neosapience

Sounds like you need to enable APM. Go into your BIOS and check under Power Management. Turn on APM (advanced power management). If you don't have an ACPI compliant BIOS for some reason (old, old BIOS), you wont be able to do this. Hopefully, that'll work for ya.

Your computer isn't the only thing at risk! MindGuard

One day, I hope to be as good as this guy at website design - TheWebKing

My personal favorite - MyIE2

Tables! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, anything but tables. You can use <div> tags and CSS instead of tables, it's a lot nicer and easier.

Ah, ok. It's been like a gazillion years since I used ebay. Anyway, good luck with the business! You're gonna need it.

scratching noise = dying hard drive I hope you made a backup of all your important data.

Um, the link you gave - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...item=5105481079 - shows that the system started out with a £1.00 starting bid? Anyway, you should be careful about stating actual costs on your website (except for accessories). People can add up all the items and see just what a systems real price is. Besides, keeping all of your prices current is a real pain, and if you screw something up, people will hold you to it. Remember, K.I.S.S.

One little bit of advice when selling on ebay. You may want to set a minimum bid amount. I'd make it for the actual cost of the system (including labor), that way you can't get burned if too few people bid on it.

Well, did your system come with any motherboard drivers? You could try upgrading the IDE drivers if so. If not, then maybe try uninstalling them anyway and let windows reinstall it's default ones. That might fix it.

Some advice - Get a website going. Allow people to customize their computers, right down to the OS. Don't use cheap hardware, it will only make you look bad (sorry, I see a LOT of crappy hardware listed there). Have a good 90 day warrantee, people like to know they won't get burned (heck, offer a service plan if you can). If you want to get rid of your old stock, find a company that needs a buch of cheap computers and sell them at a bulk rate. Cheap PC's aren't really worth selling on an individual basis, unless you're willing to just break even on the sales. People will notice the rediculous markup on less expensive systems and you'll have a hard time selling them. Oh, and as Best Buy will tell ya- it's all about the accessories.

You have to select a specific IDE channel (Primary or Secondary) then select properties, the advanced tab should be there. If it's still not there, then I'm at a loss. I've never heard of that problem before.

I had a computer in our shop with this problem about a year ago. If I remember correctly, it turned out to be a bad hard drive. Try to find a way to check the drive for errors. You may want to check your hardware connections and BIOS.

OK, I'm done quoting, so I'll just say what's on my mind and sum up this post. First, I can make almost any visual effect using DHTML that you can with CSS, period. Second, I have used FireFox to browse hundreds of websites, and ya know what? Compared to my configuration of IE, it's not any better. In fact, there are many things I can do with IE that I cannot do with FireFox (as I already stated), period. It's not my fault you can't figure out how to make IE work. It's not my fault you can't stop yourself from getting mad and complaining about something you can't make work for you. Do you get that upset when your car breaks down? Do you tell everyone to stop driving that brand of car just because you're not a mechanic and don't know how to fix it? Personally, I like FireFox. But is it better for browsing the web than IE? No, simply because most sites are not designed for Mozilla based browsers. Is FireFox more secure? It's almost impossible to say, since most hackers don't bother trying to crack a piece of software that almost nobody uses (relatively speaking). I know that FireFox was coded to specifically avoid many of IE's security issues, but that does not mean it's hack proof (and I feel sorry for the people that let their guard down because their 'shiney new browser' gives them a false sense of security). Heck, I'd use FireFox if they just changed a few things, and if most of the internet didn't balk at me when used it. I just wanted someone to give me a real and important reason to use FireFox over IE. Something that warrented all the problems it would cause for me. I've never had any security issues with IE, because I know how to fix the issues and I keep IE /Windows up to date. I've never had so much as one spyware app or even a script exploit happen. And for someone that's spent 6+ hours a day for the last 10 years online, that's saying a lot. I guess it just comes down to one thing - user abilities. I've seen many people with tons of spyware and trojans on their systems. How did they get there? The person using the PC was usually computer illiterate, or just plain stupid. I can't say that IE is great, it's not. It let's problems happen way to easily. But that's part of software development, nothing's going to be perfect. MS does indeed need to get on the ball and update IE. Oh, wait, they are in XP SP2 and are even going to release IE7 and then switch to MSN Explorer. If you can't stand IE, don't use it. But just because you think you've switched to something better, it doesn't mean that you did.

When comparing browsers I tend to not care about the UI much. Why? Because addons and 'external-support' is a good thing. FireFox wouldn't even HAVE tabbed browsers if NetCaptor hadn't made them for IE first. The fact that MS releases updates frequently is a good thing. I'm sorry to say this, but any browser that wants to stay secure is going to require regular patching. If you don't want to be bothered with it, then click off your internet connection and go do something useful. You obviously aren't doing anything useful here. This is exactly why I use MyIE2 for IE. It give you tabs that allow you to browse just like FireFox and they use about the same amount of resources. Yes, IE by itself is quite bare and offers few options. MS hasn't updated it in a while, but it doesn't mean that I can't make IE perform just as well as FireFox. In fact, it's just as easy for me to download and install a few things for IE as it is to download and install FireFox. As far as I can tell, people hate IE simply because they have no idea how to cope with it. It's like when my son gets water up his nose, he freaks out and says 'I hate that!'. Grow up, deal with it, quit whining and try something useful. I don't quit on something just because it gives me a few problems, I find ways to FIX them.

Ok, the first links shows 100 examples of things that I've been doing with IE long before FireFox was even around. I've already stated that there have been alternative programs that allow IE to behave similar or better than FireFox in many ways. Look back a few pages in this post. The second link is quite funny to me, because I actually emailed Daniel Miessler and we discussed the very issues we are now. As for security, I've already stated that IE can be made very secure. Simply update it via windows update and turn off activeX. Poof, IE is now almost every bit as secure as FireFox. And don't talk about system resources, that statement is dead wrong. IE6 actually uses about the same amount of resources as FireFox, sometimes less.

This is exactly why MS was in court. If you didn't disable IE, and instead just installed other browsers as an alternative, I don't see how MS could do anything about it. If they threatened to increase your license cost, I'd threaten to take them to court and sue them for unfair business practice (since you aren't doing ANYTHING to their OS, they really don't have a leg to stand on). People have to stand up to MS and prevent their monopolistic ways. I assumed you were taking up DarkPhoenix's point of view. At any rate, the media content of a website is hardly restricted by the differences between IE/Mozilla/Whatever. The fact that something is open source actually makes it less easy to test and more prone to problems. Let's say that someone modified Linux for their own business and coded a nice, big security hole right into it. With only a very small number of people testing it, the system could remain non-secure for a very long time. Remember, non open source simply means that the source can't be modified/reverse-engineered/etc.., it doesn't make it any harder to test or scrutinize. I wasn't saying that you are whining. I was reffering to other people in this post. As for my comment on aesthetics, I was trying to say the opposite, aesthetics is not a part of function and shouldn't be part of this discussion. But so far, most people have simply pointed out that FireFox makes their pages 'look better' than IE because it supports CSS2+, etc... Which I find almost utterly meaningless given the fact that things like DHTML can easily surpass CSS in aesthetic content. And I do appreciate your views animosity079, please do continue the conversation.

It was more of an analogistic statement. My points was, that web standards are not something that should be regulated. Regulation leads to compliance and support of unchangeable content. What if MS had a better idea than CSS? What if Mozilla tried something new? Uh-oh, you can't do that because you wouldn't be standards compliant! You can take regulations and shove em... You seem to have something backwards here. Dell regulates how much MS makes, not the other way around. If Dell doesn't distribute Windows, MS loses out, period. MS is not going to pull their OS because someone decided to put a different browser on their systems. In fact, I've seen PC distributors put several browsers on one system before. This whole issue was in court if you don't remember. Microsoft plans to pull IE altogether eventually, and use MSN explorer as it's new browser platform. So your teenage sister visits websites just to look at the pretty site designs? Oh, I see, you're saying that someone might go to one website over another just because it looks 'better'. Sorry, but you can't say that a site would look better to someone just because it uses CSS3 and not CSS1. Taste isn't that easy to define. Ok, my statement was a bit generalized. The fact is, there are [insert bogglingly large number here] more people looking for flaws in IE than there are in any other browser. Security experts agree with me on this one - no browser is secure. Saying that any other browser is more secure than IE is just as unfounded. No browser has been hacked/scrutinized/used/abused as much as IE, how can you ignore that fact? Personally, I can't wait for some other browser to become dominant. If not only so I can laugh at all the people that think other browsers are so secure. Actually, I was talking more about the browsers site rendering, not the UI. Personally, I love the fact that people make addons and interfaces for programs. It shows community support and allows the original programs developers the chance to focus on the program and not the fluff. I stating a simple fact - Anyone can complain. Complaints do nothing without some kind of proof showing what's wrong. I detest whining and moaning, which is why I have become so pee'd off about this post. All I ask for is some simple example of what's causing you to hate IE so much. I can understand bugs and security, but aesthetics? Please...

This just proves that you can't read. I never said IE was BETTER than any other browser. I've said SEVERAL times - if it works for you, use it! IE works better for me than Mozilla/whatever, period. How the heck can I offer evidence against your whining? You're whining about IE sucking because it doesn't support CSS2+? OMFG, let me alert the press, IE doesn't make your pages look as pretty as FireFox. Is that it? Is there something else? All I want is some example of why you don't like it. I've offered many examples of why IE works for me and why other browsers don't. Show me a website, ANYTHING that makes you look like more than a whiner.

DarkPhoenix - In other words - "I can't produce any real reason not to use IE, I just don't like Microsoft." The W3C sets self proclaimed standards. They're no different than MS. Why should the web do as the W3C says? The internet isn't a place for regulation. Do you want the government taxing the internet? Do you want uncontrolable standards? If you want MS to make a better browser, Mozilla and the others need to give people a real reason to switch. Start shipping those browsers with operating systems and new computers. I'm all for competition. I'm all for getting MS to improve IE. If you spent half as much time trying to sell Mozilla as you do bashing IE, you'd find out just how hard it is to make an IDEA work. Actaully, I've programmed entire sites using CSS and I've had no problems. I can design a professional site without any fancy tricks or scripting. Maybe you need to upgrade your skillz? Personally, when I visit a website, I couldn't care less what it looks like. So long as it's well designed and the layout is good, I'll like it. Eye-candy only eats up bandwidth and page space. Websites are NOT video games, so don't try to compare them. That's quite funny, because I have the oposite problem with Mozilla. You've missed the point here, people don't code for Mozilla or the W3C, they code for Internet Explorer. Just because YOU don't like it, doesn't make it wrong. I really hate peoples lack of foresight. What would happen if another browser were to suddenly become dominant? Let's talk about security for example - If Mozilla suddenly became the dominant browser, how long would it remain secure? My guess is, not very long. It's not that other browsers are that much more secure, it's that nobody's looking for their flaws. Heck, if Firefox had been one of the first browsers, instead of IE, it wouldn't be nearly as secure as it is now. If any of the newer browsers are safer, it's because they avoided Microsofts failings. Who would you rather have fixing your browser flaws - A huge, multi-billion dollar company, or Mozilla? The fact of the matter is, MS has addressed almost EVERY single security issue that IE has had. How about compatibility for example - Poof, Mozilla is now the dominant browser. OMFG, every web developer now has to alter their websites to be compliant. Can you even imagine how much work is invloved in that? How much trouble that would cause? Change is great, but you can't just snap your finger and expect people to use your browser just because it's 'more compliant' with W3C standards. Real life is more important than ideas. animosity079 - I'm still waiting for examples of why Mozilla/ect.. is better than IE. Anyone can talk smack, let's see some proof. You aren't changing anything by stating the obvious. It's all about competition. If you want MS to make IE better, you have to compete with them. If you don't like them, don't support them. It's hard to do, but it's the only thing that's going to work. Actually, I have used FireFox's, and I hate it. Bookmarks are contained in a single, NON EASY to use file. I can't browse them in explorer, I can't use my programs to parse them like an INI file, I can't apply conext menu handlers to them, I can't do ANYTHING useful with FireFox's bookmarks. I hate to tell you this, but Linux has many major security flaws, as well as OSX. Personally, I use OpenOffice.org and The Gimp, mainly because they're free. MSoffice and Photoshop are for professionals, I don't run an office or create graphics for a living. I've tested (and continue to test) THOUSANDS of programs. I ran a free software site for years and I'm all for alternative programs. I've said it once and I'll say it again - If you find that a program works better for you, USE IT. Personally, I find IE and Windows to work better for me than anything else. The problem with MS is that people need someone to hate. There's ALWAYS some company or some organization that doesn't do what we want. Even if IE was 99% as good as the other browsers, people would complain about that 1%, just because they like to complain. I'm done arguing about this. If you don't agree with me, I really don't care. Unless you can provide me with some evidence to support your complaints, I'll pass you off as a whiner.

Ok, try checking your hard drive for errors. I think you may have a corrupted system file. Try using SFC to verify your Windows system files after that.

Ok, I time to put your money where your mouth is. All I've heard so far is complaints with no proof of anything. I want examples of why Mozilla is better of IE. Something tangable would be nice, but specific examples will be fine. But first, let me cover a few things - Display issues - I've already covered this. IE has already set the standards. If you want a browser that is compliant with CSS3, give me a good reason why it NEEDS to be. ActiveX - This is a known security problem for IE. But it can be TURNED OFF with no real consequence. Tabbed Browsing - Try MyIE2, it makes FireFox seem underdeveloped. Popups and other ads - What, you don't use Googles toolbar? You don't have a proxy based HTML filter like the Proxomitron to block those crappy flash ads? Don't blame IE for this. These, and many similar programs, have been around for YEARS. They work with IE and with Mozilla. In fact, the Proxomitron is way better than any ad filtering program ever made because you can make your own HTML filters. That means you can filter ANYTHING out. So, let me see those examples.

Ok, you're booting from a different drive and it's making your BIOS and Windows assign new letters to all your drives. It's not really something you can fix, it has to do with the order that your BIOS detects the drives (and might have something to do with how you have the drives attached to your mobo and what dip-switches are used on the drives). Windows will then auto assign the drive letters. But once you change the drive letters in Windows using the Disk Manager, they should stay put. I'm not sure why they're switching around so much.

Corrupted files can mean your hard drive is having problems, try scanning your hard drive for errors. If Windows still has issues, I'd try a Repair Install of Windows (instead of recovery console).