Plastic Nev

Hi, uninstaling drivers from device manager is usually all that is needed, and if the machine is on line, it should also find the most up to date ones itself when asked to do so. I suspect that the drivers are OK now as they show up in device manager as installed and working anyway, so my guess now maybe there is a hardware fault. Any way there is still one thing to check and needs a look in the BIOS, not sure though about the HP machines access to BIOS so try F11 on start up, or hopefully you already know it. Once in the BIOS have a look and see if the sound device is listed there and showing as active or turned on. Nev.

Hi, the only thing I can add, is that Toshiba gave all the hardware drivers as backup on a separate disk for my Equium, so if you have that disk, I suggest a total uninstall of the disk drive, Windows should then present it with its own generic drivers, which should then be enough to reinstall everything else from the disk. Nev.

Hi and welcome. Of course Randy is a genius. Shhh, he is also the boss, any minute now it will be the big shout " Nev, my office now!!! :D :D Nev.

There may still be some lingering Ken, so if Starbuck wants to take a look it may help. But where you are coming from could also be a start. Twiceshy, have a look at what KenB has suggested for us please and let us know what you find. Nev.

Hi again, that Barracuda 7200_11 drive is SATA, so does not even have that function of slave. Only the older IDE drives needed that. If you connect the drive using that cable to your working computer, the working machine should tell you a Mass storage device has been connected, you should then be able to hunt for and find the file you want, in exactly the same way you would if you were using a flash or pen drive. If however the working computer does not recognise the drive at all, I am afraid the drive may be duff. In that case, it may need professional file rescue, which would cost. Tootech, or other members may have a bit more information for you should it turn out the drive is duff. Nev.

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Alan. I also like trying the freeware that may be useful to me too. As well as Randy's advice I always scan the download before opening it, just in case it harbours a nasty. Let me know if you aren't sure how to do that, and I will explain. Nev.

Hi, if your still keeping an eye on this thread, a good idea now is go back to the original thread and have a further read of it. It now seems that a rootkit installed by hackers may be the overall problem, you will find I have given a link to a good scanner on that thread. Nev.

A good one to run is F-Secure's Blacklite from here- BlackLight Nev.

Hum, those disks are just the various drivers disks for the motherboard, printer etc. How did you reset the system back to manufacturers settings last time? Nev.

Great news, thanks for the feedback. I use the free version in all cases now to remove unwanted programs, even the free version hunts out and offers for removal, all the odd bits of the original that normally get left behind by the usual uninstallers. Nev.

Hi, again, and quietly laughing here, but in seriousness, if in future this happens and you would like us to delete something for you, just click on my name, or any other staff member, on the left, a drop down panel appears, just select- "Send a private message to ----" That being the quickest way to let one of the staff know your request. Anyway, back to this sound problem, have you got anywhere yet with the drivers issue? Nev.

Hi, and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help, all good advice there from KenB. I will try to explain what happens to any file on your hard drive. When you first create a file, either a simple word document, or a massive half hour of video and anything in between, the system gives that file an address, this is similar to the name you might give it, and is actually closely linked together and does carry that name as well. When you delete a file, all that happens is the address is removed from the system, the actual data is still there on the disk. However because the address has gone, that is a bit like the little overwrite protection switch on a memory card or on the old floppy disks, the overwrite protection is gone, so new files can be written over the space occupied by the old file. However if nothing new is added, that old file is still there on the hard drive, no address to it, but still there all the same. There is actually software available that can hunt out, find and then show those files and contents, even though the address is gone. Those programs are known as "Data recovery programs" and are available for free as well as paid for versions. In order to remove all personal data from a hard drive you do need to use something similar to the "Kill Disk" that Ken mentions. These programs work by overwriting random data over the entire disk, thereby "killing" any data. However, because of the data tracks and its width on the disk, it can still leave information on the edge of that track that the overwrite doesn't quite clear. The determined individual with complex equipment can still retrieve data from a hard drive, even after a random data overwrite, because of this small amount on the edge of the original file. The only sure way to remove the risk of data recovery in cases where it is of vital importance that it isn't recovered, is by physically destroying the drive itself. However, for normal cases such as yours where you wish to just sell on the machine, a run through with that "Kill Disk" is more than sufficient. I believe that one does multiple passes of overwrite, therefore making data recovery more difficult. The normal person doesn't have access to the sophisticated equipment that would be needed to get at any data after that treatment. Hope that gives you a better idea and knowledge of how it all works, Nev.

Hi, Although the operating system or even the BIOS is coming up with the not connected message, have you tried anything in those sockets, say a memory stick in the USB port or headphones in the audio socket, do they work? or is there nothing from them at all? If the latter, I suspect a MB fault. Nev.

This is all rather interesting, the poll has been up now for some time, just short of two years in fact. I see most written opinion in the thread itself is against AVG, yet that is the poll leader at the moment, which I find rather strange! We, as some sort of expert in one field or another, who have made comment, are in general against AVG, myself included, so why are folk voting for it? My own preference is for Avast, or Avira's Antivir, both in their free versions, though at the moment running Avast, should anything go wrong with it, Antivir would be the next on my system. I also think this poll should perhaps be split between paid for against free, with both types being in the original poll, we don't really get a good idea of what folk think of the free versions in comparison with the paid for versions. Nev.

Hi, There is the possibility that the connectors have come loose, either through vibration or the pins of the connectors have become dirty. Turn off the PC at the wall socket, but leave plugged in, then remove the cover. You should be able to see the wires or cables from the front sockets and where they plug onto the mother board. Remove and replace each, one at a time. While the cover is off, have a look round, if there is any dirt and dust it will do it good to clean it out, use a small paint brush and blow it out, do not use a vacuum cleaner. Also check round for any signs of burning, discoloured components, smell etc. If all seems OK, replace the cover and try again. Nev.

Crumbs, I am late again. Welcome Starbuck, good to see you here. Nev.

OK, I think I can now say that the bad reputation and poor safety warning given by WOT may now be out of date and comes from that blog, plus bad links on it. It looks like the blog has been pulled and closed by Loaris because of this. As far as the software itself, it does have good reviews, both from C.Net and also Softpedia. Also there is nothing to say it is a rogue or scam either from spyware warrior. So it looks like a clean bill of health for now. I will of course keep an eye on it though, but it is obviously fairly new, being maybe just over a year old, and like a lot of good things, will take time to get established. I hope this is of some peace of mind for all, that when presented with something we don't know or understand, that thorough research is carried out. Including asking fellow moderators or technical helpers, even those we know from elsewhere, so thanks go to Starbuck, and also yourself Match. Nev.

Hi again, there would be no harm or cost in asking about any warranty, retailers do have a duty in law on that. However, there could be quite few different things that could be the cause of this problem as it stands now. Do you have any recovery disks, either a manufacturers recovery disk or better still a full disk of the operating system "Windows" originally from Microsoft? A full repair of Windows might cure the problem, but a disk is needed for that. The other thing may be a corrupt master boot record or worse a fault on the BIOS but lets take it one step at a time. Nev.

Cheers Match bud, I will start a bit more research myself now, might be a good idea to go ask one of the security guys if they know anything. Hrh Fish, if you do look in on this thread again, please bear with us for a while, but as yet do not be alarmed, it may all turn out to be a red herring or false positive. Any results I find I will post for everyone's benefit. Nev.

Hi helpmaboab, my guess is that it should still be under warranty, if it has been unreliable from new I can only recommend sending it back. We can of course probably help further if you wish, but we do normally try to stay away from any fixes that may invalidate the warranty. This is of course in your best interests. If you do wish to continue, can you tell us any more about the messages you get at start up before it freezes. Thanks, Nev.

Hi, There is an excellent uninstaller that we recommend, called "Revo uninstaller". If the program or game is still enough there to show, then Revo will find it, then uninstall it for you. You can download it and try it from here- Download Revo Uninstaller Freeware - Free and Full Download You can download the free version, which is the basic but still very good program, or try the pro version for 30 days, this reverts to the free version I think after the 30 days if you do not wish to part with any cash. Nev.

Hi, glad you got it sorted with the good old system restore, a wonderful invention. However, I also got that from Google, so ignored the red ring from WOT, and tried the link to Loaris, I got a Web Of Trust warning that the site has a poor reputation, yet McAffee site advisor said it is OK, all rather strange. Did you find anything out of the ordinary Match?

Hello and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help, helpmaboab, they also drive me potty and I have been helping other folk to keep their heads, and windows intact. There has been more than one ready to see if a laptop will work as a frizbee, straight through the window.:D

I am with Tootech all the way on this Bob, not only that, but it is the sort of thing I am looking for, so where do you get it from mate? Nev.

Hi, I just found this after answering your question in the "Software" section, please don't post in more than one place on the same subject, it gets confusing, both for us and eventually you. A new build machine should have a complete set of drivers for the motherboard, and should have come with it if a home build, if not, then you would need to get them either from the board manufacturer direct on line, or the retailer who sold the board. There will be other issues as well as sound, without the boards own drivers. Nev.