Topic: I have computer related questions. Can you help?

[BlackNMild2k1]

So I finally got a new HD for my busted computer at my mom's house:
refresher for those that are interested: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=28060.msg629381#msg629381

I go to boot up the computer and nothing shows up on the screen for the first 10 attempts but the fans are spinning and the Disc drives light up, so I kow it's not the power supply.
I then hook the monitor up to a laptop to make sure it's not the monitor, and the monitor works fine.
so I finally hook it back up to the computer and it boots, but says the bios is bad and need to be setup again.
so I set the date and time, made sure it was reading the HDD and CD drives and then saved and exited.

so it's starts to load the windows disc and that's when I get the BLUE SCREEN of DEATH again.
So that proves that it wasn't a Virus on the old HDD and instead is a BIOS error of some sorts right?

How do I fix that or can I even fix that?
any suggestions?

[MegaByte]

It could be a lot of things.
Could be bad RAM - run memtest86+ to check
Could be bad capacitors -- do you see any leaking/rust/corrosion on the motherboard capacitors?  If the computer is from the early-mid 2000s, that was a big problem.
Could be a partially-failing power supply (hard to diagnose without proper equipment).
Could be a failing/overheating CPU or CD drive.

[BlackNMild2k1]

It could be a lot of things.
Could be bad RAM - run memtest86+ to check
Could be bad capacitors -- do you see any leaking/rust/corrosion on the motherboard capacitors?  If the computer is from the early-mid 2000s, that was a lp big problem.
Could be a partially-failing power supply (hard to diagnose without proper equipment).
Could be a failing/overheating CPU or CD drive.

....

[BlackNMild2k1]

It could be a lot of things.
Could be bad RAM - run memtest86+ to check
Could be bad capacitors -- do you see any leaking/rust/corrosion on the motherboard capacitors?  If the computer is from the early-mid 2000s, that was a big problem.
Could be a partially-failing power supply (hard to diagnose without proper equipment).
Could be a failing/overheating CPU or CD drive.

Is memtest86 in the C: dos prompt? because I can't boot into windows. I already formatted that HDD twice because I thought it was a virus.
I have not seen and rust or corrosion anywhere on the motherboard.
power supply... I do have an extra one somewhere, but I need to find it. so I can try and swap it out.
CPU seems to be running fine from what I had last checked about the temp in the BIOS, but there is 2 CD droves and 1 was either working or not working depending on the mood it had that day.

If I were to completely disconnect it (it is old and has been transfered from original computer up through all the upgrades), you think that might actually solve the problem? I have just ignored it for so long(I've been using the other faster drive) that I've almost forgotten it was even there.

[bustin98]

Bad caps can also be indicated by popped out tops. They don't always leak.

At this point, it sounds like bad hardware. Did you take off all PCI cards? Try re-seating the CPU. Look for any brown discoloration on the CPU. Re-seat the memory. If there are two sticks, try with only one installed.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Ok, Ill try everything tomorrow.

[ShyGuy]

Do you mean right click is disabled by Group Policy on your domain profile? It can be bypassed, but it is complicated.

[vudu]

I inherited an old laptop from work.  It has one HDD partitioned into two separate drives.  I want to delete the partition.  Drive D (half of the partition) is currently blank.

I downloaded a program called EASEUS Partition Master.  It looks like it can do the job, but I don't know for sure.  The instructions are simple enough, but it says:

If you delete partition, all the data will be lost. Make sure you have backup for your data.

I'm not sure if this means I'll just lose data on the empty partition I want to delete (which is fine) or if I'll lose data on the entire HDD (which is not fine).  I got this used laptop as-is, which means I don't have any of the system discs and can't reinstall MS Office (or any other program) if I screw something up.

[UncleBob]

My 1998 Computer knowledge says that the only way to delete a partition on a HD is to reformat the entire drive. 2010 applicability of this knowledge my vary.

[BlackNMild2k1]

save the license numbers from your programs and re-install (by downloading it) later?

or you could just use Open Office which supposedly works with MS Office files and it's free.

[BranDonk Kong]

Just use Disk Management from inside Windows, you don't need any fancy partitioning software, especially if the drive is already setup with 2 partitions. You can delete the empty partition and then extend the system partition to take up the whole drive, or you can leave them separate.

[vudu]

Thanks Brandogg!

I wasn't able to figure out how to extend the system partition using Disk Management, but it did let me delete the one I wanted to get rid of.  I was then able to use Partition Master to extend the system partition.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Glad he could help. Now maybe someone can help me out.

Every once in a while my mouse cursor will malfunction and change into a either a series of dotted lines, continue to be the pointer with a dotted line right next to it or sometimes turn into a block of some sort. I can fix it with a restart, but I was wondering if there is a way to stop it from happening at all.

[greybrick]

If I play any game for around a minute (Minecraft or Crysis, doesn't matter) the screen will eventually be marred with some spatterings of purple or green pixels. Usually, these pixels are drawn in along contour lines withing the image currently being displayed.

Doing other things, like watching Hulu, won't mess up the computer, which leads me to believe I am only running into problems with things that run in 3d. My temperatures seem fine, around 65 F.

Maybe my Nvidia 8800 GT has begun to flip out, or at least I suspect that's what the problem is. I do have the most recent drivers... le sigh.

EDIT: Now the screen will be filled with any number of graphical wonders, and then throw my computer into a crash. Sometimes, I can recover from it with a quick leap to the task manager, but it is always crippled after the save.

Perhaps this is the universe's way of telling me I need to study for finals. Universe, just let me F*** my own life up, okay?!

Final update:

Yep, busted graphics card. Fortunately my dad had an untouched 9500 sitting in a drawer so I can get by for a while.

[Shorty McNostril]

Glad he could help. Now maybe someone can help me out.

Every once in a while my mouse cursor will malfunction and change into a either a series of dotted lines, continue to be the pointer with a dotted line right next to it or sometimes turn into a block of some sort. I can fix it with a restart, but I was wondering if there is a way to stop it from happening at all.

Is the functionality affected, or purely the appearance of the pointer?

[BlackNMild2k1]

it makes clicking on things a little difficult sometimes because you cant tell where the tip of the pointer is, but other than that, it works all the same.

[BlackNMild2k1]

DLNA - How do I make my PC compliant?

My phone is DLNA and I figure that would allow me to do some wireless swapping between my phone and my computer, and maybe a future TV upgrade for the livingroom.

So what do I need to do to make my current computer DLNA compliant?

Do I need additional hardware, because that is a deal breaker (for now).
Is it just software that runs on the network and anything connected to that network?

[bustin98]

Nero Media Home
http://www.nero.com/enu/mediahome4-introduction.html

[vudu]

I was attempting to install some new RAM into a laptop I just bought--and failed miserably, but that's another story all together--and noticed something interesting.  I was following an online guide and noticed that the laptop in the guide has a chip of some sort that my computer doesn't have.



Can anyone tell me what this is?  My laptop has the plug that connects to the chip but it's just hanging there empty.

[BranDonk Kong]

Could be several things - but I would take a guess that it's WiFi or possibly BlueTooth. Looks like a pretty dated laptop...and you shouldn't need to do anything to the keyboard area to install more RAM.

[ShyGuy]

I would tell you what it is, but you torture me in the funhouse of horrors.

[vudu]

you shouldn't need to do anything to the keyboard area to install more RAM.

It holds two sticks of RAM.  One is under a latch on the bottom of the laptop.  The other is under the keyboard.

I would tell you what it is, but you torture me in the funhouse of horrors.

Oh, come on!  Half of those weren't even me!  And the last one definitely wasn't!  (Title change wasn't me either.)

[ShyGuy]

Branndogg is right, it's the Bluetooth module http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-Wireless-355-Bluetooth-Module-Inspiron-Vostro-XPS-/130461549145?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e601d4259

Now change my title back to I'm Batman please.

[BranDonk Kong]

It holds two sticks of RAM.  One is under a latch on the bottom of the laptop.  The other is under the keyboard.

That has to be one of the most retarded things I've ever heard. They must have been on crack when they designed that laptop, or just assumed that people would never want to upgrade.

[Caliban]

I want to buy a laptop, and I've been interested by either of these 2:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157516

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/acer-acer-aspire-15-6-intel-core-i3-380m-laptop-as5742-6846-black-as5742-6846/10163898.aspx?path=49eabf09c3f2cb69218c11aa5d35bb4cen02

I intend to use it for video/photo editing (biggest reason for purchase), internet browsing, and music/video playback, so I'm inclined to get the i3-380M because it comes with 6GBs.

The screen at 15.6" is fine because I don't want to lug around a laptop. At 5.5 pounds that's a good weight.

Price is obviously a factor because I don't want to pay more than $700 (taxes included, 13% where I'm at).

Should I be worried in any way that it comes preloaded with Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit?

I would like to read your opinions. Thank you.