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I have an old emachine computer, that seemed to have died of the age old emachine problem: power supply shorting out.

So, i am poking around the web, and see that it has the specs to become a miniserver for my house (celeron D 330, 80gb HDD, 512 ram). I take it APART, mostly for the heck of it, and do an out of case build. To my surprise, with no HDD, CD drive, KB/M attached, it comes alive. It gives me warnings about all the detached stuff, then sets itself on trying to find bootable media.

So, i reattach the CD drive, stick in an Ubuntu linux CD i got ages ago, and poof, the Live CD pops up.

heres where it gets tricky: I attach the harddrive, and it hangs at the E (emachine logo) screen.



I know I am gonna replace something, but what?
a NEW PS is a given, a Sparkle PSU for 300 watts goes for $30 on newegg,
But will I need a new Mobo or simply a new HDD?

thanks you guys, any help or any responses at all will b great

:EDIT: PS, the stupid thing won't let me into BIOS.

question I am guessing I am really asking here, is that if you have a blank HDD in a computer, will it skip to the next level of boot (eg, CD) in bios?If there were problems with the original OS install on the HDD it could be causing the hangup.
Do you remember if Windows was OK on that HDD before ? ?

The other thing that sticks out is not being able to enter the BIOS.

When troubleshooting older machines i tend to try all the things that don't cost a lot just in case it's a lost cause.
So in this case i'd try the following:
Replace the CMOS battery...about the size of a dime on the MBoard.
Replace the IDE cable for the HDD...heck get 2 of them and put a new one on the CDRom as well.
Borrow a known good PSU and swap it in there...make sure it is the same or greater wattage.

If after all this it still won't boot or let you into the BIOS post back and we'll go from there.

p.s. I'd stay away from those $30.00 PSU's...you don't have to spend too much more to get a quality unit.I definitely assume it is the HDD, since the whole hangup started when I tried to install a variant of Linspire (freespire) and that failed. Before that, all parts were in working order.

worst case scenario, I would reuse whatever i can in a different build with mostly new parts.

Replace CMOS battery : I will see, but upon starting the Live CD it was able to get the time correct within the minute, so i doubt this is the problem.

Replace IDE cable : Will see what I can do, it is a dying technology though. They seem good, have no obvious problems or anything.

Borrow known PSU : I have not been able to find any gamers or system builders in the area, though i will ask around.

Normally, I would also stay away from $30.00 PSUs, but the brand I trust. If you have any recommendations, it would be great to hear them.

anyways, I am sure you have completed a full system build, so this is a questions I would ask of you. If you set the Boot Record to boot from an empty Harddrive, will it try to or will it go to the next in line?Yes...the list is a operator requested priority...if the first fails it moves to the 2nd etc.

Not sure why you want to dismiss the suggestions i posted...probably less than 15 bucks total and you've ELIMINATED 3 possibilities which is the goal of troubleshooting.
When you SAY IDE is a dying technology that may be true but that's what the machine you are trying to fix has so i don't get the point...

At any rate Best of Luck and let us know.o, sorry about that. I didn't mean to SOUNDS rude or disrespectful, but I was in fact able to get into BIOS once the HDD was unplugged (new development, not known at time of original posting). This would remove the CMOS battery theory, no? Once in BIOS, it shows that the DVD drive is indeed at the top of the list, followed by a Multimedia adapter I removed when I was taking stuff out for the out-of-case build.

swapped in IDE cables from another computer, and the other computer with those cables booted up fine. If the system remained plugged into the wall, and the time remained correct, that proves nothing. Unplug it overnight and see if the time is correct in the morning.

Frequently when that wonderful Bestec power supply goes out it takes other components with it - sometimes the BIOS is affected, sometimes the whole motherboard is shot, etc. I've seen this lots of times. If the BIOS has issues, there is nothing you can do to fix it short of a new motherboard.

I would try another hard drive in it next and see if it will run, perhaps even run. If it is a small 10 gig hard drive I would then install Ubuntu on that aqnd see what happens.

Let us know. Troubleshooting is a methodical approach to isolate one variable at a time.



One small crazy thing to check...Are the jumper setting perhaps Master an Master?? had this problem a year back and it puzzled the heck outta me...also, try putting them both on master on seperate IDE lines CD-ROM secondary of course

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Uh... the CPU actually ISNT very good. Infact, it sucks.

It WILL bottleneck the 7600 GT, but the performance will still be higer than ur current card.

Seriously, if u want to play games ur going to have to buy a new expensive PC.

oh I dont think that 7600 gt will work with my mobo .

this is the slot i have
AGP 8x

Quote

oh I dont think that 7600 gt will work with my mobo .

this is the slot i have
AGP 8x

You think i recommanded it for nothing?

Hey all, we have a number of Dell T200 RECEIPT printers, which are actually Star Micronics TSP Thermal reciept printers. The POS software we are using does not have an EMULATION for the star printer, further the tech people at the software company recommend EPSON emulation. I have downloaded and printed both the user and the PROGRAMMING manual for the star printer and they do not show how to put the printer in epson emulation mode. The POS software tech people tell me that more than likely the star printer can do epson emulation, but that star probably does not want us to know that. Go FIGURE, anyway, does anyone know how we can put this printer in epson emulation mode.Whoops, left out the model number,, it is a star micronics TSP700.

thanks

Hi,

I'd like to get some advises from you. I have a desktop that i use to back up all the files from all the other computers. Recently, I've been noticing that there is not much memory space left on the hard disk. So i'm almost tempted to buy a larger one - probably 320 G hard disk and put it into the machine as an ADDITIONAL hard disk. Before i proceed with that, i need to know if i can just plug in another hard drive in there given that i have already have a hard disk in there. Will the motherboard be able to support it? I don't have greater knowledge of hardware issues with computers. Not sure how to go AROUND this. so i thought i just drop in and get some inputs here.

Thank you in advance
yeah that would be fine,

just set the first hdd to master, and NEW one to slave.

if you dont know how, your new hdd will have instructions on how to set it to slave
Why not buy an external usb hard drive. That way when you want to transfer files you can just plug in the external to each computer.As long as you have IDE or SATA slots left over I don't see the problem.And a physical place to MOUNT the drive. Some space saving desktops can not accomodate.

ok, it started two weeks ago, and wasn't very frequent. didn't do it when sound was playing (game, music, movie, etc.) but when speakers were on with nothing playing, they would start to crackle occasionally after a while. i thought it was just the speakers dying out, they're pretty old. anyway, i was just curious and i hooked up my roommates speakers and had the same problem. I downloaded new drivers for my sound card (Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum) and it got WORSE. its now a constant static/crackling whether there's sound playing or not. I have no idea what is causing this and can't seem to find answers anywhere. I checked for virus, spyware, adware, etc. and nothing. thats probably not it anyway, but i got nothing. If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.anybody have any ideas? try without your sound card,see what happen.yeah, my bad, there was no sound at all without the sound card. so that pretty much means its my sound card then right.just want to know if anyone can support my idea that its the sound card, cuz i don't want to buy a new one if i don't need ittry it on different computerHey there...

I know this could be a REALLY long shot but if you are somebody like me I know I seemed to love to place all of the volume controls up to maximum and unmuted.

I found that if the MIC and the AUX are unmuted and up to full I would get a crackling/static sounding noise on my speakers.

To get to the mixer:

1 Click start then control panel
2 Then (category mode) Sounds speech and audio devices then sounds and audio devices
3 Click advanced and a mixer will appear.
4 If MIC and AUX are not visible, click options then properties, and tick all the boxes and click OK
5 Basically the only ones you need un-ticked are: Volume, WAVE, Synth, (If you use it) CD player and PC speaker

Hope this fixes your problem

Other thing to check if this fails...ground yourself to something and then TOUCH a inner part of the case while on and see if it is grounded sufficiently already to not have static electricity flying around inside it. If not, You will feel it just a SMALL tingle

KurtisI've gotta admit it does seem like Kurtiskain's static electricty theory might have some credibility to it. In cases like this you should broaden your scope to beyond just your computer, and find out if anything else capable of putting out a lot of TREE has been installed near or in your home within the last couple of weeks.

You never know, it might be that newly landed and cloaked alien ship hovering over your house

hey i just bought a 160GB 8mb SATA HD from seagate and i connected it to my comp and double checked all connections and settings, but my HD won't install. so then i ran the diagnostic software that seagate offers and it can't find my drive. i checked to see if it was getting power and it's powering up. any suggestions?You might NEED to load SATA drivers for your mainboard before Windows can see it. What version of Windows are you trying to install?

Did you get a SATA/RAID driver diskette with the mainboard?i got a SATA CD rom with my main board. and i can't install an operating system cause after the SATA cd RUNS the program and trys looking for a drive, NOTHING is found.Is SATA enabled in the BIOS?yes SATA is enabledIf you have an IDE drive in there try dis-connecting it and see if the SATA is detected by the BIOS...
patio. 8-)

p.s. What MBoard is this ? ?What mainboard do you have and did it come with a SATA/RAID driver floppy?Here you just check for master/slave in hard disk and place the jumper in master. And remove the jumper from cd rom or place it in slave in cd rom.

In bios go to standard cmos feature check whether seletion is automatic or manual. If it is manual try change it to auto then try againQuote

Here you just check for master/slave in hard disk and place the jumper in master. And remove the jumper from cd rom or place it in slave in cd rom.

In bios go to standard cmos feature check whether seletion is automatic or manual. If it is manual try change it to auto then try again

Quote

Here you just check for master/slave in hard disk and place the jumper in master. And remove the jumper from cd rom or place it in slave in cd rom.

In bios go to standard cmos feature check whether seletion is automatic or manual. If it is manual try change it to auto then try again

Sam he is installing a SATA HDD...they don't use jumpers, except for Enterprise setups.

patio. 8-)

Initially, AMD's PR nomenclature of the Athlon XP models was based on the chips performance compared to that of the Athlon 1000 (1000MHz Thunderbird), and not to any Intel chips, as often rumored. So, an Athlon XP 1700 had 1.7x the "performance" of an Athlon 1000. However, the Athlon PR-rating system was later changed, with the introduction of the 2400+ and 2600+ models.

However, this often held relatively true comparing the PR model number to MHz of an Intel P4 core; as the PIII 1000MHz was almost neck-n-neck with the Athlon 1000, and for the most part the pentium chip's performance maintained a correlation to its raw clock speed.

From Wikipedia:
Quote:
Unable to compete with the raw clock speeds offered by the P4, from the start of the Athlon XP era, AMD began using a nomenclature that compares performance of the Athlon XP, with that of an earlier Thunderbird core revision. In reality most people saw the model numbering scheme for what it was - an attempt to disguise AMD's clock speed difference compared to the P4, and accentuate on the pure performance of chip, which was equal to P4. It did, however, make some consumers think that Intel's high clockspeeds did yield superior performance over the Athlon XP. This definition began to be applied more loosely over time as AMD struggled to compete with the ramping clock speeds of the Northwood core (>3.0 GHz). The credibility of the scheme was only saved by the arrival of the K8, where model numbers once again correlated more reasonably to actual performance.
With that all said, the numbers really dont mean anything anymore. An x2 3800 does not equal an Athlon 64 3800, which does not equal a P4 3.8GHz. All in all, it's just marketing.

need HELP to fix problem which is usbprn01 device not connected do i have to DOWNLOAD motherboard driver how do i fix thisQuote from: nzkiwi on SEPTEMBER 21, 2007, 09:18:58 PM

need help to fix problem which is usbprn01 device not connected do i have to download motherboard driver how do i fix this

I recently PURCHASED a LinkSys ethernet card for my Dell Dimension 8200. I READ the instructions and then installed the card into one of the availible PCI slots. I then tried turning my PC on and guess what? It would not do anything. However there was power going to the mobo cause the litle green light went on. PRESSING the power button did nothing. I removed the card and the computer powered on with no proble. I tried it in the other three PCI slots and it did the same thing. I then GOT mad and pressed the power button and plugged the dam card in and it kept booting and windows detected the card and intalled it. However, when ever i turn the PC off, I cant power it back on unless iremove the card. In my BIOS IRQ assignments, it shows the card as "unknown manf ethernet card". I have updated the BIOS to the most recent version and the problem still exists.
I would return the card for a replacement...the fact that the symptoms happened in more than one SLOT point to the card...not the system.

I have xp and vista on seperate hard drives on my computer. Does anyone know how to wire the DPDT (6 pole) SWITCH to the 4 wire molex sata power cable so I canturn of one HD to USE the other one?? ThomasForget the switch and Google bootloader.And / or use the BIOS to switch which DRIVE boots...

will i blow my desktop?i calculate my wattage usage,it's around 400watt. if i change to a 600watt or higher,what will happen?i'm just ASKING If your computer is working fine now then a PSU of greater wattage will not make a difference. It will make you able to upgrade to more demanding components in the future however.i don't want to change my psu. i'm just asking what will happen if we put a higher wattage inside the computer,LETS say a 1000watt psu.
will anything happen?I think our friend explanation is already clear. It will make no difference.
Not make your computer consumes 1000 watt or burn out the computer.

It just make your computer READY if you to upgrade your CPU to more fast one that consume more power. or you can also add many fans inside it, or maybe uncommonly, you can add cable out of the computer to power on your tape or something else....

it just like your house need 1000 watt power but then you add the power to 3000 watt,
but not add any electric device. nothing happen accept maybe you pay more taxes to the electric suppliers. Quote from: kuszmania9999 on September 19, 2007, 01:09:36 AM

i don't want to change my psu. i'm just asking what will happen if we put a higher wattage inside the computer,lets say a 1000watt psu.
will anything happen?

No.
The PSU does not force all of the power that it can deliver upon the components.
Instead, it can give 1000w, and when the components ask for some, it's happy to give it.

I higher wattage PSU will in fact use a little more power even though it's connected to the same load as the lower wattage PSU was.

Not too sure what happened here but one day i noticed i had a G:drive when i looked in my computer. It doesn't do anything and isn't part of anything ALSO. Anyone have any ideas how it got there and how i can remove it.

Thanksis there a program called dameon on your computer that u use or someone else uses.

cause that program creats some drives. if u do u can unmount them.

if not and the drive doesnt do anything when clicking on it i dont THINK it should be a big problem leaving it there. im not sure though we'll have to see what OTHERS think about itRight click it and select properties...what does it say ? ?

A USB thumb drive perhaps ? ?

patio. 8-)Quote

Right click it and select properties...what does it say ? ?

A USB thumb drive perhaps ? ?

patio. 8-)

i have alcohol 120.

thanks for the help. I do use alcohol 120 for iso burning so i'll just leave that drive there.

I have an older computer which has a EIDE HDD with very little storage space and my windows xp os. I was wondering if a SATA HDD could be used along with the old EIDE for extra storage? or do i have to use another EIDE? also if i can use SATA, how would i set this up ( i.e. bios settings)?

I thank you for you input and answers ahead of time. You can use the SATA as extra storage...

You would configure the SATA as you normally would...setting the jumpers on the EIDE as Master or Cable Select...

You just have to make sure the Boot Sequence in BIOS is configured to boot from the EIDE which has the OS installed on it.

That should be it...

Give it a shot and post back with your results...The Computer comes on goes through initial tests and tries to run windows but doesn't. It gets to the screen that says that there was a problem and asks if you want to open in safe mode, safe mode w/ networking, safe mode w/ command prompt, last working settings or start windows normally. From here i can choose any of those and it will flash the blue screen of death quickly then reset.

The EIDE hard drive is jumpered as dual master w/ a CD drive on the same ribbon. The seagate SATA drive has a jumper set at it's factory default. Both are setup in the correct boot sequence in BIOS so that the EIDE w/ windows XP is first.

What was the " You would configure the SATA as you normally" implying, because don't normally pickup on most implications? Do you mean installing the raid driver? or setting the jumpers on the SATA drive? Could it be the RAM, do they need to be pulled for awhile them put back in?

If any of the new information can help anyone determine the problem/solution i would be most helpful?

Thanks again ahead of time.


Computer specs : DFI INFINITY NF ULTRAII-M2 AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 PROCESSOR Model ADX6000CZBOX
Omega / Pure Black / 480-Watt / ATX / SATA-Ready / 20/24-Pin / Power Supply
PNY GeForce 8500 GT / 512MB DDR2 / SLI Ready / PCI Express / Dual Link DVI / VGA / HDTV / Video Card
[4GB RAM] 2x US Modular Dual Channel 2048MB PC4200 DDR2 533MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB)
[ The new hard drive] Seagate 500GB Serial ATA HD 7200/16MB/SATA-3G
Finally the old hard drive which is a Western Digital EIDE with 10 GBI just read your specs...and for the life of me can't understand why you'd want to boot from a 10GB EIDE, when you have a 500GB SATA drive...

If you still want to try the configuration you're looking for...I'd test the RAM first to see if any of it is faulty.

I'd then have the EIDE jumpered as Master with its own cable...same goes for the optical drive. The SATA is fine the way it is...just configure your boot settings.

If that doesn't work...I'd TAKE the EIDE out of the equation and follow this guide for setting up XP on a RAID configuration.

Just my opinion...thanks for the advice, i will try that in about 10hrs. and post if it worked. the reason for the old EIDE is that along with the windows xp it also contains some old files, pics, and programs that i just don't want to loose/to lazy to move.Use the SATA drive manuf. utilities to clone the IDE to the SATA drive...these should be on the CD that shipped with the drive.
If not grab them from the manuf. site.
After finishing power down and remove the IDE and re-boot...the BIOS will automatically detect the SATA and boot to it.Thank you, Patio and The Saviour. The advice you gave worked. The computer worked fine Saturday afternoon. I left it on all night while it formated the SATA drive. SUNDAY MORNING it was still on format of the sata finished and my uncle even played solitaire for a few rounds. But around mid day, while it was not in use, it went off. Tried to turn it back on and nothing. No fan runs, no sound made but the click in of the power button. Took the cover off and tried again, nothing. Thought that: the plug-in was loose, power cord contracted a short, power supply became faulty, memory became faulty. I check all those, nothing. Pulled the 4 sticks of ram and tried all the combinations of pairs, by them selves. Then each single one by it self, same thing, nothing.

Now I am thinking the new motherboard died on its own, not but 2 days out of the box. Or the power supply is dead. Has anyone ran across this before? Does anyone know what went bad? Could it be the motherboard, power supply, or could 4 new identical memory sticks go bad all at once?

Thanks again

Josh

P.S. : the specs of the pc are still listed on my previous post dated: sept. 14,07 time: 10:49:14pm.

Thank YouI would borrow a known good PSU of the same or greater wattage and swap it in there and run the machine thru it's paces...if it runs fine then replace the PSU.
If not you could certainly suspect the MBoard.
The odds of 4 sticks of RAM all failing are high indeed but you colud also DLoad and run Memtest to verify this...

p.s Who makes that PSU you have ? ?
Don't scrimp on the new one if it indeed needs replacing.Thank you for the help. The culprit was the power supply. Which saves me from pulling and sending back the motherboard. Everything is running fine now.

Patio , the power supply was made by Omega.

Omega / Pure Black / 480-Watt / ATX / SATA-Ready / 20/24-Pin / Power Supply


Thanks again. Glad to hear you are fixed up with a relatively inexpensive and easy fix...stop by anytime !

Hi,
My computer has just lost its sound,today.i'm using a windows xp home edition cpu.It was working fine last night,and I don't know wth happend.. I checked if anything was muted via CONTROL PANEL,it was fine. I DUNNO if its the soundcard or not. please help me out.
Thanks.

(ps,sorry about my grammer and spelling.)Quote

(ps,sorry about my grammer and spelling.)

i have an emachines m2105 laptop. it's about 3 years old. i hadn't messed with it in about a year when it first started acting up, but now i'd like to fix it.
the laptop will randomly freeze. sometimes after an hour and a half, sometimes after 10 minutes. it doesn't matter what i'm doing, it will just freeze up (programs running or just idling). i've run memory tests which come back as normal and working. i've kept the thermometer running and it last froze at 33C (and it ran fine at 50C just before that!). i took it apart and cleaned out the fans. it happens when its just the battery, just the a/c adapter or both.
i'm running out of things to TRY. any suggestions before it gets thrown at a wall?Which operating system are you using? How much RAM do you have? How much hard drive space is left? Have you been running virus and spyware scans? Have you run them in safe mode?i'm running xp pro right now but i also dual booted with slackware 10 (it also had the same problems). it has 256mb ram and 9gbs left on the windows partition. i've FORMATTED the hdd while this has been going on so i don't think its a virus/spyware.Is it overheating from being too dirty inside?i just took it apart and cleaned out the fans. it ran for an hour after that but since then it only runs for about 20 minutes.which on you check the temperature, the motherboard or CPU?
It can be the CPU or motherboard or VGA Card make the freezing.
If CPU temperature it's high check the fan if it's working
if motherboard temperature is high check the fan or maybe any it's componen have
burn out because of age or hot situation.
if the VGA temperature is high check the fan , or try to change the VGA if it's possible.

las try change the memory with other from good laptop that working,
if it's no problem then change the memory with the new on.

If the problem still exist then the one of the componen at the laptop (cpu/motherboard/vga) i believe 90% have a burn out that make a part of it
not working 100%

Your RAM is pretty low for a machine with XP Pro. Recommended RAM is 128Mb but Even thats pretty low.

Have you checked the CPU usage in the task manager when its doing this (if you can that is) Check that it's not going to 100% and if it is, check which PROCESS is doing it.

The power supply can also cause your laptop to freeze. Quote from: GX44 on September 19, 2007, 05:40:46 AM

Your RAM is pretty low for a machine with XP Pro. Recommended RAM is 128Mb but Even thats pretty low.

Have you checked the CPU usage in the task manager when its doing this (if you can that is) Check that it's not going to 100% and if it is, check which process is doing it.

give your computer a complete cleaning. Spyware check, virus check, registry cleaning.... unless you can't get your computer to run smoothly because of the freezing issue.

Registry problems may cause you to have computer freezing problems. But it may be other reasons, like hardware failure, although i doubt that's the case.

I would reseat the RAM and processor. Some new artic fox thermal grease might do the trick.

just need a help, i recently change my computer CASING and it keep restarting without even loading the operating system. I dont KNOW what to do about it.The RAM is properly stick or not? Check this.
And Also you tied up all the connection.So, you got a new computer case, right? Did you replace any other components at the same TIME, or just pull all components from your old case and INSTALL them in the new case?

Make sure there's no screw or anything that MIGHT have gotten lodged under the motherboard, between it and the case. Did you use the MBoard standoffs that go between the board and the case when re-assembling the machine ? ?
Also double-check all your PSU connactions...

Hi Guys,

I am trying to insert a replacement hard drive from my toshiba a65-s1762. My old drive was going out and I stuck the new drive in and booted up but the bios is not seeing it. My xp disk was in the drive however and started SETUP. The first time, it did not see it either, rebooted, when back to bios, tried to detect, nothing, RESTARTED setup and it found the device. partioned, formated, and files copied, but then after reboot it just goes back to setup since the bios cannot see the drive. any ideas?

any ideas... thanks!
johnIs the drive the same capacity as the old one? if its larger you may run into problems. typical barriers are 32 and 120GB. Check that the pins on the drive have not been bent. both drives are the same capacity, same MODEL, everything. no bent pins either. could their be a problem on the board itself if the other drive is still working, just going out? Sounds like you have a bad disk controller. Unfortunately it is built in and can not be replaced.) You may be able to still use the computer if it supports booting from USB though, just use an external hard drive. Won't be as portable, but it should work. Actually since laptops are different beasts you may need to use the Toshiba recovery CD to GET the HDD recognised...you did say the PARTITION and format were successful, correct ? ?

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3> REMOVED the heatsink and cleaned it for any dust. THOUGH i would like to mention one thing here.
There are 2 clips which hold the heatsink tightly above the processor. One of them seems broken .
But still the existing CLIP is holding the heatsink tight enough. Can it be the reason for the problem?

GAH!!!!!!!

COMP:

DELL DIMENSION 4600I, The RAM DOES work for my PC apparently, it said it worked for a Dell Dimension 4600.

Somehow I knew this WOULD happen! So I got my 1 GB of RAM I've been asking questions about and finally got it, my 512's are in separate slots and so I pair them TOGETHER and so bank 1 is full, I go to bank 2 and put in my 1 GB, it fits snugly, I go to turn on my PC and NOTHING! All that happens is the little green light flashes on and off yellow. So, I go back in and I take the 1GB out, at this point frustrated. I left the 2 512's paired together, the PC turned on, or apparently so, the light was green, but, the monitor refused to do so. I put the 512 in the separate bank like nothing ever happened and it booted up.

When I booted up I got this "System Configuration Utilities" crap and I didn't really read it, it happens whenever I start up, I did scan it once before Xing it, it said that Windows or something DENIED a change in my PC or something along these lines. Is this the problem? EVEN IF the 1GB was bad, it still refused to turn on even with the 2 512's, they had to return completely to their ORIGINAL spots before turning on. Do I need 2 512's instead of this 1 gig? Is there no problem with the RAM but my *censored* system not letting me change it, this "System Configuration Utility"?

Please help! I am in DIRE need of assistance!

Thanks!

~NeciFiXWhat MBoard is this ? ?
Whose RAM ? ?
What are the RAM SPECS ? ?

Hi, I finally got round to having a new pc built for me. Running winxp, sp2, avg av & antispy, with zone alarm fw.
Problem is, it keeps restarting itself. This can happen at any time. My friend had the pc for a couple of days to have a look at it but it worked fine then. He brought it back today and it started HAPPENING again so we assumed it was the monitor causing it as i had no other devices attached (except keyboard and mouse). We changed the monitor and it was fine for a couple of hours. My daughter then tried to install a game from a cd and the pc restarted again in the middle of it. The only information that i can find in the error logs is this:

"The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x000000f7 (ox0000287f, 0x00002a7f, 0xffffd580, 0x00000000.)

Any ideas please?


could be a memory issues?


Check for any conflicks with this program.... http://www.memtest86.com/

follow instructions , best way download the iso burn with power iso .... slow speed reboot with disc on your computer follow on screen instructions.

report back with any errors ...

Tony It could be the memory, or it could be a bad powersupply. Also ditch Zone Alarm, it is crap and will cause you more headaches then needed. Invest in a router, I prefer the D-link stuff and you wont need a software firewall.Mem test ok, no errors. Actually if its restarting only when she installed the game I would say its the video card or the video card driver. Try upgrading the driver. Your vid card also may not support the game she is installing, it may be to weak or old. What sort of video card is it? NVIDIA Geforce 6100 nforce 405Is it only doing it now with the game? If it is then update the driver from Nvidia's website, its just a Gforce driver, also what version of DirectX are you running? IF you dont know go to Start, run, type in DxDiag and then look. I would assume for any current games you need DX9 or higher, but not all cards support DX10It doesnt just happen with the game. It can happen when i am browsing the INTERNET or when i try to open a program. It can happen any time. I have dx9 btw. I'm SURE all drivers are ok. Going to double check tho. Will check for replies tomorrow.
Thanks for your help so far.I think you are getting a bsod which you can't see because of the auto restart. Disable auto restart to display the bsod and post the Stop code rather than the Bugcheck code.

Click Start Button
On the Start Menu click Control Panel
When the Control Panel window opens click on the System icon
The system properties window opens
Click the Advanced tab
In the Advanced tab window locate the Start and Recovery section and click the Settings button
When the settings window opens look for the System failure section
Remove the check MARK from the Automatically Restart option
Click OK to Exit

Good luckDid as suggested. Computer gone crazy now. Keep getting blue screens of death.

page_fault_in_nonpaged_area

stop: 0x00000050 (0xB962BD0c, 0x00000001, 0x00000001, 0x805A4E6c, 0x00000000)

And then i had this one:

stop: 0x0000008E (0xc0000005, 0xBF837575, 0xB9C95700, 0x00000000)

win32k.sys-address BF837575 base at BF800000 datestamp 4467a55c

I then booted into safe mode to see if i could find anything. Couldn't see anything in error logs. When i restarted in normal mode, my desktop launched and i had the following messages in little dialogue boxes.

The system has recovered from a serious error.

BCC code: 1000008e BCPI: C0000005 BCP2: BF837575 BCP3: B9C95700 BCP4: 00000000 Osver: 5_1_2600 sp2_0 product 256-1screen is also blinking a bit now. Got another bsod,
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Here are the stop code definitions:

Stop code 50:
The Stop 0x50 message indicates that requested data was not in memory. The system generates an exception error when using a reference to an invalid system memory address. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache, video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and ANTIVIRUS software) might cause Stop 0x50 messages.

Possible Resolutions:

• If you added new hardware recently, remove and replace the hardware to determine if it is causing or contributing to the problem. Run diagnostics software supplied by the hardware manufacturer to determine if the component has failed.

• Stop 0x50 messages can also occur after installing faulty drivers or system services. If the file name is listed, you need to disable, remove, or roll back that driver. If not, disable the recently installed service or application to determine if this resolves the error. If this does not resolve the problem, contact the hardware manufacturer for updates. Using updated drivers and software is especially important for network interface cards, video adapters, backup programs, multimedia applications, antivirus scanners, and CD mastering tools. If an updated driver is not available, attempt to use a driver from a similar device in the same family. For example, if printing to a Model 1100C printer causes Stop 0x50 errors, using a printer driver meant for a Model 1100A or Model 1000 might temporarily resolve the problem.
***

Stop code 8E:
Translation: This rare (and random) error can occur when a program references an incorrect memory address, causing your computer to crash.

Solution: Microsoft has released a hotfix, which you can install and run to fix the problem. You'll need to call Microsoft technical support to obtain the hotfix, however. It's not available online (at least, not yet). If you only see the error occasionally, you might consider waiting for another service pack release for WinXP, although living with the error is probably counter-productive. For support options visit support.microsoft.com.

The good news is that if the tech support engineer determines that you do need the hotfix, you won't be charged for the call.

Good luck

I have a Kingmax USB 2.0 256MB thumb drive which appears to be write protected.
I don't see any option ALLOWING me to turn on/off write protection on the thumb drive.
It was working fine all the while until recently.
Have tried on different computers with different OS.
Tried to format it but failed DUE to write protected.
Norton found an virus [emailprotected] on the thumb drive but couldn't remove it because access is denied.
Any idea?
Thanks.go to my computer right click the drive go to properties and is the read-write box checked??



unlovedwarriorThere is no such read-write checkbox.
Just usual drive info:

Type
File System

USED Space
Free Space

CapacityDid you use software to encrypt the data? If so, you can most likely only use it on the PC that you have installed this software on..have you tried on another computer another usb port on your computer like one of the bac konesQuote

Did you use software to encrypt the data? If so, you can most likely only use it on the PC that you have installed this software on..

have you tried on another computer another usb port on your computer like one of the bac kones

Product Specifications :
Erase cycle : 1 million times.
Acoustic noise : 0 dB.
Shock resistance : 1000G max.
Data retention time : more than 10 years.
Access rate : Read Speed > 4.2MB/sec.
Write Speed > 1.0MB/sec.
Power consumption : 77.4mA ~ 84mA.
[highlight]Write protect switch : HARDWARE. [/highlight]
Weight : 20g.

Model
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kingmax USB 2.0 256MB USB Pen Drive

I have a ic LCD monitor connected to a Mac Pro. I TURNED on my COMPUTER one day and the monitor stays black, (the day before it WORKED fine) the power light switches about every second back and forth from green to yellow and continues until I shut off the power. I tried just turning on the monitor without being connected to the computer, and it still does it. The monitor is only about a year old. Any ideas?
ThanksIf you can try the monitor in a different location with a different computer. Make sure it's plugged into a different power outlet. Does it do the same thing?It doesn't MATTER what outlet or what computer I plug it up to, it does the same thing.The monitor is bad, if you have warranty take it back. But I can guarentee its shot.I have to agree with deep, sounds like it's gone to monitor heaven.Try hitting it with a hammer and then duct taping it back together. Hammers and duct tape solve all problems, if not, drink an ice cold brew, that always makes me fell betterWell, if the stupid thing is shot, I might as well drink some brews while hitting it with a hammer and check out what's inside. The heck with the duct tape. I guess that'll teach me not to buy a monitor from Wal-Mart!

Hi,

I need HELP with my hp5510officejet all in ONE printer, scanner,etc. The problem I'm having is that I do not know how to put new ink cartridges in the machine. I purchased it from a yard sale without a manual. It WORKS very well, but the ink is running out and I don't know how to open the darn thing. Help! If you can. Click on this LINK for info:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?man_lang=en&lc=en&cc=us&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN&product=311255&dlc=tr

the discount we get is wholesale price

example 150 DOLLAR ipod speakers cost me about 50-60 dollars

BBY stock is liek a 50 a share its a huge company

we have stores everywere adn now we have invaded canadiaQuote

well its really the name

50% of our profit comes from a handfull of people per store

EX: guy came in for ram

i solde him 2 new computers and 20 other things (made like $6000) for one person

Okay, so i'm currently using a 4 year old E-machines. Which the only upgrades in are 1GB of DDR ram.
I'm no COMPUTER genius, but even i've noticed this is outdated, and can't keep up with the modern day things i wish to do.

So i'm looking at upgrading, but as with e-machines, it's not hugely built for expansion. So i'm thinking (Although i could be wrong) i counter that by getting:

New Motherboard and obviously power unit for that board, will also need new Ram as only have 1256 of DDR. And most new motherboards seem to be DDR2, so will want to get DDR2. Preferably 2GB's.

I'll also need a new processor for this motherboard. Was looking at a dual core board and processer, although i'm not sure how to add a processor to a board, is it something anybody can do with slight knowledge of the inside of a PC?

Also will look at getting a PCI-E Graphics card, as atm i haven't got a PCI-E slot, only AGP and 1 PCI.


I'm looking at:
Duel Core processor and board, Not sure about AMD or Intel. Any advice on this age old dispute? A 600W PSU. 2GB DDR2 ram. And a Geforce 7x series. But also want a board that will last a while.

One slight problem, i have a budget of £150 - £175.

Ideally i'll want this system to handle Vista & A game such as Rainbow 6 Vegas etc.

Is this going to be possible?

I don't have SATA drives, so wont need SATA components.


Also i need 2 IDE slots. Looking at some online something CONFUSES me.

It says:
Two IDE port by VIA® VT8237A

But then on Internal I/O Connectors

ATX 24-pin power connector
4-pin ATX 12V power connector
CPU / System FAN connectors
CD-in connector
Serial port connector
IrDA infrared module header
SPDIF-Out connector
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
2 x SATA connectors
2 x ATA133 HD connectors
2 x USB 2.0 connector support additional 4 ports
Front PANEL connector
Front panel audio connector
Chassis intrusion switch connector
Clear CMOS Jumper


I think i'm beyond my depth Don'y worry, this is very easy stuff
You'll be enjoying your new PC in no time.

Now, you say that you want to UPGRADE your E-machine, but you also say that you want to replace pretty much all the components, except for the case..
Wouldn't it just be easier to get a new case to put it all in?

RAM:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-058-GL&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813
Price - 47 Pounds

CPU:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-147-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=793
Price - 78 Pounds

Motherboard:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-221-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=205
Price - 76 Pounds

Power Supply:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-023-OC
Price - 61 Pounds

Graphics card:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-063-OK&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=404
Price - 72 Pounds

Total:
336 Pounds

I'm sorry, but you can't build a good PC for less than that.

However, you might be able to simply upgrade your current AGP graphics card, instead.Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Download Minimum System Requirements

*
Supported OS:Windows XP (only)
*
Processor:P4 3Ghz or AMD equivalent
*
RAM:1024 Mb
*
Video Card:128MB, Shader Model 3 and DirectX 9.0c compatible
*
Sound Card:DirectX 9.0c compatible
*
DirectX Version:DirectX 9.0c
* Peripherals Supported:
Mouse, keyboard, headsets, Xbox360 Controller, etc.
* Multiplay:
Local area network (LAN) and/or 128kbit Cable/DSL CONNECTION for online game

What are the specs on your current system? The minimal specs are always off, and there is no point playing a game on minimum settings.

Hey all…

I just bought a brand new Shuttle micro computer and hardware….tossed it all together and I get donut, zero…no video at all.

This sux and is very disheartening as this is all new stuff and was QUITE an investment.

I know it’s not a monitor issue (tried 2 monitors). I’ve already detached the drives, cleared the CMOS and re-installed the CPU, RAM chip and video card.

What is does: 1) power button depressed: power light on, fans all come on (CPU fan, power supply fan, video card fan). Immediately shuts down for a half-second and starts again. Sometimes shuts down twice quickly but then stays on. -Kind of sounds like starting a car in the morning.

The CPU gets HOT and the little green LED light on the motherboard is on. There are no beeps or sounds but I don’t think there is a built-in speaker anyway.

No video at all. The monitor does recognize when it’s unplugged from the card “no input signal” , the card fan works and the card is brand new…I have no replacement to check it though…..nor can I check the CPU or RAM chip.

What do you think? Bad CPU, bad motherboard, bad video card, bad RAM chip?

Any help is extremely appreciated……!

Thanx!

Specs: Shuttle SB77G5 micro / Pentium 4 630+ 3GHz 800MHz FSB 2MB L2 cache / 512MB ECC DDR RAM (1) / NVIDIA FX5500 256MB 8X AGP card
Quote

What do you think? Bad CPU, bad motherboard, bad video card, bad RAM chip?

Hello:

Need to replace a laptop hard-drive that uses ATA-5. New hard-drives are designed with ATA-6.

Is ATA-6 interface on harddrive compatible with an old ATA-5 interface in the laptop?

Thank You for the help.

--BillNot all laptops can use all hard drives to start with. What are the specifics?HD(original): Toshiba mk4018gas (hdd2170)

• 2.5" sized drive
• Fluid Dynamic Bearing Motor
• 2 Platter
• 40 Gigabytes
• 9.5mm High
• 12ms Average Seek Time
• ATA-2,3,4,5 Interface
• Supports high transfer rates of 100MB/sec
• 2MB Buffer
• Rotational Speed of 4200rpm
• MTTF 300,000 hours

I was recently able to get my laptop to display on my LCDTV thru a M/M cable (blue, looks like a serial cable...analog?) ANYWAY, now I'm wondering how to get the sounds from the laptop to PLAY thru the TV. What wire(s) do I need? Links to the item would help a great deal. TIAdoes the cable look like this ?



You should have sound ALREADY other wise you need this cable Like I said, I don't know what cable I need, and no I don't already have sound. I got a DVI->HDMI cable to get the video to work better. I need to know what kind of cable that is and if it's even the RIGHT one. TIA:p lol sorry man

S-video is what you looking for !

I have a friend at work that is haveing problems with her monitor when she turns on the pc the monitor screen goes blue and then black says monitor is working check pc. All worked prior to this problem. Sorry that is all the info I have I am just trying to help her out . could it be her POWER supply cable to her pc? any help WOULD be appriciated. I will try to get more info tomorrow at work thanks.
connect a differnet monitor (one that KNOWINGLY works) to her computer and see what happens. if the monitor doesnt work, then her pc is the problem, if the differnet monitor works, then her monitor is the problem. please report back your findings and we can take it from there.And also check that monitor on another PC. WELL we tried all of the above . I think she needs to reformat ? thanks anywayWhat did you find out with the monitor switching? I am just CURIOUS as to how you came to that conclusion.

i have the Nvidia GF MX4000 64MB DDR TV PCI graphics card. when i boot it gets to windows loading screen then goes blank, the monitor still LOOKS like the card is still woking but nothing else will show up. i change my monitor to on-board video and works fine. monitor is fine. anyone know what i could do to fix it?Quote from: EKASILICON on September 20, 2007, 08:29:09 PM

i change my monitor to on-board video and works fine. monitor is fine. anyone know what i could do to fix it?

. i change my monitor to on-board video and works fine.

Ok, so I built a computer (not my first and DEFINITELY not my last) and when I plug it all in and push the power button, the fan comes on for a split second and then shuts off and nothing else happens. Is this a power supply issue or a MOTHERBOARD/processor issue or what??? It is an Antec case w/380W power supply, EliteGroup MB P4M800PRO-M (P4/1066), Intel P4 511 Box 775, and a Seagate 120g Harddrive. I also have ANOTHER fan besides the case fan and a cd rw/dvd rom drive. Any ideas?With a new build it is important to benchtest the system BEFORE it is put in the case. It is also important not to put ALL the pieces together and then be left wondering when something doesn't work what the culprit is.

Disconnect everything except the CPU/processor, 1 stick RAM, the video card (if separate) and the keyboard/mouse. Try to boot. What happens now?

If this works OK, you can add one thing at a time and TEST to see what is causing the problem.

Bad CONNECTIONS, motherboard shorting on case or CPU heatsink improperly applied are the first things that come to mind here.Did you remember to use the thermal pad/paste on the CPU ? ?

Is this a used PSU ? ?

Greetings all,

I am having a recurring problem with my video card that flares up and then goes away periodically. I have no idea what causes it, although it seems to start whenever I plug something into the back of my computer. For example, after a few months of no problems, I need to print something. So I plugged my printer in to my computer. Immediately after, the screen froze. When I rebooted, the monitor had stopped receiving anything from my video card and REMAINED blank, the power indicator flashing. My computer now does this periodically when I boot it up, even though I've unplugged the printer. It would also freeze often, then reboot itself and telling me that the video card adapter isn't working properly. After a week when the problem went away by itself, it came back after I DISCONNECTED and reconnected my speakers.

I've tried: reinstalling my video card's drivers, changing screen resolution and refresh rate, lowering graphics acceleration. Nothing seems to make a difference. My computer just randomly works or doesn't work. Sometimes it freezes five minutes into a session, sometimes I can use it all day and it freezes TWELVE hours later. Right now, I'm living in fear that it's going to freeze in mid-post so I should get this over with quick!

My system:

Video Card: ATI Radeon 9250 (I also have a video out connection to my TV which I use as a second monitor sometimes)
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Monitor: Dell D828L (it's really old, could this be the problem?)
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 530 @ 2999 MHz
Memory: 512 MB

Thank you an incredible amount to anyone with any advice...

Cheers

basic first reply* Do you have enough air flow in there and can you get the cpu/gpu / mobo temps ? Could heat inside the case be high ?

One of the things I did notice today was that the fan vent was all dusty. I've since cleaned it out and so far, no freezing.

Now that you mention it, the freezing is usually ACCOMPANIED by a lot of fan noise. Hmmm...

As I type this, the processor temp is 42 degrees C and mainboard is 29. Don't know how to get the graphics card temperature...I would remove the side panel of the case. Dis-connect all power first. Find the vid card and carefully remove it from its slot. There will be 1 screw holding it in place.
Examine the gold colored contacts for DIRT or debris. These can safely cleaned with a little rubbing alcohol.
Re-install the card pressing firmly and replace the hold down screw.

See if this changes anything.

I have an OLDER computer (HP Athlon XP 2400GHz, 768Ram, on board video card NVIDIA GeForce4 MX with 64MB allocated to video memory) I am running windows xp and I do a lot of Photoshopping work. No video work or gaming. Would a Video graphics card be a wise upgrade or would I LIKELY see very little difference? I am still using a CRT (HP p1130 21inch monitor) Upgrading the CPU would yield better RESULTS in Photoshop.

However, in order to do that you would have to buy a whole new PC.
So, for now, you could just buy a cheap graphics card, and see how even that will be far better than what you have right now.

I'll need to know what motherboard you have, in order to reccomend a suitable graphics card.Mainly, do you have an AGP slot?I am guessing yes he probably does, if so you can upgrade to a Nvidia GEFORCE 7300 GT (Prices are pretty cheap) or if your a ATI person then a ATI Radeon X1300. Also you should consider upgrading your CPU, if it is a socket 939 then a AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (Or anything higher) would be fine for your computer.

pliz HELP;


i have asrock matherboard model NO-775i65G there is no display on the SCREEN, which means it doesn't boot.
only it alarm with 3 longs beep.

please help me solve this problem.

thanks you verymuch

date 21-9-2007after loading windows xp on a e machine 2g FAIRLY new pc it only showed 4 boit color setting i was unable to change to 16 so now after doing something the display only shows windows them at the start then screen remains black its normal when going bios ect what do i doThree Long Beeps Keyboard / Keyboard card error.Quote from: gimedanger on September 21, 2007, 03:14:26 AM

after loading windows xp on a e machine 2g fairly new pc it only showed 4 boit color setting i was unable to change to 16 so now after doing something the display only shows windows them at the start then screen remains black its normal when going bios ect what do i do

What? reinstalling all those programs? iTunes, Roxio and Nero? Why would I do that?

Quote

What? reinstalling all those programs? iTunes, Roxio and Nero? Why would I do that?

Ummm, because it sometimes works? Because you asked for a solution and that was suggested? Because everything you have done so far hasn't worked?

That's all I can think of for starts.

Hey guys, i've googled this topic but it was a bit hard to find information that applied to my problem.

So! my problem is that i have a 7.1/5.1 sound card and i have 4.1 SPEAKERS. HOWEVER! i have a monitor with TWO speakers on it. i ignored them for ages and then i thought perhaps if i plug em in they might get involved with the 4.1 and make it all 5.1. On my creative sound card (i think its a SB Live!) you are suppost to plug extra speakers into the digital input and make sure digital sound is off. ANYWAY, it seemed that it wasnt the case and i didn't bothered trying to make it work because i knew i was cheating trying to magic up a 5.1.

I left it all plugged in and i began to notice that when ever i play a game that supports surround sound it uses my monitor speakers as the 'center' SPEAKER of a 5.1 set. The only time my center speaker doesnt work is in windows. And I've been into the control panel and set up the sound to a 5.1 setup, but it STILL wont work in windows!!

its not the biggest problem in the world so i don't mind it not working, but if it would work all programs that depend on the windows audio settings (like wmp ) would be +boom and that would be lovely.

thanksx

If have a Dell Inspiron 9300 laptop, Win XP Pro. Got it refurbished from Dell 1.5 years ago.

6 months ago it suddenly started shutting itself down randomly, at any time. While I'm working on things, while computer is just sitting sometimes too. It happens at totally random intervals, sometimes every 3 mins, sometimes I can work for a few hours. Sometimes it shuts down right after booting up. It happens LESS regularly if I disable my internet connection, but still does happen occasionally. Of course most of what I need to do on my computer is internet related!

About 1 week after it started happening 6 months ago, it stopped and didn't happen again for 3 months or so. Then it happened for 2 days and went away again. In the in between periods everything seemed to be working normally. Now it is doing it again constantly for the LAST 2 weeks or so.

My Norton Antivirus has never found a virus - I stay very up to date on this. Removal of spyware with Adaware and Spybot has also not helped.

I can hear the main fan working, so it didn't seem heat related. My BIOS doesn't offer any heat readings. Also since it shuts down right after booting up sometimes - doesn't seem like it is getting too hot.

I had to send this computer back to Dell right after I bought it refurbished from them because it would not regularly boot up - would turn off 2 seconds after turning on. Their tech support diagnosed it as being a malfunctioning memory card or memory slot. But when I got it back from them the paperwork said it was a "System Board" issue, and the memory cards were the originals still. But then things worked okay for 7 months or so until it started shutting itself down.

Any help you can give would be highly appreciated! Thank you!

If Dell says that it is a systemboard issue then that means that there is a piece of hardware failing inside your laptop.


The first thing I read was if you turn off the internet. Are you using Wirless Internet or Cable connected internet?

If you are using Wirless is there a switch somewhere on the laptop which ALLOWS you to trn it off an on?


For your RAM test: How much Ram does your computer have?

How many slots being used?

Thanks for your reply.

Installed RAM is 1.00 GB - 2 cards using both slots.

My BIOS rundown is:
Processor 1.73 GHz
794 MHz, 1.00 GB RAM
Memory Installed 1024 MB
Memory Speed 533 MHz
Memory Channel Mode=Dual
Memory Technology=DDR2 SDRAM
80 GB hard drive
CD-RW/DVD Combo
Video - ATI Mobility Radeon X300
Audio - Sigmatel 9750
Modem - Conexant D110MDC
MiniPC Device - Intel Wireless
AC Adapter - 90W

I currently use Wireless internet - I am able to turn it off by disabling the Network connection. I could also turn off the router (but have other PEOPLE on my network). I switched to wireless 4 months ago -- so was having episodes of the turning off when I was on cable too (same general set-up, just different router now).

However I'm now working from a new location just this am - T1 line on cable, and so far computer isn't shutting down, and it's been a few hours. What do you think?Was the enviornment diffrent then what you were using last time? ( I was using wirless, I had the computer on for hours at a time, I never shut it down)

When a computer shuts off by itself it indicates a hardware failure (ex. Computer try to start a device but it is not responding. It either shuts down or restarts.

When you use the laptop is both the wirless and ethernet enable or only one is enable at a time.

When you use the laptop is the wirless the only thing enable when it happens or when you plug it into the wall?

Do you run the computer on battery or is it always plugged in?

I use the laptop only on wireless -- no ethernet cable. So only wireless is enabled, since no ethernet is connected. Although the issue happened a few months ago too - before I was wireless.

I PRETTY much always use the computer plugged in - only battery once in a great while. I shut down every night - otherwise laptop is on (if I can get it to stay on)

Today I have my computer plugged into another network - at another person's house - it is ethernet connected - and it is not shutting down.

But on my connection at home it shuts down whether wireless or ethernet.

It has also sometimes shut down even after I disable the wireless connection - but much less frequently. It doesn't otherwise seem activity driven -- doesn't matter what program I'm using or not. Although it seems to stay on better without any activity.

Hi, I pieced TOGETHER my own computer. I have an AMD 64 3400, on a socket 754 Gigabyte Triton mobo, 1 GIG Corsair PC 3200 DDR, a Maxtor 7200 RPM 150 Gig hard drive, a Sapphire Radion 9600 Pro with 256 mb mem video card, and a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card.
Here is the story, recently the computer has been freezing and locking up. This has happened before and is usually caused by some windows files fraggin on the hard drive. So I'm thinking I'm going to have to reformat soon. Then one night, the whole thing just died. Like it is not getting any power. Since I have an UPC, i know that it is getting power. But, I did plug it into other sockets just to make sure. I changed out the power supply. When i turn it on on the back of the power supply, the light on the fans blink on and off and the fans start to spin. There are some black squares and rectangle on top of the mobo that also get warm. I'm thinking its the mobo. I looked at all the circuits that I can see, don't see any burnt areas. I can get a new mobo for 50 bucks, but was wondering if I'd be better of upgrading.
If i buy a 50 buck mobo and thats not my problem, then i'm out 50 bucks and my computer still doesn't work. What can I do to diagnose the problem?
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
EZ
EZFrag ........ Quote

I pieced together my own computer

There are some black squares and rectangle on top of the mobo that also get warm.

Can you borrow a PSU to swap out?

To diagnose the culprit start with only the following installed:
CPU
1stick of RAM
Vid card and monitor
Mouse and Keyboard.

Boot up and see what happens...

Quote from: Richenstony on September 19, 2007, 10:43:12 PM

Quote from: Jess607 on September 17, 2007, 02:43:59 PM

Quote from: Calum on September 17, 2007, 11:38:31 AM

Jess607 is correct, you don't have to dual boot.
But if you like Vista and want to game, I think you should dual boot, then you can have the features you want from Vista, and then just boot to XP for gaming.
If you don't want Vista, or don't mind slower performance, you can just stick to one OS.

From NEWEGG, I'm seeing the 8600GT at $98.99, the 512Mb 8600GT at $139.99, the X1950 PRO at $136.99, the X1950GT at $139.99, the 8600GTS at $122.99, the 7900GS at $134.99, the X1950XT at $199.99, and the 8800GTS 320Mb at $279.99.
For me, the 8600GTS is a clear mid-high END choice, good performance and DX10 now, and SLI when needed later. For the high end I'd go for the X1950XT, and for ultra high end the 8800GTS.

You can't be serious.
An 8600 GT is easily overclockable to GTS speeds. It's not wortht he extra 24$, anyway.
In any case, the X1950XT and 8800 GTS 320 are well worth the price, and I reccomend those above all else.

I was just wondering where you naturally born a a*s or did your hitler youth rallys turn you......

Your a a*s , because i think your a a*s ......

Quote from: Richenstony on September 20, 2007, 07:49:49 AM

Your a a*s , because i think your a a*s ......

Wow, quality members I see we have in this forum.
This one can't even speak english well.

Quote from: Jess607 on September 20, 2007, 08:00:48 AM

Quote from: Richenstony on September 20, 2007, 07:49:49 AM

Your a a*s , because i think your a a*s ......

Wow, quality members I see we have in this forum.
This one can't even speak english well.

You mean This one DOESN'T even speak english very well". the freaking irony.....

I play 2 games MapleStory and Infantry. One downloaded from nexon.net, the other from sony.com. They both, when loaded, are full screen. When they go into full screen, all i GET is sound, the screen is completely black.. Is this my video card or something else?

My Computer: Dimension 3000 Celeron D Processor 330 (2.66GHz, 533 FSB) Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. Intel 82865G Graphics Controller is my video card.I think the problem is incorrect SETTING of your game display.
Probably too HIGHER setting than the capable of your viceo card.

My suggestion is FIND your game display setting and try to set the display resolution and
color dept to the lower one then click apply or restart your game.

if it's FIXED the problem but you don't satisfy with the quality of your game display, the you should buy the better video card.What resolution are you trying to run it at? And what is your moniter's model? And thats a intergrated graphics card...

I have an Amilo M Fujitsu Siemens laptop and I want to FORMAT it. I am having probs though as it has Raid hard drives (2) and the windows cd doesn't recognize the hard drives... Can anyone give me a solution to my prob???
Plzzzzzzzz heeeellppp!!!!
ThanxxxxIf you are installing Windows 98 or Me or even Windows XP Home, these OSes cannot use RAID 1 or RAID 2. Windows XP PROFESSIONAL or Windows XP Media Edition should have no problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314343

If you borrow a Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional CD, you can boot to the RECOVERY Console and run the Diskpart utility from the command line to delete the RAID partitions:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/recovery_run_console.mspx?mfr=true

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/dm_delete_volume.mspx?mfr=true

You can then boot to your Windows XP Home CD and Windows setup will give you the option to create a new PARTITION during the installation process.

Hi everyone. i bought a usb cable for my samsung e600 FONE so i could transfer photos from my fone to my pc. There is a driver installer that came with it. i installed it and downloaded the appropriate phone management software in the internet. But when i use the software (Samsung PC Studio II PIMS and File Manager), its always offline and the File Manager and Image to Phone commands/functions are dimmed.

And when i was installing the driver, it would say that the software doesn't have Microsoft digital signature. And askin me to add a modem.Can anyone help me with this? Please.........Many PHONES install a modem, it's so you can use the phone's internet connection from the PC
As for Microsoft's digital signature, don't really worry about it, I have some software that's not signed but it's generally OK if you KNOW where it's coming from
As for the greyed out commands, are you sure you have the right software?
If so, try reinstalling it and see if that helpsOh gosh. Got it. THANKS. =)Cool, glad you got it sorted

I bought Acer AL 1916 (TFT 19 flat screen) monitor but the writing (FONT) of some programmes and some web pages is not clear, its like pixels are not TOGETHER, I don't know how to DESCRIBE it, but its not clear, I have the highest resolution, I also tried other resolutions but its still the same, with PICTURES or movies its ok, only the writing. Even though I have cleartype enabled in windows.
I downloaded and installed the latest driver but didn't help, any ideas?Instead of the highest resolution what is the optimum resolution? What about the video ADAPTER on the computer?

See below. Can you post a screenshot?There is a screenshot of a programme I use, look at the writing, its not clear

Hello All,

I hope this wasnt covered already I tried doing a search and couldnt find any relevant results.

I have an AMD Athlon XP 1800+ Process with an Asus A7V333 Motherboard. A couple of months back my hard drive started to fail, in response I bought a new Hard drive and installed a fresh copy of XP. I've installed all the latest drivers and performed all the windows updates. I've been having this problem where right when I get the the LOGIN screen my LCD monitor will flicker on and off on and off several times. During this time the computer will not respond. Then I can get into windows and while im just surfing the net or checking email the screen will flicker again and the computer wont respond. If i'm on the computer long enough I will have the flicker, a freez, and then the computer will restart.

I've had the computer several years, i've had issues over the years of keeping the system cool enough. It would restart before when it over heated but since then i've installed new fans and heat sync. Now the computer is running at a much cooler and acceptable temperature.

I also suspected that it could be a hardware problem. I tested the memory using windows memory tester in DOS and it passed every test serveral times. The mobo is 5 years old so I suspect maybe it could be that too?

Are there any tests out there to further test the hardware (the mobo test would be great!).

This isnt my primary computer but i'd like to get it up and running again for storage and for guests.

Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated. I would like to get this computer running again since its still not that outdated.

thanks in advance for any help you may be able to render!I'm going to venture a guess here that it's your video card. Seems like it's having a hard time with the resolution of your screen. Can you post more specific information about what is happening and some specs about your computer? Also anything that you have added or removed from the computer lately. Then we can get a better idea of what is happening.That might make SENSE, because the graphics are very distorted. I've updated the drivers on my GeForce MX420 card and it still doesnt work. I took it out of the system and cleaned the fan out too.. no luck there either.

Now it seems even worse, now i can get to the login screen and then when i type my password in (as the screen flickers) I get the blue screen of death or it just RESTARTS. So I cant get into windows anymore in normal mode.

First time it says: Driver_IRQL_Not_Less_or_Equal. The second time i got another blue screen but it dint give me anyinformation. Basically saying there is a hardware problem.

It gave me addresses of 0X0000000DL and Ox0000300. I'm sure those wont help too much.

The strange part is that it works fine in Safe Mode. The computer boots up fine no flickering, no nothing. This leads me to believe it may be software (maybe???)

These are the specs that i can get off of it...

AMD Athlon XP 1800
Asus A7V333
GeForce MX420
768MB RAM
Western Digital 40GB Hard drive

thanks for your help!
Yes, it was the video card. Thanks!Well it's good to see that it has been resolved. Just to let you know, it wasn't flickering when going into safe mode because only VERY basic video is loaded in safe mode. Well at least your problem has been fixed.

Forgive me for being a rookie here, but I'll try to state clearly what my problem is.

I bought a laptop a couple months ago and decided to make the recovery disk. At some point in that process, it fouled up my cd drive and now it only shows the recovery disk name when I open My COMPUTER.

I tried opening my computer > control panel> system> hardware> device manager. Under DVD/CD drives it does show the yellow '!". I right clicked and hit unilstall but upon reboot of the computer, its back.

When I start up the computer any other time, I get a pop up box that says the CD drive is low on memory.

I have searched for awhile looking for help, but all I can see is how to formart the entire computer.

The computer is:
HP Pavilion laptop
Windows XP Media Center edition
AMD Turion 64 mobile technology ML-37 1.99GHz, 2.0O GB Ram

Since it is still under warranty, I suggest that you make use of what you paid for."At some point in that process, it fouled up my cd drive..." What do you mean by "it fouled up my cd drive?" How did it foul it up?

You might try booting into SafeMode (tap the F8 key when the computer boots) choose option 3, then go into DM and delete any cdrom drives. Reboot. Check DM.

Alan <>< So theres no fix here? Just at a repair center?Fouled up, meaning...now when I put a CD into the drive, nothing happens and the D drive icon in my computer still shows the HP RECOVERY disk.

Thanks Ale52. I'll give that a whirl.

Quote

I get a pop up box that says the CD drive is low on memory.

I am constantly amazed by the posts here.

Luckily there are a few who genuinely want to solve their problems and are willing to stick to it. Others are certainly better served by taking it to a shop.

Quote

I am constantly amazed by the posts here.

Luckily there are a few who genuinely want to solve their problems and are willing to stick to it. Others are certainly better served by taking it to a shop.

I dislike it when people waste other people's time by being stupid.

I had taken out my RAM to test each STICK individually because I thought one MIGHT be corrupted. After the computer froze up while testing second stick, I'm not sure if I simply left it frozen like that, or simply restarted the computer rather than shutting it off. WHATEVER the case, I tried to plug in a stick of RAM while the computer was ON. I didn't register any problem with this until, as I was wiggling the stick to get it in, the computer shut off. In fact I think it may have been in, but not clicked, and then coming out when the computer decided to turn off. I replaced the memory and tried to turn it back on. It didn't turn back on, and I started crying.

I'm likely going to call the manufacturer, admit my failings as a human being, and hang my head in shame as I ship the computer, along with my life savings, back to them to do whatevers necessary. That is, unless somone here can console me and give me any advice. If somone could at least tell me what probably went wrong, I'd really appreciate it. I'm assuming its something horrible like I short circuited the motherboard or something equally expensive and annoying to fix. If only warranties covered acts of idiocy.

THANKS for any help, and I hope you get a decent laugh.



Quote

Whatever the case, I tried to plug in a stick of RAM while the computer was ON.

I'm likely going to call the manufacturer, admit my failings as a human being, and hang my head in shame as I ship the computer, along with my life savings, back to them to do whatevers necessary. That is, unless somone here can console me and give me any advice. If somone could at least tell me what probably went wrong, I'd really appreciate it. I'm assuming its something horrible like I short circuited the motherboard or something equally expensive and annoying to fix. If only warranties covered acts of idiocy.

I am unable to get my computer to load up even to START bios. I had to unplug and reset my ROUTER tonight and then the compter stopped working, it looks like EVERYTHING is getting power (all drive lights on and all fans will RUN), any thoughts on what to try?re-connect all cable's you have & also INSIDE the casing.
what do you mean not to load up even bios?what happen if you hit the power button?did it start for a while?

Windows XP SP2, with a Sound Blaster Live! 24-Bit sound card.

For some reason, Windows doesn't seem to detect my microphone. I've never had to do anything more than Plug-n'-Play. But speaking into the mic does nothing. I've checked my volume. I've checked the mic mute; it's off. Mic volume is at the TOP. The mic is on. It's in the correct hole. It's worked on this OS before under identical conditions. I've tried another mic, and it doesn't work either.

The mic is a QS-5838, but I've yet to find a driver for it.Dilbert. Are there DRIVERS for speakers? No, then what makes you reason for drivers for a microphone?

Is your PC recording from the mike?

Sounds and audio devices -> Audio tab -> Recording of sound -> Properties -> Volume -> Select "Microphone". It might be set to another input DEVICE.Raptor, I don't know about microphones, only that if there's a hardware issue, it can usually be fixed with drivers. Naturally, that's where I looked first. OK, consider me "not thinking clearly".

BTW, my speaker system did come with a CD (Creative 7.1), but in retrospect I don't think they were drivers, just some software to go with it.

An interesting complication: I have more than one volume control in that area. All of these are available in Audacity when I record. Here is the list:

Auxilary
S/PDIF-In
Line-In
Microphone
What U Hear

I have tested Audacity's ability to record with all of these, volume for them all set to their maximums in Control Panel and in Audacity. Only "What U Hear" seems to be recording from the computer (i.e. all sounds normally going through speakers). However, none of these seem to be accepting input from the mic. However, when I switch in Audacity from "Line-In" to "Microphone", I see a huge "pop" of sound appear on Audacity's visual display. Playback shows the kind of pop that one gets out of the speakers when the volume is up really high and you TURN on the PC. Switching from "What U hear" to "microphone" does not appear to have this effect.

I have tried plugging the microphone into the following places:

The "mic" hole on my sound card.
The "mic" hole on the onboard inputs.
The "mic" hole on the side of my PC box.
The "Aux in" hole on my subwoofer (not sure if that's supposed to be plugged in there or not, but it does not appear to have hurt anything).

OK, now the mic I'm trying to use may be a $6 piece of crap given to me by my grandmother, but I don't think the mic itself is having trouble. The other mic I used is a karaoke machine's mic that used an adapter to plug into the PC. I know, highly onorthodox, but both microphones used to work on this computer, and now for reasons I cannot comprehend, do not.

EDIT: I am installing the Sound Card drivers now. I can't believe this, but I forgot to do this. It appears to be the one variable left. I'm about to find out...

EDIT II: Done. In the Creative Control Panel, the microphone was muted. Ugh! Oh well. Works now. Thanks for the help, Raptor. No problem, Dilbert.

What's on the 7.1 CD? Must be samples. Or did you get a soundcard with the speakerset?Although you solved your problem, another microphone problem that people should be aware of involves Skype. I'm using a Sigmatel Audio card. I installed Skype and the default settings disabled my microphone. I had to go to Tools > Options > Sound Devices and then unclick "LET Skype Adjust My Sound Device Settings" for the microphoe to work again.Thanks for the heads-up, but I don't intend to use Skype; what I've got works more than fine.