Computer questions

[Nam Taf]

Chiming in to say defiantely at least post what of the following you have if you're expecting us to provide any realistic, specific help:
a) processor
b) motherboard
c) how much RAM
d) whatever other specific information (sound problem? sound card (ie: onboard or extra soundcard). video problem? video card) may help

To find out what CPU & how much RAM you have:
start -> right click 'my computer' -> properties -> should tell you in the bottom-right kinda area.

Mobo is a bit harder. You need to download a program that can tell you. CPU-z is the easiest (download link in top left) - simply extract and run the .exe file. It'll take a couple of seconds to load, but can tell you a lot of information (CPU type, RAM type, etc). Motherboard details are under the 'mainboard' tab - manufacturer and model are handy pieces of information for us.

To get videocard information, simply right click on your desktop -> properties -> settings tab and it should say roughly halfway down something like 'plug and play monitor on nVidia GeForce 7800GTX' - in this case, my videocard is the nVidia GeForce 7800GTX.

I'll try to keep it in my mind to visit this thread every now and again, to check up to see if I can help. I should be able to help take the load off the two or three geeks in here answering all the questions.

[FerretallicA]

[edit reason="wankered during original post"]
Nam Taf- that program is awesome, I'd never even heard of it before. Cheers for a top post

[pipsqeek]

Seagate bought out Maxtor. So the latters drives should have better reliability these days.

Seagate were also the first manufacturer to use tru SATA chipsets on their drives. Where as the rest used PATA to SATA bridge chips... advertising them as "faster" when really they were just the same.

Don't use a vaccum cleaner on your PC. Don't wipe anything with any "Duster" type of thing. For those that have and haven't fried the PC, you're lucky.

Best solution is to go get a car on compressed air from Dick Smith or Jaycar, and use that from a fair distance, 30cm+.

Other then that. If you have access to one, use a small hobby air compressor (this is what I do, and haven't had any 2nd hand PC I've sold or donated to the poor die on me yet).

pipsqeek

[FerretallicA]

Originally Posted by MeKaChrOme

Cheers, usually I do post all the details, 'cept i was in a rush this time In any case, it does appear to be one of the hard drives - I've been running a couple of days with that drive unplugged, no problem at all... On top of that, other evidence pointed to the hard drive failing to power up once it entered sleep mode..... Good thing it isnt' my system drive

The only explanation I can think of that makes any sense is if you have a cheap and/or old power supply and it's struggling to power everything. It seems extremely unlikely for a fault in the hard drive to cause a MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION error in itself- especially if it's not the drive all your OS-critical files are stored on.

[-Kalmah-]

How much power keeps running through a computer when it's turned off? I just bought a new pc and noticed that when I turn it off the pc activitey light on my cable modem stays lit. It used to go out with my other pc. I was just wondering why that is.

[Nam Taf]

You'll probably have a USB cable modem - in that case, the reason it stays lit is the USB rail (a +5v rail) is kept powered, even when the computer is 'off'. This is also why you probably have a little LED on your motherboard lit at all times, to show that there is power in the motherboard.

edit: slightly wrong there - clarified over MSN: The fine lass has now got it plugged directly to an ethernet port, whereas before she had a usb -> ethernet converter. Nowadays, computers have 'wake-on-LAN' ability, where you can send a certain bit of information to the network LAN port and it will tell the computer to turn on. Obviously, to do this, you need to have the network card having power and maintaining a connection all the time, which is why connection lights will stay on.

[Lord Tim]

That really rams home the point that even when the computer is "off" it's not REALLY off until it's disconnected from the mains, so it's not wise to do any card swapping or pouring of coffee into the machine until then.

[pipsqeek]

Computers usually keep power going to USB as well as Network cards. Especially when the feature "Wake On LAN" is enabled in the BIOS.

pipsqeek

[Nam Taf]

Originally Posted by Lord Tim

That really rams home the point that even when the computer is "off" it's not REALLY off until it's disconnected from the mains, so it's not wise to do any card swapping or pouring of coffee into the machine until then.

Agreed. Don't do what I do, and swap expansion cards when the computer is still plugged in. Pull out the power cable (I am not sure if the power switch (NOT THE VOLTAGE SWITCH FOR CHRISTS SAKE DO NOT TOUCH THAT) on the back of the PSU cuts the power completely - it may), wait at least 5-10 seconds for all capacitors to discharge and lose all their power, THEN start fiddling.

A lot of motherboards nowadays acutally have an LED on them, which stays lit when there's power. They also stay lit when there's power in the capacitors too, so a safe bet is if you have one, let it switch off, then wait a couple of seconds to be sure and start fiddling. Better safe than sorry.

[Lord Tim]

The best one I ever did was with an old AT power supply on a Pentium 133. I can't remember what I was doing but I unhooked the power supply from the motherboard to do stuff and then plugged it back in.

Hit the power and BANG!! Massive blue spark and a puff of smoke.

Turned out when I hooked the power supply back onto the board, I connected it 1 connector along (how I managed to do that is beyond me!) and it shorted the power supply - all 240 volts of it - out in my hands!

Thankfully they changed the plug system after that to make it more idiot proof, but that taught me a big lesson about being careful with mains power.