[GrimPingu]

OK, this is a long post... so please put yer goggles on and study hard folks.

I had problems with my PC last year. Specs:
AMD 2000+ 1.67Ghz (never over clocked)
1x 40GB HD
1GB Corsair RAM
Asus A7v600-X
G-Force FX 5200
Creative Sound Blaster PCI 128

i bought an Ati Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro to go in it but that got worse FPS in counter-strike 1.6 than the FX5200! I decided that this must have been due to me CPU running at 72 Celcious!(no system load). The system was very stable (suprisingly) and never missed a beat even at high CPU loads but was slow like it had always been.

I ran the AMD 2000+ until its death (about 92 Celcious when i finaly decided to shut it down for good) and upgraded. My system now is:

AMD 3000+ Athlon 64 1.8Ghz (overclocked once to 2Ghz but set back to default the same day)
Asus A8v Deluxe
1Gb Corsair RAM (1 stick)
G-Force FX 5200
Creative Sound Blaster PCI 128
40GB IDE, 120GB Maxtor IDE
DVD Dual layer R/RW, DVD Rom

When i started it all up after formatting the 40Gb it worked fine, i was trying to utilize the Radeon 9800Pro i'd got and all was OK, i had a problem though, My PC would reboot when using any game (C-S, WoW, Vice-City). so i had to use the old G-Force again. - i tried the drivers from the CD and the latest from the ATI website.

I also had bought a S-ATA hard drive (160GB Maxtor) but windows did not want to see it (i only tried plugging it in AFTER i'd downloaded and installed all service packs, updates and drivers. Windows wouldent accept my raid driver for the S-ATA but would accept the raid driver for my IDE. (RAID is turned off on my mother board and im not using the drives in the raid connectors). Windows will not see the S-ATA at all which is annoying me.

My main problem is (overlooking the GFX card and Hard drive problems) my OS is running so slow, i fdisk'd, formatted then told windows to format using NTFS, then installed windows. ran ok, as soon as i start installing programs it got slowwer than my old AMD 2000+ (with more a less the same programs)

My computer needs to have these programs:

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX2004
Macromedia Fireworks MX2004
Macromedia Flash MX2004
Adobe Photoshop CS
Steam (for all HL1 games)
Valve Hammer Editor
IRC
MSN
Ventrilo
Teamspeak 2
World Of Warcraft
and a few other programs.

my problem is that this new Processor is running programs slower than my old 1.6Ghz did, Is there any special setup's that i can do to enable my PC to do tasks faster?

For instance, when i launch counter-strike while playing MP3's (WMP10) it stutters a bit which annoys me because my friend who has a 1.3Ghz AMD doesnt have this problem. When i alt+tab from CS then go back into it, it lags for 1 second every 3 seconds (very fustrating). when i maximise a window the windows also cover my startbar (no idea why!) and when i load games i get a stupid norton internet thing that pops up saying "New rules created for: Microsoft Printer Spooler Service" and once you click OK it simply goes away then pops up again (moves down then back up). if i dont click ok, it waits for about 10 seconds, then does the same.

my sound card only works with 2 speakers untill i install the drivers from the creative website, but then crackles when any sound is made...

Is all this hardware or software problems?
If its software, would getting XP Home instead of XP Pro make a differance?

i am going to format tomorrow night and try installing everything again but without crappy slow norton. any ideas on how to install windows to a S-ATA?

i am at the end of my teather

sorry for such a long first post... you guys have been recommended to me by a friend who found the answers to his prblems here.

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first your sata drive requires that you load the drivers for it during install--windows thinks it is a scsi drive---or, after windows is installed on the other drive, you can connect the drive, then install the drivers.

Either way, a part of the problem is might be the harddrive. 40gb on the old system circa 2001--probably 4200 or 5600 rpms. It will work, but it is a choke point.

don't install norton....least not yet

you fdisked, then formatted, then asked windows to format?

Confused.

Remove all partitions and let windows setup create the partition and format it ntfs from the start.

the rest....I would need more info...

DId you install all drivers, including the most important drivers? VIA hyperion ( i think with this motherboard...asus site is down, so I cannot check...they are system drivers).

[gerryf]

first your sata drive requires that you load the drivers for it during install--windows thinks it is a scsi drive---or, after windows is installed on the other drive, you can connect the drive, then install the drivers.

Either way, a part of the problem is might be the harddrive. 40gb on the old system circa 2001--probably 4200 or 5600 rpms. It will work, but it is a choke point.

don't install norton....least not yet

you fdisked, then formatted, then asked windows to format?

Confused.

Remove all partitions and let windows setup create the partition and format it ntfs from the start.

the rest....I would need more info...

DId you install all drivers, including the most important drivers? VIA hyperion ( i think with this motherboard...asus site is down, so I cannot check...they are system drivers).

[GrimPingu]

Right, thanks for helping, now you mention it windows is on the 40GB, the 120 is just housing storage stuff.

i Fdisked, then formatted. but whn DOS formats its formatting my drive with FAT32 (which is a huge security risk) so i told windows during the setup to format the drive using NTFS (much safer file system).


i didnt install the scsi drivers during the setup process but it wont let me install any drivers for it in windws, just says there was an error. i uninstall all raid drivers and try install the s-ata one but still only installs the IDE drivers, IDK where normal S-ATA drivers are but on the disk it only has raid S-ata drivers as far as i can see

EDIT: Also, i remember windows only asking for a floppy disk while setting up for scsi drivers, i only have a Cd that came with my motherboard... no floppy for extra drivers.

hope this helps

Edited by GrimPingu, 04 June 2005 - 05:26 PM.

[gerryf]

yes, install those raid drivers even if you are not installing a raid

[gerryf]

if you look on the CD, there will be a drivers folder with instructions for making a floppy

[GrimPingu]

ok, ill have a look later. any answers to the other things like windows covering my startmenu and counter-strike? - it all due to the drive im using?

(graphics and sound card are annoying) i bought the radeon about 6 months ago £130, i'd love to be able to use it :s lol

will the sound problems be caused by the slow rpm times of my drive too?

[gerryf]

yes, and the slow ide interface....likely running in udma mode 2 or even PIO mode....that's a choker

If you are running counterstrike AND a nother program, counterstrike (and other games) will alter the screen resolution...windows may not be switching back and forth totally while both are running, hence the odd overlays....

playing music and playing counterstrike is pushing your system to a pretty harsh limit--you've got windows, counterstrike and a mediaplayer all hitting the drive at the same time..

[GrimPingu]

Right, ok thanks for the help

i mean windows are going over my start menu as in i can be using any program what so ever, if i maximize it (msn, VHE (map editor) WMP, my computer!... any window that doesnt normaly overlap the startbar overlaps it now (just happened one day) i didnt notice it at first but now it is so annoying...

ive linked to some screenprints to show you what i mean.

Notepad
FireFox
My Computer

believe it or not, those screen prints are NOT alt+ print screen's!

[gerryf]

I don't think that shows me anything? Looks like normal app windows.

[GrimPingu]

yes, but there is no "Start" button or anything likethat! like layers in an art program, the start menu has gont to the back layer or something

notepad1

im trying to show you that the window goes infront of the start bar, try it on your system and it goes behind it.

every time i start a program it starts over my start bar and if i want it full screen i have to manualy resize the window or it covers the start bar.

is this a common prpoblem?

i am sorry, but i want my machine in perfect condition (or near as it can be) and things like this irritate me like mad

Edited by GrimPingu, 04 June 2005 - 06:11 PM.

[gerryf]

now THAT picture means something

right click your taskbar
choose PROPERTIES, make sure that "KEEP THE TASK BAR ON TOP OF OTHER WINDOWS" box is checked.

[GrimPingu]

i feel so stupid... i should eplore more.

Thanks for your help! ill be back soon once ive tried a bit of fixing

Great forumbtw