Catweazle

Moved to Security.

[url="http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bios.htm"]Read this first![/url] Scroll down when you've finshed reading it. I BLOODY MEANT IT! GET BACK AND READ THE THING! Flashing the BIOS means updating it, and there's no reason to do that if there's no problem on your system, and if there's no update issued for any problem you …

Socket 754 motherboards can use PC2100, PC 2700 or PC3200 RAM, so you should be OK. Your performance would suffer dramatically with the slower memory, however. Non-ECC/unbuffered memory is standard RAM modules. The ECC/buffered modules use an error checking technology, are higher quality, higher latency and higher cost, and are …

Try [url="http://www.gimp.org/about/"]The Gimp[/url] It's open source so it's free. [url="http://www.gimp.org/about/"][/url]

Damn, that's sad Dani. Lots of love to you. And thanks, you've made me shed a few more tears for Mum, and even more so for my little granddaughter Jacinta. That's a sad thing but never a bad thing. I found this, and think it's rather wonderful: [QUOTE] That he …

That file is Internet Explorer. Just have a look at it! :D Sounds like your net connection is corrupted. Try deleting it then recreating it again. Scanning your system for spyware, diallers and other nasties would be a good idea as well.

Get a pin. Push down on the little metal tag you see on the plug to allow the pin on one of the wires to be pulled back out of the plug, and then push it into the other hole so the two wires are side by side. If the …

Yes, it seems like the hard drive is shot!

Some details about your other hardware would help. You've identified the soundcard, but it's the motherboard and display card we need to know about. If it's onboard graphics, then the correct drivers would need to be obtained from the motherboard manufacturer (or system manufacturer if it's a 'name brand' PC). …

If that PC is still under warranty, then take it back and have it looked at. If not, then open the case and check to see if the cable connector has worked loose on the drive (or the power connector). If all connectors are firmly attached, and the drive stil …

sazz, Uninstalling those programs would be a trick to try certainly, but I'm curious. Is there any other problem apart from the noises when you start? Does your PC operate just fine otherwise? Yes, there will be ways to sort it out. Several in fact. Only one of them is …

Deebs, is that computer part of the overall machine, a computer of your own which is somehow connected to it, or a completely unconnected computer which is nearby to it? The advice you seem to have been given is bewildering. An MPEG is a video file! If you have a …

Kerry, your questions are too general for us to be able to give you full answers here. You need to do some research preparation. Look up the terms you've mentioned at: [url]www.webopedia.com[/url] and then follow up by using Google to search for further information. Use search terms like "What is …

Nexxuz, you need to look at the numbers when you're providing information about your system, not the general advertising blurb. What exact model of Gateway computer do you have?

Looks good to me mate. The only change I'd suggest, I reckon, would be to ditch the floppy drive and include a 3.5" Fan controller unit instead.

If you initially purchased cheap, unbranded 'generic' RAM, then I'd also strongly suspect that was your problem. RAM incompatibilities will certainly cause the behaviour you've described. But another thing which would cause the behaviour is overheating. If the heatsink fitted to your processor came with a 'Thermal Pad', are you …

The 3.06Ghz processor would give you a slight performance insrease, but it would be bugger all really. A better move would be changing to a 'C' class processor with 800MHz fsb, but even then the performance increase isn't dramatic. For games, video card is far far more important than processor.

Does it happen any other time? In other games or programs? If it's just in Red Factiob, then uninstall the game, delete any remaining traces of the program folder (to get rid of any configuration file that might have been left behind, and then reinstall it. If the problem happens …

Topic closed.

eerrrr........ uummmmmm....... That message is telling you that your display card is not good enough for the game. A GeForce4 MX card is DirectX 7 compliant only. The pixel shader part of the message is a DirectX8 feature, and the texture part of the message indicates that your card hasn't …

Or you might have a bad hard drive. Best way to check, if you have a friend with a PC, is to oull the drive out of your system. change the jumper setting to 'slave' and pop it in another system. If your files can be accessed on it without …

If your motherboard has onboard sound, and you are using an add-in soundcard, did you disable the onboard audio in BIOS setup?

Have you got more than one RAM module installed? Are they different brands/types? If this is the case, try removing the most recently added module to dee if the problems persist or disappear. That error message often accompanies memory incompativilities.

I'd suggest starting over again, and using the Windows XP CD to perform a clean install, rather than loading Windows 98 first. The install process will only need the Windows 98 CD to perform a 'check' for eligibility. You'll be asked to pop it in the drive at the appropriate …

When you get to the screen where you choose the partition to install to, delete the existing partition then create a new one in it's place and choose to install to that. The partition will be formatted as part of the installation.

Yes, I have. Wouldn't think of getting one in a fit! [url]http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/lubic/[/url] That's expense and effort laid out to construct a frame to mount PC parts in, and it doesn't even include panels to close it off and protect the components from dust and such! It'd have to be, in …

Jimmy. an OEM edition is a single user installation. It can't be transferred to a different system, and the key number has a different structure to the retail release. Try and reactivate that on a different system and you'll strike problems. (And you'll have to do some pretty good talking …

Use the choice that starts up properly!

Not sure what you mean by 'all fans', as you ghaven't indicated. But if you haven't got adequate case ventilation and airflow you need to improve it when you're using a 'chunky' video card. An intake fan at front/bottom and an exhaust fan at rear/adjacent to processor ar the bare …

That message is simply an indication that you have some underlying system problems. Some program or other is 'behaving badly', and causing a memory dump. I'd suggest you start off by making sure you have updated antivirus and spyware/malware tools on your system, scanning for nasties, and removing any you …

If anyone has a definitive answer on this problem i'd love to hear it also! I've found floppy drive operation under Windows XP to be a really troublesome area, when used floppies are installed. In all cases where I've had trouble getting a floppy drive to work, replacing the drive …

What is the model number of the Compaq Presario please? I've a Presario 7400 here, and the Restore CD will not work on anything but the original hard drive ;) You've obviously got some severe system corruption, and would probably benefit from using the restore CD on that system. I've …

It certainly sounds like the CMOS battery is dying! Without a battery in good condition, your system configuration data is not being stored, and it is needing to run setup to detect the equipment installed in the PC. Running for a period of time will charge the battery somewhat, ensuring …

System details please? This is definitely a hardware problem, not a Windows one. What is your motherboard? Processor? Video card? RAM? How may RAM modules have you got installed? If more than one are they the same brand and/or type? What brand and speed? Those are the sort of details …

Sounds like heat to me too. The advice given by caperjack is sound advice indeed! If creating a hurricane in there with a house fan doesn't help, though, try formatting and starting over. Sometimes games systems get all cruddy and simply need a fresh start.

dandimmitt, that question tells us very little I'm afraid, so I'd ask you to start over again. Tell us what you have there please. As much information about your system hardware as you can, and also what version of Windows you are using. It would help if we know what …

Agreed - that sounds like a heat problem. If cleaning it doesn't help sort things out, you might want to get it checked. The processor fan might be malfunctioning or the thermal paste between procesor and heatsink might need replacing.

dandimmitt, I've just had a big battle with a friend's system which was in a similar state to yours. If you are using Windows XP, then I'd suggest the simplest way to sort out the problems is to have the machine formatted and installed fresh again, only this time install …

Fix the 'boot from CD' problem is the best option to take. To access BIOS setup, press <F1> during startup, then ensure that the system is set to boot from CD-ROM. If you get a logo splash screen covering up the POST information when you reboot, press <Esc> to get …

You can use the upgrade CD. run the Compatibility tool first, and uninstall any programs or drivers which the check rejects before performing the upgrade. Another alternative is to add another hard drive to the system as a 'Slave' drive. Boot from the Windows Upgrade CD and you will get …

'Computer management' isn't a feature of the earlier Windows OS's Are you making sure you are changing the drive id 'jumpers', and using the correct cable connectors, when you're moving these drives from system to system? If you are simply unplgging them from one machine, and plugging them into another, …

When the system reboots during the install, you're not pressing a key to boot from CD-ROM are you?

I'll move this topic to the Windows XP section, to see if you get a better response than the nonexistent one you have so far!

korteena, i'm not familiar with that particular HSF but I can tell you this: Any worthwhile aftermarket HSF unit nowadays comes with a rheostat controller to alter fanspeeds. Full revs are only ever needed in extreme operating conditions. If yours didn't vcome with a fan control then I'd be suspicious …

Hi spookfish, and welcome. I wasn't able to find a manual available for download for that motherboard, so I can't give you specific instructions, but as it is an nForce2 mobo the procedure should be rather starightforward. Somewhere in your BIOS Setup menus, probably in the 'Advanced' section, you will …

Aquamark is not a very well considered benchmark tool. For more comparability, rund 3DMark 2001 and 3DMark 2003 on the system, and report your scores in those please. Also, ensure you have AF and FSAA disabled before you run the tests.

Bring up Mouse properties in Control panel and see what functions are assigned to the buttons. You should be able to change them there, and if the functions have been badly misallocated, you should be able to use keyboard shortcuts to make the changes. Also, have you used a USB …

No version of Windows comes with Office. If you haven't got a copy, buy one or use a free alternative.

128Mb of RAM is nowhere near enough for Windows XP. 256Mb should be the minimum, and it doesn't really start to run well until you have 384Mb or 512Mb. Post your Hijackthis logs in the Security forum section please. They are expressly forbidden in other forum sections.

You can purchase quite inexpensive Fan controller units which are used to alter the speed of up to 8 fans. They can be obtained to fit a 3.5" or 5.25" drive bay, use one molex connector for all fans, and are the best choice to use. You'll have to find …