General PC Help Thread - OP updated with useful links - READ

[Grumpy David]

Notsureifserious.jpg

[TheTurnipKing]

Only way to diagnose the problem is by changing things one at a time.

Reinstalling Windows may be a pain, but at least mucking about.with the software is free.

Reinstalling Windows is a rather brute force method of taking control of your Windows startup processes, however.

[Tineash]

That's why you should install windows on a small drive or partition, then make a backup. You can just restore it any time you have system or virus troubles.

[False]

That's why you should install windows on a small drive or partition, then make a backup. You can just restore it any time you have system or virus troubles.

+1

[bear]

So I just found out that my brothers laptop is running a pirated version of Windows 7 Ultimate for no good reason and was wondering if there was a way to restore it to Home Premium without the original boot disk. I have a copy of Home Premium myself and his laptop has a product key for Home Premium on it so could I just install it using my disk and type in that product key?

[False]

Probably. Make sure the disk is the OEM versio though, because the key on the laptop probably is.

Why does it matter what version of Windows he has anyway?

[TheTurnipKing]

This does sound like an unnessecary pain if the existing install is working.

[Oh Teh Noes]

I also have a copy of 7 Ultimate. I was bored of XP so I thought I'd upgrade.

Getting a copy of Ultimate for my new PC for £50 though, so it's all good.

[Grumpy David]

Trying a custom install of Windows. "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The disk may fail soon. If other harddrives are available, install Windows to another location."

The strawberry float? Do I need to get my current HDD replaced? I don't want to format the HDD if it isn't required.

If I do need to replace the hdd which seems quite likely, I'm going to go down the SSD route. This looks alright: http://www.ebuyer.com/259774-ocz-120gb- ... 5sat3-120g

Would send existing hdd for repair back to ebuyer to have larger storage or to get my money back.

[systematic]

In real world performance this SSD is better: http://ebuyer.com/266526

[Grumpy David]

Noob question, but how come? The numbers seem lower...?

Also is there anything different about installing a 2.5" SSD vs 3.5" HDD? Connectivity, how easily it fits into typical cases, motherboards taking advantage of extra speeds?

[False]

Wat

[Grumpy David]

Well reading here: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/storag ... -face-of/1

Makes it sound like the Crucial is a pain in the ass to set up compared to the OCZ:

Crucial M4 Firmware Deployment
Crucial’s latest firmware is available as an ISO file, which can be burnt to a CD or DVD via Windows 7’s integrated Disc Image Burner. You’ll also need to move your SSD port 0, 1, 2 or 3 on the motherboard, and set the SATA configuration from AHCI to IDE, before booting from the disc.

The flashing process takes a few minutes (we found it was much longer when flashing the larger 256GB version), and flashes any retail M4 SSD to the latest 0009 firmware. The firmware updater can process multiple M4s at once, and from our experience, doesn't reformat or damage any files on the drive (although you should still backup irreplaceable files before updating regardless). Once updated, switch your SATA configuration back to AHCI and the drive will boot up, complete with the new firmware.

OCZ Vertex 3 Firmware Deployment
OCZ deploys its firmware via its increasingly capable OCZ Technology Toolbox software, which doesn't require you to change BIOS settings or burn disc images. The application runs in Windows, automatically detects eligible OCZ SSDs connected to the system, and then downloads and deploys the firmware. It’s also able to give you information about your SSD’s usage, and perform a secure erase of the drive.

It’s certainly less of a fuss than the M4’s updater, but it can't be used to update the firmware of the drive from which Windows boots; for that you’ll need an alternative install from which to update the drive. As with the M4’s updater, data on the drive wasn’t damaged when we updated its firmware, but you should always make a back-up regardless, as any firmware update carries a (very small) risk of bricking the drive with it.

The conclusion was the Crucial being cheaper and matching performance after the firmware update meant it was a no brainer to choose. But the 120/8GB are near enough identical in price so it's a non-issue. The benchmarks appear near enough identical throughout. Leading the main difference between them that updates to firmware can be done via Windows rather than a more roundabout method.

[systematic]

Noob question, but how come? The numbers seem lower...?

For general use 4K QD32 benchmarks matter the most and this is where the Crucial M4 excels. Benchmark comparisons here: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showth ... t=18346757


Crucial M4


OCZ Vertex 3

Conclusion

The Fastest drive here in real world performance is the Crucial M4. It is worth noting that the M4 in 256GB and 512GB sizes performs even faster on the write speeds due to the NAND chip density.

As for Sandforce based drives it would appear that the HyperX has the edge. It is a worthy contender in the SSD market bettering the M4 in some situations but losing in others. Only the price point nearing £40inc VAT on top of the M4 is its only weakness. If Kingston can do something radical with the pricing and maintain fantastic quality construction of the drives then it may just have the raw grunt to knock the M4 off of top spot leaving it in top spot but as it stands the Crucial M4 just has it.

Also is there anything different about installing a 2.5" SSD vs 3.5" HDD? Connectivity, how easily it fits into typical cases, motherboards taking advantage of extra speeds?

Connectivity is the same as 3.5" drives. Most good modern cases can easily accommodate 2.5" drives or you can buy a 2.5" to 3.5" adaptor.

Check if your motherboard has SATA3 ports otherwise you'll be limited to SATA2 speeds.

[Grumpy David]

Motherboard supports SATA 3.0 according to this: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/produc ... id=3765#ov

However, I regret buying my cheapo PC case as it doesn't seem to have any 2.5" bays. http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=30 So I'll be needing the adaptor it looks like as I assume most SSD won't include these in the box.

I'd have no clue how the firmware upgrade works based on the brief description from bit tech. .ISO file to disc can't just be dragged and dropped from a folder onto the disc? Then how do I move SSD ports and change the SATA configuration before booting the .ISO disc?

Basically, it comes down to simple set up vs 2.5x the speed





I wish it was as simple as a Windows error rather than a hardware issue.

[Tineash]

The drive will almost certainly ship with the most up to date firmware.

[bear]

Probably. Make sure the disk is the OEM versio though, because the key on the laptop probably is.

Why does it matter what version of Windows he has anyway?

The big problem is that because there is so much dodgy software loaded on his machine its a bloody nightmare to sort out when things go wrong. The simplest way to keep a PC safe on the Internet is obviously to keep your software up to date but because of the way Windows is installed on his machine you can't run Windows update and other simple stuff like that. I've had to spend far too much of my time maintaining that mess of an install and I finally just snapped and told him I'm not doing it any more. The laptop is full of pirated software he never uses anyway so I am guessing a clean install of a legit version of Windows will offer the simplest way to ensure less hassle for me.

[Oh Teh Noes]

More fool you/him for not getting a copy that passes WGA.

[TheTurnipKing]

I regret buying my cheapo PC case as it doesn't seem to have any 2.5" bays.

2.5" is small form-factor, largely intended for laptops. Very few cases I'm aware of come with 2.5" bays (though some may come with a few 3.5 - 2.5 adaptors).

[bear]

More fool him for not getting a copy that passes WGA.

I had nothing to do with installing it and if he had asked me in the first place I would have told him it was a waste of time when he had a perfectly good copy of Home Premium already.