PCIN FreeHelp Forum > Hardware Forum

# 419: HP Deskjet 722C

Author: Jini
Time: 18:16, 02/13/02 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


I have a HP 722C printer and I keep getting an error message after printing. I'm running Win98SE. Everything prints OK, except this error message pop's up at the end of the print cycle.(Hpfvls14 caused a general protection fault in module Hpfvls14.exe)) I uninstalled and reinstalled the printer but still get the same message. I have noticed looking through other forums, others are having the same problem. There are two choices in the error message window - Close and Ignore - when I click on Ignore - my internet connection shuts down. If anyone can help with this - several of us will appreciate it but none more then Jini. And I still haven't got my keyboard fix but thanks for the help anyway..

# 411: Defrag hard drive (Windows 98)

Author: foto47
Time: 23:04, 01/31/02 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


I'm unable to run the disk defrag or disk cleanup in the windows 98 system tools. I'm given the message that windows or another program is currently writing to the disk-is there a fairly simple fix for a neophyte such as myself? Would Norton utilities or a similar program bypass this problem? I recently bought a Philips PCRW2040 CD burner & have been unable to install the included Nero 5.5 software-they've already sent me a new copy but I still get "internal error 2889.license agreement,memo" message and they now suggest I defrag the drive.I've been able to download most of the nero free trial from the web,but the cover design section isn't there due to a list of errors.Thanks for any help........foto47

# 399: Keyboard

Author: Jini
Time: 20:49, 01/27/02 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


I have an exe file on my desktop - I restored it from the recycle bin because my keyboard would not work. It is Upddrv95.exe - can anyone tell me where I should put that file in my system. If I click on it on my desktop - it executes and I can use my keyboard.. otherwise the keyboard will not work at all. I know the keyboard is good I have tried others and the same thing happens.. When I shut down and bring the computer back up - I have to click on the file again in order for the keyboard to work. Any suggestions about the exe file.. thanks you

# 400: RE: Keyboard

Author: Guest
Time: 00:35, 01/28/02 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


Place the Upddrv95.exe file in the Startup folder that is located on the Start menu. Once it is in the Startup folder reboot your computer. Any application that is in the startup folder runs when the computer boots up. You won't have to click on the file to start it.

# 401: RE: Keyboard

Author: Guest
Time: 00:46, 01/28/02 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


According to the information I found the upddrv95.exe is an updated driver for the Soundblaster sound card. What this file has to do with your keyboard working I have no idea. Try looking for upddrv95.inf and when you find it right click on this file and select install.

Good Luck!

# 394: Sound Card

Author: Charlene
Time: 15:17, 01/23/02 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


How can I change a sound card or find out if my computer has one?

# 395: RE: Sound Card

Author: Guest
Time: 18:17, 01/23/02 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


To find out if you have a sound card go to START/SETTINGS/CONTROL PANEL and click on the SYSTEM applet. Then click on the DEVICE MANAGER tab. In the list you should see SOUND, VIDEO and GAME CONTROLLERS listed if there is a soundcard installed. You may have an intergrated soundcard which is a soundcard that is intergrated into the motherboard and cannot be changed but can be shut off if you want to install a separate soundcard of your own. First you will need to remove the cover from the computer case to see if there are any available slots. The sound card would go into an empty expansion slot such as a PCI or ISA slot. If the sound card is seperate from the motherboard it will be in one of the expansion slots on the motherboard. To change this type of soundcard you would remove the soundcard from the slot and then put the new soundcard in the same slot or another slot depending on what type of card it is PCI or ISA. If the soundcard is intergrated into the motherboard and all of the slots are full then you would need to buy another motherboard that has more expansion slots to be able to install another card.

Good Luck!

# 393: ATX power supply

Author: steph
Time: 21:04, 01/21/02 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


I just finished building a PC and it will not start. I used atx technology for my PC. Does it have anything to do with the power management

# 372: Motherboard will not recognize HDD

Author: asuddreth
Time: 18:42, 01/09/02 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


Abit BE6II, IBM Deskstar HDD plugged into IDE3 via an Ultra ATA.
Motherboard replaced and new one will not recognize the HD. Auto detection will not find HDD. When manually setuo, still not found.
HELP!

# 385: RE: Motherboard will not recognize HDD

Author: xe77
Time: 05:48, 01/10/02 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


The BE6II motherboard may require a BIOS update to see drives larger than 32 GB.
Either run the update or check the HDD for a "Clip at 32GB" or "Clip at Cylinder 4096" or similar jumper setting.
Also, try unplugging all the IDE drive, then plug in ONLY the IBM Deskstar into the Primary IDE (IDE 0) set the Jumpers on the drive to "Master" and the run the BIOS Autodetect.
If you wish to have the drive run in UDMA66 mode (Ultra ATA 66)you must use an 80 conductor IDE cable (for UDMA66) to operate it in this mode.

# 369: Can a Virus Damage a Motherboard?

Author: mowingangel
Time: 16:02, 01/05/02 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


By request, I formatted a friend's hard drive and restored Win98. When I was installing the software for her modem; Win98 crashed and when it rebooted; the C: drive contained absolutely no files. She told me she has virus W32.Magistr....

Surely, the virus didn't do all that damage? She is ready to replace her motherboard or buy a new computer?

Isn't it possible to fdisk; format and restore this hard drive somehow?

# 384: RE: Can a Virus Damage a Motherboard?

Author: xe77
Time: 05:38, 01/10/02 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


If you've formatted, everything is gone.
Formatting wipes the entire FAT table or volume descriptors and rebuilds it with a clean one.
The only thing not affected by Formatting is Partition information, although it only defines the file system as well as boot records and not actual files.
Therefore these problems are unrelated. The cleanly formatted disk leaves no traces of previous files.
BUT if you formatted it with an infected computer it may have copied infected boot files to it. Run FORMAT from a CLEAN Windows98 boot disk.
Boot from the floppy and type "format c: /s" at the DOS prompt to wipe the Primary C drive.
Otherwise your problems are not related to the virus.
A Note: This particular virus can't damage your hardware.

# 390: RE[2]: Can a Virus Damage a Motherboard?

Author: Guest
Time: 17:07, 01/19/02 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


It is also possible to do a "low level format". This is much more thorough than a regular format. It actually rewrites every sector divider on the drive. It might also be worthwhile to run a wipedisk utility first.

It is possible to recover data from a formatted disk, with "Unformat" utilities, so a low-level format might be a good idea.

# 388: RE: Can a Virus Damage a Motherboard?

Author: Pontios
Time: 15:08, 01/10/02 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


What i recomend you do is jump on the internet and find the hard disk's installation disk. If the manufacturer does not have one then try using the software from another company. I think maxtor or seagate may allow you to do that.

Good Luck :-)

John Tounoussidis
E-mail: pontios@unite.com.au
Website: http://unite.com.au/~u6508a/

# 350: memory counter

Author: crgibson
Time: 01:41, 12/28/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


I just installed new RAM and the memory counter on the startup page just keeps counting up to 262314 over and over again. How to set the BIOS to stop this? Thanks

# 351: RE: memory counter

Author: Guest
Time: 07:35, 12/28/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


Try hitting the Esc key on your keyboard when the ram is being counted. Doing so should stop the ram counting and the computer should continue booting.

Good Luck!

# 353: RE[2]: memory counter

Author: Guest
Time: 00:08, 12/29/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


Thanks. I have to hit the Esc key to continue booting because the count just goes on and on and ......
Since this just started I am looking for a way to get the BIOS back to how it was - just counting once. Any help?

# 356: RE[3]: memory counter

Author: Guest
Time: 15:41, 12/29/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


Try this - Enter into your BIOS by hitting the propper key for your system on bootup (when the ram is being counted). On the computer I'm using it is the DELETE key but on yours it could be a different key. To find out what key to hit it will tell you just below the ram count. Once into the BIOS go to BIOS FEATURES SETUP and click ENTER. Look for PARITY CHECK when you find it hit the PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN key to choose DISABLE. Once you have it set to DISABLE click the ESC key and then go to SAVE & EXIT SETUP and then hit the ENTER key and then the ENTER key again or you may need to hit the Y key to save the change you made to the BIOS. Once this is done the computer will reboot. This may or may not solve the problem of the continuous ram count.

Good Luck!

# 357: RE[3]: memory counter

Author: Guest
Time: 15:43, 12/29/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


Try this - Enter into your BIOS by hitting the propper key for your system on bootup (when the ram is being counted). On the computer I'm using it is the DELETE key but on yours it could be a different key. To find out what key to hit it will tell you just below the ram count. Once into the BIOS go to BIOS FEATURES SETUP and click ENTER. Look for PARITY CHECK when you find it and PARITY CHECK is highlighted hit the PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN key to choose DISABLE. Once you have it set to DISABLE click the ESC key and then go to SAVE & EXIT SETUP and then hit the ENTER key and then the ENTER key again or you may need to hit the Y key to save the change you made to the BIOS. Once this is done the computer will reboot. This may or may not solve the problem of the continuous ram count.

Good Luck!

# 383: RE: memory counter

Author: xe77
Time: 05:32, 01/10/02 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


The some BIOSs count the memory more than once, but not more than 3 times.
If it goes into a loop
Try this first:
Enter the BIOS (using DELete or F1 / F10) and make sure the Memory Timing are all at defaults (there may be an "F" key you can hit to restore to defaults)
If ECC Checking is enabled, disable it.
Press ESC and select "Save and Exit"

If this fails and you can still boot the computer then use the "MemTest86" program (available from the web) to diganose your memory.
You may have a faulty RAM memory module.

# 348: Problems with Adaptec Easy CD Creator.

Author:
Time: 19:15, 12/27/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Adaptec Easy CD Creator has compatability problems that cause the problem you describe in some systems. The problem is known to occure with Windose ME, 2000, & XP. It also may be caused by campatability problems with Windows Media Player 7. You can get a fix from Adaptec that Microsoft says will not work and it didn't on my 2000 system. Microft post a number of KB articles dealing with this problem and some of them involve major registry fixes. The relivent articles follow. There may be more but thise are the ones I'm aquanted with.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q285910
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q270008
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q262714
Also Adeptec's info on this.
http://www.adaptec.com/support/faqs/cdrecos.html
I have had the same problems and still haven't figured out how to fix it. I do not have the skill and degree of hope needed to do that big a registry tweak. If anyone has more information or a detailed fix please make a post.
Thank you.
Seaman.

# 360: RE: Problems with Adaptec Easy CD Creator.

Author: Guest
Time: 17:17, 12/29/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


Go to this link and download an update to Easy CD Creator - http://www.roxio.com/en/support/ecdc/ecdcupdates.jhtml

# 337: CD-rom problem. Help!

Author:
Time: 20:11, 12/20/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


All was well until recently. I have not downloaded anything that may affect my pc.

Firstly I noticed that the whole pc kept freezing up regularly, whether working locally or on the net. The freezes first then the whole pc goes!

Secondly, & more importantly, I cannot run CD-roms. When I insert one, it says 'no CDROM found'.
The light works, the tray slides out & I can hear it working away inside. So I try to check it in windows explorer, it is not even there anymore, I look in 'My computer', it's just not listed.
The 'A floppy' & 'c hard drive' is there but not the CD-rom or the re-writer!!

Have I been virused?!?!? And, how do I fix it all?!?
Please..?? Anyone..??

# 340: RE: CD-rom problem. Help!

Author:
Time: 17:00, 12/26/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


sorry if i am late to this party but here are the steps i would take.

BEFORE DOING ANYTHING IF YOU HAVE DATA WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO YOU BACK IT UP ON REMOVEABLE MEDIA (FLOPPY, ZIP ECT) DO NOT DO ANY WORK UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE THIS OR YOU MAY (WILL) LOSE DATA...

1) check system hardware status. open start/settings/control panel/system
check on performance tab if you see anything about "drive (letter) using compatibility mode" then you know that you have a problem. you can also check in device manager tab for anything witha a red x or yellow circle with an ! in it.

if you see these things then these could be the causes:
1) msdos drivers loading in config sys and autoexec.bat all versions of windows since 95 don't really need them and the os will load faster without them rename these files to .old
2)could be hardware. try a different cdrom. when drives fail it is not necessisary that they will not open but it can be the hardware controller. try a different one and see if this fixes the problem alternatively if you have access to another computer you could try your cdrom in it or if you have a boot disk with cd drivers you could try and access the cdrom from dos (if you know the drive letter) if you get cdr101 or 104 errors the drives controller has failed and cdrom must be replaced
3) windows software. if you have loaded windows over itself you can cause problems such as these.
if you cannot remove the splatted hardware in the device mgr you should considrt a reload of the os
normally you can get good instructions via email from your mfgr from their email support team.

BEFORE DOING ANYTHING IF YOU HAVE DATA WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO YOU BACK IT UP ON REMOVEABLE MEDIA (FLOPPY, ZIP ECT) DO NOT DO ANY WORK UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE THIS OR YOU MAY (WILL) LOSE DATA...

# 341: RE: CD-rom problem. Help!

Author: Guest
Time: 18:31, 12/26/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


You give very little info re: OS etc. nor do you ref whether you have installed any new programs or tweaked any setting lately. Suggestions:
1) Did you activate DMA on your hard drive? Does the rbbon cable feed both? Try removeing the DMA and see if you go back to normal. Not all CD drives function well under DMA.

2) Did you recently instsll any new programs? If so, remove them, reboot and then clean out the registry of any garbage they leave behind. Reboot again and then try your drives.

3) What kind of drives are they? ATAPI? internal? SCSI? USB? If external and parallel or USB, remove both the units and the ports thay connect to from the system. Reboot and let windows re-install them. Internal? Again, remove them from the system and reboot. If they came with speciality driver, reinstall AFTER you have removed the old and cleaned the registry.

4) Have both drives been in place and working for a while or did you just recently install the burner? Remove one of them and see if the other now works. Are they dueling over a memory address? reserve that address and force them to find a new "home". Try moving one of them to a different IRQ.

Good Luck.

SMD

# 342: RE: CD-rom problem. Help!

Author: Guest
Time: 02:50, 12/27/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


I would try and replace all cables but power cable. also try a different slot to plug the cdrom into ide or what ever it maybe

# 346: RE: CD-rom problem. Help!

Author: Steve H.
Time: 12:12, 12/27/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


I got this from a recent Lockergnome issue:

GnomeSOAPBOX

Operating System, Heal Thyself
Scribbled by [a subscriber]

Not too long ago, I upgraded my Windows 2000 system to Windows XP Professional (it's the RTM version I received from Microsoft at their system developer roadshow). The upgrade went fairly smooth, and everything has worked pretty well since then. Yesterday, I installed a few programs... including Sonic's DVDit and the XP update to the sound Blaster Live! Everything went fine until I rebooted my system. When I was back into Windows, my CD-RW and my DVD drives were not there. They showed up in the device manager with yellow exclamation marks next to them, stating that the drivers couldn't be loaded. Windows suggested using the troublemaker, er... troubleshooter (I've yet to get one of them to actually fix a problem, going back to the release of Windows 95), I figured: what the heck, let's give it a shot.

It suggested removing and re-installing the devices. Fine, I removed them, and then went to re-install them. Guess what it wanted? The Windows XP CD. Slight problem; the system won't recognize the CD! Being slightly smarter than Windows, I directed it to where the driver files should already reside on my HD (knowing that Windows never actually deletes a driver when you remove it from the system). It found the files, but still wouldn't load the drivers properly (which makes sense, if for some reason the driver files had become corrupted). This still left me with no CD access and no way to restore the files... barring some painful network drive mapping or copying the files onto a floppy first, with no assurance that things would work even then. Looked like the only thing to do was a re-install of the OS, right? WRONG!

This is Windows XP, and I can simply restore the system to a previous working configuration (using the "Restore System" feature). Now, I've never actually used this feature before, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try. Darn! I didn't set a restore point before I installed the new software. But look! It automatically set a restore point the day before! With nothing to lose, I pressed onward (actually, I believe it was "Next" that I pressed, not having an "Onward" button onscreen). The system rebooted, and my CD-RW and DVD drives were back in full working order! AMAZING! It actually worked!

I was able to install software that I had installed before the problem, setting restore points after each successful load and reboot - to isolate what had caused it. Turned out that DVDit! completely hosed the system by trying to load its own ASPI drivers. Some people have managed to get around it by deleting Sonic's ASPI driver after installation, but that doesn't work for a lot of others. It would be REALLY nice if Sonic would test their software's installation before unleashing an OS-crippling program on the public. That's probably a bit too much to ask for, and the subject of an entirely different rant. The main thing is, Windows XP's system restore worked exactly as advertised; it saved me. I'm still in shock! I don't say this too often (or ever, for that matter), but: Bravo, Microsoft!
Steve H.

# 328: Defrag Problems

Author: DarylT
Time: 19:02, 12/10/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


my computers locks up everytime i try to defrag my windows 98 computer--help please

# 329: RE: Defrag Problems

Author: DarylT
Time: 19:05, 12/10/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


my computers locks up everytime i try to defrag
> my windows 98 computer--help please

# 343: RE: Defrag Problems

Author: xe77
Time: 05:56, 12/27/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Using Windows 9x:

Disable any applications with CTRL-ALT-DEL (Task Manager) before running DEFRAG.
Run ScanDisk before defrag, becuase an error on the disk may cause defrag to crash.

If it still fails:
Check for viruses and re-install defrag.exe from your Windows 98 CD. (use "extract /a /e win98_21.cab defrag.exe /l c:" in the MS-DOS prompt or "extract /?" for help),
Reboot.

If it STILL fails:
Run an MS-DOS based or RealMode based Low-level disk utility to check the Interleave and physical disk status. If necessary you may need to run a Low-Level format. !!IMPORTANT: DATA LOSS !! Back up all files possible, a low-level format will modify the MBR and Sector 0 and all Partitions and File Systems will be lost.
Reinstall Windows. If it continues to fail: your hard disk may be permanently damaged and must be replaced.

# 327: remote access service error

Author: Guest
Time: 22:27, 12/08/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


remote access service error-parameter is incorrect when attempting to sign onto AOL. Modem diagnostics tests ok.

# 308: Nokia M1122

Author: Kathy
Time: 20:27, 11/21/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


Have installed a Nokia M1122 modem for broadband and for networking but since then have not been able to receive Netmeeting although I can call out on Netmeeting. Have opened the neccessary ports but am still being blocked to others by the internal firewall.
Does anybody know of a way around this?
Nokia are no help...just tell me that I have got it configured right.

# 283: Two modems

Author: Guest
Time: 04:14, 11/04/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


Is it possible to use two modems in the same computer at the same time to connect to the internet using windows 98se. If so how do I do it?

Thanks in advance.

# 288: RE: Two modems

Author:
Time: 07:08, 11/05/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


I know that it is possible, and i think you need two seperate phone lines. i think your ISP may have to also support it. hope that little bit helps

# 292: RE: Two modems

Author: Guest
Time: 16:43, 11/05/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


Yes, you need two 'phone lines, you want to enable multilink from connections tab AFTER installing second modem. The two modems then act as though they were one.
Although you can use 2 totally different speeds and makes of modems, you can run into trouble if trying to use an 'old' one and a newer one, particularly if 1 is ISA and the other PCI.
The effective speed is the combined speeds of the 2 (or 3 or more) modems
If you have lots of boards and devices on your computer, you may run into IRQ conflicts.

# 294: Thanks

Author: Guest
Time: 04:22, 11/06/01 [Tue]
IP address: Kept secret


Thanks for the info. Greatly apreciated.

# 280: Reading Large Hard Drive

Author: aragorn
Time: 15:25, 11/02/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


I have an older motherboard, IWILL PII LD with a PII 266mhz proc. I have a 40 GB drive that is only reading at 33.6 GB and a 60 GB drive only reading at 55.3 GB. The 60 gig shows that it does have 60 available, but still says that 55.3 is 100% of the usable space. I would say the board just doesnt support the drives, but the 40 should all be read since 55 of the 60 GB drice is. I am running windows 98 right now on Fat 32. When I solve this im going to install 2000 server. Any tips would be great. Thanks.
aragorn

# 281: RE: Reading Large Hard Drive

Author: Guest
Time: 04:24, 11/03/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


When a harddrive is formatted some of the harddrive space is lost to the formatting. There is nothing that I know of that can change this. You'll just have to live with it.

Good Luck!

# 289: GB doesnt equal Gb

Author:
Time: 07:14, 11/05/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


there may be a disparity here in measurements.

Mathmatically Gb should be measured with 1024 kilobytes to the meg, and 1024 meg to the gig. however hard drive manufacturers usually quote 1 gig as being 1000 meg. so when windows measures it properly there seems like there is less.

this size difference seems right for the 60gb, but the 40gb seems like a little much is missing, is the entire drive partitioned ?

i have a 17gb, which shows as a 16gb personally, so there seems a little loss, but it all in the maths, its all still there.

# 278: Scandisk Error

Author:
Time: 10:59, 11/01/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Scandisk encountered a data error while writing to the Fat on drive c -(Exactly the way it was written). Scandisk cannot fix.
Tried again and got 'Disk utility has locked this drive.
Can't write to c drive.
This is a computer I loaned my granddaughter and I have no idea what she might have been doing when this happened.. Can anyone point me in the right direction - short of tossing it in the garbage can? Thank you

# 282: RE: Scandisk Error

Author: Guest
Time: 06:04, 11/03/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


The only thing I can think of would be to format the harddrive and reinstall the operating system.

# 285: RE[2]: Scandisk Error

Author: Brainz0
Time: 21:44, 11/04/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


This is very drastic. I would take the system in to a service shop, one you can get a knowledgable friend to recommend, and ask them to unlock and re-activate the drive. Make it very clear to them that clearing the drive is a last resort and only to be done after getting your explicit agreement. People who have lots of computers and backup think nothing of wiping and reinstalling. For the average user the results can be a nightmare.

 

# 290: RE: Scandisk Error

Author:
Time: 07:17, 11/05/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


The disk utility sounds like it may be a third party program, like from nortons.

before paying people to look at your computer i suggest trying to close down all running programs, then scandisking again to see if the error can then be easily repaired.

If that doesn't work try booting into safe mode ( by holding ctl as the computer starts, to make sure no other programs are running. and scandisk again.

# 344: RE: Scandisk Error

Author: xe77
Time: 06:09, 12/27/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Using Windows 9x:

1) Reboot in the Safe-Mode Command Prompt (Hold down CTRL while rebooting) and run "c:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\SCANDISK.EXE /SURFACE"

If prompted you may have to Replace the current FAT with the Backup FAT.

If the problem persists, you must perform Low-level Drive diagnostics. Should you take it to a service centre, they may have to perform a Low-Level format. If possible, back-up akll data before proceeding. A Low-level format will destroy all data, programs, operating systems, and file systems from the drive as well as master boot records (MBRs). This procedure is also called a "factory wipe".

# 269: double density / high density floppies

Author: edwal
Time: 23:48, 10/28/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


I have observed that new PCs can't read double density drives. Is there any way to do it? I have a old (really OLD) laptop that works fine, but only with double density floppies. That shouldn't be a problem, but to read what I do on it, I have to use a friend's old computer (386) to read my DD FD, and to copy my data to a HD FD. Can anybody help me?

 

# 273: RE: double density / high density floppies

Author:
Time: 04:20, 10/29/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


i always get confused between the two, but im guessing your trying to read a 1.2mb floppy-disk in a 1.44 mb floppy disk drive.

in which case the real test ( which it sounds like you've done ) is try the old disk in several new drives. if that dosent work i'd say that considering that
a) 1.2mb floppys are rare and old
b) FD drives are real cheap
that the latest FDD's simply dont support the old type.

One thing that you could gamble on is changing the drive type in the BIOS from 1.44 to 1.2mb, but then all 1.44 disks would be unreadable until you changed it back.

you question has revived and old memory of mine concerning a trick with 1.2 floppies ( god that makes me sound old ). if you hold a 1.44 and 1.2mb FD together, metal slider side up, you should notice the only external is one contains a hole along one edge where the other doesnt. from memory the 1.44 has the hole. on old 1.2 disks i used to drill a hole in the same location and hey-presto : it's 1.44. 'corse this carries risks, but it might just make the disk work in both machines.

obviously, use a test disk before enacting this theory. and where FD's are concerned, backup. backup, backup. i've used a disk, moved a metre to another machine and had the disk die, they are fragile beasts.

- good luck :)

# 258: Response to Where in Win 98 System can I check for amount of Ram I have left?

Author: martinh718
Time: 19:27, 10/19/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


The RAM or Random Access Memory changes as programs are opened.
All programs "live" on the hard drive, or Read-Only-Memory (ROM) and are taken from there to the RAM to be worked with.
When a program is closed the information does not stay in the RAM but returns to the ROM.
Martin H. Needleman

 

# 272: kinda close, but no cigar

Author:
Time: 03:57, 10/29/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


> The RAM or Random Access Memory changes as
> programs are opened.

nope, but the amount of free RAM that you have does change.

The amount of RAM you have is fixed. RAM is very high speed memory used only when the computer is on. When you load, aka start, aka run, aka double-click a program it goes into the RAM. Thus reducing the amount RAM left for other programs.

> All programs "live" on the hard drive, or
> Read-Only-Memory (ROM) and are taken from there
> to the RAM to be worked with.

The hard-drive *is* the permanent storage area for the computer. But is *neither* read-only nor ROM. I won't discuss these concepts further as i dont think this is the right arena to do so.

But programs do save their information, along with your work, on the hard-drive when they close.

Recap :
The 2 main types of memory in a computer are
RAM - fast temporary storage
Hard Drive - slow, permanent storage.

Hope this clears up some confusion about the different types of computer memory.

:)

# 232: hard drives

Author: smiley
Time: 20:50, 10/12/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


I would like to know if there is a way I can partition 2 2gb hdd's to only show as c drive and have 4gb instead of 2gb on drive c. smiley

 

# 234: RE: hard drives

Author: Guest
Time: 14:53, 10/13/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


Yes there is. You need to set up your drives in a RAID configuration. Your mother board needs to have RAID or you need a RAID expansion card.

# 235: RE[2]: hard drives

Author:
Time: 08:54, 10/14/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


Just to clarify a little. The RAID expansion card is most likely going to be a pci card, just like most sound cards, modems, network cards etc. And will similarly have to be installed inside your machine.

Although i assume you will be only running windows, in which case the hardware install is probably the only option, i will let you know that linux supports software RAID devices. what this means if that during the linux install you simply select which drives to merge and linux does the rest.

you can even set up each drive with more than one partition, then merge the resulting partitions into as many RAID drives as you wanted.

# 237: RE[3]: hard drives

Author: Guest
Time: 13:19, 10/14/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


Thank you for your responses, If this raid expansion card is very expensive, It might be better to go with new hdd. I 2 2gb hdd's and thought there might be an inexpensive way to do this and I will ck. into this. Thank you for your help, it is greatly appreciated. Eddie

 

# 231: hard drives

Author: smiley
Time: 20:50, 10/12/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


I would like to know if there is a way I can partition 2 2gb hdd's to only show as c drive and have 4gb instead of 2gb on drive c. smiley

 

# 219: HP Color printer MS Word vs Paint - Hardware??

Author: Guest
Time: 00:36, 10/11/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


no black text from printer. Color OK.
But copy and paste text to MS Paint, and
black text will print.
*print test page* on HP print command prints
only color not the black text.
changed cartridges and cleaned.
Any help please!
Ron

# 229: RE: HP Color printer is obvouisly insane

Author:
Time: 14:48, 10/12/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


firstly, congrats on doing some good ground work, hopefully i can help your more now as well.

If it is printing black consistantly with paint, then the black cartridge must be ok, so you can skip more cleaning.

The test print : it was the windows test print ? if so try the stand-alone print test for the HP. A stand-alone test for a printer usually means holding down certain buttons at certain times. it tests purely the printer and the print doesnt have to be connected to the computer, just powered.

if the stand-alone test prints black, or if you cant test it that way, uninstall the driver, then ( without reinstalling it ) go into the BIOS and change the LPT port type ( ie from SPP -> EPP -> ECP etc ), then go into windows and reinstall the driver.

if that doesnt work you may try uninstalling and changing the port type till you exhaust all combinations. if you do that or cant be bothered try installing the printer on another computer. if it doesnt work on another computer you know that at least its not an issue with your computer.

i would also suggest downloading the latest drivers for the printer just to be safe.

good luck and let us know how you go :)

# 217: modem

Author: jack
Time: 00:22, 10/11/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


if you know your modems name ,go to their web site and update the driver for that modem

jack

# 213: PC cannot detect modem

Author:
Time: 05:22, 10/09/01 [Tue]
IP address: Kept secret


Have 366MHZ, 32MB ram, E-machine running Windows 98. All of a sudden machine would not recognize modem. I formatted and restored HD with factory installation CD with original programs to make it just like new - still my AOL 6 installation could not detect modem. Replaced modem with a new one in a different slot. Machine still cannot detect new hardware (modem). What can I do next?

# 216: RE: PC cannot detect modem

Author: Guest
Time: 23:42, 10/10/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


Is the modem plug and play and have you change any setting in bios. Also did you just try install the drivers and tell the computer where the modem should be.

# 218: RE[2]: PC cannot detect modem

Author: Bob
Time: 00:22, 10/11/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Is Dial-up Networking Installed?
As per message is the modem plug and play?(sometimes refered to as plug and pray)
Have you tried manually installing the Modem and its drivers?(yes, I realize this is the same question)
Try removing all Com ports.
Have you tried a different ISP?
Is the phone line known to be good? Is it noisy?
Are the cables known to be good? Are they connected properly?

Who Am I
http://greatestnetworker.com/is/robertnelson

# 221: RE: PC cannot detect modem

Author:
Time: 20:04, 10/11/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret



i never use internal modems - just for this reason. you cannot see what the modem is doing, no matter what, and you cannot reset the modem. get yourself an good external modem and use that - note you will need to get a modem cable that will connect from modem to the back of your pc, but they are cheap. remove all other modem drivers before you install the new one

special - boot in safe mode, then check system devices, remove and STOP or CAUTION marked devices and reboot normally.

have you added any other hardware that uses system resources, or enabled anything that might have been turned off when the modem worked? (something like power maangement, or USB etc)

e

# 224: RE: PC cannot detect modem

Author: Guest
Time: 21:18, 10/11/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


gotcha. e-machines, huh? a company called pctel (pctel.com) succesfully made the Worst Modem of All Time, the HSP Micromodem, and emachines ships them oem with every computer i've ever seen them produce. this modem is a software modem, which means that it uses your cpu cycles to operate, not it's own processing unit. frankly, this sucks. this modem is unreliable and cumbersome. i highly reccomend going to pricewatch.com and spending $4 (yes, four dollars plus shipping) on a new internal pci v.90 modem. however, if you're determined to fix this, head to http://www2.driverguide.com/uploads/uploads9/11815.html, download and install the driver, and try to fight the urge to smash your computer with a baseball bat!

# 228: RE: PC cannot detect modem - fresh suggestions

Author:
Time: 14:31, 10/12/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


Since you say you have already tried a new modem i will assume you are confident with working on the innards of your machine.

Firstly, the exact error message would help greatly. Was the modem an incorrect one, not turned on, dial-tone not detected, "port already open", etc ?

If the modem was working perfectly before there must have been a change for it to stop working. Has anything been done to your machine lately? software installed, hardware changed, computer upgraded ?

You mention that AOL would not recognise the modem. Have you tried using a standard windows dial-up connection ? You can create one in 'control panel'. Doing this will help eliminate any possible problem with AOL.

I would also go into safe mode, if the above doesn't work, click with the right mouse button on "my computer" left click on properties then click on the second tab at the top of the new window called "device manager". remove all references to all modems. also check everything else that is repeated ( note : ingore all repeated references to anything mentioning "PCI steering" ). these repeated items often cause trouble.

there really is so many possibilities i could fill pages with suggestions. try the above and other suggestions by others and get back, we can work from there.

good luck :)

# 230: RE: PC cannot detect modem

Author:
Time: 18:52, 10/12/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


As others have mentioned, there are many possibilities. I first suggest dumping AOL...or at the very least answer "No" when the installation asks if AOL should be your default connection. Otherwise it messes up your system bigtime.

Second, here is a shareware tool you can use to gather information: http://www.modemdoctor.com .

It can do quite a few tests and may even debug your problem.

Good luck!

 

# 203: Won't Close Down !

Author: Guest
Time: 08:45, 10/04/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Spasmodically, when I try to close down, my PC goes thru all the motions, until it gets to the cursor in the top left corner of a black screen....then it freezes, and the only way out seems to be to "reset". Any ideas, folks ?

# 204: RE: Won't Close Down !

Author: Guest
Time: 14:19, 10/04/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Try turning off FAST SHUTDOWN. To do so go to, Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools and click on System Information. When System Information opens up you will see in the bottom right corner of the window a button labled Advanced. Click on the Advanced button and in the list you will see Disable Fast Shutdown. Place your mouse pointer over the little box beside Disable Fast Shutdown and click once to place a black dot in the little box. After doing so click OK then OK again then YES to reboot the computer for the setting to take affect.

NOTE: If you see a little black dot in the box then Fast Shutdown is already Disabled.

Good Luck!

# 207: RE: Won't Close Down !

Author: Guest
Time: 19:18, 10/04/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Problems:
There are many users who are reporting problems with Windows 98 SE's shutdown routine. For some the routine just doesn't work, for others a shutdown result in a reboot.
Below are some things to try that worked for some people, however keep in mind that this list is not complete, and these suggestions might not work for you. Before you start, make sure you have the latest BIOS update for your computer.

IRQ Steering and Device Enumeration
Select Start > Settings > Control Panel
Double-click the System icon, and select the Device Manager tab
Select View Devices by type and double-click System Devices
Select PCI bus and click on the Properties button
Adjust or Disable the settings under the IRQ Steering and/or the Settings tab to get thedesired results. Make note of how you found these settings before you attempt to change them as a precaution
FIRST try changing the Device Enumeration under the Settings tab from Hardware to BIOS. This does the trick in many cases for various problems.
If Not....
Experiment with enabling or disabling all the combinations of possible settings to try to get the desired results. At times, the BIOS setting that you may or may not have, PnP Aware OS, also has a bearing on these settings....(See below for more info)
Make sure you do a full reboot after every change while testing.
IRQ Steering
Use IRQ Steering - Specifies that Windows programs use IRQ steering. If you select the Use IRQ Steering check box, PCI bus devices behave more like Plug and Play devices. If you click to clear the Use IRQ Steering check box, then BIOS programs dictate IRQ steering.
IRQ steering is determined by one of four routing TABLEs. Windows searches for one of the selected routing TABLEs in the order listed and uses the first one it finds.
Do not change the default settings for IRQ steering unless there is a problem with a PCI device
If there is a problem, click to clear the Get IRQ TABLE using ACPI BIOS check box and restart Windows
If the problem persists, select the Get IRQ TABLE from Protected Mode PCI BIOS 2.1 call check box and restart Windows
Select the Get IRQ TABLE from Protected Mode PCI BIOS 2.1 call check box only if a PCI device is not working properly
One combination that worked for a number of people was to go into your system's BIOS, and make sure that ACPI I/O Node is set to Enabled, and to set the IRQ Steering to Get IRQ TABLE using ACPI BIOS, while unchecking all others.
For some others unchecking the Get IRQ TABLE from Realmode PCIBIOS 2.1 Call, while leaving all other options as they where did the trick.

Assign IRQ for your Video Adapter
Another fix that worked for some people is to go in your systems BIOS, and assign an IRQ for your Video Adapter (you might not have this option in your BIOS). This also solves problems with not being able to Restart in MS-DOS mode.

Enable USB
In some BIOS'ses you can enable/disable USB (by assigning an IRQ to USB). A number of people where able to fix their problem by enabling USB this way, even if they did not have any USB devices attached to their system.

Notes
Windows 98 SE has Fast Shutdown turned off by default in msconfig.
For information on how to access your computers BIOS, consult your computer's manual.
For more information, see this Microsoft Knowledge Base Article No. Q238096 How to Troubleshoot Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Problems http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q238/0/96.asp?FR=1&LNG=ENG&SA=PER
Microsoft has released a Shutdown Supplement to combat Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown problems
The Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement addresses shutdown issues on systems with specific hardware/software configurations running Windows 98 Second Edition. These issues include systems restarting when selecting shutdown and systems hanging on shutdown.
Microsoft recommends the troubleshooting steps outlined in the KB article above. If, after following the steps outlined in the article, the system continues to exhibit shutdown problems, then Microsoft suggests applying the Second Edition Shutdown Supplement http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/contents/WURecommended/S_WUFeatured/Win98SE/Default.asp

Updated Windows 98 Shutdown Supplement (23 October 1999)
Microsoft quietly updated the Windows 98 Shutdown Supplement. It was found that for some people the original Shutdown Supplement was not working.
The update is only to the install & uninstall .INF file, apparently a file was not copied during install which affected a small number of users.
If you installed the Windows 98 Shutdown Supplement, and it's working for you, there is no reason to install this new one. But if you are having problems with the original Shutdown Supplement patch installed, we recommend that you try this new version.
You can identify the new version by it's size. The original Windows 98 Shutdown Supplement is 491KB, while the updated one is 489KB. The updated .INF files have a time stamp of 27/09/99, but according to sources, the update was only posted this week.
If you want to install the new Shutdown Supplement, and you have the original one installed, you should uninstall that one first.
You can do this by following these instructions:
You should save and close all open documents and close all programs before attempting to uninstall this update. Then click on Start > Find > Files or Folders and search for 239887UN.INF. Once this file is displayed, right-click on the file and choose Install. You will need to have your original Windows 98 Second Edition CD available to uninstall this update.

Shutdown problems can also occur if you are using Symantec Norton AntiVirus with the Auto-Protect feature enabled. Usually shutdown stops responding (hangs).
To work around, or fix this behavior:
Disable the Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect feature (workaround)
Obtain the latest LiveUpdate for Norton AntiVirus (Symevnt.exe) from Symantec's Web site.For more information about how to obtain LiveUpdate files, contact Symantec Technical Support. (fix)

Intel I820 Chipset
Intel has found that there may be some noise disturbances that occur in communications between the Motherboard components and the Memory Translator Hub(MTH), causing PC's to intermittently shut down or stop responding.
To resolve this problem, download the Intel utility found at the Intel http://www.intel.com/support/mth/ami.htm Web site. This utility determines if the MTH chip exists in the computer. If the MTH component is detected, this is most likely a hardware issue and you should contact your PC's supplier.

 

# 208: RE: Won't Close Down !

Author: Guest
Time: 19:54, 10/04/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Try the Windows Trouble Shooter:

Go to Start then click on Help. When Windows Help opens up click on Troubleshooting and then click on Windows 98 Troubleshooters then click on Startup and Shutdowm and then follow the instructions.

Good Luck!

# 202: Fried HD

Author: colb
Time: 06:01, 10/04/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


I had HD problems on a HD just over 12 month old whilst on holiday and ended up with many bad sectors. Knowing nothing or little about these thing but wondering what went wrong. Would or could a power surge do this.
It was on my lap top and couple of times the HD came out possible due to a faulty catch
Any suggestions appreciated

 

# 205: RE: Fried HD

Author: Guest
Time: 14:26, 10/04/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


If the HDD is only a little over 12 months old it should still be under warranty. First back up the data on the HDD then return the HDD to where you purchased it to get a replacement HDD.

Good Luck!

# 194: 333mhz to 550Mhz upgrade problem (among other things)

Author: Skrammy
Time: 22:17, 09/27/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


I have an HP pavilion that originally had a 333Mhz AMD K6-2, I bought a 550Mhz AMD K6-2 from Tiger Direct and installed it. The computer still works fine, but I don't believe the PC's BIOS recognized the upgrade because as I boot her up, it still reads that it has a 333mhz processor.
I have also added an extra 64mb of RAM to this computer, which the PC recognizes in the start up, but not in the properties setting under "My Computer".
I have also attached a 40gb slave drive to the PC, but it is sitting next to the original 4.3gb, because the 18" ATA cable that I have will not allow the slave slot to reach up to the extra drive bay. Will having two hard drives right next to each other create too much heat? Or Static electricity? Is there any way to buy an ATA 40pin cable that will have a slave slot that is set high enough, or allow for an extra ATA to be connected to the slave? I know these are a lot of questions, hope you can help.
Thanks,
Skrammy

Skrammy_50000@hotmail.com

# 195: RE: 333mhz to 550Mhz upgrade problem (among other things)

Author: Guest
Time: 03:57, 09/28/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


Regarding the 550mhz AMD processor. You need to set the dip switches on the mother board if there are any if not then a jumper to recognize the 550mhz processor. Check the motherboard manual for these settings. As far as having two harddrives next to each other that shouldn't be a problem as long as your case has good ventilation.
As far as the ram goes I don't know.

Good Luck!

# 196: RE: 333mhz to 550Mhz upgrade problem (among other things)

Author: Guest
Time: 15:55, 10/01/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


FOR YOUR MOBO TO RECOGNIZE THE NEW CPU, YOU NEED TO SET THE CORRECT JUMPER SETTINGS OF THE MOTHERBOARD IN WHICH CASE YOU NEED TO HAVE THE MOTHERBOARD MANUAL. IF YOU DONT HAVE IT, YOU NEED TO OPEN YOUR CASING AND TAKE DOWN THE MANUFACTURER AND MODEL NO. OF YOUR MOBO AND DOWNLOAD THE MOBO MANUAL SO YOU COULD SET THE DIP SWITCHES AND JUMPER SETTINGS CORRECTLY. AS FOR YOUR RAM, SOME RAM DONT WORK WELL IF THEY GET MIXED WITH OTHER BRANDS OR SPEED (PC60, PC100, PC133) .

# 198: RE[2]: 333mhz to 550Mhz upgrade problem (among other things)

Author: Brian
Time: 14:37, 10/03/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


DON'T POST IN CAPITALS!
IT'S HARD TO READ!
Brian
brianjd@iprimus.com.au

# 222: RE: 333mhz to 550Mhz upgrade problem (among other things)

Author:
Time: 21:02, 10/11/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


processor::
you need to set the switches (jumpers) on your motherboard to reflect the new processor. processors work by bus speeds and multipliers. since the computer you are using either has a 100mhz fsb(front side bus) or a 133 mhz fsb (most likely 100) you will need to set the processor multiplier to a value that will equal the processors rating, ex. 100mhz fsb * 5.5 multiplier setting = 550Mhz. you can do this through dip switches on the motherboard, or if you're not comfortable with that, you can change it in your bios.

hard disks::
shouldn't be a problem.

ram:: not sure..

# 188: sound problem

Author: ronnie
Time: 19:58, 09/22/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


sis motherboard with onboard sound. sis 7018 driver. sound goes ditorted and i have to reinstall driver .seems to work ok for a while then goes again.

 

# 189: RE: sound problem

Author: Guest
Time: 00:37, 09/24/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


Check on the internet for an updated driver or patch.

# 315: RE: sound problem

Author:
Time: 21:53, 11/25/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


I'm having the same problem.
Mainboard: ECS K7SEM
BIOS: 1.1b
Driver revision: actual 1.14.02 (also tried older ones)
Problem comes and goes. Just need a reboot.
Have not found a solution until now.

# 181: Trying to clone bad drive

Author:
Time: 19:02, 09/10/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


I am trying to replace an old Seagate 2GB drive that is slowly failing. Everytime I run scandisk it times out on more clusters at the end of the drive. After running 3 or 4 time consecutivly, it may be clean.

I then try and clone the drive using PowerQuests "DriveCopy". It reaches the end, and Fails on an invalid CRC.

I have tried the solutions on PQ's website with the same results. I have changed the settings in the Scandisk.ini file to be more sensitive.

Does anybody have a solution/recommendation/software for manually relocating the last say 1000 clusters. Similar to Scandisk?

# 286: RE: Trying to clone bad drive

Author: Brainz0
Time: 21:50, 11/04/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


This message is a bit old now, but I would give up on "cloning", as there is no reason to duplicate everything in the same locations, etc. Just copy the folders you want to the new drive, one at a time, and periodically check the new drive. Then either try a low-level format on the Seagate, or check to see if it was sold in the last three years. If it was, you may be able to get a free manufacturer's replacement from Seagate...I did. Check their website, look up the serial number, etc., if you do not have a retail receipt.

# 175: p.c. fried by powercut????

Author: cliffcaroline
Time: 09:58, 09/09/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


Since having a power cut several weeks ago my p.c. keeps cutting out / shutting down......

The pc was saving to the hard disc when i lost power but seemed initially to be okay afterwards, even though it didn't run scan disk whilst booting up).

Since then it cuts out ( screen goes blank ,fans still running , reset switch on pc does not respond , cntrl+alt+dell does nothing and the only way to get it back is to turn the wall socket off and then back on . Even then it starts doing the same thing even before windows kicks in. It has also cut out in safe mode ( which is worrying as i beleive that that means it is a hardware problem ).

Believing the o.s. was damaged I wiped it completely clean ( del partition and created new 1 with fdisk, formatted drive , re-installed makers factory image disk ).......... seemed okay at first but now repeating same problem. I've ran the complete and thorough hardware tests on norton systemworks and it passes everything.

So .............. does anyone know how to verify if this is a hardware or software problem?

I personally think that either the hard drive or the power supply pack is broken.......

any ideas ,

one frustrated scotsman...

# 176: RE: p.c. fried by powercut????

Author: Guest
Time: 17:18, 09/09/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


Sounds like you are going to have to have your PC looked at by a PC service technician. If and when you get your PC fixed invest in a good surge protector and plug your PC into it. This will help protect your PC from damage due to an electrical surge from the power line.

Good Luck!

# 223: RE: p.c. fried by powercut????

Author:
Time: 21:09, 10/11/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


damn...do you know if you have an integrated video card? motherboards seem to have this annoying habit of frying during power failures and surges..i would say there's a 90% of a damaged video card. also, your reset button on your case works by sending a signal directly to the motherboard...don't trust norton systemworks and don't bother installing windows anymore. sounds to me like you got a toasted motherboard. if the psu(power supply unit) had been damaged, i would doubt your computer would ever turn on at all. bring it to a techie, and he/she will install a new motherboard, and you should be fine from there.

# 157: Converting to FAT 32

Author: Gary W. Murray
Time: 17:18, 09/05/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


In trying to convert from FAT 16 to FAT 32 I get a message saying I have a bad file cluster and therefore cannot convert to FAT 32.

How can I remove bad file clusters to permit conversion to FAT 32?

 

# 166: RE: Converting to FAT 32

Author: naynoy
Time: 16:54, 09/06/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


SCAND THE HARD DISK FIRST USING WINDOWS SCANDISK WITH THE TEST OPTION SET TO THOROUGH AND TICK THE BOX WHICH SAYS THAT "AUTOMATICALLY FIX ERROR". ONCE THIS IS DONE. YOU MIGHT AS WELL DEFRAG YOUR HARD DRIVE BEFORE CONVERTING IT TO FAT 32.
GOOD LUCK!

 

# 187: RE[2]: Converting to FAT 32

Author: Guest
Time: 20:56, 09/19/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


I tried this and I still have bad clusters.

Would formatting my hard drive eleminate them?

# 199: RE[3]: Converting to FAT 32

Author: Brian
Time: 14:43, 10/03/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


Probably.
Brian
brianjd@iprimus.com.au

# 151: changing free space from C to D

Author: deezee
Time: 13:46, 08/30/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


How can I get my free space from C drive to be put into my D drive so I can install a game?
dianne8@mindspring.com

# 165: RE: changing free space from C to D

Author: naynoy
Time: 16:50, 09/06/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


IF YOUR HAVE A SINGLE HAD DISK WITH MORE THAN TWO PARTITIONS YOU CAN REPARTITION YOUR HARD DISK WITHOUT FORMATTING AND LOSING FILES AND DATA ON BOTH THE C AND D DRIVE USING POWER QUEST PARTITION MAGIC. IF NOT, TRY AND BACKUP YOU FILES AND DATA AND JUST FDISK AND FORMAT YOUR HARD DISK AND REPARTITION IT USING A START UP DISK (WIN98/ME) MOST PROBABLY YOU ARE USING WIN98 OR WINME SINCE MOST PC GAMES WORK BETTER ON THIS TWO O.S.(YOU NEED TO REINSTALL EVERYTHING INCLUDING YOUR O.S. IF YOU ARE GOING VIA THE SECOND OPTION.

 

# 146: Can I fit 60gb HD to 586 or Super Seven Board?

Author: flacko
Time: 01:58, 08/29/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


I have a 1998 mother board with AMD K6 500 cpu. The M.Board is a 586 or Super 7 socket or the like, and I wonder if its possible to assemble it with a very large H.Drive; if so, what if anything is needed in the way of software or BIOS upgrade? Thanks.

# 164: RE: Can I fit 60gb HD to 586 or Super Seven Board?

Author: naynoy
Time: 16:39, 09/06/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


yes your currentmobo will support large capacity IDE disk drives. as for bios and other soft wares, you may or may not need to update you bios but it his highly recommended that you update your bios to the latest one. Most probably, your mobo supports only UDMA 33 (maximum) and since most drives today are faster and supports upto ATA 100, you might as well buy an ATA 100 card and cable (if it is not included with the nard disk, The hard disk will still work without this ata 100 controller card but will max out at only UDMA 33. Lastly, try to buy at least a 7200 rpm IDE hard disk so that it would be faster...

 

# 135: Defragging Computer Problem

Author: Linda
Time: 03:59, 08/23/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


I have never had problem defragging my computer,however after I do thorough scan disk and attempt to defrag it gets to 33% and doesnt go further. I close all programs no luck. I have run msconfig and tried using selective startup which insures nothing interfers with scandisk and Defrag that didnt work. Someone said it could be Love Virus. Dont know if it is or something wrong with drive. If this is the case how can I check if hard drive is shot or it is Virus. I ran virus check came back none. I have Pionex 450mg PentiumIII 224 ram, 13gig and running Windows 98 2nd edition. Please someone come up with solution. Thanks

# 140: RE: Defragging Computer Problem

Author: Guest
Time: 04:28, 08/24/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


Click on SHUTDOWN
Select RESTART IN MS-DOS MODE
Click OK
At the DOS C:\ prompt type DEFRAG and hit ENTER

# 115: No Startup Bootdisk Will Work on My New Computer..

Author: Timothy
Time: 14:45, 08/17/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


Last night I purchased a 500 mhz Pentium III, which was slightly used. Before I bought it, I watched the previous owner run windows, so I know that the computer worked. As soon as I got home, I formatted the hard drive, and then inserted a startup disk, but it said that it was an invalid startup disk, and to enter one that worked. I kept trying different disks, and different startup disks, since I have a couple computers, but it always gave me the same invalid system disk message. I am positive that these startup disks work because I have tried them on numerous computers. I bought this computer for my girlfriend, and I am just trying to set up windows and the basic stuff before I give it to her, but I can't do this when I have a formatted hard drive and I am unable to even boot to DOS or anything with a startup disk. I have already set the floppy drive to the first bootable drive, I have already set it to look for a floppy to start off of, and the floppy drive's green light turns on whenever it is searching the drive for a startup disk, so I know that it is communicating with the computer. I don't know what to do, and I could really use any help from anybody, and I would really appreciate it so much. Please reply or (preferably) write me an email at tcbeer@ucdavis.edu.

Thank you sooo much everybody.
timothy@fdsi.com

# 122: RE: No Startup Bootdisk Will Work on My New Computer..

Author: Guest
Time: 03:28, 08/18/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


Since the startup disc is recognized on your other computer your problem could be one of three things with the PIII 500.

1)The floppy drive could be damaged.
2)The floppy's data cable could be damaged.
3)The floppy drive port on the motherboard could be damaged.

To find out remove the floppy drive along with the data cable from the PIII 500. Remove the floppy drive along with the data cable from your other computer and install it in the PIII 500. Before connecting the data cable to the motherboard check for any bent or missing pins on the FDD port on the motherboard. Place your Startup disc in the floppy drive and turn on the PIII 500. If the startup disc is recognized then it is either the floppy drive or the data cable that is damaged on the original floppy drive. If the startup disc is not recognized then more than likely the FDD port is damaged on the motherboard which means you will need a new motherboard.

Good luck!

# 143: RE: No Startup Bootdisk Will Work on My New Computer..

Author:
Time: 07:08, 08/26/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


Since you claim the disk works in other computers then the problem lies in the hardware.
All possible problem:
a) If the Floppy drive's light stays on continuously then the Floppy Ribbon cable is installed backwards.
b) The drive may be dirty and needs to be cleaned. Use a floppy cleaning disk.
c) The drive may no longer work. If it makes strange knocking noises or grinding noises it may be physically damamged. Swap the floppy with a known good drive and then try booting from that drive.
d) Ensure the BIOS settings are correct
e) Ensure the pins on the floppy drive are not bent
f) If you have many drives, your power supply may not be supplying enough voltage, try disconnecting some drives.
(!)
Should the known good testing drive not function either then test with a different Floppy Cable
...If it still fails then your socket may be damaged, check the underside of the motherboard for loose solders, OR the chipset may be damaged: contact your motherboard(mainboard) dealer for a replacement board.

Xe (A+ Tech)

# 103: REALLY DID IT THIS TIME

Author: GUTTZILLA
Time: 23:44, 08/12/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


Not sure what happened or why, but after a realitive trouble free 8 months or so, my computer decided to just quit. First the cd-rom quit and bios wouldn't, couldn't locate it. Then after installing new one, bios said it wasn't there. Now bios is saying that neither hard drive is there anymore. I have tried to run fdisk so I could reformat and start anew, but it says no fixed disks located. I only have access to the dos a, c, and d. I can' reinstall windows as much of the installation is on cd, which my computer says is not there. I have tried to get to c prompt to copy what I could, and it seems to copy ok, but when I turn my computer off than back on there is no c:/ drive let alone what I just copied to it.It will not open in safe mode just returns to a prompt. Looking around on the drives, I have found that all the registry is gone when I ran filexst to check registry files it told me it was an empty directory. I have been fighting this for almost a month now needless to say i have very little hair or paitients left. I live on a very small monthly check so taking to a guru is out. Besides about 3 years ago took my other computer befor this one to supposedly guru, cost me almost enough to buy a rebuilt one, and ran worse than when I took it in. Any help out there from anyone, who might want to hold my hand and walk me through this???

 

# 105: RE: REALLY DID IT THIS TIME

Author: Guest
Time: 15:14, 08/13/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


Sounds like a virus,a dead hard drive or a motherboard/bios problem. If so, you could be toast.

To check for minor hardware problems, UN-PLUG THE COMPUTER, open the box, make sure that the ribbon cable(s) are snug going to the hard drive, CD-rom and motherboard and that the red stripe is on the correct side (usually 'pointing' at the power plug on the drives).
If you see any 'marks' on the ribbon cable (melted by a heat sink, abraided by a fan), replace it, they are cheap.
While you are at it, switch around the power plugs going to the drives, or use spares if there are any, on the off chance one or more are dead, try not to use plugs in the same chain when you switch them.

Note: some of the above may make no sense when you are actually looking a the inside of the computer, depending on the manufacturer.

Assuming that your troubles are purely software, try the following:

Boot system and enter CMOS utility (how depends on your hardware, usually hitting delete when prompted will take you there).

Check that your hard drive is recognize, if not, run automatic hard drive detection.

Change boot order so that CD-rom is booted first.

Boot from Windows CD and re-install windows.

If this does not work, or you do not have one or more of the above settings in your CMOS, get a windows 98 startup disk (not a boot disk, a startup disk)and use that to boot your system (even if it is W95 you are trying to reload) choose to boot with CD-rom support, re-install windows.

If none of this works or makes sense, post or e-mail me you specs for your computer (CPU type, RAM size, and what not), and I will try to give you less generic assistance.

# 106: RE: REALLY DID IT THIS TIME

Author: Guest
Time: 15:24, 08/13/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


1)Check the BIOS settings for your drive(s) by entering the BIOS and selecting Standard CMOS Setup.
Under Hard Disks check that the propper info is entered. I would suggest AUTO for TYPE and AUTO for MODE. Of course if you know the hardrives parameters such as Size, Number of Cylinders, Number of Heads and so on, you can enter this info instead of having the BIOS do it. This information is on the top side of the harddrive. For the CD-Rom (Primary Slave or Secondary Master : see #2 option below) enter AUTO for TYPE and AUTO for MODE. Exit the Standard CMOS Setup and then select Exit and Save Setup.

2) Remove the cover from the computer case. If you have the CD-Rom drive connected by the same data cable that connects your harddrive to the mother board you will need to have the CD-Rom drive set to SLAVE. If the CD-Rom drive uses its own data cable to connect to the motherboard it needs to be set to MASTER. Check the back of the CD-Rom drive to see if it is set propperly ( Master or Slave)

2)Check that the red stripe that runs down one side of the flat data cable connecting the drives to the mother board lines up with the number 1 pin on both the drives and the mother board.

3) Check that all the cables connecting the drives are firmly in place by pushing on the connector on the back of the drives and at the mother board. One of the cables could have been knocked loose when you installed the CD-Rom drive.

4) If all the cables are lined up to the number 1 pin and they are firmly in place including the power cables try replacing the cable on the harddrive if you have a spare one (the flat data cable). The cable could be damaged.

5) Check for a virus. If you have a virus checker there should be a bootable floppy that came with it that you can use for this.

6)If your harddrive is now recognized by the computer, Reformat the harddrive. Place your Windows Start Up floppy (Boot floppy) [you do have one I hope!] into the floppy drive and boot your computer. At the A> prompt type format c: /s and press enter.This will install the files necessary for the harddrive to be bootable. When reformatting has finnished reboot the computer with the Windows Start Up disc (Boot floppy) still in the floppy drive. On boot up agree to the CD-Rom support option. Place the Windows Cd-Rom into your cd-rom drive and install Windows.

Good Luck!

# 130: RE: REALLY DID IT THIS TIME

Author: naynoy
Time: 15:29, 08/20/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


IF YOU HAVE DONE THE 2 PREVIOUS REPLY AND STILL CANT SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM.. CHANCES ARE YOU HAVE A SPOILT MOBO OR BATTERY PROBLEM. TO CHECK IF YOUR HARDDISK AND CDROM DRIVES ARE REALLY WORKING FINE, YOU NEED TO TEST IT ON ANOTHER PC. IF YOU HAVE A SECOND PC YOU COULD DO THIS OR IF NOT YOU COULD TRY AND TROUBLE SOME OF YOUR FRIENDS.. I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THE BEST THING TO SORT OUT HARDWARE PROBLEM IS BY TESTING THE FAULTY ITEM ON MY SECOND PC.
IF THE DEVICE (HARD DISK AND CDROM) ARE WORKING. CHANCES ARE THAT YOUR MAINBOARD IS SPOILT. YOU CAN THEN REPLACE IT WITH A MUCH HIGHER SPEC MOBO AND EVEN THE CPU ITSELF SINCE PRICES OF THESE TWO ITEMS ARE VERY LOW THESE DAYS.

 

# 93: Answer to: Modem only connecting at 28.8k

Author: Tucansam
Time: 06:30, 08/10/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


Try installing the modem manualy by doing this:
Go to CONTROL PANEL and click ADD NEW HARDWARE
Click NEXT
Click NEXT again
Select NO I WANT TO SELECT THE HARDWARE FROM A LIST
Click NEXT
Select MODEM
Select DON'T DETECT MY MODEM, I WILL SELECT IT FROM A LIST
In the list select 3com or USR
Now select one of the choices. If your modem is not listed select one that is closest to your's. You may have to go through this do this untill you get your modem to connect at the pre Win2000 speed you enjoyed under Win98. You can even try selecting the Standard Modem option and then selecting 56k.
Good Luck!

 

# 112: RE: Answer to: Modem only connecting at 28.8k

Author:
Time: 09:01, 08/16/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Thnaks for your tip,
I have tried this but Windows 2000 is extremely fussy about drivers. It just will not accept another driver as it is adamant that this is the correct modem. Even if I delete this modem driver from the default location where it finds it, it will still want it, but now it asks for the Windows 2000 CD to restore those drivers. Windows just won't have it.
I installed very similar win2k modem drivers for the modem but it will co-exist with the 33k driver. Still wont work. If I delete the 33k modem driver it Still won't work.

Any other ideas, does anyone have the Win2k drivers?

# 113: RE[2]: Answer to: Modem only connecting at 28.8k

Author: Guest
Time: 16:24, 08/16/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Because you have a 3com/usr Winmodem which is software driven and not a 3com/usr hardware driven modem you might not be able to get the modem to connect above 28.8 speeds even though it connected at 56k modem speed under Win98. I know of other people that have Winmodems and they have the same problem. You might have to get a 56k hardware driven modem to enjoy the higher speeds.

# 131: RE[3]: Answer to: Modem only connecting at 28.8k

Author: IsmailH
Time: 14:02, 08/21/01 [Tue]
IP address: Kept secret


Boo! Hoo!
It cannot be true. Surely there is a way for me to get this modem to really kickass.
There must be.

# 142: RE[4]: Answer to: Modem only connecting at 28.8k

Author:
Time: 06:59, 08/26/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


Standard drivers will not work for you modem. All winmodems require the model specific drivers in order to function.
You may need to adjust the port speed on the modem via the Hardware Manager.
It's also possible that the connection speed is actually higher than indicated.
Download some files and remember the average download speed. If it's 3.2k/s then you've connected at 28.8, otherwise the modem's CONNECT result passed to the OS by the driver wasn't supported in the driver INF file and therefore is being reported incorrectly.

Xe

# 89: Modem only connecting at 28.8k

Author:
Time: 11:13, 08/09/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Recently, I installed Windows 2000. I think the program is top of the line and a vast improvement over the other Windows OS's. My problem lies in the hardware support it offers. Like who knows how many other surfers, I own a 3Com/US Robotics 56k INT Winmodem. Of those I wonder how many have run up against the corporate apathy of both Microsoft and 3Com. Win2k will not install the correct driver. It insists on installing a driver for the 33.6k modem. So, I now connect at 28.8, or 31.2k where previously (Win98) I connected at 42666k. I paid good money for both the modem and the software but seem to be left out in the cold.
If anyone knows where I can find the 56k drivers for the WIN2k drivers I am all ears.

More info about modem:
Windows 2000: loaded 3com Windows Modem ISA ADI
drivers with the installation
Windows 98: loaded US Robotics 56k voice win with installation.

I took out the modem from the PC and these are the references on it:
3Com US Robotics 56k voice Winmodem
1.020.0724.00
608236
bd800 0hk
dk98022630
f198615038

using this:
http://modemupdate.usr.com/infinity/setup.exe

have loaded win98 and run this programm. hereunder is the exact model details.
U.S. Robotics 56K Voice Win Configuration Profile...

Product type UK Internal
Product ID 66562080
Options V32bis,V.34+,x2,V.90,V.80
Fax Options Class 1/Class 2.0
Voice Options Speakerphone,TAD
DSP Freq 34.0Mhz
DSP Ram 32k

VXD date 07/16/98
VXD rev 1.00.011

In Windwows 2000:

U.S. Robotics 33.6K Win INT Configuration Profile...

Product type Austria Internal
Product ID: 66562080
Options V32bis ,V.34+
Fax Options Class 1/Class 2.0
Line Options Distinctive Ring
DSP Freq 34.0Mhz
DSP Ram 32k

VXD date 09/13/99
VXD rev 1.00.024

i HAVE TRIED THE STRANGLER, AVENGER 2000 DRIVERS TOO.
It usually comes up with The modem error message was :
code 10
the device cannot start
Is there any other I can try?

I have been told my modem is 665620-80 Europe is equivalent to 661750.

Thanks Team.
Regards,

# 80: Creative CD-RW

Author: Pontios
Time: 13:48, 08/05/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


My friend has bought a new Creative CD-RW. The problem is he cannot find any software to run on it apart from the software that came with the Writer. He also made the mistake of throwing away the box to the drive so all i know is under device manager its called CREATIVE CD-RW RW1210E and on the front of the drive it tells me its a 12.12.32x drive. Can anyone help? What drive is it and what software supports this drive?

Your Help will be greatly appreciated!!!!
John Tounoussidis
E-mail: pontios@unite.com.au
Website: http://unite.com.au/~u6508a/

# 81: RE: Creative CD-RW

Author: Tucansam
Time: 05:12, 08/07/01 [Tue]
IP address: Kept secret


Easy CD Creator 5 should run on the Creative CD-RW drive. Go to www.roxio.com and there is a list of drives that Easy CD Creator suports.

 

# 83: RE[2]: Creative CD-RW

Author: Pontios
Time: 08:10, 08/07/01 [Tue]
IP address: Kept secret


Thank you My Friend i have e-mailed the company to ask if the drive is supported or not because there is some confusion on their database.

Thanks heaps.

John Tounoussidis
E-mail: pontios@unite.com.au
Website: http://unite.com.au/~u6508a/

# 66: how do i get rid of a virus???

Author: babyjgirl
Time: 00:46, 07/22/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


i have a virus called choke and i want to know how to get rid of it. can you please help me?/

# 71: RE: how do i get rid of a virus???

Author: Pontios
Time: 08:23, 07/26/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


try looking it up at
http://www.norton.com OR
http://www.mcafee.com

:-)

 

# 72: RE: how do i get rid of a virus???

Author: Webmaster
Time: 15:21, 07/26/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


One of the best places to go is the Symantec Antivirus Research Center at http://www.sarc.com/ It is strictly an antivirus site and there is information on viruses, as well as utilities that will clean individual viruses off your system.

Graham Wing
----------------------------------------------------
Owner/Operator of PC Improvements
mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
http://www.pcin.net/help/
"Providing and Supporting PC and Internet Services"

# 59: No Sound with Firewire.

Author:
Time: 11:39, 07/19/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


hello
I have a borderline spec pc with a firewire card. i want to be able to watch the output from my jvc digital camcorder.
If i play it through Ulead Video Studio 5, Adobe Premiere 6 or FreeDV i get a good picture and no sound. If I record the output and play it back the sound is there (minus quite a few dropped frames!)
I am using DirectX8a with the digital video update
Dual boot (WinMe/Win2k)
198 Ram
333mhz
generic three port firewire card.
jvc dvl 109 camera

any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
I don't have a TV so i can't watch it through that.
adam

# 53: film and vhs input

Author: Guest
Time: 22:36, 07/18/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


ULead has softwear which looks like it's what I need for editing and archiving home movies. But I've got 16mm and vhs, and ULead is set up for digital input. What do I use, and can I afford it?
shari

# 126: RE: film and vhs input

Author: naynoy
Time: 08:54, 08/18/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


you need a hardware that would accept video (capture card) input. a graphic card with a video in/out capability such as ati's rage fury pro (if you are tight on the budget) or the ati radeon version. This graphic cards have some softwares included which will digitize the images it recieves through it.After which you could use Ulead to edit & archive the films. This process is long and not only that, you would require a very big hard disk (minimum of 20 gb). If you are using windowsME there is a small utility program called windows media maker which also works the same.
If you dont want to replace your existing graphic card, you might as well buy those carture card/tv tuner card which is not the expensive.

# 50: laptops and dual video screens

Author: searayder1
Time: 13:50, 07/18/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


I have read a couple of articles which discuss the ability to have two monitors linked to a single desktop. The requirements being two video cards which support the function, two monitors, and a version of Windows which supports the function. I would like to be able to use my laptop screen and hook an additional monitor up to my laptop for use. Since I can't add a video card to my laptop is it possible to use a PCMCIA card or something USB related? What might I use?

Thanks ...

 

# 52: RE: laptops and dual video screens

Author: Webmaster
Time: 21:07, 07/18/01 [Wed]
IP address: Kept secret


Your laptop should have an SVGA port on the back already. If it does, then connect a monitor to it. There should be a function of your laptop that allows you to view the same thing on both the laptop screen and the monitor.
But the key is that they are showing the same thing. I don't know of anyway to have different things appear on the laptop screen and the monitor. That is why you need 2 different video cards so that 2 different signals can be sent.

Graham Wing
----------------------------------------------------
Owner/Operator of PC Improvements
mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
http://www.pcin.net/help/
"Providing and Supporting PC and Internet Services"

# 60: RE[2]: laptops and dual video screens

Author: Guest
Time: 12:40, 07/19/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Hi Graham,

Thanks for the response. I know how to have the same thing show up on both my laptop screen and a connected monitor. It's the second part of your response I'm interested in. The part about two different video cards. Is it possible to add a second video card to a laptop via either the PCMCIA slot or USB? Who might manufacture such a device?

Jeff.

# 44: Modem/Port Connection Speeds

Author: Wayne
Time: 20:29, 07/12/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


I recently replaced my Dell modem(MDP-3900V-U)with a Conexant HCF v90 56k RTAD Speakerphone PCI. It is a Titanium version with the ID markings SF11156IV. The installation went flawlessly butthe connection rate through aol is showing 115200. From what I gather this is modt likely the comuter/port sped and not the actual connection rate. Some say I have an incorrect .inf file. I've tried W2 and +MR=2 in the extra settings box but the rate remains the same. What is intersting is that my wife has a connection set up for her Pampered Chef show submissions which is not a part of aol and that is showing a rate of 46800bps. What this is telling me is that the culprit could be aol. Can anyone suggest another reason or confirm my suspicions re: the aol connection. I'm running Win 98 2nd Ed. on a 20 G Dell XPS B600r w/256k Ram

Many thanks!

 

# 46: RE: Modem/Port Connection Speeds

Author: Webmaster
Time: 01:47, 07/14/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


I don't know what the culprit is, although I would come to the same conclusion that it is a problem with the AOL software. If you visit http://www.56k.com/trouble/connect.shtml#dce it mentions the settings you tried as well as a couple of others. They might help.

Graham Wing
----------------------------------------------------
Owner/Operator of PC Improvements
mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
http://www.pcin.net/help/
"Providing and Supporting PC and Internet Services"

# 56: RE: Modem/Port Connection Speeds

Author: Brainz0
Time: 01:46, 07/19/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Don't worry about that number...that is the internal transfer speed between the port and the CPU. The number on your other machine looks like a true connection speed, though.

 

# 42: Can't connect to the web

Author:
Time: 02:15, 07/12/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


I have a PII 400 W 128 Mg Ram, using Win 98 2nd Ed
I use I.E.5.5. My ISP is AOL. For the past 2 months, I have had a problem with linking from
AOL to the web. I can get t oAOL's home page, read & send E mail. That's it. At first, I.E.
also was out. Now I have had it fixed, but AOL
still doesn't funtion properly. I have done the following. I have uninstalled & reinstalled AOL,
uninstalled & reinstalled the AOL adapter, checked my network settings, wsock 2 & wsock32.dll files, rebuilt my tcp/ip stack etc. Can't get it to work. Does anybody have any ideas?
My whole family uses aol because it's easy to use, and they don't want me to change ISP's yet.

If you have any ideas, please e mail me at shevat57@aol.com. Thank you.

# 47: RE: Can't connect to the web

Author: Webmaster
Time: 01:49, 07/14/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


I don't use AOL myself (you should go for something faster like cable or DSL). All I can suggest is that you call or email AOL support. They should be able to tell you what all of your settings should be.

Graham Wing
----------------------------------------------------
Owner/Operator of PC Improvements
mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
http://www.pcin.net/help/
"Providing and Supporting PC and Internet Services"

# 57: RE: Can't connect to the web

Author: Brainz0
Time: 01:49, 07/19/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


AOL is bad news. The install alters your Windows setup and files, and the whole service is generally lame. But if you can't wean yourself, AOL may deign to assist you.

 

# 35: dell laptop question

Author: socko
Time: 15:07, 07/05/01 [Thu]
IP address: Kept secret


Hi to all-
I have a hand me down Dell Latitude LxPi laptop.
The fan is dead(at least I'm hoping that's all that is wrong). I'd like to replace it but have no clue as how to begin the task, ie: I can't locate any screws allowing removal of keyboard or bottom, to even see if it is the fan. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've explored regular PC's but a little leary with this laptop, as it's the only one I have so the freedom of "opening her up" and checking things out is not
one of my options :&
New to PCIN, so if I'm approaching this wrong,
by all means, let me know.
Take care,
Sandra

# 40: RE: dell laptop question

Author: Webmaster
Time: 12:15, 07/07/01 [Sat]
IP address: Kept secret


Sandra, this is the place to ask questions...

The Dell laptop should definitely have screws holding the case together. Without seeing the laptop it is hard to tell you where they are. You could try and contact Dell and see what they say. If they won't help, then at least you tried.

You can probably take the laptop to a local shop and if it is just a fan problem, they should be able to fix it for relatively cheap.

Graham Wing
----------------------------------------------------
Owner/Operator of PC Improvements
mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
http://www.pcin.net/help/
"Providing and Supporting PC and Internet Services"

# 22: Dead PC

Author: DarrenJ
Time: 22:10, 06/29/01 [Fri]
IP address: Kept secret


I run a home built PC. Recently it has 'died' on me. When I switch on I hear the drives spin up, but the monitor will not come off stand-by. I've swapped the monitor, main processor, video card & power supply all without having any effect. Does anybody have any further suggestions? There is no beeping, it's as if the machine isn't even finding the BIOS, is this possible and why should it happen out of the blue?

# 30: RE: Dead PC

Author: Webmaster
Time: 15:34, 07/02/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


When you have the computer apart, give it a good cleaning (buy a can of compressed air) and disconnect all of the cables and reconnect them to make sure that the connecitons are firm. I had a friend who had this exact same thing happen. It wouldn't work for a couple of days, and then just started working again.
If none of that helps, then it is most likely that something has happened to the mother board (a power surge can do this) and it will need to be replaced.

Graham Wing
----------------------------------------------------
Owner/Operator of PC Improvements
mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
http://www.pcin.net/help/
"Providing and Supporting PC and Internet Services"

# 21: defrag and tune up etc

Author: Guest
Time: 01:10, 06/24/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


My defragment stops at 38%, my tune runs over and over, I have disabled them then tried it, ive tried them in safe mode, and disabled ant virus, what is going on?

# 24: RE: defrag and tune up etc

Author: Pontios
Time: 09:48, 07/01/01 [Sun]
IP address: Kept secret


I believe there may be something running without you knowing. It is possible for a program to run without it showing anywhere, not in the system tray nor on the taskbar. Try using control-alt-delete until you get all programs to stop running. (Leave the windows explorer stuff there ofcouse). Then try defrag.

:-) Hope it works

# 29: RE[2]: defrag and tune up etc

Author: Webmaster
Time: 15:32, 07/02/01 [Mon]
IP address: Kept secret


CTRL-ALT-DEL doesn't always show all of the running processes. You can install WinTop (available from the Microsoft site) or a similar tool that will show all running processes. You can then stop them and this should help.
You can also try the free defrag tool PowerDefrag available at PowerDefrag.com. I haven't used it myself, but have heard good things about it.

Graham Wing
----------------------------------------------------
Owner/Operator of PC Improvements
mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
http://www.pcin.net/help/
"Providing and Supporting PC and Internet Services"