Archive through July 14, 2003
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TV ClubHouse: archive: 2003 June - July: Computer Problem - I need advice/help (ARCHIVE): Archive through July 14, 2003

Whoami

Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 08:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
OK, I'll sign into AIM now under WhoamiTVCH. If you're otherwise occupied, I understand too of course!

Juju2bigdog

Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 09:44 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Dra, I was thinking it was when we deleted Port COM1 is when it decided to start working. Heh, I'll delete both, what the heck. I am Juju2bigDra! Hahahahaha!!!

Texannie

Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 07:05 am EditMoveDeleteIP
HELP!!!! my kids were messing with the puter and not the screen is huge!! I have tried going to control panel,clicking on properties, appearance to change the settings but the windows that pop up are so big that you can't see the apply button to click on that to change the settings. What do I do??

Draheid

Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 08:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Texannie: It's a difficult situation you are in. Are you able to move the dialog boxes around by dragging them so you can see the buttons? Is there by any chance a monitor adjustment tool on your taskbar? Sometimes pressing [Enter] will work the same as clicking the apply button. The other posssibility is press [Tab] and watch where the 'selection' is - then try to count the number of [Tab] presses until it should be on Apply and then press [Spacebar].

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Texannie

Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 08:37 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Dra..thanks. I ended up calling Gateway cause I had tried all your suggestions too. Had to go into safe mode, uninstall my device adapter and start all over.
My poor son felt so badly. I get so frustrated with how some of these games will change the pixels and then you can't get them back!

Draheid

Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 08:48 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Texannie: I'm glad you were able to get it back to 'normal'. I know the safe mode method works but is such a hassle, IMO. You might look around at the video adapters manufacturer website and see if maybe they have some utility software that would but an icon in your tasktray for monitor adjustments which doesn't require finding the display control panel. Actuall, you should first look around in the current display control panel and see if there is an option to place a control on the tasktray.

Good luck.

Texannie

Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 08:58 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks, that is a great idea!!!

Juju2bigdog

Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 02:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Dra, as info, I put the Modem Blaster modem (Conexant) in the Compaq yesterday, and got the drivers to load, but I keep getting hardware failure when I try to dial anything. Gonna try one more time with deleting Com1 port and then go back with the brand new modem if I still have failure.

Whoami

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 02:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hey all, did you miss me?

I'm here...sorta. I'm not sure how I got the modem to work, but it is, so I won't argue with it. DSL still won't work, cause ethernet's diskette is likely damaged. Haven't figured out the mfg's website enough yet to figure out how to download the updated drivers from it (all it seems to want me to do is wireless stuff, maybe I'm in the wrong website).

I use my puter primarily for internet and games. Of course I like to dabble/learn other stuff too, like photo editing and the like.

I need ethernet for DSL. Already know I'll need lots of memory! Would really like to have a CD writer so I can actually save my large data.

How 'bout OS? Is Windows XP good? Better than 98? That seems to be all that's offered anymore anyway. Is Office 2000 still compatable with XP?

Well, I guess I'll get off here so I don't tie up my phone line all day. Man, wish I could get back on DSL!

Anyway......while I was at my drum corps fun night on Friday, my sis was home sitting with Mom. They got to talking about poor me and my computer woes....and....Mom told sis she thought I deserved a new computer! Sis called me and say's "mom wants to buy you a new computer!"

So...any recommendations on brands/models (good, bad, etc)? I know reliability of product is of course important. How about tech support? And where to buy? Office Max/Depot? Or go to Dell, Compaqe, etc online and special order?

Draheid

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 04:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Whoami: Very glad to see you're at least communicating again. Yes, you were missed very much!!!

You will need to know the version on your network card to select the exact matching drivers you need. Click Here for a detailed list of drivers and how to choose the correct one.

Windows/XP is about the only supported OS Microsoft sells and it is very demanding as far as minimum computer system it will support: Windows XP System Requirements

Office 2000 is still compatible with XP (That's what I have at the moment)

New computer advice is a little more difficult to offer these days since hardware is changing all the time. I prefer a brand name system that is preconfigured with as many of the features I want as possible. Build-to-suit systems are usually more expensive, take longer to have built, and often don't include some of the extras that come bundled with preconfigured machines. I would be happy to discuss this with you more if you would like.

Hope this helps.

Feelin_Good

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 06:06 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I've had many different kinds of computers and I work on them for people. I'd have to say Dell is the best. They have great phone support and their website has many people that can help you with about any problem you have. Compaq I wouldn't have because I have had so many people bring them to me to fix that I would never own one. HP is good too but if you buy one at walmart don't get one that has lindows instead of windows. It doesn't support anything.

Juju2bigdog

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 08:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
<does a triple back flip across the room and bounces off two walls and the ceiling>

Whoami, I missed you. I think you ought to go for the new computer ASAP!!!! I am so excited for you I could explode. I bet the Sponge is excited too. Maybe you should start a new thread titled What Computer Should I Buy? In fact, I think I'll go do that for you now, since I have been kind of stalling around so I could watch Trading Spaces Family and just discovered it started an hour ago, lol.

I am glad to see Feelin_Good recommend Dell. They seem to have very good prices. They send me a brochure every week. They also seem to have weekly specials on the back of my Sunday supplement. I am still kicking my self that I did not get the special that had a DVD-RW included for $699 a month or so ago.

So, uhhhhhh, Feelin_Good, you don't recommend I keep this used Compaq 350 P-II that I have been wrestling with for a couple weeks and still can't get the bugs worked out of? I also have a Gateway 400 P-II that I could try to get up and running but I don't have an operating system for it. If I have to purchase an operating system, where is the best place to buy one online?

Dra, got a bunch of stuff to tell you about the modem, put the new one back in and got it working but only with one isp and not the other one I want to use. I am now reduced to messing around with initialization strings it appears, and a lot of it is greek to me (which reminds me I am supposed to be studying Greek and not messing with computers).

Whoami

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 08:10 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Wow! A triple backflip even!

I talked to my b-i-l tonight, and he too recommended a Dell. Most definelty a name brand. I've had it with this off-brand thing, where the first thing any tech asks me is, "what brand is it?"

I barely got the modem up. Sometimes I get on, and sometimes I don't. Still can't get the ethernet to work. I downloaded, tried to install, and the file is unrecognizable.

My bil thinks my hard drive could be going bad. Could be. This "clean" install of Windows is the funkiest thing I've seen!

Will have to check Dell's site while I'm on right now...

btw, where's that "what computer should I buy" thread? Huh? . I'd start it too. But I think my on-line/posting should be minimal until I'm up and running fully again.

Weinermr

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 08:10 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hey I'm excited for Whoami too! I'd love to find an excuse to run out and upgrade my PC, or even better, to buy a brand spanking new one.

Note to Juju - For some people, studying Greek and messing with computers are equivalent.

Juju2bigdog

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 08:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Whoami, I just started the thread!

Weinermr, you have an excellent point.*




*but I think you will be able to comb your hair over it, <rolls around laughing like a damfool>

Weinermr

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 08:34 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
=

Juju2bigdog

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 10:09 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Dra, I did it!!!! I damspankin' did it! I had the new modem, and I was going to have to go through all that AT code stuff to get it to connect to Netzero, and I just had an idea it was a conflict with a too new modem for a too old computer, so I removed it and went through the convoluted rigamarole of deleting the PCI Serial Controller and the COM1 port and then restarted and let it detect a COM port and then shut it down and then put in the Modem Blaster and let it reboot, and of course it did not detect a modem, so I went to device manager and there was an exclamation point over PCI Serial Controller and I went to Reinstall driver and directed it to the unzipped file where I had the drivers I had downloaded off the internet, and it installed those (which it has done before with no success at getting the modem working). This time after installing those drivers there was a modem showing on Device Manager and it had an exclamation point beside it. Clicked on Properties and it told me I needed updated drivers. This was a totally new scenario. So I clicked on Reinstall Drivers and this time selected C:\win\inf, and it found some drivers there and I am writing this while connected with Netzero right now!!!!

Yay!!!

Juju2bigDra

uhhhhhh, it's not supposed to be this hard, is it?

Rabbit

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 10:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'll still play with you Drawg, even if you have become a techno-geek.

<Throws a stick into the pond>

Juju2bigdog

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 11:07 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
<grabs the worthless hare by the scruff and races into the pond after the stick>



Hey, Draheid? Could you do me one more favor and figure out what kind of RAM I need for this Compaq 5170, 350 P-II? Office Depot has it on sale again.

Draheid

Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 11:35 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Juju, PNY Technologies suggests either 128MB or 64MB memory for your computer. These appear to be 100Mhz and should work fine in your computer since it only requires memory capable of 66Mhz. (The memory sizes are links to PNYs website with description and Office Depot SKU numbers)

Hope that helps.

Ladytex

Monday, July 14, 2003 - 05:59 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Hey all, if any of you do not have anti-virus software (shame on you!), you might want to check out this link for free Panda anti-virus:

ZDNet Anchordesk Story

Juju2bigdog

Monday, July 14, 2003 - 08:16 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Ladytex, thanks for reminding me to put Norton on Bigdog's new cruddy computer.

Dra, do you think PC 133 would work for the Compaq? That is the one on sale. Seems you looked it up for my other computer, and 100 and 133 could both be used interchangeably for that computer. Thanks!

Draheid

Monday, July 14, 2003 - 10:21 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Juju Yup, 133 will work fine as well. It won't make the computer any faster based on the speed alone, as you know, but it should work just fine.

Good luck.

Juju2bigdog

Monday, July 14, 2003 - 11:16 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Heh, yeah, I knew that. I am Juju2bigdra after all. Bwahahahaha. Thanks a million.

Bigdog is going to be editing some still photos he took off his videocamera, and I thought a little extra RAM might help him do that faster.

I think I am going to try putting the original Compaq modem back in the machine just for practice, see if I can get it working too.

Feelin_Good

Monday, July 14, 2003 - 12:50 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Good luck working on the compaq juju. I have threw my hands up in the air many times working on them and yelling to it "what were they thinking!" lol