i find out the correct drive...Thats what windows is reporting to you because thar is what it loaded drivers for. Who made the computer? Does the documentation tell what is graphics adapter is used. Does it tell who made the motherboard?its an older computer.... "HP Pavilion 6350"  how would i find out who made the things for the computer i dont have the MANUAL or anything. when we formated the computer is loaded the standard thingGo to HP's site and do a search on that model number. You should be able to find the information you need there.Ive tryed... many times
If you have the HP CD that came with the computer, try reloading from that.This computer was givin to us a long time agoOK. If you don't have the HP CD, you might have to wait AWHILE to get a fix. It is imperative to know what graphics chip is in that thing.Im only 17 and i know many things about computer but not  a lot..... so what you have been telling me is that i need to find out what type of video drive is in my computer and go and find the download to get it on my computer?Thats it. But just a matter of terminology. Don't confuse "drive" with "driver". Video is an adapter. Adapters require drivers. Drives are things like hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, cd-rom drives, etc. If don't have any luck finding what you need, come back here in a day or two and if I haven't found something, someone else probably will.Okay, Thanks

Get this message when trying to boot up the computer which then will not go any further. Anybody any ideas what is going on here?Did you recently install a new hard drive WITHOUT setting either the jumper to cable select and master in BIOS or to Master on hard disk?Well it is actually a computer I was having a look at for someone else that was not WORKING. They did not have a boot disk so they asked me for assistance and that is the message that CAME up. As far as I know there had been no hardware CHANGES to the computer so I was wondering if the hard drive has had it.I suggest you check the BIOS settings to SEE if the harddrive is properly configured. Also check the jumpers on the hard drive to be sure, if you have not yet done so.Thanks I'll do that and we will see what happenscheck the ide cables...or renew them?and are they on correctly?

All my colors are pink when I prink colored items.  I have changed my CARTRIDGE and it still PRINTS things pink! HELP! Thanks so much!Remove the cartridge and clean the contacts on both the cartridge and the SOCKET. Then go into the Printer Utilities on your PC and check your settings and TRY the alignment and colour settings.

hi i just got some memory for comp problem is the new sticks are regisred ecc and the comp is suppose to beable to USE itany help cause it doesnt boot up with sticks in just sits there and beeps wene booting  the comp is a hp xg823 thanks   blue_caddy.........Could you TELL us which MOBO is in your pc ?  and exactly what kind of Ram is currently installed ?

How many beeps are you hearing ?

Let us know

dl65  blue_caddy.........

Quote

hi i just got some memory for comp problem is the new sticks are regisred ecc and the comp is suppose to beable to use it

168-pin DIMMs with gold-plated contacts  

thats what i thought now i got a learning lesson but the person was nice to refund the money thanks

When comp first starts  up and i go into BIOS utility setup, there is an option to change my 2000Mhz to a 2667Mhz. I am wondering if a try this is if it will overheat and fry my computer. Any Imput or suggestions?Is there a reason why you'd want to overclock in the first place?  If your SYSTEM is running fine I'd leave it.  If you want to overclock it certainly seems the bios is set up to allow it so it 'should' be SAFE.  You should do some research on overclocking as there could be side effects you may not have anticipated.http://www.overclockers.com/

Leave overclocking to experienced people.Raptor.. nothing wrong with experimenting if one understands the possible consequences.  That's how we become experienced.  If we all left it to those experienced, nothing would be discovered.True, but then again, if you think you will damage computer components, why not do proper research first?

For all you know, he may corrupt his CPU and blame it on us.

I am not saying he is an amateur, I am only saying that if you have very little or no knowledge at all CONCERNING overclocking, it is best to not do so until you have learnt more.I couldn't agree more.. research is KEY as per my response..
Quote

You should do some research on overclocking as there could be side effects you may not have anticipated.

I just happened to catch the owner of the store that we ordered our computers from while he was looking at our server.

I showed him the black line, explained everything I had already done, and he mentioned that the video card might be faulty and might be leaving behind an artifact.  Of course I have no clue what that means, but I'm sure that you do.  Do you think that is a possibility?  

He said he would think on the situation and get back to me.  HMMMM......

Quote

I showed him the black line, explained everything I had already done, and he mentioned that the video card might be faulty and might be leaving behind an artifact.  Of course I have no clue what that means, but I'm sure that you do.  Do you think that is a possibility?

Can you check the SYSTEM temperatures the moment this black line occurs to eliminate overheating?  
 
You can check the system temperatures in the BIOS. Reset the PC as soon as you see the black line and monitor the temperatures. (Usually under the PC health section)  

    Card name: Intel(R) 82845G/GL Graphics Controller

I've recently purchased a 160gb Maxtor Diamondmax plus 9 external hard drive in an unbranded casing.

I've used it on my PC which is running Win XP Pro, has an Athlon XP1600 processor and 1024mb of RAM, by connecting it through a USB port.

I've now tried to connect it to a Sony Vaio laptop which is running Win 2000 Pro, has an Intel PII 350mHz processor and 196mb of RAM, by connecting it through a four port PCMCIA USB adaptor.

However, when I connect it up, the laptop freezes and the same thing SEEMS to happen with the external hard drive as it clicks and whirls a few times and then the light indicating that the hard drive is in USE on the front comes on and stays on.

Consequently I can't get anything to happen as even Cntrl/Alt/Del doesn't even work.

I'm away from any PC at the moment so I can't check to see if the drive is faulty. It is second hand but was only manufactured in Dec 2003 so I shouldn't really be having any problems with it.

I'm not sure if this will have an EFFECT on the issue but there is a faulty IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controller in the device manager. Subsequent to the external hard drive problem, I have managed to install an unsigned device driver for it but to no avail and the 1394 device is STILL unuseable.

Help!
IEEE 1394 is firewire. Are you sure you are not trying to connect a firewire device to a usb port, and that you are using the right cable?Thanks for the help but yes, I am using a USB 2.0 external hard drive and a USB 2.0 cable both which came in the same package, together with a USB 2.0 Cardbus which is plugged into one of the two PCMCIA slots.

I've actually managed to resolve the Firewire problem today but it hasn't cured the problem.If the laptop has a USB port, try connecting directly to it. Most USB 2.0 devices are backward COMPATABLE to USB 1.1. The transfer rate will be considerably lower but it should work. You might also check the cardbus manufacturers site to see if special drivers are needed for OS other than XP.Thanks but the built in USB port is faulty which is why I'm having to use the adaptor and that works fine with everything else I put in it.

How to install two floppy disk?

I connected the power to both floppies.
Drive A has the twisted END of the cable.
Second Floppy has the second terminal of the cable before the twisted end.
BIOS shows Drive A but doesn't show the second floppy.
On start up second floppy light doesnt turn on.
Havent seen option on Bios to add another floppy.

HelpWhat BIOS do you have?
The motherboard is an Asus P5RD1-V
And the name of the BIOS?Called Asus and DUE to CHIPSET limitations a second floppy cant be installed.

ThanksThen.. Why are you trying?

If you require a secundary Floppy Disk Drive, TRY connecting an external USB FDD.

i dont know which connectors to connect to which drives

and i already have the mother board hooked upThe cable with two 'large' 4-pin connectors is for your hard drive(s). The one(s) with the smaller 4-pin connections for the floppy along with the LARGER drive plugs are for the floppy, CDROM/DVD(s), and fans. The one with the little SQUARE 4-pin connector (usually with 2 yellow and 2 black wires) is for supplementary mainboard POWER, as is the one with 3 orange and 3 black wires that looks like an old-style AT mainboard power connector. Not all MBs take these connections. If you have a connection that looks like the ones you pluged into the hard drives but with only a yellow and one black wire to it, that one is EXCLUSIVELY for fans.

OK i'm looking at getting a next gen. vid card(x800,6800)and i know what RAM is but how much of a difference does a 128MB card from a 256 MB card? in terms of gaming(far cry, Halo, HL 2) will performance really suffer with a 128? Also do all 6800 cards require a PSU of 480? I have a atx450 now and would hate to spend ANOTHER 50+ dollars on a new PSU. Any help is greatly welcomed.Performance will not suffer with a 128MB card.

You should LOOK at the amount of Pipelines and Clock/RAM speeds rather than amount of MB the card has. I believe that most 256MB cards (TRY to) make up with MB for that they lack in other areas.

You may require a more powerful PSU. I myself RECENTLY installed an 9800Pro on a 400Watt power supply.. See the Cmos Error Checksum thread for more details.

ok, just so you know i did try a quick search of the forums and i did nto find anything.  This is a NEW computer, Dell 8400...3.2ghz, 160 GB hard DRIVE, and DVD RW+ and DVD rom drive.  

My issue is that I was trying to double my RAM as i have 1 GB right now and my buddy had a couple of 512 sticks that he gave to me.  Well they were not the right kind and i ended up not puttin them in as i could tell they would not fit.

After i closed up my computer and STARTED it bakc up i got this message...
Drive 4 not found:  Parallel ATA, PATA-0 (PRI IDE Master)
Drive 5 not found:  Parallel ATA, PATA-1 (PRI IDE Slave)

Then it says Press F-1 to continue or F-something to look at bios.  

Not sure what happened here, only think i can think of is that maybe some wiring got pulled loose because the case opens up from the side and swings out so maybe it was yanked or something but the DVD drive's still get power as they open and close but they are just not recognized in My Computer and do nothing when i insert a CD/DVD.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

BrianBrian C.......Well I would open up the case and check to be sure the IDE cable which connect the dvd drives is securely plugged in at both the dvd end as well as the motherboard end ........ The problem appears to be with just the dvd drives according to this .........
Drive 4 not found:  Parallel ATA, PATA-0 (PRI IDE Master)
Drive 5 not found:  Parallel ATA, PATA-1 (PRI IDE Slave)

DL65  
Thanks for your help.  There was one IDE cable unplugged but the other one looked like it was plugged in so im not sure whey both drives wouldnt work.  maybe it was loose....anywho...thanks for your help again!!!!Brian C....... GLAD to hear things are working again ok....... Both DVD drives are on the same IDE cable .

dl65

I have a motherboard which has 4 sockets.  Two are IDE sockets with which I am well familiar, the other two are identified in the MANUAL as being 'UIDE'.  Question is, what are UIDE and what is their significance?

Regards
Arcticfoxhttp://www.webopedia.com/TERM/U/UIDE.htmlThanks for the reply.  Following your link produced "Your search produced no results. Search again?".  That was to easy, I had been down that route.  

Regards
RegNice mainboard, 4 ATAPI connections!

The 'UIDE' ports are for your high speed Ultra IDE hard DRIVES. You connect 80-line Ultra DMA IDE cables between the UIDE sockets and your DMA-66, 100, 133, or faster hard drives. You connect slower devices like CDROMs and older hard drives (DMA-33 or slower, and PIO only drives) to the other two IDE ports. DVD drives MAY run better on a UIDE port.

Make sure your BIOS settings enable the high speed drives.

i really need help on this problem.
i could be using my mouse 4 a LONG time but once i type a few key strokes on the keyboard the whole system both the keyboard and the mouse hang.
the immediate solution iwould be 2 restart the system and if that is DONE  immediately there is no difference except the system is left for a long time.
The computer's to survival of key strokes is directly PROPORTIONAL to the time left for the system being off.
This is the most frustrating problem i've had."As i have gotten a USB keyboard to eliminate the port malfunction factor",and my keyboard works fine on other systems but other keyboards act similar on my system
It's a Pentium III,about 30 Gig harddisk size and 512 RAM.I assume you have scanned for viruses?

last week my computer CRASHED, i was unable to get windows to boot up so i took in in to a repair shop.  apparently i had a virus or something which had corrupted windows. ANYWAY, the TECH shop got it back up and running fine, except for one thing i just noticed. my cpu(amd athlon xp3000+), which was running 2.2Ghz, is now only running 1.29Ghz. Any IDEAS? i don't want to take this thing back to the shop again.They perhaps reset the BIOS back to it's default settings.

I suggest you enter the BIOS and search for the System BUS and tell us what rate is it is SET to.

My computer has a ton of problems, and I'm trying to fix it enough to make it work after fomatting the HARD drive and reinstalling the OS i realized i had less colors. I was down to 16, so i go online to get the RIGHT driver for my APG CARD and when i get it and put it on a disk to install on that comptuer the monitor just magicaly dosent work.
I disconnected it from the card and that thing comes up saying monitor self test blah blah blah but when I PLUG it back into the computer it just shuts off ?!?
win98 sounds like what mobo is this more info always helps solve the problem...and keep that chin up..

My FRIEND has a problem. His computer only displays some LETTERS...broken words on his screen. I built it for him and I haven't got a clue what the heck is going on! Here's a pic of the bios screen and you can plainly SEE what I mean. Any ideas what's going on? I think it may be the video card as he's already tried another monitor. The video card is a brand new ATI all in wonder 9800 pro. Has anyone here EVER heard or seen anything like this?

Seems like the computer is overheating.

Are all fans properly connected and working?

Has thermal paste been applied to the CPU?

Try resetting the CMOS to its default values.

I NEED to set the user settings for my new hard drive in BIOS. I set the 'type' to user, but then i can't set the individual cylinders, heads, etc. As I scroll through the options the things i want to change are skipped, and i have no idea what to do. Any ideas?What is it exactly you want to do and why?

You can set the hard disk to auto and choose what it should use, LBA, CHA, auto and Large. I donot think you could manually change the cylinders heads, etc.Well the instructions i have tell me to enter 1023 cylinders, 16 heads, and 63 sectors. The cylinders are set to 65531, and I suppose i need to change it.The instructions you have got with your hard disk?

I suggest you let the BIOS auto detect your hard disk. Unless it serves a SPECIAL purpose? I am not too knowledge concerning the configuration of hard disks.The instructions came with the hard drive and are from Western Digital. The darn thing won't install properly so i i'm just trying to do what the troubleshooting section tells me to.First, if the BIOS allows it, use the 'Detect hard drives' entry in the BIOS list. Accept the automatic detect for your HD in LBA mode.

Then go to the General, Standard CMOS features, or whatever the first BIOS page is, and see what the drive is set to. You will see SOMETHING like Primary Master HD with the data after it. You will not be able to change data if it remains in Auto here, so set it to User, then change the LBA entry to Normal, CHS, or Large, WHICHEVER brings up the REST of the settings for you to work with. Then make the settings comply with whatever gets you closest to rated size on the HD, before setting it back to LBA.

Accept the settings on the BIOS and restart.

Is their any WAY i can run CHKDSK without an OS?  also, SAMSUNG DOESNT make HDD diagnostic TOOLS for their SATA drives.. anyone know of any software i can use to test my SATA drive?hard drive testing software *Blocked Russian URL*/english.html?/be_hdd2.html

i am running windows 95 and the cd-rom is LISTED 8 times in my computer as drives d thru k. how do i CORRECT this? this is also hooked to a laptop via pcmcia card. any suggestionshow many re-installs have you DONE?or drives have you attached to your pc any way the best option is del key on boot but these  drive options have becaused by what have you done ...more INFO on how you got the virtual drives?i delete them all in device manager and they all return when i reboot.are they listed in fdisk?>http://www.geocities.com/~budallen/95boothdd.htmli renamed all of them they just took that letter that i changed them to

I have a HP Laptop with 40G hard DRIVE, 512mb sdram, 1.3 Ghz...

When I try to do anything that "taxes" the system, like playing games or internet VIDEO, or running virus and spyware checks, the computer will shut down. It seems to happen when the fan blows at the highest speed, it may do it for a few minutes, but then it will shut off... Tried with and without the battery. Any suggestions? Quote

Any suggestions?

When ever I start my computer now, the monitor TURN on for a few seconds and then shuts off itself. I turn it on again but it's not turning on. What's WRONG with it?Maybe the monitor is dying, or maybe it's choked full of dust? TRY it on another known working PC, and if it works you might have a bad video card in your PC...

I'm comfortable OPENING a monitor to frush out the dust, but you have to be careful of the CRT ANODE (35KV)  when you do this.

If it is the monitor, get a new or refurbished one or clean it out.

I really hope someone can help me with this. Its driving me crazy.  For the longest time on my computer, Ive been hearing this HORRIBLE LOUD high pitched screeching noise coming from my speakers whenever I play Mp3's. If I continue playing music, it will happen every 20 minutes or so, and  I have to restart the song/movie over. I bought new speakers, but it solved nothing. People tell me it might be something with my sound card. I have no idea what I can do to fix this,  please someone help!I suggest you uninstall old drivers and install the latest ones.

If that does not have any effect, try replacing your soundcard.Im SORRY for being a pest.  But how do I GO about uninstalling, and installing old and new drivers?Just donot post twice, it will only bring about negative response.

I suggest you scan the software removal list in Windows to SEE if there is any indication of Soundcard software.

If there is not, I suggest you either download the latest drivers or install the drivers that came with your soundcard. (Usually on a CD)

I just got 4 parts today.....motherboard...harddrive..ram. ..and processor....so i connected everything in my new case that i got....the part that confused me is how to connect the power switch and reset switch buttons up in front but i read the manual and i connected where it said i should.....but it wont even turn on! i connected everything right and i dont get why it doesnt turn on....i need some help on thisIf you have the powerswitch and reset switch CONNECTORS on the right pins in the control cluster, you should be able to start the machine when you plug the power supply in and turn its case back switch on.

The power supply should have a standby lead #9 violet which should be at 5 volts when the power supply is plugged in and on. If this lead is at 0 volts, there is no power to run the soft switch. Usually this indicates the power supply is dead.

Alternatively, an extra brass STANDOFF may have been left in under the mainboard. If this is shorting under a nonexistent screwhole, the power supply detects it and refuses to operate.

Or you could just have a dead PSU...Thats the same thing that happened to me, i plugged in everything to the right places and it wont start and my psu works fine when i TESTED it, and in the power BUTTON and the status LED on the front of my atx case light up. plz hrlp

I currently have a motherboard that's not really usable anymore that has an amd athlon cpu along with the heatsink and fan mounted above it. I plan on moving those things and placing them on a spare motherboard I have.

Do I need to put thermalpaste on the middle of that cpu I'm going to reuse?  Should I clean up the dry paste that was there on the CPU and the HSF previously if the answer is yes?

P.S. This is the first time I'll be dealing with thermal stuff since someone else did the thermal pasting on that cpu originally.


Thanks in advance for any help.Yes clean the old paste off and use fresh waste but you need very little. Be very careful lifting the chip from it's socket as it very easy to ben the pins. Make sure you lift the lever catch up before fitting the Chip.Thanks, gonna put these finger nails to work Quote

Do I need to put thermalpaste on the middle of that cpu I'm going to reuse?  Should I clean up the dry paste that was there on the CPU and the HSF previously if the answer is yes?

Thanks, gonna put these finger nails to work Smiley

P.S. This is the first time I'll be dealing with thermal stuff since someone else did the thermal pasting on that cpu originally.

1. Can I use a plastic bag as a substitute for that glove to rub the paste on?
2. I'm assuming you're talking about isopropyl alcohol to clean the cpu and heatsink
3.  what should I rub it with?
4. Is a cotton swab ok?

Nice catch, Raptor !

patio.

I've got another question, it may seem obvious though.  
Should I apply the iso alcohol and the paste to the cpu's core when the cpu is already rested in its socket on the motherboard. If not then where's the best place for this to be done?

I had to settle for some generic heat sink silicone in a small packet.

1. The cpu wasn't so hard but the heatsink had some weirdass pad that was a bit too tough for the alcohol so I scraped it off with my finger(I guess I didn't do the right thing here).

2. Putting paste on the processor was successful. I used that plastic glove like you said. I put it on the small rectangle thingy, rubbing it with the glove makes it easier but I don't know if I got the thickness down. I used the heatsink that came on top the 1800+ on the spare mobo(less dust and no pad to scrape off).

3. I'm a little concerned about the cpu temp in bios since its about 57C. Beforehand when I used the 1800+ that came strapped to the mobo I was getting 45-47C. I guess the COP will come into play if it gets too hot.

I guess the COP will come into play if it gets too hot.

I don't know alot about computers so I need some help. I want to know what is the best desktop computer manufacturer and whats the best processor you can have. If I could get any advice I would appreicate it. WOW! Thats a loaded question. Recommending a brand or processor type, or even components depends entirely on how the computer will be used. And I'm sure there would be some argument about which is better.Either build your own PC, buy a custom box from a local retailer (preferably not a stampout box from Sears, Circuit City, KMart, or other major chain...), or buy a PowerMac. AlienWare and Dell servers are overpriced even though the quality is up there, Sony, Micron, and other 'mainstream' manufacturers are dealing with help-desk ooutsourcing problems, eMachines is still trying to get the quality up, and HP, Compaq, Packard-Bell, and Dell bargan-box machines are lame. MalikTous, what kind of Dell computer would you RECOMMEND?? I'am willing to pay a high price because I really want a good quality computer.The quality of the computer depends heavily on the skills of the user.

If you are not familiar with computers, I suggest you call Dell and have them personalize your computer for you. Or a company such Alienware. Even though that is, in my opinion, for the more experienced user.If you want to stay with Dell, go with their 'server GRADE' or 'professional' models. Avoid the 'home' and bargan box machines.

You might get a better deal going with your local computer store (not a chain like CompUSA or a general merchant like Sears) and having them custom build you one. Choose an Antec or Thermaltake PSU and case, an ASUS, ABit, IWill, or Gigabyte MB with matching Intel or AMD processor and RAM, a full-sized CPU COOLER and as many fans as the case will accept, a nice WD, Seagate, maxtor, or Fuji hard drive, a decent CDRW and/or DVD drive (Plextor if you want the top of the line), and the video card that most of the games you want to USE reccomend.

When I am running photoshop or age of empires sometime that program will shut down or my whole comp will turn off.

I have a amd 2100 with a gigabyte ga-7vaxp, 512ddr ram, nvidia geforce fx5200 and a maxtor 80 gig hard drive.

I have tried to run various different tests with no success.  The only thing I can come up with is that when it is hot in the condo it will do it more often, so maybe it is overheating. (if this is the case what are the suggestions to fix this?)

Thank youWhat are the temperature readings? Gigabyte has a tool CALLED 'Easytune' that USUALLY comes with your mainboard on the Driver CD. I suggest you install that tool to check your temperature readings. Either that or SEE the PC Health section in your BIOS.

Hi,

I have the following specifications for my machine:

Dell Desktop
Pentium III
1GHz processor
256MB RAM
Win 2000
Intel chip (built in video card)
Samsung SyncMaster 955df
No AGP slot

I want to buy a new video card for gaming, becuase the built-in card is old and doesn't work well with new games.
I was looking to buy the following PCI video card, but I need a second opinion.
1)Is that a good soultion for my problem?
2)Is it a good card?
3)Any other recommendations/comments ?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=84766&Sku=D10-2005&CatId=319

Thanks
I'd say that's a great price for a nice card.  ATI is the best imo.  I don't think you'll be disappointed and TigerDirect is a good company to ORDER from as well.1) Depends on what games you are (thinking of) playing.

2) I have previously owned an ATI/Radeon 9000Pro and I must say I was very pleased with it. However, MAX Payne 2 is about the best it could do Donot expect the Core and/or Memory cycles to be much higher. Do keep in mind that I do have an AGP port avaible

3) Not unless you plan on buying an entirely new mainboard with an AGP slot. Or unless you can find a better PCI card. However, if you inform us of the games you intend to play we may be able to better assist you.

I find the price to be quite expensive, to be honest, 9200SE cards are avaible at 40 euros and less. (Approximately 50 dollars) Perhaps it is because it is a PCI edition, I donot know. So far I have only seen AGP cards.I am planning to play the following games:

-Doom III (when it's released)
-Medal of Honor
-Half life 2 (when it's released)
-Postal 2 (I downloaded the demo, the graphic looked awful on my current intel video card)
I have played Postal 2 (Full version/demo) on my ATI/Radeon 9000Pro (Apart from Half-life 2 and Doom 3, which would in no way going to run properly) and that ran quite well. However, I also ran Medal of Honour (I donot know which one you are planning on playing) and that ran horrible. I donot recall which one it was.


I donot think that 9200SE will offer you a greater boost in power. As I said, the Core and RAM speeds shall not differ much.

I recently bought an ATI/Radeon 9800Pro and I must say that I am very satisfied with it and it has the power I need to play the latest games. However, I know very little about PCI cards. Only that AGP is twice as FAST (Correct me if I am wrong) as PCI.

My conclusion for you would be: Either try the 9200SE card and most likely be heavily dissapointed when you buy a game such as Doom III and Half-life 2 or look into buying a more powerful card.




Thanks all,

I decided to buy an new mother board that supports pentium III and HAS an AGP slot. In ADDITION I am going to spend some money on a good AGP video card.
The whole thing will cost me about:
$70(mother board) + $140 (video card) = $210

please respond with any comments....You may require a new CPU with the mainboard. Unless your old CPU is compatible with it, ofcourse.

What videocard are you planning on buying now?ATI X800?
mmMMmmSince my brother is not a gamer, I managed to get his machine :-)

Dell Dimension 4300 Desktop
Intel Pentium 4
1.7 GHz Processor
128MB RAM (I will be adding more)
AGP Slot (current video card is 16 MB ATI Rage 128 Ultra)

I am guessing if I add a new Video card, this would be good enough for new games.

waiting for reply/comments...If you get a new card it will be better but the new ATIs draw power direct from the psu so you'll have to make sure you have an adequate psu.  You'll want to upgrade the ram as you mentioned.The CPU does not seem to powerful either, you may want to look into upgrading it if you have money left after upgrading the more VITAL components.

And yes, as Joleen said, it is very important to have an adequate PSU. I am experiencing first hand what will happen without one..

I've got an HP PC (Pavillion a420n, deskjet 5150, and a f1503 flat screen monitor). I'm going to the south of France for a year to do a book and need my PC. But in France the power is 220v 50HZ with ROUND plug TIPS. So I can get adapters to convert flat American plugs to plump round French ones.

My HP has a 110-220 switch but I worry about whether its as simple as moving the switch to 220. Will the PC work properly in Europe. And as well what about my  my monitor and printer. Will the transformers they come with work on 220 with the plug adapters or do I need to get step down converters to reduce the 220 to 110 for everything? And does anyone have experience with doing this and is it going to any create PROBLEMS with any of my components?

Thanks

stevefotos

http://www.dvdoverseas.com/voltage_converters.htmCheck that your appliances are either capable of auto-switching or manually switching between 120VAC (USA) power and 220VAC (European) power, and that their power supplies are capable of operation on either 50 or 60 cycle power. The manufacturer's website (www.hp.com) or your manuals should include that data.

Devices that need to be manually switched should be checked multiple times for that before being connected to the higher voltage power sources. Devices that cannot be switched must be connected by a TRANSFORMER power converter, not one of those DIODE converters that are only good for lights and hairdryers. Most modern computer power supplies are capable of working with either 50 or 60 cycle AC, but connecting a 110-configured or 110-only DEVICE to a 220 supply is going to cause an explosion, fire, or meltdown in the device, assuming the fuse doesn't pop first.

Properly configured devices may be connected directly (with simple prong adaptors) to a local style surge strip. If the locality does not provide a surge strip, knot the cords for at least some surge protection.Thanks for the info, I had suspected that the external power units for printers etc that said 110-240 VAC would work but wasn't aware that they automatically corrected for different power. The important part of your answer was in relation to the 50-60 cycle AC . I wasn't sure that the computers would work correctly at a different Hertz rate.

Thanks

Steve

Hi, I could use a little help with a problem I’ve had – sorry if it’s a bit long but the devil’s in the details, right? Here’s my system:

AMD Athlon 2700+
PC-Chips 8348LU SIS 746 MB
256MB PC2700 DDR – some generic brand that came with PC
80 GB samsung Hd 7200rpm
nVidia GF FX5600 128MB DDR
300W ATX
Windows XP

So I finally decided I had time to upgrade my RAM because it’s simple right? I snapped in a new 512 stick of Azenram DDR PC2700 (2.5V, spd) just to see if the two together might possibly get along. I turned on the PC, the new memory was recognized and XP started. Partway through LOADING, windows flashes a blue screen and spontaneously reboots “to avoid damaging my computer.” This happens a few times, so I take out the old RAM, and try with just the 512 stick. Same thing. Windows won’t start normally, in safe mode, or with “last known successful configuration.” I tried playing with CAS Latency, CPU frequency and disabled BIOS caching to no AVAIL. So I gave up and put the old 256MB stick back in, but the same thing keeps happening and the computer’s locked into an endless cycle of rebooting. I tried using the XP disk to repair the windows installation, but that crashed too.
     Needing to retrieve some data I put the HD as a slave in another system running XP. As soon as it started up CHKDSK went nuts on the slave drive, and started deleting all sorts of errors (things like page faults, invalid registry addresses, etc). Once it was “repaired” (and accessible as a slave) I was hopeful and put it back in the previous system with the 512 stick. This time windows loaded long enough to automatically run chkdsk itself, and started correcting more errors. It wasn’t running long before it destabilized and I had to restart. This happened several times. Curious, I switched back to the old 256 mem stick, and this time the system at least seemed stable. It ran chkdsk automatically and deleted errors for about 20min. When it was done, the system rebooted and then went back to it’s cycle of crashing and rebooting every time windows started to load.
     I’m pretty sure I need to reformat the HD at this point, but before I do I’d like to know what went wrong, and so that is my question if anyone has an idea. Is it my HD that’s bad, and if so why did the new memory set it off? Is the new RAM bad, and if so why did it screw my PC up so much I couldn’t put the old RAM back in? If I reformat and start over is it all just going to happen again? I played with the BIOS a lot (and had to reset it several times) but couldn’t find much help there. I’m pretty careful about ESD, and as near as I can tell I’ve been running XP fully updated, free of viruses, adware and spyware. My system’s not overclocked (runs at 166MHz), and is running at 1:1 Cpu/DRAM. Thanks for any help and suggestions.
Holy crap, the same thing basically happened to my comp when I tried to install new memory.

Granted, I'm not the smartest "average user" out there, so here's my story.

1.8gHz P4
AOpen Motherboard XXXXX...whatever
512mb PC (2100??)
40 GB HD
ATI Radeon 9500 Pro 64mb DDR
250 watt Aopen
Win XP

After watching game after game choke and chug along at crappy fps, I finally decided to shell out for more ram, thinking it would fix the problem.  So I go down to my local Circuit City and pick up a 512 stick of 3200.  My first mistake.  3200 won't exactly work with my 2100.  So after I figure that much out, I take it back and exchange for a nice stick of, and I quote, "backwards compatible 2700".  

So I put the 2700 in, windows starts up fine.  I check the system under control panel, and it reads like 728 mb RAM.  What the *censored*?  So I turn the comp off, switch the Ram's order around, then restart and check it again.  816mb this time.  After I restarted again, I got a nice little message which informed me that, yes, my windows/system32/config/system file had been corrupted.  I go into the repair console, and after running chkdsk a few times and trying to figure out exactly what to do, I decide to try to overwrite the entire windows directory.  So I do that, hoping that I won't loose everything.

30 minutes later, windows is back up, but of COURSE, all my drivers are dead.  I go to reinstall the display drivers first, then DirectX.  Somewhere in the middle of installing directX, the computer automatically restarts...again with the 816 ram.  Finally I take the ram out, swap the chips back to their original places, and everything *seems* to be working fine.

God...all I WANTED was an upgrade, and instead, it looks like I'm going to have to format now.Perhaps your mainboard is not compatible with the amount or type of RAM you are using.

I trust you first refered to the guide before buying and installing RAM?Raptor - yes my mobo is supposed to support up to 3Gigs of RAM

Wag - I've actually been getting some better input on my problem at another FORUM. Some of what they're suggesting might apply to your troubles as well. Check out the link to my posting:

http://techreport.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=19261&sid=ae6cd4dcf1b432cc24cf9939c2d2e0ed

A while ago a friend of mine spilled soda on the computer tower and somehow only the video card got wet by it.  

The problem is when I didn't know until I turned on the computer and the display on the screen looked SOMEWHAT like those OLD nintendo games when you had to blow on them.  Something like a bunch of squared colors all over.

It looks as if the it starts up but I don't see anything except that.  The SQUARES change colors and such as the startup PROGRESSES.  I'm thinking its just the video card and I need to replace it.  Any ideas though ?    thanksI am wondering why you turned the computer on after the accident. You could have damaged EVERY single component.

Quote

Any ideas though ?

One of the compaq EVO D300  desktops (MS XP pro) in my office is driving me crazy.  The CD-ROM will spin randomly for 20-30 minutes and then stop for a few minutes and then spin for 20-30 minutes.  This happens all day long.  The drive isn't being accessed, it just starts spinning.  This problem started a few months ago for reasons UNEXPLAINED, and I have tried to find an ANSWER.  It was suggested that this might be related to a virus, spyware, or adware but all of the virus defs are up to date and I receintly installed SPYBOT S&D as well as AD-WARE 6.0 but to no avail.  

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

ChristopherDo you have an automatic backup program attempting to access the drive? If so, error messages might be suppressed and simply written to a log file.No,  we don't run a back up program, it's a small office and anything that needs to be backed up is saved to cd.  

Thanks
CLMIs your CD writer software running in background or do you load it manually as needed?The software needs to be manually activated.  That said, it doesn't always have a disk in the drive when it starts to spin.  
I saw that this topic was posted in another thread, and the problem sounds the same, but the suggestion was to look into spy/ad ware removal programs.  It was also suggested that they should look into virus (trojan) projection, but the system I'm trying to fix is up to date (Norton 8.07 w/todays defs.)


Do you have any other THOUGHTS?1. Could be a flakey connection. Open the case (unless it is still under warranty) and make sure the cable is properly seated.
2. Try turning off auto insert notification.
3. Check to make sure Norton isn't trying to scan the drive.
4. Go into device manager and remove the drive so that windows is forced to re-detect on reboot.
5. If all of these fail to solve the problem, you still have a nice beverage holder.Thanks for all of the suggestions.  I'll try them later.  
However, I don't THINK the tray will support a 7/11 52oz. drink cup.  Maybe I'll just put flowers in it.

CLMDisable the 'DirectCD', 'InCD', or other packet-writer software that came with the burner on that machine, and disable the Content Indexer or FastFind on all machines. This should make it quit trying to access the drive...Content Indexer or FastFind. I completely forgot about those since I never use them. They are indeed absolute hogs. And over a period of time, even the fastest machines will slow to a crawl with them enabled.

Ok, so my fiance and I are attempting to build me a new computer to replace my older laptop (we have both built computers before, and he used to work for a computer repair shop, so we thought we knew what we were doing). Anyway, now it keeps rebooting within <1 sec to about 60ish seconds from boot- usually it's less than 5 seconds. Here is the hardware i have:

400 W case (box)
asrock p4i65gv mobo (box)
p4 2.8 800fsb w/ 1mb cache (box)
iomagic 8x dvd +/-RW+/-R (box)
adata 512 DIMM DDR400 RAM (oem)
radeon 9700 all-in-wonder (oem)
40gb 7200 rpm hdd (oem)
HP usb floppy drive (from laptop)

We started out with just the mobo, ram, video card, and processor plugged in and attempted to boot - worked beautifully (seemingly). Tried same with floppy drive w/ win98 boot disk, again, seemingly beautiful, and booted right up to the disk. Then attempted to add hdd and dvd drive, and it started doing this rebooting thing. We've since tried taking everything off the mobo but the ram and processor, and it still does the same thing. We've reseated the ram, tried it in the other slot, checked the conections, checked the jumper settings...still no help. It does seem to stay up longer on the first boot if we have left it alone for SEVERAL hours, but it will still eventually reboot. Also, the first time we plugged in the USB drive it booted directly from that with no prompting, now it hardly even recognizes the disk as valid, if it does get that far in the boot process (but it does sometimes, so i don't think the disk is BAD). We've considered updating the BIOS (there was something on intel's website about it being 'essential' that you update the bios if you have a P4 800fsb, but it didn't say why) but we fear that even if it did eventually boot to the disk, it would crash in the middle of flashing, thus making the mobo trash.

PLEASE, somebody - if you have any idea what we can do from here, let me know!!! I ordered these parts from a company across the country (Newegg.com) and only have about 3 weeks in which i can exchange them, if i figure out which one really has the problem...   I don't have any spare parts to work with, so i can't really swap out things to test that way, and I don't have the money to just buy new parts for testing purposes (except for possibly the power supply - i'm already buying this on a loan from my mom). If you have any clue what is going on, or know where we can GO for help... i know Newegg doesn't do any kind of tech support, and asrock only does tech support to buyers, not to individual consumers. I'm at my wit's end here!!!
One can only guess, but based on your description, the MB MIGHT already be trashed. The problem you describe is generally related to a faulty component that overheats. If you are not already doing so, I strongly suggest you wear a wrist strap when handling components. A wrist strap can save 100's of dollars and MANY hours of troublshooting

hello computer geniuses. i need to know which likely to break when u use a high end cpu on a low end motherboard. i bought a real cheap motherboard for 25 bucks with a 100 bucks cpu. it worked for 3 days but one day when i woke up, the computer is dead. i checked other parts of the computer besides the mb and the cpu on my friend's computer bacause he uses intel. anyone know which likely is broken? what are some signs you can tell from the cpu is broken or not? mine doesnt have any FRIED sign and the mb seems perfectly FINE too. the only thing different about the cpu is that the small iron on the middle of the chip is pink instead of black when i took out of the box. is it normal that it will turn pink after use?AA:

If the CPU overheated because you did not use heatsink grease, or a heatsink fan, or were overclocking, the CPU MAY be discolored or even (in extreme cases) have a small crack.

Try purchasing a new motherboard that is made for your CPU and putting the CPU in it carefully.

Were any error messages displayed when the computer was powered up or did you hear any beep tones?  If so, what message was displayed and how many tones did you hear?

Docthere is no beep, the fans are still running, though. i do put heat SINK and fan on the cpu. also, what if u put too much heat sink on it? Quote

what if u put too much heat sink on it?