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i have two ide hdd in my system.i believe the one with the os is fixing to die. is there a way i can DUPLICATE the primary hdd onto another so i dont have to re install os and can go business as usualFind out who makes the 2nd HDD,
Then travel to their website and DLoad the free tools available for your DRIVE.
One of these tools will "clone" your OS drive to the 2nd one...basically making an exact replica of your boot drive.
Then SIMPLY remove the dying drive...hook up the one you just cloned as master connected at the end of the IDE ribbon cable and you should be good to go...

I just wiped my hard drive completely after moving my files ... I want to start over with a fresh INSTALL of Windows XP but when I load it from an external cd drive it says "No operating system". What do i do?Do you have an internal CD/DVD drive ? ?
If so try it in that...if not you may need one if your system doesn't support booting to a USB device.no its a laptop ... i gotta extra battery instead of a internal drive so my external drive is my only sourceYou will need to check your BIOS to see if it supports booting from a USB device, if so set it to do so and load your Windows CD from there.

If not, and if your HDD had a hidden restore partition, you may not have wiped it off, so you may be able to restore your OS from there.I have the same problem except I also wiped the drivers for my PCMCIA slots so my external CD drive doesn't work.I have been trying to get help at PCMech.com but the answers I got assume I speak DOS so they are over my head. I got an ADAPTER (IDE) so Icould hook the hard drive up to my desktop but it didn't come with any instructions so the first time I tried it I wiped the hard drive on my desktop too. Well I fixed the problem with my desktop but no luck with the laptop drive. I am going to follow your progress hope we can get our laptops up and running.XP will not boot from an external drive without a whole heck of alot of tweaking and goofing around...not for the faint of heart.

Hootie it's best to start your own topic even THOUGH the situation is similar so it can recieve the proper attention...

Hi my computer is acting very weird. I have recently installed a GAME and after running it for just 20 minutes, my computer crashes. when i restarted my computer there were vertical lines covering my windows start-up screen. the color of my wallpaper was also CHANGED, certain shades were OUTLINED and did not display itself in the full spectrum that i did before. When i loaded the game (spellforce 2) the 3d characters were distorted, the entire landscape was also distorted.

The problem is less visible in my desktop when i lowered my color quality.

I really think that it is a problem with my video card because i also noticed that when i boot my computer and press delete to enter my computer settings, the display is distorted there too. I have already tried cleaning my video card but it doesnt work.

Can someone please help?

OS: windows xp w/ SERVICE pack 2
Computer: intel pentium 4 with 512 ram
Display Adapter: Ati radeon 9600 seriesHeat , bad RAM, and power are the 3 most common causes of your symptoms...

Unless you have the wrong video driver installed...that's another possibility.

You said you cleaned the card...how did you do this ? ? Did you happen to clean out the rest of the case and components especially the CPU heatsink and fan ? ?

DLoad and run MemTest to rule out the RAM as a problem.

How old is this card ? ?Thanks Patio for those SUGGESTIONS, however i cleaned my computer ( i removed the heat sink and removed a lot of dust, and cleaned all of the fans) and video card (by blowing away the dust and cleanign the connection with a rubber eraser) but the problem still persists. I also downloaded and ran Memtest for 1.5 hours but no problem was detected. is there anything else that i can do?Sure.

Regular Windows maintenence including Disk Cleanup and defrag...

Run all your malware protection scans...

Last but not least you might want to borrow a similar PSU and swap it in there to see if this may be the issue.

Good Luck and keep us posted.thanks patio i followed what u said and it works. thanks s bunchGood to hear you are fixed up and thanx for letting us know...

While running AVG anti-virus w/firewall i am getting a virus notice: FS6519.dll.vbs in C:\Windows\ . The anti-virus program can not heal . Any suggestions om what to do next ?


Thanks for Input
How to Identify:

1. C: Drive will go on with autoplay on Right-Click
2. Your IE title bar will bear the following msg "TAGA LIPA ARE!"

It will have the entries on the following:

1. Autorun's ini FILES
2. IE
3. Windows Registry
4. MSConfig

All the peripherals which have autorun facility will be infected by this.

Go on with the following proceedure:

Goto My Computer =>Tools => Folder Options=> View Tab

Select: Show hidden Files and Folders

Uncheck: HIDE Extensions for known file type and Hide Protected operating system

Click Yes Then OK.

You will see an autorun.inf and FS6519.dll.vbs in all your harddrives. Delete ALL of them.

If it says that something is using the program. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and go to processes, end ALL wscript.exe

Open MSConfig and under startup, uncheck the trojan’s startup entry, [FS6519].

Click Start > Run and then type regedit

delete [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\FS6519] key, and modify [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window Title”,”TAGA LIPA ARE!”] key to REMOVE the nuisance in IExplorer.

OR go to Edit -> Find and type FS6519.dll.vbs.

Edit the found registry by selecting the name, ryt click and modify, remove the last two strings which is wscript.exe and FS6519.dll.vbs and click OK.

If finished, press F3 and it will search again for another, just do the same thing until nothing is found in your registry.

If you are done with the FS6519.dll.vbs, its time for the TAGA LIPA ARE! be edited in your IE, type the string on the search again then it will show up the IE title … modify then type anything you like or better delete it.

Have a Nice FREE Virus Trojan Day!!!


Let's try a less confusing approach...

1. Update AVG and scan with it in Safe Mode. Let it fix what it wants.
2. Restart and scan with Kaspersky Online and post back with the results.
3. Post a HijackThis log.

We'll take it from there.

Sorry, I'm just a high school chick and not a COMPUTER know-it-all!
I just installed a new CPU on my computer. It's a 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 CPU. It replaced a 2.60 GHz P4. Yet, when I ran SystemSpec (www.alexnolan.net), it shows that the CPU is INDEED a 3.202, but the CPU speed is only 1577.5 Mhz.

What is WRONG? What do I need to tweak? Hyperthreading is enabled on the BIOS. . .

Thanks, guys!

Moniquehave you tried CPU-Z? Anyway, I think that possibly your BIOS has set the wrong "Front Side BUS" speed. The speed you quote is suspiciously close to half the the proper speed... Did you go into the BIOS after installing the new CPU?

It could be that your 2.6 GHz part had an FSB speed of 100 MHz, whereas the 3.0 part would need a 200 MHz setting.

I have had my Dell 8500 laptop for about 4 years with no problems. Its a little outdated now, but still holds its own with a 2.0 gHz P4 m processor, 1.5 GIG ram, and a decent mobile Nvidia card with 64 mb dedicated memory. Recently it has been acting incredibly sluggish and I figured it was time for a complete reformat and fresh installation of WinXP. I completely wiped out the hard drive and installed Windows fresh, but it didn't seem to help. In fact, if anything my computer seemed even slower!

The computer has absolutely nothing on it but Windows, Firefox, iTunes, Works Suite, Office 2003, and Symantec. I updated too all the most recent drivers for my hardware and installed several windows updates, neither of which HELPED. My computer is now to the point where simply opening Firefox or EXCEL can take as long as 5-7 minutes. When this happens, I am not even able to bring up my system monitor by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL. The cursor turns shows the the computer is thinking for a few seconds, then it goes back to an arrow and the program/monitor won't open. It doesn't seem to take my computer any longer than usual to start up when it has shut down and I don't encounter any complete freezes or blue screens.

Now I suspect the problem lies not in the software but the hardware. I ran both the Microsoft memory checker and Gold Memory. I also used a set of tools made by Seagate to run a complete test on my hard drive. No problems were found in either of these components. I'm not sure how to test the processor or motherboard. I suspect the problem may have something to do with overheating although the computer's fan is still operational. It has a tendency to get VERY hot in a short period of time. Also, I've had an overheating problem a few years ago which fried a stick of RAM which I had to replace.

Anyone have any idea what the problem could be or how I could possibly diagnose it so I know what needs to be replaced? Thank you for any help you are able to provide!Download SpeedFan, install it, and let's see what it says about your temperatures. It also provides some info on various voltages flowing through your system. How many fans do you have, altogether? Have you looked inside your computer case to see whether a lot of dust has accumulated? If it's dirty, you should clean it.Laptop.
Speedfan is still a good suggsestionOk, I finally got Windows Task Manager to open up and I found a big problem. svchost.exe is using 99% of my CPU and 132 MB of memory. As far as I know, this is a normal windows component. Why would it be using all my CPU on a fresh install of windows?

I also downloaded SpeedFan. Its not giving my fan speeds or voltage readings, but the temperature monitor is working. I just started up my computer about 10 minutes ago and I'm already at 46C which isn't surprising seeing as how my CPU is at a nonstop 100%. And to answer your earlier question, my laptop only has one fan that is visible to me. It seems like it spins full speed but when I put my hand to the vent it feels like it's not pulling a whole lot of air through.After doing some research I think I figured it out. The problem was really in Windows auto update. There is a bug that causes it to eat up MAJOR CPU resources. To fix:

1) Update to WUAgent v3 (http://download.windowsupdate.com/v7/windowsupdate/redist/standalone/WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe)
(if necessary, run with command-line /wuforce)

2) Run MS KB927891 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=7A81B0CD-A0B9-497E-8A89-404327772E5A&displaylang=en)

3) Reboot

Thanks for the help all.

Hi

Running a P4 2.8GHZ, Nvidia Geforce FX5200, 512MB DDR2 RAM, 120GB Samsung HDD, Alesis Multimix Firewire Pro Audio Mixer, XP Pro, Xp Home Partitions, NEC DVD RW Drive.


My pc is not booting from cd at startup. Its a NEC DVD RW drive and im using an XP Pro cd, and I have set the master boot settings to boot from CD, including CMOS settings and BIOS settings, and it still refuses to boot from an XPO Pro DISK, a Linux boot disk and even floppy diskettes. The OS wont load because the Master Boot RECORD is corrupt, but that can be fixed by running Recovery Console in setup and typing fixmbr. I thought it might be an issue with jumpers or perhaps the drivers not being available at the boot stage?

Any help welcome.

Cheers Matt It's not booting from CD-ROMs, floppies, or the hard drive?

But you reckon the hard drive's OK?

(Why?)


What HAPPENED prior to all of this would be both interesting and helpful.

You're not allowed to say "it just happened". OK. I wanted to create a backup of XP with all drivers etc on 4gb partition on the hard drive. This worked. I then wanted to boot from cd so i could erase the other partition and install the shiny new Ubuntu Studio (Linux for Audio Editing Professionally). This all went south quickly when the pc REFUSED to boot from the cd drive. I have however quickly realised how much of a PRAT I am, when I forgot to MAKE the CD a Data Disc. You have every right to call me a moronicus Toadus.We won't do that but thanx for posting back with your solution...

Originally my problem was that I'd turn on the computer, and beyond LED's lighting up and fans spinning nothing would happen. The monitor said no signal. I've since bought a new hard drive and motherboard. I was actually able to install and access windows, but then after installing the cd which came with the motherboard the computer was unable to reaccess windows. It said something along the lines of it couldn't boot off of windows, and I should TRY repairing it with the windows cd. I tried that, but partway through my monitor stopped receiving a signal and went black. After a few more tries it reverted back to the same issue I had in the first place, only LED's and fans do anything at all noticable.

I do think the original problem was due to overheating of the old motherboard, so I don't understand why it's doing this again. Sounds like a video issue, are you using on board video or a video card?
Try a different video card if it is the case and also check the power supply.
GLIt's a video card, and a relatively new one at that. Would I have been able to make it to windows with a broken video card? The comp was running a good 2 hours formatting and installing. Also, it had a problem booting windows before things went bad.
Power supply I may check... problem is my only power supply I could check with has been sitting in the attic for two years, and I hurt my wrist pretty bad today and can hardly plug things in.

I also got one of those blue screens at one point trying to repair windows.Update: Tried my old video card and nothing happened. Not a video problem.
Edit: Tried my old power supply. No difference. All I see are LED's and fans.

What would happen if a processor went bad?
It wouldn't even POST. Quote from: chard121 on May 21, 2007, 04:48:12 PM

Update: Tried my old video card and nothing happened. Not a video problem.
Edit: Tried my old power supply. No difference. All I see are LED's and fans.

What would happen if a processor went bad?

Well something was certainly wrong with the power supply... It sounded like firecrackers went off then it smoked. Hopefully this didn't damage the rest of the computer.

Power Supply Calculator...

I'm not sure if I'll be describing this right, but here goes. I have an old 850mhz compaq PC that I want to set up for my two young children to use, but in the process of updating drivers, etc, I was warned that I was dangerously low on disc space. Granted, its only got a 20gb hard drive, but there should have been plenty of space. Come to find out that at some POINT it was upgraded to Windows XP from WHATEVER version it was running previously, and instead of overriding the previous installation, it installed it on a separate 3gb partition, which is now completely FULL. Is there any way to comepletely blank out or reformat the hard drive and start over? I've got an XP pro disc so reinstalling windows isn't a problem, I just want to know how I can recombine the two partitions so it reads as a single 20gb drive, instead of the way it is now.The best method since a re-install is not a problem would be to use FDisk and delete all existing partitions...then PREPARE the drive again with FDisk using 100% of the available space for one active partition.

Travel Here for our FDisk simulation that will show you exactly what steps to take.

DLoad and create a WinME bootdisk from bootdisk.com create the floppy and then boot to it and proceed.

Once finished remove the floppy, put your XP CD in and re-boot and it should take you to the installation menu...What's the purpose of creating the WinME boot disc? Can't I just start the XP install once I've deleted the partitions? Or is it just easier to start the install from the ME boot?coulnd he also use a partition manager from the ultimatebootcd or somewhere to just extend his windows partition?

not sure if i am suposed to link you to this sort of thing, no guarantees, but after you get any other responses try this:
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

I was looking at the sectino halfway down the page, under partition tools. Partition resizer looks good, but others from that section can serve the same function.

again, wait for another response before trying this... one of them may have done it before and can give adviceQuote from: roccenstein on May 22, 2007, 03:14:40 PM

What's the purpose of creating the WinME boot disc? Can't I just start the XP install once I've deleted the partitions? Or is it just easier to start the install from the ME boot?

I'm running XP Home and after installing a new larger hard disc everything is running smoothly but not my Windows Media Player.
I've checked my connections and they are OK. The volume control is on in both XP and WMP.
What wrong can it be?
AS ALWAYS, HOPING FOR YOUR ASSISTANCEI'm guessing you reinstalled Windows XP when you put in this new drive, but did you reinstall your sound card drivers too?Nio I didn't. How shall I do that?Do you have a soundcard, or is it onboard sound. You should have a disk for your motherboard if you are using onboard sound. Either way what you need to do is reinstall the driver for the sound.My problem is that I know nothing about this procedure. Would you please explain in a very easy way how to do? Can you give a complete listing of your hardware? (make & model)

I'm guessing there's more drivers than sound that haven't been installed.As you - of course - have understood already I'm a real newbie.
Where do I find such a list of hardware that you ask for? Download Everest Home Edition:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_everest_home/

Install and run it. At the top, click the "Report" button.
Click "Next".
Select "System Summary only" and click "Next".
Select "Plain text" and click "Finish".

When it's finished, it will show a report listing all of your hardware. The only SECTIONS we need to see from this are the very first section, the second section (Summary), and the very last section (Debug - Unknown). The last section may or may not contain information. Just copy and paste the information here, then we can get started on locating drivers for your hardware.

You can skip the large section of information in the middle (PCI and Video BIOS) as they won't be necessary for this.although he does need a new set of drivers after the reinstall, wouldn't sndvol32 being in the system tray mean a sound driver of some sort is installed? Obviously the wrong one, I guess...
Click start then right click my computer and choose properties at the bottom. This should bring up the basic INFO about you computer. Now click the hardware tab at the top then click device manager. This shows all of the hardware and drivers you have installed. If you see a yellow or red ! or ? then you need a driver for that device. You may have received a drivers disk when you bought your computer. Look through all of the disks that came with it. The disk might say something like "drivers and utilities" on it. If you don't have the disk search the internet for your computer manufacturers website. If your lucky they will have all of the drivers for your MACHINE available for download. However, some companies don't offer a driver download page. If you cant find the drivers there then try this: http://www.driverguide.com/
post back and let us know how you did. Quote from: BC_Programmer on May 06, 2008, 04:55:01 PM

although he does need a new set of drivers after the reinstall, wouldn't sndvol32 being in the system tray mean a sound driver of some sort is installed? Obviously the wrong one, I guess...

I am helping a mate resolve a problem she is having.

When she goes to log into EBAY or hotmail it returns a message: "incorrect password or username".

She has recently purchased a new router/modem combination. the old one overheated and stopped working.

but when she logs in at work it is fine.

the router/modem is a NetCommNB5.

This one has me stumped.

Any thoughts?do you know if it's a single port or 4 port? I think there's a fix for it at the netcomm website.its a 4 port.hey not admin I thinkhttp://kb.netcomm.com.au/kb/default.asp?id=1257⟪=1 I found a SOLUTION to your problem here's a link for youokay you have to log into your router setup page and check to make sure enforce mtu is ticked and the the mtu VALUE reads 1492. Then it says change the connection type from PPPoE to PPPoA VC-Mux. Cheers Brett74,

Ill TELL you how i went tomorrow unless you can fix my otehr issue in HARDWARE about my internet not working

Then i can inform you tonight

Hey guys! (first post, woot)

I CURRENTLY have an XPS 410... specs:
- Vista Home Premium (32 Bit)
- 2Gig RAM
- Intel Core 2 Duo 6300 1.86GHz

Current Video Card - NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE
- PCI Express (64-Bit)

I was hoping to find a new card... somewhere around $100-200. (+ or - a few dollars)

Any help you guys can give would be great, thanks!

Some that I have been looking at...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121224RI have the 9600gt and its been working great for me since i put it in, no hassles and an easy installhey wanna buy a hercules monochrome graphics ADAPTER. they pwn anything.
Well, except color. But come on! Color is SOOOOO yesterday! face the wave of the future!
Who needs 3d graphics when you can display TEXT! yes, thats right, the HGC has the MUCH touted TEXT display mode. Display your reports in super high 80x25 text resolution! Amaze your friends!

WARNING: ensure friends have trouble distinguishing color for maximum effect.



Besides, sometimes you have to take a step backward(or 300) to move forward.


Alright, ANYWAY....
I can't really suggest anything better then what you already have. I don't personally play any super new games (I've been playing games so long I started noticing repetition in themes and story).
Right now I'm USING a GeForce FX 5500OC AGP.

What exactly are you trying to do? What games do you play? These are all important factors! Of course, any newer card will help, the question is simply which will help more, and that banks heavily on your answers to these questions.Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Would love some more advice though, thanks.

To answer BC...

I plan to be playing mostly World of Warcraft, and maybe a little COD4. I hope to play on almost max settings.A 9600GT or 8800GT would do you fine.
I have the latter myself and it's a great card. It'll max out WoW easily enough, as will almost any modern card, and should max out CoD 4 easily too.
However, make sure your PSU can handle it - can you tell us what it says on the side? it may not have enough wattage and/or amps to handle a shiny new card.I'm still pretty new to the whole computer parts and upgrading thing... so thanks for all the help.

I opened up my case and it tells me: DC Output - 375 Watts

I'm thinking about picking up this baby:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318

Will my PSU allow that card?

Also, if you don't mind... Crucial.com tells me that my Dell XPS can support these RAM types. Quote

Each memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-4200, DDR2 PC2-5300, DDR2 PC2-6400 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*

I tried searching the forum so i dont repeat a POST... but i really dont know what to search for. It's a bit of a niche problem i think...

a couple of weeks AGO i bought a PC from an internet cafe... cheap as dirt, overclocked 3ghz p4. when i tried it at the internet cafe, it worked fine. when i got home, it worked fine. I downloaded a bunch of stuff on the computer, installed alot of basics like antivirus, firefox, games... etc...
by the 3rd day or so, it was starting to show symptoms... a couple of times, when i turned it on, the light at the front was on, but nothing else was happening at all... after a couple of tries, it worked. The next day, it got worse, i had to it on many times before it worked. and by the 5th day, it just wont work at all.
Last night i went back to the internet cafe and they gave me another PC which worked fine at the internet cafe. I got home, turned it on, and it was fine. So i started to download and install all the usuals.... i wasnt watching the download so im not sure what happened, but it must've turned off by itself and now it doesnt work again.

My friend has bought the exact same computer from the internet cafe a while back and he's is working fine... I opened up the computer (wasnt sure what i was looking at). When i turned it on, there's a green light on the mother board (the green light as well as the red light at the front was on too). I switched the graphic card with my other PC and it was fine... I did notice that the hard drive wasnt running...

Can you guys help me out? I have a feeling its not the internet cafe selling me dodgy computers coz my friend's one works, and both computers that i tried worked while it was at the internet cafe... Its really frustrating. Any suggestions at all will be appreciated. Thanks in advanceI tried a few other parts on my working PC...

HD works, video card works, ram works... all the fans turn on if that means anything...A little confused...

What exactly is the computer you have doing when you turn it on now? Do you see the BIOS screen? Does Windows even start to load?

If you've tested all the hardware in another computer and confirmed it works, it might be your power supply.If the HDD light (red) is continuously on when u boot up...remove the ide cable and power to all hard drives/dc drives and see if it will boot to BIOSnope, nothing shows up

I've tried a different monitor and graphic card... nothing shows up on the monitor at allOK few things to check...the plug it is plugged into hasn't been known for surges or problems with other devices?

you aren't running it in a extremely humid environment compared to the internet cafe?

symptoms are of a dead motherboard my friend..but one more thing!

are you familiar with the CMOS battery on the motherboard? a little cell battery that keeps all the BIOS settings "active" while not plugged into the wall, so it doesn't "forget" them.

remove it for 2 minutes, then unplug your computer from the wall and try to turn it on. it 'should' momentarily power up fr a split second but it shouldn't depending on power supply and other factors...

anyway after this clip the battery back in and plug the computer back in to the wall and try to power up again

Kurtis
Thanks Kurtis... I found the CMOS battery and tried the thing you said. It didn't work... I TOOK it to a computer store and you were right, they said it's probably a motherboard problem (although if i want to find out the REAL problem it'll cost me ofcourse). *censored* it, i payed $300 for this piece of junk and i doubt they'll REFUND it....

oh well... gotta be smarter next time i guess.
Thanks Kurtis

I try to change my resolution back to 32 bit but it outright refuses to change keeps jumping back to 4 bits which I have never SEEN before all thats ever been on my computer resolution is 16 bit and 32 bit I have tried everything I can think of to get it to work but nothing works now my computer screen LOOKS funny.What can I do to fix the problem? I have a Compaq Presario SR1902HM my monitor is a HP vs17e.
I tried using my system recovery to fix the problem but even it want work.
I have tried to download a virus detection program as well as spyware detection program and my computer want let me.I know a virus is doing this but have no way of finding out can't afford to have it striped either is there anything that can be done?or is my computer to far gone for me to do anything to fix the problem?Update video card driver, maybe?What operating system and service pack level? For example, Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (SP2).

If you want to check your system for MALWARE, boot to Safe Mode with Networking and attempt to load your anti-virus, anti-malware, whatever from there.

As the system starts up, tap the F8 key about once per second or faster. The Windows Advanced Options Menu should appear. Select "Safe Mode with Networking" (using the up/down arrow keys) and hit Enter key.

For the resolution issue, I agree with Broni. Update the video card driver.I have the windows xp service pack 2.I tried the safe mode thing and well and tried to download AVG,AdAware,& Spybot Search & destroy they downloaded perfect but because of the resolution problem they wouldn't work right now I am in safe mode can't use the desktop or internet without it I tried the update for my card and was told that it was already updated by the computer so I'm guessing LOL that my computer is to far gone for me to do anything on my end just have to wait to wednesday to get it stripped LOL which really sucks.
THANKS FOR THE HELP!I'M VERY GRATEFUL! THANK YOU AS WELL BRONI FOR BEING THE FIRST TO HELP AND FOR THE ADVISE I'M VERY GRATEFUL! Did you uninstall old driver, first?Because most anti-virus software won't run in safe mode...try "Enable VGA Mode" this will load drivers that will run any card, and also keep the OS able to run all your programs (apart from 3D intensive ones)

And then try run your programs from there, and also updating drivers sounds like the best idea

Kurtis1. Stripping. Don't THROW your money away on "stripping" (wiping?). Although it may take some time to work through, I've got to believe you can resolve this problem without "stripping". (Any chance you have a background in exotic dancing?)

2. Uninstall Old Video Driver. Boot to either Normal or Safe Mode.
Quote

1. In Windows XP, click Start , and right-click My Computer.

2. Click Properties from the list that appears.

3. In Windows XP, click the Hardware tab, then the Device Manager button.

4. Click the plus sign ( + ) NEXT to Display adapters.

5. Click the video device title that relates to the brand of video card being used.

6. In Windows XP, click Uninstall (the small picture of a computer overlaid by an X). Or possibly right click and select "remove" from context menu.

7. Click OK when a warning window appears.

8. Close all programs and shutdown the computer.

I was disconnecting a USB cable from my computer when it was on, and the front USB port fell inside the (crappy) case. This has happened before, but this time it was DIFFERENT: the computer shut off and I smelled burning electronics, but this might just have been burning dust, as I was moving out of my dirty dorm at the time.

It wouldn't turn back on, and not even the fans start up. I think I heard a static discharge from the power supply when I held the power button down for 4 seconds, but my mind might have been playing tricks on me.

I tried a different case, a different power cable, and a different power supply, and got nothing. My conclusion is that this is a motherboard problem, but before I spend $100 on a new one, I want a few more opinions.

Thanks in advance!

Update: I found a way of testing PSUs using a paperclip. My original Antec one is dead. My backup which came with the case works, but neither will turn on the computer. The backup turns on an old motherboard. So, it looks like both my PSU and my mobo are fried. I'll TEST my GPU tomorrow. Any tricks for testing my CPU and RAM when I don't have any spare mobos that can support them?Quote from: mattmag on May 04, 2008, 09:48:38 PM

I was disconnecting a USB cable from my computer when it was on, and the front USB port fell inside the (crappy) case. This has happened before, but this time it was different: the computer shut off and I smelled burning electronics, but this might just have been burning dust, as I was moving out of my dirty dorm at the time.

It wouldn't turn back on, and not even the fans start up. I think I heard a static discharge from the power supply when I held the power button down for 4 seconds, but my mind might have been playing tricks on me.

I tried a different case, a different power cable, and a different power supply, and got nothing. My conclusion is that this is a motherboard problem, but before I spend $100 on a new one, I want a few more opinions.

Thanks in advance!

Update: I found a way of testing PSUs using a paperclip. My original Antec one is dead. My backup which came with the case works, but neither will turn on the computer. The backup turns on an old motherboard. So, it looks like both my PSU and my mobo are fried. I'll test my GPU tomorrow. Any tricks for testing my CPU and RAM when I don't have any spare mobos that can support them?

There are two different settings there, one for resolution, and one for refresh rate, so I'm still not sure how they're connected.I am still having the problem. Ill CLEAR up a few doubts.
When the 15 sec alert came up i could not see it caus the screen resolution changed.
I cannot enter into safe mode because the opening bios is in this new screen resolution.
The crt is not blown because the power light is still flashing and also i have connected it with my lcd and it does not work as well.
I think i can get a new monitor but it will be very expensive i am also not sure about the setting which i have chosen. I think i have chosen 1900X1200 but i am not certain. Also the screen res at 1600X1050 DID work.
I think the only option now is to do a system restore but i am not sure if that system restore comes in the same resolution as what i set it to or if its in a new resolution. If there is any other advice can some one please tell me.
Quote from: viraaj on May 04, 2008, 10:14:16 PM

When the 15 sec alert came up i could not see it caus the screen resolution changed.

I cannot enter into safe mode because the opening bios is in this new screen resolution.[/quote

I doubt it. A "Bios" (boot) screen from a working display card is always at 640 x 480 resolution, 60 Hz refresh rate.

Quote

The crt is not blown because the power light is still flashing

Proves nothing

Quote

I have connected it with my lcd and it does not work as well.

That suggests video card problems.

Quote

I think the only option now is to do a system restore but i am not sure if that system restore comes in the same resolution as what i set it to or if its in a new resolution.

How are you going to see what you are doing?

Quote

If there is any other advice can some one please tell me.

Try a different video card. Try video card from problem computer in different computer.

Even if you cannot see the "opening bios" you can tap the F8 key to get into safe mode. If the video card was OK you would see opening boot screenon CRT and LCD monitor.

Quote from: Broni on May 04, 2008, 02:42:41 PM

Oh...
Quote

Do not manually assign higher refresh rates than those in your monitor specifications

I can't see anything about resolution...

Resolution and refresh rates are linked. You can set a resolution via the display properties that results in a damaging refresh rate.

Hello, yesterday I noticed a crack in my laptop's casing.

http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=damnitma0.jpg

It's located NEAR where I circled it on that pic. This is a Toshiba Tecra M7 Tablet PC, it's screen can twist around and lay flat. As of right now, I've been really, REALLY careful with opening this thing and only messing with the screen until I shut the thing off for good. Is there a WAY I can fix this thing myself? If now...about how MUCH should it cost to get this sort of thing repaired? Should I send it to Toshiba for repair (the warranty has run out) or take it to a local repair shop?I

One way to fix it (I only recommend this if you are EXTREMELY careful), you could try to use something to melt the plastic and essentially "WELD" it together. Problem is you might end up burning the plastic, making it even more noticable. Alhough then you could tell the support STAFF that fire was coming out of that crack. Once again though, you'd need to be extremely careful not to, say, poke a hole through the whole thing.


Another word of advice, if you take it bungee jumping, remember to close the screen, otherwise the screen could snap off at the crucial bounce-back point.

Hi,

I have managed to install the multifunctinal PRINTER Canon MPC600F ONTO my machine that runs on XP Pro. However, i have problem with the fax. I can send a fax out but can't RECEIVE any incoming fax from other people. I have lost the manual and tried to google it but to no avail.

Would anyone be kind to share with me your experience with this printer if you happen to have the similar problem as mine?

I suspect there's a need to TWEAK within the printer's configuration but not sure how?

I don't think it's to do with the telephone LINE. The thing is there is no problem in sending the fax as i tried it to send to my home from office and received it at home.

Your helps would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advanceManual: http://phone.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/canon/mpc600f400.html
http://printer1.blogspot.com/2008/05/canon-mpc600fmpc400-printer-service.html

I just put together a new computer; however, when I boot, I get two beeps and approximately 10 seconds later the computer SHUTS down. I looked up "two beeps" and it gave me parity CIRCUIT failire.

Does anyone know if it's my memory, motherboard, or other device causing the problem?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.beep CODES are unique to BIOS manufacturers, did you make sure the beep code that you looked up was indeed for your BIOS?I replaced the memory and now I do not have beeps; but the computer still shuts down after about 10 seconds or so.could be overheating or bad PSU. Although I'm sure If I didn't post somebody else would have said that...Did you remember to use Thermal Paste between the CPU and heatsink ? ?
Arctic Silver's site has complete instructions...follow them carefully.
Are all fans operating PROPERLY ? ?

I had a new disk drive installed they left the old one so i could get my info off. my comp. booted fine until yesterday it went BACK to booting with my old hard drive. I called the tech and they said they could take the old one out and it would be fine. I removed it and my comp. booted fine. I shut it down so i could put the sides back on and when I turned it on it went into boot failure. I TOOK the sides back off and made sure I didn't knock anything loose and turned it back on. it kept going into boot failure. I tried this quite a few times. Then I tried turning it on again and it came on. now I'm SCARED to shut it down. I'm afraid when I try to turn it on again it will say boot failure again. what should I do?Sounds as if they may have forgot to set the jumpers correctly and or cabled it wrong.
The new drive if that's what you want to boot to should be jumpered as master and hooked up at the end connecter of the IDE ribbon cable.
The old drive should be jumpered as slave and connected to the middle connector of the IDE ribbon cable.
Below is an ILLUSTRATION of jumpers and where they are LOCATED. It is NOT however the settings for your drives as they are all different. You will need to look on the drives themselves for the individual settings for each drive...



If this does not work satisfactorily your CMOS battery which is located on the MBoard may be weak/failing...replace it
It's about the size of a dime and the part # is CR 2032 available anywhere...

As always when working inside the case remove all power sources and take anti-static precautions.

so lets see it i am right... 50% of 768 is 384 so 150% is 768+384=1152MB...which is 2MB off what windows recommends to me

I sure am. I sent them my info and now they have to send me packaging and whatnot. They'd better not change their minds Hold on- I had this exact problem with one of my laptops if I had the battery installed. Try removing the battery and just running of AC if it will let you...

OK, I just checked. My (REALLY OLD LAPTOP) Toshiba Satellite Pro 440CDX won't boot if I have the battery installed. It just blinks the led's a few times and shuts off- SOUND familiar?

Oh, drat- LOOKS like you resolved the problem. Well- if you still have it I suppose you could try this...Hi, I still have the laptop for now but I did try running it on only AC POWER a while ago, in case the battery was the culprit. Thanks, though. well at least the manufacturer will do something- I highly doubt toshiba would be interested in fixing my laptop from 1996 lol.

Wow, 12 years old- I didn't even realize it was that old! Works great until I want either one of Windows XP,Networking,3d-acceleration, and so FORTH...

And then there is my OTHER laptop from 95, a IBM thinkpad. Running DOS 7 and Windows 3.1 has a WHOPPING 8MB of RAM! yippee!


Anyway, good luck with getting your lappie fixed!

Well, like the subject says... I don't have much experience with computers and I am TRYING to upgrade my graphics card. I have an HP a562n, mostly stock. It has a GeForce FX5200 NV34 8X AGP right now. I have intel 3.0 ghz proc. I tried to upgrade my card before with a 7200 BFG??? and it did not turn out well. The computer would run for a little bit, then the monitor would go black. I couldn't GET it to work right, so I took it back.

1.) Since I have an AGP card right now, does my new card have to be AGP as well? ACCRODING to HP.com I have 2 available PCI slots.

2.) How do I know if it is a power supply problem? I don't think that my current power supply has molex output?!?

Any ideas to help me understand what I am dealing with would be great.

I haven't had this problem in a while, but I thought it was extremely strange when I saw the temp for the first time.

Anyway, my old computer (which my brother is using right now) was an AMD K6-2 running at 350 Mhz. It was not overclocked(not by me, anyway). Generally, it ran at around 30 to 40 degrees CPU core temp. However, sometimes(about 10% of the time) I played a certain game (not demanding of it's spec, Duke Nukem 3d), and ALWAYS on a particular level, regardless of length of play, the Computer WOULD emit(from the pc speaker) it's temperature siren (the first time, as one would expect, it scared the crap out of me) would blare. The first time it happened I quit and start MBM to view temps, and the CPU core was at over 80 degrees celsius. Case temp was 60 (ambient temp was I believe around 18). CRAZY I know....


The problem being that although I would like to install a new cooling solution, I'm afraid the power supply wouldn't be able to handle it. The poor thing can deal with the system when I had it fully loaded (all slots where full, memory maxed out, not to mention 3HD drives and a Optical drive.(Drives would dissapear, HD would lose power, loads of fun) (I of course have REVERTED it to a more stable configuration).

I would appreciate any suggestions, I just think it's messed up, on account of even the newest processors idling at lower TEMPERATURES.you could try a couple of things....... the first thing i would try if cleaning the dust from your heat sink, also CHECK if your fan is working, you could buy a better fan for your heat sink, you could also try leaving your side plate off the tower of your computer ( this will cause your computer to get really dusty really fast) and i forgot to ask earlyer were in your tower located.....is it in an open space with lots of air flow?? well it hasn't done this for a while. On the other hand my brother doesn't play DN3d...


when I had it I usually kept the side covers(both sides) off- I've never removed the heatsink, but it was dusty, and I blew it out with some compressed air some time ago...

I might of solved the problem actually, I just don't know what the temp is usually now. the interesting thing is it was 80 degrees after a reboot, so god knows how hot it actually got too. I know the fan is working, because it was when I put it's vid card in recently. I just thought it interesting that a K6-2 could reach such ridiculous temperatures. The last time it happened was during a heat wave in NFS:high stakes.

My brother isn't particularly clever with computers (well he can use DOS commands, but) and he keeps buying really new games to run on it. And once even asked to borrow my Need for speed Hot pursuit 2 CD. Crazy bugger.

Well, I guess I could pick up a mid-range CPU cooler when I get one for my current video card, that should eliminate any overheating.

Hi guys, slight problem, my Windows XP completely messed up and im unable to load the OS. Ive got a lot of stuff on my hard-drives that i really need. So was thinking of attaching it to another comp moving the data then formatting the drives. Its on RAID 0 (stripe), you think it would be possible to do that?Don't take the hard drives out. You'll probably end up LOSING the array. Try using a linux live cd to boot that computer, like ubuntu or helix, to get access to your data and burn it to a dvd.
Ahhhhh didnt think of that. Coz linux can be installed with overwriting XP where as other way around and XP must be the one and only :p. Ok cheers, i'll try that.When trying to install/run Ubuntu from the CD i get errors that sectors on the HD are BAD. Guess the whole thing is screwed, FRESH install . Max loss of data.Oh one more thing, ive got an External HDD, is it possible to install Ubuntu on that? Might still be able to access other Hard Drives then?try helix linux. Helix was designed specifically for computer forensics. They probably have some tools to revive your drive.
And yes, it is possible to install ubuntu on an external drive.Is it configurable before getting to the GUI because i can only get to the screen that says Ubuntu and the bar is going back and forward then it goes BLACK screen. I'll also try that Helix one thanks.ubuntu automatically boots into the live version. You would have to install it after it boots.But cant boot coz of the bad sectors, so no way of booting it. Think it will be the same with Helix?ubuntu doesn't use the hard drive at all when booting the live environment. It's probably not a problem with the drive. try burning the iso of ubuntu again, or download it again. it might have an error on the cd.tried that same thing, checking the cd found no errors on it either.

I have one very nice speaker and I would like to share it with another computer. One computer has XP HOME and the other XP Pro. I can't find anywhere to enable sharing on a speaker, but I heard it could be done.

SandyI cant say that networking it would work. But there are devices that you can get that will USE your keyboard,monitor,mouse an speakers for both pcs.How close are the two computers?SAdly hes offline. So it is possible then quaxo??? Cause I want to do this as WELL if its possible.you have to get a kvm switch to do that there are some that you can get that has an audio cable with it.If the computers are close enough together (no more than a few meters apart) you can but a few things at Radio Shack (or other electronics STORE of your choice) to feed both sound card outputs into one set of speakers. Here's an explanation on how to do that:

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-5238134.html

If you're wanting to do it over a NETWORK where the computers aren't close enough together to do that, there are streaming options that your can use through a VPN, but that a bit more of a complex process.Quote from: brett74 on May 04, 2008, 07:50:33 AM

you have to get a kvm switch to do that there are some that you can get that has an audio cable with it.

Okay, prior to the problem of the thread title, for about 3 weeks everytime I would start my PC the CPU Fan would kick on "overdrive/high intensity" fairly often...I know that when the system gets hot this is normal, but it was doing it more & more frequently.

Finally, 2 days in a row- after only having the system running for maybe 30 minutes it just shut itself off & restarted on its own.

I opened it up & cleaned off all the fans...disconnected the CPU Fan from the heatsink to make sure I got all the dust out of there.

Then comes the new problem...after I did that, upon start up the CPU Fan is immediately on "high" (doesn't even out to a lower setting, always on high intensity). And as soon as it starts to boot, now it immediately shuts down- will try to restart, and shut down again.

I took the PC to Best Buy for a diagnostic. Replacing the Power Supply did not resolve the issue. They said it's either the motherboard or the processor. They said there was no way to test for which it was- would have to start with the motherboard & if that wasn't it, then the processor was the problem. Said estimated repair would be equal to that of a new PC & did not reccomment fixing it. I've been told by several friends that I need a second opinion, that Best Buy is just trying to get me to purchase a new PC. And I really don't WANT to purchase a new one, this one is only 1.5 yrs old.

I noticed when I had disconnected the CPU Fan from the heatsink, I got some metallic goo on my hands. This I am guessing is Thermal Compound. Is it possible that rubbing some of this off is my start-up problem? Maybe a new coating will resolve this issue?

Or if anyone has any other ideas on possible problems? Yes -- I am not the most expert here, but I would recommend a new coat of the thermal paste. It is possible there is some damage, but it seems the computer is protecting itself by shutting down, which (although frustrating) is probably a good sign.

(The paste fills in microscopic gaps in the surface of the central processing unit, and helps more efficiently transfer heat from the processor to the heat sink and fan.)in addition to what aegis was saying about placing a new coat of thermal compound on your CPU, just remember to remove the old thermal compound. i use isopropyl rubbing alcohol @ 70% with coffee filters (or any other lint-free rag), and it works very well to remove the old paste. also, one of the most common causes of the CPU overheating is incorrectly mounted heatsinks!!! make 100% sure the heatsink is mounted properly! if this is an intel CPU motherboard, make sure that all the clips are locked in place.Thanks very much for the replies, much appriciated

homer- thanks for the suggestion reguarding cleaning off the old paste, that would have been my next question (what to use). As far as what u said about incorrectly mounted heatsinks- I didn't BUILD the PC, was store bought, is it still possible it's not mounted right? If so, why is it giveing me a problem now- not when I bought the system?Quote

is it still possible it's not mounted right?

If so, why is it giving me a problem now- not when I bought the system?

Hi,

My computer won't start up anymore. I get this beep sequence from the motherboard, followed by the computer shutting off. Every once in awhile I can get far enough to see the BIOS error telling me that it over heated, followed by shutdown.

I opened up my tower and cleaned out the fan, but no luck. Curious, I felt around to see what was so hot. I ended up taking off the fan and found where the heat is coming from.

Now, I'm a software guy, so I have no IDEA what this piece is even called. But it does get insanely hot REALLY quick. (Enough to burn your finger on in less than a second, from room temp.) I've included pictures of it below:

Front:

It says:
INTEL (M) (C) '04
PENTIUM(R)4
3.00GHZ/1M/800/04A
SL7PU COSTA RICA
3451A577

Back:


Where I found it:


Now, do I just need a new one of these? Could it be something else that is GENERATING this heat? Is there something wrong with my computer that is making it work too hard?

Thanks in advance! from what I can see that's your processor it's supposed to get hot when it's being used.Have you checked the fan to be sure it was running. if not you may have to get a new processor. The reason it was shutting down is because it's protecting other components on the motherboardQuote from: brett74 on May 04, 2008, 03:59:06 PM

The reason it was shutting down is because it's protecting other components on the motherboard

Manufacturer: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
Model: ASUS CM5671
Processor: Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5500 @ 2.80 GHz
Installed memory(RAM): 4 GB
System type: 64-bit

Can I upgrade my memory to 8 GB? I am also not sure what memory I should buy.
No...

So I want too upgrade some of my units, and be able too play some of my games on a machine that I made for the sole purpose too game on. I am going too be useing most of the parts that I have all ready and just mainly need a board and heat sink. I will be useing the cards and the old board and replace one of my older servers and have it run Server 2008. I have a AM2 + CPU and DDR and DDR 2 RAM, has PCI and least have more then 3 slots. I am wanting too play Dead Riseing 2, AC Brother Hood, Skyrim.....


I thought that I could get one from Tiger Direct, New Egg, Amazon, Computer GeeksQuote

I am going too be useing most of the parts that I have all ready and just mainly need a board and heat sink.

I have a AM2 + CPU and DDR and DDR 2 RAM, has PCI and least have more then 3 slots. I am wanting too play Dead Riseing 2, AC Brother Hood, Skyrim.....

Core 2 Duo = I core 2 ..... You would need an Intel Motherboard socket 775 that supports the CPU. Some socket 775's only support up to Pentium 4 or Pentium D's, it all depends on the chipset on the motherboard. If its an older 865 or 915 chipset its likely to only support Pentium 4 and maybe some Pentium D and not Core 2 Duo.

If you go the route of a socket 775 Intel motherboard, i'd go for a Core 2 Quad minimum for those games

If you go the route of a socket AM3 AMD motherboard, I'd go for a Athlon II x4 Quadcore minimum for those games

* If you dont already have the parts on hand to just assemble from older computers mixing and matching parts then it might make more sense to buy new parts such as a more modern AMD Quadcore if your looking to skimp on price.

Do you have a budget and if so how much do you have to go into this build?

That having been said.... I have run Skyrim on my wifes computer with a Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual-Core at 2.4Ghz and 4MB L2 Cache with Geforce 9800GT 1GB video card and 3GB DDR2 667Mhz system RAM running Windows 7 32-bit Home Premium. The game will run, but you have to back off on the graphics and even when you back off on the graphics the CPU is pegged at almost 100% for both cores to keep up with Skyrims demands. Additionally when some big event happens in the game, the CPU and GPU go into an overload condition in which the sound and video get out of sync for a few seconds until one or the other or both are able to catch up to the work load. I have played Skyrim on my Athlon II x4 620 2.6Ghz Quadcore and ASUS AMD Radeon HD5450 1GB video card with 4GB DDR2 800Mhz Gaming Quality Corsair XMS2 RAM running Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium and it runs Skyrim better than the Dual-Core. Resources show the CPU at 70% for this CPU when gaming and if I had a better video card in the system it would smooth out. But given my wifes computer was core flooded to 100% for both cores playing the game, I suggest a quadcore instead that is rated fast enough to match that of the system requirements.

Think I ll try a restore that should re name the messed up name I guess not sure what else to do ; then
forget about it must be free software to do what I want to do ; without having to worry about CMD / drive
letters etc ; why is nothing ever easy : (Quote from: Verylost on October 01, 2015, 12:33:02 PM

must be free software to do what I want to do ; without having to worry about CMD / drive letters etc

Hi,

My computer has been a bit sluggish lately so I'm trying to find out what the best upgrade I can do to speed things up is.

The best way I can think of is to look at my Resource Monitor to see if it's my CPU/RAM/Disk that is regularly hitting 100% or is very high.

The issue I'm having is Resource Monitor only shows data for the past 60 seconds, I need to be able see the data for the past DAY or even week if possible so I can come to an accurate conclusion on what to upgrade.

Does anyone know how this is possible or perhaps a third-party software that would enable me to see this information?

ThanksYou could use the built-in Performance Monitor (I know it sounds similar to Resource Monitor but it's not the same) as this can collect data over time, it's perhaps not the most intuitive tool to set up and use though.
I'd imagine that Resource Monitor should be OK for what you're trying to do though, you can just leave it open and check what's hitting high utilisation when you experience the slowdowns. Also, if you post your system specifications, we can make some suggestions even without the above data.Quote from: Calum on November 17, 2015, 12:15:36 PM

You could use the built-in Performance Monitor (I know it sounds similar to Resource Monitor but it's not the same) as this can collect data over time, it's perhaps not the most intuitive tool to set up and use though.
I'd imagine that Resource Monitor should be OK for what you're trying to do though, you can just leave it open and check what's hitting high utilisation when you experience the slowdowns. Also, if you post your system specifications, we can make some suggestions even without the above data.

I've heard a lot of people raving about SDD, could upgrading to one make all the difference?

For cpu 1 and cp2 its usually in the 40 ish celcius and sometimes it reaches 50c, for some reason the flame/fire icon appears when it gets to 50c and i heard thats not good, I thought 50c is a good temperature?50 is fine...lookup yer specs just in case...
SPEEDFAN is just being cautious.In Speedfan, you can ADJUST the warning temperature when the flame symbol appears, for each core of your CPU. It's in Configure, on the Temperatures tab. By default it is 50 DEGREES C, which as Patio says, is an over-cautious figure for most if not all CPUs. Select a core and you can set the warning temperature. In the image below you can see I have set the Core 0 warning temperature to 70 C, which is a realistic figure for an i7 4790 CPU. Since you have not STATED your CPU type, we cannot advise what setting you might want to use.


Nice catch Salmon...i forgot it was customisable...Quote from: Salmon Trout on September 30, 2015, 11:54:28 AM

In Speedfan, you can adjust the warning temperature when the flame symbol appears, for each core of your CPU. It's in Configure, on the Temperatures tab. By default it is 50 degrees C, which as Patio says, is an over-cautious figure for most if not all CPUs. Select a core and you can set the warning temperature. In the image below you can see I have set the Core 0 warning temperature to 70 C, which is a realistic figure for an i7 4790 CPU. Since you have not stated your CPU type, we cannot advise what setting you might want to use.

Hi, I am new here; I tried to post in the most relevent topic but my problem may be more broad than hardware. Please point me to the right topic if this is the incorrect one.

tl;dr:
(1) My computer has good hardware for gaming but runs very poorly at strange times..
(2) Boot times are unreasonably long, and the computer is unusable for ~30 minutes.
(3) On intensive games or games with uncapped frame-rates, white "flickers" occasionally occur on screen, and a constant background audio "buzz" can be heard.

I am hoping for some advice on how to fix my computer's performance, or at least point me in a good direction to troubleshoot.
-
-
-
-
My computer is primarily used for gaming, but experiences a lot of "lag" (taking an unreasonable amount of time to start programs, software becomes unresponsive, EXPLORER.exe frequently crashes and must be restarted) even when doing the most basic things, such as using windows file explorer to find a program shortcut.

It also takes ~10 minutes to boot up, and after that once I log in it usually runs so slowly that it takes around 20 minutes before it is usable. Programs that I try to start will not start for up to 5 minutes, and once they do they often function so slowly that they appear unresponsive (but if I wait, they do eventually work). I have tried general fixes such as defragging, checking for malware and rootkits, cleaning up junk files, etc. I have disabled all unneeded startup programs as well, but startup times remain slow.

I am using a prebuilt ASUS computer, but I upgraded the power supply and GPU a couple of months ago.

My computer currently has this hardware:


CPU Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz
GPU AMD Radeon R9 270X
Memory 8.2 GB
Power Supply Rosewill Hive 850W
Motherboard ASUS cm6850

I have windows 7 64bit as the pre-installed OS.

When running games, they will often detect my hardware and run at maximum graphics settings. For example, Fallout 4 defaults to Ultra settings at max resolution. When I actually play the game, it sometimes runs smoothly at 60fps without any problems for a while, and then drops to extremely low framerate randomly (maybe 1-2 fps). Once its performance drops like this, when I close it my computer continues to run slow as if it had just finished bootup. Just like with that, when I wait for a while and try again it functions well. I should note that it does not seem to depend on where I'm at in the game (exterior/interior cell, lots of buildings, etc) but instead seems to occur without warning.

Another strange thing is when running the game League of Legends, if I uncap the fps under it's options, it will JUMP to ~300 fps. However, when it does this, a strange buzzing sound is played through any audio I have (it's done this on 3 different headsets/earphones) and random white flickers will occur on the screen at random intervals (not constant).

Using a program to monitor my CPU/GPU temperatures, the temperatures seemed to be fine. It worried me anyways, so I simply capped the fps at 120 and the problem stopped. Sometimes when playing other games at high fps, the white flickers also occur.

All of my drivers are up to date, as well.

The only source for these problems that I can think of is that perhaps when I put in my graphics card I somehow did something wrong, but I'm not sure how I can be certain or what to do to fix it.

Does anyone know what might be causing these problems or how I can fix them?Welcome to the forums.

Sounds like you may have a few separate issues to be honest, I would start by testing your HDD (I'm assuming you have a HDD but if you have an SSD, please say). A FAILING HDD has the potential to cause similar issues to most of those that you describe. You can test the drive by using the manufacturer's utility (e.g. Seatools for Seagate drives) and running the long test, or by using the free version of HD Tune which has an error test tab.

The buzzing and other issues you mention with uncapped frame rates is fairly common and as you seem to have deduced, is purely down to the uncapped and extremely high frame rates, typically experienced on some game menu screens. If capping the frame rate resolves these issues I wouldn't worry too much.

Post back with your results once you've tested the drive and we'll see where we can go from there.Sorry for the late response. Using HD Tune, it found no HDD errors.

I also had this happen today: http://imgur.com/8f4q7To

The display in the SCREENSHOT is my main monitor connected to the HDMI port of my GPU

Oddly, my 2ND monitor display was fine. It is also connected the the GPU through the VGA port.

I turned off the computer, unplugged everything external, opened the case and cleaned it with compressed air. There was not much dust though, I try to do this regularly.

I kind of wiggle my GPU a bit to make sure it was in securely, and it seemed fine. I plugged everything back in and it seems to be working okay again for now.Interesting, normally a GPU that isn't quite seated will cause crashes and graphical anomalies but not all of the issues you've described. See how it goes, hopefully you've managed to sort it

Hello,

i got a PROB with a MS Dos machine. POST is running without Errors. Dos is starting from harddisk. If i push in a floppy into the drive and Change to a: or b:, i get an error message "General FAILURE reading drive A"... The disks were formatted on another machine working win7. SEVERAL disks were tested..formatted overwrite...allways the same result. Next step was to Change the floppy drive on the dos machine....same result. It seems to me that the CONTROLLER on the Mainboard is broken, or cluld it be that disks formatted with WIN 7 not readable on a pure dos machine...is working with MS Dos 6.22

Regards

Ralf
P.S. replies please in simple english i am german....thanksSolved!

the power supply was the Problem 5V was weak.

I have never upgraded a computer in my life, I have no knowledge of what exactly I'd need to upgrade. My computer is only about 4/5 years old, my grandparents allowed children to freely play on it and since then it has become extremely slow. I am an avid gamer and would like to upgrade my PC into a gaming computer. I wanted to ask what would be the basic upgrades needed and how much that'd cost or should I just BUY a whole new computer? I will have to put my computers make and model later as it is extremely LATE. If this isn't enough detail please TELL me what I need to tell you.We will need your computer spec to know if it is upgradeable. It may already be running at it's top specification. (i.e. it has the most memory it can have.)

Before I TRIED that though I would clean off any SOFTWARE that the children playing on it may have installed. This alone could speed it up.

Does it also have an up to date Anti Virus Program on and have you scanned the computer with it recently?

Hey i just swapped my old power supply for a new one on my computer and now my computer won't boot again sometimes the fans will turn for a fraction of a second and then nothing i need help

THANK you for any help

Does it work with the old power supply? What new power supply are you using? Have you connected all cables to the motherboard including the 4 or 8pin one near to the CPU? What spec is the rest of the system?hey no the old psu doesn't boot the system TWO I've just tried it and the pc was a DELL dimension 8400 and i upgraded the pus to a x-supply 550w and the gpu to some old pci-e 2 i think im not sure of the brand or nothing it wasn't in the box but the computer and gpu were working before the psu swap it just froze because the gpu didn't have enough watts to work and that is why i got a new one so i NEVER had a chance of looking my graphics card name all i can read on it is foxconn E253117 ML 1 and 86801086AA
Thanks for your help
Given that it doesn't work with both PSUs, what makes you so sure that the issue is PSU related?

Put the machine back to exactly how it was before you started SWAPPING components including removing the video card you added and putting the original one (if any) back.

Quote

x-supply 550w

I think I need a better vocbulary, I've Google "USB drive won't mount" and "USB drive not recognized", but I don't know that other people's problems are the same as mine.

I haven't done a lot of troubleshooting, as my laptop is literally just out of the box. I wanted to get some opinions before uninstalling/reinstalling/etc.

Here are the details:

When I plug my portable hard drive into my new laptop, it doesn't appear as a drive.

It is a WD My Passport 1TB drive, that does not take external power.

When I plug it in, the light on the drive comes on and is steady, does not flash like it's reading/writing. I received - on one of the ports - a "This device will run faster on a 3.0 port" message, but still it did nothing. The drive does not appear in Explorer or in Device Manager.

This is on my new Dell Latitude E7250; the same drive with the same cable mount immediately (on all ports) on my other Dell Latitude, an E6430. I have tried both with 65W and 90W power supplies, the 6430 work fine with both power bricks, the 7250 with neither. Both are running Win 7.

I'm wondering if it's a matter of the new Dell not throwing off enough power? That it's enough to turn the light on, but not I/O data? But is that even REASONABLE, that they would make a business laptop that wouldn't work with the most basic of peripherals?

Again, I won't be able to dig into this until Monday afternoon, but I want to dig in with gusto! So what are your ideas, fellow CH Boardsmen?
Quote

... my laptop is literally just out of the box...

I'm wondering if it's a matter of the new Dell not throwing off enough power? That it's enough to turn the light on, but not I/O data? But is that even reasonable, that they would make a business laptop that wouldn't work with the most basic of peripherals?

WD's enclosures for that drive don't exactly have rave reviews...does it work on other PC's ? ?

This is on my new Dell Latitude E7250; the same drive with the same cable mount immediately (on all ports) on my other Dell Latitude, an E6430. I have tried both with 65W and 90W power supplies, the 6430 work fine with both power bricks, the 7250 with neither. Both are running Win 7.

is it possible to search for text e.g. names across MULTIPLE PDF's in file MANAGER on ipad.

Cant work out how or if it can be DONE.

I'm going to attempt to explain in the greatest detail what happened to my computer and split it up into chunks for easier reading.

Earlier today, I started experiencing graphical glitches on some of the games I was playing. These glitches were not part of the game, they appeared to affect the entire monitor. The glitches were a succession of random colours appearing on my monitor for a fraction of a second and only happened around once an hour. I have been experiencing these before over the last few months, but they have never bothered me.

I ignored these graphical errors because they did not interfere with my gameplay. The third time this happened today the screen did the same thing as before, then stayed as a pattern of black and WHITE. The computer restarted itself and tried to go through its boot-up process, which was stopped after the windows 8 loading screen. The monitor displayed a mostly black screen, however there were a few broken coloured lines going across the monitor.

I did everything I could in the BIOS and windows 8 software help....thingy. System restore to a week ago was not possible because for some reason, it would not let me do it. I didnt want to fiddle around with the BIOS because I don't feel experienced enough anymore. Additionally, when clicking around things and navigating through BIOS, I found that there were blocks of colour in random places.

I took my computer apart, put parts back together and disconnected all peripherals. I didn't see any physical damage. However when I put it all back together, the screen wouldn't display anything at all. Just a constant black screen.

All of this testing leads me to believe that my graphics card is completly dead and I need to replace it. However I don't want to just go out and buy another one if I am WRONG, which is why I am here. What is causing this problem? How do I fix it and how do I stop it from happening again?

I am using my phone to type this and therefore cannot give you any system information other than I am using a ViBox warrior 4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.
Questions.
How old is the computer?
Is the time correct?
Doe it have an integrated VGA you could use ?
Any odd sounds or smells?
Does the graphics card have a fan? Is it dirty?
Did you try to remove and are seat the graphics card?


Quote from: Geek-9pm on September 25, 2015, 07:24:49 PM

Questions.
How old is the computer?
Is the time correct?
Doe it have an integrated VGA you could use ?
Any odd sounds or smells?
Does the graphics card have a fan? Is it dirty?
Did you try to remove and are seat the graphics card?

Did you say that you can get into the BIOS and have a normal display?
I doubt a failing RAM stick would do this.
You are using Windows 7?
Can you boot in Safe mode?
What is the model of the computer or the motherboard?
What is the model of the Graphics card?

Have you checked all the power connections from the PSU?
Including separate 12 volt connectors.?
Does the PSU have two or three 12 volt connectors?

The most likely y thing could be the Graphics card.
But sometimes a PSU might do that kind of thing.
Now if you have a spare PSU, try it and see.
Otherwise, you might have to get a new graphics card.

Have had this problem for a month. thought I had cured it by uninstalling a particular program and fixed it for 4 weeks but it happened again today. Is there a known cause for this problem. It requires turning off the computer and restarting to fix it. When it was going badly it was happening every 10 minutes but so far only once today. Maybe someone knows. is it possible that some programs are only meant for 64 BIT. I use a 32 bit vista os.
There's not much to go on here.

But anyways, here's some possible solutions (I have no idea what your problem is, saying your keyboard turns off occasionally can have hundreds of causes)
Order : most likely - least likely.
Keyboard Driver ERROR (reinstall your drivers for keyboard If you're USING razer then install razer synapse).
USB driver error (reinstall USB drivers for your motherboard)
Hardware failure (check the wire and make sure it's intact)
OS error (Operating system mistakenly stopping keyboard/human interface service).
Antivirus error ( Same as OS error except with antivirus)

If you want a more in depth answer then I'll need your keyboard model, motherboard model, and version of your keyboard drivers.

As to your other question. YES there are some programs that are meant for 64 bit, but I doubt if they'd cause your keyboard to stop working. 64 bit programs will not run on 32 bit operating systems.

Also try another keyboard and let me know if it's happening with that one too if you have a spare keyboard.have bought a new keyboard. Have only locked up/turned off twice SINCE I uninstalled the program / was happening every hour before that. have advised the program writer who says it is not possible. but certainly getting better performance since uninstalling. I can t tell you anymore. vista 32 bit. program video downloader ultimate uninstalled. new keyboard still happened with new keyboard before uninstalling. but mostly stable now.

So I am going to build a desktop as my Personal Project. Information about Personal Projects here:
https://www.isparis.edu/uploaded/Documents/MYP_Documents/Personal_Project_Student_Guide.pdf
Basically what I have so far is that computers require Great Processors such as the Intel Core I7-4790k which would make all processes on a computer. I chose that processor because it is a well known brand and processor. Furthermore I have also found out that I should aim for the NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 960 or something close to that. I really need assistance and recommendations into what type of software I should run, what other components I need and anything useful that one can contribute. I really need help here because I do not know so much about components yet. I am unsure what to do and so I which to use the forums as an extra source. Thank you for taking interest. Please reply. You should consider a 6th generation i7 and a MOTHERBOARD such as ASUS with DDR4 Memory for startersWe won't write your project for you, but we can certainly aim to help you understand some of the concepts. When you're choosing components for a PC, you really need to consider two things - how much you want to spend, and what the purpose of the computer is. A gaming PC would have very different requirements to a home theatre PC, or an office PC. Do you have something in mind? If so, we can perhaps point you in the right direction, to help you understand why you'd PICK one component over another, or what benefits you'd see from that change.

Quote from: lostcoast on November 09, 2015, 10:16:10 AM

You should consider a 6th generation i7 and a motherboard such as ASUS with DDR4 Memory for starters

I'm losing my mind! I'm trying to get my supposedly 'wireless' printer to send out a wireless signal. I've been at this for DAYS!!! I've tried every fix I can find online....to no AVAIL!

Help!

I'm using an HP Deskjet 3050a Wireless Printer
A Cisco Linksys e2000 Router
And
An HP LAPTOP running Windows 7.

Anyone have any non-typical or little-known fixes for this?The details are in the documentation.

Here is a typical way to do it.
You start by getting the printer to work over USB and install all the drivers and support software.
Later, you can setup the printer to work in wireless. You will need a good wireless adapter to find the signal.
Some wireless printers require you to use a wireless router to get connected.This is a general help forum. You will have a better chance of success if you contact people who actually have experience of this particular printer, such as owners or HP help agents, and a good place to start would be HP's own help forum. Below is a link to a thread about getting this very same printer to connect wirelessly (MARKED "solved"). Also on the page is an "ask a NEW question" button which you could use to join the forum and start a new thread, should that SOLUTION not work for you.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/ePrint-Print-Apps-Mobile-Printing-and-ePrintCenter/Wireless-HP-Desktop-305a-J611-series-will-not-connect-to-new/td-p/5091305

Look I GET AMD is trash and so is PowerPlay, not the point here.
Does anyone know how to FIX powerplay so that it supplies sufficient power to the GPU?
Often times it will cut power (lower the VOLTAGE) to the GPU and cause a GSOD and I'd prefer not to disable PowerPlay to keep Idle Temp LOW.
(gpu doesn't matter, just want to know if there's anything to set minimum voltage/hotfix for PowerPlay). This occurs both without and with Overclocking.


with no OC:
OC - false
Memory - 0 errors
Vram - 0 errors
CPU - 0 errors

With OC:
OC - true
memory - 0 errors
Vram (+25%) - 0 errors
Vram (+45%) - 0 errors
Clock (+10%) - stable
Clock (+30%) - stable
Clock (+40%) - 2 errors/million calculations
List of all hardware you have and make/model parts would be helpful.

In an attempt to learn more about computer hardware, I am going to attempt to install my new motherboard myself. However I have heard tales of all the horrible things that COULD happen; electrostatic charges killing wiring etc.

What specifics do I need to know to make sure I don't kill my brand new motherboard?What you need is HANDS on experience. It is not easy to learn it from a book. You might try to get some old worn out COMPUTERS form friends and try to take part and assemble again. Also, watch some of the many YouTube fidoes. Some are completely wrong. Try to understand how people can mess thins up.
Some really odd tutorials about motherboards.


Worst home computer repairs..
http://www.channelpronetwork.com/article/worst_diy_pc_repairs?page=4#main-content

You can ruin a motherboard trying to replace a capacitor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja-9Z6SscEc

Worst solder iron you can find.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD0Gtm5pEO4

Make you own external cover.
http://www.themarysue.com/best-pc-case-mods/

Now you may think these are all jokes. Really this is how many people think about DIY computer work. Just dive in and see how much damage you can do!

If you decide to mess around with computers, be careful about the safety of your own health and your property. In the future more PC components will be modular are will not require the use of a soldering iron. Or even a screwdriver.
But have fun! As long as you are sensible, you'll be fine. People tend to make out that if you LOOK at a computer component the wrong way it'll break. In actual fact, unless you physically damage it by dropping it.etc it will most likely be fine. Static discharge is an issue but is extremely rare and is made out to be a bigger issue than it actually is. If you handle boards appropriately (i.e. only hold it by the edges and don't touch the individual components/back of the board) you'll be fine and even if you did touch something you shouldn't have, chances of damage are minimal.

The biggest advice I'd give is to not guess things, if you don't know where something fits or how to install something, look it up, don't guess it!

I am not at all well INFORMED about hardware issues but would like to learn a bit about my 2-in-1 Tablet's CPU. Since upgrading to Windows 10 it seems to be running at 100% more OFTEN and for longer than it used to, with W8.1.

The CPU is an Intel Atom Z3740 @ 1.33GHz
Bay Trail-T 22nm Technolog
Currently running at 73 °C

I understand, and am not surprised, that this is a 'fairly old, cheap' CPU but my Tablet runs quite well and the upgrade to 10 has been a success. The Tablet is a Quantum View 10.1.

Is a 100% any cause for concern? Nothing untoward seems to happen when it is at this level. There are 4 Cores, each of which are at 100% at the same time. In my ignorance I rather thought that the computer might grind to a halt, freeze or crash but it continues to run OK.Windows 10 does many THINGS in the background. I have a Z3775 tablet upgraded from Win8.1 to Win10, both 32-bit.
Win10 Task Manager shows which apps are using resources.

100% is not cause for concern, unless it stays there for a long period of time.Thanks, that is re-assuring. I know what is using most resources, it is my (much loved) Desktop Gadgets, I GUESS because several of them are constantly monitoring, including the CPU Usage Monitor itself.

Hi,
i have 2 Logitech z623's plugged into my PC with an Auxiliary Y-splitter and it works very well but these are 2.1 speakers and on one of the satellites there is a control that levels the sound and the bass and since i have x2 sets of speakers there are x2 controllers and i have an idea to get around having to control both manually and trying to balance sound, but i need to make sure it wont ruin the speakers.

My idea is to turn the volume all the way up on both the satellites and control the sound via the windows sound controller but i'm not sure if it's a good idea to have max power GOING to the speakers and having it quieten by windows (or if that's even how it works...) anyway i was wondering if i can get an opinion if this is a stupid or plausible idea

Thanks Modern PC Speakers have their own amplifiers.... however the biggest issue with using a Y adapter is that your dropping the load resistance to the preamp of the speakers to half of that of what the system is meant to run at. I wouldnt set the computers sound to the max because you will overdrive the preamp at 1/2 the rated resistance.

SAY your speakers have 100 ohms of preamp resistance each set. Connected to your system normally you will have 100ohms resistive load on the sound cards amplifier.

When you CONNECT a stereo Y adapter with 2 like model sets of speakers your 100 ohms from both of them combined parallel = 50 ohms. And less than 5 ohms is close to a dead short circuit where a short circuit is generally less than 1 ohm.

So by running both at the same time in a Y config, your adding a load to the sound cards amplifier. At 50% volume level you will probably be ok and then use the powered amplifiers of the speaker sets to ramp the volume higher.

The fact that you state this:

My idea is to turn the volume all the way up on both the satellites and control the sound via the windows sound controller but i'm not sure if it's a good idea to have max power going to the speakers

Your running a safer configuration in the fact that you might not need to even run the sound cards volume to even 50%.

External Speakers are fine at Max Volume, they are rated to run at that volume level. What would kill them is if you sent them a frequency like the speaker killing low frequency ghetto blaster bass tracks that the kids run around with in their $500 cars with $3000 audio systems that rattle everything within a tenth mile radius. Also you might jump out of your seat if the volume control accidentally get set to 100% and windows makes a noise for start up or shutdown or whatever reason. As well as if your speakers are set to the max and the plug comes loose and touches the case you can get a nice 60 Hz loud buzz.

I nearly JUMPED out of my skin when connecting my Roland guitar amp to my PC using the auxiliary input jack on it. My PC was set to max which wasnt that loud with cheap set of $12 logitech speakers. I thought I was playing it safe by having all Volume Controls set to 0 so that I could raise the volume level with the Roland Amp to where I wanted it. I nearly had a scene like the first opening scene with Back to the Future where Marty Blows himself backwards into the wall as seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP_Z3s8Zas0

Found out FAST that the Roland Amp volume controls were non functional for direct audio input and only used for the guitar levels, and it was a direct tap direct injection of audio to the Rolands Amplifier at MAX Volume.Thanks for the reply it helped me out heaps

This is my pc
http://prntscr.com/91uo02

I got that blue SCREEN error
http://prntscr.com/91uoi2

This happent only when i plug in my pc for recharge.

can someone help me;It does this every time you plug in the laptop while its running off of BATTERY and the power state GOES from battery power to AC power? Or just randomly?

My thoughts on this is that if its each time you plug in power that its a CORRUPT power management utility. This might be as easy as reinstalling the power management utility from the laptop manufacturers website. What make/model laptop?