motherboard

Microsoft is looking into claims a Windows update is causing the dreaded Blue Screen on Death (BSoD) on some machines. The company says it doesn't yet know if Windows itself is the cause. The Blue Screen of Death is the informal name for a system ... crash in which Windows has a problem so significant that it can no longer operate safely. In earlier versions of Windows, users had to manually restart their computer before attempting a fix. Today, Windows can automatically reboot in some situations. User have been reporting seeing the blue screen with the usual message that "Your device ran into a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Steve F. writes: " Dear Dennis, I will be upgrading my computer to the new AMD Ryzen 1700 CPU (which has 8 cores and 16 threads!) at a fraction of the price of Intel CPUs. I have searched online but I can't seem to find the answer ... - can you please tell me: after I install the new motherboard and CPU, can I continue to use my existing Windows installation or do I need to install Windows again? Also is my Windows 10 license still valid or do I need to purchase Windows 10 for my new motherboard and CPU? " My response: Short answer: It depends on the type of Windows you own and ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Lee' writes: " Dear Dennis. I have done a clean install of Windows 10 and downloaded all updates; however, I keep getting a blue screen error message that "CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED". Prior to that I was running Windows 7 - but also ... had the same error CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED. I have done several clean installs, but no luck. I've run chkdsk (check disk) and did a memory check - but neither report any errors. I did the 'sfc /scannow', but receive an error that 'windows resource protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them'. Can you please help? " My response: ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Alan' writes: " Dear Dennis, My CPU fan is stuck at 100% full load (same as my chassis fan) - and it's very loud. The fans started running at high RPM shortly after I updated my Asus motherboard BIOS. I tried changing my BIOS fan ... controls, but that doesn't seem to work. I also downgraded the BIOS firmware by updating to my previous BIOS version, but that didn't help and the CPU fan is stuck, regardless. So, I called ASUS and they said to replace the BIOS chip. I did this and still no luck. Before all this, I could control fan speeds with Silent, Standard, Turbo, or Manual ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'rbruner' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have an older, but still viable Systemax XP computer that was upgraded to Windows 7 . The problem is that the unit powers down within a few minutes of powering on. I have already replaced the ... motherboard and power supply , kept the CPU (an AMD 4400+, circa Q4 2008). When I boot into safe mode, the unit is operational, but but if I boot up Windows 7 normally or insert a Ubuntu Linux Live CD, my PC will crash. Should I try another CPU? " My response: Based on what you're telling me, the issue might be hardware-related, ... (view more)

Yesterday's Visitor Feedback posed the question, "How can I stop the annoying voice on my Asus motherboard during the boot up process?" The answer to this question has been solved: the annoying voice that plagues Michael H. is actually a feature in ... the BIOS which can either be disabled completely, or customized with a different voice. I didn't receive any feedback on how to customize the voice, so I'll just tell you how to disable the darn thing. As Alan H. writes: " The feature that Michael is referring to is the Asus Post Reporter. It is a feature of the Asus P4B motherboard (and on other ... (view more)