Posts by Catweazle

If you use that 'freezer trick' ensure you seal the drive in a plastic bag to protect it from moisture, and connect the thing and fire it up as quickly as possible after removing it from the freezer.

If the trick works, you want to maximise your 'window of opportunity' to lift those files off of it ;)

I've moved this to Hardware, where it belongs.

Actually, there's one more bit of information in that report that gives a hint:

DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)

With video RAM operating at 400MHz, the alternatives are limited to a 'vanilla' 9600 or a 9600SE. 'Vanilla' cards are actually rather rare, and 9600SE cards are rather common, so it's a good bet!

Windows is NOT a good tool to use for identifying hardware components. The reports generated by the various utilities in Windows seldom distinguish between different models of a product line, or different manufacturers of a product, and they often misreport components anyway.

The best place to start is inside your PC case. Open it up and inspect the component closely. Note all identifying markings and codes, and report those. The manufacturer and model number of a component will usually be printed on the component somewhere, and if not there will be codes which enable easier identification of the component.

Best way to go is to contact them. Get assurance that both are genuine, stocked items and not simply a superceded entry on a price list that hasn't been removed yet. Check that they are genuine AMD parts. I've seen mention in some discussions on other forums of 'OEM processors' which are sold without heat spreaders fitted. There's none of those available in my country, but I can't vouch for the situation in the rest of the world.

Get your assurances before you purchase.

This is what you need to do.

KT400-8235 is the motherboard chipset. Have a closer look at the motherboard itself for any indications of brandname and model number please. Reference motherboard chipset drivers are seldom useful, because motherboard manufacturers make proprietary changes to configurations. You need to obtain drivers from the motherboard manufacturer. If this is a 'name brand' PC, give the make and model number of the system itself.

You certainly need appropriate drivers. The exclamation mark is indicating that they are missing or incorrectly installed.

- Try reversing the connector on the floppy drive, even if you think it's plugged in the right way.

- Check the power connector and make sure you haven't 'missed' a pin when you plugged it in. It can be difficult to get the power connector lined up correctly with the pins if you attach it when the drive is screwed into place in the case.

- Check that the ploppy drive is enabled in BIOS Setup, and configured correctly.

Basically, ensure that BIOS POST identifies it correctly at bootup, then check that 'Device Manager' in Windows identifies it correctly. 'My Computer' about the last thing to check!

Some possibilities:

- You keep moving the system while it's running and damaging the hard drive? Even a ricketty desk can cause damage, or somebody bumping into it. You'd be unlucky, but it's possible.

- Poor standard power supply unit. Forget the Wattage if it's a cheapie. Consistent delivery of stable voltages is what's more important, and only the more expensive brands deliver quality. Fluctuating voltage levels can damage components or cause system instability.

- Overclocked? If you've overclocked your system without 'locking' the PCI bus speed, you'll end up with data corruption sooner or later.

By the way, can you please describe a bit more clearly what the 'glitching' is that you hear? Your comment describes nothing at all, and only leaves us guessing. 'Glitch' means simply a mistake or interruption. Describe the sound, eh, and exactly when it occurs?

1) Might provide a miniscule improvement. Processors are really one of the least important factors in a gaming system. Sure it'll make a difference if you change from, say, a 1.5Ghz Pentium to a 2.5Ghz Pentium, but small improvements make hardly any impact at all. The display card is the area you should focus on for a gaming system.

2) There is no such thing as a 'safe' overclock. Every individual processor is different, and every overclock is a risk. The only thing you can do is to try it, measure it, and make a decision. If you don't know what you are doing, don't do it!

I've dug up a bit more information, and it indicates perhaps the data on AMD's specifications page may not be correct. The two processors you mentioned have different cores. They should perform identically, but enthusiasts seem to prefer the 512K cache Newcastle core processor, as they claim it overclocks better. If overclocking is never going to be a consideration, I think I'd choose the 1Mb cache Clawhammer core chip, for the extra cache and the slower clockspeed.

Slower clockspeed = less potential for heat issues, in my book, which is one of the biggest reasons for choosing AMD over Intel to start with.

Buy a new hard drive. It sounds like the one you have is DEAD, not simply dying!

According to AMDs specifications page, there are two models of 3400+ and BOTH should have 1Mb L2 cache!

You should buy. Check out http://www.cinfinitysolutions.com.

Please don't litter the forum with self-advertising like that. It's neither encouraged nor permitted here.

Besides, that website suggests that the slower performing system is the 'Performance' option, whilst advertising that the better performing games system is a 'value' option. Bit misguided, eh?

mokkema is asking about components, and that website does not offer anything but assembled systems, so the link is useless here.

And next time, please accept that blank CDs are not only extremely inexpensive, they are the best security your data can have. If data is crucial, it deserves daily backups.

Use slots 2 and 3. Use identical RAM modules for preference. Dual channel configuration will be reported on your BIOS POST screen information.

Ok If Any One May Understand This?
How Can A Junior Tech Can Improve Himself

Listen a lot. Learn a lot. Help others with what you've learnt ;)

I think that using magnetic fields on your hard drive is likely to remove EVERYTHING!

NF7-S revision 2. Do NOT get the NF7-S2 or the NF7-S2G because they do NOT provide overclocking facility.

Throw away the PC2100 RAM because it isn't adequate. You need to push Fsb up towards 200MHz to overclock it, so you need PC3200 or better RAM. If your chip runs at 200MHz fsb it will effectively be a 3200+. I have two here which run at that speed, but I'm not sure if yours will be suitable. You'll have to try it and find out!

Nope. Display card is the most important factor in gaming. Nothing makes up for a substandard display card.

Rule of thumb:

Never buy a new display card that's just been released. The price will inevitably drop after a few months.

Never buy a 'budget' display card. The cheaper versions of a product line inevitably has reduced function.

Never purchase a gaming card which costs under $AU300. (Approx $US200)

A new motherboard means a mandatory reinstall, I'm afraid. Windows XP does NOT cope with a motherboard transplant.

Reset CMOS and see what it identifies as. That FSB is running wrong speed and it's being misdetected. Your BIOS may need updating. What is the make and model number of your motherboard please?

mobo=motherboard.

1024Mb=1Gb

9600SE=9200 approximately, because of the reduced memory addressing bandwidth. It really is NOT a good card, particularly if you want to use a screen resolution much above 800x600

http://www.digital-daily.com/video/ati-vga-roundup2003/

You can now obtain 9800 Pros at quite low prices, and they would make a worthy purchase. Other 'good' value cards are the NVidia FX5900XT and the upcoming Nvidia 6600GT

That certainly is interesting! Thanks for the heads up.

Moved to security section.

Sorry, but it's gone!

The encryption needs to be removed using the user account it was created with. If the drive has been formatted and reinstalled, then I'm afraid there's no way to retrieve the data.

1. Your computer guy should have known that.
2. People should NOT use such features without first determining how they operate.

Check this!

You'll find information about making changes to Windows services at

http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

Tools -> Options -> Read. Untick "Read all messages in plain text".

Buy a new Centrino notebook!

Seriously! The power management features double the best battery lifespan available in any other form of notebook.

Which AMD processor? There are several completely different types. Which Pentium? Again there are several different types.

With the current 'best of' - the Athlon64 or Athlon FX, and the Pentium 4 or Pentium 4EE, the AMD beats the Pentium equivalents for both performace and heat related issues!

Bung it in a bloody PC and see what it identifies as! By the way, there should be another code number on there. What is it?

Oh dear! Go back to basics!

Motherboard, processor, RAM and video card that is. Remove or disconnect EVERYTHING ELSE!

Reset CMOS if you need to, but get the system to complete POST right through the system component detection routine. Then add components one by one (hard drive last of all of course) until you track down where the problem lies. It will most likely be something connected wrongly!

That system is still quite good for games. Simply replace the display card with a better one.

Forget the processor, because the mobo won't let you overclock it. But the display card is the biggest factor in gaming anyway. With video memory running at 400MHz, that means your card is either a standard 9600 or more likely a 9600SE, which is a crappy card no better than a Geforce4 MX440 (perhaps worse). Grab the best display card you can afford and you'll see improvement.

If that's a 9600XT it's an OK card

Have you plugged the new drive to a connector on an already used connector cable? If so, did you change he drive's jumper setting to 'master' or 'slave' accordingly?

Your problem description is consistent with a failing hard drive, which is a hardware matter.

If you are working on vital data, then regular backup is a must. At least weekly - not every two months.

Waiting until there is enough data to completely fill a blank CD (which has negligible cost) is false economy. Hell, when I have something that it's vital to have backed up I don't care if it's only a few kilobytes going on that CD!

Pamida, grab a CD burner for it and copy your files to CD. A floppy drive is totally inadequate in todays world, and the files most likely won't fit on a floppy anyway. CD burners are quite inexpensive.

Hyper threading is only useful if the type of program you run uses it. For everyday applications computing and for PC gaming it gives next to no benefit. For specialised tasks like real-time video editing, 3D rendering and a few other high-end tasks, hyper-threading will give benefit, and for those tasks a top-end Pentium would possibly be a better choice.

For everything else, the Athlon64 has a narrow but definite performance lead.

Pamida, this topic:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread6632.html

Will link to two articles. Together they'll tell you all you need to know. You'll have to obtain Windows XP device drivers for the components in your HP computer, and you should find them pn the support section of HP's website.

The mention that it's for 'Windows 95 or earlier' simply means that it is a full retail version of Windows XP, rather than an upgrade you need a qualifying product to install.

It'll simply be boot from the CD, remove the existing drive partitions, install. Simple as that. Read the articles ;)

This article and the linked ones should hold about all the answers you need to resolve the situation. 'Missing drives' would be one of the most common problems faced by PC owners, I reckon.

Hi Jackie. I'm happy to give you two bits of advice:

* Head to our 'Security' forum section and read through the "Helping Yourself" topic stickied near the top of page. Work your way through it and use the suggested tools to clean up your system. Those 'search' thingys you are using are rather nasty and intrusive examples of spyware, which don't do your computer any favours. Learn to use Google to search for things instead.
* For goodness sake, keep away from 'get rich quick' pyramid schemes! Every single one of them is a con job which only ever makes the person who started it any wealthier!

Windows itself should install appropriate motherboard drivers for an old Intel board like that one.

Windows 98 no service packs

I just installed a new hard drive and modem. I need to change the color settings on monitor in order to install internet service. Problem is that it only gives me the option for 2 bit or 16 bit color and I need higher for internet installation. I am trying to install the driver for my hp mx70 monitor that I downloaded from hewlett packard site but monitor still does not appear in the list of monitors. I had to save the driver to a floppy and transfer it to the other computer since no internet on it.
Monitor is supposed to be plug n play but disconnecting and reconnecting and restarting computer does not work either.
Any suggestions?

If you haven't somehow deleted the hidden system partition that Windows XP and the bundled software was stored on, you could follow the instructions in the product documentation and restore the system to its original state. Why anyone would remove XP and put Windows 98 on a system is beyond me!

But if you really intend to use 98 you'll need to provide a model number for that HP Pavilion, so people can locate the device drivers you need and tell you where to get them (if they exist for Windows 98, that is ;))

Have you got the Windows 98SE CD? It sounds like your system is in need of a good 'refresh' of the windows installation.

Pop the Windows CD in the drive and run 'Setup' o install Windows again over the top of the current installation. That should leave your programs and data files in place, and simply refresh the system files with new copies which actually work - if you are in luck that is!

No guarantees, but it's worth a try and it's better than formatting and starting over fresh.

Oh don't mind me. I have a particular 'bee in the bonnet' in relation to Norton products ;)

If you use them and have success with them, then fine.

It's the extraordinarily large number of people who have problems with their products that gets me riled, and when I track down solutions to the problems that cross my desk I find that the same issues get replicated year after year, version after version! Conflicts with other software, installation and uninstall issues, system slowdowns, the list goes on....

I'm sure they're working to resolve the problems which exist. Late last year (or perhaps earlier this year, I can't quite recall) they purchased the rights to PowerQuest Drive Image. The purchase wasn't to buy out a competitor to 'Ghost'. It was to obtain the rights to a better code base.

Norton Internet Security, in tandem with Norton AntiVirus, is the slowest operating software firewall and antivirus combination in existence, and I'm sure they'll address THAT issue some day. Perhaps they'll make changes to LiveUpdate, to resolve the problems people have been experiencing since NAV2002 or perhaps even earlier!

Like I said, don't mind me. I'm just a cynical and embittered old Techie!

That's fine for working on the inrenals of the system itself, Alex, but when you're cracking open the power supply unit itself it pays to be quite a bit more cautious. There's some rather big-ass capacitors inside power units!

Intel does not have an 'equivalent' to the A64 3400+, because it currently does not have a 64/32 desktop processor, nor does it have a 32-bit desktop processor with the 'security bit' protection feature of the Athlon64 line.

In 32-bit desktop Windows computing you could expect the Pentium 4 3.4GHz to be competitive.

Here's the absolute surest way possible to ensure your data isn't lost:

- Pull the hard drive out of your system
- Buy another hard drive and put it IN your system
- Load Windows onto the new drive and get it running
- Change the jumper on your old drive to 'Slave' and pop it in as a second drive
- Copy your valuable data files across to the new drive
- If the system fails to read your files off the old hard drive, take the drive to a very expensive data recovery service.
- Find the nearest brick wall and bang your head against it (until blood flows) for being silly enough to have vital data on your hard drive without a backup copy of it. Blank CDs cost less than a single cigarette, and CD burners cost about as much as a case of beer!

Also, it depends upon just what you believe a computer IS.

I don't see the inclusion of more and more functions into the OS as a negative - I see that factor as a positive. I shouldn't really need to juggle software programs on my system to perform the everyday tasks which are fast becoming a routine part of using a PC. Back in the day when Windows 3.1 became the first really usable consumer OS for PCs, the inclusion of Paint, Write, Calculator and the varios other little inclusions made sense and no-one complained about their inclusion. Expectations of PCs weren't as high then, and no-one saw reason to complain.

Expectations are higher nowadays, and the inclusion of what consumers can rightfully consider to be 'necessary functions' demands higher system overheads and more 'bloat' in the OS itself. And it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Is it wrong for me to expect that when I plug my digital camera into my PC, the thing asks me if I want to copy them to my system? Is it wrong that the PC can allow me to view those pictures as a 'slideshow'? Hell no! why I plugged the bloody camera into the thing in the first place!

Is it wrong that when I pop a music CD into the drive, a player will start up and play the blasted thing for me? Hell no! That's why I put the CD in the drive! Is it wrong …

Let me say the Forum section title again. "Geeks Lounge" duh?

Moved to the Hardware section.

I personally keep a smallish usb mouse in my laptop carry bag, for situations where I like to use one. Why do I think it's the best? Because it cost me $AUD20, because it's light and takes up little space, because it's quick and convenient to plug in and use!

I think they're becoming more and more resource demanding because they're being made more and more stable, robust and secure.

I also think that even the OS versions currently in development are nowhere near good enough yet!

You won't see the day that a newer OS starts to 'shrink' in any meaningful way until the day arrives when all our computers are really only terminals, accessing powerful central computers to operate. When and if that day arrives, will be the day when we lose the power to control our own systems completely, and become dependent on (and subservient to) a central controlling entity.

Bring on the newer and bigger OS's and the bigger and better PCs, because I for one don't want to ever see that day arrive, really.

Focus on the features provided, rather than on the brand is the best advice I could give. Almost ALL laptops are now manufactured by only 3 manufacturers. They are rebadged and sold as 'Brand name' units!

What is the purpose of the laptop? That should be the major determining factor, as it will determine the features you need. Is it to be fully mobile? If so then a Centrino solution is definitely the best alternative, because of the improved power management and battery life. Is it to be a powerful Desktop replacement? Then perhaps a Pentium 4 M or an Athlon64 Mobile solution would be better. Is it required to double up as a games system? If so, then nothing short of NVidia FX Go or ATi Radeon Mobility graphics should be considered.

And what of the other features and connectivity. If there are features included which you actually don't need, make sure you're not paying extra for them. If there are features you DO need which aren't present, then perhaps that laptop isn't adequate.

If the laptop is to have a short lifespan of actual use by yourself, and needs to retain resale value, then the perceived 'Prestige' and resale value becomes an issue. If it's to have a longer lifespan of use by yourself, then really the only consideration you need to worry about in relation to brand name is the quality of support services provided by the 'System manufacturer'.

Centrino notebooks are only …