It’s rare that I run into something I can't wrap my head around, but here we are. Since I’m not exactly claiming to be a genius or some kind of tech wizard, I figured I’d ask if anyone else has dealt with something similar or has any thoughts 😬 regarding my situation:
Conan was running perfectly fine. Automatic updates on, zero issues, everything was smooth. Yesterday, I shut down the machine around midnight, all good. This morning? It starts up, hits the POST, shows the Windows logo, and then—black. It stays powered on, the drives are spinning, but absolutely nothing happens.
Safe Mode works fine, though. No hardware errors, no malware (Norton and Security essentials have been keeping things clean for a while now), Malwarebytes finds nothing, and neither does CleanMyMac. I’ve tried all the standard recovery stuff—system restore, repair—nothing works.
During one of the repair attempts, I got an Error Code 0x490—likely something involving the boot/MBR. Ran Geek Squad to fix it, but still nothing. The Event Viewer is packed with logs, but they’re all empty. Only two specific Error Codes showed up: 278 and 279.
I read somewhere that SentinelOne can sometimes act up. I uninstalled it and wiped it clean, but no change. For the record, all my drives are in great shape—all green. Temps are also perfect; that’s never been an issue (even with the GeForce GTX).
In one of the Blue Screen of Death instances, I saw a mention of atikmdag. I killed the CCC processes, cleaned everything out, and lo and behold—it boots up normally, just stuck in 800x600 VGA mode. Windows immediately notices the missing VGA driver and tries to install it. Once it finishes, it asks for a restart, but once I reboot, we’re right back where we started. Okay, fine, maybe it’s the latest beta driver. No big deal. I wiped the CCC files again and manually installed the version from late last year that worked flawlessly. Fuck... we're back to square one. Same symptoms...
Back to Safe Mode, kill CCC, wipe everything, prevent Windows from installing any VGA drivers, and suddenly everything runs fine again. I even managed to set the native resolution on my Dell Monitor (1680x1050) and get my fonts and icons back to how they were. Everything looks good, but obviously, there's no Aero interface and a massive hit to graphics performance because there's no hardware acceleration.
So, that's the situation. It's working for now, and since I desperately need this machine for web browsing and Microsoft Office today and tomorrow, I'm done messing with it for the moment.
Next, I’m planning to open the case, clean everything out, reseat all the connections, and try a different DVI port on the card. But honestly, logically, I’m thinking the GPU is the culprit. It’s not that old, it’s never really been under heavy load (my son games on a different rig), and it has the stock dual-fan setup. It shouldn't be dead yet, IMHO...
I'd appreciate any opinions, suggestions, or advice you might have... because regardless of how many years of experience I have, this one is proving to be a pretty tough nut to crack.
Thanks in advance!
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The build is a Sunbeam Quarterback with 3x120mm fans, a GA-MA770-UD3 motherboard with an Intel Core i7 running Ninja 3, 4x 2GB Kingston RAM, and a GeForce GTX (stock with dual fans). Power supply is an EVGA Power Supply, drives are HD502IJ / WD1001FALS / WD5000AAKS, monitor is a Dell Monitor 22" 1680x1050, and it's running Windows 7 x64 Enterprise.
Just email Asus technical support directly with the exact specs of your laptop, and attach scans of your receipt and any service paperwork you have. Make sure to tell them exactly which repair shop you used and walk them through everything that’s happened—basically everything you just told us...
Asus has a major regional office here in the States and keeps stock nearby, so there's no way a part shouldn't reach us within a few days... Which service center are you even using? According to their own site, the authorized provider is SystemOne:
The G series laptops are solid machines; they're built specifically for gaming, so they should have higher-end components and better build quality. But, hey, you hit a rough patch—it happens. Just take it as bad luck and don't stress too much; it'll be your dream laptop once they finally get it sorted. Just don't let that service center screw you over. Keep us posted daily on what's going on if you need to...
Did you happen to register the laptop for the Asus warranty program?
Look, the CPU is a huge part of any build, but you can't just obsess over the processor and call it a day. Any one of these chips will get the job done for what you need, but whether your system actually runs smoothly or crashes constantly depends entirely on how the rest of your components play together...
If you've got more important things to spend your cash on right now and a PC isn't a priority, that's fine. But if you want actual help, give us a ballpark figure of your budget. That way, the community can suggest a new build or help you hunt down something decent on eBay or Craigslist. If you're really just using this thing to browse the web and watch YouTube, you can grab a budget-friendly setup pretty cheap...
If you want to dive deep into processor generations and technical specs, check out Wikipedia:
Graphics... Look, if we're just talking about what shows up on your screen, integrated graphics are plenty. Most of the calculation software you're running relies on CPU power. That is, unless you're using programs that can leverage AMD cores for hardware acceleration. You should probably check which specific apps you use actually support that and which GPUs they play nice with to speed things up. Now, the logical follow-up is: how much faster? It’s hard to say because it depends entirely on how well the software utilizes the GPU alongside your processor and the rest of your hardware. Having plenty of RAM and a fast Hard Drive helps too, especially for storing those massive scratch files these programs spit out when saving temporary data. Since modern GPUs can actually outperform CPUs and come with super-fast dedicated memory (not all of them, though!), you can expect a massive boost in computation speeds. If your calculations only take a few minutes and you only run them once or twice a day, you can probably live without a dedicated card. But, if you're dealing with huge models, running endless schematic variations, or letting simulations "cook" overnight, then discrete graphics is a much better call. So, it's your call...
Regarding other brands, you can still find things like a Dell XPS in that price range, or maybe a few HP models like the K, F, N, or GL series; then there's the Dell Latitude, or even some Dell stuff...
Do some digging, read some reviews—Notebookcheck is usually the best bet... But honestly, that MacBook I suggested seems like the most well-rounded option. I managed to find at least one major flaw in every other model compared to the MacBook Air.
And since you clearly have a soft spot for Dell, I don't see any reason to change your mind...
Check out these reviews on a few legit sites. If nobody here actually has hands-on experience, you can still get a decent idea from these test results...
You won't find any W, T, or X1 series here, and don't even bother looking for a Surface in this price range. But honestly, this decent enough MacBook Air actually has some real substance to it:
I'll start with the "worse" option, which is integrated graphics. Honestly, it really should have been a discrete card—preferably an AMD one. God forbid they try to push some pro-grade stuff like an RTX or Radeon Pro on me. 😬Look, regarding that software you mentioned—sure, it sounds great on paper, but the benefits would come with a massive price tag. You'd also be looking at worse battery life and a bulkier chassis because a setup like that would need much beefier cooling. In my opinion, everything about that configuration is just a step backward.
The processor is a pretty beefy M-series 4-thread i5. It can handle up to 16GB of RAM—and honestly, I’d strongly suggest bumping it up to at least 8GB immediately, though 16GB is the sweet spot if you can swing it. You know how it goes. It's got a fast hard drive, a solid 1080p matte screen that's actually usable outdoors, and it only weighs about 2.3kg. The chassis is rugged (military grade) with reliable hinges, a spill-resistant keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and macOS.
Inside, you aren't just stuck with swapping the hard drive and RAM. You've also got a dedicated M.2 slot ready to go, which lets you pop in a BT4.0 module, a WWAN module, or an M.2 hard drive. It’s a much better setup than dealing with the headache of ripping out the DVD drive just to install a caddy. That said, if you end up needing that M.2 slot for one of those other components, don't sweat it—you can always just go the caddy route with an SSD instead.
You don't even have to look that hard if you want a Caddy or a Hard Drive.
I haven't tracked down an M.2 hard drive from them yet, but they definitely carry them, so it's not an issue.
The rest of it is pretty standard—ports, camera, and all that. It does have a small USB-C slot, which is actually pretty handy if you need it, and of course, it comes with that classic IBM trackpad. 😬
Standard consumer warranties run for 24 months, though you can always pay extra to tack on another 12 if you want that extra peace of mind.
I can't make sense of this link. It looks like some broken shop URL that isn't loading anything useful. If you're trying to show me a specific piece of hardware or some software architecture, you'll need to find a working link from a US site. This just leads nowhere.
The docking station isn't at the Apple Store, but you can still grab one if you actually need it:
It’s possible the SSD is the culprit. I mean, why not? Even though Samsung SSDs have a reputation for being top-tier, you can still run into a dud due to some manufacturing defect. It could also be the motherboard, the power supply, or even just a faulty case switch...
Also, double-check your BIOS settings—make sure you actually enabled AHCI mode under the PCH SATA control settings...
You should also go into the BIOS and disable those "Wake on..." functions if they're currently turned on...
If you want to look into SSD maintenance and how to actually optimize performance, check this out:
Based on how you described it, this sounds like a classic Microsoft Word settings issue. You really need to dig through all the configuration options to see what's causing this behavior.
One potential fix could be this:
"Open Microsoft Word 2010, go into options, hit advanced, then scroll down to the "When printing this document" section and uncheck "Print only the data from a form," then click OK. This fixed the issue for me, and now Word 2010 documents now Print on my HP LaserJet Pro 400 M451dn."
That's what I dug up on an HP forum. It’s possible your settings are stuck on printing just form data, which makes the software think the actual text shouldn't be printed at all...
Aside from doing a deep dive into those settings, which I already mentioned, I don't have much else to suggest...
lonebear14 said:I recently picked up a 256GB card on eBay, and I'm certain the capacity isn't fake. I put it into an adapter and connected everything to my PC for storage.
After formatting it, I moved a massive amount of data over. However, I can't figure out why the files vanish every time I unplug the drive from my computer. For instance, if I load a movie onto the card and plug it into my TV to watch, the card shows up empty. It isn't an issue with the TV, because when I plug it back into the PC, everything is gone.
So, is this a problem with the card being a dud, or is the adapter the culprit?
Look, that link you posted is staring me right in the face: "2 DDR II DIMM memory slots (supports up to 4GB memory)"
The drives will behave the exact same way. With storage, capacity isn't the main issue—it's speed. Usually, you get what you pay for; the more expensive the drive, the faster and more reliable it is...
Though, honestly, that doesn't really matter much given the ancient motherboard you're working with...
How exactly do you think someone is supposed to help you? They suggest going back to Windows, where you didn't have any issues—you wouldn't do that. They tell you to perform a clean reinstall—you wouldn't do that either. They say the problem lies with the drivers—you claim you've swapped them all out and that it's definitely not a driver issue...
🤷
I don't even know anymore...
The whole point of a clean reinstall is for when you're stuck in a mess of conflicting driver versions because you probably didn't fully uninstall the old ones before installing the new ones. Even if you did, there’s usually some leftover junk lingering around that causes exactly this kind of headache...
NZXT puts pretty solid fans in their cases. And by the way, their stuff isn't some cheap junk either; it’s actually high-quality gear. In my humble opinion, swapping out perfectly good stock fans is just pure insanity...
Also, don't go overboard with the fan count. You'll just create turbulence inside the case and end up with the exact opposite of what you're aiming for. You'll basically just be swirling hot air around inside the box.
The Boeing comes with 3x120mm fans in the front and 1x140mm in the back, which is more than enough for great airflow. If you decide to overclock and realize things are getting too hot, you can always add 2x120mm fans to the top to exhaust the heat from the CPU. I wouldn't touch the side mount—don't mess with the airflow pattern.
If the impossible happens and you somehow hate the original fans (though I honestly don't see why you would), you can always swap them easily enough. But throwing that much money away just because of some weird obsession or nonsense you read online? Seriously... you're better off buying a decent meal and a drink if you've got nothing smarter to do with your cash...
Start right here. Once you nail down the specific model, it’ll spit out all your service options.
I haven't heard of anyone stocking screen protectors, and honestly, I'm looking for a couple myself for some tablets. Your best bet is probably searching eBay using the specific model number to find a match. You could also try checking with Best Buy—they usually have laptop screens in stock, which isn't quite the same thing, but still...
Swapping an LCD isn't rocket science, but you definitely need the right tools and a steady hand. Just look up a YouTube tutorial.
Sometimes it pays to check Craigslist. A lot of independent repair guys and DIYers hang out there because it doesn't cost a dime to browse...
You need to crack the case open and actually check where everything is plugged in. And be careful—if you force those connectors the wrong way, you could easily fry something... Just stick to the motherboard manual.
Kyle Martin67 said:Sure, the motherboard supports USB 3.0—but it lacks the actual header needed to connect a USB 3.0 front panel from the case.😉
I don't get it... 🤷
It’s the exact same deal as with USB 2.0. There's the header on the board, but the cable itself comes with the case. Cases equipped with USB 2.0 ports come with cables that plug into the motherboard, and cases with USB 3.0 have their own specific cables meant for the corresponding header on the board.
Why on earth would you buy a case that doesn't even have a USB 3.0 port?