BreatGritain

Thanks for your reply RandyL, And Ken, yesit has a recovery partition. There are files which will have already been deleted that Im worried could be recovered in the future after I reinstall xp.

Good evening, I'm soon getting rid of my old XP netbook due to an upgrade. I'll be selling it on eBay no doubt. I'm wondering how I would go about destroying my personal information from the laptop, whilst keeping XP intact? Windows was pre-loaded on the machine at time of purchase and as the netbook has no DVD drive I have no physical copies that I can re-install at a later date, but I want to make sure that my personal banking details and choices of Adult Entertainment Websites are kept private... Any suggestions?

Just guessing here... Using the start menu, find the software that installed with the USB stick and run it, there might be a way to connect through here. ( the software could have switched Windows' own software off) If your already doing that, try the opposite and use the Windows software as usual, it should in theory recognise the new hardware. Have you tried uninstalling the laptops original network card drivers, there might be a conflict?

http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/product/SVE1511P1EW/specifications Sony Vaio SVE1511P1EW, £450 ex-display model. I just wanted a new toy and couldn't help myself...

Hi Aquaman, If your SURE it's not the fan, it looks likely to be a motherboard fault. Possibly a dry solder joint behind the power connection for the fan. If you can remove the motherboard with ease it might be worth checking. I don't think it sounds like a software issue, most motherboards power the fan before even the BIOS loads, so apart from a faulty motherboard I'm not sure what it could be.

The best speed I personally have seen with a G wifi card is 22-23mb. I'm not sure if thats the maximum they can handle, just an observation from the job. I personally would be looking to upgrade that card to an N model, or try fix your hard wired problems... I can't be of much more help im afraid!

Hi Ken, Yeah I ran it for two hours, it runs through some tests which I didn't understand, but it said "Pass" after each one, so I guess thats good news... I kept speedfan open at the same time and CPU usage was at a consistant 100%. The CPU rose to about 48c for the duration of the test. The fan didn't need to speed up to compensate, and 30 seconds after I stopped the test running the CPU was back down at 37c. Seems perfect to me? The PC does seem better in itself, it isn't freezing as much.

It's perfect KenB, wouldn't expect anything less from you!

Where I work, one of our many, many targets is "Early Life Failures", where a customer calls in for another technicians visit within 7 days of the original install - perhaps BT have a similar target, perhaps the engineer was hiding something? Or, maybe it's legit with BT's infrastructure - I don't know. Whilst here, please advise the make/model of your WiFi adapter. How far away is the PC from the Router? Are there any walls inbetween? Is your router located near a TV, chordless telephone, hi-fi or other electronic stuff? It might be worth mentioning some slower pc's (not necesserily older, just ones that are running slow...) don't give an accurate speed test result when using a Flash-Based speed test website. Try http://www.speedof.me and see if you get similar results. Most ISP's don't even advertise a Wi-Fi speed, let alone garauntee one, as there are so many factors that can reduce the speed beyond their control. If you're getting the expected speed hard-wired, it's very likely that Sky won't do anything about your problem. Good luck.

Good morning, I've got a family members pc which was running slow. As one of my usual checks I installed fan speed which showed the CPU burning up. I've cleaned out the mass of dust from the heatsink and I want to test the temp when the computer is under a heavy load, but I can't think of any tasks which are quick easy an simple and will achieve atleast a 75% CPU usage for a good solid 10 mins.... Anyone got any ideas of what I could use? Is there software available specifically for this task? Thanks for your help. Tom.

The Mixed reviews are fair. It's so much better than 7, it's also so much worse. For the sake of a £25 quid upgrade cost I would consider giving it a go atleast?

Hi Fran, welcome to ExTS, I would check with BT to see if they plan to upgrade your area to fibre optic anytime soon, as fibre would be better than a 3G service. If not, check on the Virgin Media website to see if your postcode is in a cabled area, as again this would be much better than 3G. If neither BT nor Virgin are any good then a 3G service might be the only way, but I wouldn't sign a lengthy contract, just on case it turns out to be worse than your current set up. It would also be worth pointing out thatany 3G services have relatively low download limits, so I would double check this with the provider as well.

On the Acer website (quick google search for Asus Aspire 5750 specs) it shows the laptop for sale with i3, i5 and i7 processors, so I would assume (but could be wrong) that it is possible to swap CPU's. As for where you could get a cheap one. eBay? Don't really have any other suggestions myself!

I apologise. I've broke down a few Shuttle XPC SFF computers and the PSUs from these were interchangeable with normal ATX ones, I assumed it would be the same theory.

Hi Timez, yes a normal atx PSU will work for testing

Thanks KenB I've sussed everything out myself, so a wasted thread maybe... The user accounts issue - again, exactly where you would find it in any previous version of Windows. The "Settings" bar on the right hand side of Windows 8 is very misleading, in that you can't actually change many settings using it - you have to find the control panel and change stuff the old fashioned way. As for the not being able to press enter issue - This was a problem which only affected this site (The returned key worked fine on other sites?). This was solved by downloading a half-decent browser which works as it is supposed to..... I'm now a Firefox user.

Hello. I'm struggling with Windows 8 at the moment. First of all since the clocks changed, Windows has decided to change the systems date to one day ahead - I can't change this in the System settings, I just cant find an option for it. Also I have three user accounts - One called Administrator, one called "Tom" and one with my email address - I want rid of them all except one, but again, I have no idea how to do it, I can't see an option. Finally this brand-spanking new Internet Explorer app won't allow me to press enter when typing here... This is why I haven't started any new paragraphs in this post... I can't do it... Pressing enter is just ignored.. Your help would be greatly appreciated if you know how to solve any of these issues! thanks! edit- I've solved the date crisis - it isn't changed in the systems settings, go to the "desktop" and click on the clock at bottom right. The same way as you've always changed the date and time in Windows.... Idiot... Hi, I have made you post a bit more readable :) ........KenB.

It depends on what channels are being used by your neighbours routers. You can download a program which tells you what channels other routers in your area are using (google search sonething like wifi scanner, and hope for the best). I usually use the blind technique and set routers' channels without bothering to do the above though, my personal preference is channel 11. I've been told that channels 1 and 9 are "better", although nobody has ever cared to explain why, and in what respect. To summarise: it's trial and error. Pick any channel, if it works, great, if it doesn't, pick another. KenB, why would you avoid channels 12 & 13? I've heard someone advise this before but I never knew why!

When you remove the front cover on a master telephone socket you're actually disconnecting all telephone extensions in the house. If its clear using the underneath socket the chances are its not the face plate itself that is faulty, but an extension wire running from the face plate to somewhere else in the house. If this is the case you should consider removing the extensions one by one and testing to see which is at fault, then permanently removing the offending cables.

Hi, Have you tried new SATA/ATA leads? Doesn't sound to be the likely cause but I would personally prefer to try this before re-flashing your BIOS! Tom.

Hah, yeah I think I will have to. I'd have preferred the sticker, if I upgrade someone else's pc I don't want it to look like I've installed a pirate copy and pocketed the cash.

I bit the bullet and went for it today. The Product key gets emailed, and they advise to print it off, so no COA sticker!

Hi Nev, I mean a sticker to shove on the side of the case. Thanks, Tom

Thanks guys, another question I have is, if I do upgrade online, do I get a COA? Thanks, Tom.

I've got a custom built pc at home which should easily run Windows 8, (even though I don't actually know what the system requirements are for 8...) I didn't bother downloading the trial version so I've never used it before, so I'm wondering really, would you upgrade to Windows 8 for the £25 cost? Would you hold back for now? Or would you avoid it at all costs forever? Thoughts?