Replies

Joe,

Just in case someone is wondering WHY? a failing hard drive would cause a problem accessing a removable drive, the answer is: Hard drives are divided into “sectors”. Data is stored in each of these sectors. In this case, the binary information which controls access and use of the removable drive was damaged so when access to the drive was sought, the expected ‘response’ failed. The damage/corruption to that particular sector of the drive was evidently so severe that chdsk couldn’t repair it or move the contained data to a good sector. Perhaps “SpinRite” could have repaired it but I chose not to go that route in this particular case.

I’m assuming this is related to old 16-bit or 32-bit code in the drivers and it wouldn’t be an issue if the box were running 32-bit Win7. I’d like to reinstall that RAM for obvious performance reasons.

The first thing I would do is call Hauppaugue tech support and pose that question to them as well as what has already been suggested, to ask them what the timeline is… IF it is forthcoming, that they will have updated drivers to accommodate 64-bit systems using 4+ gigs of RAM.

BTW, you may not get the full use of the 4 gigs (3.2-3.5) with the 32-bit system should you decide to take that major step, but your system will not suffer performance from it. It is well known that 64-bit systems need more RAM than 32-bit systems to run at the same performance levels. The question is, of course, is it worth spending the money and time to switch to a 32-bit system just to do what you want to do??

I have same problem with my dvd/cd drive on a toshiba Satellite P105-S9722 running Vista. Has your problem been resolved?

Yep….. it was resolved. I ran an advanced diagnostic test on the hard drive and it failed. I had the owner call Toshiba and they confirmed that this would cause the problem and agreed to replace the drive. After that, everything worked fine. YMMV!!

I am using McAfee[/color], Ccleaner, Spybot Search and Destroy and Microsoft Security Essentials [/b][/color], and Windows Defender.

This is unrelated, but you should not have 2 antivirus programs installed on your system. Get rid of one of them… McCrapee would be the one to dump.

It only happens when I am in the help file.

Now, this changes everything! The red “x” is a place marker for images that aren’t being displayed. See the fix below:

Missing Help Icons in Vista

This happens if the “Content Type” setting for .PNG file types is broken.

Download a REG file from Daniel Martin’s site here:

http://winvista.mvps…icheros/PNG.reg

Download and save it to your Desktop. Right-click on the file and choose “Merge”.

That should resolve your issue. I had this same problem a couple years ago and I’ve had a couple of clients that also had this problem and the “fix” worked great.

In a Windows Explorer window, go to “Organize > Folder and Search Options”. On the “View” tab, scroll down and make sure that “Remember each folder’s view settings” is checked.

1. eSATA is considerably faster than USB 2.0; 300 MB/s vs. 60 MB/s.

2. eSATA in some cases is not “hot swappable”, i.e., it must be powered on at the enclosure at bootup. It cannot be disconnected when activated. Think back to how a PS2 device, e.g. a PS2 mouse works or that of a video cable. USB 2.0 is “hot swappable” and therefore can be powered on/off and disconnected without having to turn off the computer.

3. Although many new branded PCs are including eSATA ports, there are still many machines that don’t have them. Thus, this limits the usability of a dedicated eSATA external enclosure, e.g., taking your external HDD to your friend’s house to use on his non-eSATA PC.

4. There are “combo” external enclosures one can buy that have both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections, e.g., Vantec Nexstar and Thermotake, are just a couple of companies that offer these combination enclosures. This gives you the ability to use the drive on virtually any PC.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. eSATA definitely has the edge of performance where USB 2.0 has as the advantage in versatility.

I personally have a couple of the “combo” external enclosures with a SATA drive installed. They are both connected via the eSATA cable, which some manufacturers even include along with the add-on port. I leave all my ‘puters on 24/7 and thus the “hot swappable” issue is not a consideration for me. If I want to shutdown or remove the eSATA drive from the machine, I simply turn it off, disconnect it and restart the machine. This only requires about one minute of my time which I hardly consider a major inconvenience.

1. eSATA is considerably faster than USB 2.0; 300 MB/s vs. 60 MB/s.

2. eSATA in some cases is not “hot swappable”, i.e., it must be powered on at the enclosure at bootup. It cannot be disconnected when activated. Think back to how a PS2 device, e.g. a PS2 mouse works or that of a video cable. USB 2.0 is “hot swappable” and therefore can be powered on/off and disconnected without having to turn off the computer.

3. Although many new branded PCs are including eSATA ports, there are still many machines that don’t have them. Thus, this limits the usability of a dedicated eSATA external enclosure, e.g., taking your external HDD to your friend’s house to use on his non-eSATA PC.

4. There are “combo” external enclosures one can buy that have both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections, e.g., Vantec Nexstar and Thermotake, are just a couple of companies that offer these combination enclosures. This gives you the ability to use the drive on virtually any PC.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. eSATA definitely has the edge of performance where USB 2.0 has as the advantage in versatility.

I personally have a couple of the “combo” external enclosures with a SATA drive installed. They are both connected via the eSATA cable, which some manufacturers even include along with the add-on port. I leave all my ‘puters on 24/7 and thus the “hot swappable” issue is not a consideration for me. If I want to shutdown or remove the eSATA drive from the machine, I simply turn it off, disconnect it and restart the machine. This only requires about one minute of my time which I hardly consider a major inconvenience.

1. eSATA is considerably faster than USB 2.0; 300 MB/s vs. 60 MB/s.

2. eSATA in some cases is not “hot swappable”, i.e., it must be powered on at the enclosure at bootup. It cannot be disconnected when activated. Think back to how a PS2 device, e.g. a PS2 mouse works or that of a video cable. USB 2.0 is “hot swappable” and therefore can be powered on/off and disconnected without having to turn off the computer.

3. Although many new branded PCs are including eSATA ports, there are still many machines that don’t have them. Thus, this limits the usability of a dedicated eSATA external enclosure, e.g., taking your external HDD to your friend’s house to use on his non-eSATA PC.

4. There are “combo” external enclosures one can buy that have both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections, e.g., Vantec Nexstar and Thermotake, are just a couple of companies that offer these combination enclosures. This gives you the ability to use the drive on virtually any PC.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. eSATA definitely has the edge of performance where USB 2.0 has as the advantage in versatility.

I personally have a couple of the “combo” external enclosures with a SATA drive installed. They are both connected via the eSATA cable, which some manufacturers even include along with the add-on port. I leave all my ‘puters on 24/7 and thus the “hot swappable” issue is not a consideration for me. If I want to shutdown or remove the eSATA drive from the machine, I simply turn it off, disconnect it and restart the machine. This only requires about one minute of my time which I hardly consider a major inconvenience.

1. eSATA is considerably faster than USB 2.0; 300 MB/s vs. 60 MB/s.

2. eSATA in some cases is not “hot swappable”, i.e., it must be powered on at the enclosure at bootup. It cannot be disconnected when activated. Think back to how a PS2 device, e.g. a PS2 mouse works or that of a video cable. USB 2.0 is “hot swappable” and therefore can be powered on/off and disconnected without having to turn off the computer.

3. Although many new branded PCs are including eSATA ports, there are still many machines that don’t have them. Thus, this limits the usability of a dedicated eSATA external enclosure, e.g., taking your external HDD to your friend’s house to use on his non-eSATA PC.

4. There are “combo” external enclosures one can buy that have both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections, e.g., Vantec Nexstar and Thermotake, are just a couple of companies that offer these combination enclosures. This gives you the ability to use the drive on virtually any PC.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. eSATA definitely has the edge of performance where USB 2.0 has as the advantage in versatility.

I personally have a couple of the “combo” external enclosures with a SATA drive installed. They are both connected via the eSATA cable, which some manufacturers even include along with the add-on port. I leave all my ‘puters on 24/7 and thus the “hot swappable” issue is not a consideration for me. If I want to shutdown or remove the eSATA drive from the machine, I simply turn it off, disconnect it and restart the machine. This only requires about one minute of my time which I hardly consider a major inconvenience.

1. eSATA is considerably faster than USB 2.0; 300 MB/s vs. 60 MB/s.

2. eSATA in some cases is not “hot swappable”, i.e., it must be powered on at the enclosure at bootup. It cannot be disconnected when activated. Think back to how a PS2 device, e.g. a PS2 mouse works or that of a video cable. USB 2.0 is “hot swappable” and therefore can be powered on/off and disconnected without having to turn off the computer.

3. Although many new branded PCs are including eSATA ports, there are still many machines that don’t have them. Thus, this limits the usability of a dedicated eSATA external enclosure, e.g., taking your external HDD to your friend’s house to use on his non-eSATA PC.

4. There are “combo” external enclosures one can buy that have both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections, e.g., Vantec Nexstar and Thermotake, are just a couple of companies that offer these combination enclosures. This gives you the ability to use the drive on virtually any PC.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. eSATA definitely has the edge of performance where USB 2.0 has as the advantage in versatility.

I personally have a couple of the “combo” external enclosures with a SATA drive installed. They are both connected via the eSATA cable, which some manufacturers even include along with the add-on port. I leave all my ‘puters on 24/7 and thus the “hot swappable” issue is not a consideration for me. If I want to shutdown or remove the eSATA drive from the machine, I simply turn it off, disconnect it and restart the machine. This only requires about one minute of my time which I hardly consider a major inconvenience.

1. eSATA is considerably faster than USB 2.0; 300 MB/s vs. 60 MB/s.

2. eSATA in some cases is not “hot swappable”, i.e., it must be powered on at the enclosure at bootup. It cannot be disconnected when activated. Think back to how a PS2 device, e.g. a PS2 mouse works or that of a video cable. USB 2.0 is “hot swappable” and therefore can be powered on/off and disconnected without having to turn off the computer.

3. Although many new branded PCs are including eSATA ports, there are still many machines that don’t have them. Thus, this limits the usability of a dedicated eSATA external enclosure, e.g., taking your external HDD to your friend’s house to use on his non-eSATA PC.

4. There are “combo” external enclosures one can buy that have both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections, e.g., Vantec Nexstar and Thermotake, are just a couple of companies that offer these combination enclosures. This gives you the ability to use the drive on virtually any PC.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. eSATA definitely has the edge of performance where USB 2.0 has as the advantage in versatility.

I personally have a couple of the “combo” external enclosures with a SATA drive installed. They are both connected via the eSATA cable, which some manufacturers even include along with the add-on port. I leave all my ‘puters on 24/7 and thus the “hot swappable” issue is not a consideration for me. If I want to shutdown or remove the eSATA drive from the machine, I simply turn it off, disconnect it and restart the machine. This only requires about one minute of my time which I hardly consider a major inconvenience.

1. eSATA is considerably faster than USB 2.0; 300 MB/s vs. 60 MB/s.

2. eSATA in some cases is not “hot swappable”, i.e., it must be powered on at the enclosure at bootup. It cannot be disconnected when activated. Think back to how a PS2 device, e.g. a PS2 mouse works or that of a video cable. USB 2.0 is “hot swappable” and therefore can be powered on/off and disconnected without having to turn off the computer.

3. Although many new branded PCs are including eSATA ports, there are still many machines that don’t have them. Thus, this limits the usability of a dedicated eSATA external enclosure, e.g., taking your external HDD to your friend’s house to use on his non-eSATA PC.

4. There are “combo” external enclosures one can buy that have both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections, e.g., Vantec Nexstar and Thermotake, are just a couple of companies that offer these combination enclosures. This gives you the ability to use the drive on virtually any PC.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. eSATA definitely has the edge of performance where USB 2.0 has as the advantage in versatility.

I personally have a couple of the “combo” external enclosures with a SATA drive installed. They are both connected via the eSATA cable, which some manufacturers even include along with the add-on port. I leave all my ‘puters on 24/7 and thus the “hot swappable” issue is not a consideration for me. If I want to shutdown or remove the eSATA drive from the machine, I simply turn it off, disconnect it and restart the machine. This only requires about one minute of my time which I hardly consider a major inconvenience.

1. eSATA is considerably faster than USB 2.0; 300 MB/s vs. 60 MB/s.

2. eSATA in some cases is not “hot swappable”, i.e., it must be powered on at the enclosure at bootup. It cannot be disconnected when activated. Think back to how a PS2 device, e.g. a PS2 mouse works or that of a video cable. USB 2.0 is “hot swappable” and therefore can be powered on/off and disconnected without having to turn off the computer.

3. Although many new branded PCs are including eSATA ports, there are still many machines that don’t have them. Thus, this limits the usability of a dedicated eSATA external enclosure, e.g., taking your external HDD to your friend’s house to use on his non-eSATA PC.

4. There are “combo” external enclosures one can buy that have both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections, e.g., Vantec Nexstar and Thermotake, are just a couple of companies that offer these combination enclosures. This gives you the ability to use the drive on virtually any PC.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types. eSATA definitely has the edge of performance where USB 2.0 has as the advantage in versatility.

I personally have a couple of the “combo” external enclosures with a SATA drive installed. They are both connected via the eSATA cable, which some manufacturers even include along with the add-on port. I leave all my ‘puters on 24/7 and thus the “hot swappable” issue is not a consideration for me. If I want to shutdown or remove the eSATA drive from the machine, I simply turn it off, disconnect it and restart the machine. This only requires about one minute of my time which I hardly consider a major inconvenience.

Unless there has been a very recent update to the Windows 7 licensing terms, a user building a PC for his/her own use should not be purchasing an OEM version. See Paul Thurrott’s SuperSite for Windows: No OEM For You: Windows 7 OEM Packaging is Not For Individuals and Is it OK to use OEM Windows on your own PC? Don’t ask Microsoft | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com.

Note: this is a significant change from prior OEM licensing where a user building a PC for home use could purchase and install an OEM version and still be OK according to the license.

1. According to Paul Thurrott, you have never been able to move an OEM Windows operating system to another machine. Yet, as stated above, I have done this on several occasions with the help of Microsoft tech support via phone. I was given a new product key and it was activated immediately.

2. I am in total agreement with Ed Bott’s final comment from the article you linked above where he concludes:

Normally, I’m a firm believer in following the letter and the spirit of software license agreements. In this case, though, given Microsoft’s complete breakdown in communicating with its customers, I’m willing to make a major exception. I have no problem enthusiastically recommending these discounted copies of Windows for anyone building a PC for their own personal use. And I think someone at Microsoft should step up and formally approve that exception. It’s the right thing to do.

My business is building, upgrading and repairing PCs. And for the many years I have been doing this I have purchased OEM/System Builder copies of Windows operating systems to install on machines which are sold to customers. But surprise, surprise… I have also built myself a few of these machines and likewise used one of these OEM/System Builder disks to install the operating system. This is a practice I plan to continue doing. There is no way I’m going to only use these discs for clients and then go out and buy a full Retail version for my own PC.

That’s my

At Newegg, the only 7Pro I could find was the OEM, and I didn’t catch that it was a Builder Pack. I didn’t find a Retail version. What is the price difference? Am I allowed to swap? Is the Retail cheaper?

1. “OEM” and “Builder Pack” are identical to Retail except for packaging and as mentioned support. There may be other “legal” restrictions on transferring the operating system to another machine if required too, but in my experience I have had no problem installing an “OEM/System Builder” version on a new or refurbished box, BTDT many times over the years. Oh, and if someone is tempted to chide me for violating the “rules”, please don’t. Simply make mention that doing such isn’t officially allowed according to the written terms of use. However, again… I have had no problem whatsoever in doing so and by that I mean on the occasion I have installed one of the “OEM/System Builder” versions on a different or refurbished box and had to call Microsoft for validation, they were more than amiable and provided the new “key”, etc.

2. It would seem that the “System Builder” versions come in separate ‘flavors’; 32-bit and 64-bit, unlike the Retail boxed versions which contain both. So, if you want the 32-bit version, which I also prefer, simply call newegg, explain you didn’t realize that it was ONLY 64-bit and you want to exchange it for the 32-bit. Newegg is most always more than willing to work with its customers in such matters.