whats the difference between dual core and non dual core

robnye

also how easy is it to setup a recovery partition... ie my current machine is a HP and has a small 7gb partition with i assume the base install on!

cowbutt

robnye wrote: »

is there any way of testing to see if the power supply is the cause? as nothing i have tried at the moment has indicated it

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?Criteria=psu%20tester

Or, buy, borrow or steal and install a new PSU and see if the problem goes away...

robredz

You can install a sata hard disk as well as IDE if your board supports them. It would be easier to install the OS onto the IDE drive however as the BIOS would seek these out first. With regard to a PSU all are not created equal and a cheapo PSU can be a false economy as it's rated power may be it's maximum peak and it may deliver considerably as a continuous output, especially if you have a high spec gaming graphics card or two.

Simon_M_2

robredz wrote: »

It would be easier to install the OS onto the IDE drive however

:rolleyes:

The OP's IDE is drive is faulty hence why he wants to replace it

robredz wrote: »

the BIOS would seek these out first

:rolleyes:

The boot device priority can be changed in the CMOS

robredz

OOPs of course it can, but sometimes if it's an old board they like the OS on IDE. Hopefully they have a full Windows install disk and not one on a "rescue partition" on the faulty drive

robnye

robredz wrote: »

OOPs of course it can, but sometimes if it's an old board they like the OS on IDE. Hopefully they have a full Windows install disk and not one on a "rescue partition" on the faulty drive

i ave a feeling that i do have a disk, which i obtained, when a virus deleted my c: drive......

otherwise i am stuffed....

robnye

aliEnRIK wrote: »

But im still siding with the PSU unit personally (Just through experience) ~ especially if its 300 Watts or smaller

Failed PSUs can act in a few different ways. But intermittent crashing is certainly one of them. They also tend to be worst when 'cold' (Meaning, they crash less once warmed up)

i have now checked and my psu is 250W

is it a straight swap for a higher rated psu?
or do i need to check for some other codes?

aliEnRIK

robnye wrote: »

i have now checked and my psu is 250W

is it a straight swap for a higher rated psu?
or do i need to check for some other codes?

A straight forward PSU will do the job (Id recommend 450 Watts or higher)
Just make sure it has enough power connections for your equipment (One to the hard drive, one to the dvd drive etc)

But I thought we'd established the problem is your hard drive?

robnye

im wondering if its a combination of both as the psu is only 250W and the hard drive has an error with SMART, so i was looking at changing both

DatabaseError

it'll do no harm changing both, but the 250w psu has been working without issue, while the hdd is reporting errors, so the hdd is the priority