Plastic Nev

Hello and welcome to FPCH, all genuine help is welcomed, besides it makes life easier for the rest of us.:D Welcome aboard.

Thanks for the update Dex, That was quick, and it may be of use for someone else with similar problems. Nev.

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. It looks like you may have more than one problem here. The first may well be overheating due to dust that cannot be seen through the air vents. Try downloading speedfan and installing it, this program will find and show the various temperatures inside. http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php Post the temperature results you see please. The other problems may be malware related, so I have to ask which antivirus you are using, do you have any general malware removing programs such as Malwarebytes, Spybot S&D or similar, also which firewall? Have you run any scans with them recently and what were the results? Nev.

Hi, I have recently seen a similar problem which turned out to be the start up load being too much for the power supply they had fitted, thus making the BIOS not detect certain things as the voltage dipped below critical levels. Although yours by what you quote is a 700 Watt supply, and in theory should be OK, it just may be a either a faulty unit to start off with or just not quite big enough. You don't say how many fans are fitted, if a few, the start up load of them could be the cause. Nev.

Hi, I have the smaller Imedia and Randy is correct, remove the side cover first and the existing HDD should have a bay next to it where an extra HDD may be fitted. If you do need to remove front and top covers, they have clips that need to be pushed inwards from inside the case in order to remove them. Nev.

Hi Nasher, if the Windows operating system is on that 250GB drive, it should work and start up OK. However when you say there is a Boot partition on the smaller 80GB drive, this I find confusing. Which drive was the original, the 250GB or the 80GB? Nev.

Hi Stevo and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. I have had a quick look at the spec for that machine and although originally may have had Vista, there seems no reason why Windows 7 itself should be giving problems, the laptop should handle it OK. I assume the blank screen doesn't show any text, even momentarily? So the only other possible starting point may be heat related. Download Speedfan from here= http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php Look for the blue link saying Speedfan 4.44 Install it and then let us know what the temperatures are that it shows. Also have a good look into the vent holes, is there any sign of dust inside? Nev.

At this point I have to ask where did your son obtain the copy of Windows 7 Ultimate? It could be important. Nev.

Very nice Paul, well done, is that program a free one or paid for? You do get a lot more in paid for stuff, but I like to see what can be done with free, even when it may mean doing some parts in one, then transferring to another to finish it.

Hi, it looks like some kind of graphics problem to me, can you let us know as much as possible about your computer, is it a laptop or desktop, the make and model also so we can further research. Have you tried a system restore back to a date or time when this wasn't happening? If that doesn't help, click start and type Device manager into the search bar, click on device manager, then scroll down the list till you find display adapters, then click the expansion arrow do you find any red or yellow exclamation or question marks?

The other answer may be you have been unlucky enough to have bought a sound card that just isn't working, hence why it can't find the chip. I would send it back, then look round for a card that definitely does say in its specifications that it supports Windows 7. Nev.

This is quite a big subject in its own right and could even be video related too. However although I do quite a bit of video, I also like messing around with animating pictures, from simple stuff such as this= http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/plasticpig/Nev2.gif Which you will see at the bottom of this post. Also taking existing animations and going a stage further such as this= http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/plasticpig/Circularpenguinanimated.gif Or this= http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/plasticpig/anigif2.gif And a more recent one as a goodnight all image which proved rather complicated. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/plasticpig/Daytonight.gif Any one else tried their hand at animating stuff?

Well done Paul, I wonder if there are any free samples of those whiskeys? I like a drop of a single malt now and then, well more now than then.

The safest way is first shut the lid down, then carefully turn it upside down, remove the power connector from the charger/power supply if still plugged in, then undo the battery compartment clips, usually just slide to one side and then lift out the battery. Leave it out for at least one minute, then replace and reconnect the power supply. Open the lid and see if it will start as normal. Nev.

Thanks for the update, we will still be here if you need us again. Nev.

Thanks very much for the update and very glad we did get there in the end. Just unfortunate that it meant installing the sound card, and now pretty obvious something has gone wrong with the on board sound chip. Being on board it would possibly have meant a complete new mother board otherwise. Nev.

Maybe a bit too late now but here is the Microsoft page for installing Vista, this should still work for the recovery disk installation, = http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Installing-and-reinstalling-Windows-Vista scroll down to To install Windows by performing a clean installation Nev.

OK, lets go a bit further, I know you have tried one stick of RAM at a time, but you weren't sure if one of them did give a freeze up. I suggest doing that again, but leave just the one in for some time, say continuous use of at least a day if not longer. If no freeze up then swap in the other stick and do the same. If you do get a freeze with only one, I would be suspicious of that one. If the newly created recovery disks show up as clean with AVG, it isn't the end, I would suggest using Malwarebytes to scan them as well, there is a lot more than just a common virus that could have got into the disks. Next of course is to see what happens with a new electric penny, (CMOS Battery) Nev.

Hi, to add to Ken, sometimes with some routers just the IP numbers may not go anywhere. I have an Edimax router and to get into that it needs the full address of http://192.168.2.1 Once the page opens and providing no other log in or password has been set, the usual manufacturers log in is "admin" with the password "1234" That should then allow you to get fully into the router software and carry out any adjustments or changes. Nev.

Welcome back Bob, and as Starbuck says, don't over do it.

Hi, to follow on from Wolf, it is looking suspiciously like the original RAM may not be working, the only way to find out is a new stick and of the same type as recommended by the crucial scan. Nev.

Just as long as the connection is the same and correct polarity, some of the connectors are positive on the outside rather than the inner, check that with a meter to be sure which it is, however you also need to know if the notebook is the same, with no information, I can't help on that. Nev.

Hi Nasher, this sounds a bit like the drive is sticking, hence the freeze. See if Starbuck has anything further though before we start looking at the hard drive fully. Nev.

Hi Bowler, you didn't get back to us regarding the same issue last year, here= http://extremetechsupport.com/threads/10125-sound-loss?p=67871#post67871 I asked you then to do basically as Jelly Bean is asking as above. Nev.

Hi Laura, First off, try Wolf's suggestions first but if no luck, there is just one other way that may kick it into life. first, wrap and seal the hard drive in a polythene bag, leaving a connecting cable to come out for connection later, then put the drive into the freezer and leave for at least four hours. Once out of the freezer use the connecting cable to connect to the computer and while still in a frozen state see if it will run up then. If it will, as quickly as possible copy as much of your stuff that you can, if it stops running, re-freeze it till you get everything you can. This method has been used many times to rescue important data by quite a few different technicians. Be aware it doesn't always work, but is worth a try. If the freezer or Wolfs suggestions are not a go, I am afraid it is specialist assistance, which is expensive. Nev.