I hope those old 'Ghost' images help you retrieve the programs you've lost.

The movie playing problems sound like your system is simply missing the codec files needed to decode and play back the...

Hi, and sorry to take so long to get to this question.

Have you tried replacing the CMOS battery and then running the hard drive auto detection in BIOS setup?

Your problem sounds like a dead...

I'm sorry, but by deleting that 'hidden' partition and then continuing to use the drive you have most likely destroyed any chance that even expensive commercial data recovery services could get it...

If the power supply unit had an isolation switch and that was turned off you are pretty safe from electrical damage. The isolation switch disconnects power from the motherboard.

Power down again,...

The point of the sticky is that to get the system working you stop trying to get it to boot until after you get it to work! No drives should be connected at all.

Strip it to 'barebones', reset...

Try following the advice in the "Read this first" pinned topic at top of page.

It certainly concerns me to hear of a heatsink/fan unit being replaced in this way.

Definitely, power cords should be disconnected.
Preferably the motherboard should be removed from the case and...

Sure you've reset CMOS at each stage to ensure that it's not simply BIOS settings causing the failure to POST?

Sure your processor isn't dead?

Checked that the wall outlet is turned on and...

Disable RAID altogether. With only a single SATA drive it's useless to you.

Ensure that boot order is set to default to the primary IDE drive and install to the IDE drive as Zachary suggested.
...

What motherboard?

Checked the monitor cable and connections?

Checked for screws that may have accidentally been lodged under the motherboard or other possible causes of shorting?

Thanks for letting us know. Sometimes problems are simply beyond what a help forum can assist with. :(

Download the chipset driver from here. (http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P4_8100&os=W98&osl=EN#)

Install it on that Dell. Then...

Isn't there a model name and number on the computer case?

Then you need to identify precisely what model Dell it is and download device drivers from Dell's website.

See my answer to this topic:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread24389.html

Best to get a power supply that meets requirements I feel.

Reset CMOS and try again, but it certainly sounds like the power unit has been overworked and suffered as a result.

Hi GrimJack. That technician is pulling your leg. To change from BIOS version 1008 to BIOS version 1009 you need only download the BIOS update file from the motherboard manufacturer website, and...

1. Check you didn't switch them and connect to the wrong sockets.

2. Try using a different keyboard and mouse.

If it works for you mate, then go right ahead. I'll simply say this:

* The PS/2 socket is not designed to be hot-swappable.
* I've had many a system handed to me to troubleshoot, and found...

If it's a PS/2 mouse, then unplugging/replugging it as described, with the system powered up, could well be what's caused the problem. You should NEVER connect or disconnect a PS/2 mouse with power...

Actually, Nemesis indicated that restoring a drive image from a previous date corrected the problem, so it must have been a software cause. It's impossible, of course, to say what specifically would...

Option one:

Get a new keyboard.

Option two:

Hire someone else to do your typing.

Depending upon whether or not your keyboard is borked, one of those options would be the suitable...

Care to explain HOW you fixed it, so that others reading who have a similar problem may benefit from your experience?

Daniweb is an INFORMATION SHARING community ;)

Try a different RAM module.

Check for BIOS setup settings that might be conflicting with your ATi card. (They are notoriously unstable, and have a dislike for AGP 8x and AGP fast writes ;))
...

Zymz, if you can't even boot from CD and install Windows again, then it's DEFINITELY a hardware problem, and if it's arisen recently you should look at your system cooling first. Ensure that all...

Have you used up to date antivirus tools and syware/malware detection tools to ensure your system is clean? Have you tried a refesh install of Windows to fix up any system file corruption, or even...

Perhaps I should clarify a little what I was saying. I wasn't really suggesting that the Socket 754/Athlon64 based system is a bad choice. I was simply trying to indicate that the higher rated...

I think you'll find that a suitable motherboard costs more as well. Compare the price of an ABit NF7-S motherboard (which is a high performance, fully featured Athlon XP motherboard) with the cost...

oops, sorry. I forgot to respond to this earlier.

That's exactly what i meant, Alex. I wouldn't really advise anyone to feel pressured to switch to A64 and Socket 754. It'd be better to 'patch...

Recent XP 2500s don't usually overclock as well as some of the earlier issues of the chip. If you're counting on running one at 200MHz front side bus you might just be in for a bit of...

And anyway, all you needed to do to reset CMOS was to pull the blasted battery out, and replace it a few minutes later!

BUT::

Always disconnect the power cord from the system, AND the ATX...

You said at the outset that you "got it formatted"

I have to wonder if the job was done properly. If Windows was simply installed again 'over the top' then that is not a format, and any existing...

Well I haven't seen much evidence of that. We do suggest and consider alternative causes and resolutions for problems, and that's to be expected. There are very few PC-related problems which only...

moral, please start a new topic for separate questions.

Good to hear it's all working well, and thanks for letting us know how the problem was solved. It's always good to hear that, particularly when it turns out to be something unexpected or out of the...

That's an Intel i450 chipset motherboard in the system you mention. The manufacturer no longer lists any drivers available for download, but Intel's website should have motherboard chipset drivers...

Download and install Belarc Advisor:

http://www.belarc.com/download

The report it gives will most likely indicate the make and model of your motherboard, and perhaps other components as well.

Suze, the drivers I was particularly referring to are your motherboard chipset drivers, which show up as 'System Devices' in Device Manager.

If your motherboard has a chipset which was released...

If your system is now slower than it was before it's quite possible you've neglected to load the device drivers it needs.

That sounds like a wager to me, rather than a definitive statement.