Plastic Nev

Also, don't forget that most floppy disks have a data protection lock on them, make sure the lock is open, otherwise it won't reformat or accept new data. It is a tiny switch on the side of the disk case. Nev.

Hi Kerry, I think this is a desktop and not a laptop, am I right? The DV051, is not the real model number, if a desktop it should be possibly Dim 1300 from the information I can find. If a desktop it is unlikely to have a built in microphone. However most modern webcams do have a microphone built in, can you tell us what make and model the webcam is, also does it plug into a USB port? The SigmaTel, is this a card or other sound system? I have found a useful site with a lot of information here = http://applian.com/replay-radio/support/faq50_recording.php Does anything on that site help? Nev.

Hi, from your computer spec you have a PCI sound card, the Asus Xonar DG 5.1. Have you tried the on board sound with that card removed from the slot? Power off before removing to prevent damage. Let us know if the on board sound works with the card out. Nev.

Hi Fluke, I don't know if you may be interested, but you could save the cost of a Windows operating system by installing one of the many free Linux systems. Just a thought, but if you want to know more there is heaps of information available, and for general web and media use Linux based systems are more than adequate. Just a thought is all, as I tried Ubuntu and found it quite good, just a shame that most specialised programs I use are for Windows or Mac only. Nev.

Programs I hope are on the disk if bought as a disk (Some may need registration or validation key). Downloaded bought programs should also have a validation or registration key, usually numbers and letters and similar in layout to the Windows validation key, make note of those for the re download to reinstall if needed. Freebie programs, provided the maker is still in existence you can always go get them again. E mails you wish to keep as copies, I personally copy the content to a document and store in a folder, that way for a deleted by accident E Mail, the content has been saved anyway, so might be best to do that and then save the document in your backup. There are so many different E Mail systems, and each has a different way of backing them up, saving as a document is to me the simplest. Once we have you back to a usable computer, I would urge that you make a complete image of the system stored on an external hard drive. A complete image is ideal in situations like this as re-installing an image gets you back to a fully working computer in a matter of half an hour or so. Help with doing that, we can talk about later. Nev.

Hi Joe, this as Randy said can be re-installed from Windows Live at any time, but the corruption may be a part of the problem we are trying to solve in your other thread. Once we have that sorted, then try the re-install. Nev.

Hi Joe, it just means that the system can run a 64bit operating system, but is confirming that it is only 32bit installed. Firstly have you had any reply from the guy you bought it off about any repair or install disks yet? I assume now though the disk you have is what he gave you and may be the restore or rescue disk any way. Here is something to try. First, let's be sure you have a full back up of everything you don't wish to lose, just in case it starts to re install the operating system and you can't click cancel quickly enough. Do you have stuff backed up, prefferably on an external drive or at least DVD or CD disks? If not, I would do so. Then re-boot the system with that disk in, if it tries to auto run, be ready to click "Cancel". Then right click and choose explore. You should then be able to see a list of folders and files and also a full title of what the disk actually is. Let us know what you find on the disk please. Nev.

No problem Ken, and wise words from you as usual. Chadman, check with the guy if installing a fresh copy of Windows 7 is in the price he quoted, as Ken said a very good deal if installing W7 is included. It will have to be a completely fresh copy, as you have no disks and the OS on the dead drive, is I am afraid as dead as the drive now. However, find yourself a new drive and the OEM of W7 and we will still be here if you need further help. Just for information purposes, if you deal directly with Microsoft for a retail version of W7 it will cost a lot more, so do shop around. Amazon, E Bay, and plenty of other on line dealers to look at for both the new drive and an OEM version of W7. Let us know what you find and where, if not sure of anything. Nev.

OK, thanks and please let us know how you get on. Nev.

Not much of an idea I am afraid, best to shop around, however the new drive alone will be around £60, though a dealer repairer may get it cheaper, as I was looking for one for someone else recently. Fitting is fairly simple so time charges shouldn't be that much, it is installing the operating system and saving data if possible that will take time and be charged for. If you do go that direction, make sure you keep the old drive so no data can get into the wrong hands. Do of course ask for it to be checked first though, as working remotely, as I am, I may just be wrong. One thing to ask before we finish, has the laptop been knocked or dropped recently? Also, just on the off chance it may free it up, give the laptop a knock underneath, not hard, just your knuckles will be enough, then see if it will run up. If it does, I would still recommend replacing the drive. Nev.

Ah, now I understand, yep I have heard of the Rising one now, don't know much about it though but our security guys may. Malwarebytes is great and that found nothing either. Unless you have turned it off, which I doubt, then you will have the Windows own firewall, which in Windows 7 is good enough. (there are better, but the Windows one is OK for now) That now rules out any real chance of malware causing the slowness. Back now to the unfixed corrupted files that SFC Scannow found but couldn't repair. This is an area of Windows 7 I am not that sure of, in the older XP systems you would need a full XP disk, but not so now with W7. I will be asking one of our other guys to have a look at where we have got to and see if he has any further idea's. Nev.

Hi, OK, it is doing that because thw system cannot find the hard drive. I am sorry but it looks like you need a new hard drive, that will mean a reinstallation of the operating system onto the new drive, what disks do you have, are they recovery disks or no disks at all? Do you have any backup of what was stored on the computer? If you buy a new hard drive are you happy in removing the old one and fitting the new one? If any hesitation in tackling that, I recommend taking it to a repair specialist. They also may just be able to retrieve any data for you as well. Nev.

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. What happens after pressing the Del or delete key? At the moment it is looking like a failed hard drive. Nev.

OK, Joe, thanks so far but nothing obvious yet. Not at the minute sure about this rescue disk, so leave it for now till we need to look at it if we do. My next concern is the programs you used to do scans, this rising sun, is not anything I have heard of before, and can find nothing based on just that. Spybot S&D is no longer regarded as being much good and is a lot out of date against others, though no harm in keeping it. So, can you give me the full name of all the security stuff you have, also what firewall you are using please. Nev. PS, gotta nip out soon, but will be back this evening.

Speccy is usually reliable at finding out the OS 32bit or 64bit. To make sure, either go to control panel and click on "System" or type System in the search bar. Whatever it says there is the genuine system type, and certainly not whatever someone else says it is. My betting is that Speccy is right. However the listing you have posted is all we need for now and temperatures look OK so it is not an overheating problem. The disk you found, just for clarification what does it say in full, and is it a genuine Microsoft disk printed label, or is it a handwritten label? If your system does turn out to be 32 bit and the disk is a 64 bit, it is no use. Although if a genuine Microsoft disk and has not been used on another computer, it may be used to start all over again and install Windows 7 64bit. If on the other hand it is a hand written label, it may only be a rescue disk created by someone from the original rescue partition on the drive. Next thing I see is the hard drive is only 80GB in size, how full is it? If getting near that 80GB, that in itself will be another reason for slow running as the operating system will be having a problem in finding the data it needs. Click on, Hard drives in the left hand side of Speccy, it will tell us there how much space is used on that hard drive. Let us know what you find in answer to the above please. Nev.

Hi Joe, for most of the stuff we may need to know, download and install Speccy from here= http://www.piriform.com/speccy Once you have that installed, open it and the main page will give you the details we may need, just copy and paste, or better post a screen shot. It can also be used to see what temperatures the vital parts are running at, as that may also be a reason for slow running if things are too hot. Nev.

Yep, download it to a working machine and store the file to wherever you want, then burn that to a disk as an ISO file. Nero can do that or if you haven't got a burning program, there is a neat little freebie called InfraRecorder available for download from here= http://infrarecorder.org/ Once installed and opened, you need to select "Write Image" to burn the Windows 7 to it as an active disk that will install to your new machine. Nev.

Hi, myself personally I would buy the fresh download as your option 2, although a little more expensive it saves all the hassle of installing that Vista you have, which if already used on another computer, you can't use it again on another anyway, unless you bought a multiple license with it. Besides which I am not too sure if you can go straight up to Ultimate from Vista. This is the link to the Microsoft download page (UK and prices) for Windows 7 Ultimate. http://emea.microsoftstore.com/UK/en-GB/Microsoft/Windows-7-Ultimate-Full Nev.

Hi again, the sfc/ scannow, did it ask for the Windows disk during the scans? Do you have the original Windows installation disk? Being a self build, whoever built it should have passed that disk on to you so it could be used to repair those corrupt files. That in itself may be the reason. Also being self built (By someone else) the make and model of the motherboard, the CPU, the RAM, even the rating of the PSU, and if fitted any video or graphics cards, those details are perhaps more important to us to help diagnose what may be at fault if we are to go further than the operating system. Nev.

Hi, has the calendar ever worked? if so can you try a system restore back to the time when it was OK? Nev.

Hi, and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. Slow functioning can be many reasons, however can you please post the make and model of your computer, is it desktop or laptop? That knowledge will help us go further. Nev.

Hi Jim, it sounds like the drivers for the scanner are being corrupted by something if reinstalling them works for a short time, then not. Is there a program on the wife's machine that she uses a lot, and can it be traced to scanner not working after the program has been used? I ask that as it once happened to me with a HP all in one I used to have, being corrupted each time I asked a music notation program to print the score. Nev.

Hi Stuart, is this slowness only while trying to access websites? or are you seeing a general slowness in things other than internet use? Opening music files, or pictures and video etc or other stuff actually on your computer. If only internet use= This message, as in the quote above, was there any indication this message was from your ISP? If so you may just have exceeded your quota if your contract with them has a cap on monthly usage, so they may have capped your speeds. Some ISP's do this, others charge for extra bandwidth used, depends on who you are with. Nev.

Hi, was the original system on the old computer that the drive came from, password protected? If so, that may explain the empty folder message. Even if you still know that password, I don't know of a way to use the password to open it as the password system is part of the operating system. Someone else may know, but first let us know if it is password protected first. Nev.

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. Another of our members has questioned similar slowness in the south east, however this may not be related. Let's first look at the odd entries you find running in task manager, they may or may not be malware of some sort. Please download Malwarebytes. (the free version) from here= http://www.malwarebytes.org/ Click on the white download now button, this takes you to a mirror or hosting site, this is normal for the free version. Once downloaded and installed, find and use the update function first, then run a quick scan. The scan will open a notepad log of what it has found if anything. Please copy and paste that log here in your next reply. Nev.