what to do

feelintherage · 12 May 2007 at 13:05

right all i really need some help.

I bought a prebuilt system last year in oct, now i dont really know a lot about pcs, i do know about parts and stuff but i dont know how to fit them or overclock or mess with the bios etc and admittedly i messed up and i didnt really research it or ask people for suggestions. So i figured that in my 4th year of uni i should get a new pc because my old one was dying. So i went to a competitor and i bought a prebuilt system (this was before i knew about ocuk). Specs are in sig but i got a e6400 as the 6300 and 6600 were out of stock but i wasnt too fussed i decided to get a x1950xtx just cause i like ati and wanted a good card and i dunno i just felt like wasting loads of money for some reason. After this i just bought a p965 neo mobo and had enough dosh for 1gb of ram got a coolermaster mystic case and the very last silver nec dvd rewriter they had.

So i bought this system and i didnt get windows xp on it because i have my own oem copy from 2002 lol. So i get the pc delivered and install windows only for it too be really unstable rebooted all the time also my western digital hard drive http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-104-WD this one i think was missing over 120 gb of space. So i rma it and then when i got it back all they had done was updated the bios because there was a conflict with the ram but its still crashing and from december til january i fought with them over what was wrong they said it was my fault because it was software (basically i messed up installing windows is what they implied) and i said it was their fault til i just got sick of it all because i was at uni doing 4th year and was too stressed to fight with them.

But now im done im really starting to hate this machine i dont know what to do where to turn ive put up with it enough. Just an example of my comps greatness is that it randomly crashes while doing anything playin a game, surfing or just sitting idle sometimes after it has rebooted a lot it doesnt make it past the bios when it crashes. Also every night after midnight it crashes lol as dumb as it sounds its true after 12 oclock i have like 1 hour tops before it crashes and once it crashes then it will keep rebooting til i cant be bothered with it.

Now i need help because im stuck because i dont want to deal with the people again, i know it sounds silly but i really cant be done with it, they treated me like crap and absolutely despise them. So i feel somewhat forced to change my mobo, ram and hd, so do you lot have any suggestions of what mobo ram and hd would be good.

I know i sound silly and i was really stupid to buy the pc and ive wasted a ton of money, this i dont need to be reminded of tbh so dont flame me or troll cause its not whats needed i am really gutted so much so that im thinking of just punting this pc regardless of how much use it has left or how good it is. I am seriously considering dropping my pc and getting a mac mini and just giving up gaming.

So is this a lost cause or do i still have some hope of salvaging this mess.

Please help ive put up with a lot of crap from it and its really not on anymore

thanks Gary

FrannoBaz · 12 May 2007 at 13:26

Double Thread.

semi-pro waster · 12 May 2007 at 13:38

Have you tried running memtest86, Prime95 or any other testing programs to see if they can pinpoint which component has caused the problem (although of course it may be multiple components)? Do you have any other parts you can swap in to test? At the moment it is difficult to ascertain what is the problem as it could be from multiple sources.

If you want a recommendation of parts as a replacement then someone can definitely do that but it would help if you could provide a budget.

FrannoBaz said:
Double Thread.

True but you only had to RTM one and leave the other be.

supernova9 · 12 May 2007 at 13:39

Have you tried reformatting it? Is it a legal copy of XP (you do realise you can't transfer an OEM licence from one computer to another, right?)? Did the XP installation error at any point?

But really, you won't want to hear it, but if you can't fix it by reinstalling windows, then it's a hardware problem and you need to take it up with your manufacturer. Get in touch with trading standards if you have trouble with the company, that gets companies to be a lot more helpful very quickly.

feelintherage · 12 May 2007 at 13:52

supernova9 said:
Have you tried reformatting it? Is it a legal copy of XP (you do realise you can't transfer an OEM licence from one computer to another, right?)? Did the XP installation error at any point?

But really, you won't want to hear it, but if you can't fix it by reinstalling windows, then it's a hardware problem and you need to take it up with your manufacturer. Get in touch with trading standards if you have trouble with the company, that gets companies to be a lot more helpful very quickly.

yeah i did reinstall windows xp again without error, it is legal and no i didnt know that :confused:

the thing with trading standards i phoned them then got back to the company who shrugged it off i was reluctant to go back because what if it is all my fault.

I dunno how to double quote omg how bad am i

anyways i will download those programs and i know what you mean i really dont have a scooby what it is but if i have to buy new parts then my buget would be um im not sure you get 2gb for £80, hd for £40 although im not fussed about having a big one cause i dont really put anything on it other than games and upto £100 for mobo so that comes to *calculator out* lol £220 something like that

semi-pro waster · 12 May 2007 at 13:58

If it is a problem with the motherboard initially then perhaps best to try replacing that first rather than doing everything. If you do still want to change those three parts then I'd go with Gigabyte DS3P, 2gb Geil PC6400 and a Samsung 160gb hard drive. The Ram and hard drive aren't the fastest around but they are solid and work well with the motherboard as I'm assuming stability is your number one priority now. However I would suggest getting the other company to replace it or at least seeing what they can do about it.

If you want to quote someone you just need a [QUOTE ] tag and a [/QUOTE ] to end the quote but without the space.

supernova9 · 12 May 2007 at 13:59

Well, putting aside the fact that your computer is now unlicensed for XP, installing an operating system (even if you somehow did that incorrectly) is incredibly unlikely to generate symptoms like you're experiencing. It's a hardware issue, so don't let the manufacturer shrug you off. Have trading standards write to them, it's more effective than you saying you got in contact with them.

They're trying to frustrate you into stopping calling them, that way they keep your money and you keep a duff computer. If you don't want that to be the outcome, don't stop calling them. Keep a log of how many times you call, who you talk to, what they tell you, then take that to trading standards. But if you can't be bothered to do that, we can't do anything to help you.

feelintherage · 12 May 2007 at 14:09

supernova9 said:
But if you can't be bothered to do that, we can't do anything to help you.

hmm maybe i worded it wrong its nothing to do with being bothered in that sense its the fact they they wore me down by being so ignorant coupled with the fact that i wasnt confident enough to put my foot down and say this isnt my fault this is messed up plus at the time i had other priorities.

and can we stop talking about the licensing this i didnt do it intentionally :confused:

ill sort it.

Thanks waster

supernova9 · 12 May 2007 at 14:20

I only point out the licensing thing because if you pushed it with the company and they asked about how/where you got your license, you could accidentally put yourself in the firing line for a £250,000 fine (that's the maximum fine for one piece of illegal software on a machine, just so you know). I wasn't saying "hey, you're a crim", just letting you know in case they ask you.

Dave M · 12 May 2007 at 14:53

250GB drive, missing 120GB? So you can only use about 128GB?

I think it was XP SP1 when they allowed you to use bigger than 128GB, I assume you've downloaded all the updates (SP2 at least) after you installed, if so - can you create a new partition of that mising 120GB when you are in windows (control panel -> admin tools -> computer management -> disk manager)?

feelintherage · 12 May 2007 at 19:09

Telescopi said:
250GB drive, missing 120GB? So you can only use about 128GB?

I think it was XP SP1 when they allowed you to use bigger than 128GB, I assume you've downloaded all the updates (SP2 at least) after you installed, if so - can you create a new partition of that mising 120GB when you are in windows (control panel -> admin tools -> computer management -> disk manager)?

i found a load of space and it says i can make a partition but i dont want to i want to have all the space together. any ideas of what i can do?

as for the windows thing i did not know :eek:

shine · 12 May 2007 at 19:21

feelintherage said:
i found a load of space and it says i can make a partition but i dont want to i want to have all the space together. any ideas of what i can do?

as for the windows thing i did not know

The only way to have it as one partition now will be to reinstall XP.

Click the properties of "My Computer" it should tell you what service pack you have installed.

feelintherage · 12 May 2007 at 21:38

have service pack 2 and everything is upto date

drunkenmonkey · 13 May 2007 at 06:58

id go into the bios and set to best performance or mess around (optimal blah blah)with that setting and then slacken the memory timings

if you dont know how to get into the bios keep pressing delete(might be something else on your board) at boot up!

im prob miles out but its another option to try!

KIA · 13 May 2007 at 07:49

shine said:
The only way to have it as one partition now will be to reinstall XP.

Incorrect. You can use Acronis Disk Director suite to merge the existing OS partition with the newly created partition.

Nicos Rex · 13 May 2007 at 09:07

With the greatest possible respect to the people who are making suggestions re fixing this problem, the issue is unlikely to be cured by tinkering with the odd setting here and there.

The symptoms described point to some sort of hardware issue and you need to take the bull by the horns and get the retailer to do something about it.

Even though there may be issues over the license of the software that was installed, this does not excuse the retailer from their legal responsibility.

To show that you mean business you need to get some backup. Firstly avail yourself of the free legal advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau and get a solicitors letter sent, then approach Trading Standards again and get them onside.

Finally point out to the retailer that if you don't get staisfaction then you will "name and shame" them to the local media.

You have paid good money for a system which does not meet your reasonable expectations of realiability and you should get some recompense for this and for all the aggravation caused.

I realise that you don't want to do any of this, but to paraphrase two old sayings, "don't get sad (and throw good money after bad) get even!"

feelintherage · 13 May 2007 at 10:26

right so this partition merging software can i get a shareware version because i dont want to pay $50 for something i will use once that might not work. Or can you recommend any other software that will do the same job.

Next up if that doesnt work what should i do to address the licencing issues, could they drop me in the shizzle.

As i say i really didnt know, not playing dumb i really didnt

Nicos Rex · 13 May 2007 at 10:50

Whilst I can understand your concern re the licensing issues, this is a side issue - the central point is surely that you have spent good money for kit that does not work!

As for as your licensing issues go, strictly speaking you should not migrate an OEM install to a new machine. If you really want to cover yourself you will need to get a new software license from MS for the new system. Or indeed purchase a completely new O/S.

At the end of the day, this is a technicality between you and Microsoft and in no way impacts on your dispute over the hardware.

I very much doubt that MS will be knocking on your door anytime soon, although there are reports that they are being far stricter with Vista users who do this.

feelintherage · 13 May 2007 at 11:24

fluff said:
Incorrect. You can use Acronis Disk Director suite to merge the existing OS partition with the newly created partition.

just found a shareware copy off download.com so am going to try that see if that helps fingers crossed

and i would just like to say thanks for all help and suggestions

very much appreciated

feelintherage · 13 May 2007 at 22:42

well i tried to merge partitions and it messed up and everything is now corrupt

i honestly have to laugh if not i would smash this mofo up :mad:

tbh

i really cba to install xp, i actually hate this machine brought me nothing but grief

wish i could lump it away and just be done with it