Author Topic: Tech-related problems (Read 582130 times)

lifemuslim92 · « **Reply #540 on:** December 16, 2006, 01:03:51 PM »

help me bcuz ive card reader/writer problem,when i insert an MMC card into the card reader,then i insert the reader into the USB slot,it said that the usb is working but i cant find it in My Computer...

Blebekblebek · « **Reply #541 on:** December 16, 2006, 03:31:16 PM »

Quote from: lifemuslim92;260160

help me bcuz ive card reader/writer problem,when i insert an MMC card into the card reader,then i insert the reader into the USB slot,it said that the usb is working but i cant find it in My Computer...

try different usb slot
and don't plug the MMC before you connect the card reader to usb slot
Card reader >> USB >> MMC to Card Reader

sometimes my windows also can't recognize it, when it happens... I just need to restart my pc

frblckstr1 · « **Reply #542 on:** December 16, 2006, 06:13:04 PM »

Quote from: lifemuslim92;260160

help me bcuz ive card reader/writer problem,when i insert an MMC card into the card reader,then i insert the reader into the USB slot,it said that the usb is working but i cant find it in My Computer...

^^ Aside from a card-reader problem you have a English spelling problem.

Anyway, some technical background: for Windows to 'see' a card it needs an 'insert notification' like the one above says, first plugin the card-reader then the card.

Also, if it isn't seen, pull the card, wait a few seconds then try again.
If there was a problematic file on it, the card might get 'locked' and remove/insert doesn't give a 'insert notification' (because its still 'busy') then a reboot will help to unlock it.

lifemuslim92 · « **Reply #543 on:** December 17, 2006, 03:18:56 AM »

I think the problem is my computer bcuz i insert a thumbdrive and the comp can't recognize it too

Blebekblebek · « **Reply #544 on:** December 17, 2006, 07:34:20 AM »

windows? XP?
Service Pack Installed?

chera · « **Reply #545 on:** December 18, 2006, 08:45:10 AM »

I'm trying to upgrade the hard drive of my ThinkPad R52 laptop.

The bare hard drive is connected with 4 screws to a metal grille with round holes on one side (you can't see the grille in the photo). The screws allow the drive to snapped onto a cover. The cover allows the drive to be easily pulled out of the bay. See illustration:

The problem is that the new drive (a Samsung 160GB bought OEM style - without a box or any documentation) didn't come with a metal grille or 4 screws on the sides. Although I could try slipping the drive right into the bay, doing that without snapping the drive to the cover would make it difficult if not impossible to remove the drive. But I can't remove the 4 screws from the old drive to place on the new one - the screws are impossibly tight. In an hour, I've only managed to remove one screw, and now my hand is so cramped up I'm wondering if these screws weren't designed to be removed.

Am I doing something wrong here? What documentation I've been able to find seems to assume that the new drive will have screws attached already. And I can't reuse the screws from the old drive because they're too damn tight. Any tips would be appreciated.

thatguy · « **Reply #546 on:** December 18, 2006, 09:07:27 AM »

^

the screws being tight is most likely a side-effect of the heating-up the hard drive does (if i'm not mistaken). they're most certainly removeable, however you must be careful, because if you're using a screwdriver with the wrong type of head (believe me, there are LOTS of different kinds of phillips heads), you will quickly strip the screws. this will happen particularly if you're using a screwdriver which has a head that is slightly too thick, so that the tip doesn't completely fit into the screw.

the threads themselves shouldn't actually have any problem in terms of tightness, so most likely, if you have the right screwdriver, you'll just need to turn it with enough force until you get a little "pop"--that is, getting the screw unstuck.

chera · « **Reply #547 on:** December 18, 2006, 09:25:17 AM »

Quote from: thatguy;261937

the screws being tight is most likely a side-effect of the heating-up the hard drive does (if i'm not mistaken).... if you have the right screwdriver, you'll just need to turn it with enough force until you get a little "pop"

Thanks a bunch for the tip! I'll let the drive cool down for a few hours before trying again. And if that doesn't work, I'll take the drive to a hardware store and ask for a screwdriver that fits the screws.

ferrar1 · « **Reply #548 on:** December 18, 2006, 09:27:38 AM »

Ive changed countless HDD for my lappy and i can assure you OEM's or not, off the shelf HDD doesn't come with any screws. Because you are supposed to re-use the screws from your old HDD. I had the same "screws too f*cking tight" HDD problem on my acer as well. I almost wanted to smash the grill + HDD. note that it took me 1 full day to finally take out the 4 screws, so i won't blame it on over heating.

*Note high risk involved
What i did is to use a thin flat screwdriver and insert it into the space between the screw and the grill. slightly and softly bend the metal grill and this should make the screw very much easier to take out.

1 other method i would recommend by looking at the above pictures is to get a bigger screw that should go right through the hole of the holder and straight to the HDD. Hoping that a big screw would help to fasten it to the holder. Of course this is if the final dimensions meant that you can secure the HDD properly. Good luck.

thatguy · « **Reply #549 on:** December 18, 2006, 09:48:18 AM »

Quote from: ferrar1;261948

Ive changed countless HDD for my lappy and i can assure you OEM's or not, off the shelf HDD doesn't come with any screws.

same here. actually, i've bought convertor cages (from 3.5" -> 2.5") and also external enclosures (2.5" -> USB), and spare HDD screws come with those, not the HDDs themselves

frenchkiss · « **Reply #550 on:** December 18, 2006, 09:56:13 AM »

The screwdriver you'll need is most probably a Philips #1 head (and there are NOT a lot of different Philips heads, if it's different then it's not a Philips to begin with, the problem is with chinese manufactured screws they often have strange shapes that won't exactly fit ANY screwdriver head...) Using a decent screwdriver with rubber grip or a T-shaped handle would ease the operation a lot too... But if I were you I'd just go to the computer shop and get 4 new HDD screws, they are cheap anyway...

chera · « **Reply #551 on:** December 18, 2006, 10:15:01 AM »

Do the grille and the piece of plastic that seperate the grille from the bottom of the drive serve any purpose?

I'm afraid of buying screws and installing the drive without a grille.

p.s., the screw doesn't actually fasten the drive to the cover - it just provides something for the cover to snap on.

p.p.s., thanks for the comments, everybody!

shadowstar · « **Reply #552 on:** December 18, 2006, 10:25:09 AM »

I use Audacity as my voice recording program.

But whenever I record my voice, I can hardly hear it, I have to turn the volume in the program (as well as my speakers) all the way up. Anyone know what I need to adjust to fix this problem?

I thought it was my mic at first, but even when I speak somewhat quietly on Skype with it, I could be heard well...

ferrar1 · « **Reply #553 on:** December 18, 2006, 10:30:21 AM »

The grille will help the HDD to sit nicely within the HDD bay and not move around. This will prevent the HDD from knocking into the sides when you are moving the laptop around.

Of course the best way would be to get similar sized screws to replace your old 4. but do try thatguy suggestions and in the meantime, don't risk spoiling the lines of the screws' head. Use a short, rubberised, thick handed screw driver for best results.

frenchkiss · « **Reply #554 on:** December 18, 2006, 10:40:57 AM »

Quote from: arian;261985

I use Audacity as my voice recording program.
But whenever I record my voice, I can hardly hear it, I have to turn the volume in the program (as well as my speakers) all the way up. Anyone know what I need to adjust to fix this problem?
I thought it was my mic at first, but even when I speak somewhat quietly on Skype with it, I could be heard well...

Skype automatically adjusts gain (which pisses me off quite often BTW) For other softwares you usually have to set your mic input level in the Windows sound control panel, and also check the mic boost option that is quite often necessary (usually you get it in the 'advanced' options under the mic input slider in the panel) Also don't forget that this panel has two sets of sliders, one for playback level and one for recording level, you have to switch between the sets manually from the panel options menu)

thatguy · « **Reply #555 on:** December 18, 2006, 11:12:08 AM »

Quote from: frenchkiss;261970

and there are NOT a lot of different Philips heads

heh i didn't intend to make it sound like there was a buffet of them. in retrospect most phillips will be fine, just as long as it's neither too large nor too small. i should've noted that it's best not to confuse phillips with a posidriv screwdriver--that's when you end up stripping the heads of your screws.

chera · « **Reply #556 on:** December 18, 2006, 12:22:23 PM »

ferrar1, thanks for the tip! JPH!P is da best!!!!

frenchkiss, I agree with ferrar1. if you want to see how your mike input sounds like "neutral", use a utility like Windows XP sound recorder. This should be included as part of Windows XP (it's in Programs->Accesories->Entertainment). A good quality mike does wonders, getting a consistent distance between your mouth and the mike makes a big difference, and getting the settings right also makes a difference. Also, don't set gain too high, or else you'll overload things whenever you raise your voice.

ferrar1 · « **Reply #557 on:** December 18, 2006, 02:02:08 PM »

Quote from: chera

frenchkiss, I agree with ferrar1.

JTRIX · « **Reply #558 on:** December 18, 2006, 04:06:15 PM »

As you guys know that I want to build a new computer, however I'm a computer dumbass!

Can someone tells me what's the difference between Pentium 4 and Pentium D? And when I look at online catalog for CPU I saw these 3 things.
Intel Core 2 Duo E6xxx
Intel Pentium 4 xxx
Intel Pentium D xxx
What are the differences?

Asmodai · « **Reply #559 on:** December 18, 2006, 06:18:21 PM »

The Pentium D is superior to a Pentium 4. It's an early iteration of Dual-Core, but it's nowhere near as powerful as a Core 2 Duo

In order of increasing performance:

Pentium
Pentium MMX
Pentium Pro
Pentium II
Pentium III
Pentium 4
Pentium D
Core 2 Duo

If you can even remotely afford it, you want a Core 2 Duo - it's an entire generation ahead of any of the Pentium chips.

Otherwise, get a cheap Pentium D 965 to tide you by and start saving.