Posts by Catweazle

There is a driver listed there for "800/M800/MC810/MI811".

It is available in versions for Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me and Windows XP

(Those 'slashes' mean that the same driver is suited to all modems listed there!)

Have you ever opened it up and cleaned inside? Checked that all fans etc. are still running as they should? Your system could be overheating and locking up.

Have you got a firewall in place? A system left unattended, unprotected and connected is a 'target' for malicious little bored individuals to vandalise.

Have you a 'net connection which 'times out' after several hours?

What Lohghorn transformation?

Do you mean a Windows XP 'Theme' or do you mean Windows Longhorn Beta?

Please be more explanatory. You don't need to keep comments brief in a Forum like you would in irc

"No hands"

[IMG]http://bunky.zerosignal.net.au/Pics/Forum%20Shite/raisehandcare.jpg[/IMG]

"Drunk with Power"

Fair call - I as merely being cautious and I hope my comment hasn't offended.

The copy should have been made using a 'cloning' process. If the files and folders have simply been copied across to a CD-RW session the disk isn't fully functional. Nero's 'Copy CD' function should be adequate to the task.

Upgrading isn't a good option at all! You've stated that you're having stability problems with your existing installation, and those would be replicated and perhaps worsened with an 'over the top' install of XP.

You would definitely be best to perform a clean install, but consider that if you do it with a 'Retail Upgrade' CD you will need an earlier Windows CD for verification of eligibility during the installation.

Dowbload the manual from here:

http://tw.giga-byte.com/Download/Download.asp?DownloadPath=/MotherBoard/FileList/Manual/manual_7zxe_e_1101.pdf

You must simply be clicking the wrong option when you try - the manual is available in Fench, English and Chinese from the home site in Taiwan

The best program to use would possibly be

Style XP

There are plenty of themes and skins available on its website, and I'm sure some of them would provide the feature you want.

Windows XP doesn't.

heh heh........

Get a retail XP CD of course ;)

Glad to be of help with the laptop, but I'm afraid Forum Rules forbid assistance with other than legitimate software.

errr....... uummmmmmmm.................

What is the problem you are having?

That is a link to a 'Beastie Boys' website, with rather poorly streamed audio. It even plays with breaks and pauses through my 512K ADSL connection!

A bit clearer indication of what you want to know would be helpful ;)

Power up your system and enter BIOS setup. Disable 'S.M.A.R.T.

If your system will actually detect the drive and boot into Windows, immediately copy all your important data file over to the other hard drive, and then replace the drive!

S.M.A.R.T. stands for "Self Monitoring and Reporting Technology" and the report generated is an indication of impending drive failure.

What program are you trying to install? Does this happen with all programs you try to install? Please be as specific as possible with the information you provide. An error message on its own seldom is enough information.

Run the 'Upgrade Advisor' on the Windows XP CD. If it reports incompatible progrmas, uninstall them. If it reports incompatible device drivers, try for Windows 2000 ones from the product download page:

http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_modItemList.jsp#PublicList

Windows 2000 drivers are always next best if Windows XP ones aren't available.

Officially the product is unsupported for XP, but it's worth a try. The best course of action would be to wipe clean, install XP, and then load any device drivers (2000 version) for devices which XP doesn't automatically detect and install.

You can always wipe again and reload Me if necessary - all the device drivers for that are on the dowload page!

You have either knocked a component or connector loose, or have moved a connector from where it should be. Possibly you have done both!

You need to consult the motherboard manual for your PC (or download it from the motherboard manufacturers website if you haven't got it) and check that all wires and connectors are correctly attached to the appropriate pins.

You then need to check that all expansion cards and cable connectors are firmly and securely pressed 'home' in their sockets.

Thanks mate, that's the exactimoso one I was looking for!

If you have others, please feel free to add to, edit, chop, change or categorise that sticky as much as you like! It's there to be a helpful resource, not to garner glory :D

Terry

That message is probably telling you that the drive has failed. S.M.A.R.T. is a monitoring tool to check for drive problems. Replace the drive is the best move to make, I'd suggest!

There is no 'replacement' for config.sys in Windows 2000, or in any of the Windows NT based operating systems. 'config.sys' is a DOS system file, which the earlier Windows versions created because they are 'piggy-backed' over the top of the 16 bit DOD operating system. The NT based OS's are 32 bit OS's, and don't need it.

BHy far the best course of action you could take would be to clean it up by deleting the existing drive partitions, create new ones in their place, and run the Windows 2000 install again, fresh and clean.

Windows XP contains the facility to do all this in its 'Setup' routine when you boot from the Windows CD. I'm pretty sure that the Windows 2000 CD will do the same, but perhaps one of the Windows 2000 users here can verify this?

Hi,

Could you let us know some details about your system please? System manufacturer and model number? Motherboard make and model number? Modem make and model number?

I've come across a couple of 'budgetty' motherboards which are prone to problems like this when connecting an ADSL/Cable moden via onboard Ethernet. The systems using them were both fine with the initial Windows XP install, but following a full 'Security Update' of Windows XP neither would retain the internet connection. Motherboard driver updates or BIOS updates did not correct the problem, and rather than forgo the Windows Security updates I decided to disable and uninstall the onbard Ethernet, and install an Ethernet add-in card in its place.

That corrected the problem.

Your own problem, of course, may be something completely different. There's never any "One Final and Complete" answer to PC problems, after all!

Hi,

One of you wonderful souls recently posted a link to a website which described the various sections of the HijackThis log, and how to identify the various things which are reported in it. I'm damned if I can find the reference now, (and I neglected to bookmark it of course!)

Could you please repost the link, as it's one of several I'd like to add to the "Helping Yourself" sticky.

Thanks

You clould try the M800 driver from this website:

http://www.castlenet.com.tw/tech/download.htm

Goodness only knows what the multimedia curcuitry in it is. Perhaps you could contact I-Friend for assistance and details of where to obtain drivers. There's none listed on their website, not even for the product itself!

http://www.ifriendpc.co.uk/tech.htm

It enables scanning Office docs by default because Office docs are one of the most common entry points for viral infections.

And I've avoided Norton products like the plague, because I've come across so many incompatiibilities and weird issues like the one you've mentioned, that I believe Norton's is perhaps more of a hindrance than a help!

Point one:

I don't care what the specs for a particular item of hardware says - it is ALWAYS best to manually configure drives as 'Master' or 'Slave', and to use the appropriate cable connectors - end for 'Master' and middle for 'Slave'. The drive manufacturers might think their component is 'uber smart', but it has to interact with the rest of your system!

Point two:

Somehow, Boot order in BIOS setup has been disrupted (probably by that 'uber smart' drive trying to take over things because you didn't manually configure it) Get your drives correctly configured and then make any necessary change to 'Boot devices' order in BIOS setup.

If that $150 is cheap where you live, then why not? It's a fair way better than an FX5200!

The FX5200 is about equivalent to a Gf4MX for game speed, and a 9600 Pro compares to a Gf4Ti. (With DirectX9 'shinies' of course :D)

.... if your not going to be using a 64 bit os... the need for a 64 bit processor is?

........perhaps the fact that it creams the Pentium in 32-bit performance?

As a newbie to Forums, you probably don't realise that this question should be asked in the thread you refer to. "My thread" probably means a lot to you, and so it should. But to those reading the forum, it can be simply just another one of a long line of threads that have been read, and they'd have to go hunting to work out just what you're talking about.

You will need to work out what the motherboard make and model is, and download the motherboard manual from the manufacturer's website.

In a system that old, there are bound to be 'jumpers' on the motherboard which need to be alrered to enable correct CPU detection. It sounds like the bus speed and clock multiplier jumpers (or switches) are incorrectly set.

(This is a hardware question by the way. Could it be moved to the Hardware section please?)

Use a CDR!

Drive imaging software doesn't work very well with CD-RW media, from the reports I've seen.

And before you make a drive image in any case, it would be a sensible move to turn off background running programs such as AntiVirus, 'Disk-on-Demand' and other such stuff that scans as you work. It just makes more sense not to have them running.

It's not hard to turn them back on after you restore the drive image, is it?

My suggestion would be to insist that the display cards in either PC be replaced, or to source a system which includes better!

In any flavour, the FX5200 is a totally inadequate dosplay card for games, and hell! You're talking about Far Cry!

The absolute minimum standard card you want, to be able to play that game at a decent screen resolution and graphics settings would be either an NVidia FX5900XT or a Radeon 9600XT

Don't be sucked in by the advertising hype! The FX5200 is a crappy vid card, suitable for web-browsing and card games!

Sticking one of those in an AMD64 system is an insult, not an inclusion!

Whatever brand of RAM you get, try to ensure you get low latency modules. CL2 is the ideal, but CL2.5 is pretty good as well. Some of the Geil and OC-Z product lines are perhaps even better than Corsair.

Any 'branded' low-latency product line should be OK, really. Almost all of the problems or performance differences only really come into play when you get into serious overclocking.

heh heh.... and I ALWAYS purchase online! Better variety and prices there! :D

Motherboard make and model number, or Computer brandname and model version please, and we might be able to give a detailed answer to that question.

There are a kazillion different ways in which motherboard and system manufacturers have presented BIOS settings, and a quick squizz at the motherboard manual is usually needed to answer questions like that.

You'd never see me telling anybody to "delete everything with xxxx in its name" from their computer. I think that's a crazy approach to problem solving!

Doing that risks disabling programs, by removing bits and pieces of them, and even if that doesn't occur, then it's still no way to resolve problems because it doesn't eliminate the references which are left behind in the Registry.

Nope! The 'sledgehammer' approach is no way to work with Windows!! Besides, if you eliminate everything related to Java from your system, you'd have a pretty sparse web experience afterwards!

Then it could also be that somehow you've disabled an essential 'background service' that Windows needs to use, possibly as a result of one of those myriad of 'system tools' that you've used on your system. Even a 'refresh install' of Windows won't fix that, I fell, as your local settings would simply be reproduced.

Have a look through the guide at:

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

to see if you can find any clues.

You did not perform a 'Clean Install' at all! You performed an 'In-place upgrade' or 'Refresh install'. In other words, you installed over the top of your old installation, I'm afraid.

See this topic:

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

'User control Panel' for the Forum. There's a link in the menu bar at top of page!

Some more points:

You've obviously got a 256Mb module of RAM in that machine, of which 32Mb is allocated to onboard graphics. Add another 256Mb module for improved performance.

After you've eliminated the spyware/malware/virus/trojan possibilities, reinstall your motherboard chipset, display and sound drivers to correct any file corruption that may have occurred. Get updated ones from your motherboard manufacturer or system manufacturer website if possible.

Get rid of unnecessary programs! Having 10 programs that all do a similar job is never a good idea. You end up with conflicts, file association hijacks and all sorts of problems. Trimming your program list down is something we all should do from time to time.

heh heh......

Click on 'User CP' and then 'Edit options'

ensure that 'Default Thread subscription' is set to "Instant Email Notification" and an email will be sent to you as soon as someone posts in a thread you've created or a thread you've posted in.

I get the email notifications straight away, because my email program is running and checking for mail 24/7

:D

Programming and photo editing can be easily handled by a lesser system. It's gaming that you need to prepare for, given the uses you've mentioned.

I'd be giving the ABit a reconsider, in your situation. The only real issue the ABit boards have is a usually crappy Northbridge heatsink/fan. They've seemed to have included a better one on this board, but you could always replace it with something better anyway.

Kingston HyperX is fine RAM! It wasn't clear from your earlier post that you meant this type and not the cheaper Kingston ValueRAM.

And if you look at an FX5900, I'd only be recommending the 5900XT, which is the 'budget' version. It can be obtained for only slightly more cost than the 9600XT, but is a better performer. It is, however, still a mid-range card. For future-proofing, you'd be better to source a cheap 9800 Pro, or spend more money on an ATi X800 series card or NVidia 6800 series card (in their AGP configuration of course). You should see those on shelves soon, and they're much better than the Radeon 9800s and NVidia 5950s which are the current 'top-end' cards.

For games, the vid card is the be-all and end-all of it!

Forget the searching for 'Java' stuff. That exercise is a waste of time because as I said, Java is a scripting language - some Java stuff will be good and some bad.

As far as 'permanent damage' goes, the answer is a resounding "NO". You could have a Windows installation which is stuffed beyond any reasonable chance of repair, but the machine itself won't have been harmed. A format and reinstall fixes just about anything. (Except hardware issues such as physical damage or overheated/burnt out components, of course!)

heh heh.....

You'd best 'find' that stuff you lost - purchase new copies if necessary. You need it! An unprotected system which is internet-connected is an invitation for trouble.

There are 'free' replacements available. Check the "Helping yourself: What to do first" topic in the Security forum section for advice and links!

heh heh.......

The admin there is incompetent! Tell him/her I said so if you like! :D

Are you using a Firewall and a good, updated AntiVirus program which is set to scan and clean all files on access?

If not, your PC is probably by now riddled with virrii, trojans and other malware which is affecting your performance. Having an unprotected broadband connection and using it for file-leeching, quite apart from the moral and legal issues, is a rather silly practice and an invitation for problems.

Kazaa is probably the worst tool of all to use, as well, as Kazaa users inevitably will encounter unwanted intrusions. Some of them come in with the software itself!

Some tips:

* Don't install every handy, helpful, wonderful thing you see advertised as 'making life easier for you!' They will usually make life harder, not easier.
* If you are trying to install something, and get one of those dialogue boxes asking "Do you wish to intall......." something else, then DON'T!
* Update both AdAware and Spybot Search & destroy, disconnect from the internet and close all browser windows, and run the tools again, removing anything they report as suspicious.
* Follow any other relevent advice in the 'Helping Yourself" topic in the Security forum section.

Then obtain a copy of the Microsoft Security CD mentioned in this article:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread4998.html
and use it to install Internet Explorer again, over the top of your current installation.

First thing to do is to use Windows Update to install any available updates for your computer. You are possibly suffering one of the occasional Startup/shutdown problems which previous updates have addressed. These problems can occur when certain combinations of components are used for building a computer system.

Next thing is to check that your 'Power management' settings are correctly configured in both BIOS setup and in Windows itself.

Some details of the make and model of your computer (or the motherboard contained in your computer) will be necessary to enable detailed advice to be given.

OK, do you have an 'Upgrade CD' version of Windows XP?

If so, you can use it to perform a fresh, clean install of Windows XP.

See this article for instructions:

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

Note that you will need to insert your Windows 98 CD when prompted during the procedure, to verify your 'eligibility' for using the upgrade version. Windows XP will not upgrade from Windows 95!

Note also, that your old Compaq laptop may not be suitable for use with Windows XP. Check the download drivers section at www.hp.com to see if there are Windows XP drivers for the system components in your laptop. If there are no Windows XP drivers, try any available Windows 2000 drivers instead. Do NOT use Windows 98 drivers!

Yep! You've done it now!

You obviously have used a Windows 98 or similar 'Startup diskette' to 'fdisk' (remove the old partitions and create new ones) and to 'format' (prepare the drive for file storage).

You now need to use the startup diskette to bott to a dos prompt, and issue the commands to install Windows on the hard drive from your Windows CD. Alternatively, you may be able to boot directly from your Windows CD (you may need to change the Boot order of drives in BIOS setup first) and install from that.

If you don't have a Windows CD, you will have to go and buy one!

Concern #1

Some manufacturers include the instructions in the mobo manual, some in an additional manual. Both boards are accompanied by instructions.

It's not hard, most reported problems result from a failure to adequately read instractions, and to load the RAID drivers at the appropriate point in the installation sequence.

Question #1

Yes. You don't need to install RAID drivers at all for a setup like that. The SATA connectors can be used for drives under normal operation. Their RAID function is an optional extra capability.

Concern #2

I would choose Gigabyte products over Asus products every time, but that's simply a personal preference.

Question #2

I would choose GigaByte products over Asus products every time, but that's simply a personal preference. I consider Gigabyte to be higher quality.

System specs/ general comments

What is the system to be used for, might I ask? If you intend to use it for Workstation or server tasks, the PCI-X slots on the 8KNXP might come in handy ;)

If you intend to use it for gaming, the best motherboard to base it on would be the ABit IC7-Max3, and you should also reconsider that 9600XT vid card, which is only a mid-range option rather than a high performance option. For a few dollars more you could get a GeFX5900XT, which is a better performer, and for a few more again you could drop a Radeon 9800 Pro in it!

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

If you'd clicked on the link in the post Coconut Monkey made 3 days earlier, you'd have found the same intructions as Alex gave, and had it running a lot earlier.

......wanders off giggling :D

the system i was using was xp. but last night i talked to computer tech at best buy and told him my problem and he said i needed to upgrade to xp professional saying that would fix the problem. well i bought the upgrade installed it and it hasnt solved my problem at all. if reinstalling windows didnt work im at a real loss as to what to do now. if you have any ideas i would appreciate. thanks.

The first thing you should do is contact your consumer protection authorities and report the completely incorrect advice you were given and the questionable practice of generating extra sales by telling bloody lies!

The next thing you should do is realise that the absolute worst place to ever get advice about computers is from the sales people who sell them to you!

You were told an outright lie, I'm afraid! I'm more than that - I'm outraged by the deceit!

The only way that Windows XP Professional Upgrade CD is going to help 'fix' anything on your PC is if you use it to perform a format and clean installation of Windows XP on your system, and that would mean wiping off all your installed programs and stored data files!

I had the sasser virus... is your computer giving a countdown warning before it shutsdown? if so, it may be the sasser...

you guys 'disagree' alot in here... we should all hold hands sing the pepsi song then roast marshmallows for smores!

Well I haven't seen much evidence of that. We do suggest and consider alternative causes and resolutions for problems, and that's to be expected. There are very few PC-related problems which only ever have a single possible cause!

In this instance, the fact that the problem persisted after a format suggests that a driver issue is a more likely cause than a viral issue. Blaster or Sasser worms can immediately reinfect systems which are permanently online via Broadband, but I've not heard of that happening to a system connected via an internal dial-up modem.

Oh dear!

This new piece of information, together with the 100% CPU usage that you initially reported, strongly suggests to me that you've allowed 'nasties' to invade your PC which are badly affecting your machine's performance. You should head over to our 'Security' forum section and start off by following the relevent advice about cleaning things which is contained in the article:

Helping yourself: What to do first

I've no idea, really, exactly what the malware is which would be causing the behaviour, but you can be sure there's some in there! And a word of explanation:

JAVA is a scripting language - it's not a 'THING' in itself you've downloaded. JAVA is one of the languages used by Web applications in particular, and your Web Browser uses it often. It's most likely, I'd suspect, that the little 'nasty' that you've ended up with is a 'Dialler' which is trying to use your modem to generate income for itself with (possibly ISDN) 'pay per minute' phone calls. As most dial-up modems contain audio circuitry as well, this would explain why it's playing merry hell with your system's audio functions. (And if you haven't actually GOT an internal data/voice/fax modem in there, that'd be even MORE explanation why it's playing havoc.

You don't, ever HAVE to download and install things like this. In fact, when you click on something to try and download it, and get one of these messages, it's time to say …

What has happened to the disks? The Windows CD? The software installed on it?

How on earth was a Technician doing it for you if there are no disks? (It's illegal for them to put Windows and other software on the system if you don't actually OWN the software)

Or is this a 'Brand-Name' computer? What make and model is it please? There might just be a 'hidden partition' on the hard drive with the restore data in it!

The detailed step by step guide is here:

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

But you can't do it without at least a Windows CD!

Hi gooseneck, welcome aboard.

Create a topic in the Hardware section, if you like, with your system specs and a suitable title, and I'm sure we can happily discuss some overclocking madness that would help you along to that goal!!

:D