WindizUpdate
posted by hkghkghk at 9:40 PM
0 comments
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Computing: Upgrade trap catches PC users
Upgrade Spiral ensnares another hapless PC user
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
IF you've owned a computer for any length of time, you know all about the dreaded Upgrade Spiral.
It works like this:
You spot some piece of cool software you must have, or decide a hardware component in your PC needs beefing up.
You decide you're going to spend some cash on Item A, which seems a reasonable cost for the anticipated benefits.
You purchase Item A, take it home, go to install it and ...
You discover there's something about your computer that's, well, lacking . Item A won't work on your machine until something else is changed.
Item B is required.
Obviously, it would have been great to know about Item B before you shelled out the cash for Item A.
But as confusing and complex as the computing landscape can be, the need for Item B is not always obvious, even if you spend quality time with Google doing research before your initial purchase.
You have a choice.
You can either say "phooey!" early on and take Item A back. Or you can spend the extra money on Item B and just pray there's no Item C in your future.
The Upgrade Spiral can continue ad infinitum. I know more than one person who started out wanting to upgrade a low-cost software program and wound up replacing the entire computer — piece by piece.
And I experienced it just last weekend. I started out needing to test a new graphics card for a review and wound up having to replace my PC's power supply — but not before I drove all over town looking for an inexpensive, elusive $5 part that would have prevented the more costly purchase.
Video card maker nVidia has started selling its next-generation line of cards, the GeForce 7800 series. Back in July, the company released the 7800 GTX, which can sell for more than $600. Earlier this month, the 7800 GT was released, which is more affordable — if you consider $450-$500 affordable for a high-end graphics card.
It had been a while since I looked at an nVidia gaming card, so I requested one to try. It arrived last week, and I was looking forward to a weekend of putting it through its paces.
The GeForce 7800 GT is a PCI Express graphics card, and like a lot of high-end cards, it requires its own power connection. However, nVidia sent this card in bare-bones fashion — no installation information, no drivers, no reviewer's guide. I glanced at the layout of the card and didn't see an obvious place to plug in power, so I presumed it didn't need one.
Yes, I was bad. I didn't do my research, which is often a contributing factor to the Upgrade Spiral.
Popped in the card, fired up the computer — and immediately got a warning that the card wasn't getting enough power. Now, I did the right thing and hopped on the Web and was told at nVidia's support site that, yes, this card does require a power connection — but not the familiar, flat, four-pin molex plug. Instead, it needs a square, six-pin plug used by PCI Express cards.
But my power supply, which I bought a couple of years ago, predates PCI Express, and didn't have this connector. I would have to buy an adapter, which went from the four-pin molex to the six-pin PCI-e plug.
I don't live far from MicroCenter in Houston, so I toodled over there. No luck.
CompUSA? Nope.
Fry's didn't have it either, which was astounding. Now I knew I was in trouble.
I tried RadioShack — no joy. A salesman working in the store recommended Electronic Parts Outlet on Fondren near Richmond. This tiny store is like the hardware stores of old, but the "hardware" is quite different. Although it carried every other computer part there is, it didn't have this adapter.
I went back home, pulled out the GeForce 7800 GT and put back my current card, an ATI Radeon X700. When I did, I discovered something.
The adapter I had to buy requires not one, but two molex plugs. But as I looked inside my PC, I saw I didn't have two molexes to spare. That would have meant buying yet another kind of adapter, which splits one molex plug into two. It dawned on me that, as much power as the nVidia card appears to draw, that might not be wise.
I could simplify all this, and probably do myself some good in the future, by upgrading my power supply. I discovered MicroCenter had a good deal on a quality model that has PCI Express support, Thermaltake's 430-watt TR2, for $40. I toodled back to MicroCenter, bought the TR2 and installed it.
The card worked like a charm, and it's very impressive. I'll offer a full review in a few weeks.
I'm happy now, but indeed, I was fully caught up in the Upgrade Spiral.
The specifics of my case are somewhat unusual. Had I been a customer who bought this card from an nVidia partner — nVidia develops the technology, which others then market — the adapters would have been included in the boxes. But even if I'd had the adapter to start with, I might have wound up needing the new power supply anyway, because of the card's electrical demands.
That means my $450-$500 card would have cost an additional $40.
Sometimes, the Spiral is inescapable.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing: Upgrade trap catches PC users
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
IF you've owned a computer for any length of time, you know all about the dreaded Upgrade Spiral.
It works like this:
You spot some piece of cool software you must have, or decide a hardware component in your PC needs beefing up.
You decide you're going to spend some cash on Item A, which seems a reasonable cost for the anticipated benefits.
You purchase Item A, take it home, go to install it and ...
You discover there's something about your computer that's, well, lacking . Item A won't work on your machine until something else is changed.
Item B is required.
Obviously, it would have been great to know about Item B before you shelled out the cash for Item A.
But as confusing and complex as the computing landscape can be, the need for Item B is not always obvious, even if you spend quality time with Google doing research before your initial purchase.
You have a choice.
You can either say "phooey!" early on and take Item A back. Or you can spend the extra money on Item B and just pray there's no Item C in your future.
The Upgrade Spiral can continue ad infinitum. I know more than one person who started out wanting to upgrade a low-cost software program and wound up replacing the entire computer — piece by piece.
And I experienced it just last weekend. I started out needing to test a new graphics card for a review and wound up having to replace my PC's power supply — but not before I drove all over town looking for an inexpensive, elusive $5 part that would have prevented the more costly purchase.
Video card maker nVidia has started selling its next-generation line of cards, the GeForce 7800 series. Back in July, the company released the 7800 GTX, which can sell for more than $600. Earlier this month, the 7800 GT was released, which is more affordable — if you consider $450-$500 affordable for a high-end graphics card.
It had been a while since I looked at an nVidia gaming card, so I requested one to try. It arrived last week, and I was looking forward to a weekend of putting it through its paces.
The GeForce 7800 GT is a PCI Express graphics card, and like a lot of high-end cards, it requires its own power connection. However, nVidia sent this card in bare-bones fashion — no installation information, no drivers, no reviewer's guide. I glanced at the layout of the card and didn't see an obvious place to plug in power, so I presumed it didn't need one.
Yes, I was bad. I didn't do my research, which is often a contributing factor to the Upgrade Spiral.
Popped in the card, fired up the computer — and immediately got a warning that the card wasn't getting enough power. Now, I did the right thing and hopped on the Web and was told at nVidia's support site that, yes, this card does require a power connection — but not the familiar, flat, four-pin molex plug. Instead, it needs a square, six-pin plug used by PCI Express cards.
But my power supply, which I bought a couple of years ago, predates PCI Express, and didn't have this connector. I would have to buy an adapter, which went from the four-pin molex to the six-pin PCI-e plug.
I don't live far from MicroCenter in Houston, so I toodled over there. No luck.
CompUSA? Nope.
Fry's didn't have it either, which was astounding. Now I knew I was in trouble.
I tried RadioShack — no joy. A salesman working in the store recommended Electronic Parts Outlet on Fondren near Richmond. This tiny store is like the hardware stores of old, but the "hardware" is quite different. Although it carried every other computer part there is, it didn't have this adapter.
I went back home, pulled out the GeForce 7800 GT and put back my current card, an ATI Radeon X700. When I did, I discovered something.
The adapter I had to buy requires not one, but two molex plugs. But as I looked inside my PC, I saw I didn't have two molexes to spare. That would have meant buying yet another kind of adapter, which splits one molex plug into two. It dawned on me that, as much power as the nVidia card appears to draw, that might not be wise.
I could simplify all this, and probably do myself some good in the future, by upgrading my power supply. I discovered MicroCenter had a good deal on a quality model that has PCI Express support, Thermaltake's 430-watt TR2, for $40. I toodled back to MicroCenter, bought the TR2 and installed it.
The card worked like a charm, and it's very impressive. I'll offer a full review in a few weeks.
I'm happy now, but indeed, I was fully caught up in the Upgrade Spiral.
The specifics of my case are somewhat unusual. Had I been a customer who bought this card from an nVidia partner — nVidia develops the technology, which others then market — the adapters would have been included in the boxes. But even if I'd had the adapter to start with, I might have wound up needing the new power supply anyway, because of the card's electrical demands.
That means my $450-$500 card would have cost an additional $40.
Sometimes, the Spiral is inescapable.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing: Upgrade trap catches PC users
posted by hkghkghk at 2:55 PM
0 comments
Monday, August 22, 2005
Sunday, August 21, 2005
HelpScreen: Re: Dual Boot Win98SE WinXP SP2 Lego Creator Software.
posted by hkghkghk at 6:46 PM
0 comments
Saturday, August 20, 2005
VCOM SystemSuite - with Antivirus, Firewall, AntiSpam, Utilities: Over 50 Powerful Tools!
posted by hkghkghk at 10:03 PM
0 comments
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Want to add TV to PC? See ATI
Look for image quality, capabilities in video cards
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Chances are good that if you've thought about adding TV to your PC, you've thought about ATI.
Montreal-based ATI Technologies is the best-known maker of powerful video cards that include TV tuners, a line called All-in-Wonder. I've written about these products quite a bit over the years, and if you're building a PC or need a video card upgrade along with a tuner, they're the simplest route to take.
But ATI also offers stand-alone tuner cards for those happy with their current graphics adapters.
To wrap up this three-part series on putting together a media center PC, here's a look at a pair of ATI products that take different approaches.
• TV WONDER ELITE — $149, ATI Technologies. In the past, the emphasis on add-in tuner cards has been on bells and whistles — being able to pause live TV, recording programs easily, sharing video across networks. What's been missing has been an emphasis on the quality of the image, because it's been a given that a PC-based TV display won't rival that of a high-end stand-alone TV.
ATI's TV Wonder Elite takes a shot at changing that. It's the first TV card to get certification from the Imaging Science Research Labs. Its display is noticeably better than other tuner cards I've tried, including previous ATI products.
But while the picture is superior, the software isn't. You'll likely want to buy better software, or use this with Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (see www.chron.com/mce2005) before the TV Wonder Elite can reach its true potential.
Installation and setup is simple. Just pop the card in an open PCI slot; attach a TV cable, FM antenna and an external input cable used to connect devices such as video cameras; then fire up the PC and install the software.
If you are installing it on a computer that already has Windows XP Media Center Edition, you won't need the included software at all.
The TV Wonder Elite uses CyberLink's Power Cinema software, and it lacks one major feature that makes it frustrating to use — a TV schedule. If you want to record a show, you must manually enter the time and channel, identified by number.
Fortunately, this card works very well both with MCE and other digital video recorder software, such as SnapStream's Beyond TV, which I wrote about last week (see www.chron.com/beyondtv). Just figure on spending a little extra to fix the software's deficiencies if you buy it.
The quality of the image is very good, thanks to circuitry that can clean up the often-nasty signal most folks get from analog cable TV.
The TV Wonder Elite also includes an FM radio tuner that can schedule recordings. Its sensitivity is excellent, and it picks up weak signals quite well. It also comes with the Remote Wonder Plus remote control that uses radio frequencies instead of the more common infrared system.
If you're building a media center computer or upgrading an existing PC and want a stand-alone tuner card, I'd recommend this one. Just plan on discarding the software that comes with it.
• RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER X600 PRO — $199, ATI Technologies. If you've got a newer computer that uses a PCI Express graphics slot, you've got only two choices for combination TV and video card — and one of them you can't buy quite yet.
The X600 Pro was the first PCI Express model in the All-in-Wonder line, and the All-in-Wonder X800 XL was just announced, but won't be available until later this year. For most users, the X600 is more than enough.
This card is aimed at gamers who also want full DVR capabilities, which makes it a great choice if you're sending a college student off to a cramped dorm room where there may not be enough room for TV, PC and a game console.
Be aware, though, that the All-in-Wonder cards are not certified to work with Windows XP MCE. If you take this route, you'll either need to use the software that comes with the All-in-Wonder, or use something like BeyondTV.
The X600 comes with 256 megabytes of video memory and has a maximum resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels at a refresh rate of 85 hertz. It's an excellent card for gaming — fast and with full support for Microsoft's DirectX 9 3D graphics scheme.
Installation is not quite as easy as with the TV Wonder Elite. There are a slew of cables, dongles and connection pods that must be plugged into the back of the X600 once it's in its PCI Express slot. Plan to spend some quality time with the documentation before installing.
The software setup is fairly straightforward, although there are two setup processes. The first is for the card and its software, and then a second one walks you through configuring the GemStar Plus TV schedule program.
ATI's Multimedia Center program hasn't changed much in years. The company added an EazyLook features designed to work with big-screen TV — and which also bears a striking resemblance to the Windows XP Media Center interface — but otherwise this looks like late '90s software. It's badly in need of a face-lift.
Dated as it is, it works quite well. It also has a feature I like a lot that's missing from both Windows XP MCE and BeyondTV — the ability to turn off the digital video recording feature and just watch plain ol' TV. It's a little retro, but it improves the image quite a bit.
The video image here is very good, although not as sharp as the TV Wonder Elite. It's best viewed on a computer monitor, rather than a big-screen TV.
The X600 includes an FM radio tuner, but it lacks the sensitivity of the TV Wonder Elite. If you don't need Windows XP MCE compat-
ibility and only want to bother with installing one card in your PC, this is the way to go for owners of PCI Express systems.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing: Want to add TV to PC? See ATI
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Chances are good that if you've thought about adding TV to your PC, you've thought about ATI.
Montreal-based ATI Technologies is the best-known maker of powerful video cards that include TV tuners, a line called All-in-Wonder. I've written about these products quite a bit over the years, and if you're building a PC or need a video card upgrade along with a tuner, they're the simplest route to take.
But ATI also offers stand-alone tuner cards for those happy with their current graphics adapters.
To wrap up this three-part series on putting together a media center PC, here's a look at a pair of ATI products that take different approaches.
• TV WONDER ELITE — $149, ATI Technologies. In the past, the emphasis on add-in tuner cards has been on bells and whistles — being able to pause live TV, recording programs easily, sharing video across networks. What's been missing has been an emphasis on the quality of the image, because it's been a given that a PC-based TV display won't rival that of a high-end stand-alone TV.
ATI's TV Wonder Elite takes a shot at changing that. It's the first TV card to get certification from the Imaging Science Research Labs. Its display is noticeably better than other tuner cards I've tried, including previous ATI products.
But while the picture is superior, the software isn't. You'll likely want to buy better software, or use this with Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (see www.chron.com/mce2005) before the TV Wonder Elite can reach its true potential.
Installation and setup is simple. Just pop the card in an open PCI slot; attach a TV cable, FM antenna and an external input cable used to connect devices such as video cameras; then fire up the PC and install the software.
If you are installing it on a computer that already has Windows XP Media Center Edition, you won't need the included software at all.
The TV Wonder Elite uses CyberLink's Power Cinema software, and it lacks one major feature that makes it frustrating to use — a TV schedule. If you want to record a show, you must manually enter the time and channel, identified by number.
Fortunately, this card works very well both with MCE and other digital video recorder software, such as SnapStream's Beyond TV, which I wrote about last week (see www.chron.com/beyondtv). Just figure on spending a little extra to fix the software's deficiencies if you buy it.
The quality of the image is very good, thanks to circuitry that can clean up the often-nasty signal most folks get from analog cable TV.
The TV Wonder Elite also includes an FM radio tuner that can schedule recordings. Its sensitivity is excellent, and it picks up weak signals quite well. It also comes with the Remote Wonder Plus remote control that uses radio frequencies instead of the more common infrared system.
If you're building a media center computer or upgrading an existing PC and want a stand-alone tuner card, I'd recommend this one. Just plan on discarding the software that comes with it.
• RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER X600 PRO — $199, ATI Technologies. If you've got a newer computer that uses a PCI Express graphics slot, you've got only two choices for combination TV and video card — and one of them you can't buy quite yet.
The X600 Pro was the first PCI Express model in the All-in-Wonder line, and the All-in-Wonder X800 XL was just announced, but won't be available until later this year. For most users, the X600 is more than enough.
This card is aimed at gamers who also want full DVR capabilities, which makes it a great choice if you're sending a college student off to a cramped dorm room where there may not be enough room for TV, PC and a game console.
Be aware, though, that the All-in-Wonder cards are not certified to work with Windows XP MCE. If you take this route, you'll either need to use the software that comes with the All-in-Wonder, or use something like BeyondTV.
The X600 comes with 256 megabytes of video memory and has a maximum resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels at a refresh rate of 85 hertz. It's an excellent card for gaming — fast and with full support for Microsoft's DirectX 9 3D graphics scheme.
Installation is not quite as easy as with the TV Wonder Elite. There are a slew of cables, dongles and connection pods that must be plugged into the back of the X600 once it's in its PCI Express slot. Plan to spend some quality time with the documentation before installing.
The software setup is fairly straightforward, although there are two setup processes. The first is for the card and its software, and then a second one walks you through configuring the GemStar Plus TV schedule program.
ATI's Multimedia Center program hasn't changed much in years. The company added an EazyLook features designed to work with big-screen TV — and which also bears a striking resemblance to the Windows XP Media Center interface — but otherwise this looks like late '90s software. It's badly in need of a face-lift.
Dated as it is, it works quite well. It also has a feature I like a lot that's missing from both Windows XP MCE and BeyondTV — the ability to turn off the digital video recording feature and just watch plain ol' TV. It's a little retro, but it improves the image quite a bit.
The video image here is very good, although not as sharp as the TV Wonder Elite. It's best viewed on a computer monitor, rather than a big-screen TV.
The X600 includes an FM radio tuner, but it lacks the sensitivity of the TV Wonder Elite. If you don't need Windows XP MCE compat-
ibility and only want to bother with installing one card in your PC, this is the way to go for owners of PCI Express systems.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing: Want to add TV to PC? See ATI
posted by hkghkghk at 7:11 PM
0 comments
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Friday, August 05, 2005
Serials & keys - unlocks the world
You should never ever use this site! Maybe for a one time trial type thing.
Serials & keys - unlocks the world
You should never ever use this site! Maybe for a one time trial type thing.
Serials & keys - unlocks the world
posted by hkghkghk at 6:49 PM
0 comments
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Free-Codecs.com :: Download Ogg DirectShow Filters 0.9.9.6 : With Ogg DirectShow Filters you can watch and if you want to, create, .ogm wrapped videos.
posted by hkghkghk at 8:18 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
You receive an error message when you try to edit Organization Chart 2.0 objects that are created in earlier versions of Office
posted by hkghkghk at 11:28 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Cheap fun? Download free games
Give your wallet a break and download free games
Old Grand Theft, America's Army are the top picks
By DWIGHT ODELIUS
For The Chronicle
A PC gaming habit doesn't come cheap. Fortunately, there's a never-ending supply of games that won't cost a nickel.
One of the most popular free games is the one created for the U.S. Army, the first-person shooter America's Army. Part recruitment tool and part educational software, America's Army attempts to provide a realistic look into modern military operations.
In the latest edition, Special Forces, players train in specific roles in an offline single-player mode, then play online against other virtual soldiers, with the goal of earning Green Beret status. Although it's free, it stacks up well against other shooters. Find it at www.americasarmy.com.
Mojo Master, a game sponsored by the men's fragrance line Axe Unlimited, requires players to chat up 100 computer-simulated women across seven cities and convince them to share their phone numbers.
The women in Mojo Master are defined by a combination of five personality traits. Figuring out a woman's type allows the player to make successful moves and win her affection. Download the game at www.mojomastergame.com.
Remakes and re-releases of classic PC titles are all over the Internet. Rockstar Games, makers of the now-infamous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, recently released free versions of the games that started it all. Like their progeny, Grand Theft Auto and GTA 2 are violent, but with low-tech graphics and sound.
Despite their limitations, these are great games. Download them, along with Wild Metal, Rockstar's first 3-D vehicular combat game, at www.rockstargames.com/classics/gta.html.
The adventure-game style of the 1980s may be long dead, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth playing. The folks at Anonymous Game Developers Interactive recognized this, and remade the 1984 classic graphic adventure King's Quest and its sequel Romancing the Stones. They're available at www.agdinteractive.com.
The Homestar Runner Web site has a hilarious send-up of King's Quest called Peasant's Quest. Find it and other parodies of classic video games at www.homestarrunner.com/games.html.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text-based adventure game has been resurrected as a graphic adventure by the BBC in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Penned by Douglas Adams, it's a smart piece of interactive fiction that stands on its own, apart from the books, the movie, and the radio and television shows that share its name. Find it at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game.shtml.
For other free games, check out www.gamehippo.com and www.freewaregames.net.
games@odelius.com
HoustonChronicle.com - At Home: Cheap fun? Download free games
Old Grand Theft, America's Army are the top picks
By DWIGHT ODELIUS
For The Chronicle
A PC gaming habit doesn't come cheap. Fortunately, there's a never-ending supply of games that won't cost a nickel.
One of the most popular free games is the one created for the U.S. Army, the first-person shooter America's Army. Part recruitment tool and part educational software, America's Army attempts to provide a realistic look into modern military operations.
In the latest edition, Special Forces, players train in specific roles in an offline single-player mode, then play online against other virtual soldiers, with the goal of earning Green Beret status. Although it's free, it stacks up well against other shooters. Find it at www.americasarmy.com.
Mojo Master, a game sponsored by the men's fragrance line Axe Unlimited, requires players to chat up 100 computer-simulated women across seven cities and convince them to share their phone numbers.
The women in Mojo Master are defined by a combination of five personality traits. Figuring out a woman's type allows the player to make successful moves and win her affection. Download the game at www.mojomastergame.com.
Remakes and re-releases of classic PC titles are all over the Internet. Rockstar Games, makers of the now-infamous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, recently released free versions of the games that started it all. Like their progeny, Grand Theft Auto and GTA 2 are violent, but with low-tech graphics and sound.
Despite their limitations, these are great games. Download them, along with Wild Metal, Rockstar's first 3-D vehicular combat game, at www.rockstargames.com/classics/gta.html.
The adventure-game style of the 1980s may be long dead, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth playing. The folks at Anonymous Game Developers Interactive recognized this, and remade the 1984 classic graphic adventure King's Quest and its sequel Romancing the Stones. They're available at www.agdinteractive.com.
The Homestar Runner Web site has a hilarious send-up of King's Quest called Peasant's Quest. Find it and other parodies of classic video games at www.homestarrunner.com/games.html.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text-based adventure game has been resurrected as a graphic adventure by the BBC in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Penned by Douglas Adams, it's a smart piece of interactive fiction that stands on its own, apart from the books, the movie, and the radio and television shows that share its name. Find it at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game.shtml.
For other free games, check out www.gamehippo.com and www.freewaregames.net.
games@odelius.com
HoustonChronicle.com - At Home: Cheap fun? Download free games
posted by hkghkghk at 11:04 AM
0 comments
Monday, August 01, 2005
Unmountable Boot Volume now wrong File System
Unmountable Boot Volume now wrong File System: "Was this a new installation? If so, try going into your BIOS and setting the hard drive speed to 'auto'. or get a newer 80 wire IDE cable and try that on the hard drive.
if that dont work I found this at the MS web site:
When you use volumes that use the NTFS file system on integrated device electronics (IDE) drives with caching enabled, you may receive the following error message during startup:
Stop 0x000000ED
Unmountable_Boot_Volume
The normal recovery process in such a case is to run the chkdsk /r command from Recovery Console, and then continue. On OEM versions of Windows XP, the Recovery Console may not be accessible. If this fix has not been included in the OEM build of Windows XP, you may not be able to enter Recovery Console and run the chkdsk /r command for recovery.
Because of the write-pattern optimization in IDE disk drives, the caching routines sometimes write data out of order to keep drive write speeds at the fastest possible level depending on where data is located on the disk. This opens a timing window where the NTFS disk system could have critical tables damaged if a write is not finished. Microsoft has recommended in the past that caching on IDE drives be turned off on programs with somewhat critical data that is stored on the disk or for situations that allow the slight drop in overall speed. Programs with critical data may need to use SCSI drives, which have better control of data transactions.
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP."
if that dont work I found this at the MS web site:
When you use volumes that use the NTFS file system on integrated device electronics (IDE) drives with caching enabled, you may receive the following error message during startup:
Stop 0x000000ED
Unmountable_Boot_Volume
The normal recovery process in such a case is to run the chkdsk /r command from Recovery Console, and then continue. On OEM versions of Windows XP, the Recovery Console may not be accessible. If this fix has not been included in the OEM build of Windows XP, you may not be able to enter Recovery Console and run the chkdsk /r command for recovery.
Because of the write-pattern optimization in IDE disk drives, the caching routines sometimes write data out of order to keep drive write speeds at the fastest possible level depending on where data is located on the disk. This opens a timing window where the NTFS disk system could have critical tables damaged if a write is not finished. Microsoft has recommended in the past that caching on IDE drives be turned off on programs with somewhat critical data that is stored on the disk or for situations that allow the slight drop in overall speed. Programs with critical data may need to use SCSI drives, which have better control of data transactions.
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP."
posted by hkghkghk at 11:54 AM
0 comments
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