OS reinstall help needed

[narlus]

well this instability issue has led me to the conclusion that i've got to re-install my OS. problem is, i've been unable to locate the WinXP Pro disc which a kind monkey sent my way (figures i can find all the other install discs from up to 6 years ago), so the only thing i've got is my winXP/SP1 install disc from my laptop. i tried to run that but i got a message saying the OS on my machine was more current, and it wouldn't allow an install to occur. what should i do? format C: and then boot up w/ the XP Home cd in the cd-rom tray?

[H8R]

If you want to do a clean install then yes, back everything up and boot from the CD. Pick the drive - format - then install.

[Tenchiro]

There should be an option in the install to partition and format. That will give you a nice clean OS to start with.

[binary visions]

If you don't need the data that's on the laptop, just boot with the WinXP CD, and there will be an option to format before install.

If you need the data that's on the laptop, there's probably a recovery console you can use - if you boot the WinXP pro CD, there's an option for a recovery console that you can use to jump into a DOS prompt and copy over files.

[narlus]

There should be an option in the install to partition and format. That will give you a nice clean OS to start with.

i got to that, but didn't see BV's comment about an option to format before install. when i chose to install on the C drive, it said there was already an existing OS (which i guess is true; i haven't wiped XP Pro off yet). do i bite the bullet, format C, and then reboot w/ the XP disc in the drive?

[Tenchiro]

i got to that, but didn't see BV's comment about an option to format before install. when i chose to install on the C drive, it said there was already an existing OS (which i guess is true; i haven't wiped XP Pro off yet). do i bite the bullet, format C, and then reboot w/ the XP disc in the drive?

There should be a couple of options, one to install and one to just upgrade. The option for a clean install should format before it does anything else.

[narlus]

well this is off the boot menu, hitting F8 repeatedly as the PC boots. does that make a difference? if the PC boots off the existing OS, i can't install w/ this cd.

[Tenchiro]

well this is off the boot menu, hitting F8 repeatedly as the PC boots. does that make a difference? if the PC boots off the existing OS, i can't install w/ this cd.

You should be able to go into the BIOS and change the boot order to make the CD the first boot device.

[narlus]

You should be able to go into the BIOS and change the boot order to make the CD the first boot device.

i did get to that screen, but never saw an option for "Format". maybe i'll try again.

[Tenchiro]

Here is a decent article I found on the process. The picks up from the point after booting from the XP CD.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/honeycutt_02october07.mspx

The trick to successfully installing a clean copy of Windows XP is how you answer the first few questions that the setup program asks. First, the setup program displays a list of existing partitions. You can either install Windows XP on an existing partition or remove them and repartition the hard disk. Unless you're unhappy with your hard disk's partitions, I'd leave them alone and install the operating system on an existing partition.

Otherwise, you can remove the existing partitions and create new ones. Repartitioning your hard disk using the setup program is far easier than writing about it, so I'm letting the Knowledge Base article, How to Partition and Format a Hard Disk in Windows XP (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;%5bLN%5d;Q313348) do the talking for me.

Note: If you chose to install Windows XP on an existing partition, Setup is going to ask you whether you want to leave the partition alone or reformat it. You should choose to reformat the partition. If not, the setup program leaves behind the kind of leftover files you want to get rid of. Besides, you've already backed up your important stuff.

[binary visions]

i did get to that screen, but never saw an option for "Format". maybe i'll try again.
Yeah, you need to actually boot off the CD - it'll say "Press any key to boot from CD..." or something like that. Hit the any key...

<channeling Homer>
"To start, press any key. Where's the any key?"

"Man, all this work is making me thirsty. I think I'll have a Tab." *click* "Oops, no time for a drink now, the computer's starting!"
</channeling Homer>

...and go through the setup menus. It will ask you what partition to install to, and when you select the one with XP already on it, it will say that they've detected an operating system and you can either format it or leave the partition intact.

[narlus]

ok, i think i've got it. last question. is xp Pro definitely preferable to xp Home?

[binary visions]

Yes.

I don't have specific rationale as to why, but my general experience with XP is that the Home version is far more prone to bugs, slowdowns and crashes than Pro. Pro is actually suprisingly bulletproof in my experience.

[Tenchiro]

ok, i think i've got it. last question. is xp Pro definitely preferable to xp Home?

It actually isn't much different but it generally accepted as better.

[Ciaran]

ok, i think i've got it. last question. is xp Pro definitely preferable to xp Home?
Yes...

And you should find that monkey and have him send you a new disc and key (XP Pro/Legit key)... Not sure who it could be though... Arrrgh! :evil:

[Pau11y]

This might be a bit over you head, but you could also try to slip-stream the SP2 onto your SP1 disc and make a brand new SP2 install disc. It's really slick and will be fully (or as much as SP2 will get you) updated, minus the stuff post SP2. I think SP3 is in the pipeline or beta stage. I did the slip-stream'd to my legit copy which was pre SP1 and it works wonderfully.

[H8R]

This might be a bit over you head, but you could also try to slip-stream the SP2 onto your SP1 disc and make a brand new SP2 install disc. It's really slick and will be fully (or as much as SP2 will get you) updated, minus the stuff post SP2. I think SP3 is in the pipeline or beta stage. I did the slip-stream'd to my legit copy which was pre SP1 and it works wonderfully.

You will explain the process now.

Thanks.

:D

[binary visions]

Nothing to it...

http://unattended.msfn.org/

[narlus]

This might be a bit over you head, but you could also try to slip-stream the SP2 onto your SP1 disc and make a brand new SP2 install disc. It's really slick and will be fully (or as much as SP2 will get you) updated, minus the stuff post SP2. I think SP3 is in the pipeline or beta stage. I did the slip-stream'd to my legit copy which was pre SP1 and it works wonderfully.

in a remarkable stroke of coincidence, i got a cdr today from a friend in the IT group labeled "windows XP SP2 Slipstream". until now i had no idea what the slipstream part meant.

:dancing: :dancing: :dancing:

[Pau11y]

H8R, I'll give you another site after you read Unattended. It's for the demo software you'll need to d/l: astalavista.box.sk (type it in just like that).
When you go there, DON'T be at work, and DO have your pop-up killer and anti-virus updated BEFORE you go. After you've been there, run spybot killers. But it'll generally get you any key you'll need. Use this site at your own risk....have fun, I always do when I hit it :D

Edit: btw, there was someone on one of the torrent sites that had a copy of XP Lite (kinda like 98 Lite) cracked and no activation needed, but still updates. And...on Undernet I found a copy of Office 2003 Pro All-in-One (Office, FrontPage, Projects, Visio, and OneNote) on a single image w/ no key and reg needed - VERY kewl disc!

Fight the Machine (MS)!

[narlus]

i've hit a snag. anyone who is a sys admin please PM me.

[Pau11y]

Throw your prob in open forum maing. Let's all check it out :D

[narlus]

ok...my bud in IT got that XP install disk w/ SP2 slipstreamed...the problem arose when i went to enter my product key...the one i had whcih was on my disc won't work, and it's asking for the volume licence product key. i've put in a call/email to my friend, but he may not be in work today, and i'd really like to finish my install and load up all my crap, and not have my PC hang in this state for 3 days.

another question...i got my *other* laptop reinstalled w/ Win2K, but to get my wireless card upgraded to 801.2 G, apparently i need IE5.5 or better to run the linksys software; i've currently got 5.0 IE on there now. from what i can tell, all the IE downloads on the MS site are just small aps which also require an internet connection in order to update your IE version. this is umpossible for me because the notebook wireless card ain't working, so i have no internet connection. is there a stand-alone .exe file i can download to update IE? or is it included in one of the service packs? I'm about to run SP4 on that, so i guess i will see.

[H8R]

another question...i got my *other* laptop reinstalled w/ Win2K, but to get my wireless card upgraded to 801.2 G, apparently i need IE5.5 or better to run the linksys software;

Most up-to-date browsers should be able to run the web interface on a router or card...hmmm...I doubt Linksys would want to piss off that many people by restricting the browsers that make the configuration.

Firefox? Small app, easy download.

[H8R]

H8R, I'll give you another site after you read Unattended. It's for the demo software you'll need to d/l: astalavista.box.sk (type it in just like that).
When you go there, DON'T be at work, and DO have your pop-up killer and anti-virus updated BEFORE you go. After you've been there, run spybot killers. But it'll generally get you any key you'll need. Use this site at your own risk....have fun, I always do when I hit it :D

Edit: btw, there was someone on one of the torrent sites that had a copy of XP Lite (kinda like 98 Lite) cracked and no activation needed, but still updates. And...on Undernet I found a copy of Office 2003 Pro All-in-One (Office, FrontPage, Projects, Visio, and OneNote) on a single image w/ no key and reg needed - VERY kewl disc!

Fight the Machine (MS)!

MS henchmen are coming for you w/ truncheons in hand. Better hide the Vista bootlegs!

[jimmydean]

And people wonder why I run Linux... :D

[H8R]

And people wonder why I run Linux... :D

I love Linux.


But I hate trying to convince my family that it's the way to go. Especially the kid when I tell her the good games don't run on it.


:rolleyes:

[narlus]

pau11y, that site didn't yield what i was searching for. any other suggestions, rather than to run Linux? :think:

[jimmydean]

I love Linux.


But I hate trying to convince my family that it's the way to go. Especially the kid when I tell her the good games don't run on it.


:rolleyes:

I had SuSE running on my wifes laptop for 2 months before she noticed it wasn't windows. Per her request, I installed XP and 2 weeks later she said "What was running on here before? It seems dog slow now and it locks up from time to time". It's been Linux ever since. My daughter gets a Mac Mini for her 6th birthday next year.

I have a windows box too, but it's ONLY for games.


As for the re-install. If you need to back stuff up, then use Knoppix, back up your data to a usb drive, then format and re-install Windows. It shouldn't complain about the CD Key unless its no good or an OEM version.

[Ciaran]

ok...my bud in IT got that XP install disk w/ SP2 slipstreamed...the problem arose when i went to enter my product key...the one i had whcih was on my disc won't work, and it's asking for the volume licence product key. i've put in a call/email to my friend, but he may not be in work today, and i'd really like to finish my install and load up all my crap, and not have my PC hang in this state for 3 days.

another question...i got my *other* laptop reinstalled w/ Win2K, but to get my wireless card upgraded to 801.2 G, apparently i need IE5.5 or better to run the linksys software; i've currently got 5.0 IE on there now. from what i can tell, all the IE downloads on the MS site are just small aps which also require an internet connection in order to update your IE version. this is umpossible for me because the notebook wireless card ain't working, so i have no internet connection. is there a stand-alone .exe file i can download to update IE? or is it included in one of the service packs? I'm about to run SP4 on that, so i guess i will see.
The key will only work for a certain number or run of discs.

I'll send you a legit (semi legit) copy of XP pro with SP 2 and a matching unused key. You can activate it. Though I've never registered it :think:

Till then try:

WBVFK-D249R-R7K8M-JCTJK-BRRGY

Probably won't work but you never know.

[narlus]

my machine's facked. the xp home install went pear-shaped...it asked for a disc w/ SP1, and when i put it in the cdrom drive it gave me an I/O error and couldn't read the file. so i kept at it. it *finally* finished installing and would boot up (when it said 8 minutes remaining of installation, it really took closer to 30) but stuff is missing (like IE) and it's just not right. i think i'll sit tight, wait for some more info, and then do another reformat/reinstall.

on the plus side, the latest machinations didn't F w/ any of my hard drives (and all of their data).

[Pau11y]

When in doubt, unplug the power cable from your other drives during install. XP is great about picking up drives so you can always plug it back up once the install is completed...and re-letter your drives after the fact (I like my CD/DVD burners on Y and Z.

[Pau11y]

pau11y, that site didn't yield what i was searching for. any other suggestions, rather than to run Linux? :think:

Sorry maing. That site wasn't for you. It was for H8R and the software he'll need to slipstream. And bad news is I had a list of Corp keys (something like 60 of them) and an iso of a corp version of XP Pro those keys worked on, but I can't find it anymore. I got a copy of Pro thru one of MS's promo deals that came w/ a baseball, a bobble head and a bag of sour green apple chewing gum and went legit. I think I shelled out like $25.00 for it so I deleted that file. Again, sorry maing.
The only thing I have left that has a CD key for Home is this:

P4FXH-WQYQ2-48QVW-Y6FHB-3Y4Y9

It's a Dell XP Home key

[narlus]

man, windows is screwy. last night's install using my laptop's XP Home didn't go smoothly (see above) so i decided to use the my dad sent me. it went fine (so far) and didn't even ask for a product key (it was a Dell OEM but not sure why that would matter). wtf is going on?

[Pau11y]

Dell OEM discs won't ask you for a key until it's done and your machine is up and running. But if your machine isn't a Dell, it'll want to activate and request a key at that time. If you can't do it online, you'll need to call it in. REMEMBER that it's a Dell OEM disc 'cause they'll ask you if it's a special disc.

[narlus]

i can install xp pro over an existing xp home install, yes?

[narlus]

ok, i am a dumbass. but some of you already knew that.

i found my winXP pro install disc; for some reason i mistook it for the drivers disc for my Dell monitor. doh!

so i'm in the process of installing the OS for the 4th time in 24 hrs.

[binary visions]

Ouch. Just caught up on the thread, sorry it was such a pain for ya'. Windows installations are funny - every once in a while, you'll get one that's totally f**ked with no reasonable explanation as to why it went so poorly. The next re-install will go fine.

Let us know how this one turns out and if you need any assistance.

[narlus]

i think i'm gonna try to set up my new G router too; is there anything in particular i should do first? how should i establish my internet connection? Straight from the cable modem initially, or via the router?

[binary visions]

I'd go straight from the cable modem initially, just to eliminate one possible cause of a problem. Once you have your computer up and running smoothly, then you can set up the router - otherwise, if your internet connection doesn't work, you're not going to know if it's the computer or the router.

[narlus]

should i try swapping the notebook card (from b to g) on the old wireless access point before i try setting up the new router?

[binary visions]

Doesn't matter, but I would - just to make sure everything works together.

[narlus]

the new G card works w/the old router, so that's cool. i think i'll give the new router a shot after i establish the internet access direct via cable modem to the PC network card.

[narlus]

the journey is done; things are up.

but goddamn is setting up a wireless network a pain in the azz....i spent at least 60 min talking to some filipino woman on tech support. does ANYONE get these things working out of the box? i recall other horrors getting my other network going when i first installed it.

on the plus side, my squeezebox setup was a snap; no WEP issues either.

[binary visions]

but goddamn is setting up a wireless network a pain in the azz....i spent at least 60 min talking to some filipino woman on tech support. does ANYONE get these things working out of the box?
Hmm, wireless networks for me have always been a snap, just plug and go. What was wrong with it?

Glad to hear you got everything working!

[narlus]

Hmm, wireless networks for me have always been a snap, just plug and go. What was wrong with it?

Glad to hear you got everything working!

first issue was just unplugging the modem and selecting DHCP on the router; that got the desktop/router going fine (which was comcast help desktop, not linksys). the rest of the time was going back and forth about different profiles/channels/internet connection setup blah blah blah...i lost track of all the crap. halfway through i could ping my router but not my desktop; pinging an external IP address was half succesful (e of 4 packets lost). changed channels from 1 to 6, did some other stuff, finally i think that was the thing that worked, but i don't really know. just happy to have the thing running, my squeezebox configuration was a snap, and now i also know that at least one neighbor doesn't run encryption on their network.

[H8R]

Hmm.

D-Link?

:)

[narlus]

nope, linksys. i hear they are the most reliable. if that's true, there's not much hope for the wireless network hardware industry.

[narlus]

on the plus side, the G speed is nice!

[binary visions]

Bizarre. I've had three Linksys wireless routers, 2 Linksys wireless PC cards, 1 Linksys wired router, and 2 Linksys switches, and they've been completely bulletproof and easy to set up.

Ah well, at least it's working now, right?

[narlus]

yep, it's going fine. next step is to try to get the old IBM Thinkpad running...to install the G notebook card, it tells me i need IE 5.5 or later. i've got IE 5 on there now. i can't find a straight .exe download from MS; all the installs seem to have to happen while you are connected to the internet (which is obviously a problem, unless i go straight from the modem or try a router port, which may or may not work). any ideas?

[binary visions]

http://public.planetmirror.com/pub/microsoft/ie/6.0sp1/

:thumb:

[narlus]

nice one! where'd/how'd you find it?

[H8R]

yep, it's going fine. next step is to try to get the old IBM Thinkpad running...to install the G notebook card, it tells me i need IE 5.5 or later. i've got IE 5 on there now. i can't find a straight .exe download from MS; all the installs seem to have to happen while you are connected to the internet (which is obviously a problem, unless i go straight from the modem or try a router port, which may or may not work). any ideas?
Did you try Firefox?

[narlus]

didn't need to...BV's link hooked me up w/ the file i needed, i downloaded it, moved it over to the non-connected laptop via USB drive (dreadfully slow 1.1), installed that, restarted the machine, ran the linksys pc card setup, popped the card in, and voila! instant network.

whew. this took a while but it looks like my machine is rock solid, purring nicely, and i've got everything pretty much back to where it was, and i'm now on G rather than B. nice!

[Pau11y]

Now Narlus, after all your efforts, make your machine REALLY stable by cleaning up the services. Look at tweakXP.com for editing msconfig (Start/run/type: msconfig). Here's a few for starters you won't need to start on system startup (no particular order): Indexing Service, Messenger, QoS, Themes, Fast User Switching, IMAPI CD-Burning (if you use something else like Nero), TCP NetBIOS Helper, NetMeeting Remote Desktop, Remote Registry, Remote Desktop Help, System Restore (I've never found SysRestore to work well so I just turn mine off), Smart Card, Uninterruptible Power Supply, Wireless Zero Config (I don't have a wireless network - but for you, you might want to leave this one). When you're done here (you'll need to reboot) rt-click on MyComp and goto properties/System Restore tab and check turn off SysRestore, then Advanced tab/Performance/settings/Visual Effects tab and dot Adjust for Best performance. It'll uncheck everything. But I personally like a little bit of prettiness - check the 2nd to last one: Use drop shadows, and 6th from bottom: Smooth Edges of screen fonts. Click apply but don't leave here yet. Goto Advanced tab/Change button. Find out how much ram you have. The first field should be set to the same amout of ram you have, and the 2nd field should be exactly 3 times that number (ie - 256 & 768, or 512 & 1536). This was an old 95/98/ME trick used to stablize those OSs. Still applies to XP. Next, go all the way back to System Properties (rt clck on MyComp) and goto the Remote tab and uncheck everything in here. This will shut down services for good on remote desktop.
Lastly, goto control panel and Add/Remove programs and Add/Remove Windows Components and uncheck Messenger, and MSN crap. Also, I personally use Outlook so I uncheck Outlook Express as well. For those of you who prefer Firefox, this is a good place to uncheck IE which will allow you to delete the IE folder.
Everyone of my machines gets this treatment and they tend to stay up a lot longer and happier after. I did this in the hotel I worked at and was able to "tweak" a PII333 w/ only 128mb of ram (WAY below min specs for XP) to run w/ descent speed. You should notice a HUGE improvement in speed after these steps. And, for msconfig, you may want to experiment w/ other services. DO NOT take out:
Server, Workstation, Plug n Play, Comp Browser, DCOM Server, Windows Installer, Net Logon, Net Connex, Net Location, NT LM Security, Remote Access anything, Remote Procedure anything, Security Accounts Manager, Task Scheduler, Windows Firewall, Windows Time, Universal Plug n Play Device Host, Auto Updates, Security Center, WMI Performance, Windows Management Instrumentation, and anyting related to your anti-virus.

Edit: Sorry for the huge post, but it's worth the time... Trust me.

[binary visions]

nice one! where'd/how'd you find it?
I'm a bit of a Google freak, I seem to be able to locate sites that nobody else can find. I'm also a link whore and keep links to sites that I find even remotely interesting. So, between those two things, I've got a lot of good sites at my fingertips :)

Pau11y has good tips there, if you can sort through his awful post that should be cut up into paragraphs and bullited lists ;) - all of my machines get the treatment of disabling unused services

[narlus]

pau11y, thanks for the tips. here's a formatted version for people to follow:

Make your machine REALLY stable by cleaning up the services. Look at tweakXP.com for editing msconfig (Start/run/type: msconfig).

Here's a few for starters you won't need to start on system startup (no particular order):

· Indexing Service
· Messenger
· QoS
· Themes
· Fast User Switching
· IMAPI CD-Burning (if you use something else like Nero)
· TCP NetBIOS Helper
· NetMeeting Remote Desktop
· Remote Registry
· Remote Desktop Help
· System Restore (I've never found SysRestore to work well so I just turn mine off)
· Smart Card
· Uninterruptible Power Supply
· Wireless Zero Config (I don't have a wireless network - but for you, you might want to leave this one).

When you're done here (you'll need to reboot) rt-click on MyComp and go to properties/System Restore tab and check turn off SysRestore, then Advanced tab/Performance/settings/Visual Effects tab and dot Adjust for Best performance. It'll uncheck everything. But I personally like a little bit of prettiness - check the 2nd to last one: Use drop shadows, and 6th from bottom: Smooth Edges of screen fonts. Click apply but don't leave here yet.

Go to Advanced tab/Change button. Find out how much RAM you have. The first field should be set to the same amount of ram you have, and the 2nd field should be exactly 3 times that number (ie - 256 & 768, or 512 & 1536). This was an old 95/98/ME trick used to stabilize those Oss and still applies to XP. Next, go all the way back to System Properties (rt clck on MyComp) and go to the Remote tab and uncheck everything in here. This will shut down services for good on remote desktop.

Lastly, go to control panel and Add/Remove programs and Add/Remove Windows Components and uncheck Messenger, and MSN crap. Also, I personally use Outlook so I uncheck Outlook Express as well. For those of you who prefer Firefox, this is a good place to uncheck IE which will allow you to delete the IE folder.

Every one of my machines gets this treatment and they tend to stay up a lot longer and happier after. I did this in the hotel I worked at and was able to "tweak" a PII333 w/ only 128mb of ram (WAY below min specs for XP) to run w/ descent speed. You should notice a HUGE improvement in speed after these steps. And, for msconfig, you may want to experiment w/ other services. DO NOT take out:

· Server
· Workstation
· Plug n Play
· Comp Browser
· DCOM Server
· Windows Installer
· Net Logon
· Net Connex
· Net Location
· NT LM Security
· Remote Access anything
· Remote Procedure anything
· Security Accounts Manager
· Task Scheduler
· Windows Firewall
· Windows Time
· Universal Plug n Play Device Host
· Auto Updates
· Security Center
· WMI Performance
· Windows Management Instrumentation
· and anything related to your anti-virus.

[binary visions]

BTW, narlus, Google searches will yield a TON of websites that will give you information on the remaining services. All depends on how much time you're willing to put into it, of course, but if you really want to pull a little more speed out of your machine, you can spend an hour or so reading up on services and shutting off the ones you don't need.

I also use TuneUp Utilities 2006 to clean up my machine:

http://www.tune-up.com/

There's a lot of utilities in there, give it a shot. It's a cheap purchase if you like it. The Start Up Manager is extremely useful in speeding up your machine - it analyzes your startup entries and provides suggestions on what ones you should leave on, and what ones you can safely turn off. Plus, it's just a check box so if you turn one off, reboot and find you want it, you just check the box again and you're back in business.

The registry cleaner and registry compacter both work well, and the disk cleaner is nice. It offers lots of good suggestions on what settings might be slowing down your computer, as well, but be careful with the settings regarding your internet connection speed. I was using 2003 for a while and fubar'd my settings. Fortunately, this program offers the option of setting a "rescue point" for all of your settings - so you can always undo.

[Pau11y]

Englais? I don't need no stinkin' Englais! I'm a friggin' CS major! I'm not talking Englais well now, and in the future, I won't need any more of it since I'll be talking computernese!
Hey BV, I was privied to a clue on bio-computing using DNA strands (aka physical computing, vs linear computing of the toys we use now). This dude hard codes DNA strands w/ problems and "grows" the answers in some sort of bio bath. He's had several successes! There's a book about this I need to get my grubby little hands on...I think it's called Biomimicry... forgot by who tho...

[binary visions]

More info, dammit. That sounds cool.

Can I program it to do my work for me?

[narlus]

thanks again for everyone's help...it's nice to have a stable PC again. :D

btw, i haven't done Pau11y's tweaks yet, but they are in the plan.

[H8R]

thanks again for everyone's help...it's nice to have a stable PC again. :D

btw, i haven't done Pau11y's tweaks yet, but they are in the plan.

How's the system I spec'd as far as speed, etc?


I'm currently looking at a budget system right now. I'm trying to see if I can put a viable machine together that will plow through Photoshop and have decent gaming performance for about $600.

I'm actually coming in around $500 if I re-use some stuff.

:D

[binary visions]

The system I spec'd is somewhat similar to the one you spec'd in terms of the level of components (comperable video cards, RAM, etc.) and is really great for those two purposes: Photoshop CS2, and rounds of Unreal Tournament 2004 & Doom 3.

I've got it overclocked about 400mhz, and the video card overclocked as well, and even at that the whole system runs almost no warmer than stock.

[narlus]

How's the system I spec'd as far as speed, etc?

there were a couple of anomalies on the 1st go-round, mainly around internet web page loadings. i tinhk it was linked to firewall configuration issues. i disabled the nVIDIA firewall and just use the windows firewall too. i also don't run the panda firewall whcih came w/ the AV software.

i may spring for another 1GB of RAM because some of the apps i run on a frequent basis (slimserver, iTunes) take a lot of memory because of the big database (~80,000 songs).

[Pau11y]

Dude, w/ that much music, you should hook us all up w/ a FTP account to leech off of you. I've got roughly 37K tracks, and a lot of them can be deleted. How about it maing? :D

[binary visions]

i may spring for another 1GB of RAM because some of the apps i run on a frequent basis (slimserver, iTunes) take a lot of memory because of the big database (~80,000 songs).

Just FYI, your RAM is going to be noticably slower if you simply throw two more sticks in there and fill up your 4 slots. You'll get a pretty large performance increase if you pull the two 512s you have now, sell 'em on eBay, and pick up two dual channel 1gbs.

[narlus]

Dude, w/ that much music, you should hook us all up w/ a FTP account to leech off of you. I've got roughly 37K tracks, and a lot of them can be deleted. How about it maing? :D

:sneaky:

you familiar w/ DC++? there are a few private hubs i'm on (but not as admin, so i would have to ask if you want to join).

[narlus]

Just FYI, your RAM is going to be noticably slower if you simply throw two more sticks in there and fill up your 4 slots. You'll get a pretty large performance increase if you pull the two 512s you have now, sell 'em on eBay, and pick up two dual channel 1gbs.

really? why would that be?

[narlus]

so which ones should i look at?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=Browse&Manufactory=1687

[H8R]

The system I spec'd is somewhat similar to the one you spec'd in terms of the level of components (comperable video cards, RAM, etc.) and is really great for those two purposes: Photoshop CS2, and rounds of Unreal Tournament 2004 & Doom 3.

I've got it overclocked about 400mhz, and the video card overclocked as well, and even at that the whole system runs almost no warmer than stock.


Here's what I'm looking at right now:

Asus A8N-VM CSM socket 939 6150/430 mobo (decent onboard video to hold me over till I get a PCIe card later)

Athlon 64 3200+

Corsair Value Ram 2 X 512mb

Hitachi Deskstar 80gb SATAII drive.

My old 60gb drive as secondary

NEC dvd writer

My Antec SLK1650B case, maybe a new PSU added.


All in so far: approx $450

:D

[H8R]

so which ones should i look at?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=Browse&Manufactory=1687


Dis won:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145575

Oar dis won:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227210

Oar four da cheepy:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145579

[binary visions]

really? why would that be?
I guess I should have said, it could be a problem, and in theory will be slower. The actual performance hit will vary.

Motherboards run 2 sticks of dual channel memory at the fastest speed the motherboard can support (let's say, for example, 400mhz). When you install a third or a fourth stick, many motherboards drop the speed a little bit since they're accessing more channels - so, you may be getting 333mhz, or slower.

That may be in your motherboard manual, actually, so check it out.

Of course, the theoretical part of it is that accessing 2 channels should always be faster than accessing 4 channels. The actual performance hit might not be that great, I've never done back-to-back testing of it, but anecdotes seem to indicate that it is in fact slower for most setups - there are exceptions, though.

Anything that's 2gb of the same RAM, and stating it supports dual channels, will work fine. If you want to stick with Geil, you can go this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144322) route, but Geil is neither an outstanding nor a bad brand so there's no reason you couldn't look elsewhere to save money or spend a little more to gain performance.

[H8R]

I guess I should have said, it could be a problem, and in theory will be slower. The actual performance hit will vary.

Motherboards run 2 sticks of dual channel memory at the fastest speed the motherboard can support (let's say, for example, 400mhz). When you install a third or a fourth stick, many motherboards drop the speed a little bit since they're accessing more channels - so, you may be getting 333mhz, or slower.

That may be in your motherboard manual, actually, so check it out.

Of course, the theoretical part of it is that accessing 2 channels should always be faster than accessing 4 channels. The actual performance hit might not be that great, I've never done back-to-back testing of it, but anecdotes seem to indicate that it is in fact slower for most setups - there are exceptions, though.

Anything that's 2gb of the same RAM, and stating it supports dual channels, will work fine. If you want to stick with Geil, you can go this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144322) route, but Geil is neither an outstanding nor a bad brand so there's no reason you couldn't look elsewhere to save money or spend a little more to gain performance.

Look for lower CAS latency RAM also if you want a slight nudge in speed when running apps that address the memory frequently. (games, repetitive P-Shop batches, etc.)

[H8R]

Look for lower CAS latency RAM also if you want a slight nudge in speed when running apps that address the memory frequently. (games, repetitive P-Shop batches, etc.)

What is CAS latency you ask??


http://www.dewassoc.com/performance/memory/cas_latency.htm


Not a big deal if you don't care about the few extra frames per second in Doom 3.

:)

[Pau11y]

Hehehe.. I got my dirty little hands on some 2-2-2-5s from Coarsair. When I load all 4 slots, the system changes from T1 to T2, and it does "feel" slower.
Oh BTW H8R, I found a guy on Anandtech selling an Opteron 165 full retail for $335.00. They're going for $299.00 OEM on the Egg so I think the extra $35.00 will be worth the HS/fan and the 3 year warranty. It's from a batch number where ppl are hitting 3ghz (that's like 160% above stock speeds! FACK!)

Edit: oh btw H8R, you might want to go up juuuuust a hair from the 3000+ to a 3700+ and get the full mb of L2 vs 512k.

[H8R]

Hehehe.. I got my dirty little hands on some 2-2-2-5s from Coarsair. When I load all 4 slots, the system changes from T1 to T2, and it does "feel" slower.
Oh BTW H8R, I found a guy on Anandtech selling an Opteron 165 full retail for $335.00. They're going for $299.00 OEM on the Egg so I think the extra $35.00 will be worth the HS/fan and the 3 year warranty. It's from a batch number where ppl are hitting 3ghz (that's like 160% above stock speeds! FACK!)

Edit: oh btw H8R, you might want to go up juuuuust a hair from the 3000+ to a 3700+ and get the full mb of L2 vs 512k.

I'm working on less-than-shoestring budgeting right now.

But yeah, considering 939 will be old news in a year I should get a proc that will die with the mobo, as upgrades will be had in the M2 platform when they kick 939 and 754 to the curb.

[Pau11y]

From my reading the 939 was going to hang for a bit (no pun...), but it was 6 months ago tho... They're killing off the 940s and 754s.