Computer help. Please!

[Parker]

Yes I know what the dirrefernce the between hardrive and ram is :).. The reason I say that is some notebooks consist completely of RAM and thats whats used to store stuff and dont have a harddive at all.

 

I have yet to see a netbook that uses RAM for actual storage. I do have two notebooks and a server running SSD drives, but they're still HDD's... I'm not trying to get in the middle of anything with this post, but the constant back and forth is not helping the OP at all.

[Big Bill]

Trying booting up with the Windows installation CD in the drive. When it first boots hit "esc" and it will bring you into a window that allows you to boot from the CD instead from the hard drive. This should let you boot in "safe mode" so you can back up your files to a thumb drive. You can repeat this process and try and repair Windows from the installation CD.

 

This is your best bet, borrow a USB CD ROM and follow Fox's advice. If you do not know anybody with one, you can pick up one very cheap.

[flyingarmadillo]

I don't even think I know how to properly respond to this... But anyways, there are limits of RAM per OS. I think XP is 4GB, and I think Vista and 7 are 12GB (Correct me if I'm wrong) The amount of space an OS takes up would take up a ton of space, and that's if RAM was the same as a harddrive. It's not, RAM is just for reading the information, a harddrive is for storing it.

 

You're probably thinking of a computer that boots from a disk, and even then, that's technically a harddrive, considering most are just a series of disks in a container.

 

 

Not quite. 32-bit operating systems are limited to 4GB. 64-bit Windows XP is perfectly happy with more than 4GB. BTW, the same memory limitations also apply to Macs. You can put more RAM in a 32 bit system, but it can only use a max of just under 4GB. The 4GB limit on includes the RAM on the video card so if you have a 1GB video card and 4GB RAM installed you're never touching 1GB of it no matter what you do. 64-bit systems have a limit (16 EB) but it's usually limited by how much you can pack on the motherboard.

[Tman5293]

Ok guys, it's time to clear some things up. First of all, what you are experiencing is Windows OS failure. There is nothing wrong with your hardware.

I'm using my main laptop to do this. I loaned the netbook to my girlfriend's son who's 8 month old laptop has had a hard drive failure for a second time in two months! This seems odd that it might have happened to mine. Could he be doing something to make it fail?

 

Don't ever loan any computer to this kid again. He is very obviously computer illiterate or just very gullible (probably clicks on spam adds all the time). He put a virus on the machine that wipes out Windows system files. I take it that you do not have anti virus installed. You seriously need to get some before this mess happens again. There is a reason the kid's laptop crashed twice in a month: he has no idea how to properly operate a computer.

 

Not trying to be flip but, seriously, if you want to avoid this kind of stuff, get a Mac. I saw those Windows messages for the last time 5 years ago. I have never had a problem since. Sorry for your frustration.

 

This is terrible advice. Macs are just as prone to viruses as Windows computers are. Like previously stated, there is no difference between a Mac and a Windows PC besides the fact that crapple computers are overpriced, and the OS is astronomically different. Also, I've never had any BSODs, viruses, trojans, etc on my Windows computer either. I've been running the same Windows 7 install since two months after the OS came out. I've even switched the Windows hard drive between multiple motherboards. It has nothing to do with the OS/computer. It's all about the user. The simple fact is that I know what I'm doing and know how to take care of my PC. The problem is that the vast majority of Windows users don't.

 

This is your best bet, borrow a USB CD ROM and follow Fox's advice. If you do not know anybody with one, you can pick up one very cheap.

 

This is what you must do. The Windows disc can repair those missing or corrupted system files. Once you take care of that, then you need to run anti virus, anti malware, and anti root-kit scanners.

 

Take it from the computer enthusiast/geek that builds his own computers. I know what I'm doing.

 

If you need any more help just post back here and I'll tell you what to do next. From the way it looks right now, this can all be easily fixed.

[retrosurfer1959]

The CD advice is good. but a lot of people are missing the statement that's it's a strip down netbook so before you do all that go to the support site for the particular netbook your using and see if hey have the disk image on line for you quite a few of them do. We had a panasonic netbook no harddrive and no cd room just enough chip storage to hold the os and files to get it on-line. The support site had a system start/restore file you could download onto a usb thumb drive and boot from the thumb drive if gave it enough new files to get the netbook on line and too the support site where a disk image was downloaded and installed . all i had to have was the purchase date and location and the machine's serial number. most of the true netbooks don't even have a whole set o the windows files on it just a very simple shell and enough communications files to get the sucker on-line there more of a internet appliance in some way than a true notebook

[LarryUK]

I'm going to take it for repair. He'll pay for it.

It has McAffee anti virus on it and I always clean it and delete un-needed things. I k ow he goes on dodgy sites so I told his mom not to let him take it up to his room. But she did. I find that people have no respect for property any more. The youth don't seem to understand that these things have to be paid for.

[jannusguy2]

 

This is terrible advice. Macs are just as prone to viruses as Windows computers are. Like previously stated, there is no difference between a Mac and a Windows PC besides the fact that crapple computers are overpriced, and the OS is astronomically different. Also, I've never had any BSODs, viruses, trojans, etc on my Windows computer either. I've been running the same Windows 7 install since two months after the OS came out. I've even switched the Windows hard drive between multiple motherboards. It has nothing to do with the OS/computer. It's all about the user. The simple fact is that I know what I'm doing and know how to take care of my PC. The problem is that the vast majority of Windows users don't.

 

Sez you. After several years of frustration with the kind of issues the OP described it has been smooth sailing for me since acquiring a Mac. I have never had an issue and would never consider dropping another dime on a PC. To each his own and YMMV but if you want ease of use, dependability and more intuitive design, go Mac. Of course as they become more popular I'm sure the incidence of malware targeting them will increase.

[Tman5293]

Sez you. After several years of frustration with the kind of issues the OP described it has been smooth sailing for me since acquiring a Mac. I have never had an issue and would never consider dropping another dime on a PC. To each his own and YMMV but if you want ease of use, dependability and more intuitive design, go Mac. Of course as they become more popular I'm sure the incidence of malware targeting them will increase.

 

When you have built your own computers from scratch and installed the operating systems yourself, then I might take your opinion into consideration. But until then, there is nothing that you can say that will make me think that any of your problems or the OP's problems were anything other than user error. Except in the OP's case, it was someone else causing the user error, not him.

[Thundergod]

Not trying to be flip but, seriously, if you want to avoid this kind of stuff, get a Mac. I saw those Windows messages for the last time 5 years ago. I have never had a problem since. Sorry for your frustration.

 

 

This. Worked for me. Also avoid leaving your computer with other people, you never know what they'll do and not tell you.

 

I hope it's something easy and cheap to fix, dude.

[jannusguy2]

I don't build my computers from scratch and I have no interest in doing so. I want a good machine, off the shelf, that is easy to use and is reliable. I wanted to throw my PC out the fuxcking window half the time. My mac has been nothing but easy from the get go. I'd venture to guess that a larger percentage of users are not computer knobs who build their own machines but just folks, like me, who want a good product that is trouble free. I don't build my own guitars either. I buy Gibsons.

[Rabs]

When you have built your own computers from scratch and installed the operating systems yourself, then I might take your opinion into consideration. But until then, there is nothing that you can say that will make me think that any of your problems or the OP's problems were anything other than user error. Except in the OP's case, it was someone else causing the user error, not him.

Yeah I have to say as annoying as Microsoft can be (coming from a server person) I find Windows 7 to be excellent..

 

Now anyone with Vista I feel sorry for that was a huge fail, slow and clunky.. but ive never seen Windows 7 crash once so far in the two years or so ive been using it and its the fastest windows yet.. I have a Mac too and they are ok (but really your paying for the design not the PC itself, I got one cos I needed Final Cut Pro).. these days cos they have intels inside you can run pretty much anything on them anyway.. I had both windows and the Mac OS on mine and it worked fine.

 

PCs arnt perfect for sure and sometimes even with the best knowledge in the world they can just do inexplicable and strange things. We should remember though that we are still in relatively early stages of computers, but look how far we have come in just twenty/thirty years or so. Imagine how good that will get with time, real proper user friendly computers, plug and play compatibily on everything and as the user interfaces change to become more natural the experience will get better.. thats what I think anyway ;)

[surfpup]

When you have built your own computers from scratch and installed the operating systems yourself, then I might take your opinion into consideration.

 

First, I doubt you will actually take anyone's opinion into consideration. You're just saying that.

 

Second, I'm going to assume here that by the term "from scratch" you mean assembling components and that you that you have not actually built a computer from scratch unless you happen to be a very talented person with a factory in silicon valley or something.

 

Assuming that is true, I've assembled Windows machines. I've installed (and reinstalled) the Windows operating system many times, but I still prefer Macs.

 

Why do you assume Mac users couldn't build a PC if they wanted to? Does that make you feel smart? It's not hard to do. The last Win box I built is still running 8 years later (at my neighbors house across the street). I taught 8th graders to build Windows PCs from components 12 years ago (they overclocked them too).

 

Bottom line is, everyone has his or her own preference. Even some with Windows® experience prefer Macs. I have two friends who are Microsoft® certified specialists. They use Macs at home because they prefer them. I'm sure there are examples of the reverse.

 

I don't weigh in on these debates because I don't care what computer anyone uses as long as he or she is content. But the tone of your reply is condescending and that bothers me. Why do Windows users get so threatened by the Mac. It only commands 6% of the worldwide PC market anyway (and only 13% of the US market).

 

Just chill out. Maybe you need to install a few more fans on your overclocked CPU or something.

[jannusguy2]

[RaysEpiphone]

I've been using Mac's and PC's for a long time now, I'm not a full blown tech but I can use ether or with equitable love. In my eye's my Mac Pro is perfect for the audio production I had it built for. But a PC can be a good DAW as well, I just prefer the Mac for higher end production and see a PC as a 2nd for this sort of work.

 

I remember when Mac's where a much faster processing machine but Windows has stepped up there game ever since XP came out.

 

I'm running OS X 10.4, witch is the oldest OS you can run on a Mac with out running into Panther, I do have 4 Gigs of RAM but OS X will support 8 or 16 Gig's total (think it's 16) in the Mac Pro. I don't know about all the G5's or older G4's, my Quicksilver G4 (late 2002 model) has 2 gig's RAM installed.

 

Lots of laptops now come with Solid State hardrive's witch you might as well call RAM like as there is no spinning disk. They are much more stable physically and faster than a discdrive.

[Tman5293]

First, I doubt you will actually take anyone's opinion into consideration. You're just saying that.

 

Second, I'm going to assume here that by the term "from scratch" you mean assembling components and that you that you have not actually built a computer from scratch unless you happen to be a very talented person with a factory in silicon valley or something.

 

Assuming that is true, I've assembled Windows machines. I've installed (and reinstalled) the Windows operating system many times, but I still prefer Macs.

 

Why do you assume Mac users couldn't build a PC if they wanted to? Does that make you feel smart? It's not hard to do. The last Win box I built is still running 8 years later (at my neighbors house across the street). I taught 8th graders to build Windows PCs from components 12 years ago (they overclocked them too).

 

Bottom line is, everyone has his or her own preference. Even some with Windows® experience prefer Macs. I have two friends who are Microsoft® certified specialists. They use Macs at home because they prefer them. I'm sure there are examples of the reverse.

 

I don't weigh in on these debates because I don't care what computer anyone uses as long as he or she is content. But the tone of your reply is condescending and that bothers me. Why do Windows users get so threatened by the Mac. It only commands 6% of the worldwide PC market anyway (and only 13% of the US market).

 

Just chill out. Maybe you need to install a few more fans on your overclocked CPU or something.

 

I'm going to go ahead and disprove your first assumption right now. I will take into consideration the opinion of someone who is skilled in the use of their computer, regardless of which OS they prefer. You are obviously one of those individuals.

 

On your second note, you are correct. I take boxes of components, everything from the motherboard to the case that it goes in, and build my own computers. I'm not interested in some prebuilt piece of junk. All I care about is power and speed. This is the sole reason why I dislike the Macintosh OS. It has no muscle. Or even if the OS was installed on a bleeding edge PC with all the latest and greatest components, it would be worthless because it is not able to make use of such resources. This is the reason why Apple wants to discontinue the Mac Pro desktop.

 

I have extensive experience with Windows, Mac, and Linux. And from that experience I can tell you that Windows, by far, provides the most power to the user.

 

When you say that building a Windows computer isn't hard, I would most certainly agree with you. But you must take into consideration the average computer user. Your average user spends most of his/her time just browsing the internet or using email. The idea of building a computer from nothing but components probably sounds impossible to someone like this. The reason, as you pointed out, that my tone is condescending is simply because I hate the average computer user. The only thing they understand is that when you push the power button, the computer turns on. They have no idea how or why it turns on though and this is what frustrates me.

 

Carl Sagan said it himself: "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."

[damian]

 

 

The reason, as you pointed out, that my tone is condescending is simply because I hate the average computer user. The only thing they understand is that when you push the power button, the computer turns on. They have no idea how or why it turns on though and this is what frustrates me.

 

Carl Sagan said it himself: "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on iphones and ipads, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."

 

:unsure: :-k .................

[surfpup]

The reason, as you pointed out, that my tone is condescending is simply because I hate the average computer user. The only thing they understand is that when you push the power button, the computer turns on. They have no idea how or why it turns on though and this is what frustrates me.

 

Carl Sagan said it himself: "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."

 

I've found this is a common attitude among professionals in the computer/IT industry. You should certainly consider a career in this field as you already have one of the primary qualifications.

 

The thing is, shouldn't you be glad that the "average computer user" has no idea why things work? It keeps computer professionals in business and gives them something about which they can feel superior to others.

[jannusguy2]

Who sez I can't build my own computer!