1 ) Both Windows XP and Vista use the NTFS file system.

There are
no differences between the two in this respect

2 ) the maximum 1 gb and if u want to be good verey good 4 gb and 1

VGA ok bye

3 ) They're both infections that can damage your computer, but the
goals of the authors, techniques and damage they can do are very
different. Learn how to tell them apart. First of a series on anti-spyware
for the consumer and enterprise

5 ) there isnt a difference, you have have just been confussed with the
terms.WLAN stands for >wireless local area network with in this
WLAN there are different types of standards of wireless. a/b/g/n and
some other mino ones the g, is what i think you are referring to, is the
most common standards, which can carry 54 Mbit/s

6 ) Wired internet is faster as it works in full duplex mode (can send

and receive at a time). Wireless works using half duplex mode, requires
a middle device (like access point) for transmission and various other
factors like devices using the same radio signal frequency (2.4 GHz)
affect its transmission

7 ) In my opinion, one of the things that Microsoft screwed up on with

Vista is the release of different flavors of the operating system. They
include:

Vista Basic
Vista Home Premium
Vista Business
Vista Ultimate
I think this is stupid and introduces unnecessary complexity. It seems to
me a better move would be to have a single version of the operating
system. Simplicity is powerful in the world of technology. Multiple
versions is one of the reasons the world of Linux is intimidating to most
computer users. I don’t see any reason why Microsoft had to do it with
Windows.
9 ) SPDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format) is a digital audio
format, and is also referred to as S/PDIF, S/P-DIF, and IEC 958 type II.
SPDIF is used for transporting stereo digital audio signals on PC audio
cards, CD players, DVD players, car audio systems, and other systems
which transmit or receive stereo digital audio.
For S/PDIF, two 192 bit blocks (left and right channel data) is divided
into 12 words of 16 bits each. The first 6 bits of the first word are a
control code.

12) UCA utilizes a campus-wide wireless network. This allows for

internet access from most locations on campus. Students are
encouraged to take advantage of this connectivity with mobile
computers. Windows XP Home is compatible with most applications.
However, Information Technology and Computer Science majors
should strongly consider using Windows XP Professional.
USB wireless adaptors are not recommended. Many USB wireless
adapters are incompatible with UCA's wireless network. UCA does not
recommend adapter brands but most PCI, Mini-PCI, and PCMCIA
adapters seem to work well.
Routers and wireless routers/access points will not be allowed in
residential housing. These devices interfere with the campus network

13) XP - 256mb (1gb recommanded) 98 - 512mb (recommanded

14 ) NTFS 1)allows access local to w2k,w2k3,XP,win NT4 with SP4

& later may get access for somefile. 2)Maximum size of partition is 2
Terabytes & more. 3)Maximum File size is upto 16TB. 4)File & folder
Encryption is possible only in NTFS. FAT 32 1)Fat 32 Allows access to
win 95,98,win millenium,win2k,xp on local partition. 2)Maximum size
of partition is upto 2 TB. 3)Maximum File size is upto 4 GB. 4)File &
folder Encryption is not possible
14) FAT is a short name for File Allocation Table whereas NTFS is a
shart name for New Technology File System.
FAT is supported by WIN 98 2000 2003 XP whereas NTFS is
supported by WIN NT 2000 2003 XP VISTA.
FAT doesnot support compression & encryption whereas NTFS
supports compression & encryption.
FAT supports remote security whereas NTFS supports local security.
FAT doesnot support shadow copy & disk quota whereas NTFS
supports shadow copy & disk quota.

16) This upgrade provides 802.11 a/b/g/n compatibility for complete

wireless network freedom. The upgrade also has an external antenna for
'a' wireless as well as three antennas for MIMO wireless - which
enables the Mac Mini to easily reach top wireless speeds not previously
possible on accessible networks.

The user-installed upgrade includes the high speed 802.11 upgrade

card, external antennas, cabling, tools and illustrated installation
manual - everything needed to install the Mac Mini upgrade.

The installation service is available using any shipping option the

customer chooses, with shipping charges added to the $199.95 installed
upgrade cost. The upgrade service allows the customer to pay for the
exact shipping speed and company they prefer.

This wireless networking upgrade is made to the same specifications as

the Apple factory networking products. It works with all 802.11a//b/g/n
WiFi equipment including Apple AirPort, AirPort Extreme and the
latest 802.11n version of AirPort Extreme, as well as common wireless
hardware from Linksys, Belkin and other popular brands found in
thousands of wireless networks across the country.

Like most QuickerTek products, this 802.11a/b/g/n wireless upgrade is

backed with a one-year warranty on parts and labor. More product
information can be found here:
http://www.quickertek.com/products/acard_mini.php

18) External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or eSATA is an

external interface for SATA technologies. It competes with FireWire
400 and universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 to provide fast data transfer
speeds for external storage devices.
19) What is the difference between a wireless router and a wireless
modem
A wireless modem provides a way to connect to the internet through
an Internet Service Provider (ISP). In the "old days", if you wanted to
connect to the internet, you had to have your computer connected to a
modem that had access to a telephone line to dial in to your ISP for an
internet connection. Modern technology allows you to use a cell phone
modem to do the same thing. A cell phone modem is called a wireless
modem. So you can take you computer, usually a laptop computer,
anywhere there is cell phone service and connect to the internet, like a
cell phone dial up connection. A wireless modem allows one computer,
usually a mobile computer like a laptop, to connect to the internet from
just about anywhere that there is cell phone service. Some people use
wireless modems to connect their home PCs to the internet because
there is no other service available at their homes.

A wireless router is a way for you to share one internet connection,

usually at a home or small office, with multiple computers. So if you
have a DSL Connection or Cable Modem connection or fiber (FiOS)
connection at your house, you can share this high-speed connection
with multiple computers at your house or small business.

For instance, my laptop has a wireless modem so that I can access tha
internet from just about anywhere when I travel. But at home, we have
a wireless router that allows our four computers to share the same high-
speed connection so that each computer has internet access. We can't
install an ethernet cable for each conputer, so we use the wireless router
to share the connection.
In Summary...
A wireless Modem is usually used to connect one (mobile) computer to
the internet by a wireless dial-up connection. Usually a laptop.

A Wireless Router is used to share one high-speed internet connection

with multiple computers where it is not practical to run network wires.
(Usually in a home or small business) Each computer would need to
have a wireless Network Interface Device to access the wireless
network.
I hope this helps to answer your question

26) With faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies

processing power where it's needed most, new Intel® Core™ i7
processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in PC performance. They
are the best desktop processors on the planet.¹

You'll multitask applications faster and unleash incredible digital media

creation. And you'll experience maximum performance for everything
you do, thanks to the combination of Intel® Turbo Boost technology²
and Intel® Hyper-Threading technology (Intel® HT technology)³,
which maximizes performance to match your workload

29) Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a lightweight XML format

designed for sharing headlines and other Web content. Think of it as a
distributable "What's New" for your site. Originated by UserLand in
1997 and subsequently used by Netscape to fill channels for Netcenter,
RSS has evolved into a popular means of sharing content between sites
(including the BBC, CNET, CNN, Disney, Forbes, Motley Fool, Wired,
Red Herring, Salon, Slashdot, ZDNet, and more). RSS solves myriad
problems webmasters commonly face, such as increasing traffic, and
gathering and distributing news. RSS can also be the basis for
additional content distribution servic

28) Power-on self-test

30) The full form of SSID is Service Set IDentifier, which is the name
provided to the network
31) I can't recall hearing of anyone producing lower quality
motherboards than PC Chips!

As far as I understand, the only parts that have changed since it died are
the case (which shouldn't matter unless it shorts something out or
causing unusually yucky stresses, both of which are unlikely), the
powersupply, and the disk. Consider just how much PCChips mobos
suck, I'd say it is quite likely it is the one that failed (they don't even
tend to work particularly well when first installed even). Still, here are
things to try:
I very much doubt the PSU isn't powerful enough - 430W is probably
AT LEAST twice what you need and should also have enough power
on the different rails. I haven't researched Thermaltake at all so I've no
idea who makes them or if they're good. That said, some PSUs refuse to
start if the load is too *low* but I don't think that is what is happening
here.

1)Remove everything but the motherboard, the CPU, the memory, the
front panel connectors and the graphics card and try turning it on. If it
works at this point, the fault is either with the motherboard or one of the
parts you've removed. Try reconnecting them one at a time (and this is
where I add that the power cord should be out whenever you remove or
install non-hot swap hardware so that I won't have to risk getting
sued :-) ). When the system fails to turn on again, you've probably
found the faulty part. Try it on another computer - if it works there, it
probably is the motherboard.

2)Next remove the graphics card. If it appears to start (i.e., fans

spinning) and you get beeps from the speaker, the graphics card (or
possibly) the motherboard is bad. Test the card in another computer.
3)Remove the memory as well. Same as above, check if it starts, and
then beeps. If it does, you either have bad memory or a bad
motherboard.

Unless you've removed the heat sink/fan assembly at some point, it is

unlikely that the CPU is bad.

Just to annoy people, different companies have different beep codes for
various faults. It should say in the motherboards manual which beeps
correspond to which failure.

You didn't mention what the old parts where, does the old motherboard
work with the same CPU? What model is it?

32 ) Types of Memory

Read-only memory (ROM) is a type of memory that cannot be written

to. Information is written to ROM chips by the manufacturer, and this
information cannot be changed. In the past, if ROM information needed
to be updated, you had to remove the original chip and replace it with
an updated ROM chip. Software written to ROM chips is called
firmware. One of the major uses for ROM is to store the system BIOS,
which contains Power- On Self-Test (POST) routines and other routines
that initiate the loading of the operating system. The BIOS also
contains the low-level code that makes communication possible
between the central processing unit (CPU) and the hardware devices.
Because the system BIOS is stored in ROM, you must remove and
replace the ROM chip to update the BIOS software.

EPROM
Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM) is a type of
memory that normally cannot be written to because it is a variation of
ROM. An EPROM chip is a special ROM chip on which the
manufacturer can rewrite information with a special programming
device that uses ultraviolet light to erase all the data.

EEPROM

A new implementation of ROM is called Electrically Erasable

Programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash ROM. The manufacturer
writes the software instructions into the ROM chip, but you can update
these instructions by running special software provided by the
manufacturer. The special software is usually provided on a disk or can
be downloaded from the manufacturer’s Web site.

EEPROM has become the typical way to update your system BIOS.
When my 486SX25 was designed, for example, it was not “aware” of
my brand-new 6GB hard disk that I had purchased and planned to
install in that computer. The manufacturer of the BIOS chip that’s
installed in my 486SX is well aware of current devices. Therefore, the
manufacturer places BIOS updates on its Web site for computer users
running those BIOSs. I just have to download the update to a floppy
disk and then run the BIOS update. The update rewrites the BIOS
instructions, making the computer “more aware” of today’s hardware.

Random access memory

ROM is permanent memory, or permanent storage of information.

RAM, or random access memory, is information stored temporarily.
RAM is volatile, meaning that it needs constant current to maintain the
information that resides in its chips. If current is lost, the contents of
RAM will be erased. This section will discuss the different flavors of
RAM. On the exam, you can expect a few questions on the different
types of memory.
DRAM

Dynamic RAM (DRAM) is probably the most popular type of memory

today and the one that you are most often going to upgrade. When
someone says to you, “I have 128MB of RAM!” they are talking about
DRAM. Dynamic RAM gets its name from the fact that the information
stored in DRAM needs to be constantly refreshed. Refreshing involves
reading the bits of data stored in DRAM and then rewriting the same
information back. Because the CPU accesses data in memory, we
measure the memory’s performance based on the time it takes the CPU
to access that data. The measurement used to determine the speed of
memory is nanoseconds (ns). One nanosecond equals a billionth of a
second. If I have memory that is 50ns and my best friend has memory
that is 70ns, we can assume that my memory is faster. My CPU
receives the information from memory after waiting only 50 billionths
of a second, whereas my best friend’s CPU waits 70 billionths of a
second.

The speed of DRAM ranges from 60ns to 80ns. The lower the number
of nanoseconds, the better the performance.

CMOS RAM

The Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) is the area

where the computer stores its configuration information, such as
whether or not it has a floppy drive, the date and time for the system,
and the number and size of the hard drives that are installed. Think of
the CMOS information as an inventory list for the majority of
components that are installed on the computer.

Is the CMOS information stored in the BIOS chip, or perhaps another

ROM chip? The answer is no. In fact, if the information were stored in
a ROM chip, you wouldn’t be able to go into the CMOS Setup program
and change the configuration. The CMOS configuration information is
stored in a type of RAM called CMOS RAM. CMOS RAM is a special
volatile RAM chip that stores the CMOS information. Volatile means
that if power is lost, the information is wiped out. This could present a
problem with regard to CMOS configuration, since if the CMOS RAM
is wiped out, the computer forgets its inventory information and has to
relearn it. Thus, the computer has a small battery on the motherboard
that maintains enough of a charge to avoid CMOS RAM erasure.

Shadow RAM

Part of the boot process involves copying some of the BIOS

instructions from ROM up to RAM and then executing those
instructions from RAM rather than from the ROM chip. Why? Because
ROM is much slower than RAM, you will get a performance increase
because you are executing the instructions from (faster) RAM, as
opposed to (slower) ROM. This entire process is called shadowing, in
which a copy of the BIOS instructions are shadowed, or copied, to an
area of memory called shadow RAM.

SRAM

With speeds running at 10ns to 20ns, SRAM is much faster than

DRAM. This speed increase comes with a price, however, which is
why people add DRAM to their systems more often than they add
SRAM. SRAM is typically used for cache memory. Cache memory is
used to store frequently used data and program code from slower
DRAM. Think of cache memory as a bucket that sits beside the CPU
and stores frequently used information. After the system has searched
through DRAM once for specific information, it can store that
information in the bucket for easy access later. Because cache memory
is much faster than DRAM, the CPU retrieves information from cache
rather than from DRAM; thus, system performance is increased due to
the reduced wait time.

VRAM
Video RAM (VRAM) is dual-ported memory, meaning it can be read
from and written to at the same time. DRAM is single-ported (which
means that the memory can be written to and read from, but not
simultaneously; it has to go one way at a time). VRAM is most
commonly used on video accelerator cards and is used to store the
values of the pixels on the screen for refresh purposes. VRAM is the
favored memory for video purposes because it outperforms the other
memory types by being dual ported.

WRAM

Windows RAM (WRAM), also known as Windows Accelerator Card

RAM, is a modification of VRAM and is also used for video display
purposes. Like VRAM, WRAM is dual-ported memory, but runs about
25 percent faster. In general, WRAM offers better performance than
VRAM (and at a cheaper price).

RIMM

There is a new high-speed flavor of DRAM on the market called

Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), which runs at speeds around 800 MHz!
The RDRAM chips have a 16-bit internal bus width and are packaged
together in a 184-pin (gold plated) memory module called a Rambus
Inline Memory Module (RIMM). In order to take advantage of this type
of memory, you will need a motherboard and chipset that support
RDRAM

44 ) Guitar Hero 7
45 ) Spyware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported software
(Adware). It is a way for shareware authors to make money from a
product, other than by selling it to the users. There are several large
media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products
in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way,
you don't have to pay for the software and the developers are still
getting paid. If you find the banners annoying, there is usually an
option to remove them, by paying the regular licensing fee.

Read the official definitions for

Spyware and Adware
from Whatis.com

Why is it called "Spyware" ?

While this may be a great concept, the downside is that the advertising
companies also install additional tracking software on your system,
which is continuously "calling home", using your Internet connection
and reports statistical data to the "mothership". While according to the
privacy policies of the companies, there will be no sensitive or
identifying data collected from your system and you shall remain
anonymous, it still remains the fact, that you have a "live" server sitting
on your PC that is sending information about you and your surfing
habits to a remote location.....
Are all Adware products "Spyware"?
No, but the majority are. There are also products that do display
advertising but do not install any tracking mechanism on your system.
These products are not indexed in our database.

Is Spyware illegal?
Even though the name may indicate so, Spyware is not an illegal type
of software in any way. However there are certain issues that a privacy
oriented user may object to and therefore prefer not to use the product.
This usually involves the tracking and sending of data and statistics via
a server installed on the user's PC and the use of your Internet
connection in the background.

What's the hype about?

While legitimate adware companies will disclose the nature of data that
is collected and transmitted in their privacy statement (linked from our
database), there is almost no way for the user to actually control what
data is being sent. The fact is that the technology is in theory capable of
sending much more than just banner statistics - and this is why many
people feel uncomfortable with the idea.

On the other hand...

Millions of people are using advertising supported "spyware" products
and could not care less about the privacy hype..., in fact some
"Spyware" programs are among the most popular downloads on the
Internet.

Real spyware...
There are also many PC surveillance tools that allow a user to monitor
all kinds of activity on a computer, ranging from keystroke capture,
snapshots, email logging, chat logging and just about everything else.
These tools are often designed for parents, businesses and similar
environments, but can be easily abused if they are installed on your
computer without your knowledge.

These tools are perfectly legal in most places, but, just like an ordinary
tape recorder, if they are abused, they can seriously violate your
privacy.

For more information, check out these great resources: GRC.com

The Trouble With Advertising-Supported Software
Adware, Badware & Spyware Profiles
Usenet discussions about spyware

46 ) Adware, spyware and computer virus share some similarities, one

of
which is that all three are major nuisances for computer users. Let's
differentiate the three.

Spyware is software that does not intentionally harm your computer.

What they do is that they create pathways wherein someone else aside
from the computer owner can communicate with the computer.
Normally
spywares record the various types of web sites you visit which are
later used by web advertisers to allow them to send you unwanted
emails and pop-ups.

This is why spyware are usually frowned upon and greatly avoided.
They
are more intrusive than adware. Spyware have their own separate
executable programs which allow them to record your keystrokes, scan
files on your hard disks and.....more information visit us at :

What’s the difference between Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus software?

Recently a customer of ours had trouble getting online (and therefore
not able to receive emails). We did a bit of problem solving and it
turned out to be his Anti-Virus software blocking Internet Explorer.

However, along the way, I recommended that he purchases and installs

some Anti-Spyware software. He did so but asked by did the Anti-
Spyware find things that the Anti-Virus software missed.
The answer is that they are looking for different things.

Viruses are malicious pieces of software that once you ‘catch’ them,
they infect your computer in various ways. Once you’re infected you
need to be disinfected. AntiVirus software does this. So, it’s treating
the symptoms of ‘illness’. The software should be sophisticated
enough to also root out and remove any Viruses that are sitting on your
computer dormant.
Spyware is also malicious but it’s job is to sit on your computer, not
affecting your files or functionality, but recording and broadcasting
information about your activity or data to others. Your computer isn’t
ill because of the presence of such software, but it can be slowed down
by all the extra processing it has to do.
You really need to have both on your computers.

If you have any experiences about viruses or spyware or the software

used to control these, do post your comments here.

Warm regards,

47 ) RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks and it

basically involves combining two or more drives together to improve
the performance and the fault tolerance. Combining two or more drives
together also offers improved reliability and larger data volume sizes. A
RAID distributes the data across several disks and the operating system
considers this array as a single disk

48 ) RAID 1 and RAID 0 arrays store information in completely

different ways; RAID 1 arrays mirror data, while RAID 0 arrays stripe
data.
Striped Data

Striping data writes sectors across two separate hard drives; if you had
two bits of data, it's helpful to think that one would be written to the
first disk and the second bit to the second disk (though this isn't
necessarily true; it does, however, explain the concept quite nicely).
There's no cut in speed when compared to a standard drive (unless a
RAID 0 is set up with more than 3 drives, as this is inefficient), but if
one of the drives in the array fails, there's no backup and a user must
either pursue data recovery or replace the failed drive in the array and
format the remaining drive to get the array set up again.

Mirrored Data

Mirrored hard drives write identical information simultaneously,

essentially providing the user with a perfect backup. Again, there's no
cut in speed. Mirrored drives are unlikely to fail at the same time unless
they're being kept in a poor location (and subject to extreme heat) or
otherwise mistreated. As long as a user is careful to keep mirrored
drives on a protected power supply and safe from physical and heat-
related damage, they're one of the best backup systems that exist.

What This Means For Price

RAID 1 and RAID 0 arrays with two drives cost the same, because the
RAID is usually controlled with simple hardware or software. Since
you're buying two drives to hold the same data, one could make the
case that a RAID 1 is a worse value than a RAID 0, but the added value
of having your data constantly backed up to an identical drive is a huge
plus. Factor in that data recovery can cost upwards of $2000, and
possibly more on a RAID 0, and the RAID 1 is more valuable for users
that intend to use the devices for backup rather than just storage.
 49 ) SERIAL AND PARALLEL COMUNICATION MEANS THE
METHOD USED FOR COMMUNICATION.IN SERIAL
COMMUNICATION THE DATA THAT IS TO BE
COMMUNICATED IS PASSED SERIALLY THAT IS ONE BY
ONE.IN PARALLEL COMUNICATION THE DATAS ARE PASSED
PARALLEL.

SERIAL AND PARALLEL COMUNICATION MEANS THE

METHOD USED FOR COMMUNICATION.IN SERIAL
COMMUNICATION THE DATA THAT IS TO BE
COMMUNICATED IS PASSED SERIALLY THAT IS ONE BY
ONE.IN PARALLEL COMUNICATION THE DATAS ARE PASSED
PARALLEL

50 ) Industry standard RJ-type jacks for receiving mating modular

plugs have become extremely common and are found in virtually every
telecommunications and data communications system worldwide. The
RJ-series connector, such as the RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors, represents
such a standard connector. The standard RJ-series modular connector
includes a plug or contact block and a jack or socket having a certain
number of mating contacts. The plug includes a small block shaped
body typically having pressure activated blades which can be crimped
on to a cable. RJ-45 connectors were originally developed to terminate
flat telephone cable and are very well suited to that application. In
recent years these connectors have also been used for data
communications purposes including terminations of unshielded twisted
pair (UTP) cable for high speed data transmission. An RJ-45 cable is
typically available having an RJ-45 connector attached to each end. A
modular jack assembly, known as an RJ-45 connector assembly or an
RJ-11 connector assembly, comprises a plug connector and a mating
receptacle connector. An RJ-45 connector assembly used for a network
communication has dimensions larger than those of an RJ-11 connector
assembly which is used for a telephone. The RJ-45 connector has a
larger width dimension than the RJ-11 and is configured to facilitate
eight connections. The RJ-11 is configured for four connections but has
a form factor to accommodate six. RJ-45 sockets are mounted in ports
or interfaces in electrical appliances such as computers to connect
signals transported electric wires to the appliance. The socket can be
integrated into a circuit board and can be accessed through a port in the
housing or enclosure of associated equipment or can be molded directly
into an enclosure and wired to a circuit board. The interior surface of
the socket includes a receiving notch for accepting the retention clip of
the plug so as to mechanically secure the plug within the socket. Once
the retention clip has snapped into place within the receiving notch
through a flexing action of the retention clip away from the body of the
plug, the plug is firmly held in place providing secure mechanical and
electrical coupling.

51 ) Loopback address is a special IP number (127.0.0.1) that is

designated for the software loopback interface of a machine. The
loopback interface has no hardware associated with it, and it is not
physically connected to a network.

The loopback interface allows IT professionals to test IP software

without worrying about broken or corrupted drivers or hardware.

52 ) With faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies

processing power where it's needed most, new Intel® Core™ i7
processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in PC performance. They
are the best desktop processors on the planet.¹

You'll multitask applications faster and unleash incredible digital media

creation. And you'll experience maximum performance for everything
you do, thanks to the combination of Intel® Turbo Boost technology²
and Intel® Hyper-Threading technology (Intel® HT technology)³,
which maximizes performance to match your workload.

53 Hello friends,
I want to call your help for my future configuration:

Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe / OC Palm - Chipset Intel X58 /

ICH10R
Processor: INTEL ® Core ™ i7 920
RAM: CORSAIR DHX XMS3 3GB (3 * 1GB) PC10666
TR3X3G1333C9
Power:CORSAIR HX1000 Watts (CMPSU-1000HXEU)

For Graphics Card, I already have a Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4850 -

1024 MB DDR3 - PCI Express

I doubt that the graphics card is just a little compared to the rest. That is
why in the near future I would like to make a crossfire. For my info, is
it possible to add a 4870 to my 4850? Or is it better to have twice the
same?

I also have another question on my configuration. in the cooling

process. Is the fan provided by Intel is good (and silent). And is what is
for the time being adaptable fan socket 1366? Because I did not find.
Thank you for your help.

55 ) Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy,” it says.

“Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your
computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all
open applications.” You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of
Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this.
What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it
happening? 1. Hardware conflict The number one reason why Windows
crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to
other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are
supposed to be unique for each device. For example, a printer usually
connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the
floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for
itself. If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly,
two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user
tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way
to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the
following route: * Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device
Manager. Often if a device has a problem a yellow ‘!’ appears next to
its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the
Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by
your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be
using it. Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something
described as ‘IRQ holder for PCI steering’. This can be ignored. The
best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and
reinstall it. Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the
internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is
www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can
often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be
careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).
When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the
mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static
electricity. To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of
its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs
using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today
there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans
to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2. Bad Ram Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on

the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A
fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may
mean a part is damaged and will need replacing. But a fatal error
caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example,
mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force
the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often
crash the machine if the Ram is overworked. One way around this
problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the
Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a
suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the
motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the
circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to
touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged. Parity error
messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC)
or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can
be a cause of trouble. EMM386 error messages refer to memory
problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to
free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3. BIOS settings Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset

settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these
settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds
of a boot-up. Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a
good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear
on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer
becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to. A
common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram.
Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer
SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the
Ram to lock up and freeze the computer’s display. Mcft Windows is
better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ
numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the
IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is
switched to ‘yes’ to allow Windows to do this.).

4. Hard disk drives After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk
drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to
defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from
causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the
hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good
idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task
Scheduler. The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the
bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop). Some lockups
and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by
reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to
* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-
Hard Disk. Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do
some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some
space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the
Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder)
can free a lot of space. Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more
space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad
sectors. Go to * Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk
Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night
when the computer is not in use.

5. Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video
card problems. These can often be resolved easily by reducing the
resolution of the video display. Go to * Start-Settings-Control Panel-
Display-Settings Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left.
Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most
desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate. If the screen freezes or
you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make
sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to * Start-Settings-Control
Panel-System-Device Manager Here, select the + beside Display
Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select
it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select
each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts. If
you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful
at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make
things worse. The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the
Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You
are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.
Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to * Start-
Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics Here you should
move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most
common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty
drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to
communicate with a device). Look up your video card’s manufacturer
on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6. Viruses Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some

viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to
start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go
to * Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs Here, look for
the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance. A
virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to
identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files
should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software
manufacturer. An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan
by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus
2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7. Printers The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger

file, often called a postscript file. Printers have only a small amount of
memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a
document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will
also slow down the computer’s performance. If the printer is trying to
print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash
the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because
of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug
the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also
called a cold boot, will restore the printer’s default settings and you
may be able to carry on.

8. Software A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-

installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the
software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall
Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will
also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and
leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy. The System Registry
can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you
thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up
the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows
95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows
Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000. Read the
instructions and use it carefully so you don’t do permanent damage to
the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your
operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org
Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This
can be done during start-up. When you see the message “Starting
Windows” press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode. Safe Mode
loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that
prevent Windows from loading properly. Sometimes installing
Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep
getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows
installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal
cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn’t work.
Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings
following installation.

9. Overheating Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped

with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it
may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a
kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been
overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to. One
remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU.
Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from
www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com CPU problems can often
be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will
make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10. Power supply problems With all the new construction going on
around the country the steady supply of electricity has become
disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a
power cut. If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a
uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power
supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to
perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut. It is a good
investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any
unsaved data to be lost

1 ) How many pins in DDR2 RAM

A ) DDR2 has 240 pins, (DDR1 has 184