KenB

I am coming back to your original post - and the CMOS message. I would be inclined to replace the CR2032 battery - it is a small cost. By replacing the battery this will reset the BIOS to defaults. the + on the battery is always visible and on top. Give this a try and get back to us :)

It makes sense if he said the hard drive was clicking. This is quite common and does indicate that a drive is about to fail. (see the link in post #4) A couple of members have advised that you back-up important data - this is always good advice. If you can hear a clicking sound - and it is coming from your HDD then a replacement will no doubt be needed. If you haven't got recovery disks or a full installation disk for your Operating System then this is going to be an additional cost. HDDs can die at any time - even within the first few months of use. There are no guarantees but 5 years is about right before they pack up. Anything longer than that is a bonus. ( it depends on how much use they get ) The tech was probably being as honest as he could be. Your choices: 1. backup what is on the drive and wait for it to fail. ( if indeed it is the HDD that is "ticking" ) Then buy a new HDD > install OS > continue where you left off. A new HDD plus Operating System will cost about £160 ( off the top of my head :) ) 2. Ask tech for the specs on the machine for £250 and how long the guarantee period is. Post details here for comments. 3. For a bit more than the £250 you can have a new one. The specs will probably not be as good as the used machine - but it will be new.

I can't do more than quote from the manual: [h=4]Changing Boot Sequence for the Current Boot[/h]You can use this feature, for example, to restart your computer to a USB device, such as a floppy drive, memory key, or CD-RW drive. If you are booting to a USB device, connect the USB device to a USB connector. Turn on (or restart) your computer. When F2 = Setup, F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press <F12>. If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft Windows desktop, then shut down your computer (see Turning Off Your Computer) and try again. The Boot Menu appears, listing all available boot devices. Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate device (for the current boot only).

Hi Your machine is up and running again for £40 - which I suppose is reasonable........you don't get much for that these days. If he did say "motherboard" then I am unsure to what he was referring as there is no moving part on a motherboard that can make a mechanical sound. Capacitors can "whistle" - and this is a possibility. What he says about free AVs is untrue. I know Starbuck and etavares constantly recommend free AVs. I have to agree with BeeCeeBee - AVG is not as good as it once was ....but it is still OK and if you are happy with it there is no reason to change. I also use MS Essentials and I know Starbuck does too. If you want to swap over there is an AVG removal tool It is not advisable to have 2 AVs on your system at one time.

Hi again The simplest way is to put them on a memory stick and move them across from that.

Hi lisalegs and welcome to ExTS Is this a laptop or desktop ? Do you get a Blue Screen when it shuts down? If so - can you post the STOP Error please ? If a desktop - take the side panel off ( with the machine switched off of course :) ) and inspect it for dust. Look especially at the fan on top of the Central Processor. You can clean it with a soft brush or better still a can of compressed air. [ from any computer shop ]

Congratulations :) The symptoms you described certainly did not point to overheating - but well done for locating the problem.

You only need ONE answer to your "problem" ! You will not get it here because you are banned :)

Now look what you have done Nev !! You don't see him until food is mentioned :) Tunna - you have a lot to answer for :)

I am tempted to say " I don't believe that happened" ! You said earlier that with everything on the motherboard except the HDD ( no molex power / no data cable ) the system was stable. With just the molex power connection ( no data cable ) connected to the HDD the system shuts down. You have tried different molex connections - same result. You can connect up the DVD Drive and the system is stable. Have I got all of the above correct ? ==================== If it isn't the HDD it must be the PSU - but I don't understand why the DVD drive should be OK. Not that it matters - but do you have the jumper set to the "Master" position ? I did, once, manage to get the molex connection in upside down. If you look closely the chamfered ( angled ) edges go towards the top.

You are welcome - let us know how you get on :)

It is no big deal - but annoying. The manual did specify F12. Have you tried tapping this about once per second after switching on ? On your monitor you will see ( usually in the bottom left corner ) just after you switch on .... "Press *** to enter Set Up " This is the key to get you into the BIOS.

You have posted this on 8 sites to my knowledge. It would seem that BeeCeeBee is right - this does look like spam. I have removed the link.

Now that is a challenge :) Let's know how you get on with Essentials.

If you intend to d/l MS Essentials then download it > uninstall AVG > install MS Essentials You certainly do not want 2 AVs running at the same time - they could conflict and slow your system down. The AVG removal tool can be downloaded from here: click here I assume you have a 32 bit system ? If so it is the top one from the list.

Looks like you need a new PSU which, as you say, is by far the cheaper option :) [i did say that the voltage test was not under any load :) ]

Those voltages are obviously OK. The only thing with that test is that there is no load on the PSU. If you can swap the PSU ( wattage will not matter too much ) this will confirm if yours is OK. The problem lies with either the PSU or the motherboard. You could phone a local tech and ask how much he would charge to test both. Just a thought ........there isn't a build-up of dust is there ?

Hi I have been in touch with one of our other moderators. Synapse has had a look at this thread and thinks that the system, being of an older spec, may be "bottlenecking". Effectively the system cannot cope with the flow of data. Do you know if your SATA drives are 5400 r/m or 7200 r/m ? If the slower - then this will add to the problem. Your CPU [ Intel Core 2 ] is probably not up to the job. An i7 would be better - but will not be compatible with your present motherboard socket. Synapse confirms my thoughts - to do what you want properly you need a new 64 bit OS with either 7200 SATA HDD or SSD. And to answer your original question - an upgrade to your present Video card - and more RAM. You may find this of interest: click here

That's fine. The reason I asked is that Windows needs about 10 - 15 % free space to run efficiently. I wonder if this is linked to AVG ? AVG does not get recommended by our Security Experts any more. The free AV that is recommended tends to be Microsoft Security Essentials. Do we need to look further into this or is it OK ?

Those temps look OK Test the PSU and let me know what you get. Remember - the voltages need to be within about 5% so a reading of 11v on a 12v connection is low. It is 8.3% out. If the 5v supply is reading 4.5v this is actually 10% out.

It could be CPU overheating. If the machine has been off for a while does it take longer before it restarts when initially switched on ? Then - because the CPU is hot - it restarts almost immediately ? Does the CPU fan rotate quickly ?

Hi and welcome to ExTS I would be inclined to strip all cards etc off the m/board and leave only the 20(4) way connection from the PSU. switch on. You should get POST beeps and it should be stable. see here http://kenspchelp.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=246

Keep us informed - there will be one that causes the problem :)

I would really like a second opinion on this before I tell you to go spend your hard-earned cash. I will ask one of the other mods to take a look. as I said - I am no expert at video editing. Your SATA HDDs will be OK - but if you are looking for speed Solid State drives are much quicker ..........and considerably more expensive. Hang on until I can get another opinion for you :)

Hi I am no expert on what you are doing but I think, apart from your Video Card, you may be operating at the limit of your 32 bit system. 64bit systems process data much quicker and you can put in 8GB ( even 16GB ) RAM. Your 32 bit system is maxed out with the 4GB RAM that you have. Synapse or Nev may be able to add more.