KenB

If this is a laptop there should be a function key to disable the touchpad. on mine it is Fn + F7 The F7 key has a blue pic of a hand and what represents the pad. Windows remembers that the touch-pad has been disabled so on re-boot it is still dead. Do you have this option ? Found this that may be of use - click here

Thanks Starbuck :) jontye As starbuck says - the problems that you experienced were transferred to your new hard drive from the old one. You produced a clone ( direct copy ) -not an image ( which is like a huge zip file ) There is nothing left to do on the new hard drive if Starbuck has completed his work :) I would be inclined to format the old hard drive and use it for extra storeage. Consider creating an image of the new hard drive - just in case.

This is useful information seedy21 - especially as I still have an XP machine. :) The more AV providers who extend support puts pressure on the others to do the same.

Here's hoping :) Things are looking good - Starbuck's not bad is he :) [ don't tell him I said that !! ]

Hi Adam Thanks for getting back. Did the command prompt fix work for you - or did you use something else ? Note - I have made the command prompt instructions invisible to all users except staff :)

Just poking my nose in here ..... :) This was posted earlier... This doesn't look too bad at all. Do you know if the Virtual Memory is "System Managed" The 1GB RAM that you have is ample for XP. Check that the V-M is system managed. [copied this - quicker than typing] Control Panel > System > Advanced ..... click Settings in the “Performance” Section. On the Advanced page of the result, the current total physical size of all page files that may be in existence is shown. Click Change to make settings for the Virtual memory operation. Here you can select any drive partition and set either ‘Custom’; ‘System Managed’ or ‘No page file’ Click on "Set".

Hi and welcome ( again :) ) If I understand correctly you wish to scan your system before booting from Windows. In your description you mention MBAM. I would need one of the security experts here to confirm this - but I don't think MBAM is designed to run outside of Windows. I can, however, offer you another option - MS Windows Defender Offline. click here It can be installed onto a CD or Flash Drive ( Memory Stick ) You simply install the CD or F-Drive prior to switching on. This should do the same job as MBAM would - if it could be run in this situation. One of our security experts may be able to offer other options.

Hi and welcome to ExTS. You are a long way from home - I hope the natives are treating you OK ?

Hi John you stated in post 1 Then in post #3 you state .. This doesn't look right. in your last post you state again .. Could you possibly post a screenshot of what is showing in Device Manager ? Also .. Have you tried this in another system system? Results ?

Thanks Nev - Woodbug did point that out in the first post .......however ..... The explanation was in response to a search of the specific machine on HP site. EDIT manual here - click here see p21 and p58 Woodbug - Please note: ref p59 This is resetting the BIOS to defaults - this is not what you want.

Hi and welcome to ExTS :) If you have an ethernet lead - use this to connect the laptop direct to the router. See if this keeps the connection stable. http://www.techcrok.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Ethernet-Cables.jpg The router connection is usually at the back and there may be up to 4 available sockets - use any. Let us know if this "solves" the problem - we can look at the wireless option then. What is the make and model number of your laptop ? I assume it does not have an internal wireless adapter ?

You may need to set the Boot Order in the BIOS to boot from the USB drive first. Got this of the HP site ...... may be useful :) Where it says "press the F10 key" I would tap it about once per second after switching on. Turn on or restart the computer. While the display is blank, press the f10 key to enter the BIOS settings menu. NOTE: The BIOS settings menu is accessible by pressing the f2 or the f6 key on some computers. Select the Advanced tab using the right and left arrow keys. Use the up and down arrow keys to select Boot Order . Follow the on-screen instructions to change the boot order.

Oh dear ...... If you are using torrent software then you are asking for trouble. This is a known source of malware / virus. Starbuck can give you much more information.

As Nev is not on-line at the moment ......... This is a relatively simple job to do yourself. I am sure Nev could talk you through it. Save yourself the tech charges. They do not repair DVD drives - it is cheaper to replace.

Post deleted as requested :) There is a 20 minute window in which to edit - this is there in an attempt to stop spammers coming back and adding links in their posts. This thread is from April 2012 - again I doubt that the original poster would still need a reply.

Hi kernel and welcome to Fpch Thanks for contributing. Could I ask you to look at the date of the thread before posting please? ( I don't want you to waste your time ) The last post here was June 2010 - I doubt that Armageddon is still looking for a fix for this one :)

Hi You may find this helpful - click here If you can boot up your machine you should be able to make a Recovery CD - click here You only get one go at this so make sure that you have a big enough memory stick if that is what you intend to use. Personally I would go for DVD or CD.

No rush this end jontye :)

If it is an XP machine you are connecting to ..... Start > cmd > ENTER will take you to the command prompt This assumes that you are logging in with an Admin account.

I see you have been doing a bit of research :) SATA drives do not have this option. It is worth a try. 1. Connect it up to another machine using the enclosure or adapter. 2. Check in Computer that the drive has a letter - make a note of this. 3. Go to command prompt as an Administrator If using Vista or above ....Start ....type in cmd .... right click on the cmd.exe that shows top left of screen > Run as Administrator. 4. type in X: ( ENTER ) where X is the drive letter of your problem drive in Computer You should see X:\> ( again where X is your drive letter ) 5. next type net user You will get a list of user accounts on that drive 6. now type net user [your username] * .............there is a space between each 7. You will be asked for a password. [ Do this carefully as when I tried it nothing showed up on screen ] Hit ENTER 8. You will be asked to repeat the password. This should be it. Return the drive to the machine and try booting up again. We don't normally help with by-passing passwords but as you are a long-term member I made an exception. I hope this works for you. I will delete this post after you reply so that it is not available to others who may not be so honest :)

Thanks - good luck :) Note: If you are asked for a Product Code it will be the Win7 one - not the one that is on a sticker on the side of the machine.

Installing Office ( genuine Microsoft software ) will not cause any problems of this nature. Especially if it installed OK. Oh dear !! He doesn't know his consumer law! Take a look here: click here Not sure why you should have 79 updates - these can take a while ..... but 24 hours ??? I suspect that would be computer repair technician. I doubt it would come to this. Give trading standards a ring and see what they suggest.

New machine - XP ? Did you put XP on it ?

Hi Randy No problem at all - you have obviously spent some time on this - all useful stuff :)

That is good to hear :) I do know that a new install of Win7 gives you 30 days to activate it. This may not be the case with your Dell installation but be aware that you may get a message pop up at some point. Thanks for getting back to us.