IT Queries: Computer problems answered

When I am on the internet, there will be times that my computer completely goes off and back to the screen where you click your name to log in. This happens at random times and with no specific website. I have run a virus program. No virus issues. This started about a month ago and is progressively getting worse. I am working on a Compaq Presario pc in windows xp home edition. Never had this problem in the past.

If this is only happening while you are on the net then malware is the most likely culprit regardless of what your virus program says so you should follow our Removing a Trojan instructions to make sure you don’t have an infection.

Should you be clear of any infection, it’s likely your computer is overheating and causing it to reboot. You may need to call a technician to clean out dust out of the system and check all the internal fans are working.

I am using an Intel P4 HT 3.0GHz, ASUS P5SD2-VM motherboard and a 512Mb of DDR2 RAM. All the games I run on my PC, even the lightest game e.g. IGI, GTA Vice City etc, jerk and swap greatly. I even tried to share about 256Mb of my RAM with the Internal VGA chip SIS Mirage 3, but the performance remains the same. Please try to solve this problem.

The problem is your system has an inadequate graphics card. The built in SIS car isn’t really capable of much beyond basic computing which is fine for doing email, most web surfing and office application but hopeless for anything that puts demands on the video capabilities.

Your best bet is to install a third party graphics card, according to the ASUS website this motherboard can fit one PCI-e expansion card. Consult your local computer technician on the right card to install, list the games you want to play so the most suitable card can be selected.

XP Professional, Version 2002, 2.80GHz running Firefox. After connecting and browsing for less than 15 Min’s, there becomes no response as if the signal had gone. pages will not load, emails cannot be sent. Lights on usb device still flash blue and task bar icon states very good signal. This continues frequently.

Will this be a computer problem or a wireless device problem?

The problem is almost certainly a driver issue. The software supplied on many Internet Providers’ disks is often outdated or simply buggy and this is very frequently the case with Bigpond.

To fix this first download the latest drivers for your wireless broadband equipment from the Bigpond website. Note where you have saved the downloaded files so you can use them later.

Once you’ve downloaded the drivers, unplug the USB modem from your system and go to Add/Remove programs and uninstall all Bigpond software along with anything referring to Maxon or Sierra software and drivers.

Restart your computer without the wireless modem plugged in and install the software you downloaded earlier. During the installation you may be asked to plug the device in, otherwise leave it disconnected.

When you’ve finished installing the updated software, restart the computer and once the computer is running, plug the device in. It should be detected as a USB wireless device and the Bigpond connection manager should start. Fill in the required details and you should be connected.

We would like to dispense with our satellite TV service and stream video from the internet to our 32 inch LCD TV, but our computer (Pentium 4, 3 GHz, 1.5 gig memory, video card GeForce FX5200 with 128 meg) can’t stream images at full screen without breaking up. We have a DSL connection (100 Mbps)and a wireless network running at 36 Mbps.

If we upgrade to a computer with a dual core pentium and a video card with 256 meg RAM, could we stream smooth full screen video at 100 mbps and/or 36 Mbps? I don’t know where the bottleneck is, help!

You will have to upgrade your system as the 128Mb video card and Pentium IV CPU are going to struggle with the resolution required for a 32″ screen and you’ll need the faster CPU, chipset and hard drive to deal with the amount of data you want to move around.

The new system should have at least a 1Gb video card and compatible outputs to the TV, preferably an HDMI connection if your TV supports it. The fact you’ve been able to connect a Pentium IV to the TV indicates the display has a VGA or DVI input.

Keep in mind that it’s not just your PC or screen that matters. If you are streaming off the net, you need to check your ADSL connection is reliable. You may want to visit speedtest.net to check you are getting the speeds advertised by your ISP as sometimes problems with your phone line or equipment can stop you getting the best performance.

This post is a follow up our earlier answer on Windows XP won’t install

I’ve run the Dell diagnostic CD and no problems were found. I’ve loaded a different version of XP from another CD with similar results. When I try another reload, you receive a message that there is already an operating system on the hard drive do you want it deleted.

This suggests that XP is being loaded but can’t be booted/activated. I now have a variation on the earlier results in that when the computer attempts to boot into XP it requests that the Service Pack 2 CD be inserted then press Enter. Doing this had absolutely no effect.

What you’re describing is consistent with what we suggested in our previous post. If anything, it indicates the problem is with your hard drive.

The Dell Diagnostic CD doesn’t run a disk surface check unless you choose Extended Test and this is what you’ll need to do. Note that Dell advise this may take an hour, however if errors are found it can take substantially longer.

Dell have more details on their Diagnostic programs on their website. If your system is still under a Dell warranty, you should note any errors reported by the Diagnostic routines and call Dell support for further assistance.

I have a pc with Windows XP. A few seconds after I turn it on (ie immediately after the Dell logo disappears), I get a message saying “1. Auto Detect (Digital Input)” and then another message saying “1. Auto Detect Entering power save”. Nothing on the keyboard then lets me do anything and the screen blacks out. The pc keeps making a whirring noise but nothing happens until I turn it off, either by holding in the on button or by turing it off at the wall. The pc is two years old. This happened a month ago for some days, and then one day it just started up as normal. Now it has happened again and has been continuing for about a week. Please help!

The error message means your monitor isn’t receiving a signal from computer. There’s two likely causes for this; a video card problem or a loose cable.

If it is a loose cable, you simply need to check all the video connections into the monitor and the computer are properly connected. Be careful with tightening the thumbscrews as these only need to be finger-tight. Screwing them in too far may cause problems down the track.

Should it turn out not to be the cables then it’s the video card that is causing the problems. Sometimes cards work themselves loose over time and it may just require a technician to open the case and reseat the card.

It may be however the card is failing and needs replacing. If so, it may be time to consider a new computer as some systems have the video circuits built into the motherboard. Talk to your technician before deciding on this.

I can’t reload Windows XP into my Dell Computer. The first attempt was rejected Error Code 7 – couldn’t find a file. Now it loads all the data from the the XP CD then when it goes to boot into Windows there appears to be nothing there. The response is “A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart”. If you press Ctrl+Alt+Del you get the same response.

There could be three problems here, either the hard drive is corrupt, the XP installation disk is damaged or the computer’s CD/DVD drive isn’t reading the disk properly.

The first part is easy, just follow our instructions on the CD not reading disks post. Giving the drive a clean probably won’t hurt at all even if it isn’t the problem.

Checking the XP disk for damage is also simple, shine a light onto the disk and tilt it to see if there are any scratches, dirt or smudges. If the disk isn’t excessively scratched, you can clean it up with a chamois or a commercial CD or DVD cleaning kit which retails from $5 upwards.

Finally there is checking your hard drive for errors. To do this, boot the computer off your XP installation disk and follow Microsoft’s instructions for using the Windows XP Recovery Mode. Once in recovery mode, check your hard drive for bad blocks. Keep in mind this can take several hours to run.

Experience shows a faulty XP installation is often due to errors on the hard drive, so be prepared to buy a new hard drive or system if chkdsk shows excessive bad blocks.

I have a Dell with Windows XP. Family photos and music downloads have loaded the computer. Would putting the photos and music on an external hard drive free up the computer to run faster?

For sure. One of the causes for slowing computers is a full hard drive and one of the reasons for a full hard drive are a mass of photos, videos and music.

You should keep in mind that external drives do fail so you still need to back the data up. So get a second external hard drive or continue burning those valuable pictures to DVD.

My external Hard Drive( Western Digital) 160 GB has failed. The indicator light does not light up when connected to my PC or Laptop. Is it the cable , if not , how to retrieve the data inside ?

It sounds like the power supply has failed on the drive. If that is the case, then it’s simply a matter of opening the external drive’s case, taking out the hard drive and putting it in a computer or another external case.

Your local computer shop or technician should be able to do this for under a $100.

Keep in mind all hard drives fail, so backing up external drives is still important.

Hello, when my computer boots up I see the following: Master disc HDD S.M.A.R.T capability disabled.

Is this a problem and if it is what do I do to fix it?

S.M.A.R.T stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology a function built into modern hard drives that gives early warning of problems inside the drive.

On your system S.M.A.R.T has been disabled which means your system will not be watching for those early warning signs of trouble.

Turning this on is fairly simple but the setting will lie deep in your system’s BIOS settings and you’ll have to get a computer tech or the unit’s supplier to change those settings.