Posts by Catweazle

Hi keylargobaby and welcome. We have a "Windows Software" section for questions about using Windows programs, and specialised sections for Windows problems, Internet Explorer problems and a heap more besides! Post your problem and question in the appropriate section and I'm sure it will receive attention.

You have spyware or malware of some description on your PC, by the sound of it. You should follow the advice given in the "Helping Yourself" topic in the security section, and then report if you still have problems after using the suggested tools.

I'll move this topic there, because your problem is definitely not a hardware one ;)

Yzk, if you use Open Office as an office suite, Firefox as a browser, Thunderbird as a mail client and Sunbird as your calendar/diary, you can have the whole shebang for free! ;)

Or you could simply use Sunbird on its own :D

I would go with the Athlon64, because with Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed, it's by far the most secure platform to use. That in itself is enough reason to make the choice an easy one. Add that to the fact that Athlon64s have less heat problems than the newer high-powered Pentiums, and you get a scenario where brand loyalty needs to be called into question.

Upcoming Pentiums will have hardware security features like the Athlon 64s, but current models don't.

Future Intel processors will almost certainly be based on mobile processor technology, running at lower clockspeeds and eliminating some of the thermal problems, but for now AMD has most certainly demonstrated why "less gigahertz is better".

And coupling a hot-running processor with a high-powered 3D display card is where the problems are most likely to show up ;)

For gaming the Athlon64 is better than Pentium. If your video editing tasks are going to be 'heavy-duty' then a high powered Pentium might just be a better choice, but overall it sounds like an Athlon64 solution might be your best option.

That Thermalright heaysink, coupled with a quiet-running 120mm fan looks quite ricey and I'd imagine it'd also be very efficient, but unless you plan to overclock the thing I can't for the life of me see the need to replace the stock heatsink/fan unit. Unless you're choosing your heatsink purely for appearance (Window case) then simply replace the provided thermal interface material with Arctic Silver 5 or Shin-Etsu thermal paste.

Hi joka, and wecome to DaniWeb.

We have Forum sections for a wide range of topic areas. Please post your question as a new topic in the 'Networking' section so that you can attract a response to it and gain assistance.

You flipped the connector 180 degrees and checked?

From Dave's photo album?

[img]http://www.winternet.com/%7Emikelr/assets/Grammarian.jpg[/img]

For the most part, everyday computings tasks will run better on the Athlon64 than on the Pentium. If you intend to be spending most of your time doing one of the more specialised computing tasks that hyperthreading actually BENEFITS, then the Pentium might be a better choice, but for most things you'll ever do hyperthreading doesn't actually bring any realistic benefit or performance boost. If it's for games or general computing, then the Athlon64 is definitely the best choice. If it's for heavy duty database number-crunching or perhaps computer aided design, then the Pentium might be a better choice. Horses for courses really, and if the tasks are quite specialised then perhaps a more workstation oriented choice such as an Opteron would be preferable to both ;)

The overclocking and water-cooling issue I'd reject. I think it's been put forward incorrectly. From the reports I've seen, it seems to be indicated that, despite the undeniable heat issues of the Socket T Prescotts, they actually overclock BETTER on average than the Athlon64s.

Soral, if you can't pull that off the top of your head, you've got problems instore for you!

Clockspeed means nothing because it can only compare one model of a particular processor to another model of the same processor. Use a different type of processor, even if it's the same brand, and the internal architecture will be different and it will use a different clockspeed to get the same result.

Want a really good demonstration? Get 3 notebooks which all give comparable scores from benchmark tests. Make sure one uses an Athlon64, the second a Pentium 4 mobile, and the third is a Centrino notebook with a PentiumM processor. Sit a sign beside each showing the processor clockspeed.

The Pentium 4 Mobile will have the highest clockspped, the Athlon64 will have a considerably lower clockspeed, and the PentiumM will be almost half the clockspeed of the Pentium 4 Mobile!

Same amount of work done, different clockspeeds.

The decision to move to a new system of numbering is a responsible one, not a flawed one, because comparing clockspeeds is the stupidest, most meaningless method of comparison that exists. Those 'uninitiated consumers' have fallen prey to the stupidity because Intel foisted it on them in the first place, and the fact that Intel has finally made a move away from the practice is to be applauded.

And, of course, you might want to make mention that the change is mostly motivated by …

Hi again,

A decent Uninstaller program does a bit more than simply clean out registry entries. Some compare programs and their installers against a database and removes them completely, while other types may monitor the installation process and then track system changes programs make so they can be effectively removed later.

Your Uninstaller
Advanced Uninstaller Pro

Try booting into 'Safe Mode' and uninstalling Panda. You haven't given any details about the error messages you receive, or the version of Panda you have, but you might simply have program components loaded which are blocking the uninstall.

If you still can't uninstall from Safe Mode, try following these instructions from the Panda support team:

Open the Registry from Start, Run, write REGEDIT, and click on OK. Highlight 'My Computer' at the top of the list, then go to 'Edit' and 'Find'. Type 'panda' into the box and then click on 'Find Next'. This will search the Registry for panda files. When it brings up a folder or file, press 'delete' or right-click on the highlighted file/folder and select 'delete' from the menu to remove it. Then press 'F3' to search again and find the next Panda entry.

Continue to search and delete Panda entries in the Registry until no more entries are found. Then repeat this process, this time searching for 'pav'. When both searches are complete, close the Registry and restart the computer.

Once this operation has been carried out, …

Could you please let us know what exactly the 'things' are which are being reported to?

Moved to Security section

That AMD, in almost all situations, will actually outperform the Pentium.

Comparing the clockspeeds means absolutely nothing, as they are different types of processor, which perform the same job but do it in different ways!

The 64-bit actually has nothing to do with it, as the AMD is actually a 64/32-bit processor, and will act simply as a fast 32-bit processor with Windows XP installed. It won't operate as a 64-bit processor unless a 64-bit operating system is installed.

But the end result is, unless you plan to perform some rather specialised tasks on your computer, the Athlon64 is the 'winner' in the pairing by a small margin.

Remove the data cable from the floppy drive, reverse the connector and plug it back in. Sounds very much like you've simply plugged it in the wrong way round.

Moved to Hardware, by the way

LOL

(No, not at you, joshuu. Ya had to be there! :))

Ah! I should have twigged to that, now that I look at it. :D

Edit: To the 'gist' bit that was.

Mystic1, I'm sorry to have offended you, and I wish you well with your counselling. Sincerely.

He means, is there any chance that the system files were written back to the hard drive with a startup disk from a different Windows version? If so, it needs to be redone using a Windows 98 startup disk.

I can assure you that my comments were in no way whatsoever a 'jest'.

They were sincere.

I'm sorry I don't have the time at the minute to find a better alternative, but please note that Easycleaner is NOT an Uninstaller. It's a Registry Cleaner, and a potentially dangerous tool in the hands of the inexperienced.

No! Do NOT go to gamesprites.com

I just checked that and it's a porn redirection thingy. If you wish to make a suggestion, please use a legitimate link!

You are inviting problems, I feel, because of heat issues. Consider this:

You have 7 drives, all enclosed in thermally inefficient casings. You have 7 individual power converters to run them. If you want to enclose it all in a case you'll need fans to cool it (case fans, not heatsink fans) and yet another power converter to run them. All that adds up to a lot of heat, and I'd suggest that a briefcase is not a good idea.

Here's an alternative suggestion, to simplify your setting up:

- Take all those little 'feet' off the drive enclosures. Obtain 4 strips of suitable material (planed wooden slats, acrilyc strips etc) and use velcro strips to fix the slats to the sides of the drives, ensuring that you leave about 25mm (1 inch) of ventilation space between each drive.

- Use labels or some other suitable method to number both ends of each data cable for identification, connect up all the data cables to the drives, and use flexible cable wrap or cable tidy to bundle them together, leaving only enough free cable at the PC end to enable the cables to be plugged in.

- Fit all the power converters to a powerboard. Number the units and the plug ends of each cable for identification, and again bundle the wires together with cable wrap.

- obtain a case of sufficient size to accomodate both 'units' you've just 'assembled', and fix the powerboard inside …

DO NOT TOUCH THAT LITTLE RED SWITCH !!

Changing the voltage level of the power unit will cause your system to make lots of smoke, a big flash of light and a loud noise, possibly a fire that will burn the building down, and worst of all your PC will never work again!

oops. my bad! Sorry for the link about Windows Messaging Service, please ignore it.

Right, I have Windows Messenger disabled on my system, MSN Messenger enabled and loading at startup, Outlook installed and in constant use, and no conflicts or returns from the dead whatsoever.

Here's how:

Open Windows Messenger. On Tools->Options->Preferences disable the 'Load at Startup' option. Close Messenger.
Open Outlook Express. On Tools->Options->General disable 'Automatically log on to Windows Messenger'
Close Windows Messenger again if it's running and logged in.
Reboot, making sure that neither Outlook Express nor Windows Messenger loads at startup.
Start MSN Messenger
Open up 'Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs -> Set Program access and defaults. Choose 'Custom' and ensure that 'Use my current Instant Messaging Program' is enabled.

That's how it's configured on my system, and there's no sign of the problems being reported here. Windows Messenger does NOT run at all, ever.

I'm using the version of Outlook included in MS Office XP, and only ever load Outlook Express to check settings and features. Outlook does not cause Windows Messenger to run. Starting OE does not cause problems.

There is also a Registry tweak which can permanently disable Windows Messenger, and people who use Windows Messenger 4.0 need to disable it using Group policies.

http://www.mvps.org/marksxp/WindowsXP/messenger/messenger2.php

Whilst I would certainly not use the type of terminology in the previous post, i'd certainly have to agree with the basic thrust of it.

When a relationship has broken down to the extent that husband and/or wife are playing 'spy games' and using surveillance techniques on each other, then no amount of technological repsonses will be of any worthwhile assistance. You have a problem and it's not a computer-related one. Please seek help!

I'd encourage you to read this recent article of mine, which addresses a different domestic issue related to parent and child. Perhaps by looking at the problem of someone else you might be able to get a glimpse of what is really confronting yourself. Your situation begs for counselling, not for computer assistance.

Edit: Please note. That is a personal response, not any 'official' stance of DaniWeb, and perhaps Dani would be rather shocked to see me express it. But in all sincerity I could not bring my self to offer a different viewpoint. Displaying such a lack of trust in one's partner is horrible!

If you actually don't understand HOW to change the name of one of them, please indicate the Windows versions in use so that advice can be given.

I just fired mine up to check and the only two possibly relevent options i found available were "Play a game" and "Start Application Sharing".

Could you please describe your problem with more detail added?

How to perform a refresh install of Windows XP

I very much doubt that!

A dozen or so topics on page one of the lounge is getting a bit too messy I feel, so could future invites please be posted only in this thread.

Further topics which simply offer invites may end up deleted, as they clutter the forum section up and make other discussions more difficult to keep track of.

I find it incredibly unremarkable, and just a little alarming, given that it's a searchable database that you never truly get to delete your information from.

You should be aware, however, that residual copies of information may remain stored on our systems even after the deletion of information or the termination of your account.

When first introduced, they held some sort of bizarre 'prestige value', but now you can buy accounts on eBay for a few cents!

You need:

- A good AntiVirus program, constantly scanning in the background
- At least two Spyware detection and Removal programs (AdAware, spybot)
- A decent 'Uninstaller', which monitors the programs being installed on your system and ensures that they are properly removed later.
- A good set of computing habits, including a reasonable working knowledge of Windows tools such as Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter
- Sensible web browsing habits and an awareness of what type of "Can I install?" requests to keep clear of.

With those things, you will almost certainly never have a need to call in any 'Doctor' to fix up the problems that have been allowed to arise.

All of those things can be found for free!

Can you get any clues from this already existing topic?

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread10062.html

I'd certainly be interested in hearing a definitive answer to this one as well. some time back I looked all over the net for clues to a reader's similar problem, but with no success.

Definitely contact them to get the information. I'm damn glad I've not seen eMachines systems here, but I've had occasion to try and dig up information on them to help others. It's impossible!

If you don't get the information from them, try to get hold of one of these cables and an extension cable, run it out through a spare slot bay and plug it into a rear port.

......goes and gets the Radiation Suit out of the hall closet.

[img]http://www.sparkingreaction.info/media/radiation%20proof%20suit.jpg[/img]

Manually configuring your drives and then allowing BIOS to detect them does!

Set Master and Slave drives manually by jumper settings, attach them to the cables as you've described, and have all IDE settings in BIOS set to 'Auto'. Works every time ;)

The 'recovery files' don't belong to XP as such, they 'belong' to the System manufacturer.

A number of 'Brand name' manufacturers actually put the installation files in a 'hidden' partition which doesn't appear via Windows. You can follow manufacturer's instructions and retrieve them to restore your system to it's original state, or to reinstall drivers or refresh your OS installation. You'll find this practice followed particularly by those manufacturers who don't provide a "Recovery CD", but you'll also find that even some manufacturers who provide such a CD actually still have the files on a 'hidden partition' and the CD itself includes basically just the routines to run to extract and install them.

*blushes.......

Disabling Windows Messenger - click this link!

I have Windows Messenger Service disabled on my systems and MSN Messenger works just fine! The two are NOT co-dependent, in my experience.

Moved to 'Security' section.

You are very lucky to have gotten away with swapping ove a Windows XP hard drive to a different motherboard. Usually you can't even get the system to boot after doing that!

Do a refresh install of Windows XP to see if it fixes things up for you.

If that soundcard is still IN a Dell Dimension, get the drivers from Dell instead. Creative drivers for SBLive cards in Dell PCs are a tad different to standard Creative drivers.

Socket A is the type of socket an AMD Athlon XP processor plugs into. A motherboard with one of those isn't suitable for other types of processor.

The processor you've chosen to buy is an AMD Athlon64 socket 754 processor, so you'll need to get a motherboard with one of those processor sockets on it ;)

There's no such thing as a Centrino chip!

Centrino is the overall technology of the laptop. The processor itself is a PentiumM. It does the same amount of work at much lower clockspeeds than a Pentium 4 M(obile) processor, and a 1.6GHz PentiumM is about equivalent to a Pentium 4 M 3GHz chip ;)

The technology is great, the performance matches, and yes, I'd consider it to be a worthy purchase. Except for this:

If you're going to be doing a lot of very heacy number-crunching, and you're going to be ties to a desk most of the time with it, you're probably going to be better suited to a heavier, hoteer, high powered 'desktop replacement' style of machine, with the best Pentium 4M chip in it you can afford.

If you're getting an Athlon64 and a decent video card, then you want a decent motherboard to go with it, and the VIA chipset boards are certainly NOT king of the hill ;)

Find a motherboard with an NVidia nForce3 250 chipset on it, and forget about worrying so much about what features it includes. You can disable the ones you don't want. By the way, I haven't really come across any such boards with onboard video, so that shouldn't be a problem.

LocaMaMee924, download the necessary tools on a different PC and burn them to CD. Do it on a friend's PC or on a work PC if you need to.

Then use 'Safe Mode' on your PC to install and run them so you get the best chance of cleaning your own system.

If you can get to your desktop you should be able to get to Safe mode. Press F8 repeatedly just before the Windows logo screen loads following power-up to access it.

You have had 'net nasties' intrude on your system. Read the "Helping Yourself" topic in the security section, and try using the suggested tools to clean up your system. You might have to download them on another computer and burn them to CD, then boot your PC into 'Safe mode' to install and run them.

I'll move this to the Security forum section for further attention, but please work through the suggestions in the stickied topic first, as it's most likely that your system has multiple problems ;)

Sounds like both versions work in basically the same way then ;)

Just letting you know. If that NTFS partition is the one your information is stored on, then deleting the partition has already made everything on there disappear, which is why I never advised you to take that course of action.

Damn eh?