Posts by Catweazle

You need to determine if your motherboard has an AGP display card slot. you'll need to open up the case and have a look. check the picture I posted in this topic:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/showthread.php?t=12988&page=1&pp=15

to help you identify the slot in question. If it only has PCI slots (the white ones) then I don't consider adding a display card is worthwhile.

Should be suitable. Is your power supply unit up to it? You should have at least a 350Watt unit, or preferably one of 400Watts or more.

Sounds good. By the way, special 'Dual-channel' RAM modules aren't necessary, even for a motherboard which provides dual-channel configuration!

All that's needed are two identical RAM modules, fitted to the appropriate RAM slots ;)

i've got a dual-channel AthlonXP system here, running overclocked at low latency settings, and it's got a pair of Kingston ValueRAM modules installed. CAS2 with cheap as chips RAM! :D

What do you mean by 'fan slots'?

Do you mean adding holes and extra mounting points for additional case fans?

Try Trojan Remover, which is mentioned a few posts further into the 'Sticky'. If you have a dialler or some other 'nasty' which is trying to take over your connection, that one is the most likely tool to deal with it ;)

My relevent recommendations are in this topic:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread12883.html

as are quite a few other worthy comments of advice.

LOL!

That was definite 'Coke out the nostrils' moment!

Hi gbear, and welcome.

Have a read through related topics in the Windows Security/Computer bugs section:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/forum64.html

and post a new topic there if you can't find an answer to your problem. I'm afraid there will be a fee involved, but that's for taking the teenage son off your hands, not for the assistance! :D

Hahahahaaaa

Aussie Rules, and so do old fellas! :D

Welcome, Ruefull, I hope you stick around.

You will find a USB driver for Windows NT by clicking on the link posted above by Caperjack.

Please do NOT ask for people to post their email address. Please do NOT leave your email address on public display. Use the Personal Message system if you need to.

Topic Closed!

You will certainly see improvement, and perhaps a rather dramatic one. All we're pointing out is that, as far as 'high performance' display cards go the 9600XT probably just scrapes in at the bottom end!

Here's another. This'n makes a tasty and filling snack.

2 eggs per person
Same volume of grated cheese (Tasty cheddar works best)
Self-raising flour
Herbs and spices to taste. (I like to use hot paprika and dried oregano, but use what works for you!)

Whisk the eggs, cheese, herbs and spices in a mixing bowl until they're well blended together, then add the flour slowly until you have a mixture that will still pour but only just.

Pre-heat a heavy pan, melt butter or margarine, pour in all the mixture and cook over slow heat. When the underside is cooked enough to lift it, turn the loaf and continue cooking until it's cooked through. The loaf should rise to about twice its initial size.

Serve warm.

This can be cooked in a suitable loaf tin in the oven as well, of course, but it works best in a heavy pan on the stove top.

heh heh...
I've a large, heavy old cast-iron pan that I 'rescued' years ago from an old derelict house that pigs were running through. It's one of the prized parts of my kitchen, and has been for years!

Should be. What console? What monitor?

It shouldn't be too hard to check and find out.

Yes, it doesn't matter how powerful your system is, you can't make a display card exceed its capabilities.

OK, misleading information given here.

If you have onboard video, then you should be able to change the amount of shared RAM used by the video function as described.

If you have an add-in display card, then the system RAM CANNOT be shared! In fact, if you have an add-in card then the Shared RAM function should be disabled, or set to the lowest amount possible if there is no option to disable it.

OK, here's a quick 'n' easy I invented the other night, using boned, skinless chicken thighs for a cheap but wholesome meat source.

500g chicken thighs
500g spiral pasta
large tin or jar of creamy mushroom casserole sauce.
Note: dunno if you have 'Chicken Tonight' in stores where you live, but that style of ready to use sauce is ideal
Bunch of baby bok choy, singapore bok choy or other oriental greens of your choice
Extra virgin olive oil
Note: Try to avoid using other oils for cooking if you actually like your body!

1. Chop the chicken meat into cubes and thinly slice the greens
2. Set a large saucepan of water to boil on the burner, and add a dollop of olive oil so the pasta doesn't stick while it's cooking.
3. Cook the chicken meat over hight heat in a pan or preferably a wok (eltric woks are a kitchen essential IMO). Stir constantly until the meat is browned to seal.
4. Add the greens an stir for a minute.
5. Add the sauce, bring to the boil and turn down to a slow simmer.
6. By this time the water should be boiling so add the pasta, bring to the boil, and turn down to simmer until cooked to your desired level.
7. When the pasta is cokked, drain it, rinse and then add it to the pan. Stir it through and allow …

I'm in full agreement with Coco. The stated refresh rate of the card is a bit of a nonsense, because virtually no monitors can display at those settings anyway.

And the cards I'm pretty sure are virtually identical in all respects except perhaps the heatsink and fan used.

The only cards I've seen that really deviate from the reference specs for the 6800GT are some of the Asus versions, which are sub-standard, and the Gainward Golden Sample, which is extremely good but ridiculously expensive.

Boot your PC from a Windows 98 Startup diskette, pop your Windows CD in the drive and run Setup WITHOUT formatting first.

With a bit of luck (depending on what form your Windows CD is) that will overwrite your system files and get things working again.

Utilities which make regid=stry changes shouldn't be used without first working out a bit about what it is they do. They're really for 'advanced' users.

Hi Walter,

I've merged the two threads you created. Please continue with your related comments all in the same thread, so that discussion of your problem doesn't get split between two topics.

I've done a search on the Compaq support website and found scant information about reloading the OS onto your Notebook. I'd suggest you contact HP about the matter:

Use the 'Contact HP' link here.

Or perhaps others here may have already found a solution. I'm sure they'll share the necessary information if that's the case.

3DMark is a gaming benchmark. 3DMark2001 is the best of the range for assessing more than simply the performance of the display card.

Other benchmarking tools would be more useful for measuring potential impacts on other computing activities, but of course for detecting the performance impact of running RAM 'out of sync' with the processor, any results relating to 'Memory performance' would need to be discounted. It only stands to reason that those ones would suggest a better result for faster RAM :D

hmm.........

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the quality of NOD32 in this discussion. Quite frankly, it's the best performed of all personal AntiVirus products. It does carry a fee, but the cost is quite small, and the system overheads are far, far better than the more widely known products such as Nortons or McAffee. In addition, virus signature file updates are made available much more frequently than with competitors.

ZoneAlarm is a fine product, and Sygate Personal Firewall is a worthy alternative. Norton Internet Security would be about the worst of all available alternatives, perhaps, primarily because of the performance it gobbles up.

But I'd recommend that anyone with better than a dial-up Internet connection use a Gateway/Router beteen their ADSL/Cale modem and their PC, or an All-in-one Modem/Router/Firewall, so long as the one used has SPI firewall protection. They can be found quite cheaply nowadays, and check all incoming information to ensure that it is actually requested.

I also recommend that people discontinue using Internet Explorer as a web browser in favout of a better, more secure browser such as Mozilla, Firefox or Opera, regularly use Spyware detection and removal tools, and adopt safe and sensible browsing habits.

[img]http://www.ethknits.co.uk/designer_stitches/images/cross_stitch/winnie_the_pooh/dsd62_-_Poohs_Group_Hug.jpg[/img]

FEEL THE LOVE!!!!

Goodness gracious me!

Happy Birthday Dani. What on Earth are you doing here? Go party!

[img]http://fourier.math.uoc.gr/%7Emk/images/fedon-2/200307-fedon-2nd-birthday-party-at-the-beach-2.jpg[/img]

Have you tried other key combinations to access BIOS setup? The Delete key may not be the one to use for the particular PC you have.

Check this article.

If it's just a dead CMOS battery, a replacement costs very little.

I'd replace the CMOS battery in it. If it still has problems detecting hardware or accessing BIOS setup after that I'd ditch the thing ;)

What did i do to p/o her off...well thats a long story but in essence i realised that asking another gal out to the pub where your g/fs sister in law is present can get u banned from a web site!!!!!! Strange but true ...she saw me reported me and the rest is history and a ban!!!! Thanks for all the stuff u sent me and now give me some more advice please!!!!!

LOL!!!!!! :D

By the way, I'd have to agree with the suggestion about changing to a different modem. It's a cheap option which sounds likely to resolve the matter. Make sure you delete you intenet connection, uninstall the old modem, power off and then physically replace the modems. Install the new modem if the system doesn't automatically detect and install it, and then set up your internet connection again. Less chance of problems if you do it that way.

Oh my goodness! Those Compaqs usually come with a Microsoft sticker wheich you need to attach to your system case. The CD key code is printed on the sticker, and if you've used the Recovery Cd (which it sounds very much like you have) without finding the CD key code first then you might just be up the proverbial creek!

Unless you can find that sticker of course. Is it stuck to the PC somewhere, or still there amongst some junk?

If Windows 98 is installed and running, then you can retrieve the CD key from the Registry, as I indicated in your other topic. But if the recovery CD has been run, and you haven't got the CD key then it's too late, I'm afraid. You have two options:

Contact HP (who took over Compaq) with the serial number of that PC and see if they can locate the CD key code for you in their records . (doubtful)

Purchase another copy of Windows so you can format and install it, and download any necessary device drivers from the HP website.

http://www.internetguideandmore.com/finding_lost_cd_keys_in_your_reg.htm

Try these suggestions.

I have friends amongst gamer circles who have only recently decided to upgrade from Gf3Ti cards!

A 6800Gt could be expected to run games for quite some time to come, I'd consider.

If you are considering games, then NOTHING you can assemble would guarantee you adequacy for that long!

As a matter of fact, I personally wouldn't rely on any system whatsoever remaining adequate for that length of time. I think it's expecting too much, and it's too difficult to predict where future developments in software might take us. That's a system which is 'ready' for 64-bit computing when it arrives, but who knows what new applications and directions that will bring us, and how quickly systems will need to develop to make the most of them. Tasks that are performed on PCs as a matter of course nowadays weren't really more than pipe-dreams 6 years ago or more!

I'm personally into having a games machine in operation as well as a work system. I personally adopt an 18 month turnover period for games systems, and try to stay '1 step behind' with the technology, so iI can obtain it more cheaply. I'm currently running a couple of overclocked Athlon XP systems, and my games rig has an FX5900XT display card in it. I can see no real need to upgrade that for perhaps another 12 months yet.

When I do, it will be to a system with capabilities of a comparable standard to the one you're considering now, and I won't be expecting to get more than 18 months from it from that point onwards.

Does that answer your query? It's about the best I can offer, …

Install your updates. Some of them 'correct' USB problems ;)

Certainly sounds like the monitor has passed its 'Use By' date.

If your PC is an Athlon XP, then it could make quite a noticeable difference. If it's a Pentium 4 or Athlon64, then it may not make as much, because memory management is a little better for those, i believe (haven't checked it in practice).

Best approach is to run sime benchmarking tools, change the settings for RAM speed, and then run them again to see how much difference it makes.

The last time I tested my self was with an XP3000+ system, GF4 Ti4200 display card, and using 3DMark2001, which is the best of the 3DMark test to assess overall system performance rather than just the display card.

Running RAM at 333MHz rather than 400MHz consistently made a difference of about 300 to 400 3DMarks to the test results, which isn't a helluva lot, but is certainly enough to show that the system wasn't working at full efficiency.

In that case, you must have used a FAT32 partition. Under Windows XP FAT32 partitions are limited to 32Gb. You should really use NTFS partitions with Windows XP, as it is a better file system.

You can most likely create new partitions to use the rest of the drive space. Right'click 'My Computer' and choose 'Manage'. Click on the Disk Management entry in the list at left and you'll get the console where you create new partitions from within Windows XP. The Help function should explain the procedures adequately.

The error message indicates a memory size recognition error. You should run BIOS setup to try and correct it. It may also mean the memory module(s) installed are not compatible with the system.

How do I do BIOS Setup?

AMD Athlon64 processors have memory management on the processor chip, but you should still really use RAM operating at 400MHz with them. Your 2Gb of PC3200 is ideal.

Sorry for the double post, but you seem to be hanging on every word, and I want to ensure you see this.

The MaxBlast utility will enable you to use the full 160Gb of the drive. If it's like the utilities from other drive manufacturers it'll need to be used BEFORE windows is intalled, I think.

Whatever Windows version you use, make sure that you have first downloaded and saved to CD the required device drivers and other software available from the Support download link I gave earlier.

You need MaxBlast3

Make sure you thoroughly read all information about it that you can find on Maxtor's website BEFORE trying to use it.

No BIOS updates available, by the way caperjack :(

To get the full drive capacity recognised, a suitable tool needs to be downloaded from the drive manufacturer's website.

What is the make and model of the new hard drive please?

I would strongly advise going back to the original OS with that old Compaq. Older Compaqs are notoriously difficult to get running with later versions of Windows unless they are specifically stated to be supported for that OS, because components inside the PCs have had proprietary changes made to them and device drivers available are often unsuited to the later OS.

The Presario you've mentioned has no Windows XP support available for it. I'd suggest you either download and install Windows 2000 drivers etc for it from:

This HP/Compaq support page

and see if they work correctly when installed under Windows XP, or else scrub the idea completely and revert back to the Windows version that was originally installed on it.

A format and fresh start is the best way to do the job. If you've done an 'Upgrade' install of Windows XP, leaving programs etc. in place, then you will almost certainly have problems as a result. The best thing to do is to use the original 'Recovery CD' which came with the Presario.

Edit: By the way, I have an old Presario of my own here which I use as a Windows 98 box. I wouldn't DREAM of trying to get it running under Windows XP - you can't even obtain suitable drivers for it to run properly under Windows Me!

Nope. AMD Athlon64 doesn't really use a fsb in the way previous processors do, but effectively you might as well say it does, and for current processors it's 800MHZ. To be 'synced' that simply means you need RAM operating at 400MHz. Same thing goes for 800MHz FSB Intel processors.

There's no such thing as '800MHz RAM' so you line things up by using multiples of 200MHz. If you use RAM which is operating at 333MHz or 433MHz for example, things get 'out of whack' and efficiency is lost because the lines of communication between processor and RAM aren't lined up with each other.

I'm also quite distrustful of Norton products, even the latest versions of them, and particularly where SP2 is involved. At the very least check to see if there are any 'updates' available apart from virus signature files.

Norton stuff has been notorious for conflicts with other software for years. In fact, I consider them in a similar way to that which I follow for Internet Explorer:

Products which are fundamentally flawed at the core of their design, and for which their designers should start over from scratch and come up with a newer and better core design.

You certainly have a rather troublesome spyware/malware infestation.

Make sure you have the LATEST VERSIONS of both AdAware and Spybot Search & Destroy. Download them on a different PC if necessary and burn them to CD.

Use them after booting Windows into Safe Mode. That way any 'nasties' that have been placed on your system won't be loaded at startup, and you'll be able to effectively detect and remove them with those utilities.

Afterwatds, do a 'Refresh Install' of windows to repair any Windows system file damage that might have occurred:

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

(You will most likely need to reinstall some Windows Updates afterwards, but at least your system problems will have been corrected.)

The drive needs to be taken to a service technician, and most likely replaced. Mechanical noises emitting from a drive like that are a sure sign that something is seriously wrong!

Higher rated RAM almost always 'works' with motherboards which are specified to 'work' with lower rated modules. It will simply be operated at the lower speed, which is what you want anyway! You should never really run your RAM at higher speeds than that required to 'synchronise' with the front side bus speed of your processor. Doing so can cause performance drops.

Having RAM modules which can operate at higher clockspeeds, however, allows you to overclock by increasing the processor's front side bus peed, and still have your RAM operating 'in sync' with it, and thus at its full efficiency :)

How do I do that "BIOS Setup thing?

Moved to Windows XP section.

There's no free interactive realtime service that I know of, I'm afraid.

If that error message sates win32sock.dll then I strongly suspect it's a virus infection. The best advice would be to download Stinger http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger and burn it to CD or put it on floppy disk (with another computer of course)

Then boot your friends PC into 'Safe mode' (Press <F8> during startup, just before the Windows Logo screen displays, and choose Safe mode from the menu presented). Install and run Stinger from Safe mode and see if that helps.

Depending on climate conditions 24 Celsius is quite believable, especially with a decent heatsink/fan. I've an overclocked 2500+ here that seldom gets above low 30s idle on even hot days ;)

Is that 512Mb of RAM 1 module or two? Which memory slot(s) are used?

i bought a ati radeon 9600xt 128mb awhile ago and it worked fine for a week or so then it started to freeze and restart my computer and it normally does this when im in a game or someone walks near the tower.

my computer specs are:
win/xp home
sp1
p4 1.8ghz
532mb avalible

If you mean by that when someone physically walks nearby to your PC, then the very first thing i'd be doing is to shut off and disconnect the power from that PC, strip it down and thoroughly check to see that there's no loose screws or somesuch inside the case, and that everything is firmly and completely connected when it's put back together again. I'd also be checking all power cord or powerboard connections, to ensure that they're all firm connections.

That sounds like a vibration problem from that description, and if it is it will lead to component failure if it continues.

OK, I just did a little research and my memory wasn't serving me correctly. sorry about that.

But the NV4 graphics processor on your card identifies it as a first generation TNT card, and the driver you should use is the standard NVidia GeForce/TNT2 driver, i believe.

But have you installed Windows 2000 as an 'upgrade' over the top of a previous Windows 98 installation? (I'm not sure if that was ever possible, to tell the truth.) If you have, that would be the likely source of your problems. Upgrading over the top of a previous install is often troublesome, and bits of wrong drivers can corrupt things afterwards. when you move from one Windows version to another, it's best to format and start over in the process.

I'd suggest you look on NVidia's website, and when you get to the Driver download section for your OS, check the 'Driver Archives' link in the menu at left of page. I wouldn't advise installing a driver later than the Detonator 4x.xx ones for such an old display card.