Posts by TallCool1

Does this mean that if I buy an AMD Athlon 2600 with a FBS of 333Mhz than I need 666Mhz rated DDR SDRAM?

It's smoke and mirrors. The true clock speed in this case is 166 MHz, but since it is designed to work only with DDR RAM, they refer to a 333 MHz bus.

Not that I blame AMD--Intel is even worse . They refer to an 800MHz FSB, but this is actually 200 MHz quad-pumped--that is, two interleaved banks of DDR 400 RAM, which is much more complex for, at best, a marginal improvement.

I know this is confusing, but much of today's computer marketing is based on confusion. That's how Intel sells more processors. An old joke:

Q: What's the difference between a used car salesman and a computer salesman?

A: The used car salesman knows when he's lying.

OK, now I'm confused. I thought the CPU speed was in GHz and the MHz was the front side bus width. Am I mistaken? (I'm kind of new at this)

Actually, the front side bus (FSB) width is measured in bits, though speed does figure in as well. For example, the Pentium 4 and Athlon XP have a FSB width of 32 bits, meaning data can be pushed out or sucked in in 4-byte chunks.

There is also a relationship between the CPU speed in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz) and the FSB speed in MHz. This is known as the multiplier. This can get confusing because of double-data-rate random-access memory (DDR RAM); for example, my Athlon processor has a multiplier of 11.5 and a speed of 1530 MHz (1.5 GHz), for a front side bus speed of 133 MHz... but my DDR RAM is rated at 266 MHz. How can this be so?

DDR RAM works by clocking on both the rising and falling edges of the memory clock signal, so it works twice for each clock cycle. Imagine a bicycle with only one pedal. Most of the power in the stroke will come on the push part because the body's weight is behind it--thus, only one useful stroke per revolution. Add a second pedal with a 180 offset, the standard setup. Now you have two useful strokes per revolution, providing (in this case) more power, but in the case of DDR RAM nearly twice the speed.

I've installed Enter The Matrix game and when I try to start it I get the message "Fullscreen mode not found". Does anyone know why I can't play it? My Operating System is Windows XP. I can't play Yahoo Games over the internet. It says I need Java Virtual Machine and I get the option to download it, but it's just a link to Microsoft Windows Update with a lot of unnecessary things.

The Java Virtual Machine problem I can help with right away. Microsoft's JVM was crap. When Sun won the court case over it, MS pulled the download. Get the Sun version instead--it's better and more complete:

JAVA Runtime Environment. Windows installation is mid-page (scroll down). http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

The Matrix problem is likely a hardware, not software issue. What graphics adapter do you have?

i really need someones help here...okay my computer wont load windows. everytime i try to turn it on it goes to this black screen that says that windows is messing up and i have a list of 4 options that say like load windows normally...or safe mode or what ever. but no matter which one i choose it goes straight to a blue screen and the only thing i can do from there is turn off the comp...what do i do?

Which version of Windows are you running? The fixes vary from version to version, but there are fixes available.

I guess a new "system" is in order. I might decide to let my son tinker a bit with trying to fix this beast. He won't blow himself or the house up will he...where and what could you suggest he looks for in trying a fix.

I'm willing to help, but--does he know how to solder? Can he identify basic electronic components? Does he know which end of the soldering iron to hold? :cheesy:

Seriously, though, I am considering writing a basic electronics primer. My teaching technique starts with the electron then works up from there. Is there any interest?

I have a monitor and thought i'd ask it here, monitor is really blurry you can make out colors, icons but you can't tell whats what and the monitor setup when open I can scroll through the different settings(not knowing what's what ) and make changes not knowing what changes but it remains blurry, you can't make out anything it just a big blur.

Focus is an internal adjustment, but not too difficult for all that. Give me more information: the FCC ID number is best (tells me the OEM & true model number), but brand and model too will help. Is it a flat CRT, etc. I'm willing to walk you through the adjustment(s), if you are brave! Don't worry, I've done this for 40 years bzzzt and it bzzzt hasn't affected me a bzzzt bit--I'm old enough to volt...

I can boot to desk top without a problem, yet after I've been using my system for a bit and then decide to shut down I can't boot up again because the monitor won't kick on. It tries, but then goes off, so I haver to hard shut down, I have to wait an hour if not more before re-starting my system. I have an old (and I mean old desk top) the monitor is Dell/trinitron, OS win98se.....help please..

Many Sony monitors have a problem with dry electrolytic caps and/or bad solder connections. When the unit is cold, it will start up, but it's marginal. When it's hot, it will continue to run but won't start up again until it cools off. It's cheaper to buy one used than to fix the old one. Of course, this type of problem is not unique to Sony; look at all the G51 monitors that IBM had to recall.

The iso image ned to be burnt to a cd using Nero or other software before you can install it .and i doubt if there is an evaluation copy of server 2003!

Actually, I'm pretty sure there is. It's a timed trial.

An ISO file is an image, a "snapshot" if you will, of a CD. as Caperjack noted, the CD burning software must be set to restore an image, not burn the file to the disc as data.

I have an HP system AMD Athlon 850mhz, standard 16bit sound card. I am in the process of upgrading my sound package and want some adivce. I have read lots of good thing on both the Santa Cruz and Audigy cards. I'm unsure if the Santa Cruz is compatible with AMD chipset? Im an interested in music and games, no midi. Which one would you suggest? Thanks for your advice!

There is essentially no difference between the Creative Audigy and SB Live! for audio playback; the Audigy 2 is a different story; without a doubt, it blows away the Santa Cruz, but at a higher price. Compatibilty for either card shouldn't be an issue; MIDI is included by default.

Of course, your choices are not just limited to those two brands & models, either. Other cards are now available built on the Envy24 series of chips from VIA. Two manufacturers that use the VIA chips are M-Audio and Terratec. These provide audio performance better than the Audigy series -- Envy24 chips are actually used in some pro-level recording equipment.

Of course, all this is subjective; your mileage (and ears) may vary. On the other hand, I used to be a professional audio recording engineer, so I'd like to think that I know what I'm talking about ;)

Whenever I try to run any CD game or something in my C: drive (local Disk) it comes up with this error:
--------------------------------------------------------------
An exception 0E has occured at 0028:c18281DD in V x D scs:1hlp(03)...

Start by downloading & installing ASPI4All from http://www.mamba.cc/tech/aspi4all.htm

which harmonizes all parts of the ASPI layer. Read the instructions to find out why this is a good thing. As noted in the instructions: after extraction (and before running the package) run the included ASPIchk program to see just how munged your ASPI layer is... I guarantee that it is!

This works for all version of Windows. IDE CDs (especially burners) are nearly always accessed using SCSI emulation, so this has a good chance of fixing the problem.

This is a process that I run on all my Windows installs--it really makes a difference.

i have 512mb of ram but i thought win98 actually used up to 256 max. Do any memory managers speed up windows a little and help prevent crashes?

Actually, my research says that 512 MB of RAM works OK with Win98--beyond that, there are problems. The main problem is system resources, a precious commodity under Win9x. Win98, for example, has 128 KB areas of memory reserved for System, User, and GDI. I use the following utilities in this context:

* TinyResMeter to monitor resources such as User/System/GDI, overall RAM, and CPU utilization. Free. Bonus: it works as a screen-grabber! http://perso.accelance.net/~pesoft/trm/us_trm.html

* GoodMem both shows memory available and provides a means of returning memory to the free pool, either automatically or manually with a double-click. Free. MSI wrote it, but it works everywhere. http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/software/swr/spt_swr_list.php (go to the bottom of the page).

* ResMan combines features of both of the above programs. While I have not used it myself, Entech Taiwan has some excellent utility software--MultiRes, for example, is part of my default installation on every Windows system I touch. Here's the link (it's under the heading Free software): http://www.entechtaiwan.com.

Edit: I just played with ResMan for a while. While there's nothing wrong with it, I think I like the TinyResMeter/GoodMem/PrcView combo better. I left the link, though, because my preferences may differ from yours.

PrcView process viewer: http://www.teamcti.com/pview/prcview.htm

Thanks for the responses. I've also learned that (apparently) you can add EFI filters to the monitor cable to flatten the hi freq interference That bulby thing that's part of the cable is an EFI filter. But I can't seem to find them anywhere...

You do not necessarily need to move the monitor, at least to test it--just rotating it 90 on its base will change the magnetic field orientation (if that's the problem) and change how the monitor reacts.

Another test is to change the vertical-refresh rate on the monitor, and see if that changes the appearance of the problem. The easy way to change refresh rates is to download the free utility MultiRes. Here's the link (it's the first program under the heading Free software): http://www.entechtaiwan.com; when you are done, set the refresh to 85 Hz for best viewing

An EMI filter will be of no help, as your problem is magnetic- or power-related, not radio-frequency (electromagnetic) related.

elaborate more on the Managing area plz

It's like I said in the previous post; either go to the Control Panel, select Fonts and manage them from there, or use TweakUI, which is downloadable from Microsoft. Do a Google search for the download link.

my hubby was playing an online game and out of no where he got a blue screen and then the pc rebooted. it started up again in safe mode fine but now it just keeps blue screening and shutting off, does this sound like a virus or something?

If you are running Windows XP or Windows 2000, you probably have the Blaster worm.

The quick-and-dirty way to get rid of it is with the free FixBlast utility from Symantec. Here's the URL of interest:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.blaster.worm.removal.tool.html

It runs from a floppy, so it's easy to run on the infected machine. It won't hurt things if the virus is not present. Be sure to read the instructions, especially as it pertains to having to re-initialze your Windows Restore.

If you do not have a hardware firewall, you need a software-based firewall. A hardware firewall is part of most cable/DSL routers, for example. A free software-based firewall is Zone Alarm Free Edition:
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/zap_za_grid.jsp

Which ant-virus are you using? A good free one is AVG Anti-virus Free Edition available from http://www.Grisoft.com

Of course, if you are running Windows 95/98/Me the Blaster worm is not the problem... but the rest still applies.

Most of the time I go into internet explorer a message comes up and says "you have performed an illegal operation" and in the detail section it says "EXPLORER caused an exception eedfadeH in module BTLINK.DLL at 0167:023d68ea." Then it quits out of IE.

You have been hijacked! That DLL is part of a browser hijacker/spyware "search bar". Use Spybot - Search & Destroy or Ad-aware to remove it. In either case, update the data-file before scanning the drive.

Even after removal, your Windows Registry is likely somewhat damaged. Once you have removed the hijacker, boot into MS-DOS (this is one of the options in the Shutdown dialog box, for example). From DOS, run the command scanreg /fix to repair the Registry. It's also a good idea, after the fix, to run scanreg /opt to optimize it.

Also, the next time that you run IE, go to the Tools menu, select Internet Options, and clear out the Temporary Internet Files. Much malware hides itself there.

The Google Toolbar makes a good popup-stopper, by the way...

Spybot - Search & Destroy -- http://Security.Kolla.de
Ad-aware -- http://www.Lavasoft.nu

My personal preference is Spybot - S & D, but (of course) your mileage may vary.

its a celeron on the back it says it has 466 mhz i dont know what u mean slot? How would i find this out?

By definition, a Celeron 466 fits Socket 370. It also means that your effective upgrade possibilities are about zilch. It's more economical to replace the unit. Even if you got a faster processor, your memory is probably only 66 MHz. You migt be able to find a faster Pentium III, but you may have to replace the memory, too, with 100 MHz type. Give us the Acer model number, maybe we can find out more.

i got a new computer an my cousin tought me a lot about them mostly the basics but im learning more an it is very very slow an it skips alot... neway i would like to get a new processor to speed it up an my questions are...

what kind should i get? its an acer

does it matter how much ghz i have before i put it in?

where can i go to find how much mgz i have?

i know i have 466mhz an 255ram if that helps

We need more information. What type of processor is it? Intel Celeron or Pentium II, AMD K6? Which socket? Socket 7, Slot 1, or Socket 370? Which chipset?

The amount of advantage you will get by going to a faster processor is likely minimal. It's possible that the BIOS will not support faster processor speeds. It's also likely that the RAM is rated 66 MHz.

A good, free tool for gathering this type of information is Aida 32 -- http://www.aida32.hu/aida-download.php?bit=32

I have a 900 athlon and I am having problems with my computer freezing. I have purchased many types of pc133 ram and many of them make my computer freeze VERY often while others don't freeze as often.

It may be a matter of RAM timing. There are BIOS settings that control this. Make sure that they are set to the default settings; if someone has set the timings to be more aggressive, that will cause major problems in some cases.

Another possible problem is a marginal power supply. Again, look to the BIOS--usually, the same screen that shows the CPU temperatures also shows the actual output voltages. Plus-or-minus 5% is the nominal tolerance (better is good), plus-or-minus 10% is nominal for the 12V line . Make sure the P/S rated for enough output for your system. Also, older power supplies will tend to have dried-out electrolytic capacitors, especially if the fan is failing. This leds to poor voltage regulation, especially if a CD-ROM or Zip disk (for example) spins up.

How much RAM do you have? What version of Windows are you running? Win9x has an effective limit of 512 MB; more will tend to cause odd problems.

You might try an actual RAM test program suite: MemTest86 -- http://memtest86.com
An excellent memory tester. Creates a bootable floppy or CD, depending on which version of the file you download.

I think my IE6 is corrupted, there are many websites that I cannot connect to. In addition I have been getting a lot of Windows errors that I never received before.

Check to make sure that you have the latest version of the Java runtime executable, and that IE is set to use it. The setting is under the IE Tools menu (I'm sorry I can't give you exact instructions, I'm in Linux right now) -- http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html
Windows installation is mid-page (scroll down). The Windows Java Vitual Machine (JVM) is really crappy and can generate weird errors. The fact that Mozilla works points to this as a possibility; a newer version of the Sun JRE will benefit both IE and Mozilla. Even if it doesn't fix the problem, it's still a good idea.

the past few days when i use i.e. i get an error message saying explorer needs to close. it seems to always happen if there is a popup on whatever page i am looking at.

Which version of Windows are you running? What you are describing is a common problem with Win9x running out of resources. One indirect solution is to install the Google Toolbar, as it has a real nice pop-up stopper built in.

Another thing you might try is viewing and noting the details when the "must close" box pops up. This option is useful for tracking problems, whether you actually send the report or not.

Are you running a firewall and anti-virus software? A firewall is less-needed if you are on dial-up rather than broadband.

How much memory do you have? You may have either insufficient memory or an actual memory problem.

Here's a few free utilities that may help you track this down:

TinyResMeter -- http://perso.accelance.net/~pesoft/trm/us_trm.html
Works well to monitor system resources and it's a screen-grabber.

MemTest86 -- http://memtest86.com
An excellent memory tester. Creates a bootable floppy or CD, depending on which version of the file you download.

Grisoft AVG -- http://www.Grisoft.com
An excellent anti-virus program that's not only more effective than McAfee, but much less of a resource hog than Norton and it's free for personal use.

Spybot - Search & Destroy -- http://Security.Kolla.de
Spyware/adware …

i am facing a problum that there is a Electricity on my monitors secteen ...YES On Glass Secreen...

I'm a monitor technician. Not to make light of your problem, but there is no way that your problem is as described--glass is an insulator. Monitor screens produce static. The test light you describe is neon, and a static charge will light a neon bulb.

Clean your screen face with glass cleaner, it will help.

It still runs slow and I don't know what the problem is!

Download and extract the free utility PrcView from http://www.teamcti.com/pview/prcview.htm

This utility is excellent for looking at what processes are running on your system. It will show you not only processes but threads that the Task Manager often hides from you, including spyware. It also can give you details on each task and kill them, if you so wish.

Installation doesn't modify the Windows Registry, so you simply extract it to wherever you want. I find it so useful that I put a shortcut to it in my Startup folder; I run it with Windows.

Try running it and let us know what's running.

It will not beep. It is getting power but no video signal and no post.

Do the lights on the keyboard flash? That's the best indicator of system initialization. If not, it's probably the power supply or CPU.

When you turn it on everything appears to be right. The Compaq comes across the screen and then it goes to a black screen with the cursor. Does not let you type anything. Does anyone have any ideas? I have switched out the hard drive and that did not work. The fan is running and the cdrom drive is running.

What happens when you boot from a floppy or a bootable CD like Knoppix?

If the hard drive makes no difference, it may be a corrupt or mis-set BIOS. Use the jumper to do a BIOS reset and then restore the settings as needed. BIOS settings can be corrupted by a power surge or EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) induced by a nearby lightning strike. The BIOS code itself may even have been damaged; the flash memory used for BIOS storage is rather sensitive.

Ok basically.. im a noob.. a friend is helping me build a somputer stup online and i ran into some trouble..

http://compuplus.com/insidepage.php3?id=310&sid=tz9szpo1n3ik84g
My friend says that (in the link) the p4 cpu can also be used as a motherboard

I'm not sure what you are asking here. A Pentium 4 CPU chip plugs into a motherboard--they work together to make the basis of a system. You also need memory, a case, a power supply, etc.

By the way, the price shown in that link is outrageous. You can buy an AMD Athlon chip that runs twice as fast for that price, for example. Check out a site like http://www.pricewatch.com for more information.

How do I update the program, I just downloaded it? Do I need spybot and Grisoft?

Spybot is for Trojans, spywae, and keyloggers. AVG is for viruses.

Updating Spybot:

* Go on-line.
* Run the program.
* Click the online button (at the left side of the program window).
* Click on the Search for updates button (near the top of the program window).
* Check everything but skins, then click on Download updates.

After everything downloads, you can then configure the program (start with the defaults) and run the scan.

About a week or two ago, my internet surfing has started to become a pain because everything seems to moving in slow motion... I had to close this program called PCSNOOP that kept popping up... about 20+ programs that I have never heard of showing up in my start menu.

That doesn't sound good. Post the list of what's running. It sounds like possible Trojans and keyloggers. The only reference I have found to PCSnoop is a program to view a webcam remotely.

You can start by downloading Spybot - Search & Destroy from Download.com. Just enter spybot in the search box and you will be able to find it. just be sure to update the program before you scan your machine.

The virus checker Grisoft AVG is free for personal use from http://www.Grisoft.com

i was on my computer last week and all of a sudden i get this box counting down to zero before my computer shut down.

What you are describing is the effects of the MS Blaster/LoveSan or Nachi worms. There are a variety of removal info and tools available.

Can you tell me what the moire patterns are all about and how changing these settings may or may not affect other settings?

The easiest way to demonstrate moirpatterns is to take two pieces of window screen material, place them together one on top of the other, and hold them up to the light, looking through the layers. If you rotate one layer with respect to the other, you will see a pattern that changes with the relative position of the layers.

In the case of a high-res monitor, this comes about because of the interaction between the CRT dot-pattern and the raster scan lines. Adjusting these out involves a combination of very fine trace rotation and raster position. This has little or no effect otherwise.

Another place where moirpatterns come into play is when scanning a printed picture. There is often an interaction between the dots in the picture and the dots in the scanner's resolution. Slight changes in the angle of the scanned item on the scan-bed can make a big difference in the scanned image result.

As a side note, moirpatterns are one of the few things known that can move faster than the speed of light.

The problem is that there are horizontal lines radiating from the sides of the monitor into the center. They are stronger at the edges and they are slightly warped, like wrapping around the curvature of the monitor (which has a greater surface curve than newer flat panel CRTs). The lines are pretty faint, but they are disturbing.

What you are describing is moirpatterns. Some monitors have an adjustment for this, but in your case it may be a power supply problem (dried-out electrolytic capacitors). This is a common problem with this class of monitors.

Does the problem change with different scan rates? Does the problem change with adjustments to height or width?

Dry caps are usually economical to replace, especially if the unit works OK otherwise.

Hello,
I received an Area-51 Alienware computer about two weeks ago, and am having trouble with what I assumed to be the monitor.

...but you never told us what kind of monitor it was. What you are describing is how a monitor responds to an out-of-range signal. Have you tried booting into Safe Mode?

Please tell us more about the monitor.

...one day I go to power it up and the light on the monitor turns green for a second and then it goes into sleep mode (amber color light)... now it turns on, but its doing the same thing with the monitor and keyboard. If anyone could help me out I'd appreciate it.

Are you getting any beep codes? Do the lights on the keyboard flash when you power-up? The keyboard lights are a good indicator, since that is what happens when the KB gets a reset pulse. This, in turn, indicates that the computer is initializing, at least. No KB flash or beep codes indicates likely bad CPU chip (possibly damaged by original power supply).

A sound of a single drip of water sounds over the speakers now when I load a web page.

The newest version of the Google Toolbar uses a pop sound to indicate that it is blocking a pop-up. Do you have it installed?

The Toolbar makes a good pop-up blocker, by the way...

...when I try to get to one of the sites to register my port (otherwise it will be shut off, don't ask me why), IE just closes with no error.

It may well be a Java error. Microsoft's Java Virual Machine (JVM) is known for causing no end of problems. Go to http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html and get the JAVA Runtime Environment for Java language support. The Windows installation is mid-page (scroll down). It can't hurt, and it may help.

You may also want to go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and make sure that you are up-to-date.

Mainboard : TRANSCEND AKT4/A 8363A-686B
Total Memory : 511MB SDRAM

Chipset model : VIA Technologies Inc VT8363 (KT133) System Controller/686B Southbridge

The board itself may be 1.5 years old, but the design is about 3 years old. There is no obvious reason for it to freeze; it may still be a capacitor problem.

Test the memory. Download MemTest86 from http://www.memtest86.com, which creates either a bootable floppy or, if you download the .ISO file, a bootable CD. This is the best memory tester out there and may help diagnose the problem. BSD and Windows "look at" memory differently and one may crash where the other works fine.

Sometimes it will simply shut down, going from running normally to completely off in an instant, othertimes it will shutdown and then restart, and then other times it just freezes and there is nothing to do but pull the plug, so to speak.

Before you go yanking the memory for test, download MemTest86 from http://www.memtest86.com, which creates either a bootable floppy or, if you download the .ISO file, a bootable CD. This is the best memory tester out there and may help diagnose the problem.

I have an IBM laptop 390x that the LCD is dark. I can see images when the room is dark but that is it. Other than replacing the whole LCD, are there any other options?

The backlight has gone out. Either the lamp has died or the drive electronics are dying. This problem is uneconomical to repair, as it would likely cost more to fix than the $300 or so it would cost to replace the whole unit--LCD disassembly is a bear on a laptop.

About half an hour ago, my computer screen started flickering. It'll flicker for about 10 seconds, then stop for a minute, and then pick up again.

I'm a monitor repairman (among other things). Let's start wth a few questions:

* Problems vary with brand & model. Please specify.
* Is the monitor a CRT (like a TV) or an LCD (like a laptop)?
* Have you tried the monitor on a different computer?
* Have you tried a different monitor on this computer?
* Is it flickering "in color" or is does it shift in brightness without changing color?
* Does the problem affect the whole screen, or is it visible in bands/streaks?

It's unlikely that a surge caused a problem, but let us know the answers.

About 2 - 3 days after I install XP, and get a few programs on it, it starts randomly locking up. C-A-D won't reboot, nothing. All I can do is hit the reset button to reboot.

Here's what I'm running:

AMD Duron 1 ghz Processor
VIA Motherboard with AGP slot and onboard modem/sound. The modem is disabled, using the sound.
Radeon 9000 Pro
512 mb RAM (good ram, too.)
Typical cheap NIC
Windows XP with the latest Service Packs/Updates

Please, someone tell me there's a cure for this.

What model motherboard do you have? How old is it? What you probably have is a hardware problem: defective CPU bypass capacitors. See [thread]910[/thread] for a statement of the problem, and my response. Bad capacitors usually show signs, including bulging/split tops, goo spitting from the base, or lifting off the PC board. They are cylindrical aluminum, plastic-sheathed devices arrayed around the CPU socket.

...some program will run for just a few seconds.and this fwvjqcmdte.exe keeps apearing in msconfig / and run in the registry,(in the registry it says config.sys -----fwvjqcmdte.exe)after i remove it and reboot .any ideas ,nothing in a google search .
It also won't let me install nortons anti virus ,install but will not auto protect .!!???????

You have a "smart" virus that blocks the Norton install. Try another virus checker, instead: Grisoft AVG--it's free.

Norton is effective, but it is the worst resource hog out there. Also, the virus may not "know" to block AVG.

Before you install the virus checker, go to the Task Manager, kill the offending process, clear out the Temporary Internet Files folder, and delete the Windows\Temp directory (or at least as many files as possible). These two sets of directories are where these virus executables tend to hide. Once these steps have been done, install the virus checker.

i get 3 choices of file sytems when i install linux

ext2 -- ext3 -- ReiserFS

...what are the features of each and which is better to use, meaning most stable, supported and reliable

ext2 is what might be called the "standard" file system for Linux.
ext3 is basically ext2 with journaling added.
ReiserFS is a more-sophisticated journaling file system with some internal database stuff -- part of what MS Longhorn is moving toward.

A journaling filesystem basically keeps track of hard drive activity in such a way that makes recovery from a hard crash or power failure much easier. When fsck (FileSystem ChecK) is run at next boot, it has a table to look at so some data can be salvaged that might otherwise be lost; the fsck process also runs much more quickly than under ext2 or FAT.

I recommend the use of ext3, rather than ReiserFS, for home use. Though either works well, ReiserFS has a somewhat higher overhead. Further, Reiser4 is nearing release. That having been said, I am running Reiser myself -- partly as a learning tool.

Another advantage of ext3 in this context is that most tools that support ext2 also support ext3--though most tools support Reiser nowadays, as well.

Fonts are managed in the Windows Registry, so you have to manage them from the Control Panel or with TweakUI. Just copying a TTF file to the Fonts directory is not enough.

I am trying to install a new larger hard drive while keeping the smaller hard drive for backups. I ghosted the existing drive to the new drive and have them properly set with the new larger drive as master and the older drive as slave. All of my data is showing up on the new drive but the new drive is listed as E instead of C and the pc won't boot from the new drive. If I remove the old drive it won't boot at all. What is going wrong that is preventing it from recognizing the new drive as C? It is listed as master in the cmos.

There's a lot of information missing here. What is the capacity of the new drive? Which operating system is being used? Which version? How old is the motherboard? All these factors directly influence this problem.

I've run into 2 motherboards in the last month that had
bad capacitors on them (Bulging, Leaking or both) that
was causing wierd power problems, and startup problems.

I heard about this one on the web about 6 months ago, yet
haven't seen anything personally until just now.

Here's a posting I wrote a little while ago...

I have been an electronic technician for forty years and a computer technician for about 25. I am considering putting together a Guide to Replacing Motherboard CPU Capacitors -- but until then I will share some tips. Please be sure to read this guide IN ITS ENTIRETY before proceeding.

I STRONGLY recommend the use of Panasonic (Matsushita) FC series electrolytic capacitors. Why? Not only are they the best available, but they are quite easy to obtain from Digi-Key http://www.DigiKey.com.

I have done business with Digi-Key for over 30 years. During that time, over 90% of the elecrolytic capacitors I have purchased for repair and fabrication have been Panasonic from Digi-Key.

The FC series are low equivalent-series-resistance (low ESR) 105-degrees-C capacitors. This means that the high ripple currents that flow through them in this application not only flow more easily (a Good Thing), but also that less of this current is dissipated as internal heat (also a Good Thing). "Normal" capacitors are rated 85-degrees-C and are just not up to this kind of stress.

Use a 30-40 watt soldering iron. I also recommend the …

I have a media program on five CDs which I find I cannot view.
I'm running Windows XP Professional.

From the rest of your post, it looks like this was a program designed for Windows 3.1 -- what program is it? Are you trying to read a particular type of file? Perhaps there's another program that will run under XP that will do the job.

When I run the first CD it installs several files after making changes to config.sys and win.ini files.

Strictly speaking, those files don't exist under XP (except as dummies), which is why things fail.

Anyone know what modems work best in SuSE Linux 8.2 Personal? or should i just go with an external?

You can do the research easily enough. Start with http://www.linmodems.org/ and be aware that the Intel-based HaM modems (hardware-assisted modems) work well. You can't go wrong with an external serial-port modem, either (USB is a bit trickier).

I have a Dell Dimension XPS from like '97 or '98 its got a 6 gig hd right now and an intell pentum 2 with like a 500mhz mother board, also it was made for windows 95 but i have windows 98 on it, now i need to know can this computer support a new bigger harddrive and a better mother board?

Bigger HD, yes--new motherboard, no. Dell is proprietary all the way. Ouside of a processor upgrade to a Pentium III and the controller upgrade mentioned above (the stock BX chipset only supports ATA 33), it will be easier and cheaper to build a new system from scratch than to try to upgrade a Dell. Besides, the power supply does not meet current standards (the Pentium 4 and Athlon chips require more power)--and that's proprietary too...

Does anybody have a piece of code to convert sequence of bitmaps into video(avi) without using directx sdk? I am looking for a pure win32 API solution so I will be able to translate it to the programming language I use (After GRasp)

You may want to look into The GNU Image Manipulation Program (The GIMP). It's available in a Windows port -- source code, too (I think that's the part you will like). Also, a Java control interface is being worked on, maybe you can make use of that, as well.

http://GIMP.SourceForge.net
http://www.WinGIMP.org

If nothing else, it's a useful free program that rivals Photoshop in power. Another version (fork) used in the motion picture industry is CinePaint

http://CinePaint.SourceForge.net

which is probably overkill for your needs, but interesting.

Ok I have a KDS 19" Xtreme flat display monitor.. For some reason it has stopped displaying red... any clues on how this can be fixed or if it is cost effective to fix?

Commonly, this class of monitors has a problem with a bad plug pin or solder connections at video connectors -- this is one possibility, especially since the self-test works OK. One way to check for this is to look at the plug to see if there's a bent pin, which can be straightened with a small pair of hemostats (avoid crimping). To check for bad solder, plug the monitor into a computer, turn it on, then slap the side of the cabinet, hard. If the red flashes or comes back on, solder or a loose internal connector is the problem. If you have a friend that knows how to solder have him help you, or show you how -- it's not difficult.

...the comp keeps freezing on me and i can't figure out why... it happens frequently and seems to happen especially when i use the cd drives...

What are your DMA settings in the BIOS and under Windows? How about disconnect settings? The wrong IDE buss settings can give the OS fits.