Search results

  1. D

    My comp won't boot on this morning ;(

    *What motherboard are you running? Some motherboards have difficulty supplying enough power to a quad core. Is yours a 125 watt processor? If so, have other users had trouble with the same board when using a 125 watt processor? Have you tested your ram? *Keep in mind that higher ambient...
  2. D

    My comp won't boot on this morning ;(

    What are your system specs including your OS. Be sure you post your brand and model PSU. Let's get everything on the table before we spend any money. We want to be sure any money spent will actually be spent resolving your issue.
  3. D

    My comp won't boot on this morning ;(

    I'd also reset cmos. Reset CPU to stock specs. What concerns me is you say you're not seeing any video. Can you be more specific? Do you see video during the post and then you go to a blank black screen during the windows load? If you don't see the post, then test your vid card to verify...
  4. D

    AMD Athlon XP 3000+

    That about sums it up. I still have an XP3200 in my fleet. I also have 2 Opty 165 machines in the house so computing power isn't an issue. The XP chips are still serviceable light to medium duty processors. They will do just about any common task except handle the latest games. I probably...
  5. D

    Odd problem with text disappearing, cant open task manager

    Yes, I have an idea ... Malware is what jumps to my mind. mechBgon already pointed you in the right direction. Go back and perform the system scan he recommended. It wouldn't hurt to follow that with an online virus scan such as HOUSECALL from Trend Micro. Report back with your findings.
  6. D

    Attention Flat Panel Monitor Gurus

    We're on a budget here which means some compromises. If I bought him a bigger monitor, it would mean very little else under the Christmas tree. How much difference would DVI mean? There is a DVI output on his vid card.
  7. D

    Attention Flat Panel Monitor Gurus

    Thanks. I believe it can be bought online tomorrow. I'm not anticipating having to go to the store to purchase it. Great Price!
  8. D

    Attention Flat Panel Monitor Gurus

    I've searched this forum as well as the whole internet for information on the "MAG 17" Flat-Panel LCD Monitor" that is being offered at BB this weekend. My son has a flat panel monitor on his Christmas list. He is primarily a gamer. He likes MMORPGS like WOW. Would he be disappointed with THIS...
  9. D

    Motherboard dead?

    I'm not entirely sure that it is NOT your power supply. You see, when you push the buttons on your cdrom drives, the drive should open regardless of the condition of your motherboard. Also, the fact that your hard drive doesn't spin is a further indicator that something other than your...
  10. D

    7200.10 320GB Unallocated Space

    There are also some very good reasons NOT to make it one giant partition.
  11. D

    WinXp activation

    You haven't done anything illegal. What the previous poster is referring to is Microsoft broke its own rules. Technically, as mentioned before, the old license is tied to the Emachine mobo and not eligible to be transferred to a new machine. However, they were willing to allow you to transfer...
  12. D

    Core2 System Concern

    You didn't mention your power supply. More than once, a mediocre power supply coupled with a power hungry, high end graphics card has led to less than spectacular results. This is especially true for the budget builder who chose to save the cash and use the old PSU instead of buying a new one...
  13. D

    I have a genuine mystery on my hands....

    Its hard to say if this all was caused by your AV engine ... but I wouldn't dismiss the possibilities either. Anyway, its good to hear things are back to "normal," however, your PSU is a bit on the light side for the rig you built. Its saving grace is its of good quality to start with. (Your...
  14. D

    I have a genuine mystery on my hands....

    I don't have any experience (yet) with a core duo. However, this sounds like a power or ram issue to me. You've left some important information out though ... You failed to mention your PSU (brand, model, and amp ratings on each of the rails) and your graphics card. Even though a C2D is...
  15. D

    Noob at Setting up Partitions

    I'm one of the guys who keeps a spare XP install on another partition specifically for the purpose of fixing windows problems if they should arise. I also use imaging software. I use Acronis, but Ghost will give you the same results. The nice thing about using an image is that once you set up...
  16. D

    What programs can be used to identify a bottleneck?

    I think first we should rule out heat. What are your temps in your system? Dust and hair clogging a heatsink will significantly degrade performance over time. Lets start with that. SiSoft Sandra comes to my mind for benching software. Its easy to use and will help you identify potential...
  17. D

    Building PC, Problem from the start

    Some good advice by phios ... If the board starts beeping when you try to start it without ram, then you have signs of life in your board. What are the specs of your system? If we knew what parts are in your system, it would help a lot. I'd also double check that you have your p4 12 volt 4...
  18. D

    Overheated comp now doesnt turn on...

    YES. Bad parts can kill good parts. Thats why it would be good to test things out.
  19. D

    Computer Turns on for 2 seconds then off

    Glad it worked out. If those are your specs in your sig, you shouldn't need something with a killer output rating. Instead, look for quality. You'll be happier in the end.
  20. D

    Is this good enough?

    If you're careful with your parts selection, you can probably come pretty close at NewEgg. Whether or not you stay under it will depend on what hardware you have available that can be reused. The A64 s939 3800 (single core) is currently selling for $147.99 at newegg. Or, if you prefer ...
  21. D

    Overheated comp now doesnt turn on...

    Newegg right? Newegg will RMA it for the first 30 days. If the board is over 30 days old, you must go through the manufacturer. If you follow the RMA steps, you shouldn't have much problem as long as you're still within your warranty period. One nice thing about Newegg is they keep your online...
  22. D

    Switched mobo's from nForce 2 to 3-A

    The procedure is to boot the hard drive in your old system and then roll back your chipset and system drivers to the plain jane vanilla microsoft drivers. Then when you move the hard drive back into your new system, you can install your new chipset. Its really not that complicated ... but it...
  23. D

    Overheated comp now doesnt turn on...

    You're lucky in the sense that it could have been worse. However, remember what Athens said in his first post to your thread? For refreshers, here it is ... Don't mistake that for a diagnosis. Its more like a list of possibilities. He's trying to tell you that when a component goes, it...
  24. D

    Computer Turns on for 2 seconds then off

    Lets take it a step further. Good quality power supplies are built to withstand power outages and minor power surges without suffering any damage. The good quality power supplies also are designed to protect the board and other expensive hardware when/if the PSU itself fails. Rosewill does...
  25. D

    So where does the membership of Anandtech (video) stand on the PC owning persons and PC enthusiasts spectrum

    I hear ya there ... I always feel fortunate when I pull off a new build on a shoe-string budget. Its half the fun ... seeing how much bang you can get for your buck.
  26. D

    Is this good enough?

    It looks like your questions were all pretty well answered ... so I won't go through that part. I did want to say that you did a good job on building your system for $400.00. Pretty nifty for what you spent!
  27. D

    Is my HDD dead?

    No, it doesn't necessarily mean your PSU is damaged. We don't have enough information to pin point your PSU as the source of your troubles. At least not yet. Since I really don't have much to go on, my guess is its those new cathodes that is the source of the problem. After all, your system ran...
  28. D

    Glitchy new computer

    Looking through your specs, the first things I'd check would be your temps and your voltages. Your PSU should be a heavyweight performer ... but your machine might be more than it can handle. You've got more components in that one box than most people have in two or three. As mentioned above...
  29. D

    How to add more partition space to "C", Win XP Pro

    Maybe its time to do some reading. Those tools that "slowlearner" mentioned allow you to boot directly to the bootcd/knoppix disk. This allows you to resize the partition. You ask how it works ... it works by allowing you to boot to another OS. Read up. Its a good day to learn this. Partition...
  30. D

    A simple Google search reveals much on new Trusted Platform Modules

    Your thinking is flawed. If you reduce legislation and scale back on the rules, the consumer is hurt the most. Consumers don't have the wallet to compete with big business on any front. You take away the checks and balances, and businesses would run unchecked. Currently, the laws in affect...
  31. D

    Newly built PC will not start

    Pardon me for mentioning this. I'd put this in the category of over-sight, but its worth the second it takes to verify. Is the 12v p4 lead plugged into the the board? You would have all the symptoms you're mentioning and you would fail to get video. Since I assume he didn't over-look it...
  32. D

    A simple Google search reveals much on new Trusted Platform Modules

    Brazen's hit the nail on the head. Although I think the proper term is collusion. He's right about the anti-trust laws and the concept behind them, but those laws apply to price fixing. I think its time for limits to be set on how the technology can be used. There should also be steep penalties...
  33. D

    Top-End Video Cards

    I'm not an authority on this, but last I knew SLI didn't support ATI cards. If you intend to go SLI at any time in the future and you intend to use today's purchase as one of those cards in SLI, then you would be better off staying with nvidia. If you choose to go with an ATI card, then you...
  34. D

    I have an error in MEMTEST86

    In my experience, if your ram fails Memtest, it usually means one of 2 things. A) You may need a bios flash for your memory to run properly. B) You've got bad ram. You can also take a look at the voltage setting for your ram. Corsair XMS is hungry ram. It prefers to run above stock...
  35. D

    re-using HDD

    Nope. The destructive recovery is part of your proprietary version of XP. It will notice right away and won't let you proceed. If you follow the advice above, you stand a pretty fair chance of reaching your desktop when you're done. However, I expect you'll be asked to reactivate your windows...
  36. D

    get a firedaemon.exe error and cant connect to the internet....

    I sent him there for insight, which isn't a bad idea. Would I rely on the site as a fix all for all problems? Certainly not! The OP does not appear that niave. I stand by what I said ... its good for gaining insight, but only zap the ones that are known to be nasty. If there's any questions at...
  37. D

    How do I troubleShoot XP auto Reboot?

    Problems like what you're experiencing are almost always driver problems. Beta drivers? That could be part of the problem. There's a reason why they're still called "beta." Winternal's Administrator pack has a crash analyzer that will read the crash dump file and point you towards the...
  38. D

    someone I knew still hasn't OCed his Opty

    I've got an Opteron 165, and I run it stock. When I first got it, I wanted to see what it could do. I got 2.6ghz windows stable without a lot of effort ... but I don't run my system that way. I don't have any need to yet. There are 2 reasons I chose my opty over an x2. 1) The price .... I...
  39. D

    get a firedaemon.exe error and cant connect to the internet....

    HijackThis might give you some insight. Download it, set it up in its own folder, and then run the scan with the option "save to log file" checked. The easy way ... Copy to clipboard the entire contents of the log file. Then go to www.hijackthis.de and paste the contents of your log...
  40. D

    How do I troubleShoot XP auto Reboot?

    You can start by setting your computer to NOT reboot when it suffers a critical system error. This should allow you the time to write down the error message. Once you've got the error message, google should prove helful. Right Click on My Computer -> properties -> advanced -> Startup and...