Anyone still running Windows 7?

northernbadger2 said:So, I’ve had this new rig for about two weeks now—it’s seriously fast, like, lightning fast—so much that I don't even catch any of those startup messages anymore. But here's the thing: whenever I hit the DEL key, I get this screen from ASRock (that's the motherboard, right?) asking for some stupid password. I definitely didn't set one up. On top of that, I'm having this weird issue where the computer just hangs on the "Starting Windows" screen every single time I turn it on. If I force a restart, it finally boots up—well, everything except the hard drive. This all started right after a Windows update, so maybe I should just wipe the updates and see if that fixes things?

I mean, you can try to delete whatever you want, but if Windows doesn't even realize that drive exists in the first place—and trust me, it doesn't—then you’re basically just shouting into the void. It’s pointless. Look, if you’re staring at that Disk Management console and you don't see the drive listed there—well, then the drive simply doesn't exist as far as the system is concerned. It’s pretty straightforward, really—if it isn't showing up in the manager, the OS isn't seeing the hardware. Period.Look, you should probably just track down whatever idiot put that rig together for you and have them strip that BIOS password—seriously, you’re stuck until they do. It’s a total bottleneck. When you finally get a new machine, the standard move is to jump straight into the BIOS to dial in all your settings first, and only then do you start the OS installation. By the way, how many drives are we actually talking about in that setup?

I figured out the password—it was just 1234 🙂 ugh, but the thing is, it’s not showing up in the BIOS at all. Since I bought this rig from Best Buy, they put those warranty stickers on the side of the case—so if I peel them off to look inside, I might void everything, and then I'd probably be stuck paying for their diagnostic fees $67—so I think I'll just head over there in person

p.s. I tried running a Windows 7 reinstall, but it only gave me one option for the installation disk and partition—it didn't even show the second one.

Go ahead and grab it so they can take a look... I was actually digging through that thread you started back when you were putting your rig together—did you end up going with an SSD and a SATA combo, or just stuck with two SATA drives?

Benjamin King2 said:Maybe have someone take a look... I was checking out that thread you started when you were picking out your build—did you end up going with an SSD and SATA combo, or just two SATA drives?

I didn't grab an SSD back then—just went with a Samsung F3 Spinpoint—so I guess I'll just wait a bit until SSD prices drop a little. I actually just swung by Best Buy to have them check things out, and here's the deal: my old drive is a Seagate 1.5 TB 7200, and it seems like they're known for dying after maybe two years, or even sooner (at least this specific series, in my opinion). It looks like when Windows pulled down those updates, it might have grabbed some new firmware too, which probably killed the drive. We tried putting the hard drive in another PC, but it ran into the same issue I had during bootup—it just hangs on that black screen where it says "Starting Windows"—you know, right when you turn the computer on. I guess the only fix is to just buy a new drive.

How old is that Samsung F3 Spinpoint hard drive, and where did you pick it up? 🙄

His Seagate 1.5 TB 7200 died on him—not the Samsung.

You're right, I think I got mixed up myself. How old is that Seagate drive anyway? For a drive like this, you usually get a 3-year warranty. If it's less than three years old, maybe just try returning it to wherever you bought it. 😢

Joshua Garcia3 said:You're right—I think I got mixed up there myself. How old is that Seagate, though? For example, this one... Maybe it's a Seagate drive—I guess I should probably double-check that first. If you've got a three-year warranty—and if it's less than three years old—you should probably just reach out to wherever you bought it—I guess. 😢

Not that one—my warranty on this one actually expired about a month ago, I guess.

I only dropped that link as an example to show you the three-year warranty period, but as for your hard drive, I don't have any news on that yet.🙂

...How's Norton running on Windows 7? Does it slow things down a ton?

swiftdriver30 said:because everyone keeps claiming that Windows 7 32-bit is somehow better than the 64-bit version? LOL

wtf???
can someone please explain what the hell this part means 😕

There isn't really much point in over-explaining things; you just use what makes sense for the hardware you're actually running.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...sked-questions

With a quad-core processor and 4 GB of RAM, I’m pretty sure you definitely need to go 64-bit

It all really boils down to the apps you’re actually running—assuming we’re ignoring the whole massive memory address space thing for a second. If you're just running 32-bit applications on a 64-bit OS, you aren't getting any absolute benefits whatsoever compared to just staying on a 32-bit system. Aside from being able to actually use more RAM, the main perk of 64-bit Windows is the improved system security—we're talking hardware-supported DEP, driver signing, and kernel protection. Now, keep in mind that some 32-bit apps might end up with crippled functionality because 64-bit Windows uses the WOW64 emulation layer to handle them, which basically blocks access to the 64-bit parts of the system. This is mainly an issue for things like uninstallers, system tweakers, registry cleaners, and that whole breed of utility software... And if you're trying to run 32-bit apps that rely on 32-bit device drivers? Forget it—they won't work at all since they aren't supported. This applies to various antivirus programs, firewalls, and similar tools, so you absolutely have to install the 64-bit versions. Generally speaking, the 64-bit versions of software just perform better on 64-bit Windows anyway.

Hey there.

I'm looking to throw a Windows 7 Ultimate 6400 Build on a new rig—just wondering if I actually need a Product Key to get moving, or if the OS just shows up pre-registered and ready to go once the install finishes. To be honest, I installed this exact same version on my old machine about 8 months ago and it didn't even ask for a Product Key.

Thanks. 🙂

Build 6.1.6410 is just some milestone from back in September 2007, and even then, it isn't the actual winmain,
I can't find that 6400 build anywhere—honestly, where on earth did you dig that up??

Kyle Wilson14 said:Hey there.

I'm planning on setting up a Windows 7 Ultimate 6400 Build on a new PC, and I was wondering if I actually need a Product Key, or if Windows 7 just comes pre-registered and valid right after installation. I guess it's because about 8 months ago, I installed that same version of Windows 7 on my old machine and didn't end up needing a product key at all.

Thanks. 🙂

If you're using legitimate Windows 7, you're going to need the Product Key found on the actual DVD box. As for anything illegal regarding Windows 7 or a Key, we don't deal with that kind of stuff here on this forum. 🙄

My bad. Windows 7 Ultimate Build 7600.

Which version should I install on this rig? It's mostly gonna be for gaming.
1 x ASUS G31M-GS R2 - NVIDIA GeForce 8800, Intel ICH10, ATX, FSB 2600, Dual Channel
1 x PointOfView GTX560 Ti 1024MB GD5 256 bit, DVI 2x, mini HDMI
1 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, FLFE $93
1 x DVD burner NEC AD 7263S Labelflash, DVD±RW 24x8x18x/20x8x/6x/4
1 x HDD WD 1TB, WD10EALX , 7200 rpm, SATA 3, 32MB Cache, Blue
1 x EVGA Core edition 80 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Intel Core i3, LGA 1366, BOX , 1.5MB cache

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...sked-questions