Wunderbear and the Curse of the Startup Problems!

[Wunderbear]

Hey ho there, folks.

Now, as of late i've been having some problems with my computer. For those who may not remember/care, a while ago I had a problem which ruined my motherboard, graphics card and power supply. So I replaced them all, and started over again.

And apart from one thing which I shall come to later, everything has been rosy until now.
I have been suffering from startup problems. The typical scenario is thus: I will press the power button on my computer. It will begin it's humming, and the keyboard's lock keys will flash. But then, nothing. The monitor stays on standby; no crackle of static signals it's awakening. The usb devices will not switch on. Pressing the keyboard achieves nothing. So I turn off the PC, wait ten seconds, and try again.
This cycle may continue for a couple of times, before it will be bothered to start up. And then I am plagued by the previously mentioned problem, which has before now remained in that unstable state known as intermittent.

This problem is composed of strange bars of coloured pixels, lines and bars. This becomes apparent in the startup window; if I let the computer continue, it will occur on the login screen and on desktop. For this reason, I restart the computer when this corruption appears on the startup screen.

Only after 10-15 retries, will the computer boot up normal. Then, either three things will happen:

1. Sometime during the first minutes, the mouse pointer will turn into a white square. Then, the computer will lock up. Even the lock keys on the keyboard remain unresponsive. This may be fixed with a restart.
2. Again, sometime during the first minutes of use, the screen will switch to standby, and retain the symptoms as decribed above (monitor not on, everything unresponsive) Usually fixed with restart (although it may remain fickle)
3. The computer will behave fine, and nothing bad will happen.

I wonder if anyone would know what may cause this to happen. My specs are:

An ASRock K7NF2-RAID 1.00
An AMD Athlon XP (2 ghz)
Radeon 9800SE graphics
768MB RAM.

Also, my temps at startup are usually 20C for mobo and 30C for CPU.

I would appreciate help. Thank you,

Wunderbear

[bassman]

For those who may not remember/care, a while ago I had a problem which ruined my motherboard, graphics card and power supply.
:eek: My goodness! I did not see any of your previous posts but this sounds terrible. Let's not let this happen again ;)
Are you building this comp yourself? If so, have you tried this setup with the mobo out of the case in a non-grounded situation? Have you tried another monitor? (may not make sense, just asking) Once things start up OK, does it stay that way until you shut down? Have you considered leaving your machine on once in a stable condition? Any beep codes? Can you try another vid card? How about re-seating all cards (PCI, AGP, PCI-e, memory,... )

[mjc]

Can you also post the power supply specs?

[Wunderbear]

GRAAH: This is the THIRD time I am writing this. First time, it crashed (cursor turns into a white square, then everything becomes frozen), then it went on standby. THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM! (I hope)

Bassman: I have not tried the mobo out the case (Sounds a bit mad), and I haven't tried anohter monitor or gfx card (I don't have either, and i'm not sure it's the monitor anyway). I'm sure everything's connected up fine, and yes it does run stable once it's started up okay (Except for a crash and a standby X0 ), but I can't keep it on for a long time because my stepdad wouldn't allow it.

MJC: My PSU is a Thermaltake Purepower 430W, and you'll hopefully find all the details here: http://www.thermaltake.com/purepower/w005152/w005152atx12v.htm

It does run fine, but if it is that, then at least I would know what it is. Thank you!

[mjc]

Number and types of drives?

Are the keyboard and mouse PS/2 or USB?

Number and type of fans? How are they connected?

[Wunderbear]

2 Harddrives, IDE. A DVD drive and a CDR Drive, and a floppy drive I don't use.

Keyboard and mouse both USB, but the keyboard has a PS-2 connector.

Two casefans, one connected to the motherboard and the other directly to the PSU. CPU fan connected to the mobo.

Hope that helps.

[saphalline]

Ahh yes, I remember you well... ;)

Bit of a problem the last time, eh? :p

Many of the symptoms you're describing sound like a mostly dead CMOS battery. That's a cheap fix, at the very least. You'll need to buy a new CR2032 button cell battery. You should be able to get one at any store that sells watch batteries, or just batteries in general. To replace it, you'll need to shut down your computer, unplug it, take out the old battery, wait 10 minutes or so, then put the new battery in, plug it back in, and fire it up. Assuming that was most of the problem, you should get a message on the screen saying that the CMOS was cleared or whatnot. Just go into the BIOS, make your changes (if any), and "Save and Exit".

See how much of this new issue is solved with a new CMOS battery.

[Wunderbear]

Okay then.

Since I am in the England, so it is currently evening. So I will go and buy a CMOS batttery tomorrow! (I am off school, awaiting college, so I have nothing to do anyway. So this I shall do!)

Hopefully that should fix it. Odd that the battery should die in such a new mobo (Less than a year old), if it is it. But I hope it is!

[saphalline]

Well, when the manufacturer packages the mobo, they put in a new battery. But how long was the mobo box sitting in a warehouse before you opened it? Oftentimes it's about 6 months. So for 6 months before you even bought your mobo, the battery was being drained. This is a common occurrence.

[Wunderbear]

Gosh. Well, hopefully it is that, and it is solveable quite easily. Thanks!

[Wunderbear]

Okay. Here's a status report;

This morning, I tried starting up the PC. It couldn't be roused, no matter how many times we reset it. So I went to the local PC hardware shoppe, and asked for a new CMOS battery. Now, the guy there thinks that it's most probably not the CMOS battery, but a faulty power supply (Which would be a kick in the teeth if it is; it's quite new, and it cost £30 as well! Tis a lot of money for me). So, because he didn't have any CMOS batteries to purchase, he gave me one hanging around the shop for me to try (Very helpful, this man is).

So I put it in, and pushed really hard on the power connectors just to be sure, and tried. And it is still working! However, it'll probably crash after or while I write this, so poo if it does.

But it's working fine at the moment! No gfx corruption or anything, and it started first time (Changed the settings in the BIOS, as well).

But the real test will come later, when I go to turn it on this evening (around morning for you, I think, so you'll already know. You basstids). Hopefully, the problem is fixed: either way, THANKS! :D

[bassman]

You basstids
I'm guessing that's a sign of addoration :confused: :D ;)

Nice call saphalline, sounds like that should be the cure. Let's hope it stays that way. Best to find a NEW battery when you can and get it in there.

Good luck

[Wunderbear]

Hmm, yes. A new battery may be required.

Starting it up earlier today after a while not on it, the PC required me to enter my BIOS details in again. Also, the computer started as soon as I plugged in the power strip it's connected to into the mains, without any touching of the power switch. It said "CMOS Checksum Bad". And it happened again just now when I started up. Is this due to the battery, or something else?

Anyway. The main problem is solved; it starts first try. I'm still getting some graphical corruption on startup on occasion; however, this is the old intermittent kind, rather than the kind that comes with the main problem. This is probably down to the power connector again; I had to remove the graphics card to get to the CMOS.

Anyway, so far, thank you a lot!

[mjc]

Ok, I'd seek out a fresh battery...the one you were given sounds like it is going flat.

This particular battery has become a rather common size, so it shouldn't be too hard to find...most shops that carry watch batteries should carry it.

[Wunderbear]

Great! Thank you very much, I'm glad it is so easily solveable. :D Will do that tomorrow then.

*sits*

*twiddles thumbs*

*Nukes things (http://forums.facepunchstudios.com/showthread.php?t=144431) *

[Wunderbear]

Ahem. Another interesting tidbit for you:

I didn't get round to getting the new CMOS battery today. I know, being a waiting-for-college layabout, I should have plenty of time, right? Wrong. My subscriber's issue of PCGamer arrived today, and I spent my day looking at that, trying to install the Prey demo off of the disk (Which never seems to work, or with the FEAR demo either: could this be down to my low hard-drive space?), and kicking people in the face with SMOD for HL2.

But anyway, something interesting; last night I decided to leave the PC's powerstrip on, instead of removing it from the mains. Today, when I turned on the PC, it booted as normal, without telling me that my CMOS is evil and that I must enter my BIOS settings again.

Any ideas why it only resets when it's not connected to the mains? Answers on a postcard, and thank you. :)

[mjc]

Flat battery...

An ATX power supply is always on, even when off..except when unplugged. I guess that whatever the default setting for 'off' on your machine is provides enough power to keep the CMOS charged when the battery can't.

At this point, since we know it is a configuration error brought on by a flat battery, either keep the machine running until you change it out or DON'T unplug it!

[Wunderbear]

Don't worry, I won't. Today I have resolved to get that battery, even if it means going out in the grey drizzle! (Which is actually a relief; Summer isn't good to me)

[Sylvander]

"Which is actually a relief; Summer isn't good to me"
Hay fever? :(

[Wunderbear]

"Which is actually a relief; Summer isn't good to me"
Hay fever? :(

No, i'm just rubbish with the summer. I don't like the heat; I prefer cold, dry climes.

[Sylvander]

I prefer it cool, or at least not hot, and don't mind rain so long as I'm not out in it. :)

The weather here in Scotland in general suits me just fine. :D

[Wunderbear]

I prefer it cool, or at least not hot, and don't mind rain so long as I'm not out in it. :)

The weather here in Scotland in general suits me just fine. :D

I agree with you about rain: nice to watch, awful to be out in. It doesn't refresh you; it makes you wet.

Scotland? You jammy git. Down here in the South, we've just had a scorcher of a Summer. Roll on Winter, fast!

[Sylvander]

It was unusually hot up here also, but it didn't last too long.

Up here the temperature is normally [on average] about 3 degrees Celcius lower than at the hottest spot in England [Windsor, where the monarch has her main residence and the RHS are based].

London may exceed even that due to the effect of the city.
All those millions of human bodies each giving off off a minimum of 100 watts each [when seated at rest].
About 500,000 kilowatts rate of heating given off by the people alone, and then you have all the equipment. :(

[Wunderbear]

Ah, it's lucky that I live on the coast. :D

[saphalline]

Hmmm... I rather enjoy being out in the rain myself. Not in a torrential downpour or hurricane, mind you, but a nice average rain. A good 10-30 minutes is quite refreshing!

The weather here is also not kind. Minnesota is smack in the middle of the continent! Very extreme temps all the time, horribly high humidity in the summer, and dry cold winters with little snow. Not much in between, and of course the weather can be whatever it wants in spring or fall. Sort of a Russian Roulette of weather here.

[Wunderbear]

Heh. At least in Britain the Winters are reliably damp and cold. Ahhhh.

Anyway, installed new CMOS battery, and hopefully my problems will go away.

One thing though; do I need to have a Floppy drive in my PC?

[mjc]

As soon as you remove it you will come across something that you absolutely NEED to have it to do...

[Budfred]

The weather here is also not kind. Minnesota is smack in the middle of the continent! Very extreme temps all the time, horribly high humidity in the summer, and dry cold winters with little snow. Not much in between, and of course the weather can be whatever it wants in spring or fall. Sort of a Russian Roulette of weather here.
But days like today make it all worthwhile!! :D

[kiosk]

I'm 95% sure that your problems are being caused by a failing power supply. A dying CMOS battery wouldn't have caused video glitches and system hangs (heck, a system will operate without a CMOS battery at all). On the other hand, voltage spikes and other noise from a dying power supply is exactly what would've caused the problems you're having. Maybe your computer intermittently refuses to start up because the PSU doesn't generate voltages which are up-to-spec, preventing the mobo from issuing a "power good" signal to the PSU?
I hope your power supply is still under warranty...

[saphalline]

It's true that a system will start up without a CMOS battery, but having a dead CMOS battery installed will corrupt the data and prevent the system from POST'ing. That's what was happening.

The PSU could be a further issue, but I suspected that the intial problems were caused by a dead CMOS battery, which seems to have been true. I don't doubt that other problems may yet exist, but getting the system to POST is a good first step! :p In any case, PSU testers are a great investment and are cheap as well. Might be a good idea to pick one up and test the PSU.

However, for graphical corruptions, I won't default to a bad PSU. There are usually so many other things that cause that, such as overheating, a bad RAM chip on the vid card, a bad vid card BIOS version, incompatibility between the mobo and vid card, bad caps on the mobo, or a merely insufficient PSU (in terms of wattage). Look up the other long thread by Wunderbear to see the history of the system. It's a long story, and not likely to be a bad PSU as of right now.

[Wunderbear]

Huh. It's been working okay, and I do hope it's not my newish 430W PSU.

Anyway, I've had it up to here with my tempermental wireless internet connection. Sometimes it'll work flawlessly, other times (such as now) it has difficulty detecting the network!

It's a Belkin Wireless network, with router and two computers (including mine). If it helps, it usually gets stuck while trying to find an ip address.

Any ideas? Or just a typical wireless?

[mjc]

Um...sounds m ore like typical Belkin to me...I am really beginning to loathe Belkins wireless routers...

[Wunderbear]

Um...sounds m ore like typical Belkin to me...I am really beginning to loathe Belkins wireless routers...

Hmph, tis true.

Luckily, in about a year or so (possibly less) my mum/stepdad will be leaving for Bulgaria, and I will be living at my dad's. The upshot is that his place uses US.Robotics stuff, and it's as fast as FECK. :D

(*dreams of lagless CSS*)

[saphalline]

You can try updating the firmware in the router if a more recent version is available. It's free, a little work, and worth a shot.

Hmmm... I haven't used Belkin in quite some time. I was not aware that these "issues" were common for them.

[mjc]

Yeah...Belkin wireless routers seem to be a bit on the 'weak' side.

Ar least to me, they seem to be more prone to dropouts, lost connections, interference and the like than most other brands. I'm not quite sure why, but the ones I've dealt with lately all seem to suffer similar fates (and it doesn't really seem to be a firmware issue, though it is worth a try).

It may have something to do with the all plastic shell that many models sport...I haven't ripped one apart to get a peek of the insides, but I'm wondering if there is any kind of shielding in them...that is how prone to stray signal/interference they seem to be.

[Wunderbear]

Well, the myriad gods of computing have been acting oddly today. If not to say BASTARDED. Yes.

After I come home, having just got my GCSE results (As and Bs, Teh Win), my stepdad helped me transfer the soft innards of my computer from my old beige case to a SHINY NEW CASE. It's black, got a perspex frontplate (ooh), and even better, THREE BLOODY CASEFANS. (two 80mm at the back, a big 120mm one at the front)

We transferred the lot successfully, shifted it back into place, and... NOTHING. Just like before, the computer started, but didn't START start.

So, we tried lots of different configurations. And then we discovered that the PC started properly only when the graphics card (Radeon 9800SE) wasn't connected up.

So, my card has died. GRAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

So now I am running my PC with my old card (the Radeon 9600SE). Which brings me to ask:

Since this is the graphics card from my fried computer, am I right in being suspicious of this card? So far, i've had no problems with it, and i've even managed to play a bit of Operation Flashpoint on it. But would I be ill-advised to stress it with high-spec games?

Which brings me to the BITTEREST irony. My birthday is in two days. Hoorah and all that. But one of my presents, for which I upgraded my RAM to 1GB for, is the system intensive wonder known as Oblivion.

All together now: POOOOOOR QUEEEEEEE?!?!?!

EDIT: On the upside, after two hours my CPU temp reads 37C. :D So I don't have to worry about my system also melting.

(As long as this dastardly graphics card doesn't break it, that is)

[saphalline]

Oh man!! So now you have a game that you can't play?? :eek: Ouch!! Man, I'm so sorry...

That 9800 SE should still be under warranty, so I would start that process with the manufacturer right away. If all goes well, you should have a replacement in your hands within 2-3 weeks.

As for your current 9600 SE, I don't foresee a problem with it. Virtually all of your hardware has since been swapped out, and thus any problems have been removed. If it's working fine so far, it should be fine to use.

The issue with the vid card is interesting, though. It was working fine before the case swap. Unless a tiny ceramic capacitor got broken off during the case swap, or it got statically shocked, I don't see any reason why it shouldn't still work. Have you tried resetting the mobo BIOS? Cleaning the contacts? Reseating the vid card a few times? If this 9800 SE requires a power connector from the PSU, have you tried using a different plug from a different wire?

[Wunderbear]

Oh man!! So now you have a game that you can't play?? :eek: Ouch!! Man, I'm so sorry...

That 9800 SE should still be under warranty, so I would start that process with the manufacturer right away. If all goes well, you should have a replacement in your hands within 2-3 weeks.

As for your current 9600 SE, I don't foresee a problem with it. Virtually all of your hardware has since been swapped out, and thus any problems have been removed. If it's working fine so far, it should be fine to use.

The issue with the vid card is interesting, though. It was working fine before the case swap. Unless a tiny ceramic capacitor got broken off during the case swap, or it got statically shocked, I don't see any reason why it shouldn't still work. Have you tried resetting the mobo BIOS? Cleaning the contacts? Reseating the vid card a few times? If this 9800 SE requires a power connector from the PSU, have you tried using a different plug from a different wire?

You'd think that'd be the case, right? Well, I talked to my dad (the one who got said card) and it turns out they got it from eBay. *Graagh*

Well, I reckon now that the card is probably safe. It's been so long and I haven't got the "INSANE LINES OF PIXELLY DEATH" yet. I got my processor, RAM, HDDs and disc drives from the other PC, so this should be fine.

When we figured out that it was the gfx card, my stepdad asked "What's the AGP aperture set to?" I currently have it set to 128M, but he said I should set it to half that. Would that do anything?
And as to the power connector, even if the card is just connected by the AGP slot (so no power connector) it still refuses to start.
It could be the power connector, though; It's always been a trial getting the connector to click into the slot.

I may try it out again tomorrow, if anything I've said hasn't any relation. But if it's fecked, then i'll just have to get another. *sigh* (luckily, with my EMA payments coming as I start college, with £30 a week it should be too hard :D)

What would you think of this one? LINKY (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?SAP-X1600P)

It's going to be a pisser not being able to play the game (I'll try it anyway, to see how slow it actually runs), but at least I don't have to worry on one front:

CPU TEMP (After almost four hours): 38C. :D

[saphalline]

eBay? Well sh*t! That's why you should never buy hardware on eBay when you can get it for a decent price online new in the box! If it had been a new retail box to begin with, you'd have a 3-year warranty at least! Geez, one piece of bad luck after another...

The AGP aperture setting won't make a lick of difference when the system is trying to POST. The BIOS can set those things, but the AGP aperture has no bearing at all inside the BIOS itself, which is what the system is trying to run upon starting. It's a good trouble-shooting setting for Windows, but not when booting. Sorry.

If you're on a budget but still want decent gaming performance, then you're in luck! NVidia has their GeForce 7600 GS (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?XFX-76GS5A). A bit more than the one you picked out, but ultimately about 50-100% more powerful, depending on the game. Still pretty cheap, too. Under £100.

Well, if you turn everything down to the minimum, you might get it to be playable. Just barely. But keep in mind that with a low draw distance, you'll be in danger of your enemies seeing you before you see them. :(

[Wunderbear]

eBay? Well sh*t! That's why you should never buy hardware on eBay when you can get it for a decent price online new in the box! If it had been a new retail box to begin with, you'd have a 3-year warranty at least! Geez, one piece of bad luck after another...

The AGP aperture setting won't make a lick of difference when the system is trying to POST. The BIOS can set those things, but the AGP aperture has no bearing at all inside the BIOS itself, which is what the system is trying to run upon starting. It's a good trouble-shooting setting for Windows, but not when booting. Sorry.

If you're on a budget but still want decent gaming performance, then you're in luck! NVidia has their GeForce 7600 GS (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?XFX-76GS5A). A bit more than the one you picked out, but ultimately about 50-100% more powerful, depending on the game. Still pretty cheap, too. Under £100.

Well, if you turn everything down to the minimum, you might get it to be playable. Just barely. But keep in mind that with a low draw distance, you'll be in danger of your enemies seeing you before you see them. :(

Well, I didn't buy it, which is a pity (Although in reality it isn't, since I didn't waste my money). But anyway.

I didn't think that the AGP aperture setting would do much good. It's only effective when the computer can start. ¬_¬

Interesting looking graphics card there. I usually go for Ati cards, but i'll consider this. It'll still be a while before I can get it, but that just means I have more time to choose.

And concerning Oblivion, I did run a sys-lab test to see what that thought of my computer. It said that i'm above the minimum specs, but fall short of the recommended specs with my processor and graphics card. Yet I remain cautiously optimistic.
If it would make any difference, I will probably be running it at 800x600.

Thanks so far. Let us only hope.

[saphalline]

I wouldn't recommend 800 x 600. My old Radeon 9700 Pro was much more powerful than your 9600 SE, and it was barely able to run at 800 x 600 with decent draw distances and the grass turned off completely. We're talking frame rates averaging 25 outdoors and 20 in the cities. I'd recommend shooting for 640 x 480 unless you want to watch a slide-show.

[Wunderbear]

I wouldn't recommend 800 x 600. My old Radeon 9700 Pro was much more powerful than your 9600 SE, and it was barely able to run at 800 x 600 with decent draw distances and the grass turned off completely. We're talking frame rates averaging 25 outdoors and 20 in the cities. I'd recommend shooting for 640 x 480 unless you want to watch a slide-show.

Ooh. (I seem immune to low framerates - I've gotten used to 10 or lower. 20 is good!)

Well, the 9600SE is working fine as it goes. I tried CSS's HDR map Militia, and it runs okay, if jerky.

However, I am very lucky. My parents, pleased at my high GCSE results (As and Bs, two A*s and one C), as well as considering my birthday (tomorrow :D) have decided to get me a graphics card.

I talked it over with my stepdad, and we decided on this one (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?C3D-X16P5). I thank you warmly for your recommendation, but I just seem to prefer Ati cards to Nvidia. Plus, this one was less painful on the wallet (We aren't a rich family, you know).

Feel obliged now to tell me that this card is rubbish, it won't work with my system, etc. I want to know what you think. (It's still academic; my parents are probably buying it around now)

[saphalline]

Well, it is cheaper, so I guess I can't blame you. Or your parents. I know how money issues can get in the way of upgrading, too. :rolleyes: While it's not necessarily the vid card I would have chosen, it will nevertheless be an upgrade over that pathetic 9600 SE you have now. Should provide quite the frame rate boost in Oblivion, in addition to the SM 3.0 support.

Just remember - in Oblivion, it's better to turn up the draw distances than the resolution. Being able to see your enemies from far away is much better than seeing them at a higher resolution standing over your character's dead body. ;) I recently upgraded to two OC'ed 6600 GT's in SLI and I still play at 800 x 600. I've got the draw distances cranked up higher, and I still get better frame rates than my old 9700 Pro (now around 35 fps in the cities and 45 outdoors).

I'm a frame rate junkie myself, though. Choppy graphics distract me from my gaming mindset. Breaks the illusion. I'm no longer playing a game, but thinking about bottlenecks and system performance. I start examining the scene, estimating the polygon count, accounting for HSR and shadow Z-tests, determining which vertices and surfaces are shader-accelerated, etc. Breaks the whole illusion for me because at that point I'm in system performance mode, not gaming mode. So if I can't get 45 fps or higher, I can't ever be happy while playing the game because I know it will dip below 30 fps in an intense battle. It's probably just me, though. Most people I know aren't bothered by low frame rates. I hate 'em!

[Wunderbear]

I can understnad that, of course. I'm very intolerant of frame-rates below 10. :D

Anyway, the card is here (woo for closeness to Novatech), installed, and is working like a DREAM. Tried the Prey demo with it, the game auto-detected and put the res at 1024x768 with almost all features maxed. (except AA, which I can live without)

Currently installing Oblivion, and I will hopefully enjoy it really muchly now. Happy birthday to me! :D

[saphalline]

Actually, with the latest vid cards, you get low-end AA for free. Go ahead and try it. Play a game without AA. Then set it to 2x AA and play it again. Try 4x AA. See how it runs.

Anti-aliasing used to be a huge power draw on vid cards, but the latest GPU's and VPU's have optimized it to the point where no AA and 2x AA perform identically. On the more powerful vid cards, you get 4x AA for free. Try it and see for yourself.

[Wunderbear]

Oh, okay then!

Oblivion runs well. I played it at 1024x768 for a while, then changed it to 800x600 and it was such an improvement! Then I got some graphics corruption (speckles whenever looking at the shimmery Oblivion gate), but that was solved by installing the latest catalyst drivers. :D

It's on high settings, and I love it. I'll try the AA, though.



What's your character? Mine's a nord, called Fnigorath (or something like that). I'm based on bashing things; in fact, as of late I've got my own custom-enchanted dremora mace called the Mace of Bashing (Sigil stones rock :D). It glows RED. I'm trying to do my own thing, but darn it the main quest is compelling.



Something odd, though; just before I start up and go to the logon screen, there's a flash of static-like pixel artefacting. Nothing else happens. Odd, no?

*goes off to bash, bash, BASH*

[saphalline]

I've noticed some odd display behavior with some vid cards on start-up, sometimes even during the POST screens. It's not tied to any particular chipset or manufacturer - it seems to be random. My guess is that it's a vid card BIOS issue, but I've never bothered to pursue it since there are no other "problems" elsewhere. But yes, I've seen that before.

Oblivion is probably going to remain the most system-punishing game until Crysis comes out. Even FEAR and FarCry cannot compete with some of the power-hungry scenes in Oblivion. Add to that the fact that Oblivion is so advanced that it works with multi-core CPU's out-of-the-box! My friend Orion has a dual-core A64 X2, and both of his cores are maxed-out when he plays Oblivion! Crysis is the only game that can de-throne Oblivion in this sense. So I'm sure you'll understand when I say that you need to spend $250-300 on your vid card alone in order to comfortably play this game at 1024 x 768. ;)

I experiment with many characters. I haven't even finished the game yet - I just keep trying new angles on playing it. :p In fact, I rarely finish games. I just end up starting them a million times! To me, replayability is far more important than a satisfying ending. In fact, I've created a mod full of various items for the sole purpose of experimenting with different characters. My first character was a Redguard warrior skilled with blades and shields. I also like playing as an archer because of the sheer skill involved with real-time aiming. Stealth characters in Oblivion also offer a sense of satisfaction far beyond most multi-dimensional games of this class. Mages are by far the toughest to play in the beginning, but become potentially devastating past level 15. My favorite combo is Mysticism + Conjuration. There's nothing like walking around a cave, turning yourself invisible, and then watching the shocked denizens scramble to fight a ghost that has suddenly appeared in front of them! :D The only downside is that dispatching enemies ultimately takes longer with pure mage characters, so having one that can also wield a normal weapon (preferably bows) is often handy during those escort missions.

Regardless of the type of character you play, I find that the one major skill that is useful no matter what is Restoration. You cannot play Oblivion without killing things. And going into battle means that you will also get hurt at some point. Therefore healing yourself is common to all characters. Since major skills raise in level faster, I never build a character without Restoration anymore.

[Wunderbear]

I do understand that surprisingly, my computer will never be the best. I will just have to accept the position of AWESOME. ¬_¬

Anyway. A mage with weapons, you say? You mean... A BATTLEMAGE?

I'm currently striving to become one of these, despite having little magical talent (and being the "knight" class). I've gone through almost all of the mage guild recommendation quests, without having to resort to using much magic. (I find that my akiviri katana works just as well)
In fact, the hardest part of becoming a battlemage, and something I haven't accomplished yet, is finding one of those neat hoods they wear! I have looked in many shops, but cannot find one...

(Hopefully, once i've accessed the Arcane University, and got me some more funds, I can train up in my magic skills. Probably mainly destruction. :D)

[mjc]

Wunderbear....you sound an awful lot like my son. If I didn't know any better...

Destruction...yeah...that's him. Any game he plays, he goes for the most destructive race/class...I wonder are there any games where you can be a giant/half giant beserker?

[Wunderbear]

Wunderbear....you sound an awful lot like my son. If I didn't know any better...

Destruction...yeah...that's him. Any game he plays, he goes for the most destructive race/class...I wonder are there any games where you can be a giant/half giant beserker?

...And if you weren't on the wrong continent. :D

I kind of decided to be a battlemage after I saw one standing outside the Arcane University. It was a kind of "I want to be HIM when I grow up", but more kind of "I want one of those neato hoods! I wonder if I can train in magic?"

[saphalline]

I usually find the hoods by killing another battlemage... :p Otherwise, I put an enchanted one in my mod. You could make a mod that contains normal hoods if you wanted.

[Wunderbear]

I usually find the hoods by killing another battlemage... :p Otherwise, I put an enchanted one in my mod. You could make a mod that contains normal hoods if you wanted.

Nope, I found them. In Rindir's Staffs, oddly.

[saphalline]

That is odd. I think you have to go there for a quest, but I've never actually shopped there. There's a lot of places I haven't been, actually... It's a BIG game!

One more thing. Be sure to download the bandit helmet mod. Puts helmets on the bandits and other bad guys. Makes for a more realistic environment and it adds to your loot when you kill them! :D I love that mod!

[Wunderbear]

That is odd. I think you have to go there for a quest, but I've never actually shopped there. There's a lot of places I haven't been, actually... It's a BIG game!

One more thing. Be sure to download the bandit helmet mod. Puts helmets on the bandits and other bad guys. Makes for a more realistic environment and it adds to your loot when you kill them! :D I love that mod!

Even better; look for the Rare Items mod. This basically means that stuff like daedric, glass, dwemer etc. stuff becomes rarer to find, and what's more, you don't get bandits wearing sets of such armour.

Now all I need is a mod that levels up quest rewards... (I'm at level 3 at the moment; some of the rewards I have are a bit weedy)

[saphalline]

Nah, I just made my own mod for that stuff. Good stuff. Enchanted. Very enchanted! ;) I don't need any more loot. I cheated! :D

[Wunderbear]

Nah, I just made my own mod for that stuff. Good stuff. Enchanted. Very enchanted! ;) I don't need any more loot. I cheated! :D

ZOMGHAX

One thing that I dislike about Oblivion is that the magical weapons don't recharge automatically, not even the MAGIC STAFFS. I mean, I don't have 800 gold to recharge my mace of bashing! Hmph.

[Wunderbear]

BAH!

Been playing IL2 Sturmovik (complete edition: FB+AE+PF), but occasionally the computer restarts while i'm playing. I have no idea why. Microsoft brings up this:

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/response.aspx?SGD=edda8fb3-bf99-4ae7-afb6-b3d2a29162b0&SID=10

Now it says it's a driver problem. How would I diagnose this? Thank you.

[saphalline]

Dangit... I hate driver problems.

Ok, go through all your drivers. What drivers did you install for which devices, and where did you get the drivers?

[Wunderbear]

Dangit... I hate driver problems.

Ok, go through all your drivers. What drivers did you install for which devices, and where did you get the drivers?

Hmmm, let's see.

Motherboard drivers; from the disk that came with it. Not sure what, but I think it's an Nvidia(?) mobo.

Graphics card: from the disk, then updated to the latest Catalyst drivers.

Sound card; disk, then some new ones from current website (C-Media)

Belkin network adapter: Disk.

Any help? Should I update any "old" drivers like mobo and network adapter?

[Wunderbear]

Ah, bugger.

I've been having a problem with my internet the last couple of days. Either it's been laggy, or it's not been working at all. And I think me and my stepdad may have found out why: the digibox.

We get our broadband from NTL, a tv/phone/internet provider. It's part of a special deal, in that if we have NTL digital tv, we can have the broadband too. The broadband's routed through the tv's digibox (the box that handles the digital tv)

Just now, stepdad called me downstairs, just after the internet had gone down. The digibox led display was flickering and sputtering. Now it's settled down, but the internet's still being poo.

So, I'm assuming that this is either caused by weather (which I don't think so, it would had to have lasted four days for this) or the digibox dying. Basically meaning: Buggeration. :(

[mjc]

Can you bypass the box?

That would be the easiest way of checking out whether or not the box is the problem.

[Sylvander]

I probably have the same arrangement as you, but from Telewest [of NTL/Telewest].
With my arrangement there are two cables coming into the house:
1. Cable [thick co-axial].
This supplies both the broadband and the set-top-box for the TV.
There's a splitter or junction box just after the cable comes through the outside wall; one cable goes to the PC, the other to the set-top-box, and thence to the TV.
The signals for broadband and TV are separate, but carried [from the Telewest server to my house] on the same cable [don't know how that works (carrier waves? Nope, that's Analog)].
I have a separate "digibox" that picks up "through-the-air" signals and sends them to "AV1" input socket on the back of my TV.
The "AV2" input socket recieves signals from my video recorder output, which in turn has inputs from the cable set-top-box and a DVD player [would have put the digi-box there too, but had to do it the other way].
I'm still trying to figure how to juggle all the signals and do various things...
Like record from the digi-box to the video tape recorder whilst watching cable.

2. Telephone [thin telephone cable].

I seldom have any trouble with the broadband internet, and if I do, usually the Blueyonder [FREE] telephone technical support people will give me the necessary advice to get it fixed PDQ.
They can and do look [using their computer at their end] at what my broadband modem is doing and tell me whether that's ok or not.
And they're never in a rush; they take as long as it takes to get it fixed.

Does NTL supply a free helpline?

[Wunderbear]

Possibly, i'll have to check.