130 replies to this topic

[Ron.M]

Dear People:...I'm back...This post is just to update you....

A little over one week ago my "new" GX280 crashed....I got over a period of several days 5 BSOD's....
I can see tallin doing this==> ...Not really....PLEASE don't be offended , tallin, it's meant as a joke....
Anyway , I emailed the seller & they shipped out another unit pronto....Got it 2 days ago (Fri)
This one seems better than the first....Just a gut feeling.....I've copied IE-7 & Avast! from the older Dell to a CD & installed on this one......
Most of the videos thru email links etc ,are working much better....YouTube is STILL a problem....I've given up on YouTube.....Web pages etc seem to be loading faster.....
BTW:....There is a gizmo that you can buy that you hook up to your old hard drive & plug into a USB Port to transfer data / files / programs to the new one.....So they say....It's not expensive ($19.97)....
I've ordered it......I'll give it a test run & let you know how well it works......IF it does what they say it does , that'll save a whole bunch of CD's & time transfering everything.....

That's it for now, short & sweet....

My heartfelt THANKS to ALL for ALL your help....I hope you've had a GREAT Holiday weekend.... ..........

[Doug]

Hi Ron.M

Please use more technically correct terms such as "thingie" or "whatchamacallit".
"GIZMO" is only recognized by techs with specific types of backgrounds. (we won't go into what type of background)
Tallin, of course prefers: "thingie" while Ztruker is attempting to educate us all in the proper use of the tech term "whatchamacallit".

When all is said and done, I imagine you are referring to items such as appearing on this link:
http://www.newegg.co.......p;x=19&y=34

IDE-USB adapter ?

If you are in fact considering an adapter cable, perhaps you migt be willing to consider a little more money for an External Enclosure.
The adapter cable will have utility for this one single task you wish to achieve.
An external enclosure may benefit you by providing more permanent use of additional external data sotrage space for drive image backups or just copy/paste saving of media and infrequently used files.
http://www.newegg.co.....0HD enclosure

Even if you have to return the Hard Drive to the Seller, you would be able to use Hard Drives salvaged from other machines you may own, to be used for additional external storage.

Sounds good about the new replacement machine.
Thanks for the update and the chuckle.

[Abydos]

Hi again Ron Long time no see, hehe Good to hear that the new one works better for you. However, part of the goal was to make you able to watch Youtube videos... Now, I got only a single question. Are you able to see them at all? I mean, does it just take very long time, with buffering, etc. etc. Because, if so, I can test a video accelerator program for you. I have no knowledge of it personally, but I am willing to test it for you, if you want. It might be a solution, when you don't have cable connection. Give a tell, and I'll get on it as soon as possible in case of a yes If it doesn't live up to what it says it does, you've lost nothing, and I will be one lesson richer Happy Easter Ron Cheers

Edited by Abydos, 12 April 2009 - 07:18 PM.

[Ron.M]

Hey , Howdy there , Abydos & Doug:......It's been awhile....

1st :..Doug:....
"thingie" is one of David Letterman's favorite words....... ......Maybe...

What I want to do is get all the data / files / programs off the older Dell hard drive & on the "new" Dell hard drive , so I can clear everything off the older one & re-install WinXP Pro with NO remnants left behind & possibly sell it....So an enclosure is not an option....

When all is said and done, I imagine you are referring to items such as appearing on this link:
http://www.newegg.co.......p;x=19&y=34

^^The product in the above link appears to be very similar to the one I've attached below....

Even if you have to return the Hard Drive to the Seller, you would be able to use Hard Drives salvaged from other machines you may own, to be used for additional external storage.

..1st...I have to return the entire computer to the seller....2nd...I have a couple of salvaged hard drives , but they only have about 10GB's or less.......Mostly less....& with 40GB's on the "new" one , that should hold me for quite awhile....The older Dell has 20GB's & I only used about 6GB's of it....I'm not a gamer or save movies etc , so I don't need a lot......

Doug:...THANK you VERY much for the info....

2nd Abydos:.....In reply:

Are you able to see them at all? I mean, does it just take very long time, with buffering,
etc. etc.

NO....They start to play then stop after a second or less , then start , then stop,etc.......
I see little jerky fragraments then it'll quit.......

Because, if so, I can test a video accelerator program for you. I have no knowledge of it
personally, but I am willing to test it for you, if you want. It might be a solution, when you
don't have cable connection. Give a tell, and I'll get on it as soon as possible in case of
a yes If it doesn't live up to what it says it does, you've lost nothing, and I will be one
lesson richer.

You got a BIG YES on that.....I don't know if it'll work or not due to the fact I'm on dial-up with data transfer of about 5~7KB's per second....But I'm certainly willing to give it a shot.....
Abydos: THANK you also VERY much for the info ...


Nighty nite folks , time for me to be a "couch potato"
I'll see ya later.....


HAPPY EASTER to you both...

[Abydos]

Hi Ron

I have now tested the video accelerator, SpeedBit. Please read the whole text before installing.

Download site: http://www.softsea.com/review/SpeedBit-Vid...or-YouTube.html

Now, firstly I have to say that I didn't feel a difference, but I hardly don't need a accelerator with my connection (18Mbit cable line) So what I primarily looked and tested for, were how my PC behaved. This program I tested on a older machine I have, a Pentium4 1700MhZ / Overclocked to 2000MhZ 1GB of RAM, running Windows XP Home. So it would be more compareable to your system.

During the installation, I have only two notions.

Remember to uncheck : The Free SpeedBit Toolbar

No need for it, as it doesn't help video acceleration, and doesn't bring features one needs. Its common place nowadays that some freeware comes bundled with toolbars, in order to stay free. Luckily, this program have a opt-out, which isn't always the case with other programs. Further at the installation, it will ask if one want to use the free or paid version.The free version is checked as default, if one chooses free version on the download page, so it is just to press next. You have no need for the paid version.


The program does alter a few registry keys, but nothing harmful. It is malware free to my knowledge, and I haven't experienced any adverse effects. It didn't slow anything down, altered nothing, other than adding itself to the start-up list. Which is easily removed in the program settings. You can then start up the program from the "all programs" list in the start menu, instead, when you need it.

When started, it will place a Icon in the tray menu down by the clock. Double-clicking this Icon will bring up a small menu from Speedbit. With a search field, a handful of video sites. Scrolling to the bottom of this list, you get the option of searching more video sites. Clicking this option, will take you to the Speedbit page, where you can select more video-sites. I found nothing harmful on that site.

Ok. So far so good. Since this was tested on my system, were I experienced no adverse effects, the same might not hold true on yours. So before the install, it would be wise to make a System Restore point. If anything is not to your liking, it is easy to reverse the install and go back to just before you installed it.

How to use System Restore

If you have any questions Ron, I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Hopefully this software will make you able to watch those Youtube Videos, otherwise we'll find another solution

Good luck with it!

Regards

[Ron.M]

Abydos:
Thanks for that VERY informative reply... ....I'm downloading the program as I type this post.....It's 3.3MB so it's going to take awhile....Transfer rate is at about 3KB per second....Very slow...After it's done I'll install it later tonite & try it out tonite or tommorrow...Have dinner & chores to attend to....

FYI:...My Hotmail account is NOT working.....A problem with IE-7 , I think....I've tried to contact both Hotmail & Microsoft about it.....Hotmail has a "Solution Center" that does not have ANY solution for me....Microsoft wants $60.00 for help... ....Their online chat is bogus.....I have the problem on both of my Dell's...So I just login here periodically.....I intend to start a new thread here later to see if anyone can help.......I have FireFox on the other Dell & it works.....BUT it loads SOooo SLoooowly....... ...

That'll do it for now......

Abydos: THANK you VERY much for your help.... .....I'll keep you posted with the results.....Ron......

[Abydos]

Your welcome Ron. And you just post your problem with the IE7 issues, I'm confident we can find a cure for that. Maybe give your FireFox a overhaul as well. FireFox does have a addon you could benefit from greatly with regards to download speed, but more on that if you decide to fix FireFox. 'Til then Regards

[Ron.M]

Abydos: ....A lot of people (especially Ztruker) are thrilled with FireFox....However on my Dell it loads pages on any website very slow....When we get past this (The YouTube) problem , we'll tackle that one next with the IE-7....I'm OK with using FireFox.....

Later.....

[Abydos]

Later Ron

[Ron.M]

Abydos: ....
Sorry about the delay getting back to you all.....I had to work Thurs til 8:00 PM & then get up at 5:00 AM today....
All the info below pertains to the "new' Dell only as it responded differently than the "old" Dell...

The "new" Dell would load only 3 seconds of jerky video , then freeze....No more,nada,zip....

The link you gave me was for SpeedBit version 2.2.4.9
I downloaded that & installed it....I went to YouTube & it wouldn't "connect"....I went to their website (SpeedBit) & somewhere I found a way to contact them....Here is their reply in full....

Dear User,

Thank you for taking the time to send us this feedback, your attention and support is highly appreciated.

Please advise what is the exact version of Windows OS you are using? (Right click on the "Computer" icon =>"Properties") Is it 32 bit or 64bit version?

We would like to recommend you to uninstall your installed SpeedBit Video Accelrator version and proceed with the following steps:

1. REBOOT your PC

2. Download the new SpeedBit Video Accelerator Beta 3.0.1.2 from www.videoaccelerator.com/beta

3. Execute SpeedBit Video Accelerator's setup and restart your computer

Then, please try to use SpeedBit Video Accelerator again and advise whether you have succeeded.

If not please kindly navigate C:\Program Files\SpeedBit Video Accelerator (for Windows XP) or C:\Users\YOUR USER ACCOUNT NAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\SpeedBit Video Accelerator (for Windows Vista)then please find and send us the zip file: VALspCommTest.zip

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,
SpeedBit Video Accelerator team.
http://www.videoaccelerator.com

I followed their instructions & I downloaded the new version & with some experimentation , it works !!
But (<=there's always one of them) , not quite the way you'd think or expect....
First ,(at YouTube) I learned that I MUST let the video load FULLY BEFORE I play it or it disappears & I have to reload it....If I do that , it plays fine...
The only drawback here is that it took 20+ minutes to load a clip that plays for 2 mins & 51 secs....
I can live with that....Reason is that I'm on dial-up with a data transfer of 5~7 KBps....
I think that "Ztruker" said something about that in one of my threads...
And even those small clips are big on data.....But (<=another one) at least I can watch them.....

Abydos: THANK you VERY much for your help...

Later....

[Abydos]

Hi again Ron Sounds good you're able to watch them now Altho, 20+ minutes? Yikes. Better pray that better connections soon will come to your corner of the world. In the meantime, I guess you have to be very selective about what videos to watch But I guess as long as you are ok with it, it is ok. Maybe its just all the rest of us being spoiled You know where to find us, if you need anything Regards

Edited by Abydos, 17 April 2009 - 07:48 PM.