Date: 11/25/07     Keywords: no keywords

OK, my son restored his hard drive in a rather bizarre way. He explains how he did it here. http://www.mandible.net/2007/11/24/how-i-recovered-my-hard-drive-by-double-boiling-it/ The picture is worth checking out.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1130713.html

Date: 11/25/07     Keywords: no keywords

Hi kids!

I'm looking to build a new mid-range HT/gaming (more on gaming, actually) PC for Christmas. I'm pretty much set on an AMD Athlon 64 6000+ for a CPU, and an NVIDIA 8800 GT for a video card, which I'm planning to purchase as an upgrade later on. I'm somewhat new to the hardware scene though, so I hope you guys could help me choose a good mobo.

I've been doing some research lately, and a majority of the stuff I've read so far recommend a Mobo with either an AMD690 or Nvidia 570 chipsets. I previously decided on an AMD 690 chipset mobo. I did some research on video cards later on, which is when I decided on the Nvidia 8800 GT. A few hardware review sites I've gone to recommend getting an NVidia 570 chipset for the card, but I'm having a hard time locating a good N570 board with a good feature/price balance.

On the other hand, I need a board with a mid-range on-board graphics card to tide me over while I save up for the Nvidia 8800 GT, which is where the AMD690 chipset mobos come in.

Honestly, I'm confused. Given an AMD Athlon 64 6000+ and an NVIDIA 8800 GT, what motherboard would you get for it, and why? Which mobo chipset would you recommend for a hybrid gaming/media PC? I'm hoping to spend about $100 or less if I could get away with it, but I wouldn't mind forking over about $200 tops.

Thanks in advance.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1130340.html

Date: 11/25/07     Keywords: html

My son's hard drive has died. Here's his entry:
"So I've had a hard drive die. This is bad because it has a lot of rather important stuff on it. It doesn't show up on BIOS detection at all - in fact, it takes a long time for the BIOS to decide it doesn't exist, it's clearly just blocking until it gives up. It also makes a clicking noise, which is presumably bad.

Any suggestions on a way to revive it? I've tried the freezer trick with no luck (it just makes it louder). I'm almost tempted to heat it and see what happens, but I'll wait on that for now at least - I'm just sort of running out of ideas.

It's a Barracuda ATA V, 120gb, with the 3.33 firmware. The first three characters of the serial number are 3KA, which I'm told is important. If you have one of those I'd happily buy it off you so I could try an electronics swap."

Any good ideas? The original post is at http://zorbathut.livejournal.com/785785.html . If you can't help him, I suspect no one can.

Edit: he resurrected it, don't know how. Thanks for your input.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1130183.html

Date: 11/24/07     Keywords: no keywords

most applications in os x dont have a blank background to them as compared to windows. i get distracted by things on the desktop or other open windows. is there a way to get just some gray bedding under the application windows?

is there an option to enable the other kind of view? is this application dependent or is there a setting somewhere that works with all applications?

thanks.

-upd-
here is an example of what Photoshop looks in OSX:

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1623/osxscreenpp6.jpg

and in Windows:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/9693/windowsscrshotji7.jpg


i just want that application background.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1129837.html

Date: 11/24/07     Keywords: no keywords

Hey guys

I have been having this problem now for the past year, my brother’s PC crashes during game play of Half Life 2, or any game that is based on the Source engine (Counter Strike Source, etc). The computer is an HP Pavilion a1528x, with Windows XP Media Center as the OS. Its got 1gb of ram, a Athlon 64 X2 (T) 3800+ 2.0 GHz processor, and motherboard brand HP/Compaq Nagami2-GL8E.

When we first got this computer it had the same problem of running the Half Life 2 engine. I figured the integrated graphics controller was crappy so I installed a NVIDIA Geforce 7600 GT 512mb Pci express video card.

NOW every other game we play looks amazing, and Half Life 2 engine games default go to high settings, but it still crashes after about 20 minutes of game play, or when we reach a particular part of the game. I reinstalled the OS, I manually removed all graphic drivers and installed the ones that came with the 7600, I did driver updates, I did DirectX 9 updates, but still for some reason the half life 2 engine crashes on this computer. My own computer at home I run a Pci (standard) 256mbg video card with 512mb of system ram and I never crash when playing HL2 at high settings.

I am considering swapping the vid card with my 256mg Pci one since I know it’s works. Although I doubt it will make a difference since this problem was occurring even before the any new vid card was installed. Maybe upgrading system ram, but that shouldn’t be necessary with the 1gb already there. I considered doing BIOS updates however it prompted me to back up all data, which is more work then I want to do if I am not even sure it will solve the problem.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I have been banging my head over this for a while and I pretty much ran out of ideas.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1129700.html

Date: 11/23/07     Keywords: html

This is weird, and I have no idea what is going on:
I want to make a 'spesthal snowflake' user icon from this Klum picture:
http://blogs.tampabay.com/juice/2007/11/heidi-klum-is-a.html
This is what I have tried:
Saving it to my desktop, then bringing it up to LJ (manage userpics).
Pasting the URL in the userpic form, as requested.
Using MWSnap 3 to take a picture of the photo as a jpg and then bringing THAT jpg to the manage userpics upload.

None have worked. Why?

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1129235.html

Date: 11/22/07     Keywords: technology

Barrett, one of my co-hosts on the Technology Bytes Radio Show and writer of the Geekspeak Blog at the Houston Chronicle came up with some Thanksgiving thoughts in gratitude for last night Barrett Time segment which I thought I would share with this community...

I was originally going to come up with a list of the top ten techy things that I am thankful for this year, but with the DMCA, my broken oh key and the makings of another exploding battery, I thought I’d go back and borrow from what other people in technology had been thankful for over the years.

In 1899, Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents, was thankful that everything that could be invented already had.

In 1927, H.M. Warner of Warner Brothers was thankful that his audiences would never want to hear actors talk.

In 1943, Thomas Watson, the then chairman of IBM, was thankful that there was a world market for maybe five computers.

In 1949, popular mechanics was thankful that computers may one day weigh no more than 1.5 tons.

In 1957, the Prentice Hall editor in charge of business books was thankful that this data processing fad wouldn’t last the year.

In 1981, Bill Gates was thankful that he’d never need more than 640k of memory.

In 1995, Wall Street was thankful for all those new dotcom companies.

In 1999, Nigeria was thankful that Al Gore invented the Internet.

In 2003, SCO’s Darl McBride was thankful that there would be a “day of reckoning” for Red Hat and SuSE.

And today, you might be thankful that that’s it for BarretTime.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1128954.html

Date: 11/21/07     Keywords: no keywords

Memory Details:
Total No. of Slots: 2 (Currently One slot in use)
Installed RAM: 247 MB
Maximum RAM: 1024 MB
Front Side Bus: 400 MHZ
Details of memory already installed on your computer:
Memory Size Memory Type Memory Speed Dimm Type Dimm Type Detail
DIMM_1 256 MB DIMM 266 MHZ SDRAM Synchronous


Does this mean if I swap out the memory, I can have 1 gig in each slot for a total of 2 gigs, or 512 in each slot, for a total of 1 gig? What happens if I get more memory - does the computer just ignore it, or is it actively bad to have more than the recognized amount in there?

The memory looks to be an old type, SDRAM - does that mean that DDR isn't compatible?

Edit: Running a Dell Dimension 2400, with XP.  Crucial's matching page gave me the following specs as compatible, which is why I'm a bit confused - isn't DDR incompatible with SDRAM;

1GB, 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC2700 memory module

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1128589.html

Date: 11/20/07     Keywords: html

Check out this hilarious video of bad wannabe tech journalism gone even further wrong
http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/11/20/fox_business_news/index.html

Ohhh! We're sorry, it's not Apple but Abu DUBAI!...

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1128329.html

Date: 11/20/07     Keywords: no keywords

Ok. I'm not sure what the copyrights would be on this. I bought a Toshiba laptop, and it came preinstalled with Windows XP. Can I legally make a back up disk in case I need to repair or reinstall on my own computer? If it is legal, then how would I go about creating a backup?

My laptop has a cd burner, and I can already make data cd's and music cd's, but I can't seem to create any executable files that will run with it. I'm not sure if it's the program that I use (The only program besides windows media player that it came with is SONIC DLA).

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1128039.html

Date: 11/19/07     Keywords: php, software, html, asp, web

When quad-cores collide: AMD Phenom vs Intel Core 2 Quad
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=10427

"We can debate all day whether the majority of consumer software is threaded enough to take advantage of four execution cores, but the immutable fact remains that AMD's fastest quad-core offering is slower than Intel's slowest..."

"...AMD's nascent Phenom also suffers under the considerable yoke of Intel's Core 2 Quad 6600 pricing, which at £165 for a hugely-overclockable 2.4GHz part is something of a bargain. AMD, though, is pitching its slightly underperforming quad-core part at roughly the same price."

The problem is, and I hate to ruin the surprise here, Phenom isn't faster than Intel's Core 2 Quad clock for clock. In other words, a 2.3GHz Phenom 9600 will set you back at least $283 and it's slower than a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Quad Q6600, which will only cost you $269.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1127705.html

Date: 11/17/07     Keywords: software

Hi all, Are there programs or software for companies' management to monitor employee computer activity real-time? What percentage of companies do you really think are randomly monitoring employees' computer activity? Thanks for any info.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1127669.html

Date: 11/17/07     Keywords: no keywords

I'm in the process of building a computer, and now I am installing Windows XP on it. When I installed it and reached the set-up screen, it said "installing Windows 32 minutes left", after waiting 2 hours it did not change. I deleted the partition to start again, but when formatting it stays at 0%. So what should I do?

Some basics about the computer I'm building if it helps....
AMD Athlon x2 6400+
2 GB of Ram (dd2 SDram)
250 GB Western digital hard drive
XFX Geforce 8600 GT



TIA!!

Sorry I cross posted this a few times !

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1127357.html

Date: 11/16/07     Keywords: asp, web

I have the need to pass data in a JPG image.

That is, I'm generating the JPG image dynamically using GDI+ in .NET from an ASP.NET call. What I need to do is place some data into the JPG, say a GUID, and be able to read it back when I load the JPG from the web site where it is displayed.

I surely can't do this with the actual image data, as my understanding is that JPG is run-encoded and getting data in and out would be a bear.

Are there any metadata headers in JPG that I have access to? Anyone know of or have any C# code to read and write these?

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1126762.html

Date: 11/14/07     Keywords: software, virus, antivirus

I'm trying to uninstall Windows XP from my sister in law's computer because she got a virus on it.  It keeps saying that I have no adminstrative authority, and won't let me into control panel, or add remove programs.

I need directions on how to uninstall everything on the hard drive before Windows starts so that I can reinstall XP (using disk) and some antivirus software.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1126312.html

Date: 11/12/07     Keywords: browser, web

Question/Problem: When booting, the computer would load the OS, then immediately shut down. In addition, the A/C power light would flicker on and off, and I'd have to jiggle the power connector to get it to go solid. Now, the computer won't even turn on, and the AC light stays off. I previously lost the cord that went from wall-->brick, so I found another one off of an old stereo that seemed to work. However, I don't know if that caused the mobo to fry. :S

Operating System and VERSION: Windows Vista Beta (I think Version 2)

Web Browser and VERSION: Firefox (I can't remember which version)

Your level of experience: Beginnerish...not a n00b, but not comfortable with hardware.

Duration of problem: Uhm...a long time?

Any steps you've taken to troubleshoot? I tried to see if it was the power brick, but I think it's the inverter on the motherboard. I have a Satellite P25-S520 with a P4 (IIRC) processor, and I *think* 1.5 GHz of RAM. I've had the cover off and had a coworker look at it...he said everything looked good. Is there any way to replace *just* the power inverter on the MB, or am I looking at a whole new setup here? If I'm looking at a whole new setup, is there any way to salvage the processor and RAM off the old MB, or should I just start fresh? Cheaper is better here, as I'm a student...free is best...if someone has a MB that they don't need anymore, I'll take it off your hands. :P

Another unrelated issue is the DVD-RW drive...I need a new one...where's the best place to go for a cheap one? I tried getting one off Fleabay, but it didn't fit. If anyone needs a power brick or DVD/RW drive, I'll gladly sell it. ^_^

(Mods, feel free to edit this post as needed!)

Thanks in advance for any help!!!

/xposted around...apologies if you see this more than once!

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1125964.html

Date: 11/12/07     Keywords: browser, virus, web

Question/Problem: When my Pc starts up everything looks normal, start bar,desktop icons and wallpaper are all there, but a few seconds in and an error message is desplayed saying "Windows Explorer has stopped working" and then "Checking for a solution" It then says "Restarting Windows Explorer" The window then dissapears along with the desktop icons and start bar (Wallpaper stays intact) for a few seconds and then reappear, but it then repeats itself.
I can access the internet,msn,windows media player etc from the task manager. If I cancel explorer then the start bar and desktop icons dissapear all together, If I then try to run it again it either continues displaying and error message or my start bar and desktop icons freeze so there is no way for me to click on them.

Operating System and VERSION: Windows Vista

Web Browser and VERSION: Firefox 2.0.0.9

Your level of experience: Intermediate

Duration of problem: 1 day

Any steps you've taken to troubleshoot?
Installed AVG and ran virus scan, found two Trojan horses which were deleted.
Restored system to four days ago in safe mode (Although the error message still appears in safe mode.
Ran Mcafee,AVG and Windows detector but no more viruses were found.

Please help! Thank you :)

x-posted anywhere that could help!

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1125402.html

Date: 11/12/07     Keywords: web

Yo! I could use everyone's help on this. I am looking into getting an Acer laptop (here) but I have read some really off-the-wall reviews around the web (Amazon, Newegg, et cetera.)

The basic question is, are Acer computers any good? Some folks say they have problems with heat (to the point of melting, supposedly), bad customer service (not too big a concern), faulty AC adapters, spongy keyboards (wtf?), the list goes on. Many also complain about Windows Vista being a resource hog, I am assuming I will have to downgrade. Which leads to my side-questions: A.) Will downgrading to XP be a huge trouble or really even necessary? B.) Will the laptop given be enough to run Half-Life 2 and Civ 4 decently? I mainly want it as an upgrade to my computer (the laptop is roughly twice as powerful given the specs) so that I can play a handful of games that I own but can hardly play. The rest of its use will be internet, movies, music, and other simple things.

So.. thanks in advance!

cross-posted to  computer_help because I could really use input!

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1125273.html

Date: 11/11/07     Keywords: software

I want to buy this DVD, which is a Region 2 Import from the UK. http://www.amazon.com/Spaced-Definitive-Collectors-Region-UK/dp/B000IFOXX2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6133607-3929705?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1194797245&sr=8-1

I live in the US, and the description for the DVD says "This DVD will not play on most DVD players sold in the US or Canada [Region 1]. This item requires a region specific or multi-region DVD player and compatible TV." Are many DVD players actually multi-regional? or PAL?

A friend of mine has software to rip and burn DVD's. Would that be a viable solution for this problem? Could I rip the content and burn it onto a new DVD, and then (hopefully) be able to play it on an American player? If nothing else, would I be able to watch this on my computer?

I appreciate any advice on this! Thanks!

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1124902.html

Date: 11/07/07     Keywords: no keywords

Thanks for all the good advice about DVD burners. I picked up a refurbished Plextor PX 750A from Fry's, and it's fine. But I suddenly (before the 30 day return period runs out!) realized that, since I planning some lifestyle changes over the next year that might mean I have only my laptop (Dell Latitude D600), an external burner might be a smarter idea. Newegg has a selection of highly rated drives for the same $ I paid for the Plextor (~$65). But they're all USB2, and my main box is USB1. Will this be a problem, and how will the speed compare to the IDE drive I have now? Thanks again.

Edit: the Dell lap top seems to be USB2. It's just my main computer that's USB1.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1124383.html