Zxian

@ Marthax - How did you do this? I'd like to know how to set this up. @ djbe - I'm pretty unfamiliar with this... how do I go about using the xml file you provided?

@Anusha - VMWare has full USB support. You can set the virtual machine to use the USB ports when it has focus. Yes, VMWare needs the VMWare drivers to be installed in Windows installation for it to be super smooth, but when you're testing out an XP install... why do you need the mouse pointer? That's what UA CDs are for... @timeless - You have stability issues with VMWare5? I've never run into any problems with it. What kind of problems do you have?

Unless it's rediculously fast (like stuff zipping by you at lightspeed), then yes it's normal. Q3 is a lot faster paced than Q2 or the original Quake. You just need to get better. Oh... and if you want craziness... play the original UT on Godlike in Assault - Overlord... that game gets nuts!

I just tried it out. Pretty good at a first go. It might be useful to be able to switch from radians to degrees for the trig functions. There are times when it's more convienient for me to use degrees. I know there's the "g" suffix, but it's sometimes just more convenient to type it in. Also, sometimes its easier (and quicker) to write things out as 2sqrt(3) instead of 2*sqrt(3)When I think of this I literally think of it as "two root three", not "two times root three". Just a little note... In most other mathematical programs (Matlab, MathCad, Maple, etc) the "^" key is used to denote an exponent instead of "**". I've seen "**" used before, but it's very easy to get that confused with standard multiplication. I see in the help file that the "^" key is used for logical operations... but if you want a program that's going to expand upon the built in calculator, logical operations probably aren't all that important.

Dangit... I had just got NCAB working... now I gotta do that all over again... Thanks for the heads up!

To save yourself some headaches - if you're going to use your computer as a workstation computer (for everyday things - gaming, surfing, etc) XP Pro. If you're going to use your computer as a server (i.e. webhosting, domains, FTP server, etc) then go with Server 2003. I've got my desktop computer running the trial of Server 2003 (a UACD every 6 months doesn't bother me much) and I'm running it as an FTP server and my download machine - so it's on pretty much all the time. Here's where the advantage of Server2003 comes in. I don't use this computer for games at all, but I know that people have had a total pain in the butt trying to get some games to install at all on Win2K3. In the end, if you're just looking for a good OS, Win XP will do you just fine (even XP Home for the most part).

Does your BIOS support any kind of hardware monitoring? You might want to have a look at temperatures in there. As for voltages, the numbers should be roughly the same. For example your +12V should be somewhere around 12... but it's at 9.98V (according to speedfan). Same goes for some of the other voltages. I think that the VCore looks alright. As for a new heatsink... can't go wrong with this one.

I wouldn't worry too much about the fan readings - they're a bit trickier for programs to pick up on. As for the temperatures, can you open up your case right after having run your computer for a while? Try touching the CPU heatsink (carefully) to see if it's really hot. Also, some of the voltages seem a bit off in SpeedFan. I'd double check these in your BIOS to see if you're getting proper power.

Hehe... those pics are so cool... It's definately doable. EDIT This one is my favorite...

Really scary stuff this... I hope my friend is alright.

EEEEP!!!! 152F (67C) is rediculously hot! You're probably getting your CPU to slow down just before its thermal shutdown point. Double check your temps with SpeedFan just to be sure that MBM isn't giving you strange readings. If it tells you the same thing, you might want to check that your heatsink is properly seated and you have a good case fan blowing air out of the case.

Both Zip downloads work for me. Try again...

Why would you want the MS Java? It's no longer supported and not even part of SP1a or SP2 (I think). Download the Sun JRE and you'll be good to go.

For the wallpaper, you can find a general guide here. It shows you how to replace the default Luna theme, but also there's instructions on how to change the wallpaper. There's also a registry entry that controls what wallpaper you use. Have a look around for that. As for the boot screen - this is the one part of the computer that I would not set up UA. Messing with the NTOSKRNL.EXE file can be kinda dangerous (since it won't even boot at that point). You might want to look into getting BootSkin (freeware) from StarDock. From there, making your own bootscreen is as simple as modifying an ini file. Hope this helps!

No talk about warez/cracks here... But I'll agree with the meaning behind it. Sygate and Kerio offer free versions of their software that do the job just as well as ZoneAlarm. I found ZA a bit to "big" for my tastes, but that's just me and I don't mind the simplicity of Sygate's messages (no fancy GUI there, just plain box with OK/NO buttons).

I like the idea. If I can be of any help collecting information that's already lying around the boards, let me know.

I have no clue as to the "Normal" performance of the 7800... sorry. I'm not sure about the pin... ripken204 is the resident hardware guru here. I'm just throwing out my usual engineering-based troubleshooting steps.

You could try running MemTest. That's always a good place to start looking for memory errors. Have you looked under Task Manager if anything is using CPU cycles while the computer is being laggy? Did the problem come on gradually, or was it something that happened all of a sudden, and you just never got around to it? You can always try unplugging and re-plugging in cables and memory sticks. I've solved a couple of quirks that way.

The temps seem ok. Have you tried re-seating the video card? EDIT I'm probably not the best source on this, but did you check that your Power Supply would be able to handle all your hardware?

If you're going to install Linux, then VMWare is the way to go. I just installed Ubuntu 5.04 in a VM this morning, and it automatically picked up on the video acceleration and mouse drivers (something that you have to install extra in a VM Windows install).

Do other programs have any problems connecting to the internet? Have you checked your system for spyware/viruses? Did this happen after you installed/uninstalled a program or changed a setting? The more info you can give us, the better we can help.

It could be that your video card is overheating. Either that or it's not properly seated. Those would be first two checks.

Ok... from the first time I joined this forum until now... I've gotta say that Dagonet' definately takes the prize of the most artistic desktops. So much variation! Great work!

I've heard the Maxtor Diamondmax drives do very well performance wise. You might want to have a look at them.

Microsoft VirtualPC will give you what you need, so if it's for the occasional UACD test, it'll do the trick. If you are really hardcore and care about getting things done fast and easily, then VMWare is the way to go. Like SiMoNsAyS (man that name is a pain in the butt to write... ) said, it integrates itself into your system a bit more, but that gives you a little bit more control over "device" settings and such. I personally prefer VMWare over VirtualPC, since you can set the VM to get its own IP from your ethernet port. This means that you can test out firewall software in the virtual PC, while still running your usual firewall on your real computer. Not to mention that VMWare is more friendly when it comes to Linux.