My Computer Doesn’t Recognize My USB Device – What Can I Do?

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and USB devices are those devices that use USB ports to send and receive data. This line of devices achieved huge popularity in the IT industry after getting their roots in the early part of 1990s. Before that, we had no other option than to settle with troublesome serial and parallel port configurations, in establishing communications with auxiliary devices like keyboard, mouse, external storage drive or a digital camera for example. Stable connection, simple integration and no need for a separate power supply are some of the key factors contributing to this massive acceptability and demands – USB devices are enjoying today.
As nothing is perfect in this world, USB ports and devices can also pose major concerns occasionally when they hide themselves and don’t get detected by the PC. Because of their wide range of applications and frequent use, the degree of frustration is often greater when they don’t show up. But, if you keep your cool, and try to sort out the problem, you can make them work quite easily – most of the time.

Why My Computer Doesn’t Recognize My USB Device?

There could be multiple reasons why your computer cannot detect your USB device. First of all we need to know that there are several USB ports in your PC or laptop and you can generally configure your device connecting to any one of these ports. However, some ports offer high speed data transfer and if you are connecting a device that requires speedy communication – better to tie it up with a high speed port.
From a user’s standpoint, no difference is visible from outside. But, internally that is not the case! USB ports are connected to multiple hubs inside, and some are connected to the root hub and some are connected to the generic hub. Generic hubs are used for high speed USB devices where as root hubs are used for devices like keyboards, mouse etc.
USB functionality of the entire PC is actually controlled by USB host controllers. Host controllers route signals to the root hub, with the root hub being in the 1^st level of the hierarchy, and then the root hub distributes signals to the generic hubs underneath them. Therefore, if the root hub is down in signaling terms – all the USB ports will be down. In contrast, if a generic hub is down, that doesn’t necessarily mean all USB ports are down. It could be that the USB ports connected to one particular generic hub is not working because of a broken communication link with the root hub. Therefore you need to figure out how and to which port you should connect your USB device to.saeed

How to Make Your PC Detect USB Device?

Let’s try the following action items to work towards a solution, keeping in mind that if you are lucky enough, you don’t have to complete all the steps;
1.  First and the foremost thing to try and check the device in another PC, if you have access to it. Sometimes, a USB device itself could just go out of order, and in that case better not to look for faults at the wrong place.
2.  If you feel, there is nothing wrong with your USB device, then the 2^nd thing you check is putting it in another USB port – you know there are several USB ports out there in your PC.
3.  If the same thing repeats after trying all the USB ports, go to Windows explorer and right click on the computer icon as shown in image 1. And then select “properties”. You will reach the control panel home.

4.  Click on “Device Manager” and “Yes” to get to the device manager screen as shown in image 2.

5.  At the bottom, you will see Universal Serial Bus controllers. Here if you don’t see this option by chance, then definitely you have USB feature disabled in your BIOS. Normally this occurs when you bought a brand new PC or laptop and your laptop was not configured right. Here you should reboot your PC and hit the F2 key when prompted just after booting process starts. Find out the option in your BIOS setup that deals with enabling and disabling USB controller as shown in image 3. Make sure it is enabled in your BIOS and then save changes and exit. It is not necessary that everything will match with image 3 because the BIOS you have in your PC could be totally different than mine.  Reboot the PC – you should get your USB controllers detected this time in your control panel’s devices list.

6.  Once you see USB devices are listed in your control panel and still the PC cannot detect the device, expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers tab in the device manager as shown in image 2. You will see several USB controller supported devices here; root hub, generic hub, mass storage devices etc. If you see any one of them showing any exclamation sign followed by a yellow mark on it, there is something wrong there. Right click on that device tab and hit properties. In the properties screen, hit the “drivers” button and “update driver” as shown in image 4. Get ready to provide the windows installation disk when asked to update the driver. After updating the driver, most likely the problem will go away and you will see “this device is working properly” in its properties window. If doing this doesn’t bring any good news for you either – let’s try the next trick.

7.  Bring mouse over on the “USB root hub” in the same device manager screen as in image 2, right click on it and then select uninstall. Proceed with “yes” to confirm. Do the same for each and every device showing under Universal Serial Bus controller. After all of them are removed, reboot the PC. Windows Plug and Play should reinstall the entire USB functionality of your PC while rebooting. It may ask for the Windows installation CD to keep going, be ready to provide the installation CD in case the request comes in.
8.  This should make your USB device detected as you have tried all the options. Sometimes, it is also possible that you have too many USB devices connected to your PC and when you add the next one, there is a conflict with the assignment of drive letters. This problem is quite different than what we were discussing above and it should be fixed by going into disk manager and assigning a new drive letter to your USB device.
9. In Windows 7, you can also use the automated utility to try and to fix all hardware problems including USB. To do this you can go to “Control Panel” – “Find and Fix Problems under System and Security” – “Hardware and Sounds” – “Hardware and Devices” – “Yes” to proceed.

 

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Computer Has a Black Screen in Windows and Will Not Boot or Start Up

Rarely do I come across a problem with a computer that I cannot diagnose, however when a computer has a black screen in windows it can stump me sometimes. A computer black screen on start up is a challenge for me and I always try to trouble shoot the problem manually, without using those fancy programs, because I believe it is the only way to learn.
There are two types of computer black screens that can appear in Windows. One where the computer will not boot up but you have a beep sequence sounding to let you know what the problem could be, and the other has nothing at all. No beeps, no cursor, no logo screen, and no choice to boot to safe mode or access the bios.
If your computer will not boot up and you get a beep sequence, I am not saying it is good news, however it is a step in the right direction towards solving this problem. This is a message from your computer that can be understood by looking up your bios (the brand) beep code. For example you may have an Award Bios, Ami Bios, Phoenix BIOS, Compaq, Dell, or Acer Bios. This list goes on and on.  You can search for Bios beep codes in Google. Here is an example of results in Google search Search results for “bios beep codes”
If you heard a single beep, then the computer posted, and the CPU is OK. POST= Power On Self Test A procedure the computer goes through on starting to ensure all is well.
When your computer has a black screen in windows, and absolutely nothing else, this is where the challenge begins. Sometimes the fans and the CPU seems to be running.
When this happens to me, I have an instant advantage as I have a replacement part for basically any computer component at my fingertips. I also have a magic boot disc that repairs missing files on my hard drive and will boot up any computer, fix and install Windows easy. If you do not have any of these tools then you will need to try and find the errors manually.

Common things that can happen when your computer has a black screen in Windows:

• When the computer will not boot up, it sound like it is booting as the CPU fan is running and the lights are on. It also finds the CD ROM but it won’t boot from a CD either.
• Sometimes when you have a computer black screen on startup and the power switch light will be green and then turns to orange or amber. Everything is running.
• Everything seems to be running but you can’t see anything on the screen, not even a flashing cursor. Your black screen in Windows has occurred before the Windows logo screen.

Some common causes of a computer black screen in Windows:

I have to be honest, there are literally hundred’s of reasons why your computer might have a black screen. Hopefully your problem will be something relatively basic.
If you see the screen that tells you your computer had an error, do not choose to start normally, choose to start in safe mode now. See what is safe mode. This is your chance to go the safe way. Many people rush and press to start Windows normally and sometimes this causes a serious problem.

Where is your Monitor plugged in? “My computer screen is black”

The first and most obvious reason for a computer appearing to run but you cannot see the video is the monitor. A common mistake is to plug the monitor into the on-board video plug when you actually have a PCI or AGP video card installed. Trust me I have done this myself. Simply move the plug to the correct position. If you see two blue monitor plugs at the back of the computer or even a blue plug and a HDMI port then try using a different plug.
Obviously you should also check to see if the monitor plugged is actually in firmly. It could have been knocked out if it was not correctly positioned in the first place. This is the simplest computer black screen you can get.

Failing Display adapter or video card can cause a black screen in windows:

Most of the time you can tell if your computer video card is deteriorating by seeing little tell tale signs. Lines appearing or flashing can sometimes occur, however sometimes nothing happens at all. You might turn your computer on and have the dreaded black screen. You can try removing your video card and using onboard video, or replacing the video card to see if that is the problem.

People often also see a computer black screen when they have plugged their computer into a different monitor or even a TV where the screen resolution is not compatible. If it is a simple black screen on your computer it can also be a simple problem to fix, but unfortunately people do not realize this problem and start troubleshooting, which actually gives the computer are serious black screen. When I know that my computer is showing a black screen on my Windows computer and I know that I have just connected it to a different monitor, I immediately restart and press F8. This will take me to the the menu where I will choose enable VGA mode or something similar.

The next reason the computer will not boot up is RAM…or memory:

This can be the cause when your computer has a black screen in Windows.
If your memory is not seated properly (not in), is damaged, or even absent altogether, this can cause a black screen.

1. If you have no memory installed at all, some computers make no sounds and just show a black screen on startup. Other computers go crazy and beep their head off. I am an expert at this one, as I build so my computers.
2. When your computer gets a black screen only sometimes, it usually means your ram is on the way out..For example if you boot your computer and it doesn’t work, then go back an hour later, and it does work, your memory is playing up. You can try taking the ram out, gently cleaning it with an antistatic cloth, and replacing it. This may solve your problem. If it does not, then you should try running your computer with another compatible stick of ram installed.

If you plan to open your computer case and remove the ram please read these articles on how to open computer cases safely and Upgrade Memory

Black screen on startup with an amber flashing light

A flashing amber light along with your black screen on startup can be a few things.

1. Not enough power getting to the motherboard.
2. A dead power supply.
3. A bent pin or shorted out USB port causing a problem.

Computer black screen after installing new hardware

Often when computer users install hardware in order to upgrade their own computers they run into problems. If you have just performed an upgrade and then get a black screen, the answer is obvious. Some hardware components may not be compatible with the others in your system. And of course there is always the risk of static electricity damaging your components when you are not an experienced computer repair person.
You might just be installing a new piece of RAM but the best way to troubleshoot this is to go back to where you started from. Always start from the beginning. If your computer was working and you installed something, then take it back out. Think about what you are doing and try again.
This has nothing to with getting a black screen in Windows, as sometimes you have not even installed Windows yet. The hardware must be compatible together and also must be installed correctly.

Leaving a bootable usb flash drive connected to your computer

Yes this can confuse your computer and it won’t know where to boot up. When your computer has a black screen on startup from doing this and you realize this is the problem and remove the USB, the computer just continues to boot normally..this sometimes happens because a computer sometimes recognizes a USB as a CD drive and tries to boot to it. This is the easiest cause of a black screen in Windows as you can simply just take it out and restart your computer.

Corrupting the Boot Sector

A black screen on startup can be so many things! I have learned this lesson the hard way. Never turn off the computer when it is half way through the boot procedure. Even when it is taking forever, or having a major problem you must let it run through if possible. Interrupting it once may be ok, but twice or three times is a no no. After you have carelessly restarted and shutdown a few times the black screen may appear. But this time it may be beyond repair for the average computer user. How to repair a damaged boot sector by replacing the master boot record (MBR) in Windows XP

Black screen on startup – Your CPU is not correctly seated

If your computer has a black screen after transporting one place to another, this is the first place I look. Transporting a working computer, and then not working with a black screen = dislodging the CPU. You can fix this easily by removing the CPU fan and carefully replacing it back in its spot. You may also have to replace some thermal paste between the cpu and heat sink as it stops the cpu from overheating. Be very careful not to bend any pins when dealing with your computer CPU.

Keyboard Faulty

This one surprised me because when there is a problem with the keyboard the computer still boots and says that there is no keyboard detected on the screen. Well this didn’t happen for me. I had a keyboard with a bent pin on the cable, so when it was plugged into the computer, it just plugged in normally. Then the computer black screen on startup appeared, you could here it starting up but no posting beeps, no display, nothing. I even swapped monitors around until finally I tested the keyboard and found the bent pin. I never thought to look there because of the usual default message that appears on the screen when there is something wrong with your keyboard. This is why having a black screen in Windows as a crazy amount of causes and solutions. I really did not expect this one to come out of the woodwork.

Corrupted User Account – Computer Boots to Black Screen

If you have logged into Windows, so you actually saw the login screen, then logged into Windows, this can mean a few different things. One is that it can be a corrupted user account. In this case it would be handy to have another user account to login to. Then you would be able to tell straight away if that was the problem or not. If you can log into another account you will be able to access the corrupted user account through the main hard drive which is usually called C: drive. You will see a folder called “users” and then there will be another folder for the actual username.
If you are using windows XP than the files are in the Document and Settings section.

Notes relating to your computer black screen in Windows:

• If your computer has black screen but you can see one small flashing cursor, I see this as a good sign! It usually means your computer is ok to be formatted. It can also mean that you should try to repair the boot sector first. How to repair a damaged boot sector by replacing the master boot record (MBR) in Windows XP
• Here is an error specific article about your computer boots to a black screen with blinking cursor.
• Lets face it.. Having a black screen on startup is a common symptom for so many problems.
• Sometimes you can repair a black screen in windows or fix boot errors using a post diagnostic card.
• See more black screen troubleshooting tips.

More options when dealing with a black screen:

Buy the Ebook “Recover Your Computer From a Black Screen” only $7..

We also have a Tips4pc forum where you can chat with others that have the same problem.

If your computer has a black screen, please research your possible problem and be patient as fixing this error is usually left to the experts.
I really hope that your computer black screen has been caused by something simple and is a problem that you can fix quickly without too much stress.

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Windows Wont Boot – What Can I do?

What will YOU do when Windows Wont Boot?
I’m sure that you like myself, use your computer for many different reasons such as: listening to music, watching movies, checking email, working and more. When Windows won’t boot, it seems as your entire life flashes in front of your eyes!
I have combined six of the most common problems that can cause your computer not to boot. Try these steps whenever you experience this problem with your computer(s):

#1.  Inspect your adapter or power cord - Windows Wont Boot

When Windows wont boot, I always check the power cord located on back of the computer (desktops). When my laptop doesn’t boot, I always look at the power adapter first, To ensure the connection is correct both into the wall, and the cord from the wall plugging into the unit. You may be thinking… “DUH”, but you would not believe the vast majority of people who have non-booting computers simply due to a loose cord! Once you have verified power is flowing into your PC, you can proceed to checking the next thing.

#2.  Inspect your power supply’s voltage switch

Another possibility to troubleshoot when Windows wont boot up, is checking the voltage of the power unit. Power supplies have voltage switches that can be changed to the appropriate voltage for your region of the planet. For instance, here in North America, we used the 115V option, while in Europe and its surrounding areas, you need to use the 230V option. Boot up Any Computer, Fix & Install Windows Easy.
Believe it or not, I have seen several instances where a customer would contact us to “repair” their computer, only to realize ONE minute after arriving to the person’s location, the voltage switch needs to be changed and nothing else! Always be sure to check that switch either on your power adapter (laptops), or power supply (desktops), before going any further in troubleshooting.

#3.  Are you seeing anything on the monitor?

The first thing you naturally do when troubleshooting a computer problem, is looking at your monitor. Let’s get a little more involved in paying attention to the monitor (or screen), in this case. Do you see anything at all on the monitor or is it “black”? Do you see the “power light” illuminating? Is it blinking? Is it green colored or amber colored?
NOTE: a blinking power light on a monitor indicates several things not limited to: the monitor is either in hibernation/sleep mode, is disconnected from the video output, or has the incorrect resolution set. Would you guess that many people complain that Windows wont boot up, only to find that the monitor was either not powered on, or wasn’t plugged into the computer properly!
In summary, always pay attention to what clues your monitor may be leaving you, when troubleshooting.

#4.  Do you hear or see any fans spinning, or lights blinking?

When you turn on your computer, are any of the fans spinning or even the power light blinking? Does the computer’s hard drive activity light blink to show activity? If you notice no fans spinning,and there is no hard drive movement (which you can either listen for, or check by looking at the disk activity light on the PC), you may have a hardware related issue, or there may be an issue with your power connection (cord/adapter), or your surge protector, or your AC outlet (or a combination of all these).
Before you panic thinking Windows wont boot up, check your power cords first, since they are usually the reason for computers that don’t power up successfully. When your PC has no fan movement, is making no sounds, and otherwise won’t boot; there is a hardware issue that should be inspected by a professional or experienced technician to avoid further damage.

#5.  Pay close attention to (pretty loud) beeping sounds

When Windows Wont Boot and you have problems with your computer that is detected by the BIOS (Basic Input Output System), there will be a series of beeping sounds, immediately after turning on your PC. You might see a black screen on your computer along with the beeping sounds when you try to power up the computer. Beep codes vary in the intervals and duration of the beeping, but any beeping sounds that doesn’t occur normally (such as a quick beep upon booting), that ALWAYS spells a hardware issue that needs to be addressed.
Common reasons for hearing these beeps can consist of (but isn’t limited to):

• Bad memory (RAM)
• An overheating computer
• A processor (CPU) that is going bad or has already failed
• Incompatible BIOS settings (Setup Menu settings)
• Add-on card(s) (PCI card) needing to be connected tighter (video cards)

A general rule of thumb is to stay tuned to any beeping when you power up your computer. You will only hear the “problem beeps” when a problem exists that needs to be fixed, so make sure that you don’t throw away or misplace your computer owner’s manual (or motherboard owner’s manual); it will come in handy when you need help figuring out those dreaded beeps!

#6.  Does your computer power on but doesn’t load Windows successfully

Shortly after turning on your computer, do you see a logo at all? Computers all go through a POST; also know as a Power On Self Test, when they are booted. At this stage, a computer detects all of the hardware needed to function, as well as other checks to ensure proper operation. During POST, you can usually just see a logo and text on the screen, usually in multiple colors or white. If you get to this screen, your computer is at least booting – CONGRATS! There are ways to fix boot errors by using POST to diagnose the problem.
If your PC doesn’t get past the POST screen, and either gets “caught” before, after or during the Windows logo showing, it has booted but Windows hasn’t loaded. If your computer restarts, shuts down, freezes on a black or gray screen, or BSODs (blue screens), your problem is software (Windows) related, and not necessarily hardware related. When a computer has a software problem, it can usually be fixed by an experienced person, without the need to order expensive hardware.
Did you know that if you have a Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation disc and Windows will not start at all, you can run “start-up repair” if you experience this problem? Also, if you have Windows XP, there is a “repair installation” function that will allow you to easily repair your computer to load Windows successfully! If you don’t have the installation disc for your operating system, you can either borrow one or let an experienced person take a look at it to decipher the problem.

Please be aware that virus and other malware infecting your computer can cause this issue.
To learn how to remove viruses like a professional and solve virus related booting problems, click here for the virus removal manual.

 

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Cover Your Web Tracks Blog

Cover Your Web Tracks Blog

Every step you make on the web can be tracked back to your PC. Your internet activity should be private. However, with out taking the proper steps, your privacy and identity can be easily exposed. This blog will help you keep your privacy and stop others from exposing it.

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My computer is asking for a bootable cd

My computer is showing media test failed check cable what to d

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previntive maintenance tips

Please give mi preventive maintenance tips and schedule

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is there a way to block all websites with a couple exceptions?

I am needing to block all websites that do not have to do with work at my job for a coworker...is this possible

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i don't want to make any history on my computer, for this what can i do

i am sethumaadhavan from india i want my personal computer don't make any history when i am browsing or searching anything in any sites, so what can i

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how do I know what start up programs I can delete?

i know there are way to many programs running on start-up but am afraid to stop any of them. how do I know what is safe to disable?

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Is your PC slow and on its last leg?

Is your PC slow and on its last leg?

Why do you need Internet Privacy Software? Becuase everything you do on the net is being watched!

What is a internet privacy software?

Essentially its Window’s registry cleaner, firewall, anti-spyware, encryption device, defragging software, and proxy all rolled in one neat user friendly package. Using secure deletion technology, the program “destroys” the identification of all data assigned for deletion.

This internet privacy software is the only way to permanently delete Internet browser's cache, local cache, cookies, internet history, typed URLs, index.dat, email history, downloaded pictures, videos, viewed documents, chat logs and recently used applications.

Windows is not capable of performing a secure delete. It is necessary to use a third party application to completely keep personal or business information private. In addition, this software should also remove and protect your PC against Adware and Spyware, speed up your PC, and regulate the traffic flowing in your computer

If you don’t want to spend the cash for the excellent products, that's fine if you can sleep without that nagging sense of fear that someone has gained access to your PC via the net- and is actively sifting for your private information.

If you are a broadband user it would only take a few minutes for a hacker or governmental official to target your windows history file and download its contents. After performing a secure delete, these attackers can only download a bunch of unreadable garbage data. 

(This image does not belong to or created by this site)


What is secure delete?

This is how a Secure Delete works. Encryption changes your data in to an unbreakable code. This unreadable information is then deleted. So, if someone decided to did through your PC deleted data. They will only find a bunch of useless unreadable code.

What's the best software on the market?

If you are interested in internet privacy software, there are lots of products on the market that make claim to completely eliminate your computer history and protect you. There are tons 

of free software available that are nothing more than glorified Windows washers and registry cleaners. 

So be careful when choosing. This is not enough to avoid file recover. Your data must be encrypted and deleted to permanently be purged from your system.

The most notoriously effective product on the market is Evidence Eliminator. This product from Robin Hood Software is the most complete internet privacy software in the marketplace. It is also, by far, the most expensive product in the marketplace. However, it’s widely used by politicians, developers and government officials. Evidence Eliminator (www.evidence-eliminator.com ) has more features than any other product in the marketplace, some of which can be attributed with being in the marketplace longer than most competitors.

This product gives you access to uncensored sites, restricted newsgroups and banned material.

Now there is really no other product that compares to Evidence Eliminator is Evidence Eraser. This is a great product for a budget price. The poor man’s Evidence Eliminator and is better in many ways. For less than half the price you can still have a secure PC experience. Evidence Eraser meets the standards set by the U.S. Department of Defense for disk sanitization. www.evidenceelininator.com

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Maintenance

Maintaining your computer is the key to keeping it healthy and fully working and of course, fast. Windows 95 has most of the tools for maintaining your PC, but Windows 98 extends the possibilities and makes it even less of a hassle.  If you follow the list below and run the programs listed frequently, you will be guaranteed to have a maintained computer at no extra cost. There are, however, other programs in the market with stronger engines, but then again, they're not free (stop smiling...) 

Most of these programs can be found under the Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools folder.

1. Disk Defrag: It is advisable to run Defrag under Windows 95 once a month or when you add/remove programs. However, under Windows 98, you can run it every week if you want because it has a new engine, which means that the more you run it, the faster your computer will get. What happens is that your programs are placed on your hard disk in a way so that the ones you use most often are easier for the hard disk to find and run.  Make sure that the 'make my programs run faster' is ticked in the 'Settings' window in Defrag.

2. Scandisk: Running a thorough check is good once a month in both Windows 95 and 98. Run this once a month if you feel that your hard disk takes a long time to load programs.  A standard check is very fast and checks for basic disk problems concerning files and folders and lost fragments.  It takes an average 2 minutes to complete so try running it often.

3. Disk cleanup: This one is good for seeing how much disk space is being used up by unnecessary files that are in the recycle bin, temp folder, or in temporary internet folders.  You can then remove them!

4. RegClean: A simple but effective piece of software this is. You can download it for free from Microsoft's web site. It is also available on many magazine cover disks. Reg Clean takes about a minute to check the registry. Then it asks whether you want to clean out redundant or orphan file. This usually helps the computer to get rid of files that have been left behind by uninstalled programs.

5. Windows update: It's a good idea to use Windows Update to make sure your computer has all the latest fixes, patches and updates.  You can do so by clicking on its icon in the Start Menu under Windows 98.

6. TweakALL: A very handy program that allows to change settings, which cannot be changed using Windows alone! You can find it in the Utilities Archive.

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Overclocking

Overclocking is the act of increasing the speed of certain components in a computer other than that specified by the manufacturer.  It mainly refers to making your CPU run at a faster rate although it could also refer to making your graphics card or other peripherals run faster.  For example if you have a 300MHz PII CPU, you could probably overclock it easily to 350 or even 400MHz.  The latest P4 processors also appear to be overclockable through the FSB (front side bus) even though they are advertised as being clock-locked.

So, now that you now what overclocking is, let's see how you can actually overclock your CPU.  You can do this using any of the following 3 methods: 1. Through your BIOS, 2. By changing the multiplier settings, 3. By changing theBus speed!

BIOS: In some BIOS's you are given the option to alter your CPU speed.  Using this method, you won't even have to open your computer case.  When you first boot your PC enter your BIOS (usually by pressing Del, F1, or F10) and start looking for any option that allows you to change your CPU speed or voltage.  If you do find it, then it's as simple as changing the current number to a higher value.

Bus Speed: When increased, it makes the whole system run faster and not only the CPU.  Most PC's have a speed of 66MHz or 100MHz.  Mainly, it defines the speed that your motherboard and other components run at.  To change your bus speed appropriately, see the table below.

Multiplier Settings: Multipliers are located on your motherboard and come in the forms x1, x1.5, x2, x2.5, etc...  When the Bus speed is multiplied by any one of these numbers, it results in the final CPU speed.  For example, if you have a bus speed of 100 and a multiplier of x4, your CPU speed is 400MHz.  Clear? The table below shows how you can change your bus speed/multiplier settings depending on your CPU.

Summary: The best way to overclock your PC is to alter the bus speed and multiplier settings.  To do that, look at the table below and you should straight away realize how beautifully it has been put together.  For example, if you have a Pentium 166MHz CPU (which is set up on a 66MHz bus speed and a multiplier setting of x2.5) you can see straight away that you only have 1 choice and that is to increase the multiplier setting tox3 to get a net speed of 200MHz!

Other processes to try out:

You must understand that to overclock you MUST buy a heatsink or an additional fan because your motherboard will be producing more heat. Ask your local hardware store for help with fitting these. Also, make sure you download a benchmarking utility to know how much speed you've gained, check out SiSoft Sandra 98 from the Speed Appssection.

Now that you know what you'll need and what your options are, let's take a look at how you can actually speed up your PC:

(1) Take off your PC's lid and play around with your Motherboard's jumpers. Making sure you've got your Motherboard manual in hand, you can see how you should fit your jumpers for each CPU speed. Simply reposition the jumpers for a faster CPU by altering the bus and multiplier setting jumpers. (see table below)

(2) Software. I would recommend you use software since it's easier. Go to h-oda.com and download a program called SoftFSB.  Follow the instructions and then overclock your CPU one step at a time (rebooting after each time) to check and see if you've been successful. If Windows crashes for no apparent reason then your processor is probably overheating and you need to undo your last speed jump.

(4) To prevent overheating your CPU, download and try CPUidle from cpuidle.de and Waterfall Pro fromrocketdownload.com. Alternatively, you can buy heatsinks/fans for your CPU.

To help you choose the speed you want to overclock your machine to, consult this table. Bus Speed in MHz is listed down the left and multiplier settings across the top. Figures in bold represent the most common settings.

	x1	x1½	x2	x2½	x3	x3½	x4	x4½	x5	x5.5	x6	x6.5	x7	x7.5	x8
150	150	225	300	375	450	525	600	675	750	825	900	975	1050	1125	1200
133	133	200	266	333	400	466	533	600	667	733	800	866	933	1000	1066
112	112	168	224	280	336	392	448	504	560	616	672	728	784	840	896
100	100	150	200	250	300	350	400	450	500	550	600	650	700	750	800
90	90	135	180	225	270	315	360	405	450	495	540	585	630	675	720
83	83	125	166	208	250	291	333	374	415	457	498	540	581	623	664
75	75	113	150	188	225	263	300	338	375	413	450	488	525	563	600
66	66	100	133	166	200	233	266	300	333	366	400	433	466	500	533
60	60	90	120	150	180	210	240	270	300	330	360	390	420	450	480
Information within this table created by PC Answers Magazine

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Exclamation Mark Next to Boot From CD Option in My Computer BIOS

I have an HP pavilion. I don’t have the original CD ROM installed. I have a third party CD rom installed. I am trying to format it, but the bios has a Exclamation Marknext to boot from CD option.

This seems to be a pretty common occurrence. Some people see anexclamation mark next to CD-ROM drives like shown in the screenshot below, while other see an exclamation mark next to an actual hard drive. It could be any device.

Some people install operating systems and everything goes well, but cannot boot to the hard drive where the operating system is on. This is because when they go into the BIOS they see the exclamation point next to the hard drive.

Seeing an ! point next to your boot device does not always mean there is a problem so below I have mentioned some easy things to try. The first option below is the number one solution for this problem so I suggest you start there.

How to ged rid of the exclamation mark in boot priority options?

1. The exclamation mark next to a boot device means it’s disabled. Selecting the device in the list and pressing Shift + 1 will re-enable it. In some BIOS , if you use the “help” feature on the screen showing that ” ! ” it will tell you how to get rid of it. The ” ! ” in front of that device means the BIOS will bypass that device ( note- this is NOT applicable to all BIOS )
2. If the first option does not work, you can try unplugging your power cords and pressing the power on button while the power is not plugged in.
3. You can try disabling quick boot mode in your BIOS because this mode makes the BIOS go fast and skip checking all devices.
4. You can remove the CMOS battery from your motherboard, leave it to 15 min, and then replace it. This should reset the BIOS.

What is quick boot?

Quick link is a BIOS feature that allows you to decrease the time it will take your computer to boot up. It skips certain standard booting procedures to make the whole process faster. When enabled, this feature will eliminate logo delays, access your hard disc is faster, read memory size faster. If the quick boot option is enabled the BIOS will run the whole set of bootup tests and do a thorough job.

You will find the option to enable or disable quick boot in your BIOS section.

Hopefully this mini tutorial will help you get rid of the exclamation mark that is showing up in your boot priority options in your BIOS.

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No Hard Disk Error When Installing Windows XP After Vista or Seven

If you are installing Windows XP after your machine has already had Windows Vista or Windows Seven, you will most likely get the “No hard disk error”. Many people still love Windows XP and just cannot get used to the newer operating systems from Microsoft. The “no hard disk drive” error usually occurs when your laptop or desktop computer is too modern for Windows XP. This older operating system does not come equipped with fancy drivers to run newer type hardware as this hardware was probably not even invented at the time of the Windows XP release.

The most common driver that causes this problem and brings up the “no hard disc error” is the lack of drivers for your hard drive. In the old days, all hard drives were connected by an IDE cable, however newer hard disks have SATA connections. See the screenshot below showing the error. Sometimes you might even see the error when you are trying to select your partition that you want to format. Either way you will see no hard drive.

Now presuming you have your hard drive actually installed properly, and you did previously have Windows Vista or Windows 7 on your computer, then the solution is sometimes obvious.

How to fix the No hard disk drive error?

There are many solutions for this problem on the Internet that all seemed very difficult, however I have found the easiest way is to enter into your BIOS and change settings. To do this you might need to press a certain key on your keyboard when starting your computer. This could be F2, F10, DEL, and so on. Go into your bios and change your SATA Device Operation to ATA instead of AHCI. Install the OS then update all your drivers while in Windows XP and change it back when completed. Now what we will be looking for is something to do with your SATA connection and the menu titles are different for all brands of BIOS.

#1. Look for SATA options. Therefore you can look for any of these menus:

• SATA options under Config menu
• legacy drives under the hard drive section
• basically anything to do with SATA options

#2. When you find this menu you then need to change the SATA options to allow IDE emulation. Below are some examples of what you might be looking for:

• Change SATA Native Support from enabled to DISABLED
• AHCI to IDE emulation
• BIOS -> Config -> SATA -> change: AHCI to Compatibility
• Set ACHI mode to IDE mode

I know this might seems confusing but the moral of the story is to disable or change the AHCI setting so that Windows XP can see the SATA hard disk drive.

#3. Save and exit your BIOS.

#4. Reboot your computer and now the Windows XP error “No hard disk ” found should be gone. Once you have done this you can Install the OS then update all your drivers while in Windows XP and change it back when completed.

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