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Thread: PC Problem...

  1. #261
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryllharu View Post
    Windows 8 has lost dll's on me when I've swapped hardware before. It is weird, but it happens.
    I find that a bit hard to believe, but then again, it's that miserable pile of turd Win8 that stinks almost as bad as Vista. I have said it before, but when I built my current machine, which only shared, of the central hardware (because I cloned the HDD to an SSD), the video card with the old machine, and it was even an AMD->Intel mobo/CPU switch, I simply reset Win7 to default driver state (there was a fancy command for that) and booted the new computer with the same Windows installation. Win7 noticed something's different (no shit) and fixed hardware conflicts during the boot, then I needed to reboot and Win7 launched perfectly. Apparently Win8 is, surprise surprise, far less capable if your analyses are correct, Ryll.

  2. #262
    Family Friendly Mascot Buffalobiian's Avatar
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    I've done the hardware-independant-boot (same thing Kraco's talking about) config when I installed my new motherboard, but I've also backed that up and tried simply putting in the new mobo. Both ways seem to give me the same result as far as hardware issues go. The benefit of putting in the mobo directly is that things like desktop icons and appearance customisations are left as is.

    If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~

  3. #263
    Burning out, no really... David75's Avatar
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    I think I was right to wait for win8 to be dead before changing my work laptop.
    Since this is an old machine, did you really need win8/8.1 ?
    Maybe it is related to your work and did not have much choice.

    Like Kraco said, trying to wipe drivers clean and install an older version first could help.

    All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening. And then: Golf.

  4. #264
    Procacious Polymath Ryllharu's Avatar
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    Swapped a registry key value and I'm limping along again. Timed Lockout or something...set it to 10,000 minutes.

    However, let's not place the blame solely on Windows 8.1. The CRT works out of Safe Mode now...but the LG monitor still doesn't. That's still a worthless piece of crap, and I'm never buying another LG monitor.

  5. #265
    What's up, doc? Animeniax's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryllharu View Post
    I'm perched on the edge of my serviceable and affordable Ikea couch, typing away on my laptop with my desktop in the other room. A cup of lukewarm tea on one side of the coffee table and a serviceable and affordable bottle of bourbon on the other. The ceiling fan spins slowly, making a faint creaking noise every so often. The sun has come up, leaving the sky an eerie, toxic yellow. It's not warm enough to be comfortable, not cold enough to put on socks. The distant hum and thunks of the aging refrigerator is a grating distraction. The stale smell of yesterday's evening meal lingers faintly in the room, as it always does until I cook something else.

    There's an ancient CRT sitting on the desk, with my keyboard pressed right up to the edge, poking over just enough to make typing uncomfortable. I'm booted up into Windows 8.1 Safe Mode (achieved with difficulty). It's been four days since my old video card choked on dust and burned out its circuitry. Two days since a replacement video card arrived. Two long days. Too-busy days. Explorer indicates that there's another 2 hours to move all my files on to an external.

    The new video card purrs pleasantly like a cat sunning itself on a linoleum floor. Not at all like the throaty whine of the old card working through its paces, its fan steadily gaining dust without my knowledge. But the part that kills me inside is the monitor going to sleep moments after windows boots. I don't understand. First comes the rage at the monitor. That sleek poseur used to be frequently consumed by ennui, thinking it knew better than my computer when a signal was being outputted. After I beat it into submission, I forgot about the issue. I got careless.

    Right before I was about to tug the computer over to my television to I get the bright idea that I have not one, but two ancient CRT monitors in the basement for just this kind of shindig. I tug the plug out of the apathetic LCD and press it smoothly into the back of the old workhorse, placed uncomfortably on the floor. A VGA-DVI adapter and I'm back in business. Or so I think.

    The computer still fails to wake the monitor after booting. I struggle, but manage to coax the aging beast into Safe Mode. I install the video card drivers and go for a reboot. Back in business...but my hopes filled only to be dashed moments later. The monitor, even the dependable CRT, still goes comatose like a junkie that got a bad batch.

    I struggle to get the old beast into the BIOS. I try each of the display adapter settings, except Onboard which is screwed shut. No dice. I drop back into Safe Mode and load up the brower. I test the LCD again, figuring the problem ain't it, its some part of the corrupted OS. I leave it in Safe Mode and swap the cables, eager to get off the floor. Again, the smart-mouthed punk still thinks it knows better. Piece of trash ain't worth the plastic its made out of. I push the CRT on the desk and plug the cables back in. Always nice to have a reliable friend in trying circumstances, there for you when it really counts.

    Searches end in vain, results from 2009 or calls to update my drivers. Hope wells with reports of power settings, only to realize they're talking about it going to sleep after 15 minutes. What a bunch of worthless shitheads, I muse. I stumble upon vaguely worded instructions about disabling a phantom monitor. Looks promising. Same symptoms, hopes rise again. I manage to find the keystroke combination (it's only a single button on a laptop) and try for the switch. A prompt comes up, telling me my computer isn't set up for multiple monitors. Hell.

    I go for the last resort. Windows Refresh. I cozy up, spirits lifted that it identified missing files. Corrupted dll maybe? I set it off, and requests a form of media to restore the missing files. I pull out the disk, a smile of relief just starting to form on my face. This Disk Isn't Valid, the screen reads. Of course it is, I shout inside my head. It's a legal copy...of Windows 8, not 8.1. No way out, time to back up my files and fry the whole thing.

    So I sit here with a barely warm cup of tea, wondering if I should even bother to restore the seven year old beast. The motherboard and Window 8 get together like a couple at marriage counseling, arguing whether or not they should even accept the USB 3.0 card. They agree to have it live apart from either of them, unless the motherboard got back with her old flame Windows Vista, the restore partition.

    I'm too impatient to build a new PC from components. I'm a busy guy, with lots of responsibilities and no where near enough time on my hands to get to them all. A lot of projects need my personal attention, and this is just the latest one. At the same time, I have more important things to spend the money on instead of buying a lithe and sexy pre-built model.

    I hang my head in my hands and click, "Submit Reply."
    Bwahahaha I love how you say "I'm a busy guy, with lots of responsibilities and no where near enough time on my hands to get to them all," but somehow have the time to write dissertations about absolutely nothing.


    For God will not permit that we shall know what is to come... those who by some sorcery or by some dream might come to pierce the veil that lies so darkly over all that is before them may serve by just that vision to cause that God should wrench the world from its heading and set it upon another course altogether and then where stands the sorcerer? Where the dreamer and his dream?

  6. #266
    Procacious Polymath Ryllharu's Avatar
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    Artistic license is clearly lost on you.

    It can be safely assumed that you just didn't even read it and skimmed to the bottom.

  7. #267
    Awesome user with default custom title poopdeville's Avatar
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    A few weeks ago, I had a power outage, and my server machine stopped booting. I fiddled with it, and finally changed the battery, and it started booting again. I got a new battery for it, and it stopped working again. It doesn't even post.

    I was having motherboard problems, so I replaced it with a $25 upgrade. It's still not booting, though. Is there any easy/cheap way to tell if the problem is the CPU, case (i.e., wiring), or power supply?
    "After all, I am strangely colored."

  8. #268
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    If you checked no cables and wires are loose, then it's not the case. The case is just a box keeping the components in place, and it's not really connected to the functional parts of the computer aside from power and reset buttons and leds. CPU is hard to test individually unless you have another compatible computer, and even then it would be a pain in the ass with all the CPU cooler removing and reinstalling. But since you already replaced the mobo, it means if everything else works, then the CPU is the culprit. PSU you could also test with another computer and much more easily than a CPU. It's also possible to test the PSU rudimentarily totally outside of the computer. You'd just need to short-circuit two specific wires of the big mobo connector, which is a signal to the PSU that the computer is turned on. After that you could test there's current available in the various cables with a multimeter, spare fans, and whatever runs with the available voltages.

    PSU problems are annoying in the sense than when a PSU dies, it can take a bunch of other things with it. The cheaper the PSU, the higher the danger.

    Other than that, you could try to remove all removable components one at a time and see if it makes any difference. Unless you already did that.

  9. #269
    What's up, doc? Animeniax's Avatar
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    Do you mean you changed the CMOS battery? Based on the power outage, I'd say it's the PSU. Do you have a spare PSU you can swap out?

    As for the case, like Kraco said the case wiring probably isn't the issue. Maybe there's a short where part of the motherboard is contacting the case. Most motherboards have indicator lights to show they are receiving power, do you see that light?


    For God will not permit that we shall know what is to come... those who by some sorcery or by some dream might come to pierce the veil that lies so darkly over all that is before them may serve by just that vision to cause that God should wrench the world from its heading and set it upon another course altogether and then where stands the sorcerer? Where the dreamer and his dream?

  10. #270
    Awesome user with default custom title poopdeville's Avatar
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    Yeah, I meant the CMOS battery.

    Update: I got a new PSU today, and it's still showing the symptoms. It seems like maybe the computer got a little further along in the boot process (maybe), since the symptoms were slightly different. The computer powers on for about 1-3 seconds, and then restarts. So, I see the fans spin up, hard drive come on, etc. And then it all stops for a few seconds, and then it restarts. I fiddled with it for a while, and now it won't even do that much. This is with a new motherboard and PSU.

    I hear what Kraco said, but I am still concerned the problem is the "case" -- by which I mean the power switch or its wiring.

    The old motherboard has lights, and they came on. The new one doesn't have lights, as far as I can tell.

    It's definitely either the CPU or switch or RAM (FFS...).

    Addendum: It turns out you can test the power switch by plugging the reset switch in its place on the mother board. Still have problems. So it's either the RAM or CPU.

    FFS, I'm not excited about that. I really wish I knew which it is. If I knew it was the CPU, I'd just get a Core 2 Quad to replace the e5200 dual core. But now I feel like I have to hedge with a 20$ Core 2 Duo in case I need to replace the RAM too.
    Last edited by poopdeville; Wed, 12-24-2014 at 12:34 AM.
    "After all, I am strangely colored."

  11. #271
    I would point to the CPU. When RAM fails (among many other things) the motherbard gives some beeps warning. You can mount the motherboard outside the case and turn it on by making contact on the power pins (with a screwdriver for example). First time you do it only with CPU to see what it does (should give beeps depending on what components it lacks) and then you go adding components one by one.

    http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
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  12. #272
    Awesome user with default custom title poopdeville's Avatar
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    Yeah, that makes sense. It's not getting anywhere near far enough to POST, so the motherboard probably isn't getting far enough to check for memory.

    I bought a Core 2 Duo E6600. I'll get a Core 2 Quad Q6600 in a few months, maybe. I have enough spare parts to almost build a new one. All I will need is the new processor for mine and some RAM for the old motherboard.

    Is Win XP the one where microsoft started making it impossible to swap the motherboard out from under it? (Mom's computer is about a quarter as fast as mine)
    "After all, I am strangely colored."

  13. #273
    Family Friendly Mascot Buffalobiian's Avatar
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    It's all possible as long as you ring MS and let them know what's happened. I thought it was Vista though, since that's when they started really making activation "mandatory".

    If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~

  14. #274
    Vampiric Minion Kraco's Avatar
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    Dunno what's impossible considering I took a Win 7 installation on a HDD from my previous computer, cloned it onto an SSD and jammed it into a system with a new mobo, new CPU, new RAM, new PSU and a new case. Only the video card and the DVD drive remained the same. As an added extra the old PC was AMD and the new one was Intel. Win 7 told me it suspected the hardware had changed (quite a Sherlock), and required reactivation. So, I needed to press the single button in the computer properties and it reactived automatically. Office 2010 wasn't as agreeable and I needed to make a most annoying phone call to MS and talk with a robot, but all in all it wasn't such a huge a thing either to get reactivated.

  15. #275
    What's up, doc? Animeniax's Avatar
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    @poopdeville; I have a Q6600 I don't use, and 6GB of RAM that's compatible. Yours for the cost of shipping.


    For God will not permit that we shall know what is to come... those who by some sorcery or by some dream might come to pierce the veil that lies so darkly over all that is before them may serve by just that vision to cause that God should wrench the world from its heading and set it upon another course altogether and then where stands the sorcerer? Where the dreamer and his dream?

  16. #276
    Awesome user with default custom title poopdeville's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Animeniax View Post
    @poopdeville; I have a Q6600 I don't use, and 6GB of RAM that's compatible. Yours for the cost of shipping.
    Wow Ani, I'll definitely take you up on that. PM sent. Thank you!
    "After all, I am strangely colored."

  17. #277
    Family Friendly Mascot Buffalobiian's Avatar
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    Can any of you recommend a ramdisk software? Preferably one that mounts upon boot.

    If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~

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