petef

That's good news, but just to claify, in post#5 you mentioned that the computer was getting "lazier" the longer the computer was on, so I'm wondering if applying the new heatsink grease which lowered the CPU temperature by 10 degrees actually solved that problem. ---pete---

Ok, I see that the above is about a whole new look for the forum which goes far beyond a simple logo change. I just hope he does not choose one of those black backgound type skins which are so hard on the eyes when reading text. My personal preference is always to go for functionality over fancy looks. Since we do so much reading here, it's so important to have colors that provide good contrast that makes it very easy on the eyes to read the posts. ---pete---

Cool, I'll be looking forward to that new logo. It would be really good to have an image in mind of the members that goes along with Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Fourums and also to begin dressing up the home page. ---pete---

Good job on applying new heat sink grease. That 10 degrees decrease in temperature on TMPIN2 (CPU) is substantial. The big question now is; Did the combo of fans and new heatsink grease solve your original problem? I suspect you will not see a great change in temperature by adding fans unless a particular component is getting excessivley hot. One way to to get the CPU cooking is to run a scanner program such as SuperAntiSpyware or AVG for about 10 to 15 minutes. You should see the CPU tempterature rise significantly during the scan. It would be interesting to see you run a scanner program for 15 minutes with all the extra fans going while monitoring TMPIN2 (CPU), then stop the fans and see how much the temperature increases. ---pete---

Ok thanks, that's the answer I was looking for. I was not aware that MS supports slip streaming. Thanks again! ---pete---

CCM, how are ya? I for one appreciate anyone who offers ideas to make the forum better. So even though your ideas are not universally accepted, don''t let that discourage you from making suggestions in the future. If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting that they come up with a unique logo for Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Forums. Correct? If correct then I agree that you have a good idea. However, by Wolfey's reply it seems that they may already have one in the works. Soooooooo, if I may I add to CCM's suggestion, how about having a little contest just for fun (no prizes), where the members of Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help are asked to submit their ideas/artwork for a new logo (ICON as you call it) for Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. How's that sound? The mods & administrators could be the judges or, they could even post a poll to help make the final decision. Sounds like fun to me. ---pete---

That's kind of what I'm asking about. Specifically in relation to rule#4 of Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help forums which forbids software hacks. I've seen topics on slipstreaming on various websites and links to those sites on credible tech forums, but it's still not clear to me whether slipstreaming is considered a software hack or if that type of thing would be forbidden by rule#4 of this forum. RULES... http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/rules-please-read/1721-rules.html PS: If this requires further discussion perhaps we can begin a new thread. I'll leave that judgement to you. Thanks. ---pete---

Ok guys, that's all good news about SP3. :) Is the topic of slipstreaming service packs an acceptable topic on these forums? ---pete---

I'm wondering, if we have a WinXP installation that is only up to SP1, can we skip applying SP2 and simply use the SP3 full installer to obtain all the required updates, or are we required to apply SP2 first and then SP3? ---pete---

Just to let everyone know, SP3 for WinXP is coming through when you do a manual Windows Update. I just performed a restore of WinXP from the recovery partition on a Dell Laptop which included SP2. Then I manually ran Windows Update and it downloaded one large SP3 file. SP3 installed with no problems, HOWEVER, I had to go back and get about 4 more updates. SP3 does not include Explorer7. Then one of the updates failed to install !!!! Fortunately the error code and help links at the Update page led me to the fix. I had to open a cmd prompt and re-register about 8 DLLs to fix the problem. After that, the last update installed properly. That's the latest news on SP3. :) ---pete---

With that in mind, you could also aim the fan at other components, such as the Power Supply (PSU) or the Hard drives to selectively cool different components and see if the problem goes away. The PSU can also act flakey if it gets too hot so don't rule that out yet. That's why I suggested using a large enough fan to cool everything and save a lot of time cooling individual components. ---pete---

Yes, it's often true that certain components will run cooler with the case side in place if the case design is critical. However, it's not always true and the best way to find out is by actually monitoring temperatures of key components such as the CPU, and hard drives. I've actually seen CPUs and HDs run cooler with the case side off, but it all depends upon the case design. For what DSTM is trying to do, I'm suggesting that he remove the side cover and go brute force with a 6" to 8" household fan which would circulates enough air to dramatically cool the entire PC. This would help to determine whether he has a heat related problem as he was originally suspecting. It the cooling the entire PC doesn't make a difference in performance over a period of time, he will know to look elsewhere for the problem. ---pete---

If you suspect that the computer is running slower over time as a function of overheating, you could try recording the current temperatures as your baseline data. Then open the case and and aim a small household fan into the case while monitoring the temperatures to ensure the computer is operating at a lower temperature. If you could get the temps to run 5 to 10 degrees lower than your baseline data, that would be good for this test. Then see if the computer is running any better over time. If you see any improvement, the you will know it's a heat related problem and not something else that is occurring over a period of time. ---pete---

Wow, I remember riding the school bus when that tune was popular. Back then I never paid much attention to the lyrics and still today I couldn't understand some of the words in the song. Thanks to the Interent in the year 2008, I found the lyrics. :) ---pete--- In the year 2525 If man is still alive If woman can survive They may find In the year 3535 Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies Everything you think, do, or say Is in the pill you took today In the year 4545 Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes You won't find a thing to do Nobody's gonna look at you In the year 5555 Your arms are hanging limp at your sides Your legs not nothing to do Some machine is doing that for you In the year 6565 Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too From the bottom of a long black tube In the year 7510 If God's a-comin' he ought to make it by then Maybe he'll look around himself and say Guess it's time for the Judgement day In the year 8510 God's gonna shake his mighty head He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been Or tear it down and start again In the year 9595 I'm kinda wondering if man's gonna be alive He's taken everything this old earth can give And he ain't put back nothing Now it's been 10,000 years Man has cried a billion tears For what he never knew Now man's reign is through But through the eternal night The twinkling of starlight So very far away Maybe it's only yesterday In the year 2525 If man is still alive If woman can survive They may find In the year 3535 Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies Everything you think, do or say Is in the pill you took today ....(fading

Sounds like good advise. I might add, if you do have an AMD processor, it's also a good idea to create your own image backup using a program such as Acronis or Norton Ghost, just in case something goes bad with SP3. ---pete---

XP SP3 crashes AMD machines By Stewart Meagher: Friday, 09 May 2008 Excerpt... Angry users have also reported that, after the installation, it is not even possible to boot in safe mode, usually the last resort before setting up a repeated forehead/screen interface. XP SP3 crashes AMD machines - The INQUIRER

JEBW, not in our life time, unless someome here lives another 100 years from now. Can you imagine being offered the opportunity to clone yourself and have that spare body in cold storage to be havested for replacement parts? That's one scenario, but what I was referring to in my post was geneitic engineering mastered to the point of being able to regenerate your own body parts. Imagine having a mechanical heart while your body generates a brand new heart to replace the one removed. It may be possibile someday, but I fear the day when they go against nature and begin producing hybrid beings by combining species that were never intended to be combined (by nature, God or whatever your beliefs) such as the creatures in pics of the original post in this thread. This is where things could go drastically wrong and have a devistating impact on the human race. ---pete---

I'm thinking that we just scratched the surface on genetic engineering, so it will take another 100 years to master that science. In the meantime, mechanical body parts will be the standard practice. Over time, the mechanical body parts will become old school as genetic engineering comes to the forefront enabling people to regenerate new body parts themselves. Cut off my arm? No problemo! I'll grow a new one. :) Go to the pet store and order an exotic pet that is a cross between a dog and a cat. Order it by color, disposition, size, etc.. Then one day all this genetic manipulaton goes wrong and ends up wiping out the entire human race, except for a select few. Those select few say... "It's not wise to fool with mother nature!" ---pete---

Kelly, I'm frequently fixing "slow" computers these days by removing the Norton/Symantec software. I'm finding that disabling all symantec items using MSCONFIG, SERVICES & STARTUP, is not good enough and the computer still runs slow, but once I totally remove all Norton/Symantec software, the computer comes back to life. It's an absolute crime that people are paying big money for security software that cripples their computer just as bad as the malware they are trying to protect against. For people with older computers runnng WinXP and less than 1GB RAM, the 4 programs I warn them NOT to install are AOL, NORTON, McAfee, and MS Office 2007. Those 4 programs have potential to slow the computer. ---pete---

Hey, that was not "Photoshopped Animals", it was a look into the furure to the year 3000 after man got deeply involved into genetic engineering. Ponder that. ;) ---pete---

I've seen SOLVED used on other sites, but I'm not so sure it's the best thing to do. Often times, I skip over a SOLVED thread when there might actually be some valuable info there for me to read or there could be something valuable I would be able to add to the thread. I've also seen SOLVED threads where I did have something valuable to add, but I didn't because the SOLVED designation discourages anyone from adding to it. So, it might be solved for that one individual, but there are sometimes other solutions or important info that could be added to a solved thread that would help others with a similar problem. I prefer to see threads left open, but if members begin taking the thread off topic after it's been solved, I prefer that the mods just close the thread. ---pete---

Yeah, that's disappointing news since we are led to believe that the new digital broadcasts are going to be so much better. What strikes me as odd with your case is that the Philly 57 channel seems to be coming in strong enough on the analog TV to give a clear picture, but yet, the digital converter is not providing perfect picture & sound. In that respect I tend to agree with your assessment that it not an issue with the antenna. This still makes me curious to see how it would perfom with a higher gain antenna. I'll be sure to let you know how I make out when I get my converter box. For me, I think it's going to be more diffiicult because most of my analog channels are now a bit snowy. ---pete---

Choosing an antenna... Everyone, The site below has a form to fill out (only zipcode required) and it lists all the TV stations (has filtering for digital only) in your area. Use this to determine what kind of antenna to buy. AntennaWeb For people in the NY/Phili, PA viewing area, I read a review on one of the converter boxes sold at Radio Shack from a guy centrally located between NY and Philidelphia and he had very poor luck getting his converter box to work, so I' thinking the antenna is going to be the most important factor for people who are trying to pull in the digital broadcasts from 40 miles or more from the transmitters. I'll probably get my converter box sometime in June 2008 so stay tuned for a report of my attempt to pull in the NY and Phili, PA digital stations from around the Trenton, NJ area. ---pete---

Kelly, I believe the antenna and cable are indeed a very important factor if signal strength is the limiting factor for some digital channels which are intermintantly dropping out or going blue screen. If I understand your problem correctly, some channels are not coming in well and the others are fine. Correct? If correct, then it means you need to supply a stronger cleaner signal to the receiver on those weaker channels and the only way to do that is to have a higher gain antenna. If you are running a long or lossy cable between the antenna and converter box, you can overcome the loss by adding a mast mounted preamp. Analog is much more forgiving as it handles weak signals by displaying the picture with more snow as the signal gets weaker, but digital requires an input signal with a certain power level and a minimum signal to noise ratio. If that threshold is not met the converter box will not display the picture. In other words, the weak digital channels require a better antenna than the analog channels do. With all that said, I think you can solve your problem with a better quality antenna. A higher gain antenna. That's why I'd like to know the exact type antenna (gain of antenna if you know it) and the length of cable between antena and converter box. I'm assuming you are using RG-6 cable that is relatively new. Also: It would be helpful know the converter box model and specs related to sensitivity. ---pete---

OK, good point about signal level. Here we need to address two concerns; sensitivity of the converter box and gain of the receiving antenna. What model converter box did you buy and what is the type and configuration of your antenna, including the length of cable and any adapters? I'm thinking you may need to buy a higher gain antenna and possbily a mastmounted preamp or maybe just a 20 db signal booster. What I'm not sure of is the broadcast frequencies range of *all* the digital channels in the NY/Phili area. In other words, do we need a UHF antenna or do we need a UHF/VHF antenna in our area. We also need to know about the different models of converter boxes on the market and which ones have the greatest sensitivity (ability to hold onto weak signals). ---pete---