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Black screen after a certain amount of time in IT Support · Jun 6, 2021

Jerry Robinson56 said:No bootable device — insert boot disk and press any key

What > mentioned earlier
could be anything from faulty SATA connectors to the actual drive itself.

1) Honestly, I’m not totally sold on that theory. I actually worked on a laptop just the other day that used to throw that exact error message in MS-DOS constantly, cycling through every single drive it could find. The funny thing was, if you tried to install Windows 10 using a CD-ROM, it would fly right through the process without even acknowledging those "missing" drives, and then it would run perfectly fine once everything was set up. This whole situation feels like another case where the issue isn't necessarily a dead disk, especially since the computer boots up and functions normally otherwise.

2) While seeing an error like that during an old-school MS-DOS boot sequence makes sense, you almost never see a message like that pop up once the OS is actually running.

If I had to guess, it sounds like we might be looking at an uncontrolled reboot within MS-DOS, which usually points toward a RAM issue, a motherboard hiccup, or maybe just some dusty contact between the memory and the board—something I could probably fix easily with a little 😁 ☕

ps: You sometimes see messages like this on drives formatted specifically through Windows OS, like via Windows disk management, even when they are perfectly healthy. A few years back, I got a handful of 3.5" floppies for free, formatted them using a Windows 98SE startup CD, and then they worked like a charm once I moved them over to Windows XP. On my old desktop setups, those drives would show that same prompt the second the machine powered on.

I don't spend all my time messing with boot sequences, but if I remember correctly, there's usually a connection to UEFI, EFA, or some other boot protocol involving a DOS boot file, though I doubt that's what's happening here.

Regarding that sudden restart > experienced when jumping from Windows back to MS-DOS on that laptop, it could honestly be a dozen things—maybe a driver conflict, likely the GPU, or it could just be a software glitch, a virus, or even a momentary power surge. It's hard to say for sure.

Just a side note: My own desktop, the one I'm typing on right now, has only restarted three times in the last two years, and that only happened while I was browsing the web via Mozilla Firefox on Windows XP.

Migrating from MVI to MVC: Best practices? in IT Support · Jun 2, 2021

steelmarlin93 said:So I just picked up this new TV, right? And it turns out it doesn't support AVI files at all... which is such a pain. Does anyone know if there's actually a way to convert an AVI over to MVC

https://www.avs4you.com/avs-free-video-converter.aspx

How to set A3 paper size in Word 2003? in IT Support · Jun 1, 2021

swifttinker40 said:I'm looking to put together an A5 size calendar using Word 2003—something I can just send over to the local print shop once it's finished—but I've hit a bit of a snag. I was just sitting here fiddling around with my page setup settings, and it got me thinking about how much time we all spend just trying to get the layout to look right before we even start the actual work. It’s funny how those little adjustments can totally change your workflow once you finally nail them down! I don't have the option for A3 since my printer only handles A4.
So, someone mentioned to me the other day that if I just installed a decent PDF reader, a PDF printer would automatically pop up in my list of available printers when I'm working in Word. It sounded like a pretty simple fix, so I figured I'd give it a shot!
I just finished getting the software installed! I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately playing around with different PDF tools, and I honestly find myself reaching for Adobe more often than I expected. It just seems to have that smooth, reliable flow when you're trying to get through a long stack of documents, which is a lifesaver when you're buried in paperwork. There's something about having a tool that just works without any fuss that makes my workday feel so much lighter. I actually ran into this exact same headache a few months ago when I was trying to get a project finished late at night, and it’s honestly so frustrating when you're just ready to hit print. It turns out that even if your computer sees the printer perfectly fine, Word can sometimes be a bit stubborn and just refuses to acknowledge it in the dropdown menu. Usually, it's because there's some weird communication glitch between the software and the print spooler, or maybe a driver update went sideways. You might want to try checking your Windows settings first to see if the printer is set as the default, or even try restarting the application entirely—sometimes a quick refresh is all it takes to get things moving again!

Does anyone happen to know how I can pull this off?

Honestly, your best bet is to just head over to the local print shop and ask them exactly which printer model they'll be using to run that calendar. If you're lucky, they might even give you the driver on a thumb drive or just shoot it over to your email. Once you get that driver back home, you can just pop into your Control Panel, hit "add printer," and install it right on the machine you’re using to design everything. It makes the whole process so much smoother when you know exactly what you're working with!

So, it really just comes down to how much pressure you're under with this specific project. If you’re dealing with a high-stakes job where the printer uses a specialized color proofing setup, you might want to go the "Print to file" route—especially if you're working with a CMYK prep. Otherwise, just exporting it as a PDF usually does the trick!

If you ever find yourself totally stuck, honestly, just hunt down a driver for some random color printer online that supports A5 printing, install it, and you're good to go. It’s one of those little life hacks that actually works.

By the way, I was just wondering—how many copies did they actually print of that calendar? :P

New RAM won't boot Windows in IT Support · May 30, 2021

driftingcanyon2 said:That’s probably going to be a bust because even if those RAM modules physically fit the slots and match the type, the speeds just aren't lining up (666 vs 1333).

👍 It looks like the motherboard doesn't support that specific memory clock speed, or if it actually does, you might have some dirty contacts that need a good cleaning. If you take a close look at the RAM sticks themselves, the rated speed is printed right there on them—did you happen to miss that? 😲

Another possibility is that one of the sticks is partially faulty, or maybe both are, but honestly, I'd bet my money on the clock speed being the issue here.

ps: If it makes you feel any better, swapping out for a motherboard that supports that speed would fix it, though you'd probably end up needing to hunt down a compatible processor too... 😛

Intranet setup: How to wire and organize the network? in IT Support · May 26, 2021

John Cook72 said:Once everything transitions over to Wi-Fi, I was just sitting here wondering how we’re actually going to handle connecting all those hard drives, especially since each one currently relies on its own specific IP address to stay online.
I was just thinking about that whole situation with the wiring diagrams—you know, the ones where everything seems to be a complete mess of tangled lines? It’s funny how you can stare at a schematic for an hour and still feel like you're looking at a bowl of spaghetti rather than a functional circuit. I remember back when I was first messing around with some old hardware in my garage, I spent an entire Saturday tracing one of those chaotic layouts only to realize I'd misread a single connection point. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds! Anyway, what's your take on those messy schematics?

Thanks so much for reaching out about this, because I think I probably phrased things a bit poorly the first time around, so please excuse me!

I'm not actually looking to set up a whole Wi-Fi network here, more like...
- So, I was thinking about how to get a wireless LAN—you know, a solid WLAN or intranet setup—up and running. It’s one of those things that sounds complicated until you actually dive into it!

So, I was thinking about how to get five different USB Wi-Fi adapters or computers all linked up into a single intranet workgroup—basically making it function exactly like a setup using Ethernet cables. Does anyone know if a router is actually necessary to pull that off?

Man, I'm pretty sure that WLAN thing is just some fancy way of saying wireless local area network, right? 😁

Come on, someone please give me some actual helpful advice here! I really don't want to have to figure this all out on my own just to come back and post the answer myself later. 🙂

Michael Jackson10 said:I’m a little confused here—you’ve got five computers all set up within about a 25-foot radius, and since they're being spread out across two or three different rooms now, I figured there must be about five people working in that space.
So, then there’s the mention of a KVM switch—which makes me wonder how that setup actually functions in practice. Is someone really expected to spend their whole day constantly toggling back and forth between five different computers?

Not even related to the main topic, but in that specific room—you know, where those developers work—they’ve got this setup where they refuse to deal with five different towers, five monitors, five keyboards, and five mice cluttering up their desks. It would be such a mess! They clearly understand exactly why a KVM switch is a total lifesaver for a workspace like that.

Just as an example, once you’ve finished editing a video and hit that export button—which can easily take anywhere from thirty minutes to several hours depending on the project—there's really no reason to just sit there staring at the progress bar for five hours. I usually find it much more productive to just fire up a second computer and use a KVM to jump over and work on things like intros or quick teasers. Or, if I'm feeling particularly ambitious, I might even hop onto a sixth machine to start cutting another video entirely, set it to export, and then circle back to those quick edits once the heavy lifting is done.

Once you find yourself staring at a massive pile of old PC cases and a handful of laptops just sitting there waiting to be used for file transfers, it’ll become pretty obvious why managing all this hardware can turn into such a headache.

It’s actually a pretty straightforward question: So, I've been thinking about how much I hate seeing cables snaking all over my floor, and I was wondering—what's the best way to go wireless with my LAN setup and finally ditch all those wires for good?

And let me tell you, I don't want to hear any talk about running "parallel" networks where you have one setup for the internet and another for the intranet, both fighting over the same Wi-Fi signal. Honestly, that sounds like an absolute nightmare for anyone handling administration; trying to track down collisions or figuring out which device is messing with what would be such a massive headache. Everything should just run through one seamless network.

That’s exactly why I started this thread about how to easily—and safely—bridge a LAN connection wirelessly. I really wanted to create a space where we could figure out how to get even 10 or 15 computers all linked up without any major headaches.

I’m not saying the IT guys aren't doing their jobs, but honestly, I’ve had just about enough of them lately. It feels like every time we need to move a computer from one room to another—whatever the reason may be—it turns into this massive, recurring headache that just drags everything to a halt.

Intranet setup: How to wire and organize the network? in IT Support · May 25, 2021

You might be dealing with thousands of tiny little files—like a massive PHP site used for automation—but then you've got those random heavy hitters, too, like a 1GB video file straight from a camcorder or some movie you grabbed online.

Running cables through the walls just isn't happening for me; I’d honestly rather just mail everything out and set them up properly later, though I definitely want to give the Wi-Fi a shot first.

It isn't just me and the cabling causing headaches, because that switcher keeps acting up and messing with the power supply... honestly, it's probably easier to just deal with the wireless setup than to wrestle with this mess.

Intranet setup: How to wire and organize the network? in IT Support · May 25, 2021

@ William Richardson12 & Michelle Bennett5

My intranet has basically just been used for file sharing between computers, printer sharing, and stuff like that in the past. It worked fine when everything was tucked away together. But now, I need to spread these machines out across two or three different rooms, and I’m really hoping to ditch the Ethernet cables if there's any way to make it happen. Honestly, cables just get tangled up, they're such a pain to manage, they create a mess, and they force my setup to stay cramped together—whenever I move a PC, the whole cable situation becomes a headache.

Data transfer can be pretty heavy sometimes; I might be moving 1,000 to 3,000 files in a single folder, though other times it's just tiny bits of data. The largest individual file is maybe around 1GB, but most of them are usually in the 10-300kB range.

Each computer handles its own specific job: one is for Desktop Publishing, another is for video and audio editing, the third is running a LAMP stack server, the fourth is for high-end video effects and 3D work like Lightwave, the fifth is for gaming and browsing (which I control via a KVM switch), and all of them have dual backup hard drives where each drive has its own IP on a 192.168.0.x subnet mask.

I also have three identical backup machines sitting in a closet. They aren't being used right now, but they serve as perfect spares; if one of the main rigs crashes, I can get a replacement up and running in an hour max, assuming I just swap the drives.

*****

Anyway, like I mentioned, I have an extra router lying around from my old ISP that isn't doing anything. I was thinking I could repurpose it as a dedicated "multi-switch" for the intranet, which would probably be a much cleaner setup. I haven't actually tried building this yet, but I'll likely need to pull the trigger on it in a month or two.

So, the idea is to have two routers upstairs: one for the Internet and a separate one strictly for the intranet.

It's worth noting that most of the machines are running Windows XP, while the Desktop Publishing rig is on Windows 2000 Pro. To be honest, that machine doesn't even need internet access, just the intranet. Running everything over Ethernet has been totally seamless so far, and I don't see any reason to bother installing new versions of Windows unless it causes major headaches. That Desktop Publishing setup reached its peak back on Win2k, and the video editing side isn't too far behind using Premiere Pro and VideoPad. The only recent hiccup has been working with H.265 (HEVC), but I'm sure we can figure that out. Audio is my main focus, though.

But here is the big question: what about USB Wi-Fi adapters? I don't have any PCI Wi-Fi cards, just those USB dongles. Do I need to have two separate adapters per computer, or can one handle both connections? My guess is I'll need two, but I actually have a few extra USB Wi-Fi adapters on hand. They're older models with antennas that I picked up for cheap on AliExpress, but they look brand new and work great. I'm just wondering about driver compatibility; since they're mostly "no-name" brands, even if they're Linksys, I might run into some issues. If they clash, I can always grab some from a different manufacturer, so it's not a huge deal.

Basically, here is the game plan:
1. Set up that spare router (which won't be connected to the web) to host the intranet network—I don't really know how to do that yet, so if anyone has tips, please let me know! And then...

2. Find some USB Wi-Fi adapters from a different brand and plug one extra into each PC so that Windows recognizes "USB-Wi-Fi-1" as the internet connection and the second one as the intranet connection.

Do you guys think this will actually work? Also, do you think Wi-Fi is going to struggle when I'm transferring large amounts of data?

And seriously... has anyone ever actually tried setting up a private intranet like this before?

Intranet setup: How to wire and organize the network? in IT Support · May 24, 2021

Hey everyone,

So, I’ve got five computers set up within about 25 feet of each other. Each one has a USB Wi-Fi adapter plugged in just so they can grab an internet connection from a Wi-Fi modem located on the floor above us.

Right now, those machines are also all tethered by cables to our intranet (local network, 255.255.255.0).

Quick question for you guys:
I actually have an extra modem lying around, and honestly, dealing with all these tangled wires is getting a bit exhausting... so, does anyone know

1. if I can use this spare modem for the intranet, or maybe even repurpose the current one?
2. and if that's doable, would the existing Wi-Fi adapters work for this potential intranet setup, or am I going to need to pick up some additional ones?

Basically, I'm just trying to figure out how I might be able to pull this off.

Windows 7 user profile could not be loaded in IT Support · May 3, 2021

George Ross65 said:Alright, I finally managed to get the keyboard connected... Pressing F8 still gives me that same click, but—hey, at least I actually made it into Startup repair, and now I'm looking at this. 😢

I know I’m being a bit old-school with my suggestions, but whenever I run into these kinds of headaches, I usually just stick to a simple little routine where I jump straight into DOS using a Windows 98 SE boot CD if that's an option.

I was just sitting here thinking about how much I love that feeling of a totally clean slate, you know? There’s something almost poetic about wiping everything away to start fresh, like clearing off a cluttered desk before starting a big new project. But man, typing out a command like `A/>format c:` is definitely one of those "don't do this unless you really mean it" moments! It’s a bit like deciding to bulldoze your entire house just because you wanted to change the wallpaper—it's super bold, but you might regret losing all those old photos and files later on. Just a little heads-up for anyone browsing: that's a pretty heavy-duty way to clear a drive!

Just a heads-up for everyone: if you go through with this, everything on your C: drive is going to be wiped clean!
Are you absolutely certain about that? I just want to make sure we're on the same page before we move forward.
100% 😁

Refresh rate issues - is my new monitor defective? in IT Support · May 1, 2021

Justin Morales5 said:Is there any chance the connection between the monitor and the console is actually the culprit here? I mean, what are the odds that the monitor itself isn't just totally fried?

There's a version where it could be either one, but honestly, my money is on the monitor being the issue.

The best way to handle this is probably just grabbing another monitor to test things out, because if that works, then you know for sure the trouble lies with the connector or the PCB inside the monitor itself.

Microsoft support team in IT Support · May 1, 2021

Douglas Gray8 said:Honestly, these guys are such clowns! I’ve already sent over my full details, my Social Security number, everything they could possibly need, yet they keep insisting it's not enough—I must have told them twenty times by now. At this point, I feel like asking if they want me to mail them a DNA sample or something just to prove I actually exist!🤔

😁 So, I was thinking, maybe you could try to jog your memory and see if that password comes back to you? It might even be worth a shot to see if some deep relaxation or even a little bit of hypnosis could help nudge those old memories to the surface! 😂

Honestly, I’ve always just stuck to a simple system of using two passwords—one for the really important stuff and one for everything else—and it’s worked out perfectly fine for me so far. I mean, who actually has the brainpower to memorize a different password for every single site you visit? It would be such a headache!

If they really messed up your bill, I’d say just give them a piece of my mind and move on with your day. 😛 I honestly don't think that proving who you really are is going to be enough to get them to grant you access to the account, because even if you manage to show them your ID, they’re going to ask for some specific proof of ownership that's so obscure nobody alive can actually remember it.

How to transfer files from a laptop to an external hard drive in IT Support · Apr 30, 2021

William Richardson12 said:If there weren't any ownership rights involved... he’d probably let us know. The "in use" part is a bit more of a headache, though. Sometimes it just doesn't trigger right. 🤔

I’ve been living and breathing computers for a really long time now, but honestly, I haven't run into the specific issue you're describing before—unless you count those old-school headaches with CD-ROM drives.

The way I see it, that hard drive in your laptop is likely compromised; for example, even just resting a smartphone on top of the laptop can be enough to mess things up, and I don't think the software's claim that everything is fine actually matters here.

Here’s what I’d do:
- grab another computer
- pull the hard drive out of the laptop
- pop that drive into an external USB enclosure
- plug that enclosure into the other computer

That way, if it fails to read the problematic file or whatever else is going on... it's game over.

Microsoft support team in IT Support · Apr 28, 2021

Douglas Gray8 said:We couldn't change your password because your session expired. Please try again.

What do you mean "session," man? Are these people out of their minds?🤔

😁😁😁🤣😂

Basically, a session is just a little window of time that tracks a user's visit and activity on a specific website. It's measured in seconds and serves as a multi-purpose administrative tool for any site using cookies and session management.

Every time we click something while browsing, the session refreshes, but it eventually times out if we stop being active. Usually, these sessions last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on how the site admins decide to set things up and what the site actually does.
*********

To get things moving, I think it would be a good idea for you to head over to that Microsoft password recovery section using a different browser. It’s possible that the one you're currently using is having some trouble overwriting cookies based on how the session functions are coded into the site. You might want to give it a shot with Internet Explorer on Windows 10.

I honestly don't even know what to say anymore; it feels like Microsoft is stumbling around like a teenager at a high school after-party—honestly, I think even kids could make better decisions than this.

IT Scams: The stuff you won't believe! in IT Support · Apr 27, 2021

wearymason4 said:It looks like they’ve been around since the days of 5.25" floppies... just like me. 😁

Haha, now that was real storage right there. You couldn't just lose them as easily as a thumb drive, and honestly, you felt like a total genius whenever you'd casually thud a stack of them onto the table during morning coffee at Starbucks. 😁
I remember playing a few classics off those disks, like those old stripping poker games and 😂Boom! Tetris for Jonas!!

Refresh rate issues - is my new monitor defective? in IT Support · Apr 9, 2021

Justin Morales5;85648955 said:I just set up a brand-new PC and monitor today. I installed Windows 10 on it, and the screen is a Dell UltraSharp 24. For the GPU, I'm using a GTX1050Ti OC 4GB DDR5 LP... everything is connected via a DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable, but every 15 or 20 minutes, the image glitches out or flickers really briefly (first scenario). It’s almost like someone physically smacked the monitor, causing these quick little visual artifacts where the screen just breaks for a second../QUOTE]

Looking at what you described, it sounds like a hardware issue with the graphics processor itself, and honestly, the fact that the computer is shiny and new doesn't change that reality at all.

I'd suggest getting ready to snap some photos of those glitches whenever they pop up so you can take them back to the service center for a warranty claim; otherwise, if you were the one who put the build together, you should probably look into swapping out that graphics card.

WiFi issues/troubleshooting in IT Support · Apr 9, 2021

Dennis Patel7 said:I tried resetting the IP, updating the drivers, and even went into the settings to make sure Windows wasn't turning off the network card to save power, but honestly, nothing seemed to do the trick.

If you're dealing with a shaky Wi-Fi connection, I actually found that just swapping out the USB Wi-Fi adapter solved everything for me. My old one used to drop the signal constantly, forcing me to manually toggle it on and off just to get back online, which was such a headache. Once I picked up a different one, it started working perfectly.

I even ordered a few extra ones from China for about $3.25/each—the kind with the external antennas—and they have been performing incredibly well.

Video playback issues in IT Support · Mar 25, 2021

It’s possible the media player is just outdated, though I doubt that’s the case if they’ve been keeping up with their updates lately. Honestly, it sounds more like a codec issue to me, or even more likely, something going on with the graphics card.

When you say "only certain videos," what exactly do you mean by that?

Any Mexican/American subtitle translators here? in IT Support · Mar 14, 2021

The document encoding is slightly off here.

Just a heads-up, you’ll want to make sure the original title is set to ANSI before you go through with the import process.

Stuck in a malware loop in IT Support · Mar 12, 2021

Jack Cook7 said:Have you ever really sat back and wondered why we find ourselves needing to drop a fortune on seemingly much more powerful hardware every few years just to handle the exact same IT tasks?

👍 Honestly, for some people out there, running Windows 2000 is still perfectly fine for what they need to get done.

driftingcanyon2 said:A true professional doesn't waste time trying to scrub viruses away; instead, they just roll everything back to a healthy system state using a clean disk image from a backup. Once a system gets infected, it’s compromised forever, because you can never be 100% sure that little fragments of that virus aren't lurking somewhere else on the drive despite whatever commercial or free Antivirus you might have running.

👍

In my experience, a real pro usually has all the right tools in place to stop an injection before it even starts, but if something does slip through the cracks, then wiping the drive or doing a fresh install of Windows is pretty much the only way to actually fix things properly.

How to connect an Android phone to a TV in IT Support · Feb 21, 2021

Morgan Chavez4 said:So if I actually want to stream stuff from my phone to the TV, I’m gonna have to swap out this cable then?

Yeah, makes sense... you can just grab an angled HDMI cable specifically designed for setups like yours. Honestly, if you keep asking questions this blind, it's like watching a teenager at a wild house party—you're never gonna figure anything out on your own! 😁 😂

I suggested using an external power supply via USB because most ATSC tuners aren't built to pull enough juice through their own ports to run external hardware. To be honest, almost no device is designed to handle that load, not even a high-end TV. It’s just not great for the capacitors.

And yeah, those old plasma sets are total power hogs. Those "newer" ones might pull around 220 watts on average, but a modern LED TV that size usually sits around 80 watts—maybe even less depending on how it's built.

*****
Anyway, it’s pretty straightforward... just go ahead and grab that HDMI thing from the link. You'll definitely need that angled HDMI cable since your wall is right in the way, and as for the power situation, that's the easier part to solve once you decide which route to take.