Random Questions...

[Cran.]

At the moment, i am running on

 

Windows xp pro

2.6 Ghz p4

4 gig pc3200 RAM

Nvidia 6800GS AGP

Games dont seem to run as well as i think they should, when it is autodetecting settings it always puts things on low. Surely this system could do a bit better than that. Autodetecting aside, games in general are quite choppy. My motherboard is quite old, so do you think this is what is causing these components to not run as well as they could? Is it perhaps not using the RAM or the GFX card to their full potentials? My motherboard is

Board: ECS P4VMM2 1.0

4 Gbs of RAM? Overkill. If i'm not mistaken, XP (32bit) can only make use of 2.8GBs... You wasted your money. Personally, I think it's just the limit of your system. Maybe your processor is bottlenecking your computer? (Since I think your P4 is only FSB533 256k or 512k)

 

Download 3dmark05 and benchmark your system, it might piece together some pieces of your problem.

 

3dmark05 Download link

 

A 6800 GS normally scores about 4500-5000.

[Wolf68k]

@vALKYR

That's what I use a second HDD for. To partition it I'm assuming you mean to use Partition Magic to partition it on the fly.

 

 

 

@Cran.

Windows XP Pro can handle a max of 4GB of RAM. Source

I think XP Home should be the same. If Win3.1 can support 256MB or 512MB (depends if enhanced mode is on or not), then I'll bet XP can support 4GB Home and Pro just fine.

 

[anus]

 

Okay, I did that and it stuck together. I tried sticking my heatsink to a metal surface (my case) with the super glue and it stuck.

 

So, will there be any heating problems if I mix these to and fit the heatsink? Will there be any damage to the GPU?

I still didn't get an answer to this, can someone please answer my question (it's on the quote). I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Edit,

 

Tightlips, I'll do this neatly.

 

When the extractor starts the location to install is C:\Windows right? You need to change this to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes and then extract this. Then after you extract it go to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes and there'll be a folder called Resources then double click that and then double click the Themes folder, then copy and paste the two files there to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes and then try right clicking your desktop and selecting the theme. That worked for me.

Edited March 2, 2006 by Warlord.

[vALKYR]

@vALKYR

That's what I use a second HDD for. To partition it I'm assuming you mean to use Partition Magic to partition it on the fly.

Indeed. But I think it's safer to temporarily steal a HDD from work to backup

[Taxman]

At the moment, i am running on

 

Windows xp pro

2.6 Ghz p4

4 gig pc3200 RAM

Nvidia 6800GS AGP

Games dont seem to run as well as i think they should, when it is autodetecting settings it always puts things on low. Surely this system could do a bit better than that. Autodetecting aside, games in general are quite choppy. My motherboard is quite old, so do you think this is what is causing these components to not run as well as they could? Is it perhaps not using the RAM or the GFX card to their full potentials? My motherboard is

Board: ECS P4VMM2 1.0

2 GB of RAM.

 

So, 2 of your gigs are completely wasted. I'd suggest getting a new mobo, and a decent CPU to go with it. I'd still reccomend AGP, as all of this and a new card would probably be out of your range.

[RoAcHcliP]

I dont know why i wrote 4 GB heh, ive got 2 .

 

Anyway it doesnt really matter. Do you think i should reinstall windows if i have made large changes to hardware (I put a new graphics card and 2 sticks of 1gb Ram). Thanks for the replies though

[Taxman]

No, as it should have NO bearing on your performance.

[Wolf68k]

@Warlord.

I don't know what kind of effects on heat you're going to get. I still suggest getting a drill from some where and drilling the heatsink so you can screw/bolt on the heatsink instead of hoping the glue stays on and helps with the cooling.

 

 

 

 

@vALKYR

Sounds like a plan. If you're caught or killed while obtaining the HDD, I will of course disavowal your existence.

 

 

 

@RoAcHcliP

No need to reinstall your OS when installing a new GFX card. If you're going from ATI to nVidia (or vise versa) then you might want to use a driver remover program to clean out the old drivers (some people do this when updating GFX drivers) but other than that there shouldn't be any issues with updating that kind of hardware.

The only time I would say 100% to reinstall the OS is when replacing the mobo.

 

I don't even reinstall when replacing the HDD, that is if the current HDD is still working fine and I just want something with more space. In which case I'll use the included CD (or download the software from the drive maker's website) which can not only format the drive but also do a disc-to-disc copy.

[Cran.]

@Cran.

Windows XP Pro can handle a max of 4GB of RAM. Source

I think XP Home should be the same. If Win3.1 can support 256MB or 512MB (depends if enhanced mode is on or not), then I'll bet XP can support 4GB Home and Pro just fine.

Then I was thinking of the Intel chipset limitation of ~2.8GBs

[RoAcHcliP]

Thanks much people, i will leave you alone now

[Jack_Knife]

Is there an extension for firefox that will sort my downloads based on file type/extension? Like, when I download a .torrent file, it automatically gets saved to a certain directory, etcetera. This would be incredibly handy, considering this is how most of my downloads are organised, and I always have to just sort them from my desktop.

 

Also, why occassionally does my internet completely f*ck up, and load wacky sh*t? As an example, sometimes when certain parts of a page don't load (like google ad frames or the like), instead of a "page could not be loaded" firefox page, it loads localhost. Or imageshack. Or google. Sometimes when I visit a site like imageshack, gtaf or whatever, it loads google instead. No amount of refreshing or browser closing will help, it loads google instead. Problem goes away are waiting a while. This sh*t is f*cking wacky and I want to know what causes it.

 

(Next time it happens, I will try loading the offending sites in other browsers, to try to isolate the problem. But yeah, figured I'd post to see if anyone knew wtf. Also, it's not spyware etc, I have done rigorous scans).

[Cran.]

To give you an opition on where to save your Downloads in Firefox, do this;

 

Tools > Options > Downloads button > You can change the settings there.

 

As for your net problem, it's probably something do do with your ISP. Who knows?

[Jack_Knife]

I want to sort my downloads to different folders by file extension. But it doesn't matter anyway, I probably should have looked harder before posting, I just found an extension that seems to do the trick.

 

And yeah, I have no idea about the other problem. I'll investigate furthur when it happens again.

[Cran.]

Yeah, opps. Oh well, all sorted out now.

[anus]

Wolf, Okay, thanks anyway, mate. I'll try and get it drilled if I can find someone with a drill.

 

Anyway, I guess it would be safer if I clip it on, I don't want to waste this card.

Edited March 3, 2006 by Warlord.

[vALKYR]

Just asking the forumers here, what's the best anti-virus-firewall combination?

[Wolf68k]

Personally I hate combos.

If you're looking for a free answer the AV suggestions will always be the same; AVG Free, AntiVir, NOD32.

For free firewall; ZoneAlarm (I got tired of this long ago), Sygate Personal Firewall, Sunbelt/Kerio (30day trial that will keep working after that just with more limitations), Agnitum/Outpost.

[adamwe]

 

AdamWe - Is There A Way I Can Dump My Whole Quarantine On PC Cillin'? - AdamWe

 

[Wolf68k]

There should be an option for the quarantine to empty it.

[boobtronic]

I'm so friggin excited! My old computer was fried during an electrical storm...so last night I found the HDD out of it..figured it was dead, too, but I plugged it in and BAM! instant nostalgia...all my old pictures.. When I back these up, I'l format up the drive..what do you guys use secondary drives for? (80gig). ALso...the RAM from that computer works, too, I threw it in this comp..weird..I wonder what else could have survived..

[Wolf68k]

I've got a 200GB that I used to install all of my games on to. I also use it for the drive to store the download of the podcasts I subscribe to and torrents.

Video capture and edits and large image editting.

[Sixdust]

What exactly is RAID? I know that it has to do with how your hard drives are set up, but what are some more simplified ways of saying how it works? Like what each different type is and does and which ones to look for, and which ones to avoide.

 

Also, what are some good, Crossfire enabled mobos that have atleast 2 pci slots and intel compatible (even though I am sure that right now crossfire is intel only) I have had trouble finding decent ones on newegg.

 

All help is appreciated, thanks.

[MiNdLeSs]

on my home fileserver, there is 2 ide channels, one i use for optical drives and one fro hdd's. Can I remove the optical drives and put on 2 more hard drives? If I ever need to load a cd, I just share the drive from another computer and then mount it over the network, so that will not be a problem.

[Knightmare]

What exactly is RAID? I know that it has to do with how your hard drives are set up, but what are some more simplified ways of saying how it works? Like what each different type is and does and which ones to look for, and which ones to avoide.

 

Also, what are some good, Crossfire enabled mobos that have atleast 2 pci slots and intel compatible (even though I am sure that right now crossfire is intel only) I have had trouble finding decent ones on newegg.

 

All help is appreciated, thanks.

I had a research paper on RAID last semester!

 

I'll assume you know the basics of RAID and just go into the different types and what they're for.

 

RAID 0

 

Splits data evenly among two or more disks. This is usually used to increase performance (speed) as your access time is decreased. The total size of your two disks is the double of your smallest disk though, so if you have an 80gb and a 200gb HD using RAID 0, your total size will be (80gb * 2) = 160GB.

 

RAID 1

 

Putting duplicates of data on each drive, increasing reliability. The total size can once again be the double of both your disks, but since they're duplicates it doesn't matter as the same thing is on both disks.

 

RAID 2

 

Don't think it's currently used, forgot what it's for off the top of my head.

 

RAID 3

 

 

Ahh sh*t I have to go to work, I'll update in a few minutes.

 

[Wolf68k]

 

on my home fileserver, there is 2 ide channels, one i use for optical drives and one fro hdd's. Can I remove the optical drives and put on 2 more hard drives? If I ever need to load a cd, I just share the drive from another computer and then mount it over the network, so that will not be a problem.

Yes you can, however keep in mind that the CD be accessed a lot slower than if it was in the system.

 

You can also buy a PCI IDE card add 4 more IDE devices.

 

 

 

@Knightmare

You forgot RAID 0+1, 4, 5, 6, 10

However sticking with talking about RAID 0, 1 and 0+1 are the common ones.

Edited March 7, 2006 by wolf68k

[vALKYR]

Also, what are some good, Crossfire enabled mobos that have atleast 2 pci slots and intel compatible (even though I am sure that right now crossfire is intel only) I have had trouble finding decent ones on newegg.

 

 

O RLY?

 

Last time I checked, I built 2 FX-60 Systems (AMD CPU) with a X1900XT in Crossfire mode yesterday at work.

[Barbaneez]

Is there any way I can check to see what my serial number in Windows XP (Home) is? I bought XP Home back in 2003, installed it on a computer I no longer use, and would like to put it on my new computer (since Win XP Pro x64 doesn't support a few of my hardware/software deals I have.)

I have the installation disk and the booklets, but I have no idea where the CD key is, can I find it anywhere on my old computer?

[Wolf68k]

Install and run BelArc http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

It'll tell you the CD keys for Windows and some of your other programs.

[Dunpeal]

I have an SLi/PSU problem. I currently have a 6600 in my A8N-SLi Deluxe. Im thinking about getting another and running them in SLi. The problem is i have no more of the 4-pin power plug left fre on my PSU. As far as i can see i can free only one up (The CD-RW), but the card needs two. Are there adaptors i could buy to fit in the other Power plug things, or am i screwed and have to buy another SLi ready PSU (This one isnt even 1 week old yet, but i didnt think to check SLi compatability before buying).

[Barbaneez]

@Wolf: thanks, that worked perfectly.

 

Now I've got another problem:

Okay, so I'm trying to Windows XP Home on here since x64 is (IMHO) a crock of sh*t when it comes to driver support. So, I put my LEGIT Windows XP Home CD in my driver, boot up, and it gives me this:

 

 

What the hell?

I bought the damn thing from Best Buy in July 2003 for $104 or something and it's telling me it's not valid. The CD is in mint condition, and I could have swore I used the same exact disk perfectly on a different computer I had in my house last year which decided to crap out on me afterwards.

 

What do I do?

 

Nevermind, I used an old Windows 98 CD I had and it based an upgrade on that. So far no problems, I'm formatting my HD right now. I'll post later if I run into trouble.

 

Additionally: am I going to have any problem with Microsoft, using a CD key that has already been used (by myself of course) on another computer?

Edited March 7, 2006 by Barbaneez