Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in .

This is my first build. Here are the SPECS:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice
MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD
WestDig Caviar 250GB SATA
CORSAIR 1GB (2 x 512MB) (only one installed for trouble shooting)
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD BURNER Silver IDE

All installation went ok. Fans run, components detected in BIOS, temp fine. Trying to boot Windows from optical drive, the initial drivers install and the SATA/RAID extra drivers on the diskette load as well (F6 and MSI-provided disk). However, when Windows asks about partitioning the hard drive, the system suddenly powers down before I offer a command.

I have not swapped out the power supply. It is an unknown brand for me and provides 350W. I picked up an Antec to swap and will try that tonight. BIOS upgrad? MSI mainboard drivers needed? Why would Windows' set up force a power down when interacting with the hard drive (which is LARGER than Windows expects, being 250 Gb)?sounds like to much power for your power supply.
Also by looking at ya hard ware those do take allot fo energy so you might wanna get a new power supply 350 watts or higher.

im sure thats what it is....thats a rather good machine there

ok i see that your power supply is 350 watts wait are u sure.......
well i'll do more research but im pretty sure it might be your power supply.

I'll research it for ya.Yes. I'm pretty happy with it. Will be more so when it works. I've spent about a week and a half working around smaller issues and reading. And reading. My ability for casual conversation with non-tech types has dwindled.

I went through a basic power supply calculator and came up with 265. They didn't list the vid card nor did they make a distinction between high capacity hard drives (don't know if that matters). So even adding 50 watts to the total draw, seems like the sheer size of the wattage allotted by the present pow sup should cover it. Regardless, I'm trying the Antec tonight. Might just be bad. Below is the calculator I used.

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

350w is the bare minimum to try and run that and more makes a LOT of sense. The important thing is the amps on the 12v rail, but it sounds like no way to check that? Antec is a good brand but there is no sense in skimping on this vital component of your dream system. Those calculators are just ballpark guesses. What kind of video card is on there? If you say PCIe 350w is ridiculous! Thanks for the responses. Yes, it is PCIe. My Vid card is in the slot.

I looked into the mainboard specs and it requires at least 18A on the 12 Volt (4 pin) power connector. The previous p supplies had less than this. I just grabbed a power supply with a 20A rating and 400 Watts. Same thing. Got a little further in the Windows set-up procedure. Sudden power shut-down at the user agreement and coming up on the hard drive partitioning.

Can anyone suggest a power supply with a strong Amp rating on the 12 Volt? Does this sound like the mainboard is failing somehow? An issue with communication from the opt drive to the SATA?

Main question: Why do some p supplies list two different 12V ratings? I noticed this when looking for a better P Sup. The highest single 12V rail I could find was 20A. Other supplies had two different ratings like 19A and 17A. Should I assume these work collectively or at least split up the power needs of my CPU, PCIe Vid Card (no direct power; only through MOBO), fans SATA and optical drive?

If I understand the power dynamics, a 20A 12V should make 240 Watts available to be used by all the components looking to the 12V for power. Need more? Hayzeus, I'm frustrated.

3 weeks ago I did a system restore and my PC was working just fine.
I had the usual stuff on my PC; music, photoshop 7.0, and this small 64mb WWII game.

Today I was installign this game called America's Army and HALF way throug hthe download I get this SOMETHING frames errors and my PC restarts on its own, now when I run my computer and I TRY to run something big I get this:



I dont want to do another system restore...I already did everything on this page http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330174&sd=RMVP but I still get the *censored* thing!!!
HEY orangepine,

the FIRST thing i would do is a spyware and virus scan. the second thing i would do is download "hijack this" and post a "hijack this" log. u can download "hijack this" from here...http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3155.html

can any ONE out there help me describe how computer works? what are the memory is doing,the CPU,the CHIPSETS,and OTHERS,and what is the work of the OS? no problem with technical words im a computer student.Have fun.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/What has happened to the world? How is it easier to browse through internet forums and receive non-authoritative answers to questions than to JUST READ YOUR TEXT BOOKS?!

*sigh* I think I've turned into a bit of an old git. When did THAT happen?!It's part of a larger societal problem of wanting instant RESULTS to problems, rather than investing in personal effort.

Better quit there before I start sounding like Mac! Most would rather hang themselves than sound like Mac

FlameExcept for Mac.Computer Student wanting to know how a computer works. hmmmm

Must be a HP help tech.

My pretty new (February) Dell XPS 400 is emitting a regular (every 10 seconds) low beep from the soundcard/speakers. This is not the usual startup or error beep from the tower. This is going through the soundcard and it's about to drive me nuts. Is there any way to tell what programs are currently using the soundcard?kitster...... ctrl/alt/del will bring up the task manager ..... look at the applications tab to see whats running and then CLICK on the processes and look to see whats active ..... that may give you a clue ......
Have you D/L any driver updates recently which might coincide with your issue?
BTW ...what happens if you play a cd or a movie ....do you still hear the beeps ?

dl65 kitster ........You could also check .........
click start /run ...then in the run BOX type dxdiag and enter ......
when the new window opens ...click on the audio TABS and see if it indicates anything not working .

dl65 No new drivers. I haven't installed anything at all for a while. I have killed all active apps except for Firefox and IEI just killed a bunch of Systray stuff which didn't help. The other processes are being very quiet going by CPU Usage and Memory delta. It still beeps when I play a CD or MP3.

Now that I check it soundsa like it's only COMING through the center channel and the subwoofer.kitster..... Have you checked using the dxdiag yet ?
If you can find anything wrong , I would SUGGEST calling Dell as its a new machine .
BTW ...is this something that has just started ?

dl65
dxdiag didn't show anything unusual. Calling Dell is my last resort. I haven't had a lot of luck with them in the past. I'm trying the messageboards there too.kitster.......

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums

Make sure you have your service tag number available when you go there ...it will assist .
It's possible that there is something wrong with the sound card ..........

dl65

when i try to watch stuff on WINDOWS media PLAYER, its always like.. inverted. :-?joe_tucker........ Do you mean the whole window or just WMP ........? Have you tried opening up your vid card console and ROTATED the IMAGE 180 ?
Are any other items dislaying upside down as well ?

DL65

Is it possible to hookup a PLAYSTATION to a hp laptop?I think you can IF you have your PS2 moddedim pretty sure U could too with a modded playstation2. but i PREFER modded xboxs... 160gig hd baby!!!! muhahaha rent games for life (if u know what i mean.)

BTW if ne of u NEED to know how to mod an xbox just send me a message.

Recently I downloaded the newest realtek drivers from www.realtek.com.tw/
Near the end of the installation my computer just rebooted...
When my computer booted up.. no audio!
I tried to download the drivers off the compaq site, and it reboot in the middle of install..
I did a fresh XP install, installed the DRIVER off the compaq site... rebooted in the middle of install, still no audio...
I have tried everything.. I have NO idea what is wrong.. COULD it be a serius HARDWARE issue?
My computer is a Compaq Presario S4214BD Desktop PC

If you have any idea what is wrong, please help me.. [smiley=sad.gif]
Here's the driver update you should be using:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?lc=en&cc=us&softwareitem=pv-36798-1&product=345012&dlc=en&lang=en

Here's everything you need on that MACHINE:

http://h10061.www1.hp.com/ccsearch/search?pname=Compaq+Presario+S4214BD+Desktop+PC&pid=345013&spid=345012&opname=Compaq+Presario+S4214BD+Desktop+PC&contextual_lname=&pname_desc=Compaq+Presario+S4214BD+Desktop+PC&ptype=consumer&stype=pn&spname=Compaq+Presario+S4214BD+Desktop+PC&temp_hql=s-001%2Cs-002%2Cs-004%2Cs-003%2Cs-005%2Cs-006%2Cs-017%2Cz-001&ctry=us&lc=en&dlc=en&mode=lz&method=prodFinder&qry=audio+driver&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0

Don't use the drivers fromthe Realtek site. Always use Compaq drivers. I would delete ALL audio drivers and reboot and see what happens.

Hey, i am helping my friend build a computer, and we seem to be having a PROBLEM. When we put the power cable into the power supply, and turn the switch to ON, it makes a really high pitch noise. This is really bugging the heck out of me because we are so close to getting this job done.

Specs:

AMD +2800
ASPIRE ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 420W Power Supply
XFX Geforce 7800GT
1gb corsair ram
320gb HD
CD-RW/DVD-RW drive

i really hope IM not the only one with this problem, and i hope its something easy to fix, thanks, zell990

Some el cheapo power supplies display this as well as other problems. These can include no NAME ones that COME with an inexpensive case.so im guess what u are saying is that the Power supply is just crap?Who is the manufacturer? Do you have another to slip in there for a TEST? Is that a new case and PSU? If so, I would contact whoever you got it from.

I will try and make this as discriptive as possible, if furthewr detail is needed, please ask!

OK, here's my problem: i get no video OUTPUT.
- The hard disk boots properly
- Floppy drive boots properly
- Cd drive boots properly
- no video output
- Power supply exaust fan is very loud
- case is for an older model (temporary)
- New hard drive with windows on it
- all new hardware (except power supply)
- I made a boot disk in windows 98 so i could format, but before i re-installed windows, I got all new hardware
- I used the boot disk, and it booted up... however, I didn't know how to use the BIOS on the motherboard to switch to boot of cd- rom
- When I used the boot disk, I noticed the motherboard looked exactly the same as th old one, even though it's a different model
- I lost the boot disk
- I tried other boot disks to SEE if it would still work... but no dice
- when i try to boot up, the hard drive, floppy drive and cd drive boot, but there is no video output
- I PUT a hard drive with windows xp already on it, but still nothing

Any help would be GREATLY APPRETIATED.We know a lot of stuff now, except nothing about the power supply maker, how old, how big, etc.Alright, i'll post some additional information TOMORROW... right now i'm really tired... just thought someone might have had this problem before and immedieatly recognize it... oh well. I'll give power supply and video card info tomorrow.Quote

I put a hard drive with windows xp already on it, but still nothing

Ok, So I finally got that new power supply I Hassled PCDirect for But when I got everything ready to go, something else came up...Go figure. Theres this plug (as shown in the picture) and well, while its plugged in my computer won't even power on. Nothing starts, runs or spins. However, When Its plugged in, Everything powers on but I get NO picture on my monitor. Im absolutey stumped. If you have any idea what the problem could be, or a way to fix this please help me out!


That looks like the separate power supply for the processor. You may have - groan - a faulty power supply. Have you had this system working at any point?Yep, The motherboard, Processor, graphics Card...all of them work FINE.
Nooo! Not again???! Is that possible to get two faulty power supplies in a ROW? I did try my back-up 300 W PS, and I got the same problem?? Im absolutely stumped. i thought maybe it was my mother board, so I'd TAKE it to Like staples nad have them test it.Wait in both instances your PS was plugged IN? I'm confused :-?Gah, Sorry! When the power cable is pugged into my motherboard, nothing happens. When Its out, everything starts up and is running ok, but there is no monitor action at all. It just is black, But the HD is on and runing fine.In that case, the computer is fine. If it's an external GFX card (AGP, PCI, PCI-E) try re-seating it and making sure any clips are done.
As for the extra plug, keep it unplugged. I heard it's only for P4's. I'm running an AMD Sempron 3000+. No extra plug needed here...ahhh, THATS right. I remeber thre being a note about the "P4 Plug." So what do I do to fix this? It still dosn't work, everything looks fine...It almost seems like my motherboard is set down to FAR in my case though :/ Like its not going in all the way, Im not sure why its doing that, I know thats the problem now..

i have an old hdd that ws infected with a virus from the internet. I have plans to save some audiofiles. is there some way i could slave the drive without infecting the master?? btw, the old hdd i was talking about would stop at verifying dmi pool data and im still looking for a way to start it up. but i need all the help i can getYou may have mechanical problems in addition to a virus. YOu can run diagnostics from the drive manufacturer's web site. HOOK it in as a slave, scan the drive with a GOOD antivirus or Norton, whichever you have, and copy the files over.problem is, i can't boot the hdd bcause it stops at verifying dmi pool data. How can i ACCESS the hhd in the first place? can i just slave it without affecting the master? TNX for the help What he's saying is that you make it a slave, scan it real good with virus scanners, and copy the files over. As for me: I would format the drive after copying all needed files over to make sure no viruses can affect your computer. It should be pretty safe, so long as you don't activate any files on the drive until you scanned them.

Actually, depending on your scanner, you may be able to just scan the files you need. If they're clean, copy 'em over. Then format what's left to prevent virus spreading. But to be on the safe side, I'd scan my C: drive afterwards for viruses, just in case they do spread. You can never be too careful.

I had my COMPUTER working before, and now when i boot up it gives an error saying "out of range" and tells me the frequncy.
Nothing else will show up so i find it HARD to change anythng through settings. im thinking the problem could of started when i used my lcd monitor and pluged it into my mac laptop, after that was done, my lcd monitor will give out of range error when i try to run with my pc desktop.
ANYONE know what i should do?Yeah put your other monitor back and see if it works. If it do then reser your CMOS.
If your other monitor works there may be a few settings you have to change for it to work.

whats ya computer specs?Im sorry, im not SURE what you mean. Put my other monitor back?
I tryed using another monitor, which is a trinitron, and i still cant seem to get past the first screen without an error.
im running a p4 2.4ghz and 80 gig drive, 512 ram, onboard vid.you have on board video......hmmm

I have actually made my computer monitor do that to me before by changing my frequencies. It didnt come on and kept saying out of range.
Whatr I did was reset my CMOS. remove the CMOS battery for about 2 minutes then put it back in.

No no no!
All you do, is get a CRT screen. Get into windows, change the frequency in 'Right click desktop, properties>Settings tab>advanced>60hz

60 hertz is what LCD's run at, a small few can run at 75, but all can run at 60.
Do that, then plug in your LCD, it should work.

Let me know how you get along.Start in Safe Mode and change your refresh rate.Quote

Im sorry, im not sure what you mean. Put my other monitor back?
I tryed using another monitor, which is a trinitron, and i still cant seem to get past the first screen without an error.
im running a p4 2.4ghz and 80 gig drive, 512 ram, onboard vid.

Start in Safe Mode and change your refresh rate.

Does anybody know if it possible to power a laptop directly from the mains adapter without having the battery fitted? I have briefly tried this but nothing happens when the on button is pushed.

The reason for my query is that I suspect the laptop's battery is no longer useable and may be preventing the laptop from starting properly. The voltage across the battery terminals is approximately 0.1V. It is a Sony laptop, serial number PCG-FX301/PCG-962C.

After pressing the on button the POST usually completes without error but everything shuts down again a few second later before fully starting Windows.

Best regards,
nosbmHow old is the battery?

FlameSome machines are like that. WIth a totally dead battery there is no function at all, but when replaced with even a marginal battery they work just fine. I speak from experience of at least two of these situations! That may not be the case here, but it is a possibility. I'm thinking that the battery is no longer able to recharge due to age. All laptops work differently. Some might ALLOW you to skip using the battery, and just use AC power, but some want the battery in if you want AC.

FlameAnd believe me, some want a WORKING battery in to use AC.All a big plan so that you have to buy yet another part to make your computer work Good TRAP :-/

FLAME $$$$$$$$$ That's what it's all about. Just like PC Support. It used to be a common mission to have a good, helpful relationship with customers. They say it on TV all the time. Do they ever live-up to that mission? Nope. They just want you to pay the extended warranty... :-/

Flameworth a try... Boot up with Esc or Function key to get BIOS access, SEE if anything can be reset there... boot drive etc. Try booting from different drive.Thanks for the responses and my apologies for not replying before now.

The Li-ion battery is about five or six years old which on it's own may suggest that it is the source of the problem. The entry in Wikipedia on this type of battery says that the lifespan of these batteries is simply a function of age rather than the number of charge/discharge cycles. Also on some occasions it is not even possible to access the BIOS as everything shuts down even at this point. The problem is how to DECIDE whether or not the battery is the only fault.

Finally maybe it is the case that when buying a laptop one should always check whether or not the system will function with the battery removed.

Best regards,
nosbmIf you've got a 6 year old battery it is time for a change if you intend to keep that laptop anyway. My hunch is that it will solve the problem. Your hunch may well be right as there were no other recent problems. I will post a further response when I eventually get a new battery.

Best regards,
nosbm

Hi, I am unable to read DVDs. I have drive that STATES DVD R/RW, my invoice states I have FSB800 Intel Pentium 4 3.06 Ghz CPU, GA-81848P-L P4 MOTHERBOARD, Ram 512 MB PC3200 DDR, Floppy Dish Drive 1.44 MB, 120 GB 7200rpm EIDE Hard Drive, 256 MB Leadtek FX5700, DVD writer liteon 4x. Can you help. Minnie..... You KNOW what .....LOL ....I cant read DVDs either .....( just a bit of hummor) Have you checked in the DEVICE manager to be sure the drivers have been installed ?
This is a brand new system ...or did you put it together ?

dl65 Do you have more than one CD drive installed?

Flame

Hmm, Help me on this one lol!


I have got 2 computers in just now and im trying to find which one has the better processor but it does not tell me what it is under properties, all it says is:

x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel ~ 768Hhz

What processor is this iv tried LOOKING over the web but no luck, the other one is an Intel PII but thats as far as I'v got because its not running at the moment so from what iv told you, which is the better one so far?

SodaDid you mean to say it has a processor speed of 733 MHz?
If it is Intel at that speed it is a PENTIUM III. PII ony went to 450.Ok I found out more info,

Iv got a PII 350MHz and a Celeron 768MHz,

Which one is the better??

SodaIf your motherboard has both slots for the CPU, it is better for you to try both of them. Do not put both processors in because Older model motherbards do not have a dual boot function.

One of them may seem like the obvious choice but it is up to you how dependent you are on the processor and what you mostly use it for.

Each processor has L1 and a L2 cache
With Pentium II the L2 Cache is 256KB
With the celeron the L2 Cache is 128KB

It is all based on how you will use the computer.

Also referred to as secondary cache, L2 Cache is a small amount of high-speed memory located close to, and sometimes on, the CPU. L2 Cache allows for high-speed access to the system's most commonly accessed data. On newer CPU's the L2 Cache is most often located directly on the CPU, allowing for higher performance.

I say try about a month for each processor and see what works for you.

** processor is not as important as RAM** With adaquet RAM, the processor will hardly seem any diffrent
Okay, now what if it was between an Intel Celeron 2GHz and an AMD Athlon XP 2GHz in the same MB with same RAM etc

SodaFor gaming PURPOSES use AMDA few corrections:

Actually a motherboard will take an Intel OR an AMD, not a case of choosing, it can only take what it was built for.

A pentium II has 512K cache unless it was some some of Mobile chip aberration.

Celeron's had 0 or 128 depending on when made. Some later ones (very recently) have 256 K.
Ok thanks!


Soda

I recently(last sunday) got a new computer, with a +3500 ATHLON processor, X700 ATI RaedonVideo Card, 200gb HD and 1gb RAM. The computer is more or less fine, except everyonce in a while(once a day) the computer will lock up on me, And I will have to reboot anywhere between 3-10 times before I can get to my desktop. It otherwise freezes up at the Bios, the Windows loading screen, or a black one. Any idea will be greatly appreciated.Bad or mismatched RAM, a power supply not up to the job and overheating are the usual suspects. Is this a totally new build with a new power supply? WHat make and wattage? You can test your RAM with a quick download at www.memtest86.com - Test each stick at a time, then all together for about an hour each. Can you test your system temps? Does this do the lockup from a cold start or just when it's been running? If so, during gaming or some other intnse activity?

More info please. It happens usually after I'm playing TES:IV, or CS:S but sometimes it will lock up on the first boot of the day...the bios gives me the temp, but I dont believe it. This morning, after it had been in a realitivly cold room, it said it was 102F, which is obsurd, because after 12 hours in 60 degree room, it probably wouldnt be that cold.Sorry about the 2 posts but I had to grab the bus, but to answer the rest of your questions; I dont know the make of the powersupply, but when I get home, I'll take a look and find out what kind, I think it is a 420 watt powersupply. I downloaded the Memtest, I'll give that a run tonight and post the results tomarrow. It has 2 or 3 fans, although if that isnt enough, I'm gonna need a tutorial on installing new fans too...but if it is overheating, I'll sneeze on it and make it catch a cold! What if you take the side of the case off and blow a fan directly in there?If I had a fan, I would :-/
Could you reccomend an effective(and cheap) source of cooling, that I could install myself?
I USED the memtest, the RAM is fineyou play CS?



If your computer doesn't even get so far as to try the hard disk, or perhaps not even print anything on the screen, you probably do have some TYPE of hardware problem. For example if the computer simply beeps a few times and then does nothing ... that's the POST telling you something's wrong. For what ever reason it might not be ABLE to display an error message, so it simply beeps in a pattern to tell you what it's found. They vary based on the brand of your computer or BIOS, but POST beep codes can often give a technician a quick idea of exactly what might be wrong.

And finally, when you turn on the power, if your computer does nothing at all, obviously something's seriously wrong. In my experience, it's typically the power supply that has failed, however it's also possible that critical components on the motherboard have failed, or that a peripheral card has been inserted improperly or has failed in such a way as to prevent the rest of the system from working at all.

•

Today's computers, and the operating systems that run them, are incredibly complex animals. Each problem will have it's own unique cause. Hopefully this overview, and some of the resources LISTED below, will help you at least understand the nature of problems you may be having, and perhaps even help you resolve them yourself.

i have a seagate baracuda 80GBs and now...when it starts, chkdsk runs before the windows could start and it says CORRUPT MASTER FILE TABLE!!! and the chkdsk aborts! what does this mean?Distorted:

It means you need to either fix the MBR USING the Windows recovery console on the Windows XP CD, or REFORMAT the hard drive using the Windows XP CD.

Do you have the Windows XP CD and would you like to try one of these options?

Doc

well i do have windows cds alotta cds but this is a dump drive, its a backup drive, not my BOOT drive, i have a WD 7.5GBs boot drive with OS and softwares installed, this is a backup drive with one single partition chunk of 74.2GBs and its all my personal data!!! how i can fix its MBR then?What operating system is this system running? Is it Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional, or some other?i have windows xp with sp 2!
i have tried diagnosting the hard drive with the online tool from seagate's website but the test just doesnt recognizes the drive, when i tried running chkdsk from acronis disk director suite it says the same CORRUPT MASTER FILE TABLE!!! what should i do?So it is formatted with NTFS?yeah it is formatted as NTFS! i just used HIREN's boot cd and rebuilt the partition table, but the parition is lost but i can recover the files from get data BACK NTFS!!!! anyother tips please?Simply use a 98 boot disk to boot to your MS DOS
Then change your drive to your secondary drive by typing "(Whatever the the drive letter is Example "D:""C:""A:"

Then type "FDISK /MBR"

this chould correct it if not do this one

"ChkDsk /r"

these should work.FAT32 boot disk can access and repair NTFS? thanks alot mate! i got all of my data!!! thanksQuote

Simply use a 98 boot disk to boot to your MS DOS
Then change your drive to your secondary drive by typing "(Whatever the the drive letter is Example "D:""C:""A:"

Then type "FDISK /MBR"

this chould correct it if not do this one

"ChkDsk /r"

these should work.

Can anybody recommend a good cheap cordless MOUSE (preferably optical) and KEYBOARD to run on XP. A range of about 2 metres would be great!! If not a bit optimistic...

Cheers Hard to say without some idea how much you're willing to spend. I have a Logitech LX500 mouse/keyboard combo that I like very much. It was a gift but I believe it retailed for around $80, maybe more. Here's a Kensington combo sold by Best Buy that might a nice set; it's currently on sale at a special price of $45; it's normally $60.

To get the price down under $25, TAKE a look at Logitech Internet Pro Desktop White Wired Keyboard - OEM.Kinnsington is cheap 30 bux at best but.

Boy has it ever been a LONG time since I've been on here. I'd forgotten my password and everything.

Well anyway, I'm currently (finally) enrolled in a computer maintenance course and I've encountered this gem of a QUESTION that not even the internet, otherwise KNOWN as Google, can answer for me.

Why should you not dispose of computer parts and consumables in the same way as normal domestic refuse?

I'd appreciate any insight on the matter, as my TEXT books are bloody useless and don't really cover what they're SUPPOSED to.My apologies! I continued my search and found a resource on the subject. This thread is now defunct.And for those who are mildly interested, the answer is to do with all the hideously toxic chemicals they use to make our beloved computers.

My computer stop WORKING, im USING Phoenix Bios and when i open it computer said that operating system not found. CAn u help me w/ this? You'll need to post a LOT more information about the computer, what happened prior to this, if the HARD drive is shown in the BIOS, other problems with the MACHINE, ETC. for a definite diagnosis.

The first guess would be a bad or erased hard drive.

Hi! i WANT to BUY this ram from my FRIEND. he claims it is a certain type of ram i was looking for, a corsair value SELECT ddr400 512mb. It already has a aluminum heatsink attached to it. All i can see, is the sides of the ram, how can i tell its not some lame unknown/generic brand with a heatsink strapped to it. Is there a WAY to tell with it plugged in, or is there a way of telling through the bios?Download and run Everest Home

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

It will give the correct info

Libby ...... Ah , that would explain it then ....... what about msn MESSENGER does it WORK with VOICE ok for you ?

dl65 Thanks for the HELP. I learnt a lot along the way. My only QUESTION that remains is why the Skype would not work with dial up - or maybe the connection speed 32Kbps is just too slow

I have TWO hard disks..the C drive and the D drive..
During setup i chose to only reformat the C drive..my D drive being the biggest, held everything that made my computer..files, pictures, programs etc etc...the most important things..
I loaded up windows after succesfully reinstalling XP, finding that my D drive wasnt in "My Computer"..so i found it in Disk Management and assigned it a letter..(D).. its now in "My Computer"..but when i try to access it, it asks if i want to format the drive....i DONT want to do that, as it will wipe whatever is on it...is there anyway i can access it without doing this?..Under properties how is it formatted? Did you encrypt data on this drive either through Windows or some other programs? Is it a separate physical drive, or is your hard drive subdivided?

This may be relevant later:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421Quote

Under properties how is it formatted? Did you encrypt data on this drive either through Windows or some other programs? Is it a separate physical drive, or is your hard drive subdivided?

This may be relevant later:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421

Thankyou for replying so soon GX1_Man, i am unsure of what you meant by "Under properties how is it formatted?", it is a physical drive, i have two hard disks fitted inside my computer..

Quote

Thankyou for replying so soon GX1_Man, i am unsure of what you meant by "Under properties how is it formatted?", it is a physical drive, i have two hard disks fitted inside my computer..

Look in My Computer, Right click on each drive and choose Properties and it will show if the drive is formatted FAT32 or NTFS.

RAW is a very ominous sign. How important is that data to you?

I Googled "File System: RAW" and found some info that might help: How do I recover file from Raw Drive?. Be sure to visit the link there to DataRecoveryWizard.

A hard drive is NOT a safe place to store important data, as people find out at times like these. If that software works great, if not, there are professional data recovery services but they are VERY expen$ive. That's why I asked how important it is.

ANYONE KNOW HOW TO SET THE LINE THICKNESS FOR A HPDESKJET 6122? I'M TRYING TO PRINT A 2-D DRAWING BUT SOME OF THE LINES ARE COMING UP TO THICK. THE SUPPORT TECHS FOR THE PROGRAM I'M RUNNING SAY THAT THE LINE THICKNESS CAN BE ADJUSTED IN THE PRINTER. :-? :-?

Hi All I am hopeing someone can help me with this issue. I turn on the computer and it won't go past the compack screen....I try the esc button to go into BOOT and it says its doing it but doesnt go anywhere..I try the f10 key but that doesnt do anything either...any sugjections? I am runing a compac with windows xp....I hope that kinda helps... As my name is helpless hetha ...its true I am helplessHow about some info on the machine - a MODEL # and maybe what HAPPENED prior to all of this? Any other problems before this started? Be as specific as possible. We can't QUITE see it from here.

Hi Everybody!

I have a Compaq MV540 monitor. I run XP.
This monitor USED to fine, but somewhere along the way it became dark. I can still see text, but some picture and MOVIES are so dark that I can't make them out.
I have tried a monitor diagnostic and I have the controls set to max on both brightness and contrast.
I think that when I wasn't paying attention (which is most of the time) that a windows update changed my driver.
I have tried to find the proper driver for the Compaq and I have had no luck.
I also tried a rollback? and that did not work.
Does anyone have any ideas?

thank you.

Which video CARD do you have installed? Or is it on-board?

FlameHi Flame,

I guess I should have included more info about my system.
I am truly ignorant when it comes to hardware, well for that matter SOFTWARE too.
The video card must be on-board.
Here is some info that I got by running some analyst program some time ago:

Operating System System Model
Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 (build 2600) No details available
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
2.60 gigahertz INTEL Pentium 4
8 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache Board: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. 8IPE1000 1.x
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: Award Software International, Inc. FB 08/01/2003
Drives Memory Modules c,d
80.02 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
55.40 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

Controllers Display
Standard floppy disk controller
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller] RADEON 7000 SERIES [Display adapter]
COMPAQ MV540 [Monitor] (13.8"vis, November 2001)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D2
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D4
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24D7
Intel(R) 82801EB USB Universal Host Controller - 24DE
Intel(R) 82801EB USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 24DD MPU-401 Compatible MIDI Device
Realtek AC'97 Audio


I don't if that will help solve my problem or not.

Thanks for replying. I hope that you can figure this out.
My monitor was purchased in August of 2002, but I've had the darkening problem for at least a year, maybe a bit longer.

smorleyIs there any warranty on this monitor?

Flame

When ever I put in my head phones, the volume will only go up to a certain degree. What can i do to get the sound louder. I have the volume up all the way in the media player and have turned up the volume on the volume control. What now?
That's it. Do the HEADPHONES have their own volume control? LIKE a little wheel?

FlameNo, the headphones dont have its own volume control, but I FOUND something thats WORKS good. Its DFX Audio Enhancement. It works very well, not just for your headphones but for your speakers also. The music sounds alot better. I would suggest that anyone wanting better sound get it.

You can find it here

http://www.fxsound.com/

Is it louder, or just better sound?Quote

Is it louder, or just better sound?

• Ambience
• Fidelity
• 3D surround
• Dynamic boost
• Hyperbass

• Music Type 1
• Music Type 2
• Speech

i just bought a pentium 4 chip. (just the chip.)

i have a problem. i previously had a pentium 2 chip. it looks like a sega genesis cartridge. HELP!!!! how can i use this chip.
i have a COMPAQ deskpro, and it is pretty old.

ideas, anyone?By "chip", I presume you mean PROCESSOR. I doubt very much that you'll be able to use the Pentium 4 processor in your aging computer. You really should have researched this before buying a processor. But, I can tell you it's highly unlikely you can use it; you would need a newer motherboard to support the Pentium IV. And, upgrading MOTHERBOARDS in systems with proprietary components, which is often the case with the major computer BRANDS, is a shakey proposition. Standard motherboards may not fit in the computer case. And, the computer may have a proprietary power supply that won't work with a standard ATX or microATX motherboard due to non-standard power connectors on your power supply. Also, the power supply simply may not be adequate for a more powerful system.

If you're not prepared to basically build a new system yourself and you still have the option to return that processor, I think you should return it.A Pentium 4 chip is NOT usable in a Pentium II motherboard. End of story.

Hi, I'm not REAL familiar with computers, I am running an old gateway 2000 P5-90. Was told to ERASE my CMOS and restart fresh, but now when I hit my F1 key for entering setup it hangs and never ENTERS. I would appreciate any help. Who told you to do this, and for what reason?

FlameHi, I was on line trying to get help with my harddrive because my computer just stopped picking it up as a fixed disk and this PERSON who I don't even remember his name told me to erase my cmos while in dos and try re-entering my setup information again, but it seems that I made a bad choice to listen cause now I have no setup at all and can't get into setup to re-enter my info. I can use my floppy disk drive though. Start by giving us some specific information about the computer - model number, components, etc.

Do NOT mess with the CMOS UNLESS you know what you are doing and there is a specific issue that a BIOS update address. (Both conditions must be met!)

Hopefully you have not killed this poor machine, but we will know soon.

i moved to a new apartment, and when i TURNED on the computer it couldnt DETECT one of my hard drives (i have 2). it happened to me twice before, after electrical blackouts, but it then went back to normal after a few hours...

i TRIED to disconnect and reconnect all CABLES and it still doesnt work. everything else, including the other hard drive, works fine.Have you checked all the cables? (IDE/SATA , Power?)
Secondly, do your BIOS detect the drive?there are 2 cables there, i disconnected and reconnected both...

i was talking about the bios, it only detects the other hard drive. i tried to look at the bios settings but i really have no idea what they mean...Is the "two" cables a WIDE cable(IDE) or a narrow cable(SATA) and the other one for power?
Have you made sure that they are connected to the motherboard are PSU respectively?

HI,

I have a PENTIUM 4 running xp.

I have one DVD player/CD burner and one DVD/CD burner. EVERYTHING was working fine until recently and now I cannot GET SOUND from my DVD's out of either player. Yet i can get sound from CD's. Does anyone know whats wrong?

THANKS,

GaryYou'll have to give just a FEW tidbits of info like hardware, software, any recent changes to system, etc.

Hi guys, I just build a new pc. Everything was connected and when i turn it on pc works but the keyboard and the mouse dosent work. I unplug everything and the pc stop working, it wont even start at all. IM thinking maybe its the power supply. I took my other pc and use that power supply to my new pc. The new pc started working, Then i put everything back in the old pc and everything back in the new pc and the new pc starts but now theres nothing on the screen. I try unplug everything, reset the BIOS and unplug the video card. It still wont work. I cant think of anything else besides changging the power supply and mother board. But before i do that im still not sure if im right. Everything is brandnew and i hate to think but there's a DEFECTIVE hardware somewhere. Will you pls help me When you change everything at once it's hard to spot the culprit.

Start by going to basics - MB, CPU/FAN, 1 STICK RAM and video. Check all CONNECTIONS and make sure the MB is not shorting on the case. What happens now? What motherboard and what power supply - make and wattage, do you have? What additional components?

Hello Everyone,

I have an Intellimouse Opitcal USB and PS/2 Compatible, and the problem that I am having is that all the buttons work, but the wheel does not when I scroll up and down. Like when I try to scroll the slide bar on a window it does not work. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the driver and no luck. The problem happened when I installed a new OS on the computer. The mouse works when I click every other button, but it does not scroll. Can ANYONE help please! Thanks for any help.

SamWhat OS are you using?

Does your mouse driver have a control panel?Yes it does and the problem mite be that it is set up on the wrong setting. I have it set up as autoscroll. Is that the right setting? And I am using windows xp 32 bit.try out all of the settings. your os sounds right so there would not be a problem unless it's a hardware fault.Yea, that is what I was thinking but when I push down on the wheel it clicks so to speak. That option works.all wheel mice that i know of click when pushed.yea, but that is the only way that I can see that it is kinda working. I have tried all the setting and it still does not work. If the click part of it works shouldnt the wheel scroll too?Do you have the latest drivers for your mouse?Yea, I do. And I think that the scroll on the wheel is bad, But I dont know. Can that happen?

Alright, I'm not very computer literate. But I can tell you what my dilema is. Anyways, yesterday, I got on my main computer, and at the start up. It said

"Warning! BIOS has been changed"

Then it said, Press F1 to continue, or ESC to enter BIOS or whatever. I, probably shouldn't have, but I hit continue. I don't know what would have changed it.

Anyways, I restarted the computer afterwards, because it froze up. And when the "Warning" came up it said that my ntfs.sys file was corrupted or deleted. And it gave me options to either Start windows manually, Start in Safe mode, or continue with problem. And none of the options would work. So I restarted, and went into Bios. I figured, if something had changed in my BIOS, I would change the settings back to default. I did that, and I restarted my computer, and it did the same thing. So I turned it off, I cooled down, asked a friend what the problem was. He didn't know. So I decided to turn on the computer again, and that's when I seen no power to the MONITOR, my monitor wouldn't kick over.

Now, I have my montior hookup hooked to my video card, but I had it like that, even when I first got my computer. And this has never happened before.

I'm so stumped, can anyone help?



I have Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 2
I built the computer myself, all parts I bought seperately.
Video Card: Diamond Viper Radeon 9600 XT
U.S Robotics 56k Faxmodem PCI for windows
250 gig hard drive
1 gig of Ram
What is the EXACT error you get? We need to know this because there are multiple causes of this problem.Quote

What is the EXACT error you get? We need to know this because there are multiple causes of this problem.

Sounds like a video card failing to me.

Well, the power supply is not destroyed. However, it is possible that it is damaged, as in, perhaps, a blown fuse.

thedrunkrobert, if those are good video cards, I think it likely that the motherboard or power supply has failed - or both.

my gateway lcd screen has this weird shaded areas at the top where firefox has that tan area to the right of file, edit, view ect. when you look at them they look like a slight pink COLOUR. but you have to look at them to notice them. wondering if anyone has had this before or is my lcd going out.When did this start? Have you made any CHANGES to your system RECENTLY? Do you have virus and spyware protection?

Flameno changes, i noticed it about a month ago. it has not gotten worse but it hasent gotten better. I run norton, Webroot spysweeper, microsoft antispyware, spybot and adware. i am also running zonealarm.

i am thinking that its probably my LCD screen going out or something. i am just wondering if anyone has had this happen as this is my first LCD.Do you have any magnets (e.g. on big, unshielded speakers) anywhere near the monitor?Have you tried updating your video card DRIVERS as well?

Flameno magnets near my screen. i havent updated my drivers for my ati card. i know that they released new ones but these are working fine and i really dont want to upgrade until the new drivers have had a few month in the wild to mature. iv had bad exp. with new releases.Here's a way to test for a MALFUNCTIONING monitor.

find the position controls for your monitor. shift the image around and see if the affected area is just a part of the monitor, or is a video card problem.

im in my bedroom on a laptop which is on a network already thru an adsl router. I also have a ps2 i would like to use online aswel as the laptop but only have the one ethernet wire comming into this room. so could i just get a another cheap router so i can use both at the same time, i didnt know if this is possible, thanxYes, it's possible to connect a router to a router. Here's some info from D-Link about doing this: http://support.dlink.com/supportfaq/DisplayTemplate.aspx?TemplateId=33583. This info CAME from a search on D-Link's site under router model DI-604 (which I used to have); I believe the PROCEDURE applies to other MODELS but you may want to go to the manufacturer's website and verify this.You actually NEED an ethernet hub, not a router. The good news is hubs are TWO a penny.ok, this will allow me to do both at the same time?? iv seen one or 2 on ebay. am i allowd to post links??Sure why not?would this allow me to use both the ps2 and laptop online at the same time? or would it only do one at a time?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Netgear-FS105-5-Port-Ethernet-Switch_W0QQitemZ9711422037QQcategoryZ51268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Yes, that's perfect. Both will be able to connect simultaneously.

I have 2x 256 RDRAM pc1066 in my Dell Demented and I was wondering if I can upgrade with 2 sticks of RDRAM pc800.

Or do I infact have to have all 4 slots filled with the same stick?

All info I have found tells me they must RUN in pairs so its either 4x PC800 or 4x PC1066 or I hope 2/2 of both PC800/1066.

Visit www.crucial.com and use their memory configurator to see what memory options you have for your computer.I don't think crucial does RDRAM anymore. I would check the Dell forums for a better idea.

www.support.dell.comOddly enough dell "Technicians" couldn't answer my question without a program for them to plug scenarios into.

I was told "probably" only 1066 across the board. But my board does support pc800 aswell as pc1066.

Since the only stipulation with RDRAM is pairing it makes since to me that 2 chips of pc800 on the other set would not conflict. It is after all paired and within the boards parameters.

RDRAM is so hard to find and when ya do its crazy high priced. Just hoping to pick up some pc800 cards till I can justify to the wife about me buying a new Mboard with all the extras.qore...... Well you can certainly mix the size of the RD sticks as long as they are in matched sets ...... Rimm1 & Rimm2 ( matched pair) and Rimm3 and Rimm4 (a matched pair) they pair can be of diferant sizes .... 1&2 could be 128 mg each and 3&4 could be 256 mg each ......
http://www.4allmemory.com/content/guides/Dell_Dimension_8100_8200.pdf

Whats the tag number on your pc ?
Dell SELL pc1600 RD RAM.....
Tiger Direct sell pc800 RD ram


dl65 Why not see what you can find on ebay: 712 items found for RDRAM in Memory for Desktop PC

This topic can either allow you to BRAG on your older hardware, demonstrate what can be done, and even the advantages of something other that the latest and greatest. (Which to me seems to cause their own problems.)

Problem solving issues, though frequently related to computers in general, but may be more appropriate to the architecture and peripherals of the time may be even more helpful.

Keep those old machines up and running. It's not hard and repairs are cheap, not to mention the satisfaction of a job well down.

This is a testing stage to see what happens. So far one for Pentium I's and II's, and another area for Pentium III. (I could have split it up different, but if you want to go ahead and suggest!) It's our forum. If there is no interest, or a majority vote it down it can be removed.

I didn't want really ancient or obscure items, but again, I am open for further refinement. Let me know what you think!

GX1_ManMy Pentium II(and now not functioning) computer has done great things in its day.

Here is an example of what can be done with:
PII 400Mhz Slot 1 processor
128mb RAM
Trident Blade 3D 8MB Video Card
AL440LX Mobo

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g69/HyperHedron/coboidhi.png

Modeled in Wings 3D
Rendered in YafrayI still own a Pentium I that's now over 10 1/2 years old; I purchased it new in Sept or Oct 1995. ORIGINALLY a 75MHz CPU with only 8MB RAM and onboard video with 1MB video memory (and no way to adjust that), and it had an 850MB hard drive.

During the years when it was my main computer, I made numerous upgrades, bringing to the current configuration: 200MHz CPU by installing an "overdrive processor", Win 98SE, 128MB RAM (the max), and has a PCI video card in it with 32MB video memory, and a 15.3GB hard drive.

It can still be used as a backup for Internet access if necessary and will even handle streaming media. My main reason for keeping it when I got another computer was to learn about networking. I bought a router and got the computers NETWORKED via the router. I also backup files from my main computer to the hard drive on the old Pentium.

I was recently introduced to Microsoft NetMeeting online collaboration software by a FRIEND. He quided me through setting it up and he and I got online together with NetMeeting. I later mentioned to him that I had read that NetMeeting was introduced with Win 98 or 98SE and that I had an older computer running Win 98SE. He said, "Well, you could practice NetMeeting with your two computers." I did that just a few days ago.

The keyboard on my Panasonic Toughbook CF-47 appears not to work. That is, I can't enter text, but the "enter" key works. Others might, as well.

I tried an external keyboard, to no avail. I know how to remove/replace the original keyboard, but if an external doesn't work, I fear a stock replacement won't either.

Any ideas?

CWhich operating SYSTEM are you using? Do you have virus and Spyware protection? When did things get to be like this? Have you made any changes to your system RECENTLY?

FlameTurns out, I inadvertantly engaged filter keys through CONTROL Panel Accessibility Options icon.

Unfortunately, I dertermined this after some destructive testing of the suspect keyboard.

Nothing like bustin' a perfectly good PIECE of hard to replace equipment...

Thanks anyway,

CCome back and see us if you have any more questions

FLAME

I am going to GET the more important INFO out of my computer before i do anything else that COULD damage it to it. but it is Win98 and there is no other win98 computer in the house [smiley=sad.gif]. There is a WinME though.could i SET up the hard drive as a slave in a winME, or are they incompatible?The FAT32 hard drive can be a slave to any operating SYSTEM.Quote

The FAT32 hard drive can be a slave to any operating system.

computer noob talking
heres my problem...
My computer crashed so then i restetted it. then i got some screen saying press f1 to conintue, esc to etc etc. ( it said some problem with bios checksum or somthing, i DONT remember) So i pressed f1 and my computer started up fine. Later when i restarted my computer, my monitor wont go on (stays black) and there is a constant noise in my computer (not the start up noise). So i checked my computer and i didnt find anything wrong, but it STILL wont turn on.

So i try to turn it on once again, still wont work. While it was on, i turned of the power supply on the back of the computer then turned it back on. Then my computer started up, working fine. I dont knonw what the problem is, but that seems the only way to get it on.

So that means my computer still works and is not dead (i HOPE). maybe it was some changes in settings i did before it happened( dont remember what they were), i dont know....

Please helpHow about a detail or two regarding computer hardware, operating system, service packs, etc.?i got a geforce 4 ti 4200 AGP video card, windows xp

my monitor is a sony cpd-220gsanyone please?Sounds like a power supply problem, don't you think?whats wrong with it?I would try replacing it with a known working unit (or a new one) and see if all the problems disappear. There are other possible causes, but this is the most LIKELY.

before i start im a newbie so if any one replys please take it easy.ive got a 20 gig hard drive and 18 of it is 2 installs of windows xp,ive had this computer about a month and didnt know much about the web and virus's and spy ware so i got dial up and went on the internet .but i didnt have any anti virus's or anything to protect me against any thing,so after a couple of week there was a LOT of stuff on it i didnt want so i thought id put xp on again and choose a clean install thinking it would wipe everything off i didnt want.so i installed it and it saved some files and stuff i didnt want and transferd em to the new install id just done.so after a week the same thing came up(stuff on i didnt want couldnt be botherd fishing it all out and deleting it) so out came the disk again.and again it copied files over i didnt want and it didnt format the other copy.SO is ther any way i can format the hard drive ?ive only one hard drive and no one i could take it to and ask to format it so is there any software out there capable of formating what i dont want or NEED and keeping what i do need all while my coputer is on and windows running.OR how can i format it ?is there any way?p.s ive now got the proper software to protect me.

Format the drive, erasing EVERYTHING and reinstall XP. Before you even connect it to the internet (don't even PLUG in a cable!), install SP2 (if not ALREADY there) and at the least an antivirus. You can download these and have them ready on CD. AdAware and Spybot are helpful as well.thanks for the reply but my question was how to format the drive?I figgerd it out though,i used software called eraser that i saw on a question n answer on this site and made the boot disk on my floppy drive.From there on the disk did everything and this morning i installed xp sp2.For some reason it wouldnt detect my router so i formated it again and installed xp sp1 and everythigs go ing o.k.so cheers for the reply and any more problems ill be coming to this site again.You don't need any ADDITIONAL software. XP can do this when you hit the f8 screen to load and can choose to delete and add partitions. Then it offers the choice to format the drive.

I just bought a 320 GB external hard DRIVE for my laptop....It came as FAT32 so I reformatted as NTFS. The problem is, when I add files onto my external drive, the disk space on my C drive on my laptop decreases as if I were moving the file onto C. For example, I transferred a 1 gig file from another networked computer in my home to my external drive which was hooked up to my laptop. After the file was done transferring, the disk space on my external AND my C drive was 1 gig less. I tried this multiple times, and the same thing KEEPS happening. I had about 10 free gigs on my laptop (which is why I bought an external drive) so I tried adding 10 gigs worth of files onto my external to see what would happen. Sure enough, near the end of the file transfer, I got a popup message saying "Low disk space on C...Free some space..blah blah blah." I don't understand why the drive space on C is diminishing as I FILL up my external. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.Is this external connected to your laptop by USB port? What's your procedure for adding files to the external drive? VIA Windows Explorer or what software?Its connected thtough USB 2.0. I tried all kinds of ways of transferring files. First I copied and pasted files from my C drive to my external. When I do that, the space on my C stays the same (as if I never moved the files.) Then I transferred files from another comp to my external (while it was hooked up to my laptop). I just transferred the files through AIM direct connect for that. When I did that, the file took up space on both my external and my C drive.As you noted, copy and paste from you laptop to the external drive does not move the files, it just copies them. If you want to move them, use Cut and Paste, or copy and paste, then delete them from the laptop.

Do you keep the external drive connected to the laptop all the time? Do you want to move some of your data files to it and work from it rather than your C drive when adding new files or editing exsiting files? For example, you could actually move your My Documents folder to the external drive.

The major problem here seems to be your procedure for copying files from the other computer(s). Going through AIM is not the best way to do it; I'd say it's a bad way to do it. Do you have the computers actually networked? If not, I believe you need to focus on getting them networked and setting up file sharing. Then, you should be able to mark that external drive as "shared", thereby giving it direct access to the other computer(s). I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure this will stop the intermediate copying of files to your laptop when you want to copy/move files from computers other than the laptop to the external drive.

To reiterate, networking and file sharing is a solution. Also, if you're using the external drive mainly as a backup device, you could connect it directly to other computers as long as they have a USB port available.

I am seriously thinking of adding a new Motherboard to my dell case.

It is a Demension 8250, 2.4 ghz P4.

I already have a new HD, GFX card, Sound card on it. SO my new board would have to be AGP (GFX) and IDE/ATA (HD) compatible. SImple enough...

Here is my question, What "Good" M-Boards will fit in a Dell Demension 8250 case? Has anyone done so before? Will my Power supply work? Can I use my P4 2.5ghz chip? L:ots of questions basically looking for those who have done it and hopefully learn from them.
I'd like to get as much info, thxs!

QYou might also try the Dell forum for this question: http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums?category.id=dimensionShuaib_01110989 There may be other companies that offer other hardware upgrades to Dell systems, but these upgrades are not validated nor endorsed by Dell.

The above statement is why I am here.

Has to have been someone around here that has used there basic dell components to make an actually decent computer.You will find little joy in the exercise. It makes a LOT more sense to just get a NICE ATX case (just a few dollars more) and then put all of these components in there. The Dell things are proprietary, and although some have MADE them work, with some rigging, it is a lot of work that may prove unsatisfactory and unworkable. I would suggest selling what you have and get the basis for what you want. I was thinking ALONG those lines already, just wondering what I need in ADDITION.

Considering I had to get a new IDE HD (Seagate barracuda 120g)
New GFX Card (GeForce 6600GT 128mb)
Sound Card (Audigy2)

Whats a good M-board for these to RUN with and how easy would it be to remove the P4 2.4mhz processor from my current one to a new one?

These are items I need to make sure my new M-board will support aswell as new RAM slots for DDR or something equally better and cheaper than RDRAM crap.

Hard for me to justify a whole new case/M-board etc just to get 1-2g RAM.

Btw have I mentioned I am so glad I found this site, not one n00b flame and I thank you for it.Opinions vary concerning MB's, depending on experiences. I'm partial to Gigabyte boards, simply because I can usually find what I want and have never had problems with them (he says, with fingers crossed ).

edit: I forgot to mention that Dell PSU's are not compatible with anything except Dell. They saw fit to change the pin arrangement on the MB connector. If you know which pins to change, you can make them work by cutting and splicing the wires. Simply to much headache to contend with.

So, I have a SONY Dynamic that I PLUGGED in, but in sound recorder it's not responding...Got drivers?I apologize, but I'm not very computer smart. =/

What I can tell you is that it CAME with a CONVERTER and I plugged it into the microphone plug on the back of the TOWER.

This topic can EITHER allow you to brag on your older hardware, demonstrate what can be done, and even the advantages of something other that the latest and greatest. (Which to me seems to cause their own problems.)

Problem solving issues, though frequently related to computers in general, but may be more appropriate to the architecture and peripherals of the time may be even more helpful.

Keep those OLD machines up and running. It's not hard and repairs are cheap, not to mention the SATISFACTION of a job well down.

This is a testing stage to see what happens. So far one for Pentium I's and II's, and another area for Pentium III. (I could have split it up different, but if you want to go ahead and suggest!) It's our forum. If there is no interest, or a majority vote it down it can be removed.

I didn't want really ancient or OBSCURE items, but again, I am open for further refinement. Let me know what you think!

GX1_ManWell, my last computer is a 5-6 year old Gateway. The specs are below. Next to it are my new computer's specs.

Manufacturer: Gateway Manufacturer: Dell
HD: 40 Gb HD: 160 GB
Processor: AMD 950 MHz Processor: Intel Pentium 4 w/ HT Technology 3 GHz
Monitor: 17 inch CRT Monitor: 19 inch Flat Panel
RAM: 896 MB RAM: 1GB
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 2 AGP w/ 32MB Video: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 PCI-E w/256 MB

That's all the good stuff

FlameLast PC:

Manufacturer: E(vil)-Machines
HD: 80 GB
Processor: Pentium III, I'm fairly certain
Monitor: 15" CRT
RAM: 512 MB upgraded from... 8 MB, was it? Ah well...
Video: nVidia GeForce 5500 PCI w/256 MB upgraded from 8 MB on on-board video card without 3D support
Drives: 1 floppy, 1 DVD-ROM, 1 CR-RW

Current PC:

Manufacturer: Dilbert
HD: 200 GB
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ 2.2 GHz
Monitor: 17" LCD
RAM: 1 Gb
Video: nVidia GeForce 6600 AGP w/ 256 MB
Drives: 1 floppy, 1 DVD-R/RW
Neat toys: Floppy is USB, Box gives temp. of CPU and PSU fan speed, Keyboard is a Zboard, and I have an optical mouse *and* a wireless optical mouse currently plugged in.All of the following found in the trash at different times:

Asus P3B-F with PIII-600 cpu (and no cpu fan) on socket 370 to slot 1 adpater
PIII-700 (now overclocked to 933MHz), scavanged from a non-working motherboard
640MB PC-133 RAM, found in a bag of mostly useless parts
ATI Rage 128 AGP 2X, ), scavanged from a non-working computer
DVD/CDRW reader only drive, scavanged from a non-working computer
19" Magview monitor

Why the motherboard was discarded is a mystery to me. It booted immediately.

Added $20 case, $25 80GB WD hard drive, free CD burner, free phone modem, etc.
Total cost < $100 for my primary home computer which I use every day.My laptop:

Processor: Intel Pentium III, 497MHz
RAM: 448MB (weird number, i know)
HD: 40GB
Video: ATI RAGE 8MB
OS: Dual-boot - Microsoft Windows XP and SUSE Linux 10.0

All in all, i'm happy with it, works well enough (well Linux does at least, windows can get a bit slow-ish sometimes)

I have XP 2002 (service pack 2) running on an Acer laptop with a 1400MHz Intel Celeron processor and 752mb of ram. Recently it has started to run very slowly, approximatley 8 start-ups out of 10. when it goes normally it is pretty FAST and satisfactory indeed, but when it runs slowly it is painfully slow at everything. The computer always starts up in good time at normal speed, but then opening DOCS, drop down menus, sending and receiving emails, opening www addresess etc are all slow.

i have to restart and restart again, sometimes 7 or 8 times, until it runs at good speed.

Can anyone tell me if it is a software or hardware problem and what it might possibly be specifically.

Cheers!!!What are you using regularly for spyware/virus protection? When it is running slowly, use task manager to see where the CPU cycles are going. How MUCH free hard DRIVE space? Have you used ccleaner lately? (www.ccleaner.com)

i have recently installed a new mouse, it's called win mouse. It connects VIA a serial port,and i'm fully aware that i have to install the software myself. Problem is, the commands have to be done on an ms dos prompt. Howcan i access the ms dos prompt on my win xp OS so i could install the software? the mouse is working just fine, but i would also like to access the added features such as colored cursors and stuff..There are two ways. The easiest way to to click on Start -> Run. In the run BOX, type cmd press enter. The other way is to click on Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt. Enjoy!

Flamethere are some commands which can not be verified via the command prompt. it badly needs a MSDOS prompt. Is there any way i could access ms dOs on xp?There is no MS-DOS on XP. There is only command prompt. DOS has been gone for some time.

Interesting, a WinMouse that requires DOS? This seems like an OLD item if it requires a serial port.Is the mouse ACTUALLY working in XP? If not, try the Add New Hardware wizard. If it's working then you probably don't NEED to run any commands. Is there anything special about this mouse? Who is it made by? Is it fossilized?

What are the PC system requirements?

Recommended:
3 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
1 GB System RAM
ATI X800 series, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series, or higher video card

Minimum System Requirements:
Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows XP 64-bit
512MB System RAM
2 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
128MB Direct3D compatible video card
and DirectX 9.0 compatible driver;
8x DVD-ROM drive
4.6 GB free hard disk space
DirectX 9.0c (included)
DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card
Keyboard, Mouse

Can anyone help?
My pc crashes (BSOD) quite regularly & has done almost since I bought it.
The co. went bust shortly after I got it so I couldn't ask them.
I've noticed that when the system is idling the CPU usage is going between 0% & 35%, could this be why it is crashing & if so can I sort it easily?
I've reinstalled Windows twice already & changed the ram.

System is Carrera Octan 64 Pro
Running XP Home
160GB HD (only 1/3 used)
1.5GB ram

Any help/advice appreciated
It's normal for the system usage meter to jump around periodically. Can you please send us your HiJackThis Logfile to help us better assist you? If you need the link to download it, go here: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3155.html ...

FlameHi
Flame,
Thanks for being interested in this, unfortunately this isn't the pc that has the problem. That one is embroiled in a seperate INCIDENT with McAfee (unrelated)
Because Mcafee can't get their act together I currently have no AV running on that machine & I'm reluctant to download anything till I get Mcafee working again.
Would it be ok to send the Logfile once I have AV up & running again?
In the meantime is there any other info I could send you without accessing the net?

WidgetWell, if you're scared to use the INTERNET becuase you have no protection, then I suggest downloading AVG Free on the computer with protection, and using a CD or USB Flash drive to transfer over the install file. You can obtain AVG Free Here: http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10503939.html?tag=lst-0-2 ... If you have a CD burner, or USB Flash dirve, you will find it very easy to do. Just save the file to your desktop, and copy it to a CD or Flash Drive. Once copied, just put the CD or Flash Drive into your other computer, and run the installation. No internet connection should be needed until you have installed the software.

FlameFlame
Sorry to be a pain about this but I can't 'enable' McAfee VSO because it says I still have a file from Panda AV (not true)
If I download yet another AV I'll NEVER get McAfee enabled.
As soon as I get McAfee sorted I'll follow your instructions for the logfile.
Hope this is ok?
WidgetIf that's what you want to do. Let us kow when you are ready

FlameOK, pc up & running & AV working. I've opened the link to the website you gave me (MAJOR Geeks) unfortunately I don't know what to do next, sorry, still quite a beginner.
Widget
Not to worry. It's always confusing the first time. Open the link, and you will see at the top-middle part of the page, it says Download From: and it will list their servers. Depending on which country you are in, select the one that belongs to your country. You can tell by the flags. If your country is not listed, then just pick one randomly.

FlameHope this is ok
Widget