Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in .

This section includes InterviewSolutions, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.

17251.

Solve : Advice on my build?

Answer»

First off, this is the first forum post I've ever made, so I apologize if I make any mistakes/break a rule that I do not know of.

So I'm building a new pc for gaming with a budget of 750 Euro which includes Windows 10 and a Monitor (But I'm willing to spend a little more if I get enough PERFORMANCE out of it)
This will be the first pc I've ever built, and I want to know if all my components are compatible, and if I'm picking the right ones. (For EXAMPLE picking a graphics card that doesn't completely outscales the cpu)

Here's my build: (Edit: Put the wrong build here at first)


Processor:
AMD FX 8320 Black Edition - 3.5GHz - Socket AM3+

Videocard:
MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GD5 - 2GB - PCI-E

RAM:
Kingston HYPERX FURY Blue 8GB - PC3-12800 - DIMM

Hard Drive:
Seagate - 1TB - Desktop

Motherboard:
MSI 970A-G43 - Socket AM3+ - ATX

Case:
Cooler Master N400

Monitor:
ASUS VS228DE - 21,5"

Power Supply:
Antec VP450P - 450 Watt

Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit, OEM






My only gripe with the hardware you selected is that I dont trust MSI Brand. Had one too many issues with them over the years. I'd go with Gigabtye, ASUS, or another trusted brand for Motherboard and Video Card.

As far as CPU and GPU go, it should be plenty and its a good pair up to have that 8-core CPU with a strong video card like that.

Power supply though I have some concerns about at 450 watts. I have a system with the AMD FX 8350 4.0Ghz and when gaming and my system itself connected through a Kil-a-Watt power draw monitoring device, I have seen it pull well over 400 watts before into the 550 watt range. My system has a Corsair CX 600 power supply. Video Card I had in mine was a GeForce GTX 260 Superclocked as seen here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130372 ... I say had because I need to install the new video card to it when i get some time and then move this older card to my older computer. Newegg specs suggest 500 watt minimum power supply with the card I have listed, but thats not with a power hungry CPU like the 8-core, and the 8-core 125W TDP CPU on top of that causes it to idle around 280 watts with cool-n Quiet enabled to underclock the CPU when nothing is going on, but in serious gaming it pulls heavy wattage quickly and the 450 watt I feel is too weak an you should get a 600 watt minimum like I have in my system for that hardware combination.

The 8320 is a powerful CPU, but I had to have the maximum processing power available from AMD at the time that was in my price range. I got my FX8350 for $139.99 on a newegg special deal. Pic below of me stress testing my new system which was a christmas present upgrade to self.

Only problem I had with my build was that my Crucial Ballistix 8GB DDR3 1600 stick died on the 3rd day of heavy gaming at normal voltage settings and no overclocks. They were great though in getting me a quick replacement. Until that RAM stick was returned with a healthy new stick I temporarily ran this system on 2GB DDR3 1333. The new RAM stick has been healthy since.



[attachment deleted by admin to conserve space]Thanks a lot for the reply

I will be staying with the MSI hardware, and replacing the power supply to something with 700 Watt.
http://www.komplett.be/product/zkb-01com/80009807/fortron-source-fsp700-50arn-85-700-watt/details.aspx

I'm very glad to hear that I've made right choices, and not made any ''newby'' mistakes!!I would also re-consider the PSU...Quote

I will be staying with the MSI hardware, and replacing the power supply to something with 700 Watt.

Best of luck if you stick with MSI, I avoid them like the plague.

Patios statement
Quote
I would also re-consider the PSU...

is in regard to the brand I believe ( patio please correct me if I am wrong with that ) with reconsidering on the PSU to go with a trusted brand vs this one. I myself have never heard of fortron brand until now. There are many many power supply brands out there, the ones that I am unaware of I avoid, or get for free from other people etc and use for systems that arent worth much money if the power supply fails and burns up the electronics. Your system is an investment and costs a pretty penny, the power supply quality is one of the most important parts of a new build, its like the #1 part that all other parts rely upon greatly and so I dont take any chances with unknown or known low quality supplies in systems that I care about.I don't know anything about the power supply, what do you suggest? And I kept seeing the MSI videocard and have seen performances of it, looks pretty good expecially for the price... What would you reccommend instead?FSP are an okay brand but nothing special. I'd look at something like this: http://www.komplett.be/product/zkb-01com/80014806/seasonic-m12ii-bronze-evo-edition-520-watt/details.aspxDaveLembke SAID i needed about 600 Watt to be safe? The one you suggested is 520 Watt, would that really be enough?
I'm also already quite a bit over my original budget so I'm hoping I wont have to spend like a 50 extra Euro's.
I found a FSP with 700 Watt (I can't send the link atm, my phone won't let me but I'm sure you can find it within seconds)
Why is this one "less good" than the one you linked me?Is there an online calculator that allows you to guestimate the hardware power demands cameron?

I have concerns that under stress his system might run over 100% at the 520watt PSU given what I have seen with my build and the AMD FX 8350 4Ghz that I am running.

What I have that adds additional load that he might not have are:

2 Hard Drives + 1 SSD
2 extra 80mm fans and a single 120mm fan for extra airflow in mATX case
* my cell phone might have been charging off of USB at the time too.Here Ya Go Dave...For that system 500w is way more than enoughCool... well with just the hardware they have which is different than my own it does appear to be ok for 500. Thanks for sharing that calculator.Would speeding money on a 8 core CPU be a wise investment?
What games wound use an 8 core CPU?
Of possible interest:
Why You Don’t Need More Than Four CPU Cores

Just saying...
The linked ARTICLE seems to ignore a few factors with regards to CPU and particularly the software that is run on them.

the first consideration is that the article states "we’re well behind what the industry was predicting for core counts in desktop PCs.". ignoring for the moment that no concrete "prediction" was ever really considered beyond more vague concepts of systems relying more on massive parallelization- it's not accurate.

Even while CPUs may only have 4 Cores in general, that is still more Cores than we had 10 years ago in a typical PC; additionally, most modern CPUs also feature hyperthreading or other virtualization and parallelization technologies, which increase performance of software that is able to make use of it by effectively pretending to be more cores; furthermore, more software than ever before is being optimized to run across several CPUs, virtual or otherwise, and take advantage of CPU parallelization. Part of this is the result of adopting high-level languages that abandon the typical approach of "threads" and instead abstract parallelisation to the compiler, or otherwise allow the programmer to no longer need to consider multithreading nightmares such as deadlocks. It also disregards the performance benefits that results from using processors with more cores simply by virtue of the fact that your foreground software application doesn't run in a vacuum, but instead shares the system with other software components, many of which themselves may be optimized to run across several execution cores.

BC_programmer, You did read the whole thing?
The context here is single user gaming, not industrial applications.
What is the objective of paying more money for anything?. To tell your friends you paid more money or to get the best performance for your money?
If that later, 8 cores is a waste of resources. They don't to anything that four cores can not do. They just cost more.
There is no game that runs noticeably better on 8 cores. And there will not be for some time. But nobody will admit it. The 8 core gaming thing a fantasy.

EDIT: OK. Some few tell the truth. Look here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/125887-13-people-buying-quad-cores-gaming
He says even 4 cores are two too many.
Quote
But when I saw the real world benchmarks, an i3 with the same clock as a quad core i5 or i7 always performed exactly the same. I was disturbed with these results, so I tested it out myself
He is saying the CPU power is not used the way you might think.

17252.

Solve : My ac adapter is melting?

Answer» HI I have a lenovo ideapad yoga 11s and it seems like its melting inbetween the ac adapter and the cord that CONNECTS to the ideapad, the second picture seems to be the BEST, it looks like green liquid, is this normal am I overreacting?

[attachment DELETED by admin to CONSERVE space]You got replies in your original Post...

Here...
17253.

Solve : One out of two graphics cards not detected?

Answer»

I am running two GPUs (also known as HETEROGENEOUS graphics). The purpose of me doing that was to have one run graphics while the other runs PhysX. I have a GTX 770 and a GTX 560 TI. They are both powered and plugged in; the fans are running. My power supply is either packing 750, 800, or 850 watts I cannot remember which. I've checked device manager and the GTX 560 TI isn't SHOWING up at all.Some detail needed.
Whit is PhysX ?
This?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhysX
Quote

hysX is a PROPRIETARY realtime physics ENGINE middleware SDK. PhysX was authored at NovodeX, an ETH Zurich spin-off. In 2004 NovodeX was acquired by Ageia, and in February 2008 Ageia was acquired by Nvidia.[1]
The term PhysX can also refer to the PPU expansion card designed by Ageia to accelerate PhysX-enabled video games.
I have no idea of what that is. What motherboard do you have? And, what version of the Nvidia drivers do you have installed?
17254.

Solve : Upgrading a Laptop using spares from another Laptop?

Answer»

I have currently in my possession 2 4 year old ASUS laptops. One has recently stopped working due to a power supply problem, is eneconomical to repair and has been replaced by a new machine. As far as i know the rest of the hardware is in good working order (RAM HDD Optical Drive). I also have a FULLY functional ASUS LAPTOP which is about the same age (slightly older) and would benefit from some hardware improvements, particularly the optical drive which only works intermittently (Could use more RAM too).

Asuming the hardware is compatible is it possible to take components from the U/S laptop and install them into the other machine to give it more 'life' and generally impove it?

I always think it is a bit of a waste when a PC is replaced and superceeded leaving behind perfectly good if older technology.Quote from: richardf77 on October 17, 2015, 11:18:56 AM

...
I always think it is a bit of a waste when a PC is replaced and superseded leaving behind perfectly good if older technology.
I agree with your thoughts. The cold fact is that we live in a world that want s use to waste. Paper INSTEAD of cloth. Styrofoam coffee cups. And throwaway computers.

Now might be possible to use the battery from one in the other.
Perhaps the RAM chips are the same type. Maybe the power pack is the same.

But overall, they seldom have parts that interchange. The manufacturers are under pressure to come out with new models to meet market demands.
Thanks

I was hoping the Optical Drives would be compatible/interchangable. Not that bothered about HDD (could TURN it into an External drive with an enclosure). RAM would be nice assuming there are spare slots and the chips are compatible.

The one bit of hardware that i know i definetly cant change and that annoys me the most is the Processor, the one on the U/S laptop is far better than the on in the laptop that works but i know that my tools and skills will not allow me to change them over even if it were possible. I am aware changing processors depends on whether the think is welded to the motherboard or not. I would also summise it isnt possible to swap whole motherboards easily at home either?

I really need to open both up and have a look for comparison (and perhaps take photos), then get a hardware spec list for both and see whats the same and whats different.Quote
I really need to open both up and have a look for comparison (and perhaps take photos), then get a hardware spec list for both and see whats the same and whats different.
You got that right.
Commercial designs for consumer electronics ere wild. They push standards and limits to the extreme. So much attention is given to size, weight, fell and good looks that serviceability is ignored. No reason to say tact will change soon. But I think it will have to change. People are getting fed up with consumer products that do not last or can be repaired.

Here is a recent PR from the
Consumer Electronics Association
If you take a glance, you will see there is no attempt to make electronics gadgets easy to fix or update.

..And it is not just me!

We Need the Right to Repair Our Gadgets
17255.

Solve : GTX 770 Live Kernel error 141?

Answer»

Hi everyone, I am posting this to multiple FORUMS today in the hope that someone somewhere can help. I am coming here as a last resort of sorts. Here is a run down of what HAPPENS and what I have tried. This is a long post so that I can be as specific as possible.

System: windows 10, EVGA GTX 770, Intel Core i5-4690K @ 3.5 ghz 4 cores, 16 gig ddr3 ram

Problem: Playing a game (usually cities skylines) and in the middle of playing. Game crashes and I get an error pop-up, nvidia display driver has stopped working. I thought this might be a game specific issue and tried Fifa 16 and GTAV, all had similar crashes or the computer restarted without warning (I am really worried about that one!).
What I have tried: 1. Look at reliability history whenever it happens. When the display dirver error occurs I get a message in reliability history which is:

Source Windows
Summary Hardware error
Date ‎10/‎25/‎2015 12:02 PM
Status Report sent
Description A problem with your hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.
Problem signature
Problem Event Name: LiveKernelEvent Code: 141
Parameter 1: ffffe00101fbd010
Parameter 2: fffff800b6522d28
Parameter 3: 0
Parameter 4: 1a48
OS version: 10_0_10240 Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 768_1
OS Version: 10.0.10240.2.0.0.768.101
Locale ID: 1033
Files that help describe the problem (some files may no longer be available) WD-20151025-1202.dmp sysdata.xml WERInternalMetadata.xml
Extra information about the problem Bucket ID: BAD_DUMPFILE

When the computer crashes I get nothing in reliability history.

Looked online for possible solutions, came up with very little similarities but did try updating drivers.

Called EVGA, they advised me to do a clean install of drivers using Display Driver Uninstaller, so I did and installed the latest driver from Nvidia. I was also advised to clean all COMPONENTS, which were filled with dust, so I did with a can of air. I now have a very clean computer. The third thing was to check the voltage on the 12v rail, which is 12.02v, so that is fine. The final piece of advice was to use precision x with the osd to monitor temp as I played. I also use precision x to limit the temp which never raises above 79c and never goes above about 66% POWER. The latest crash occurred at 72c, which seems too cool to be a temp problem.

Like I said I am at wits end here. What else can I try? I'm not sure where to FIND dump files and other things like that that you may want to see, so please direct me to the proper location if you need that. I have also tried using speccy, but not sure how to get those files for you. I would be very grateful if you could help me figure this out. Thanks alotKinda suprised EVGA didn't suggest their own drivers...have you tried that ? ?Have you always had this problem or did it start recently? If it hasn't always been an issue, can you think of any changes that took place before this started?

17256.

Solve : How to tell if I need more memory?

Answer»

My HP laptop is not the newest and often seems to run slowly. A few minutes to boot up and sign in and get the browser going.
Even typing this message, sometimes the characters don't appear instantly.
So I ran the winsat mem test, you can see it below. What do the two warning messages mean?

C:\Users\Owner>winsat mem
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature ENUMERATION ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: System memory performance assessment ''
Warning: The RDTSC to QPC delta is too high ( CPU 1 )
Warning: The RDTSC to QPC delta is too high ( CPU 0 )
> Run Time 00:00:05.16
> Memory Performance 6622.61 MB/s
> Total Run Time 00:00:07.47

Apparently the max memory for this HP is: 8192MB, 2 slots.
http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/HP-Compaq/elitebook-6930p

I ALSO attach two screenshots of the Computer management performance manager system summary, the task manager, and the resource manager, taken a minute apart to get the two parts of the system summary.

[attachment deleted by admin to conserve space]Quote

How to tell if I need more memory
At first I thought you said:
How to tell if I need more money.
After giving it some thought,
If you have the money, get the memory

Glad to help. If the problem is memory related you WOULD see the amount of used physical memory become close to 100% and the number of hard faults/sec would increase noticeably when the system is slowing down. From your screenshots this does not appear to be the case.Quote from: camerongray on October 19, 2015, 05:21:21 PM
If the problem is memory related you would see the amount of used physical memory become close to 100% and the number of hard faults/sec would increase noticeably when the system is slowing down. From your screenshots this does not appear to be the case.

That's good news. But then what could be slowing down my system in the WAY I described above?

Any idea what the two warning messages are in the winsat memtest?
17257.

Solve : Editting BIOS Problem?

Answer»

I have a ASUS Board, that I am trying too edit the boot order of my harddrives. When I try too move the mouse it sticks it too the top of the screen and won't travel around it.Is that you Squall ? ?BTW arrow and tab and enter keys work for navigating in the BIOS...If you don't know, don't gusse and post what you think it is. I had too disconnect all my usb devices for some REASON so that I COULD edit it too boot to the drive I wanted.It isn't a guess...re-read my Post.
I'm sure it's him - and if it isn't him it's his twin brother - RUDE, all over the place with his question, and unintelligible. I'm blocking him.It is somewhat entertaining from time to time...

17258.

Solve : My memory card from my camera doesn't work when I plug into computer!!?

Answer»

I use a card reader and put a CAMERA memory card in one of the SLOTS and it had always worked. I plug it in my computer and it appears on the screen and I can convert vids/PHOTOS onto my computer. I even did it today and it worked but for some reason when I tried plugging it in my computer nothing happened. It didn't respond! I tried plugging in another computer, didn't work. Tried blowing in the slot to get rid of dust, didn't work. Tried cleaning the card, didn't work. Something wrong??? I LITERALLY did it earlier today and it worked but all of a sudden nothing's happening. So now I can't upload an photos and vids from my camera.. Help!! Does the card STILL work in the camera?Quote from: strollin on October 24, 2015, 08:23:31 AM

Does the card still work in the camera?

Yes. I can take photos and videos when the memory card is in with no problem.
17259.

Solve : How to do a continuity test on a Macbook Pro?

Answer»

How can I test the continuity (voltage in-out completion) On a Macbook screen specifically where the screen plug goes into the Macbook Motherboard? The Mac works when hooked up to an EXTERNAL display but it will not show a picture on its own display. Also there was water damage which is why Im not sure if it was video or not. Last thing is it doesn't have an installed Operating system. It starts at the install prompt for what Language.

Any help would be appreciated THANKS a bunch, I know its a crazy very SPECIFIC question.I take it you are not an technician.

How much water damage?
What happened?
Water damage has to be treated by professionals. Preferably the factory, which would be Apple or its representatives.

Do you have a HOMEOWNERS policy? In some cases your HOME sower policy will pay for water damage if it was an accident or a disaster.


17260.

Solve : CD/DVD RW External Drive?

Answer»

I'm considering purchasing an external drive(as above) and have never owned one. Are they normally as good as internal drives ?.
With more and more PC's not having an internal I thought that it may be the thing to do? There's always the chance that my next PC will not have an internal drive as well. I think that using an external drive it would make it easier to be able to create boot/rescue disks etc.. Using Flash/Thumb drives (rightly or wrongly) for me is a pain. Also, I have many unused disks from the old days and so much recorded music that I could be listening to and don't, because they are in disks. Anything that I should be aware of? Appreciate your thoughts, overthehillThey're pretty straightforward really. A SATA drive should cost around $15 to $20 USD on Newegg, plugs in super-easy (most cases have tool-free MOUNTING these days, but some still require you to screw the drive in on both SIDES of the tower), powered by SATA like your internal SDD/ HDD.

LG make excellent drives. They're cheap, work forever, and out of several PC builds I've never seen one go south. I strongly recommend them (I hope that's cool here!)

Honestly, outside of installing the OS or backing stuff up on DVD-R/ CD-R, there really isn't much use for these drives anymore. Everything is downloaded these days. Even most games you buy on disc will just help you install Steam or Origin and lead you to download the game on those services anyway. But they're so cheap that it doesn't hurt to have one. You never know when it might come in handy.

I've never owned a PC that didn't have some kind of physical media drive (going back to 5.25" floppies, the big black discs, when I was a kid!). How do you even GET an OS installed without one? Quote from: overthehill on October 21, 2015, 12:43:56 PM

I'm considering purchasing an external drive... and have never owned one. Are they normally as good as internal drives ?. ...
Anything that I should be aware of? Appreciate your thoughts, overthehill
Yes, they work almost as good. But do not expect them to have the same high speed transfer RATERS. Some require power from the USB poets. Others come with a wall wort.

For most things, you would not need a blue ray. A standard DVD /CD player-burner will do.

Even though they are portable, don't drop them.Thanks guys. Yea, shouldn't break the bank and would probably be a good idea. Like Mattrock607 said; how would you install an OS without one?. overthehillThey work fine. I don't use optical media much but when I need to use it with my laptop (haven't had a laptop with an internal DVD drive for over 3 years) I use a USB DVD drive, works fine.Ths. camerongray. I'm going to get one. And Mattrock607, welcome to CH. overthehill
17261.

Solve : Ready to get stumped? Weird screen flickering... and I'm out of ideas!?

Answer»

This will be a lengthy post. I want to make sure I specify as much as I can. First I'll explain the issue, then I'll explain the almost comical number of things I've done to try and fix it, and then I'll list off my specs. I really hope someone can help me solve this... it's been more than a year since this issue started!

The Problem

My video will occasionally freak out, usually when I'm seeing a video or an animated/ video advertisement, especially on Facebook, YouTube, or Politico. The screen will go nuts, flashing like a strobe light, and the image will be scattered all over the place. Sounds pretty straight-forward, right? Well, it's not.

Also, probably unrelated, but my mouse won't stay zoomed in shooter games, like BF3, BF4, Fallout NV, and some others. I'll right-click and hold, but it zooms in and back out and won't stay steady. It's super annoying, but not as bad as having to hard-reboot my machine every few hours because the screen goes nuts, so I figured I would address that later in a different thread, but MAYBE it's related? I don't know.

What I've tried

Here's a list of all the things I've tried, in the exact order I tried them in. None of these things worked. It's QUITE frustrating!:

- Tested on another monitor, with a different HDMI cable
- Tested on that other monitor with a DVI cable
- Tested on an LED TV with a different HDMI cable
- Hard-limit the refresh rate to 75
- Hard-limit the refresh rate to 60
- Uninstall and reinstall the video card driver
- Update the video card firmware
- Completely wipe my SSD and reinstall Windows 7
- Tried wiping the SSD and reinstalling the OS again, because why not

(This is the part where I started getting angry and throwing money at it)

- Replaced my Sapphire HD 6950 with an XFX R9-280X
- Replaced my PSU (upgrade from 600w to 1000w)
- Replaced my motherboard
- Bought a new 256 GB SSD to replace the old one (the old one is still in the system, as game storage)
- Upgraded to Windows 10

I'm at the point where I feel like I've exhausted nearly every OPTION, and spent a small fortune in the process. The only options I have left are either replacing my CPU or my RAM, neither of which really need an upgrade right now (or for another two years probably). What the heck am I missing?! What could this possibly be? Is it software? Firmware? Hardware? I don't want to replace the CPU just to learn it was the RAM, or vice-versa, you know?

My Specs:
(I'm including literally everything, right down to the peripherals, because why the heck not. It could be anything at this point, so I don't want to leave any stone unturned!)

Case (probably irrelevant): Corsair C70
PSU: Raidmax RX1000AE (formerly a Corsair 600w)
Mobo: Asus Sabertooth 990FX r2.0 (formerly an ASRock 990FX Extreme4)
CPU: AMD FX-8150
RAM: 16 GB G.Skill Sniper Series 1866
Video Card: XFX R9-280x Double-D (formerly a Sapphire HD 6950 OC edition)
Storage 1: 256 GB Crucial M4 SSD (OS, some games)
Storage 2: 256 GB Kingston SSD (games)
Storage 3: 2 TB WD Black HDD (games, nonessential software)
Storage 4: 2 TB WD Green HDD (work stuff, documents, photos, music, nonsense)
Storage 5: 2 TB WD External HDD (backups)
OS: Windows 10 64-bit home premium

And a bunch of other (probably irrelevant) stuff:
Monitor: 27" Acer LED @ 1080P, currently unlimited (probably 75 Hz)
Keyboard: Logitech G510
Mouse: Logitech G500
Stick: X52
Printer: Epson XP-410

Edit: Worth noting I just rebuilt the machine again when I upgraded my PC case last week, so everything is seated properly. I checked over and over, like when you think your left your keys on the coffee table so you keep looking there repeatedly, lol.

Have you run memtest86 for about 3 passes to make sure the flickering isnt being caused my a memory issue?

You went through great efforts to narrow it down. Hopefully we can suggest some things to do that doesnt cost you any more money.I tried four memtests to date, two in one day and two the following day, this past summer. I forgot to mention that. But it all came back with good results. I was hoping it was the RAM because G.Skill has a lifetime warranty. But I don't want to write off the RAM in case this is maybe some other RAM issue I'm not knowledgeable enough to recognize.Does the computer work in a different location?
Like in another building? Or across town?
Do other computers work in the same location?

I haven't tried it in a different building, but both my girlfriend's PC and our living room PC work fine. Also, my old computer works fine, and friends have used laptops here without issues. We don't live near heavy power lines or anything industrial that might cause interference. If it's an interference issue it would need to be something related specifically to this machine, but all that's really original in it today is the RAM, CPU, and sound card (I've replaced everything else since the problem began).

17262.

Solve : Windows is unable to start?

Answer»

Before I explain my situation, I want to make clear that I do not know much about hardware at all. I had a lot of HELP from my boyfriend who was the one that picked out new parts and also installed the parts I bought. However I'm not completely computer illiterate and with clear instructions I can figure out what to do, but please be patient with me if I don't include all of the needed information in this post. I'll provide what I know.
A few months ago I decided that I wanted to upgrade my PC. So firstly, I started with my processor. I was using AMD Phenom II and upgraded to AMD FX 8370E, but turns out it wasn't completely compatible with my power supply, and there were some issues with my motherboard too so I ENDED up upgrading those two as well. I have the Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 mobo and SeaSonic SS-750KM3 power supply now. My boyfriend installed all of the new parts, and my PC does start up fine, but windows fails to start no matter what I try. I am using Windows 7 x64. It doesn't boot from the CD either. There is a quick flash of a bluescreen before it asks to either run startup repair or start windows normally, however it doesn't show an error code during the bluescreen. At first we thought my motherboard was defective so I sent it back and got a replacement, but there is no difference and I'm still having this problem. We have tested my RAM as well and that doesn't seem to be problem, but we are running out of IDEAS of what it possibly could be. Any suggestions or solutions will be greatly appreciated. I've been without my PC for months now and I miss it so much! When a user installs a new motherboard, Windows must be installed again.

This is by design. Even if the two motherboards are similar, Windows must be specifically installed for either motherboard. Each motherboard has its own set of drivers provided by the maker.
When you got the new motherboard, there should have been a CD with he new driver software for that motherboard.

Set or enable the BIOS to start from the DVD/CD DRIVE and do the full Windows installation. There might be an option to repair the installation. That might do much of the work, but later you still have to install the drivers.


Quote from: Geek-9pm on October 23, 2015, 05:40:31 PM

When a user installs a new motherboard, Windows must be installed again.

This is by design. Even if the two motherboards are similar, Windows must be specifically installed for either motherboard. Each motherboard has its own set of drivers provided by the maker.
When you got the new motherboard, there should have been a CD with he new driver software for that motherboard.

Set or enable the BIOS to start from the DVD/CD drive and do the full Windows installation. There might be an option to repair the installation. That might do much of the work, but later you still have to install the drivers.

I ran the CD that the motherboard came with but it only gives me two options:
1.) AMD AHCI/RAID WinXP Driver
2.) FreeDOS command prompt

When I select the first option, it asks me to insert a Formatted Floppy DISK?...There is no reason to do an install of Win7...ignore the above post...
When major components are changed Win does not recognise the changes...therefore your boot issues.
Following the advice from Geek means you lose all your data and apps...doubt thats what you want...

Instead if you run a Repair Install of 7 all data will be there ...the new hardware will be recognised and your good to go...

See Here...I ended up doing a fresh install of Windows and that seemed to do the trick. I did lose all my stuff but I don't even care at this point, I'm just so happy that it finally works again!
17263.

Solve : Speaker Static?

Answer»

Just STARTED tonight. Seems like speakers are transmitting noise/static from harddrive. Never ran into this before. REBOOTING did not help. Will try speakers on a working PC to make sure they are ok but the fact the noise seems to be harddrive vs continuous static tells me something more significant is wrong. Any tips on troubleshooting will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.Never heard of a HDD making noise in the speakers. But it could happen.
Please give e some detail about your PC.
Is it a laptop?
With a laptop, static in the speakers is often from the battery and charger.
On a Desktop, it could mean the power supply is under stress.

Also, broken wires in the loudspeaker box can cause random noise or noise that seems related to something.Quote from: Geek-9pm on October 22, 2015, 04:45:15 PM

Never heard of a HDD making noise in the speakers. But it could happen.
Please give e some detail about your PC.
Is it a laptop?
With a laptop, static in the speakers is often from the battery and charger.
On a Desktop, it could mean the power supply is under stress.

Also, broken wires in the loudspeaker box can cause random noise or noise that seems related to something.

Old desktop - HP Pavilion a1600n. Tried connecting speakers to front ports and uninstalled/installed Realtek drivers. What I mean by harddrive noise is that the static is always there but it seems to modulate with Harddrive activity. Maybe just my imagination. Speakers are el cheapo HP Notebook speakers. Probably need to check them on another PC before I go any further. My PS is probably long overdue for failure so it could be the problem. How would I check that other than replacing it with a known good PS?In the noise dis coming from the PC, it can be measured with a voltmeter.You will need a plug to get access to the output of the sound card.
Or use a 3.5 mm lug and touch the tips of the voltmeter to the shell and tip tabs of the plug.

Set the voltmeter to read millivolts AC.
normal sound levels are about 100 to 2000 millivolts AC. A noise level greater than 10 millivolts would be bad and would indicate either trouble with the sound card or a power supply issue. About 2 or 3 millivolts would be normal.

My best guess is that the audio output jacks are dirty or the cable to the speakers is cracked.

Quote from: Geek-9pm on October 22, 2015, 06:32:02 PM
In the noise dis coming from the PC, it can be measured with a voltmeter.You will need a plug to get access to the output of the sound card.
Or use a 3.5 mm lug and touch the tips of the voltmeter to the shell and tip tabs of the plug.

Set the voltmeter to read millivolts AC.
normal sound levels are about 100 to 2000 millivolts AC. A noise level greater than 10 millivolts would be bad and would indicate either trouble with the sound card or a power supply issue. About 2 or 3 millivolts would be normal.

My best guess is that the audio output jacks are dirty or the cable to the speakers is cracked.

Thanks Geek. When you say "plug" are you referring to the jack in the picture? What do you mean by "lug"? Would the dirty output jack be the male end on the speaker wire or the female jack connection on the sound output or both? What is the best way to clean the output jacks?

I checked this morning when the PC was in sleep mode. You could still hear static. Don't know if that points to anything in particular?Good news (I think). Plugged in EAR buds on front HEADPHONE jack and audio is clean. That should rule out problem with on-board sound and PS, right?Good job!

About the male and female 3.5 mm connectors, typically the female, inside the PC gets dirty and fails to make good connection.

But you found that it was the speaker unit that is failing. Expect a loose wire, a bad capacitor or even a rectifier. Quote from: Geek-9pm on October 23, 2015, 07:36:13 AM
Good job!

About the male and female 3.5 mm connectors, typically the female, inside the PC gets dirty and fails to make good connection.

But you found that it was the speaker unit that is failing. Expect a loose wire, a bad capacitor or even a rectifier.

Geek, I think you nailed it. Upon closer inspection, I could see bare wire on the MAIN audio input wire right as it connects to the speaker. I didn't see it before because it is partially covered by the rubber bumper which protects the wire from bending. Doggone rubber bumpers....
17264.

Solve : Liquid cooling without a fan?

Answer»

Hey there everyone, just wanted to get an OPINION. I've got a fairly big case with a 3700K Intel CPU and a Corsair all-in-one liquid cooling unit. I run games like The Witcher 3 for extended play sessions so it GETS a fairly heavy load.

I RECENTLY moved across the country and I guess things got jostled around so now the fan is missing a blade and rattles, which is driving my nuts. Can I run this CPU at load for extended periods of time with just the radiator or is the fan essential? The radiator is attached to the TOP of the case with a big vent above it and the fan below it blowing upwards. Way I'm thinking is that since the heat will rise out of it, I might (hopefully) wont need to use the fan anymore and can be free of this maddening rattle.

So, safe? Or should I try to find a replacement fan?Buy a fan.
When they put forced air coaling into a design, the BTU moved goes up a lot like a magnitude. (10X).

Here is an anecdotal story from the past. Apple tried to get away with convection coiling on a very small system years ago. But it could not be used on a spacecraft. Without gravity, the hot air just stays in one PLACE. They had to add a small fan.
Fans are cheap, don't risk it!"Passive" cooling is possible, but the Corsair and other all in one units are NOT designed for this, don't attempt it. Any 120mm fan will suffice as a replacement but it does need fairly focused airflow, a fan just blowing in the general direction won't be enough.

17265.

Solve : Motherboard will post and has latest bios installed but can't install windows 7?

Answer»

My setup is a 8100 elite sff mobo with a i3-560 and 2gb of ram (2x1gb). I connected a 80 gb hdd and it posts with all 2gb reported. However when i try and install windows 7 off a usb stick (i copied iso image on there for ease), it will load the files, open the windows LOGO....Then disaster! Stray lines everywhere and computer turns off with psu fans idling. Do I have to install graphics driver updates or firmware updates on the processor or??? Is it an issue with the ram??? (patterns of lines different with each open. Is the bios setup wrong??Btw it also registers a pxe 2.1 boot 086 error as it posts. I can get into bios and setup easily.When I've had this before, it was faulty RAM. For a quick test, try booting setup with each 1GB stick of RAM separately and see what happens. There are other possibilities but I'd rule the simplest thing out first.Quote from: mrfesh on October 18, 2015, 09:30:55 AM

Btw it also registers a pxe 2.1 boot 086 error as it posts. I can get into bios and setup easily.

This error is usually a CMOS battery failing...
You may also want to try doing the install with just 1 STIK of RAM.So when installing some new ram xlr8 2x 4 gb, the system now just stalls on the loading screen with "Windows" on it. There doesn't seem to be anything to do about the setup screen. It is probably one of the worst bios screens I've ever COME across, with the typical solutions of uefi and legacy nowhere to be seen. Might it be the fact that it has a i3 560 processor (which it recognizes) or possibly wrong ram again. The CMOS battery swap didn't really help. I tried it with the simple 1 gb RAM and it does the same thing, now. The 8200 motherboard seems to have issues with things like EFI UEFI? I am really confused. I've been working on this computer for over a week now. It also seems to register the full RAM value when it runs up the number on the first screen (is it allocating the sufficient ram for things like graphics?Define UEFI.
Quote
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a standard firmware interface for PCs, designed to replace BIOS (basic input/output system). This standard was created by over 140 technology companies as part of the UEFI consortium, including Microsoft

Can you disable the secure boot thing?
Had you ever installed any OS on this machine?
Do you have a Linux CD you can use for a quick test?Try resetting the BIOS to defaults, and try booting setup from a CD, just to rule out your USB installer - or as above, try a Linux CD if you have one or can make one.It will not install windows xp from cd and will blue screen with 0x0000007b. The "bios" which is called setup really doesn't have anything like UEFI settings. I can change boot order and set it to have pxe or not. I can also change power management and choose to enable or disable VXT Vga technology. I can also modify the way it writes to my HDD. I kept away from that but effectively it allows me?Never had an os on this machine. Old wiped hard drives. I tried putting a hard drive on it with Windows 7 working, one I had done off another system. However as soon as It starts up, it stops on the word "windows", again. Could it be that the motherboard is at fault, or maybe the way its trying to write on the HDD (gives basic options of IDE, RAID, AHCI but it is connected with a sata cable to the board (No ATA)). If this MBoard is still under warranty i would return it immediately...No it isn't sorry. I am looking at similar issues for the sff 8200. ( issues are uncannily common for the series). HP Compaq 8100 Elite Series
http://www.nts.nl/site/html/modules/PDF/PC/HP%208100%20CMT.pdf

Onboard graphics or separate graphics card?on-board graphics.I thought that the i3-560 had intel integrated graphics as well...
17266.

Solve : Laptop Keyboard wont work properly?

Answer»

I have an HP Dv5000 laptop and I bought a new microsoft natural ergonomic keyboard 4000 to use since the laptop's keys were too SMALL. The microsoft keyboard WORKS great, but now when I try to use the laptop keyboard, many of the letter keys are coming on the screen as numbers. This has ruined my ability to TAKE my laptop anywhere without the huge keyboard. Can ANYONE tell me how to get use of my laptops keyboard back? I tried to check the DRIVERS and devices.. but all thats listed is the microsoft keyboard and something called hp quickkeys which I think refers to the media keys on the laptop rather than the keyboard. Also the HP support site doesnt have any listing for a keyboard driver

thanks so much

17267.

Solve : noisy fan.?

Answer»

Hello all,

my PC makes a very loud whirring noise when the CPU gets busy.

i.e. spyware search, flash player etc. I think it is the cooling fan (Lack of technical knowledge makes me UNSURE)

thanks for any help.

harrybean. Is it like a banging sound or tapping or something?
It could be the fan is loose or another part is loose and hitting the blades.Hello Carbon Dudeoxide,

thanks for your reply. no knocking or tapping just a loud whirring/humming that gets worse when the CPU is busy, when the CPU gets less busy the noise level comes down.


regards harrybean.I would look into replacing that CPU fan. MUCH cheaper than buying a new chip. Some of them can burn up literally in a few seconds.I believe this is normal for some computers. The CPU and/or other fans can RUN at variable RPM, depending on the workload. What make and model is your computer?

How old is your computer? Has this behavior changed recently or has it been consistent? Have you ever opened your computer to clean it on the inside? An accumulation of dust can have a negative impact on air floor and cooling. hello

i found this PROBLEM when i had made myslef a computer

my problem - the CPU fan wasn't getting enough air wich ment it was working faster and harder

this made the computer noticabley slower and much noisier

my fix - added a fan wich put air into the computer , this ment the CPU cooler had more air and wasnt working hard at all

Jasonthanks for help everyone,

i will try out you ideas, and get back to you.

harrybean.If you want to see how fast your fan is spinning and the TEMPERATURE of your hard disk, you can try this program called SpeedFan
Here is the link:
http://www.filehippo.com/download/767bc000c8c39925e06e0ca5b636eb48/download/

My fan spins at about 3150 RPM so you can compare if you want.

17268.

Solve : Burning slow?

Answer»

I've had my computer for less than a year, everything works fine. the only problem is it takes longer to read and burn a DISC, it has no problems recognizing a disc,it just takes a long time to read it and burn it. Another thing is, when playing music from a cd the music sounds kind of slow and crackly, it sounds as if the disc was dirty, but i already tried a lens cleaner.The problem came about when i was playing a mixed cd i have and i guess the disc was dirty or damaged and the player froze so i closed it, then i tried a DIFFERENT cd and that's when it started.The player works(windows media player) and I have no problem playing music that's saved on computer.System specs ? ?
OS ? ?
Burning program ? ?

There's a lot of variables it can be the more info we have the better the solution...HP,250Gb hard DRIVE. DVD+RW Lightscribe Double Layer 16x Drive. Windows XP. Sonic burning program, and DVD Decrypter For movies. What are the rest of the specs of the HP?
Or make and model if you don't know the specs.
And what version of XP, Home or Pro?
And what service pack?
What happened before this started?Quote from: mav41 on APRIL 03, 2007, 01:07:56 PM

The problem came about when i was playing a mixed cd i have and i guess the disc was dirty or damaged and the player froze so i closed it, then i tried a different cd and that's when it started.
I'm not quite sure what you mean above, but I have the feeling you MAY now have a damaged drive. Replacement may be the only solution.
17269.

Solve : trouble with text staining my monitor?

Answer»

I have a windows XP and lately i have had trouble with my monitor and display. When i leave a program on for a while maybe an hour or two the text seems to penetrate into the monitor. So there is little outlines of the text that was on the program. I have tried unplugging the monitor changing some simple setting turning off the computer but it is STILL there. If anyone has a clue it would be greatly appreciated. Thank youYou mean that the text is stuck, and stays there even when you reboot?
How about when the monitor is off?
What sort of monitor are you using, LCD or CRT?
Was this text displayed exactly the same, or similarly, for all this time?This was the very reason for SCREEN savers. It was a known problem in the early days of personal computing but is less of a problem with modern monitors. How old is that monitor?

UNFORTUNATELY, I believe there's nothing you can do to remove that burned-in text. Again, the point of screen savers was to avoid prolonged display of the same thing to prevent this permenent etching into the screen. So, you'll either have to live with it or get a new monitor. Is there a de'gausse button on the front of the monitor ? ?
Probably won't cure it as soybean says if it's an older model but might MAKE it bearable for awhile...

17270.

Solve : Defragmenting trouble.?

Answer»

I used a deframgmenting program to see if I could speed up my Boot time. Well I used it and left it to defragment over night when I awoke I saw my computer was choppy THINKING I only needed to restart I did so. The Boot took 10x as long excessing at 1min+. It automatically started a DskChk before coming to the sign in which it cancels it's SELF almost immediately for some reason? I kept trying to do a dskchk by restarting until it finally stopped canceling itself. Then when it did finally start I let it go for hours till it started SCROLLING "bad cluster". Then said "Not enough disk space to replace bad cluster" which I have plenty of room left 52% or so. I guess not plenty but enough I would like to think. Thing is I can't get the chkdsk to stop canceling it's self. everything is fairly new probably...a little under a year old. It didn't come with Restore Disc. So I'm kind of sketchy on Reformatting unless someone could tell me how to do it exactly? So maybe could someone tell me of a program or something for a easy fix? preferably not wiping everything clean but if that's the only way then maybe tell me how I would go about doing that possibly without Recovery disc? I hope I'm not screwed any help would be appreciatedIf chkdsk will not finish i would DLoad and run the HDD manuf. diagnostics utility available free at their website.
These run off of a BOOTDISK so Windows is not involved.
That drive may be failing...What is it exactly?I used an HDD Checker. It said the realiablity and performance is fine. hmmmm does that mean I'm not screwed? lolWhat program did you use ? ?
This is important they are not all built the same.

As to the other issues if the drive is actually OK you might be able to do a repair install of Windows to fix things...but for that we would need to know what flavor you have including service packs and what type of CD's shipped with the machine...Flavor? I have SP2. uhmm what was the program you were telling me to use before? Quote from: SadlyStupid on April 04, 2007, 09:24:36 PM

I used a deframgmenting program to see if I could speed up my Boot time. Well I used it and left it to defragment over night when I awoke I saw my computer was choppy thinking I only needed to restart I did so. The Boot took 10x as long excessing at 1min+.
What, exactly, does that (in red) mean? Are you saying that, after this defragging attempt, your boot time was only "1min+", or a little over 1 minute? And, are you saying that is 10 times longer than it was before? Whoa! Why in the world did you think you needed to speed up boot time?

My MAIN rig takes about 1 1/2 minutes for bootup by the time AVG updates, etc. But, I just defragged my OS partition; it took 2 min. 45 sec. The last time I defragged was 3/10/07.Quote from: SadlyStupid on April 05, 2007, 04:48:06 AM
Flavor? I have SP2. uhmm what was the program you were telling me to use before?

What i meant by flavor is what version of Windows...

For the HDD diagnostics find out the make of the hard drive and get it from their site. This is important as they are written specifically for your drive and is the most efficient means of finding out the health of that drive.

Don't make the mistake of assuming since it's fairly new the drive is OK...i've seen new drives out of the box fail inside of 90 days.
17271.

Solve : No video problem?

Answer»

This is basically my current setup:

P4 3.4Ghz
2GB RAM
Nvidia 6800GT

The problem is, I cleaned out the system (with an air compressor, I do it all the time with no problems) and installed a new DVD burner. When I went to turn the system back on, I had no errors, no beep codes nothing, but my monitor (DVI and STANDARD LCD) got no SIGNAL, I even tried ANOTHER monitor (the linux box I'm on now) and switched around almost anything I can think of, even unplugging the burner. The only thing I can think to is the gpx card somehow died, even though I know I never BUMPED it or anything, but I thought I might as well POST here to see if anyone had any other ideas what was wrong. I have yet to be able to test another graphics card as I don't have another on in the house and the one in this box is integrated.

17272.

Solve : Help with MicroTek Scanner..?

Answer» HI,
I've had my MicroTek ScanMaker 5900 for quite awhile. It has always worked fine.. but I stopped using it for about a year. Now I just attempted to scan a PHOTO and in the "Preview" a blue page with faint lines showed up, I attempted it again and a red page with faint lines showed up. I tried this multiple times with basically the same outcome.. a bright COLOR with a bunch of lines instead of my photo. I also tried scanning without the preview and it didn't produce my pic.
Does anyone have ANY idea how I can fix this, or whats wrong here? Thanks!I am having exactly the same problem with a Microtek Scanmaker 4900. I've tried a few different drivers (earlier and later ones) and have used the Microtek software (Scan Wizard 5) and PHOTOSHOP and the preview and scans are green or blue with lots of coloured lines across them, or just blank. They've been blank with the latest driver I've used, and doing the line thing with the previous driver.

Any ideas how to fix this?
17273.

Solve : my pc worked at the office but not at home?

Answer»

help my pc worked at the office but not at home, i was told that it might be the electricity coming into the house from the poll outside. i don't THINK so when i turned it on last at home i got an error message and then a blue screen with memmory dump and a bunch of numbers after itfreekeflo ...... Could you please post the exact error message you get when trying your machine at home.


dl65 Its also possible that something got dislodged inside the machine...check all add on cards and RESEAT them and do the same for the RAM...

Remove all power when inside the case.i will try my best but the INFO flies by PREETY fast. Also there will be an ELECTRICIAN comming by to check all the breakers in the house and i will be able to give more info thanks for the help.

17274.

Solve : recovering hard drive files?

Answer»

I have an older HP and the computer wont BOOT up (the monitor is black). Before the black screen, the XP boot up screen had frozen up. I need some HARD drive files from the older HP to put on my new computer. What process can i use to EXTRACT files from the non functioning computer hard drive, when i cant get the HP to boot up? Any advise?The safest method to accomplish this would be to hook up the old HDD as a slave drive in your other machine and RETRIEVE the files that way.

Pay ATTENTION that you get the jumper settings correct on the hard drive and make sure the BIOS sees it on boot up.

17275.

Solve : wireless keyboard broke so how do I install my new one?????

Answer»

Have a wireless keyboard and mouse which has suddenly stopped working. Not a battery thing!!! Tried it on another COMP and not working. So have bought another. (so far so good...) but my comp is password protected and after plugging in new k/b and mouse it WONT 'work' to allow me to complete the boot process ie type in my password. The box instructions say it wont work untill UNINSTALLED 'old' k/b software ....hmmmm so how do I get in to do it? Is it as simple as borrowing a PLUG in k/b?? Any help??Yep, borrow a PS2 keyboard.

Everyone should have one just for emergencies like this...

17276.

Solve : New Power Supply Problem...?

Answer»

I recently bought a new POWERSUPPLY to upgrade my computer and run my new vid card. I made sure that i had the PSU installed correctly, only problem is, when i tried to hit the power on my PC, The supply comes on for a second, then automatically SHUTS off, and makes a strange noise... Would this be a motherboard compatibility issue, or is the PSU just not working right?To what extent did you attempt to determine compatibility before buying that PSU? What make and model is it? What is the power rating for it? Tell us more about your system, i.e. what's in it. Any problems with your computer before installing this new PSU? computer is an HP A810n, 150 gig hdd, 512 mb ram, i really havent had any trouble with it, just tryin to replace my old 250 watt with a 580, Vid card ATI Radeon X1650 512 mb, AMD 3300+ Processor, Im not too sure on the compatibility issue though, as i have yet to test the new supply out on another PC. Specs of the new Supply
+3.3V output, Min load 1A, max load 30.0A +-5% load reg +-1% line reg, 70mVP.P ripple.Quote

What make and model is it?

Did you remember the 4 pin power connector to the MBoard ? ?Actually, I was asking for the brand and model of the PSU. What is it?

Have you checked all your power cord connections? Does your motherboard have a 20 pin or 24 pin connector? I presume your PSU is compatible is this respect.

Could you pull the new VIDEO card and install the old one and see whether your computer runs with it?PSU = Raidmax Aurora. checked everything, 20 and a 4. Ive tried with both the old and the new card. Maybe im underloading it, going to try hooking everything i have in and attempting to run itI was thinking you should disconnect some devices (CD drives, floppy, etc.) to reduce power demand upon startup. If you don't get it working, you might put your old video card and old power supply back in and verify your system still runs under the old configuration. If it does, an RMA on the new PSU seems justified. Or, go ahead with the RMA without reinstalling the old PSU.

Some of the big-brand computers use proprietary components. Did you have any problems fitting the new PSU in your computer?nope, it fits it like a glove, im gonna go ahead and RMA, SWITCH out for a different one, in case it isnt compatable.You might take a look at FSG: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104954

I'm using a similar model, but mine is 400 Watts.Not bad, i might look into that, though im nto sure, im thinking about switchin out my motherboard so i can run a crossfire x1950's. hopefully i can figure if it really is the PSU or compatibility issue though.
17277.

Solve : beep codes after X minutes of OS boot?

Answer»

First off.. the time on X is random. 5 minutes to 3 hours.

beep tones are Low then High (not sure if they are short or long but are same duration.. i think long if based off the bios single beep tone) and the beeping continues until after i reboot. the OS still runs while it beeps, but becomes very "choppy". i also seem to loose internet connection more frequently once the beeping starts (wireless network).

i have unpluged everything and reseated them. give my video card it's own power line from the power supply.

3 HARD drives 1 dvd, sound card, wireless USB nic, usb mouse and usb keyboard.

This setup has worked for months, no "NEW" hardware, and now this starts up... any ideas?Our Guide

You might also want to check your OWNERS manual for the MBoard...

17278.

Solve : how do i get rid of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Answer»

my ex somehow MANAGED to name all of our files after us, and we have been apart for over a year now, and it really bugs me and my current GF that every time we open something, it says my name and my ex's. ive tried renaming, ive tried it from the control PANEL, im fearing that my only option is to reformat. can someone please help me with this pain in the neck?Hi,

When you say

Quote from: eternalpath01

managed to name all of our files after us

Do you mean for EXAMPLE the actual title of the file? - eg

John and Lucy's word document.doc

for example?

If so, there is a batch file RENAME in Windows XP click to have a read

If you aren't running xp then there are loads of freeware programs out there which will do it Irfanview I think for example
17279.

Solve : Did I wreck my Floppy drive??

Answer»

I cleaned out the dust with compressed air and HOOKED it back up.
The floppy drive started to make a noise like a hard drive and the light is on all the time.
Its a lot quiter when i put in a disk but it wont read it.
I've disconected the drive, but need it for some programs i have to install after i do a format and install of xp.
Any suggestions would be appreciated
Thanks Rob
I have like 15 floppy drives here and half of them don't work on my Windows XP. It could be your floppy disk that isn't working.Thanks for your input Carbon'''', but there was no noise from floppy drive before I cleaned it out.
I DONT think it is normal for the light to be on when there is no disk INSERTED is it?
It just sounded like a hard drive trying to find something about half speedHow old is this drive? They TEND to not last too terribly long, so perhaps it's time for a new one.CBMatt
The drive is 2 years old same as the computer
It's only been used about 6 times
Only to save a few programs and to add a fewThey are fairly inexpensive to replace...just make sure you get the IDE cable correct or it won't work.Floppy is now fixed
I dissabled it in bios and left it that way until i needed to use it
Thought i'd try it once more before replacing and when i powered it back up, low and behold it worked fine.
Luck smiles sometimes. BobThe light remaining on is frequently a sign that the data cable is backwards. Did you remove it?No GX1
Only cleaned out the case and did'nt touch nothin inside
had it turned off in bios for like 3 weeks and then when i turned it back on all was quite and no light on. All is normal at the moment
If ya like a challenge than CHECK out my other thread (ms 2003. lost word)
Catch ya there. Bob

17280.

Solve : Move hard disk from one computer to another?

Answer»

I am TRYING to (permanently) move my hard disk from one computer to another. (O/S is XP SP2) When I do so and attempt to boot, I get the message that says "We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not start successfully. A recent hardware or software change might have caused this." If I select Safe MODE, the startup starts but STALLS after about 50 lines are displayed. The last line displayed, when it stalls, says "Windows\system32\drivers\mup.sys." After about 5 seconds there is a flash of the BLUE screen (with text) but it flashes so quickly I can't read any of it. Is what I am ATTEMPTING possible or must I reload XP?You cannot just move one hard from one computer to another using XP, or 2000 Pro for that matter. The hdd controller won't be recognized by XP (that's why the blue screen). The best thing I can suggest is to back up all your data on the existing system, put the drive into the other computer, then do a clean install of XP. You can do a restore after putting in the drive but it's always better to do a clean install.

Alan <><

17281.

Solve : website link - "power supplies" ??

Answer»

Awhile back, I found this website that let you input all your HARDWARE and it would figure out the MINIMUM watt power supply you should purchase.

I have searched & searched and cannot find any link to this site, anyone have a clue to such a site??

ThanksThere used to be a PSU calculator posted here by some of the members. HOWEVER, it was determined to be out of date and insufficient. Maybe someone will know of one that is more updated. Sorry I can't be of help.PSU calculator << thank you* thats what I meant to say

I'll GO searchin on that again and, you were a help somewhat, that might do it...
AND I'll keep lookin here for more replies..... thanks

REVISED ** Bingo !!! googled and found one, thANKS 2k_dummy. (karma point coming right up!)

if you "Go Lite" instead of Pro > it's free ..............

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp





17282.

Solve : Replacing cmos battery?

Answer»

I recently replaced the cmos battery with a new one.
Now my system will not reboot.
I get a series of beeps from my computer and a blank screen.
How do I get it to reboot?Is the battery properly inserted (not reversed)?
Were you careful and didn't force it out or in? If you broke a connection during the replacement, you may be SOL.Thanks for your reply. I was carefull when replacing the battery.
I did READ a simmilar problem after a good DEAL of READING the forum.
I removed the graphics card and cleaned the contacts.
Put it back in its slot and You BEAUTY she works.
So my problem is FIXED so far.
Thanks once again

17283.

Solve : Odd problem...please help?

Answer»

I have run into a strange problem with my computer. When it is on, it sometimes acts as if the monitor goes into power saver mode and when the mouse is MOVED to wake up the computer/monitor the monitor stays black. It appears that my monitor is working correctly, because I can STILL read the message "no signal." When I turn my computer on the light on the front of the case comes on and the back panel of the case where the LAN is lights up the fans kick on, but the HEATSINK fan does not start up. I can't get anything to come up now. Like I said, it appears to be on, but the heatsink does not start up and there is no signal to the monitor. For the last couple of weeks one of the fans was MAKING a weird noise. Any help is appreciated.Ok, I unhooked everything and blew out the case and tried to take out the cpu fan, but the didn't work. Anyway, I plugged it in and it came on with no problems. The cpu fan is still making noise, though. When I first turned it on it began to boot up, but then shut down. It is up and RUNNING at the moment. Any ideas? Thanks.

17284.

Solve : My hardrive wont make a portition to the right size?

Answer»

I have a 20GB harddrive and i have been trying to make a PORTITION but it wont go any bigger then 503mb even tho the HARDRIVE is 20gbWhat are you using to create the partition ? ?i have tried portition magic and fdiskWhat version of Windows are you using? What is the history of the hard drive? Is it the only drive in the machine? Is it seen correctly in the BIOS? Have you started by running the free diagnostics from the appropriate hard drive maker's SITE?Quote from: GX1_Man on April 06, 2007, 04:20:27 AM

What version of Windows are you using? What is the history of the hard drive? Is it the only drive in the machine? Is it seen correctly in the BIOS? Have you started by running the free diagnostics from the appropriate hard drive maker's site?

There is currently no OS on the drive due to there being no portition. I got the hardrive from my school and replaced an OLD 1GB hardrive which was having the same problem. It is the only drive in the computer. The bios sees it fine.Have you looked at the jumpers ? ?
Some older drives had size limiting jumpers on them...
If not that is a really old version of FDisk.
DLoad a WinME bootdisk from bootdisk.com and use it to create a floppy.
Then have at it.
17285.

Solve : cd rom?

Answer»

I am looking to BUILD my own computer and i was WONDERING how to KNOW if the disk DRIVE is compatable with the computer.No need to start 3 topics for basically the same THEME. See your other post.

17286.

Solve : what's up w/ the thumb drive??

Answer»

i have a flash drive or THUMB drive that is not in the lock mode but when i try to save small word documents on it i get the message "the disk in the destin ation drive is FULL. insert a new disk to continue" & when I hit "retry" i get the message that it can't copy as there is not enough FREE disk space but the weird thin g is that there is 12.6 mb used space, 972 mb free space w/ a capacity of 984 mb which means there's 98% free space.

i ran a virus scan & defrag on the thumb drive & there were no problems. any idea why this imation 1 gb thumb drive won't let me store simple word documents? thanks, dedeThis may work:

1. Copy over all data to your C: drive in a new folder. (IMPORTANT!)
2. Right-click on the thumb drive's icon, and select "Format..."
3. Format as FAT32; do not use Quick Format. Click Format. (THIS DESTROYS ALL DATA ON THE DISK, WHICH IS WHY STEP 1 IS SO IMPORTANT!)
4. Copy all files back and try again.

I make it a habit to format flash drives when I get them -- saves a headache later. Quote

I make it a habit to format flash drives when I get them -- saves a headache later.
Yeah, same.

Hey dede, how long have you had the thumb drive? If you've had it for a long time it could be damaged or corrupted.Caron Dudeoxide & others: I've had the thumb drive sin CE about 8/05. if thumb drive were corrupted or damage d would't it have shown up on my virus scan & on the defragmentation? regarrds, dedeCan you copy what you have on it to your hard drive, if not already on your hard drive, or somewhere other than the flash drive itself? If so, then go ahead an format it. Give it a try. What have you got to lose?Quote from: dede on April 06, 2007, 11:08:13 AM
Caron Dudeoxide & others: I've had the thumb drive sin ce about 8/05. if thumb drive were corrupted or damage d would't it have shown up on my virus scan & on the defragmentation? regarrds, dede
Not neccessarily...i believe if the FAT info is still there it will still be recognised by many programs including Windows...this is why RAW volumes can still be seen.

Take Dilbert and Soybeans advice...

p.s. There isn't a tiny security switch on this is there ? ?patio, it looks like there is only lock & unlock switch on this imation 1 gb thumb drive . did not see a security switch. will move all to c drive, delete every thing on thumb drive & then move it back over. what is RAW info? regards, dedei moved stuff to hard drive new folder, formatted thumb drive as FAT32 & moved the stuff vback to the thumb drive & ii'm now able to create & save a document & move documents into the f drive . thanks all for your helpl!!!! dedeExcellent.

Raw is where data goes when USB drives are dis-connected improperly.
Trust me, you don't wanna see it happen to you.
17287.

Solve : XP Pro not Recgonizing Network Adapter?

Answer»

Hello,

So, TODAY i decided i was reformating my hard DRIVE, first TIME i've done it before, everything's working out fine. Then, i get to the point where i'm installing my internet, and it won't do it. It tells me i don't have a network adapter (which i know i have, and i know is part of the motherboard!). I go to device manager to make sure, and yeah, it's not detected.
So, i go to just ADD it in as xp help and support suggested, but there were only three choices and none of them seemed to work. Any idea's what's going on?Whenever you format you have to remember to re-install all your drivers including MBoard, sound and video...
The NIC drivers will be with the MBoard driver disk.
didn't have that cd so i didn't think of it. Took a little while to test going back and forth between my computer and one with internet, but i downloaded the drivers for the motherboard off the internet and it's working perfectly.
TyvmGlad to hear you are fixed up...

17288.

Solve : White Screen on laptop?

Answer»

Well, i was given a COMPUTER by an uncle, a rather nice Sony Vaio, i was given this laptop well...because the screen is BROKEN. I honestly don't think it is REALLY broken, but something is wrong. When you turn on the laptop, you get then normal blinking and FLICKERING of the screen as if it were turning on. Only problem is that after that the screen goes white and stays white. I plugged it up to an external monitor and it works just fine. I can pull any information you may need off of it if necessary.I remember having this problem with one of my older PowerBooks...
If i pinched the edge of the screen in just the right place it would work.
It's probably a loose CONNECTION somewhere. Can you take it anywhere to have it serviced?
Good luck!
-John

17289.

Solve : anyone help with video card?

Answer»

alright thanks. so far all i did was disable the device.is there any universal way to uninstall ur integrated graphics card cuz this is really starting to piss me offQuote from: truepolakx4 on April 06, 2007, 08:20:15 AM

alright thanks. so far all i did was disable the device.
Exactly what do you mean? You disabled it in Device Manager or in the BIOS?device manager. n the bios all i have is the option of SWITCHING the video adapter from agp to pci and i have no IDEA what difference that will make.That SETTING is to set the BIOS to the actual type of card (AGP or PCI) you have installed. If your BIOS has no setting to disable onboard video and your motherboard has no jumper to disable it, I think you're going to have to live with this. If the only thing that annoys you is the appearance of that DEFUNCT display adapter in Device Manager, you really have no serious problem. also the other problem is that i cant run any videos and upon trying to run a video it freezes. that WOULD become very annoying
17290.

Solve : Question about building a computer?

Answer»

Ok IM looking to build my computer and i was WONDERING if these are all the items i NEED to build it:
1.case 2.motherboard (with built in audio/video)3.cpu(with fan) 4. Ram 5. hardrive 6. diskdriveA power supply would be good...but you have the basics covered if you plan on using onboard video and sound...
If not then add to your list a vid card and a sound card
Is this your first build ? ?Pretty much (those are the basic hardware devices you would need) but remember these too!

7. operating system
8. a "good" power supply*
9. for GAMING a must* PCI-E video card
10. additional fans in case ie..(cooling)

I will assume you know the rest .............
how 'bout cd/dvd drives to add up in your list..

17291.

Solve : Numbers don't work on keyboard.?

Answer»

No matter what kind of keyboard I ADD/ try I cannot use the 10 key number pad. Some parts of the numberpad like the up arrow=8 right arrow=6 down arrow=2 and left arrow=4 work FINE as does the enter button, the /,*,-,and+ also work! But not the numbers.

It's not a NumLock issue EITHER!

Very frustrating and slow to have to type numbers using the numbers on the regular part of the keyboard.

I've looked for DRIVERS and have been to the troubleshooting area's of the different keyboard MANUFACTURERS websites and still no luck.

I've checked BIOS setting also, they are fine!

Even tried a USB extention...

Any other thoughts?Have you tried a PS2 keyboard ? ?
Everyone should have one...
When you say the BIOS settings are correct what are they set at in the BIOS ? ?Quote from: Jgyles7 on April 06, 2007, 11:51:34 PM

Even tried a USB extention...
Do you mean a USB Keypad?
17292.

Solve : One last question?

Answer»

I know i have been posting alot but this is one of my last questions. This is my first build i want to know if i have all the parts i need so here is what i have.
1.http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2984884&sku=I69-2146%20D
2.http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2245455&sku=C283-3015
3.http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1071037&sku=ULT31688
4.http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2700058&sku=S167-4219
I want to know if this is all the parts i need to complete a computer. Please help and THANKYOU!This STILL should have been POSTED in one of your other threads...you're confusing everyone.

17293.

Solve : Please help!!!!!!! Problems with using firewire DV Digital video camera via hub?

Answer»

I am trying to capture from my DV Digital Video Camera (Cannon MV550i) to my computer via a firewire cable using Ulead Video Studio or windows movie maker and neither software detects the camera. My laptop (advent 7102) does not come with a firewire port therefore I am using a HP USB 2.0/firewire Combo hub which connects to the USB 2.0 on my laptop to connect the camera. I put the firewire cable from the camera into the firewire port on the hub - the hub then plugs into the USB 2.0 on my computer. Can you tell me if this will work using a hub as my software does not detect the camera when trying to scan the DV? The hubs product website below says you can use the hub for video cameras alhtough I don't know if they just mean usb to usb rather then firewire to usb as I am doing. I would be grateful on any suggestions to get the camera working. Also I am running the camera off the battery rather then an AC adapter - would that make any difference? Please help. What you answer may influence me selling the camera and SPENDING a lot of money on a new USB one so please give me accurate information. Thank you for your help. (I couldn't find anything on google)
I forgot to add - I am using Windows XP service pack 2 build 2600Try using the camera on AC power rather than battery.
Also, check the manual - what does that say about connecting the camera?Thanks. I don't have a ac adapter for the camera but may get one - would it really make a difference though? That’s just what powers the camera not what operates it - if it on its on. The instructions don't say much as the camera came out just when people where beginning to use digital cameras. It just says plug the firewire in your computer - nothing else.Details of the hub if anyone wants to know are at...


http://h41306.www4.hp.com/itemDetails?=95ef9431843c869f87ab8f1301054516468:1223&sku=PJ487AAYou may need to install drivers first. Quote from: Raptor on April 19, 2007, 03:07:37 PM

You may need to install drivers first.

Its a firefire only camera - from what I understand with firewire you don't need to install drivers - you just plug it straight in. I wouldn't rely on that, ask the manufacturer for drivers or proper procedures.
17294.

Solve : Power down after boot?

Answer»

I moved my PC tower and after reconnecting all the peripheals and the monitor, etc. the computer will boot and begin loading windows XP and then just power off apparently for no reason. 5 minutes prior to moving the PC everythign was fine. It was playing music while I rearranged furniture.

I had the same exact problem when I installed the GeForce 7950GT PCI-E card. I didn't have the power molex for the card pushed in far enough and it would shut off right at loading windows. I corrected the molex problem and it's WORKED perfect until now.

Anyone know why moving a computer would stop it from botting properly for absolutely no reason? Everything is perfect internally; I went thru it to make sure and only found one thing that might even affect it at all: my cpu heatsink.

It's a stock heatsink for the P4 3.0ghz LGA 775. I was worried the heatsink wouldn't be good enough or that I hadn't used enough thermal grease but it worked great in conjunction with 4 case fans up TIL now.

Will this type of power down occur if a processor is GETTING too hot? It doesn't give me any kind of warning or notice at all, just shuts off.It sure can, if it's an Intel. (If it's an AMD it will just burn up!)

With a hot processor like that a good and functional cooling fan is a must. If you're not sure, reassemble or get a new one.Did you fasten the heatsink properly? Is the fan running? Checked the power supply connections and fan?

Alan <>< Whenever a machine is moved one or more components can be unseated...likliest culprits , vid card, RAM and NIC cards or any other addon cards.

Re-seat them all. As always when working inside the case remove ALL power sources and take anti static precautions.I tore my PC down completelyand reassembled it. The P4's heatsink was slightly unset and not fitting as tight as it should, and I discovered upon taking it off that the paste on the processor and heatsink was thinning, possibly from where it wasn't set tight enough and the heat causing it to dissipate. The seal between the heatsink and processor probably broke when I moved the tower.

I bought some Arctic Silver 5 and applied it about 5 minutes ago. Squeezed out about as much as a sharpened pencil lead or a rice grain and rolled it out EVENLY over the processor with a toothpick. I checked to make sure there wasn't any excess paste.

I'm going to let it set up for about 15 minutes and try to boot my PC again. I'm praying that my problem was only the P4 getting too hot and shutting down. The behaviour the PC was expressing suggests that this was my problem. The evidence that supported my theory is:

When I'd let the computer sit for 5-10 minutes (until it HAD to be cold) then hit the power button, it would stay on for 12-15 seconds, usually until the Windows XP logo hit the screen and then zap, it shut off. If I attempted to power it on again 20 seconds later it would stay on a whole 5 seconds and power off again, not even making it to the Windows load. (This is what made me assume that the processor wasn't staying cool enough anymore.)

I'll post a REPLY of my results when I try my next boot. Thanks for the advice!Well guys, the Arctic Silver 5 did the trick!! Man I'm so relieved. The processor core is running about 4-5 degrees Fahrenheit lower than what it was running even before the problem happened! Now it's booting wonderfully.

Never again will I even think about relying on stock thermal paste. I'd always heard good things about Arctic Silver and now I'm definately a believer.

Ok guys thanks for reading, I'm getting off this old Dimension 2400 and going back to the other PC. Nice job tracking down a solution liquid and thanx for letting us know...this may help someone else down the road...The problem was helped with the paste but probably helped more by the reseating of the heatsink/fan correctly. Quote from: Raptor on April 19, 2007, 03:09:09 PM

Did you fasten the heatsink properly?

17295.

Solve : tv tuner?

Answer»

hi, everyone i want to buy tv tuner, as i guess, this is the hardware that will give me the opportunity to watch TV. am i right?? Yes, but you will need a coaxial cable ... You will need a TV tuner which will fit, and an aerial cable, unless you will be satisfied with the dodgy standard portable aerial usually supplied.
Do you want an internal or external tuner, and how many digital/analogue tuners?I never understood why one would want to turn a PC into a TV set...

Course i don't understand big time wrestling either...The Myth of Multimedia. Quote from: patio on April 18, 2007, 03:52:46 PM

I never understood why one would want to turn a PC into a TV set...

Course i don't understand big time wrestling either...

My TV was smaller, only had mono sound and no teletext. For +/- 200-300 euros I could buy a new proper TV and for 70 euros I was able to turn my PC into a TV which has a 19" LCD monitor and stereo sound that is of much higher quality than the TV speakers you get nowadays. he choice was easily made. Quote from: patio on April 18, 2007, 03:52:46 PM
I never understood why one would want to turn a PC into a TV set...

Course i don't understand big time wrestling either...
As Raptor stated, it can be cheaper, better quality screen, more channels, whatever.
Plus (with the right tuners) you can record and watch as many channels as you like, at the same time.
I wanted one for my laptop, but Expresscard tuners are not cheaply available yet, besides the port is blocked by my sound card.
A USB tuner may be an option, but I first need an aerial cable in my room.
So for me, the reasons are that the TV I have is small, has awful picture and sound quality, and has no VCR/DVD recorder.
This laptop has better video/sound quality by far, a BIGGER screen which is also widescreen, and has a 100Gb HDD, plus 250Gb external HDD, plus DVDRW drive.
So I can record an infinite number of programmes I like with better quality, and more channels.
See my point?Well in these rare cases i guess it would make sense...

Quote
This laptop has better video/sound quality by far, a bigger screen which is also widescreen, and has a 100Gb HDD, plus 250Gb external HDD, plus DVDRW drive.

What the heck kind of TV's are they sellin over there if they are smaller than a laptop screen ? ?

These aren't BLACK and white units by any chance are they ? ? ?Quote from: patio on April 19, 2007, 08:15:46 PM
Well in these rare cases i guess it would make sense...

Quote
This laptop has better video/sound quality by far, a bigger screen which is also widescreen, and has a 100Gb HDD, plus 250Gb external HDD, plus DVDRW drive.

What the heck kind of TV's are they sellin over there if they are smaller than a laptop screen ? ?

These aren't black and white units by any chance are they ? ? ?
14" portable TV (yes it's colour, I'm not a barbarian ) as a bigger TV would be too expensive, and wouldn't fit on my DESK very well.
I'm cramped for space as it is, and I only wanted it to play my PS2 on a few years back (said PS2 now sites under my desk gathering dust, cowering in FEAR at the sounds of real games on a real gaming unit).
The laptop screen is 15.4", which is a lot bigger than it sounds.
Fantastic for watching movies on, and for gaming.
I still yearn for a desktop though.
17296.

Solve : Ohh Noo! Time for Computer Shopping!?

Answer»

Hey guys!
I'm thinking about getting a new computer because it's been a while. Anyways to the point.
I have been looking around for a while and I have come across a pretty good deal for me.


-AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core (2.6GHz) works with 2GB of SDRAM (expandable to 4GB)

-GeForce 6150 graphics with 128MB dedicated memory and up to 399MB shared video memory and TV tuner.

-I/O Ports: 6 x USB 2.0 (2 front, 4 back), 2 Firewire (IEEE 1394, 1 front, 1 back), 15-In-1 Memory Card Reader, Composite Video, S-Video And Audio Inputs, VGA Out for TV Tuner

Product Details

Processor Type AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core
Processor SPEED 2.6GHz
RAM 2GB PC4200 DDR2 SDRAM (Exp. To 4GB)
Hard Drive 500GB SATA (7200RPM)
Optical DRIVES DL 16X DVD+/-RW With Lightscribe
Graphics Card GeForce 6150
Available Expansion Bays 1 HP Personal Media Drive
Available Expansion Slots 1 x PCI, 1 x PCI-E
Cache 1MB + 1MB L2
Disk Drive No
Fax/Modem 56K Modem
Monitor Included? 22'Wide Screen LCD
Network Card 10/100 Ethernet
Other Control Devices Keyboard, Optical Mouse, Remote Control
Preloaded Operating System Windows Vista Premium
Sound Card Integrated Audio, 6 Speaker Configurable
Speakers No
System Bus 2000MHz
Warranty 1 Year Limited Hardware
The Cost is $1,549.98 (CAN)
So Give Me Your Thoughts.. And also i will be getting a new Video Card.

How much is a Canadian dollar worth in EU or US $?

That's not a gaming system, but other than that I think it is reasonable as long as you do not have high multimedia demands. (Read 3D applications). I wouldn't count on crystal clear sound either with 'integrated' sound.using the current conversion rate of x 1.12 where 1.
one US dollar equals 1.12.... CAD

If you were so inclined, you could PROBABLY build that rig for about 1100.00 USIt's not a bad system, with better than average integrated graphics.
I'd recommend a good video card though, or the IGP will bottleneck the system, and it will be unsuitable for gaming.
Consider a Core 2 based system if you have the CASH, they're better than the Athlon X2 series.
Raptor: integrated sound cards are getting better, some of them offer passable sound now.
I still prefer my Audigy 2 though.
You may want to look into a dedicated sound card too.

17297.

Solve : So bad clusters mean a death sentence??

Answer»

So Yeah a few days ago I used a defragmenting program which after using it I had bad clusters. I used the disk checker which told me there wasn't enough disk Space to replace the bad clusters when I have a little more than half free space. Would freeing up more disk space fix this? Which defrag program did you USE ? ?
As to the disk check i'm assuming you used the Windows one.
DLoad and run the diagnistic utility from the DRIVE manuf. site...Perfect disc. I think it was. uhmmm I think It's a Toshiba disc drive. I went to the site but couldn't find any downloads for that. Maybe reformatting could clear this right up? No a format will not do this ...you will still have bad block/clusters.
Is this a laptop? ?
I was unable to logon to Toshiba's site to find their disk tools.
Let me check my bag of tricks for a generic freebee...Yeah it is. *censored* It won't? I heard reformatting would be the only way.Again, a reformat will not repair/move bad clusters. Chkdisk or some other EQUIVALENT would need to be used.
If you format and re-install you will have the same situation with no errors being corrected.
If you can free up enough space on that drive to allow chkdisk to run properly than it should be fine.

The other option is if you are CONSIDERING formatting then you could run chkdisk on the empty drive and let it fix things and then do a clean install of all your stuff.

How old is this drive ? ?
It might not have much time left.hmm The drive isn't that old. Less than a year. I'm not sure exactly how long but just less than a year. I was thinking about doing a clean install. I thought if you reformatted it would just skip around the bad areas.I guess that's why I'm a novice? lol. But yeah it said it doesn't have enough disc space to replace the bad sectors and I have a little more than half free? How much more should I have to free?Format from a bootdisk...
Run chkdsk from the bootdisk when done...
Re-install.ahaha Sounds like fun. WELL Sounds plasusible.

17298.

Solve : Can not get comp. working, can you figure it out??

Answer»

Ok, so here it goes. I have two systems that I have built. For whatever reason the older one went down. My gf needed info off of it for school, so I hooked it up to the new system in an attempt to recover it. I have the same copy of Windows xp pro installed on both hdd's. So I booted up the system with both hdd's attached, windows loaded fine, but with the user rights set, I was unable to recover the info. I attempted to boot xp off of the other hdd from the old system but to no avail. That was the set up for the problem. The problem now lies in the fact that xp is now corrupted on the new system's hdd, it will not let me repair it, re-install it, and continues to reboot itself as xp seems to be crashing as the load screen comes up. I've flashed the bios, I rma'd the new sys. hdd and have TRIED the new hdd WD sent me, it will not let me install windows on that either. I get the BLUE screen after it loads all of the support files and a random error message. At this point I'm ready to just rma the whole system to start fresh, but before I do that, I wanted to see if there is anyone out there who know's how to fix this without doing that. Everything I've read so far points that I need to rma the motherboard so epox can reconfigure it anew. What say you to this problem?Forgot to add, I'm running as follows
xp pro sp2
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2
EPoX EP-AF590SLI2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
EVGA 256-P2-N624-AR GeForce 7900GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO Video Card
XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX12V 500W Power Supply
2 SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBE
2 A-DATA 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model ADQPE1A16
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard DriveSince it won't let you repair the installation have you tried a format and reinstall? If so and it hasn't worked you might need to grab a copy of, I think it's Partion Magic or something LIKE that to delete the partition (can some one verify that please?). After the partition is deleted you can then continue to reinstall Windows again.Windows can delete ALL partitions during an install. No other software is needed. The bigger issue is one legal copy of XP per machine. I understand needing more than one copy of xp, but I've flashed the bios, and have tried to install xp on the new hdd, but the comp. just restarts itself either while loading the xp files or right after it is done loading the files and says it is starting the windows install. So, will attempting to install a different copy of windows most likely work, or does the mb need rma'ing. Any other thoughts?Quote from: bluewolf0595 on April 06, 2007, 09:18:29 AM

I understand needing more than one copy of xp, but I've flashed the bios, and have tried to install xp on the new hdd, but the comp. just restarts itself either while loading the xp files or right after it is done loading the files and says it is starting the windows install. So, will attempting to install a different copy of windows most likely work, or does the mb need rma'ing. Any other thoughts?
So, did you let it finish? If not, why? The whole installation process could take 30 - 45 minutes or longer.Of course I let it try and finish, that is the problem, the comp. restarts itself before it even begins to finish. I've already stated that. I attempt to install xp, it manages to load the setup files, it then states windows is loading, then promptly restarts itself without accomplishing anything. I feel that it may be something to do with the motherboard, but am of course not positive on that conclusion. Quick question, did you even read my whole post? Because your question in response to my issue was pointless in asking. You may want to try reading the whole thing before you ask such a retarded question.I'm sure your response to a senior member will no doubt elicit further responses in a hurry...
17299.

Solve : Old Hard Drive?

Answer»

After some external DAMAGE to my old computer, various parts were removed and saved.
Is there any way of taking the photographs stored on the old disc drive and transfering them to the new computer. Any help would be gratefully RECEIVED and please bear in mind I have no computer building experienceQuite a few ways. If you could, some information on the PC SETUPS would be helpful. The easiest and safest method would be to take the old HDD and hook it up to a known working machine and jumper it as a slave drive...
You should then be able to see it in Windows Explorer and copy/save any info on that drive...

17300.

Solve : Computer will not boot at all!?

Answer»

I have an old computer that I built that was working GREAT a COUPLE weeks ago. I recently unplugged it for a couple of weeks as we are having our house REMODELED and now it will not boot at all - no LED lights, no fans spinning, etc. The power supply is a 400 watt version that is only 2 months old and was working great. I even went and bought another 400 watt power supply and still nothing happens. I have tried several different power CORDS, different surge protectors, and plugged it in directly to the wall, with no difference. I have the power supply BUTTON in the back in the on position. I see the green light on the motherboard indicating that it is getting power. I have taken the RAM out and reseted the ram, tried each stick by themselves.

Thanks for the help.Was it only unplugged, or unplugged AND moved? I would start by reseating everything and checking all plugs and cables.And check where the actual power button is plugged into the motherboard, as well as the button itself. I've had trouble with that stopping working a few times. You can manually start it by completing the circuit where the button plugs in on the motherboard (i.e. placing a small wire from one pin to the other for a short second).