Computer issues, Viruses, trojans, crashes, install problems etc Options

[macole]

Don't ya just love the auto updates? Best of luck with the getting it fixed quickly.

[Lena Wolf]

I spent most of the day tracking down a fix... in particular a fix that would work for both Oblivion and Two World II - both are old games, with their own quirks. Two Worlds II was showing a black screen, while Oblivion couldn't load any of my saves or start a new game - Engine Bug Fixes mod (a DLL) was responsible. Except that of course I've had this mod in there for months!!

The solution was simple - and should have been obvious from the start, but of course I started with unloading some of my nearly 200 mods, starting, cursing, unloading some more, then the DLLs, more cursing... <sigh> Anyway, I finally went to the NVIDIA website and downloaded the latest drivers for my card. Problem solved - for both games, and with improved performace too. Until the next Windows update, at least. Which is what? Oh, weekly.

[Acadian]

Lena, so glad you got things sorted out!

For what its worth, I have NVIDIA GeForce Experience on my puter and it lets me know every time Nvidia puts out an update for my graphics card and makes keeping the card updated very easy.

[Lena Wolf]

Thanks, Acadian! That program came bundled with the drivers, so I've got it too now. Haven't looked into it in detail yet, but noticed that it doesn't optimise for Oblivion or Two Worlds 2 - too old, I guess. It does optimise for Skyrim, both LE and SE, too bad I don't play it. Still, they had tips on manual optimisation, and after twisting a few settings in NVIDIA Control Panel, I got a bit of a performance improvement on both games. Nothing overly dramatic, but still nice. But indeed I shall look into that notification about updates since Windows is likely to mess things up again. Now why would I ever say that?

I've got a GeForce 720, by the way. Quite a low end card, but then again, it's a low end PC!

[mirocu]

Just updated my least frequently updated memory stick.


This update includes the most recent saves from Fallout 3, Oblivion and SimCity 3000. Pictures taken in 2021 were also copied over. Last update was from 2021-05-16 so it was due!

[Renee]

So hello everyone.

So the hard drive in one of my computers went kaput. Not my gaming computer, but the main one I write stories with, and so it's time for a new drive. I already blew a hundred bucks on diagnosis, now I feel like I can repair my computer myself. All I'll need to do is find a new drive (I hope) from Newegg. I've bought a couple components from them in the past, I've even been able to find the exact parts I've needed from them in the past.

Here are my questions. Feel free to answer any, or all.

1). Assuming I manage to find the exact hard drive, which is a Seagate Barracuda, 1tb, 7,200 RPM (and so on) could I then literally just install this drive in place, hook it up to the motherboard, and that's all? Or would there maybe be more steps? (which for me means more confusion?)

2). If I don't manage to find the exact hard drive, let's say all I can locate is a drive which is a newer model, again, could I just hook this drive up, and voila? Or are there typically more steps?

See, I am asking question 2 because that computer is 10 years old. I assume Seagate might not make that exact drive anymore.


3). Is the windows version = to whatever drive is installed? In other words, my computer is Windows 8. Would it still be Windows 8 with a brand new drive? Or is the OS stored in some other section of the computer?

I have a couple other Q's but that's enough for now.

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 16 2022, 12:23 AM

[Lena Wolf]

Oh Renee - I am sorry to hear the bad news!

Did your computer have two hard drives? No? I am assuming that no. And is that old drive really broken? Can you still boot from it or is it just gone? Because you see, Windows was installed on that hard drive, and the new one will be blank - empty - nothing on it. No Windows, nothing else. Unless you buy one that is pre-installed, I think some companies sell them, but it will be a lot more expensive than just the drive - you will need to pay for a new license of Windows, and there it will not be Windows 8 but you can typically choose between Windows 7 and Windows 10 (at least over here).

So, unless something different is going on and I misunderstood, you will have no OS at all!

But the good news is that you don't need the exact same model of the drive, that's not important. However, the new drive must have the same socket, the same dimensions, the same mounting bracket (unless it comes with one or fits into your space), the same power consumption rating... err... yeah, the same model would be the easiest thing!

[SubRosa]

You do not need the exact same make and model. The main thing to look for in your new drive is to make sure it is the same type. By that I mean if your old drive was a SATA drive, or the older parallel ATA type. You can tell by the connectors. https://www.datalab247.com/articles/desktop-connectors.html.

Simplest way is to find the same kind of drive, then you can indeed just pull the old one out, put the new one in the same place, and reconnect the old cables to it.

If you cannot find the same type it gets tricker. Most likely this would be because the old one is a PATA drive and you cannot find any new ones, so you have to replace it with a SATA. Make sure you have the SATA connectors on your motherboard for power and data before you change from a PATA to SATA drive.


Is this your old drive? Look for the number ST1000DM010 to make sure.


Of course as Lena noted, if you only have one drive, then you are going to need to be ready to reinstall windows when you swap drives. Same if windows is on the bad drive.

If windows is not on the bad drive, then no worries. You only (usually, some people set up different copies for dual boots) have one copy of windows on a computer, no matter how many drives. You will probably just have to partition and format the new drive before you can use it. Exactly how depends on what version of windows you have. It is not really difficult however.

[Acadian]

My advice:

1. Summon SubRosa. Check/done.

2. Don't be afraid of Windows 10 - it works fine.

[Renee]

Ah, you all are so kind. I love Chorrol. Thing is, I can take my box to a shop. That's another two hundred at least right there, and that's if I'm lucky. I can do Google or Bing searches, which means hours go by. And I still might wind up like this this: I can ask our I.T. guy here at work. This guy retrieved a password for me a couple months ago. It was like magic! I was seriously stumped. But if I ask him hardware stuff, I start hearing a lot of "Um, I think so", "Um, have you tried Google?"

It's so much easier to just ask a question here, and get some good answers.

But first... coffee. Ahh..

Lena: I think it only has one. There's a D drive, but it's always been empty, and now that I've looked in the box, I know why. There's nothing there! I can see the cable which goes to my C drive, and it continues down to an empty slot, but the second connection has nothing attached. Yikes. I always wondered why D seems to have nothing there.

And WHOA... so Windows is on C drive!! See, it's good I asked here first. I was wondering why the drives I was seeing online are so cheap. As you've noted, it's because they are blank. I'm pretty sure when I bought my computer in 2013, it came with Win8 pre-installed. That answers a whole nother set of questions.

-------

Rosa: I brought the drive to work, so I can see it is definitely SATA. And that Seagate is close. The number on mine is ST1000DM003.

Hmm, I am assuming an install of Windows would cost extra money, right? Or is that simply free from the internet? I went on the Microsoft site last night and Windows 8.1 seems to be free (probably because it's old).

----------

Acadian: I don't mind Windows 10 on my auxiliary computer, but there's no way it's going on my gaming rig! Not after reading hundreds of horror stories (plenty from you all) on how games suddenly stop working!


All: I wonder if I should just buy a new computer? $500 from Walmart, done. Because literally, there was nothing wrong with this one a couple weeks ago. I mean yeah, I can replace the drive in this one, it's actually pretty easy. But then what else might go wrong? You know? Maybe the power unit fails? Maybe the motherboard? Next thing I know, I've actually spent more than $500 over the next few months/weeks/days...

Thanks you all.

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 16 2022, 02:20 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Renee, I think that buying a new computer will be a lot easier. Also I would be very weary of free versions of Windows - many are pirated, and you don't want that (although stuff from the Microsoft site should be ok). When you buy a new PC with Windows pre-installed, it is not only a matter of the hard drive - Windows checks what other components the PC has got and installs the correct drivers for your particular configuration. So you cannot just rip a working drive out of another computer and stick it into yours and expect everything to work properly.

If you download a version of Windows onto another computer, how do you plan to get it onto your blank hard drive? You will need to burn a CDROM first, or do some other magic to get your PC with a blank hard drive to boot. Because it won't boot while empty of course! Which is why people go to a shop and buy a Windows CDROM so that they could install Windows on a blank hard drive. And that isn't cheap.

Regarding your D: drive... It could have been a virtual one, not an actual physical drive. In fact, I don't think that a disconnected cable would show as an empty drive, not even on Windows. That is, your original drive could have been partitioned - divided up - into two parts, C: and D:, but they would both have been on the same physical drive. C: is usually meant for software - Windows and your various applications, while D: is meant for your own data. The idea here is that if your Windows gets corrupted, you can reinstall it, but your data on D: drive would still be safe. Of course when your physical drive breaks down, both C: and D: are affected if they are on the same drive! Which is why many people install a second hard drive so that their D: is located on a different physical drive.

Well, whatever you decide to do... Good luck!

[Renee]

I think so too. Holy Jahovey. I am looking at desktop computer prices, my gosh they seem to have come way down over the past 9 years. I'm seeing plenty of reputable brands, with Windows 10, with Wifi, with way more RAM than I need to write stories / watch videos, all for less than $300. That seems crazy, but the brand-names are there. HP, Lenovo, Asus, whatever. If I add a new monitor, now we're up to $500, which is what I paid 9 years ago for my current, kaput desktop.

I did not know such a thing as a virtual drive exists! How is that possible?

And then thing things you've noted about needing to install Windows from scratch just sounds way over my head.

Yeah, I'm about 90% sure I'm going over to a nearby department store after work and

C: is usually meant for software - Windows and your various applications, while D: is meant for your own data. The idea here is that if your Windows gets corrupted, you can reinstall it, but your data on D: drive would still be safe. Of course when your physical drive breaks down, both C: and D: are affected if they are on the same drive! Which is why many people install a second hard drive so that their D: is located on a different physical drive.

Okay I see now. So it wouldn't even matter if I'd copied data from C to D... not if the physical drive is affected, and it is. It smells kinda "burnt".

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 16 2022, 07:26 PM

[mirocu]

I just buy older computers off ebay at this point. Still serviceable and with Windows 7

[macole]

Late as usual but here’s my thought;
I agree that for your $500 you can get a serviceable PC that will fill your needs and outperform a PC from 9-years ago.

Windows 10 works just fine for the TES games I play. It’s relatively easy to install either by DVD or USB drive.

Whether you repair your current PC or buy a new one, upgrade it with a second drive, SSD preferred. I have 4 storage drives; C, E, F, and G. C for system programs, E for My Documents, Music, Pictures, and other such stuff. F is for games. G was supposed to be a backup device which I’ve been lax in using. The letters are assigned in the order that the drive was installed

There is a D drive but it is reserved for my DVD drive. Why is that? Is it because Windows reserves D for DVD drives? No not really. It just so happened that the DVD drive was the second device I installed; the first one after device C.

Have you noticed that there is no A or B drives? That’s because way back in the beginning A and B were reserved for floppy drive #1 and #2. You know the 5.5 incher that was actually floppy.

Well now that you’re thoroughly confused go and build your own PC. Can’t be that hard, I’ve done it three times now. If I can do it so can you.

[Lena Wolf]

Have you noticed that there is no A or B drives? That’s because way back in the beginning A and B were reserved for floppy drive #1 and #2. You know the 5.5 incher that was actually floppy.

Ah, but what about the 8 inch ones? And reels - don't forget the reels! The fun my cat had had with that...

[Adella]

I am disappointed that, despite huge leaps in processing power and storage capacity, computers in general are not more intelligent and capable of self repair. Installing and trouble shooting still require one to possess a ‘guru’ badge.

By now I would expect a PC to keep back ups of all data and the OS on separate drives automatically….then detect faults/ corrupted files etc and without user input, simply retrieve copies of the intact code from store and copy the repair into the primary drive(s). I guess doing so would put those expensive repair consultant types out of work.

None of this helps when a drive motor fails of course…physical fails need manual intervention, but anything to do with the programmes and the data which a guru does merely by operating a mouse and Keyboard should be auto corrected by the machine itself imo. Or is that all too Star Trek? I wager the technology is easily here, but MS and others have no need to invest in smart PCs huh!

[Renee]

That actually crossed my mind the other day, why is there not an A or B drive? Now I know.

Thanks for your info there, macole, that's really neat you are able to use all those drives. Wow. I feel like I am at Apprentice level when it comes to computer hardware stuff, which means I can repair this and that, but there's no way I'm building my own! Not without serious, in-person guidance. That requires Expert level, I'd imagine. I'm just hoping to get to Adept.

I'll be buying new. Went to Walmart yesterday, but they don't have any desktops on display anymore, and I don't trust their refurbished models online. Micro Center is too far away. And Best Buy hasn't got enough selection (at least online they don't). Pretty sure I'm going with Newegg. They've got a huge amount of desktops, lots of reviews I can read. I've been impressed with them. Only thing is, I'll be ordering online. I'd rather walk into a store, actually look at what I'm about to buy, and walk out with it. But this just isn't possible anymore, at least where I live.


Adele: Wow, could such as thing as self-repair be possible? Even for hardware stuff? Edit: Oh I see what you're saying. So just software.

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 17 2022, 03:48 PM

[Lena Wolf]

... anything to do with the programmes and the data which a guru does merely by operating a mouse and Keyboard should be auto corrected by the machine itself imo. Or is that all too Star Trek? I wager the technology is easily here, but MS and others have no need to invest in smart PCs huh!

Well, that's why Win10 keeps updating every freaking five minutes, isn't it? And look how we hate it. Because it does it as and when it wants to do it, without any concern for the wants and needs of the human in the room. No, I would rather keep the reins in my own hands, thanks. What's left of them, anyway.

[SubRosa]

I have been having issues with Skyrim's Creation Kit lately. First it started to CTD whenever I tried to fill in the Created By and Summary fields of any plugin. Now it is CTDing at random when I go to some cells, both interior and exterior. I have tried reinstalling it, but even after two times, no luck.

I have tried a number stability fixes, with no chance. Now I am wondering if there is a bad mesh somewhere that is causing the CTD whenever the Creation Kit tries to load it. But which it could be, I have no idea. I tried moving my entire Meshes folder out of my game folder and then tried the CK, and it still crashes.

I have a backup copy of the vanilla game on my drive, so I renamed my folders, and reinstalled the CK once more. Now it works fine on the vanilla version.

So it looks like I have two options (well maybe 3). Reinstall all my mods to my vanilla copy and see if the CK still works afterward. Or do a full Reinstall from scratch, as my vanilla copy is from 2015, and I know the game has been updated since then. Or finally, just swap between the vanilla folder and full game folder depending on whether I want to play the game or use the CK.

[Renee]

Go for option 1, that's my vote. Well, start with vanilla, and then add mod after mod until the culprit is found!