KenB

Hi Jeff and welcome to ExTS If the motherboard that you have bought is not exactly the same as your old one then Windows will, 99% of the time, refuse to boot up. This is because it recognises a different environment ( motherboard in this case ). So - even though you have a new motherboard and all other hardware is good - your system is not going to boot up. Check in the BIOS that the DVD CDROM is the first boot device. When you switch on you will get a message on screen ......"Press ** to Enter Setup" This will probably be DEL or F2 key. If you miss it first time round then constantly tap this key about once per second after switching on. Once in the BIOS look around for Boot Order / Boot Sequence or similar. If DVD CDROM is not first in the order move it up. This is often done with the + / - key ...........you will be prompted on screen If you make changes then you will need to Save and Exit afterwards ......probably F10 ......but there will be info on the screen. If the DVD CDROM is now first Boot Device then it should be possible to re-install. Please be aware that if you do use the Recovery Disk ( OEM Disk ) you will lose everything that is on the drive. If there is data that you need access to we can advise on this before you recover your Operating System.

You are very welcome - happy that it was that simple :) I hope Starbuck is reading this :)

Hi Be assured that 1600 MHz will function in your m/board - albeit at 1300 MHz if that is what the board supports. I suspect that the BIOS can be configured to accommodate 1600 MHz but the default will be 1300 MHz. Take a look around in the BIOS and see if there is an option to set the RAM at 1600 MHz. You may need to alter the voltage setting to comply with the RAM. Personally I would be inclined to leave well alone as the gain would probably be in the order of about 5% or so - hardly noticeable. EDIT: Just seen Starbuck's post that may discredit what I have just said :)

see what I mean !! :)

Hi - I can see that you are still on line so ...... Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Manage Wireless Networks ( left side of screen ) Right click on your Network > Remove Network > click OK Then right click on the Monitor Icon ( bottom right of screen ) > Connect to a Network select your Network ......have the Network Key handy. Hope this helps.

To add a little to what BreatGritain has said: Often we would find it far easier to take control of a member's pc to solve a problem. This, however, is against our policy. For this reason ..... If you give somebody access to your pc in this way - they will have access to much of your files. If you keep sensitive data on your machine - they may well have access to this too. We would not want to be accused if anything went wrong with the pc or worse ......financial accounts .....so it is easier to stay remote. If the seller did take control you would, of course, be able to see what they were doing - but this is not the point. I don't like the idea. I know some "paid for" Anti Virus software manufacturers will take control of a machine to rid it of a virus. It depends how much you trust that person. If you don't want this guy to have access then I suggest that you make sure that Remote Access is disabled ( see BreatGritain's post ) There are other ways that he could take control. LogMeIn is a piece of software that allows remote access to a machine that has the software installed. This is passworded - if the seller installed this then then he would have the password and access to your machine if it was switched on. There is other software that can do this. It may be prudent to ask him ......out of interest say .......how he takes control of your machine. What is the name of the software ? If he is legitimate ....and there is no reason to suspect otherwise ....he will tell you. If it is LogMeIn ...or other similar software .... you can remove it.

I keep telling Starbuck this - but he doesn't believe me http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/laughing/rolling.gif I would be inclined to trust the Sony information. Sorry - I still cannot locate the specific m/board information

DON'T buy an anti-virus program. There are good free ones available. If your Operating System is legal ( I hope :) ) then download MS Essentials from here click here There are a couple of others that are good too - Avast ..........Avira Be a little careful if you select one of these ....one ( I can't remember which ) installs a toolbar if you don't un-check it. DO NOT have 2 AVs running on the system - they will conflict and cause problems.

Thanks Randy ...I did write this This is normal. Windows recognises the fact that there is new hardware connected and attempts to install suitable drivers. Your system was originally Vista and about 5 years old. I suspect that some of the hardware is in-compatible with Win8 Run the "Upgrade Assistant" from here http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8 It will tell you if your machine is compatible with Win 8

Hi Speccy is obviously only reporting the DRAM frequency. Your modules are Double Data - therefore multiply the DRAM frequency by 2. 665 x 2 = 1330 MHz I cannot locate the specific m/board from what has been given. Any chance of taking a look to see if there is a make / model number on it ( there should be )

Run Speccy from here: http://www.piriform.com/speccy It should tell you the specific motherboard that you have. Post the make and model here and and one of us will double check.

Hi I may be stating the obvious ........... but if your OS is 32 bit you are at the limit with your 4GB RAM :)

Virgin Media - and you work for ...............let me guess ............ :)

You can go off people you know ...... :)

You could also find that there are no XP drivers for some of the hardware on the existing Win 7 system.

The MAC Address ( Media Access Control Address) is a unique identifier for all hardware that connects to the Network. The MAC Address of the router will be on the label attached to the base or the back. Your PC do the following... Start > type in ...cmd .....( do not hit Enter yet ) Top left of screen right click on ...cmd.exe ...that appears > click on Run as Administrator At the command prompt type in .......ipconfig /all ......Enter ....( there is a space after ipconfig ) At the top "Physical Address" .......this is the MAC Address ....( 12 characters ) Make a note of both. You have to be exact. You may need to register both the wireless adapter and the LAN ( wired ) adapter. If you do I can explain how to get the MAC Address for both.

Have you registered the MAC address of your pc network adapter and the router with the uni network ? There is a link in the text from my link above.

Ok I found this - does this apply to you ? ( Leeds University ? ) click here Also .......do other CDs / DVDs work on your laptop ? have you done this ?

Hi Natalie Are you able to use a flat mate's laptop or is it going to be too awkward ?

I don't think there is anything more that you can do. Let us know how things progress. :)

OK It isn't RAM / Battery / Hard drive The only thing left is the motherboard. You could take it to a local tech ( small 1 or 2 man business ) and ask them to test it for you. You would need to phone them first and ask a) if they can do it and b) how much. Alternatively - find the exact same board second hand and swap it to try.

It could. If you take the hard drive out and switch on - does it still shut down ?

Hi and welcome to ExTS I am not the person to advise on increasing frames per second ( not a gamer ) You have 4GB RAM - if your Operating System is 32 bit then this is the limit ......it doesn't matter what the motherboard can cope with. (Your current m/board supports 8GB RAM.) You may find this useful click here

Did you try booting up with the battery out this time ? Sometimes an old battery can cause this type of problem. This could be overheating as you suggest. This is odd as it should be going through the BIOS setup and running POST checks during this time. Yes they do - but it doesn't explain the lack of anything on screen. Very unlikely. Try taking the RAM out and switch on. It will not boot but hopefully you should get something on screen. If you do get graphics it could be a faulty module(s) If that fails ..... If you have had it apart that often - try taking the CMOS battery out ( assuming it will come out ) and leave it for 30 seconds. This will re-set the BIOS to defaults. Whilst it is apart check that the fans are working properly.

Try taking the battery out and shutting down normally. If the power light is still on press and hold the off switch for 30 seconds. Re-install the battery - reboot. Try again. This was a known problem 2 or 3 years ago click here Are your updates current ?