Posted on 12/21/2011 1:51:06 PM PST by daniel1212
Opinions? PC tech mystery
Last week my hard working Sony VGC RA840G PC (circa 2005), 2.8ghz, 3gb ram, under XP media center (a gift), which came with a hard-to-ID mobo (appears to be a Asus p5lp-vx), would not boot into Windows, but would just hang at the stage when loading settings would take place. It would boot using safe mode, but even booting with only windows services (chosen via msconfig) would result in the same terminal hang. In safe mode I scanned the system with an up to date online scan (Bit Defender), as well as Kapersky root kit scanner which found nothing.
It also would not run disk check, and going back to a good restore point also did not fix the problem.
I have a full recent back on another drive which i was able to boot from before this, but the very same thing would happen using that, which evidenced it was a hardware issue.
I also had a Linux OS on another separate drive that i sometimes used, and sometimes it would boot into that, but not always.
Attempting to do a clean install would fail to proceed to the point where you can choose what to do , as did an attempt to install a preview version of W/7, or even another copy of Linux. Things were getting worse.
In attempting to diagnose the problem, i disconnected all peripherals except the kbrd and mouse (both work fine on another PC),
unplugged floppy and card readers,
removed all cards except video (which i also swapped out),
unplugged IDE data cables
swapped out each of the 3 sticks of memory
cleaned out dust; checked wires, etc.
checked the voltage of the (Sony cu$tom) PSU which showed 12, 5 and 3.5
But it would still hang, and eventually would not even load under safe mode.
However, i did look for capacitor plague and found one capacitor, a larger one, that was swelled, the top bulging, and which was more common years ago. I even made a basic attempt to remove the mobo in hopes of repairing it, something i had never done. I have removed mobos before, and once installed a CPU, but, this PC apparently the CPU is liquid cooled as it has pipes going from underneath a large heatsink up to a large fan box up the top, and so i put that off for perhaps another day.
As a result of it not starting, instead i used an old white box 1.5ghz PC (from my neighbors metal recycling business), which i had installed a retail copy of XP on, but with only 768mb of ram i could not work with my usual 3 Bible programs, about 10 documents open as well as about 80 tabs in Firefox. And i began praying and looking at newer builds with 64bit. [Surprisingly however, despite only having pata connectors and 1.0 USB, i was able to access my sata drives using one of those $3.00 usb sata ide cable adapters from ebay), powered by an old PSU (clip facing you, with a paper clip connect the green wire to the black wire to the left of it), which improvisation some might carefully find useful.]
But last night after trying to remove the mobo i decided to give it another try, after thinking of selling it for parts, and this time it booted, after running check disk, and continues to run well I am certain disk errors were not the problem as nothing would consistently run using various drives. Perhaps i inadvertently fixed something in my attempt to remove the mobo, as nothing else was done, but i thank God the old work horse is running.
Opinions?
Also, if America were a computer, what would be the diagnosis?
Because your current CPU is a 'single core' processor... The two you referred to are dual(2x3g) and quad(4x3g) core machines. Get with Win7 64bit OS so that you can use all the processing power and at least 4gb RAM...
I saw you kinda knocking anything past WinXP, but I think your opinion is stone-dead wrong on that. I am old-skool and die-hard (I still have DOS machines running for diagnostics), but I have *no* complaint with Win7 or 64bit... It will be a bit of a learning curve, but not terrible - and you have shown yourself to be above average in your understanding anyhoo... you will have no worries. Within a week, you will be wondering why you waited so long. :)
yet i think an overheating CPU would shut it down, not just freeze it.
No, a hot cpu will freeze, not reboot, though fan tech nowadays detects a non-functioning fan, and forces shutdown on most machines... but if your fan is not spinning well, and the 'shutdown' part is not functional, it could be causing freeze-ups... Or yours may be old enough that it just freezes...
Bad RAM can go either way - but usually causes an abrupt reboot.
However, don't worry about it... popped cap means certain death SOON. Don't throw any money fixing what you have.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-1995A2U/19490409#Specifications
Lenovo (IBM) makes good stuff... but they tend to be slower than I expect them to be... but very stable and long lasting.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6661041&CatId=1813
This link is for 'Dragon Naturally Speaking,' and I assume is not pertinent to our conversation.
http://www.portatech.com/catalog/viewitem.asp?ID=38653&O=38644%2C65753%2C26503%2C26382%2C26413&fbm=1&r=p%20%20Asus%20p5lp-vx%20motherboard (liked this the most, but short warranty)
BIG Bang-for-buck... but I don't know the maker. The MB selections are all real good top-tier boards (Asus, MSI, Gigabyte [in that order]) Would pump up the Power Supply if I were you... 600w bare min (mine are all above 700w). Would need to pump up the DVD to DVD-RW too, for write capability...
If you are going white-box, I would highly recommend a back-alley builder in your own town that has a high word-of-mouth reputation... unless this portatech guy is close by. Warranty is not a big thing, as generally all of them require you to send the thing back to them, which no one ever wants to do, as it takes too long. Inevitably, if it makes it a year, you will almost certainly fix it yourself, or use a local tech to fix it for that reason... But that is the MAIN reason to use a local white-box builder, rather than one from the inet.
Still think ACER is best bang-for-buck from a name-brand source. I used to be white-box all the way, and still am for my test benches, but those Acers are hard to beat for joe-six-pack... I can't build one for the price.
If you do a lot of graphics, photos and work like that you can’t beat a MAC. I had PC from 2000 to2007 when my cousin suggested going MAC and it was my first laptop. I now have 3 laptops (one is 4 years old, one 3 and the little MacAir for travel plus a big iMAC for my photo work..tech support is great too.
And i am not opposed to W/7, though i had Vista for a long time and am glad to be back w/ XP. Win 7 has new features and i appreciate improvements, but sometimes i find some old ways better, but you can get Classic Shell/ for some XP look and feel, and also XP mode if needed.
Yes, someone bought a $50 Z22 printer about 10 years ago and which like an old Fore 390 ran tough but burned a lot of “oil,” and the ink carts cost about 34.00. And later the carts only had half a sponge in them! So right away i found out how to refill them, which is very easy on Lexmarks.
But a pint of the right ink, which is about 2.00+ an ounce on at Christian -owned http://oddparts.com/ink, and then buy 3 of those large poultry baster syringes at the dollar store (or reg. ones if not illegal in your state), and for black, heat up a paper clip in a pair of pliers till red hot, then puncture the middle of the top on the end above the contracts. Then put in about 1/4 of that type of syringe. It cost about 1.00 for refill that way, and the black ones on my old X32 have been refilled about 15 times or more before quitting. Thanks be to God.
The printer mfgrs fought back in various ways, and so it is a war.
Thanks!
May God bless you for your helpful advice. I know the mfg are only putting parts togeth4r, and their quality and interaction is key, but the white box type offer more for the money, and you can often choose what components you want.
I did look up the mobos on some and upgraded estimates if they only had 2 memory slots. Of course,
The http://www.computerlx.com/view_cart.aspx one gives 3 yr. warranty and lifetime free email support, while http://www.pricewatch.com ones are even cheaper. I prayerfully helped someone get a PC from the a few years ago and found the former co., and the 400.00 PC from them has always run fine. And i looked up the parts and could not have built it cheaper, with the OS. Came with an actual, non-bloatware OS CD as well.
What is your take on Intel Vs. AMD? Does 3.2ghz with the latter mean the same as it does to the former? Thanks for the rating on mobos. I had an old 650mhz AMD for years (till about 2005), with an MSI mobo. Competition has helped here in man’s fallen condition (just imagine if all computers were gov. issue).
The Lenovo was attractive because of its full size, as i am wary of small form factors. anyway, while i do not know if i will be doing anything soon, may i ask what would be your prayerful pick be for a PC under 450.00 like from here, http://www.pricewatch.com/gallery/computer_systems_with_os/3.5ghz presuming AMD is best? CPU find favor with many: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103894&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-AMD-_-19103894
i appreciate it but i have so much Windows software and familiarity that i cannot see that being bes, not to impugn the rep MACs have.
If you are content with the experience, then why look elsewhere? I mean, LOOK elsewhere, but you gotta give some point advantage to the guy you know will treat you right... just sayin.
What is your take on Intel Vs. AMD?
Heh. That's kinda a Chevy v. Ford or Linux v. Windows kinda question there... Both are fine... But I am an AMD fan. As a general rule, Intel is more stable, and will probably last longer... But AMD just flat out performs... And I like performance. I don't need it to last all that much, as I really tend to upgrade at least one machine a year, so none of my boxes are more than 4 years old anyway. Durability is a relative thing in a fast moving technology.
The Lenovo was attractive because of its full size, as i am wary of small form factors.
So nice to meet a full on desktop guy - most folks have gone away from them... but I agree about full-size. Easy to work on, easy to add to... Still, all things considered, The machine I am writing to you on is an over-sized laptop - And I use it more than all the rest combined - I even operate the others from this one. I simply love it. It's portability, even around the homestead, makes computing a whole different thing... Down in the lab, out on the porch, easting breakfast at the kitchen table, even sitting here in my easy chair... Quite nice not to be tied to the desk and benches anymore. So don't knock a 'smaller form factor' without some consideration. It might just change your life for the better... And this laptop is in your price range too.
[...] may i ask what would be your prayerful pick be for a PC under 450.00 [...]
I don't feel comfortable pointing ONE out... I don't know what you need exactly. What I will say is that you should spend the money on power supply, CPU and RAM primarily (providing of course, a quality MB in the first place). Get the biggest and best you can afford. Vid and HDD are important, but can be added easily later after you have recovered from the initial hit.
Good graphics are really important to performance though - I really would recommend spending that money when you can, but most folks can make due for a while using the on-board stuff.
And HDD may be important (more important) to you - It isn't for me, as my OS drive is seldom over 100g anyway. A 250g front drive is huge to me. And if one has a full size desktop, one can always sling terrabyte and bigger drives in behind that first drive as needed later. And your HDD from your dying machine can be added as additional immediate storage right away too.
Gigabit Networking is another pretty serious advantage too, if one pipes vid to the tv or if you have a local LAN - I need the extra local bandwidth pretty badly as there is a lot of file transferring going on here when the bench machines back up to the server at night. BUT, if your local LAN (to include switches and router) cannot handle 1000x speeds, it wont do you any good at all until the whole works is upgraded for that capability... And like vid and hdd, it can be easily added on later.
Good access to USB (front) is important... and USB3 would be a gain (though still hard to find). A DVD-RW is important too. And don't forget a card reader for cam flash drives. Though again, all this can be added easily later. Those are the main parameters that are necessary to consider and prioritize according to your specific needs. But do not compromise on CPU, PS, and RAM.
Thanks God for your heart to help, and the advice is appreciated.
Yes, the Intel vs AMD ? is a Chevy v. Ford or Linux v. Windows kinda question, but i was interested in what you would say, as many geeks think the latter gives more bang for the buck.
You are right about everyone having different needs. As i already have an optical drive and HDs and more ram is cheaper elsewhere, the main thing is cpu speed and a good mobo, and i like these (good mobo it seems, and CPU, but upgrade PSU, and add ram latter): http://www.portatech.com/catalog/viewitem.asp?ID=25352&O=70239%2C65753%2C26503%2C26382%2C26413&fbm=1&r=p Yet the ALLPCZONE does has the best warranty.
But this is more research for the future, for as long as this rig runs i doubt if i will spend the Lord’s money on a new one. Maybe the prices will remain the same or drop. I will try to let you know if i get an upgrade.
And i think both last long, as i have never has a CPU fail. As one man (you) said, “A good thing is well made, on time, at a fair price, and will last as long as possible.”
On the full size desktop, i know these are rare, but i do like the extra space and the PCs i have all have the sides off and i move HDs in and out. Large HDs also (recently bought a re-certified 750gb Seagate for about 40 at NewEgg) as i sometimes make Christian videos. But i work mainly in one place and so I don’t find laptops that viable. I see tablets as having a lot of growth in the future, until judgment comes.
Speed is what i like, and besides hardware I like programs like the free AutoHotKey one, which i use to make many shortcut keys, like Windows key (#) and C launching Control Panel, or #U Add and remove programs comes us, etc. I also use it to reprogram the caps lock key (CapsLock::^c) so that it copies selected text and Esc (Esc::^v) pastes it (useful in building a database in research). NumLock replaces Esc. And F10 starts a PsTools script (F10::Run C:\Program Files\PsTools\psshutdown.exe -d -f -t 21) which places the PC on standby in 21 secs (#F10 will abort it). I normally rarely shut mine down this PC, but have it configured to go on standby after about 20 minutes of non activity, and when done i just hit F10. Of course i do not remember all of the shortcuts but many are easy.
I also speculate that in the future flash memory or something will replace the platter type HD, which seems rather archaic, if overall reliable. PCs will cold boot in seconds.
I think that one area in which there is much room for improvement is speech to text software. I have an old version of Dragon (i do not like what the name seems to represent) as my stiff fingers makes typing slow and “typofied,” and know not how improved the newer version is, or how good the Windows version in W/7 is, but it should be just as easy to make your own voice commands to do what shortcut keys do as it is to make them. I see where you can even use sound “keyfiles’ as passwords.
Anyway, its time to get to work on the work, but thanks for your input.
Start out with an iPad..that is a really cool MAC product..use it for some fun and get introduced that way. I love my iPad. It has some features you may find you like and going from PC to MAC is like learning to drive a stick shift when you already know how to drive an automatic..You can have Windows on MACS too you know. Our grandson who just graduated from college with an animation degree had to have MAC for the art dept but windows for all the rest of his classes...give it a little thought and go see some MAC people and ask questions next time you find you need a new computer.
Thanks. I have Dragon 7 and it is much lacking, and was wondering how much better the newer version was. I tried Windows Vista speech to test but it lacks a lot as well.
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