Plastic Nev

Hi, OK a quick test first is try headphones or speakers in the Soundblaster headphone jack, if there is sound out, that confirms the sound card is OK. Next is to then plug the cable into the TV sound in jack, but before plugging it in to the sound card, touch the other end with your finger, an audible but maybe quiet hum should sound from the TV speakers, if not there are two possibilities, either the TV is not configured for that sound in jack, or the cable is duff. Check both and let us know. Nev.

Hi, when the two drives were first connected inside the computer after the problem with the case, did the drives show up in "My Computer" if so did you try a right click on them and what showed then? was there an option to open? if so what did you get? Provided there has been no damage to the drives own firmware/software, and mechanical parts, it should be possible to get at the data on them. If however there has been some damage done because they were powered up with those damaged pins, it may mean specialist attention which isn't cheap. Nev.

Hi and thanks, the disk seems fine then and should be no reason why a repair cannot work. It is strange why it gets into the first two minutes and then hangs at that. I will have to leave you with my friend Match, he may know a trick or two that I don't, however we may have to eventually go to a full system reinstall. That of course will wipe off all data now held on the hard drive. So with that in mind have you previously backed it up? If so where to? If an external hard drive or perhaps DVD or CD disks fine. If however there is stuff on the drive not backed up that you want to retrieve, there are ways to get at it if needed, just ask for help in that direction should it prove you need to do a full system reinstall. Nev.

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help I would be considering a different service provider, that drop in speeds is not acceptable and you should really be making some complaints to AOL. An example of what should be happening is my own service, because of distance from the exchange runs about 6.1 during the day, but at worse is only down to 5.8 in the evenings. Nev.

Hi, can you tell us a bit more about the disk you have, did you get it with the computer and what is written on the label please. Nev.

A blonde friend got a letter through the post last week. In big letters on it it said "DO NOT BEND" She hasn't yet worked out how to pick it up.

Hi Kryton, I would go back to that E Buyer site and look round on there first for that cable, they do sell just about everything on there. Nev.

Hi, my first suggestion is to update the WMP 10 to the latest version which is WMP 11 and see if that fixes the problem for you. Nev.

First a laymans description of "Flashing" a BIOS, means to update with a new version, this wipes the BIOS and reinstalls new firmware. Unfortunately the process is known to sometimes go wrong, resulting in no BIOS at all. Considering the BIOS itself is showing as OK I doubt that is the source of the problem, but some quite worrying bad reports, and especially the VIA Bus Master IDE Controller Bad, along with other bad reports doesn't look too good. However Tootech may have some answers, though the one thing I suspected, the graphics card also shows as bad, it just may be all down to that. However wait for a reply from Tootech before going further, he will confirm whether I am right or wrong. Nev.

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help eliza. I see you have already started and hope we can help you out. best of luck with it. Nev.

Hello and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help, as Rebecca said, please don't be nervous, I also knew nothing when I first started and we have all been there, so any question is always treated with respect and the best help we can give. Nev.

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. This sounds like an overheating problem so the graphics are switching off because it is too hot. Turn the computer off and turn off the power at the wall socket. Turn the case on it's side and remove the lid, usually two screws and the lid slides out. Check for dust around fans and heatsink fins, also if a graphics card is fitted check heatsink and fan on that for dust. A soft brush and if obtainable, a can of compressed air to remove the dust. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, it can create damaging static. Hope that helps, Nev.

Hi, and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. Do you have a separate graphics card? that could be faulty, here are a few suggestions, If a separate card, is there a chance you can try the card in another but similar computer to see if it does the same thing. Again needing another computer, can you try the monitor on another machine? Also can you borrow a monitor and try it, does the borrowed monitor do the same? If you can try those, suggestions it may help in deciding what is at fault. If no good though, can you rell us what make and model the monitor is, and the make and model of your computer, we may be able to work from that. Nev.

Hi and welcome, we do not normally recommend repair people here, beside we don't know any where you are. We can offer help for you to try and sort it out yourself, but if you are reluctant to do so, I can only say that the best way is to look round your own area for a repair shop that has been in business for more than a year, if they can stay in business that long, they must be doing something right, OK? Also I have removed the link in your signature, we do not allow links to businesses. Besides, it didn't work. Nev.

Thanks for that Starbuck, a bit of good news for those who use McAfee and got caught out with it. Pity I don't use it, I could have claimed and become rich :D

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. Can you tell us a bit more about any messages you get on screen when this happens, also it may be of help to us if you can tell us the make and model of your computer. At the moment we need as much information as possible in order to help. Please also turn off the caps lock, it looks like you are shouting. Nev.

Hi Ann and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. I know some DVD disks don't tell you what exact type of disk they are but can you tell us are the disks it will read all of one type and those it won't read of a different type. I mean are they DVD+ or DVD- Or is it a case of it reads disks you have burned, but not commercial disks. Any thing else at all that may be a way of separating one type from another would be a help to try and identify what the problem may be. You could also try getting a DVD cleaner disk and see if that helps. Nev.

Are you sure this is the button for the monitor speakers or is it the computer volume button? What make and model computer is it connected to and what is the operating system, plus any knowledge you may have of the graphics system please. Nev.

Hi, I have had a quick look round and found the cheapest PSU at £59-99 available from EBuyer, have a look at what is available here- Power Supplies | Corsair PSU | Antec PSU | Coolermaster PSU - Ebuyer.com It is this one, an unknown make to me, but is rated at 800W Hi-Power Black 800W 14cm Blue LED Fan PSU - 20+4pin 4x SATA 4x PCI-E - Ebuyer Although of an odd or little known manufacturer, it seems to have a good performance rating with some good reviews from users. I don't have one, so cannot comment myself, but it looks good enough should I ever need a replacement. Nev.

Considering an external USB mouse works perfectly, (The drivers and software are the same for both) I go with Tootech it certainly sounds like the mouse pad and buttons are faulty, so send it back under warranty. Nev.

One other minor point, you mention you are using a wireless mouse, if the battery is going flat in the mouse, that could cause random disconnection of the mouse, thereby giving you the USB disconnection sound. That may not be the cause of your other problems though, so continue with the advice about checking for dust etc. Nev.

Although not Mac myself, I can see one very relevant thing. There aren't many posts in this the Mac section, and even less posts with actual problems to do with Mac's Yet the rest of the forum is all PC with faults and problems on every conceivable part of a PC. I reckon that tells it's own story.

A little bit late being a month on from first discovery perhaps, but better late than never. For people using Internet explorer, if you see a pop up requesting you to press the F1 key, do not do so, close out the window, preferably close Internet Explorer, reboot and then run anti malware programs, malwarebytes or similar. I have been made aware of this threat and also a link to Snopes for more information here- snopes.com: F1 Key Virus Also a link to the Microsoft security bulletin regarding this problem. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS10-022.mspx This vulnerability should now be patched by the recent Windows updates, however not all people will either have installed that update or worse have Windows updates turned off. Nev.

Hi and welcome from me. The make and model number and if possible the make and model of the motherboard fitted would be a great help, though if a manufactured machine such as a Dell or similar, make and model may be enough. If it is a Dell, the service tag number would be great. Nev.

Hi, in case you aren't sure about where to find the information Jelly Bean asks for, it will be in System Properties, which you should find in "Control Panel". Nev.