[Jennifer May]

Nothing certain. A full format of 500GB is probably outside what the install OS is designed to handle...so you get an error. Quick format just does what is needed to start using the HDD.

Install a utility designed to do a quality HDD scan and run it under the system OS. You should get a more consistent result. If you get errors, and the HDD is under warranty, get a replacement.

Thanks for the quick reply. The HD is well out of warranty, unfortunately. Is there a particular utility that you could recommend to check for errors?

EDIT: just found Seagate have their own utility. Will give that a go.

[Tanika O'Connell]

Thanks for the quick reply. The HD is well out of warranty, unfortunately. Is there a particular utility that you could recommend to check for errors?

HDTune is a good benchmarking tool and HDD health checker that I use.http://www.hdtune.com/files/hdtune_255.exe

[Taylor Bakos]

Thanks for that suggestion Starforce9. Will download that for future use. The HD failed the Seagate drive checker so I've ordered a shiny new Western Digital to replace it. Cross fingers I will then be able to play (and finish) big modded games, finally, without having to reinstall everything every few months.

[Rhiannon Jones]

Yet again why I advocate getting a HDD imaging program and image your HDD once you get everything where you like it. Back up to an external HDD or DVD (whichever works for you) and as long as the replacement HDD is the same size, it's easy peasy lemon squeesy.

[Sandeep Khatkar]

But do the wired computers keep connection while your wireless one drops, or do all the computers drop connection?

Wired computers do keep connection - I can access shared documents over our network. However, I wouldn't be able to go to a website like google.

It seems to be behaving itself on and off. So far it hasn't crapped out today, but I'm not holding my breath. If it acts up, I'll try to unplug, wait, and replug the linksys box. It's a 2.4 GHz Broadband Router, 54Mbps. Well, that's what it says on the label.

EDIT: When my internet is crapped out, everyone else has the same problem, too. Sometimes. Othertimes, my desktop is the only one with a problem.

[Flutterby]

Another question regarding my graphics card purchase I was mentioning earlier in the thread:

I've decided to go for the 1GB GTX 460 over the 1GB HD 5850 as it's considerably cheaper, runs cooler and often has comparable performance. The problem is, the 1GB model is mostly out of stock everywhere I'm looking, although I can get one made by Palit. I read a review earlier that recommended this particular Palit card, but I've never had any experience with the company and don't know what kind of reputation they have. Anyone here know how reputable Palit are?

[EDIT]: They seem like a decent enough company. I think I'll just go for it.

[GRAEME]

Im looking for a laptop for college and I need to make a decision soon! Im basically looking for the best balance of performance and battery life for under $1000. Something fit for moderate gaming would be good.
Any suggestions would be of great help. Thank you!

[Nadia Nad]

Ok, I'm working on three different computers right now and they all have different issues.

1) It's PSU died, so I replaced it. Now, when I hit the power button, the green power light and all the fans come on for a split second then everything shuts down. If I hold the power button down, they will stay on for slightly longer, but still shut off. Any ideas where to start? I'm thinking something is shorted and I want to try to just short the power button pins to try turning it on, but I want to see if there's anything else before jumping to that.

2) Another power button issue (kinda). Press power, everything turns on, POST beep, then it restarts, POST beep, then it restarts, repeat repeat. They don't care about the case and just want the documents/pictures off of the hard drive. My idea was to plop it into my computer and yoink them off, but it has Windows installed on it. How will my computer react to there being two hard drives with an operating system on them? Is there a special way I can set up my BIOS to make sure their hard drive just gets read as a data disk?

3) Older computer. Was trying to boot from the floppy drive. They didn't have the floppy boot disk, so I disabled the floppy drive and changed the boot order to the hard drive first. Now it's saying it can't find the CD/DVD and disables the keyboard when the error message comes up. Worse, a password suddenly appeared to get into the BIOS. Nobody ever set a password so nobody knows what it is...I'm really confused about this computer. Where do I start with this one?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[T. tacks Rims]

Ok, I'm working on three different computers right now and they all have different issues.
snip

1) did you get everything hooked up correctly? is the watt rating the same or higher then the old one? if so you may have to return it for a replacement
2) if there are 2 with an OS on them it will use the drive set to boot up to, most BIOS individually list was harddrive for bootup
3) turn off the power, if there isn't an off switch on the PSU then unplug the cord, then go to the motherboard and take out the battery, then the password and all other BIOS settings should be reset

[CSar L]

1) did you get everything hooked up correctly? is the watt rating the same or higher then the old one? if so you may have to return it for a replacement
2) if there are 2 with an OS on them it will use the drive set to boot up to, most BIOS individually list was harddrive for bootup
3) turn off the power, if there isn't an off switch on the PSU then unplug the cord, then go to the motherboard and take out the battery, then the password and all other BIOS settings should be reset

1) Yes, everything is hooked up correctly. New PSU is a 380W, old PSU is a 250W.
2) This worked out fine. There were some files I wasn't able to get, but I managed to get 2GB out of like 2.1GB or something, so not bad.
3) Ok. I wasn't exactly sure how to reset the BIOS. I'll do that and report back.

[Ells]

Ok, I'm working on three different computers right now and they all have different issues.

1) It's PSU died, so I replaced it. Now, when I hit the power button, the green power light and all the fans come on for a split second then everything shuts down. If I hold the power button down, they will stay on for slightly longer, but still shut off. Any ideas where to start? I'm thinking something is shorted and I want to try to just short the power button pins to try turning it on, but I want to see if there's anything else before jumping to that.

2) Another power button issue (kinda). Press power, everything turns on, POST beep, then it restarts, POST beep, then it restarts, repeat repeat. They don't care about the case and just want the documents/pictures off of the hard drive. My idea was to plop it into my computer and yoink them off, but it has Windows installed on it. How will my computer react to there being two hard drives with an operating system on them? Is there a special way I can set up my BIOS to make sure their hard drive just gets read as a data disk?

3) Older computer. Was trying to boot from the floppy drive. They didn't have the floppy boot disk, so I disabled the floppy drive and changed the boot order to the hard drive first. Now it's saying it can't find the CD/DVD and disables the keyboard when the error message comes up. Worse, a password suddenly appeared to get into the BIOS. Nobody ever set a password so nobody knows what it is...I'm really confused about this computer. Where do I start with this one?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

2. Just maje sure your disk is the first boot priority.
3. Clear the CMOS (either by the jumper if you are confident of where it is and how to set it, or by removing the mobo's battery for a while then replacing before booting up) that will remove the password.
For the keyboard. when you get to the BIOS, look for an "enable legacy USB" setting

[Johanna Van Drunick]

Just wondering your opinions on this, but currently I have integrated graphics, and the motherboard only has a PCI slot. Do you think it would be worth it to get a PCI video card, to boost the performance a little bit? Also what PCI card would you recommend? And would the PCI card be able to play older games, such as Morrowind, or other old 3D games, on low settings?

(With this integrated, I can play Morrowind at lowest settings, at around 15-20 FPS.)

[Chloe Lou]

Just wondering your opinions on this, but currently I have integrated graphics, and the motherboard only has a PCI slot. Do you think it would be worth it to get a PCI video card, to boost the performance a little bit? Also what PCI card would you recommend? And would the PCI card be able to play older games, such as Morrowind, or other old 3D games, on low settings?

(With this integrated, I can play Morrowind at lowest settings, at around 15-20 FPS.)

Personally I wouldn't see the point. Many games of the Morrowind era rely more on CPU performance.

The best PCI card that I know of is the: Geforce 9500 GT.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600007853%20600007316%20600007579&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%209500%20GT

[Emma louise Wendelk]

Can anyone recommend a good laptop with a fast processor for around $500? I plan on using it for music related programs, schoolwork, and some gaming (games like EU3, and Half life).

Thanks!

$500 is a bit low for a notebook with a fast CPU and somewhat capable video option. These two might interest you though:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152157....although only 32-bit Windows 7 and $600 upfront before rebate. Radeon 4570 is nice for this price range.

Otherwise, you'll be taken down to much lesser performing Mobility Radeon 4250 options:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115787

However, your games are old so the Radeon 4250 may be more than enough for you.

Im looking for a laptop for college and I need to make a decision soon! Im basically looking for the best balance of performance and battery life for under $1000. Something fit for moderate gaming would be good.
Any suggestions would be of great help. Thank you!

When gaming, battery life will svck on any notebook. This is a hot deal right now, but only gets you about 3 hours life when not gaming:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5592727&CatId=4938

If you want something better on life, but maintain moderate gaming potential, this is decent:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146777

These Gateways are excellent deals right now as well:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6241357&CatId=4938
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5270805&CatId=4938

[Sammykins]

Another question regarding my graphics card purchase I was mentioning earlier in the thread:

I've decided to go for the 1GB GTX 460 over the 1GB HD 5850 as it's considerably cheaper, runs cooler and often has comparable performance. The problem is, the 1GB model is mostly out of stock everywhere I'm looking, although I can get one made by Palit. I read a review earlier that recommended this particular Palit card, but I've never had any experience with the company and don't know what kind of reputation they have. Anyone here know how reputable Palit are?

[EDIT]: They seem like a decent enough company. I think I'll just go for it.

If you haven't already, I'd go for it.
I have a 9800GT that came factory overclocked from Palit as a "9800GT sonic+", its quite a beast considering its age, and the fan on it is a monster. If you want a cold running card, and don't mind the whine of a massive fan, go for Palit. They also factory overclock the stock cards, so you'll get a couple more MHz out of it.

[J.P loves]

I'd really like to get a lap top for the upcoming semester in college, and I think I've found two that I could go with. Gaming isn't a concern at all, since my desktop is plenty capable. I mostly want to be able to run guitar pro, watch videos, and use it for schoolwork. Here's the two I'm thinking about:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146772

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220744

Both have generally favorable reviews, and similar specs (near identical actually) far as I can tell. Not sure which would be better for my needs.

[Jessica Thomson]

Personally I wouldn't see the point. Many games of the Morrowind era rely more on CPU performance.

The best PCI card that I know of is the: Geforce 9500 GT.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600007853%20600007316%20600007579&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%209500%20GT

Lol, well thanks, but for $70 I could get half of a new computer! (I already have spare Harddrive, DVD drive, case and power supply lol.) Thanks though. I guess this will be the "internet only" computer

[celebrity]

Which is better?


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115794

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220735

[Flash]

Which is better?


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115794

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220735

The Asus on all marks.

[Sanctum]

The Asus on all marks.

Thanks. Next, would you recommend that laptop for the price?

[I’m my own]

Thanks. Next, would you recommend that laptop for the price?

1) Do you plan to play games on the laptop?
2) What is your price range?

The laptop is ok, but it could be a use better graphics chipset if you want to play modern games.

Much better laptops (in CPU and GPU performance)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006740%204021&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&CompareItemList=32%7C34-115-796%5E34-115-796-TS%2C34-115-793%5E34-115-793-TS

[^~LIL B0NE5~^]

1) Do you plan to play games on the laptop?
2) What is your price range?

The laptop is ok, but it could be a use better graphics chipset if you want to play modern games.

Much better laptops (in CPU and GPU performance)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006740%204021&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&CompareItemList=32%7C34-115-796%5E34-115-796-TS%2C34-115-793%5E34-115-793-TS

1. Yes
2. I was aiming for 700.

The laptops you gave were nice. The only thing I didn't like about them was the big screen.

[matt oneil]

I'd really like to get a lap top for the upcoming semester in college, and I think I've found two that I could go with. Gaming isn't a concern at all, since my desktop is plenty capable. I mostly want to be able to run guitar pro, watch videos, and use it for schoolwork. Here's the two I'm thinking about:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146772

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220744

Both have generally favorable reviews, and similar specs (near identical actually) far as I can tell. Not sure which would be better for my needs.

Flip a coin really. Both companies make decent quality notebooks. Although I hate Intel Graphic Chipsets. Consider this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6314152&CatId=4938

1. Yes
2. I was aiming for 700.

The laptops you gave were nice. The only thing I didn't like about them was the big screen.

If you don't mind refurbs, this is pretty powerful:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220715&cm_re=asus_recertified_notebook-_-34-220-715-_-Product

Otherwise, the Asus you chose will have to do.

[Minako]

If you haven't already, I'd go for it.
I have a 9800GT that came factory overclocked from Palit as a "9800GT sonic+", its quite a beast considering its age, and the fan on it is a monster. If you want a cold running card, and don't mind the whine of a massive fan, go for Palit. They also factory overclock the stock cards, so you'll get a couple more MHz out of it.

I did go for it in the end. It should arrive sometime next week.

[sam smith]

Update on the situation. It seems to be the Cable modem that keeps getting reset for some unknown reason. Anyone have any ideas as to what sort of things could cause a cable modem to reset spontaneously?