FinalGear.com Forums - Technology Help http://forums.finalgear.com/ en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:58:20 GMT vBulletin 1 http://static.finalgear.com/forum/vbimages/blaze/misc/rss.jpg FinalGear.com Forums - Technology Help http://forums.finalgear.com/ My computer belongs in a retirement home. http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/my-computer-belongs-in-a-retirement-home-40474/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:19:48 GMT I've had it with this computer, so now it's time for a new one! Yay!
I have been putting this off because of financial reasons, but it's gotten to the point where I'm just about ready to pull out all my hair in frustration. So I'd like some help figuring out what to get for new parts.

Currently my computer has a whopping 115gb of space, has a terribad processor, and it's AGP! .....woo.

Soooo that means I need pretty much new everything (just internal components - monitors, case, etc. are all still usable). I'd like to keep it on the cheap side, but I'm not opposed to spending a little extra to get parts that will last. I play a lot of games so a good graphics card, among other things, is a must.

*Sigh*....how I long to play modern games....

Thanks guys! ]]> Technology Help Armuri http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/my-computer-belongs-in-a-retirement-home-40474/ Monitor Suddenly Becomes Very Dim http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/monitor-suddenly-becomes-very-dim-40365/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:52:01 GMT I put my computer on standby a few hours ago, and when I came back and turned it back on, the monitor dimmed down quite a lot. I can still see, but... I put my computer on standby a few hours ago, and when I came back and turned it back on, the monitor dimmed down quite a lot. I can still see, but not very well. I also noticed that the mouse cursor is still bright compared to the rest of the screen.

I think it's either my monitor dying (had it for 4.5 years, with no signs of problems), or ASUS AI Nap fucked something up. ]]> Technology Help Ilpav http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/monitor-suddenly-becomes-very-dim-40365/ Recycle bin crashes in Vista http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/recycle-bin-crashes-in-vista-40302/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:27:46 GMT So this is really pissing me off now. I deleted something I wasn't meant to and now when I go to restore it, I ALWAYS get windows explorer fucking crashing. This is what I get in the report.

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: explorer.exe
Application Version: 6.0.6001.18000
Application Timestamp: 47918e5d
Fault Module Name: xvid.dll
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 3d1c2fcf
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0001d4d7
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 3081
Additional Information 1: 27dd
Additional Information 2: b76caa7c2627bab0b68e16f682ad848f
Additional Information 3: 38c9
Additional Information 4: 8f5bb9d7fe145d3ebf7b88bd6d68f7c1

What do I do from here? ]]> Technology Help L2D http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/recycle-bin-crashes-in-vista-40302/ DRM removal tool http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/drm-removal-tool-40273/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:18:49 GMT I'm looking for free DRM removal software that enable DRM protected .wma audio files to be played on an Ipod (Nano 5th gen.)

It's for my dad. Most of his digital music liberary is DRM protected...

He has already tried a cracked version of Soundtaxi platinum 1.35 and that doesn''t work for some reason.

Remember it must be free, and not some crappy temporary version.

Any useful help will of course be +rep'ed :) ]]> Technology Help M3lover http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/drm-removal-tool-40273/ Computer/Network Security http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/computer-network-security-40224/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:38:45 GMT So I'm looking for more things I could do to protect my computer/wireless network. It's only really used for surfing, torrents and some bill pay.

Currently I'm running

AVG
Comodo Firewall
Spyboy S&D
Windows Firewall
Windows Defender

Not sure how much the last 2 do in terms of security. In terms of wireless security:

Static IPs for all comps (2) EDIT (However, I still get my Internet IP dynamically from my ISP...haven't figured out how to change this properly. It is already filled out but last time I tried it, I wasn't able to connect to the internet. It wouldn't find the DNS or DHCP.
MAC address filtering (only 2 devices allowed, which router mac address should I use? Default? Computer? Or the one that was entered for me?)
SSID is not broadcasted
WPA2-PSK [AES] Security

Been told that a good test to run on your network is 'Shields Up' by GRC and I passed well with that.

What about running proxies? Any ideas would be appreciated.

EDIT: On Windows 7 Ultimate if it makes a difference. ]]> Technology Help lv2xlr8 http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/computer-network-security-40224/ Firefox acts as if it is freshly installed after it is restarted http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/firefox-acts-as-if-it-is-freshly-installed-after-it-is-restarted-40202/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:17:38 GMT Hey guys, I'm back with another question :P

Just installed Windows 7 on another partition of the disk, and now when I start Firefox on my XP 64 system (same computer obviously), and I start Firefox, it acts like it would after installing it freshly. All the addons say welcome, etc. And my session doesn't restore with tab mix plus even though I set it to. But then when I exit, and open Firefox again, the same happens.

Oh yeah, and the font on FG Forums looks slightly different than it did before... ]]> Technology Help Sir Stiggington http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/firefox-acts-as-if-it-is-freshly-installed-after-it-is-restarted-40202/ Using a PC as a WiFi Hub http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/using-a-pc-as-a-wifi-hub-40201/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:25:20 GMT I have a MacBook connected via a CAT6 cable to a cable internet connection in my wall. After some quick google searching, I didn't find anything definitive. What I'm trying to do is use my MacBook as a hotspot to broadcast a wifi signal for my iPhone and PSP. Broadcast distance is not an issue as I just need it in my dorm. Anyone know anything or am I fantasizing? ]]> Technology Help Der Stig http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/using-a-pc-as-a-wifi-hub-40201/ What causes a scrambled screen? http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/what-causes-a-scrambled-screen-40196/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:01:39 GMT I can't remember how many times that this has happened but when the desktop is left to idle sometimes the screen does this weird diagonal scrambled line thing and I don't know what causes it. Sometimes I get lucky and I can figure it out and fix it but this makes me scratch my head. Can someone help me out here?

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/red_xera2/mo001.jpg ]]> Technology Help Old Lace http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/what-causes-a-scrambled-screen-40196/ <![CDATA[Torrents *still* cause slow-downs... I'm out of ideas.]]> http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/torrents-still-cause-slow-downs-im-out-of-ideas-40128/ Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:58:10 GMT I'm getting so fed up with this. I have been dealing with slow network speeds on-and-off while using uTorrent for longer than I can remember.

NO, this is not a noob problem where I'm allowing too many connections or too much upload usage for my bandwidth. My current limit is only 50 connections total and my upload speed limit is only 13 kbps. I'm on DSL that's usually around 3-5 mbps down / 768k up.

I've tried configuring my firewall only to allow connections for uTorrent on weird, uncommon ports (ie.: not over port 21, 22, 25, 115, 80, 443, etc.). No go.

This slowdown ONLY affects the host computer. Any other device on the network is fine. Heck, if I boot up a virtual machine on the host computer, I can get around online just fine in the VM!

What the heck?!! :blowup: ]]> Technology Help epp_b http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/torrents-still-cause-slow-downs-im-out-of-ideas-40128/ Best way to backup XP http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/best-way-to-backup-xp-40100/ Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:56:02 GMT Need to backup all my data. I pretty much want to back up everything. Like a bootable backup or something.

What would be the best & easiest way to do this? I recently backed up my mac on a 1TB drive which I partioned, and would like to use one of those partitions.

I'm also worried about my e-mails, I think maybe my inbox just got too big. Outlook won't even start, it just hangs at the startup screen. ]]> Technology Help Firecat http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/best-way-to-backup-xp-40100/ Weird Explorer.exe Problem http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/weird-explorer-exe-problem-40029/ Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:17:03 GMT Well, this is quite odd. I have never run across anything like this before, and I have absolutely no idea what is wrong. When I click ANY icon on... Well, this is quite odd. I have never run across anything like this before, and I have absolutely no idea what is wrong.

When I click ANY icon on my desktop, I get this warning message. If I click any link in my start menu that goes to a folder (IE: Computer, Pictures, Music, etc), I get this warning. Googling has failed me, so I come crawling to you in search of help. I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate, if that helps.

And yes, I did restart, before anyone asks. :P
Attached Images
File Type: png wtf.png (1.68 MB)
]]> Technology Help Clegko http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/weird-explorer-exe-problem-40029/ CMOS password problem: Toshiba Laptop http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/cmos-password-problem-toshiba-laptop-40016/ Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:53:41 GMT Hello guys This is how it goes, a relative of mine, sets up a CMOS password and forgets it. I have done everything possible thing I could do... Hello guys

This is how it goes, a relative of mine, sets up a CMOS password and forgets it.

I have done everything possible thing I could do myself, to no avail.
That includes: Jumping some pins (googled around), soldering out the battery and back in. The password just wouldn't go, now its sitting in its bag peacefully.. but, sadly, the owner of the laptop doesn't like it being treated in a peaceful environment.

If you have any other suggestions or know how to unlock these kind of touchmenot laptops, you're most welcome :D

This is some Toshiba Satellite model I don't remember exactly...


Thanks. ]]> Technology Help syncview http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/cmos-password-problem-toshiba-laptop-40016/ Windows 7 netbook brightness http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/windows-7-netbook-brightness-40011/ Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:40:50 GMT I have an eeePC 900ha, and I am having an issue with brightness in Windows 7. Mousing over certain things in firefox (dell's laptop configuration pages) and switching windows causes a momentary dip (%5 or so) in the brightness. What could be causing this? I have eeeCTL, but it doesn't have to be running for this to occur.

I have Windows 7 Ultimate build 7100 (beta). ]]> Technology Help johns13193 http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/windows-7-netbook-brightness-40011/ Wirelees noob advice http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/wirelees-noob-advice-40002/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:07:53 GMT Before we start it should be stated that I now dislike all my family. My brother randomly walked into Comet and decided to buy himself a laptop,... Before we start it should be stated that I now dislike all my family.

My brother randomly walked into Comet and decided to buy himself a laptop, as you do.

... and so the fun begins.


The laptop is a Windows 7 with draft n, his pc is XP.

Everybody is saying that N is rubbish and should be avoided.
His modem at the minute is the very high quality Speedtouch 330, which is about as technologically advanced as an abacus.

So he needs a wireless router and a newer modem? (The pc will stay wired.)

He doesn't wanna spend more than £60 for the router.


I've never done any wireless networking, so will need help when we have the parts too. :P

Thanks. ]]> Technology Help Aston Martin http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/wirelees-noob-advice-40002/ OpenSSL with Windows 7 x64 http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/openssl-with-windows-7-x64-39956/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:29:51 GMT Can anyone tell me if this works with Windows 7? I installed it but my programs like mIRC aren't detecting them. ]]> Technology Help Cruzz563 http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/openssl-with-windows-7-x64-39956/ Need ntfs file recovery prog for dying hd http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/need-ntfs-file-recovery-prog-for-dying-hd-39939/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:19:53 GMT Hi. Can some one recommend good program to repair the files on an ntfs hard drive so that they can be burned to dvd? Every time I boot this pc... Hi.
Can some one recommend good program to repair the files on an ntfs hard drive so that they can be burned to dvd? Every time I boot this pc Windows says "one of your drives needs to be checked for consistency" Chkdsk proceeds to run and trashes the files it claims it "repaired". I've had to delete several gigs of files thanks to that. Funny, the files were fine till chkdsk got hold of them. I still have over 200 gigs of stuff on this drive I like to save if possible. I can access the drive, and move the files to another drive if I only move a few small files at a time. I tried to move a large folder of avis this morning. In over 4 hours only 3 gigs out 38 gigs had been transfered. Context menus on this drive are very slow to respond as well. I tried just burning the stuff to dvd but they all fail verification. I've got some trial versions of recovery programs installed. Data Doctor Recovery is one. I'd pay for it if I were sure it would work. Any ideas, recommendations, suggestions? I'm no good at the command line and I'm not to savvy on all the hd technobable. I need some thing fairly simple to use. MY 98 GIGS OF TOP GEAR ARE ON THIS DRIVE. HELP!!
Thanks.
Os= xp pro, MFT seems to be the problem with the files. ]]> Technology Help cookiebun http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/need-ntfs-file-recovery-prog-for-dying-hd-39939/ New mouse time! http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/new-mouse-time-39936/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:44:59 GMT I can't stand my Mighty Mouse any more and the new Apple Magic Mouse is a complete piece of shit.

Here is what I'm looking for:

Bluetooth
A button to program to activate Expose
something comfortable

I think I would be happy with the Logitech Performance MX but I really can't justify spending $100 (ok $90 on Amazon, but still) on a mouse when I'm just a "casual" user. Sure I spend a lot of time using a mouse but I'm not doing anything delicate like Photoshop. ]]> Technology Help Prost264 http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/new-mouse-time-39936/ I really feel bad for posting this: http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/i-really-feel-bad-for-posting-this-39918/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:43:40 GMT But.. :p

How can one print a JPEG scanned document file on an A4 size paper that fits or looks like a normal print. I can't seem to do that :s Either the print is very tiny or it crops and messes it up :s Printer i'm using is a HP 5510 and the size of the JPEG is 1323 x 1814, how can I make it look like an original document or close..?

I have four of these scanned documents and want to print them.



:cry: ]]> Technology Help syncview http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/i-really-feel-bad-for-posting-this-39918/ WHAT THE?! http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/what-the-39905/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:13:59 GMT Okay, this is not so much a cry for help but rather a question that I hope someone here can help answer. So I just installed Vista Service Pack 2... Okay, this is not so much a cry for help but rather a question that I hope someone here can help answer.

So I just installed Vista Service Pack 2 and left it to do its magic while I went to have dinner. Came back, voila! It had installed and my laptop had restarted itself. All very good.

I decided to go and check my C drive to see how much space the new service pack took up, and BAM! I suddenly have 80gb of free space, when previously (before Vista SP2 installation) I only had like 30+gb of free space.

So my question is, where in the world did the extra 40+gb come from? I've had this happen before where my laptop does some kooky things (spring cleaning, I assume) and then I suddenly have a few extra gbs of free space, but never 40+ gigs like today. :blink: :blink:

I hope it isn't anything bad that I've suddenly gotten back so much free space... :| ]]> Technology Help ladora http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/what-the-39905/ PC suddenly shut off, will turn back on http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/pc-suddenly-shut-off-will-turn-back-on-39893/ Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:19:59 GMT Ok, I've had a problem with my computer the last week or so.
I had suddenly shut off, just like a power outtage, but the rest of my stuff (monitor, speakers etc.) still worked...
Since it runs just fine for the most part (happened only twice, and my pc is almost always on), i don't suspect the hardware to be wrong, or am I mistaken?
Then again, I've never had any troubles with Ubuntu so far, and I doesn't seem like a normal crash, it's not freezing up or anything, just power cuts out instantly.
Help? ]]> Technology Help Psirus http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/pc-suddenly-shut-off-will-turn-back-on-39893/ Collegetop? http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/collegetop-39869/ Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:21:42 GMT I may be needing a lap/net book for next year. Requirements: Good keyboard Good trackpad A good battery (I dont mind buying myself an extended... I may be needing a lap/net book for next year.

Requirements:
Good keyboard
Good trackpad
A good battery (I dont mind buying myself an extended one though.)
11" and above.
Stylish.
Can handle some light photoshopping
Stays cool.
Under £400. £450 at a stretch.
CULV not an atom!
New or second hand, just in good nick please.
More portable than a macbook. (2.3kg and under.)
Would like:
bluetooth, but thats not a biggy.

Acer
Samsung NC20
HP DV2
Dell Mini 11z ]]> Technology Help Thomas93 http://forums.finalgear.com/technology-help/collegetop-39869/