xp computer bios messed up - I think

ARTHUR

Hi I was wondering if any techs out there can help, I took my computer to a small computer shop for a memory upgrade but unfortunately my computer wouldn’t recognise any of the memory than the shop owner tried to install, the shop owner tried adjusting some of my bios settings to get the computer to accept the memory without success, I decided to format my hard disk and reinstall my last backup of my files but now I have noticed that the shopkeeper must have saved changes to the system and I was wondering if anyone can help
1 – When I try to play a youtube video my screen freezes (I have already downloaded adobe flash player 10)
2 – I used to be able to switch on my computer by pressing any key on my keyboard but now I have to press the towers power button or press a button on my usb mouse
3 – Don’t know if this has anything to do with it but I have checked the keep me signed on box for yahoo mail but every time I go to my mail my username is still there but I have to re-enter my password
I have windows XP with service pack 3 installed

ARTHUR

Edit – when I go into my Boot menu (Phoenix awardBIOS cmos setup utility) there are options for “load fail-safe defaults” and for “load optimised defaults” would any of those options help, I don’t want to take my computer back to the shop as I don’t trust the man with my personal files.
Also I have just noticed that if I try a youtube video and the screen freezes then if I leave it on for about 5 - 10 minutes my computer screen will go black but I will be able to hear the audio (no picture) I have an onboard graphics card with 64 mb of shared memory

ARTHUR

Thought this info might help
Additional Information:
Computer - EI SYSTEMS 313 P4
Intel Celeron D Processor 352
( 3.2GHz, 533MHz fsb, 256kb cache )
windows XP (service pack 3)
768 MB DDR2 RAM
80GB hard drive
DVD RW+/- drive
19" TFT monitor
6 USB Ports
Computer Serial Number - 1G11000562813676

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ARTHUR wrote: »

Edit – when I go into my Boot menu (Phoenix awardBIOS cmos setup utility) there are options for “load fail-safe defaults” and for “load optimised defaults” would any of those options help, I don’t want to take my computer back to the shop as I don’t trust the man with my personal files.
Also I have just noticed that if I try a youtube video and the screen freezes then if I leave it on for about 5 - 10 minutes my computer screen will go black but I will be able to hear the audio (no picture) I have an onboard graphics card with 64 mb of shared memory

load fail-safe defaults will restore 'bog standard' values to your bios. Generally, these will work fine.

It may well be that the computer shop has tampered with the ram (memory) timings on your pc's bios which is causing some of your problems. The memory timings in your bios should be set to SPD (this is default), loading fail-safe defaults will restore this.

As regards other issues you have raised

2 – I used to be able to switch on my computer by pressing any key on my keyboard but now I have to press the towers power button or press a button on my usb mouse
3 – Don’t know if this has anything to do with it but I have checked the keep me signed on box for yahoo mail but every time I go to my mail my username is still there but I have to re-enter my password

Point 2. should be a bios setting as well I think. Settings will be close to Wake on Lan

Point 3. is not bios related but regards cookies and cookie settings set in the browser which you use eg on my browser, I have clear all cookies on browser close and hence need to re-enter dets.

As an aside, motherboards and ram sometimes make for bad bedfellows. Ram is not generic and prior to buying more ram, it is always best to check what mobo you have and search the techie forums for ram that is compatible.

Good Luck

ARTHUR

Hi full-stop
thanks for the advice
I loaded the fail safe defaults like you said but my usb powered mouse stopped working, so I loaded the optimised defaults instead to see if that helped and my usb mouse is working again, I can play youtube clips again and I can press any button on my keyboard to start up my computer from standby mode so that seems to have fixed nearly everything.
although I still have to key in my yahoo password every time I log onto the site, although all the other sites I log onto are able to hold onto my password so it only seems to affect yahoo.
is there any fix for that.

GunJack

might be down to yahoo itself having a hissy fit if you're not deleting cookies....they do it sometimes

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ARTHUR said:
although I still have to key in my yahoo password every time I log onto the site, although all the other sites I log onto are able to hold onto my password so it only seems to affect yahoo.
is there any fix for that.

As has been stated perhaps the Yahoo site is having issues, unless you have specifically blocked their (Yahoo's) cookies in your browser.

The other thing I would suggest is that you change all your passwords to any sensitive site, for reason that if you had all passwords remembered by default then the pc shop to which you took your pc may know them.

Good Luck

ARTHUR

full-stop wrote: »

As has been stated perhaps the Yahoo site is having issues, unless you have specifically blocked their (Yahoo's) cookies in your browser.

The other thing I would suggest is that you change all your passwords to any sensitive site, for reason that if you had all passwords remembered by default then the pc shop to which you took your pc may know them.

Good Luck

No I have not specifically blocked cookies from any site so maybe it is just yahoo thats having its own problems.
I used ccleaner to wipe all my user names and passwords before I took my computer to the repair shop for the sake of my own security so I should be okay on that front.

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Not sure what to suggest apart from giving the Yahoo site a day or so.

Perhaps it's an LSO (flash cookie) that has become corrupted. I am not sure if Yahoo mail dishes one out (think Googlemail does).

You could try going to your flash Global Settings Manager and going to the last tab on the right and checking it out. Alternatively, CCleaner can delete them depending on version.

Applications>Multimedia>Adobe Flash

I don't think it's that but would not hurt to delete those tracking cookies anyhow, if you do not already do so. NOTE: Deleting all LSO's will require that you log back into some sites again next time.

Good Luck

ARTHUR

full-stop wrote: »

Not sure what to suggest apart from giving the Yahoo site a day or so.

Perhaps it's an LSO (flash cookie) that has become corrupted. I am not sure if Yahoo mail dishes one out (think Googlemail does).

You could try going to your flash Global Settings Manager and going to the last tab on the right and checking it out. Alternatively, CCleaner can delete them depending on version.

Applications>Multimedia>Adobe Flash

I don't think it's that but would not hurt to delete those tracking cookies anyhow, if you do not already do so. NOTE: Deleting all LSO's will require that you log back into some sites again next time.

Good Luck

well I am still not sure how to delete them but I am using the newest version of ccleaner so that should do the trick - I used it earlier today but I still have to re-enter my password every time, if it is a yahoo problem then perhaps it will sort itself out in a couple of days - is anyone else having this problem ??