Posts by Catweazle

Let's just be sure what it is you're doing first, shall we? Make sure you're doing it this way.

Shut down all programs, or use the 'Show Desktop' icon in the 'Quick Launch' area of the Toolbar.

Right-click on an empty spot on your Desktop display and choose 'Properties' from the pop-up menu.

Click on the 'Settings' tab and try to move the slider to change the desktop resolution.

Is that what you're doing and does it work? If not, on the Settings Tab you should have an image of a computer monitor with details printed underneath indicating type of monitor and display card. what does it say?

Not sure which version of Office you have, but if you checkk in Tools -> Customize you should have the capability to ensure the Send/Recieve button appears on the Toolbar from there.

Care to explain HOW you fixed it, so that others reading who have a similar problem may benefit from your experience?

Daniweb is an INFORMATION SHARING community ;)

You've probably got a corrupted normal.dot file.

Close down all instances of Word (and any other programs which use Word plugins, such as Internet Explorer and Outlook). Then use 'Search' on the Start menu to locate the file normal.dot

Rename it to normal.old then start up Word. A new normal.dot file will be created, with default settings.

Get your system cleaned of intruders first. Then boot into 'Safe mode', use CTRL-ALT-DEL and 'end task' everything except systray and explorer, and run defrag after that. That method is the best and quickest way to defrag in Windows 9x.

But DO NOT bother with Defrag until AFTER you've cleaned the system!

Right-click on the Start button.

Choose 'Properties', and on the 'Start Menu' tab click on the Customize button.
On the Advanced tab, deselect the entry for "List my most recently opened documents" and click OK and Apply as necessary.

That'll do it ;)

No worries cevans

Working it out for yourself that way is much more pleasing to see than if we had to locate the downloads for you! Good work!

You were asked to post any code numbers or combination of letters and numbers, that is printed on the motherboard itself. Look carefully over every square milimetre of surface. It could be anywhere, even between the expansion slots or along one corner.

Failing that, download Belarc advisor and see if that reports your motherboard id.

www.belarc.com/download

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.

Buy a new Centrino notebook!

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

Are you sure you are pressing the key at the correct time? It needs to be at the END of the POST routine, and BEFORE the Windows splash screen appears.

Try a different RAM module.

Check for BIOS setup settings that might be conflicting with your ATi card. (They are notoriously unstable, and have a dislike for AGP 8x and AGP fast writes ;))

Try a different display card.

Pull out all add-in components which use a 'slot' one by one, clean both the edge connectors and the slot itself (dust and lint can give you hell) and then ensure that they are all firmly seated when refitted.

Disconnect drives to leave only your hard drive and see if it becomes stable. Reconnect them one by one to locate which one causes problems if that proves to be the case.

Don't discount the unwanted intrusion either, despite your careful efforts. The vast majority of 'unwanted restart' problems are caused by infections. You can't eliminate the possibility unless you've formatted and installed fresh and clean.

Zymz, if you can't even boot from CD and install Windows again, then it's DEFINITELY a hardware problem, and if it's arisen recently you should look at your system cooling first. Ensure that all fans are working and the dust is kept clear of cooling vanes on heatsinks etc.

After those safety-minded things have been attended to, check that power supply. Pull it out, borrow another from a mate and see if your system runs OK with a different power unit in it.

Have you used up to date antivirus tools and syware/malware detection tools to ensure your system is clean? Have you tried a refesh install of Windows to fix up any system file corruption, or even better a format and fresh install of windows so you can be sure it's not your Operating System and software which is causing the problem?

Most problems are sotware related, and are usually the result of system use. Most people blame hardware first up, but hardware is seldom the cause of problems.

Some viruses cause this behaviour, and device driver problems can cause it as well.

You must have the system set to "Boot from CD-ROM" in BIOS Setup, as first boot device, and have other boot devices disabled. Simply change the setting to enable the system to boot from hard drive.

If people care to read the article I linked earlier in this topic, you'll find that it includes all the keypresses for just about any machine you could encounter, and they are organised in accordance with the systems they relate to.

I wish you good luck in life, spikes. I have a rather strong suspicion you need it more than Amber does :D

A Tech solution ain't gonna help, AmbaLee. There just isn't a 'Filter' that good, and even if there was it does nothing for your situation, because it removes responsibility from him.

You asked him, he said he would, now you gotta trust him, and if he betrays that trust you gotta face the implications and outcomes of that.

Sorry to say it, but the best Net filtering software in the world is of no real use to you. And in my Technical opinion, the best Net filtering software in the world isn't very good anyway.

Good luck with it.

AmbaLee, is he really downloading porn or are you over-reacting to something that isn't actually happening.

You see, not every mention of porn you'll see on an internet-connected PC means that someone has been looking at porn. In fact, very very little of it means that! The internet is now advertising driven, and by far the greatest majority of advertising is porn-related. Pornography sponsors and pays for quite a lot of internet acticity which actually has nothing whatsoever to do with immoral activity. Boyfriend been trying to crack a game so he doesn't have to get wear and tear on that expensive game CD? Well he's gonna encounter porn pop-ups! Been hunting the internet for free downloads? It's inevitable that he'll encounter porn pop-ups and related 'net nasties'. I could mention dozens of other legitimate activities that will lead to the same result, and I believe it's IMPOSSIBLE to keep an internet connected PC free from all traces and indications of porn.

Before you go losing sleep over this, and thinking that your boyfriend is being unfair towards you, you need to be sure that he actually IS! If you never want to see anything remotely connected with pornography on that PC of his, then I'm afraid the only way to do that is to format it agin fresh, and then NEVER have it connected to the interent!

And if he really IS looking at rude pictures, then hell, girl! Take it from an old …

But people who use clock speed to gauge the worth of a processor think it's the stupidest thing since the solar-powered flashlight.

All the more reason to hit 'em in the face with a funky demonstration! :D

Seriously, it makes no difference whatsoever using logic. You got to make people doubt what they've believed previously by shocking them out of it. Telling them why won't change opinions. You've got to get them ASKING why.

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 …

*blushes.......

If you have a 'Name brand' PC which isn't accompanied by a separate Windows installation CD, read the product documentation carefully, or contact the manufacturer's support service, because it WILL have the facility to refresh your Windows installation without wiping the drive.

Compaqs can be touchy creatures when you try to access BIOS setup, as you need to get the timing right to 'get in'.

Press <F10> repeatedly at about 1 second intervals following the pressing of the power button to turn it on. If it doesn't work, reboot it and try again. First time I tried it with a Compaq I got in first go. It was a 'fluke', because the next few times I tried it I had all sorts of trouble until I got the 'feel' of the thing ;)

Read the article I linked earlier. It contains the necessary information for accessing BIOS setup on Compaq systems.

I'd feel all out of date and out of fashion if I had one of those I reckon. I haven't seen a 'BSOD' since Windows XP was invented ;)

What make and model of PC do you have?

This is a hardware issue, by the way, so I'll move the topic there for you.

You might get some ideas from this article of mine.

Wallace, the 'Reinstalling Windows' link in my sig will lead you to a couple of articles. One is about preparing for the reinstall, and the other is about performing it. They're both very detailed, step by step guides.

No it's not. It's on your system!

Work through the suggestions in the "Helping yourself" sticky in the Security forum section, and then post a topic in there if you have remaining problems. MacAffee Virus Shield by itself doesn't detect all intrusions, I'm afraid, and it sounds like you've collected some malware from browsing. I can assure you it never came from here :D

You've also posted the same comment in this similar topic:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread9924.html

I've responded there, indicating that such a problem does not exist for SP2. SP2 is already installed on a hell of a lot of PCs around the world, without any problems at all. It's already undergone a lengthy process of 'ironing out bugs' ;)

Sorry about the highlighting, I had to search for it so I could copy/paste it.

Here it is:

/* Source Code to Windows 2000 */

#include "win31.h"
#include "win95.h"
#include "win98.h"
#include "workst~1.h"
#include "evenmore.h"
#include "oldstuff.h"
#include "billrulz.h"
#include "monopoly.h"
#define INSTALL = HARD

char make_prog_look_big[1600000];
void main()
{
while(!CRASHED)
{
display_copyright_message();
display_bill_rules_message();
do_nothing_loop();
if (first_time_installation)
{

make_50_megabyte_swapfile();

do_nothing_loop();

totally_screw_up_HPFS_file_system();

search_and_destroy_the_rest_of_OS/2();

make_futile_attempt_to_damage_Linux();

disable_Netscape();
disable_RealPlayer();
disable_Lotus_Products();
hang_system();
}

write_something(anything);
display_copyright_message();
do_nothing_loop();
do_some_stuff();

if (still_not_crashed)
{

display_copyright_message();

do_nothing_loop();

basically_run_windows_3.1();

do_nothing_loop();
do_nothing_loop();
}
}

if (detect_cache())
disable_cache();

if (fast_cpu())
{
set_wait_states(lots);
set_mouse(speed, very_slow);
set_mouse(action, jumpy);
set_mouse(reaction,
sometimes);

}

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
3.1"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
3.11"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
95"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
NT 3.0"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
98"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
NT 4.0"); */

printf("Welcome to Windows
2000");

if (system_ok())
crash(to_dos_prompt)
else
system_memory =
open("a:\swp0001.swp", O_CREATE);

while(something)
{
sleep(5);
get_user_input();
sleep(5);
act_on_user_input();
sleep(5);
}
create_general_protection_fault();
}

…

I'm a bit bewildered how you think an older version of DirectX or display drivers would cause system shutdowns JR85023 :confused:

I can't see how those circumstances would cause the behaviour at all!

Some answers to the other questions I posed would help please.

Random shutdowns and restarts usually result from only a few causes.

- Overheating. Did you assemble the system or was it prebuilt? If your system is overheating I'd guess it's the processor, as your display card is a rather low powered one. Check that the display card is firmly seated in its slot anyway, and carefully check if the processor heatsink is firmly clipped on. There should be little to no sideways 'twist' possible.

- Virus infection. Have you got up to date and updated Virus protection running on your system? A firewall?

- Memory mismatch. Try removing the 256Mb module and then giving your system a good hard workout to see if it becomes more stable. (Switch off at the wall outlet before fiddling with the internals of course) Use one module at a time only, and have it in memory slot 1. Try the othe module(s) in turn. 'Mix and match' with unbranded or different brans of RAM module can lead to memory conflicts and errors.

- Misconfigured BIOS. What is the exact model number of your motherboard please? Saying it's a 'LAN Party' one doesn't help much, because that's a product line, not a specific motherboard. It's like saying "my car is a Ford sedan".

I'd be suggesting you check to see if a stray screw has been lodged under the motherboard as well.

You should also check if all cards etc are firmly lodged in their slots, all connectors firmly pressed home etc etc..

What did you mean about reinstalling AA? It never fixed it? You couldn't reinstall it? It's rather strange that this relates to just a single game.

What other ggames get played on your PC? Any?

Motherboard make/model and display card make/model would be handy things to know for a question such as this one.

It could be the processor. You need to ensure that traces of previous thermal interface material are completely cleaned from both processor die and heatsink botton. I scrub my own ones with metho several times, because it's the indetectable traces in microscopic sufrace 'pits' that create problems. The type of thermal paste used is important as well. some cheaper 'silver coloured' pastes are actually as bad as the cheap, white silicone based crud. Shin-Etsu or Arctic silver5 should be the materials of choice, and they should only be used in tiny amounts. Less than the size of a grain of rice is the amount to use, and it should be carefully soread to cover the surface of the central die core only, in an even layer.

But I really do think that looks like a display card problem, and I wonder if the display card heatsink itself needs to be removed and the thermal paste on that replaced as well.

hahahahaha

He should have fitted a bloody great window panel to the side of it as well, so you'd be too embarrassed to leave it dirty and dusty!!!! :D

Hi Andrew,

Your processor is running too hot for sure. Was that my system I'd be ripping off the heatsink from the processor, cleaning the chip core thoroughly with metho, and fitting a decent 3rd party heatsink to it using Artic Silver 5 thermal paste instead of the crappy stuff that AMD recommends. I've done just that to a 2400+ system of my own that was running too hot, and it's worked wonders.

Leave that RAM at the same speed as your FSB, because your system will be faster like that than if you have it at a higher speed ;)

But most of all, have a look at your display card. That 'tearing' in the picture you linked is indicative of a video card that's overheating or overclocked! Check your system first, of course, and make sure you have the most up to date drivers installed for motherboard and display card, and make sure you have DirectX up to date as well. Format and install clean, for preference, so you can eliminate software problems and system file corruption as a possible cause.

Snowy artifacts and image tearing is bad, mmkay? If all the things mentioned don't fix it, then you might have to fit a new heatsink/fan to the display card, or even replace the card altogether.

The jumper settings on both the CD drive and the new hard drive should be set to 'Master'.

Now are you able to get into BIOS setup? I'm unfamiliar with the organisation of BIOS setup on your system, and HP don't like including motherboard manuals on their website, so you'll have to help.

In BIOS setup, what are the menu and sub-menu headings please? There are possibly several settings to check to be sure it's configured correctly to boot from CD.

When you have it set to boot from CD as 1st boot device, you should pop the CD in the drive, start the machine up, and watch for the onscreen message which says "Press a key to boot from CD". If you don't press a key the system will bypass the CD and try to boot from hard drive.

If you have more than one CD/burner/DVD drive, then you might be trying to use the wrong one.

Perhaps you have misconfigured the drives when you installed the new hard drive? Could you describe what drives are in your system please, and indicate which drives are are attached to the end and middle connectors of each drive cable, and what the jumper settings are for each?

Fix the 'boot from CD' problem is the best option to take.

To access BIOS setup, press <F1> during startup, then ensure that the system is set to boot from CD-ROM. If you get a logo splash screen covering up the POST information when you reboot, press <Esc> to get rid of the splash screen.

Installing Windows XP is much better done from CD.

Agreed - that sounds like a heat problem. If cleaning it doesn't help sort things out, you might want to get it checked. The processor fan might be malfunctioning or the thermal paste between procesor and heatsink might need replacing.

Take your system to a repair shop to have it checked. It sounds very much like the internal components have been damaged, and you will need to have it checked to find out what needs to be replaced.

You don't close it mate. We have to mark it 'solved'. :D

Glad to hear you have had some success!

Cozzy, you can get the full service Pack 1a from Microsoft's download section

But really, if you're connected via broadband (DSL? Cable?) I think it pays to own a Gateway/Router/ combo unit, even if you only have a single machine. Hardware firewall protection, and they don't cost very much. (By the way, I believe NOBODY should be using a USB ADSL modem ;))

Install SP1 from the pre-downloaded package, if you like, then install all further security updates via Windows update site immediately Windows is installed.

Edit: SP1a differs from SP1 only in that it doesn't include Microsoft's Java VM. You can download that separately later, or simply install Sun's Java VM

Then move the slider to the screen resolution you want, and then press <Ctrl> + <A> together. That is the keyboard shortcut for the 'Apply" button.

Can you 'pick the window up' by holding down the mouse button when the pointer is over the top title bar of it, and then 'drag' the windows upwards enough so that the buttons are visible?

Identify the soundcard! You won't find a driver until you are actually looking for one for the specific device you have there.

If it's a Branded PC with onboard sound, check the manufacturer's website for the make/model number of your system.

If it's a 'white box' PC with onboard sound, check the manufacturer's webite for the make/model number of your motherboard.

If it's an 'add-in' soundcard, check the manufacturer's website for the make/model number of the soundcard.

By the way, if you need to identify the motherboard or add-in card, you won't be able to do so unless you open the system case and have a look at the information printed on them ;)

Install both your motherboard chipset drivers AND your display drivers!