The New Computer Problems Thread

[Reese Tora]

One: The location of IE7 settings and history. I can get the favorites and probably save the more important cookies, but I can't figure out how to save the rest of it, which tends to come in handy if it's a page I don't want to fave. Typed urls are not so important, and I know those are in the registry. I'm mostly kinda in need of the autocomplete stuff, the saved passwords, and whatever else makes me spend less time doing things. I also need to know if there are any changes that make the 32 bit version incompatible with the 64 bit version, since that's where i'm headed with things.

I don't use IE7 myself, but microsoft usually puts all settings in the registry, in one place or another.

There are two loactions that you can also find personal settings in IE6, which probably carry over to IE7:
Documents and settings\[user]\application data\microsoft\internet explorer
Documents and settings\[user]\local settings\application data\microsoft\internet explorer

I'm not sure where the passwords and all are stored, though, and my guess would be the registry (I also don't use remember passwords or autocomplete, as they are  security risks.)
Unfortunately, the location is most likely deliberately obfuscated in order to throw off data mining spyware, which would make it much harder to find normally.

Three: Anyone know if there are any popular programs or things that don't work on 64 bit XP?

64 bit windows should run 32 bit software just fine.  Drivers, OTOH, will not necessarily work, since they work as a lower level of the OS than does most normal programs.  Make sure any hardware you have or get comes with a 64 bit version of the driver, or that the manufacturer has such available on thier website.

Software that accesses hardware directly might not work, either.

Though, without software designed to take advantage of the 64 bit word length, there's not much point in having a 64 bit OS.

[Tapewolf]

Unless the OS traps the instructions and emulates them, 64-bit OSes will not run 16-bit software, because the CPU doesn't implement them in 'Long Mode'.  So anything which has a 16-bit component to it - like the Zebra software - is likely to fail unless they make special provision for it.

I don't know if DOS software works, but you're probably going to use DOSbox anyway for stuff like that.

[Tapewolf]

Anyone know why the MIDISPORT 4x4 firmware loader would stop working on my laptop after a kernel upgrade to 2.6.22?
As far as I know it's a script that uses FXLOAD to upload the firmware, after which the interface is recognised by the generic USB MIDI driver.

It's got to be something I left out of the kernel config, but I'm blowed if I can figure out what.  It still works on the desktop which I think is running '22 as well.

[superluser]

It's got to be something I left out of the kernel config, but I'm blowed if I can figure out what.  It still works on the desktop which I think is running '22 as well.

Well, what does diff -u say?

[Tapewolf]

It's got to be something I left out of the kernel config, but I'm blowed if I can figure out what.  It still works on the desktop which I think is running '22 as well.

Well, what does diff -u say?

I'm not currently in a position to attempt that, but it will say loads of things because one is a dual-core AMD64 machine with SMP and the K8 optimisations turned on and SATA, and the other is a P3 laptop with all the wireless and SD-related options turned on in a vain attempt to make a PCMCIA wireless card and the onboard reader function.

And oh dear, the desktop is actually running 2.6.21.

**EDIT**
They broke the new kernel.
See also:  http://www.64studio.com/node/125

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I've removed the pointless bitching. Those who were bitching should probably take a step back and think about it, because next time, I won't be friendly.

Misunderstandings are going to happen, that's ok. Fighting over it isn't.

[Aridas]

you apparently also removed all the non-bitching that was bundled with certain bits of it.. For example, roughly 2/3 of the second post by me of the group you mined.

[bill]

Oh no, now you have to type it again.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

you apparently also removed all the non-bitching that was bundled with certain bits of it.. For example, roughly 2/3 of the second post by me of the group you mined.

You're right. I did.

I get a choice - either I can delete a post entirely, or I can edit it. Since there were more than a few posts, I went for the former option en masse, rather than editing each one individually.

I -did- scan the posts, to confirm that there wasn't any irreplaceable content, and all the content I saw had already been listed in the posts I didn't delete, or was, in my judgement, moaning about how the offered solution wasn't helpful.

Feel free to copy anything you feel might still be helpful content into a new post, though.

[Aridas]

that kind of breaks the sequence. You don't see people typing a question AFTER a response.

[Ryudo Lee]

AMD systems always give me the most problems ever.

I just bought a new laptop.  An Acer Aspire 3100, it's got an AMD Sempron in it and an ATI Radeon XPress 1100 with a 40 gig drive and 1.5gb ram.

It originally had 512mb ram in it but I added a gig to it.

It came with Windows Vista on it, but with only 512mb ram in it I didn't want to even try running it with that.  So I wiped it clean and installed a fresh copy of Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Since I got it, programs that don't normally crash under XP for any reason have been crashing, mostly the games that I run on it.  At times, it mysteriously, and for no reason whatsoever, shuts off the wireless adaptor.  This should not happen.  To shut off the wireless adapter, I need to tell the Power Management program to turn it off, or use the little switch on the front of the laptop.

And then there's what's happened to me today. 
1 - All of a sudden, the ATI Control Panel complains that I'm trying to make changes to the Control Panel, but I don't have the priveledges to do so (even though my account is an administration account) and then it won't start the Control Panel.  I can start it manually, through Run.  Of course, it takes a good five minutes for it to even get there.  Until I get that error message, nothing else will start.
2 - My antivirus (Avast) all of a sudden says that it's virus database has been destroyed so it can't run.  WTF?  How did that happen?
3 - The DVD/CD drive in it won't read my StarCraft expansion CD, but it took the original CD.  The expansion CD is good.  It came up fine in another computer.
4 - I tried to do a system restore to fix all of these problems, but apparantly that's where I went wrong.  Now when I get through the login screen, it just sits there.  Explorer won't start.

I have been going to great lengths to keep bad software off this computer.  To that end, this computer has NOT even been on the internet since this past weekend.  It worked fine over the weekend.  It worked fine yesterday.  Heck I even gamed on it for a few hours yesterday with no issues at all, which was strange since it usually crashes at least once.  And when it's not in use, it's unplugged and left turned off.  And now today I can't even get explorer to start.

I'm gonna do a repair when I get home.  I will be very upset if I have to reinstall Windows... again.

These kinds of things never happened to me on Intel chipsets.  I always get stupid problems like this with AMD machines.  Is it just me?  Someone tell me it isn't just me.

[Tapewolf]

Have you run Memtest86 on the system?

Apart from a brief fling with UMC about 15 years ago, I've always had AMD systems and apart from a stuffed motherboard they've generally been fine.

[Ryudo Lee]

Thanks for that Tape.  It came up with a whole load of errors.  Now to find out which of these memory sticks is bad.  Of course now that means I get to spend more money on this thing...

EDIT:

As I feared, it's the new 1gb chip.  Lucky for me though, the place I bought it from put a lifetime warranty on their memory chips, so I should be able to get a replacement for free.

EDIT x2:

Explorer is still futz'd.  I'm still gonna have to run a repair when I get home.  I'm gonna keep a hold of that Memtest86.  That's a good diagnostic tool.  Thanks Tape.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Random errors is usually memory. Broken motherboards or PSU is generally more rare, in my experience.

FWIW, you may want to run memtest86+ for 12 or more hours to confirm that it's actually clear on the 512Gb - the other thing you might want to do is swap the bays that the memory is in, and see if it's the bay that's causing you grief, since it -may- be the socket that's gone bung (not likely, but best to check, right?)

Just a thought or two...

[DarkAudit]

Random errors is usually memory. Broken motherboards or PSU is generally more rare, in my experience.

FWIW, you may want to run memtest86+ for 12 or more hours to confirm that it's actually clear on the 512Gb - the other thing you might want to do is swap the bays that the memory is in, and see if it's the bay that's causing you grief, since it -may- be the socket that's gone bung (not likely, but best to check, right?)

Just a thought or two...

I may do that myself this evening.

I upgraded this system from 2GB to 3GB of RAM, and now have 2 512MB sticks in one bank and 2 1GB sticks in the other. Ever since, the system seems a little sluggish in starting up applications if they haven't run for a while. Sometimes Firefox will take as long as 20 seconds to start up first thing in the morning. If the app has run in the last hour or two, it's as snappy as ever. I uninstalled Google Desktop to see if that helped, but there was no discernible improvement.

There aren't issues with apps once they're running, but since I made the change with the new memory, it just seems slower.

System is an HP Pavilion a1637c with XP Media Center Edition, and an Athlon 64 x2 4200+ CPU. Drive has been recently defragged. AVG and Zone Alarm 7 are the virus scanner and firewall setup.

Is there really something here needing attention, or is my perception just skewed?

[Reese Tora]

My computer has similar problems, and the same program was used to test it (similar to Ryudo's problem, that is)

Unfortunately for me, it isn't the RAM.  I'd have suggested the same things everyone else did.  Anyway... DA

Check your motherboard documentation!

While you have the slots for it, and your computer can run it, it's quite likely that the RAM you have installed is more than your motherboard can support at the data rate your RAM is rated for.

Many motherboards that I've looked at for AM2, for instance, support a supposed 8GB of RAM, and a memory speed of DDR2 800 but don't support more than 2GB at DDR2 800, and only if the memory is of one of a few selected brands.

It's quite likely that all your RAM is being stepped down to a lower speed because of incompatibility.

It's also a good idea to make sure to double check which slots are which banks, since it is sometimes poorly or incorrectly documented.

[Ryudo Lee]

@llearch
Hmm I will check the other slot anyway.  I'm certain that it was the newer chip causing the problems.  I pulled both chips and put the newer one in by itself and when I ran Memtest86 on it the errors popped up almost immediately, and when I tested the 512 chip it came up with no errors at all.  The good news is that they're replacing the chip at no cost (not even shipping).  Bad news, I'm not gonna see the replacement until well into next week.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

My point was, Ryudo, that if you put them in different slots, the memory might not actually be broken. I expect it probably is, but it doesn't hurt to make 100% sure :-)

[Ryudo Lee]

I tested them both in the same slot.  One produced errors and the other didn't.  I didn't test the other slot though.

[thegayhare]

hello all

well recently my computer has started acting a little screwy

When ever I play a game it'll work fine for a few minutes then the whole system will seize up.  the machine freezes and is compleatly unresponsive and I'm forced to do a hard reboot.

since I haven't changed anything in the past week and this just started 2 days ago I swapped out the battery hoping that a simple solution would fix it.  when that didn't work I ran my diagnostic and repair programs but it's still happening

does anyone have any sugestions?

[DarkAudit]

hello all

well recently my computer has started acting a little screwy

When ever I play a game it'll work fine for a few minutes then the whole system will seize up.  the machine freezes and is compleatly unresponsive and I'm forced to do a hard reboot.

since I haven't changed anything in the past week and this just started 2 days ago I swapped out the battery hoping that a simple solution would fix it.  when that didn't work I ran my diagnostic and repair programs but it's still happening

does anyone have any sugestions?

Do your diagnostic programs have any fan or temperature monitors? It could be overheating due to lack of ventilation or a buildup of dust. A hit or three with canned air may also help.

[Tapewolf]

Again, try memtest86.  It wasn't clear from your post whether it only ever happens during games - e.g. will the machine run indefinitely doing less graphics-intensive tasks?  If so, it might be an overheating problem.  But do check the memory.

[thegayhare]

It usualy works longer, but not always, when I'm not doing something so graphic intensive.  but it'll still sieze on me.

I don't think it's a heating problem since one of the extra fans I installed it set directly at the heat sink of the video card, as for ventilation I've had the side panel off for years to increase airflow.

But on the other paw it could be heat since I don't seem to have any temp monitors and it only started to freak on me yesterday which like today is unseasonably warm but I will run the memtest you mentioned

[thegayhare]

oh great now my floppy drive isn't responding

gah

[Tapewolf]

Can you burn a CD of it from the ISO image?

[thegayhare]

I'm currently downloading a program to burn the iso to disc
what a pain

[thegayhare]

okay

memtest says no errors

[Goatmon]

Windows Vista has, for whatever reason, decided to block my access to the internet every damned day for anywehre from three to twelve hours.  Randomly all websites will simply stop loading as though my connection is dead, but aim will continue running just fine.

Then, if I try to fix the connection using the options the OS gives me (Such as resetting the LAN, or disabling and then re-enabling it) it either tells me it can't fix the problem, or it tells me it's fixed but I'll still have no internet.  Either way, it doesn't fix anything and only causes me to lose access to aim as well, cutting me off completely.

Eventually it just stops doing this and the internet comes back.  I have no idea what the exact cause is, outside of that I have ****ing Vista.  When I have the money I'm going to get a copy of XP and be rid of all of the problems this horrible OS has given me. 

[DarkAudit]

Windows Vista has, for whatever reason, decided to block my access to the internet every damned day for anywehre from three to twelve hours.  Randomly all websites will simply stop loading as though my connection is dead, but aim will continue running just fine.

Then, if I try to fix the connection using the options the OS gives me (Such as resetting the LAN, or disabling and then re-enabling it) it either tells me it can't fix the problem, or it tells me it's fixed but I'll still have no internet.  Either way, it doesn't fix anything and only causes me to lose access to aim as well, cutting me off completely.

Eventually it just stops doing this and the internet comes back.  I have no idea what the exact cause is, outside of that I have ****ing Vista.  When I have the money I'm going to get a copy of XP and be rid of all of the problems this horrible OS has given me. 

*looks through cushions for loose change*

Bupkis.

Can't help you with funding, but going back to XP is for the best. I had Vista for about 4 months before I gave up on it and went back to XP. Got tired of the canel or allow over and over again, having to run some programs as admin to get them to work at all, or others just flat out blocked for no apparent reason.

A couple caveats, though. 1) Did this system come with Vista preinstalled? 2) Did it come with any recovery discs or options to burn them yourself?

I don't have links this morning, but there are reports from Slashdot that manufacturers are refusing to honor warranties or do tech support if the OS is changed from Vista.

If you have the recovery discs or burn option, there's a slim chance the manufacturer got lazy and you already have a copy of XP on hand. If you have a window where you can get on the internet, check their web site for support details.

[Goatmon]

Considering this system came with 1 gig of ram, I'm pretty sure it was meant to have XP on it, as you need twice that much for Vista to run without excessive lag for things that shouldn't lag.  Things like playing ANYTHING on Windows Media Player which, on this system, takes a good 15-30 seconds to start running any song or video.  I also have periods where Firefox simply stops responding altogether for a brief moment, because it apparently throws a conniption fit handling a whopping 3 ****ing instances of firefox while aim is going.  Lord knows I couldn't possibly put more stress on the CPU. 

And no, I don't recall ever seeing a Vista install disc.  It also won't let me burn a new disc, and the Help Menu explained that it's more convenient that I be required to use the Vista Disc in order to reinstall instead of create my own disc;  Try not to think about that statement for more than 5 seconds, or blood will shoot out of your nose.

Essentially, I have been completely screwed.