Posts by Catweazle

About a month ago, something has happened on your system to corrupt the 3D functions. Perhaps it's a problem with the display card itself, but more likely it's a software problem.

To be honest, my own approach to such problems would be to format and reinstall fresh. Such problems can be a nightmare to troubleshoot, and it's often simply easier and quicker to format and start over. But if you want to try, I'd suggest the following:

Download and install the latest version of DirectX
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=0A9B6820-BFBB-4799-9908-D418CDEAC197&displaylang=en

Download the latest Display driver from www.nvidia.con in preparation.

Uninstall the display driver from Add/Remove Programs (if it has an entry there) and then Uninstall the display card from Device Manager ( Right-click My Computer, and choose Properties > Hardware > Devoce Manager. Right-click the entry for display adaptor and choose uninstall)

Reboot and cancel out of any 'Found New Hardware' dialogue.

Download and install the most recent motherboard chipset drivers from the manufacturer's website.

Install the display driver you downloaded from NVidia by double-clicking it and following instructions.

Uninstall then reinstall any affected games and/or programs.

Coding in web pages you view can make changes to your browser, and that can effect the behaviour next time the browser is used.

The best solution is to discontinue using Internet Explorer in favour of a browser such as Firefox, Mozilla or Opera, but even then the preference and settings should be used to ensure that Web Pages are not permitted to make such changes.

The whole problem is the shoddiness in the way some web pages are coded, and the vulnerability of IE to such things.

Have you ever run other 3D games successfully on the system? If this is the first time 3D games have been run on it, then perhaps things are not installed correctly under Windows? If the motherboard chipset drivers are incorrectly installed, for example, calls to 3D functions of the card will fail, whilst normal 2D operation will still work fine.

I think this is a very valid point you raise, Tight_Coder_Ex. For newcomers to DaniWeb, the user ranks can seem to indicate the level of ability of particular members, rather than simply the indication of postcount that they are. Perhaps it's time to look at the matter, and see if people think the ranking system here requires some change.

The actual rank titles themselves, I believe, refer to the identification of a person as a member of this online community, rather than to any level of expertise. Originally, DaniWeb was known as TechTalk forums:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4

and the Junior Techie/Senior Techie seems to have developed as an indication of the volume of contribution someone makes.

It's a valid point you raise, and the rank titles we have can appear to endorse some people as more knowledgeable than others. I think this discussion would be better conducted in the 'Site News and Feedback' section, and I'll move it there for further comments.

I'm interested in hearing them.

A GeForce4 Ti card is most definitely a DirectX8 card.

Inspect that device closely please, and report here any markings or codes that you might be able to see.

If people can't get some clue to the identity of the device, then it's difficult to see any help forthcoming. Can't locate a driver if you don't know what the device is, after all!

Is this actually an XP 3200+, or is it a 2500+ overclocked by changing the FSB to run at 200MHz? If so, then it may be pushed too hard for the particular chip you have. Not all of them overclock as well as each other.

If it's a genuine 3200+, then the heatsink changes you refer to might hold the key to your problem. Did you effectively clean the processor die core between changes? Did you use a good quality thermal compound? Have you damaged the heatsink retention clip lugs during the changes?

The processor needs to be cleaned every time the heatsink is removed. Traces of the previous thermal materual remain otherwise, and things become inefficient. I personally use rags torn from old bedsheets, methylated spirits, and a fair bit of time and effort to clean them. This article is a good one for explaining the alternatives:

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm

White, silicone based thermal pastes should be avoided at all costs, because they are quite inefficient. So should any replacement 'pads' which carry the thermal transfer material impregnated in a wax-based medium, like the pads on a stock heatsink. Arctic Silver 5 is the best material to use, in my view.

Unless it's something simple like a reversed power LED connector, I'd be suspecting the motherboard too.

Or perhaps a faulty power switch in the case?

Fixable in theory, caperjack. In reality you'd expend so much time, effort and possibly even money to locate a replacement BIOS chip and have it shipped to you that it would be a better alternative to simply replace the motherboard :)

Precise Game title then please, and an indication of the Windows version in use. I'm suspecting that this may simply be a game title which is incompatible with the Windows version.

Go to the View Menu, select Text Size and then alter the setting.

Look for software which loads into the system tray are (Such as the 'Disk Detector' for Creative soundcards or other similar software) and disable it from loading at startup.

Uninstall CD burning software

Right-Click 'My Computer' and choose Hardware > devoce Manager. Uninstall the CD/DVD drives from there.

Reboot and allow the drives to be detected and reinstalled. See if the CDs autodetect then.

Here's an excellent article about moderating forums:

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/guide-life-parts-1-2

Different message boards and Forums have their own, individual characteristics and needs, and the qualites which are most important for moderators vary accordingly. Even within a particular online community, needs change over time. When I was first asked to accept a moderator role here, for example, perhaps the most important factor was the need to ensure that each and every topic received reply, and also to ensure that new topics were created to stimulate discussion when things got quiet. As DaniWeb has grown and developed, so has the role of moderators here, and now the role is much more focussed on administrative board functions, for all of our moderators and Admins. Keeping things in order is the primary task we face, because our community here has grown and become more active.

The particular instance you refer to here, I think, is a moderator who was specifically recruited to address the overseeing of a new, specific purpose section. It's a real bonus for our community when that can occur, as it means we gain specific expertise rather than having our 'regulars' address topic areas which fall outside our realms of expertise!

:D

Please pop a software program CD in the drive and let us know if it is detected. Please try with a data CD and let us know if THAT is detected and read.

If no CDs at all get detected, please tell us which version of Windows you use, so that we can assist you in determining if it is actually the drive at fault. In the vast majority of cases such as yours, the drive itself is usually quite OK.

Agreed. the BIOS update is NOT a driver!

It's an update to the system BIOS, it needs to be installed using a software tool, and if there is a problem while its being installed you can find that your PC may never work again! Danger, BEWARE!

This is the reason, actually, that most BIOS update downloads are nor self-executing files, but need a separate installer tool ;)

Try this discussion from WinDrivers forums and see if any of the suggestions there give you a clue to what's happening.

My inital gut feeling is that your hard drive is incorrectly installed. Are you sure that the drive is correctly jumpered, enabled in BIOS, and the boot order correctly set?

Also, you cannot use a Windows XP hard drive from a different PC without formatting it and installing XP again. The copyright protection makes it fail to boot up, as you've found out!

Do other CDs get recognised correctly? If so, then clean the CD in question, or have the scratches removed from it.

Glad to hear this, plehsdeen! :D

Care to let us know how the problem was resolved? Others reading the topic may get benefit from hearing about the successful technique used.

I believe no comparison is possible between old Pentium and new Pentium, especially when opinion is based on personal experience with old Celeron!

;)

While you were fiddling about connecting and disconnecting things inside that PC, did you have the power disconnected from themains supply? Even with it turned off, there is still power in the motherboard. You may have damaged components if the power cord was still connected or the wall outlet not turned off.

I'm sorry, but you've already eliminated pretty well all of the usual tricks, and they haven't worked.

I am surprised, however, that an 80Gb drive detected correctly in such an old system. Are you sure that the full 80Gb capacity was recognised by BIOS?

EVERYONE can back up data files so long as the files still exist on the drive and that the hard drive still works.

Sometimes, you simply gotta remove the hard drive from the computer, put it in someone else's machine as a second drive, and copy your data across from there. If you don't have any friends with a working PC, then you might just be stuck with having to pay someone to do it.

At this specific point in time, Ignite, the only way in which new Intel processors have more 'power' than their 'equivalents' from AMD is that they run hotter. The AMD rivals outperform them.

As new models are introduced, that may change, and Intel may again regain the 'edge', but let's accept current realities, shall we?

No need for obscenity, and in fact it's unnacceptable to use it on this board!

Uninstall PaintShop Pro. Uninstall Firefox. Reboot.

Reinstall Firefox and let it associate with image types. Reinstall PSP and DON'T let it associate with any image types. See what happens then.

It's simply a matter of changing the 'Region and Language' Settings during installation.

Most of those hitchhikers are included in the software itself, not atached to it by the site you download it from ;)

Choose your software wisely, and avoid programs which carry passengers. Post a topic in our Viruses and nasties forum section for advice about how to determine if a program is free of passengers before you download it.

Thoroughly check for Viruses, trojans and spyware. Follow the advice in the stickied topics in out Viruses and Nasties forum section for assistance with that. If that does not resolve things, try a Refresh install of Windows:

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

If your system is still having problems after all that, please let us know.

Only 512Mb or greater video cards released to date are workstation cards, not 3D gaming cards. Not worth it at all for gaming, because they're slower at 3D games ;)

Actually, vtcedarpark, you'll find lots of really USEFUL code at www.download.com

But if you want Technical assistance, please go to the Technical sections. This is the Lounge. I'm here enjoying a Scotch and a fine cigar!

Welcome, by the way :D

Thanks for posting back, karatelvr :)

Considering the sparsity of messages I recieve from colleagues who are stuck with communication via LotusNotes, I have to wonder if that's even POSSIBLE!

Can you list the entries in msconfig's startup on your machine, buddyb? that might make it easier.

Of course, you could simply check them one by one and restart each time. You'd find it by trial and error ;)

Does sound work normally for other functions than the files you are trying to play? If so, you will most likely just need codecs installed which the audio/video files require. you may have had them installed previously, and the system restore has removed reference to them from your system.

This is a matter which would be specific to the player you are using, and to the particular audio/video files involved, and it's also a matter which should really be raised and followed in a topic of it's own and in the appropriate forum section for it.

If my description there is accurate, that forum section would be either the section for your Windows version, or the windows Software section

Oh hell. Sorry again. You're posting quite a few comments in succession, and I've missed that last one about your files now working. I thought we were still trying to resolve that problem!

If your sound was working, and then stopped working correctly after the System Restore, then you need to reinstall the Audio drivers again. It'd be best to first remove (Uninstall) the devices from 'Device Manager', and also remove any related audio driver entry in Add/Remove programs that you might see there.

Well install it again. You have a CD, according to your earlier comment. If not, it is downloadable from www.westerndigital.com

After you used DataLifeguard to install and partition the drive as additional storage, you should be able to use it as per normal from within Windows. If this is not happening syuccessfully, try again. Run DataLifeguard again and repaeat the install/partition/format of the drive. Ensure that you have no USB devices connected to the PC while you're doing it.

If that fails, copy the DOS version of DataLifeguard to a bootable floppy, boot your system from the floppy and set up the drive using the DOS version.

Oh hell! thanks for jumping in Coconut Monkey. I was getting confused nyself here.

Was the full drive capacity recognised by the Compaq system WITHOUT Data Lifeguard being used? If so, don't use it.

If not, you should use the Windows version of Data Lifeguard to install the drive from within Windows and partition it. Format the resultant partitions, and then use Windows itself to move the files.

If that's not happening successfully, then you've gone wrong somewhere and should go back and start agiai, as suggested. The drive is useless if Windows can't move files onto it, after all.

The specific model number of your drive would be a useful thing to inform us about. You should always include such detail with your question.'

The extra information could assist someone to research your problem and find a solution for you. They may not need to have the equipment or to have experienced the problem themselves ;)

What you describe won't work anyway, so don't bother. If you have Windows 98, the system will not boot from the SCSI drive. If you have Windows 2000 or Windows XP, the boot files will need to remain on the current C:\ drive for the system to boot successfully.

I'm assuming, of course, that you've added a SCSI drive to the system. You're a bit unclear on that, so please explain if that's not the case. If it's running from an add-in card, it's unlikely that your motherboard BIOS will allow it to be the boot device.

Boot into 'Safe Mode' and log in as Administrator.

Create a new user account.

Boot normally and log in as the new user. If you can access the data files stored under the original user account, copy them across to the new account. If not, log in as Administrator again and do so.

The original user account you've been using is stuffed and can't be recovered.

Hey! Whoah! Who the hell is having a contest here?

Sorry if you're offended, but I was just having a jolly old discussion about music. If anyone was made to look silly here I think it was me, when I went babbling off on a sidetrack before actually reponding to the gist of what you said!

But hey, if you get all upset because I disagreed with you, then I can't help that. I wasn't trying to make anyone out to be a 'moron' :confused:

Dammit! I was enjoying the discussion till just then! :(

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_9706,00.html

That must be it. Can't see what's wrong with the link though.

The driver mentioned there is a utility to enable a feature of the processor which Windows doesn't directly support - the feature that AMD calls 'Cool 'n' Quiet' technology. It's basically a feature which allows the processor settings to be dynamically reduced when the demands on the processor are not high.

Sorta like underclocking it when the going is easier ;)

The processor won't fail to function without it. It'll only cost you an extra dollar or two per month perhaps, on your power bill!

hahahaaaaaaaa!!!!

Beaten to the punch by a monkey!

Sorry, but that link doesn't work.

You don't NEED CD burner drivers. You only need software to use with the burner.

The only drivers utilised by Windows are the IDE bus mastering drivers, and those should be obtained from the motherboard manufacturer. the only potentially useful downloads available from the drive manufacturer are Firmware updates, and those should not be used unless there is a problem which they are specifically designed to correct. Most Burner problems are the result of the way software programs have been installed and uninstalled on the system.

The only exception to this is if the drive is to be used from DOS, and in that case DOS drivers are available for download. They are not needed and should not be installed if the burner is to be used within Windows.

What Windows version is being used here, Angela, and what CD Burner software is installed and/or has been installed in the past?

There are no such thing as CPU drivers. There are drivers for the motherboard, the onboard features, and the internal cards you include in it, and of course they can be updated in the same way as you can for a system based on any other processor platform!

No need for that, caperjack. Simply visit this page:

https://addons.update.mozilla.org/extensions/?os=Windows&application=mozilla

to download and install the ieView extension. After it is installed, you only need to right-click on a link and choose "Open Link Target in IE" and an Internet Explorer window will open with the required page loaded. In my view, that's an essentail extra for Mozilla and Firefox!

There's no need to set IE as the default browser again, and in fact it'd be rather silly to do so!

If, for some reason, a person insists on doing so then on the program tab in Internet Options, ensure that "Check to see if Internet Explorer is my default browser" is ticked, and the next time IE loads a prompt will enable you to make the change.

Buggered if I'd do that though!

Windows File Protection should be following on to replace the files mentioned. After you insert the CD, are you sure that the error message has in fact gone, and not simply had another windows superimposed on it?

Perhaps the Cd you are inserting is not the one which Windows was installed from? Perhaps there is system corruption which is causing things to malfunction?

I'd suggest a thorough Virus and Spyware scan, followed by a refresh install of Windows:

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

Got me beat, I'm afraid. Copy/Paste and Cut/Paste works for larger files than that on my system!

I think that considering music as belonging to 'eras' which correlate with particular decades is a misconception, and I'd disagree with your contention in relation to 'skipping decades'. The history of music is a progression of changes, and the turning points can be identified as having no particular patterns at all, really. The early 70s was one, for example, with the influence of Gram Parsons in particular integrating Rock and Country. The late 70s was another, with the emergence of Punk. Those turning points pop up when they are ready to do so, not when the appointment date is reached ;)

The sysmptoms ou report are inconsistent. Are you sure that you've actually been following the correct procedures to remove existing partition(s) and start off fresh for a lean install? This sounds to me like a problem occurring from an attempt to install 'over the top' rather than fresh. Except for this bit:

I formatted my computer and now when I restarted to put the operating system on I get a boot up error. It says keyboard error or no keyboard present. At the bottom it gives me the choice to press F1 to continue, DEL to enter setup.

that is NOT a problem which occurs as a result of a hard drive problem!

The roots go much deeper than that, I'm afraid. You're talking about the music from my era here! :D

Jimmy Page was a prolific session musician pre-Yardbirds, and had done quite a bit of work with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in the time when Eric Clapton was first maturing as an artist in his own right. Earlier, Clapton had been involved with Tom McGuiness (later of McGuiness Flint fame) and then had his very brief flirtation with the Yardbirds, leaving because the band denied him the directions he wanted to pursue. There were also connections with Alexis Korner, another fine British bluesman of the mid '60s.

Jimi Hendrix, although US born, was also a product of the mid-60s British R 'n' B scene, and his band members had a history of connection with the lesser known greats of the era. Noel Redding, for example, took up his position in the Experience rather than acepting a gig with Eric Burdon's 'The Animals'.

The Doors were borne of Ray Manzarek's passion for the re-emergence of R 'n' B which was happening across the Atlantic, rather than of Jim Morrison's passion for poetry and drugs.

Of all the artists you listed, only Eric Clapton's solo career occurred during the '70s, although his style was firmly rooted and developed in the decade before. Damned if I can see how it's '70s music, especially when the best works of all of them were produced during the '60s!

Jimi Hendrix …