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I am building a PC with the following specs: CPU- Quad Core 3.5-4Ghz, Ram- 6 MB DDR3, Video Card- GTX 295 HD SLI or GTX 295, 750GB Seta II Hard drive, A GB motherboard, Razor Barracuda AC- 7.1 gaming sound card. I have been given a choice of normal fans or liquid cooling, which is better and what are the risks?

Computer Cooling

Keeping your computer system at a safe temperature is important to both the health of your components and the performance of your processor, chipsets and graphics cards. When components are overheated, their lifespans decrease, and your computer will undergo more stalls and crashes than a well-cooled machine.

Conventional PC Fans

Fans are the conventional and most common way that computers are cooled. Some computer fans are attached to the case and cool the entire unit, and other components like CPUs and PCI slots might have their own, built-in fans. PC fans are designed to move air through the case and to push warm air out.

Liquid Cooling Systems

Rather than blow around hot air, liquid cooling systems work in the same way as refrigerators, by circulating a cold liquid through the unit and around the computer parts. As the liquid moves through the computer, the liquid changes from cold to hot and is then delivered back to the radiator for re-cooling and out again.

Liquid Cooling System Pros

Liquid cooling is popular for its ability to drastically decrease the temperature of a computer unit and is more efficient and effective than a traditional fan. Another perk of liquid cooling systems is their relative silence, compared with regular fans. If you are using your computer a lot, and the fans are often on, the noise can interfere with other things you are trying to do. Rather than create noise, the liquid cooling system acts like an insulator and keeps other processing sounds to a minimum.

Liquid Cooling System Cons

Negative aspects of liquid cooling systems are mostly aimed at the expertise needed to build and install the systems but, since you are having your computer built, this isn’t an issue for you. Another potential downside of a liquid cooling system is its size. In some cases the components don’t fit inside the computer case and need to be mounted externally, which might be annoying and less attractive. Make sure you discuss this possibility with your techs before they build your system.

Overall

In all, if you are building a high-powered computer that you intend to use a lot, a liquid cooling system is probably worth the extra money and consideration. Averaging between $70 and $250 per unit, liquid cooling systems are a bigger investment than fans, but will earn their keep in improved cooling, system maintenance and computer performance.

I have bought a Media Center Extender DMA2100 but I can’t get my laptop to find it, please help?

Extender did not Connect Error Message

When trying to connect the Windows Media Center Extended to your computer you might get an error message that says “Extender did not connect. The Extender was set up successfully, but has failed to connect to this computer.” If this is the error that you are getting, it is most likely related to a fingerprint reader program attached to your security system. If you do not use the fingerprint reader program, you can remove the error by removing the program - it is something that creates a secure login - and most often a program called VeriSoft Access Manager. You can remove it with Windows Add/Remove.

Troubleshoot the Interfering Program

First double check all the connections and turn the Extender and the computer on and off to prompt an auto detection. If you are still blocked by this message, you can either contact your security software manufacturer for a workaround - let them know about the Extender and error message, or you can uninstall the program that is causing the trouble. If you go this route, be sure to replace the program with an equal security force to protect against viruses and malware.

Update your Software and Reinstall the Drivers

If you aren’t getting this error, and the extender is just not showing up in the laptop at all, then you might have a driver issue. First of all, you can open Device Manager and check if the computer can see the Extender. Click Start, then Control Panel, and then click twice on System. Select the Hardware tab and then choose Device Manager.

Scroll around and look for the Extender listing. Once you find it, look for any yellow exclamation marks or red Xs. Click these icons to get more information about the problem. As usual, with driver issues, you should update your operating system with Windows Updates. The Extender program might need something from a recent update that your computer is missing. Also, you can try removing the drivers for the Extender while in Device Manager. Just click the information tab, and then remove drivers. Next, remove the Extender from the laptop, reconnect it, and then reboot the computer. Using the manual that came with the Extender, load the drivers again. You can also check with the manufacturer’s website for more relevant drivers.

More Specific Error Information

Good luck, I hope this helps. If not, write again and let us know more about the connection error you are getting and whether or not the device is appearing in Device Manager.

I’ve reset the flat battery style CMOS but it did not work. I believe that there may be a bad sector on the hard drive affecting the video drivers. I can boot from the HP Diagnostics CD, but this appears to be a Linux variant that appears to load its own driver set without reference to the HDD at all. I think I shall have to replace the hard drive and ‘slave’ the old unit to it to see if any file recovery is possible! Is there likely to be any problem? The hard drive is a SATA drive. There are no IDE sockets on this motherboard.

Some of the other options that I can offer to you before you go ahead and purchase a new hard drive include:

• Scanning for spyware/viruses since these forms of malware can attack your operating system and lead to problems such as you are having. Update your anti-spyware/anti-virus application before running it.
• If you don’t have a program, I can recommend Anti-Virus PLUS.
• Performing a soft restore with the installation, restore, or boot disk should allow you to retain your data and hopefully, it should fix your boot sector.
• Clean the registry using a registry cleaner such as RegCure.

If you haven’t tried any of these strategies yet, they are viable options. At the very least, they can’t hurt.

Recover Data from Damaged Hard Drive

If you want to recover data from a damaged hard drive, you can swap it out for a new one as you mentioned. Then, you have two options available to you. The damaged drive can either be set as slave and you can access it to retrieve your data or you can place it in an external hard drive case and access it that way. You will need a USB port on the computer though if you decide to use an external hard drive case. If you experience any difficulty retrieving your data from the hard drive, you can try using data recovery software such as Data Recovery Pro.

Slaving Hard Drive

When you add a second hard drive, as you already seem to know, you must go about the task of slaving one of the hard drives. The computer can only communicate with a single hard drive at a time. Take your new hard drive and set it as master while setting the old hard drive as slave as you have suggested. It is possible to slave a hard drive on a computer that does not have any IDE slots on the motherboard using the same type of set up as you did for the master. You simply need to designate it as the slave.

 Swapping Hard Drives

As long as you purchase a hard drive that is compatible with your system, you shouldn’t have any difficulties completing the task you have suggested. Just make sure that you take all of the appropriate safety precautions when working with the hardware including disconnecting the computer from the power and grounding yourself before doing the work.

Related article:

Retrieving Data from a Malfunctioning Computer

I have files on two old hard drives on a computer that is no longer able to recognize a keyboard due to equipment failure. However the files, programs and data stored on the attached hard drives are required. How do I access these files and can I get these back? Your assistance would be most helpful.

You have a couple of options that are available to you. First, I’d like to ask if you have tried another keyboard as an option or booting up into “Safe Mode?” If not, then you might want to try that first. Otherwise, the following options are available to you.

Retrieving Hard Drive Data: Swap out the Hard Drive to Second Computer

One of the easiest options that you have is to remove the hard drives from the broken computer and place them into a second or borrowed computer. Once you do so, you can readily access the drives and transfer the data to another storage device.

Retrieving Hard Drive Data: External Hard Drive Case

When you have a hard drive with data that you want to get but the computer it is in doesn’t work, you can purchase an external hard drive case with a USB connection. An external hard drive case is designed to house a hard drive that has been removed either form a laptop or a desktop computer. They come with USB connections that make them easy to plug into another computer or laptop. They are designed to provide an additional means of adding a hard drive to a computer that doesn’t have room for another one. They are also designed to help computer users access data from a hard drive other than the one inside their computer. A hard drive stored in an external hard drive case should not be used to boot up a computer since it will not perform as well as an internal hard drive.

You simply remove the old hard drive (or in your case, both hard drives) from the non-functioning computer and place it in the external hard drive case. Now, you have an external hard drive! Once the hard drive is safely inside, you plug the external hard drive case into one of the available USB ports on the computer. Now, you should be able to access your files.

Other Options 

Will the computer work with a different keyboard? For example, if you are using a USB keyboard, have you tried the computer with a PS/2 keyboard? Will the Windows load at all? Can you use a mouse? If you can get the computer to function, other options would include uploading the data to an online storage site such as Mozy and then downloading the data to your new computer. 

I’m wondering if I can upgrade my desktop computer for under $300? Specs: 2.66ghz CPU, 512MB of ram, 80 GB hard-drive, Intel Celeron. Also when I bought it a few years back they said it could be upgraded and is a generic brand. Would just like to play most games like World of Warcraft.

System Requirements and Computer Upgrades

The first thing to consider when thinking about upgrading your computer system is the kind of programs that you are looking to run. In your case, using World of Warcraft as an example, there are specific hardware and software requirements.

Software and Operating System Updates

Whether you are running Windows XP or Vista, you should have all the available Service Packs installed. For XP there are currently three Service Packs, and one for Vista. You can pre-set Windows Updates to run on your system, downloading and installing the most recent software updates as they become available.

Upgrading Processors

As far as processors go, World of Warcraft requires a minimum of 1.3 GHz on an Intel Pentium 4, but manufacturers suggest a dual core processor like the Intel Pentium D. The Pentium 4 sells between $80 and $130 for 2 GHz according to an online price comparison. As with the rest of the components that you’re looking for, you can search online for deals or go into a local computer shop for some specific advice. To stay under your price point you might trade some features for others, and a technician can help you swap things around to personalize your system.

Upgrading Memory

For memory you are currently OK - your computer has 512 MB of RAM, which meets the minimum requirements, as long as you are running XP. For Vista, the minimum is 1 GB and the recommended is 2 GB, so there is definitely room for you to add more RAM.

Upgrading Video Cards

Another relevant consideration for your upgrade is your video card. In order to support the graphics on games like World of Warcraft, you need a good 3D graphics processor like the ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT. These video cards also have special features like Vertex and Pixel Shaders and superior lighting capabilities. You can find out more about the video card in your computer by right clicking the desktop, then clicking Properties. On the popup screen, choose the Settings tab, and then click Advanced. You will see the model name of the video card on the top of the blue box - you can click Adapter for more information.

Can RAM from a Dell Dimension2400 fit into a Gateway E-4100?

In order for the Gateway to be able to accept RAM from the Dell Dimension, they need to have compatible motherboards. However, there are a few other considerations as well such as available slots and maximum capacity for RAM. Each memory slot is designed to hold a certain number of pins found in memory modules. If the motherboards between the two computers are identical or compatible, then the memory module slots probably have the same pin capacity. I’ll go over what you need to know to make your decision about placing the RAM from the Dell to the Gateway.

Swapping RAM

Reusing RAM is usually possible as long as it isn’t damaged or defective. The most important point to remember beyond that is the memory modules must be compatible with the computer that it is going into. Using RAM chips is a task that should be taken cautiously since they can easily be damaged if not handled correctly.

Dell Dimension 2400

First, you can check the type of motherboard that the Dell Dimension 2400 has since it will determine the type of RAM that is used with it. Once you have that information, you would also need to determine the type of memory module that is used. Typically, you can get by with knowing just the memory module information since the motherboards are probably similar if they are using the same type of memory.

In your case, the Dell Dimension 2400 is designed to take PC2100/PC2700/PC3200 DDR SDRAM DIMM memory modules. It has either Intel Celeron or an Intel Pentium 4 processor with 2 slots set up in the motherboard to take in additional memory modules. 

Gateway E-4100

The Gateway E-4100 is designed to take PC2700/PC3200 DDR SDRAM DIMM memory modules. It has an Intel Pentium 4 processor with 4 slots (2 sets or 2) set up in the motherboard to take in additional memory modules. It can only use a maximum of 4.0GB of memory, so you cannot exceed that amount. That means that you need to know how much memory you already have in the Gateway.

Swapping RAM from Dell Dimension 2400 to Gateway E-4100

First, you need to check out how much RAM you have on the Gateway so that you don’t exceed the allowable limit. To do so, right click on “My Computer” and select “Properties.” You’ll be able to see how much RAM you have near the bottom of the box that appears. Check your documentation on the Dell to see which type of RAM is installed. You cannot use the 2100 since it will not be compatible with the Gateway. However, if the Dell has either PC2700 or PC3200 DDR SDRAM DIMM memory modules, you will be able to swap. Alternatively, you can use a free memory checker application such as Aida32.