I can't seem to edit my previous post, so I'm re-uploading the images here.
Last night, I tried restarting the machine, went back into the BIOS, and suddenly it just wouldn't boot up at all. It was a real headache! The only way I could finally get it running again was by unplugging every single cable and then reconnecting them. But now, there's a catch. Every single time I power on the system, I have to manually hit F12 just to access the startup sequence.
I ran into a rather bizarre issue with my PC today. It all started when I unplugged an older E-Blue Gaming Cobra 2 keyboard after a gaming session. Once I finished playing, I decided to uninstall the game and wipe all its leftover files from the system. I gave the computer a quick restart, and that’s when things started getting weird.
First off, the Windows welcome screen just kept spinning indefinitely. I eventually managed to get past that, only to be hit with constant error messages stating my keyboard wasn't supported. I finally unplugged the device entirely, but now I can't even get the computer to boot up properly. To make matters worse, when I enter the BIOS, the boot screen is suddenly filled with these strange, unreadable symbols—it looks like total gibberish. Now, every single time I turn the machine on, I have to mash the F11 key just to bring up the boot order menu so I can manually select my drive.
I'm running Windows 10 Enterprise, and I've attached some screenshots so you can see exactly what I'm dealing with.
I would truly appreciate any help or advice you can offer.
I was just chatting with a guy at the local Best Buy, and he suggested I could just grab a single 8GB stick and slot it in alongside my current setup. It got me thinking about the best way to go about this. If that's the move, what’s the actual smart play here? Should I pick up one 8GB module, or would it be better to grab two 4GB sticks instead?
After six solid years, my trusty laser HP printer finally gave up the ghost. Honestly, it doesn't make sense to fix it at this stage; back when I first picked it up, it cost me about $200, and looking back, it paid for itself many times over.
I'm looking to upgrade to a new laser model, and I've had my eye on this one:
The cost for compatible toner is roughly $50, which isn't bad at all. Plus, the yield is up to 15,000 pages—which, for someone like me who only prints about 15 sheets a week, feels like it'll last a lifetime.
Does anyone have any good recommendations? Perhaps something even more budget-friendly? I would truly appreciate any advice or help you can offer.
I’m currently running on 8GB of RAM, but I’m looking to bump that up by another 8GB. Right now, I have two 4GB sticks installed. I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice on what makes the most sense financially—should I go for a single 16GB stick or just pick up two more 8GB ones? Also, does anyone know exactly what type of RAM I need to ensure everything stays compatible with my current setup?
I'm planning on picking up a new laptop in the next few days. I need something reliable for work, but I also want to be able to enjoy watching movies in decent quality when I'm relaxing.
My budget is capped at $1500, and I've narrowed my search down to two specific models. I'd love to get some insight into which one would be the better investment:
Dell Latitude 3000 series, 2XY90ES, 15.6" FHD LED (1920x1080), Intel Core i3 6006U dual Core 2.0, 8GB DDR4, 256 GB SSD, DVD-Writer, Intel HD Graphics 520, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac, GbitLAN, Bluetooth 4.2, HDMI, USB 2.0, 2xUSB 3.1, FreeDOS, 2.45 kg, Grey
I'm leaning toward the Acer because it features a superior graphics card for roughly the same price, though I can't ignore that the Dell comes with 8GB of RAM. Is more memory worth sacrificing dedicated graphics?
Does anyone know if there are any pain relief pills out there that actually provide some relief? My doctor prescribed Detralex, but honestly, they are just way too expensive for my budget.
To be fair, I’m overweight—really overweight. I spend a lot of time sitting down and I've definitely overindulged in spicy foods, so I can pretty much guess why these hemorrhoids showed up. Usually, they pop up once a year, mess with me for about a month, and then clear up, which I can generally handle. However, this current flare-up started about six months ago and I just cannot seem to get rid of it. Luckily, I don't have any bleeding issues, but the actual bathroom trips are a total nightmare. First, there's that excruciating pain during the act itself, and then I'm stuck dealing with intense discomfort for the next 6 to 8 hours. I can't sit, I can't walk, I can't even lie down properly... today was easily one of my worst days yet. Last week, I finally made a drastic decision to cut back on food as much as possible; now I'm only eating once a day, usually sticking to soup or something light like a stew. Am I hungry? Absolutely. But I'll endure it. The pain was keeping me pinned down until just two hours ago. From here on out, I'm going to try to fight through this by staying hydrated and sticking to high-water-content foods. I'm completely done with bread and heavy carbs.
I have my company logo set up in Microsoft Word, which includes all our essential details like the EIN, phone numbers, fax lines, and more. I’m looking to add a few extra bits of information to the layout, but honestly, I’ve spent half the day wrestling with different software and haven't made any real progress.
The only way I managed to get anything done was by exporting the logo from Microsoft Word into a GIF format just to overlay some text. The problem? The font looks completely different, the sizing is totally off, and I have zero control over any further edits.
Does anyone have any advice or a better workflow for tackling this kind of thing? I would really appreciate some guidance on how to fix this mess.
I honestly can't say for sure, since I haven't really messed with it in probably two years. I actually powered it down back when I first picked up an SSD because I was running low on connectors. But could it be possible? Absolutely. That just brings up a different question, though: if everything is working correctly, why on earth isn't this new 480GB SSD showing up?
I picked up a new Fractal case and a 480 GB SSD today. I’m feeling good about the upgrade, but I’ve hit a bit of a snag. When I open up This PC on Windows 10 to check out my hardware specs, things look a little strange. I can see my original 240 GB SSD and an external 2TB hard drive clearly enough. But then there are these two extra drives labeled E and F. Drive E shows 135 GB used out of 175 GB, and Drive F shows 249 GB used out of 289 GB. To make matters worse, I have an old 500 GB internal hard drive that isn't showing up in the list at all.
I am honestly a bit stumped here. I decided to run Aida to get a better look at my system specs, and the software clearly lists both of my installed SSDs along with that 500 GB hard drive. If the software sees them, why aren't they appearing in the file explorer?
Just to add to the confusion, when I actually click into those E and F drives, they are filled with files, and there is even a Windows folder sitting at the bottom. My main Windows installation is currently running on the C drive.
What steps should I take to get everything organized and visible where it belongs?
Kimberly Gomez34 said:Right now, you can snag a Fractal R4 case at a really great price
Also, if you're stuck without an HDD, maybe consider picking up a 480-525GB SSD instead? If you're planning to run games off it, it makes much more sense. Honestly, why even bother with an HDD? Are you just running out of storage space for everything else?
Actually, yeah, I don't even really need an HDD. I've already got a 2TB external drive, so I'm not sure why I was thinking about spending money on an internal one... I think I'll just pick up a 520GB SSD and keep the 250GB one I currently have. That way, the old one handles the OS and programs, and the new one can be dedicated entirely to my games.
Who would have guessed? After all this time, I’ve still got a solid machine on my hands. For now, I think I'll leave everything exactly as it is—with the obvious exceptions of a fresh case and an SSD.
That sounds like a plan! I’m definitely going to grab the case first, and then I might just pick up an extra SSD while I'm at it. It's all about the gaming experience for me. With a new Battlefield title on the horizon, I've got my sights set on Hitman. Honestly, once you spend a year running Battlefield 4 off an SSD, there is absolutely no going back to a standard hard drive.
So, what do you think? Should I go with another 250GB SSD, or would it be smarter to just jump up to a 520GB model?
I get it—the smaller one is obviously easier on the wallet. But I’m curious from a compatibility standpoint.
It also just occurred to me: maybe I should invest in some decent cooling? I've always just stuck with those basic, entry-level setups.
I noticed liquid cooling is being recommended for $200, and I've heard that's really the gold standard for this specific tier right now.
I actually picked up the GPU and the power supply last December, and my monitor is still fantastic.
What I'm really looking for is a high-quality case—ideally one with a side window, since my current one is just a cheap, tiny thing. From there, should I add a new 2TB HDD to run alongside my existing SSD where the OS lives, or would it be smarter to just grab another SSD?
Also, since the motherboard is getting pretty dated, I’d love to upgrade that as well.
My budget is roughly $600.
I plan on shopping at Best Buy since they offer the option to pay with a Denny's card over 24 monthly installments.
