Bought A New PC

Author	Post
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 12 2012 : 7:01PM Well my old XP 2004 Based Computer had a system crash, and I had to do a system recovery. It had been done twice before over the 8 years I have owned it. Got it up, used it for several hours, but the hard drive bit it. Everything froze up. Couldn't do anything. Anyway since my budget is limited I found a deal (My Father found it) and purchased a HP Pavilion p6-2120 6GB Memory, 1 terabyte Harddrive, AMD Quad Core Processor. $402 including Tax at Staples. Nothing out there anygood cheaper except refurbs that weren't that much better then this and they were the same price before Tax. Anyway I will see. The XP Based Unit was a HP and outside of a power supply replacement was bullit proof. Can't complain for over 8 years of use. Still have to feel my way around Windows 7, and 8 can be uploaded from Microsoft when it comes out if I so desire. Also there is a one star review for the PC on Amazon. The review is of course written by an idiot. Check the follow up responses. Edited by - 2ferme on Aug 12 2012 [Link]
BYOB_Kenobi Senior Member “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard 2684 Posts 8/09	Posted - Aug 12 2012 : 8:01PM ^ You can probably boost it's performance significantly by a few things. Make sure you get Windows 7 X64 Good recommendation price/performance is 8GB of RAM. You can add optional hardware to make it really fast for not much. Get a SSD boot drive and just put Windows on it. Will make things lots faster (I have one). If you plan to play crazy video or gaming, get a discrete (not on-board graphics, or a graphics card). Even $60 will help. Good luck. Make sure you start with a good anti-virus software from the beginning. [Link]
Goldstein All-Star Member "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." 3689 Posts 8/10	Posted - Aug 12 2012 : 8:53PM Looks like you got a good deal at Staples. HP Pavilion p6-2120 Desktop PC HP has it "on sale" on their website for $499.99 (list price of $529.99). So, you got an excellent price. The specs are just fine -- especially for a PC where you're maintaining a budget price. Desktop Weight 15.83lbs Desktop Video Memory 3064MB Desktop CPU Cache 4MB L2 Desktop Processor Speed 2.2GHz Desktop Power N/A Desktop Audio Integrated Audio 6 Speaker with up to 5.1 Surround Sound Desktop Media Card Reader 6 in 1 Media Card Reader Desktop Optical Drive Super Multi DVD Burner Desktop Hard Drive Speed 7200RPM Desktop Network Card N/A Desktop Hard Drive Size 1TB Desktop Hard Drive Type SATA Desktop Memory Type DDR3 Desktop Memory Expandable 8GB Desktop Memory RAM 6GB Desktop Processor AMD Quad Core A6-3620 Accelerated Desktop Warranty 1 Year Desktop Video Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6530D Discrete Graphics Desktop Special Feature AMD A55 FCH Chipset Desktop Other Ports 1 x VGA, 1 x DVI, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Microphone, 1 x Headphone Desktop USB Ports 4 x USB 2.0(rear), 2 x USB 2.0(front) Desktop Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Desktop LAN Data Transfer Rate 10/100/1000Base-T Desktop Dimensions (L x W x H) 14.80" x 15.31" x 6.50" With all due respect, BYOB's recommendations don't really apply to a budget pre-made system. It already has Windows 7 x64, and 6GB of RAM. It looks like you are limited to 8GB of RAM, and you may want to max it out when you have the extra money (but, honestly, don't sweat it until then). I do not consider adding a new SSD drive to make economic sense on a budget pre-made system. HOWEVER, be sure to burn your backup system restore disks immediately! Should you be so inclined, you could use these backup disks to "restore" the original factory hard-drive to a new SSD drive (I'm thinking a 256GB SSD if doing it this way) right from the get go. You could then use the original 1 TB HDD as a second storage drive if so desired. If you are considering having two drives at some point, I would definitely do it this way (as opposed to buying another HDD drive). Of course, budget is the operative word. Don't spend extra money if you don't really need to. As far as a "good anti-virus software from the beginning," I HIGHLY recommend VIPRE® Internet Security 2012 -- with integrated firewall -- as your active anti-virus/anti-malware solution. Even if your computer comes with some kind of security software (e.g. Norton, etc.), I recommend un-installing it (after you have made your back system restore disks!), and installing VIPRE. It is BY FAR the finest product of its type I have ever used. I also install it on friends and customer's systems -- after I've repaired their infected systems -- and they no longer have troubles from then on. If you're using more than one computer, the home-site license is well worth it. current coupons Ask questions if you want/need to. [Link]
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 12 2012 : 10:19PM ^ The first thing I did was a 4 disc recovery burn. Could have used a Flash Drive, but didn't have one handy, and thought it could easily get lost instead of 4 Discs. I would have loved to have bought more, but I never upgraded the memory on the old pc. Was still running 512 MB, and hadn't had any anti virus software on it for almost two years. The old XP sucker was tough as nails! I will go with Anti Virus Software though Verizon when Norton expires. Somebody has been paying for it but I did not have enough memory to run it. I always do Malware Scans also through Malewarebytes. I just have not uploaded it yet. Hp Pavilion Desk Tops get many good reviews on Amazon. To poor, but would love to have the I Phone. My Father has it and it is his favorite toy. He was a Systems Analyst back in the Dark Ages. He tries to say he was always one but that is a matter of perspective. I NEED SPELL CHECK. I am a crappy speller. Thanks for the tips. I am not sure how to do what is being said instead of a second hardrive. I had no intention of using a second hardrive, but it is an excellent idea. I can change my mind from that last comment. And the money was very tight to buy this. I was very close to being without which really sucks! Edited by - 2ferme on 8/12/2012 10:25:39 PM Edited by - 2ferme on 8/12/2012 11:13:54 PM [Link]
BYOB_Kenobi Senior Member “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard 2684 Posts 8/09	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 6:13AM 2ferme, 1). Great deal/buy from the specs I've seen. 2). I totally understand people have budgets and can't always upgrade computers. Also, it's not always needed depending on many things (baseline performance, purpose of usage). 3). I mentioned those options as potential upgrades. The biggest question is what type of work/play are you going to be doing (Office work, movies, multimedia, editing, gaming...)? This determines if you should explore any upgrades in the future (if budget permits). These are just options. A). Don't sweat the RAM for now, but 8GB is optimal. B). Recommended a small SSD, sometimes called a boot drive, (not Goldstein was referring too) the size that to boot performance by a lot for around $60-70 (check here for review-reason) - "the Best SSD for ~$65: Boot Drive" group is what I"m referring to. For example, a SSD boot drive works by only hosting Windows OS on it and since SSDs are many times faster than traditional hard drives, you see benefits when using Windows booting (fast), loading/running windows background/foreground processes.... C). From your specs you have an on-board GPU/graphics card (but a good one out of the on-board ones out there), but an option is to get a cheap graphics card to boost graphics, video, multimedia, and gaming. I say this be currently I spend a % of my duties as Admin/consult for computational aspect of research. We have over 30 PCs in our group, some old cheapos, some newer budget, some newer higher end, and some monster workstations. I've seen them all. Plus I've built and beta test software for over 10 years (even earlier). These are just options and depended on you type of PC use/work. You'll be surprised how a little money can improve performance in a certain area by a lot. [Link]

2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 8:35AM The biggest thing is to tranfer data from the old XP Based Machine to the new Windows 7 Based Machine. Very economically. And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out. I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me! Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 8:36:18 AM Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 10:34:49 AM [Link]
Goldstein All-Star Member "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." 3689 Posts 8/10	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:09AM 2ferme wrote: The biggest thing is to tranfer data from the old XP Based Machine to the new Windows 7 Based Machine. Very economically. Click to expand And previously... Well my old XP 2004 Based Computer had a system crash, and I had to do a system recovery. It had been done twice before over the 8 years I have owned it. Got it up, used it for several hours, but the hard drive bit it. Everything froze up. Couldn't do anything. Click to expand If your XP machine is not operable, this isn't going to be easy. First, we need to know if you have a frozen system, or if the hard-drive actually died (i.e. "bit it"). If you're seeing anything on the screen other than the Blue Screen of Death, your hard-drive itself is likely physically capable of functioning. I'd like you to do three things with your XP machine: (1) Launch into Safe Mode. From a cold start, push the power-button to start the computer, and immediately tap repeatedly on F8 until you see a black screen with text-only appear. You will need to use your arrow keys to navigate this screen. Once the screen has finished loading, select "Safe Mode With Networking" and hit Enter. (2) Once the Desktop loads, navigate your way to Malwarebytes and launch it. If Malwarebytes wants you to update it, ignore it. Run "Perform quick scan." Fix anything that is detected. Now, go ahead and update Malwarebytes. If Malwarebytes found anything during the quick scan, then now run the "Perform full scan." Fix anything that is detected. (3) We will now run Check Disk. Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt After you have launched Command Prompt, type in chkdsk/f It will answer with blah, blah, blah... just type in Y (for yes) and hit return More blah, blah, blah... just go to Start and reboot the computer The computer should now restart and run Check Disk. Do nothing, and let it do its thing. It will fix things, if necessary, and then reboot the computer into normal mode. Do these three things and report back. Then we can pursue how to move your existing XP files. NOTE: This is just the basic first attempt at understanding what is going on with your XP machine. There are lots more things we can do, but I need to know what these first three steps tell us. [Link]
Goldstein All-Star Member "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." 3689 Posts 8/10	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:18AM 2ferme wrote: And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out. I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me! Click to expand You don't want to eliminate the password with Windows 7. Assuming that your account has Administrator rights... Start > Control Panel > User Accounts Change your account name and password into what you want them to be, here. NOTE: You will need to use the current functioning password to gain access in order to change the password. The new password will then become the password (so get it right and write it down). [Link]
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:28AM I can bring the desk top up on the old machine but after that it is froze up or takes forever to do anything and I cannot access the web. The hardrive makes a consistent clicking sound and is doing nothing. I took it to a local repair shop and he hooked it up and was able to get into the computer to access the memory specs and saw that it wasnt a memory issue. And the Check disk operation was ran after each download of service packs, 2, and 3. Cleared out some junk, corrected registry, and file errors, recovered a bunch of orphaned files, and so on. I Really thought the system was stable and okay. I had to redo 122 updates and wanted to be here when I ran them. Came back several hours later, and barely was able to get on the net. And it wasn't doing anything when I attempted updates. I let it run for a half an hour. Nothing. I tried to defrag and went to bed. Got up 6 hours later and the defrag was at 40% and the hardrive was making that consistent clicking sound. It was making this sound breifly when I was using the computer successfully after the System Recovery. But it wasn't until I came back later that it was pretty much constant, and then constant all together. [Link]
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:32AM Goldstein wrote: 2ferme wrote: And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out. I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me! Click to expand You don't want to eliminate the password with Windows 7. Assuming that your account has Administrator rights... Start > Control Panel > User Accounts Change your account name and password into what you want them to be, here. NOTE: You will need to use the current functioning password to gain access in order to change the password. The new password will then become the password (so get it right and write it down). Click to expand I saw the option and thought I would be screwed if I removed it without knowing what the option would do. And of course they should tell you what it would do but don't which is fucking dumb! I wrote my password down. My post says what I did. I tried to create a password recovery disc but again it's not clear enough for me to know how to create the damn thing! Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 11:33:13 AM [Link]
Goldstein All-Star Member "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." 3689 Posts 8/10	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:33AM I can bring the desk top up on the old machine but after that it is froze up or takes forever to do anything and I cannot access the web. The hardrive makes a consistent clicking sound and is doing nothing. I took it to a local repair shop and he hooked it up and was able to get into the computer to access the memory specs and saw that it wasnt a memory issue. And the Check disk operation was ran after each download of service packs, 2, and 3. Cleared out some junk, corrected registry, and file errors, recovered a bunch of orphaned files, and so on. I Really thought the system was stable and okay. I had to redo 122 updates and wanted to be here when I ran them. Came back several hours later, and barely was able to get on the net. And it wasn't doing anything when I attempted updates. I let it run for a half an hour. Nothing. I tried to defrag and went to bed. Got up 6 hours later and the defrag was at 40% and the hardrive was making that consistent clicking sound. It was making this sound breifly when I was using the computer successfully after the System Recovery. But it wasn't until I came back later that it was pretty much constant, and then constant all together. Click to expand ^ Forget all this and please do the three things I asked. Question? What kind of re-install did you do? Edited by - Goldstein on 8/13/2012 11:50:37 AM [Link]
Goldstein All-Star Member "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." 3689 Posts 8/10	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:39AM 2ferme wrote: Goldstein wrote: 2ferme wrote: And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out. I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me! Click to expand You don't want to eliminate the password with Windows 7. Assuming that your account has Administrator rights... Start > Control Panel > User Accounts Change your account name and password into what you want them to be, here. NOTE: You will need to use the current functioning password to gain access in order to change the password. The new password will then become the password (so get it right and write it down). Click to expand I saw the option and thought I would be screwed if I removed it without knowing what the option would do. And of course they should tell you what it would do but don't which is fucking dumb! I wrote my password down. My post says what I did. I tried to create a password recovery disc but again it's not clear enough for me to know how to create the damn thing! Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 11:33:13 AM Click to expand I just told you. What you did originally absolutely does not matter in the least. Go ahead and do what I told you -- it's safe, really. And, you will have the User Name and Password you want to have. [Link]
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:54AM Goldstein wrote: 2ferme wrote: Goldstein wrote: 2ferme wrote: And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out. I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me! Click to expand You don't want to eliminate the password with Windows 7. Assuming that your account has Administrator rights... Start > Control Panel > User Accounts Change your account name and password into what you want them to be, here. NOTE: You will need to use the current functioning password to gain access in order to change the password. The new password will then become the password (so get it right and write it down). Click to expand I saw the option and thought I would be screwed if I removed it without knowing what the option would do. And of course they should tell you what it would do but don't which is fucking dumb! I wrote my password down. My post says what I did. I tried to create a password recovery disc but again it's not clear enough for me to know how to create the damn thing! Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 11:33:13 AM Click to expand I just told you. What you did originally absolutely does not matter in the least. Go ahead and do what I told you -- it's safe, really. And, you will have the User Name and Password you want to have. Click to expand I have the User Name and password I want to have and do not want to change it. It does matter to ME what I originally did. That way I know why I made the mistake to begin with! I can try the other things. I don't see how running malwarebytes is going to make any difference when the Check Disk Utility wipes out anything that malrwarebytes finds. Always has. Thanks for the info What you did originally absolutely does not matter in the least. That comment is a head scratcher. [Link]
Goldstein All-Star Member "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." 3689 Posts 8/10	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 12:18PM 2ferme wrote: I have the User Name and password I want to have and do not want to change it. It does matter to ME what I originally did. That way I know why I made the mistake to begin with! I can try the other things. (snip) Thanks for the info What you did originally absolutely does not matter in the least. That comment is a head scratcher. Click to expand I thought it should be obvious that I meant that the User Name and Password you originally selected don't matter (except, as I noted, knowing what that original password was, in order to change to a new password). Your original password post indicated that your original entering of the password was not the password you thought you were entering (and, therefore, not the one you really wanted). I don't see how running malwarebytes is going to make any difference when the Check Disk Utility wipes out anything that malrwarebytes finds. Always has. Click to expand No, Check Disk does not do what you think it does (i.e. "wipes out anything that malrwarebytes finds"). Never has. Malwarebytes and Check Disk (i.e. Command Prompt "chkdsk/f") are two different utilities that do different things. Malwarebytes is an anti-virus/anti-malware utility that finds and deletes infections and threats. Check Disk is a utility "that displays the file system integrity status of hard disks and floppy disk and can fix logical file system errors." -------------------------------------------------------------- At this point I am going to back out of this entirely. Forget anything and everything I have asked you to do, as I will no longer be following up with this. I hope you enjoy your new computer. [Link]
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 1:41PM Check Disk Utility will wipe out just about any maleware. I have used it with the CDU and have never had any malware after using CDU. I only have the free version, not the complete version of Malwarebytes. Check Disk Utility does not deletes corrupt files, corrects files, and the registry? I know you are not saying that but it sure sounds a bit odd. It did this in both phases when I reinstalled the service packs. I can try what you said but I am going to try a few other things first. -M- Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 1:42:21 PM [Link]

Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 2:29PM 2ferme wrote: ^ I will go with Anti Virus Software though Verizon when Norton expires. Somebody has been paying for it but I did not have enough memory to run it. Click to expand Microsoft Security Essentials is free and works great. No need for a third-party product. [Link]
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 3:25PM Harri Patel wrote: 2ferme wrote: ^ I will go with Anti Virus Software though Verizon when Norton expires. Somebody has been paying for it but I did not have enough memory to run it. Click to expand Microsoft Security Essentials is free and works great. No need for a third-party product. Click to expand Thanks for the heads up. My Father mentioned it a while back but I was lazy, and the anti virus software always seemed to bog things down. I appreciate comments, and suggestions. I am just not going to do what somebody on the net says no matter what without some verification on my part. But any sensible info is always welcomed. If I wasn't so cheap with buying an extra gig of memory for the old XP it might have held up a little longer. I just thought it was money that I could put towards another PC even if it was only $20-$40 the computer was just under 7 years old at the time and it just didn't make sense with XP going by by. And when you did a system recovery it took you back to IE 6. Google Chrome was not functional but Mozilla was. I always had problems running Mozilla on the old machine. Not enough memory I guess among other things. Thanks again. Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 3:26:01 PM [Link]
Bill All-Star Member 5334 Posts 6/00	Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 8:47PM 2ferme wrote: Check Disk Utility will wipe out just about any maleware. I have used it with the CDU and have never had any malware after using CDU. I only have the free version, not the complete version of Malwarebytes. Check Disk Utility does not deletes corrupt files, corrects files, and the registry? I know you are not saying that but it sure sounds a bit odd. Click to expand This is what Chkdsk does. It did this in both phases when I reinstalled the service packs. I can try what you said but I am going to try a few other things first. Click to expand You're making a mistake. Goldstein was probably your best bet in this thread. But, you (the person who is asking for help) apparently knows more than he does. My guess is that he's already bailed on you. Good luck doing whatever it is that you are going to randomly try doing. [Link]
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 10:50AM Bill wrote: 2ferme wrote: Check Disk Utility will wipe out just about any maleware. I have used it with the CDU and have never had any malware after using CDU. I only have the free version, not the complete version of Malwarebytes. Check Disk Utility does not deletes corrupt files, corrects files, and the registry? I know you are not saying that but it sure sounds a bit odd. Click to expand This is what Chkdsk does. It did this in both phases when I reinstalled the service packs. I can try what you said but I am going to try a few other things first. Click to expand You're making a mistake. Goldstein was probably your best bet in this thread. But, you (the person who is asking for help) apparently knows more than he does. My guess is that he's already bailed on you. Good luck doing whatever it is that you are going to randomly try doing. Click to expand Hey, this was just small talk, and some advice. Goldstein's advice is appreciated. Best. [Link]
ninja1 Senior Member 2939 Posts 1/08	Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 1:29AM 2ferme wrote: I can bring the desk top up on the old machine but after that it is froze up or takes forever to do anything and I cannot access the web. The hardrive makes a consistent clicking sound and is doing nothing. I took it to a local repair shop and he hooked it up and was able to get into the computer to access the memory specs and saw that it wasnt a memory issue. Click to expand If your hard drive is making lots of clicking sounds, that is a very bad sign. My suggestion is that you immediately quit messing with it and get it to a trusted tech person who can remove the HDD from the computer and save whatever important/vital data you have on it, transferring it to another HDD or USB flash drive(s) or something. Did the repair shop warn of the HDD about to crash (based on the clicking noise)? On the other hand, if the "clicking" noise is more like a dull "clacking/grinding/racket/chugging" noise then that's the normal sound of an overburdened HDD, working feverishly to compensate for insufficient RAM. Or just plain being overworked by whatever background+foreground tasks the computer is trying to do, such as an ill-behaved antivirus program putting a heavy strain on the computer's resources. You didn't say how much RAM is in the XP machine, but I know a lot of the computers from that era were shipped with criminally skimpy amounts of RAM, such as 256MB or 512MB. Another thing is if there are a shitload of updates to be done, and you have automatic updates on, then all that updating will be trying to work in the background, which will cause a lot of HDD activity until the update process gets caught up, which could take a long time if you are severely behind (like 100 updates behind). Edited by - ninja1 on 8/15/2012 1:35:38 AM [Link]
BYOB_Kenobi Senior Member “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard 2684 Posts 8/09	Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 9:16AM ninja1 wrote: If your hard drive is making lots of clicking sounds, that is a very bad sign. Click to expand +1 precursor to death [Link]
2ferme Senior Member 1333 Posts 11/09	Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 9:34AM I am quite certain that the Hardrive is going/gone. It's not a normal working sound. Click, Click, Click and it's consistent. Sounds nothing like what a properly functioning hardrive sounds like. The clerk in the repair shop described it like a record skipping on a turntable, or being stuck. As a record collector with 3 turntables and a couple thousand records makes perfect sense. Again it wasn't using a lot of memory, and yes 512MB. Actually it was using 448MB for the past two years for some reason. I used that much memory up until last week. The Staples manager said they could do the transfer of Data but I don't want to transfer any bug from the old machine to the new one. That is my biggest concern. And I doubt I am going to let them do anything. I have checked the net for a few resources. YouTube has a few examples up. Haven't checked yet. The old machine is sitting on the floor. Outside of getting some info out of outlook in the next few days I am going to leave it alone until I can do the data transfer. Again it was a great machine for the 8 years I ran it. Hopefully I do just as well with this one. Better hopefully. [Link]

Author

Post

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 12 2012 : 7:01PM

Well my old XP 2004 Based Computer had a system crash, and I had to do a system recovery. It had been done twice before over the 8 years I have owned it.
Got it up, used it for several hours, but the hard drive bit it. Everything froze up. Couldn't do anything.
Anyway since my budget is limited I found a deal (My Father found it) and purchased a HP Pavilion p6-2120 6GB Memory, 1 terabyte Harddrive, AMD Quad Core Processor. $402 including Tax at Staples. Nothing out there anygood cheaper except refurbs that weren't that much better then this and they were the same price before Tax.
Anyway I will see.
The XP Based Unit was a HP and outside of a power supply replacement was bullit proof. Can't complain for over 8 years of use.
Still have to feel my way around Windows 7, and 8 can be uploaded from Microsoft when it comes out if I so desire.
Also there is a one star review for the PC on Amazon. The review is of course written by an idiot. Check the follow up responses.
Edited by - 2ferme on Aug 12 2012

[Link]

BYOB_Kenobi
Senior Member

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard
2684 Posts
8/09

Posted - Aug 12 2012 : 8:01PM

^ You can probably boost it's performance significantly by a few things.
Make sure you get Windows 7 X64
Good recommendation price/performance is 8GB of RAM.
You can add optional hardware to make it really fast for not much. Get a SSD boot drive and just put Windows on it. Will make things lots faster (I have one).
If you plan to play crazy video or gaming, get a discrete (not on-board graphics, or a graphics card). Even $60 will help.
Good luck. Make sure you start with a good anti-virus software from the beginning.

[Link]

Goldstein

All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10

Posted - Aug 12 2012 : 8:53PM

Looks like you got a good deal at Staples.
HP Pavilion p6-2120 Desktop PC
HP has it "on sale" on their website for $499.99 (list price of $529.99). So, you got an excellent price.
The specs are just fine -- especially for a PC where you're maintaining a budget price.
Desktop Weight 15.83lbs
Desktop Video Memory 3064MB
Desktop CPU Cache 4MB L2
Desktop Processor Speed 2.2GHz
Desktop Power N/A
Desktop Audio Integrated Audio 6 Speaker with up to 5.1 Surround Sound
Desktop Media Card Reader 6 in 1 Media Card Reader
Desktop Optical Drive Super Multi DVD Burner
Desktop Hard Drive Speed 7200RPM
Desktop Network Card N/A
Desktop Hard Drive Size 1TB
Desktop Hard Drive Type SATA
Desktop Memory Type DDR3
Desktop Memory Expandable 8GB
Desktop Memory RAM 6GB
Desktop Processor AMD Quad Core A6-3620 Accelerated
Desktop Warranty 1 Year
Desktop Video Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6530D Discrete Graphics
Desktop Special Feature AMD A55 FCH Chipset
Desktop Other Ports 1 x VGA, 1 x DVI, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Microphone, 1 x Headphone
Desktop USB Ports 4 x USB 2.0(rear), 2 x USB 2.0(front)
Desktop Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Desktop LAN Data Transfer Rate 10/100/1000Base-T
Desktop Dimensions (L x W x H) 14.80" x 15.31" x 6.50"
With all due respect, BYOB's recommendations don't really apply to a budget pre-made system.
It already has Windows 7 x64, and 6GB of RAM.
It looks like you are limited to 8GB of RAM, and you may want to max it out when you have the extra money (but, honestly, don't sweat it until then).
I do not consider adding a new SSD drive to make economic sense on a budget pre-made system.
HOWEVER, be sure to burn your backup system restore disks immediately!
Should you be so inclined, you could use these backup disks to "restore" the original factory hard-drive to a new SSD drive (I'm thinking a 256GB SSD if doing it this way) right from the get go.
You could then use the original 1 TB HDD as a second storage drive if so desired.
If you are considering having two drives at some point, I would definitely do it this way (as opposed to buying another HDD drive).
Of course, budget is the operative word.
Don't spend extra money if you don't really need to.
As far as a "good anti-virus software from the beginning," I HIGHLY recommend VIPRE® Internet Security 2012 -- with integrated firewall -- as your active anti-virus/anti-malware solution.
Even if your computer comes with some kind of security software (e.g. Norton, etc.), I recommend un-installing it (after you have made your back system restore disks!), and installing VIPRE.
It is BY FAR the finest product of its type I have ever used.
I also install it on friends and customer's systems -- after I've repaired their infected systems -- and they no longer have troubles from then on.
If you're using more than one computer, the home-site license is well worth it.
current coupons
Ask questions if you want/need to.

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 12 2012 : 10:19PM

^
The first thing I did was a 4 disc recovery burn. Could have used a Flash Drive, but didn't have one handy, and thought it could easily get lost instead of 4 Discs.
I would have loved to have bought more, but I never upgraded the memory on the old pc. Was still running 512 MB, and hadn't had any anti virus software on it for almost two years. The old XP sucker was tough as nails!
I will go with Anti Virus Software though Verizon when Norton expires. Somebody has been paying for it but I did not have enough memory to run it.
I always do Malware Scans also through Malewarebytes. I just have not uploaded it yet.
Hp Pavilion Desk Tops get many good reviews on Amazon.
To poor, but would love to have the I Phone. My Father has it and it is his favorite toy. He was a Systems Analyst back in the Dark Ages. He tries to say he was always one but that is a matter of perspective.
I NEED SPELL CHECK. I am a crappy speller.
Thanks for the tips. I am not sure how to do what is being said instead of a second hardrive. I had no intention of using a second hardrive, but it is an excellent idea. I can change my mind from that last comment.
And the money was very tight to buy this. I was very close to being without which really sucks!
Edited by - 2ferme on 8/12/2012 10:25:39 PM
Edited by - 2ferme on 8/12/2012 11:13:54 PM

[Link]

BYOB_Kenobi
Senior Member

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard
2684 Posts
8/09

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 6:13AM

2ferme,
1). Great deal/buy from the specs I've seen.
2). I totally understand people have budgets and can't always upgrade computers. Also, it's not always needed depending on many things (baseline performance, purpose of usage).
3). I mentioned those options as potential upgrades. The biggest question is what type of work/play are you going to be doing (Office work, movies, multimedia, editing, gaming...)? This determines if you should explore any upgrades in the future (if budget permits).
These are just options.
A). Don't sweat the RAM for now, but 8GB is optimal.
B). Recommended a small SSD, sometimes called a boot drive, (not Goldstein was referring too) the size that to boot performance by a lot for around $60-70 (check here for review-reason) - "the Best SSD for ~$65: Boot Drive" group is what I"m referring to. For example, a SSD boot drive works by only hosting Windows OS on it and since SSDs are many times faster than traditional hard drives, you see benefits when using Windows booting (fast), loading/running windows background/foreground processes....
C). From your specs you have an on-board GPU/graphics card (but a good one out of the on-board ones out there), but an option is to get a cheap graphics card to boost graphics, video, multimedia, and gaming.
I say this be currently I spend a % of my duties as Admin/consult for computational aspect of research. We have over 30 PCs in our group, some old cheapos, some newer budget, some newer higher end, and some monster workstations. I've seen them all. Plus I've built and beta test software for over 10 years (even earlier).
These are just options and depended on you type of PC use/work. You'll be surprised how a little money can improve performance in a certain area by a lot.

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 8:35AM

The biggest thing is to tranfer data from the old XP Based Machine to the new Windows 7 Based Machine.
Very economically.
And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out.
I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me!
Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 8:36:18 AM
Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 10:34:49 AM

[Link]

Goldstein

All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:09AM

And previously...

If your XP machine is not operable, this isn't going to be easy.
First, we need to know if you have a frozen system, or if the hard-drive actually died (i.e. "bit it").
If you're seeing anything on the screen other than the Blue Screen of Death, your hard-drive itself is likely physically capable of functioning.
I'd like you to do three things with your XP machine:
(1) Launch into Safe Mode.
From a cold start, push the power-button to start the computer, and immediately tap repeatedly on F8 until you see a black screen with text-only appear.
You will need to use your arrow keys to navigate this screen.
Once the screen has finished loading, select "Safe Mode With Networking" and hit Enter.
(2) Once the Desktop loads, navigate your way to Malwarebytes and launch it.
If Malwarebytes wants you to update it, ignore it.
Run "Perform quick scan."
Fix anything that is detected.
Now, go ahead and update Malwarebytes.
If Malwarebytes found anything during the quick scan, then now run the "Perform full scan."
Fix anything that is detected.
(3) We will now run Check Disk.
Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt
After you have launched Command Prompt, type in chkdsk/f
It will answer with blah, blah, blah... just type in Y (for yes) and hit return
More blah, blah, blah... just go to Start and reboot the computer
The computer should now restart and run Check Disk.
Do nothing, and let it do its thing.
It will fix things, if necessary, and then reboot the computer into normal mode.
Do these three things and report back.
Then we can pursue how to move your existing XP files.
NOTE: This is just the basic first attempt at understanding what is going on with your XP machine.
There are lots more things we can do, but I need to know what these first three steps tell us.

[Link]

Goldstein

All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:18AM

You don't want to eliminate the password with Windows 7.
Assuming that your account has Administrator rights...
Start > Control Panel > User Accounts
Change your account name and password into what you want them to be, here.
NOTE: You will need to use the current functioning password to gain access in order to change the password.
The new password will then become the password (so get it right and write it down).

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:28AM

I can bring the desk top up on the old machine but after that it is froze up or takes forever to do anything and I cannot access the web. The hardrive makes a consistent clicking sound and is doing nothing.
I took it to a local repair shop and he hooked it up and was able to get into the computer to access the memory specs and saw that it wasnt a memory issue.
And the Check disk operation was ran after each download of service packs, 2, and 3. Cleared out some junk, corrected registry, and file errors, recovered a bunch of orphaned files, and so on. I Really thought the system was stable and okay. I had to redo 122 updates and wanted to be here when I ran them. Came back several hours later, and barely was able to get on the net. And it wasn't doing anything when I attempted updates. I let it run for a half an hour. Nothing. I tried to defrag and went to bed. Got up 6 hours later and the defrag was at 40% and the hardrive was making that consistent clicking sound. It was making this sound breifly when I was using the computer successfully after the System Recovery. But it wasn't until I came back later that it was pretty much constant, and then constant all together.

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:32AM

Goldstein wrote:
2ferme wrote:
And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out.
I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me!
Click to expand
You don't want to eliminate the password with Windows 7.
Assuming that your account has Administrator rights...
Start > Control Panel > User Accounts
Change your account name and password into what you want them to be, here.
NOTE: You will need to use the current functioning password to gain access in order to change the password.
The new password will then become the password (so get it right and write it down).
Click to expand

I saw the option and thought I would be screwed if I removed it without knowing what the option would do. And of course they should tell you what it would do but don't which is fucking dumb!
I wrote my password down. My post says what I did. I tried to create a password recovery disc but again it's not clear enough for me to know how to create the damn thing!
Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 11:33:13 AM

[Link]

Goldstein

All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:33AM

I can bring the desk top up on the old machine but after that it is froze up or takes forever to do anything and I cannot access the web. The hardrive makes a consistent clicking sound and is doing nothing.
I took it to a local repair shop and he hooked it up and was able to get into the computer to access the memory specs and saw that it wasnt a memory issue.
And the Check disk operation was ran after each download of service packs, 2, and 3. Cleared out some junk, corrected registry, and file errors, recovered a bunch of orphaned files, and so on. I Really thought the system was stable and okay. I had to redo 122 updates and wanted to be here when I ran them. Came back several hours later, and barely was able to get on the net. And it wasn't doing anything when I attempted updates. I let it run for a half an hour. Nothing. I tried to defrag and went to bed. Got up 6 hours later and the defrag was at 40% and the hardrive was making that consistent clicking sound. It was making this sound breifly when I was using the computer successfully after the System Recovery. But it wasn't until I came back later that it was pretty much constant, and then constant all together.
Click to expand

^ Forget all this and please do the three things I asked.
Question?
What kind of re-install did you do?
Edited by - Goldstein on 8/13/2012 11:50:37 AM

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Goldstein

All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:39AM

2ferme wrote:
Goldstein wrote:
2ferme wrote:
And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out.
I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me!
Click to expand
You don't want to eliminate the password with Windows 7.
Assuming that your account has Administrator rights...
Start > Control Panel > User Accounts
Change your account name and password into what you want them to be, here.
NOTE: You will need to use the current functioning password to gain access in order to change the password.
The new password will then become the password (so get it right and write it down).
Click to expand
I saw the option and thought I would be screwed if I removed it without knowing what the option would do. And of course they should tell you what it would do but don't which is fucking dumb!
I wrote my password down. My post says what I did. I tried to create a password recovery disc but again it's not clear enough for me to know how to create the damn thing!
Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 11:33:13 AM
Click to expand

I just told you.
What you did originally absolutely does not matter in the least.
Go ahead and do what I told you -- it's safe, really.
And, you will have the User Name and Password you want to have.

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 11:54AM

Goldstein wrote:
2ferme wrote:
Goldstein wrote:
2ferme wrote:
And to dump this password option. I did the updates, and had to enter a password to get back into the pc. When I created the password I used two numbers as part of the password. Then wrote it down. Well after I did the updates I could not get back into the pc because it would not take my password. WTF. Duh I realized that when I first used the computer I did not have numbers lock on so when I created the password although I thought I used two numbers I didn't. Took me ten minutes of being pissed off to figure this out.
I want to dump this passowrd access to the PC. It's worthless for me!
Click to expand
You don't want to eliminate the password with Windows 7.
Assuming that your account has Administrator rights...
Start > Control Panel > User Accounts
Change your account name and password into what you want them to be, here.
NOTE: You will need to use the current functioning password to gain access in order to change the password.
The new password will then become the password (so get it right and write it down).
Click to expand
I saw the option and thought I would be screwed if I removed it without knowing what the option would do. And of course they should tell you what it would do but don't which is fucking dumb!
I wrote my password down. My post says what I did. I tried to create a password recovery disc but again it's not clear enough for me to know how to create the damn thing!
Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 11:33:13 AM
Click to expand
I just told you.
What you did originally absolutely does not matter in the least.
Go ahead and do what I told you -- it's safe, really.
And, you will have the User Name and Password you want to have.
Click to expand

I have the User Name and password I want to have and do not want to change it. It does matter to ME what I originally did. That way I know why I made the mistake to begin with!
I can try the other things.
I don't see how running malwarebytes is going to make any difference when the Check Disk Utility wipes out anything that malrwarebytes finds. Always has.
Thanks for the info
What you did originally absolutely does not matter in the least. That comment is a head scratcher.

[Link]

Goldstein

All-Star Member

"You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
3689 Posts
8/10

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 12:18PM

I thought it should be obvious that I meant that the User Name and Password you originally selected don't matter (except, as I noted, knowing what that original password was, in order to change to a new password).
Your original password post indicated that your original entering of the password was not the password you thought you were entering (and, therefore, not the one you really wanted).

No, Check Disk does not do what you think it does (i.e. "wipes out anything that malrwarebytes finds"). Never has.
Malwarebytes and Check Disk (i.e. Command Prompt "chkdsk/f") are two different utilities that do different things.
Malwarebytes is an anti-virus/anti-malware utility that finds and deletes infections and threats.
Check Disk is a utility "that displays the file system integrity status of hard disks and floppy disk and can fix logical file system errors."
--------------------------------------------------------------
At this point I am going to back out of this entirely.
Forget anything and everything I have asked you to do, as I will no longer be following up with this.
I hope you enjoy your new computer.

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 1:41PM

Check Disk Utility will wipe out just about any maleware. I have used it with the CDU and have never had any malware after using CDU. I only have the free version, not the complete version of Malwarebytes. Check Disk Utility does not deletes corrupt files, corrects files, and the registry?
I know you are not saying that but it sure sounds a bit odd.
It did this in both phases when I reinstalled the service packs.
I can try what you said but I am going to try a few other things first.
-M-
Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 1:42:21 PM

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Harri Patel
Senior Member

#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele
5110 Posts
3/03

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 2:29PM

Microsoft Security Essentials is free and works great. No need for a third-party product.

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 3:25PM

Thanks for the heads up. My Father mentioned it a while back but I was lazy, and the anti virus software always seemed to bog things down.
I appreciate comments, and suggestions. I am just not going to do what somebody on the net says no matter what without some verification on my part. But any sensible info is always welcomed.
If I wasn't so cheap with buying an extra gig of memory for the old XP it might have held up a little longer. I just thought it was money that I could put towards another PC even if it was only $20-$40 the computer was just under 7 years old at the time and it just didn't make sense with XP going by by. And when you did a system recovery it took you back to IE 6. Google Chrome was not functional but Mozilla was. I always had problems running Mozilla on the old machine. Not enough memory I guess among other things.
Thanks again.

Edited by - 2ferme on 8/13/2012 3:26:01 PM

[Link]

Bill

All-Star Member

5334 Posts
6/00

Posted - Aug 13 2012 : 8:47PM

This is what Chkdsk does.

You're making a mistake. Goldstein was probably your best bet in this thread. But, you (the person who is asking for help) apparently knows more than he does. My guess is that he's already bailed on you.
Good luck doing whatever it is that you are going to randomly try doing.

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 10:50AM

Bill wrote:
2ferme wrote:
Check Disk Utility will wipe out just about any maleware. I have used it with the CDU and have never had any malware after using CDU. I only have the free version, not the complete version of Malwarebytes. Check Disk Utility does not deletes corrupt files, corrects files, and the registry?
I know you are not saying that but it sure sounds a bit odd.
Click to expand
This is what Chkdsk does.
It did this in both phases when I reinstalled the service packs.
I can try what you said but I am going to try a few other things first.
Click to expand
You're making a mistake. Goldstein was probably your best bet in this thread. But, you (the person who is asking for help) apparently knows more than he does. My guess is that he's already bailed on you.
Good luck doing whatever it is that you are going to randomly try doing.
Click to expand

Hey, this was just small talk, and some advice. Goldstein's advice is appreciated.
Best.

[Link]

ninja1
Senior Member

2939 Posts
1/08

Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 1:29AM

If your hard drive is making lots of clicking sounds, that is a very bad sign. My suggestion is that you immediately quit messing with it and get it to a trusted tech person who can remove the HDD from the computer and save whatever important/vital data you have on it, transferring it to another HDD or USB flash drive(s) or something. Did the repair shop warn of the HDD about to crash (based on the clicking noise)?
On the other hand, if the "clicking" noise is more like a dull "clacking/grinding/racket/chugging" noise then that's the normal sound of an overburdened HDD, working feverishly to compensate for insufficient RAM.
Or just plain being overworked by whatever background+foreground tasks the computer is trying to do, such as an ill-behaved antivirus program putting a heavy strain on the computer's resources. You didn't say how much RAM is in the XP machine, but I know a lot of the computers from that era were shipped with criminally skimpy amounts of RAM, such as 256MB or 512MB. Another thing is if there are a shitload of updates to be done, and you have automatic updates on, then all that updating will be trying to work in the background, which will cause a lot of HDD activity until the update process gets caught up, which could take a long time if you are severely behind (like 100 updates behind).
Edited by - ninja1 on 8/15/2012 1:35:38 AM

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BYOB_Kenobi
Senior Member

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard
2684 Posts
8/09

Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 9:16AM

+1
precursor to death

[Link]

2ferme
Senior Member

1333 Posts
11/09

Posted - Aug 15 2012 : 9:34AM

I am quite certain that the Hardrive is going/gone. It's not a normal working sound. Click, Click, Click and it's consistent. Sounds nothing like what a properly functioning hardrive sounds like.
The clerk in the repair shop described it like a record skipping on a turntable, or being stuck. As a record collector with 3 turntables and a couple thousand records makes perfect sense.
Again it wasn't using a lot of memory, and yes 512MB. Actually it was using 448MB for the past two years for some reason.
I used that much memory up until last week.
The Staples manager said they could do the transfer of Data but I don't want to transfer any bug from the old machine to the new one. That is my biggest concern. And I doubt I am going to let them do anything.
I have checked the net for a few resources. YouTube has a few examples up. Haven't checked yet.
The old machine is sitting on the floor. Outside of getting some info out of outlook in the next few days I am going to leave it alone until I can do the data transfer.
Again it was a great machine for the 8 years I ran it. Hopefully I do just as well with this one. Better hopefully.

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