Posts by Catweazle

It usually means that Windows doesn't have enough 'hooks' left to 'hang' programs on, not that you've run out of physical memory.

If you haven't got heaps of programs open, or rebooting doesn't help get you going again, then it's probably an indication that there's lots of nasty 'internet intruders' on your system and you need to do scans for virus/trojan/spyware etc.

Sometimes programs which have been run don't properly 'let go' of memory, and lead to this error, but a reboot should fix those instances.

Have you got a make and model for that computer please? The 'HDD button' thing is rather peculiar, as I'm sure you've realised from some of the responses so far, and it'd help to know just what your PC is.

I reinstalled Windows XP on my computer....

Need some more information here. That comment could means lots of different things to lots of different people.

What sort of computer do you have? Does it have a Windows CD or does it have a Recovery CD? Did you format the hard drive and do a fresh install of Windows, or did you load Windows back over the top of what was already there? Does the installation CD have a menu which allows you to load device drivers?

Simply letting the "Found new hardware" dialogue scan the CD may not locate the device drivers for you. You may need to browse to the correct folder where each driver is located. If the device driver has an installation routine (like that found by running a motherboard installation CD or such) it's best to cancel out of the "Found hardware" dialogue and run the installation procedure instead.

If you've loaded Windows over the top of an old installation and ended up with problems, it might be best to 'bite the bullet' and do the dreaded format./fresh install instead.

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 video files. Some video files are encoded in ways which Windows can't natively decode. The most commonly found such problem is that the DivX codec is needed. See the following websites and perhaps they might help:

http://www.divx.com/divx/download/
http://www.xvidmovies.com/codec/
http://www.divx-digest.com/software/divxcodec.html

Hi all,

I'm currently experiencing excruciatingly slow page loading at DaniWeb, even on 1500K ADSL, and was wondering if others are having the same experience?

Please let us know your connection type and speed, your location and your experience of page load times. It's valuable feedback.

My own current experience could well simply be an 'internet backbone' problem related to my particular ISP and my location here in Australia, but finding out if others elsewhere also experience slow loads is very useful.

Hi DanceswithElves, and welcome to Daniweb.

We're always happy to see more people here who will offer advice to others, but please be careful not to 'resurrect' older topics with information which has already been posted in the topic. If you read through, you'll notice that several people already mentioned the 'regsrvr32 urlmon.dll' trick. ;)

I really liked the clearly written way you presented it though! Please continue to hang around here :D

Then your problem isn't a 'dead machine' one. If Windows begins to load and then stops loading then your problem is a Windows installation one.

Try a 'refresh' install:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341&Product=winxp

and if that doesn't correct the Windows loading problems then do a format/fresh install. In that latter case, if there's only a single hard drive and there's important data files on it, replace the hard drive with a new one, install a clean installation of Windows onto the new drive to get the system going, and then add the original drive in later as a secondary hard drive so that the data files can be retrieved. That's the simplest approach to take, and it's an inexpensive one because new hard drives are quite inexpensive and extra data storage capacity is always a useful thing to have :D

geeks---well WE ARE ALL HAPPILY GEEKS AND NERDS ON THIS FORUM :)

Speak for your bloody self!

I just happen to be a 'rough as guts' old bushie, who loves a gutsful of grog, enjoys going to the footy and hanging out with the blue singlet crowd, soends every minute he can filthy as a bush pig in shorts camping up the lake, and who just happens to make a living writing IT in between all that!

Where's the Geek or Nerd in there?

Sorry to tell you this, but Mom's PC has reached the end of its useful life for some reason. Those are 'blown' capacitors which are quite important for the system to work, and although they CAN be replaced at an electronics repair shop I'd suggest that the exercise would be more expensive than the PC is worth.

The best way to proceed would be to get a new 'system box' (which is basically a new PC except for screen, keyboard, mouse etc. Unfortunately, The version of Windows and installed software which came with that Pavilion can't be reused on a different system, so you'd need new copies also.

If Mom has important files on that Pavilion it's a rather easy job to remove the hard drive from the old system, bung it in a new system as a 'secondary' drive and copy the data files across to retrieve them.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but 'leaking' mainboard capacitors are a sure sign of imminent death!

Here's an extremely good and well illustrated guide to putting together a modern, Socket 939 system:

http://www.hardwarezone.com/guides/amd-socket939/index.php?pg=1

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 CMOS battery, and on many old systems once CMOS had no battery backup the hard drive detection needed to be run again before the drives could be identified by the system. It's worth a try!

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 back for you.

I'd suggest you contact Sony's support people, explain your dilemma and see if they have any provision for replacing the bundled software etc that you've lost. (If memory serves me correct there is a procedure to be followed for some Sony Vaio laptops whereby you make 'Recovery' CDs which store the bundled software off the hard drive and onto optical media, but if the partition has been deleted before that has been done then it's too late.)

Sony may be able to provide you with CDs to use for the job of restoring your system, but if so you can expect there to be a fee for service to pay for them doing so.

The most unfortunate thing is that, if Sony have a policy which is like many other manufacturers, they'll have provision for helping you get back running with OS and device drivers, but not one to replace the bundled software you've lost :(

That is not enough information from which to make any 'diagnosis'. Please make use of the "Read this first" pinned topic at top of page to troubleshoot your system in a 'bare bones' configuration and report back when you have a better idea of what your situation is.

It is worth running a memory test for sure, and if the RAM tests OK then the next thing to suspect is the hard drive. Download the diagnostic software available from Western Digital website, run the tests and if they come up error free the best way forward is to use the Windows XP CD to completely wipe the system, delete existing drive partition(s) and create a new one(s) in its (their) place and do a clean install to start over.

Legality issues aside, if you're using a copied Windows CD it should make no difference to using a legitimately purchased one. Copying the Windows CD does not make it 'different'. On the other hand, anyone who has downloaded an .iso of an OS installation disk, risking viral infection, is a fool plain and simple.

Either way, get a legitimate OS installation!

Hi,

I've posted standard troubleshooting procedures in the pinned "Read this first" topic at top of page. Stripping a system back to basics and systematically trying it out by adding components back in one by one is the only surefire way of identifying where the problem lies.

Any other advice, based on the information you've provided, can be nothing other than guessing.

If the system will not POST with only processor, a functional RAM module and the display circuitry installed then you have a motherboard, processor or power supply unit problem, and unless you have spare components to swap in and out only a technician can truly identify which of those is causing the failure to POST.

Oh dear!

You've 'piggy-backed' a question onto a long-dead discussion, then got angry because nobody was logged in over the weekend to address your problem! You became impatient after only an hour it seems!

Please start a new topic for your problem, and exercise a bit of patience. Help forums are frequented by people who freely give their time to help others when they can. They're not a 'free service' where people are sitting waiting round the clock anxious to serve you!

Topic closed, because it needs to rest in peace.

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread10502-21.html

That's the thread for posting GMail invites. Please continue using it rather than posting them in here.

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread10502-21.html

That's the thread for posting GMail invites. Please continue using it rather than posting them in here.

That's rather petulant isn't it?

My point (the on-topic one) was made a bit further back when I suggested that it was a sad situation to allow courts to dictate educational content. Let's not forget that the topic is about a situation whereby a group of parents have to fight in court for the right to have their children taught about the current state of scientific thought.

My contention, in response to the other matter that's been raised in the topic, is that despite what particular US judges may have ruled the term "God" means, when capitalised and used as a proper noun it refers to the deity of the Old Testament.Correct me if I'm wrong but to my understanding followers of any faith which does not acknowledge the Old Testament do not use the term to refer to a deity. The fact that a judge has deemed that they can do so is irrelevent if it is not already their practice to do so. In that circumstance the ruling is simply another shoddy justification for compulsion. Thus it's not a generic term - it's a specific one. Compel a person to make affirmation in the name of that particular deity, and you are potentially infringing on their freedom of religion. You are potentially compelling them to attest belief in that deity.

If you are a Christian, for example, how would you like to be compelled to make affirmation "In the name of Allah"? You'd …

the term "a god" is religion-neutral. The capitalised term "God" when attributed as a name is most certainly religion-specific, whether you lot want to accept the fact or not :D

It'd also be illegal to broadcast it via streaming it on the internet :D

But people who get 'busted' for illegal content get busted because they have it, not because they've downloaded it. It's the software company who makes the p2p software who's responsible for the distribution part of the crime.

We did it by being a good forum :D

Agreed. You only need reset CMOS as BuggZ has said, to allow the system to boot with default and autodetect settings. It's a simple procedure and a common task faced by overclockers who've pushed settings too far to allow the system to boot :D

Before you do, though, if you have Windows XP on that hard drive you need to format it and install again. XP doesn't allow you to put the hard drive in a different system and boot up ;)

As chrisbliss said, please look through the suggestions and then start a new thread for your problems.

Yep. Tad harsh. But Narue has her own unique way of saying "I don't care" I suppose :confused:

I'm not too fussed either, to tell the truth. To me, the strength of a forum community isn't the number of people who've ever signed up - it's the number of people who are currently active members.

Excuse me for interrupting this wonderful discussion, but do you mob realise just how silly it looks to the rest of the woeld that you have a 'First amendment' to your Constitution guaranteeing that people be allowed 'free exercise' of their religion, yet expect people to pay allegiance to a particular deity?

And do you realise how illogical it is that you argue and debate about it so much?

Last I checked, saying one thing and doing another was called hypocrisy.

I'd also add that it's really disappointing to see the legal system used to restrict what can be taught in schools. Education should be allowed to introduce people to all strains of understanding. People should be allowed to make their own choices about what to believe.

Here in Australia, (as I'm sure you'll find that it is also elsewhere) the actual act of downloading illicit material is not, in itself, illegal. However having that material in your possesion IS illegal. So download all you want, as long as it's deleted from your hard drive or other storage medium the instant it's put on there! I'm sure your ISP would be happy to collect payment for the extra traffic you're creating for no reason whatsoever :)

Which version of windows, please? Did you get a Windows CD with the machine.

When the power cord has come out of the back it has probably corrupted data on the hard drive, causing the system to have problems starting up. You may need to boot from CD or startup diskette and load Windows over the top of itself to correct problems.

If you were extremely unlucky the power interruption could have caused damage to the hard drive itself, but that's rather unlikely.

This geneaology article should help explain the generally accepted relationship titles:

http://www.genealogy.com/16_cousn.html

Meanings vary for different cultures though. In Indigenous Australian society for example, which my own family adheres to, only the terms 'cousin' and 'close cousin' are basically used. 'Cousin' means same generation relatives other than siblings, and 'close cousin' means basically the same as 'first cousin'. Where traditional society still prevails 'close cousin' can have even further restriction with, for example, mother's brother's children being included but mother's sister's children not included. The relationships vary from place to place, but where traditional society has suffered extensive breakdown the term is basically used for first cousins.

Under the system the adults involved - parents, aunts and uncles of 'close cousins' - all have responsibility for the children and children are equally answerable to all of them. There would be no thought, for example, of children reacting to an uncle or aunt with a "You're not my Dad/Mum!" because that level of disrespect would not be tolerated. The notion is quite a lot better than the notions adopted in Western Society, whre families are pressured to become nuclear, children are considered to be private properties, and we often see such horrid scenarios as grandparents having to apply to family law courts to get access to their grandchildren!

You're correct. New 'life' is a precious and wondrous thing! Children are the most important 'thing' we're ever confronted with :D

In Windows XP no software needs to be installed. You need the relevent Windows Updates installed so that USB works fine. The drives show up in 'My Computer' and can be accessed just like any other drive.

In Windows 98/Me device drivers need to be installed for USB thumbdrives, pen drives, jump drives or whatever other fancy name to work. Again, after installation the drives will show up in My Computer and be accessible as normal.

Hi Lukex, and welcome. I've split your question into a topic of its own because we ask that people refrain from piggy-backing their questions onto another topic. It's highly unlikely that your problem will be identical to someone else's, and your 'freeze' issue is certainly a different problem to a system which can't complete POST. You're obviously getting through POST or otherwise your system wouldn't boot into Windows.

1. Have you two or more RAM modules from different manufacturers or of different models? Sometimes 'mix and match' RAM can cause freezing and rebooting issues.

2. Have you tried formatting and reinstalling? Unless you try with a freshly installed Windows installation, it's almost impossible to narrow possibilities down to Hardware issues.

Agreed. Commiserations, and he should certainly be liable for the damage to tour equipment.

Update motherboard drivers. Update display drivers.

Set power options to 'Always on'.

Shut down notification area programs before gaming.

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, turn that switch off and check that ALL cards, RAM modules, cable connectors etc etc are firmly and securely pushed home in their slots and sockets. Something may have worked loose.

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 CMOS and it should complete POST. Then add a drive, set Boot order to search for that drive first and it should complete POST and generate an 'Operating system not found' error message. Your bootable drive is the LAST thing you connect after you get everything else installed and successfully completing POST

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 supported on a flat, cushioned surface. The pressure involved in clipping and unclipping a heatsink is enough to crack the motherboard of it is only supported by the spacers.

It could be quite fine. Check that no other cables or connectors were bumped llose during the job. Reset CMOS and try to reboot.

If no joy, then a technician is the best way to proceed.

Hi porchy and welcome to Daniweb :D

I've moved this topic to the appropriate forum section for you, where I'm sure it will receive some assistance.

AmiloProblem, resetting CMOS does NOT correct the problems caused by an incorrectly flashed BIOS. It will correct problemmatic setting changes, but not a partially loaded BIOS data file.

If you get a power interruption whilst flashing the BIOS (that's the predominant reason for it going kaput) all you can do is send the machine in for repairs. You can't fix it yourself. When the updating process is interrupted the system won't POST and there's nothing you can do about it!

* Don't use Windows tools to flash BIOS from within Windows. That eliminates Windows problems from interfering.

* Don't use internet based 'automatic update' thingies for BIOS updates. You don't even NEED to update unless there's a problem that the new BIOS version is specifically designed to fix.

* Always flash BIOS from either a bootable floppy and DOS or from a bootable CD and DOS.

* Never flash BIOS unless you absolutely have to.

Wrong, trucker dude. Can't boot from a floppy when the 'pooter won't POST

Depends.

The motherboard documentation might state that it can accept up to a certain speed processor, but other 'models' in that processor line may have been issued since the motherboard was issued, and be suitable. A BIOS update may enable other such processors to be used.

Alternatively, newer and faster processors may use different settings that the motherboard doesn't provide, and be unusable. It depends on the individual motherboard and individual processor. Clockspeed isn't everything. Processors nowadays are distinguished by 'features' much more than by clockspeed. There are several Pentium processors which run a 3.2GHz for example. They're all different. Some motherboards won't accept them all.

Generally, if you buy a processor and try to fit it to a motherboard where it's 'unsupported' then it won't work because the 'features' aren't there to make it work.

For the record i have an amd processor in one of my machines and it beats my intel p4 hands down on performance

Unless both processors are competitors at the same performance level that statement is completely meaningless. Can't compare an AMD64 3000+ with a P4 3.6GHz, for example, or a Pentium D 820 with an Athlon X2 4800+. You have to compare processors of equivalent rating or don't compare at all.

AMD>Intel or Intel>AMD is a really silly debate if people only use the brand name!

That sounds like too much to me, Janine. If the cheap white silicone goop is used, a thin layer spread with the edge of a credit card is fine. If decent stuff like Arctic Silver is used then a dollop the size of a grain of rice is all that's needed. Again, spread evenly with the edge of a credit card (or something similar of course)

Too much is useless and defeats the putpose. You don't want a 'layer' sandwiched in there. You want a very small amount which spreads to fill the microscipoc pits and valleys of the heatsink and heat spreader (or die core) surfaces.

That's a yes.

For starters you don't go and buy $50 fans unless you KNOW that they are needed!

Having trouble determining exactly where the noise is coming from? Make yourself a makeshift 'stethoscope'. Get one of the 'fat' drinking straws, stick a small plastic funnel in the end of it, bung the funnel against your ear and use the straw to check various areas for noise. It'll help you pick out exactly where the clatter originates!

If the noise comes from the hard drive the drive is dying. Simple as that - they should make clattering noises!

Are you sure there isn't something contacting fan blades somewhere? A wire or cable that been pushed aside perhaps, and the fan blades rubbing against it?

It's not enought to 'think' the fans sound like they are working - you have to SEE that they're working.

I really do think that the money spent on having a repair shop inspect the system and advise you would be well spent. It is only a standard service charge for someone qualified to do that for you, and that s quite likely a move which could SAVE you money in the long run.

I have to admit that I'm a tad nervous about your situation. I'm usually quite good at detecting if someone is going to be comfortanle with doing their own repairs and you seem very hesitant and nervous about it all.

Here's a trick to try. Remove the hard …

Hiya Danny, glad to have you here.

Please don't restrict yourself to simply your problems. I'm sure you've lots to offer others as well :D

Oh goodness. Please don't do that!

The post was edited in haste, and I've restored its contents. Your links to news and information are looked forward to by numerous readers, I'd imagine.

Have you got a screensaver active? If so, disable it and see if the problem continues.

Have you got background programs running whilst you're gaming? If so disable them before beginning a gaming session and see if the problem persists.

Install motherboard chipset driver. Then install display driver (downloaded from NMVidia, not from elsewhere.)

If that doesn't work then wipe the system and start over.

Sorry to say that, but it really IS the best way to resolve some problems, and bad display drivers corruptions are one of them. You said earlier you did a format/fresh install but you have obviously not done the 'install' part adequately. Motherboard chipset drivers need to be installed BEFORE the display drivers. Was that done? Have you first downloaded the most up to date manufacturer drivers and used those?

It's a straightfoward set of steps:

* Download all necessary drivers first and save them to CD. Get them from the manufacturer websites, not from 'Driver search' thingies.
* Wipe the hard drive and install Windows fresh. Cancel out of any "Where's the driver?" hardware found dialogues.
* Load the motherboard chipset drivers.
* Load the display driver.
* If it doesn't work from there get a technicain to look at it because hardware might be faulty.
* If it does work from there proceed to install other drivers and software.