Search results

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    Obscenely slow notebook hard drive

    After moving cross-country, I'm stuck for awhile with my laptop as my primary computer -- which means I've finally realized how damn slow it is. It's an older Averatec 3225, with a Barton-mobile 2000+, 1GB (single-channel), integrated S3 Unichrome graphics, and a 40GB IBM/Hitachi Travelstar...
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    Simple friggin' task for Google Desktop Search

    All I'm trying to do is get Google Desktop to generate a list of the photographs I've taken with my digital camera. Shouldn't be hard -- each and every filename begins with the letters "DSCF", followed by four numbers. All are JPGs. So I figured the query "DSCF*" or "DSCF*.JPG" would do the...
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    Back in Stock: Connect3D X1900XT, $289.99

    Jump on them before they're gone again. -hc-
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    Digitizing decades-old 8mm films?

    I discovered a trove of old 8mm film reels in my folks' attic, going as far back as their wedding in the 60s. We haven't watched any of them since I was a kid; after the VCR came out, I guess it seemed too much of a hassle to pull out the projector and screen. Anyway, I figure it'd be a great...
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    Best way to nerf the Internet?

    My grandfather's 6-month-old PC is so ridden with spyware/malware/you-name-it that his screen resolution randomly changes. A Spybot scan turned up a veritable "who's who" of applications whose creators are going to hell. He's fascinated by this whole internet thing, but fascinated the way a...
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    Inverting Mobo in a CM Stacker

    I figure my Stacker (the gigantic original model) will work best in an inverted-motherboard arrangement, but can't figure out how to reconfigure the damn thing. I've got a large rad on the floor of the case, so flipping things would put the RAM and voltage regs right into the radiator airflow...
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    Bittorrent killing my cable modem?

    OK, lets see if you guys can be more helpful than Time Warner's customer "service." Usually my connection is A-OK -- solid transfer rates, excellent pings, reliable. Using Bittorrent screws it up royally, though. As soon as I start a torrent, DNS goes down (for the most part). Clicking a...
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    Black Ice Rads 50% Off at Danger Den

    Not sure if there's a glut of HWLabs radiators or what, but Danger Den is running some insane deals on the Black Ice series, like a BIX2 for $52 or a BIX3 for $70. http://www.dangerdenstore.com/home.php?cat=13 -hc-
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    Best mobo/RAM combo for a Venice 3200 build?

    Just ordered a 3200 Venice from Monarch, and now I've got to select a mobo and dual 512MB DRAMS. I intend to overclock the ah heck as far as it'll go, but I'm not looking for SLI, and sadly money is a very real concern. That probably means a DFI NF4 Ultra-D, but I'm open to suggestions. If I...
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    X800 XL overclocking headroom?

    I'm planning a new NF4-based rig, and so far the PCI-E price/performance nod has to go to the X800 XL at the ~$300 price point. (Unless you're a SM 3.0 fanatic, and we can't help that, can we?) The thing is that even with primo cooling it looks like the X800 XLs hit their process wall really...
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    Flashing BIOS when board won't POST?

    So I'm slapping together a new Venice-based rig, and I keep seeing the warnings that a mobo without the latest BIOS won't POST. If I build from scratch, and the mobo revision doesn't have a Rev.E-compatible BIOS yet...how do I flash the BIOS of a board that won't POST? -hc-
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    Disable wireless notifications in WinXP?

    I'm constantly taking my laptop from place to place, from hotspot to hotspot, and WinXP never tires of telling me about it in the form of an annoying dialog bubble. I mean, do I really need to be told that my connection is out? Do I need to be told that there's no connection available after I...
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    Selecting an A64 3200+ Winnie/Venice

    Like everybody else on the planet, I'm picking up a 3200+ to pop into a DFI NF4 board with the hopes of clocking it to at least 2.4GHz (with my DangerDen TDX H20 setup). Unfortunately, I've hear the more recent Winchester steppings are poor overclockers; and the Venice, while it reviewed nicely...
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    Telltale signs of a dead chip?

    I'm pretty sure I blew out my old 2800 Barton, which had been running at 2500MHz @ 1.95v for months. My system just died in the middle of a game, and now hitting the power switch does nothing but start a two-tone alarm, which continues until I cut the power entirely. Anyway, the PSU checks...
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    Sleeving SATA and PCI-E Connectors?

    I've finished sleeving the molex and ATX connectors on my new PSU, which is almost as much fun as it sounds, and I just realized that I don't have the foggiest idea how I'm going to remove the PCI-E connectors, or even more so the SATA connectors. The PCI-E headers can probably popped off...
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    Gotta buy a PSU ASAP.

    Like it says, a little too much OCing and I blew out my old True380. I'm looking for a new unit in the 500W range. Output, regulation, reliability, and noise levels are the most important things for me; appearance is a distant fifth. Perfect unit would be the Seasonic S12, but they're just too...
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    Truepower 2 Reviews?

    Newegg has the new Truepower II line for sale, but I can't find any reviews of the units. They look like nonmodular Neopowers, and the specs seem identical as well. Anybody know anything about these things? -HC-
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    Blown Chip?

    I've been pushing almost 2v through a 2800 Barton for awhile now, running it at 2500MHz on an NF7-S Rev.2 and keeping the temps below ~45C with an H20 setup. Last night, apropo of nothing (OK, apropo of some CS:Source) my entire system just shut down entirely -- no disks, no fans, no displays...
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    X800 XL/6800 GT or system overhaul?

    I've got the upgrade bug again, but I'm trying to puzzle out the economics. I'm currently running a Barton 2800 @ 2.5GHz, 1:1 at FSB 200, RAM at 2.5-3-3-7, paired with a 128MB 9800 Pro @ 450/380. This system runs basic apps just fine, so my real concern is gaming. Will I see a genuine benefit...
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    XP-90 $24.99 @ SVC With Coupon Code

    Like it says. Enter the coupon code "xp90," and you've got yourself a high-end heatsink for about half MSRP. -HC-
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    Three PPC Cores @ 3GHz in XBox 2?

    I can't stand consoles anyway, but I'm trying to figure out how Microsoft is going to jam three 3GHz PowerPC cores into an XBox when the 2.5GHz PPC chips in the G5 run so hot Apple had to water-cool them. Are they substantially different chips? -HC-
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    How's Danger Den's Customer Service?

    Just contacted Danger Den about an Eheim 1250 I got from them about three months ago. It started out nice and quiet, but it's gotten progressively louder, to the point that it emits this high-pitched rattle that can be heard from across the room. It's not vibration (I've got the whole thing...
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    Old-Ass Hardware

    The old games thread got me thinking about old hardware, and I remembered my family's PC Jr. My father and I waited in line for hours at a computer show to buy one back in 1984, when I was six; we got the "expanded" version for almost $2000, for which we got 128KB RAM, 5.25" floppy, 14" monitor...
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    CRT Screen Jerking to the Left

    Like the title says. I bought a used Sony CPD-G500 for hundred bucks, and it seemed to be in perfect condition for the first month or so. Now, every once in awhile the screen jerks momentarily to the left, so rapidly it's almost unnoticeable. Is this a hardware problem? Is the damn thing about...
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    X800 XL Pricing

    I remember reading every launch "review" -- you know, the reviews of chosen samples sent out by ATi months before actual availability -- and they all said the same thing: Wow, a 16-pipe card for $299! Did these suckers forget the cardinal law of hardware economics? If it sounds too good to be...
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    Looking for an enthusiast PC shop in New York

    I just moved to New York, and I've discovered that my mailbox is too damned small for any packages whatsoever. I've already had to run across town to pick up 3-4 Newegg shipments. I figure in a town this size there's bound to be a decent nerd-level tech store, ideally something along the...
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    Looking for an enthusiast PC shop in Manhattan

    I just moved to New York, and I've discovered that my mailbox is too damned small for any packages whatsoever. I've already had to run across town to pick up 3-4 Newegg shipments. I figure in a town this size there's bound to be a decent nerd-level tech store, ideally something along the...
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    Vcore Fluctuation

    I've hit a wall with a watercooled Barton at 12.5x200 @ 1.95v on an NF7-S Rev.2. I think I might be able to push it a little farther, but that my PSU might be holding me back. It's a 380W unit ripped out of an old Sonata, and though I don't think I'm loading it much -- one Raptor, one 7200RPM...
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    Memtest alternatives?

    I need to see how my RAM is holding up, but I'm a lazy bastard whose system lacks a floppy drive. Any alternatives to Memtest that don't require a DOS enviro? -HC-
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    Highest VCore for watercooled non-mobile Barton?

    Just put together a Danger Den TDX watercooling rig on the old Athlon box; trying to squeeze a few more MHz out of it while I go about convincing my fiance that I need an A64. As it stands, I've got my non-mobile Barton 2800+ at 2500MHz, 200x12.5, running ~39C idle/42C load. It's dead stable...
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    Expected Temps w/ Danger Den TDX

    I've just worked up my first watercooling setup, and I'm not sure I'm getting the cooling I should be. My 2800+ Barton is running at ~36C idle, 39C load; doesn't sound bad, but MBM reports a board temperature of 22-23C, so there's a pretty big delta over idle. Everything is set up and running...
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    Need a Quiet, High-Wattage PSU With Tight Load Regulation

    I'm in the market for a new PSU. I need something that: 1) Is relatively powerful, in the neighborhood of 480W or more, preferably with dual 12V rails. Obviously, the more wattage, the merrier -- but not at the expense of other factors. 2) Provides solid voltage regulation. I keep seeing...
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    Anyone have MWProfiler lying around?

    I just ran a Windows reinstall and haven't been able to find a copy of MWProfiler, a damned useful program for setting up app-specific profiles for Logitech mice. The old link was < http://members.home.nl/rheenen...ds/mwprofilersetup.exe >, but it's dead (not to mention in Dutch). I really...
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    Disappearing Integrated LAN

    The excitement of setting up my first water-cooled rig is wearing off damned quick. I had the same system running fine on air, but had to dissassemble it to install the waterblocks and move to a new case. When I set everything up again, it wouldn't boot -- corruption of the DMI pool...