KenB

We are all learning all the time ( as it says under my avatar :) ) Good to hear you are back to factory settings - hope things work out - good luck.

Hi Daren Welcome to ExTS I have split your post from the other thread - you now have one all to yourself :) [friendly advice - we don't allow advertising ]

Hi, The fact that you can run off the on-board VGA is good as we can remove the Video Card from the equation. rundll32.exe is part of Windows System files. It controls the Dynamic Link Library - which is another collection of programs and these are used for the efficient running of your system. If the DLL cannot be accessed - a problem with rundll32.exe for instance then the system cannot communicate with certain hardware and other key functions. You are correct when you say that it could be a virus as some disguise themselves as rundll32 and hide. ( I am not a security expert :) ) The correct location is as you have quoted - if it is elsewhere then the security guys would suspect a virus. At the moment we cannot say for sure - but the message you are getting sounds like a valid system problem. There may be a problem with the hard drive. The fact that the system shuts down is because it is doing what it is told to. There is a setting in Windows that says basically - If you detect a problem .....shut down / re-boot. We can stop it doing this - but we need the system to have booted up to allow us to make the changes. Then we would get a blue screen that would give us a STOP ERROR code - which could possibly help us determine the problem. When you get the enclosure we can connect it up to a second machine and run a Virus Scan on the drive before we do anything with it. [i want to try removing the RAM first] Your data is the next priority - so we will see if you can retrieve that next. We can then run checkdisk on the drive to see if there are any obvious problems. ================= Back to the RAM: Please take the modules out [ refer to post #24 ] Leave the monitor connected to the on-board video. Let us know if the system is stable. Are there any beeps ?

Hi I don't like the sound of the "crack". These cards are stubborn to come out at times but they certainly do not come out with a crack. I assume that your card came out with the brass connections as shown at the bottom in the attachment below ? The only "wire" that I can think of that attaches to the Video Card is a power connection - 4 / 6 pins. If you are putting it back then you sit it in the slot and press firmly on one end of the card - then press on the other end of the card. It is virtually impossible to push it down in one go. For the moment - leave the card out. Take the RAM out - this should be easier. Remember to release the white locking levers. Try the machine with no Video Card and no RAM. Hopefully it will be stable.

Hi and welcome to ExTS I am not a gamer - somebody else may be able to offer more advice. The specs you have given don't seem to me to be "high end" game specific. They are fairly basic. Do you want a laptop or desktop ? Virtually any machine over £300 will have better than the above specs.

Hi, There will be 2 more screws on the other side of the drive. An IDE drive has a broad grey cable attached to it ( 80 wires ) if yours has only a few coloured wires it is SATA. Unlikely - but without knowing what this wire is attached to it is hard to say what it is for. It seems from your reply that you have on-board video. The next thing to try is to take the RAM out. http://www.data.sg/pics/ram_slot_1.jpg The white levers fold backwards to release the RAM Switch off at the wall - but leave the plug in to maintain the earth ( ground ) connection to the motherboard. Touch the metal case to discharge any static in you. Take both RAM out. (I am assuming there are 2 modules ) Switch on and try to boot up. Your machine should make beeping noises ( if there is a speaker ) It should be stable ( fans spinning - LEDs lit ) It should not re-boot. ( It will not boot up - but it should be stable ........hopefully ) If it is - switch off again and replace just one RAM module. Switch on and try booting again. If no luck - swap the RAM over and try the other module. If it boots up on one ( and is stable ) but not the other - you have found your problem. Let me know the results - beeps ? Did it boot up ? Stable ?

Hi and welcome to ExTS Try running System Restore to a date just before the update. Start > Run ....type in .....msconfig .....ENTER [ assuming XP ] Click on "Launch System Restore" Follow the prompts and select an appropriate date. Your data / files / photos will be fine. This will revert your system settings to what they were on the chosen date and any updates will need re-installing ( if you want them )

Have Sky locked access to the router software ? I did find this click here I am not sure what your policy with Sky is. If you are not allowed to change settings then there is little you can do.

There should be a box to check if you want to stay logged in - I assume that you have done this ? If you delete cookies you will need to log in again.

That is good to hear. A bit of creative soldering saves the day again :)

Excellent - thanks for the feedback. A USB adapter wouldn't have solved this DNS Cache problem :)

Hi David, welcome to ExTS We welcome any extra help - jump in with both feet :)

Hi, Is the Molex connector a 3 or 4 wire version ? Is it not possible to simply cut off the TX3 and the Molex and solder the Molex connection to the remaining wires? (assuming the number of wires is 3 in each case)

From the link Randy gave you the key to press is F10. Plug the AC Adapter into the computer. Turn off the computer and wait 5 seconds. Press the Power button to start the computer and repeatedly press the f10 key to enter the BIOS Setup menu. Use the Right Arrow or Left Arrow keys to navigate through the menu selection to locate the Primary Hard Drive Self Test option. Depending on your BIOS, this may be located below either Diagnostics or Tools . Select Primary Hard Drive Self Test , and then press the Enter key to start the test. ================= Whilst you are in the BIOS take a look for Boot Sequence / Boot Order or similar. Check to see if the CDROM is the first boot device. If it isn't - you need to change it. Don't forget to Save and Exit - usually F10 - it will say on screen.

And we always thought we were being ripped off ! Can you order it from the UK and get it shipped ? Download Revo Uninstaller from here: Scroll Down the page - you want the free version. click here You may want to download and save the drivers to your desktop first. Install and run it. It will list all software - including the adapter drivers. Highlight the drivers. Click "Uninstall" from the toolbar and when prompted select "Advanced" This will remove all trace - even from the registry.

Suggest that you uninstall the drivers from Device Manager > Reboot > Windows will find new hardware and install the drivers again.

Basically the monitor cable will be connected to a part of the motherboard that obviously cannot be removed. http://murfsgarage.cybertechhelp.com/images/onboard.jpg The picture shows on-board video - no card - just a VGA socket. A Video Card sits in a slot and looks something like the photo provided. It is at right angles ( sitting vertical ) to the main board. Which do you have?

No - Not a Repair Install. It would need to be exactly the same operating system - XP Pro ( if this is your OS )

Is this an XP machine and do you have an XP full installation Disk ( not recovery disks ) ? If you do we can try a Repair Install of the Operating System.

They are available: click here You would need to check if they would ship to Sweden :) click here too

Hi, You can ping locally but cannot communicate with the Router and because of this there is no internet connection. I have just turned my wireless adapter off and have been able to simulate your ping results exactly. Check that the wireless adapter is switched on - there should be a small switch on the front or back of your keyboard. Failing this - there is a problem with your Wireless Adapter.

Most systems have an internal speaker - if yours used to beep then this is a bit more than dust. Normal boot up should give one beep - any more would indicate the source of the problem. Yes - quite correct. This does sound like over-heating. The usual culprit that causes this is the Video Card. This is what you monitor cable is attached to. With the side panel off you should be able to see this. Some systems do not have a card but the Video section is part of the main board itself. You will know when you see inside - a card look a bit like this: http://di1-3.shoppingshadow.com/images/pi/91/af/6a/34767786-260x260-0-0_Matrox+Graphics+card+MGA+G450+AGP+4x+32+MB+DDR+SGR.jpg [You will need to remove the monitor cable from the back of the machine. There are 2 thumb-screws.] There will be a small screw holding the Video Card in. This is located on the bent part of the bracket - top of the picture above. This is screwed to the back of the case. Once you take this out ( don't drop it ) the Video Card will be able to be removed by rocking it gently from one end of the slot to the other. If you have a second VGA connection http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/SVGA_port.jpg/300px-SVGA_port.jpg Connect your monitor to this. If not - it doesn't matter. With the Video Card out ( no monitor connected ) Switch on. Your machine will still boot up - fans will run - keyboard will light up - hard drive will spin Is the machine stable - or does it re-boot / shut down after a couple of minutes ?

Naomi, Take a look at the Power Button. When you press it - does it actually spring out again? If this button is sticking in - this will cause the system to shut down after 7 - 10 seconds. Are you sure that the wire you mentioned going to the switch is properly attached? Any chance of a photo of the offending wire and its connection ? ===================== I am going to suggest removing some of the cards from the motherboard. This is actually easier than it sounds. If you are prepared to have a go at this let me know. (I can provide pictures :) ) ===================== When you switch on - do you get and beeps from the system ? If so - how many ?

I suspect the problem lies with the Intel® PRO/100 VE Network Card Right click on this ( in Device Manager ) > Properties > and Update Drivers. Let the system search automatically. If this doesn't solve the problem .... I suggest buying either another NIC card or a USB wireless adapter click here and here The wireless adapters and NIC cards are not expensive and may solve your problem. [i know these links are to a UK company - they are just to give you some idea :) ]

The ping to 127.0.0.1 confirms that your local host is OK Try ping 192.168.0.12