Reveal Your Unknown Video Card

Have you ever discovered an unknown video card, long forgotten at the bottom of your hardware pile? It would be great to use for a home server or simple media PC – but there are no distinctive model numbers or product labels anywhere on the PCB, so how do you know which drivers to use!

Sure, one could just download all the driver revisions and do a guess and test – or spend the time installing a number of different software utilities in hopes that one just might work… or you could run a simple command line script that should give you all the information you need to know.

 

1) Start by opening the Run dialog box and launching the command prompt.

This can be achieved by going “Start>Run” or  ”Windows Key +R” and typing “cmd” into the text box.

2) After launching the command prompt set the debug switch on by typing debug into the prompt 

3) Start the process by typing in d c000:0000 (*those are zeros, not the letter O)

This will give you the first line which will most likely not contain any useful information

4) If necessary, continue the process by typing in d

5) If still necessary, continue the process by typing in d

By the third repeat, you should obtain some relevant information which will often narrow down the manufacturer and model of the video card. Look for common names such as “nVidia” or “ATI” , or popular companies such as eVGA, Asus,  Gigabyte, or Sapphire. 

 Be warned that some video cards may only show the chip that the video card uses and not the exact model. Such as “RV670″ or “NV40″ – Putting these numbers into your browsers will typically return results that help you narrow down the card’s product series, whereby you can determine the appropriate drivers and install them

 

This card is an nVidia Asus 7200 GS

Upgrading RAM…. making the right decision

One of the easiest PC upgrades that results in a noticeable improvement in the performance of a computer is a RAM upgrade. But before you purchase that new RAM, there are a few things that you need to consider. Here’s a quick checklist to help you make the right decision.

1. Determine the type of RAM you have. Depending on if you bought a pre-built system from a major computer manufacturer, a built to order, or assembled the system yourself, you’ll need to find the appropriate manual to determine the type of ram in the system. It’ll be either the owner’s manual for a pre-built, like a Dell or HP, or the motherboard user’s manual if you purchased a built to order or assembled the system yourself. Alternatively, you can call or consult the manufacturer’s website or use a program like PC Wizard 2008 (www.cpuid.com). A computer purchased over the past ten years will have either SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, or DDR3 SDRAM. If you have original SDRAM in your system, I’d suggest it’s probably more worthwhile to invest in a new PC than bothering to upgrade the RAM. Note that for laptops, you will require SODIMM which is a smaller form of SDRAM. Regular SDRAM for desktop computers will not fit in laptops.

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Preventative Maintenance for your PC – Hardware

Many people overlook the fact that a PC needs regular maintenance. Some sites use the analogy that it’s like taking in your car for a tune up, but I’ve never liked it, as it suggests that there is a fair cost associated with it. Consider it more like cleaning your oven or removing the crumbs out of the toaster oven. Yes, it’s a bit more involved, but not by much. You can take it into a computer shop and let them charge you anywhere from $50 to $100, but if you’re looking to save money, read on.

In this article we’ll deal with maintenance for the physical hardware that makes up your computer. So some of you may be wondering why even bothering with maintenance of your PC, considering you’ve never done it in the past. Basically, maintaining it will prolong the life of your PC and help it run smoothly.  It also has a second added benefit of making your living space a healthier place to live.

A Youtube video by online retailer NCIX.com (www.ncix.com), hosted by Linus Sebastien, walks you through the simple task of cleaning out your computer.

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Using Event Viewer to Help Troubleshoot Windows XP and Vista

One of the often overlooked methods for troubleshooting a system running XP or Vista is Event Viewer. Event Viewer is a component included with these operating systems and, as the name suggests, allows you to view the event logs on your machine. So let’s get to work on seeing if we can find out some more information in regards to your system troubles.

For Windows XP
1. Click ‘Start’, and then ‘Control Panel’. Click ‘Performance and Maintenance’, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click ‘Computer Management’.
2. In the leftmost column, click the ‘+’ sign beside Event Viewer.
3. You should see ‘Application’, ‘Security’, and ‘System’ should appear below ‘Event Viewer’
4. Click ‘Application’ and look to the right hand column. Look down the list for white ‘X’s’ in red circles with the word ‘Error’ beside it.
5. An ‘Event Properties’ window should open with details as to the error.
6. Input the appropriate information into the ‘Events and Error Message Center’. The link to it is here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/ee/ee_advanced.aspx
7. Repeat the process for ‘Security’ and ‘System’

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Why Does My New Hard Drive Show Between 127 GB to 137 GB When it’s Much Larger?

You add a brand new hard drive to your new system. You’re all happy of all the new space but the operating system tells you that there’s only somewhere between 127 GB to 137 GB available even though it’s much larger. You’re probably thinking that you got a defective drive or someone’s trying to rip you off. Take a few deep breaths and read on. This limitation affects both Windows and Mac based systems. An article provided by Seagate Technology, a leading manufacturer of disk based storage solutions, provides an explanation and details as to how this issue can be overcome. A link to the article is below:

Seagate Article

Make special note of where it says “IMPORTANT: Always Back Up First”

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You receive an error “STOP 0×0000000A” installing Windows Vista or “STOP 0×0000007e” when rebooting a machine installed with Windows Vista

When you go to install Vista, you get a “STOP 0×0000000A”. This occurs if the following conditions are true:
- You have more than 3 GB of RAM in your system
- The computer uses a storage system that is running the Storport miniport driver.
- The computer uses a controller that uses 32-bit direct memory access (DMA).
- You have a Vista DVD which does not have SP1

Furthermore, when rebooting the system get a “STOP 0×0000007e” error after installing the nVidia or ATi Catalyst driver for your video card.

The way to fix this problem is to remove any extra RAM from the system to get you to 3GB or less of RAM. After doing so, complete the installation of Vista and install the Windows Vista hotfix from the link below:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929777/en-us

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The Operating System Reports a Hard Drive Size Much Smaller Than What the Manufacturer States

So you just purchased a new hard drive and when you go to format it, the size reported is smaller than what you expect. Or maybe you got bored and looked into the hardware information and were surprised to see the hard drive being reported in a smaller number. Before you pick up the phone to call your lawyer, you might want to read on.

Basically, the problem exists due to the fact that during the infancy of computers, people in the industry decided that they would call 1024 bytes a kilobyte although the prefix ‘kilo’ should refer to 1000 in the manner a kilometer refers to 1000 meters and kilogram refers to 1000 grams. At first the difference was negligible as drives were still only a few hundred megabytes in size but as they got into gigabytes the difference in size became much more apparent. To make it easier to understand, let’s use beer as an example. A standard can is 355ml. Using the calculations used for bytes (355/1024); it would mean that you’re getting only 347ml. That’s only a difference of 8ml…. not a big deal. Now let’s say you buy a 50 liter (50,000ml) keg. Once again, using the byte calculation, it would mean you’re getting 48.828 liters. That’s a difference of over a liter. This kind of difference would probably be a big issue if you just spent a pretty penny on a keg of your favorite beer. More details on the hard drive size calculating methods can be found from the link below:

Seagate Article

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Why Does Windows XP / Vista show less than the 4GB (or more) of memory I have installed on my system?

So you just plugged in that brand new system with 4GB+ of memory or installed some more RAM in your current system. You go to check your System Information (Vista) or System Properties (XP) and it only reports 2.2 to 3.3 GB of memory. Unfortunately that’s normal if you’re running a 32 bit version of Windows Vista or XP.

32 bit means 2 to the power of 32 which is commonly denoted as 2^32. For those of you that were not very good at math in school, it looks like this:

2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2x2×2 = 4294967296 bytes
4294967296 bytes / 1024 bytes/1 kilobytes = 4194304 kilobytes (kB)
4194304 kB / 1024 kB/1 MB = 4096 MB
4096 MB / 1024 MB/1 GB = 4 GB

Therefore a 32 bit OS can only support up to 4GB of RAM.

Some of you thought you had done your homework when you read up that Windows Vista/XP 32 bit supports up to 4GB of RAM. Unfortunately, Windows Vista and XP reserve higher memory addresses for other devices in your computer. An example in Microsoft’s Knowledge Base Article 929605 explains it well:

”if you have a video card that has 256 MB of onboard memory, that memory must be mapped within the first 4 GB of address space. If 4 GB of system memory is already installed, part of that address space must be reserved by the graphics memory mapping. Graphics memory mapping overwrites a part of the system memory. These conditions reduce the total amount of system memory that is available to the operating system.”

Further reading on the 4 GB RAM limitation of 32 bit Vista:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605/en-us

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What do I need to play Blu-ray movies on my computer?

With prices on Blu-ray drives making its way to mid $100 range, some of you are probably considering purchasing one. Or maybe you’re just putting together a list of components that you’re going to order in that new system which you plan to have a Blu-ray drive. Before you do, you need to consider if the other parts of your system are adequate enough to properly play the disc. If you’re looking to find out what you may need to upgrade, here’s a helpful tool from Cyberlink that I found that should help you out.

Cyberlink BD / HD Advisor (Beta)
http://www.cyberlink.com/english/support/bdhd_support/diagnosis.jsp

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past year, you know there’s really no reason to scan for HD DVD support. HD DVD’s are suffering the same fate as Laserdisc and Betamax players (for those old enough to remember what they are).

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So why can I not see my new hard drive in Windows Explorer?

A lot of people are able to determine how to install a hard drive in their Windows based PC through reading their motherboard manual, a hard drive installation manual, or have a ‘techie’ friend / neighbor do it for them. That’s all fine and dandy, but it’s not just a matter of putting cable A into connector B. It’s a bit more involved, but many people, not knowing any better, often blame it on the hard drive as it fails to show up in Windows Explorer on their PC. Well without sounding any further condescending, which often seems to happen when I try to write helpful tips, let’s see if I can help out. The fact that you’ve read this far suggests that’s what you’re here for.

The steps below show an example on a Windows XP system but the steps are virtually identical in Vista and will work for Vista users as well.

Step 1: Hopefully you’ll boot into Windows and you’ll see, or already have seen, a little notification bubble on your taskbar informing you that its ‘Found New Hardware’. It’ll generally first pop up a notification bubble with the model/part number followed by a second. If it doesn’t, that’s a subject I’ll consider tackling in another tech tip in the future.

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