Calling all computer gurus... need advice

[Slingblade]

I buy alot of my stuff from tigerdirect.com I wasn't sure if you wanted xp or Vista


XP Pro system
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3316404&CatId=3449


Vista home premium system
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2986790&CatId=2618

all under $500

Chris

 

[almostclueless]

When you start my laptop, it brings up an error message on a black screen during the boot.

PXE-E05: The LAN adapter's configuration is corrupted or has not been initialized. The Boot Agent cannot continue.

After a few seconds it finishes booting. Once it has completed booting, I can use the computer, but can only access the internet through my wireless card. I cannot connect to dial-up or through a broadband connection. When you search through the system it says that there is a problem with the Intel PRO/100SP Mobile Combo Adapter. I tried going into the BIOS, but can't find a way to resolve the problem either in Windows or in the BIOS. I tried updating the BIOS, but it would get halfway through and throw an error. I tried reformatting three times and that has done nothing to resolve the issue. Now my copy of Dreamweaver is refusing to work. When you click on it, it usually flashes up the lil thing it shows when it's loading, then it just dissappears and does nothing. I tried updating Windows and my anti-virus stuff an such to no avail.

Downloading is minimal for me. I've been running Firefox, Thunderbird, Ad-Aware, Spybot, and a corporate edition of Norton for the past several years. I also hate browser toolbars with a passion.

I can open Photoshop and other similar programs and do mild editing on my laptop as long as the files are very small and I don't have any other programs open. But with loving photography, I prefer to work in large images or an uncompressed format such as RAW.... try editing a 50-some Megabyte image on your PII-700 and I bet it will puke, lol.

And yes, I have a photo quality printer.



I've never personally built one, but I did help my brother some when he built his. From what I've seen, about 90% of the battle is making sure you have the right components and that they will all play nice with each other. Thus my appeal to the computer nuts, as I don't have the time to research every possible combination myself.



Uhm... you can't link me to a newegg shopping cart, you'd have to either do a screenshot of the page or write down each item.



I like dealing with Newegg. I'm mostly looking for a starting point, a few ideas, then I'll do some homework from there.

Yep, I think you nailed it....the bios not successfully updating is a pretty good sign it's got two feet in the grave.


If you don't need a lappy, building a desktop is a great idea.


I'm sort of surprised your experience with 50Mb photoshopping has been such....hell, I've opened 1.4 GIGAbyte files with a 2Ghz P4. I think it's far more memory intensive.


Good luck

 

[DeanMoriarty]

Well, for starters, RAM is what you will have most incompatibility issues with. You can't go wrong with Corsair RAM.
Intel does have the edge on speed... if you're buying the fastest processor on the market... From your price range I wouldn't think this is the case. It's been my experience that dollar for dollar, in the mid-level processor range, an AMD will smoke an Intel of the same price bracket. Just my opinion... Not trying to start an argument with any Intel fanboys, lol.
If you want to work with large docs in photoshop, you want lots and lots of ram. I'd start with a minimum of 2Gb's for speedy rendering.

Sounds like you have a lot of issues with the laptop.
Are you sure you have the correct drivers installed for the ethernet adapter?
It sounds like you have it set to "boot from LAN" in the CMOS... could be why you're getting that glitch on boot-up.
You tried flashing the motherboard bios and it froze? You're lucky the thing still works.

 

[gettle03FX4LevelII]

what is your e-mail lil blue i will e-mail you the cart

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I buy alot of my stuff from tigerdirect.com I wasn't sure if you wanted xp or Vista


XP Pro system
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3316404&CatId=3449


Vista home premium system
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2986790&CatId=2618

all under $500

Chris

Not really looking for a laptop right now. I do NOT want vista.
Thanks for the thoughts though.

Yep, I think you nailed it....the bios not successfully updating is a pretty good sign it's got two feet in the grave.


If you don't need a lappy, building a desktop is a great idea.


I'm sort of surprised your experience with 50Mb photoshopping has been such....hell, I've opened 1.4 GIGAbyte files with a 2Ghz P4. I think it's far more memory intensive.


Good luck

I never said the computer wouldn't open the files and they couldn't be manipulated... but when you try to open a large photo or after you make changes or something, you might as well go pay a visit to the local coffee shop cuz it'll be awhile before it's done chewing on that.

Well, for starters, RAM is what you will have most incompatibility issues with. You can't go wrong with Corsair RAM.
Intel does have the edge on speed... if you're buying the fastest processor on the market... From your price range I wouldn't think this is the case. It's been my experience that dollar for dollar, in the mid-level processor range, an AMD will smoke an Intel of the same price bracket. Just my opinion... Not trying to start an argument with any Intel fanboys, lol.
If you want to work with large docs in photoshop, you want lots and lots of ram. I'd start with a minimum of 2Gb's for speedy rendering.

Sounds like you have a lot of issues with the laptop.
Are you sure you have the correct drivers installed for the ethernet adapter?
It sounds like you have it set to "boot from LAN" in the CMOS... could be why you're getting that glitch on boot-up.
You tried flashing the motherboard bios and it froze? You're lucky the thing still works.

Like I said, I heard that Intel has an edge on speed, but I'm really not particular on what brand of processor I go with. As long as it's stable an all, I don't care if it's Intel or AMD. And yes, I plan on a minimum of 2 gig ram.

I tried updating the drivers for the ethernet adapter. I had my one uncle who does computer repair play with it for awhile too. He suspects the NIC card as being defective, but I dunno.

I tried updating the motherboard BIOS, it didn't freeze, but it would get halfway through the update and throw an error saying that the disk was missing something and it couldn't continue. The only option it gave me then was to insert another disk containing the missing files or to cancel the update.

what is your e-mail lil blue i will e-mail you the cart

lbfcustoms@gmail.com

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ok, here's what gettle03FX4LevelII sent me...

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1 Rosewill RCX-Z1 Long life ball bearing for over 45,000/hrs CPU Cooler

Rosewill RCX-Z1 Long life ball bearing for over 45,000/hrs CPU Cooler
Item #:N82E16835200014
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add item to Cart Add this item to your cart

$22.99
1 Rosewill RCX-TC001 Thermal Grease

Rosewill RCX-TC001 Thermal Grease
Item #:N82E16835200039
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add item to Cart Add this item to your cart

$4.99
1 GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard

GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813128014
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add item to Cart Add this item to your cart

$99.99
1 XFX PVT84JUSD4 GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

XFX GeForce 8600GT PVT84JUSD4 Video Card
Item #:N82E16814150258
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add item to Cart Add this item to your cart

$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$109.99
1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Item #:N82E16822148262
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add item to Cart Add this item to your cart

$69.99
1 XION II XON-101 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W Power Supply

XION II XON-101 Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Item #:N82E16811208005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add item to Cart Add this item to your cart

-$5.00 Instant
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
$69.99
$64.99
1 CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHXAMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor Model ADO5000DSWOF

* CORSAIR 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Item #: N82E16820145177
Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy
Add combo to Cart Add this combo to your cart

* AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Black Edition Processor
Item #: N82E16819103194
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

-$15.00 Combo
$40.00 Mail-in Rebate
$191.99
$176.99
Grand Total: $549.93
Add all items to your cartAdd all items to your cart»
©2000 - 2008 Newegg Inc. *Prices, availability and terms of offers may change without notice. Taxes and shipping charges not shown. Newegg cannot be responsible for pricing or other errors and reserves the right to cancel orders arising from such errors. All items sold as retail unless otherwise noted. OEM products may be sold without packaging, documentation or other articles. Visit Newegg.com for today's prices and complete product line.

 

[Kdawg532]

you could get a real decent dell desktop with an AMD x2 which will by leaps and bounds out perform the intel for like 500 $ brand new and it would run almost anything you throw at it

 

[mhughes165]

first off, im a+ and have my ccna certification, so when i say this it is not from a ignorant background.

DO NOT buy a dell system if u really value ur computing experience. the architecture used in dell systems and dell utilities are designed to degrade with time, the more hours a system is used for the slower it will become, for the same amount that u can buy a prebuilt dell system, u can purchase the components for less money put it together and run the identical systems(dell vs built) and the dell will always come up on the short end of the stick....

ya..i suppose u can say that im not a fan of dell....but when 75% of computers i fix are dells with defective equipment....there tends to be a reason for it.

i would if i were u hold out with the laptop for a lil longer to put away money to invest into a top notch system u can build, spend more now, less stress later.....

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

first off, im a+ and have my ccna certification, so when i say this it is not from a ignorant background.

DO NOT buy a dell system if u really value ur computing experience. the architecture used in dell systems and dell utilities are designed to degrade with time, the more hours a system is used for the slower it will become, for the same amount that u can buy a prebuilt dell system, u can purchase the components for less money put it together and run the identical systems(dell vs built) and the dell will always come up on the short end of the stick....

ya..i suppose u can say that im not a fan of dell....but when 75% of computers i fix are dells with defective equipment....there tends to be a reason for it.

i would if i were u hold out with the laptop for a lil longer to put away money to invest into a top notch system u can build, spend more now, less stress later.....

That seems to be the general concensus on dell, lol.

I would hold out longer, but I feel that I've really waited too long already on replacing the laptop. Right now I'm taking some college courses online and can't even use my computer for them, I have to borrow time on my boss's computer. Which since tax time is upon us, I have to beg and plead for time.

I'm not opposed to buying JUST what I need to get by right now and upgrading/adding to later. I need a case, motherboard, chip (intel/amd), video card, monitor, power supply, XP op sys, and any lil associated stuff. I have a cd drive that I can probably use if I need it, and I have a gig thumb drive so as long as I have some usb ports, I can transfer files that way. I have a mouse and keyboard already, I was using them with my laptop. Hopefully over the summer here I'll be able to throw more money at the thing.

 

[DeanMoriarty]

first off, im a+ and have my ccna certification, so when i say this it is not from a ignorant background.

DO NOT buy a dell system if u really value ur computing experience. the architecture used in dell systems and dell utilities are designed to degrade with time, the more hours a system is used for the slower it will become, for the same amount that u can buy a prebuilt dell system, u can purchase the components for less money put it together and run the identical systems(dell vs built) and the dell will always come up on the short end of the stick....

ya..i suppose u can say that im not a fan of dell....but when 75% of computers i fix are dells with defective equipment....there tends to be a reason for it.

i would if i were u hold out with the laptop for a lil longer to put away money to invest into a top notch system u can build, spend more now, less stress later.....

Amen to that. Not to mention some proprietary components and the fact that you cannot upgrade / add on to most of these machines. IMO, HP is even worse. I could go on for days... But, I do make lots of $$$ fixing their shitty machines, so I shouldn't really complain.

AMD or Intel, if installed correctly, will be stable. It really comes down to personal preference.

Ok... So far as the system you have laid out here... it looks pretty good to me, with a couple exceptions.

Unless you really like that case, I wouldn't buy it just for the included power supply. My advice is either buy this, or pick out a case you really like, and get a beefier PSU to put in it. Saving a few bucks now could cost you a lot more down the road.

I personally wouldn't put a Rosewill cooler on my CPU. I've seen lots of these fans shit the bed. I've had good luck with Zalman, Arctic cooling and Thermaltake. Same with the thermal grease... Spend a few extra bucks and get the Arctic Silver, it's well worth it.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Amen to that. Not to mention some proprietary components and the fact that you cannot upgrade / add on to most of these machines. IMO, HP is even worse. I could go on for days... But, I do make lots of $$$ fixing their shitty machines, so I shouldn't really complain.

AMD or Intel, if installed correctly, will be stable. It really comes down to personal preference.

Ok... So far as the system you have laid out here... it looks pretty good to me, with a couple exceptions.

Unless you really like that case, I wouldn't buy it just for the included power supply. My advice is either buy this, or pick out a case you really like, and get a beefier PSU to put in it. Saving a few bucks now could cost you a lot more down the road.

I personally wouldn't put a Rosewill cooler on my CPU. I've seen lots of these fans shit the bed. I've had good luck with Zalman, Arctic cooling and Thermaltake. Same with the thermal grease... Spend a few extra bucks and get the Arctic Silver, it's well worth it.

That's the sort of advice I was lookin for!

I'd like suggestions on what PSU to use and would it help me to go with dual core or quad core for a processor? I had heard that if a program wasn't designed to take advantage of that, then it doesn't utilize it....


Oh, and I'm looking at ordering this for the monitor...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009108

 

[Kdawg532]

first off, im a+ and have my ccna certification, so when i say this it is not from a ignorant background.

DO NOT buy a dell system if u really value ur computing experience. the architecture used in dell systems and dell utilities are designed to degrade with time, the more hours a system is used for the slower it will become, for the same amount that u can buy a prebuilt dell system, u can purchase the components for less money put it together and run the identical systems(dell vs built) and the dell will always come up on the short end of the stick....

ya..i suppose u can say that im not a fan of dell....but when 75% of computers i fix are dells with defective equipment....there tends to be a reason for it.

i would if i were u hold out with the laptop for a lil longer to put away money to invest into a top notch system u can build, spend more now, less stress later.....

true i was just offering cheap alternatives for compys, the brand i really like and have had not to many problems with is AMD mother boards with your own components preferbly an ASUS chip set Viatech chipsets are junk which is what emachines and other cheap compys use.
another brand that really sucks is Gateway, my neighbor got a gateway and has sent it in for repairs hundreds of times, like m hughs said its better to build your own

 

[DeanMoriarty]

That's the sort of advice I was lookin for!

I'd like suggestions on what PSU to use and would it help me to go with dual core or quad core for a processor? I had heard that if a program wasn't designed to take advantage of that, then it doesn't utilize it....


Oh, and I'm looking at ordering this for the monitor...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009108

True... the software has to utilize it, but, if you have the extra cash I would go for the dual. More and more software is being built to utilize these multi-core processors. The processor in your post up there is a dual, it looks pretty sweet.

Monitor looks nice to me, Acer makes good stuff. I bought an Asus 20" widescreen last year and love it.

 

[Seabiscuit]

....IMO, HP is even worse.

My bulb went out twice in my HP laptop. The cost to replace was very expensive. Do laptop companies disclose laptop bulb life?

 

[DeanMoriarty]

You know... I'm really not sure about that. Ideally, it should last the life of the laptop. Sounds like you have something else going on causing the thing to go out, a defect. I wouldn't even venture to guess what that might be. I'm guessing it's out of warranty?
Many laptop problems are more costly to repair than a new laptop would be. Try pricing a replacement motherboard for one.