Andy's Hardware Hub

Check out important hardware advice and tech news.

read more | digg story

Windows 7 Beta Users, Beware!

If you tried out Windows 7, you probably didn't want to get rid of XP/Vista. But Windows 7 (like Vista) won't allow you to install two versions of Windows on one partition. The answer, in that case, is to resize your current partition, and creat a new one. This function is unavailable through the Windows 7 setup, which means your going to be using 3rd party software to do it. This is where the problem starts. After you've created your new partition and installed Windows 7, it will work perfectly. But not all good things last. You will start getting corrupt disk notifications and programs will stop functioning properly. Then, the next time your start up Windows 7, it will run a chkdsk and delete files it needs to operate (ironic, eh?) and then it will be unusable. To avoid this, make your new partition and then unistall any third-party file manging apps you used.

Dual Booting Operating Systems

Which operating system is the best? Windows, Mac, or Linux? The endless battle still rages on today and the answer will never be agreed upon. "All operating systems suck" - Chris Pirillo. I'd have to agree with that statement. Every OS has its major and minor flaws and no OS will ever be perfect. Each OS has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, Windows is the best OS for gaming, Linux is the best for servers, and Mac is the best for media editing. BUT I WANT THE BEST OF EVERYTHING!!! Well, the answer lies in dual booting. Dual booting is basically installing multiple OS's on your computer and choosing which one you'd like to use every time you turn on your computer. There you go, the best of both worlds! How do I do a dual boot? Well if want to dual boot separate OS's (not just different versions, like XP and vista) you can simply install the OS's you want on one drive. However, if you want to install multiple versions of Windows, the process is a little more complex. Windows does not support dual booting of multiple versions on the same drive. However, this doesn't mean you have to go out and buy another hard drive. Using a program like Acronis Disk Director Suite will allow you to resize, create, delete, and format partitions. If you create another partition for your next Windows installation, you will still have the option to choose OS's.

Windows 7 Beta Build 7000

Well, Microsoft is finally doing it. They realize vista is bad and are replacing it. Although not yet officially available, I am currently running the beta of Windows 7. Despite preceding thoughts about how it would perform, I was pleasantly surprised. Even though it is a beta, W7 was very compatible with software and I only encountered one major problem driver wise, that being Creative drivers for my Audigy SE caused a blue screen. However, I feel this is Creative's fault because both ATI and Realtek drivers installed flawlessly. On a more minor note, Xfire statuses don't work correctly either. Other than that, W7 performs as it should, but whether or not you like that is up to you.

The easiest way to describe Windows 7 is as if OS breeders existed and they combined Mac OS10 and Windows Vista. The toolbar on the bottom is distinctly Windows, but anyone familiar with Mac will notice it resembles the OS10 toolbar as well. At the very left is the blue circle with the windows symbol (which glows when you scroll over it) immediately followed by the former "Quick Launch Bar". Only this time both the Quick Launch and the standard program tabs are the same size. Additionally, they removed any text describing the program and enlarged the icon, which is mainly how it resembles OS10. Other than the changed toolbar, most of the OS is unaltered from its Vista counterpart. Where W7 really shines is in performance. I found programs functioning and loading faster then they have ever done in XP or Vista. That being said, game performance was reduced, as XP still outperforms it in that department. But keep in mind this is a beta, and the graphics drivers aren't designed for W7 and will need time to mature for better gaming performance.

As long as Microsoft actually uses user feedback to improve their product and fix all the bugs, W7 should look like a smart upgrade for anyone running Vista and especially anyone still running XP (like me). The UI is much friendlier, the performance is there, and the stability is there, so kudos to Microsoft, and I hope Windows 7 performs and sells well.

- Andrew Korman

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, Enjoy 2-0-0-9!!!!!!!!

Cable Management

The most important factor to consider when it comes to air cooling is air flow. Generally, you want front to back and bottom to top air flow. Your also going to want the most airflow possible, which means bigger or faster fans. Most systems will have one front fan, one side fan, and one rear fan. Additionally, some cases may have another side fan, more front fans, and even a top fan. Regardless of how many fans you have, you still need to make sure your air flow is unimpeded. The best way to obtain maximum airflow is to manage your cables. Most modern cases have cable management holes that allow you to take your unused cables and hide them behind the motherboard tray. These holes also allow you to reroute cables such as your front usb, front audio, pci-e, cpu power, and sometimes even your 20/24 pin power cable behind your motherboard tray. This not only makes your case look better, it increases airflow. A system with proper cable management can obtain a temperature difference of up to 5 degrees Celsius! Note, that is it also handy to have cable ties (zipties) handy. Sometimes, if your case doesn't have cable management holes, simply using these ties to minimize their surface area and impedance. If your case doesn't have cable management holes, you may want to considering drilling them.

GTX 260, 260 Core 216, or 280

So your computer is ready for a video card upgrade (see "Your Power Supply Is Important") and you're not sure which video card to get. If you know you want a nVidia card, your probably considering three cards. The GeForce GTX 260, the GeForce GTX 260 Core 216, or the GeForce 280. To make it easier to understand, I'll rank the cards. The regular 260 is the weakest of the three, followed by the 260 Core 216, and the best of the three is the 280. That being said, an overclocked 260 Core 216 will outperform a 280. But, a overclocked 280 will remain at the top of the list. Now, the dividing factor for most people is cost. A 280 is over $400, while a OC'd 260 Core 216 is only $250. So my recommendation is an overclocked 260 Core 216 because of the price/performance ratio.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Surround Sound System

Its no secret that mp3 files are not 5.1 encoded. What does that mean for someone using a surround sound system? That means your only going to be using your front two speakers and your subwoofer. How do you get surround sound out of stereo music? The easiest way is to download and install Aud-x. I've only had luck with this program working while using Windows Media Player, so I'd recommend using that. Now, you just have to set Aud-x to surround sound and your music should now play through all your speakers. Another way to get surround sound audio is to get a Logitech Z-5500 sound sytem. This has a Dolby Music Decoder that can decode audio into surround sound.

Now that you have surround sound, you need to make sure your equalizer is set up correctly. A flat equalizer on most sound systems will make the audio sound dull. I find the "U" approach to sound the best. Set 31 hertz about 3/8's way up and progressively lower each following bar until the 500 hertz bar is about 1/4 way down. Then raise each following bar until the 16k hertz bar is at the same height as the 31 hertz bar. This should get you optimal audio, but you can tweak it.

Troubleshooting Hardware Failures

Your all pumped up to play some Call of Duty after a hard days work, and you go to turn on your computer and you get a black screen. Your monitor won't display an image and you can't get into your BIOS. How to you determine which part of your computer has failed? To be able to determine the solution, you first have to understand the problem. For example, a blank image doesn't mean that there is something wrong with your computer, you could be having monitor issues. The process of elimination is very handy in solving your computer problems. Once you've established that something in your computer has failed, you need to narrow down the possibilities. To help you do that, there a multiple steps you can take that will eliminate certain parts. Number one. Reset your BIOS using either the jumper, or removing the BIOS battery and putting it back in. Oftentimes, a simple option change in the BIOS can prevent your computer from posting. If this doesn't solve your problem, move onto the RAM. Remove all the sticks and boot up your computer. Normally, the computer should beep multiple times if there is no RAM installed. If your computer beeps, replace one module and try different combinations of DIMM modules and slots. If your computer doesn't beep, this may indicate that you have a faulty motherboard. If you identify the bad RAM slot, remove it and purchase new RAM if you'd like. However, if you are still having issues, you probably have an issue with your motherboard, CPU, or graphics card. Try using onboard video or swapping graphics cards if possible. If all these fail, you should attempt to get your CPU and/or motherboard replaced. Diagnosing issues with hard drives is much easier. If your computer turns on and you get a message saying something about no OS to boot, your hard drive is probably faulty. Note that you should verify that your power supply is functioning, but if you computer powers on, your power supply is probably fine. The most difficult issue to diagnose is video card failure. This is because many component failures may cause a black screen, and your video card is obviously one of them. Luckily, video cards usually do not fail without cause. Overheating and artifacting during games can damage your video card, so always make sure to note those kinds of signs.

Overclocking; Risks and Benefits

So, you built your computer a year ago and its not as fast as you thought it was. You don't want to spend any money, but you need to increase your performance. Many people in similar situations turn to overclocking. What is overclocking? Well, overclocking is increasing the front side bus (FSB) of your motherboard. Which, as a result, increases the speed (gHz) that your CPU will run at. However, its not that simple. Increasing the FSB will increase the voltage the CPU needs to operate, but you can't increase the voltage too much. Why? Increasing the voltage to the CPU increases the amount of heat that your CPU will produce. Also, exceeding the manufacturer's maximum recommended voltage may fry your CPU, so check with Intel or AMD. Lastly, when you overclock your CPU, you also overclock your memory at the same time. This is because the FSB dictates the speed for both the CPU and the RAM. So, if you're running a motherboard with limited overclocking options, you may not be able to change the memory multiplier and keep your RAM at rated speeds.