The Computer Problems thread!

[Dakata]

Nah, it's Windows.  If it breaks, you're on your own 

Well, my dad was thinking about putting Linux on my laptop.

If he does, will that erase -all- of my stuff or just the Windows-only stuff? ...Or none of my stuff?

[Tapewolf]

Stop blaming everything on Windows. (I'm happy with it, it does everything I want fine, and I never have any problems with it.)

Be that as it may, XP has added so much internal complexity and undocumented daemons that it's no longer possible for me to troubleshoot it.  In other words, if it breaks, you get to keep both pieces (No... Darkmoon has stolen the 'twisted' emoticon )

**EDIT**

Nah, it's Windows.  If it breaks, you're on your own 

Well, my dad was thinking about putting Linux on my laptop.

If he does, will that erase -all- of my stuff or just the Windows-only stuff? ...Or none of my stuff?

Depends how it's done, and how it was set up in the first place.  With something like PartitionMagic you could shrink the windows partition and split it 50/50 Linux and Windows, without destroying anything if there's enough free space left to begin with.
The alternative is to copy everything off, reinstall Windows and copy all the stuff back on.

If it was set up with Linux as a possibility to begin with, it might have already been split so Windows has its own partition (like containment doors in case it eats itself) and the data lives in another one.  I'd have to see the machine..

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

*Pokes the nerdy Tiger, nerdy box, nerdy Tape-wolf and nerdy [and moogle-y] moogle*

"Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing."

ie - I had nothing to add, so I didn't clutter the thread with adding it. After all, it's not like I don't post enough elsewhere.... :-)

[Aridas]

Stop blaming everything on Windows. (I'm happy with it, it does everything I want fine, and I never have any problems with it.)

Be that as it may, XP has added so much internal complexity and undocumented daemons that it's no longer possible for me to troubleshoot it.  In other words, if it breaks, you get to keep both pieces (No... Darkmoon has stolen the 'twisted' emoticon )

That just shows you how much you DON'T know >_>

[Vidar]

...

[insertotherquotethingiehere]

Alright, my laptop stopped doing that. Don't know why though. It could be 'cuz I unistalled some programs I never use (Can't remember what they were though.) or 'cuz I moved some stuff to my other drive (Is that what it's called?)....or both. *Shrug*

Any of you nerds think you know why it stopped dying on me?

*Pokes the nerdy Tiger, nerdy box, nerdy Tape-wolf and nerdy [and moogle-y] moogle*

Poorly written software / drivers can cause conflicts with other bits of (poorly written) software, which can cause all sorts of problems. Cleaning up said software can restore (some) functionality back to your computer.

[Tapewolf]

Be that as it may, XP has added so much internal complexity and undocumented daemons that it's no longer possible for me to troubleshoot it.  In other words, if it breaks, you get to keep both pieces (No... Darkmoon has stolen the 'twisted' emoticon )

That just shows you how much you DON'T know >_>

You're damn right Aridas.  I've been programming computers since before you were born, and if there's one thing that I've learned, it's that nothing ever does exactly what it's supposed to.

On the ZX spectrum, with 64k of addressable memory (16k ROM and 48k of RAM) it's more-or-less possible to account for everything if you're sufficiently skilled.  I'd like to lie and say I was, but up until 13 I was still fiddling around with BASIC.  Even that simple system had its flaws, there were bugs in the ROM and the microprocessor too, I think.  Now you have got at least one subprocessor on every single component of the PC and most of those are far beyond what the Z80 is capable of.  That gives you a vast chain of command on the assumption that each part is going to behave in exactly the right way in every situation, and they won't - most video BIOSes have their own unique bugs and deviations from the VESA spec, for example and variations in what they support.

I could go on and on about the software side too, but I'll try to cut this short.  Remember, the more layers of complexity you add, the more points of failure you add.  Windows 95 is more complex than DOS, and NT is more complex than Win95.  XP is more complex than NT and Vista will be more complex than it is.
Now consider that not only do we have lots of extra software running in the background, some of which is deliberately undocumented, but it is written using the Windows APIs which behave slightly differently depending on the implementation, have documented bugs and are so opaque in their design that Microsoft engineers have been reported to consult the WINE source code to find out what they're supposed to do.

If the entire system was made by Microsoft there would be some hope that one or two people could have a holistic view but it isn't - every system will have third-party binary-only device drivers interfacing directly with the OS kernel at ring zero.
Think about this.  Microsoft have a complete(?) understanding of the kernel, but no idea what is happening in the device drivers.  The people who wrote the device drivers understand their bit but will only have a relatively simplistic view of the kernel.  As soon as that happens you're relying on trust that each component will talk to the other in exactly the right way every time, regardless of the input it is given.  And because we have a chain of command from subsystem to subsystem, any minor errors will tend to be amplified until they hit something big.

In short, and back to the topic at hand, if someone says that they completely understand a Windows installation, they are either lying or haven't yet realised how little they actually know.

[Aridas]

...Yet I can deal with these things and HAVE dealt with these things without needing to make that complaint. You're making good points, and I've supported you silently this far, but I'm not sure why you said what you said in the 4th paragraph of your post here, considering THAT in particular isn't my problem, or some other end-user's problem. Believe it or not, finding an issue si easier than you make it out to be. Fixing it is probably another matter, but like I said... Not my problem. All I have to do is remove or (in some cases) modify the problematic... thingamajigger. I had more to say, but my brain's melting and I'm starting to forget words... If I try to say anymore, everything's going to be a "thing".. so I'll rest. o.o;

[mini-lion]

In short, and back to the topic at hand, if someone says that they completely understand a Windows installation, they are either lying or haven't yet realised how little they actually know.

as well as the hidden items such as recovery console, which to be honest is one of the most powerful components due to the scale of what you can do

Well, my dad was thinking about putting Linux on my laptop. tongue

i'm dual booting linux mandriva at the moment, it actually auto partitions during set-up but make sure that you have a monitor that is useable with linux mine just gives a load of weird heirogliphs so i can only look at stuff in console mode

[Tapewolf]

Believe it or not, finding an issue si easier than you make it out to be. Fixing it is probably another matter, but like I said... Not my problem.

Ah, well if you consider fixing the problem to be separate from diagnosis, then yes that's going to give you a different outlook. 

I'll admit I'm rather out-of-the-loop in Windows diagnosis, but you have to admit, telling someone who's been a computer professional for about ten years that they know nothing about computers is not a good way to make friends.

Now, let's see if we can deal with some system conflicts rather than personality ones 

[Aridas]

who said you didn't know anything about computers? *stab* >_>

[Tapewolf]

who said you didn't know anything about computers? *stab* >_>

That just shows you how much you DON'T know >_>

..I am struggling to find an alternative way of interpreting that reply.

[Aridas]

I DID quote your windows comment, especially peeved about the part where you seem to think by your wording that if something goes wrong in XP, it's doomed. Which it damn well isn't.

[TheGreyRonin]

Hm. Well, I have almost no damn clue when it comes to fixing computers. I do know that when I'm done with one and it no longer works, you're lucky to get parts from it, if that much.

...Which is why when I got the Blue Screen of Death repeatedly this past week I bought a new one. Besides, it was time for an upgrade.

[Tiger_T]

Is you've got the money to do so...

It maybe might be worth trying to salvage the RAM.
Provided that there's a slot left/a smaller one installed  in the new computer.
But then again; I know only a small bit about hardware.

[Tapewolf]

Anyone know much about nVidia 6x00 video cards?  Are they supposed to, like, work and stuff?  Foolishly I bought a GeForce 6200 last month.  In Windows, OpenGL does not work and DirectX 7(? Whichever version Deus Ex uses) is kind of broken too and shuts down the 3D accelerator hardware after about 15 minutes.  That's with the latest drivers.
Sunday I discovered that Thief and System Shock 2 wouldn't work at all.  I've down-graded to some year-old drivers that almost work (except for OpenGL).
Getting it to work in Linux was almost as bad, although it's now happier than Windows.

Is this your usual driver quality from nVidia, or is the card sick?  (Unfortunately I bought it out-of-town so returning it would be tricky.)

[Stygian]

My advise to you is pretty self evident, once you think about it, and goes as such:

Firstly, get another card and return the old one. nVidia stuff isn't known for acting up more than Ati, but the modified products are more numerous and that sometimes contributes to creating confusion or error. You're always better off with a newer model, but you don't have to go for something flashy. A 6600 or a 6800 won't cost you that much nowadays either. Personally, I use more advanced stuff (7800 GTX), but as long as it has good cooling and 256 bit memory (and that's a big range of cards), it will almost never fail you.

Secondly, make sure to get whatever tidy and bundled software that comes together with cards or games you can. Direct x packages can be a bit more time-consuming to install manually than drivers, but they mostly come with whatever games you are playing, or they come nice and bundled and downloadable from pretty reliable sources.

Finally, if you are in need of verified and proper drivers, always refer to the homepage. If you can't find it there, mess me and I can send the stuff and instructions to you.

[Aridas]

The company who made your 6200 could be at fault. I'm sure it's not the 6200, since other people use them. It might even be your computer, because like you've said before, sometimes computers just don't like certain pieces of hardware/software.

[Tapewolf]

The company who made your 6200 could be at fault. I'm sure it's not the 6200, since other people use them. It might even be your computer, because like you've said before, sometimes computers just don't like certain pieces of hardware/software.

Yes.  It's a PNY card.  I ask mainly because I've yet to have a pleasant experience with an nVidia card 

[Aridas]

I don't know who PNY is, but I wouldn't trust them. My favorite companies are BFG and XFX.

[Stygian]

I always buy the original hard- and software, and tweak it myself if I find the need. It's so much easier that way.

[Tapewolf]

I always buy the original hard- and software, and tweak it myself if I find the need. It's so much easier that way.

What was that in relation to?  Building a PC vs buying a whole one, or did you mean that you purchase a graphics core from nVidia and etch your own AGP card? 

(I wanted to make my own soundcard once.  You could get ISA prototyping boards from Maplins and also AD1848 cores that came with a reference design.  I always thought it would have been pretty hardcore )

[Stygian]

Mostly it's a matter of building a computer from scratch and putting what components where in what order. I won't say that I go as far as modifying actual components, but sometimes I use less than standard parts or configurations. My dad works with integrated systems structure and programming, meaning sometimes I'll be able to get my hands on pieces of more "industrial-type" hardware. My current computer isn't tweaked out that way though, but my father's is.

[THiN]

The computer from hell returns.
This is the same box I asked about back on page 4 - Apparently that problem turned out to be a registry corruption from the virus; I had to get the files backed up and get the hard drive wiped to get it functioning again.

The computer's worked normally for about a month. Then, last week, I came home, did some quick lookups on Okami info, then took off and hung out with friends. I came back around eight hours later to find the computer "off." The screen was black, the tower was off, but the keyboard's Num Lock key was lit, and the optical mouse lights were on. I couldn't get a response, so I hit the power button. Still nothing. I turned off the power supply to get a look inside, and at this point, all the lights turned off (Keyboard, mouse, motherboard) as normal. After looking through and finding nothing wrong and nothing smelling burnt, I turned it back on; The mouse and motherboard lit back up, but I got the same response as before. The tower cannot power up - If I press the power button, I get a brief (less than half a second) flicker of life, and then it shuts down again. I don't get any display on my monitor, though there isn't really time for it to even get to that point. The blip of light only occurs one time after I turn the PSU off and back on, though it seems to do it if I haven't attempt to do so in an extended period (Like a capacitor or something). A friend suggested that my heatsink had slipped off and the computer was attempting to save my processor; I considered this, but I installed the heatsink (A hulking mass of semi-sharp metal edges) myself, and I had to apply nearly my entire body weight to get it attached, so there's no chance of it just "slipping." The power button was brought up, and I had checked it; The button is a little odd in that it has two buttons, one on top and one on the bottom, but carefully triggering only button would still get the same result, so I don't think that was the issue. I've replaced the power cord, but that hasn't helped. As before, the computer uses an E-ATX power supply, and I don't have a spare one of those around to test to see if the power supply is the problem.

[Vidar]

, but I installed the heatsink (A hulking mass of semi-sharp metal edges) myself, and I had to apply nearly my entire body weight to get it attached, so there's no chance of it just "slipping."

Are you sure you installed it correctly? Normally a heatsink isn't that much trouble.


Also, it sounds like something is sucking an ungodly amount of power from your PSU.
Try stripping your computer to it's bare minumum (mainboard, processor, memory, video-card, hard disk) and then power it up. If it works, the offending component is in the mountain of un-attached stuff.
Re-attach one new component each time, and try booting up. If your pc won't boot up with a specific component attached, it is the source of your problems.
If it still won't power up, remove more components, and see if your pc will reach post / give error messages. If you remove your video-card you should get a series of warning beeps. Consult your mainboard manual for more information.

I had something similar about 7 years ago. The culprit was my keyboard.

The worst-case scenario is that the mainboard has fried, and has taken several other components with it. Good luck diagnosing your patient / computer.

[Tiger_T]

Hmm. I installed a second harddrive and after rebooting I don't have sound anymore (the speakers just hum slightly)
They work though. I tried with another source.
Could the lack of sound be related to the new HD or is there another explanation? How can I solve this?
*wants his sound back *

XP with SP2

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

If those are unpowered speakers, it's possible your PSU is slightly underpowered for the new hdd. ie, the hard drives, between them are drawing enough off one of the busses (+5?) that the PSU can't provide enough to run the speakers on top of that.

Either powered speakers, or a new PSU would solve th issue, I think.

You could also try unplugging your cdrom drive, temporarily, to see if that fixes it. If it does, then that probably is your problem.

[Tapewolf]

Is there anything like hdparm in Windows 2003?  I need to perform a bus reset on one of the ATAPI controllers without rebooting the server.

[Vidar]

I don't think so. Misuse of HDPARM can mess up a hard disk quite thoroughly, if the user doesn't know what he / she is doing.
*nix assumes the user knows what he / she is doing.
The windows philosophy is as follows: the user is an asshat, and will mess up his / her PC whenever possible. As such, something as powerful / dangerous as HDPARM is unlikely to be developed for windows.

CHALLENGE: prove me wrong.

[Aridas]

Is there anything like hdparm in Windows 2003? I need to perform a bus reset on one of the ATAPI controllers without rebooting the server.

hm... that depends on how many ways there are to do such a thing...

[Tapewolf]

Basically, the backup drive has crashed out again as it is wont to do if a backup fails.  The only drives on that bus are removable media (i.e. the tapestreamer and the DVD+RW unit), so it's not a problem of having to unmount the volumes.
Since everyone actually wants to use the server, I don't really want to have to reboot it if I can get away with a bus reset a'la Linux.
If this can't be done in Windows then I guess I'll have to stay late and do it the hard way.