KenB

Michael - you are very welcome. Definitely not. Your screen is plastic - solvents and plastic don't mix. I would be inclined to leave it - if it is water mark and is really annoying - you could try distilled water with a little white vinegar.

Your m/board is AM3+ you are fitting your existing AM3 CPU to it - this is fine - they are compatible. The concensus suggests that your AM3 Cooler will also be compatible. Fan Cheaper Easier to fit Can be noisy Liquid Quiet More Efficient More Expensive More involved in fitting Can leak

Did I give you any indication that I wasn't ????? ( I jest :) ) Take a look at what Nev has posted.

Hi, From what I can discover... AM3 coolers are compatible with AM3+ CPUs. I also found this that you may be interested in: http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/amx-coolers

I would be optomistic if it were mine. If you can open up the screen - even if you can't ( or don't feel confident enough ) to take it apart completely ... You can get some air in there and hopefully get the water to evaporate. You would need to leave the gap for some time for this to occur. You could try putting a hair dryer on the lowest setting and blowing warm air over the inside of the screen.

Hi and welcome to ExTS This could be one of two or three things: 1. Water Damage - Unlikely as you have horizontal lines too 2. The screen has experienced trauma ( knocked / dropped ) There is an outside possibility that this could be caused by the onboard video. If you can connect up an external monitor and the screen shows up OK then it is due to one of the 3 options above. If you press ( gently ) on one of the spots - does it move / change shape? If it does then this confirms it is a screen problem ( not video ). There is no easy fix I am afraid.

Hi and welcome to ExTS Take a look inside the case - check for dust ....particularly underneath the Motherboard. Use a can of compressed air to blow it away ( don't be tempted to use a vacuum cleaner ) Also check for small loose screws / metal objects that my be shorting the m/board connections. ============ When you replaced the CPU - did you clean the heat sink and use thermal paste ( in moderation ) ?

Hi and welcome to ExTS Firstly - create a Restore Point ( just in case ). Start > Run ...typ in MSCONFIG ..............ENTER Click on "Launch System Restore" and click on "Create a Restore Point". You will be prompted to give it a name - call it "pre USB" or similar. =============== Next - Open Notebook and copy and paste this text in blue: REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment] "DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES"="1" Click on File > Save As Save it to the Desktop as RegFix.reg (It may just show as "RegFix" ) Click on this and say "yes" to the pop-up re. Merging into Registry This will ensure that all non-present devices that have drivers installed are shown in Device Manager ================= Make sure you have no USB devices connected. Start > Run ....type in .....devmgmt.msc.....OK Click on View ( toolbar ) > Show hidden devices. Click the + next to "Storage Volumes" Right click on each of the "Generic Volume" and "Uninstall" Do this for each of the listed volumes. This will uninstall the drivers. Ignore any requests to reboot - complete the uninstall first. Reboot your machine twice. =============== Now reconnect one of the external drives. Windows should recognise it as "New Hardware" and re-install the drivers. (adapted from JohnWill's post)

Depends what you want to pay. Take a look here for the best options re. Video Cards http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html As Randy says - depending on your choice of card and which PSU you have .....you may need to upgrade this too.

The system requirements for Black Prophecy are below: Black Prophecy System Requirements Intel CPU - Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz AMD CPU - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5400+ Nvidia GFX Card - GeForce 8800 GTS ATI GFX Card - Radeon HD 3800 series RAM (Memory) - 3 GB Hard Disk Space - 6 GB Direct X - 9 2 Suggestions are made: GeForce 8800 GTS Radeon HD 3800 series You can always take a look here too: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html

Hi and welcome to ExTS Take a look here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html The cards are arranged by price. The $110 - 175 range may suit you. 450Watt PSU may just be enough. It depends on the card that you select. Many Video Cards require a 4 / 6 pin on-board connector. If your PSU does not have this as an option it is possible to get an adapter.

Hi Paul and welcome to ExTS

Apart from the screen - does the system go through the Boot Process ( as far as you can tell ) ? Fans run Keyboard lights Hard Disk spinning etc. Do you get any Windows Chimes from the speaker ?

You are welcome. I have ordered mine already :)

That would be fine. One of the reviews suggested that the connection for the drive was a bit "dodgy" so I would be a bit careful making the connection. For that price I may order one myself :)

Hi and welcome to ExTS You get nothing at all - not even before Windows starts to load ? What about in Safe Mode ? If you can see anything at startup tap F8 about once per second and select Safe Mode from the list of options. Also try "Last Known Good Configuration"

Are you using the arrow keys in the numeric keypad? http://www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/756fe07ed6.jpg or the usual arrow keys http://www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/b51c2dfabd.jpg Suggest you get hold of a 2.5 inch SATA to USB adapter so that you can (possibly) get at your files etc and check the drive out.

Presumably the keyboard worked to get you into the BIOS. When in the BIOS ( usually on the right hand side ) it will tell you how to move around. This is normally the arrow keys ( not the ones in the number pad ). ================= If we can't move around the BIOS the only other option is to take the drive out and connect it to another system and check it over from there. Let me know which way we need to go.

This sounds like a bad connection. External HDDs can be taken apart to inspect the internal connections - this is an option. Regarding your music problem - Nev ( one of our Moderators ) may be able to advise better than me. I will send him a PM.

Hi and welcome to ExTS You have 2 issues - let's take the External Hard Drive first. ( You may wish to start a seperate thread re the other problem ). 1. You say you had problems formatting .............How did you format it? Plug it in. Start > Type in .......diskmgmt.msc ........ENTER 2. Does the drive show up here? 3. What is listed against the drive ? ( Something like .......F:\ 120GB NTFS Healthy (Active) )

Why do you ask this? Can you access the BIOS? Usually F2 or DEL. Constantly tap F2 or DEL after you switch on ( about once per second ) You will see a message "Press **** to enter Setup" to confirm which one it is. Use the arrow keys to navigate. Is the Hard Drive showing in the BIOS ? ============== EDIT: Found these specs: http://www.samsung.com/uk/business/b2b/products/notebooks/business_class/r40plus.htm Which OS do you have? Is the HDD SATA or IDE ?

You are very welcome - I enjoyed the challenge and the banter :)

Are your ports 1.1 ? ( Still trying to get an overall picture ) Go back to Device Manager > click the + next to USB Controllers Does it say in the list ...."USB2 Enhanced Host Controller" - the operative word is "enhanced". If it does - you have USB 2.0 If it doesn't - you have USB 1.1 This should not affect the ability to run more than one device - but it will explain the "Can perform faster ......" message. I still think there is a power issue. I found this: http://www.girr.org/mac_stuff/usb_test_cable.gif (ref girr.org) You may be able to put this together from a USB extension cable. This will show you what is going on re. Volts / Current when you have the drive connected by itself and with another device. I suspect that there will be a drop in both. Looking at the circuit diagram - you wouldn't need the 50 and 10 Ohm resistors. They were put in to test the port under low and high load. All you would need to do would be to break the 5v cable and insert an Ammeter and from the same cable connect a voltmeter to 0v. Your external drive would need to be connected of course. Test it by itself then test again with other devices connected. Is this a possibility ? =============== Long post - sorry :) Was this with other USB devices connected or with the external drive alone ? Does this reading change when the drive is by itself / other devices connected ?

You are welcome. Best of luck with the monster :)

Hi and welcome to ExTS Check the DVD CDROM drive - make sure there is no disk left in. Can you get to Advanced Startup Options by constantly tapping F8 after switching on. Select "Last Known Good Configuration" - this is an outside chance. Check the connections to the Hard Drive and make sure they have not come loose. You will need to take the panel off ( underneath the case ) to access the HDD. Take it out and replace.