Posted 07/28/08 at 03:12:13 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

I’m stuck with a Dell laptop that now fails to boot after just two weeks of normal use. I can accept the fact that I will probably fight with Dell technical support for six months before they do anything to help. What I can’t accept is that I can’t figure out what is wrong with this box.

Quite simply, using the laptop for an extended period results in incredibly slow performance, which leads to a lockup or blue screen, which leads to Windows no longer booting on the next cold restart. The ensuing error messages are varied and too numerous to list. After a clean install of Windows, every single diagnostic from the Dell CD comes back perfect. Memtest86 returns no errors.

I’ve swapped out hard drives and CD drives. But after two weeks, the result is exactly the same: no boot. I’ve tried other “unsupported operating systems” (read: Ubuntu), but they crash and burn just the same. If a Dell technician tells me to reinstall XP Home one more time, I may go postal!

Read More

Comments 

5

TAGS 

dell, laptop, BSOD, ask the doctor, overheating

Posted 07/28/08 at 01:35:58 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

I just completed a minor upgrade to my system, including the addition of a brand-spankin’-new Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU. My question: When you right-click a process in task manager it gives you the option to set affinity. If I’m right, this gives you the ability to set a process or task to a particular core of your CPU.

It seems like this would help distribute the load of everything running and keep things flowing smoothly, but it looks like every process is set to use all four cores.

Is there a right or wrong way to go about changing these settings? Is it advisable to change them? I would think that if you divided them up, you could gain a performance advantage.

Answer is after the jump!

Read More

Comments 

3

TAGS 

multi-core, ask the doctor, cpu affinity, rope

Posted 07/08/08 at 07:08:37 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

How much antivirus and firewall protection do I need? I just purchased a laptop that comes with Norton Security 2007. I had also planned on using Webroot AntiVirus, which includes a firewall and anti-spyware protection. I also thought about using ThreatFire after I read about it in Maximum PC (February 2008), as well as Spybot Search & Destroy. Is all this overkill? What do you recommend?

After the jump: Our experts' answers!

Read More

Comments 

4

TAGS 

ask the doctor, norton, spybot search & destroy, threatfire

Posted 07/08/08 at 06:40:41 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

I built an Intel-based system that’s running on a Gigabyte 945P-S3 motherboard. I’m chugging on three SATA hard drives—a 120GB, 250GB, and 500GB. The processor is a Core 2 Duo E6300 running at 1.86GHz, along with 4GB of 667MHz memory and a GeForce 5800 Ultra Extreme 512MB graphics card.

So what’s my problem? The system runs OK with 64-bit Vista Ultimate SP1, but I have a problem with the 500GB drive disappearing. It doesn’t show up in any of the installed diagnostic programs, Windows disk management, or anywhere else. If I swap the power supply connector around, the drive will show up for a while, but then it disappears again. (The power supply is a Thermaltake 800W unit that’s about a year old, and it has swappable plug connectors.)

 Most times a reboot shows the disk in the BIOS as “BzBzBzBz...” What’s going on?

Hit the jump to see what Frank's options are!

Read More

Comments 

0

TAGS 

sata, ask the doctor, disappearing drive, data recovery

Posted 07/08/08 at 05:00:52 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

My computer has an Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33GHz CPU, an Nvidia nForce 680i SLI mobo, a Sapphire Radeon X1950 videocard, and Windows XP. Since installing a new stick of RAM, the screen remains black when the computer is turned on. The monitor turns on, but the screen remains black.

I tried reinserting the graphics card, but there was no change. I also tried changing the monitor and the cable, but the result was still the same. Is there something wrong with the graphics card?

Hit the jump for the answer!

Read More

Comments 

3

TAGS 

Posted 07/08/08 at 03:17:39 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

Hey Doc,

I’m looking to build a desktop computer for home use. I want to go as wireless as possible—wireless keyboard and mouse, wireless headset, etc. The only thing that should be plugged in to my computer is, of course, the power supply. Do you know of any Intel Core 2 Duo chipset–based motherboards that feature built-in Wi-Fi for smooth wireless home computing?

Good question, Castlevaniaxx! Hit 'Read More' for the answer!

Read More

Comments 

3

TAGS 

wireless, asus, wi-fi, ask the doctor, p5e3, ASUS P5E3 Deluxe Wi-Fi

Posted 05/28/08 at 01:26:15 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

This month, the Doctor tackles mysterious unrecognized devices, HDCP's colossal headaches, and trying to back up content from your DVR.

Read More

Comments 

2

TAGS 

usb, dvr, nforce, Crossfire, RAID, HDCP, ask the doctor

Posted 04/28/08 at 03:07:10 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

Diagnosing and curing your PC problems - vanishing registry entries, blank screens, loud noises, and "thermal events".

Read More

Comments 

0

TAGS 

vista, cpu, ram, doctor, ask the doctor, registry, speaker issues