June 21, 2008

Trouble-shooting Hard Drive Problems - Part 1

Hard Drives | Comments (0) admin @ 11:22 am

It is extremely essential not to attain or indite some changes to accumulation on the hornlike intend without prototypal verifying the hornlike intend configuration. Therefore, the prototypal antecedency when unable to admittance aggregation on a hornlike intend is to avow every of the plan aggregation handling with the venture hornlike drive.

Partition Parameter

Value or Equation

Partition Status

Bootable

Starting Head

1

Starting Sector

1

Starting Cylinder

0

Partition Type

Bigdos (drives greater than 30 MB), otherwise DOS 12

Ending Head

Total Number of Heads -1

Ending Sector

Sectors per Track displayed in Volume Boot Sector

Ending Cylinder

Number of Cylinders ordered in CMOS - 2

Total # of Sectors

Number of Sectors displayed in Volume Boot Sector

Start Absolute Sector

Number of Sectors per Track in Volume Boot Sector

Boot Signature

55AA

Step One: Make trusty that Micro-Scope detects the hornlike drive

In Micro-Scope, System Configuration, Compare Settings - analyse to attain trusty that there is not an grapheme beside the sort of hornlike drives perceived value. If there is an asterisk, either the CMOS is ordered incorrectly, or there is an electronic difficulty (controller, cable, drive).

Step Two: Compare the BIOS parameters against the intend construction information.

In Micro-Scope, System Configuration, System Information - state the aggregation displayed for the hornlike drive, specifically the parameters for the intend in question. Compare these parameters to the parameters in the MBR pass low Micro-Scope, System Configuration, Partition Display using the mass formula:

System Information

Master Boot Record

Cylinders

Ending Cylinder + 2

Heads

Ending Head + 1

Sectors

Sectors Per Track

If the aggregation does not match, either the construction aggregation is corrupt, or the CMOS falsehood or someone BIOS falsehood (if digit exists) is incorrect, or there is a difficulty act with the drive.

Step Three: Check the intend functionality

In Micro-Scope, Diagnostics, Fixed Disk Tests - analyse the aggregation in the Fixed Disk Selected window. Make trusty that the comely intend type, model, and autochthonous parameters are pass in this window. If some of the aggregation is incorrect, there is an electronic problem. Check the cable, someone and drive, re-seating every connections, and move the above procedure. After correcting the electronic problem, action a feature effort on the prototypal 10 cylinders of the drive. If some errors occur, then this is the most probable intend of the intend failure. Perform a feature of the whole intend to watch if the errors are electronic in nature, or fleshly in nature. Electronic problems module termination in the errors displayed not ever existence the aforementioned identify or in the aforementioned positioning on the drive. If the difficulty is electronic, change the cable, controller, and eventually intend electronics and move the feature effort until no errors occur. If the nonachievement is physical, ingest an INT 13 identify application (such as Norton Advanced Editor), to country the whole intend and indite the aggregation to a daisy bound intend ordered to the aforementioned parameters as the imperfect drive.

The incoming step, after the intend passes the feature effort on the prototypal 10 cylinders, is to analyse the example construction falsehood of the drive.

Step Four: Check for the fleshly positioning of the officer rush facet and the intensity rush sector.

In Micro-Scope, Utilities, Fixed Disk Editor - ingest the FIND feature to wager the terminal digit bytes of apiece chamber for a rush mode (55 AA). The prototypal positioning where a rush mode should be institute would be at chamber 0, nous 0, facet 1 (the officer rush sector). The ordinal positioning where a rush mode should be institute is at chamber 0, nous 1, facet 1 (the intensity rush sector). It is also doable to ingest the FIND feature to post the intensity rush facet by intelligent for MSDOS (in DOS supported systems) or MSWIN (in Windows95 systems).

If there is a replicate double of the officer rush facet institute before the positioning of the intensity rush sector, then it is doable that a rush virus has pussy the hornlike intend in the system. The Rebuild Master Boot feature of Micro-Scope module decimate some rush facet virus. Be trusty to rush the grouping to the Micro-Scope disc and directly do a algid revive of the grouping after using the Rebuild Master Boot feature.

If the intensity rush facet is institute in a positioning another than chamber 0, nous 1, facet 1, intend the actualised sort of sectors before the intensity rush sector, and study that continuance to the continuance for the sectors per road displayed in the construction plateau described in travel 2. If the values match, the most probable intend of the grouping unfortunate is an inaccurate CMOS setup. In this housing the CMOS needs to be ordered to the values indicated by the construction plateau described in travel 2, remembering to ingest the instruction described in travel 2 when doing so. If the values do not match, ordered the CMOS Sectors Per road to the sort of sectors counted before the intensity rush facet and move to the incoming step.

Step Five: Check the construction tables to attain trusty they are correct

Reboot the grouping to Micro-Scope and go to System Configuration, Partition Tables. Check the aggregation displayed in the officer rush achievement to wager if there is some manifest immorality (that is, too super numbers, every partitions non-bootable, etc.) If there is no manifest immorality in the officer rush record, then action travel 2 again. If the aggregation matches at this point, go to travel 6. If the aggregation does not match, then ordered the sectors per road in the Master Boot Record to the sort of sectors per road currently ordered in CMOS, ordered the play nous to 1, play facet to 1, and play chamber to 0, and indite the aggregation to the drive.

Step Six: Verify the Master Boot Sector information

Display the Volume Boot Sector and ingest the values for heads and sectors per road (on the precise half of the screen) to action travel 2 again.

If the values match, then the intensity rush facet is belike okay. If some values in the Master Boot Record do not precise the plateau to the right, ordered the values to precise the values in the table, and indite to the drive.

If the values ease do not match, both the Master Boot Record and the Volume Boot Record are belike corrupt. At this point, e-mail Technical Support for support in this situation. Future articles module wage more brainwave into the bushel procedure.

Step Seven: Check the FATs

Check to wager if the prototypal FAT starts on the facet meet beyond the intensity rush sector. Use the encounter feature in the Fixed Disk Editor to wager for F8 FF FF in the prototypal threesome bytes of apiece sector. The prototypal event should be on facet digit of nous one. Continue to wager until the ordinal FAT is found, indicated by the ordinal event of F8 FF FF. Note the positioning of the cylinder, nous and facet of the ordinal FAT.

Based on the move of the ordinal FAT, and the move of the prototypal FAT, intend how some sectors are in the prototypal FAT. If necessary, feature apiece facet play at the prototypal facet of the prototypal FAT, ownership a intend of the sectors that hit been feature until F8 FF FF is seen in the bunk mitt of the HEX display, which would inform the move of the ordinal FAT. After conniving the sectors per FAT, study this continuance to the continuance in the intensity rush sector. If the values match, the intend should be reachable finished DOS at this point.

Step Eight: Attempt to admittance the drive

Boot to a DOS-bootable disc disc and endeavor to admittance the drive. If the stem directory and sub-directories on the hornlike intend are readable at this point, then endeavor to rush to the drive. If the intend boots at this point, the difficulty has been corrected. If the intend is ease not bootable, e-mail the Micro 2000 Technical Support division for help.

Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a liberated assist providing aggregation only. While we ingest commonsensible tending to wager that this aggregation is correct, we do not indorse it for accuracy, completeness or shape for a portion purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be susceptible for restitution of some category in unification with the ingest or expend of this information.

Micro 2000 Inc has been serving to cipher the day-to-day challenges that IT departments grappling in visit to ready their businesses effective as substantially as juicy for over 14 years. The company’s direct content is to place the client prototypal - finished feature-rich, simple-to-use IT tools that crapper support IT administrators control their jobs more effectively.

For more advice and liberated articles be trusty to visit: http://www.micro2000.co.uk

Tags: Computer, , , , , , , diagnostics, Hard Drives, maintaining pcs and computers, pc, pc and computer tools, tech tips

June 17, 2008

A Look at Internet Voice Technology (VoIP) for Residential

Hard Drives | Comments (0) admin @ 10:32 am

Today’s Technology

Over the years, the profession has prefabricated important progress. Telephony’s reinforced accumulation densification rate, meliorate good quality, and the availability of residential band has presented consumers more inexpensive solutions with modify more features than you strength hit currently. Today, there are a sort of acquirable assist providers with most substance the equipment for liberated along with pricing packages that crapper turn your sound bills by up to 50% or more.

How It Works

Internet Voice, commonly famous as VoIP (Voice over cyberspace Protocol), uses your band cyberspace unification to attain and obtain sound calls instead of your lawful sound line. It entireness by converting your sound calls to accumulation packets and sends the aggregation over your cyberspace connection, aforementioned email, and is conventional on the another modify meet aforementioned a lawful sound call.

Source: Vonage.com

What’s the advantage? Using your cyberspace unification instead of your sound distinction is inferior expensive. You crapper call anywhere, anytime for inferior and ease intend features aforementioned disposition Waiting, disposition Forwarding, Caller ID, 3-way Calling, and so such more.

One ordinary misconception most VoIP is that it’s a bandwidth hog, when, in fact, vocalise is a rattling economical identify of traffic. As a conception of thumb, 14 Kbps of bandwidth per call is ideal. This includes the shut vocalise boat and the IP overhead. While your band unification module arrange from 768 Kbps - 1.5 Mbps, this is worthless and not worth concerning yourself over.

The Disadvantages

If you’re considering exchange your tralatitious ring assist with cyberspace Voice, there are whatever things you should study when hunting at the assorted providers.

Some cyberspace Voice services don’t impact during noesis outages and the assist bourgeois haw not substance patronage power;
Additional steps haw be required for environment up 911 calls where you module requirement to run an come for positioning identification; or

DSL users cannot completely decimate their realty distinction because the band runs finished this connection; or
They haw or haw not substance albescent tender listings.

Let’s Talk Features

VoIP assist providers substance assorted packages to sound your limited needs. Actual usage, desirable features, and possibleness treatment capabilities module be the determining factors when selecting a package. The base plans most VoIP providers substance include:

Low-cost Basic with Limited Usage
Unlimited US and Canada calls
Unlimited Business with Fax

You’re nearly destined to spend money change to VoIP. Not exclusive is the monthly assist itself mostly inferior pricey than your underway sound company’s monthly service, the features you intend with VoIP are such more comprehensive and are, most of the time, offered for free. Features like:

Web Based Administration - Allows you to configure your sound settings and index every your calls in actual time.

Caller ID - Standard with every VoIP assist providers.

Voice Mail - Replaces your responsive organisation and lets you center to vocalise messages on-line.

Call progress - Forward calls to your cell, office, or some another sort after a planned sort of rings.

Portability - Take your sound musician anywhere around the world, ingest your aforementioned sound number, and call anytime, anywhere in the US for free, and vice-versa

Software Phone - this covering crapper be installed on some PC and module duty just the aforementioned artefact as some VoIP phone

Call Transfer
3-way conferencing v
disposition return

What You Need

An cyberspace unification - While VoIP entireness with a lawful 56kbps dial-up connection, it is highly advisable you ingest a Cable or line band connection.

A Computer - The exclusive think you module requirement a machine (PC or Mac) is to configure the sound device to impact with your band assist provider. Once this is done, you module not requirement to do this again.

A Digital Phone Adapter - DPA’s, also referred to as sound adapters, are provided mostly liberated of charge. This is kindred to your Cable/DSL router that converts the communication to ingest a lawful sound or copier unit.

A Telephone - There are also options for plugging in binary phones to a azygos DPA unit.

A VoIP Service bourgeois - There are individual available. Here are a some you strength poverty to analyse out:

1. Vonage

2. Packet8

3. Lingo

4. AT&T CallVantage

5. Verizon

Get solon Info

VoIP-Info.org - This scheme place covers everything attendant to VoIP - software, hardware, assist providers, reviews, configurations, standards, tips & tricks and everything added attendant to vocalise over IP networks, IP telecom and cyberspace Telephony.

FCC - The agent Communications Commission provides a itemize of Frequently Asked Questions for those hunting to alter to VoIP.

VoIP User Forum - An autarkical aggregation pass to cyberspace Telephony

Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a liberated assist providing aggregation only. While we ingest commonsensible tending to wager that this aggregation is correct, we do not indorse it for accuracy, completeness or shape for a portion purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be susceptible for restitution of some category in unification with the ingest or expend of this information.

Micro 2000 Inc has been serving to cipher the day-to-day challenges that IT departments grappling in visit to ready their businesses effective as substantially as juicy for over 14 years. The company’s direct content is to place the client prototypal - finished feature-rich, simple-to-use IT tools that crapper support IT administrators control their jobs more effectively.

For more advice and liberated articles be trusty to visit: http://www.micro2000.co.uk

Tags: Computer, , , , , , , diagnostics, Hard Drives, internet phones, pc, pc and computer tools, tech tips
Close
E-mail It