The SSMB PC Troubleshooting and Discussion Thread

[Diz 1,799]

Well, the mouse is definitely moveable, but I just can't click on anything.

One thing you could try the next time this happens:

On your keyboard, press and hold down the left CTRL button. Without letting go, press and hold the left ALT button. Without letting go of any of those two, press the DEL or Delete button, typically somewhere on the top right side of your keyboard. (If you are running Windows Vista or Windows 7, a whole new menu should activate. Click on "Start Task Manager")

If nothing happens, disregard the rest of this post. If a window does appear, make sure you are in the "Processes" tab. If you are not, click on it to go there. Look for an entry called explorer.exe. Mark it, and then click the "End Process" button. If there are more than one explorer.exe entries, close them as well. If nothing happens within the next fifteen seconds, go to the Applications tab by clicking on it. In this tab, click the "New Task" button, type explorer and click OK.

If your desktop loads after these steps, parts of the issue would be the explorer process somehow crashing or being jammed.

[SenEDDtor Missile 7,322]

i'm going with the "nothing happens" part, unless I end up waiting for nearly 10 minutes when the computer finally starts moving long enough for it to respond.

[Velotix von Skruviktorrius 844]

The graphics driver is unstable? There's your issue right there.

It's difficult to advise you without more information but unfortunately I don't think you'd know how to get that info, so... :|

You should find a newer driver for your card and install it.

[Diz 1,799]

One more thing! Is the Graphics Component able to get very dusty? If so, is the effect potential crashing?

Anything inside your PC may become dusty. The most common area for dust might be around the power supply and cooling fans, but the more excessive the dust problem, the more it will spread around, which includes graphics components. However, if the dust problem is severe enough, your whole computer will become unresponsive over time regardless where the dust spreads.

HOLY CRAP! I just opened up that tiny compartment right below my disc thing (the place where you put discs into, it's Windows 7 BTW), and the whole thing has a crapton of dust in it.

The dust issue suddenly seems more severe than I had expected. You should let somebody have a peek inside your PC, eventually remove the majority of dust. If this is your very own computer, and if you dare, you could carefully open the PC cabinet (complexity varies on the model) and look for dust. I am terrible at hardware, but I think with some piece of paper you could (carefully) remove a lot of it, depending on the severity of the dust problem. I was instructed to use a grounded vacum cleaner myself on old computers at the hospital I was working at. My, some of those computers were literally filled with dust. XD

[SenEDDtor Missile 7,322]

A Grounded Vacuum Cleaner? What's different from a normal one?

[Diz 1,799]

A Grounded Vacuum Cleaner? What's different from a normal one?

I know very little about the hardware part of computers, but someone told me that a non-grounded vacuum cleaner inside a PC can generate static, and static has the capability to damage or even kill components.

[SenEDDtor Missile 7,322]

Wooooooow... I am such a dunderhead.

My Dad came over to check it, and it turns out, the main reason it was crashing was....

wait for it....

CONFLICTING ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS.

Turns out, there was an older antivirus program that we didn't uninstall, and it was set to scan my computer at nearly the same time as my newer antivirus program. They ended up being in the boxing ring and the backlash of their fight causes my computer to crash.

[Diz 1,799]

Once again, so much that could go wrong in the computer world. Though this does show the importance of no more than one antivirus-, one antispyware and one firewall application per running system rule. I am glad it worked out. x3

I still advise doing regular back-up of your most precious files though since you were worried about losing them. It's too late once your computer crashes for good. Too much dust will also eventually freeze it up.

[Velotix von Skruviktorrius 844]

You still should update your graphics card driver too, just because.

[Faseeh 1,202]

Okay, I have a problem. I hope you guys know a solution to it.

I bought a MacBook Pro 13" in Jan this year. I just did a bootcamp and all and I have W7 running. The 'bootcamp'ed W7 needs me to install my Lion OS X drivers in it, which means I need to make a Lion OS X DVD. I know how to make it. This is where the problem starts:

Since I just bought my Mac a few months ago, it came with Lion OS. So, it won't be on the App Store under Purchases. If it was, I can redownload it and make the disc. But since it won't be on the Purchases list, does it mean I have to buy a Lion OS X just for this? Can someone help me. Please. Thanks a lot in advance.

Edit: I've found the way and if any one of you might need it, http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20110831105634716

Edited May 29, 2012 by Faseehudeen

[Silencer226 1,635]

Alright, I've had my i5 3570K for about 2 or 3 weeks now and I'm looking to finally replace this stock cooler. I was looking at this Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus cooler, and it has some great reviews and its also not expensive at all. I'm also planning on getting some Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste for it as I hear that's the best paste to use. Any other suggestions, between the $30 and $60 range that might be better than this one?

[Solkia 11,088]

Alright, I've had my i5 3570K for about 2 or 3 weeks now and I'm looking to finally replace this stock cooler. I was looking at this Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus cooler, and it has some great reviews and its also not expensive at all. I'm also planning on getting some Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste for it as I hear that's the best paste to use. Any other suggestions, between the $30 and $60 range that might be better than this one?

From what I hear, this is the most recommended cooler for people who don't want water cooling. It's the same one I plan on getting. But it's a HUGE heatsink so make sure it will actually fit in your case.

I've also heard that ivy bridge CPUs are made to take higher temperatures.

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Edited June 18, 2012 by Solkia-kun

[VisionaryofSUPER 2,015]

I'm blind, and I couldn't find a thread like this. So essentially, this thread is for those with technical woes and they're looking for help .

(Now I'm not sure if this should go here or regular chit-chat, so I guess it's up to the mods if this thread doesn't exist.)

So, I'll begin with my problem I guess. My computer recently has begun to act up during it's startup process. I can barely start it up without it freezing or rebooting. When I can actually get it to work, it runs fabulously so I'm at a loss for what to do.

Also, my computer's fan won't activate anymore outside of the startup process. I turn on the computer and it roars, but then it dies down immediately after. With this heat wave, I'm afraid of turning it on now, especially since it turns the room into a scorcher.

[--- 509]

Well if we're talking about technical issues, my laptop gets swallowed whole by complex 3D renders, takes forever for one freaking frame/image, and that's with barely anything in it.

Edited June 20, 2012 by Dr.SuperJXJ

[Diz 1,799]

Whilst seeking personal knowledge and experience from fellow members, Diz feels that the core subject at hand is not of personal nature. Anyhow, there is an already-existing pinned topic for this subject in the Computer Games section. I will merge your topic right in there for you. =]

[SenEDDtor Missile 7,322]

My monitor randomly went black, makes this loud buzzing sound, and goes into power save mode. What's that about?

[Diz 1,799]

I donno much about hardware or monitors, but if that buzzing sound comes from your monitor, it sounds a little b0rken.

Or it ate a living wasp and was stung.

[VisionaryofSUPER 2,015]

Ugh, I've tried so long to avoid spending money on this problem but my pc has become so unreliable lately. I'm going to try buying new RAM. I'm going to backup my personal stuff, but I want to know of this will affect programs like photoshop or iTunes, because I feel that if I have to reinstall them, they won't be able to tell my computer is the same one.

[Da Blu Hedgie 150]

1st this is my first post on the forum (actually any, lol) well anyways I have a couple problems, now before anyone answers know this: I know next to nothing about computers and the generations Demo is the 2nd time I ran a PC game on my own. I have ran sonic 4; episode 2 beta 8 succesfully with no lag and the only problem being on act 2 of Sylvania Castle zone after exiting the water, near the end. Oh and I did add a bunch of emulators and roms too after getting rid of sonic 4: episode 2.

Anyways:

I am trying to run the sonic generations demo on my HP laptop and it lags like every 5-10 seconds and yes I meet all the requirements (although I'm not sure about gpu (whatever that is))

OS: windows 7

Processor: AMD Sempron M100 2.00 ghz

Ram; 3 gb (2.75 usable) (I just read under the minimum system requirements that win. 7 users need 3 gb of ram could that be it?)

Graphics; AMD M880G with ATI Radeon HD 4200

Direct X 9

67.8 gb of hard drive space

I want to buy this game for the mods, because using mods crashes the demo

Sorry my first post was so long, but to whoever answers this, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

[Motwera 314]

1st this is my first post on the forum (actually any, lol) well anyways I have a couple problems, now before anyone answers know this: I know next to nothing about computers and the generations Demo is the 2nd time I ran a PC game on my own. I have ran sonic 4; episode 2 beta 8 succesfully with no lag and the only problem being on act 2 of Sylvania Castle zone after exiting the water, near the end. Oh and I did add a bunch of emulators and roms too after getting rid of sonic 4: episode 2.

Anyways:

I am trying to run the sonic generations demo on my HP laptop and it lags like every 5-10 seconds and yes I meet all the requirements (although I'm not sure about gpu (whatever that is))

OS: windows 7

Processor: AMD Sempron M100 2.00 ghz

Ram; 3 gb (2.75 usable) (I just read under the minimum system requirements that win. 7 users need 3 gb of ram could that be it?)

Graphics; AMD M880G with ATI Radeon HD 4200

Direct X 9

67.8 gb of hard drive space

I want to buy this game for the mods, because using mods crashes the demo

Sorry my first post was so long, but to whoever answers this, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Nope, no max setting or resolution.

You may need a new computer for a better experience or try to optimize it by game booster and making your resolution the lowest possible to get a okay framerate, note that not every level will run in the same framerate due to that the game having a large view distance.

[Da Blu Hedgie 150]

Game booster? What is that?

Oh and my max resolution is 1366 x 768

I did try setting everything to the lowest setting, i even disabled the audio,

Current settings;

Graphics Adapter; AMD M880G with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200

Resolution is currently: 1366 x 768 : 60 (I see no 30 fps option) I have also tried 640 x 480 : 60

Antialiasing is off

Display mode is letterbox

Shadow Quality is set to low

Reflection Quality is low

Vsync is off

So in case what is posted above is unecessary give the simple answer is my lag problem fixable without buying a new laptop

Also couple other questions; 1) if i put the files from the demo (or the full game) on some kind of storage device (such as a usb drive or SD card) will that work 2) can I replace my graphics card with another on my laptop, without messing it up? 3) I see you have xbox live would you rather we talk through xbox live for better convenience? GT: Bandicoot13

Apologize for the long post

Edited July 7, 2012 by Chaos the destroyer

[Motwera 314]

Game booster? What is that?

Oh and my max resolution is 1366 x 768

I did try setting everything to the lowest setting, i even disabled the audio,

Current settings;

Graphics Adapter; AMD M880G with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200

Resolution is currently: 1366 x 768 : 60 (I see no 30 fps option) I have also tried 640 x 480 : 60

Antialiasing is off

Display mode is letterbox

Shadow Quality is set to low

Reflection Quality is low

Vsync is off

So in case what is posted above is unecessary give the simple answer is my lag problem fixable without buying a new laptop

Also couple other questions; 1) if i put the files from the demo (or the full game) on some kind of storage device (such as a usb drive or SD card) will that work 2) can I replace my graphics card with another on my laptop, without messing it up? 3) I see you have xbox live would you rather we talk through xbox live for better convenience? GT: Bandicoot13

Apologize for the long post

1) No, it needs steam and you need to re-download the demo/full game from steam if you have a new PC or something. (A demo is a great way to benchmark or try the game even if you want to try it on another PC)

2) Some laptops can have its graphics card replaced but not all of them (Check your laptop and some videos or pictures of it being opened to see what's inside of the device to make sure you are knowing what to do with it)

3) Sure, I just put up my invite to be a friend on Xbox Live

Edited July 7, 2012 by Motwera

[Da Blu Hedgie 150]

@Motwera: I will get to your friend requests soon, I've been a bit busy with this:

"Worst book ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And I need to rehook my xbox 360 up.

Ps I tried Gamebooster 3.5 and it has lessoned freezing, slightly, but not a whole lot ; oh yes and I found out I average about 7 fps, which dips to about 4 fps , especially when I'm around the water, oh and I uninstalled a few other things microsoft flight is gone, however the strange thing is when microsoft flight opened it said I don't meet the minimum requirments (even before I installed the sonic generations demo ) however it ran at about 30fps-45 max.

I never checked sonic 4 ep. 2, because I deleated it already, I also have Cave story (the freeware version) and have yet to see how many fps it runs at, but I had no problems with it anyways.

Also forgot to add I see overclocking the gpu (whatever that is) may help, but it seems risky.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Chaos the destroyer

[Diz 1,799]

I'm going to try buying new RAM. I'm going to backup my personal stuff, but I want to know of this will affect programs like photoshop or iTunes, because I feel that if I have to reinstall them, they won't be able to tell my computer is the same one.

[SenEDDtor Missile 7,322]

Okay, scenario and what happened.

The scenario: I'm playing Star Wars the Old Republic trial. its on the lowest settings graphics wise. outside the game, I have youtube up and another wesite. Youtube has been paused so i can hear the conversations in the game.

What happened: My screen randomly went black and went into powersave mode. Had to turn off and restart computer to undo it.

Question:

This doesn't seem to happen whenever i'm just browsing around on the net, but seems to happen whenever i start playing games. any ideas? I want to check up with you guys before i go bother my Dad about it.

I personally think (I'm not tech savvy at all) that my computer simply can't handle that many things happening at the same time and blacks the screen as a result.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Enigmatus