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About Ricardo Agudelo
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
any question on networking area,specially if it`s about Windows based networks. Also, as we do some software and hardware testing here,we can provide some help on the PC problems and repair. In PC communications and Internet access and use. Electronic Engineer,Experience 18 years in telecommunications, control, computers and networks

   

You are here:  Experts > Computing/Technology > Focus on PC Support > PC hardware--CPU & Motherboard & RAM

Questions Answered By Expert  Ricardo Agudelo 
In Category  PC hardware--CPU & Motherboard & RAM

SubjectDate Asked

Computer Disk Drives will not "autorun"9/18/2008
  Q: My computer has stopped automatically starting disks from the disk drive. I have to manually search ...
  A: The following article should help to to get autoplay back: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/155217 ...
vprMatrix 240R not powering up8/15/2008
  Q: My son gave me his old vpr Matrix 240R, which was running fine at his house. Upon plugging it in, ...
  A: It might be some internal parts were shifted inside while transporting the box between your son's ...
Dell Dimension 31006/27/2008
  Q: I have a friend who manages an apartment complex that has a Dell Dimension 3100 running a program ...
  A: Sorry but it doesn't make sense to me. If the PC finds the hard drive and shows the Windows logo, ...
BIOS PASSWORD6/26/2008
  Q: As I forgot the BIOS password, I have been told to let the BIOS battery unable for 3-5 seconds. My ...
  A: Behavior varies with every PC, so without knowing which brand and model your motherboard is it's ...
computer won't boot6/19/2008
  Q: Thaks very much for taking questions. My laptop (Dell inspiron, running XP) failed to boot today. ...
  A: First, situation is bad, but no desperate. Hold the reinstalling XP. It looks like the BIOS lost ...
emachines T2862 will not power up6/9/2008
  Q: I have an emachines T2862. It will not power up. I have unplugged all the components from the ...
  A: What is happening is the power supply is finding a short circuit at power up, and protection kicks ...
boot up problems6/8/2008
  Q: when i boot up my computer it goes to the motherboard menu then to windows load up, it loads windows ...
  A: If you can login, and while loading your settings you get a blank screen, it is likely your profile ...
connecting PC to laptop5/6/2008
  Q: Recently i sent my PC monitor for repair . I wonder if there is any hardware or software so i can ...
  A: Well yes, but you should do it on both sides, and have a network connecting them. You can: 1.- use ...
PC - Switching on4/7/2008
  Q: My system is not switching on.First it shows your virtual memory is low like that.And it shows you ...
  A: Your probably ran out of space in your hard drive and don't have enough to create a page file, or ...
Need to upgrade?3/10/2008
  Q: I have a laptop that runs slower than I would like. The computer starts up fast enought but when It ...
  A: The laptop is not that old, and anyway upgarding ANY laptop is something with very little options. ...
DDR Memory3/9/2008
  Q: "I have a stick of DDR memory and do not know its value. Please help. It is labeled ...
  A: Here are the descriptions of each: 6432WKDXA8G09TWK-0F1 The module is a 32Mx64 bit, 9 chip, 184 Pin ...
Power supply replaced & Emachine still will not start - what next?2/6/2008
  Q: I have a friend who has an emachine and it won't start. By not starting she means none of the ...
  A: By replacing the power supply your friend found the short circuit wasn't inside, but somewhere else. ...
BIOS update failed - cant boot anything2/2/2008
  Q: I haver a Dell D620 laptop. It was working fine and I just did a BIOS update which failed. It now ...
  A: There is a good chance you got the worng BIOS for your hardware, even if you downloaded it from ...
COMPUTER starts and stops in middle of process and is very slow1/29/2008
  Q: I can not get my computer to completely finish the work and sometimes won't come up past the sign ...
  A: Without more information on what you have there, the only guess I have is your computer might be ...
Memory upgrade problem12/6/2007
  Q: My laptop is an HP Ominibook xe3,Windows XP Professional and 256MB RAM. I'm trying to upgrade the ...
  A: Laptops are quite picky with the memory boards they can take and IF they may use boards of different ...
Gateway Computer Problem11/20/2007
  Q: Greetings I have a old gateway desktop model 500s it is about 7years old. Last week the desktop ...
  A: Unfortunately, the storm might have damaged the computer. You might be really lucky and it is only ...
MotherBoard10/23/2007
  Q: In a storm the computer was on...power went down and when it came back up the computer went on but ...
  A: First, it may not be the MB. I would rather spend some time pinpointing what is hanging the ...
motherboard10/14/2007
  Q: iv got a computer and i want to upgrade to a new motherboard will i still have my windows xp on it ...
  A: If you have SP2 installed in XP, you may have to re-validate your license with Microsoft, but you ...
No boot9/11/2007
  Q: My GS270 will no boot. it starts the xp splash screen but then comes up with press f1 or f12 to ...
  A: the message means it lost track of where the boot files are. It might be because the Master Boot ...
power supply9/7/2007
  Q: i am trying to hook a 12v amp up in my studio for my subwoofer. u can see there is a problem with ...
  A: I'm sorry, but have to send you back to your quest for a suitable power supply. PC power supplies ...
networking8/7/2007
  Q: i want to network my home comp. to my office comp. so i can pull files from it...how do i go about ...
  A: Apologize, but your answer could easily fill a booklet, so I would suggest you going to the ...
Phone via computer8/5/2007
  Q: I couldn't find a topic on the "allexperts" main page for this question so I thought I would begin ...
  A: Unfortunately, it is not up to the software in your side. Depending on the features your ISP offers, ...
Blue screen / hard drive7/30/2007
  Q: Have a Compaq Presario S4020WM. Recently had a few blue screens and even a black screen with NTLDR ...
  A: Your diagnose is correct, the HDD is dying. The problems are probably where the OS files are, so ...
System problem.7/21/2007
  Q: My PC Deatails Celeron 1.2 GHZ 156 RAM HDD-40GB O/S 98SE 17"Monitor Dell M770 CRT The problem ...
  A: It looks like you have an overheating problem. You may want to open the CPU box, and clean it from ...
windows update... the killer!7/19/2007
  Q: i have a perfectly working computer and i set the let the windows update download and install ...
  A: Who told you Micro$oft does something that works unatended? My guess is you got a botched download. ...
Windows 2003 Server with Very Low Disk Space6/14/2007
  Q: I couldn't find an exact category for this problem so forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong area. I ...
  A: Yes, with only 12 GB you will probably have to re-partition the drive and give more room to the ...
Windows xp reboot6/6/2007
  Q: recently i trying to used the computer like every day, but this time, when started the 1st screen ...
  A: Sorry Karelyn, The problem looks like a bad video driver, and the way to fix it has to do with ...
NEW hard drive problems?.6/4/2007
  Q: I'm using an OLDER computer 500MHz using WIN98SE and, would like to upgrade the primary hard drive ...
  A: Yes it is very likely that the BIOS in your machine does not support big drives. You may solve the ...
my PC not starting5/18/2007
  Q: My PC has AMD-3200 (2.0Ghz) processor, Asus motherboard, 160gb hard-disk. My PC is unable to get ...
  A: I would rather say you short circuited the USB power line and that shutdown your power supply. The ...
dvd install5/9/2007
  Q: I recently tried to install a DVD writer in my PC. It has a hard drive, floppy drive, and a CD ...
  A: OK, you did already the first step of troubleshooting, only you did not reach a conclusion. From ...
transferring info5/5/2007
  Q: I just got a new Dell computer. My old one is a Compaq Presario. How can i get all my stuff off of ...
  A: There are several way to do it. Probably the easiest one is using a file transfer program, that ...
PC & Laptop Jam4/15/2007
  Q: Agudelo, My laptop (1 year used/never formatted)and desktop (5 yrs used/thrice formatted) do not ...
  A: There are many factors that can slowdown any PC machine, from file fragmentation to spyware. The ...
Usb pre-format recover3/25/2007
  Q: My Name is Joshua ,I'm having a real dilemma with a usb-flash drive, where I have info from the last ...
  A: Sorry, but if it prompts for formatting the drive, means the file system structure is corrupted, and ...
Free Driver Update Software?2/11/2007
  Q: I am looking for some software that will find the drivers on my computer, search for updates and ...
  A: Sorry, don't know anything that fits your description. You may find free utilities (like Belarc ...
page file2/6/2007
  Q: Yes that is puzzling. But I think I may have narrowed it down. I was using a Linksys wireless card ...
  A: You might be right. Repeated installation cycles may create a lot of garbage in the hard drive, but ...
page file2/5/2007
  Q: Ricardo, On my Presario I began, for no apparent reason, getting "your computer is low on virtual ...
  A: A page file is a system file used as temporary storage of opened files not in immediate use. Usually ...
internet & computer change1/13/2007
  Q: I get this web page cannot be found, and i also get a error box when useing outlook express. I ...
  A: The problem with the Internet might be from your power feed to the cable modem, to your provider's ...
Network cable unpluged1/3/2007
  Q: My pc tells me in the tack bar that: Local area connection. I have a network cable unplugged. What ...
  A: You have your settings so when a new connection is made (i.e.like a dial-up connection)it notifies ...
ethernet adapter12/27/2006
  Q: I am going to get high speed internet thru AT&T. A requirement is a ethernet adaptor. Is that ...
  A: If your computer is not older than a couple years, it may already have it built into the ...
How can I tell what kind of video card the PC has?12/26/2006
  Q: I was wondering if there is a way to tell what kind of video card is in the PC and also how many ...
  A: You may get some information about which video adapter you have by looking into the Device Manager ...
DDR PC2700 26612/21/2006
  Q: I was hoping you could answer a question about RAM memory. I have an old pentium 4 PC, with 512 MB ...
  A: Sorry, but there is no easy answer for your question. The memory your MB uses is almost ourt of ...
system not booting12/18/2006
  Q: i have a system with a p4 processor and 1.7ghz speed. i recently installed windows xp. now the ...
  A: You probably have a driver problem. Either the MB drivers or the video drivers are not suitable to ...
computer not booting11/28/2006
  Q: I have xp at home. when i start my computer the monitor did not come up. so i changed the monitor to ...
  A: It looks like your Windows installation got corrupted. The best way to go is using the recovery ...
SATA bootable hard drive VS. ATA-133 hard drive11/27/2006
  Q: I'd like to replace my primary and bootable internal hard drive with a 250 GB SATA Hard drive or, ...
  A: The difference between both is the interface. SATA drives use a serial channel, and ATA drives use a ...
Confused about my internet11/23/2006
  Q: So im on a DSL conection conected through a hub thing that was all set up when I moved into my flat. ...
  A: The "hub thing" you mentioned is probably a router, which may have the firewall enabled. If that's ...
What has happened to my CD rom drive?11/14/2006
  Q: Looking for some urgent help please! For some reason my pc has stopped seeing my CD rom and DVD rom ...
  A: It doesn't look like a drivers problem. It reminds me the problem some early CD-ROM drives had ...
Printing Only 1 page10/20/2006
  Q: We're trying to print multiple copies and only one page comes out. We're printing to a Brother ...
  A: You should have a problem with the driver. Try unistalling and installing it back again. I have the ...
Destroying a hard drive10/7/2006
  Q: I had a Dell desktop computer apparently become infected with a catastrophic virus. One evening it ...
  A: WOW! That's going to some extent to kill a computer. I can only say you succeed in creating a ...
Transfering data from one computer to another10/5/2006
  Q: I want to transfer all infomation from my old computer to the new one. The old computer has Windows ...
  A: Data? Yes you can simply transfer it by copying it to the new system, by any mean (floppy, CD, ...
no vid feed/new mobo/cpu/ram install10/4/2006
  Q: I recently upgraded a system with a new mobo/cpu/ram. I put a ecs RS482-M board in with a athlon64 ...
  A: Either the MB is fried, or one of the components in your new system does not fit and is hanging the ...
?9/22/2006
  Q: you turn the pc and you cannot see nothing ,i know that the power is on because all the litle lghts ...
  A: No hay problema Armando, yo tambien haboe espanol. Si no escuchas ningun beep en el arranque, es ...
CPU & Networks9/12/2006
  Q: Please excuse my lack of I.T. knowledge and incorrect usage of terminologies. I would like to know ...
  A: Yes, that's what is called Symetric Multi-Processing if it happens within the same computer box, and ...
Blank screen9/11/2006
  Q: I have an HP Pavilion 543x and when I try to boot up, I get nothing on the monitor. It sounds like ...
  A: What do you mean by "It sounds like it is trying to boot..."? The POST has various stages, but ...
backing up data8/27/2006
  Q: I use my computer on a daily basis for school and work. I add, edit or delete files on my computer ...
  A: I would go for an external drive. If your work is in Apple boxes, get it with firewire interface, if ...
2 versions of XP installed - Startup8/19/2006
  Q: I have 2 versions of XP on my computer and when it boots up it will wait 30 seconds before it goes ...
  A: You can control the default OS and waiting time at the System Properties (Right click on My Computer ...
Printer No Longer Shared6/7/2006
  Q: We have a small office with four computers and one printer. We networked the computers and were ...
  A: Probably someone stopped the sharing or changed the shared name of the printer. Check the printer is ...
Transferring information from laptop to desktop3/15/2006
  Q: I need to transfer about 10 GB of info from a laptop to a desktop and I would like to know the ...
  A: Use the router, it will be faster than anything else. You can export your contacts list from one ...
Problems Recognizing JumpDrive & MP33/12/2006
  Q: A few days ago I submitted the following question to Michael Tedeschi and unfortunately his response ...
  A: Unfortunately, Mr. Tedeschi's answer is technically correct. Windows ME is well known for its sloppy ...
1st Build - No Power3/4/2006
  Q: I am currently building my 1st computer. I finally got my case in the mail yesterday, and I spent ...
  A: Well, you can always go back to the bare bones and make sure the very basic system is working (i.e. ...
Laptop Computers2/17/2006
  Q: I don't know anything about Laptop Computers, and I am thinking about buying one. Do you have to ...
  A: Do you have to pay for internet connection on a wireless Laptop, as you do on a PC? Yes, you're ...
Booting my laptop2/16/2006
  Q: My laptop all of a sudden won't boot. From power on it seems to go straight to an attempted PXE ROM ...
  A: That's odd. Did you install anything lately? PXE Boot is a networked boot process. Laptops does not ...
Copying files to a new hard drive2/13/2006
  Q: My old Hard Drive is about full and I need to replace this hard drive with a new one but I don't ...
  A: It's not a big deal. The amount of work involved depends on the drive you buy and which one you want ...
Thumbdriver2/12/2006
  Q: I am trying to use a MiniCruzer thumbdrive. However, I do not see the icon of Removable Drive at My ...
  A: It should be recognized once you plug it in. You should check after the USB drive is inserted, ...
Lost Drives2/8/2006
  Q: My computer has several built-in card reading slots, however, it no longer lists them anywhere. I ...
  A: It usually happens when your computer cannot load the drivers for them at boot time. Try opening the ...
Server safety2/6/2006
  Q: I am planning on leaving my server in my home here in sweden while I move to brazil. It would be on ...
  A: Usually there shouldn't be any problem. You can even install VNC and login remotely, and if your ...
RAM1/27/2006
  Q: i would like to know if generic ram (Kingston) would work properly with it.
  A: Picking generic RAM is not simple, especially for DELL's stuff. It is not impossible, it just ...
hard drive speed for laptop1/23/2006
  Q: I am in a process of purchasing a new Dell laptop with a 5400 RPM hard drive. My question is: Is ...
  A: According to HDD manufacturers, a faster spin speed will yield shortest access times. That's a ...
ethernet cards12/16/2005
  Q: I just purchased Windows XP Home edition. I am upgrading from Windows 98 SE on a custom built ...
  A: Upgrading a Windows version is always a cumbersome task. It is usualy better to format the whole ...
Sound Dilemma12/10/2005
  Q: Okay, this sounds like a silly question and maybe it is...I have a computer with one outlet for ...
  A: The only silly question is the one you don't make. That's what we're here for. You have a few, but ...
BIOS UPGRADE12/8/2005
  Q: I'm using a Pentium 4, 2.66 ghz machine, runing Windows XP, SP2. The machine is about 3 years old. ...
  A: Old rule of thumb: Ain't broken? Don't fix it If it is not having problems, and the BIOS update ...
START UP11/30/2005
  Q: I have an IBM 8143 34U desktop, running winxp pro it's about a year old, the first "odd" thing that ...
  A: It looks like the CD drive is dying. You can try disconnecting all cables from it, and restarting ...
laptop battery11/22/2005
  Q: I realize this may not be an area of expertise for you but I have a compaq pressario laptop. About ...
  A: What might have happened is you missed the power control drivers. Dig into the restore disk for ...
power supply11/18/2005
  Q: I have a spare power supply. Is it possible to check it without attaching it to the computer? I'm ...
  A: I strongly suggest you get the harness. While it is simple to just hookup a resistor to each output, ...
power supply11/17/2005
  Q: I have a spare power supply. Is it possible to check it without attaching it to the computer? I'm ...
  A: Yes, you can test the PS without the MB. Few months ago I saw an ATX-PS test set sold in BestBuy and ...
Narrowed Screen11/15/2005
  Q: Good day! The screen of the monitor appears narrow. Do you think the problem is either from the ...
  A: There is a chance your monitor has a problem with the horizontal scan. Try changing the resolution ...
pc not booting11/11/2005
  Q: pc will not boot..tried different power supply and get same results..fan comes on but nothing ...
  A: It might. Check first without all peripherals. Just CPU, memory and power supply. If it doesn't ...
hp pavilion display10/31/2005
  Q: I have an old computer that I'm using as a backup, it's an HP Pavilion 6350. Not surprisingly, ...
  A: You're using th standard VGA drivers, which are loaded for compatibility at setup. You can change ...
sr-232 port10/12/2005
  Q: is srs-232 port is serial port? do i use printer with it ?
  A: RS-232 is a specification for serial ports. You may use it for a printer, if the printer has a ...
COMPUTER10/8/2005
  Q: Many times my computer screen showes boxes with an X mark where normally an image would be there. ...
  A: Is it always or only many times? If it is many times, the websites you're looking at have a missing ...
press power button twice to startup10/2/2005
  Q: Every time when I start my pc(winXp, PIII), I have to press the power button twice to get into the ...
  A: The problem might be in the BIOS Hard Disk settings or the motherboard drivers in XP. If you know ...
Problem in Computer Hardware9/23/2005
  Q: I am facing a problem when I installed windows 2000 registered version which is fully working on ...
  A: Something installed in that computer is causing a memory leak. If nothing else than the OS have been ...
Can you tell me which is a...9/7/2005
  Q: Can you tell me which is a better processor: AMD Athlon or Pentium 4. I do graphic presentations ...
  A: Both would do fine with PowerPoint. It would be matter of your budget. BTW, none of them are the ...
hard disk formating9/2/2005
  Q: how can i format my hard disk?
  A: Few ways: - Have a DOS disk on the A drive and use FORMAT command - Insert Windows installation CD ...
Buying new computer8/29/2005
  Q: Co."A"'s computer has a pentium 4 3.06 processor 519, Motherboard 915GL chipset, 533 FSB, 512 mb of ...
  A: Yes, 800 MHz FSB is faster than 533 MHz, so it will be probably a bit faster, but probably you will ...
Dual Monitors Adapter/Splitter7/24/2005
  Q: So I can just get the cheap $10 splitter, and everything is up to my configuration?I have two PC ...
  A: No, a simple splitter will only do that, electrically balance tyhe cricuit so you can have two ...
Dual Monitors Adapter/Splitter7/23/2005
  Q: I have two PC monitors, and wish to connect them to one computer. I need a monitor splitter to do ...
  A: What you want to achieve can be done with almost any of the latest video cards. Most of the recently ...
internet connection7/20/2005
  Q: I hope this is within your range of expertise. I know the basics of a computer and am trying to help ...
  A: First, if your friend's service is the regular cable serice, it will only provide one IP address. So ...
pc configuration6/4/2005
  Q: yesterday i mailed 2 u. thanks for your quick and helpful reply. Question . According 2 u what is a ...
  A: Sorry Tejas, There is no simple answer for you. A good system for me for sure would not fit what ...
(2) Scan disk / PCI Simple Communications Controller6/1/2005
  Q: I have 2 questions. I am running windows xp. (1). My scan disk will not scan anymore, It tells me ...
  A: 1.- Excuse me, but cannot understand the problem, could you please elaborate a bit? I mean, if at ...
Lost use of my modem & cannot find my COMs ports5/31/2005
  Q: I am not sure if this is part of your field of expertise, but I would be gratefull if you can help ...
  A: Believe you should check with the modem's manufacturer. If the modem driver's emulate a COM port, ...
Lost use of my modem & cannot find my COMs ports5/24/2005
  Q: I am not sure if this is part of your field of expertise, but I would be gratefull if you can help ...
  A: Well what happened has to do with ZoneAlarm and nothing with hardware issues. You modem was probably ...
How to upgrade a BIOS5/15/2005
  Q: I have a Compaq 5012CA. BIos VIA 82C691. How can I upgrade the BIOS ? Thanks
  A: The VIA 82C691 is not your BIOS (it's the motherboard chipset). The BIOS is a series of instructions ...
blue screen of5/9/2005
  Q: Ricardo. I have an AMD Athlon 2000+ XP processor running on 256MB RAM and a 20GB HDD. I think this ...
  A: In order to be helpful, you must provide more information on how and when the BSOD shows up. It ...
can't start my computer...4/21/2005
  Q: I have a PC clone and recently my computer froze up. When I tried to shut down the machine the ...
  A: After you have successfully turned off the computer using the power button (by only keeping it ...
No display during bootup & after.4/13/2005
  Q: Followup To Question - Hi Ricardo. This is a weird problem, at least for me... I inherited a ...
  A: I hadn't seen such setting in the BIOS. It would be really ackward, because it would be off and ...
slow computer4/12/2005
  Q: I had to do a complete destructive recovery on my Hewlitt-Packard xt3-963 computer with windows xp ...
  A: I would be confused too. It's very unusual having a full recovery (i.e. run the recovery CD from the ...
No display during bootup & after.4/10/2005
  Q: This is a weird problem, at least for me... I inherited a 1GHz Gateway, with Win98, which was said ...
  A: If you really want to troubleshoot a dead PC, you must understand the boot process. By POST I meant ...
No display during bootup & after.4/9/2005
  Q: This is a weird problem, at least for me... I inherited a 1GHz Gateway, with Win98, which was said ...
  A: You don't tell me if there is any beep sound while booting, so guess the POST is not finishing. It ...
activating added RAM4/2/2005
  Q: I have a Balance notebook computer, model A535, with 128K RAM, running Windows XP. I am attempting ...
  A: No, the Motherboard should get the memory as soon it's installed. If it does not get it, probably is ...
stuck cd-rom drive3/25/2005
  Q: my cd-rom drive on my HP 754n is stuck closed. I can't get it open, and there is a disk in it. ...
  A: If the CD is not mechanically locking the tray, there is a manual way to force the tray open. There ...
cmos battrey3/24/2005
  Q: I have a toshiba T1910 laptop and the cmos battery is flat. I was wondering what the voltage of a ...
  A: The CMOS battery is usually a lithium battery, coin size. the part number usually starts with CR ...
Boot up Sequence3/23/2005
  Q: Recardo I have a computer that I am running Windows XP Home Edition. First it started out just ...
  A: No, it's not the motherboard at all. When you ran Spybot, deleted a few registry entries, That's ...
Laptop PC still won't boot to OS.3/18/2005
  Q: Yesterday I wrote, "A couple of months ago I noticed my old compaq lte 5300 laptop, running an ...
  A: Weird... If it keeps going back to safe mode, means there is a wrong driver installed, probably the ...
Laptop PC won't boot to OS3/17/2005
  Q: A couple of months ago I noticed my old compaq lte 5300 laptop, running an upgrade Windows98, was ...
  A: It doesn't look that bad. As you have already decided to format the hard drive, it's supposed to be ...
keeps turning off3/16/2005
  Q: Hey, how are you? I just built my own pc, here are the specs, P4 3.0ghz Gigabyte mainboard - ...
  A: Honestly, don't know. Read a while ago that thermal protection in latest P4 chips were improved to ...
keeps turning off3/13/2005
  Q: Hey, how are you? I just built my own pc, here are the specs, P4 3.0ghz Gigabyte mainboard - ...
  A: You problem is not the monitor or the video card. Probablit's deeper, and I would check temperature ...
PC Power3/11/2005
  Q: I have three computers at home from which I intend to put together one good computer from bits & ...
  A: Yes, you may have an electrical problem, and rather have an electrician to look into it. If you're ...
reformat3/2/2005
  Q: I have a laptop. its a Toshiba 660cdt. I had windows 95 and I wanted to upgrade to 98. I don't have ...
  A: Check your laptop's BIOS settings, see if it allows to boot from the CD drive. If it doesn't, you ...
Computer Freezing3/1/2005
  Q: I have a compaq presario mellenium edition computer. A lot of times my computer freezes whether I am ...
  A: Looks like your computer is full of spyware. You have two options: 1.- Format your HD and reinstall ...
Best Operating System for a modest PC2/23/2005
  Q: I've been using Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition for about five years and it has worked O.K. for ...
  A: Well that's why M$ has so much money, they expected you to be forced to switch to a newer version ...
sound card2/20/2005
  Q: I dumped everything on my computer last weekend. Now I do not have sound. I cannot find my cd that I ...
  A: The NVidia GeForce is your video card. If you open the Device Manager, will have an entry either in ...
my pc won't boot! i need help troubleshooting problem2/18/2005
  Q: I have a home computer that I actually put together myself. It's been running fine for a few years ...
  A: The system is lockingup during POST, and it's likely to be amajor component. It looks like the CPU ...
hard drive problem2/15/2005
  Q: I have two hard drives in my p4 win xp machine, one 40gb and another 160gb, the problem im having is ...
  A: Your 40 GB drive may be too slow to start, and may require some tim to spin at boot time. If within ...
how to know the cache of the system and FSB2/13/2005
  Q: 1] How can i know , how much cache my system has. 2]What is the use of FSB,and what is it.
  A: The amount of cache memory depnds on the processor model you have. System Info will tell you the ...
External Hard Drive2/11/2005
  Q: Make of computer: Thermaltake P4 3.25GHz, 1024MB RAM OS: WinXP Home OK. I recently bought: - Maxtor ...
  A: You should check on the Device Manager for a device with a yellow warning icon. It should be your ...
COMPUTER2/2/2005
  Q: Is it possible to get internet access on a computer in secluded areas, for example at a park or ...
  A: Guess you mean wirelessly. Possible yes, likely? Probably not. Secluded areas imply no direct line ...
USB HardDrive1/23/2005
  Q: OS: Windows XP SP2 CPU: AMD 2500+ MainBOard: Giga GA-7VAX USB harddrives: USB2.0 I got two USB ...
  A: The message means your computer has USB V1.1 or earlier, while your USB drives are V2.0 capable. So, ...
Motherboard Upgrade1/22/2005
  Q: I'm looking to upgrade my motherboard. I've gotten a great deal on a microATX board that will allow ...
  A: the answer to your first question is no, and it's worst if you have XP with SP2. So the answer to ...
Sound1/17/2005
  Q: Ricardo, Manufacturer of the PC or Windows or the sound card? And from what I'm finding out there ...
  A: The manufacturer of the sound card. If your sound device is bulit into the motherboard, then would ...
Restart Problem1/15/2005
  Q: my Compaq w/ Windows ME, was recently diagnosed w/ spyware, trojans and registry errors. I purchased ...
  A: If you have ME, probably the easiest and safest way to go is reinstalling the whole thing. It will ...
low-level format1/3/2005
  Q: i have low-level format executable program which i wanted to try on one of my hard drive. i made the ...
  A: I don't know WipeDrive, but if it's low-level formatting utility, you should be able to reformat the ...
Building a server12/27/2004
  Q: I am planning to bulid a web server(for personnel website and forums). but i hav no idea about the ...
  A: A server is not just mater of HW only, a good and stable server is a well balaced set of HW, SW and ...
RAM12/24/2004
  Q: I am fantatical about my computer running at a fast speed. I have a cable connection, but there are ...
  A: If your computer ran faster and has slowed down lately, I would look for spyware before doing ...
problem12/17/2004
  Q: i hab a computer of 733 mhz ram, 128 mb ram. i hab made 500mb paging file. my computer freezes ...
  A: Well just make the page file twice the size of the ram is only a rule of thumb. It does not ...
Motherboard connections12/14/2004
  Q: I am building a new computer and i need to ask 2 questions. The motherboard usually has only 2 ...
  A: 1.- The floppy uses a different interface, it does not count as IDE device. So, you have spece to ...
What is the problem?12/3/2004
  Q: Hello I am sorry if my English is not very good, I have very serious problem with my pc and I can't ...
  A: Yes, as both OS gives you about the same behavior, I would say it may be a hardware problem. Now, ...
Pc Installation and Maintenance11/29/2004
  Q: explain the purpose and importance of the registry? I would like you to briefly state the purpose ...
  A: First the registry and the Config.sys file are two different things. The registry is used since W95 ...
Restarting After HDD Format11/17/2004
  Q: I partitioned and formatted my HDD using a Win98 Boot Disk floppy. I used the FDISK and Format ...
  A: If you already troubleshoot ALL pheripherals and are sure none is hanging the bus, then your only ...
Give me some comments, thanks!11/5/2004
  Q: I planned to buy a new DIY PC. If you would to choose a motherboard which one would you prefer and ...
  A: I would buy the motherboard from a reputed manufacturer with known and good online support. Both you ...
Slave Drive replaced??11/1/2004
  Q: I don't know what a slave drive is, but I just found the note I made when it happened it said ...
  A: I was just guessing, but this is was the message means: Your computer have two IDE channels where ...
Slave Drive replaced??10/31/2004
  Q: A few weeks ago, I turned on my computer as normal, and I got a DOS message on it that said ...
  A: Sorry, but don't have a clue on what might cause the message. That kind of message comes from the ...
Better 3D card or more RAM10/22/2004
  Q: I have a AMD Athelon XP 2600+ on a Gigabyte KT400 M-Boord.I currently have 256MB memory and a 64MB ...
  A: If you want to get better & faster graphics, put your money there. Get a better video card. Want to ...
cd rom drives10/21/2004
  Q: Greetings from a fellow "All Expert" (Walt DIsney World) I am having a computer hardware problem ...
  A: Sorry, but I already paid my dues there. Got fed up of paying a bunch of money to make lines ;-) ...
new hardware found!10/16/2004
  Q: I have a dell optiplex series gx270, I had to replace the hard-drive and reload windows xp home. Now ...
  A: SMBus Controller is one of the drivers required by the motherboard to operate properly. Go to Dell's ...
boot problems10/15/2004
  Q: We have a Dell cpiA366 laptop,running Windows ME.Suddenly it won't boot up.The DELL screen comes ...
  A: The good news is the laptop's HW seems to be working fine. The bad news is probably the HD boot ...
Pc Installation and Maintenance10/6/2004
  Q: Q1) i have been asked to add a 32mb memory expansion card to a laptop pc. what kind of information ...
  A: 1.- Is anybody building 32 MB boards? Even 64 MB will be though to find. Any way, you need to know ...
troubleshoot10/1/2004
  Q: I'd like to try both of your sugestions, but can you tell me how to use the Windows CD if I can't ...
  A: If it's a P4 machine, it should see the D drive from BIOS. It should also be able to be configured ...
computer starts and shuts down immediately9/21/2004
  Q: My PC starts and shuts down immidiately, without any sound or anything on the screen. Then it won't ...
  A: Yes, it looks like a short-circuit somewhere. The easy way to test the power supply is install it in ...
Hard drive not recognized9/19/2004
  Q: I have two hard drives: quantum fireball 40GB and Seagate Baracuda 60GB. I copied one mp3 disk to ...
  A: That's not a HW problem. NT either cannot find the drive signature, or cannot find NT loader. I ...
RAM & CPU upgrade9/18/2004
  Q: I have a pc manufactured by Packard Bell. I would like to upgrade my PC RAM from 128 Mb to 256Mb ...
  A: 1.-The RAM type depends on the Motherboard's chipset. You should look at the manufacturer's ...
hi9/17/2004
  Q: ram and Pentium 4 Cpu and for some reason when i plug everything in i hear the fans of the power ...
  A: No beeps no video usually means a peripheral hanging the bus. The easiest way to go is unplug ...
processing issues9/16/2004
  Q: Recently gutted my pc with a new motherboard, hd, ram, etc. Everything works very well and speed is ...
  A: I'm sorry, but that's not a hardware problem. It's purely related with XP and the drivers you're ...
Laptop Power loss9/6/2004
  Q: Ricardo: We have an IBM laptop which loses power on occassion, and sometimes does not power up. I ...
  A: It might be a bunch of things. those you mention are on the list, but without testing each of them ...
Wireless Card8/29/2004
  Q: I have a Dell Dimension XPS T450 desktop and Windows 98. I would like to connect this computer ...
  A: Yes, you can connect the XPS to the router wirelessly. W98 can be an issue, since it lacks of USB ...
Motherboard Model8/26/2004
  Q: Hey Ricardo, i hope you can help me with this. I'm interested in upgrading my RAM from one lot of ...
  A: Neither the BIOS nor XP will tell you the MB model. Some manufacturers identify their boards with a ...
multiprocessor computer8/25/2004
  Q: I am a novice who wanted to build a dual processor computer and was looking for any pointers on how ...
  A: Building system is usually not an easy, especially multi-processor systems. First having more than ...
Upgrading Hard Drives8/19/2004
  Q: i hope this question is in your area! Here's the Scenario, I would like to upgrade my local disk ...
  A: Depending on the Windows version you have, the best option might be reinstall everything. Windows ...
Mptherboard corrosion8/18/2004
  Q: I have a MSI 865 Neo2 MB which stopped working suddenly > No post no boot screen at all. After ...
  A: Geez, that's tough. For your motherboard I have bad news. It's gone. Even if you're able to get it ...
hi8/9/2004
  Q: Tigerdirect.com which contained a chaintech motherboard and a pentium 4 CPU for around $200. and i ...
  A: You usually get what you pay for. $200 is aabout the price of a P4 chip alone, so, don't know what ...
Modem installation8/6/2004
  Q: My PC recently crashed. I have Win98SE and a Matsonic mainboard,MS8308E, with onboard modem. ...
  A: Well reinstalling W98SE might have taken away the right drivers for the motherboard to find the ...
Computer Hardware7/24/2004
  Q: How to install a new software in a computer? Give a brief explanation about troubleshooting?
  A: To install any new program in Windows, you just run the installer program and answer the questions. ...
for my pc7/20/2004
  Q: my computer is a hp pavilion originally windows ME With an Intel Celeron And a Hardrive of 128 mb so ...
  A: One step at a time: 1.- If your Pavillion has a Celeron Processor is unlikely it would support a P4. ...
motherboard & hdd7/19/2004
  Q: how are you? i just bought a second hard drive, purely for data storage. i have windows xp pro and ...
  A: Well internal transfers are not supposed to be so failure prone as Internet transfers. If you're so ...
NO PICTURE ON MONETOR7/1/2004
  Q: -no those are good that would be to easy you mean Im the only one this has happen to ?what will ...
  A: No Steven, it's just that there are a fair amount of possible causes, and you should start ...
Stalling computer6/25/2004
  Q: Our Pc seems to be stuck in a loop whilst trying to boot up - we thought it was a hard drive fault ...
  A: You already took the first troubleshooting step. Same way as you did with the HD, disconnect all ...
2d graphics problems6/21/2004
  Q: I think i had a power surge a while back and did a burnintest to see if everything was ok but it ...
  A: It looks like your video card memory is gone. Depending on the card model you may be able to replace ...
BIOS6/16/2004
  Q: Sir now the Bios of my computer are dead completely.How to install or replace BIOS. What standard ...
  A: No clue on what caused your computer to suddenly die. Does it start at all? Where does it stop? Do ...
Computer CMOS settings6/12/2004
  Q: Ricardo: I would like to look at the current settings of my PC. I believe those settings are ...
  A: Without knowing which barnd and model you have, it's impopssible to say for sure which key you have ...
laptop keyboard6/3/2004
  Q: I have a Compaq Presarion 1930 laptop. I accidentally spilt water on the keyboard and it no longer ...
  A: Being a laptop, the water damage can go beyond the keyboard and mouse. I would rather suggest to ...
Problem with Win xp Pc5/31/2004
  Q: I have p4 1.7 mhz COMPAQ EVO computer with Windows xp.Just resently it got crashed and it gives a ...
  A: By the error, looks like your hard disk is going to die, rather soon I may add. The best way to ...
FORGOTTEN PASSWORD5/22/2004
  Q: I have an old PC (approx 7 yrs) that I think is running Windows 98. It has been sitting for about 2 ...
  A: Most older systems had a jumper on the motherboard near the battery. It usually was a three pin ...
Pc Installation and Maintenance5/14/2004
  Q: suppose that a PC's floppy drive had failed? A) what output would i expect to see when the machine ...
  A: 1.- Depending n the machine you have, but usually the latest give you a splash screen, while it ...
Modem problems5/13/2004
  Q: I have an ADSL modem, i get disconnected from the net about 3 times everyday, even whiel im activly ...
  A: Those issues are usually ISP configuration, or (if you're using a router)router firmware related. ...
freezong5/8/2004
  Q: i am running a pentium4 with 1024ram and 40 gig hard drive with windows xp . my computer works well ...
  A: All those programs are resource intensive, and while they may run in background, it's always better ...
startup problem5/6/2004
  Q: when switching it on al i get is a Hewlett Packard screen that offers me "press ctrl to go to more ...
  A: It's locking up in a hardware error, and can't finish the POST. You say there is one beep, is there ...
Laptop in the network5/3/2004
  Q: My boss has a lap top which he would like to use to access a small office network and see the two ...
  A: So, you already have arouter at the office, and just want to add a laptop. Yes, you only need to run ...
About Motherboards4/19/2004
  Q: I want to know how to get motherboard repaired i mean any thing or any informations you can give i ...
  A: M., Sadly it's very unlikely that you can fix a motherboard. The latest the model, the more ...
PC Hardware4/16/2004
  Q: Sir, I have bought Pentium 4 Computer having 2 GHz processor original, with original motherboard ...
  A: You need to make sure your hardware is compatible with the OS and the OS has the right drivers for ...
Windows XP Home startup problem4/13/2004
  Q: I have read your profile and you seem to have a great understanding of this area. So, I am hoping ...
  A: It looks like your hard disk drive is almost gone (if not dead already). I would get a new drive an ...
Last Question- (NTFS Drives)4/12/2004
  Q: Ricardo- Yeah, I was afraid you'd say that.And I don't have the bucks to buy a password cracker,I'm ...
  A: Sorry Mike, It's not matter of a driver. NT is a different kind of animal than DOS or Win9x, and ...
Entering DOS commands thru Safe Mode4/10/2004
  Q: but I guess I didnt explain-I have no access to RUN or any other command,or control panel, or ...
  A: Forget it Mike, The only way to get in is hacking the password or getting access to the system ...
cpu or motherboard question3/29/2004
  Q: i had just bought a new computer from a place called pronet sales...my cpu is 3100+. when you boot ...
  A: Impossible to know without having a close look inside the machine. I would suggest to get a second ...
harddisk low level formatting...help3/23/2004
  Q: I want help with respect to harddisk low level formatting. I use a IBM travelstar harddisk in a ...
  A: Use FDISK command to low level format your disk. If you really want to clean your harddisk, you can ...
systems failure3/15/2004
  Q: Over the last two weeks my computer has begun experiencing various problems. I'll list them in no ...
  A: The battery is in the motherboard. Usually it's a lithium coin battery. There is no way to "test" ...
systems failure3/14/2004
  Q: Over the last two weeks my computer has begun experiencing various problems. I'll list them in no ...
  A: For no reason the internal clock will stop... Had you checked the internal battery? It's on the ...
monitor3/2/2004
  Q: Iturn on my computer and all I see is a blank scren and a small window that read (0VERRIDE) CAN YOU ...
  A: OS= Operating System I need to know when in the OS boot process it stalls and shows the message. Is ...
HELP2/19/2004
  Q: i'm hoping here you could help me , i built my own computer last week , using Asus p4pe-x ...
  A: I would rather think it might be your hard disk drives are slower than the MB/CPU to boot up. Look ...
damaged hp pavilion desktop pc2/18/2004
  Q: Ricardo Just would like your professional opinion. Recently opened up my hp355w pavilion pc w/ ...
  A: Yes, a static discharge might damage your motherboard, and if it doesn't even give you the beeps, ...
no permission to use this networkresource2/17/2004
  Q: Another attempt I did today is that I unplug the connector of PC 'A' and Note-book behind the ...
  A: Sorry but that's too long to write it here. You have to check the security settings on the share you ...
no permission to use this networkresource2/16/2004
  Q: Please advice on the following issue. My desk-top “B' can't connect to the work group Error ...
  A: I would check the security settings on the share, it looks like the user in A is not authorized to ...
Problems with HD's2/15/2004
  Q: I recently got a computer from a friend with two hard drives. One is 6gb and the other is 10gb. I ...
  A: Well, you have compatibility issues. Check Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) at their ...
Printer stops during printing/Internet problems2/13/2004
  Q: I have a HP Deskjet 3420 printer. Often during printing something more than a few pages it stops and ...
  A: Nasty behavior, doesn't make too much sense. Maybe you have a corrupted file. Try this, get the ...
problem in computer2/12/2004
  Q: Sir, I have a Computer with Pentium IV Processor, Intel Motherboard, 128 RDD RAM, 32 MB AGP ...
  A: I still haven't seen a virus residing in the motherboard, so unless you have something really new in ...
free memory2/6/2004
  Q: We have a Dell computer, 18GHZ. 128MB RAM. We are using Windows ME. We have used about 9GHZ of our ...
  A: well, you probably ran out of resources, instead of memory. Any way, the best way to make room is ...

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