Computer troubles - Advice needed.

[DeZmond]

Got a voltmeter handy? I'd check your rail voltages mate and make sure they are stable to a reasonable accuracy of the rating for each rail. You can test a PSU without having the ATX plug in by putting a wire between pins 3 and 4 on the 20 pin socket and this will power up the system without using the on button. For more information on what each pin does and should register, check google for more information. I'd directly linky, but I'm tired and need sleep.

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

I thought machines didnt need sleep?

 

[DeZmond]

It's my advanced AI with built-in DRAM memory refreshing. It's a prototype of Pest's upgraded AI interface, I believe

 

[Birdy]

so any more ideas why my monitor might be playing up?

had to restart 9 times and shake my graphics card to maek it work last night!!

 

[PsiSoldier]

You could have damaged your PC in the move. And I bet shaking your graphics card isn't doing it any good.

Have you tried reinstalling the GPU's drivers?
Have you tried using a different monitor?
In the move was your PC exposed to any extreme temperatures or damp?
Have you tried changing what slot your GPU is in?
Have you tried using a different GPU?

 

[Nanor]

In the move was your PC exposed to any extreme temperatures...

Ooh yes, we briefly stored it in the oven for a while..

And he's right, don't shake the card! ..or spill apple juice on it, like I did once..

 

[Birdy]

no none of the above happedn to it.

ive tried it on a diffrent monitor and the same happens so i know its not that.

Il try putting it in again and doing the drivers next week and let u know what i find.

It isnt gonna be moving that did it as it was being used wen we moved in off net and it was fine but since i put it in the office and plugged the net in it has fliipped out!!

 

[Haven]

ThatBird the grammar police are going to get you !!!

Proof read FTW.

 

[Birdy]

yes dad

 

[thatbloke]

OK so bought myself one of these shiny objects and installed it (hopefully correctly) today. let's see what happens. Now I have ANOTHER problem. (joy). and this time it's an MS windows problem.

I have windows XP Pro, and when it tries to log on I get a message telling me I have to activate this copy of windows... ok then (but why?)... so I let it do its thing and then it tells me windows is already activated and says press ok to continue.

It then logs me off and the cycle starts again... ARGH! Safe mode does a similar thing, just tells me I need to activate and cant do it in safe mode to tells me to reboot.

So currently I am trying a system repair. about the only thing I can try without wiping my whole hard drive (not desirable) and starting again...

 

[DeZmond]

... or you could just install a new copy of windows physically on top of the current one. But clearing the hard drive is preferable because of the space / tidiness / performance benefit.

 

[thatbloke]

effing brilliant. not worked. now I can't do a thing... hmm maybe i can log on with a command prompt in safe mode

EDIT: In reply to DezMonds last post... there are some files on my system I would like to keep... and its gonna be a pain to get at them without being able to log on to my windows installation...

 

[DeZmond]

I'd suggest using a copy of linux on cd (like knoppix) if you have one kicking about... ideal for situations like these. Command prompt *should* let you log on but don't expect to be able to do much with it. Much better to scrap it and start again, or at least install on top of windows.

Note: always have a backup of useful OS's and file utilities for this very reason! I burn a new set of recovery CD's every year roughly so I can do this at a moments notice.

 

[thatbloke]

HA! have that Evil Microsoft Windows!

I am now posting from my own computer! hurrah!

Found a webpage which had some info about modifying a particular registry key... doing this reset the activation process so it thought it was a clean install. This then came up with the required "Let's activate windows" window and the rest is history...

 

[Pestcontrol]

Good to hear you got it fixed.

Little question for the debriefing of your problem: How easy does the fan of your old cooler turn? If you turn it with your finger, do you feel any resistance?

If you want to monitor temps and voltages in windows in the future, i can highly recommend a simple app called speedfan.

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

Sorry to butt in but wouldnt that only work if the computer's motherboard/parts have the correct sensors linked up so that the software can see them?

 

[Pestcontrol]

Sorry to butt in but wouldnt that only work if the computer's motherboard/parts have the correct sensors linked up so that the software can see them?

That isn't much of an issue these days.

 

[thatbloke]

hehehe well I think part of the problem may actually have been a layer of dust between the heatsink and the fan, which was probably blocking the air from the fan!

But soddit, I bought the new toy so might as well put it in anyway. and it's shiny.

And now I have even MORE BLUE LEDS!!!!

 

[Birdy]

hehehe as if u need them !! At least these match the other ones!!

 

[elDiablo]

Just a quick thought, thatbloke. Have you tied your cables out of the way inside your case? If not, I found that using "rounded" IDE cables, etc., increased my airflow and decreased the dust buildup a LOT. These are what I have. Very handy, and not gonna break the bank.