Posted on 01/27/2008 12:32:32 PM PST by jdm
I reinstalled XP on a person's computer. When it logged in (yes, logged in!) I noticed that the graphics looked horrible, like it was running in "Safe Mode." And I couldn't connect to the internet or print.
Do I just need to download drivers at Gateway.com (it's a Gateway 310) and burn them to a CDR for use on this person's PC?
Furthermore, just burn the drivers (all exe files) to a CDR (as a data disc, not ISO) and then boot up normally, install them one-by-one, reboot and voila, the screen will look normal, I'll be able to connect to the internet, print and so forth?
Thanks for your suggestions.
Updating ram & troubleshooting
As old as the system is,...their may be problems with the motherboard and or components like memory...might try getting some of the Linux rescue disks and run memory test,...MEMTEST ...at some point....
Something is not right if it is taking minutes to boot....and if it drops into safe mode....
It’s not in safe mode; just looks like it is. Graphically it looks the same as Safe Mode (or very similar).
Updating the chipset drivers can’t do any harm.
Another thought, have you run any diagnostics on the harddrive? It could be roached.
And the motherboard could be bad too. With a computer that old it could be almost anything.
Motherboard, video card, power supply, memory modules.
That's the thing. It's stuck on 16-bit. The box is grayed out, so I can't even select 32-bit (but wouldn't this be because the drivers aren't installed yet?)
Did you install additional new programs such as anti-virus that might be causing a resource problem on boot up?
Nope.
If so you may have a RAM issue. XP is turtle slow under 500MB of SDRAM. Have you tried a selective start up shutting down a bunch of non essential programs to see if one is holding it off?
When they got the PC new 3 or 4 years ago, it was very fast, even with just 256MB RAM. So I'm not sure what slowed it down. It is not used that much. Maybe once or twice a week for a half-hour to an hour each time.
Last one is are you using AOL software such as connect software? Just trying to help.
Nope. Buckeye Cable modem. No resource hog software like AOL is on there.
Thanks for your post. I appreciate it very much.
Thanks, I’ll try updating the chipset drivers too. And I should run some diagnostics on the hardware. Good thinking. I guess I pretty much figured it was a malware problem.
If you get the drivers installed you need to buy a 512 stick of RAM and that should clear up all the speed issues. 256 just barely runs XP it is the bare bones minimum recommended. For cost reasons many manufactures put in just that. 512 would be my minimum. I run 2000 on my laptop and 768 on my desk top.
One more thing after drivers are installed do a disk scan and defrag. If you have been using W/98 and are not used to XP it is a completely different set up. Fragmented files could slow it down considerably but the RAM is an issue.
Will you do all what you recommend. Thanks again.
Grabbing it all while it's still available online to save for down the road is fine though (say for instance if you cannibalize the machine for parts ).
I haven’t dealt with Windows in a while, but the advice to save the drivers to disk is good. I’d especially recommend saving any updates that are required to get online. I don’t like working in 16 color 640X480 mode during setup, but if you can’t get online, you can’t update anything. I used to keep all the drivers I had to download on one CD, so I didn’t have to do the treasure hunt thing again if I had to do a clean install.
I had an old Hewlett Packard laying around and tried a HD swap out. Everything was fine but the video drivers. I got a choice between 2 or 16 colors LOL. The HP box had XP in it but loaded with Trojans. The system was given to me and I can't access the Control panel or anything except the basics. It also has a second system boot Whistler XP home edition {going on memory sorry} that I think is the virus re-write and has system control. I swapped them back till I decide what to do with my old Compaq next. I disabled the modem on the Hewlett Packard and let the grandkids play games on it. I told them don't copy anything from it LOL. It works good enough for that. If I had the original disk I would just reformat it. My cousin who gave it to me had put Blubster in it and ran it without any virus protection whatsoever. He gave me three and only the one without Blubster was virus free. The bad news was it has W/M.E. the only one I've ever actually seen function right LOL.
I'm not a techie by a long shot but I do most of my own repair work though. When I get too frustrated I scrap them for parts :>} The one I do not attempt to work on is the Laptop. I bought it last summer from Dell and an extended service plan/warranty to go with it for that reason. It's my dream machine with most of what I wanted put in it including XP instead of VISTA.
One of the junkers I have is gonna get Linux pretty soon when I get enough time to do it. If Microsoft can't do better than VISTA then when XP dies I'll go elsewhere. I don't get it though XP is the most reliable and stable system MS built. Why the change? I tried VISTA on a display at a store and swore I would never buy it.
I’m not sure either. I have an old Gateway that a friend gave me a year or so back, with an on-board ATI Rage 128 chip. He was sharp enough to have kept all his discs, though, so I have everything needed for the “stock” setup. A week ago, though, his employee brought me a couple of old machines that someone from his church gave him, and he wanted to see if one could be made workable. Turns out it couldn’t be, but I salvaged a few odd pieces, a 4 port USB card, an Ethernet card, a Philips 24x CD burner and two sticks of 128 RAM, which went in the Gateway. Oh, and the burner had an “Age of Empires 2” game in the drawer.
Dangdest thing I’ve ever seen – one of the hulks had two hard drives, a 10 gig that was “dead”. Couldn’t FDISK it. The other was a 160 gig, and I put it in the working Gateway and the computer itself wouldn’t even power up! I put it in my usual machine, and it wouldn’t power up either. Absolutely dead, as if the power cord was pulled. The power supply in the old hulk had something rattling in it, which turned out to be a couple of blown capacitors. My best layman’s guess is that the power supply blew on its own, or via a lightning strike, and the hard drives absorbed the hit, and the power connections on that drive somehow got fused in reverse. (?) So don’t rule out a defective hard drive if the whole machine seems dead.
I managed to find the drivers for the two cards with not too much trouble, but it might just have easily been the opposite, some sites being cryptic. (Dell is one).
I have a couple of HP’s, running ME. The employee of my friend mentioned earlier gave me an old HP that I was lucky enough that both were shipped with the exact same software build number. Both were built in early ’01, so MAYbe I could help you with a driver or two, maybe not, depending on how much newer yours is. If you like, tell me the model number and I’ll look the specs up.
That Gateway is only a 400 mhz, and came from the factory with Windows 98 and 64 whopping megs of RAM, but now it finally has 256, so will likely use it as a Linux training ground.
I personally like ME. Over time I’ve found what works and what doesn’t, have removed all the extraneous stuff and gotten the startup list to fighting trim, and am not a major gamer, so it’s very very rare to see a blue screen. (My kind of games are old arcade ones from the late ‘70’s to early ‘80’s).
I’d be scared to open up a laptop myself. I looked over an HP one for a friend’s customer, and found the service manual for it, and the blowup diagram for changing the CD drive was enough for me. I could do it, but when it’s someone elses machine….
My old Presario 5400 is the one my video connectors bad on. I still have the disk for it. I hate to give up on it simply because it was the first one I bought. That was the one I was gonna put the HD from into the Hewett Packard and took back out. The HP will likely get Linux put in it. That's the only cure for it I can think of.
What’s the HP’s model number? I’m not saying I’m an expert, but have been lurking the site for a while now, off and on. I sometimes try to help, mainly with 9x and/or older HP issues, on a computer forum. The complete model specs will be easy to find.
I’m like you. I’m running the motherboard and hard drive from my first machine. At my age, I get used to something and don’t really care for change, though I like times such as when someone brings around another to tinker and learn with.
Pavilion XT 963 I think. It has XP but that might be an upgrade..
It actually was shipped with XP, but only 128 of RAM, and HP should’ve been horsewhipped for that. Even ME used the swap file way too much with only 128. (rolleyes)
Give me some time to study this one, and hopefully someone else will jump in as well:
Thanks, I can’t remember if I put a chip in it or not but this one has 256MB just enough to let the kids play games etc offline. Till I can figure out whether to reformat it and go with Linux or just use my old computers 98/HD I’ll leave it be. I can pull up the cards on the HP.. I was able to get into system information. If I swap it over I think drivers forum likely will have them.. I’ve used that site before.
Well, from what I can gather the HP wasn’t shipped with recovery discs for the OS, but for Works and Money. HP can be maddening, but I’ll give them credit for this - I got recovery discs for the OS, (actually, a carbon copy of how it shipped, bundled junk and all), plus a disc for individual bundled programs and drivers I know doesn’t pertain to my machine. my point is that I’m not sure if yours even shipped with a driver disc.
Yours likely has an Asus motherboard, but some of the specs look very similar to what my Trigem motherboard has: max memory of 512, max processor of a 1.2 gig. You should be able to put ME on it, and I’ve tried a few types of Linux that works well.
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