I Wanna Blow Up My PC!!!

[Bluesape]

Ever since the move, this thing's been weird. It sat unplugged for a month, and now it won't boot up, or it crashes shortly after. I've had a love/hate thing with this particular unit for a while. Right now I'm using the spare PIII that, though stripped down and shy of fatures, rarely gives us much trouble.

 

I've formatted at least a dozen times, but a new file is always missing or corrupted. Sometimes it tells me my HD is toast, other times Setup cannot copy whatever.

 

Any Mac loyalists here? I'm thinkin' of crossing over.

[stamplicker]

swap out the cdrom =)

 

Oh maybe a bios flash too.. but I'd try the Cdrom first.. ran into that issue way to many times.. and thats all it was.. of course. you can do the usual check ram, cpu.. board..

[Bluesape]

CDROM? Hmmmm....thx!

[hamburglar]

I think Im switching to mac now that you can run all of the windows stuff on them...

[Big Red 67]

Uh,...Mac

 

Hi hamburglar

[Bluesape]

Behave, Ronald! And don't tell Grimmace about this!

[Big Red 67]

[AeroG33k]

I'm having the SAME problem with my old computer that's now at my parents place. After sitting at my friends place, unplugged, never used in the basement, system files somehow moved themselves into the oddest places (even my MUSIC folder) and couldn't be removed. I lost the boot cd, so I figured I'd make a new account and start from scratch, deleting all the unecessary things without re-installing windows. It seemed to work at first, so I deleted the old account to work from the "clean" one with all system files in place and orderly with no junk. Except that apparently some system drivers were lost and it seems like not all administrative priveledges and protocolls transfered to the new acount, despite being an "admin" account on windows.

 

Basically I'm locked out of my own computer for some operations, and nothing works like it should. I don't think windows is quite as bad as some linux/mac OS users make it to be, but these things are really almost exclusive to windows. Too bad there's so many compatability issues, but I may just get a partition or even a cheap pc just for linux some time.

 

I love my laptop though, other than having to replace the hard disc once...

[Shoes]

It's interesting working in the firkin' geek field that here I rarely if ever want to give any advice.

 

Partition your drive.

Store data or backup to the alternate drive and format it Fat32 so you can run a DOS Ghost boot CD to jam it off to a CDWR or DVDRW. That way you don't need to care about reloading or rebuilding Windows. All yer stuff is safe.

 

Use XP Pro with SP2 and all the latest updates regardless of what people say. (The fear is 99 44/100% Pure Bull Shit) It's exceptionally stable. Likely the most stable OS I've supported. (we now run over 4500 PCs on 84 networks)

 

Implement System Restore.

Run Crap Cleaner (learn how to use it first)

Wear a condom when you go clicking all over the damn internet unless you like hairpiece on yer head.

Spybot, Spyware Blaster & NoAdware are essentially free! Use them.

 

Macs are great. My mom's 76. If she wants a computer I'll get her a Mac. No question about it.

Hopefully they drop to about $250 soon cause I won't spend more than that on a computer.

 

Open source applications and operating systems are great if you are interested in supporting them yourself. Nobody else can effectively support them unless they are on site or you know exactly what you are talking about.

 

That's why people buy canned solutions.

 

If anything sat and changed it is only as a result of a CMOS battery becoming discharged and the BIOS reverting to the default settings.

 

This is why you shouldn't make changes to drive configurations when setting them up yourself or at the very least write the specs for the drive on the bloody case.

If you can't recall the translation you'll never talk to that data again.

Keep it simple.... defaults work best for the general public.

 

When I get a solid base configuration running I always (ALWAYS!) run it off to a hidden partition and then sometimes to a CD with Ghost so I can reload and run in a matter of an hour.

 

I have no time for down time.

period.

 

This is 20/20 shit and I know how frustrating it can be to sort it out but understanding how to manage the computer for your own sanity is step one.

 

Good luck with that.

[AeroG33k]

^Good points. I've been doing most of these things on my current computer, which runs excellent and I keep it clean and organized with all sorts of tools and mods.

 

But for the old computer, I'm at a loss. I thought about using the windows disk that I have for my laptop to reinstall it on the old desktop that's acting up (the installation cd registered to that pc got lost), but I'm sure that would produce compatability and licencing issues with windows.

[LPCustom]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Ever since the move, this thing's been weird. It sat unplugged for a month, and now it won't boot up, or it crashes shortly after. I've had a love/hate thing with this particular unit for a while. Right now I'm using the spare PIII that, though stripped down and shy of fatures, rarely gives us much trouble.

 

I've formatted at least a dozen times, but a new file is always missing or corrupted. Sometimes it tells me my HD is toast, other times Setup cannot copy whatever.

 

Any Mac loyalists here? I'm thinkin' of crossing over.

Bluesape, try this.

 

Take the memory out of your machine completely and rub down the contacts with a pencil eraser. Then put them back in and make sure they are seated securely.

 

It sounds to me like you have a memory problem. It's possible during the move that things could have gotten unseated a little. I'd also make sure that all your cables are tight and that all the boards and connectors are seated properly.

 

I'd also recommend, as has already been recommended, that you move to Windows XP SP2. It takes more RAM than Windows 2K and a LOT more than Windows 98 or ME. But it is far more stable than Windows 98 and infinitely more stable than Winders ME (what a piece of crap). The recommended minimum for Windows XP is generally 256MB of RAM. But it will run in 128MB. It just won't be very snappy.

 

Be forewarned, though, that Windows XP will NOT support any devices on an ISA bus (the old big black slots -- modems, sound cards, etc.). PCI, AGP, PCI Express are the only slots it will support devices on. It also really doesn't like serial mice (voice of experience).

 

If you have lots of old hardware, it also might not support some of that. It won't work on some old motherboard chipsets, either. VIA seems the be worst for that.

 

If you want to go the Mac route, I'd go with a 2Ghz iMac (one of the new Intel ones). Mac OS is solid and the Intel Macs perform pretty well. I can't wait for their Intel "G5" boxes to come out, though. I'm going to replace our G5 with those if they deliver what Apple is promising with them. And they have on the iMacs.

 

You can get by with a Mac Mini, though if you want to go the economy route. All you need is your own monitor (it can support VGA monitors) and a USB keyboard and mouse. You can get a Mac Mini for $599. It's not a powerhouse but it works.

 

While just about any USB keyboard will work, you really should get an Apple USB keyboard. It's made to work with Mac OS. I prefer the Microsoft Wheel Mouse with it, myself. I've never liked the command+click interface. And I've had Macs since 1985.

 

Oh, and the more memory you put into a Mac, the better it performs (well, up to a point). So I'd max out the memory (aftermarket, not from Apple) on a Mac Mini if you buy one.

 

The developer's version of the Mac Mini I got last year only had 512MB of RAM in it when I got it. It has 2GB, now. And it performs much better than it did originally (and after about 50 OS updates since last summer... ).

[hamburglar]

Originally posted by Guitars are like shoes. But louder.:

It's interesting working in the firkin' geek field that here I rarely if ever want to give any advice.

 

Partition your drive.

Store data or backup to the alternate drive and format it Fat32 so you can run a DOS Ghost boot CD to jam it off to a CDWR or DVDRW. That way you don't need to care about reloading or rebuilding Windows. All yer stuff is safe.

 

Use XP Pro with SP2 and all the latest updates regardless of what people say. (The fear is 99 44/100% Pure Bull Shit) It's exceptionally stable. Likely the most stable OS I've supported. (we now run over 4500 PCs on 84 networks)

 

Implement System Restore.

Run Crap Cleaner (learn how to use it first)

Wear a condom when you go clicking all over the damn internet unless you like hairpiece on yer head.

Spybot, Spyware Blaster & NoAdware are essentially free! Use them.

 

Macs are great. My mom's 76. If she wants a computer I'll get her a Mac. No question about it.

Hopefully they drop to about $250 soon cause I won't spend more than that on a computer.

 

Open source applications and operating systems are great if you are interested in supporting them yourself. Nobody else can effectively support them unless they are on site or you know exactly what you are talking about.

 

That's why people buy canned solutions.

 

If anything sat and changed it is only as a result of a CMOS battery becoming discharged and the BIOS reverting to the default settings.

 

This is why you shouldn't make changes to drive configurations when setting them up yourself or at the very least write the specs for the drive on the bloody case.

If you can't recall the translation you'll never talk to that data again.

Keep it simple.... defaults work best for the general public.

 

When I get a solid base configuration running I always (ALWAYS!) run it off to a hidden partition and then sometimes to a CD with Ghost so I can reload and run in a matter of an hour.

 

I have no time for down time.

period.

 

This is 20/20 shit and I know how frustrating it can be to sort it out but understanding how to manage the computer for your own sanity is step one.

 

Good luck with that.

I have no idea what any of that means............

[Guitarzan]

ok, i have a condom...now i click the button? and....the thingy is where?

[A String]

Rief, The very first thing to try is reseating stuff. If anything came loose during the move, it can cause problems. Remove the cards and ram and put them back in making sure they are sitting properly. Also check the clip that holds down the CPU, if it's loose, it can cause the CPU to heat up and that will cause problems as well.

 

Any PC problem can be fixed. If reseating stuff doesn't work, try starting in Safe Mode and see if you have the same problems. If you don't, then it's your OS, if you do, then it could be a hardware issue.

 

the next step would depend on how the Safe Mode test goes...

[Guitarzan]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/rawkzilla/smash.gif

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Reif,

If none of the above stuff fixes it, it ain't broke.

[Xplorer]

I'm reading some pretty drastic remedies here. Some of this advice can get you in a world of trouble if, i.e. bios flash.

I was a computer tech for a local College for quite some time, and I am an Electronics Technologist. I would suggest blowing out the power supply fan and motherboard with compressed air. Pull out the RAM, blow out the slots and re-seat them. If that doesn't work, then you're going to need a goat. If goats are hard to come by, you're going to need 6 chickens (and you won't like the next part!)

 

Anyway, computers suck, and I hope one of the above posters pointed you in the right direction.

 

I find it hard to belive that you're OS or HD got messed up from sitting idle. I would definatley not suggest doing ANYTHING to your software or Hard Drive until you have a diagnosis for the issue that is sensible. If you try to partition, reinstall, or even re-ghost (assuming you have a good ghost of your drive), you may not solve the problem, and end up having two huge problems. Ooopps, now that I've re-read your post I see that you've already re-formatted your HD. Ummm... Swap out the HD, it sounds pooched.

[A String]

Geez. I missed that too. Hey, it's early.

 

If you've already formatted and are getting en error during install, then it's either the HDD or the CD rom. Do you have back ups that you can test with?

[Guitarzan]

you guys are scaring me.

i have been informed ( by my brother) that my hard drive may be holding a record for being alive.

the model i have has been a strong contender for death. i am very lucky.

[Bbach1]

Originally posted by Guitars are like shoes. But louder.:

Use XP Pro with SP2 and all the latest updates regardless of what people say. (The fear is 99 44/100% Pure Bull Shit) It's exceptionally stable. Likely the most stable OS I've supported. (we now run over 4500 PCs on 84 networks)

I'm not a techy at all, but I've found this to be very true. the XP SP2 is unusually stable for me compared to any Windows OS I've used in the past.

[A String]

There are a lot of common problems with computers. Two of the most common are people running stuff that their computer isn't fast enough to run and bad ram.

 

SP2 has given a lot of folks trouble, but it really depends on the speed of your computer.

 

ANY computer issue can be resolve through a process of elimination. Start with the obvious stuff and work your way down.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Originally posted by hamburglar:

I think Im switching to mac now that you can run all of the windows stuff on them...

That statement would be incorrect. You cannot run all the windows stuff on them yet. Just as an example, Pro Tols will not run on them.

 

I'm interested in this possibility, because I've been told that the wider memory bus of the Mac should enable latency times to drop to nanoseconds instead of milliseconds.

 

But as I have said to you guys SO MANY TIMES, NEVER BUY VERSION ONE OF ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Bill

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Ever since the move, this thing's been weird. It sat unplugged for a month, and now it won't boot up, or it crashes shortly after.

First, you think that it will be easier/cheaper/smarter to throw out what you already own and know, spend a boatload of money, and have to learn a new system? Hmmmmmmmmmm.......

 

 

Try the easy fix first... put your original windows disk int othe machine, let it boot as if your are going to reinstall it. Then you'll be presented with three choices, one of which will be 'repair'.

 

Of course, blowing out the dirt and reseating the cards and meory makes sense. But your machine only sat for a month, so what the helll????

 

Some of what you say happens could be traced to a bad memory stick, though most often I find these cheap drives to be the problem. That is why I don't store to hard drive... I've had too many of them die in storage. Again though, it has only been a month. Are you sure that there was no virus involved with this problem?

 

Frankly, if the machine is worth anything, I'd stuff a new hard drive in it as the C drive, format and load the OS, then plug in the old drive and off-load all the important data. Dump that to CD or DVD, and then re-setup the machine from the new hard drive. Why? Because drives are so inexpensive that this could be the quickest way to solve several problems.... of the obvious ones... bad drive, bad memory stick, virus... you eliminate two right off the bat and save a LOT of time.

 

Bill

[Guitar55]

Shoes gave great advice. Bill could be right about memory or hard drive problems. If your machine has two memory sticks, try running with just one and see if it still crashes.

 

Format your hard drive and re-install from scratch.

 

Also, if you are using DSl or Cable modem, even with XP SP2, have a router between the computer and the modem as an extra layer of protection.

 

If you are concerned about safe browsing on the Internet, create an account that is NOT an administrator and use it for browsing. This will prevent any malware you run into from using your administrative privilege to do bad things. This will not be an issue with the next version of Windows called Vista, which will always ask for confirmation when a user or app is trying to act as an administrator.

 

Of course, make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware software is up to date.

[LPCustom]

Originally posted by Guitar55:

Shoes gave great advice. Bill could be right about memory or hard drive problems. If your machine has two memory sticks, try running with just one and see if it still crashes.

 

Format your hard drive and re-install from scratch.

 

Also, if you are using DSl or Cable modem, even with XP SP2, have a router between the computer and the modem as an extra layer of protection.

 

If you are concerned about safe browsing on the Internet, create an account that is NOT an administrator and use it for browsing. This will prevent any malware you run into from using your administrative privilege to do bad things. This will not be an issue with the next version of Windows called Vista, which will always ask for confirmation when a user or app is trying to act as an administrator.

I have the Beta 2 of Windows Vista. The feature that asks when something can access the Internet sounds like a good idea. Until you have to keep answering that question all the time. It gets old _VERY_ quickly.

 

Windows Vista does some things that I don't believe the OS should be doing and prevents you from doing some things that I don't think it should prevent you from doing. For example, my local network is secure. I share all the hard drives on all my PCs. But Vista has decided that I am not allowed to share the C: drive on that machine. I can "share" it but I cannot access it from any other machine on my network. I find "features" like this infuriating.

 

Microsoft is adding "features" to the OS to try to make it "idiot" proof and the try to protect users from themselves. (I'm not using the "home" version, I am using the "Ultimate" version). The problem there is it makes life misery for power users who know how to setup computers to be relatively bulletproof and still be fairly open.

 

Microsoft apparently does not know the old adage: "you can't make anything idiot-proof because idiots are so ingenious".

 

I run my PCs fairly wide open on my LAN. But have had only one virus infection in the 13 years that I have been using the Internet. And that came from a drivers CD for a sound card while I was rebuilding a PC. Fortunately, I didn't have the PC hooked up to my network at the time (I don't hook them up to my network until I get anti-virus software installed).

 

I'm not denigrating the advice given above. I think most of it is spot on. I take any pronouncements from Microsoft about the efficacy of new features with a grain of salt, though. Sometimes, the cure is as bad or worse than the problem it is intended to address.

 

I have been the victim of one of Microsoft's patches for Windows XP that made the address bar in Internet Explorer stop working. I couldn't type in a URL and go to that address. That same patch caused the Save/Save-As/Open dialog box in Office to lock up the application. Microsoft still seems to have no idea why that patch causes this problem on some machines. It caused that problem on two of three machines here that have Office 2003 installed on them. Another machine that doesn't have Office installed at all developed the problem with IE.

[picker]

Hey, does anyone know how to access the bios setup on a PC? I had to change out the HD and now the Computer won't see the 3 1/2" drive for the start-up disk. A guy told me I needed to change the bios setting so that the PC booted from the 3 1/2, but I can't seem to get into the bios. Anyone know how?

[Xplorer]

Bluesape...

 

Maybe this will help.

 

What you need is a spent CO2 airgun cartrige. Dremel out the hole in the top and fill is with some Triple 'F' black powder. Install a long fuse (4')and seal it with epoxy. Duct tape the CO2 cartrige to the motherboard and run the fuse out of the front panel.

Make sure you have something you can hide behind outside. Take the tower into your yard, light the fuse and run for it. The CO2 cartrigde should provide enough shrapnel to completely obliterate the inside of your computer, and it will likely blow into pieces.

 

I hope this helps.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

some use F2, some use "delete" some use 'Control/something or other". You need to boot the machine and smack that key repeatedly until the thing says at the bottom of the screen "going to setup" or something similar.

 

Now, I always have all of my PCs to boot to the CD first, floppy second, the hard drive next, and the network last. Goood for trouble shooting, or if you have a problme with your hard drive.

 

Bill

[King Kamehameha]

Oh my god this is all so confusing

[The Geoff]

Reif, I think Shoes has a point about the CMOS battery running out.

 

It's a rare thing, but this is what it'slike when it happens.

 

The answer is to leave the PC on for 24 hours, no matter what it does, ie boot up or not, then 'do' the BIOS Setup again.

 

I used to lecture in Computer Hardware & Computer Architecture at Glasgow College of Commerce (in another life).

 

Geoff