Weird problem

[NV30]

Changed IDE controller to both in the BIOS of the old P2 so that the CDROM would show up again, boot up windows and my display driver has been erased, and the network connection and internet do not work. The router is showing a signal from the PC. I connect on a home network of 2 PCs sharing a DSL connection. The other PC works fine, except it obviously can't "talk" to the other PC over the network.

Thanks for any ideas

 

[Nodsu]

The fact that Windows doesn't recognize your vid card also suggests that you have messed up your mobo configuration in Windows. Open Device Manager and see if your vid card, NIC, sound card, etc are all detected correctly.

Reinstalling drivers for your mobo (chipset) should fix it.

 

[poertner_1274]

Another option might be to clear the CMOS. That might fix it.

 

[NV30]

CMOS? Sorry I have no idea what that is. The Device Manager shows everything working as it should.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

CMOS = computer's BIOS.

P.S. The topic could have been more descriptive..

 

[NV30]

Sorry about that. Think I may go the way of a reformat.

 

[poertner_1274]

To reset the CMOS you need to change a jumper setting on your motherboard. I am pretty sure all you need to do is find your manul and determine which jumpers need to be switched.

Once this is done, take the jumper and place it in the reset position for 2 seconds, then put it back to it's original position. This should clear the CMOS and reset it.

If you are unsure of how to do this, I suggest staying away from it, as the possibilities of messing something else up could be big. Just be careful.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

Isn't it also possible to reset the CMOS info by holding down insert when powering up, when using a PS2 keyboard?

I seem to recall someone stating that in an earlier thread... Or was I just duped?

 

[poertner_1274]

I've personally never heard of that before, but it could definately be possible. If you could figure out if that is real or not, I would be interested in knowing, because that saves a lot of time for someone who knows nothing about motherboards, etc.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

According to Soul Harvester it works on Abit boards...

Here is the thread, it's about halfway down...

 

[poertner_1274]

That is a pretty handy little trick.

Good find MrGaribaldi.

 

[NV30]

Well there was a lot of junk installed, so I decided to do a Windows install on the other HDD. Worked fine after a few driver installs. BTW it seems that Nescape 4.5 that was installed on the other HDD has lost all the mail, I can't import any messages and none appear in the folder! I really need that email. :dead:

 

[Vehementi]

Originally posted by Mictlantecuhtli
CMOS = computer's BIOS.

P.S. The topic could have been more descriptive..

To be exact, the CMOS is a complementary metal oxide semiconductor, it complements the BIOS. Your BIOS containts drivers of a sort to let it recognize compatible hardware, from everything most basic to all your peripherals, etc. You may hear the term "Flashing your BIOS", this means that you run an application to write new information into your BIOS, which allows it to support new CPUs, and other cool stuff. Doing so is a very risky operation, as the flashing could fail halfway and leave you with an unworkable system board. Just ask Arris The CMOS allows you to play around with alot of settings, like FSB speed, CPU multiplier, all sorts of memory speed settings, boot queue, and a whole lot of other stuff. The CMOS also contains your system clock, and Windows reads off it to get the time.
Anyway...
Looks to me like your problem has cleared up, and I just wanted to clarify a few things

 

[Vehementi]

Originally posted by NV30
Well there was a lot of junk installed, so I decided to do a Windows install on the other HDD. Worked fine after a few driver installs. BTW it seems that Nescape 4.5 that was installed on the other HDD has lost all the mail, I can't import any messages and none appear in the folder! I really need that email. :dead:

Was this during, before or after the new installation on the other drive? Did you do anything with the original drive in Windows Setup? Netscape is still installed yet you lost all the email...hmm. Maybe there's some autoclean feature or something? Did you install Netscape a 2nd time on the new HDD? They may have been overwritten.
To be safe you should always keep a backup of important files, especially email, sensitive documents, etc.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

When you installed windows on the other drive, did you wipe the drive where Netscape was installed?

If not, you'll find all your mail bookmarks etc. under X:\Program Files\Netscape\users\(your profile name)

All you now have to do is go into Netscape and set it to use the correct profil and directory...

 

[NV30]

No I never wiped the other drive. I'll try that.