Plastic Nev

Keep up with Starbuck first Gary please, he may find something wrong within the logs, as well as the fact that it seems there are some problems on your system, get that sorted first, then we can carry on if needed. It can only cause confusion trying to do two things at once. Nev.

Hi John, DSTM does now have the best idea, which is to remove the drive from the case and try it direct to the computer through the SATA on the motherboard. It may well be the electronic hardware inside the case has gone dud. It is all that is left now. Nev.

OK, Gary, we will leave this now till one of our malware removal guys takes a look at the logs for you. Once we get an all clear from that it can be taken further if needed. Nev.

OK Gary, I sent a message to Microsoft that the Windows.time.com site appeared to be down. A couple of hours later, I could then manually reset the synchronisation and then my hotmail worked. So click on the clock on the bottom right, click on the bottom line "Change date and time settings", in the next window that opens click the top tab "Internet time" Click "Change settings", In that next window check the drop down menu is showing "time.windows.com" Then click "Update Now", hopefully after a short time it will tell you it has synchronised. If so close out of it all and check your mail again. Let us know if that sorts it out or not please. Nev.

Hi John, those pictures aren't the page we wanted, you are running XP? If so try this, :- click start, then click "Run", in the box either copy and paste this or type it in. diskmgmt.msc Then click OK. You may have to drag the box fully open so we can see all that is shown please. It is in that window where we can then advise what to do next. Nev.

Hi Jim, out of interest, what was the tool you used on the 30 day trial please, may be of help for someone. Nev.

Please wait for one of our malware guys to take a look by all means, however I have posted a possible answer in the other thread you started here :- http://extremetechsupport.com/threads/16535-Not-able-to-open-Yahoo-Mail?p=109263#post109263 Otherwise if still concerned it may be malware related, please follow everything here. http://extremetechsupport.com/threads/15547-Before-posting-for-Malware-Removal-help-WinXP-Vista-Win7-Win8-amp-Win8-1#.VFPvDslKTE4 Follow the instructions in that posting then post your logs below here please. Nev.

Hi Gary, welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. I see you have asked for help with this issue in our Malware removal forum, so I only have a few things to ask before that thread is concluded. Is this happening using Windows Live Mail or some other client Gary? This problem may just be due to a time synchronisation problem, is the system clock on the bottom right corner showing the correct time? I know that the Windows time site seems to be down at the moment, and appears to have been down for a day or two. That might just be the root of the problem if yours is also only a few days old. My own MSN/Hotmail will not connect so went looking for why. Nev.

Thanks Ken, that more or less covers it. I did look in earlier and saw you had the disk but I was needed elsewhere so didn't have time to reply then. Mike, make absolutely sure you have got everything backed up on the other computer or external hard drive. Using the Windows Vista disk that you have, try and see if a repair can be carried out using that disk as per the link Ken gave. If it fails to see the disk, leave it in, turn the system off, then reboot trying the F2 or Del keys as Ken mentioned to get to the BIOS page and set it to boot from the CD/DVD drive, then try again. If still a failure to use that disk, then you can try the other Mesh Computers disk, again make sure it is set to boot from the CD/DVD drive. If no repair is available with that disk, you will have to allow it to go for the full recovery. Once the full recovery is completed the computer will be back to how it was when you bought it, so any programs will have to be reinstalled, so make sure you have the disks or if downloaded that you have the downloaded installation files saved on the external drive. After the recovery the first thing will be to reinstall all the previous updates, including the service pack 2, be warned this may take some hours, however while the system is downloading them and installing you can still start putting back some of the data. However don't install any programs till the updating is done, it will only tax the system and slow things down while the updating is going on. Best of luck with it, Nev.

If your other monitor is perfectly OK on the same computer, it has to be a fault on the monitor itself, possibly the actual screen itself, which is possibly signs of the screen being hit with something. Probably not salvageable, but would need a technician with the right tools to be sure George. Some screens can be replaced at reasonable cost, so worth looking into it at least and asking for quotes. Nev.

OK Mike, at least it is good to know the hard drive is seemingly OK. You mentioned in post 1 that you do have a vista service pack 1 disk. Can you tell us what is actually written on that disk, or better show us a photo of it please? Next question, do you have the product key code still on the sticker at the side or back of the computer? Nev.

Hi George, which monitor, the one you have been given? are you sure it is dud, have you been able to try it with both a VGA and a DVI connection? Nev.

The upgrade disk is unfortunately not a complete operating system as far as I know Jim, it just upgrades certain sections of the old Vista to the Windows 7 level. You might be able to do a repair from the Advanced Boot Options screen, (Tap F8 from start up) Or, providing you have the correct windows 7 product key, which actually will be the one that came with the upgrade disk, you could try a complete reinstall, however make sure whatever can be rescued is backed up first whichever way you try. To be sure you do have the correct product key, and you do know how to use Speccy, or even the Belarc advisor, they should tell you what it is. Nev.

For information only, for now this thread has been continued in the hardware section here :- http://extremetechsupport.com/threads/16528-pci-e-versus-pci?p=109234#post109234 We may eventually combine both threads once fully resolved. Nev.

As described in the manual, it is quite a complex procedure and means a major dismantle of most of the computer, just in order to fit the motherboard into the replacement panel. I wish you the best of luck with it George as the option of cutting a slot is going to be messy and still not have a secure means of holding the card in place. The other option may be to find another graphics card that is PCI only and fit that to the expansion riser, however being of a slower and older specification you might have difficulty finding one that you need at the price you can afford. Nev.

Your card won't fit those ordinary PCI slots, nore would it work if it were forced George. Now for the not quite so good news. I have just been back to full manual for all three different models of your computer and had another good read. Here is the link for the full manual. http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.BINARYPORTLET/public/kb/docDisplay/resource.process/?spf_p.tpst=kbDocDisplay_ws_BI&spf_p.rid_kbDocDisplay=docDisplayResURL&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&spf_p.rst_kbDocDisplay=wsrp-resourceState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-c00771559-3%257CdocLocale%253Den_US&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken Scroll down to section 7.10. You are correct Ken in your last post. In that section it describes how to fit the removable expansion riser that your machine already has. To do so it means a complete removal of the back panel and replace it with the panel you already have. I assume that if you buy one of these without that removable expansion riser and then buy the riser separately, you get the replacement back panel with it. There are full instructions for fitting that expansion riser, and replacing the back panel, however in your case it requires doing exactly the reverse and fitting a different back panel than the one you have. Downloading that full manual does take some time even with a fairly fast connection so do have a bit of patience. Ken, if you can get that manual to download and as I said go to section 7.10, you will see what I mean, it is all there, however George needs to do it all in reverse, which will also mean acquiring that ordinary none extension back panel. if it were me, at this point I would be looking very seriously at that junior hacksaw. :cool: Nev.

I've also read through the manual and the case around that area does seem all wrong, to actually get that card to fit, in a sort of regardless way means good metal tin snips or shears, or even a junior hacksaw. It is as if the wrong case all together has been used. The drawings and pictures in the manual show an entirely different panel where the card should slot in. I wonder if anyone else has come across this and found a way round it as it is most strange in the way it is now in comparison to the manual. I also wonder if the bracket on the card is small enough to go between the top of the mesh bit and the main cover if the card was fitted with an extension to the PCIe slot. Perhaps an enquiry to HP might give more insight perhaps. Nev.

A second thought, I wonder if the whole of the back panel comes off the chassis, and can be turned round, possibly fitted that way round to accommodate the optional riser thing? Have a look at that George see if that is the case. Could do with a photo showing all of the case, and also one showing all that panel from the outside to be sure. Nev.

It is actually from page 25 onwards however the optional PCI riser thing will have to be discarded as in this note :- "NOTE The PCI and PCI Express slots support only low profile cards unless an optional riser is installed. The optional riser supports two full height standard PCI slots. If the riser is installed, the PCI Express x16 expansion slot is inaccessible." However what puzzles me is from Georges photo's, the removable plates don't seem to line up with the PCIe slot as it shows in the drawings, unless we are looking at it from an odd angle.

Hi George and Ken, I downloaded and had a look at this manual from this link http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.BINARYPORTLET/public/kb/docDisplay/resource.process/?spf_p.tpst=kbDocDisplay_ws_BI&spf_p.rid_kbDocDisplay=docDisplayResURL&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&spf_p.rst_kbDocDisplay=wsrp-resourceState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-c00771559-3%257CdocLocale%253Den_US&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken It seems there are three variations of the same model, a convertible mini tower, a small form factor, and also an ultra slim desktop. if you can let us know which type you have we might stand a chance of knowing what needs to be done next to be able to use that PCIe black slot. Here are the three types in order, http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/14/68/69/96/untitl15.jpg http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/14/68/69/96/untitl16.jpg http://i39.servimg.com/u/f39/14/68/69/96/untitl17.jpg Nev.

That is strange, the original model number you quoted is for a PCI card, yet that one is as Ken said definitely PCIe, and being low profile now we can see the PCI extension unit removed, it should fit that black slot George. Nev.

Hi Jim, just have a look at Starbucks instructions for copying and pasting the log of what malwarebytes found here :- http://extremetechsupport.com/threads/15547-Before-posting-for-Malware-Removal-help-WinXP-Vista-Win7-Win8-amp-Win8-1#.VE_z3ckuGSo Just post that log for now and if anything looks worrying we will let the malware removal guys know. Is the problem warning still showing in device manager after the scan Jim? Nev.

Hi Jim, I use photobucket myself for a lot of my pictures, to get the best results, where you see the IMG code, depending on how you are viewing it either right click and select copy, or if just viewing the one photo a normal click on the IMG code will tell you it has copied, so then just right click and choose paste into the reply box here. As shown here, a click on the photo will get you this page. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/plasticpig/Photobucketcopy_zps71b65e26.png Lets go right back to the start of when all this went wrong. You explained that a DVD disk you had, shut down the computer when it was put into the drive. There is just a remote possibility that this faulty DVD was actually infected with malware so have you scanned the system with antivirus or antimalware programs since? If so what was the result, if not please do run some scans and let us know. Finally, we mainly recommend not to use vacuum cleaners for clearing dust as they can develop static charges, especially between a metal vacuum nozzle and the rest of the computer which could result in damage to sensitive components. Much safer to use compressed air can or similar to blow dust and fluff out. Nev.

Thanks for the update, a shame it is that bad, and very good of those guys to offer to look for nothing. A dealer worth using again no doubt. The only thing left for it now is as a good heavy doorstop to keep the door open or shut perhaps. :D If it is of any commiseration the same happened to my old and very first XP machine, a capacitor in the power supply blew which in turn took out the motherboard. KenB will remember that one as he helped in finding that out, which in turn got me into this computer fixing game, now over ten years ago. Nev.

Also a photo of the card flat down so we can see where the notch is please George..