Computer help/advise...

aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
While after a looong battle it seems my desktop is finally giving out the ghost.
We purchased this desktop in Spring 2005. It's a Dell 5150, XP Media Center, that we basically checked every option box. I mean it has 250gb hard drive, 1gb ram, DVI interconnects, an ATI 256mb video card, back in 2005!
I've had my share of viruses/etc that I was able to handle, including a nasty one that was barely fixable (had to d/l ComboFix as a svchost), then got into Services, turned everything off, and slowly rebuilt.
Anyways the last week or so, I've had a "floppy diskette seek error." Well my computer doesn't have a floppy. The fixes online are to go into BIOS setup and turn them off. Well there's not that option on my computer. Anyways all I had to do was hit F1 when it says, and the computer booted and ran like normal. Small annoyance I figured for this aging machine.
Well, last night the computer as running great, listening to iTunes, multiple Firefox tabs open, Outlook open, etc. Then out of nowhere firefox locked up and the computer blue screened on me. I said that was it for the night, and now today, after I hit F1, the computer begins to load Windows, the Windows XP logo with the progress bar underneath loads for a second. The progress bar gets to exactly the same place everytime, not even half way through one scroll, before the computer blue screens out again.
I know my way around a computer, but haven't really been taught anything advanced, so if you have an idea that might help fix it, I would appreciate the terms/stuff being not to advanced
.
The other problem is that the CD drive is dead. Well, it lights up, the door ejects, it just never reads a CD. I would have reinstalled Windows a long time ago, but can't due to the CD problem. Also I can't find my Windows disks
.
I thought about two things, either buying a new CD drive, 32-bit Windows 7 (I think it's still only $30 for students), and maybe so more ram, and fixing everything that way, just a clean install of Win7? I am a bit worried though the BIOS problems might be pointing at a bad systemboard, so I hate to get everything only for it to completely crap out.
Or just buy a new computer. If I did, it would have to be a sub $500 computer, preferrably a laptop this time, as that's probably all I'm getting back from taxes. How would one of them compare to my computer now? My mine concern would be running some of my racing simulators that are graphic heavy. That would be all I would do, the racing games, surfing online/online school stuff, reading emails, etc.
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
A new $500 dollar laptop will blow your old one out of the water go look in to it…
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Sounds like you may be having a problem with your BIOS chip, CPU, or memory. It's sad, but as fast as technology has advanced, computers are outdated in three years or less these days. You can get desktops with quad-core processors, 4GB of memory, a 512MB ATI or GEforce video card, 500GB - 1TB eSATA hard disk, DVD or DVD/RW, and still pay under $700. The most reliable sites I've found online that have reasonable systems for what you want to use it for are Tigerdirect and Newegg.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...27_47194_47194
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCateg...me=Desktop-PCs
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
If the computer is going to get a lot of use I wouldn't mess with the laptop. The lower end ones I have used didn't get much over a year before problems started up. Heck, an 1800 Sony started having issues less than 3 years after I got it.
 
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dragonzim

Active Member
You are going to have a tough time finding a full featured laptop with the specs you stated for under $500. You can however definitely get a decent desktop for around that price.
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Laptops brought the 'mobility factor' into personal computing. That's the primary usage for those devices. You can get some pretty powerful laptops that can be used for gaming (Alienware), but they're big, heavy, and come with a hefty price tag ($4500+). As reef stated, for what you want to do with a computer, I wouldn't spend the money getting a laptop.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by DragonZim
http:///forum/post/3224080
You are going to have a tough time finding a full featured laptop with the specs you stated for under $500. You can however definitely get a decent desktop for around that price.
Yea, perhaps almost as important as speed, is screen and sound. All these <$500 laptops seem to have are intergrated videocards and cheap soundcards. I think maybe if I decide on a new computer I'll get a desktop and then a better iTouch or something to web-browse on the go.
Anyone have any ideas on maybe fixing the computer, or if my "upgrade" idea would work? It's not like I'm unhappy with the computer's performance. And it seems like the upgrade would be at most $150. I have several hobbies I could spend my tax return on

I tried booting it in safe mode, and it got to where the list of driver scrolls thru, then all of a sudden, the screen filled with "?" and stopped.
 
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dragonzim

Active Member
Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3224249
Yea, perhaps almost as important as speed, is screen and sound. All these <$500 laptops seem to have are intergrated videocards and cheap soundcards. I think maybe if I decide on a new computer I'll get a desktop and then a better iTouch or something to web-browse on the go.
Anyone have any ideas on maybe fixing the computer, or if my "upgrade" idea would work? It's not like I'm unhappy with the computer's performance. And it seems like the upgrade would be at most $150. I have several hobbies I could spend my tax return on

I tried booting it in safe mode, and it got to where the list of driver scrolls thru, then all of a sudden, the screen filled with "?" and stopped.
As Bionic said, it could easily be your memory, cpu or memory that went bad. For the price of a new machine and considering the fact that your current one is 5 years old it'd be easier and not a whole lot more expensive to get a new one. If you want something mobile for browsing you can either look at Touch or if you want something a little more powerful, look at some of the netbooks that are out there. I'm typing this response on an ASUS EeePC Netbook. 10" screen, 1.6ghz processor, 2gb RAM and a 250gb hard drive, with about 10 hours of battery life that I got for less than $350. Its not what I would consider a full featured laptop and wouldnt try running games or any complex software on, but for surfing and checking email its great.
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3224249
Yea, perhaps almost as important as speed, is screen and sound. All these <$500 laptops seem to have are intergrated videocards and cheap soundcards. I think maybe if I decide on a new computer I'll get a desktop and then a better iTouch or something to web-browse on the go.
Anyone have any ideas on maybe fixing the computer, or if my "upgrade" idea would work? It's not like I'm unhappy with the computer's performance. And it seems like the upgrade would be at most $150. I have several hobbies I could spend my tax return on

I tried booting it in safe mode, and it got to where the list of driver scrolls thru, then all of a sudden, the screen filled with "?" and stopped.
The problem with fixing your computer is manufacturers like Dell use proprietary motherboards, BIOS, and sometimes even memory in their systems. You could probably find a new motherboard pretty cheap, but then you'd have to add memeory to it. Your other compnents should go on it with no problems. Just depends your computer knowledge and how adventureous you'd wanna be,
 
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dragonzim

Active Member
Originally Posted by bionicarm
http:///forum/post/3224395
The problem with fixing your computer is manufacturers like Dell use proprietary motherboards, BIOS, and sometimes even memory in their systems. You could probably find a new motherboard pretty cheap, but then you'd have to add memeory to it. Your other compnents should go on it with no problems. Just depends your computer knowledge and how adventureous you'd wanna be,
No proprietary memory, but something like a motherboard definitely has to be made to fit the PC case. Dell makes theirs so that they will only fit together.
 
fenrir

fenrir

Member
Did you get an error code from the blue screen? If its a software issue a fresh install of Windows will do wonders.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by Fenrir
http:///forum/post/3224494
Did you get an error code from the blue screen? If its a software issue a fresh install of Windows will do wonders.
0x0000007E (0xC0000005, 0x8734B3B2, 0xF79AD26C, 0xF79ACF68)
It's the same everytime.
I've searched for 0x-07E and I've only found it related to recent SP2 updates issues. Well, the computer is still only at SP2 though a longtime. I've tried and tried, but there's just something that's preventing this machine from upgrading to SP3.
How would I go about fresh installing Windows? I haven't found the discs (not exactly sure Dell even included them), but also with the non-reading CD drive? I do have an late 90's machine tucked away in the closet. It's not a writeable or anything, but I'm unsure of it's compatibility? I would like to keep my pictures/music and stuff, but if it means getting the computer working again, I have no problem flushing everything.
Yea guys, I don't think I'm gonna put any real money into it, if it's something like a motherboard or a videocard.
 
scottnlisa

scottnlisa

Member
It very well could be a corrupted driver causing the blue screen of death. Dell usually doesn't supply window restore disks. Yeah Dell. Not. IMO spend the money and get a new one. I just picked up a Sony Vaio dual core P-4, 500GB hard drive, 4 GB of Ram for $700.
 
fenrir

fenrir

Member
Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3224662
0x0000007E (0xC0000005, 0x8734B3B2, 0xF79AD26C, 0xF79ACF68)
It's the same everytime.
I've searched for 0x-07E and I've only found it related to recent SP2 updates issues. Well, the computer is still only at SP2 though a longtime. I've tried and tried, but there's just something that's preventing this machine from upgrading to SP3.
How would I go about fresh installing Windows? I haven't found the discs (not exactly sure Dell even included them), but also with the non-reading CD drive? I do have an late 90's machine tucked away in the closet. It's not a writeable or anything, but I'm unsure of it's compatibility? I would like to keep my pictures/music and stuff, but if it means getting the computer working again, I have no problem flushing everything.
Yea guys, I don't think I'm gonna put any real money into it, if it's something like a motherboard or a videocard.

I deal with Dell on a daily basis at work and they will send you a restore disk with what ever version of Windows came with your computer. You just need to give them a call. They may charge you a bit for shipping. (I'm guessing XP) After that I would just buy a new HD which you can get a 500GB for $40-50 now a days. Reinstall windows on the new drive, add your old HD to your pc as a slave and drag your files over that you want. I can be more step by step if you want, if you have no idea what I'm talking about.
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Originally Posted by scottnlisa
http:///forum/post/3224668
It very well could be a corrupted driver causing the blue screen of death. Dell usually doesn't supply window restore disks. Yeah Dell. Not. IMO spend the money and get a new one. I just picked up a Sony Vaio dual core P-4, 500GB hard drive, 4 GB of Ram for $700.
Dell does provide system restore disks, I have about 60 of them at my office for our PCs there. It would say something like "To restore to original configuration" or something along those lines on it. They may have also included the original windows load on a utility partition on the hard drive.
Either way, my recommendation, from about 15 years working in IT, is to stay away from Sony's. They make a great TV and stereo, but from what I've seen their PC's and Laptops are overpriced and fail often.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Well I found a XP desk, though it's home, not media center. I installed it to the same partition as Media Center, though as a different Windows folder. I finished the install, and guess what? It works! I guess the issue was some Windows files that went completely haywire?
The problem is now it's a completely nake'd XP install. There's only a Recycle bin on my desktop lol. All of my old files are there, pretty much everything under C:.
So my concern is how to bring the settings over? Do I just start copying drivers and what not? Or is there something I download on a working computer and install that will do it for me? There is a File and Setting transfer tool, and I try that to no avail.
The main issue I guess right now is getting it back on the internet and somehow updating Windows?
 
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