If you’ve got an original product key—rather than just using some loader or one of those sketchy activation tools—then you should definitely feel free to bump up the price. If not, honestly, there isn't much room to move. I mean, installing Windows takes maybe 20 minutes tops, and if you're using those tools mentioned above, the actual activation process takes all of ten seconds. 😁
bluewolf82 said:Haha, it seems Larry Ortiz5 is still stirring the pot, isn't he? :P
I’m really not being stubborn here. 😁 It’s just an award-winning antivirus/malware tool—it actually works, and the interface is incredibly straightforward.
Honestly, that GTX 460 is actually a bit more powerful than some of the newer cards out there for $133, so if you ask me—I’m putting my vote on that one.
Like, what? Flash games? You could actually run stuff like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas if you drop the settings down to LOW—it really depends on your monitor's resolution, though. Basically, you’d be looking at running games from maybe ten years ago...
If you ask me, I wouldn't pick up a card like this if your actual goal is gaming. Honestly, if you just need a dedicated GPU to get an image on your monitor—nothing more—you should probably just grab the cheapest PCIe card you can find.
You’ll need to enable that XMP profile in your BIOS first.
Hmm, I actually had no idea those links were dead. In that case—you might want to grab Windows 7 from drilibell instead. It's got all the updates integrated through March 2015, which is pretty great—plus, a clean version of Windows is always a safer bet for peace of mind.
I’ve basically learned everything there is to know about PC components and building rigs from this guy. He really walks you through the entire process—from start to finish—showing exactly where everything goes without all those annoying jump cuts or edited-out bits. If you need a guide, I highly recommend 👍
You can pick whichever Windows 7 version you need from that link—just make sure you go with the x64 version. Once it's downloaded, it'll be an ISO file. If you're planning to burn it to a blank DVD, I'd suggest grabbing something like ImgBurn to get it done. Or, if you'd rather just install it via a USB drive, you can always use Rufus.
I’ve still got a bad feeling about that hard drive—it just doesn't smell right to me. If you don't mind, could you grab CrystalDiskInfo, take a quick screenshot of the status, and post it here on the forum?
From what I can gather, you're looking at an $1,800 budget without having to part with your current laptop, right? If that's the case, I'd say aim for the Intel X99 chipset and DDR4—because if you settle for the Intel Socket 1150, you aren't going to be able to hit that $1,800 mark very easily (assuming you're really set on spending the full amount), especially if you still need to pick up a monitor and other peripherals too, don't you think?
Are you transferring via an external hard drive? Or maybe just using a thumb drive? Or even burning them to a blank DVD? Look, if you’re worried about some technician snooping through your photos—personally, I wouldn't give a second thought to anyone looking at my pictures or files—but hey, that's just my two cents.
It sounds like your hard drive might be acting up. Just to be sure—does the laptop freeze up right when you're booting from that Windows installation CD and trying to start the formatting process?
shadowpanther0 said:Hey everyone... I'm having some trouble with the date and time on my computer running Windows 7. Sometimes it remembers the correct time, but other times it resets every time I boot up. The PC stays on from early morning until late at night every single day. I already swapped out the CMOS battery on the motherboard for a brand new one, but the issue is still happening. What else could be causing this, and how can I fix it?
Thanks...
Try clicking the clock in the bottom corner and select "change date and time settings," then head over to the internet time tab and hit "change setting." If the box for "Synchronize with an Internet Server" isn't checked, go ahead and check it, click "update now," and then hit OK. Once you reboot the next time, see if that does the trick.
Don't hold me 100% to my word here, but I'm pretty sure the Product ID you're looking at isn't actually the Product Key you'll need to type in during the Windows installation to get everything activated. You've got the Windows 7 disc or DVD handy, right? Okay... just grab this little tool and install it:
Once it's installed, it should be able to sniff out your actual Windows 7 product key/CD key. Just make sure you scribble that down on a piece of paper—or better yet, snap a quick photo of it with your phone. That way, once you've wiped the hard drive and finished installing a fresh version of Windows, you can just plug that key in and you'll be all set and activated.😁