Posts by Catweazle

Just find the appropriate Forum section for your question or topic of discussion, and create a new topic just as you've done here mate :D

For more technical aspects of using the site, check out the FAQ:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/faq.php?faq=vb_faq

You might also like to click on the 'User CP' button at top of page to access the Control Panel for your account, and explore the menus in there to see what settings you can adjust.

Don't hesitate to ask further questions - I take your point. Newcomers to Forums in general can find it 'Heavy Weather' for a while ;)

Are all your Windows updates installed? Is that a USB 2.0 port on your system? Is the Flash memory device USB 2.0? Does the Flash memory device work on a different system?

These things can be a bit erratic, I'm afraid. See this discussion, and the reader comments:

http://www.pcuser.com.au/pcuser/hs2.nsf/web/2ED3E60DB708A32ACA256E80006AFB13

Point one: a hardrive with an existing Windows XP installation on it will NOT work in a different system.

Point two: the procedures for performing a fresh install you've been following are convoluted and unnecessary.

Why not try again, and follow the procedures outlined in the articles linked in this topic:

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

Try to ensure it's the same make/model as what you already have. Running different brands or models can create stability issues that weren't there before.

If it's PestControl/Cookie Patrol that's causing the problem, then uninstalling it would be better than disabling it whilst surfing. It's a waste of time having something for Internet protection if you're not gonna use it when you're on the net!

Hasn't the program an option to disable sounds?

512Mb if you run it as a dedicated games machine or for everyday applications use.

1Gb if you have heavy usage, or wish to swap in and out between games and applications, without exiting programs. I use 1Gb myself, for my Games and household system, and 512Mb for this work system I'm on now.

I consider Windows XP to run like a dog on 256Mb or less, and would suggest that 384Mb should be the minimum amount used for that OS.

No-one did! I just put that in there for the benefit of others who might be reading it!

Yep, that's an nForce2 Ultra chipset motherboard, and will handle a 400MHz fsb, Athlon XP3200+ no worries!

Make sure you're using PC3200 DDR RAM with it, so you can run your fsb and memory 'in sync' and get the best performance from it ;)

No

What's the mobo and CPU in question?

heh heh....

You'd think so, but the content of some of the reader requests we get at Australian PC User (and some of the help requests I've seen here at TechTalk) would suggest that this is not always the case ;)

I'm not sure, really. If it's at top, I'd ensure that it's not running at too high revs and interfering with the airflow past your processor and vid card. Perhaps rear/adjacent to the processor would be the best position, if it fits there!

I don't like 120mm fans personally, I think they're too big.

My own 'beast' has this setup:

Front/bottom - 92mm intake
Rear/centre - 80mm exhast
Rear/top- 80 mm exhaust
Power unit - 80mm intake, 80mm exhaust
Front/top- 2 banks of 3x40mm intake, to cool hard drives

It's a server case, and the fan positioning ensures airflow past the processor and vid card in the bottom section, and past the hard drives in the top section.

Spend the extra and get a good brand! Avoid CodeGen or similar like the plague!

For a decent system, you want a Power Supply Unit which will deliver consistent and accurate voltages. That's far more important than the Wattage rating of the thing.

eerrr..... uummmmmm.........

Make sure when you're removing those add-in cards that you don't remove the display card. A PC will not boot without a display card, so if an add-in card is all you've got, then you need to leave it in there!

Do NOT alter motherboard jumpers without first confirming in the motherboard manual that the jumper is the correct one. CMOS reset jumpers are NOT always adjacent to the battery!

Your most important considerations for fan placement are front/bottom for intake and rear/adjacent to processor for exhaust. Ideally, both positions should have a fan, with the hole cut for airflow as described. A setup like that should suit most hot-running processor/vid card combinations.

A fan in the case side panel should be an intake fan, but I'd agree that if your system runs hot a top, exhaust fan is probably the best addition to make. (And I reckon a 120mm intake fan above the vid card is probably overkill ;))

I think you'll find that a suitable motherboard costs more as well. Compare the price of an ABit NF7-S motherboard (which is a high performance, fully featured Athlon XP motherboard) with the cost of a decent nForce3 250 chipset motherboard for Athlon64 (which is the best in class for that processor choice).

Yes, but if it's a cheap, generic PSU you mifght still have stability problems. but then, you can have stability problems with generic PSUs regardless of their wattage.

oops, sorry. I forgot to respond to this earlier.

That's exactly what i meant, Alex. I wouldn't really advise anyone to feel pressured to switch to A64 and Socket 754. It'd be better to 'patch up' just yet, and wait for Socket 939 with PCI Express slots a bit further down the track.

High-end games machines are the only ones that'd have you looking at A64 and Socket 754 just at the moment.

Tools -> Internet Options -> Content

Click on the 'AutoComplete' button, and turn off the settings there!

;)

Yep, a jigsaw will work. Use a fine-tooth blade, tape both sides of the panel, and go slow. Cut a smaller hole first, and work your way out to where you want to get.

A jigsaw will NOT cut a perfect 80mm circle straight off!

A 'blowhole' and wire guard in the front of the case is certainly preferable where a front intake fan is used. Waste of time having it there if it's unable to work effectively!

Slade, was I you I'd be pulling that fan back out, and using a dremel or similar tool to cut that grill completely out of the case, leaving a round hole which allows proper airflow. You've put a fan in your case in a way which only allows a small fraction of the airflow that the fan can provide!

Here's a guide to follow for the job:

http://www.gideontech.com/content/articles/180/1

That setup you've got, mate, is like trying to breathe when some big angry bastard has his hands clenched firmly around your throat!

Recent XP 2500s don't usually overclock as well as some of the earlier issues of the chip. If you're counting on running one at 200MHz front side bus you might just be in for a bit of disappointment!

On the other hand, when looking at Athlon64 I think RAM compatibility is the wrong thing to be worried about - you should be concerned about the Socket format! A64s will be moving to the Socket939 format sometime in the near future, and those jumping in to the current Socket format might just be left with a rather limited upgrade path.

For the moment, I'd suggest an XP in the 3000+ or 3200+ models, or a P4 at about the 3 GHz range would be ample.

For Video editing, the most important thing to look at in your purchase is decent RAM (which you can reuse later) in copious amounts, and heaps of drive storage space, preferably SATA drives for future proofing.

Best I could do:

"Immortal Chicken"

[IMG]http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/jha0199l.jpg[/IMG]

next:

"Dani's Web"

Right click that device manager entry and choose 'Uninstall'

Reboot and let your system reinstall the card. Provide drivers if necessary

Set up your network connection again.

Find the 'Printers' entry in Control Panel, and when you locate the entry for your printer, right-click it and choose 'Open'

You should get a dialogu box which contains entries for documents in the print queue.
On the Menu system somewhere, you'll have an entry "Cancel all Documents" or "Purge Documents". That's the one you need to use!

It might take a while to clear it out, so don't be alarmed if there's a bit of a wait for it to fully respond.

What size hard drive was the newer one, and what size did it get identified as? This later issue could be a motherboard chipset limitation.

Details of the motherboard (or system) make and model and of the hard drive make and model would help us provide an answer for you.

That's not much help, Jimmy. It's a person's own choice if they want to contribute to the seti@home project!

Mace, I don't run SETI - I run folding@home myself. But I've had a look at the documentation for SETI and it seems to me like the software can't be configured to use the full capacity of a dual-processor system, and should be 'forced' to use only one processor under those circumstances.

Used on a 'hyper-threaded' processor, I'd imagine it would get even more confused. Perhaps an experienced user of the software might pop up to offer more advice, or perhaps you could chase up more assistance at SETI's bulletin board:

http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/bb/bb2/index.cgi

(Please let us know how you 'fixed' it if you get success from there)

Have you tried the troubleshooting procedures here:

http://www.aol.com/support/index.adp?toc=perform&page=01

Yep, I'm also in the middle of a pretty serious case mod. Actually, it's a pretty serious overclock project as well!

Sorry folks. My camera's kaput so no pics :(

And yep! You should definitely paint that front panel, together with the bezels on those optical drives. Just use ordinary old Gloss Vinyl Dye that you get from an auto parts store. (Add a final coat of Gloss Enamel if you like, for a better effect.)

Here's a guide to doing those drives:

http://www.casejunkiez.com/articles/paintjob/drive_paint.shtml

Hey!

Has anyone here actually downloaded and scanned that zip file? You HAVE got Virus scanners, haven't you?

Janna, don't be put off by this. we're happy to have new members onboard who are eager to help out others. But at the same time, don't be surprised if people get a tad suspicious when someone new shows up and links directly to a file, without indicating the source. That's not good practice, and it would be better to link to the discussion or the download page instead.

Those interested in knowing more about symids.sys (and the Norton IS slowdown in general) could have a look at this discussion for starters:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,10380496

and also this page from Symantec:

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/sharedtech.nsf/docid/2002020506493713?Open&src=&docid=2001082413371406&nsf=nav.nsf&view=docid&dtype=&prod=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl=

(By the way, no, I have neither downloaded nor checked it myself. I neither have Norton IS, nor an Internet slowdown. And I wasn't one of those doing the complaining! ;) )

That website was probably the Support section of Dell's website

http://support.dell.com

For now, though, you could try right-clicking 'My Computer' and choosing 'Properties'.

Select 'Hardware' -> 'Device Manager', then right-click each of the entries in the 'USB controllers' section and choose 'Uninstall'.

Reboot your system and allow Windows XP to detect and reinstall the devices, to see if that corrects your problems.

If it doesn't, download your system drivers from Dell and install them again.

My apologies, Rags. I didn't realise that site was now a 'Pay for access' service. It wasn't when I became a member, and I've not been asked for a subscription payment since!

Try this Knowledge Base article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299264

The reader then added this comment:

Following the link and the instructions appears very straight forward. However....

For me I was stopped at the Startup Disk. I was able to find aspi2dos.sys in the Windows\command\ebd directory, but none of the following (asked for by the Create a Startup Disk process) were found anywhere on my system:

autoexec.ebd
comand.ebd
config.ebd
extract.ebd
fixit.ebd
himem.ebd
ramdrive.ebd
readme.ebd
setramd.ebd
winboot.ebd

There are no *.ebd files on my system.

Beyond that the trhee files I need to replace are not on the ME CD. All three are on the system in the
C:\Windows\System32\Drivers directory.

uhcd.sys
usbhub.sys
usbd.sys

Any suggestions on what is going wrong here?

Thanks.

He was then told he could obtain a startup disk with CDROM support from www.bootdisk.com and added a further comment:

Thank you again. All went well with the advice listed. Although, I believe the problem was resolved when I found that my system had two System32/Drivers directories. One was in the Windows directory, the other in the programs directory.

The latter had 80 drivers, the other had 55. I copied the missing 25 drivers to complete the driver directory in Windows/System32. …

A few questions here, and please forgive my ignorance regarding AOL.

I had a look at AOL's Australian website, and noticed that there was no longer any reference there to a proprietary browser. Are you sure you're not installing old software which is designed for Windows 98? AOL seems to be mentioning only the use of Internet Explorer nowadays.

What purpose do you use the AOL browser for? I can't for the life of me imagine any task which Internet Explorer is unable to perform.

Reinstalling your motherboard drivers should fix any USB driver problems. What is the make/model of your computer, or preferably the make/model of your motherboard?

Marking this as 'Solved', Dani :D

(And, off-topic as it is, I'm sitting back waiting for my lovely FX5900XT to arrive, anticipating some overclocking fun!

It's a proven performer I obtained from an overclocker acquaintance who's moved to a Radeon X800Pro, and the card runs quite happily at about 500MHz core clockspeed. It'll do quite well, I reckon, in accompaniment with the Athlon XP system I have which chugs along no worries at XP3400+ speeds!)

Try the suggestions in this discussion first.

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinME/Q_20412493.html

Also, if you intend to install Windows XP, ensure that you've downloaded appropriate device drivers first. The following article links a guide to preparing for the job:

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

PCI is simply the slot that the soundcard is plugged into - it's not a 'thing' installed on your system.

It sounds to me very much like you have a rather corrupted Windows install there. Have you got the installation CDs that were originally included with the system, or did you install Windows Me from your own copy?

Hi again Rags.

I'm not certain, but I think the driver you need to install for that Gateway/Creative soundcard is File '7510802.exe' from this dowload page:

http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/search.asp?param=creative&st=kw

If that doesn't work, try the File '7510837.exe' as well, after you've installed the first file, as it is a 'Patch'.

If none of that works, let me know please.

Creative cards need a different driver to the included Windows ones or the Creative 'reference driver' for Gateway systems, that much I AM certain of!

heh heh.....

Slow down a tad, there, RagsRutherford!

If your PC has onboard sound, the speakers will be plugged into the group of connectors that are all together at rear of your PC, near your keyboard and mouse connectors. If it's an add-in card, it'll be a bit further away, in one of the 'slots' nearby.

What is the make and model number of your computer? That might help for starters.

Uninstall the soundcard. Uninstall Media Player. Uninstall any other 'player' software you might have there.

Reinstall your soundcard. Reinstall Media Player. See if it works.

Follow the advice in the "Helping Yourself: What to do first" topic in the Security Forum section to deal with the spyware etc. issues you have.

Are you using onboard audio? If so what is the make and model number of your motherboard?

Are you using an add-in soundcard? If so, what is the make and model number of your soundcard?

- Performing a format and fresh, clean install is always preferable to upgrading 'over the top' of an old installation of Windows. The system problems you inherit with the latter process outweigh the benefit gained from reatining documents and settings from the older install.

Best practice is to back up data etc before making system changes anyway, so there's not a great deal of point to performing an 'Upgrade install'. That upgrade CD can be used for a fresh install!

- You also need to install Windows updates immediately after installing Windows XP, in case your system contract the 'Blaster' or 'Sasser' infections, or one of their variants. Those nasty little intrusions will cause the sort of behaviour your system is exhibiting, and I suspect that you've fallen victim to one of them.

I'd suggest you format and start over, and this time do things in the following order:

Install windows.
Install an up-to- date antivirus program and have it background scanning
Connect to the Internet and Install all Windows Security updates
Proceed to install any remaining drivers and your software.

If you obtain a copy of the Microsoft Security CD mentioned in this article:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread4998.html

you will improve your chances of avoiding such infection considerably, because you will be able to install the most relevent updates before you connect to the internet.

And all those 'optimisation' programs you mention:

…

Want me to type all that out again, do ya?

:)

You might find a few tips in this article, and in another which is linked in it:

http://www.pcuser.com.au/pcuser/hs2.nsf/web/C7EAA07ABDB13103CA256EAD00058312

Can the database of a phpBB forum be transferred across to run under vBulletin, without losing memberlists, post history and so forth?

Then check to see if ACPI is enabled in BIOS Setup for the system. See your motherboard manual or contact the support service provided by your Susyem manufacturer for details about how to do that.

Moving to the Security Forum section, which is where all HijackThis logs should be posted.

That's a fair question, marijana, in light of the Tip itself.

If you don't see a 'Performance and Maintenance' option in Control Panel, you've obviously switched Control Panel to 'Classic View'. In the taskpane at left of the Window, select "Use Category View" and the Control panel Menu System will reappear, giving you the 'Performance and Maintenance' option.

Of course, you couldalternatively simply double-click 'Power Options' in the Classic View Control Panel to achieve the intended result.

Given that the problem only arose after you installed Window Washer, I'd doubt that the messages indicate a RAM problem.

Try uninstalling Window Washer and see if the problems persist.

Of course, the problem mightn't be with Window Washer itself, but it certainly does appear that some piece of software you've installed has overwritten system files with poorly written code. The error messages you're getting are more pertinent to badly behaved programs than they are to a hardware problem.