Hardware Monitor found an error

Ok I will try it, I have changed the boot order before.. but that is the
only thing I have done in the bios.. I think it's the delete key on mine..
What is the best way to configure the startup.. from the floppy first? or
do I change it according to the need? Rainy
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Rainy,

Is your computer configured to boot from the floppy drive first? When you
restart your computer look for a notice similar to Setup = F2 or Press F2 to
enter Setup. It could also be the DEL key which gets you into the BIOS setup
program. Once you're in the setup program,check the Boot section to see the
order of boot devices. It sounds like you have your system configured to
boot
from the hard drive first. If you change it so that the floppy drive is
listed
as the first option, you should be able to run those diagnostic programs.

Unless you can boot from the floppy disks, you will not be able to run
memtest86, Microsoft's memory diagnostic program, or the PowerMax utility.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi Nepatsfan..Sorry about my delay in answering, but I was working on
this
yesterday for a lot of the day and evening to try and get the floppies to
"do" something.. I loaded the floppy, rebooted, a hard boot, then pressed
F8
twice and landed in safemode, so I must be doing it at the wrong time.. I
do
appreciate your help..oh I opted for the Windows Memory Diagnostic but the
only thing I was able to do was run the hdtune utility.. I tried,
honest
I did.. hugs Rainy..
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Answered inline.

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
I just downloaded the Maxtor utility and all it did was to have me create
a
bootable floppy drive.. I'm confused as to why.. since my Maxtor is my
second drive, not the one with windows on it.. Can I boot with a non
windows
drive? I think I can but it didn't check my drive at all.. that's all it
did..

After booting from the floppy, hit the F8 key twice. You should now be
able
to
select the Maxtor drive by using the down arrow key. Keep in mind that
since
you've already gotten good results from HD Tune, running this test is sort
of
like asking for a second opinion.


I looked at the memtest86, but this is always my problem.. there are
several
to choose froom... b on the first choice and a on the second.. but don't
know which one..


Download this file from the Memtest86 web site.

Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.4a installable from Windows and DOS
http://www.memtest86.com/memtest34a.zip

Open the zip file and extract the contents. Put a blank floppy in the
drive.
Run
Install.bat and answer A: when asked for the target drive. Boot from the
floppy
to test your RAM. Keep in mind that the default tests could take a long
time
to
run.

Microsoft also has a memory diagnostic program which you may find easier
to
use.
Once again, it will create a bootable floppy to run the test.

Windows Memory Diagnostic
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Good luck

Nepatsfan


snipped

I have been trying to get into bios, I used the f1, f2, and delete keys..
and windows loads so nicely.. I did find out that the motherboard dictates
how you get to bios.. so will try an find out how from www.asus.com Wish
we luck.. this is beginning to stress me out.. ( Rainy
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Rainy,

Is your computer configured to boot from the floppy drive first? When you
restart your computer look for a notice similar to Setup = F2 or Press F2 to
enter Setup. It could also be the DEL key which gets you into the BIOS setup
program. Once you're in the setup program,check the Boot section to see the
order of boot devices. It sounds like you have your system configured to
boot
from the hard drive first. If you change it so that the floppy drive is
listed
as the first option, you should be able to run those diagnostic programs.

Unless you can boot from the floppy disks, you will not be able to run
memtest86, Microsoft's memory diagnostic program, or the PowerMax utility.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi Nepatsfan..Sorry about my delay in answering, but I was working on
this
yesterday for a lot of the day and evening to try and get the floppies to
"do" something.. I loaded the floppy, rebooted, a hard boot, then pressed
F8
twice and landed in safemode, so I must be doing it at the wrong time.. I
do
appreciate your help..oh I opted for the Windows Memory Diagnostic but the
only thing I was able to do was run the hdtune utility.. I tried,
honest
I did.. hugs Rainy..
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Answered inline.

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
I just downloaded the Maxtor utility and all it did was to have me create
a
bootable floppy drive.. I'm confused as to why.. since my Maxtor is my
second drive, not the one with windows on it.. Can I boot with a non
windows
drive? I think I can but it didn't check my drive at all.. that's all it
did..

After booting from the floppy, hit the F8 key twice. You should now be
able
to
select the Maxtor drive by using the down arrow key. Keep in mind that
since
you've already gotten good results from HD Tune, running this test is sort
of
like asking for a second opinion.


I looked at the memtest86, but this is always my problem.. there are
several
to choose froom... b on the first choice and a on the second.. but don't
know which one..


Download this file from the Memtest86 web site.

Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.4a installable from Windows and DOS
http://www.memtest86.com/memtest34a.zip

Open the zip file and extract the contents. Put a blank floppy in the
drive.
Run
Install.bat and answer A: when asked for the target drive. Boot from the
floppy
to test your RAM. Keep in mind that the default tests could take a long
time
to
run.

Microsoft also has a memory diagnostic program which you may find easier
to
use.
Once again, it will create a bootable floppy to run the test.

Windows Memory Diagnostic
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Good luck

Nepatsfan


snipped

On Sun, 6 Apr 2008 12:11:41 -0500, "Rainy"
wrote:

Ok I will try it, I have changed the boot order before.. but that is the
only thing I have done in the bios.. I think it's the delete key on mine..
What is the best way to configure the startup.. from the floppy first? or
do I change it according to the need?


My view is that the hard drive should normally be kept first in the
boot order, not the floppy.

Boot sector viruses aren't as common as they used to be, but they are
still around. If the floppy is set to boot first, and you happen to
have left a floppy in the drive, and that floppy happens to have a
boot sector virus on it, you're infected.

The risk may be small, but there's no reason to run it at all. The
hard drive should be kept as the first boot device, and it should be
changed to another device *only* when you need it.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

thanks.. I finally did access bios with the floppy in the drive, and was
able to change the boot order.. but nothing happened after that.. I will
have to read Nepatsfan's post again.. thanks for responding. .Rainy
"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2008 12:11:41 -0500, "Rainy"
wrote:

Ok I will try it, I have changed the boot order before.. but that is the
only thing I have done in the bios.. I think it's the delete key on mine..
What is the best way to configure the startup.. from the floppy first? or
do I change it according to the need?


My view is that the hard drive should normally be kept first in the
boot order, not the floppy.

Boot sector viruses aren't as common as they used to be, but they are
still around. If the floppy is set to boot first, and you happen to
have left a floppy in the drive, and that floppy happens to have a
boot sector virus on it, you're infected.

The risk may be small, but there's no reason to run it at all. The
hard drive should be kept as the first boot device, and it should be
changed to another device *only* when you need it.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Hi, I was not able to make those floppies do what they should have done.. so
I looked on line for a way to scan my hard drives and went to PC Pitstop and
they tell me

"Drive C has 0% of its files fragmented, and a total of 54% of its data in
fragmented files. You should defragment drives as soon as possible for best
performance"

I use Diskeeper religiously and there should not be this much
fragmentation.. So I thought I would let windows defrag do it.. and
diskeeper locked it and was not able to until I uninstalled it.. I ran the
windows defrag and still got the same response from PC Pitstop ?

I guess my question is now.. Do I trust PC Pitstop and or Diskeeper? What
is the best way to keep my hard drives defragmented? And especially how do I
defrag the data files?

Rainy




"Nepatsfan" wrote in mess

age ...
Rainy,

Is your computer configured to boot from the floppy drive first? When you
restart your computer look for a notice similar to Setup = F2 or Press F2 to
enter Setup. It could also be the DEL key which gets you into the BIOS setup
program. Once you're in the setup program,check the Boot section to see the
order of boot devices. It sounds like you have your system configured to
boot
from the hard drive first. If you change it so that the floppy drive is
listed
as the first option, you should be able to run those diagnostic programs.

Unless you can boot from the floppy disks, you will not be able to run
memtest86, Microsoft's memory diagnostic program, or the PowerMax utility.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi Nepatsfan..Sorry about my delay in answering, but I was working on
this
yesterday for a lot of the day and evening to try and get the floppies to
"do" something.. I loaded the floppy, rebooted, a hard boot, then pressed
F8
twice and landed in safemode, so I must be doing it at the wrong time.. I
do
appreciate your help..oh I opted for the Windows Memory Diagnostic but the
only thing I was able to do was run the hdtune utility.. I tried,
honest
I did.. hugs Rainy..
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Answered inline.

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
I just downloaded the Maxtor utility and all it did was to have me create
a
bootable floppy drive.. I'm confused as to why.. since my Maxtor is my
second drive, not the one with windows on it.. Can I boot with a non
windows
drive? I think I can but it didn't check my drive at all.. that's all it
did..

After booting from the floppy, hit the F8 key twice. You should now be
able
to
select the Maxtor drive by using the down arrow key. Keep in mind that
since
you've already gotten good results from HD Tune, running this test is sort
of
like asking for a second opinion.


I looked at the memtest86, but this is always my problem.. there are
several
to choose froom... b on the first choice and a on the second.. but don't
know which one..


Download this file from the Memtest86 web site.

Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.4a installable from Windows and DOS
http://www.memtest86.com/memtest34a.zip

Open the zip file and extract the contents. Put a blank floppy in the
drive.
Run
Install.bat and answer A: when asked for the target drive. Boot from the
floppy
to test your RAM. Keep in mind that the default tests could take a long
time
to
run.

Microsoft also has a memory diagnostic program which you may find easier
to
use.
Once again, it will create a bootable floppy to run the test.

Windows Memory Diagnostic
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Good luck

Nepatsfan


snipped

On Apr 6, 10:33 am, "Rainy" wrote:
thanks so much for all this information.. Most of what you are suggesting
for me, is beyond me.. I am having difficulty doing some of the suggestions
as noted to Netpatsfan..

If not understood the first time, then it is probably best
information AND requires multiple readings. That, for example, is how
I learned to change auto oil. Why did I learn to change oil? So that
I could learn how to fix anything. One thing learned: useful
information is never understood in the first reading.

I am totally confused by what is not possible? For example, list of
what can cause freezing is one paragraph. That one paragraph is an
action item. Read it, then stop; act only on that paragraph. Then
move on:
Moving on, ... List includes video processor, sound card,
CPU, some motherboard functions, some memory, and
power supply 'system'.

Listed are what can cause a system freeze. If Chkdsk found a
failure on drive says nothing about what froze a system. That drive
may be a symptom of failure. Errors reported from the Chkdsk are
useful if those error messages were quoted. If error report is not
understood, then numbers are probably THE most important fact to
others who might provide assistance. But again, value of strange
facts is also learned from fixing things.

Reason why failure still exists? Things irrelevant to a computer
freeze were suspect. As long as you only expect to understand one
paragraph at a time, then the entire post is easy. Never expect to
understand an entire post until every paragraph has been 'acted upon';
one paragraph at a time.

Next paragraph defined one thing that can make everything (including
disk drive) appear defective. Then next paragraph said to access all
peripherals simultaneously. Go away and do that. Then come back and
read next paragraph. Next paragraph defined a 'less than two
minute' procedure that provides numbers and useful replies from this
author. You don't know why to do it and do not care. A computer
designer with generations of experience with your problem said to do
it. So act on each paragraph. Only understand 'why' long after
everything in that post is performed and reported here.

You cannot perform that paragraph? Then stop; post for assistance.
Don't spend all day struggling. Stop and ask for directions -
frequently. If not, then others are wasting our time because others
don't learn from your mistakes or confusion.

Don't plan on doing anything like replace a power supply - until the
failure is identified. Again, in that earlier paragraph. Power
supply is not the power supply 'system'. An important point. A
power supply 'system' defect may not be solved by a new power supply
(that also costs at least $60 retail if it contains required
functions).

I'm not familiar with PCPitstop. If it was me, I'd rely on Diskeeper.

Getting back to your original problem, if you're unable to run the diagnostics
on the floppy drives, you might want to wait until your son can take a look at
your computer. If you're computer has been running with no problems the last few
days, there's always the possibility that the freeze that occurred Saturday
morning was an isolated incident.

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi, I was not able to make those floppies do what they should have done.. so
I looked on line for a way to scan my hard drives and went to PC Pitstop and
they tell me

"Drive C has 0% of its files fragmented, and a total of 54% of its data in
fragmented files. You should defragment drives as soon as possible for best
performance"

I use Diskeeper religiously and there should not be this much
fragmentation.. So I thought I would let windows defrag do it.. and
diskeeper locked it and was not able to until I uninstalled it.. I ran the
windows defrag and still got the same response from PC Pitstop ?

I guess my question is now.. Do I trust PC Pitstop and or Diskeeper? What
is the best way to keep my hard drives defragmented? And especially how do I
defrag the data files?

Rainy




"Nepatsfan" wrote in mess

age ...
Rainy,

Is your computer configured to boot from the floppy drive first? When you
restart your computer look for a notice similar to Setup = F2 or Press F2 to
enter Setup. It could also be the DEL key which gets you into the BIOS setup
program. Once you're in the setup program,check the Boot section to see the
order of boot devices. It sounds like you have your system configured to
boot
from the hard drive first. If you change it so that the floppy drive is
listed
as the first option, you should be able to run those diagnostic programs.

Unless you can boot from the floppy disks, you will not be able to run
memtest86, Microsoft's memory diagnostic program, or the PowerMax utility.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi Nepatsfan..Sorry about my delay in answering, but I was working on
this
yesterday for a lot of the day and evening to try and get the floppies to
"do" something.. I loaded the floppy, rebooted, a hard boot, then pressed
F8
twice and landed in safemode, so I must be doing it at the wrong time.. I
do
appreciate your help..oh I opted for the Windows Memory Diagnostic but the
only thing I was able to do was run the hdtune utility.. I tried,
honest
I did.. hugs Rainy..
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Answered inline.

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
I just downloaded the Maxtor utility and all it did was to have me create
a
bootable floppy drive.. I'm confused as to why.. since my Maxtor is my
second drive, not the one with windows on it.. Can I boot with a non
windows
drive? I think I can but it didn't check my drive at all.. that's all it
did..

After booting from the floppy, hit the F8 key twice. You should now be
able
to
select the Maxtor drive by using the down arrow key. Keep in mind that
since
you've already gotten good results from HD Tune, running this test is sort
of
like asking for a second opinion.


I looked at the memtest86, but this is always my problem.. there are
several
to choose froom... b on the first choice and a on the second.. but don't
know which one..


Download this file from the Memtest86 web site.

Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.4a installable from Windows and DOS
http://www.memtest86.com/memtest34a.zip

Open the zip file and extract the contents. Put a blank floppy in the
drive.
Run
Install.bat and answer A: when asked for the target drive. Boot from the
floppy
to test your RAM. Keep in mind that the default tests could take a long
time
to
run.

Microsoft also has a memory diagnostic program which you may find easier
to
use.
Once again, it will create a bootable floppy to run the test.

Windows Memory Diagnostic
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Good luck

Nepatsfan


snipped

thanks, I thought I had annoyed you by not being able to do as instructed.
and I'm sorry I couldn't do it.. Every single time I tried, it led me to
safe mode..

I'm thinking there is another reason why my computer was frozen. It could
have been an out of resources situation. or one of the other things that
have been listed in this thread.. I have tendency to open a lot of windows
at the same time.. I have a gig of ram, but I am a graphics hog.. and
probably need more ram, I also need a larger drive, a couple of them.. ..

And you are right, since there is no immediate problem, my computer is
actually working pretty good.. I will wait to do this.. Thanks for
responding to my question about defragging.. I appreciate all of your
expertise and especially your patience.. hugs Rainy


"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
I'm not familiar with PCPitstop. If it was me, I'd rely on Diskeeper.

Getting back to your original problem, if you're unable to run the
diagnostics
on the floppy drives, you might want to wait until your son can take a look
at
your computer. If you're computer has been running with no problems the last
few
days, there's always the possibility that the freeze that occurred Saturday
morning was an isolated incident.

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi, I was not able to make those floppies do what they should have done..
so
I looked on line for a way to scan my hard drives and went to PC Pitstop
and
they tell me

"Drive C has 0% of its files fragmented, and a total of 54% of its data in
fragmented files. You should defragment drives as soon as possible for
best
performance"

I use Diskeeper religiously and there should not be this much
fragmentation.. So I thought I would let windows defrag do it.. and
diskeeper locked it and was not able to until I uninstalled it.. I ran the
windows defrag and still got the same response from PC Pitstop ?

I guess my question is now.. Do I trust PC Pitstop and or Diskeeper? What
is the best way to keep my hard drives defragmented? And especially how do
I
defrag the data files?

Rainy




"Nepatsfan" wrote in mess

age ...
Rainy,

Is your computer configured to boot from the floppy drive first? When you
restart your computer look for a notice similar to Setup = F2 or Press F2
to
enter Setup. It could also be the DEL key which gets you into the BIOS
setup
program. Once you're in the setup program,check the Boot section to see
the
order of boot devices. It sounds like you have your system configured to
boot
from the hard drive first. If you change it so that the floppy drive is
listed
as the first option, you should be able to run those diagnostic programs.

Unless you can boot from the floppy disks, you will not be able to run
memtest86, Microsoft's memory diagnostic program, or the PowerMax utility.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi Nepatsfan..Sorry about my delay in answering, but I was working on
this
yesterday for a lot of the day and evening to try and get the floppies to
"do" something.. I loaded the floppy, rebooted, a hard boot, then pressed
F8
twice and landed in safemode, so I must be doing it at the wrong time.. I
do
appreciate your help..oh I opted for the Windows Memory Diagnostic but
the
only thing I was able to do was run the hdtune utility.. I tried,
honest
I did.. hugs Rainy..
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Answered inline.

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
I just downloaded the Maxtor utility and all it did was to have me create
a
bootable floppy drive.. I'm confused as to why.. since my Maxtor is my
second drive, not the one with windows on it.. Can I boot with a non
windows
drive? I think I can but it didn't check my drive at all.. that's all it
did..

After booting from the floppy, hit the F8 key twice. You should now be
able
to
select the Maxtor drive by using the down arrow key. Keep in mind that
since
you've already gotten good results from HD Tune, running this test is
sort
of
like asking for a second opinion.


I looked at the memtest86, but this is always my problem.. there are
several
to choose froom... b on the first choice and a on the second.. but
don't
know which one..


Download this file from the Memtest86 web site.

Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.4a installable from Windows and DOS
http://www.memtest86.com/memtest34a.zip

Open the zip file and extract the contents. Put a blank floppy in the
drive.
Run
Install.bat and answer A: when asked for the target drive. Boot from the
floppy
to test your RAM. Keep in mind that the default tests could take a long
time
to
run.

Microsoft also has a memory diagnostic program which you may find easier
to
use.
Once again, it will create a bootable floppy to run the test.

Windows Memory Diagnostic
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Good luck

Nepatsfan


snipped

Rainy,

You didn't annoy me in any way so you have nothing to be sorry for.

Nepatsfan


"Rainy" wrote in message
...
thanks, I thought I had annoyed you by not being able to do as instructed.
and I'm sorry I couldn't do it.. Every single time I tried, it led me to
safe mode..

I'm thinking there is another reason why my computer was frozen. It could
have been an out of resources situation. or one of the other things that
have been listed in this thread.. I have tendency to open a lot of windows
at the same time.. I have a gig of ram, but I am a graphics hog.. and
probably need more ram, I also need a larger drive, a couple of them.. ..

And you are right, since there is no immediate problem, my computer is
actually working pretty good.. I will wait to do this.. Thanks for
responding to my question about defragging.. I appreciate all of your
expertise and especially your patience.. hugs Rainy


"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
I'm not familiar with PCPitstop. If it was me, I'd rely on Diskeeper.

Getting back to your original problem, if you're unable to run the
diagnostics
on the floppy drives, you might want to wait until your son can take a look
at
your computer. If you're computer has been running with no problems the last
few
days, there's always the possibility that the freeze that occurred Saturday
morning was an isolated incident.

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi, I was not able to make those floppies do what they should have done..
so
I looked on line for a way to scan my hard drives and went to PC Pitstop
and
they tell me

"Drive C has 0% of its files fragmented, and a total of 54% of its data in
fragmented files. You should defragment drives as soon as possible for
best
performance"

I use Diskeeper religiously and there should not be this much
fragmentation.. So I thought I would let windows defrag do it.. and
diskeeper locked it and was not able to until I uninstalled it.. I ran the
windows defrag and still got the same response from PC Pitstop ?

I guess my question is now.. Do I trust PC Pitstop and or Diskeeper? What
is the best way to keep my hard drives defragmented? And especially how do
I
defrag the data files?

Rainy




"Nepatsfan" wrote in mess

age ...
Rainy,

Is your computer configured to boot from the floppy drive first? When you
restart your computer look for a notice similar to Setup = F2 or Press F2
to
enter Setup. It could also be the DEL key which gets you into the BIOS
setup
program. Once you're in the setup program,check the Boot section to see
the
order of boot devices. It sounds like you have your system configured to
boot
from the hard drive first. If you change it so that the floppy drive is
listed
as the first option, you should be able to run those diagnostic programs.

Unless you can boot from the floppy disks, you will not be able to run
memtest86, Microsoft's memory diagnostic program, or the PowerMax utility.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi Nepatsfan..Sorry about my delay in answering, but I was working on
this
yesterday for a lot of the day and evening to try and get the floppies to
"do" something.. I loaded the floppy, rebooted, a hard boot, then pressed
F8
twice and landed in safemode, so I must be doing it at the wrong time.. I
do
appreciate your help..oh I opted for the Windows Memory Diagnostic but
the
only thing I was able to do was run the hdtune utility.. I tried,
honest
I did.. hugs Rainy..
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Answered inline.

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
I just downloaded the Maxtor utility and all it did was to have me create
a
bootable floppy drive.. I'm confused as to why.. since my Maxtor is my
second drive, not the one with windows on it.. Can I boot with a non
windows
drive? I think I can but it didn't check my drive at all.. that's all it
did..

After booting from the floppy, hit the F8 key twice. You should now be
able
to
select the Maxtor drive by using the down arrow key. Keep in mind that
since
you've already gotten good results from HD Tune, running this test is
sort
of
like asking for a second opinion.


I looked at the memtest86, but this is always my problem.. there are
several
to choose froom... b on the first choice and a on the second.. but
don't
know which one..


Download this file from the Memtest86 web site.

Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.4a installable from Windows and DOS
http://www.memtest86.com/memtest34a.zip

Open the zip file and extract the contents. Put a blank floppy in the
drive.
Run
Install.bat and answer A: when asked for the target drive. Boot from the
floppy
to test your RAM. Keep in mind that the default tests could take a long
time
to
run.

Microsoft also has a memory diagnostic program which you may find easier
to
use.
Once again, it will create a bootable floppy to run the test.

Windows Memory Diagnostic
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Good luck

Nepatsfan


snipped

thanks .
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Rainy,

You didn't annoy me in any way so you have nothing to be sorry for.

Nepatsfan


"Rainy" wrote in message
...
thanks, I thought I had annoyed you by not being able to do as instructed.
and I'm sorry I couldn't do it.. Every single time I tried, it led me to
safe mode..

I'm thinking there is another reason why my computer was frozen. It could
have been an out of resources situation. or one of the other things that
have been listed in this thread.. I have tendency to open a lot of windows
at the same time.. I have a gig of ram, but I am a graphics hog.. and
probably need more ram, I also need a larger drive, a couple of them..
..

And you are right, since there is no immediate problem, my computer is
actually working pretty good.. I will wait to do this.. Thanks for
responding to my question about defragging.. I appreciate all of your
expertise and especially your patience.. hugs Rainy


"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
I'm not familiar with PCPitstop. If it was me, I'd rely on Diskeeper.

Getting back to your original problem, if you're unable to run the
diagnostics
on the floppy drives, you might want to wait until your son can take a
look
at
your computer. If you're computer has been running with no problems the
last
few
days, there's always the possibility that the freeze that occurred
Saturday
morning was an isolated incident.

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi, I was not able to make those floppies do what they should have done..
so
I looked on line for a way to scan my hard drives and went to PC Pitstop
and
they tell me

"Drive C has 0% of its files fragmented, and a total of 54% of its data
in
fragmented files. You should defragment drives as soon as possible for
best
performance"

I use Diskeeper religiously and there should not be this much
fragmentation.. So I thought I would let windows defrag do it.. and
diskeeper locked it and was not able to until I uninstalled it.. I ran
the
windows defrag and still got the same response from PC Pitstop ?

I guess my question is now.. Do I trust PC Pitstop and or Diskeeper?
What
is the best way to keep my hard drives defragmented? And especially how
do
I
defrag the data files?

Rainy




"Nepatsfan" wrote in mess

age ...
Rainy,

Is your computer configured to boot from the floppy drive first? When you
restart your computer look for a notice similar to Setup = F2 or Press F2
to
enter Setup. It could also be the DEL key which gets you into the BIOS
setup
program. Once you're in the setup program,check the Boot section to see
the
order of boot devices. It sounds like you have your system configured to
boot
from the hard drive first. If you change it so that the floppy drive is
listed
as the first option, you should be able to run those diagnostic programs.

Unless you can boot from the floppy disks, you will not be able to run
memtest86, Microsoft's memory diagnostic program, or the PowerMax
utility.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
Hi Nepatsfan..Sorry about my delay in answering, but I was working on
this
yesterday for a lot of the day and evening to try and get the floppies
to
"do" something.. I loaded the floppy, rebooted, a hard boot, then
pressed
F8
twice and landed in safemode, so I must be doing it at the wrong time..
I
do
appreciate your help..oh I opted for the Windows Memory Diagnostic but
the
only thing I was able to do was run the hdtune utility.. I tried,
honest
I did.. hugs Rainy..
"Nepatsfan" wrote in message
...
Answered inline.

"Rainy" wrote in message
...
I just downloaded the Maxtor utility and all it did was to have me
create
a
bootable floppy drive.. I'm confused as to why.. since my Maxtor is my
second drive, not the one with windows on it.. Can I boot with a non
windows
drive? I think I can but it didn't check my drive at all.. that's all
it
did..

After booting from the floppy, hit the F8 key twice. You should now be
able
to
select the Maxtor drive by using the down arrow key. Keep in mind that
since
you've already gotten good results from HD Tune, running this test is
sort
of
like asking for a second opinion.


I looked at the memtest86, but this is always my problem.. there are
several
to choose froom... b on the first choice and a on the second.. but
don't
know which one..


Download this file from the Memtest86 web site.

Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.4a installable from Windows and DOS
http://www.memtest86.com/memtest34a.zip

Open the zip file and extract the contents. Put a blank floppy in the
drive.
Run
Install.bat and answer A: when asked for the target drive. Boot from the
floppy
to test your RAM. Keep in mind that the default tests could take a long
time
to
run.

Microsoft also has a memory diagnostic program which you may find easier
to
use.
Once again, it will create a bootable floppy to run the test.

Windows Memory Diagnostic
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Good luck

Nepatsfan


snipped

On Apr 7, 7:44 pm, "Rainy" wrote:
I'm thinking there is another reason why my computer was frozen. It could
have been an out of resources situation. or one of the other things that
have been listed in this thread.. I have tendency to open a lot of windows
at the same time.. I have a gig of ram, but I am a graphics hog.. and
probably need more ram, I also need a larger drive, a couple of them.. ..

1 gbyte memory is constantly too small. When the computer needs
more memory, it simply transfers code out to disk - virtual memory.
If virtual memory is too small, then an OS announces the problem,
enlarges virtual memory (on the disk) and keeps working. At no time
will insufficient resources crash an OS. Reliability even in 1960
mainframes demanded that an OS always keep working. If computer
cannot provide the resources, then the OS stops or removes that
program - and keeps working.

Hardware reasons for freezing were listed previously. Niether
insufficient memory nor a disk drive is on that list. Defective
memory (in limited locations) can crash a computer. Insufficient
resources could crash unreliable OSes such as Windows 9x/ME. But
insufficient resources must never crash a true pre-emptive
multitasking OS such as Windows NT based OSes.

Thank you for responding.. you have given me a lot of information..
correcting my misinformation so I know how to proceed, it has been my
intention to buy more ram.. so I will do this.. and if I have enough money
after the move, I can have a tech look at it and see where the problems
lie.., My son is pretty good with hard ware, but not with windows XP .. I
have fixed his computer before. thanks to this group..

I know what a power supply is but up til now had never heard of a power
supply "system".. so I will check into that.. thanks for the technical
input.. it's appreciated. thanks, Rainy

w_tom" wrote in message
...
On Apr 7, 7:44 pm, "Rainy" wrote:
I'm thinking there is another reason why my computer was frozen. It could
have been an out of resources situation. or one of the other things that
have been listed in this thread.. I have tendency to open a lot of windows
at the same time.. I have a gig of ram, but I am a graphics hog.. and
probably need more ram, I also need a larger drive, a couple of them..
..

1 gbyte memory is constantly too small. When the computer needs
more memory, it simply transfers code out to disk - virtual memory.
If virtual memory is too small, then an OS announces the problem,
enlarges virtual memory (on the disk) and keeps working. At no time
will insufficient resources crash an OS. Reliability even in 1960
mainframes demanded that an OS always keep working. If computer
cannot provide the resources, then the OS stops or removes that
program - and keeps working.

Hardware reasons for freezing were listed previously. Niether
insufficient memory nor a disk drive is on that list. Defective
memory (in limited locations) can crash a computer. Insufficient
resources could crash unreliable OSes such as Windows 9x/ME. But
insufficient resources must never crash a true pre-emptive
multitasking OS such as Windows NT based OSes.

On Tue, 8 Apr 2008 14:13:43 -0500, "Rainy"
wrote:

Thank you for responding.. you have given me a lot of information..
correcting my misinformation so I know how to proceed, it has been my
intention to buy more ram.. so I will do this..


Before you buy more RAM, realize that very few people need more than
1GB with Windows XP. Even that amount is more than most people need.
Read the following:

How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
RAM you have keeps you from using the page file, and that depends on
what apps you run. Most people running a typical range of business
applications find that somewhere around 256-384MB works well, others
need 512MB. Almost anyone will see poor performance with less than
256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things like editing large
photographic images, can see a performance boost by adding even more
than 512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.



and if I have enough money
after the move, I can have a tech look at it and see where the problems
lie.., My son is pretty good with hard ware, but not with windows XP .. I
have fixed his computer before. thanks to this group..

I know what a power supply is but up til now had never heard of a power
supply "system".. so I will check into that.. thanks for the technical
input.. it's appreciated. thanks, Rainy

w_tom" wrote in message
...
On Apr 7, 7:44 pm, "Rainy" wrote:
I'm thinking there is another reason why my computer was frozen. It could
have been an out of resources situation. or one of the other things that
have been listed in this thread.. I have tendency to open a lot of windows
at the same time.. I have a gig of ram, but I am a graphics hog.. and
probably need more ram, I also need a larger drive, a couple of them..
..

1 gbyte memory is constantly too small. When the computer needs
more memory, it simply transfers code out to disk - virtual memory.
If virtual memory is too small, then an OS announces the problem,
enlarges virtual memory (on the disk) and keeps working. At no time
will insufficient resources crash an OS. Reliability even in 1960
mainframes demanded that an OS always keep working. If computer
cannot provide the resources, then the OS stops or removes that
program - and keeps working.

Hardware reasons for freezing were listed previously. Niether
insufficient memory nor a disk drive is on that list. Defective
memory (in limited locations) can crash a computer. Insufficient
resources could crash unreliable OSes such as Windows 9x/ME. But
insufficient resources must never crash a true pre-emptive
multitasking OS such as Windows NT based OSes.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

thank you Ken for jumping in here.. I use Paint Shop pro and use graphics
continually.. so I am pretty sure I can benefit from more ram.. The tech
that installed my 1 GB said "you will never use it".. I don't think he
realized just how many graphics I am dealting with all the time..

I will make every effort to follow the directions from the text file that
came with the vbs files that I just downloaded, but no promises..

thanks, Rainy


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
news On Tue, 8 Apr 2008 14:13:43 -0500, "Rainy"
wrote:

Thank you for responding.. you have given me a lot of information..
correcting my misinformation so I know how to proceed, it has been my
intention to buy more ram.. so I will do this..


Before you buy more RAM, realize that very few people need more than
1GB with Windows XP. Even that amount is more than most people need.
Read the following:

How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
RAM you have keeps you from using the page file, and that depends on
what apps you run. Most people running a typical range of business
applications find that somewhere around 256-384MB works well, others
need 512MB. Almost anyone will see poor performance with less than
256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things like editing large
photographic images, can see a performance boost by adding even more
than 512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.



and if I have enough money
after the move, I can have a tech look at it and see where the problems
lie.., My son is pretty good with hard ware, but not with windows XP .. I
have fixed his computer before. thanks to this group..

I know what a power supply is but up til now had never heard of a power
supply "system".. so I will check into that.. thanks for the technical
input.. it's appreciated. thanks, Rainy

w_tom" wrote in message
...
On Apr 7, 7:44 pm, "Rainy" wrote:
I'm thinking there is another reason why my computer was frozen. It
could
have been an out of resources situation. or one of the other things that
have been listed in this thread.. I have tendency to open a lot of
windows
at the same time.. I have a gig of ram, but I am a graphics hog.. and
probably need more ram, I also need a larger drive, a couple of them..
..

1 gbyte memory is constantly too small. When the computer needs
more memory, it simply transfers code out to disk - virtual memory.
If virtual memory is too small, then an OS announces the problem,
enlarges virtual memory (on the disk) and keeps working. At no time
will insufficient resources crash an OS. Reliability even in 1960
mainframes demanded that an OS always keep working. If computer
cannot provide the resources, then the OS stops or removes that
program - and keeps working.

Hardware reasons for freezing were listed previously. Niether
insufficient memory nor a disk drive is on that list. Defective
memory (in limited locations) can crash a computer. Insufficient
resources could crash unreliable OSes such as Windows 9x/ME. But
insufficient resources must never crash a true pre-emptive
multitasking OS such as Windows NT based OSes.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

I ran the winxp pagefile usage monitor and here are the results.

5/8/2008 5:11:44 PM

Pagefile Physical Location: C:\pagefile.sys
Current Pagefile Usage: 91 MB
Session Peak Usage: 240 MB
Current Pagefile Size: 1536 MB

I finally was able to do something you experts have asked me to.
Whoopie!!!! lol

I hope this helps you to help me.,. thanks, hugs Rainy
"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
news On Tue, 8 Apr 2008 14:13:43 -0500, "Rainy"
wrote:

Thank you for responding.. you have given me a lot of information..
correcting my misinformation so I know how to proceed, it has been my
intention to buy more ram.. so I will do this..


Before you buy more RAM, realize that very few people need more than
1GB with Windows XP. Even that amount is more than most people need.
Read the following:

How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
RAM you have keeps you from using the page file, and that depends on
what apps you run. Most people running a typical range of business
applications find that somewhere around 256-384MB works well, others
need 512MB. Almost anyone will see poor performance with less than
256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things like editing large
photographic images, can see a performance boost by adding even more
than 512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.



and if I have enough money
after the move, I can have a tech look at it and see where the problems
lie.., My son is pretty good with hard ware, but not with windows XP .. I
have fixed his computer before. thanks to this group..

I know what a power supply is but up til now had never heard of a power
supply "system".. so I will check into that.. thanks for the technical
input.. it's appreciated. thanks, Rainy

w_tom" wrote in message
...
On Apr 7, 7:44 pm, "Rainy" wrote:
I'm thinking there is another reason why my computer was frozen. It
could
have been an out of resources situation. or one of the other things that
have been listed in this thread.. I have tendency to open a lot of
windows
at the same time.. I have a gig of ram, but I am a graphics hog.. and
probably need more ram, I also need a larger drive, a couple of them..
..

1 gbyte memory is constantly too small. When the computer needs
more memory, it simply transfers code out to disk - virtual memory.
If virtual memory is too small, then an OS announces the problem,
enlarges virtual memory (on the disk) and keeps working. At no time
will insufficient resources crash an OS. Reliability even in 1960
mainframes demanded that an OS always keep working. If computer
cannot provide the resources, then the OS stops or removes that
program - and keeps working.

Hardware reasons for freezing were listed previously. Niether
insufficient memory nor a disk drive is on that list. Defective
memory (in limited locations) can crash a computer. Insufficient
resources could crash unreliable OSes such as Windows 9x/ME. But
insufficient resources must never crash a true pre-emptive
multitasking OS such as Windows NT based OSes.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup