How to log off, restart and shutdown, from remote computer

Windows XP has a built-in attributes that is used to shutdown any connected computers from any one computer. Using this feature, you can log off, restart and shutdown any computer in your network. This tip is very useful for you, if you are a Network Administrator at your company, because if you have experience to shutdown all connected computers daily in your local area network one by one, definitely that job is annoying responsibility for you.
Follow the given steps to configure shutdown tool on your computer:

To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.
To perform this task, first make sure your both computers are directly connected or connected to network.

Click Start button then type shutdown -i in Run option then press Enter for next.
A small windows dialog box will appear with the title "Remote Shutdown Dialog".
Here first click on "Add" button to add computer, a small Add computers window will open, here type the name or IP address of the computer (you can add many computer for same action) that you want to turned off, then press OK for next.

Now select the action "What do you want these computers to do (log off, restart or shutdown)". If you want to warn your users about this action, select the check box "Warn users of the action" then set time, display warning for 30 seconds or more.

Now select the option that describes the reason to shutdown the computers and also type some comments for users.

Now when you press the OK button, the users will see a "System Shutdown Windows "with time and comments that you had been set.

See Also
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Windows Live One Care Help You
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Online Computer Support

What and How to Fix System32 Error

Yesterday my brother in law came to me with his laptop complaining that his computer is not booting because the “system” file is missing. He was totally weird with the situation as a presentation for one of his project is due by next Monday and it matters everything to him right now as he have devoted last 7 months trying to grab that.

Finally after a half an hour tooling with his system the problem got fixed and he was the happy fellow. But then I thought why not blog something regarding System32 error right here on my blog today.

What is a System32?

The “system” file is one of many that is stored in windows/system32/config folder and it tells Windows XP how to start your computer and who to log in at startup. If this file is missing, your computer will not boot and you will see an error on a black screen stating: “Windows/System32/Config/System file missing or corrupt.”

There are two scenarios where this can happen. In the first scenario, the system file is simply corrupt or missing and needs to be replaced with Windows XP’s backup copy.

Recovering System32?

The first step in recovering from this problem is to boot into the Recovery Console and replace the missing or damaged system file with a backup copy. To do this, you will need an original Windows XP CD, or a recovery CD from your computer’s manufacturer, or a set of 6 Windows XP boot disks.

Once you have booted from your Windows XP CD or floppy disks, press the letter “R” at the first screen asking you for input. The computer will now ask you “Which Windows installation would you like to log onto.” Each profile is represented with a number. Press the number associated with your profile (usually the number 1) and presses enter. Now you will be prompted to ‘Type in the Administrator Password.” Enter your password and press enter.

After you enter your password you should be at a prompt that reads “C:/windows”. Type the commands below to navigate to your Windows/System32/Config directory and replace the appropriate file:

1. cd system32
2. cd config
3. ren system system.old
4. cd ..
5. cd ..
6. cd repair
7. copy system c:\windows\system32\config

You should now see a message stating that the file was copied successfully. Reboot your computer and you are done with your System32 Fix.

How to perform a repair installation of Windows XP if Internet Explorer 7 is installed

Before you perform a repair installation of Microsoft Windows XP, you must uninstall Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 from the Windows XP-based computer. If you perform a repair installation of Windows XP when Internet Explorer 7 is still installed, Internet Explorer will not work after the repair is completed.

To resolve this issue, uninstall Internet Explorer 7 from the computer, and then install Internet Explorer 6. After Windows XP is repaired, you can reinstall Internet Explorer 7.

INTRODUCTION

Before you perform a repair installation of Windows XP, you must uninstall Internet Explorer 7. If you do not uninstall Internet Explorer 7 in this situation, Internet Explorer will no longer work after the repair installation is completed. Specifically, the repair installation does not restore earlier versions of the files in the Program Files\Internet Explorer folder. Therefore, the Internet Explorer 7 files will be incompatible with the Internet Explorer 6 files that are installed in the Windows\System32 folder.

INFORMATION

If you performed a repair installation of Windows XP but did not uninstall Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer will not run. To troubleshoot this issue, follow these steps.

Verify the version of Windows XP that is installed on the computer

1. Click Start, click Run, type Winver.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.

2. In the About Windows dialog box, verify the version of Windows XP that is installed on the computer.

If Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is installed on the computer

If Windows XP SP2 is installed on the computer, uninstall Internet Explorer 7. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.

2. In the Currently installed programs list, click Internet Explorer 7, and then click Remove.

If Internet Explorer is not listed in the Currently installed programs list, follow these steps:

1.Restart the computer in the Recovery Console. For more information about how to use the Recovery Console, click the following article number to view the article in the Knowledge Base:

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

2.Type the following commands.

Note Press ENTER after each command.

CD ie7\spuninst

batch Spuninst.txt

If Windows XP SP2 is not installed on the computer

If Windows XP SP2 is not installed on the computer, uninstall Internet Explorer 7. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.

2. In the Currently installed programs list, click Internet Explorer 7, and then click Remove.

If Internet Explorer is not listed in the Currently installed programs list, follow these steps:

1. Open a command prompt.

2. Type the following commands.

Note Press ENTER after each command.

cd \Windows\ie7\Spuninst

batch Spuninst.txt

Note ie7 is a hidden folder.

If Internet Explorer 7 cannot be uninstalled, but if the Windows\ie7\Spuninst folder exists, uninstall Internet Explorer 7 in the Recovery Console. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer in the Recovery Console. For more information about how to use the Recovery Console, click the following article number to view the article in the Knowledge Base:

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

2. Type the following commands.

Note Press ENTER after each command.

CD ie7\spuninst

batch Spuninst.txt

3. Insert the Windows XP installation CD into the computer’s CD drive, and then restart the computer.

4. Perform a Repair installation of Windows XP. After the Repair installation process is complete, start Internet Explorer 6, and then make sure that it works.

5. Install Windows XP SP2.

Reinstall Internet Explorer 7

When Windows XP has been repaired and is running correctly, reinstall Internet Explorer 7. To reinstall Internet Explorer 7, you must have the Internet Explorer 7 installation package. This installation package may still be on the computer from the first time that you installed Internet Explorer 7. Locate the installation package in the folder in which you saved the files.

Note This package may be located in the Temporary Internet Files folder.

If you cannot locate the Internet Explorer 7 installation package, visit the following Microsoft Web site to obtain this package:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/default.mspx

To connect to the Microsoft download site, you must have a functional Web browser. If Internet Explorer 6 does not work on the computer after you uninstall Internet Explorer 7, you cannot download the Internet Explorer 7 installation package. Therefore, you will have to use a computer that has a functional Web browser to download the Internet Explorer 7 installation package. Then, use a shared network drive to install the program from the downloaded installation package on this other computer onto the repaired computer. If you cannot use a shared network for this purpose, copy the Internet Explorer 7 installation package onto a CD on the second computer. Then, use this CD to install Internet Explorer 7 on the first computer.

Turn on Number Lock on a Laptop

Eliminating the separate number pad is one of the changes most manufacturers make to save space in a laptop computer case. This allows the keys on the laptop keyboard to be large enough for most people to operate comfortably. The number pad didn't disappear completely though. It has been integrated with the standard keyboard with some of the keys doing double duty.

1). Locate the "FN" key on the keyboard. In most cases, it is between the "Ctrl" key and the "Windows" key on the lower-left side of the keyboard.

2). Look for the "NumLock" label or the icon resembling a calculator on the numbered function keys at the top of the keyboard. Most manufacturers use the "F11" key for this purpose. The "F4" and "End" keys are also used. Consult your user's manual if there is no clear marking for this function.

3). Depress and hold the "FN" key. Depress and release the labeled function key. Release the "FN" key. The indicator light for "NumLock" should turn on at this point. Repeat this procedure to turn the number lock off when you are finished.

How to Replace a Laptop DVD/CD ROM Drive

How to Replace a

Laptop DVD/CD ROM Drive

1). Turn off the laptop and unplug the AC adapter. Remove the battery.

2). Turn over the laptop. The CD drive is normally held in place by only one or two small screws, located towards the middle of the computer. Sometimes, there is a picture of a CD drive next to the screw. Many times, the screw is underneath a label, necessitating the removal of the label.

3). Remove the screws.

4). With the screws removed, the old drive should slide out easily. Slide out the drive.

5). Slide the new drive into the case, and replace the screws.

6). Boot up the laptop. Install driver software if necessary, and make sure that the drive is recognized by the operating system.

Kensington Lock Instructions

The Kensington Security Slot is a small locking mechanism used on devices, such as laptops, computer monitors and video game consoles. The Kensington lock then connects to this slot to lock the device securely to a desk or other solid surface to prevent theft. The locks use either combinations or keys for a convenient way to protect your expensive equipment. While not unbreakable, securing your valuables with a Kensington lock can save it from an opportunistic thief.

1). Secure the security wire of the Kensington lock to a large, solid surface. This can be a desk, bedpost or any similar heavy object that is not likely to get stolen. Wrap the security wire around the object and slide the lock end through the loop end of the wire.

2). Set the lock to the unlocked position. To do this, either insert the key and turn it to the unlocked position, or enter the correct combination into the combo pad.

3). Insert the Kensington lock into the Kensington Security Slot on your device.

4). Set the lock to the locked position by turning and removing the key, or slide the combination keys so that the correct combination is not entered.

How to Rename Recycle Bin on Windows

This post describe how to windows operating system rename the recycle Bin. Is it possible ya sure it will in windows.I will rename 'Recycle Bin' to 'Use Me' or 'Trash Can'. Can you do it? … Well, you are lucky this time. I will tell you how you can rename your recycle bin:

1. Go to registry by clicking on Start menu -> run
2. Type regedit
3. Go to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
or
Press CTRL+F and then at the search box type {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
4. Right click on default and click on Modify
5. Change the name of Recycle Bin to whatever you want.

You are done!

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Restore Function on an HP Laptop not working

What Happens When You Lose the PC Restore Function on an HP Laptop?

Hewlett Packard laptops come with several tools for backing up and restoring information, including the ability to completely restore the entire system to its factory settings. If these functions are lost, users must access the default Windows tools for restoration or use other third-party software.

Cause

The primary "C" drive of an HP laptop comes with a built-in partition labeled "HP Recovery." This partition stores all the information required for the HP restoration functions. Removing, renaming or tampering with the drive causes these tools to become unavailable.

Effects

Without the recovery drive in working order, users cannot access the HP Recovery Manager during startup or use it to restore the system to its original state. The HP backup tools accessed from the recovery manager will also be inaccessible.

Options

Even without the built-in HP tools, Windows has several options for restoring the system. The System Restore feature rolls the system back to a previous time, and the Windows Backup/Restore tool allows users to retrieve data. Using the Windows installation disc, users can perform a reinstallation of the operating system to completely reset the computer.

Repair an HP Laptop Power Jack

 The majority of problems with DC power jacks on HP laptop models stem directly from a crack forming between the power jack's positive pin and the motherboard. A good way to determine that this is the problem you are experiencing with your HP laptop is to see if it operates solely on the battery when you plug the AC power adapter into a working electrical outlet. This problem with the power jack eventually results in a dead battery that won't recharge, and a laptop that is not getting any power.

Here are the sptes:

1). Slide your electrostatic discharge wrist strap onto your wrist.

2). Open the link provided in the "Resources" section below. Identify your HP laptop model in the list and click on it. Click on "Manuals," then click on "Maintenance and Service Guide." Click on "Removal and Replacement Procedures."

3). Follow the disassembly instructions and take your laptop apart to gain access to the defective power jack.

4). Lift the motherboard up and out of your laptop and set it aside.

5). Apply soldering iron to the three contacts of the power jack to heat up the existing solder on the contacts.

6). Remove the solder from the power jack contacts using the desoldering pump.

7). Shake the jack left and right until it separates from the motherboard.

8). Solder the contacts on the replacement jack and then coat the motherboard's jack terminals with solder as well.

9). Lay the replacement jack where the original jack was positioned. Apply solder to the jack pins and the jack, then put the motherboard back where you removed it from.

10). Reverse the instructions you used to disassemble your laptop earlier, and work in this order to restore all of your laptop's components to their original positions.

External Sound Card

External Sound Card

Sound cards are usually internal devices that plug into peripheral component interconnect, or PCI, slots. Computers have limited internal space and a predetermined amount of PCI slots. A user can still upgrade a sound card even if there is no space left inside the computer case by using an external sound card. External sound cards may operate slower than internal cards because they are physically located further from the CPU, but this change in speed may not be noticed by average users.

How to Install an External Sound Card

1. Read your computer's documentation to find out if the computer's current sound card must be disabled before installing a new one. If so then you must disable the sound card before installing the External Sound Card.

2. Consult the sound card documentation. The sound card may have a disk to install drivers. The documentation will explain if the drivers should be installed before or after the card is installed. Many external hard drives are plug and play USB devices, which means your computer will automatically recognize the device as soon as it is connected and powered and may not require any separate drivers to be installed.

3. Plug the sound card in. External sound cards are typically not externally powered. USB devices which require external power should be powered before connecting to the computer via the USB port.

4. Install applications for the device. You may not need to install drivers because the computer's operating system should automatically install drivers unless they were installed in a previous step; however, sound cards are often bundled with software pages including programs such as sound editors, media players or audio optimization software.

How Does Flash BIOS Upgrades Work

How Does Flash BIOS Upgrades Work

Your manual should state whether the board has a Flash BIOS (most modern ones do), but if you don't have a manual, or just want to make sure, look under the sticker and look for these codes on the chip (xxx just denotes the capacity):

# 28Fxxx - 12v

# 29Cxxx - 5v

# 29LVxxx - 3v (not often seen)

# 28Cxxx - EEPROM (like Flash, but needs a special device - Flash works in the motherboard)

# 27Cxxx - EPROM, so you need UV to erase it and a programmer to rewrite it.

# PH29EE010 - SST flashable ROM chip

# 29EE011 - 5v flashable Winbond chip

# 29C010 - 5v flashable Amtel chip

All the software you need will fit onto a boot floppy, which should naturally be checked for viruses. Aside from DOS, you will need the upgrade utility and the data file for your motherboard. Both will be obtainable from the web site or BBS of either your motherboard or BIOS manufacturer (try the former first). It will usually be a self-extracting compressed file with a .bin extension. The disk should have the DOS boot files only - no memory drivers! However, you might want to include an autoexec.bat file to automate the process, in case you have to do the job blind.

If something goes wrong, Award BIOS chips have a small amount code hardwired into them that will allow at least a boot from a floppy, although you will have to use an ISA video card, as the code only supports that type of bus. Intel motherboards have the same arrangement, and the code is activated by moving a Flash Recovery jumper, which activates a small amount of code in the boot block area (which, luckily, is non-erasable). Put the jumper in the recovery position, start the machine with a bootable diskette, listen to the speaker and watch the floppy access light (there’s no video available, due to the size of the code). When you hear a beep and the light comes on, the recovery code is being reloaded. When the light goes out, switch the machine off, put the jumper back to its normal position and continue.

The Flash ROM requires relatively high voltage to burn it, and this is usually set with a jumper on the motherboard (it may be marked 12v or 5v). If you don’t have a jumper, it will probably be done by the Flash software. The chips concerned can only be flashed for a limited number of times, and not a high one at that.

Take note of the current settings, so you can reinstall them after you have upgraded - turn off the System BIOS Cacheable option as well. In fact, it's a good idea to save your BIOS contents to a floppy as soon as you get your motherboard up and running. If updating a portable, run it from the mains, as a failure during the upgrade will cause severe problems. You may need to set a jumper or switch on the motherboard to allow the ROM to be written to, or to enable Boot Block Programming, if you want the official phrase.

Boot from the upgrade floppy, and run the utility. The command line will include the name of the utility and the file for the upgrade, typically:

flash p5_aw.14g

In the above example, flash is the name of the utility (flash.exe) and p5_aw.14g is the file containing the code for the BIOS; in this case, it's for the P5 motherboard, which has an Award BIOS (aw), revision 14g. Always save the current BIOS, if asked, so you can recover later. DO NOT TURN THE MACHINE OFF DURING THE UPGRADE, even if there is a recovery procedure-just repeat the process. If the problem persists, reload the BIOS you saved earlier. It's not a good idea to use another manufacturer's flash software, but, if you have an emergency, it would appear that Award's (awdflash) works with all except Asus boards, and MR's 29C010.exe is good, too.

Once everything has finished, check for a successful upgrade with the BIOS identifier on the screen, turn the machine off, reset the jumper, reboot and enter all the previous settings (though you may have to accept the defaults). Reboot again.

How to replace the CMOS battery

How to replace the CMOS battery

If your computer is losing its time or date settings, or you are receiving a message CMOS Read Error, CMOS checksum error, or CMOS Battery Failure, first attempt to leave the computer on for 24 hours. In some cases this can charge the battery and resolve your issue. This often resolves CMOS battery related issues when a computer has been left off for several months. If this does not resolve your issue follow the below steps.

Locate your CMOS battery

 When inside your computer make sure you're aware of ESD and all it's potential dangers.

Open the computer case and find the battery on the computer motherboard, verify that it will be accessible and that it can be removed. Most computers today use a coin cell CMOS battery as shown in the image to the right.

 If you are unable to locate your CMOS battery you will need to refer to your motherboard or computer documentation and/or contact your computer manufacturer for additional assistance in locating it.

Obtain battery information

Unfortunately, most manufacturers will not list the exact type and model of your CMOS battery; therefore, once you have located the battery, write down all information about the battery (Voltage, chemistry, wiring, and packaging). If possible, remove the battery and take it to the location you plan on purchasing a new battery from. The part number for this battery for most computers is CR2032.

Removing the battery

 When inside your computer make sure you're aware of ESD and all it's potential dangers.

If you're computer is using a coin cell battery similar to the above example picture. Removing the battery is relatively simple. Simply use your fingers to grab on the edge of the battery and pull it up and out of the container holding it. Some motherboards have a clip holding the battery down. If your computer has this clip you may need to use one had to move the clip up and the other hand to pull the battery out.

Unfortunately, not all CMOS batteries are removable; some manufactures will only allow a replacement battery to be added. If you're not using a coin cell battery and are not able to determine how to remove it refer to your motherboard or computer documentation and/or contact your computer manufacturer for additional assistance in removing the battery or how to insert a new replacement battery.

Users with computers that do not have removable batteries only options to install a new battery will most likely also need to set a jumper when adding the new battery into their computer.

Insert the new battery

Once you have purchased a new battery, remove the old battery (as instructed above) and replace it with the new battery.

Enter CMOS values

Once the battery is replaced turn on the computer and resetting the CMOS values to the defaults. After the values have all been entered make sure to save the settings before exiting. Many CMOS setups allow you to press a key (such as F10) to save values and exit all in one action.

Use a Laptop IR As a Remote Reader

 The IrDA protocol, created by the Infrared Data Association, specifies how two devices can communicate using a line-of-sight, infrared connection over short distances. Many laptops include an IrDA-capable hardware transceiver in their factory configurations. IrDA transceivers are typically located in the front edge of the laptop. You can configure the infrared (IR) port on your laptop so that it becomes capable of wireless communication with cellular phones, PDAs and other mobile devices.

1). Log in to the computer as a user with Administrator privileges. Click "Start," then "Run." Type "hdwwiz.cpl" into the text box in the "Run" window, then press "Enter." The Hardware Wizard will come up.

2). Click "Next," then "Yes, I have already connected the hardware," then "Next." Click "Add a new hardware device," then "Next."

3). Click "Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced)," then "Next." Click on "Infrared devices" within the "Hardware types" section. Click the device on your computer in the "Infrared device" section of the wizard's window. Click "Next." The IrDA port will be recognized by, and usable from, Windows at that point.

How to install Heat Sink/Fan

How to install Heat Sink/Fan

Today’s processors are running quite hot. Advancements are being made to make them run cooler at higher speeds, but the importance of a high quality heat sink and fan cannot be overstated. PCs that are not properly cooled can be quite unstable, or at its worse, it may not even boot properly.

It used to be that you could attach a heat sink and fan to your processor directly and not worry about it. Today, though, processors run too hot to do this and expect a reliable PC. One must use heat sink compound to seal the gap between the heat sink and the top of the processor.

Some heat sinks have a rubber heat pad on the bottom of them. In these cases, you don’t really need to use heat sink compound because the rubber pad will create the seal. It should be kept in mind, though, that if you are using a heat sink which has been used before and had a heat pad, that heat pad is now likely melted in the spot where the previous processor contacted it. In these cases, you cannot use the heat pad again as it will be ineffective. Instead, you need to clean the old rubber pad off of the heat sink using a non-abrasive cleaning compound.

Install Heat Sink

   1. Attach the fan to the heat sink; this step is almost always already done for you, but if not, you must do it yourself. This is done using the four screws that came with the CPU fan.

   2. Clean the top of the processor; using a lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol (or some other non-abrasive cleaning solution), ensure that the surface of the processor is clean and free of dust and finger oil. Do the same to the bottom of the heat sink. Pay attention to the note above on heat pads if your heat sink had or has a rubber heat pad.

   3. If you are using a cooling shim, place it onto the top of the processor now. Not all processors require shims. In fact, no processors require shims; they are completely optional. But, some people like to use them because they help to increase the surface area of the top of the ship and spread the weight around evenly. See, some processors (such as the Athlon XP) actually have the core sticking up slightly from the rest of the processor. So, when the heat sink is placed on top, all of its weight comes down on the core. If the fan is a real tight fit for the motherboard, it could really create a weight load on the processor core, and some people have actually crushed their CPU core by accident. A shim is simply a thin piece of metal, especially designed for a particular processor, which fits over the processor and evens out the height and helps to alleviate the crushed core problem. When installing a shim, be extra sure you are aligning it correctly. They often have holes in them exactly placed so that the cache bridges on top of the processor can poke through. If the shim is not properly aligned, you could short out these bridges and actually burn out your processor if you run your PC that way. Additionally, a mis-aligned shim could cause the heat sink to not actually have full content with the CPU core, leading to overheating.

   4. Apply the Heat Sink Compound; assuming you are not using a heat pad on your heat sink, apply a very thin layer of heat sink compound to the top of the processor core. If, as is the case with Pentium IV processors, the top of the processor is totally flat, and then apply the compound to the entire top surface of the processor. Many heat sinks come with heat sink compound in a small little package, usually just enough for a one-time install. You can pick up better quality compound online. Arctic Silver is a very popular choice. Be careful not to get compound on any motherboard electronics. Apply only a very small portion to the processor. Only a very thin layer is required. The compound must be spread out evenly across the top of the chip, forming that very thin layer. When spreading the heat sink compound, do not use your finger. Do not apply any heat sink compound if you plan to use a heat pad.

   5. Attach the Heat Sink; place the heat sink/fan combo squarely on top of the processor, pressing down lightly. Do not do any twisting as you install the heat sink. Press down firmly, but straight down so as to preserve the heat sink compound layer you just applied.

   6. Secure the heat sink; most new heat sinks use a set of clips on each side to fasten it down. These clips attach to a pair of tabs on each side of the socket. It will probably take a little bit of force to bend the clip down over the tab. Other heat sinks wrap around the processor, and then just sit on top, the compound being the only real attachment. Pentium IV motherboards have a heat sink retention bracket around the processor socket. When you install the P4 heat sink, you will fasten each of the four retention clips into the retention bracket and then close the clip levers on top of the heat sink to fasten the heat sink down onto the Pentium IV processor.

   7. Double-Check; no compound should have oozed out from the sides. If it did then you applied too much and need to remove the HSF, clean both the heatsink and CPU and start over.

   8. Attach fan to power source; unless your CPU fan is powered via a standard power supply plug, it is probably powered by a wire attached to a 3-pin power lead on the motherboard itself. You can attach this now. The CPU_FAN power lead is located near the CPU interface somewhere. The lead will have two small pins on each side, and these pins surround the power plug and the pins are inserted into the holes in the plug. It should be pretty easy and obvious.

RAM Failure

RAM Failure

Summary: -

If you see random application crashes, kernel panics, and failures in simple programs that have worked for a long time, it is possible you are experiencing RAM failure. 

Symptoms: -

When RAM starts going bad, what you write to an address is not what you get back when you read it later. This causes random corruption of data, programs that crash, and even kernel "oops"es and kernel panics. If it's only a small amount of RAM that is corrupt then few programs will fail, but something will eventually fail when that memory gets used.

Some kernel panics may bring the system to a halt. If they reoccur soon after the system is off for a while you can be more confident it isn't a heat-related issue.

Even small programs may fail if they happen to use the affected memory. If they work once but then fail on a different attempt, this can be a sign of memory failure, since the memory used will be different from run to run.

Diagnosis:-

When a computer is turned on, it goes through what is called a POST (power-on self test) routine.  This is a short diagnostic procedure incorporated into the boot sequence by the BIOS manufacture for troubleshooting purposes. 

Many times when there is an error in your boot sequence you will receive an on-screen error message. This error was printed by the video card. But, in some cases, the error is detected early in the boot process and the error cannot be received by the video card. The problem may even be caused by the video card or the monitor.  This is why the need for beep codes came to be. If there are three short beeps when you turn on your computer, it indicates ram failure.

Once you suspect RAM is failing, I recommend using Memtest86+ (To download Memtest86+ click here Memtest86+). The easiest way to use it is find an Ubuntu CD. One of the options when booting from the CD is to run a memory test. Let it run through at least one entire test suite, such that the Pass column increases to 1. Preferably let it run overnight to get many successful runs.

Computer POST / beep codes

Computer POST / beep codes

AMI BIOS beep codes:

Below are the AMI BIOS Beep codes that can occur. However, because of the wide variety of different computer manufacturers with this BIOS, the beep codes may vary.

AWARD BIOS beep codes:

Below are Award BIOS Beep codes that can occur. However, because of the wide variety of different computer manufacturers with this BIOS, the beep codes may vary.

Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 Vapor

Introduction:

According to Steam, over 94% of the computer users using Steam are running Windows 7 with DirectX 11 video cards.  In fact as of the January Steam Hardware and Software Survey the most popular video card is still the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 which is a DirectX 8 part with a 5.77% market share and the 9800 with a 5.55% market share. NVIDIA and AMD both say that most people upgrade their video cards in a 3 year upgrade cycle.

Sapphire is a manufacturer of video cards based upon AMD chips like the Barts and the Cayman. They were one of the first to launch a HD 6870 in October of 2010 and have released a second series of cards this month.  This series is a custom set of PCBs using things like Sapphire’s Vapor-X cooling and different configurations of display options (Flex). Today’s review is on the Sapphire RADEON HD 6870 Vapor-X edition card. It is a reference card in terms of clock speed but the cooler keeps the card running cooler.

Features:

        900MHz Engine Clock each card

        1GB GDDR5 memory each card

        1050MHz Memory Clock (GDDR5)

        134.4GB/second memory bandwidth (maximum)

        2 TeraFLOPs compute power each card

        TeraScale 2 Unified Processing Architecture

        1120 Stream Processors each card

        VC-1

        MPEG-1 (SD and HD)

        Enhanced Video Quality Features

        Advanced post-processing and scaling

        Dynamic contrast enhancement and color correction

        DXVA 1.0 and 2.0 support

        AMD HD3D technology

        Stereoscopic 3D display/glasses support

        Blu-ray 3D support

        Stereoscopic 3D gaming

        3rd party Stereoscopic 3D middleware software support

        AMD CrossfireX multi-GPU technology

        DisplayPort 1.2

        Maximum resolution 2560x1600 per display

        21.6Gbps bandwidth

        High bit-rate audio

Sapphire’s new card is based upon AMD’s Barts XT chip which was announced last year in October as the replacement for the HD 5770 and 5830. This chip has 1120 SPs which is split into 14 SIMD arrays with 16 SPs per SIMD Each SIMD can do five instructions per clock with four simple and one medium  instructions supported. This brings a total of 1120.

The HD 6870 has 1.7 billion transistors and is manufactured on TSMC’s 40nm fabrication process. AMD’s chip has 56 texture units, 32 ROPs (Outputted Pixels), and 128 Z/Stencil units. AMD says this card can do 2 TeraFLOPs of computing power which is equivalent to last year’s HD 5870.  AMD’s goal with the Barts chip was to deliver near the same performance as last year’s chip for a lower price.

Eyefinity is AMD’s trademarked term for their multi-display technology. With the launch of the HD 5 series last year every video card was capable of 3-display Surround gaming.  This compares favorably with NVIDIA’s solution which requires two video cards running in SLI mode to run 3 monitors. AMD’s solution allows up to six monitors on their Eyefinity Edition cards. With the launch of the HD 6 series AMD has updated their cards with DisplayPort 1.2 connections, allowing daisy chaining of monitors with MST hubs. In the meantime the HD 6870 can connect up to five monitors at once.

DirectX 11 is rapidly becoming the standard for video games being released today. With features such as hardware tessellation, Shader Model 5.0, Compute Shaders and Multi-threading, DirectX 11 really shines in games that support it like HAWX2. HAWX2 uses hardware tessellation to show off detailed terrain including mountains with crevasses and trees, to the tune of 1.5 million polygons just in the terrain alone.  Without tessellation and displacement mapping the terrain is a lot less detailed. Other games such as Aliens Versus Predator also use tessellation to good effect.

Setup and Performance:

Test System

        ASUS P6X58D Premium motherboard

        Intel i7 980X CPU

        24GB Kingston DDR3-1866MHz memory

        Thermaltake SpinQ CPU cooler

        Sapphire RADEON HD 6870 Vapor-X video card running Catalyst 11.1 900MHz core/1050MHz memory

        Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate Edition

        Thermaltake ToughPower XT 850 PSU

Tests

        Uningine Heaven benchmark 1920x1200 8x FSAA 16x AF benchmark

        Just Cause 2  1920x1200 8x FSAA 16x AF benchmark

        Aliens Versus Predator 1920x1200 8x FSAA 16x AF Custom FRAPS walkthrough

        Dirt2 1920x1200 8x FSAA 16x AF benchmark