The computer and electronics super geek thread

[mikeszekely]

Am I correct in saying with RAm, seeing as I am getting DDR3, quantity is better than quality? I mean, I still have to choose good name brands like Corsair instead of generic, but I don't really need the fast running RAM do I? I have a feeling that I'll pay that much more for nothin, and that triple channeling 2 GB sticks is plenty.

Not necessarily. Bad RAM can lead to errors, reboots, and the Blue Screen of Death. Some motherboards don't even work with some RAM.

As for speed, your computer is only as fast as the slowest part. Find out what your motherboard manufacturer recommends. If you use RAM that's too slow, you'll slow the whole system down. If you use RAM that's too fast, the computer will only be able to use it at it's bus speed anyway.

Are you using a Core i7? You'll get the best performance with three sticks or good RAM at the speed recommended for that board. The more RAM the merrier, but there's a point of diminishing returns... that is, the jump from 2GB to 4GB will lead to more dramatic performance gains than the jump from 4GB to 8GB. And there's always that nagging fact that if you use a 32-bit OS you're limited to 4GB anyway (and that includes the video card's RAM).

Long story short, if it's a Core i7, three 2GB sticks seems reasonable with a 64-bit OS, timed to the motherboard. Personally, while I've never had a problem with the quality of Corsair RAM, Kingston's just as good and usually cheaper.

[mikeszekely]

Don't worry, they have plenty of time to screw things up. It's only in beta right now.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they don't. Microsoft made a lot of promises with Vista that either came out broken or were abandoned along the way, trying to make Vista revolutionary over XP. While I think that Vista has come into it's own, and I personally wouldn't want to go back to XP at this point, Vista launch criticism was well-deserved, and some of the complaints are still legit.

Windows 7, on the other hand, feels more evolutionary than revolutionary. In a lot of ways, it looks and feels a lot like Vista. The biggest visual difference is the new task bar, which I really like but some people might need to get used to. The core kernel is supposed to be very similar to Vista's, but trimmed down. One of Microsoft's goals, in an effort to finally put XP in the ground, is to make sure Windows 7 can run on netbooks. Engadget even ran a feature where they installed the beta on one of those new VAIO P units.

[azrael]

Windows 7, on the other hand, feels more evolutionary than revolutionary. In a lot of ways, it looks and feels a lot like Vista. The biggest visual difference is the new task bar, which I really like but some people might need to get used to. The core kernel is supposed to be very similar to Vista's, but trimmed down. One of Microsoft's goals, in an effort to finally put XP in the ground, is to make sure Windows 7 can run on netbooks. Engadget even ran a feature where they installed the beta on one of those new VAIO P units.

That's what I've been hearing. Granted my copies of the Windows 7 ISOs are still sitting on my machine at work so I haven't had a chance to try it. All the perks of Vista without all the problems of Vista. I may consider Vista for my home machine (I use it at work) but I'm getting a better vibe from Windows 7 so I may just jump from XP to 7.

Well now that the dekstop is dead I figure I will just pull the two hard drives and put them in enclosures to use as externals, but now that I will get a laptop as a replacement (should be getting a fat return this year), what laptops do people recommend? My biggest requirement is video card power, I want either a Quadro card, Geforce 7900, 7950, or 8800 card on it, since I can softmod those into Quadros for doing my cad work.

Do you plan on traveling with the laptop or do you just plan on bringing it to and from work? What size screen do you prefer? If you plan on graphics work, I recommend, at a minimum, a 15" screen.

[eugimon]

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they don't. Microsoft made a lot of promises with Vista that either came out broken or were abandoned along the way, trying to make Vista revolutionary over XP. While I think that Vista has come into it's own, and I personally wouldn't want to go back to XP at this point, Vista launch criticism was well-deserved, and some of the complaints are still legit.

Windows 7, on the other hand, feels more evolutionary than revolutionary. In a lot of ways, it looks and feels a lot like Vista. The biggest visual difference is the new task bar, which I really like but some people might need to get used to. The core kernel is supposed to be very similar to Vista's, but trimmed down. One of Microsoft's goals, in an effort to finally put XP in the ground, is to make sure Windows 7 can run on netbooks. Engadget even ran a feature where they installed the beta on one of those new VAIO P units.

How's the graphics and media support on this build? Is it stable enough to use as a home theater PC? My current build of vista is buggy (explorer keeps crashing) so I figure if I need to reinstall, why not reinstall new and shiny.

[lechuck]

So I want to update my monitor, but I'm completely out of the loop as to what is important/must have on a flat screen.

Ideally I want something that is bigger than 17 inch and I don't want to spend anything more than 250-280 Euros.

Any recommendations or pointers would be appreciated, thanks.

[mikeszekely]

That's what I've been hearing. Granted my copies of the Windows 7 ISOs are still sitting on my machine at work so I haven't had a chance to try it. All the perks of Vista without all the problems of Vista. I may consider Vista for my home machine (I use it at work) but I'm getting a better vibe from Windows 7 so I may just jump from XP to 7.

That's probably reasonable. I mean, I just went with Vista because I was building a new machine from scratch, and I knew I was going to game on it, and I figured if I was buying a DirectX 10 video card I might as well use DirectX 10. If I can get a volume license key from my university contact for a business or enterprise edition, I'm probably going to upgrade my netbook to Windows 7 right away, but I'll probably hold off until I'm sure it stable and I'm more comfortable with it on my desktop.

How's the graphics and media support on this build? Is it stable enough to use as a home theater PC? My current build of vista is buggy (explorer keeps crashing) so I figure if I need to reinstall, why not reinstall new and shiny.

Should be good, in theory. Windows Media Center is included in the beta, and it seems a lot like the one in Vista, except now you can play Solitaire and what no from Media Center. Also, Microsoft is supposed to include support for more formats, like DivX, out of the box now.

That said, I haven't really done much testing of media, because I've got no sound. If I can't get sound out of my regular stereo speakers, I'd be concerned about the beta's compatibility with HDMI sound or toslink. Heck, if I'm getting a BSoD when I try to use my Radeon card, I might as well be concerned about video problems connecting it to a TV, too.

[azrael]

So I want to update my monitor, but I'm completely out of the loop as to what is important/must have on a flat screen.

Ideally I want something that is bigger than 17 inch and I don't want to spend anything more than 250-280 Euros.

Any recommendations or pointers would be appreciated, thanks.

I suggest a 19". If you do multimedia work, I suggest going with, at minimum, a 20" widescreen.

[lechuck]

Yeah, I was thinking of going 19" or 20" widescreen. Should it be 16:10 or the more TV compatible 16:9 format?

What about brands, any company's I should stay away from?

And what about the reaction time? For e.g. is 5 ms slow, average or fast?

[azrael]

Yeah, I was thinking of going 19" or 20" widescreen. Should it be 16:10 or the more TV compatible 16:9 format?

What about brands, any company's I should stay away from?

And what about the reaction time? For e.g. is 5 ms slow, average or fast?

What you plan on doing with it will affect my answer.

[Knight26]

Do you plan on traveling with the laptop or do you just plan on bringing it to and from work? What size screen do you prefer? If you plan on graphics work, I recommend, at a minimum, a 15" screen.

It will come with me to work from time to time, but primarily it will be at home, and will be used in the living room since I never have time to work on the desktop in the office. I am thinking probably a 17" wide screen or better screen since that is what my old laptop has IIRC.

[lechuck]

Basically any and all. Programming, SQL/database and run office and multimedia (audio/video/games) apps.

[azrael]

It will come with me to work from time to time, but primarily it will be at home, and will be used in the living room since I never have time to work on the desktop in the office. I am thinking probably a 17" wide screen or better screen since that is what my old laptop has IIRC.

I would look at something similar to the XPS 1730. If you want to go with a Quadro FX, you may want to look at the Dell Precision-line or Lenovo Thinkpad W-series as a basis. Work-to-home traveling is fine but I would not recommend bringing a 17" on long-distance travel.

Basically any and all. Programming, SQL/database and run office and multimedia (audio/video/games) apps.

A Dell 2009W 20" is a decent monitor. You can also try the Samsungs. 19" widescreens are squished compared to the 20" widescreens. If you plan on going with a 19", I would get a 4:3. You should go to Widescreen Gaming Forums. People have varying success with their monitors so I can't recommend any one company over another.

[eugimon]

Should be good, in theory. Windows Media Center is included in the beta, and it seems a lot like the one in Vista, except now you can play Solitaire and what no from Media Center. Also, Microsoft is supposed to include support for more formats, like DivX, out of the box now.

That said, I haven't really done much testing of media, because I've got no sound. If I can't get sound out of my regular stereo speakers, I'd be concerned about the beta's compatibility with HDMI sound or toslink. Heck, if I'm getting a BSoD when I try to use my Radeon card, I might as well be concerned about video problems connecting it to a TV, too.

Thanks for the response. I guess i'll just live with Vista then.

[CoryHolmes]

The Firewall that comes with Vista on my PC seems to reset and turn off spontaniously and without warning. Any ideas why and how can I stop it?

[Dante74]

The Firewall that comes with Vista on my PC seems to reset and turn off spontaniously and without warning. Any ideas why and how can I stop it?

Virus?

[CoryHolmes]

Virus?

AV and Spybot both say no, but I DO have Microsoft OneCare installed and that has its own firewall. Could it be that OneCare is turning off Vista's to prevent any conflicts?

[azrael]

AV and Spybot both say no, but I DO have Microsoft OneCare installed and that has its own firewall. Could it be that OneCare is turning off Vista's to prevent any conflicts?

OneCare could be causing conflicts. Did this ever happen before you installed OneCare?

[CoryHolmes]

OneCare could be causing conflicts. Did this ever happen before you installed OneCare?

OneCare came with the system (1.5 years ago) and I've been using it right from the start. I noticed a few months back that Windows Firewall was off and turned it back on, but it was only recently that I noticed it kept flipping on and off.

[VT 1010]

I have a bit of a data loss crisis, and I'm in desperate need of help.

I was in the process of using the system restore disk for my laptop, and realized I forgot to backup my data. As soon as it started, I quickly shut it down. I rebooted and it said no Operating System found. I'm assuming it has already formatted the HD.

Is there a way to recover any of my files? These files consisted of my school work and I need them before next week.

[azrael]

I have a bit of a data loss crisis, and I'm in desperate need of help.

I was in the process of using the system restore disk for my laptop, and realized I forgot to backup my data. As soon as it started, I quickly shut it down. I rebooted and it said no Operating System found. I'm assuming it has already formatted the HD.

Is there a way to recover any of my files? These files consisted of my school work and I need them before next week.

Not necessarily. It may have begun to replace system files which are needed to run the operating system. You can check the hard disk by removing the hard disk and plugging it into another system either as an external disk or secondary disk. If your files are still there, then you can retrieve them. If the disk was formatted, then you're SOL.

[mikeszekely]

I have a bit of a data loss crisis, and I'm in desperate need of help.

I was in the process of using the system restore disk for my laptop, and realized I forgot to backup my data. As soon as it started, I quickly shut it down. I rebooted and it said no Operating System found. I'm assuming it has already formatted the HD.

Is there a way to recover any of my files? These files consisted of my school work and I need them before next week.

Find another computer with a CD burner you can use/borrow for a little while, and bring a blank CD.

Go here, download Kubuntu 8.04, probably the 32-bit edition, from the location nearest you, and burn it to a disc.

Take your fragged computer, go into the BIOS, and make sure the default boot device is the CD or DVD drive, and put the CD you just burned into that drive, then restart the computer. Kubuntu can run from the CD, so it won't make any changes as long as you pick the "Try Ubuntu" option from the list when the CD boots (it's the default option).

Get a USB memory stick (FAT formatted), and plug it into the computer once the Kubuntu desktop is loaded. Click on the little home icon next to the Kmenu to open the file explorer. Direct the file manager to the computer's hard drive, and inside one of the folders there, if the System Restore didn't destroy the data, you should be able to find it. Open a second file manager window, navigate to your USB memory stick (if Kubuntu already ask you if you wanted to open it). Highlight your data on the hard drive, and drag it to the USB stick, then select "Copy Here."

When it's all done, right-click the icon for the USB memory stick, and tell Kubuntu you want to safely remove it or unmount it. Remove the stick, and then do whatever you need to do with your computer.

[Uxi]

macbook pro battery taking a poo on me. Says "check battery" and charge is only showing ~1300 max mah when it was in the high 4000s last month. Fortunately still on the original 1 year Applecare

[azrael]

macbook pro battery taking a poo on me. Says "check battery" and charge is only showing ~1300 max mah when it was in the high 4000s last month. Fortunately still on the original 1 year Applecare

The battery could be faulty. But just to save the Applecare folks some time, did you reset the SMC or PMU?

[Uxi]

Yeah. Also tried to condition it once, too.

[David Hingtgen]

Have a "PC build request" for you guys. Fairly simple one. Need to build a general use PC from utter scratch, and the only real requirements are that it can play Starcraft II well (not necessarily amazingly), be long-lived/reliable, and as cheap as possible. If it can be made massively better for an additional 100 bucks, then do so. PS--will be using Vista. (since you can't buy XP any more AFAIK) (would prefer 7, but the PC it's replacing is so old it'll probably die before 7's out in full) This PC will probably serve many years, thus the previous requirement---and probably excludes really cheap parts----need decent quality stuff inside.

[azrael]

Have a "PC build request" for you guys. Fairly simple one. Need to build a general use PC from utter scratch, and the only real requirements are that it can play Starcraft II well (not necessarily amazingly), be long-lived/reliable, and as cheap as possible. If it can be made massively better for an additional 100 bucks, then do so. PS--will be using Vista. (since you can't buy XP any more AFAIK) (would prefer 7, but the PC it's replacing is so old it'll probably die before 7's out in full) This PC will probably serve many years, thus the previous requirement---and probably excludes really cheap parts----need decent quality stuff inside.

Unfortunately, the specs for Starcraft 2 haven't been released yet.

Edit:

This should get you started:

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9400 - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W Power Supply - Retail

EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

You didn't say whether or not you wanted to go with DDR2 or DDR3 for memory so I went with DDR2. I still don't find Blu-Ray burners as affordable. DVD burners/Blu-Ray player combo drives are an alternative but I would rather do the full burner. I decided to go with the GTX 285 since I don't know what Starcraft II would like. Now there may be a better card out when Starcraft II comes out but until that day comes, the GTX 285 should work out. The power supply is cheap with the $40-rebate and best of all, the GTX 285 goes back to the olde 6-pin PCIe power plug so it uses less juice. Until the Core i7s come down in price, I would stick with the Core2 Quad.

[VT 1010]

I was finally able to restore my files after trying a couple of data recovery programs. The only one that could find everything was Recoverer 2000. Crisis averted...

[mikeszekely]

I was finally able to restore my files after trying a couple of data recovery programs. The only one that could find everything was Recoverer 2000. Crisis averted...

Glad to hear it!

Getting back to the Windows 7 beta discussion, I finally gave in and installed in on my Asus Eee PC 900HA, since it was the only computer I had left running XP, and frankly I'm ready to be done with XP.

When I first got it, I'd used Acronis Disk Director to get rid of the recovery partition, since the computer came with a disc, and for some reason Asus had split the hard drive into two equal partitions, so I killed the extra one, then merged everything back to one big partition. To save myself the trouble of starting over from scratch, though, I created a new partition, leaving just 20GB for Windows XP, then I installed Windows 7 on the new larger partition.

I'm more impressed with Windows 7 on the netbook than I am on my spare desktop. I haven't had any of the same problems... the sound works fine, and the wi-fi worked out of the box, without installing any new updates or drivers. It even defaulted to the 1024x600 resolution that I've heard is unique to the Eee line. The multi-touch trackpad even works, although Windows thinks it's just a regular mouse, so I can't disable tapping (which I hate... way to sensitive). The only overt indication (aside from the "Windows 7 For Testing Purposes Only Build 7000" printed at the bottom right on the desktop) that Windows 7 wasn't the OS that was pre-installed is that the Fn key doesn't work, so Fn-combos to change the volume and brightness don't work either. A less overt sign would be that, when you look in the Device Manager, I've got the yellow exclamation points on two devices. One, Windows has no idea what is is, but I'd guess it's the webcam built into the bezel above the screen. No loss there, since I've never used it. The other device Windows reports as the ethernet controller, but since the wi-fi works, running a wired line is hardly necessary. Honestly, for all I know a trip to Asus' website might have drivers that'll fix all my issues anyway.

Performance-wise, the Windows Experience Index rates the Eee as a 2.1 out of 7.9, which hardly seems impressive. The breakdown is as follows:

Processor: 2.1

Memory: 4.4

Graphics (Aero): 2.3

Gaming Graphics: 3.0

Primary Hard Disk: 2.9

I know the Atom was designed as a low-power chip for netbooks and mobile devices, but I'm surprised that it's actually the weak link. The hard disk is less surprising, since Asus probably uses a 4200RPM HDD. As for the graphics, that's good enough to run Aero, and the RAM will come up when I get around to replacing the stock 1GB module with an 2GB.

Numbers only tell half the story. It terms of actual usage, yeah, it does feel a little slow... but I do 95% of my computer activities on a desktop I built for gaming. I don't have any hard numbers, but when I think about the netbook's performance with Windows 7 versus it's performance with XP, I'd say it's pretty similar, and for all I know it could be faster if I turned Aero off. Windows 7 definitely boots faster, so there's that.

The bottom line is that Windows 7 is a beta, so what hardware is and isn't supported is still sketchy. Eugimon, maybe it will work for your HTPC, who knows? The only way to find out is to try it.

For now, I'm going to say that I'm pretty pleased with Windows 7 so far. It's sort of like the best of Vista with most of the bad stuff trimmed out so that it runs much more efficiently. 'Course, I though that Vista was better at the Beta 1 poin than it was at RC1, so anything could happen between now and launch. Still, Windows 7 feels a lot more finished than Vista did in beta, so I could honestly see Microsoft fixing a few issues, ratcheting up more driver support, and going straight to RC 1, and I definitely don't think that we'll have to wait until December '09 or January '10 for retail copies. I'll bet dollars to donuts you'll see Windows 7 pre-installed on computers in stores by August, in time for the back-to-school sales.

EDIT: I got the webcam working... I had it disabled in the BIOS. The Fn key magically started working again, but I didn't do anything for that. And, as I suspected, Asus' website had drivers for the touchpad and the ethernet, but I didn't bother installing the ethernet drivers. Windows still shows some "unknown device" in the BIOS. Maybe it's ACPI related?

Edited January 16, 2009 by mikeszekely

[David Hingtgen]

Azrael--that's way too high-end. CPU, GFX, and PSU are all beyond what *I* have now, much less for a new PC that's supposed to be significantly cheaper than mine. I'm looking for well under a grand total including the case and OS. There is no need for Blu-Ray at all. Needs to browse web, run MS Office, play Starcraft once in a while. If Starcraft II will have such high specs that even my PC can't play it, then the new PC simply won't be playing Starcraft II.

I'm thinking more along the lines of an 9600GT, and a E7300 or something. Or even E5300 (cheaper, newer).

[azrael]

Azrael--that's way too high-end. CPU, GFX, and PSU are all beyond what *I* have now, much less for a new PC that's supposed to be significantly cheaper than mine. I'm looking for well under a grand total including the case and OS. There is no need for Blu-Ray at all. Needs to browse web, run MS Office, play Starcraft once in a while. If Starcraft II will have such high specs that even my PC can't play it, then the new PC simply won't be playing Starcraft II.

I'm thinking more along the lines of an 9600GT, and a E7300 or something. Or even E5300 (cheaper, newer).

Since we don't have a date on Starcraft II, the specs I listed will definitely last you a while. And if it's late enough, those specs may be out-of-date by the time Starcraft II comes to market.

Edit:

INTEL BX80571E7300 Core 2 Duo E7300 2.66 GHz 1066 MHz Socket 775 3MB Desktop Processor Retail (from ZipZoomFly.com)

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL6D-4GBNQ - Retail

Rosewill RP550V2-S-SL 550W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready Power Supply - Retail

MSI N9600GT-T2D512-OC GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail(sale on this one for this weekend only)

If you want to forgo Starcraft II, you might want to consider integrated video and replacing the motherboard + video, RAM and PSU with these.

ASUS P5N7A-VM LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9300/nForce 730i HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

or

GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9400 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Transcend 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model JM4GDDR2-8K - Retail

Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2DB 500W ATX12V Power Supply - Retail

Integrated video isn't that bad, as long as it's not Intel integrated video. If you want to factor out Starcraft II and gaming, completely, I could go with an older, cheaper chipset than the nForce 730/Geforce 9300/9400. You can do some minor gaming with the Geforce 9400 at respectable framerates (Search Youtube for gaming on the new Aluminum Macbooks) without dropping more money down for a GeForce 9600. So it's something to consider in case you wish to forgo the Geforce 9600.

[Valkyrie addict]

Hello...I need some help

I'm trying to install for my brother an Apple LCD 20" Cinema Display for use with an acer laptop he has, I don't know crap about apple so I don't know what exactly is need it and if it's even possible, so bear with me

I've search the web and all I could find was that the apple LCD most connect it's a DVI, USB and fireware to for it to display the image to other apple computers

I got a DVI/VGA Adaptor to connect to the laptop but of course the image won't show, I haven't found anything on the web on trying to make this suceed if posible, is there a software needed for the laptop to recognize the USB and what will I do with the fireware connection?

help

[mikeszekely]

Hello...I need some help

I'm trying to install for my brother an Apple LCD 20" Cinema Display for use with an acer laptop he has, I don't know crap about apple so I don't know what exactly is need it and if it's even possible, so bear with me

I've search the web and all I could find was that the apple LCD most connect it's a DVI, USB and fireware to for it to display the image to other apple computers

I got a DVI/VGA Adaptor to connect to the laptop but of course the image won't show, I haven't found anything on the web on trying to make this suceed if posible, is there a software needed for the laptop to recognize the USB and what will I do with the fireware connection?

help

Not 100% sure, as I've never owned an Apple Cinema display, but I seem to recall that there are different versions of the DVI standard, and there might be an incompatibility.

[mikeszekely]

Okay, I've got a problem that's got me scratching my head...

A relative of mine asked me to take a look at his computer. According to him, there's a virus, specifically an abot virus.

Norton was installed on the laptop, so I had it do a quick scan, and it didn't turn up anything. I booted into Safe Mode, and ran Multi Virus Cleaner from a USB flash drive, and it didn't turn up any viruses either. I booted up normally again, checked the task manager, and while there's a ton of crap running, I didn't see anything I couldn't identify. I even tried having Windows search for any "abot" related files, and when that turned up nothing, I took a peak into the Windows, Windows\System, and Windows\System32 files.

There's definitely something seriously wrong with it, though. The computer seems to boot fine, but if you try to open "My Computer," either from the desktop icon or from the start menu, nothing happens. Clicking on anything else, even stuff that worked before trying to open My Computer, no longer does anything. You can't even close an open window... the X button does the animation that indicates it was clicked, but nothing happens. Starting the task manager before clicking My Computer will start it like normal, but if you start it after clicking my computer, Windows Explorer stops. The start menu, task bar, system tray, and all desktop icons disappear.

There are a few other things I do want to try, but honestly, I'm thinking that it might be time for the ol' wipe it and reinstall Windows. The thing does look to be about 3 or 4 years old. But before I go through the hassle (this is one of his work computers, so I don't have all his software), I'm open to any other suggestions.

[azrael]

Did you disable System Restore?

Have you checked the registry for any anonymous programs that run at startup?

-Check the following keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Run, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Run

Did you run HiJackThis? Post the log here.

ComboFix is normally my weapon of last resort if Antivirus/Anti-spyware scans show nothing.

[mikeszekely]

Did you disable System Restore?

That was one of the things I still wanted to try.

Have you checked the registry for any anonymous programs that run at startup?

-Check the following keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Run, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Run

That was another.

Did you run HiJackThis? Post the log here.

I wasn't even aware of that one. I'll definitely give it a shot.

ComboFix is normally my weapon of last resort if Antivirus/Anti-spyware scans show nothing.

Wasn't aware of that one either.

Unfortunately, it'll all have to wait for a bit. He gave the laptop to my aunt/his sister, and I picked it up from her. He forgot to give her the power cord, though, and the battery just went. So I can't do anything until I swing by his office tomorrow and get the cord.