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Hey, guys. Now that official XP support is over, the hackers are going to reverse-engineer the security updates for the newer versions of Windows and then create exploits for XP. Hackers can indirectly attack a computer through malware. Most of us know how to prevent that, but hackers can also directly attack a computer through OS security vulnerabilities. Now since Microsoft will never patch them, if a user takes every step to protect their XP system, from having a firewall installed to having anti-virus software installed to everything in between, is this really any risk? Could an attacker get inside a computer if the user doesn't install malware? If so, how? Would you say the built-in XP firewall will always protect the system, or could a hacker possibly exploit it and gain control of the system? All very important questions for XP warriors.

I have an AMD X1650 AGP video card. The card works and the driver is mostly stable. The display driver crashes XP in only two situations I know of: 1. While watching YouTube videos in 720p or higher. 2. And this is the bizzare one... When using my mouse's scroll wheel on a particular site, if I randomly scroll up or down too much. (This is the only site that has this problem. And I always use my scroll wheel on other sites in the same way and much more often, and the display driver has never crashed. I have the latest display driver, and I doubt the previous version of the display driver will fix it. The problem seems to be an intermittent display driver bug that causes a kernel-mode fault. The OS then either freezes for a few seconds before turning to a black screen, or the display driver gets corrupted showing many interlaced white and black lines for a few seconds, and then turns to a black screen. I then have to press the reset button on the tower to set the system straight again. XP never generates a mini-dump or event error after either crash. Has anybody ever experienced such a bizzare video card driver bug?

Thanks for confirming this, Jaclaz.

I just want to be sure there's no gotchas since my motherboard is older and DVI is newer.

I have an older motherboard from 2003. I've always used VGA for my monitor. Recently, my CRT monitor started showing signs of failing, so I was forced to buy an LCD monitor. The LCD monitor supports only DVI-D. I also had to buy a video card with a DVI-I port. Does the BIOS have to support DVI in order for the monitor to show the BIOS and boot-up screen? Or will my BIOS and boot-up screen show fine as long as my AGP graphics card doesn't have an issue? I don't want to run into trouble with the new monitor. All the quality LCD monitors use DVI-D, so I had to accept this forced upgrade.

It didn't work. Looks like I'm sticking with BartPE, which is by no means a bad thing.

Yes, Trip, I'm referring to the old Vista one, build 6000. I'm sure it supports XP SP3. What I need to know is does the WAIK support Windows XP Home Edition? Microsoft isn't the most detailed bunch.

All the Microsoft download says is it supports XP SP2 or XP SP2 with KB926044 installed (if you want to load a Vista registry hive in XP). However, I read an article on WAIK that said you must use Windows XP Professional SP2, but I'm sure SP3 would also work. What I can't confirm is can Windows XP Home SP3 be used with WAIK?

Really? Let me call 10 random people in the phone book and ask them if they have epoxy lying around the house... The results...not one had epoxy in the house. Oh sure, you can purchase it almost anywhere. That wasn't my point. My point was very few people have epoxy just lying around the house. And more to the point, I'm not applying epoxy to a USB port and potentially damaging devices playing DIYer. Sounds like it just make the situation worse, really. I feel secure that USB port is 100% safe to use, as the defect is only on the face of the plastic tongue and there's nothing touching the defect that could cause damage. Thank you to Trip and you for your help, but go play flame wars with somebody else, maroon.

Electronics Forum... Get some, mix it, smear flat with a piece of paper and let dry. DONE! Problem solved!Go ahead, keep it up, ignore practical solutions. BTW, yes, I DO know more than you, as well as most other long-time knowledgeable members. P.S. Liquid Fiberglass works the same way (non-conductive). It's not a practical solution. Ask 100 people if they have a jar of epoxy in their house, and you'd be lucky if one did. And I wouldn't touch that idea. I'm not an assembly factory. I could cause more harm than good. Where did I ever say I knew more than you? And where is this coming from? You know some things and I know some things. Jaclaz has corrected you a few times here, and there's been many times in this thread you've made an error, but I didn't say anything. But again, thanks for your help and try to understand that not everybody knows the same things. If I ask a question, it's because I have a tough problem I can't solve and so I call on others who just might have the answer. I also believe in answering a question after I ask one, as that's common courtesy. You really suck at this computer support thing. Now, before you get mad, yell at me, put me down, accuse me of being a spammer, and do your usual song and dance, take this advice and improve, or just don't help at all.

Thanks so much for doing that. What do you suppose this anonymous metallic defect could be? I highly doubt it's solder, as that's white, not metallic. It appears to be a slight indent from a scratch where a round portion of metal shows. A co-worker said that he had accidently broken the USB port in his notebook and it did have metal under the plastic. Not the case in the one I tore up tho, so I can't say for sure. It's okay. I'm not going to get a better answer. I'll either use it knowing there's a high chance of no problem, or I'll never use it and use the one to the right. I just needed to know before potentially damaging expensive USB devices.

Mine are "sideways" - does that make them all "1-1-1-1" or would that be "4-4-4-4"? If a Commercial Jet flips over, does the Pilot/Copilot Seats magically "reverse" (or "mirror")? Care to play a game of Star Trek 3-D Chess with me? Have you ever dated Lindsay Lohan? [/snarks] Ennyhoo, you've been specifically answered. I'm betting it's a "coloration bubble" from when the plastic part of the component was molded over the contacts. Same thing can happen when Fiberglass is mixed and spread (check out some aftermarket fiberglass automobile products). Thanks for all your help. I got what I needed. I suggest you be more polite to people you want to help. You certainly don't know it all, as does nobody. No hard feelings.

Thanks so much for doing that. What do you suppose this anonymous metallic defect could be? I highly doubt it's solder, as that's white, not metallic. It appears to be a slight indent from a scratch where a round portion of metal shows.

Actually, Sub, I did tell you. I even wrote a note below the diagram explaining it. I've attached the image I used so you can see why I said that. Now, notice how that USB port has the four contacts ABOVE the plastic strip and pin 1 is +5V. Well, my USB port has the four contacts BELOW the plastic strip, so I assume pin 1 is GND, because if you rotate the USB port 180 degrees, GND becomes pin 1. Do you understand me?

LOOK AT YOUR FREAKIN' THUMBNAIL! COMPARE TO THE BELOW IMAGE! FOUR PINS ON THE BOTTOM! It is EXACTLY correct!!! DAY-UM!!!AS I SAID, It is IRRELEVANT as it's in the FACING!!! YOU tell ME how you can "short" a CABLE when you INSERT IT - NO FREAKIN' WAY! Why don't you do a CONTINUITY CHECK for GND if you wish OR with a Multimeter PROPERLY SET for +VDC (red="bare spot" black=metal casing) while ON to PROVE whether its "plastic" or not!!! It COULD be a "hole" in the FACING where the CONTACT is MOLDED INTO THE PLASTIC! AND IS IRRELEVANT!!! TEAR UP YOUR OLD CASE'S PORTS (it's empty, RIGHT?)!!! I refuse to tear up MINE!!! My last nerve!!! You just LOVE to argue, don't you??? Done!!! You'll not get ONE SINGLE RESPONSE from me... ANYWHERE!!! If I get chewed for being RUDE, then SO BE IT!!! EDIT!!! Starting to believe you're maybe one of the SPAMMERS! Relax, buddy. First, I didn't use that image. I used another image, which is why pins 1 and 4 are switched, because the port orientation is different. What's your problem? You ask for info, and I give it to you. Now you're calling me a spammer. I'm not a USB maker. I don't know enough about the subject, which is why I asked for help. Why can't you be polite and try to help, instead of always being condescending and rude? Take a page from bphlpt's book. It's not a hole in the plastic for a contact. I'm selling my old case, so I don't want to ruin the USB port. I wasn't saying take a used working port on your live system and destroy it. I asked anybody if they had a defective USB 2.0 type-A port, if they would take the job. Where have I argued with you? I actually agreed with you about that strip probably being 100% plastic.

Does anybody have a USB 2.0 type-A port that they wouldn't mind taking a screwdriver to and chiseling away the face of the plastic strip to see if there's metal under it, too? I highly doubt I have some special expensive USB port. I mean, it's China. So if you think this piece is made out of plastic, which I think so too, then I agree. But something silver is on the face of the plastic strip, and it's slightly indented and appears as a chip, not solder. Sub, as I said, my USB port pin 1 (the right most pin looking at the port from in front of the PC) is GND, not +5V. In the pinout I used to create my diagram, that USB port was installed so that the 4 contacts were on the top of the plastic strip and pin 1 was called +5V. However, my USB port has the 4 contacts on the bottom of the plastic strip, making pin 1 the GND, right? So if the defect is above the GND pin, as I think it is, is this port still completely safe to use?

I wish it were solder, but it's definitely metal, or something metallic colored. I attempted to remove it with a sharp screwdriver blade and gentle chiseling, but it won't budge. I did insert a USB flash drive into the port, and the drive read and wrote with no issues, but I'm not sure about the future.

Sub, here's that image you requested. I hope it makes the problem clear. It's definitely a defect, as I attempted to remove it with a damp cloth and then a screwdriver blade. It appears to be metal underneath the black plastic strip.

I don't have a camera. All I want to know is if a piece of that black coating is worn or chipped, could it damage a device?

Sub, I'm referring to the black plastic horizontal strip inside a USB 2.0 type-A receptacle. A piece of the black coating is worn and appears a clear or silver color. My question is could this cause device damage, or is it only a cosmetic factory defect?

It turns out the problem wasn't the BIOS or IDE cables. I forgot to set the Local Bus IDE Adapter BIOS setting from Both to Primary. Using the two-device 80-wire IDE cable with the hard disk set to Master w/ Slave Present on the gray connector and the DVD burner set to Slave on the black connector, the BIOS and Windows detect the hard disk and DVD burner. Yes, I know the gray connector is supposed to be used for the slave device and the black for master, but the cable doesn't accommodate this setup and it's not causing a problem. Also, I restored my audio by jumpering the motherboard's front audio pins. I also restored my DVD burner in Windows by readjusting a few settings in Device Manager under the IDE channels. See, I only enable what I use on my computer, and after years of not changing it, I sometimes forget. I do have a new concern, however. I noticed that the black teeth on one of the front USB ports to this new case looks damaged. There's a metal spot showing. The port worked fine in testing, but could this cause device damage, or is it only a cosmetic factory defect?

George, that system is compatible from the info you provided. As for possible pitfalls, you'll just need to buy your parts and learn through trial and error. Without seeing things like your case's screw hole locations and all the other gotchas, I can't give you a definite answer. I hardly ever make system adjustments. I just bought a new Cooler Master case to replace the drab Compaq case I've used 8 years, and while I got almost everything right in one go, the case manual was AWFUL. I had to draw custom diagrams and make educated guesses. I will never ever make another change to my computer. The manufacturers are way too stupid and I'm not killing myself trying to make sense of it all.

The IDE cable is long enough. I can't twist it to make it so the HDD is on the end Master connector. I'm going to try my idea and just see if it brings back the DVD burner in Windows. What's funny is the BIOS detects it, but Windows is blind to it.

Yes. I don't remember other brands with the dual Master/single and Master settings. No, you are seemingly having problems in reading/understanding what is written. There exist (in 40 wires cable) BOTH Cable Select Enabled and "plain" NON Cable Select ones, on the 40 wires CSE cables the Slave is at the end of the cable . The 80 wires are all (or should be all) Cable Select Enabled and the Slave is in the middle. On *any* bus of *any*kind (and not only PC/Computer related) having an end of a cable "free" with nothing connected to it is NOT smart and it is a possible source of trouble. Do you remember the good ol' SCSI bus and it's "terminators"? jaclaz @ jaclaz I'm waiting for a package in the mail of cable ties. Once it arrives, I'll shut down my computer and start isolating IDE cables. But first, I'm simply going to try changing the jumpers to Slave on the hard disk and Master on the DVD burner, just to see if this makes a difference. A hard disk can be a Slave to a DVD burner that is seldom used without issue, right?

Since your used space is only 13 GB, I would try to shrink the partition down to 20 GB to make your Macrium image from, but that's just me. You can always expand it back to 40 GB or even 160 GB after your image is made. Cheers and Regards You're right. I could also do that. All good ideas. So here's how I'm going to fix all my problems: 1. Place two jumpers on pins 5 and 6, and 9 and 10 of the FRONT_AUDIO header to restore speaker sound. 2. Reconfigure my IDE cables until Windows detects both the hard disk and DVD burner. 3. Use GParted, shrink my existing XP partition to 160 GB, create a new Macrium Reflect image, and then restore it as needed.