Posts by Catweazle

You need to decide first if your display card is an NVidia Riva card or an NVidia TNT card. The two are completely different. Rivas use an older graphics chip on them. the TNT cards came later.

There's no such thing as a 'Riva TNT' ;)

That's probably where your problem is originating from!

Bugger!!!!

I SOOOOOO just had a whole answer typed out, and then accidentally clicked a link and lost the bloody lot! :( Here goes again :rolleyes::twisted:

I've had a good look through the linked Knowledge Base article and I think I can see where your confusion is coming in.

%SYSTEMROOT% is a 'value' which stands for the Directory where Wndows is installed to on your system. With a default Windows installation, that will probably be:

C:\WINDOWS

but if you've installed Windows to a different drive, partition or folder it will be the location of the Directory where your Windows files are located.

Create the files in Notepad. Notepad creates simple text files, and that is what you need. Word Processors such as Wordpad add 'hidden' formatting codes to the file (unless you save it as a text file of course) and it wouldn't work. Type the text in the files EXACTLY as instructed to.

When you save the two files you've created, make sure that you type in the full filename and file extension. The file extension at the end will ensure that Windows will recognise the file for what it is. If you like, for safety's sake you can use 'Save as..' and choose 'All files' as the file type. Save the files to a folder of your choice. Make sure you choose a folder where you can easily find it again. I personally would use a suitable folder within …

Corsair RAM, Geil or even something like Kingston RAM in the 'budget' lines would be perfectly adequate. You only need better and more expensive modules if you plan to overclock, and if you plan to do so then perhaps 'faster' RAM is a better alternative than the more expensive varieties of RAM which runs at the same clockspeed. That is to say, if you plan to overclock I think installing PC3500,PC3700 or PC4000 RAM is a better alternative than installing a more expensive and highly rated variety of PC3200 RAM.

With regard to your initial question, I think your response to Coconut Monkey is rather ill-advised. Quite simply, what he says is correct. Whatever system configuration you choose now will almost certainly be able to be bettered a few weeks or months down the track. That's simply the way things work.

Point 8. Don't lock yourself into hardware choices until you have the cash in your hand ready to pay for them!

Have you, by any chance, run a refresh install of Windows without first uninstalling any updated version of Internet Explorer? That's a common cause of this problem, and the solution is to uninstall then reinstall Internet Explorer.

Have you got any 'Shell' software utilities loaded on your system which enhance and/or extend the features provided by Windows Explorer? If so I'd suggest uninstalling it.

You could also try downloading and using the utility linked to by BillDL in this discussion:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/Win98/Q_21184159.html

I'm sorry, but instructions and assistance for obtaining copyright material illegally isn't permitted on this forum, and downloading "A Shark Tale' via BitTorrent is definitely not a legitimate activity!

Topic closed, before anyone else offers assistance. We don't want the authorities coming down on Dani, do we?

You're correct, nanosani, but let's clarify it a little perhaps.

If you load Windows XP onto the D: drive, some small files will also be created on the C: drive which run at bootup and instruct where to look for the Windows files. If you format the C: drive afterwards, those small files will be lost, of course, and the system will be unable to boot into Windows.

Booting from the Windows CD and 'repairing' the installation will write those files back to the C: drive, and the situation will easily be corrected.

Point one: there's no need to overclock a card that's already good enough.

Point two: I distrust cards that are sold already 'overclocked'. It probably means it's already been pushed to its limits and there's no headroom to overclock it yourself should the time come to make doing so worthwhile.

Point Three: You are probably paying extra for an 'overclocked' card, when a standard one would probably overclock to the same extent anyway.

Point four: That card is listed as 'Sold Out' :D

The only things that refuse to work with a different browser on my own system are MSN Messenger and the configuration interface for my adsl Router.

Everything else works with the browser I have set as default, including MS Office.

Nope, you've got the wrong idea about how things work. Internet Explorer isn't a program in its own right, it's part and parcel of Windows itself, and you can't 'move it'.

But you can make things open in Firefox instead, and the process is quite simple to do. All you need to do is set Firefox to be your 'Default Browser' when you install it, and what you want will happen by itself!

Read this linked article for a detailed, step by step guide to installing and setting up Firefox on your Windows XP system.

Here's one of the better introductions to the field of activity:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=795444

After you've thoroughly read all of that, several times i'd suggest, and absorbed all of it to the extent that you can discuss it adequately, it's time to come back and start discussing the specifics of overclocking on your own particular PC hardware!

Yes. All you change by uninstalling then reinstalling the programs is the directory where the program files themselves are stored:

i.e. instead of C:\Program Files\Program Directory it will be perhaps D:\Program Files\Program Directory

and also the Windows Registry entries which point to where the components of the programs are located. All else will operate just as before.

You can't 'move' the programs. bits and pices of them get put all over the place in a Windows installation.

But you can quite easily do the same job effectively by uninstalling them, then reinstalling them choosing the new drive for the installation Directory. Every program install should ask you to accept the installation Directory before it proceeds. when you're asked, simply edit the suggested install directory by changing the drive letter to the one for your new drive or partition, and leaving the rest of the directory path as suggested.

You need to do them one by one, I'm afraid, but there's no way round that because of the way Windows operates!

Any idea which slots need to be used together, Alex? I haven't had 'hands-on' with RAMBUS myself :)

AMDs stock heatsink/fan units are quite good quality. If you intend to use an aftermarket unit, expect to PAY for it and don't try to cut corners by sourcing a 'cheapie'. I'd suggest that any heatsink/fan unit which cost only as much as a tube of AS5 would be considerably inferior to the stock unit!

Or an Exorcist!

Moved to 'Hardware', by the way. this is obviously not a Windows problem.

Double check ALL internal connections - plugs, card slots etc etc, and make sure all are clean, free of lint or dust, and firmly connected.

Get the power supply unit checked for the various voltage levels it needs to output.

Make sure you format and install fresh before assuming that your problem is a hardware one.

Check your wall outlet and all plugs and adapters, to ensure they're all in good order and plugs are firmly inserted. Replace the power cord with a new one in case it's faulty.

Perhaps a BIOS update would correct the problem. There are a couple of versions of the ECS 848P-A motherboard listed on the ECS website, so you'd need to be sure which version you have. the latest BIOS revision seems to be version 2.2e

I'd also be suspicious of the RAM you've been using. Both your original modules and the ones you've replaced them with seem to me to be 'generic' unbranded modules. It's always better to use the budget lines of quality brands such as Kingston, Geil or Corsair, because you get wider compatibility with them. The problems you've been having are certainly ones which would result from using incompatible RAM. Your ECS motherboards simply mat not like the RAM you've used, and need better quality modules.

Refresh your Windows installation with an In-place Upgrade:

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

You'll likely have to install some Windows updates over again after doing so.

Here's an even neater trick:

Create a desktop icon to Shut down, restart or Log off!

What motherboard do you have?

What is the brand of RAM you have?

I'd not personally trust necessary data to a suspect drive. I'd backup now to CD or DVD, and then wait to see if the clicking has gone for good or if the drive really IS going to fail.

I'd stay with the stock unit, to start with at least. There really should be no need for an aftermarket unit unless the PC is operating in an extremely warm environment, or unless it is overclocked, and there's no need to overclock an A64 3400+, that's for sure!

I personally use AS5 on heatsinks, but as said, doing so DOES void warranty!

Yes. Clicking noises from drives most likely indicate the drive is failing.

It's certainly a good idea to check the startup list in msconfig, but I'd suggest a more methodic method than simply 'dasable it, see what happens'.

Check the entries in the list against an online database of Startup items, and you'll soon find out what they are and what they do:

http://www.windowsstartup.com/wso/index.php

Dell tech support told you wrong!

You can run that PC with only one module installed, and it simply needs to be in memory slot 1. You'll most likely find that the slot numbers are printed on the board beside the slots ;)

Edit:

oops, sorry. If that Dimension uses RAMBUS memory it'll need to be used in pairs. I'll check that one out tomorrow. It's late and I'm tired :)

Is your RAM a single module or two 512Mb ones?

You have two options to get success. If you have two 512Mb mnodules, pull one out, install Win 98 then fix things up, put the other module back in, and install XP.

If you have a single 1Gb module, borrow a smaller one, even if it's 128 Mb or 256Mb. Install 98, carry on as before.

All it takes is a little lateral thinking. Don't give up at the first hurdle, eh?

Sorry, I just couldn't resist the comment :)

Those older DOS games should work just fine if you dual-boot with Windows 98, by the way. And you can even get most of them to run under Windows XP with a little persuasion.

See this article.

I'm not sure, but I don't think it will according to what I've heard. Nobody who uses FAT16 should've been allowed to survive the '90s anyway :p

Serch the Knowledge Base at Symantec's support section for instructions about uninstalling the program. there are manual removal procedures listed there.

SP2 is not 'buggy'. It's a major sytem overhaul, and if your system has existing problems before it's installed they'll be magnified afterwards, just as they are if you do an 'Upgrade install' over the top of a crappy old OS installation.

If you're having problems after installing SP2, you should accept that either the system install is in a bad state or some of the software you use isn't up to scratch. format and install clean, then install the Service Pack and it'll run perfectly well. No problems ghere with it, and none whatsoever from anyone I know who runs a clean and wel-maintained system!

A recent question requested advice about building your own PC.

The website style is a little amateurish, perhaps, and some of the discussion of components is certainly getting a bit 'dated', but one of the most comprehensive system building guides I've yet come across is Rob Williams' My Super PC website.

http://www.mysuperpc.com/

In particular, the actual assembly instructions are quite detailed indeed, and the principles underlying PC assembly are pretty consistent no matter what system you're putting together.

http://www.mysuperpc.com/build/pc_parts_list.shtml

Another quite good (and a little more professional looking) guide can be found at TomsHardware

http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20020904/index.html
http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20020918/index.html

Hijackthis logs should be posted in the 'Security' section only please.

Moved.

Next step I'd like you to do is to use this article:

"How do I do that BIOS Setup thing?"

and see if you can get into BIOS setup on your system. If you can could you please report what (if any) settings you see in there which seem to relate to 'Power management'

All computers are different, I'm afraid, and all of that should give us enough information to work with. I can't recall offhand how those old DeskPros were set up.

By the way, if you still DO get those 'Drive not present' error messages, I think you should assume that old PC is on it's way out!

Right, I think you may just have one of the problems sorted out, and it's time to address the other.

First bring up Control Panel -> Power options and report what the settings in there are please.

Next, right-click 'My Computer' choose 'Properties, and on 'Device Manager' go to the View Menu and select 'Devices by connection'. Let me know if there are any devices reported as 'ACPI' please, and then change the View setting back to 'Devices by Type'. Also check if there are any entries in Device manager which are marked with a Yellow Exclamation mark please.

If you still have the problem after working through ALL of the suggestions in that article, then I'd consider you have only two alternatives available to you:

* Work through the suggestions in the "Helping Yourself...." topic in our Security Forum section, to detect and remove ay spyware and other malware intrusions.
* Reinstall your OS.

I'd bet that's a problem which has resulted from different burning programs being installed, and ending up with some system corruption and programs conflicting with each other.

Read "What's using my burner?" and the other linked articles in it, and I'm sure you'll find a solution after working your way through the various suggestions and procedures mentioned in them.

6800GT is a better performing card as well as being the best value high-end purchase available :D

Fair point wonderboyshp. I find Indexing Service to cause potential problems and to bring no realistic benefit. I don't use it myself!

You will also need to download all the necessary device drivers from HPs website. Post the complete model number of that HP PC here if you have troubles locating them, and we can help you work out what is needed. They should ideally be downloaded on a different PC and burnt to CD ready to install.

OK, let's be clear here. Do you still have the "No fixed disk. Press F1 to setup" problem?

A lament from days gone by, and a reflection on the intricate annoyances programmers have confronted:

WRITE IN C

(sung to The Beatles "Let it Be")

When I find my code in tons of trouble,
Friends and colleagues come to me,
Speaking words of wisdom:
"Write in C."

As the deadline fast approaches,
And bugs are all that I can see,
Somewhere, someone whispers"
"Write in C."

Write in C, write in C,
Write in C, write in C.
LISP is dead and buried,
Write in C.

I used to write a lot of FORTRAN,
for science it worked flawlessly.
Try using it for graphics!
Write in C.

If you've just spent nearly 30 hours
Debugging some assembly,
Soon you will be glad to
Write in C.

Write in C, write in C,
Write In C, yeah, write in C.
Only wimps use BASIC.
Write in C.

Write in C, write in C,
Write in C, oh, write in C.
Pascal won't quite cut it.
Write in C.

Guitar Solo

Write in C, write in C,
Write in C, yeah, write in C.
Don't even mention COBOL.
Write in C.

And when the screen is fuzzy,
And the edior is bugging me.
I'm sick of ones and zeroes.
Write in C.

A thousand people people swear that T.P.
Seven is the …

I think this is a very genuine problem, both for Dani and for Forum readers. There's more than side panel ads to consider, because smaller links show up in various places as well. The one mentioned here, No-Adware, is reported to generate its own blasted nuisance popups, and that's certainly not a good thing when it emanates from software purported to get RID of such stuff.

No, I don't think you're being too money-hungry Dani, you're merely confronting the reality of keeping the site going.

But it certainly IS an indication that other methods of financing the site need to be continually pursued. This is a site which offers assistance to people in need, and advertising DOES have an impact. And let's face it, if people obtain products from advertisments on this site which cause problems for them rather than fixing their problems, then that will send out a 'message' of its own, and in the long run do just as much harm as turning away advertisers.

I have certainly noticed lately that an increasing amount of 'Spyware' product advertisements appear. We most certainly can't afford to have those advertisements generating problems on people's PCs rather than leading to a solution for them.

Hi neptoess. When you formatted that system and loaded Windows back on to it, did you also load all the device drivers correctly. Did you load the motherboard chipset drivers, and also ensure that you loaded the correct display drivers?

[img]http://www.infopackets.com/graphics/cmos+battery.gif[/img][img]http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/ig/img/battery.gif[/img]

Take the old battery along to any electronics shop (Tandy or similar) and get a suitable replacement. Simply make sure you disconnect the power cord before opening the case, and touch bare metal first to ground any static electricity in your body before touching internal components.

Comment above edited

Oi!!! Slow down there!!

What sort of Compaq is it please? If it's a desktop PC the battery replacement is quite simple and should only cost you less than the price of a takeaway feed! Let us know if you need further assistance to do the job.

Edit:

Ooops. You beat me to it.

Disconnect the power cord, open up the system case and locate the round Lithium battery you'll find in a clip holder on the mainboard. Pull it out and get a replacement from any electronics store.

The batteries are quite inexpensive. The service charge for having one fitted should only be a basic service fee.

I suspect that's a Compaq you have there, but what type and model of Compaq is it? Please include all information in the forum topic, rather than sending details by personal message. I do not deal with problems via PM, and I suspect others are disinclined to do so either ;)

No nikkisboricua, I don't think it's something specifically to do with SP2. I think it's a problem which existed prior to SP2 being installed. In fact I think you have two problems.

The first is that your CMOS battery is 'dead' and your system is no longer holding it's hardware configuration settings. that's why you are getting continual messages about the hard drive not being present and needing to press <F1>. Either open it up and replace the battery yourself, or drop the machine in to a repair shop to have the battery replaced.

Secondly, I think you've most likely got a virus, spyware or other malware infection which is causing problems for you. Follow the advice in the 'Helping Yourself.....' topic in our Security Forum to ensure your system is cleaned up.

Finally, the power management settings in BIOS Setup may have been reset when that CMOS battery died, causing a mismatch between your hardware's settings and the ones in place in your Windows installation. We'll deal with that possibility AFTER you've had the battery replaced, eh?

Are you using a standard Windows screensaver or one you've obtained from somewhere else? If it's not a screensaver which is 'built-in' to Windows, I'd suggest you stop using it and get rid of it.

You should also find the 'Power Options' section in Control Panel and disable any 'standby' settings to see if that effects the problem.

jmonroy, Hi and welcome.

Read the article I linked to in the post above. It leads to some more detailed discussion of this and similar problems, and how to resolve them.

If you have further problems afterwards, please start a new topic of your own. You should have a better idea of where your problems stem from by then.

You might be infected with spyware that's hijacking links, rcrevolution. that link worked fine for me.

Mattres, turn off AGP fast writes, especially in BIOS setup. ATi Radeon 9xxx cards often have problems with the feature. Also try setting AGP to 4x in BIOS. You'll get negligible performance drop, but you'll probably get more stability.

But before you do that, get rid of the PC2700 RAM you have and replace it with PC3200 or better RAM, which is what your system requires. You need 400MHz or better RAM, not 333MHz modules ;)

Edit: Also, if you are using the 4.1 drivers, try downgrading the driver to version 3.9 The 4.1 version has some problems which ATi is working on, and version 4.12 drivers should address those issues. It's due out sometime soon.