Plastic Nev

Thank you too Bugsy, it is always great to see we have helped in whatever way we can. Nev.

Ok Ace, I take it you are not keen on taking the cover or covers off your laptop to look yourself. Considering we have tried all the settings regarding reinstalling Windows Media Player 11, and cannot find any other faults elsewhere, I suggest you take it to a repair technician, as I am convinced now there is something wrong with the CD/DVD drive itself. It may need replacement or a minor repair. Nev.

Your avatar video is still funny and cracks me up every time I see it Maynard. It is the point when the big bird lets go and the telephone line goes TWAAAANG. So expected, but still funny when it happens.

Hi, rather than spend ages writing myself, Microsoft have done it for me :D have a look at this link, scroll down to "Last known good configuration" and follow it from there, it is all very helpful and easy to understand (I hope :confused: ) Advanced startup options (including safe mode) - Windows Vista Help

Hi, considering you can get into safe mode, have you tried "Last known good configuration"? hopefully this, or perhaps a system restore, will get you back to before you installed the updated drivers. If so we can maybe take it from there. Nev.

Hi. Sorry myself for being slow on picking this back up. I think now we need some more info about your system in order to go further, can you tell us the computer make, model number if any, and as much as you can about the DVD drive itself. I doubt that something in the BIOS has been changed as that shouldn't stop Windows from seeing the drive once you reconnected it. But with a bit more information we may be able to help in obtaining a firmware up date, or other updates. Until then, is it possible to remove it and try it in another computer if you have one available? This would at least discover if the drive has died altogether.

The only reason I can think of as to why Windows allocated the letter K to that drive would be because you had other drives plugged in to the USB ports at the time. If all other drives are removed before the next time you boot up, see what letter Windows gives it then. Also, as Randy mentions, I also don't think Windows has the in built ability for writing to DVD. Even plain files, and not things like music or video can be done without third party software.

Nothing like the basic humour of wind is there. :D But why is it always depicted in cartoons as a GREEN cloud, I can think of a much more appropriate colour :o :D :D

Yes I also congratulate you on the work put in to get to this milestone. I just hope it doesn't become a mill stone around your neck :D (Joke) Like Tootech, I turn on in the evening after a days work, to find all sorts of things done and dusted by your good self. Well done.

Hi Ace, I meant the internal leads inside the laptop. It may only be the connections inside come loose. I did say "Can you get into the laptop?" Nev.

Hi, probably a daft question;) but have you tried a different make of CD/R disks? sometimes there can be odd issues with some makes and seems to be more so with laptops. Try a different make, and also have you tried with rewritable disks? I know they are more expensive, but worth a try. Other wise it seems strange that it did manage two tracks and then failed. That makes me suspicious there may be some intermittent fault with the drive itself. That can only be proved with a replacement one of course I am afraid. However it may only be a poor connection, can you get into the laptop and check the leads are connected properly? Just my two penny worth. Nev.

Hi, and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help, sorry I have missed this till now, but I am going to have a look at what may be the best answer for you. I will get back to you, but it may need a different sound card. Without looking it up, the sound system you have now, is it a separate sound card the Dell Sygma Tel? Plugged into a PCI slot, or is it part of your mother board? If part of the mother board, a separate PCI slotted sound card such as one of the sound blaster type could be the answer.

Hi jonny, you do seem to have had a few problems so far, so after you check out Tootechs advice, your problem may just be heat related. If you go for a reset back to factory settings, but it still happens, perhaps it may be worth while checking the vents for dust, fluff, or other blockages, and also check if the fans are running. If you haven't done anything else yet, it would be worth while doing those checks now. Nev.

Hi James welcome aboard, please join in wherever you can. It is good to know you are one of the few ready to help, a lot of folk come here to be helped rather than to help. As you can see from my signature we are all volunteers and fellow members.

hi Rena, I have moved your post to a more correct forum for it. You say you turned it off at the mains? was windows still running at that time or had you shut it down from "Start> Turn off computer" first?

I think it is quite likely that while you had Bitcommet still running, you may well have got something nasty on board you may not know about. The freezes could no doubt be when whatever it is kicks in, and sends messages back home to its master. to be on the safe side follow our procedure, please, do let us know if you have any trouble following any part of it. Your computer appears to be infected with Malware. Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. It is a combination of the words malicious and software. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. It is in your best interest to note the following: Please disable your resident security applications (such as AVG, Spybot, WinPatrol, etc.) before performing the below procedure so that they do not interfere with the process. Perform all the steps in the order listed to avoid any conflicts. If unsure, please stop and voice your doubts. You might be required to go offline during the disinfection process. Therefore, it is recommended to print off the instructions below for ease of reference. If you stick to the above guidelines, all should go smoothly. ================================================ STEP 1 Download ATF-Cleaner by Atribune. Save the file to your Desktop. Double-click on the file to run the program. On the Main tab, check the Select All button. Next, click on the Firefox tab (if applicable) and check the Select All button. Note: If you would like to preserve your saved passwords in Firefox, then click No at the corresponding prompt. Now, click on the Opera tab (if applicable) and check the Select All button. Note: If you would like to preserve your saved passwords in Opera, then click No at the corresponding prompt. Press the Empty Selected button and click OK to acknowledge the corresponding prompt. Click on the Exit button to quit the program. ================================================ STEP 2 Please click here to download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. Save the file to your Desktop. Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program. At the end, make sure a check mark is placed next to: Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware [*]Click Finish. [*]The program will download and update itself if it finds the necessity to do so. Please allow this. [*]Once the program has loaded, select Perform full scan, then click Scan. Note: Depending on your computer specifications, the scan may take some time to complete. Please wait patiently and do not interrupt the process. [*]When the scan is complete, click OK, and then Show Results to view the results. [*]Make sure that every entry is selected, and click Remove Selected. [*]Restart your computer. ================================================ STEP 3 Please click here to download SUPERAntiSpyware (Free Version). Save the file to your Desktop. Double-click SUPERAntiSpyware.exe and follow the prompts to install the program. Open SUPERAntiSpyware. Under Configuration and Preferences, click the Preferences button. Click the Scanning Control tab. Under Scanner Options make sure the following fields checked: [*]Click the Close button to leave the control center screen. [*]On the main screen, under Scan for Harmful Software click Scan your computer. [*]On the left, make sure you check mark All the Fixed Drives. [*]On the right, under Complete Scan, choose Perform Complete Scan. [*]Click Next to start the scan. Please be patient while it scans your computer. [*]After the scan is complete, a Scan Summary box will appear with potentially harmful items that were detected. Click OK. [*]Make sure every entry has a check mark next to it and click Next. [*]A notification will appear that Quarantine and Removal is Complete. Click OK and then Finish to return to the main menu. [*]Restart your computer. ================================================ STEP 4 Please visit the ESET Online Scanner, using Internet Explorer to initiate the scan. Note: If you are running Windows Vista, then you will need Administrative privileges to complete the latter part of the procedure. To do so, right-click on the Internet Explorer icon in the Start Menu and select the Run As Administrator option in the shell context menu. Check mark the YES, I accept the Terms of Use box. Click the Start button. Click the Install button on the following screen. Click Start. This will will initialize and update the scanner engine. Check mark the box beside Remove found threats. Click the Scan button. This will start the scan. Please be patient while it is in progress. Restart your computer. ================================================ STEP 5 Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools and select System Restore. Choose the radio button marked Create a Restore Point on the first screen and click Next. Give the restore point a name then click Create. The new point will be stamped with the current date and time. Keep a note of this so you can find it easily should you need to use System Restore. Next, click on Start > Run, type Cleanmgr and click on OK. Click on the More Options tab. Click the Clean Up button in the System Restore section to remove all previous restore points except the most recent one. This will remove any infected files that have been backed up by Windows. The files in "System Restore" are protected to prevent any programs changing those files. This is the only foolproof way to ensure the deletion of those files. Note: Do not clear restore points on a regular basis as doing so will clear all previous restore points even those that you may need. System Restore is a useful tool to revert your computer back to a working condition if something goes wrong. Re-enable all your security applications and please return here and tell us how the computer seems to be operating. Happy Safe Computing! http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/../images/additional-smilies/thumb.gif Close browsers before scanning Scan for tracking cookies Terminate memory threats before quarantining

Hi and further to Starams advice, don't turn off the Comodo firewall, it is much better to leave that one on as it is a two way firewall, disable or turn off the Windows firewall instead as that is only one way. Another thing to consider is that if Comodo is disabled, and you then decide to uninstall it, it is a nightmare to remove, much better leaving it on.

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help missknowall. Love the user name, and hope you will join in as well as being helped along with your problem. I feel sure we can get that sorted for you as best we can. Nev.

I was writing and posting so didn't see your last post Mowki. No problem, we all have suffered a loose connection before now:D Just glad you are up and running again, and thanks for letting us know.

Hi again, thanks for the info about the speakers being built in, some monitors have a separate cable for the sound and others don't when the speakers are built in, there must be two pins in the "D" shaped plug and socket for that purpose. In that case we need to see if headphones or a separate speaker set will work if plugged into the small jack socket for speakers/headphones. The socket is at the back of the tower normally, (though I have seen the odd machine with them at the front also) If you do find headphones work, remove the "D" plug for the monitor, check all pins are straight and none bent. One other obvious question that I forgot to ask, have you got the small speaker icon on the right of the bottom task bar? A double click on it should open the control panel, check all sliders are at or near the top and no ticks in any "mute" boxes. All simple stuff so far but we need to get that out of the way before we go any deeper, so please let us know how you get on.

Ok thanks for the details, they will help if we need to look for new drivers. For the moment leave that till we get there. First is some simple checks, which are the obvious I know, but I still have to ask. Have you checked the speakers themselves by trying them on something known to be working? Also are they plugged in correctly and not worked out of the socket by vibration or been pulled on. Next one is what is showing in device manager? Click "Start"> run > and type in the box (without punctuation marks) "devmgmt.msc" then scroll down till you get to "Sounds and games controllers" Click on the + sign and see if there are any yellow exclamation marks or red question marks. Let us know what you find, and we can go on from there.

Southerners.....Don't ya jus luv em !! Tennessee The owner of a golf course was confused about paying an invoice, so he decided to ask his secretary for some mathematical help. He called her into his office and said, 'You graduated from the University of Tennessee and I need some help. If I were to give you $20,000, minus 14%, how much would you take off?' The secretary thought a moment, and then replied, "Everything but my earrings." Alabama A group of Alabama friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck. "Where's Henry?", the others asked. "Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail", the successful hunter replied. "You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back?", they inquired. "A tough call", nodded the hunter ,"But I figured no one is going to steal Henry!" South Carolina The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch. The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head". "Yep", he replied. "That's why I dumpin it here, cause it says: Fine For Dumping Garbage". Louisiana A senior at LSU was overheard saying... "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana ". When asked why, he replied he'd rather be in Louisiana because everything happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world. Kentucky The young man from Kentucky came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!" Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?" The young man answered, "I couldn't tell, but I got his license number". Georgia A Georgia State trooper pulled over a pickup on I- 75. The trooper asked, "Got any I. D. ?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?" North Carolina A man in North Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was. The man replied, "I have a flat tire". The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?" The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares out the front and flares out the back. Hey, it don't make no sense to me neither."

Hi mowki, Welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help and I hope we can solve your problem. I have replied to you in the Windows XP thread you started. If it goes further we may move your thread to the "Sound Cards" forum. Nev.

Hi Mowki, Sound was OK till last week? when did you install service pack3, was it before or after the sound went off? Blame Microsoft if you want, but there is a known conflict between service pack3 and the realtek sound drivers, so you are correct about a link between them both. To help further and in order to find the correct drivers to download, we need to know some more details if you can find them. Those are, the exact type of sound system, and also the make and model number of your motherboard, or at the very least the full make and model number of your computer. Once we know that we can advise further. Nev.

Hi, there can be many reasons for slow running in any web browser including malware infestations. However to try to isolate whether it is only Internet Explorer giving you the problem, try downloading and installing Firefox and see how that runs. Firefox can be downloaded from here- Mozilla | Firefox web browser & Thunderbird email client