mike13

My friend just bought a new Hannspree 22" widescreen monitor. When he hooks it up to his 6 year old Dell Dimension 5150, he can't expand his desktop picture to the whole size of the monitor. He is running XP Pro. I had him go into SETTINGS and try different RESOLUTIONS by sliding the bar etc. that did not work. He went into DESKTOP, and tried CENTER, TILE, and STRETCH, same problem. What am I missing. There has to be a setting to enlarge his desktop picture to the total size of the monitor. When the computer first boots up, he says the first couple screens like DELL, and the Windows XP screen are full size, but that is it. Suggestions, please Mike

I got it. I had to go into My computer, right click on the CD/DVD unit, and then I was given options. Thanks, Mike

OK, How do I get it back ?? Thanks, Mike

I thought there was a feature in Windows XP, that gave you an option of what software program to use, when you loaded a DVD movie. Such as Windows Media Player. Power DVD, VLC etc. I can't find that setting anywhere. Help please, Mike

submix8c, I will read up on slipstreaming SP3 into the CD. Never done it before. I did not see any jumpers on the hard drive. I thought the newer SATA hard drives did not have jumpers. All I know is that ALL is finally working. So I am a happy camper. Thanks again for your suggestions. Mike

I got it. I loaded Windows XP, which only recognized 131 GB of the 500 GB. I installed Service pack 1 and 2. Then I downloaded a Free partition manager. It found the 131 Partitioned section, and also the 345 unpartitioned section. I partitioned the 345 GB section, merged it with the oter section, and now drive "C" shows 465 GB of space out of the 500 GB. So I am a happy camper. Thanks, Mike

I am working on a friends Dell Inspiron 530 computer. Service tag DT0Y9F1 There was a power surge about three weeks ago. After running a lot of Dell diagonistics, I determined the Western Digital Sata 250 Gig hard drive was shot. I purchased a new Seagate 500 Gig hard drive Barracuda 7200 RPM, 500 Gig SATA 6.0 Gb-s 16 MB Cache etc. SN Z2AETO9V, AND PART NUMBER ST500DM002. It is clearly labeled on the tag that it is 500 Gig. However when I try to install Windows XP Pro, at the very beginning, Windows tells me that there is a partitioned section of 131,062 GB, with 131,061 GB available. I do not see any unpartitions sections. I then chose the NTFS format, and continued anyway, thinking that the rest of the hard drive space might show up after I installed Windows. It did not. I then wiped the hard drive, thinking that would remove any partitions etc, and I would start over. This time, I deleted the partition and tried to setup a new one. I was given the maximum space of 131,062 GB. Same result, only 131,062 Gig shows up. What am I doing wrong? Could the drive be labeled wrong from Seagate, or is there something I must do ?? Does that 6.0 Gb-s that I mentioned above, have anything to do with it. Help please, Mike

Thanks cluberti for the reply. I tried to do a repair with the XP disc. but I never get the option of doing a repair. The only options I get is to do a format and install. Any other suggestions, Thanks, Mike

I have a friends computer. It is a Dell Inspiron 530 about 3.5 years old. She tells me there was a power outage, and now the computer will not boot up. When I turn the computer on, I see the Dell screen etc. and the Windows XP screen for a moment. But then I get a screen full of info such as "We apologize for the inconvenience but Windows did not start successfully etc. A recent hardware or software change might have caused this." Then there are several options, such as Start Normally, Start in safe mode, Safe mode with the command prompt, Last known good configeration, etc etc. I have tried ALL those options, same result. It appears like the computer is starting, I see the Windows screen for a few seconds etc, but then it displays all that info about "We apologize etc." I can't even get into SAFE mode. It brings me back to the same screen. I have tried removing and switching the 4 memory sticks around, same result. The power supply seems OK, meaning the fan in the PS is running, so I guess the PS is OK. ?? Any suggestions on what to try next ? Thanks, Mike

Ponch and jaclaz...Thanks for the replies. Problem solved. The only items I did not replace from other computers that I had laying around was the memory, and the motherboard. Well, I found the same type memory in another computer. I then tried that memory in the computer I am working on and wala..all is good. I was able to completely install XP pro from the original disc that i had, as well as getting all the updates from Microsoft. SP 1,2 and 3 plus many others. So I am pretty sure it was the memory all along. Thanks again for your suggestions...Mike

I have a friends computer. He told me he got this message "Widows could not start because the following file was missing or corrupt." WINDOWS/SYSTEM32 Config/SYSTEM . I thought I would just wipe the drive and reinstall. Well, I have tried about ten different times. I keep getting message like it can't load the following files from the CD. DSOUND.DLL, TOSDVD.SYS, TSBVCAP.SYS, LABEL.EXE, LUNA.MST, USBCAMD2.SYS AND OTHERS. Sometimes if I hit the RETRY option, it will then load, and move on to the next file that it can't load. I do not always get all those messages, but usually some of them. I also got the message that NTLDR is missing, I think. I Googled it, and it appears to be a bios problem, need an update or something. How would I get a bios update, if I can't load an operating system on the computer. but I doubt that is the problem, because it was working not long ago. I also tried different CDs, and different CD / DVD readers etc. I even tried another hard drive..same message at one point or another. Suggestions..please. I also tried loading from another XP Pro disc just to eliiminate the possibllity that the disc I had was damaged. Same results.Thanks for any suggestions. The computer is a non name brand computer bought from E-Bay about 5 years old. It does have that cheap ECS P4M890T M2 Motherboard in it. Thanks for any suggestions, Mike

Tripredacus----Thanks for the reply, and link.

The last few times I have downloaded IE on computers, there is a question if I want to download the accelerators. What are they ? I usually just say no, but now I am getting ready to download IE9, and I know I will see the same question again. Should I download them ? Thanks, Mike

puntoMX-----Thanks so much !!! That is a great idea, I just ordered the cable. Mike

I have a new Dell Inspiron 580 service tag HYZFNL1. It is running Windows 7 Home. It has 4 gig memory, and built in (on board) video, which only has the regular VGA out, and also the HDMI out. It does NOT have the DVI out. I was going to purchase a cheap stand alone video card from Newegg, or maybe Tigerdirect for under $50 that would have the DVI out to plug into my Dell 20 " flat screen. I am NOT into gaming etc, I only want the best clear picture for these old eyes. Would getting a video card improve the picture, or would it be so small that i would not see any difference. My power supply is only 300 watt, so I guess that needs to be taken into account also. Many thanks, Mike

Thanks EVERYONE, for your replies and suggestion. I believe I will just get the updates manually every day or so. It only takes three clicks and about 10 seconds. Thanks again, Mike

Thanks everyone for your replies, but I am still a bit confused. I have disabled the automatic scan, because I prefer to do a scan at my choosing, maybe once a week. Does this mean that I am NOT getting any updates automatically ?? I do not see any setting to automatically get any updates, or am I missing something. I also do NOT get the regular Windows Updates, as I prefer to look for them at my convenience. I believe I need to check for the MSE updates manually in the future ?? Thanks, Mike

I am using MSE antivirus. I thought it was supposed to automatically get updates. If so, why do I seen Definition Updates for MSE when i manually visit the Windows Update site ? Thanks, Mike

Thanks allen2----but which would give the best performance. Adding 2 (1 gig sticks) or just adding a single 2 gig stick ?? if the answer is to add a single 2 gig stick, I assume I should put in into DIMM1 slot ??

I have a Dell Inspiron 580 computer running Windows 7 Home (64 bit). There are currently 2 (1 gig sticks of memory). I want to add two more gigs of memory for a total of 4 gig. Do I buy a single 2 gig stick, which means I have three sticks of memory for a total of (4 gig) OR, should I buy 2 (single gig sticks) which means I now have 4 sticks of memory, and a total of 4 gigs. Many thanks, Mike

Problem solved (Pretty sure). I replaced the power supply with one from another computer I was saving for parts. It did not exactly fit the case, but I was able to make the connections to at least try it. I started the computer, and it is still on, after about three hours, with no reboots. So I am pretty sure the power supply was bad. One question...the old / defective power supply has an extra harness with four wires, two black and two yellow that also connected to the motherboard. The power suppply I have in it now, does not have that harness. I have no idea what that harness is for, but everyting seems to work so far. The old power supply is a Allied, Model AL-C350ATX. When I get another NEW power supply, do I need one that also has that harness, or is it not really needed ?? The motherboard is a (P4M800-M7 A). Many thanks to everyone who offered advice and suggestions, it is appreciated. !! Mike

I am working on a friends older computer P4. Systemax Venture 8524. When I first got the computer it kept booting to the page where you have choices like SAFE MODE, SAFE MODE WITH NETWORK, LAST KNOWN GOOD START. START WINDOWS NORMALLY etc. No matter what I clicked on, the same page eventually came back. A few scarce times I got this message : A PROBLEM HAS BEEN DETECTED AND WINDOWS HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THIS COMPUTER. and then PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA. I suspected viruses, so I was able to boot to the CD rom and I loaded Wipe Drive Pro, and wiped the hard drive. I then installed XP Pro, with the usual full format at the beginning. BUT, now the computer clicks off for a second, and then restarts. It seems to do it mostly after the computer has been off for several hours. At first startup it might take three attempts to completely get to the desktop. After the computer is on for an hour or so, the temporary shutdowns are much less frequent, maybe happening once every half hour or so. I have disconnected the DVD unit, the floppy, and alternately removed each memory stick, to no avail. I turned off the screensaver, and power savings options. I also disabeled the auto reboot after a crash etc. hoping that I would see a error message, but nothing. All I get is a black screen for a second, and then the computer reboots. This occurs very fast, the fans do not even slow down during this quick off and on. Since these shutdowns become less frequent as the computer warms up, can I eliminate the PSU as the problem, or could it still be the power supply. ?? Any suggestions ?? Thanks, Mike

Thanks allen2 for the reply, but Word works just fine.

I type a sentance in Outlook 2007. Then when I hit enter the curser drops down a line like it should. However the first word I type is always capitalized, even if I am in the middle of a sentance. Then I need to go back and correct it to a lower case letter. I am sure there has to be a setting somewhere to correct this, but I can't find it. Any help where to look ??? Thanks, Mike