The New Computer Problems Thread

[Tapewolf]

Whenever I try to import a video (So it makes lots of smaller videos) in Windows Movie Maker, and put some of 'em in the storyboard, and click something, it freezes. (WMM freezes, not my whole computer.)

Well, you're using Windows and you haven't said video format you're using, so I can't really help you with that, but for the laptop, it sounds like the battery pack has failed.  If so, that means: (A) repairing the battery by replacing the cells - a soldering job at least, IF you can get the pack open in the first place let alone closed again afterwards, or (B) buying a replacement battery.

[Dakata]

The video format's .AVI.

And about how much does a laptop battery cost?

[Tapewolf]

The video format's .AVI.

Sadly, no.  AVI is more like a ZIP file - the actual video format inside it could be anything, depending on the CODEC used. This is why it's so easy to make an AVI that won't play on someone else's machine...

And about how much does a laptop battery cost?

I don't know, but I need to get one for my Toshiba as well because it will only last for about 15 minutes.  I generally use it on mains only for that reason.

. . .
A Portege 4010 battery for me looks to cost around £52 (which would be about $104 - in the US it might just be $52).  How much yours costs will depend on the model of the laptop.

[Shadrok]

Anyone have any advice on what kind of hard drive I should get since my old one's fried?

MY old hard drive.

The one I was looking at getting.

Also is there any difference between SATA Hard Drives and EIDE hard drives?

[Aridas]

HTH, HAND.

You're not supposed to say stuff like that without actually doing something D:

Oh, and dakata? I think your laptop battery's borked and won't hold a charge anymore. you might have to buy another of the same model (or if you wanted to, a better one if such a thing exists for your laptop's model)

[Tapewolf]

Anyone have any advice on what kind of hard drive I should get since my old one's fried?
Also is there any difference between SATA Hard Drives and EIDE hard drives?

Yes, they have completely different cables, so make sure you get the right one.
EIDE is large and flat, and has a 4-pin power connector.  Same sort of thing as CDROM/DVD drives.

SATA is a small thing with about 6 pins, and the power connector has something freaky like 19 pins.  It is possible to get converters (probably in both directions), but it's probably better to just get the right one in the first place.  Most likely you'll want an EIDE one unless your computer is very new.

[Shadrok]

Anyone have any advice on what kind of hard drive I should get since my old one's fried?
Also is there any difference between SATA Hard Drives and EIDE hard drives?

Yes, they have completely different cables, so make sure you get the right one.
EIDE is large and flat, and has a 4-pin power connector.  Same sort of thing as CDROM/DVD drives.

SATA is a small thing with about 6 pins, and the power connector has something freaky like 19 pins.  It is possible to get converters (probably in both directions), but it's probably better to just get the right one in the first place.  Most likely you'll want an EIDE one unless your computer is very new.

OK thanks for clearing that up. 
My old one is an EIDE, as is the one I'm looking at getting.

[superluser]

SATA is a small thing with about 6 pins, and the power connector has something freaky like 19 pins.

I've got an SATA with a Molex power cable.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

HTH, HAND.

You're not supposed to say stuff like that without actually doing something D:

Who d'you think merged the two threads, Aridas?

Or edited Darkmoon's posts, as well - although if he asks, I was nowhere near the place, in a different country, looking the other way.

[Dakata]

Oh, and dakata? I think your laptop battery's borked and won't hold a charge anymore. you might have to buy another of the same model (or if you wanted to, a better one if such a thing exists for your laptop's model)

Well, how did it get borked? Did it commit suicide 'cuz I looked at too much yaoi? too many pictures of innocent. fluffy kittens?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Batteries die over time, Dakata.

You charge and discharge it by using it, which eventually wears it out. Or, alternatively, you leave it in and charging whilst you're plugged into the mains. That will also mess with it, although newer laptops deal with it better.

[Reese Tora]

SATA is a small thing with about 6 pins, and the power connector has something freaky like 19 pins.

I've got an SATA with a Molex power cable.

Older SATA drives were made to use the molex conenctors for backwards compatability.  Most drives now come with an adaptor cable to go from Molex to SATA power connectors.  Without a SATA power connector as part of the power source (with three levels of current, unnlike the two levels in a molex connector) you cannot hot-swap the drive.

You can get SATA conversion boards to hook IDE drives to SATA conenctors, but I doubt anyone makes a reverse adaptor.

@ Shadrok: you could get a SATA controller expansion card for your PC that would allow you to connect SATA drives, but I don't think you would be able to boot from them, so you'd only be able to use them for extra storage.

[superluser]

Older SATA drives were made to use the molex conenctors for backwards compatability.  Most drives now come with an adaptor cable to go from Molex to SATA power connectors.  Without a SATA power connector as part of the power source (with three levels of current, unnlike the two levels in a molex connector) you cannot hot-swap the drive.

I can't hot swap the drive?  I...uh, have no desire to do that.

Is this the time to mention that my old computer had an ATX-style motherboard, but needed an AT-style power switch to start?  I had a ball when the power supply went.

You can get SATA conversion boards to hook IDE drives to SATA conenctors, but I doubt anyone makes a reverse adaptor.

Not even sure if you *could* make an adaptor.

@ Shadrok: you could get a SATA controller expansion card for your PC that would allow you to connect SATA drives, but I don't think you would be able to boot from them, so you'd only be able to use them for extra storage.

I come from the old school, where the only things on your motherboard were the DRAM sockets, the expansion slots, and the socket for your 8087 math coprocessor.  The concept of being unable to boot from a drive connected to an add-on controller is so foreign to me that I have to believe that you're wrong.

[Reese Tora]

Well, I am guessing on that part, I will admit.

I just think that the BIOS of most boards would not support the expansion cards, but I have made no study of such.  But, I would rather be wrong telling him he can't when he has another viable option than be wrong telling him he can and causing him to spend money on something that won't work.

[superluser]

But, I would rather be wrong telling him he can't when he has another viable option than be wrong telling him he can and causing him to spend money on something that won't work.

Very true.  Motherboards and BIOSes do funny things these days.  Your miles are very likely to vary.

[Shadrok]

 
Well I now have a new hard drive, I just have to install it.(which won't be till Tuesday.)

The one I was looking at getting from Walmart ended up a bust, they never had it in.
The plus side of it though is I found a better drive here.

[vulpesweasel]

not totally sure what it is, but something has killed my old computer...the main hard drive is damaged and it won't sign online. So yea, I probably won't be on for a while cause the new computer is the only one I can get on, and that's only when family is not around or they question what i'm looking at...(they don't know i'm furry) so...see you guys soon!!!

[bill]

Topics merged. Read stickies, plz, kthx.

[Madd the Sane]

Your hard drive died?  I feel for you.  I had something similar happen not to long ago, but luckily it wasn't serious (i.e. the physical HD was OK; the stuff on it wasn't.  Luckily it was a not oft-used hard drive). What kind of HD does it use: SCSI or IDE/ATA?

[xHaZxMaTx]

Okay, so I'm listening to music via WMP 11 on my computer, and it's skipping.  It's hardly noticeable, but damn annoying when you do notice it.  I've gone through and ended all unnecessary processes and uninstalled all programs that were of no use and/or haven't been used in several months, but it doesn't seem to have worked.

[superluser]

Okay, so I'm listening to music via WMP 11 on my computer, and it's skipping.

I thought you said you didn't have sound on your computer!

Anyways, the obvious question is--is this streaming audio?

Next obvious question--what does your CPU/memory monitor say?

[xHaZxMaTx]

I remembered I had an extra sound card lying around at my dad's house, so I got that hooked up here.

Streaming from the internet?  No, all the music I'm playing is being played from a hard drive.

CPU Usage: 5-15%
Commit Charge: 257M / 1493M


The music I'm playing is on a separate hard drive than the OS, could be causing the problem?

[superluser]

Commit Charge: 257M / 1493M


The music I'm playing is on a separate hard drive than the OS, could be causing the problem?

How much of that memory is physical and how much virtual?  (I doubt you'd have over a gig of virtual with only 256M of physical, but still)

It's unlikely that slow media are causing the problem.  Unless you've got very slow media.

Did you try watching cpumon while the thing is playing?  Check CPU usage, memory usage and (most importantly) process balancing (if various processes suddenly start using a lot more CPU/memory) *during* a skip.

[xHaZxMaTx]

The music I'm playing is on a separate hard drive than the OS, could be causing the problem?

That was the problem.

[Aridas]

That actually shouldn't be the problem, not unless the bitrate was higher than the read rate of the drive...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

If he's using IDE, and the "problem" drive is on a secondary under his boot drive, then access to his boot drive would cause his secondary drive to hang, or, at least, to appear to.

That could cause the symptoms showing, given fairly continuous access to his primary drive.

[Aridas]

Oh, I forgot about that. Yeah, if it's on the same channel then it might interfere. If the drives are separated on the primary and secondary IDE though, that might solve the problem... if that's the problem in the first place.

I've got a rpoblem too... Apparently this ONE computer is being a hard-ass about opened ports. Everything works on other computers and the ports are open and everything's dandy, but on this computer it refuses to acknowledge any ports are open. Windows Firewall is not in, but I do think I experienced some of these problems after getting the crashy Windows Live OneCare off my system... What can I do?

[Ryudo Lee]

Reinstall OneCare and then uninstall it using an account with administrative priveledges.  There's probably something left over.  Even though Windows Firewall isn't active, Windows might still be reading it's settings, so check Windows Firewall anyway.

[Aridas]

I always was.. so it's not that. And besides all that, it was working WITH onecare, it shouldn't stop working after i removed it.

[Ryudo Lee]

Try running this command from the command prompt:
MSIEXEC /X {5A03BEC5-E6E3-4751-ADC0-CDD271414536}

It removes the Microsoft Protection Service which is installed with One Care but does not always uninstall.
Comes from this site - http://desktopengineer.com/home/all_articles/getting_onecare_completely_uninstalled