Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by krazz

Disk Read Error - Tried several fixes, not working

krazz — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:37:07 +0800

Okay, so here's what happened:

I encountered the following error message: "A disk read error occurred Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart" when I tried to boot up the PC.
Followed the instructions, and got the same message repeated back several times.
Rebooted, switched off and switched it back on, same thing happened.
Tried to boot from CD, and it didn't work.
Tried to do a recovery, and it hung after a while.

I Googled and tried out the following suggestions:

1) Switch SATA harddrive over to another PC and ran it as a secondary hdd. The 2nd computer hung at startup. But when we plugged out the hdd, the 2nd PC worked (also using SATA).
2) In the original PC, went into BIOS and changed the settings of the HDD to UDMA0
3) Changed the SATA data cable
4) Removed the CMOS battery

After removing the CMOS battery, I was given the option to start Windows normally or do a recovery - I tried both and ended up with a Windows Boot Manager error message that stated :

"Windows has encountered a problem communicating with a device connected to your computer."

So far, none of these options work. I've got tons of stuff on the drive, and it looks like my only option left is to salvage the data and either reformat the drive or get rid of it.

Can anyone help me suggest another fix? Or worse case... maybe how can I recover my data (without going to a store and spending thousands on this.. )?

Need Advice: Upgrading AGP Card on Old Mobo

krazz — Sat, 17 May 2008 18:58:42 +0800

hi, i've got an old Abit NF7 motherboard with a Geforce FX 5200 graphics card. Because of the card, my pc hangs a lot when I try to play most of the newer games (eg: HOMM V). I'm thinking of upgrading it to the Geforce N7600 GS.

i did my own research into the compatibility of the N7600 GS card - it seems fits the mobo in terms of the slot (1.5V), but I would like to get advice on whether it makes a difference on the DDR? The old card I had used DDR technology, but the new card seems to be a DDR2.

am still learning about upgrading my pc and all, so i'm pretty much guessing my way through here. hopefully someone can help me. thx!

Working and Studying

krazz — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 21:41:06 +0800

Anyone have a suggestion - I'm looking to study short courses - but nothing I find on the internet so far seems very promising. Something in the IT and graphics line... short courses seem hard to locate.

So far I found one that teaches you how to use MS office.