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Hi i have a 180GB HDD from a acer aspire which broke ( I may ask forums later)

And I want to sell the laptop for PARTS (maby)

If I do sell it I want to erase the HDD.

I cant erase the HDD because the laptop wont even go on. So I need to find a local or national store that does it...

any suggestions?

Oh yeah how much would it cost you think?\

Thanks so much.Do you have another computer? Or maybe a friend with a computer. Just doing fa format will not erase all DATA. You need a program to do that.
Here is a video:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/157126/how_to_completely_erase_a_hard_drive.htmlA second suggestion is to use shred. http://linux.die.net/man/1/shred
Run shred on the disk. Near where I live there is a recycling center that shred's HDs, think of a paper shredder on steroids, and they only charge abut $10 US. I'm sure there are many of those around the world.http://www.techrepublic.com/article/extracting-data-from-a-dead-laptop-with-a-laptop-hard-drive-adapter/5160538

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsed59DWtbQ
This could be a little off topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f34rYVOzHOUQuote from: Doug on June 22, 2011, 06:59:23 PM

This could be a little off topic.

But it's still awesome

Yes, but do you have any proof that it erased the data?

I hope you're kidding...

The U.S. embassy in Iran used strip-cut paper shredders to reduce paper pages to strips before the embassy was taken over in 1979 (though not entirely successfully). After COLONEL Oliver North told Congress that he used a Schleicher Intimus 007 S cross-cut model to shred Iran-Contra documents, sales for that company increased nearly 20 percent in 1987.[2]

This could be a little off topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f34rYVOzHOU

Hello :0
I was wondering if my graphics CARD is dead.I experienced this after a blackout and when i went to boot up my COMP. Here are the symptoms:
1.When I boot up my comp, my monitor remains black ( cant see nothing)
2.Graphic card fan is not working, hooked up another fan, rebooted comp= still the same prob.
I connected my monitor to the integrated graphics card on my motherboard = comp booted to windows, so what do you GUYS think? Sounds like it's fried.

Alan <>< Quote from: Wigan on November 13, 2009, 07:41:41 AM

...I was wondering if my graphics card is dead.I experienced this after a blackout and when i went to boot up my comp. Here are the symptoms:
1.When I boot up my comp, my monitor remains black ( cant see nothing)
2.Graphic card fan is not working, hooked up another fan, rebooted comp= still the same prob.
I connected my monitor to the integrated graphics card on my motherboard = comp booted to windows, so what do you guys think?

Hi guys,




I GOT an Acer laptop, with the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile, which can change my monitor's screen size, brightness, contrast and gamma, but can't change the saturation of my monitor. The result : I got a very bright screen, with a very low saturation LEVEL. I've been downloading softwares for some TIME to calibrate my monitor, but the only thing I could do was to change the gamma color levels. It does nothing more than my driver can do.

Now that I play a bit with Photoshop, I create IMAGES that don't fit with the high saturation level of my other computer, and the PICTURES of my computer don't fit with the low saturation level of my laptop.

What should I do now ?

Thanks !

This CD tray does this 24 hrs a day no matter what program is running or not running. Sometimes there will be several minutes or hours between, sometimes it will close just seconds after opening (or vise versa).
I have tried to catch which process is using the CPU in Task Manager when it happens, but see nothing out of the ordinary.
Is there ANOTHER way to see what's causing this?
This is on my old Celeron machine listed last in my specs.Boot to safe MODE. Does the same thing happen?check if the mechanical switch on the drive is stuck or smth.Often this is an indication of a virus infection.

http://www.viruslist.com/en/viruses/encyclopedia?chapter=153280800Sorry for the delay responding.

Quote

Boot to safe mode. Does the same thing happen?

check if the mechanical switch on the drive is stuck or smth.

Often this is an indication of a virus infection.

has anyone had experience with resetting a Lexmark E323 printer to factory defaults? I have tried it ACCORDING to the Lexmark website as WELL as their live chat support and I can not get the Address Source to be ANYTHING but Manual. I want to get it to automatic so that I get an IP address when I connect it to the classroom network.

DHCP is enabled, but it is overwritten by the address source setting.

ThanksOK, fixed it. TURNS out it is not the factory defaults I NEEDED, it was the NVRAM that had to be reset.

Hello
i have 2 PC's confg as follows
PC1-
ram - 2GB x 1
cpu- Core 2 Duo
Mother board- Gigabyte G31
HDD 1 - 160 GB
HDD 2 - 1TB
OS - windows server 2003 enterprise

....................................... ............................
PC2-
ram - 1gb x 1
cpu- Dual core
Mother board- Gigabyte G31
HDD 1 - 160 GB
OS - Dual Boot
1.windows xp sp3
2. Redhat enterprise 5
....................................... ............................

Now coming to problem.
Pc1 was restarting after the windows logo , so i thought that windows is corrupted and then i re-installed it and it worked for around 10 minutes after the installation is completed and after that it got shutdown then i again switched it on and there was no light on keyboard and mouse and monitor is showing orange light as if system is yet shutdown cpu fan is working , psu fan is working and power up light is there on the pc and even heard the POST beep sound which is normal .

Then i thought that there is the problem of mother board so i changed it with my pc 2 but no result , i even CHANGES the psu , but no positive result , then i even tried removing cmos battery for around 30 mins to reset the system but no result and the most amazing thing happen is that now my both of the pc's are having the same problem i even undo the swapping of mobo and other spares of both the pc's but no result ...... so please help me out.....

ThanksWhich of these PC's are working before the swapping? Or are they both not?Thanks for the reply...well earlier my pc1 stopped working but pc2 was working fine then i did swapping then none of them worked and after undo the swapping my both the pc's have stopped working.

The psu is working... have you tried the RAM? and is the 12V molex connector plugged in correctly on the motherboard? Yes changed the ram and checked with the molex connectors still no improvementSounds like you need to start from scrath. Try getting a working psu with at least 450watts+ to plug your pc. Just plug your hdd, mobo, and dvd/cd drive , dont connect any fans for your case. your psu may have limited its power or its not working at all. This may sound crazy, you said your psu is working but i have SEEN psu working but with dead or half dead connections. Also try geting a good or better fan for your processor , your processor may be overheating. you should keep it between 32-39 for optimal performance, 40-60 for REGULAR. 61+ dont ask.Ignore the above post

I have a Compaq NC6000 laptop. I had a bad motherboard so I changed it to a different mother board (WORKING). After installing I turned it on and it went threw a bunch of numbers. Once that was done a window ask if I WANT to do the following. I think it said to cancel, set up computer, or save setting. I choose set up computer. This OPENED a new window for setting up the computer. I think it was the DIOS (spelling) window for the computer. I have seen it before when I had to put a new hard drive in. I just exit out of this window. Shortly after that the computer screen went BLANK. The lights on the hard drive and multibay drive were flashing with a beep (if I remember right). Same time the light flashed on it beeped. How many beeps I do not remember. Did not know it was a code. Now all it does are both lights are continuously on. I have played with plugging in the power with the battery to any possible way with a power source. We I do this and turn on the computer nothing but lights on and sometimes the FAN would turn on. Again this is from different start ups things would happen. Lost!!!!

Hi;

I have been asked to help fix a dead HP Pavilion DV4000 Laptop.

The symptoms:

Laptop is dead and will not switch on, either connected to the 240v mains or using just the battery, the owner has tried a different battery (which he believes is charged) but the Laptop will still not switch on.

When the PSU is plugged into 240v outlet and is not connected to the DC in on the Laptop, the LED on the DC Jack lights up bright green. A voltage reading from the DC Jack shows 31v (Which is the stated output on the PSU).

When the DC Jack is connected to the DC In on the Laptop the green LED diminishes and goes out, sometimes if you then switch off the 240 supply and then switch it back on again the green LED lights up but is dim and flickers.

On dismantling the Laptop the DC In socket appears to be intact and there are no obvious signs of burnt out components on the motherboard however, when removing the CPU cooler the top of the CPU was black dust and the cooling paste seemed minimal and dry.

The CPU pins look OK.

According to a post I found via google the LED symptoms appear to point to a short circuit somewhere from the DC In Jack however this links then went on to suggest buying a new PSU which clearly would not resolve a short circuit so I am dubios??

Any help with this would be great.

Thanks

It SEEMS like the voltage regulator circuit (usually contained on the motherboard) is dead. There is nothing more you can do EXCEPT to replace the motherboard & hope it works. Better to sell the whole thing for parts.Quote from: Computer_Commando on JULY 04, 2011, 11:13:47 AM

It seems like the voltage regulator circuit (usually contained on the motherboard) is dead. There is nothing more you can do except to replace the motherboard & hope it works. Better to sell the whole thing for parts.

...not certain that its the problem I'll not chance it, its an old Laptop and a replacement would probably be money better spent...

Hi, before i go any further and please do not feel insulted for this, all HP pc's are crap, they have good prices, and specifications but they all die within less than a year and 2 years.

Remember this is just a suggestion since i cannot see the problem, we only answer depending on the information you provide

I just GOT the Triton AX51 Pro 5.1 headset and I want some test sounds/songs that will take full ADVANTAGE of the 5.1 audio. Does anyone know of free sounds/songs that do that? Links would be nice.

Thanks in advance.Only DVD audio discs take advantage of 5.1 SOUND when playing music. An example would be the audio side of Blue Man Group's "The Complex" in which the songs are presented in 5.1 surround. DVD movies would be another option.

Most sound CARDS usually come with software which includes a speaker test for any speaker setups they support.Terminator 2...the opening sequence.Thanks patio. I started watching it and I ended up watching the hole movie.I was going to PREDICT that.....
How was the sound ? ?Very nice.

Hello,

I'm trying to help a friend fix his computer but I'm kind of having some problems. Currently, his hard drive started clicking which at this point i'm sure he needed a new hard drive. So, we wanted to get his data off of his current drive and put it on an external drive, boot from the external and then copy the data onto the new drive. WELL, we started copying data from the drive to the external until it started locking up and then we were only able to get into Safe Mode which ENDED up locking up as well. I thought about USING the command prompt to copy data but not as familiar with doing that. What can i do to copy the data from the C: Drive UNTO his external G: drive so that the system will be able to boot up from the external drive?
Once able to get the data over, i thought i would need to get into the setup menu and change the boot drive. Is this correct? Obviously i'll need to get the data over first. Any IDEAS?the command to copy everything from C: to G: will be, copy *.* G: , While you are in the root directory in c:.

but note that, you will not be able to boot from the external drive unless you install windows/OS in it.If the drive is freezing up from the "clik of Death" there's nothing you can do other than take it to a Data Recovery service...expensive.
This is why a good backup strategy is a must...i'd start considering one for the new setup.

I have to have my hard drive replaced by the computer manufacturer
its GOING to be the second time in six months (Dont buy Acer).
My question is how can I make a COPY of my hard drive, so that
when I get my computer back I dont have to maually intall everything
Any help will be apriciated.Acronis True Image: http://www.acronis.com/ - not free, but the best

Free alternatives:
- Macrium Reflect: http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp
- DriveImage XML: http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm (tutorial: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial160.html)
- SelfImage: http://www.excelcia.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=21
- Paragon Drive BACKUP: http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express/Thanks for the information

RalphG.You're very welcome you can copy everything manually too. Using a boot cd, to copy from 1 disk to another, then use a freeware to write the boot tables to your second hdd. And thats it. I mean i know it sounds complicated it but its not, remember this is the free version.

Otherwise use acronis true image and acronis home, to clone the disk.Ignore the above please...

i was reformatting my computer and it was working fine. the only thing was that my windows vista reinstallation disc got stuck in my slot loading cd-rom drive.
and all of a sudden on my desktop i got notifications that said "A SMART event has occurred, a hard drive will fail in the future" something along those lines. i turned off my laptop and tried turning it on again.
the dell loading SCREEN came on and then after that it just goes to a black screen with a white cursor blinking in the upper left hand corner and that's it.
what is wrong with my laptop? is it my hard drive or what? i really hope i don't have to replace my laptop because that's something i just can't afford right now and i NEED access to a computer because of work and school. help would really be appreciated.

it's a dell xps m1530 and it's abotu 2 yrs old. If you had already started the format/install process unfortunately you can't expect that machine to boot PROPERLY again...

A SMART warning means indeed that HDD is on it's way out...it may be 3 months or it may be a day.

Shop around for a replacement HDD in the meantime...collect all your laptop drivers and try the re-install on a NEW HDD...thanks so basically its a HDD problem? should i just buy an external cd drive to install my OS and drivers once i get a new HDD since my reinstallation disc got stuck in my current cd slot loading drive?You should "unstick" the reinstallation disc first.You can't install Windows to an external drive and get it to boot reliably on any machine without a crowbar and 3 daus work...
Not the way to go.Quote from: patio on September 26, 2009, 05:13:27 PM

You can't install Windows to an external drive and get it to boot reliably on any machine without a crowbar and 3 daus work...

i am getting http://www.amazon.com/Intel-D845WN-PGA478-ATX-Motherboard/dp/B000068GNG/ref=sr_1_24?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1309989814&sr=1-24 if i get the right socket can it fit a intel core 2 duo instead of a INTE PENTIUM 4It will accept any Socket 478 CPU...never MIND i found a better motherboard that fits my processor.. thanks anyway

Hi, I'm new here and obviously, in need of some help. Thank you in advance to those reading this... I have spent a great deal of the day scouring through help forums and threads to try and figure this out; I've come across some similar issues other users have had, but I lack their tools. Long story short: I had purchased a laptop a couple years ago, a Toshiba Satellite. I deployed for a long period of time LEAVING my laptop in the trusting hands of my parents. I return after 2 years to find that through their use of said laptop, I now can not get past the Toshiba logo start screen. The two options available are F2 and F12 for the set up options and boot select. I've checked both out and failed to learn anything new or make progress.

I do not have a recovery disk or XP disk (bless my parents again for their watchful eagle eyes). So, I am left scratching my head trying to figure out what to do. I have a feeling the hard drive is just plain shot, but mainly I want to know if there is any way of recovering pictures and audio I had saved. Do I need to drop the big bucks on a new XP disk? Or perhaps would a search for "XP recovery" on an electronics site yield the adequate resulting software to remedy this situation? I fear that the only option is to wipe everything clean. Any ideas, thoughts?

Kinda bummed but hopeful,
OreoenatorWhat is your priority?
1. Get the Toshiba running again.
2. Get your pictures and music from the Toshiba hard drive.

Have you checked Toshiba's website?
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/support/jsp/home.jsp#

What is the model number of the Toshiba Satellite?
Is it still under warranty?My priority is to recover the pictures and music, if it is possible. Should that be too difficult to accomplish, I can abandon hope and just get the darn thing running.

I did check Toshiba's website, and didn't find much help in the support bulletins and user's guide. As for the Downloads section, however, I was a bit overwhelmed and am unsure as to whether or not anything listed there would help me or not. The one thing in the DOWNLOAD section that looked like it may help was a ACPI Flash BIOS version 2.10 for TECRA A5/Satellite M55, but I tried that and got nothing.

My laptop is a Toshiba Satellite M55-S3512, and is not under warranty, sadly.First try F12, and select hard drive to see if it will boot. Then, try to find all the CD's that came with the Toshiba or try to obtain copies from Toshiba.

If the Toshiba won't boot, you can remove the hard drive and connect it to one of these. Then you can plug it in to any COMPUTER to retrieve you stuff.
I have tried selecting the HDD from the boot menu, but it just pops up with the Disk Read Error. The disks that came with the laptop are long gone, and as for obtaining new ones from Toshiba, I am awaiting a response. I will, however, give that USB adapter a try. I thank you for that help and I will let you know how it goes.Quote from: oreoenator on September 27, 2009, 06:19:16 AM

I have tried selecting the HDD from the boot menu, but it just pops up with the Disk Read Error...

Hai ppl!!!
i have another question for you all... i have a laptop hard drive on me, that the operating system crashed on, and i want to make it into an external drive
the only problem, is when i plug it in, it does not show on the hard drive list, removable storage, ext...
the drive is not dead, because if you boot the computer off of it, it tries to run windows, but it crashes...
please help... i need more computer spaceDoes it show in computer management?
Can you provide more info: USB enclosure type. enclosure USB powered or external power adapter.
Are you ATTACHING it to a laptop or desktop?
You can't run Windows from a USB drive.i have this laptop hard drive from another laptop that i have, and when its plugged into the actuall hard drive bay, it works, but when its plugged into my current laptop, you can hear it working, but windows does not recognize it as a storage device...
right now i am using a IDE - USB plug to test my drive before i get an encolusre... and this adapter works with another hard drive that i haceYou can't take a hard drive from one laptop & put it into another laptop and expect it to boot. Windows is configured to run on the laptop where it was originally installed. Don't know what kind of IDE - USB plug you have. Some don't work very well.1... i took the laptop out of the original laptop... it had OS problems
2... this adapter works perfectly with another laptop hard drive i am usingQuote from: zeroburn on July 07, 2011, 07:20:38 PM

1... i took the laptop out of the original laptop... it had OS problems
2... this adapter works perfectly with another laptop hard drive i am using

You can't take a hard drive from one laptop & put it into another laptop and expect it to boot. Windows is configured to run on the laptop where it was originally installed.

no, it should boot properly, just without drivers, from personal experience.

Wrong...
Also from personal experience.

So I have had this Biostar MCP6P M2+ MOTHERBOARD for 2 years and was originally running the Sempron 2200 X2 (uncommon dual-core) which came bundled with the motherboard as a cheap dual-core on Windows 7 Home Premium with 4GB DDR2 800 Mhz Ram, GeForce 8400GS PCIe Video Card, with 2 IDE DVD-RW drives and a single 500GB SATA drive. And had no hardware issues or boot bugs under the original setup.

A week ago a friend of mine upgraded his system with a new motherboard, and I asked him if he would sell me his AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor ADX620WFK42GI - OEM CPU, and he said that I can have the CPU for free if I help him upgrade his system to the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor.

The original CPU I had the AMD Sempron X2 2200 2.0GHz 2 x 256KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor SDO2200IAA4DO - OEM is a 65 Watt Processor and the good used CPU is a 95 Watt.

Before upgrading my system, I checked to make sure the motherboard supported it as well as would take a 95 Watt CPU since the prior was 65 Watts, and its in the list of supported processors as seen here: http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/cpu_support.php?S_ID=370

Now to share with you this strange boot bug... On initial boot of the system, the post screen shows and it detects and shows video card, then CPU and Ram info. Then displays the following after a 10 second delay:

Verifying DMI Pool Data .... Update Success
Boot from CD
Boot from CD
DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

So, I decided then to perform a Warm Reboot thru CTRL + ALT + DELETE and the system takes the command and it then boots up and right after:

Verifying DMI Pool Data .... Update Success
Boot from CD
Boot from CD

the screen then switches to booting Windows 7 with no problems within about 2 SECONDS after displaying this last piece of post info.

So I then went looking for anyone else with this issue with this board and found a Flash for this board at here: http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/bios.php?S_ID=370 stating a very similar issue "Fix sometimes can't boot to OS " for the flash version "61PBM629.BSS". So I flashed the motherboard to this newer patched version to try to correct this, and the only change now is that my Biostar Logo has changed and the version is now that of the flash version. The system still at very first cold boot comes up with this boot bug of it unable to boot from the SATA drive, and I have since at cold boot not waited the 10 seconds for the boot failure but added the routine of a warm boot with CTRL+ALT+DELETE right when it starts to display the:

Verifying DMI Pool Data .... Update Success
Boot from CD
Boot from CD

And it boots and runs perfectly fine and FAST compared to the Sempron X2 I had prior.

I had a spare 320GB SATA drive from when I ran Windows XP Pro on this system and so I switched from the 500GB to the 320GB SATA drive and still at cold ( first boot ) same boot bug, so its not the drive. Also had a spare SATA cable brand new in a baggy and replaced that and still same issue.

I also went in to the PC Health utility in the BIOS to check power supply voltages as for I had a similar issue a long time ago when i upgraded my 286 to a 486 motherboard in an old desktop dell and the power supply struggled to power the 486 and the Voodoo Video Card, sound blaster 16, AT&T 28.8 Modem, and the 3com 10mbps NIC, but the symptoms with that system was a black screen on boot, and if you pressed the power button off and on a few times you could get the system to catch enough amps to boot.

I havent swapped out the power supply yet, because I dont think its the power supply because voltage levels are reporting correct in PC Health in Bios utility, and it doesnt do the black screen non post like that 486/66 motherboard did to that system that was originally rated for a 286/12 motherboard load.

Anyone have any suggestions? Right now its looking like the only options are try swapping PSU which shouldnt be the problem, replace the motherboard with a newer motherboard, or continue to perform the cold followed by warm boot to bypass this boot bug.

If it was the power supply, I would expect it to become unstable during games, but I have had both DVD-RW drives converting DVD movies for my sony movie/mp3 walkman, and playing i-tunes music minimized, and been playing wow in a dungeon with it with tons of graphics and processing stuff going on and this quad-core is really fast compared to what i have had before and has no flaws under extreme multitasking which puts the power supply under quite a load.

History of his quad-core CPU was a very stable system with no flaws. Reason for upgrade is that he has the need for speed and doesnt mind spending money. As for myself, I like cheap upgrades and will run hardware into the ground before retiring it to a landfill. Also to note he gave his motherboard away to another friend who wanted to build a cheap system, so its not like I can ask now for the motherboard he had as well to pair the CPU and motherboard back up again.
I think you are right to suspect the power supply. They vary not only in nominal power rating but also stability. Cheaper ones don't like it near the edge of their comfort zone. You have checked voltages and indeed they seem steady once the system is finally up and running. But the time immediately after a cold start is a crucial period. There is a surge and if voltage rails have not yet stabilised you can get problems like you describe. I once built a system when money was tight and I got the Socket 462 motherboard I wanted (an Abit KT7A) but I economized on the CPU (I got a 750 MHz Duron instead of the Athlon XP 1800 that I really wanted) and (fatally) a (very!) cheap case-and-PSU deal which cost 19.99 UK pounds (about 32 US dollars). The whole thing worked absolutely fine until I upgraded the cpu 6 months later. Much heavier power draw. Big surge at start. It would boot into Windows if there was no disk in the CD drive, but if there was a disk you would HEAR the drive motor start to spin up and... crash! A click from the PSU and it would restart. It was very marginal and I got frequent BSODs. The complete solution was a new "certified for AMD" PSU at 40 UK pounds (around 65 USD).

I think you have the idea because you wrote this about your old Dell

Quote

you could get the system to catch enough amps to boot.

I have a coolermaster 1000w PSU and the power connector for the graphics card has 2 X 4pin PLUGS but the graphics card (ASUS GTX570) has 2 plugs, a 6 PIN and 8 pin which are side by side. Do I use both connections on the graphics card. Wondering if anybody could help as there seem to be plenty of combinations to use but not an exact match as the instruction manual is a bit light on regarding thishttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_fNrSZVKaYsaw the video but it doesn't really explain. Do I NEED 2 separate feds for the graphics card (6 pin and 8 pin) and can either or both be from the 2X 4pin out of the PSU

Hey guy (laides)

I have an issue with my pc, the drive is partitioned into 2,
c: drive,
d: my recovery drive,

my D drive is already full, i want to know how i can fix this issue.....i have a 500 g external harddrive with me, i do know there is a solution to this where i can use my external harddrive......please help.

thanks guys! If d: is a recovery drive how is it accumulating files? What do you put there?
And assuming it's just data, move what you want to the external drive. Am I missing something here?Is this a desktop or laptop?

What is the total capacity of each logical drive, "C:" and "D:"?

If "D:" is a recovery partition of 6 GigaBytes or so, then you shouldn't be dumping anything to it. If you're running "Backup" SOFTWARE, verify the logical drive it's dumping the backups to.It is a PC.

C is my primary and D is my secondary.....Quote from: LeoITT on September 25, 2009, 09:55:16 AM

It is a PC.

C is my primary and D is my secondary.....

im trying to install a program and since the memory is full i cannot even boot it to save on my external drive (drive E:)

1. yes im referring to the Logical drive D: is for recovery it only has 7 gs of memory in that drive, my PC drive (c: ) is fine, but when i want to install a program the computer prompts *not enough storage is available to process this command.*
2. im assuming since my recovery drive is full this set up error displays.
3. i have backed up my files on my external hdd.
4. should i go to computer management and format the drive?
5. do not want to mess my pc up, its the only one i have...

Hello,

Actually, I want to PURCHASE laptop battery but i am totally confused that which brand is perfect and cost effective such as either apple or other brand which is suitable for my laptop.

Plz suggest me…
DannyYou can pay up to apple and have a guarantee that it will last, or you can shop around for a generic replacement. I try to save money vs LINING the pockets of the NAME brands like Apple who have what i feel are deep pockets. If buying a generic replacement, do research to see if others gave positive FEEDBACK on it such as 2 of 5 stars being bad and 4 of 5 or 5 of 5 being worth taking a chance. There are usually big SAVINGS when buying generic vs Apple Branded or Certified parts, and if you do the research you can be successful at a good replacement battery and saving money.On iFixit, identify your laptop and find an appropriate battery. You don't want to buy a battery that doesn't fit!

http://www.ifixit.com/Info/ID-your-Mac


For example, you can purchase a (white) Macbook battery off the site:
http://www.ifixit.com/MacBook-Parts/MacBook-Battery/IF186-009

I don't think either ONE of us can be accused of that so u suggest i should retrieve the IMPORTANT DATA from it now as it may fully crash any time ... ?I'm surprised you even took the time to POST the QUESTION

Hello,
My computer has recently started telling me I need to save my files because memory is running low. What does this mean? I have 4Gb of RAM and a Nvidia Quadro 3500 graphics card that I use for my Maya 3D application and Photoshop work. The computer just started doing this ever since I connected it to the internet otherwise it was fine for the last 3 years and has had no problems other than my adding more Ram to it (went from 2Gb to 4Gb). Can someone please help me? Virtual Memory and RAM are not the same thing.

Virtual Memory is usually just referred to as a Page File, when you get errors like that it usually means that you are running out of space on your Hard Disk.
You will need to FREE up space on your hard disk by either MOVING files to a different drive, or REMOVABLE medium, or you will need a new and larger Hard Disk. If budget is a factor then just move the files off of your C:\ and free up more space.

One thing to look at is if there are any PROGRAMS installed that you do not use, uninstall them.Do not confuse memory with hard disk space. If you are running out of space for files, that's hard disk space, not memory. "Virtual Memory" is the use of hard disk space to AUGMENT ram.

I have a SAMSUNG SV0411N ATA IDE hard disk, just enough to meet my memory needs.
the problem is it doesn't get detected, there is no mention of the DEVICE in MY Computer. I tried to install XP on it, but set up displayed a message saying it could not read the drive.
I used Vista disk management, from another HDD and in disk management, the disk finally showed up. but as soon as i start disk management, it asks me to innitialize the disk, i click OK, it returns data error (CRC).
and then in the disk management window the disk SHOWS up as a 37 GB unallocated space.
when i try to create a new SIMPLE volume, it says "operation cannot be COMPLETED because the disk is not innitialized"
Chkdsk dosen't read the drives, the samsung doesn't even have a drive name yet.
In disk management, right-click on the drive and format it.

Quote

The Inspiron 530's NIC can kick you off the internet. Don't buy it.

Hi, I'm new and don't know much about computers so you'll have to explain as if I were a kid - sorry! (I had a mate who was really good at it - but we don't talk anymore so I no longer have my own personal IT expert)

I recently turned my pc on to discover my 500gb hard drive that my mate installed a few months ago wasn't showing up. I tried going to add hardware but I don't know what it's called, I opened the pc up wondering if something had come loose but I don't THINK that's it (I pushed all the plug/connector things in to be SURE) but it's still not showing up.

HELP!!! Pretty please with a cherry on top! Go to Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Drive Management. Does the drive show up and does it show as healthy?
OK done.

Still can't find it.

Any idea what happened and how I can fix it? So the drive does not show up at all in drive management? I'm guessing this is a secondary hd since your system still boots, is that correct?

If the drive worked one day and then all of a sudden did not work the next day (and it doesn't show up in drive management) I have to believe it's one of TWO things. Either the drive has died or the cable is bad.Yes it's a 2nd drive - 1st one is only 40gb.
So what do I do? Is it fixable? Expensive? Can I get a refund?
Can I save any of my files? Check the cables. If everything there is okay, the drive is probably dead.
And no, drives are not very expensive these days.
If it's a new drive or new computer you can probably exchange the drive.
If your system can't see the drive then you can't get to the files yourself. There are some 3rd party services that MAY be able to help. In the future you should always backup critical data.Does the drive show up in Device Manager and is it listed as "This Device is Working Properly"?Thanx.
It's not really critical data - but I have over 150 movies, dozens of books and tons of music on that hard drive. I really don't want to lose it all.
How do I check the cables - what am I looking for?
Could you recommend any good (preferably cheap) 3rd parties to help? (I live in England). To check the cables you can either swap the cable out for a new one (assuming you don't have any laying around the place) or you can make the HDD that will not show master and see if the drive will show. Obviously it will not boot since there isn't an OS on the drive I'm assuming, so you will have to check if it shows in the BIOS.

That's what I'd do anyway, might wanna check with Allan first though.

Anyhow, if it shows, it's a cable problem not a HDD problem.

we bought our laptop a while ago and it had two hard drives. one is full and i don't know how to use the second one. i can save stuff on it but to make it default. it is now telling me i am running low on memory, that the disk may be full and im having problems OPENING things because of this. can someone help me correct this PROBLEM. your help will be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance.

mhorn617Do you see the second drive in Windows Explorer? If so, it's formatted and ready to go. Just use it the same way as the first drive - copy whatever you want to the drive.Quote from: mhorn617 on November 12, 2009, 01:59:28 PM

we bought our laptop a while ago and it had two hard drives. one is full and i don't know how to use the second one. i can save stuff on it but to make it default. it is now telling me i am running low on memory, that the disk may be full...

just recently i was cleaning my PC so I take some of its parts like the memory cpu, fan etc.. and especially the Power Led,,,after im done, I put all the parts back but sadly my pc wont start , it has no beep sound like it detect the memory the yellow Led wont display and the MONITOR will display no signal...but the fan is working fine... now i dont know what to do...

I need your advice guyzzzzz what to do tanx
Have you re-check every single component, making sure they are all plugged in and seated correctly?I'm guessing it's one of TWO things.

Either a wire or component is loose or not connected or there was a static discharge when you handled the ram. Clearly it's difficult to DIAGNOSE without being in front of the system, but that's my best shot.yeah i ALREADY chek all the components but im having a second thought that maybe i shortcircuited the board? ....cz the green led at the front of the CPU casing wont display, or is there a way i fix it... my Motherboard is msi H55M-E32, i forgot where i put my manual Quote from: Allan on July 11, 2011, 06:56:14 AM

I'm guessing it's one of two things.

Either a wire or component is loose or not connected or there was a static discharge when you handled the ram. Clearly it's difficult to diagnose without being in front of the system, but that's my best shot.

I have a Panasonic Let's Note series laptop (Japanese model purchased in Japan). It's the CF-W5KW8AXR model. It's about 3 years old now and my battery has lost a lot of it's usage longevity. In fact, its full capacity is only 80% now.

I have looked into buying a new battery. When I saw the price (about 24,000 yen or so -- US$240.00), I decided against it! Ridiculously expensive. On the other hand, I heard that thee are generic brand batteries that would WORK in my PC just the same.

Can anyone give me any feedback on that? If so, where could I buy a cheap / cheaper new battery that would give me back my longevity (about 7 hours or so)?

I haven't heard of Generic batteriesQuote from: brothersaccount on November 12, 2009, 09:55:21 AM

I haven't heard of Generic batteries

I haven't heard of Generic batteries

impervious

Hello there. I just had a scary moment just now.

I'm usually a Mac guy, but lately, I have been using this PC at my parents house when I am away from the office.
I was browsing two websites, two which I am very USED to and are not pornographic, when the computer hit a blue screen of death, and the actual computer STARTING to make a louder and louder noise, as if it would explode or catch on fire.
I unplugged it, and then plugged it in after a few moments, and it seems to be working fine, but I'm scared that it's damaged or worse. Everything seems fine, but I don't know what happened.

The sites if you must know are Comicbookresources.com and /co/.

Please tell me that I haven't done something WRONG. What did the noise sound like? Did the noise come from speakers or internal to computer case? The most common locations for scary noise are bad fans or capacitors that are leaking. Fans generally groan and can make a buzzing sound as they chatter when failing. Capacitors that are leaking that dont explode but vent gas generally make a hissing sound and you have an odor that can be smelt if the case is opened, but also generally stand out like a sore thumb on a motherboard where they have split tops or are swelled topped vs flat.It was coming from the computer case, and was a building whirling noise, getting to very frightening loud levels. After unplugging the computer, it stopped.I would check all fans...you can stop each temporarily with a QTip....to find the culprit.Thanks, I'm going to investigate now.by the way, computers don't explode. Except in movies. But everything explodes in movies.

You mentioned a BSOD; the actual details of that BSOD might be helpful. You can get those using BlueScreenView.

Also, when a BlueScreen occurs, naturally all software running on the machine stops. This includes the types of programs and drivers that are often preinstalled on some computers, which often includes tools for controlling fan speeds. This can result in fans throttling to 100% after a STOP ERROR (BSOD). When a bunch throttle to 100% when you are used to hearing the fans being controlled directly by temperature (which means you normally only get a louder PC when you have it working hard) it can be UNNERVING. So the sound may very well be normal.

However, Blue Screens are not- despite what you may have heard- something that is part of "everyday life" with windows. It could be indicative of a issue that it might be best to determine.

This is a problem that i've been having for quite some time, and have posted here several times without getting any satisfactory answers.

my Desktop's P4 CPU is clocked at 3.2GHz, but it runs at 2.8GHz. no, there's nothing that sets the speed in the BIOS (if i recall correctly, PEOPLE have pointed out that there may be settings in the BIOS that sets it. and no, i dun see any such settings).

wat must i do to MAKE it run at 3.2?More info on the chip model# and the MBoard...Quote from: patio on November 11, 2009, 06:42:27 AM

More info on the chip model# and the MBoard...

How do you know for sure if it's a 3.2GHz?

i bought it. and CPU-Z says that it is a 3.2GHz model, so does the BIOS.

Then, what makes you say it runs at 2.8GHz?

This is a problem that i've been having for quite some time, and have posted here several times without getting any satisfactory answers.

my Desktop's P4 CPU is clocked at 3.2GHz, but it runs at 2.8GHz. no, there's nothing that sets the speed in the BIOS (if i recall correctly, people have pointed out that there may be settings in the BIOS that sets it. and no, i dun see any such settings).

wat must i do to make it run at 3.2?

Just want to SAY hi. I was READING alot of INFORMATIVE stuff here lately and learned alot, thanks for really GOOD forum guys Welcome Aboard !

I'm looking for a new printer for a laptop running Windows 7 which 'er indoors has just bought, possibly the Kodak ESP3 or the later ESP 3250.

Given the "newness" of W7 is this LIKELY to be an ISSUE with the above or indeed printers generally?

Cheers, folks

7 should support any relatively current printers you want to use (even old ones, for that matter). If the printers are new models, you may want to make SURE the printers have drivers for Windows 7 THOUGH.

Quote from: poonico on November 11, 2009, 05:06:04 PM

quick Q for anyone still around...

i evidently have arounf 115 GB to work with and partition....

any idea on how to divide it up to work best? I'd still like to hold my photos and what not on d: I'm comfortable with that.

I haven't opened up a computer in ages and with 3 kids running around, anything could go wrong.

Windows Vista introduces a new boot loader architecture; a new firmware-independent boot configuration and storage system called Boot Configuration Data (BCD); and a new boot option editing tool, BCDEdit (BCDEdit.exe). These components are designed to load Windows more quickly and more securely.

The traditional Windows NT boot loader, Ntldr, is replaced by Windows Boot Manager (Bootmgr.exe) and a set of system-specific boot loaders. In the new configuration, Windows Boot Manager is generic and unaware of the specific requirements for each operating system, and each system-specific boot loader is optimized for the system that it loads.

Which is stupid really, why would you want to have your boot record on a separate hard disc?

Perhaps someone could recommend third party software that accomplishes his objective. Sounds like Accessless wants/needs a "boot loader" that displays operating system selection menu the user may select from. ("Free" would be nice too.)

Remember, his operating systems are independently installed to separate hard drives and it sounds like they want to (and should) maintain that independence.

my monitor has had a blue tint to it for a few months and i have finally gotten the money to get a new ONE however upon installing the new one it also has the same tint even though i REPLACED the cord any thoughts on the next step
There are a few solutions i would suggest:

1.Go to your control panel or the software panel it came with and check all your color settings.
2.Check you connection, make SURE the port is not damaged
3.Try lowering the hardware excellerator..right click on DESK top&GT;properties>advanced>troubleshoot..slider for hardware excellorater

Sometimes number 3 is a good work around.Alot of times its the video card.If you have an extra video card available swap the video cards and see what happens

hi......sir

I have a LAPTOP but my unknown friend put the password in the bios.how can I ERASE the bios password from my laptop. I asked him but he also forget the password said to me. please kindly tell me.

thanking you.Your friend CAME here just before you did.
He said not to HELP you.
He wants you to ASK him.
hi....sir

I have a laptop but my unknown friend put the password in the bios.how can I erase the bios password from my laptop. I asked him but he also forget the password said to me. please kindly tell me.

thanking you.You will need to take it to a factory authorised service center for this...
You will need proof of ownership.

pc POWERS up its a emachines t6414 shows hdd LITE on but doesnt bootIf you'd like some assistance you need to PROVIDE a LOT more background and INFORMATION.

old system GQ 1.3 Gr AMD proc. 1.3 ram win XP. Replaced CPU with AMD phenom ll x4 840 CPU. new Asus mother board m4n68t-m v. and a couple sticks 1600 ram. I got power but the CD wont open (lights on) and the monitor is black no boot. I would really like to play with this system since it's been 7 years since any upgrades.Your PSU probably doesn't support the power requirements of the motherboard and the Phenom. It would help if you posted the make of your PSU here. on a side tip-disconnect any case fans and the hard drive to see if the system POSTs so we can rule out a hardware error.Power unit is ATX 12v model# sp-450y 450w
disconnected hdd still no boot. on off and reset button not working either. unless I hold on/off switch down then it will shut down,*simulates problem on a SPARE test rig at hand, identical to my primary rig* i find i can simulate the exact same problem in 2 cases:
1) graphics card isn't inserted properly
2) psu cannot handle the power required/psu 12v connector isn't inserted correctly./CPU voltage set too high.

is an external graphics card plugged in? no external graphics
Was reviewing manuals for old and new, Original hard drive is UltraDMA 66/100/133, New mobo manual states supports Serial ATA 3Gbs amd RAID support. Would this make a diff?UltraDMA is an ATA file transfer protocol for your HDD-I see that your original HDD speeds are the new version of IDE, whereas your Asus mobo's 3GB/s is designed to be used with recent SATA drives. you will need an adapter to use your hard drive, but even then, you are limited to 133 Megabytes/second file transfer speed. I doubt you would need RAID, though, because the slow file transfer speed would be the big limitation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/Ultra-DMAWoW...Quote from: Transfusion on July 06, 2011, 07:48:18 PM

UltraDMA is an ATA file transfer protocol for your HDD-I see that your original HDD speeds are the new version of IDE, whereas your Asus mobo's 3GB/s is designed to be used with recent SATA drives.

but even then, you are limited to 133 Megabytes/second file transfer speed. I doubt you would need RAID, though, because the slow file transfer speed would be the big limitation.

UltraDMA is an ATA file transfer protocol for your HDD

Hi frnds need some help here
I am running Win xp sp2 in my desktop having 512MB RAM (DDR2 dual channel, 256MB in each channel) and 3.06GHz PROCESSOR. I want it to upgrade to 1GB RAM(or 2GB) to run windows 7. So which type of rams are recommended and do i need to change my processor and graphics card? My system information is below:

System Information
------------------
Operating System: Windows XP PROFESSIONAL Service PACK 2
System Manufacturer: HP PAVILION 06
System Model: Asterope
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.06GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 448MB RAM

Display Devices
---------------
Card name: ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 Series (0x5A61)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Easiest solution is to travel to Crucial.com and run the online scanner...
It will tell you exactly how much and what type RAM that PC will take....thanks for d solution...Here is the memory info about your computer:


-->2 x 240-pin DIMM sockets
--> It support unbuffered non-ECC 533 MHZ DDR2 memory MODULES
-->Maximum HP/Compaq approved memory is 2 GB.


Thanks.

Dear Sirs!

I need your advice on the possible motherboard issues and ways of their detecting in home conditions ESPECIALLY I am interesting in the software to be used and what software info to be interpreted.
which could show themselves in the unstable work of 2 different DVD drives with different types of connection, separate cables and different brands of disks. There were external USB-drive and internal IDE-drive. Ide drive is connected to motherboard and power block DIRECTLY. USB was connected to the computer by 2 cables.
The issues began with often and sudden stopping of disks recording or erasing. Only USB-drive was connected firstly. Its image often desappeared from Windows Explorer window. But the reading of disks was NORMAL. I found two main error messages in the Event Viewer.
1. The driver detected controller error on device/cdrom0
2. The device cdrom0 is not ready for access yet.

I write to you, because of the doubts on the causes of the problem resolved. First, the atmospheric temperature of air reduced on about 10 degrees at the same time. Second, it is unclear why defective or bad working drive could affect the job of the normal one, when they have no common connection? Except of it, I am far from being technician, have no repair guarantee and do not want to bring hard computer to the repair serice. I include the list of my successie actions, their results, information on Bios utility, DVD-RW drives. The system information is included in an attached file.

The following has been made:

1. I tried to record disks on the different operaTING system on the same PC. No success. The system is installed on another partition of the same hard disk.
2. I uninstalled Kaspersky Crystal software from one of the systems using standard Windows Control panel and then using their own software. During 1 day everything was normal. Then unstability appeared again, but the second error did not repeat any more.
3. I called to the Kaspersky lab. They answered, they were famous conflict between Kaspersky Crystal, Kaspersky internet security and some recording software. I have nothing to do.
4. I have upgraded system Bios and made the following changes.
a) I disabled CPU Virtualization Feature Technology
b) I replaced ACPI suspend type from S1 to S3 to save energy.
c) I set up Stop Grant as suspend type with the same aim.
d) I set up the following parameters of the PC Health management to make cooling more effective. CPU fan off is 17 degrees. CPU fan start is 20 degrees. CPU fan full speed is 35 degrees. The start PWM value is 50.
e) The power management parameter was changed with max saving.
j) No other changes were made. There are no overlocking.
5. During a day, there was normal work, independently of the Kaspersky presence. Then the unstability repeated.
6. I have made detailed diagnostics with its manufacturer utility and made memory diagnostics with memtest software. No errors were found.
7. I put off the computer corp and installed the IDE drive. No changes.
8. I bought new discs and tested old ones with Vso inspector software to select disks with defects.
9. No results. The same.
10. I tested IDE-drive on another computer. It worked normally.
11. I switched off the USB one from my computer and tested it on the above-mentioned computer. It worked so unable as in my computer.
12. The Ide drive works normally, when the USB is switched off.
The bios data: Bios Phoenix Award Bios Cmos Setup Utility (IP965-A7)

USB DVD-Drive: Samsung Se-084C

IDE Drive sony Nec Optiarc AD-7200A
It can be that Kaspersky software and USB-drive were the causes of the unstable work. But the temperature reduction and the ABCENCE of the common connections of the drives make me to doubt, that I found all the REASONS of the recording and erasing issues.

So I need your advice on the possible motherboard issues and how to defect them.


[recovering disk space - old attachment deleted by admin]

It seems more a Hard drive PROBLEM to me or Operating SYSTEM is missing some important file

did you try windows re-installation.

Quote from: Serune on July 09, 2011, 07:03:48 PM

I cant believe soo many replays and no real answer. Ok lets try this, i have seen this problem before. This is just a suggestion since i cannot see the problem.
try this steps:

1. Change your Bios Battery
2. Access your Bios and Load Default Values.
3. Restart your computer, if you still have the problem, try to do it until you get to ENTER windows. If you cant then press F8 and load windows in safe mode only.

4. You didnt mention your OS is it windows xp, server, vista or 7 or other OS?
4.1. If vista, xp or 7, enter msdos (cmd.exe). Right click on cmd.exe and run as administrator.
5. perform a chkdsk for your hdd. type: chkdsk c:
6. Restart your pc and wait for check disk to complete an repair the hdd. (It is important to do this even if your computer runs fine)
7. Maybe your hdd is not damaged but still it was a good idea to do this, your pc may be hot, try taking off the cover of your pc case and place a fan or turn on your air conditioner to see if perhaps its overheating.
8. If your computer still runs halfway most likely its a virus, but i wanted to leave this part for the end.
9. Try formatting or reinstalling your OS, it may just be a virus. INSTALL a good antivirus like avast or BITDEFENDER, that is just my personal recommendation.
10. Another problem could be your ram may be partially damaged. If noone of the options above work try getting a new ram. There are other solutions i have in mind but unfortunately i in a rush, just let me know about how everything turned out and i will answer you as soon as possible

I have windows 7.64 home premium operating system. When I right click cmd.exe I do not get the option to run as administrator. When in DOS mode cmd.exe I type chkdsk c: under C:\Users\Altamash>chkdsk c: and press enter I get a reply telling me " Access Denied as you do not have sufficient privileges. You have to invoke this utility running in elevated mode". What does this mean can you "please" explain!. Thank you.

i recently upgrade my computer's memory ram and it did actually solved the problem. However, my problem was a bit different though compare to yours. My computer was freezing while working normally...Anyways, that's all i can share...

You were recommended to ignore that post by a moderator, if you choose to ignore a mod for a newbie, thats your perogitive, but i know what i'd do.

You can also ignore the above advice, as its not much more than guessing.

When booting gets half completed or when the booth download bar shows that booting is half completed the booting stops and my computer freezes. Some times the booting completes and then I get a error message saying " Alert! Previous attempts at booting this system have failed at checkpoint (50)." Then I press F1 or F2 and I am then faced with a BLANK screen which looks like a blank DOS screen with cursor blinking.
The you tube videos that I open in multiple tabs don not load all together, once when my desktop suddenly started normally my antivirus program was disabled and my firefox browser hangs sometimes nowadays. Apart from this I have not noticed any new or unusal activity if my computer starts normally.
Now for the past 3 to 4 shut downs and restarts my computer is starting normally.

A couple of years ago I bought a Buffalo 250GB HD for to be used for backup / storage. When powered on, a red light and a green light are suppose to turn on. The green light is suppose to show that it is active.

For several months I have been unable to get the green light to COME on. My PC will not recognize the HD at all. In other words, I can't use it at all.

I bought another 1000GB HD recently to go with an older 160GB HD I had previously. Both of them work fine. So, I was wondering how I could get my 250 activated. Any suggestions?I'm assuming the Buffalo is in an external ENCLOSURE correct ? ?

1st see if it is listed in Disk Management even with the red light...if so right clik it and select Properties and report BACK with the details...

Another thing we may have to try is REMOVING it from the enclosure and hooking it up as an internal slave drive...to determine whether it's the enclosure or the drive itself that has failed.

Let us Know...I hooked it up. I am not sure what you're asking me to right click. Where is disk management located? Also, it's an external HD but I don't know what you mean by external enclosure and internal slave drive.Right clik My Computer and select Manage...then Disk Management on the left...

Look for the drive listed there...

The enclosure is the case it's in...it can be removed to be tested.I just did that and the drive is not listed there. Only the C drive (currently in my PC) and the D drive (CD ROM) can be seen. So, next is to get a screwdriver and take it apart?

Then what?
Slave Drive Tutorial...It's not in my PC. It's an extra drive I bought for backup. I connect it to my PC by USB. Quote from: hockeysticks on November 11, 2009, 05:49:19 PM

It's not in my PC. It's an extra drive I bought for backup. I connect it to my PC by USB.

The enclosure is the case it's in...it can be removed to be tested.

0. Dang! You're way too fast for me. You MUST be every employer's dream. What was the original reason this computer wasn't being used?

1. Floppy Drive.
a. Where is the floppy drive in the Boot Order (First, Second, Third, Fourth)?
b. Was there a non-boot floppy in the drive?
c. If you've disconnected the floppy drive, on general principle, I'd disable it in the BIOS.

2. Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). If the screen flashes by too fast to read, you can request operating system not to restart so it stays on BSOD. Not sure if that's the case here, but it's worth a try.

From the Windows Advanced Options Menu select the "Disable automatic restart on system FAILURE".

If you can read the BSOD, post the "exact" Stop Code string (with its four parameters) and any error message and/or module name it might identify.

3. Windows Advanced Options Menu. Use the F8 function key during system startup to access the menu. Tap the F8 key once or twice per second as you startup the computer (or immediately after POST completes and screen flashes black prior to displaying Windows XP logo with its processing bar display).

When the menu comes up, use the up/down arrow keys to select the line item you want.

4. Memory Diagnostics. Test the memory. http://www.memtest86.com/ provides "free" diagnostic software that runs from either a bootable floppy or CD. Use the "Free Download" link from left side navigation menu. Run several complete passes.

5. Hard Drive Diagnostics. Most drive manufacturers provide free diagnostic software that runs from bootable floppy or CD. Links may be found here.Haha thank you dahl. Unfortunately I'm not hired doing any IT work but I wish I was I go to school for it. If you can find me job I'd happily go with it, I love this stuff.

Lol jk.. anyway I am at work at the moment so when I get home I will perform what you ask.K, lol.

1. I had already disabled the floppy after the disaster it caused, so it no longer exists.

2. The BSOD only appeared once more which I automatically turned the PC off. When I restart the PC once again it said I had no hard drive. Here's the weird part, I changed the jumper PIN to Master again and it magically worked. Ever since I did that I have no BSODs and it's been working flawlessly (I left the PC on for more than 24 hours just to see if it would happen again.)

3. Yes this feature with the computer is the Tab key, weird yeah? Anyway, it seems to be just fine.

4. I've tested the memory, no errors came up, so I'm assuming it's just fine.

5. I'll run a full CHKDSK one day, yet it could cause the OS from actually booting lol.

Anyhow, everything seems to be working just great. There was a problem that the OS did not install as an entire partition and only as 8MB. Since windows is amazing I couldn't use the regular Disk Management to combine the rest of the disk to the Primary Partition. Luckily I have Norton Partition Magic and I just combined the unpartitioned space to my Primary Partition and everything is great.

I'll report back in a week or so if any problems arise or if I ran the CHKDSK. Thank you again 1. Partition Size. Did you mean "8 MB" or "8 GB"? The BIOS of older computers limited the size of hard drive (partition) they could access. One limit was about 8 GB. The next was at 137 GB.
Quote from: sierobin on September 26, 2009, 01:54:01 PM

There was a problem that the OS did not install as an entire partition and only as 8MB. Since windows is amazing I couldn't use the regular Disk Management to combine the rest of the disk to the Primary Partition. Luckily I have Norton Partition Magic and I just combined the unpartitioned space to my Primary Partition and everything is great.

1. I'll look for a BIOS update, since that'd be something I'd want to update even without a problem persisting. As of right now the computer is great with no problems and no BSODs.

2. So then you don't actually have to download the file, you simply just rename it?

1. Good. Problem solved!
2. Do nothing or you will be right back here again when it won't boot.

2. So then you don't actually have to download the file, you simply just rename it?

FieldValue
Computer
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows XP HOME Edition
OS Service PackService Pack 2
DirectX4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer NameXXX-84E9C71B5D2
User Namexxx

Motherboard
CPU TypeIntel Pentium 4, 2000 MHz (20 x 100)
Motherboard NameMTC SiS 650
Motherboard ChipsetSiS 650
System Memory480 MB (DDR SDRAM)
BIOS TypeInsyde (08/19/02)
Communication PortECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display
Video AdapterSiS 650 (32 MB)
3D AcceleratorSiS 315 Integrated

Multimedia
Audio AdapterSiS 7012 Audio Device

Storage
IDE ControllerSiS PCI IDE Controller
Disk DriveIC25N040ATCS04-0 (40 GB, 4200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical DriveQSI DVD/CDRW SBW-161 (DVD:8x, CD:16x/12x/24x DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks StatusOK

Partitions
C: (NTFS)12299 MB (7981 MB free)

Input
KeyboardStandard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
MouseMicrosoft PS/2 Mouse

Network
Network AdapterRangeMax Wireless-N USB Adapter WN111v2 (192.168.0.245)
Network AdapterSiS 900-Based PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter

Peripherals
USB1 ControllerSiS 7001 PCI-USB Open Host Controller
USB1 ControllerSiS 7001 PCI-USB Open Host Controller
USB DeviceRangeMax Wireless-N USB Adapter WN111v2
BatteryMicrosoft AC Adapter
BatteryMicrosoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery
This is a homemade laptop. All I know is what everest told me. I ran ubuntu and the sound was fine. I read that many people fixed the no sound problem with some microsoft live update, but when I tried the link it was bad.
I have the audio driver in a folder but can not seem to download it. Everything seems to work fine EXCEPT for the sound. Please do not send me a link to driver detective or any such programs. They do not work and they have filled the internet with spam. It is really frustrating trying to fix a problem when all that comes up is these shameless advertisements for crap programs that say they are free, then want to charge you to fix the problem http://www.sis.com/download/

1. select windows xp

2. select audio driver

3. select sis7012

4. select go

5. download driver

6. unzip in a folder and install...

good luck

Okay, I have downloaded the folder, I opened the folder and inside there are many folders, when I click on setup a window appears saying windows does not RECOGNIZE file. One of the folders SAYS xp, i click on that, same thing.I now have sound, I just downloaded winrar and that opened the setup exe folder, thanks much

Hi,

My sister-in-law who we visit in the city (100 miles away) has a DESKTOP computer with XP and is connected via a LAN high speed internet cable.

I have a HP netbook which I take with us when we travel and am wondering if there is a way to connect to my sister-in-law's LAN cable so both computers can be used at the same time. She doesn't have a router. Can both computers be connected directly to the LAN cable with a splitter or must it be done another way?

Any help would, as in other times, be greatly appreciated...

Many THANKS,
SampYour going to have to get a router to make this work. The good news is that they are pretty cheap now.

New ROUTERS can be expensive. On eBay I have found new brand name wireless router for less that $25. I bought one and works really good. It seems to be a model that awns overstocked and people did not LIKE it because of the features and brand name. But it works PERFECT and a simple router.

Of course, buying one locally may be a better choice. If you don't like it, they will take it back., Maybe. Expect to pay about $80 at a retail store.

Oops. I was wrong! Actuality it is now cheaper at Wall-Mart!
Belkin Wireless-G Broadband Router $17.00

Perhaps I only need to find the proper cable. The Pavilion xt973 once had a CD drive that has been removed. There is a sata power connector on a wire bundle that will fit the power jack on the CD drive. The thing that has me befuddled is the data out of the CD drive. I can't seem to find a cable to fit this and there are no clearly marked inputs on the motherboard for the cable if I had one. There are two open connectors on the MB at the REAR edge just above the pci slots. They are not marked with anything that makes sense to me. I BELIEVE they are four pins. Of course I don't have any literature pertaining to this board. Incidentally there is no audio out jack on the drive.

I will be very grateful for any light on this situation.
Ivan CopasBy any chance can you attach a clear picture of the connector on the Optiarc drive? And maybe also a pic of the ports on the mobo?Thanks so much for your response.
I plan to drive over (I live in the country) to a former co worker's shop and see if he can help me.
I like your ideas about getting pictures of the connectors. It may tax my abilities and my little camera.
I may persue this later if nothing else turns up.
Thanks again,
IvanI understand my situation a little better now.
I am being OVERCOME by advances in drive technology.
It seems the Sony Optiarc drive uses different connectors and requires a later model motherboard. Different from the HP computer I want to put it in.
The solution will be to obtain an older design drive that will mate painlessly with the HP.
I don't know about wheather the HP controller WOULD work with the Sony drive.
Why put a Corvette transmission in a Model T?

Thanks for being patient and please excuse my slowness.

Ivan CopasThere are only 2 types of optical/hard drive connections...
SATA = new style
IDE = older style

They are NOT brand specific.

So if the machine is a bit older you need an IDE optical drive.

(I left out SCSI as it's not used very much these days )Just a thought (and this may be more trouble/cost than it's worth), if your HP mobo has only IDE, but your Optiarc is SATA, you could get a SATA add-on card (probably using PCI given the age of your mobo) and you can then SUPPORT the newer interfaces inside your computer. Just a thought. Don't know the exact layout of your mobo or Optiarc drive.

And Ivan, you don't need to apologize. I for one am happiest when I'm chatting with folks who are interested in taking initiative on their own and learning about the computers and technology that many of us love.

Good luck!

Hi guys, I could use some help TROUBLESHOOTING the problem.

A few years ago, I bought a capture card and used it to make videos on my xbox. It worked fine before on my previous computer, but I got a new one.

My previous OS was windows XP, and fortunatly enough, it was default webcam.

However the software and such is out dated...all the way to windows XP. I've gotten the driver for windows 7 and it works, however the problem is I think it priortizes it as a audio DEVICE.

I think its easier to show by picture..so:





SUGGESTIONS? I dont have the software anymore, is outdated and only works for windows xp. =/Anyone got any ideas? Their support is a joke, absolutely unhelpful.

What is the difference between a 7.1 and 5.1 SOUND card?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound2.5.1 surround: Front LEFT/right, rear left/right, center, sub

7.1 surround: Front left/right, Side left/right, rear left/right, center, sub

Basically, the only difference is TWO additional SPEAKERS to the left and right SIDES with 7.1.

Acer-Benq scanner Mirascan V406 (402U06) and my Logitech Webcam via Imagestudio 7,0,0 (type Quickcam 5.0.1 Mac OS) do not work and I dont get them INSTALLED....have been looking for new W7 drivers but nope...cant seem to find them....the rest of thegadgets do work perfectly although I had to find heaps of 64 bits drivers...

AMD 64 2.02Ghz 3200+, 3Gb with dualboot XP +SP3 and W7 Ultimate and all the crimscrams that belong to a PC...lol...I'm WONDERING, did you use the windows upgrade advisor provided by microsoft?

It scans your computer to tell you of any potential compatibility issues you may face in your upgrade to windows 7?

upgrade? never used Vista, so it was a CLEAN install