24217 + Interview Questions in Hardware in Hardware Page 87 InterviewSolution

4301.	Solve : Doesn't seem to boot up!?
Answer» Howdy, Any insight is greatly appreciated! Was researching jobs LAST night, and at some point (when I went to open Outlook, and also when I went to delete cookies and history in IE), I GOT something like "not enough memory to do this function" message. That was bizarre, I thought. When I went to check, I saw that it said I had about 19% of system resources available -- seems way too low. I shut down, then when I started up, all I got was the wallpaper screen -- no icons started popping up -- no nothing. It just hangs on the wallpaper and cursor, nothing else! What's going on?! Could I have deleted something by mistake? Did I get to the end of my computer? I'm flashing back to The Truman Show, when his boat crashes into the back of the "set". Please share your wisdom! Thanks. belakbailey...... How about telling us which O/S your using , is this a desktop or laptop? Have you tried rebooting into safe mode ? Quote Could I have deleted something by mistake? I really don't know .......were you deleting things ? Quote Did I get to the end of my computer? Probably not .. let us know dl65 Just in case you did "delete things" do you have a legal copy of Windows (what version?) for a complete reinstall? It is also helpful to know the computer make/model, version of Windows, processor type, RAM, etc. See below.Sorry -- forgot to include the basics. Windows ME Dell 4100 Series, Pentium III 866MHz 128 MB SDRAM 133 MHz 40 GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive I have a reinstall disk. Also, I don't think I deleted ANYTHING important. I did go into C Drive, under Windows, I think, and may have deleted one or two things that didn't look "important". Of the million things in there, could I have inadvertently chosen "the one" that causes it not to boot up? However, even before that, it seemed like I was low on memory, since I had gotten those earlier messages. Happy to answer any other questions. Thanks! Quote However, even before that, it seemed like I was low on memory, since I had gotten those earlier messages. By low on memory do you really mean memory or hard drive space? If you go into My Computer, and right click on C drive and check properties what do you see? What are the main programs you have running on there? We will get your problems solved! Hard to tell, at this point, as the computer doesn't even boot up to that point. I turn it on, it starts going, gets to the black screen with the wallpaper and blinking cursor, then doesn't do anything else. No hourglass or anything. Just stays there. I'm pretty sure that the message I got yesterday was a "not enough memory to do that . . ." type of message. This was at the point that I was simply trying to open Outlook, or open the IE Tools from within IE. It has thrown me for a loop.Also, just started it in Safe Mode. Same thing. Gets to the Safe Mode screen, but just hangs there, with the arrow, sitting there, mocking me. Any suggestions, I welcome with open arms.At this point we don't know if it is hardware or software related. Has anything happened since yesterday that might be relevant?I haven't ADDED or downloaded anything. I was looking through a company's job postings, doing some research -- went to IE Tools to delete cookies and history, then got the "not enough memory" message. Tried to open Outlook and got the same thing. When I turn it on, I get the normal hard drive sounds for about 10 seconds, get the black screen with wallpaper, then absolutely nothing else. Any way to check on memory, or to see if Hard Drive is doomed? Not sure if I need to buy a disk to check things out, or can do some diagnostics from where I am at this point.In safe mode when the arrow mocks you give it some time.If you know what kind of hard drive, you can run the diagnostics from the manufacturer. What is the service tag on the machine? 5 -6 digits posted on the back of it. Dell also has diagnostics you can download here: http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P3C_4100&os=WME&osl=EN Service Tag may be: B0WVB01 ??Also, after a long wait, when I go to Alt-Control-Delete to restart, the only item I see in the Close PROGRAM window is: Devldr16 Any importance to that? Quote Also, after a long wait, when I go to Alt-Control-Delete to restart, the only item I see in the Close Program window is: Devldr16 Any importance to that? It has to do with some Creative Labs/Soundblaster cards. _______________________________________ __ Here is some info on your machine: http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/en/details?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&~ck=mn&~tab=2 _______________________________________ _____ And here are the updated drivers for your machine: http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P3C_4100&os=WME&osl=EN#Okay, here is the first in a (hopefully short) string of silly, naive questions . . . With the links you've provided, for diagnostic downloads and such, what should my next step be? Download one or more of what Dell provides, try something directly on my PC, or call a service tech? I'm lost.

4301.

Solve : Doesn't seem to boot up!?

Answer»

Howdy,

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Was researching jobs LAST night, and at some point (when I went to open Outlook, and also when I went to delete cookies and history in IE), I GOT something like "not enough memory to do this function" message. That was bizarre, I thought. When I went to check, I saw that it said I had about 19% of system resources available -- seems way too low.

I shut down, then when I started up, all I got was the wallpaper screen -- no icons started popping up -- no nothing. It just hangs on the wallpaper and cursor, nothing else!

What's going on?! Could I have deleted something by mistake? Did I get to the end of my computer? I'm flashing back to The Truman Show, when his boat crashes into the back of the "set".

Please share your wisdom!

Thanks. belakbailey...... How about telling us which O/S your using , is this a desktop or laptop?
Have you tried rebooting into safe mode ? Quote

Could I have deleted something by mistake?

I really don't know .......were you deleting things ?
Quote

Did I get to the end of my computer?

Probably not ..

let us know
dl65
Just in case you did "delete things" do you have a legal copy of Windows (what version?) for a complete reinstall?

It is also helpful to know the computer make/model, version of Windows, processor type, RAM, etc. See below.Sorry -- forgot to include the basics.

Windows ME

Dell 4100 Series, Pentium III 866MHz
128 MB SDRAM 133 MHz
40 GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

I have a reinstall disk.

Also, I don't think I deleted ANYTHING important. I did go into C Drive, under Windows, I think, and may have deleted one or two things that didn't look "important". Of the million things in there, could I have inadvertently chosen "the one" that causes it not to boot up?

However, even before that, it seemed like I was low on memory, since I had gotten those earlier messages.

Happy to answer any other questions.

Thanks! Quote

However, even before that, it seemed like I was low on memory, since I had gotten those earlier messages.

By low on memory do you really mean memory or hard drive space? If you go into My Computer, and right click on C drive and check properties what do you see?

What are the main programs you have running on there?

We will get your problems solved! Hard to tell, at this point, as the computer doesn't even boot up to that point. I turn it on, it starts going, gets to the black screen with the wallpaper and blinking cursor, then doesn't do anything else. No hourglass or anything. Just stays there.

I'm pretty sure that the message I got yesterday was a "not enough memory to do that . . ." type of message. This was at the point that I was simply trying to open Outlook, or open the IE Tools from within IE. It has thrown me for a loop.Also, just started it in Safe Mode. Same thing. Gets to the Safe Mode screen, but just hangs there, with the arrow, sitting there, mocking me.

Any suggestions, I welcome with open arms.At this point we don't know if it is hardware or software related. Has anything happened since yesterday that might be relevant?I haven't ADDED or downloaded anything. I was looking through a company's job postings, doing some research -- went to IE Tools to delete cookies and history, then got the "not enough memory" message. Tried to open Outlook and got the same thing.

When I turn it on, I get the normal hard drive sounds for about 10 seconds, get the black screen with wallpaper, then absolutely nothing else.

Any way to check on memory, or to see if Hard Drive is doomed? Not sure if I need to buy a disk to check things out, or can do some diagnostics from where I am at this point.In safe mode when the arrow mocks you give it some time.If you know what kind of hard drive, you can run the diagnostics from the manufacturer.

What is the service tag on the machine? 5 -6 digits posted on the back of it.

Dell also has diagnostics you can download here:

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P3C_4100&os=WME&osl=EN

Service Tag may be: B0WVB01 ??Also, after a long wait, when I go to Alt-Control-Delete to restart, the only item I see in the Close PROGRAM window is: Devldr16

Any importance to that? Quote

Also, after a long wait, when I go to Alt-Control-Delete to restart, the only item I see in the Close Program window is: Devldr16

Any importance to that?

It has to do with some Creative Labs/Soundblaster cards.

_______________________________________ __

Here is some info on your machine:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/en/details?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&~ck=mn&~tab=2
_______________________________________ _____

And here are the updated drivers for your machine:

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P3C_4100&os=WME&osl=EN#Okay, here is the first in a (hopefully short) string of silly, naive questions . . .

With the links you've provided, for diagnostic downloads and such, what should my next step be?

Download one or more of what Dell provides, try something directly on my PC, or call a service tech? I'm lost.

4302.	Solve : 2 DVD-RW drives on same PC? Problem??
Answer» Hi Guys, I wish someone could help me with this. I currently have a Matshita 8587 DVD-ROM drive as well as a brand NEW NEC ND4550 DVD-RW drive. EVERY TIME I try to copy DVD's from DVD+R's, my DVD-ROM just won't read +R's (not even -R's actually) so that I always have to copy first to my HD and then to my DVD. My question is: could I just replace my DVD-ROM drive with the former Liteon DVD-RW 851S I had before? Would it cause compatibility problems or whathever if I connect 2 DVD-RW drives onto my PC? And, if I can, which drive should I set slave or master? Thanks for your help.That should work fine as long as they are working correctly. I always try to keep my newest drive as the burner (slave) and use the heck out of the other one for day to day activities.

4303.	Solve : Accessing password protected files...?
Answer» HI, my laptop recently died a terrible death, several things went at once, like the battery, power connectors and screen. So I took the hard drive out to use as an external hard drive for my pc, as the laptop hard drive had most of my files and work saved to it. It's a Toshiba HDD2183, or MK6021GAS. When I plug it into my pc it works fine and I can ACCESS my program files, but I can't access the file that all my work is saved under. I have a feeling that this is because those files were password protected on my laptop. Is there any way that I can get round this and back into my files? Or are they going to be locked on there forever? I'm really anxious about this because as well as all my work files it has a lot of PICTURES of my little boy that I never got round to printing off. If ANYONE can suggest anything i'll be very greatful (and if you haven't figured it yet i'm not very computer wise, so a thorough explanation would be appreciated!) Oh and the exact problem that COMES up is:: F:/Documents and settings/ella is not accessible Access is denied

4305.	Solve : S-Video to TV?
Answer» I am trying to get my computer to output video to my TV via an s-video cable, but it's not working. I've done it before, but not with an ATI card (I now have a Radeon X800XL). The cable is connected and I went into the advanced display PROPERTIES tab and it does detect that I have a tv connected. it appears to be that the MONITOR is currently the display, so i click the red BUTTON next to tv and it looks as though it switches to the tv being the current display, so i click apply and then ok, the screen will kind of flicker and then nothing happens... so i restarted the computer and when it came back on, the video was now showing up on my tv until it got to the login screen, then it switched back to monitor. how do i get it to switch to tv and stay?nevermind i got it working... just had to reboot the computer with only the tv attached, no monitor. now it will switch between monitor and tv.

4306.	Solve : Any comment on these combinations??
Answer» HP PAVILION A1215L Intel Celeron D 341, EM64T 2.93GHz, 256K L2 CACHE, 533MHz FSB Intel Graphic GMA 900 up to 128MB 8-channels Full Dolby 5.1/6.1/7.1 Surround SOUND support Pro Logic IIx 256MB 400MHz DDR2 RAM 15" XGA Color LCD 16X DVD-ROM Drive 40GB 7200rpm Serial ATA HDD 6x USB Port, 2x IEEE 1394 Integrated 10/100 Mbps LAN Free DOS => USD 530 HP PAVILION A1220L Intel Pentium 4 Processor 519 3.06GHz 1M L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB, 90nm" Intel 910GE Chipset Intel GMA 900 Graphics, up to 128MB 9-in-1 Digital Media Reader Supporting 256MB DDR2 RAM (up to 2GB) 15" XGA Color LCD CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive 80GB 7200rpm Serial ATA HDD 6x USB Port, 2x IEEE 1394 10/100Mbps LAN, 56K Modem Free DOS Operation System => USD 660 the 2nd ones better R0SSIs the price the same? Does the price matter? Do you have a legal copy of XP to put on there? Is 256 meg of RAM enough to enjoy XP anyway?GX1, the prices are at the lowest line. I do have a legal XP Professional disc. I know 256MB may not be enough but my MAIN concern is whether the items listed worth the price. P/S: My current machine is running XP with 384MB SD Ram, so I guess 256MB DDR2 Ram will almost do the same?If the processors are similar at all I wouldn't even consider this upgrade. (That assumes it is working OK.) Why the urge to get one?I'm CURRENTLY running on this 4-year-old machine: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Intel Pentium IIIE, 733 MHz (5.5 x 133) Asus CUV4X-C (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 1 AMR, 2 DIMM) VIA VT82C694X Apollo Pro133A 384 MB (SDRAM) NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 4000 (64 MB) Samsung SyncMaster 550(M)s [15" CRT] Creative SB Live! Player 1024 Sound Card QUANTUM FIREBALLlct20 20 (19 GB, 4500 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100) ST340014A (40 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100) CREATIVE iR CD5222E-B (52x CD-ROM) LITE-ON LTR-52327S (52x/32x/52x CD-RW) SMC EZ Card 10/100 PCI (SMC1211TX) I believe this machine is going down the hill... One of the two USB port is not functioning well. The soundcard's output is getting noisy. Both HDD has bad sectors. The CD-RW drive is malfunctioning. CD-ROM drive is almost dead.

4307.	Solve : can i totaly disable hard drive c?
Answer» can i totaly disable my local disc c DRIVE and just use my new hard drive d? if so can any one tell me how. have already coppied every thing off of c and put it on to d. can any one help??Have you installed an os on the new hard drive? If you want to disable it, why dont you just TAKE it out of the computer and put the new hard drive on the primary. It DEPENDS what OS you have, if you have xp or 2000 right click my computer, goto MANAGE, Device manager, Disk Drives, Right click on your drive you want to disable and the left click disable. You can also disable it in the bios.

4308.	Solve : HP all-in-one after SP2?
Answer» My HP 6110 worked fine with XP until I installed [email protected] Now printing normal text takes 20+ minutes per page. HP and MS say they have a firmware fix which I have tried several times without luck. I have uninstalled, REINSTALLED print drivers and tried to uninstal SP2 but I have been unsuccessful. The instructions for uninstalling SP2 have been followed but the files mentioned in the instructions are not on my computer. Any clues? Thanks in advance You tried the firmware fix more than once? Did you get an error message the first time? Can you verify that the fix was applied?Yes tried several times. Dialogue box said firmware updated OK. Also asked HP's diagnostic to check to see if I needed any up grades and they responded by saying there were no upgrades required. I also spent an hour on the phone to a HP consultant but that ended in frustration and the advice I was GIVEN was that I should take the printer to a HP SERVICE centre. I live in the country and this was not practicable.Well I would make the drive to let them deal with it, if they offered to. Can you reinstall Windows if you have to, after backing up your data?Yes I can re-instal windows but would rather not have to, you know how much time it takes. However I appreciate your response to my query and maybe I'll take to HP but I fear they will charge as much as a new printer and a new printer will not use the same inks as this one! :-/Oh, I thought it was under warranty and this might be a free repair, if needed.No such luck.

4309.	Solve : VPN times out after 5 min of inactivity?
Answer» My VPN times out after 5 min of inactivity. I connect to my companies PPTP- VPN and then start outlook. It will time out after 5-10 min. I had to reformat my HD because of other PROBLEMS. Then the trouble started. It doesn't happen with internet connections. It also happens when I travel, so I know it's not my router or modem. I have a IBM T41 laptop with XP. It has an internal "b" WIRELESS network modem. 256K I reformatted again, exact same problem. My companies IT dept went through the computer and couldn't find anything wrong. Thanks for any suggestions! BruceStart/Run/Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters. In the RIGHT pane, find Autodisconnect and change the time accordingly. Or... Start/Run/net config server /autodisconnect:30 (30 being an example). The valid value range is -1 to 65535 minutes at the command line. To disable Auto-Disconnect set it to -1. Setting Autodisconnect to 0 does not turn it off and results in very fast disconnects, within a few seconds of idle time. (However, the RAS Autodisconnect parameter is turned off if you set it to a value of 0.)Many Thanks- your solution worked.

4310.	Solve : DVD/sound interruption?
Answer» Im running windows xp media with a new 16x DvD Dual Layer. Problem is every time I Play a dvd or cd, when the activity light COMES on, it interrupts the sound and sometimes chops the video. (and i dont think its the green light that is the problem). I have an ABIT Kv8 Pro motherboard and an 62 bit 1.8Ghz processor with 1Gb of mem. Got an answer?Jayson: Check the DEVICE Manager for resource conflicts between the DVD drive and the sound card. My guess is you just added one or the other to the system. Let me know if you NEED help checking for and resolving resource conflicts. Best regards, Doc

4311.	Solve : ATI Radeon 9250 PCI?
Answer» First off, is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102434#DetailSpecs compadible with http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=51587226&pfp=srch1 ? If it is, how come the installing processes goes smoothly but then when I turn off my comp plug the MONITOR into the CARD and turn in BACK on the monitor doesnt come on but i hear the SOUND of it starting up? Is it the monitor or something with the comp? Any help is appreciated. Also if anyone else could recommend any other PCI graphics cards under 150$ that i could look into.Garth......Is the existing vid card ......onboard ? When you installed the new vid card .......did winXP see it OK and dislpay the message "new hardware found? and then ...........the message .....New hardware has been sussessfully installed ? Did you go into the bios and disable the on board card ? let us know dl65 Is this all a recent purchase from CompUSA? Why not discuss it with them? Have you contacted the manufacturer's about this? What did you learn? On the surface it seems compatible. But please address these issues, for a better response.

4312.	Solve : Winmodems & Dos Programs?
Answer» We had to MOVE our business PROGRAMS to a Win98 computer. Our 2 main programs are dos-based and have run on Win95 just fine for the past 8 years. One of the programs has to use the modem to call a processor. In the Win95 computer this worked fine, but now in the Win98 computer am having problem with the dos program recognizing the internal modem which is on Com3 and is a USR 56k Winmodem. I normally run the programs through the Dos Shell and recently tried RESTARTING in MS-Dos mode, but the modem won't work in either case. Thought of moving old modem in Win95 computer to Win98 tower, but old modem requires an ISA slot. Have tried many DIFFERENT DIAL strings for the Winmodem but no luck. Have installed an older external modem but when the dos program tries to dial out on the external modem, the computer reboots. Both modems work fine when dialing the internet or for other applications. Just not the dos programs. Any thoughts?

4326.	Solve : 400 DPI, 800 DPI or 1200DPI??
Answer» I recently destroyed my MOUSE. Short story. Rather than buying the cheapest mouse I can find, I think it will proof to be rewarding when I buy a mouse of decent quality. Do you notice a definite increase in accuracy when using a mouse with more than 400 DPI? Is there a guarantee that more expensive mice will last LONGER than cheap mice? The mice I usually buy last approximately a year. After that the LMB or RMB becomes crippled.This the one i use>>http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,crid=2142,contentid=5928,detail=2I bought this mouse. I find it to be of very sleek design. The only improvement that I notice, is that the mouse is incredibly rapid compared to a 400DPI mouse. I am not quite certain wheter that is an improvement or not .. However, I do miss the two extra buttons I had on the other mouse. They were rather USEFUL to me. Also, is this what they call phising? Note the adress and the functions available. no!!! just spam>> but this is phising http://www.earthlink.net/about/press/phisher/

4337.	Solve : LS-120 drives.?
Answer» WOULD like opinions on the stability of floppies used in LS-120 drives please. TIAA friend of mine STILL uses his Zip drive and has LS-120 floppies that are over 10 years old. I have however burned all of them to a CD on my service CALL last month just to give him a little insurance. As with any magnetic medium they can fail at any time. So make BACKUPS and you should be good to go... patio. out of date.......use a usb flash drive......

4315.	Solve : thanks for response dl65?
Answer» I replaced the power supply once before because of a problem. At that time it was starting up for about 30 seconds and system BEEP would activate and go back off. I could press reset on the front a couple of times and it would start up. but would not go on and off with power supply turned on and then back off.now there is no beep,and shorter time on and back off. This is the key difference. I believe something ELSE has fried this time. But, a bad power supply would be the lesser of two evils. It happens during the day while I am at work, and that is the normal time the power goes off. I have spike and surge protectors. Tennessee valley authority and Georgia Power are terrible about this issue. Thanks again. No overclocking at all on this system. Cat hair problem sometimes.electricguru.....Have you tried opening up the pc and removing the cat hair and fur balls ? Have you tried the nose test ........ open it up and try to start ....is there any burnt odor ........? DL65 Bloody smeg! Either STICK to one threat or PM DL65.

4317.	Solve : motherboard????
Answer» initial issue: at start-up no power (PC dead) - assumed power supply issue. ==> purchased new power supply now: with the new power supply when plugging in the PC, all the lights and fans turn on (without me turning the PC on) ... on/off button effects nothing ... nor is any signal going out monitor/keyboard/mouse any thoughts/help?? Can you reply ,your problem in english........ no comprendaHis post is much more coherent than yours are Merlin. Leave him alone!I thought that was quick and sufficient! Merlin_2 (try not to comment on formatting ... COMMAS are fun!!!) the problem then ... I've bought a new power supply to replace the old (as I assumed, from another issue (PC did not power on, and odd sound from power), that it was broken) I've installed the new power-supply ... now the issue is: when plugging in (from the wall), all the fans and light turn on (this is without turning the machine on, by the power button!). The power button does not work, nor does any of the other components (monitor, keyboard, mouse...) First try reseating all the cards and RAM. THen test RAM with memtest86 (free at www.memtest86.com). What computer make/model or motherboard? WHat CPU? How much RAM? Has anything else happened to this system? Are you the only one that uses it?I'll try that (when I GET home) P4 system - 2 yr ram: 512 ddr 333mhz board: intel 845 glva single user first problem ever

4318.	Solve : Hard Disk not found..?
Answer» Hi there, I recently gave a friend an old hard drive of mine, not knowing that there was something wrong with it. When he tried to boot it up, he got a basic "Operating system not found" so he tried to install windows. After he put the disk in he got a screen telling him the Hard Disk was not found. We made sure that it was connected properly but got the same error. The screen told us to also try running FDISK and when typing in /fdisk we recieved the message "No fixed disks present". None of this was really a problem, until he SET up my old HD as the "slave" on his comp. After booting with both my old HD attatched to his, his HD now has the same problems. Anyone got any clue if this is fixable? I hope we don't have to get him a new drive . When you hooked up the "bad" one to his they were probably not both jumpered correctly, giving you the error message. Once you REMOVE it, his machine should be fine. If you get this message and the jumpers are correct AND the drive itself is recognized in the BIOS, then you should probably head to the trash can, unless there is valuable data that you WANT to pay $$$ to retrieve.Actually, with just his drive in the computer we are getting the same error that we got with just my drive. Whatever happened to my old HD, happened to his during the minute or two they were connected.Hard to believe that. Is his drive recognized correctly in the BIOS/setup screen? What computer make and model? Were any jumpers removed in this episode?I'm not at his house now, so all I can tell you is that his PC is a real old HP Pavillion. I can't even get to bios. All I get is "Operating system not found" regardless of what I do when the comp starts up. Putting in a windows disk just gets me a blue screen telling me that the Hard Disk was not found. Everything is physically set up correctly. This makes no sense to me, that's why I'm here looking for help.I'm not at his house now, so all I can tell you is that his PC is a real old HP Pavillion. I can't even get to bios. All I get is "Operating system not found" regardless of what I do when the comp starts up. Putting in a windows disk just gets me a blue screen telling me that the Hard Disk was not found. Everything is physically set up correctly. This makes no sense to me, that's why I'm here looking for help.Sorry about the double post, I'll register so that doesn't happen again The old HP's used F2 to access the BIOS. Did you try that, or F10? If you can't get there, it may have other problems.Ah, didn't know that part. I'll try it when I go over to his house later tonight. If the BIOS doesn't recognize the drive, any clue what I should do then? He lives pretty far and I want to know what to do before I get there, as he now has no computer to access the internet with Well you may have to RESET BIOS if something in this aborted attempt has changed the settings beyond what you can adjust. If this is the CASE you will need to look at the HP website. Hopefully it will be a simple adjustment. I have to take you at your word about the jumpers and nothing else being done.

4319.	Solve : Floppy Drive Not Accessible?
Answer» I have a user that has an OLD HP Brio pc on her desk. She is now getting a popup messages stating that drive (3.5) a:\ is not accessible. I added a new floppy drive same problem. How can I narrow down what the actual problem is? TIA, Bill Data cable plugged in backwards is the most common problem. Does the light stay on? Is the floppy RECOGNIZED in the BIOS? Is the power cable plugged in also? Have you tried a different disk in it?Sorry for not providing more info. I just went back over to the workstation, after I installed the new floppy, I initially plugged it in the drive a connector on the cable. When it didn't work also, I plugged it in to the floppy drive b connector. User said it still didn't work. It does work. But, it is identified as a 5 1/2 floppy. This workstation will be replace SOON, so I do have a STOP GAP in place. Thanks anyway, bill What about a new cable? May be a defect in it, and they are cheap. In the BIOS/setup can you choose what kind of floppy it is? It may be correctly set on 360KB or 1.2 meg instead of 1.44 meg.I cannot get into the BIOS. It has a password. And no ONE knows what it is (I have been here 3 days!), and the previous person was only here for 1 month. It does work now. Thanks for your help, Bill OK, glad you are up and running. You might be able to clear the BIOS by removing the CMOS battery for a few minutes. Some HP's have a dip switch on the motherboard, etc.

4323.	Solve : Cannot move large files?
Answer» Hello, I have a computer with an MSI model ms-6378X-L Ver.3 MOTHERBOARD. It has to hard drives both Western Digital and to CDROM drives. All motherboard drivers and bios are updated to latest version form MSI WEBSITE. The problem I am having is when trying to move a large file or folder around 1meg from ONE drive to another the computer shuts down and reboots. This happens when I move files over the NETWORK and download them from the internet. The only thing that helps any at all is to set the ide drivers to PIO mode and disable write cacheing on both drives. then it will make it to around 10 megs and same problem.

4324.	Solve : Need Heat Sink Mount?
Answer» I have been working on a computer for a while and through a large amount of coincidences I now have no way to secure my heatsinks to the motherboard. I've been searching all over the internet for a heat sink mount/adapter. I'm not sure what the actual name is for these parts, but all i need is those little black things that are screwed into the motherboard. They are the things that you would attach those metal straps to in order to hold a HEATSINK onto the cpu. they usually need two screws and they form a box like shape around the cpu. I can't seem to find a place where i could purchase such an obscure PART. But i really don't feel i should have to buy a whole new heatsink. My motherboard is a K8T Master2 Far. It's a server computer with dual opteron processors. Socket 940. I did see the part i was looking for on e-bay, but it was for a pentium processor HOWEVER and i don't know if it would fit. I think the screw placement is different. If anyone can provide me with a site or a link to a sale of this ITEM it would be greatly appreciated.What about a change of direction something like this>>>http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/components/modificationandcoolingkit/productView.htm?quicklinx=3LWG&mc=5

4325.	Solve : looking for D drive help...?
Answer» I was ready to buy a replacement. because wouldn't READ cd-r's or regular discs but threw in a memorex cd-rw that I had burned and it played! any clues why it won't read anything else?Some drives/burners only like certain brands of media...this is unfortunately a trial and ERROR issue. I usually borrow/buy one CD of as many types and brands of media when i get a new burner and do a test burn with each. It beats getting stuck with a 50 or 100 pack that won't burn. patio. does the cdrrive read any other DISKS OK......or it just has a problem with burnt disks.Try twisting the disk around a quarter-of a turn......in the DRIVE....>:<

4327.	Solve : Problems with AGP on videocard/mainboard??
Answer» Im running a GIGABYTE MAINBOARD GA-K8NS with a AMD 64 3200 processor and a Radeon 9200 SE graphics card. In order to play on Shadowbane without crashing every 2 min they said i need to enable the AGP through BIOS. In BIOS i cant find any options to change that i already havent to enable it. Therefore I thought maybe my drivers were old and needed updating. (Just upgraded to the mainboard and processor and before the graphics card worked fine with the game). I have updated and installed all new non windows drivers to try and correct the problem. Still cant enable AGP x4 or x8. I am using directX diagonistic tool for this info. Then i thought i must have a bad game file so i uninstalled the game and repatched. Still no better but the graphics inproved before i crashed. Big help! I defragged my pc thinking that might help. No change. Turned all game settings to low. No change. Tried updating BIOS but no new options or changes. Can ANYONE help me pls? This was at least 2 days of fuming, DOWNLOADING, installing, and searching. ThanksTry disabling your sound card to SEE if thats the problem.In BIOS, look under Integrated Peripherals->Init Display First. Did you install the mobo software followed by the latest drivers? DirectX 9.0c too?

4328.	Solve : CDs causing computer to freeze?
Answer» Hi, I purchased my computer about a year ago and it has been running fine until about a month ago. The problem I am having is whenever I try and play a CD, my computer simply freezes after I insert the CD into the drive. It does play AUDIO CDs fine though. I recently purchased a new CD drive thinking that would solve the problem, but it hasn't. Is there anything I can do to fix this? Thanks.....and the computer make/model is.......... Have you done the usual checking for adware/spyware/viruses, etc.? Anything else abnormal with it's function? How old is it? Processor type and RAM?Well, the computer is pretty much custom built. Bought it off a site where you choose the parts and such. It's a little over a year old, Pentium 4 processor, and has 1024 MB of ram. This is the only problem I have had with this computer so far. As for spyware/virus scanning, I scanned my computer not too long ago but I will do it again to be safe. Thanks for the quick response by the way.No problem. That is always a WISE and safe thing to do to start off with, whatever the presenting problem.Ok, well I scanned my computer and deleted any spyware and viruses that were present but it didn't solve the problem. I used http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ to do the scanning. Are there any other options that I have to fix my computer?As Aware Spybot CCleaner AVG Antivius Free downloads, just google for them. Use in safe mode, and then we'll all feel you are clean and we can proceed if necessary.I would also CHECK the jumper settings on that CD drive...if you have more than one the burner should be jumpered master and cabled at the end of the RIBBON CABLE on IDE2 with the other CDRom jumpered slave and cabled to the middle of the cable. patio. Try uninstall and reinstall the drive. Goto devise manager to remove drive. Your windows may be corrupt, Try to see if it works in safe mode before you reinstall install windows.

4329.	Solve : CD-ROM drive not displaying??
Answer» I just got some new equipment. I am 100% sure everything is %100 compatible with each other and that everything is connected properly. My problem are two: 1. CD-ROM drive letter WONT show up & nothing can read from it. (yet, it shows up at the bios screen that it is connected) 2. Floppy drive light is always on (except when off). Also when a diskette is inserted and it tries to read it. It states that nothing is in the drive. Any insight would greatly help. I am pretty sure everything is connected properly. Yet my bro and I prob did something wrong as there are problems. Thanks SO MUCH.Floppy drive light on all the time? I'll bet it doesn't work. Try reversing the direction of the data cable. CD-ROM is on the secondary channel? Is it jumpered correctly for master (if the only drive) or slave if a second optical drive? If it is a second drive on the channel, they both both must be jumpered correctly to function right. Being plugged in to power is obviously needed as well. Does it open and close?Thanks for your help. THOUGH I "fixed" the CD-ROM drive. I had to install it through "add new hardware WIZARD" (probably possible to do without). Im still not sure whats going on with the floppy. It might be it needs a driver or possible reinstall it through the same wizard mentioned above. Ill eventually try it later. As its not really my main concern. First to DOWNLOAD heaps of updates (as I chose to wipe the hard-drive clean). Someone who tends to panic - MikeReverse IDE cable or you need a new Floppy drive.Usually reverse the cable if the light stays on and it doesn't work.Not sure about #1 but #2 you have the cable into the floppy in upside down.

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4330.	Solve : Hello again everyone.?
Answer» Well, after all the hardwork I've put in on my computer I think it is time to buy a new one. Its too much hassle and too much MONEY to keep this computer updated KINDA like repairing a beatup CAR that will never be perfect. My mom gave me a 500-600 limit on a total computer for a christmas/birthday present (my birthday is less then a month away from christmas to which i normally get 400-600 total so it works out.) And I'm not sure about two computers...kinda hoping you guys could help me pick which one I would be better off with. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7477599&productCategoryId=cat01172&type=product&cmp=++&id=1125465742064 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7439578&productCategoryId=cat01172&type=product&tab=6&id=1124431815544 Not sure which way to go for. Both of them have 50 dollars off rebates so the prices are in my price range and the stats look kinda a like only I'm not sure if im not noticing anything and thought id ask you guys again like I always do with computer help What will you be using the computer for, work, or play?Kinda both. The only work I have is school work but that usally means just looking at websites using Office things like that. But I also plan to be playing some games on it also, I have Civ. 3 and Knights Online I usally play at home and would like to play them on a newer computer as the computer I have is crap and chooses when to run them.You do realise that you yourself are just a pawn in a computer game do you? I don't have any time to play games on this computer so there are no games installed on it. What does your Father think about it?Strangly enough, my mother kicked my father out when I was little due to do DRUGS and abuse. But I just like playing games. I've always been a video GAMER ever since Atari and just always played um. I'm in college, I don't drink, not a huge party guy so I need to fill the void after studying.mac the boy wants to know what the best computer is, not contemplate the meaning of life just yet. Ok Boy! For what its worth they are both practically the same. Get the cheaper one. R0SSFill the void by researching a new computer, then come back here with some better options.yea.....well....I have a price range and those two fit, I'm not looking for 1000 dollar computers, I looked at computers under 600 n found those and I already got an answer but thanks anyways

4331.	Solve : Screen is black!?
Answer» have 2 comps. One is failing to come on. The FAN comes on and keeps running but the screen never chanes from black. It is a winbook notebook. Any thoughts? I have lots of pics that I am terrified to loose - back them up - I KNOW.. I have been a poor backer-uper. Niki: Does the computer PRODUCE any AUDIBLE beep codes? If so, how many beeps? Did you install any new hardware device or new SOFTWARE just prior to this happening? .

4332.	Solve : CRT Monitor is too dark?
Answer» I've turned the brightness up all the way and the image is still too dark. Is there a way to make it brighter or do i NEED a new MONITOR? Is it an older model with a lot of use? It may just be SHOT. If you can adjust it up some, but not enough you could be ready for a new one.LAV: I concur with GX1. Monitors grow darker with CONTINUED use. To make a monitor last longer, try having the setting the Power applet in the Control PANEL to turn off the monitor after it has not been in use for a half hour or so. Keeping the monitor on, even with a screen saver, shortens its life. Doc

4333.	Solve : GX man? back with new sound issues?
Answer» Went to download limewire today and FOUND out there is no sound on my puter again. I went into the configurations on the sound and all the sudden I got an rundll32 error it won't even come off the desktop NEVER done that before. Of course I have had these errors before and lexplore REPEATING itself but nothing where it came up when I was checking files. There are no highlighted things everything appears to be okay in the sounds, speakers are on and PLUGGED in I'm scratching my head as to what happened between yesterday and today. Hope you are near or someone else is maybe? Thank you Well try reinstall you driver for sound. windows maybe CORRUPTED by lime wire. Can you do a system restore.all is well I figured out the problem, false alarm...thank you though! Does anyone know anything about the rundll32 errors and lexplore repeating in the back ground though, I have had this for almost a year!Your lexplore is the sodabot worm. Thank you guys for carrying on in my absence!

4334.	Solve : Monitor color?
Answer» I guess I never noticed this probably because I spend so much time staring at my monitor, but lots of friends have pointed out to me that my monitor has a dark reddish tint to it. I still don't really see it unless I PUT another computer (laptop) next to mine and look at both. I tried the degauss but it still looks the same. ANYONE KNOW what might have HAPPENED to it?DEPENDS how old it is, you could need a new monitor.Well my computer is about 4-5 years old. It's a Dimension 8100 Intel Pentium 4Can one of your friends let you hook up there monitor to your computer to establish if there is the problem. Or you hook up your monitor to there computer. Let us know.That's an excellent idea, though it'd be complicated as they are so big and heavy. Would it have to be a specific kind of monitor (like Dell so that it's compatible) or any monitor?Any PC monitor will do nicely...unless it's from a MAC. patio. Alright thanks. I'll try to get my hands on a spare monitor sometime somehow.

4336.	Solve : Advice Ram?
Answer» Just hoping for some advice on RAM i have ONE 1gig ram ddr 3200 and one 512ddr 2100. installed. I was just wondering with one only been 2100 will there be a performance PROBLEM, or should it be ok.no.........its ok ......try it......Keep in mind that the fastest RAM will only work as fast as the slowest part in the machine will allow it to.. The SLOW part in your case being PC 2100 RAM and the fastest RAM being PC3200. In case you did not quite get the hint; remove the PC 2100. Unless your mainboard does not have a faster FSB, I WOULD consider it a waste of system resources.

4338.	Solve : Good PCI-E video card?
Answer» I am building a new PC nad was wondering on what a good PCI-E video card was have figured out pretty much everything eles but that. Any info would be a big help.There aren't that many and they are all from nVidia or ATI.depending on your price range.. what are U willing to spend? What other hardware do u have? what is the computer GOING to be used for? Price ragne is about $250 little bit more is ok too. Other hardware is not 100% decided on yet but heres what i was thinking so far: -Foxconn 915P7AC-8KS Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 915P ATX Intel Motherboard -Intel Pentium 4 650 Prescott 800MHz FSB 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 EM64T Processor Thats what I have come up with so far just in the beging of deciding what I want, but not set in stone yet. This BOX is mainly going to be used for gaming.If you are going to spend that kind of money and looking for a good gaming SYSTEM, I don't know that a Foxconn motherboard is where I would start. Have you checked other models at newegg? Are you in the US?Yes I am in the US. Not to sure about all the motherboard stuff it is the item i know least about, though i mean i dont really know a ton on any of it. Right now i have to preferance on motherboard and dont know what to do for it, like i said had just started looking.I would stick to name brands and see what others are buying on forums like these. www.newegg.com always has the best prices.Well after a few hours of soul searching and research i came apon this mother board, hope this one is better. ASUS P5GDC Deluxe Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 915P ATX Intel Motherboard Still dont know excatly what i will do for my vid card though.

4339.	Solve : Can't get my removable storage to work?
Answer» Hi, I've got a external removable storage from a friend. It's i-rocks IR-4100. I plugged it into my computer and the computer detected it and said New Hardware found appeared on the bottom right hand corner. But when i went to windows explorer, i couldn't find it there. Then, i was suggested to go to computer management -> disk management, it's not there either. Furthermore, i went to its website trying to find the driver for it but couldn't find it. Is there any other way of getting it to work? THANK you very much in advance.Is it DEAD or non-functional? When was it working last?Hi GX1_Man, Thank you for your prompt reply. Hmm... apparently, it was working before on the other computer. I tried it with all the other computers but with no luck at all. I think it's dead (Unsure). However, if it's dead or non functional, can it still be detected by a computer?. I don't know if there is any way of testing it whether it's working or non functional. So far, it's detected or picked up as it's being plugged into any computers but it just doesn't show up on the computer. Thank you in advance A dead CDROM can be identified by the BIOS and Windows, but it's OPTICAL ability to READ a CD may be totally gone.Is this an elderly drive, or had a lot of use (or abuse)?Hi GX1_Man, Thank you for your reply. I think i know why it didn't work,... It's very silly of me, I was told that it's an external storage. you know the one that we can put into pocket and plug it into any computers to store data. When i had another look at it on the i-rocks website, it's actually a Hub, a mini Hub, not a removable storage as i thought it was. Thank you GX1_Man, I'll keep in mind everything you said. You're welcome and FEEL free to post back with other snafu's, or to solve someone else's problem with these things!

4340.	Solve : hard drive fail - unsafe removal of device?
Answer» i have a western digital 200 gb drive, used as a slave drive on win2k. while attempting to copy some FILES to that drive last night, the copy failed and i got an "unsafe removal of device message". when i looked at the drive in the my computer WINDOW, it showed 33gb used, which is correct, but only showed one 17mb excel file when i tried to browse the drive. i shut down the computer, checked the ide and power connections, turned it back on, and could see all the files on the drive again. i tried to finish my copy and the same thing happened a second time. after 2 more subsequent reboots, checking all the connections, and trying a different ide cable, i haven't been able to get any of the files to show up again. the computer recognizes what kind of drive it is, what size it is, and how much data is on the drive, but it can't show me the data itself. is this drive salvageable? is there any way for me to retrieve the data short of paying through the nose for a data retrieval company?So it shows up in the BIOS correctly, and you can see what is there, but you just can't get it? Does it show it as RAW format? What did you USE on it FAT32, SEVERAL partitions, or one big NTFS drive? Is it an external USB drive or what?i'm not at home so i can't answer all your questions, but here goes: it's a normal internal hard drive, not an external drive. i know it's not partitioned, and i think it's NTFS formatted. i can see that the drive exists. i can see how much data is on the drive. if i browse to it in "my computer", instead of seeing the files and folders that are actually there, i see one excel file. i'll open the file when i get home. i haven't checked it in the BIOS, but i'm pretty sure it's showing up correctly, since windows recognizes the drive. does what show as RAW format, the data? how would i look for that? sorry if my questions or responses don't make sense - apparently i know just enough about computers to be dangerous.You might try this: http://www.dtidata.com/Products_ff_finder.asp or look at this: http://www.computing.net/windows2000/wwwboard/forum/61650.html You may be able to save the data to your primary drive by booting with a Linux Live CD - Linspire or Knoppix I recommend, and both are free: http://iso.linuxquestions.org/distro.php?distro=58 http://iso.linuxquestions.org/distro.php?distro=5 Just locate the folders and copy. The Linspire will be easier if you have never used Linux, but both are good. Remember that they run a bit slowly because they are running from the CD, no data is being written to your hard drive. i know i have a knoppix cd and 2 cdrom drives, so i can try that method. however, i'm not sure it would work. most of the information i read about using knoppix to recover files is aimed at people whose operating system was hosed by the hard drive crash (and thus who can't do anything with their computers), but my OS still works fine. would knoppix be able to find those files even though windows is operational and can see the drive (but not the files)?You may be surprised what Linux can do. Worth a SHOT,don't you think? All it costs you is a reboot.heh, and on this reboot i won't even have to pull out and reconnect all the cables! i'll give it a try.Be sure and let us know what you find.well, i didn't find much. when i ran knoppix, the drive showed up (hdb1), but when i browsed to it, it was completely empty. when i tried to ls the contents in konqueror, i got an input/output error. next step is probably pulling out the new ram to see if i can get to the hard drive with the original configuration.Was that drive formatted NTFS - the improved Microsoft file system?yes, it was ntfs formatted.

4342.	Solve : Mouse randomly stops working?
Answer» My MOUSE will just shut off, then I unplug it from the tower then plug it back in and its FINE...do you know why it does this??Jennie i would suggest just replacing the mouse. For the low cost it's usually ALOT quicker than troubleshooting them. I recommend anything by Logitech the best brand i've found thru the years. patio. Thanks! I will try that! You're Welcome and let us know how it GOES... patio.