Problem with side panel

[LadyGrey]

ok, don't laugh :p I've got a friends Compaq Presario 5000 5BW112 and it's very sick. It turns on but there is no display. I've tried two monitors, thought maybe an off chance my testing one had bit the dust but still nothing. I need to get inside to look at connections, and such but for the life of me I can't get the darn side panel off the thing! :o
I've been to the Compaq site and found information there but it doesn't seem to apply to this model. They talk about thumbscrews and a latch on the back but this has neither of those. I've removed all screws that could conceivably have anything to do with the side panel but it just won't budge. Seems like it wants too but something is holding it. Someone has been in it before as there is an added Phillips CDRW drive in it so I don't know what may have been done. I'm really afraid of damaging the panel or the plastic front so if anyone has any knowledge or ideas I'd sure appreciate it. I'd really like to get this up and running, this family just literally has nothing and this was given to them by one of their family members for their small son to at least expose him to a computer. I think it's been online so I'm sure, as they really don't anything at all about computers, that it's full of garbage.
Thanks much as always!
LG ;)

[FastLearner]

Is this the page you already saw?: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SupportTaskIndex.jsp?locale=en_US&taskId=125&prodSeriesId=96382&prodTypeId=12454&supportTaskId=2502

I found this while looking under frequently asked questions for the model number you gave. Sometimes if there is no latch or anything, it may help to loosen the front of the case (where the drive bay openings are) just in case it's catching there somewhere--I had to do it with my old Presario, too. If that is not possible, try prying the case open just slightly from the back with a flat-tip screwdriver, which should pop it out of place. This worked with mine (Cpq Presario 5440).

This is one of those situations where it's very difficult to give online advice without standing right in front of the computer....:) However you proceed, please be careful...as I definitely think it is a good cause to get this chile exposed to computers at an early age.

I like the bird, even though I am not really a huge bird fan.:(

[LadyGrey]

:) Thanks Fast, yep seen that. I have however solved that problem, after tearing my hair out and threating to use the hammer! :eek: :D
Was a latch on the back after all. It looks like a security thingy, you know to slide a cable through and lock it down. Who would have known it was a latch.
Any way got that side off, and put the new drive in she wanted, old used ma****a(?) dvd-rom drive but it works better than the one that was in there.
Cleared the CMOS, checked all the connections, fired it up and it booted right up with no problems. Now I get to figure out what's wrong, running 98 or 98SE I don't think it can make up it's mind what it is. There are no restore disks that she has. I've looked around for any updates and such from M$ and Compaq and burnt what I could get to disk. I try to run them and it either tells me the update is not for that version of windows or it just plain won't run. Crazy thing. I'm going to call her and tell her that I've just got to try and do a clean install. Just errors all over, Iexplorer has caused an error and will be shut down, among various others, lots and lots of others. Even on start up there are a couple of errors, something about macafee and another about the audio. Just really a mess. I'm going to try one last thing and that's install adaware and spybot and run them. I can't update them, can't get it online. She only has a dial-up modem, no NIC onboard or card and I don't have dial-up anymore.
Anyone know where I can get a cheap NIC that I could use to get the thing online. Be nice to have one anyway for the future.
Thanks much!
LG ;)

[Bullman]

Hey LG, you can probably find some inexpensive NIC's at local stores such as Best buy, Circuit City, etc. I bought one for about $15 at my local Wal-mart store. There are several here (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?submit=list&catalog=27&DEPA=5&order=price&sort=asc) at Newegg for a few bucks. The only thing is that with shipping costs prices will double on the cheapest, but that would still be a pretty good deal.

[LadyGrey]

Thank you so much for your help bullman! I haven't had the time to even go look around. That looks like just what I'm looking for. I can pop it in get the computer online, get it updated and then just uninstall it and take it out. That way I'll have something if it is ever needed.
LG ;)

[Steve]

Any way got that side off, and put the new drive in she wanted
Where did the new drive come from? Did it come from another computer with an OS already installed?

[Sylvander]

If you decide to rebuild her software:

When the build is complete and working well, make a backup of the c: partition/drive [you'll need to install a backup program to do it].
Then whenever [s]he suspects a problem with the software just "jump back" [by re-formatting the C: drive and re-storing a backup] to a working system of software.
This can eliminate all kinds of introduced software problems and also save a lot of work by avoiding a rebuild.

[LadyGrey]

Hi,
Steve to answer your question I have no idea in the world where the drive came from. It is an old 1999 M a s h i t a DVD ROM drive that she got from someone somewhere :rolleyes: I've got it in and windows found generic drivers for it because it's working like a champ. The other one was just a mess, I actually think someone tried to use it as a cup holder :eek: It was the original drive for that computer.
Thanks to all the help I have the computer up and running with very few errors. With the boot disk I finally got to start up right I did Sys C: from a command prompt and it reloaded whatever, all I know is that on start up I was getting a Command.Com error on the POST screen and that is no longer there and some of the info in the start up disk said that was one of the files it would reload. In safe mode that I got into after what seemed like forever I was able to uninstall some very strange looking programs from add/remove programs. I wasn't able to run adaware or spybot, just wouldn't install for me in safe mode. I did reboot and install them ok, then I started running them.
Now, I want you all to please be sitting down and don't be drinking anything that will come out of your nose ok? :D After running Adaware there were
996 instances of anything you could name. That is not a typo!! I bout hit the floor myself and even Donnie's jaw dropped. He gets grounded from the computer if he has more than 10 in a month. He knows how to run his programs. Then I ran Spybot which found another, are you ready, 68 bots and baddies. Now I'm running these without the updates to them, can't get the computer online yet to get them. I haven't even started on antivirus yet :eek: I went ahead and did a repair of IE as most of the errors where related to that it seemed. It did it's thing and shut down and rebooted and low and behold I can open windows and programs without any errors coming up at all. I know it's a long way from fixed but it sure is going to be easier now with alot of the mess cleaned up.
I'm trying not to have to do a clean install, I know I may still have too, but she has all kinds of programs on there from the people who gave her the computer but there are no disks, not a one for anything. So if I can I would like to save what's there. I did increase the partition that it had on it and copied some of the programs over to that. I still have to scan those too.
It has a Phillips CDRW in it and if I can get that to work and make sure the programs are clean I'll burn them to disk for her maybe.
Sylvander, I will do something along those lines, I'm going to have too. This is what happens when people get a computer and have no clue what to do with it. It really just takes some reading and a little work to make sure you have a good time on the web instead of a mess. There was so much junk on that computer that I'm going to ask her if she ever put any personal info in it, if she did I'm gonna tell her to start calling her bank and credit cards right now cause half the world has all her numbers by now. whoo boy, I just didn't know a computer could be this messed up. I'm gaining even more respect for my guru's I can tell you that. I am exhausted from this, I love it, but boy am I tired.
Oh, before I forget I got a chance to look around today at what Bullman had for me and then I thought I'd go look at ZipZoomFly, they had a NetGear PCI Ethernet adapter for $13.95 no tax, and free 2 day shipping so I grabbed it.
Thanks and thanks and thanks to everyone for your help!!
LG ;)

[Sylvander]

"just wouldn't install for me in safe mode"
I normally install in "msconfig | Diagnostic Startup".
That's like Safe Mode [no programs running in the background], but WITH CD-drive operational [drivers loaded].
Don't use this if the install program needs to go online - there will be no web access.

Making a backup applies equally to when the software is clean and running to your satisfaction. If you have a backup of that state, you can fall back to that position if you suspect a nasty has crept in. It's like back-stepping when you realise you've just entered a mine field.

[slipbeezer]

Now, I want you all to please be sitting down and don't be drinking anything that will come out of your nose ok? :D After running Adaware there were 996 instances of anything you could name.
Ok, you want to hear a REAL embarrassing number? :D This was on my own machine, before I knew anything about anything. Boy was I dumb. :o When I finally realized I had a hacker using my machine as a server....

Spybot found 1,776 "bad" files and an additional 17 "really bad" files. Then I still had to run an AV, Adaware, a trojan hunter and HijackThis, which found a bunch more little ooglies. :o

I had this nasty guy using my machine, he installed something he called Sleep.exe and another one called Terminator.exe, "A Ruthless Killer of Windows. Efficiently assassinates windows or processes; run with no parameters to see syntax." This was the description he put on the file, some guy named Matt Gerrans of Key Concepts, Inc. Yeah, sure....

LadyGrey, it sounds like you have quite the project there. How is it coming along by now?

[LadyGrey]

Wow what a story there slip! That's scary having something like that happen. How the devil did he get the stuff on your computer?? Was it someone who worked on it or what? Sure glad you got that cleaned up and fixed! As for me it went fine all around! :) Computer went home last week all clean and pretty! :D I had all that problem with not being able to recognize USB ports so I could use an adapter but it turned out that it was 98SE that was the trouble. So I did an upgrade to ME and bless me found all the ports, all the audio, video. Really was nice. So it went home all updated and with ZA,Adaware,SB S+D,AVG,Spywareblaster those updated too. I hit a snag where I thought I had blown the mobo :eek: but turned out to be the power supply. Only a 145 watt PS and as old as it was it just went up. I put in I think it was an older but newer then the other one, 250 watt I had lying around and it just worked great, all up an running. I typed out a three page NO NO list that went home with the computer and I basically told them that now that they have the information if it gets messed up again don't expect me to fix it for free. So far it's not online so it's safe for now. The little guy that I did this for is just having a blast, he's ADHD and can't sit still for a minute but with the computer there and working his Mother says he will sit and play learning games for an hour or more. So that's a win for our side for sure!! :cool: Made a nice backup for me to keep. If something does go wrong I can just run over and shove that in and fix it and I swear I'll charge her. Maybe they will think twice if it costs them something,even if it's just $5 for gas money. So we are good to go here! Thanks for all the great help!!!
LG ;)

[slipbeezer]

Hey that's a great finale, Lady Grey. I'm so glad you wrote that all up! It feels really GREAT to hear some good stories. Mine have been such bummers and I'm beginning to think computers don't like me! hehehe. Well, what do THEY know? :p

Good to hear about the kid getting so much out of it. And yeah, charge em! Or at least get a good dinner out of it. Put in your order for your fav dinner. Part way through your repairs, hmmmm, you're getting hungry, it's time for a break! ;)

I just reinstalled my OS again (twice in 2 days) and suffice it to say - I FINALLY found the culprit! I am jumping in my boots. Although it was the motherboard monitor that was causing it to hang on shutdown, hopefully I'll find another monitor that won't. Glad to hear your good news...wanted to share mine so you would know that there was some eventual hope taking place. lol. computers are just too much, aren't they?

Best to you with in your next project.

[Sylvander]

Instead of re-installing, set up a system of backup, make backups [especially of the C: partition] when all's working well, then when you suspect a software problem, re-format the C: partition and restore a good, recent backup.

Problem gone!
[Unless it's hardware or BIOS.]

[LadyGrey]

Hey Slip thanks so much for the well wishes! I'm glad you are narrowing down the problems that are going on with you. I will tell ya tho that Sylvander is sooo right on the mark. Took the guru's ages to finally convince me that backing up was the way to go! I did it, got a little program can't remember what is was now... Oh Yeah, it was Ghost. Altho I hate Norton and don't run any such thing on my computers now days, it was the best I could get then. It worked for awhile and then all of a sudden started acting up. So got rid of that and got Acronis True Image and so far it's been cool. When I had dial-up it was a major two day operation to format and reinstall my computer, even with two HDDs with alot of stuff saved.
When you get the computer up and running the way you want it, please if you can, back it up! Saves so much time and effort and for me, going to get the hammer!!! :D
Take care, let us know how things go. If you need to, start another thread and ask away. Believe me the guru's here will do all they can to help you!
LG ;)

[Sylvander]

That's great to hear LG. :)
I sometimes feel like I'm banging away to no effect, and yet time and again see problems that would be easily fixed using the restore of a backup.

I keep the C: partition as small as possible.
Move all the data files into the 2nd partition on the master HDD.
On the slave HDD [the old one] have:
a. My Documents. [Use “TweakUI” to move their home]
b. E-mails for all identities. [use the email client to move their home]
c. Internet Explorer Favourites. [Use “TweakUI” to move their home]
d. Temporary Internet Files. [use the browser (Internet Explorer) to move them]
e. Re-home the Windows Address Book as shown here http://tinyurl.com/24q6l . Use the key “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wab FileName” to specify its new address. [Its normal home address [in Win98] is C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\(the name you gave your PC).WAB]
f. Fixed size swap file.
g. The Windows installation files [Windows was installed from here].

These are all kept on a separate backup [to CD-RW disks] made less frequently than the C: partition. The only way I'd lose these is if the drive fails, and I have them on CD. When C: "jumps back" [in a restore] they remain untouched, so up-to-the-minute.

I now have "Powerquest Drive Image" [in addition to Hewlett Packard Simple Backup]. It's much more flexible, though slightly less simple to use. It backs up to pretty much any media. If the PC fails to boot from the HDD you can boot from the floppy's and restore from there.
You choose the level of file compression.
The highest makes a smaller file, but takes longer.