When I was moving, I dropped my case on the sidewalk, and since then I’ve replaced the hard drives, mobo, videocard, processor, and ram. I’ve reformatted my hard drives (after some frustrating file tranferring), installed either WINDOWS 98SE or ME (with errors), and updated all the drivers that I needed with the setup discs that came with each piece of hardware. Assuming that all the hardware is compatible, everything should work, right?
But no. I try to install ANY of my games (Diablo2, Command and Conquer: RA2, Unreal, etc.), and my pc either locks up or boots me out of the program, or gives me an alert message that doesn’t tell me much. I can play Diablo2 for about ten minutes before it freezes or quits.
Right now, the only thing I can do is run Winamp - anything more taxing will cause problems.
I’ve gotten alot of messages that list the file “mgsvr32.dll”, or something similar, often showing the “32.dll” extension.
Here’s some specs that I KNOW my bios is recognizing correctly:
P4 2.53Ghz processor
Asus MoBo
512MB Ram (one stick)
Geforce4 video card
120GB hard drive
Creative sound card
I’m at work right now, so I can’t check on the exact model numbers for these things. I formatted my hard drive, and it has a FAT32 partition.
If you’ve replaced all that you’ve got a new system pretty much. I’d first update all your drivers (get the most recent BIOS and videocard BIOSs).
If that doesn’t do it, it could be something else. Maybe the power supply? If it’s damaged it might be sending out bad power that might be causing crashes.
If not, do a complete system scan (including memory). Bad memory is also another posibility. Bad CPU is pretty rare and would be very apparent as the system boot-up would crash right away.
You’ve got a lot of high end and high heat producing items in your case too. You should probably have at least two case fans in that configuration, if not more. Also, don’t run the computer with the case open, as that doesn’t allow for proper airflow.
Also, I would try getting your hands on a copy of Windows XP, as you’ve got plenty of ram, so it should probably run faster than Win ME on your system.
I was plagued with the msgsrv32.dll for a long time, and found out that it’s an Outlook Express file, but never figured out what, exactly, was causing the problem Reformatting was the only solution I could come up with.
How do you figure that? IME nothing solves heat problems like a naked computer (except maybe a naked computer in front of the AC).
That said, criminalcatalog, unless HideoHo comes up with something quite compelling, I’d recommend running caseless to eliminate excess heat as a possible cause.
I also second the idea of updating your BIOS and drivers to the latest downloadable versions and downloading the latest version of DirectX as well.
If none of that works, it could be a dinged up or inadequate power supply. What’s the wattage on that?
On some machines the case is part of the cooling system. The path the cooling air takes is designed with the case in mind. Opening the case may result in the air not going where it is supposed to.
I had three fans in my ME computer & it still got hot on summer days. But sounds like a heat issue. try using it with the case top off & see what happens.
Okay, I reformatted a 40GB hard drive, and installed Windows 982E on it. When I try to boot, I get this message, before windows even starts:
While initializing device NDIS: You need to restart your computer.
I can’t get past this in normal boot mode, but safe mode will work. I don’t know what “NDIS” is.
When I run any games, I get error messages that involve these files:
msgsvr32.dll
kernel32.dll Daisy, I can’t give you the exact error messages because I can’t troubleshoot from my pc right now (I’m at work); I hope these file names can provide enough information.
My power supply is 300W. I would update drivers if I could get to that point, but I can’t.
Okay, I reformatted a 40GB hard drive, and installed Windows 982E on it. When I try to boot, I get this message, before windows even starts:
While initializing device NDIS: You need to restart your computer.
I can’t get past this in normal boot mode, but safe mode will work. I don’t know what “NDIS” is.
When I run any games, I get error messages that involve these files:
msgsvr32.dll
kernel32.dll Daisy, I can’t give you the exact error messages because I can’t troubleshoot from my pc right now (I’m at work); I hope these file names can provide enough information.
My power supply is 300W, and it works fine, I think. If my power supply wasn’t working, I wouldn’t be able to run my pc at all, right? That’s one of the last things I was going to replace, since I’ve already plunked down hundreds for all the other crap. My mobo has a working BIOS; would it really help to update it? I can’t get online with that pc, and I’m not sure how to install a new BIOS anyway. I would update drivers if I could get to that point, but I can’t.
HideoHo, I’ve been running a “naked” computer for a while now, since I’m always unplugging and reconnecting stuff. I understand that airflow is important, but an open case does seem like a reasonable way to cool a pc. I’m sure there’s plenty of discussion even on the SDMB about cooling methods, but in my case, I doubt heat is the problem.