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        New Message Board Archives >> 2006 General Board Posts >> Need computer help please
        
(Message started by: nancyc on Aug 9^th, 2006, 11:39am)

Title: Need computer help please
Post by nancyc on Aug 9^th, 2006, 11:39am

Trying to download my DSL cd so i can get online faster. Turns out after the company sent the cd, my cd tray wont open. I tried to emergency hole using a paperclip but it still wont work. Any suggestions short of blowing this computer up? thanks, nancyc

Title: Re: Need computer help please
Post by Mattrf on Aug 9^th, 2006, 11:41am

Turn of the computer and unplug the power then try the paperclip if it does not open try to pry it just a little while using the paperclip it may be jammed.

Matt [smiley=damncomputer.gif]

Title: Re: Need computer help please
Post by nancyc on Aug 9^th, 2006, 11:47am

Matt, i got it open but then i have to push it closed and it does nothing when i put the cd in....help...

Title: Re: Need computer help please
Post by chewy on Aug 9^th, 2006, 11:52am

Might be time for a new CD drive.

They are fairly cheap and easy to install.

Title: Re: Need computer help please
Post by cootie on Aug 9^th, 2006, 12:16pm

Bummer.....that happen'd to onea my previous KILLS....I mean computers......Brad had to install a new one. Computer serial killer Pam

Title: Re: Need computer help please
Post by ShadowLord on Aug 9^th, 2006, 2:15pm

When you turn on the 'puter, does the CD drive activity light come on at all? Do you get an error when the the 'puter first powers up, before it starts to load Windoze? Almost all bad CD drives I've seen didn't just die like that... If you're not getting any lights from the drive, it could be just a cable working loose on the inside of the system. If the power cable to the drive became detached, it may have the symptoms you described. Unplug the four wire plug on the back of the drive (inside the case) and plug it back in (the drive's power cable, not the 'puter, at least until after your done playin' with the inside of the 'puter). You can also try unpluging and replugging the big data cable to the drive too (not likely that the drive would be completely dead if it came loose, but ya never know).

Just thought of something else... Ya have tried rebooting the system right? If a program locked the drive (CD burning programs will do this before writing to the disc, and I believe a few other programs and drivers errors could do this) then crashed, or didn't unlock it before exiting, the eject button won't work until you reboot the system (or run a program that's capable of unlocking the drive).

If these don't work, I'd recommend gettin' a new drive... If a new drive don't work, I'd recommend replacing the power supply... If replacing the power supply don't work, I'd recommend a stick of dynamite, a open field, and lots of fuse.

PFDAN........................................................ ShadowLrd

Title: Re: Need computer help please
Post by Mattrf on Aug 10^th, 2006, 11:01am

Sounds like the drive is dead, they are cheap and you could even get yourself a DVD burner as a replacement drive for not much and that would let you store far more data on a disk and copy, oops I mean backup your DVD movies using a program like DVD Shrink not that I would ever do something like that. ;;D
If you do swap out the drive take note of the ribbon cable one side will have a red or blue line down the length, this needs to be closest to the power connecter when you plug it into the new drive, some times the plug on the drive is not keyed to keep you from plugging it in wrong. It will not hurt it if you do plug it in but when you power the system up the activity light will be on solid and that will tell you it is plugged in backwards.
You can burn 700 BM to a CD and DVD holds over 4 GB of data you can also watch movies on the PC if you get the DVD burner not that you would but if you have kids and don’t want to watch a movie they want to just pop it in and give them a set of headphones, nice!
[smiley=laugh.gif]
Matt

Title: Re: Need computer help please
Post by unsolved1 on Aug 10^th, 2006, 11:17am

A couple of months ago, a lady wanted me to install DSL on her (used) computer. I did it with no problems. It worked fine.

About 2 weeks ago, she called again and said she wanted a brand new computer. I went with her and picked her out a new (cheap Compaq) computer. When I hooked up her new computer, I didn't need any disc for the DSL to work. So, do you really need the disc to install the DSL or not? I know that without the disc, it was much easier & faster. It also saved her from having her browser 'hijacked', e-mail programs changed, and a ton of other software that she didn't need installed from installing. Without the DSL disc worked much better !

UNsolved

Title: Re: Need computer help please
Post by fubar on Aug 10^th, 2006, 5:22pm

You may not need the disk, but you probably need to know what you are doing. The DSL cd installation is usually installing a little application that is the thing that logs you into your DSL connection. It uses a protocol called PPPoE, or Point-to-Point over Ethernet. The thing is, your DSL router or DSL modem is also capable of doing the PPPoE login IF you can figure out how to configure it. Most often, a smart consumer will go get an inexpensive solution at the computer store, a box that says 'DSL modem' or SOHO router, or some such thing. They *all* have PPPoE built right in, all you have to do is tell it your DSL username and password just like you tell it to that ugly slow software that gets installed by the DSL installation CD. Then, you don't need that stupid cd ever again, at all. And, like UNsolved said, you don't have to put up with all the extra crap they install. And, even better, your DSL connection isn't limited to being used only by the computer that has that crappy software installed. Once you have the PPPoE configured at the DSL modem or router, any Ethernet device can be plugged into your network (a friends computer or laptop, etc).

Remember though, if you do manage to configure your DSL modem or router to login to the PPPoE connection, you won't need that stupid PPPoE software on your computer and in fact you need to uninstall it.

-Fu