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What is the HD 5670 Video Graphics Card?

AMD's 5000 series video graphics cards debuted back in September of 2009. The 5000 series introduce a host of new features, most importantly Microsoft DirectX 11, and the new AMD Eyefinity Multi-monitor support.  The first cards released were the ultra-high end 5800 and 5900 class video cards, and they come with a ultra-high end price to match. Fortunately, this month AMD released a card suited for the budget gamer: the Radeon HD 5670.

The HD 5670 currently retails for about $100, but prices are expected to fall once competition from Nvidia is released later this year. These cards fill in the lower-midrange segment formerly occupied by AMD's HD 4670 cards. Boasting 400 stream processors, 512 megabytes or 1 gigabyte of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, the HD 5670 is a formidable card.

Like the rest of the 5000 series, the HD 5670 has great power-saving features, making it not only environmentally friendly, but also easy on your computer's power supply. The HD 5670 does not require an additional power connector, where its competition, the 9800GT, does. Many store-bought computers come with low end power supplies, and the HD 5670 can be an ideal upgrade for them.

In today's games, the HD 5670 can handle resolutions below 1680x1050 with ease. In most games, it will even perform well at higher resolutions, but this is certainly no high end card. Don't expect to be able to turn every setting on max with high levels of anti-aliasing, but what you get is still very decent. The HD 5670 can also enable DirectX 11 rendering in games that support it, however it may take a performance hit for doing so.

AMD's Eyefinity is also supported on the HD 5670, enabling it to drive up to three monitors, provided at least one of them has a displayport interface. This can make for some stunningly immersive gaming, as well as heavy multitasking across monitors.

However, it isn't without drawbacks. In benchmarks, the HD 5670 is comparable to an Nvidia 9800GT, or an AMD HD 4830 video card. The problem is that these cards cost $10-20 less than the HD 5670, making it a hard sell. The additional features and DirectX 11 support may make this card worth it to some consumers, but for gamers looking for the best performance at a certain price point, this card just isn't it.

If you're a gamer on a budget, but still want a forward looking card with DirectX 11 support, the HD 5670 is an attractive, yet not ideal option. Slightly higher on the chain is AMD's 5750, which costs $20-30 more, but performs quite a bit better. Until the HD 5670 falls to around $70, you might be served better by a different card.

I have an Acer Aspire 5520 and I think I have a BIOS problem. My computer has stopped detecting my sound card, stopped detecting the CD\DVD driver and one of the USB driver too. What could it be? I can't do the e-recovery from DOS.

Since your problem can stem from a number of problems, you need to conduct some troubleshooting scenarios to try and fix it. Read through all of the suggestions and then try them in any order one-by-one until the problem is fixed.

Use the Device Manager to Check Device Status

First, let's check to see if your computer has noticed any problems with your sound card, CD/DVD drive, or USB drives. You will need to access your "Device Manager" to do so. To open the dialog box for "Device Manager" follow these directions (or a variation depending on your version of Windows):

1)   Choose "Start" form the bottom of your screen.

2)   Choose "Control Panel."

3)   Choose "Performance and Maintenance."

4)   Choose "System."

5)   Choose "Hardware."

6)   Choose "Device Manager."

Look through the dialog box that pops up and search for mention of any problems with the drive. You might see the word "disabled" or a warning sign. If the "Device Manager" indicates that the drive isn't working, select "Troubleshoot" and search for a solution. In many cases, this fixes the problem for you.

Reinstalling Device Driver

You can uninstall the device in question directly and then reinstall it. Typically, this fix works quite well. If you want to do this through the "Device Manager," just uninstall any of the devices that were marked disabled and scan for new hardware changes.

Update Device Driver

If your existing device drivers are too old, you may need to update them. Visit the manufacturer's website for each device and check to see if any new updates for the drivers are available.

Boot up in Safe Mode

You can always boot up in "Safe Mode" and see if that fixes the problem. Just turn the laptop power on, and hit the "F8," "F2," or "F12," key on the keyboard as soon as it starts to power up. You might need to hit the key more than once. Use your mouse to select "Last Known Good Configuration," and press enter on the keyboard.

I am missing a sound driver. Can you help?

Missing Sound Drivers

Sound drivers go missing every now and then for a number of reasons. Sometimes they become corrupt due to an unexpected shutdown. Other times they may be replaced or removed by other software installations or removals, operating system updates, and even computer viruses. You may never know what caused the driver to disappear, but hopefully you'll be able to recover it without too much difficulty.

Recover Sound Driver Using System Restore

If the sound driver just recently disappeared, the easiest way to restore it is to use System Restore. As long as you have a restore point from before the driver disappeared, you should be able to roll your computer back to its earlier condition.

System Restore is located in your System Tools folder. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. You'll be presented with a list of the most recent restore points made by your system (so long as you have System Protection set to create restore points). Choose a date where you know your sound driver was working, but try not to go too far back in time. Follow the prompts to restore your computer.

Keep in mind that System Restore only affects your system and program files, not data. You may need to reinstall recently added programs and hardware as well as re-update your operating system and antivirus program, but you won't lose any of your data files.

Using Device Manager to Install Sound Drivers

If System Restore isn't an option, the next step is to try the Device Manager which is located in the Control Panel. Launch Device Manager and you'll see a list of device categories. Most likely, you'll notice that there's a yellow alert icon on the category labeled "Sound, video, and game controllers." Go ahead and click that category to expand the list. Double click the sound device that is marked with the alert. You should see an error message in the display box. Click the Driver tab and click on Update Driver. Windows will now search for a device driver for that particular sound device.

Manufacturer Sound Drivers

If Windows doesn't find one, you may need to go directly to your sound card's manufacturer's website for a device driver. This process varies from one manufacturer from the next but is usually fairly easy. Look for the Support > Driver Download section and search for your exact sound card model. You'll need to be sure to choose the exact version for your sound card as well as your operating system. You may need to install the driver manually or it may be self-executing. Either way, the manufacturer will likely provide you with details in how to install the driver.

I have downloaded an update file for my Nikon D3 camera which has a .nop extension. Can you help me to open it please?

Nikon NOP Files

NOP files are Nikon Optional Picture Controls files. They add additional picture controls to the camera such as processing portraits for skin with a more natural texture. NOP files are available for several different Nikon cameras and operating systems. The files are typically downloaded in the form of a self-executing .exe file. From there, they are either installed into your computer's Nikon software or copied onto a memory card and then installed directly on the camera.

Updating Nikon D3 Cameras

From the looks of it, NOP files are not meant for opening directly, but rather to be copied onto your Nikon camera via a memory card. First, you'll need to make sure that you are well prepared for the process. Nikon details the firmware update process here and indicates that any data on your memory card will be erased, so make sure to read the instructions from Nikon directly and be sure to copy any data on your card that you don't want to lose.

To summarize the process, you'll need to go back to the original download and double click the .exe file to launch the installer. Upon double-clicking the file, a bunch of files will be extracted into a newly created Nikon folder. Inside, you'll find the .NOP file. If you still have the originally extracted folder on your computer you can skip the double-click/extraction process and go directly to the folder.

Next, copy the Nikon folder to a Nikon-compatible memory card. Depending on your setup, you may be able to do this by connecting the camera to your computer using the USB cable or you may need to use a card reader. Copy the Nikon folder to the memory card.

Next, insert the memory card into slot 1 of your Nikon camera and turn on the camera. Access the menu and find the Manage Picture Control section of the shooting menu. Choose Load/Save followed by Copy to Camera. A list of optional picture controls will appear based on whichever ones you downloaded. Highlight the one you want and press OK. Select a destination and confirm by clicking OK. Note that if another picture control is stored in that destination, it will be overwritten, so look for an unused destination.

What does "No wireless network card driver present" mean?

You will see this message when your computer is trying to access the Internet wirelessly, but it is not detecting the wireless network card that it needs in order to get on the Web. When other device drivers are missing, it is simply a matter of hopping on the Internet, finding the manufacturer's website and downloading the latest driver for that device. I'm sure you can see where the problem with the method lies - at this point you probably have no Internet access, which makes it difficult to get the driver you need.

Uninstall/Reinstall Device Driver

The easiest way to try to get your network card driver working again is to try to uninstall and then reinstall it from the device manager.  To get to the device manager in Windows XP, first click on Start and then on Control Panel. Find the System icon, click on that and then on the Hardware tab. At the top of the Hardware tab, you will see the button for the Device Manager.

In Device Manager, see if your wireless network card is listed. If it is, click on it and then choose to Uninstall the card. Follow the prompts until the card is uninstalled and then close the window. Reboot the computer - the network card driver should reinstall automatically.

Download the Driver

If your computer is not showing the network card in the Device Manager, then you need to get onto the Internet via a wired network in order to download the correct driver.  Use a cable to connect to a wired router in order to access the Internet. Once you can access the Web, go to the network card manufacturer's (or the computer manufacturer's) website and look for the newest driver for your network card. Once you find it, you can choose to download it and then install it on your computer. Once it is installed, then you should be able to work wirelessly once again.

If you don't want to do the legwork yourself, there are many sites and software available on the Internet that will help you manage your device drivers automatically. One we recommend is Driver Genius.

One reason that drivers often get knocked out is a virus or Trojan. Once you have everything up and running, make sure that your antivirus program is up to date and run it often.

I bought a laptop that has installed Windows 98 (second edition). Although the laptop has two USB ports, the laptop does not detect that the USB ports are present. So, if I plug a USB flash drive, the laptop does not detect it. The same issue happens with the 56k modem. I do not have the CD drives for the laptop. I try to update in Windows Update but it indicates that there is an error. I go to the site of the company, but I do not find anything related to the USB ports.

Since you are having problems updating, you might want to scan for spyware and viruses first, just to make sure that your machine is not infected. Next, you should boot up in Safe Mode since that only boots up the most necessary device drivers for the computer. To do so, turn the power button to the laptop on and press the "F2," "F8," "F10," or "F12" key. It varies with laptops, so it might be any one of those keys. Select the option for Safe Mode with Networking so that your computer can connect online to download the correct drivers.  Once you are in Safe Mode, complete the next set of directions.

Laptop Doesn't Detect USB Ports

One of the options you have available is to use the Device Manager to check the status of the USB ports. If something is wrong with the port itself, you should be able to tell simply by looking. Typically, you can access it by completing a path similar to this one: Start> Control Panel> Performance and Maintenance. System> System Properties> Hardware> Device Manager. If the USB ports are defective, you should see an indication of this such as a yellow icon. Right click on the problematic port identification for options. What you need to do at this point is decide whether you want to click the Driver Tab and update the driver or if you want to uninstall the USB port and reboot the computer. If you uninstall the USB port, when you reboot, the computer should automatically install the correct device driver for you.

Hard Reset

Laptop problems are often solved with a simple hard reset. Follow these directions to complete a hard reset: Disconnect your laptop from its power source and all of the external devices that are connected to it including speakers, printer, and so on. Gently turn the laptop over and remove the battery. Hold the power button down for a full minute to allow any residue power to drain from the laptop. Return the battery to the laptop, connect the laptop back to its power source, and replug in the external devices. Turn the laptop back on to see if the problem has been solved.

Check That USB Is Enabled in the BIOS

If the computer's BIOS is not set up to enable USB support, then this problem can occur. Boot up your computer and press the "Delete" key as soon as possible. You might need to check your manual for the laptop to see if this is the correct key to enter the BIOS. Search for USB support and check to see that it has been enabled. If it has not, fix it.