Candia

Western Digital doesn't offer any type of data recovery service. If the drive is still under warrenty, the best they will do is RMA it and send a "working" drive to you. :(

I agree with everything that hamster has said. However, since you describe that you heard a clicking noise from your HD, I would not continue trying to "force" the HD to read (it won't most of the time) as you are more likely to cause more damage to the platters.

The best option for recovery without the risk of further damaging your drive is to take it to a data recovery tech. There is not guarantee that they will be able to recover all (or any) of your data. However, as hamster has stated, these services cost quite a bit.

One thing to keep in mind for the future. HD's take a lot of stress when they are constantly turned on and off. External HD's are not normally running constantly, so if you perpetually turn it on/off to back up small amounts of files, you are slowly wearing down the life of the drive.

I remember there was an article in Maximum PC about this... I'll see if I can dig that up for reference. At either rate, I am terribly sorry about your loss.

I hope you can salvage a majority of your data.

The main problem that I can see is the very first error that you referred to.

Userinit.exe is a key process in the Windows operating system. On boot-up it manages the different start up sequences needed, such as establishing network connection and starting up the Windows shell. This program is very important as it maintains the stability and security of the OS.

If you are getting a long sequence of errors, it may be caused by this process (file) being corrupt. If this was a recent problem, try entering safe mode and restoring your comptuer (use system restore) to a point when you did not have this error. However, there has been a trojan (virus) that also goes by the same name.

Trojan description:

userinit.exe is a process which is registered as a trojan. This Trojan allows attackers to access your computer from remote locations, stealing passwords, Internet banking and personal data. This process is a security risk and should be removed from your system. The trojan can be identified by simply running a virus scan on your system files.

Hope this helps.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by Apple being better than Toshiba... though I'm inclined to think this is a Mac vs. PC comparison. I will hold judgment until you clarify, but if this is a Mac. vs. PC comparison you are going to get a lot of different responses |(o_o)

Minimum memory requirements:

320MB of RAM (384MB recommended) 650MB of available hard-disk space

You only need a P3 or higher to run CS2. However, i think your system is hanging up or lagging because you lack the RAM to run the program effectively. Notice that your system only has 256 MB of RAM and CS2 requires a minimum of 320 MB. I think that is where your lagging is coming from.

There may be other issues, but the one that I can point out right away is the lack of memory in your system. You should up the amount of RAM you have to at least 320 - though I would recommend 512MB or 1GB of RAM. If your building a new computer then I would recommend 2GB of RAM for that new system.

Hope this helps.

~Candia

Price is relatively fair for the amount of storage that it provides. However, I don't plan on buying this particular HD anytime in the near future. Waiting for Hybrid HD's to roll out or Solid State HD's (fair size) to come out. Don't get me wrong, 1TB worth of storage is great to have, but I am waiting for further advances before I invest in computer parts (again...).

I, personally, prefer building my own PC than buying a pre-built one. I have built my own PC's for the past 10 years and I have been satisfied with the outcomes each time. Building your own PC gives you a lot of flexibility.

You control:

Your total cost, what parts you use, who/where you purchase parts, and you are free to customize the computer to your satisfaction. Buying a pre-built PC is rather limiting in the sense that you are almost always stuck with some proprietary configuration. So if you buy a Dell, HP, Compaq, Toshiba, Sony, etc... etc... and the PSU goes bad, well... you can't go and replace the part as easily as you think you would.

Also, some of pre-built computers use "strange" configurations to maximize case space. I've seen cases where the HD was attached to the front panel. I would definitly recommend everyone to try to build their own system. The experience can be frustrating, irrating, dangerous, and time consuming but you will gain a lot of insight.

However, if you are building your first PC... I recommend to stick to standard cooling. If you're going to use a water cooling system, make sure you get some help especially if you have no experience.

When you get the blue screen of death, take note of the error code that it gives you. Windows will always reference a blue screen of death with some coded message. This might help you diagnose the problem much more precisely.

In terms of the errors, if had to reboot and windows takes you to CHKDSK it is checking the integrity of the drive. Sometimes errors are caused by bad clusters or bad sectors. Windows tries to repair the errors, but its never 100% effective.

The registry is just a place where windows keeps track of everything that goes on in your computer (easiest way to explain it). When you install a new program, uninstall a program, change your music playlist, load a file, etc... these changes are recorded into the registry. However, in the registry also lies important key values for windows - so unless you know what you are doing... don't mess with them.

For those of you looking for CCleaner, you can download it for free at their website:

www.ccleaner.com

As for Antivirus programs, I use Norton Corporate Client Security. Basically, Norton without all the junk that they put in for the consumers.

The user32.dll is a DLL that implements the Windows User API Client Library. It is a core file for several versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. If this file is damaged or deleted, the operating system will not work. The library accesses and links many of the core components related to the OS and its users (Windows handling, basic user interface functions, etc...).

As Deep mentioned before, the change status on your virus scan simply implies that the file has changed since last time. This could have been from installation of a new program, changing your wallpaper, changing the order of your start menu, etc...

The following are known threats (e.g. viruses) that target the user32.dll file:

Backdoor.Hebolani Ceydem.6750.Worm Trojan.Anicmoo Trojan.Anicmoo.B Trojan.Anicmoo.C Trojan.Anicmoo.D

As long as you don't find any of these bad boys on your system, your file should be relatively nominal. As for your blue screen of death concerns, the next time you get the blue screen, write down the numbers that you see.

These numbers will point to a specific cause - usually its a MS hotfix! The reference numbers will tell you - when you go to MS knowledge data base - which hotfix is causing the problems or what the problem is in general.

After you find that problem, you can work to find ways to patch it up.

Edit:

BSOD reference numbers look something like this:

0x0000001E, KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

Taking a look at the properties of your HD, you still have about 3 GB worth of free space. The HD drive itself does not have any hidden free space. Data is stored on platters that are stacked in the HD (the internals of a HD). A manufacturer would not put as many platters into the HD to market it at a lower price... it doesn't make any sense to do that.

I don't think that theres anything wrong with your HD... I think it is just running out of space. If that is the case, you should just invest in a new HD with a larger capacity.

Very large HD's are relatively cheap at this time. If you are looking for more space, take a look at what you store on your HD - movies, music, anime, documents, etc... and invest in a new HD.

Your drives capacity will vary depending on the formatting system that is being used. Having a 20 GB HD does not mean that you will get purely 20GB of free space. Also, a 20 GB HD is never going to be a 40 GB HD with 50% of the drive hidden. If your operating system is installed on that drive and keep all of your files (music, pictures, etc...) then a 20 GB HD will fill up rather quickly.

If you don't know how to check your HD's specifications, you can do the following.

On the HD icon (C:), right click and choose "Properties". This will bring up a window with 5 tabs. The "General" tab will contain information regarding your HD.

Type: Local Disk File System: NTFS or FAT32 Used Space: Free Space:

If you can provide some of that information, in your post it would help us understand your system. If you are using the NTFS file system, you will lose a certain % of your HD space (I forget the exact %).

Telling us that your HD is only 20GB gives us very little to work off of. Provide us with a bit more information and we can give you better clarifactions. I recommend that you also clean your HD.

CCleaner @www.ccleaner.com is a great tool to clean up all the junk left behind in temp files, registry, etc...

Water cooling is reserved for the hard core enthusiasts and hard core overclockers. Normal use of a computer does not require water cooling. Albeit, water cooling allows for cooler temps under full load, it doesn't greatly improve performance - especially if you are running at standard speeds and specifications.

One downside of water cooling is that some kits come with really poor instructions. This greatly increases the possiblity of missing a screw here or a bolt there, which ... may cause leaks if you aren't careful. I would shy away from water cooling unless you are comfortable with those risks.

@ExileThe memory that you are usuing should come with standard (or special) heatspreaders. With proper airflow, your memory should not have any issues. The only time you will have issues is if you attempt to overclock your RAM.

VGA: I did some diggin on the specificiations for your card:

Calibre 8800GTX P8800+OC GPU Clock: 630 MHz Memory Clock: 980 MHz Memory Data Rate: 1960 MHz

VS.

Standard Sparkle 8800 GTX GPU Clock: 575 MHz Memory Clock: 900 MHz Memory Data Rate: 1800 MHz

The card that you are looking at has been overclocked about 10% above standard specifications. That is probably why the heatsinks look different - as the overclocked version will generate a lot more heat (due to being overclocked). However, this card has very good benchmarks. Check out the review and comparison here:

@http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1061&pageID=3142

Its a really good video card. I don't think you will have any issues with it. Now one last item that I think needs to be addressed is your PC Case. The overall specifications for your new computer are amazing. Do not get a cheap case...

I cannot stress that enough. Get a case that will have good airflow and cooling properties (aluminum cases).

^-^b

Your motherboard will dictate the initial speed settings for your memory. The speed or rating of your RAM is just an indicator of its potential. If your motherboard only supports up to DDR2-800, then it will set the RAM's initial speed to that. That doesn't mean that you can't get your RAM to go faster, you will need to do some tweaking in BIOS to up the speeds (always be careful when you decide to tweak or overclock your computer).

@GoldenApe Addition:

Dual Channel refers to a motherboard technology that "doubles" the bandwidth of the memory controller by using the RAM. Basically, your motherboard should have color coded RAM banks. In order to get the 2x channel you need to install memory (preferably the same type, speed, brand, specifications) in each slot. In order to get the benefits of dual channel, you must install RAM in pairs.

Corsair and Patriot RAM are both good decisions. Either one of them is fine as their specifications are very similar. So I agree with Golden. I would consider price before making a final decision.

VGA: I've never heard of that Manufacturer for Nvidia. Albeit, you are probably outside the United States. The 8800GTS is still a very good card.

CPU: E6600 is the way to go. Fast, very overclockable, 2x L2 cache, etc...

Overall, you have the blueprint for a very nice new computer. I'm currently waiting to build my own new system. However, I'm waiting for AMD's release notes of its native quadcore processor (sometime this year.... I hope). I'm not sure how prices change in your part of the woods, but if you can wait a month -- prices usually drop (well at least in the U.S. they tend to).

Cheers!

Nice specs overall. I would actually consider your PSU after you have determined your final specifications for your new system. You do not need anything excessive unless you are planning on running an SLI configuration right off the bat. However, as everyone suggested, do research on your PSU as you do not want a cheap one.

VGA : I would recommend getting the 8800GTS. The price range (for the 320 MB) is only moderately more expensive than the 7950GT. You get DirectX 10 compatibility, faster speeds, etc.. I'm not sure what the price is on your particular card (Newegg has lists it at: 259.99) but the 320MB version of the 8800GTS range from 272.99 to 339.99 (also at newegg).

You probably don't need to back up most of your driver files as many of them will be updated/overwritten by windows update. Driver updates for your video card, sound card, network card, etc... can be found on the manufacturers website.

Drivers to keep are ones pertaining to your components - i.e. motherboard. These should be on CD's that came with the motherboard.

If you do want to just copy the drivers that you currently have they can be found (usually on this path):

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers

Make sure you download drivers for each component prior to formatting. Also, make sure you didn't miss backing up anything. Good luck.

I remember playing R.O. before moving to WoW. I have taken a look at R.O.2 and it looks a lot better than R.O. (graphics wise). R.O. was fun for awhile, but it got extremely tedious and boring to level. Once you hit lvl 99 you got the option to upgrade to another class of jobs and start from lvl 1 AGAIN!

The one thing that killed my interest in R.O. was the lack of quality end game (was there end game?). Also, the countless amount of botters was another turn off, but every game has its ups and downs.

I don't think i'll actually play R.O.2. Its nice, but I think my time shouldn't be spent playing games... but thats just me :P

What type of file is it? I know you said that the file is a useless file (installer .exe, .zip, .etc...) but usually windows won't let you delete a file if another program or windows itself is accessing that particular file.

Check to see if you have any unwanted programs or processes running by viewing your task manager. If you don't know what a particular process is, google it and see what pops up.

Try Hates suggestion. If you boot up in safe mode, delete the file, and it comes back, then your computer might have a virus, spyware, malware, etc... etc... If you can't delete it in safe mode, I would research whatever program you installed to see if other people have been getting the same issue.

Good luck!

I usually upgrade my OS when a new one is available. Currently, I'm still running windows XP Pro w/SP 2. I've had winxp pro since it was first realeased (so for about 5 years). I am planning to upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate in a few months.

My current system is not the reason I'm holding off on upgrading. It can handle the OS with no problems.

4 GB RAM Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 NVIDIA GForce 8800 GTX

Reason why I am waiting to upgrade is because I am waiting on vendors to come out with quality drivers in Windows Vista. Currently drivers from Nvidia are in beta testing, Creative has beta drivers, etc... etc...

I don't format my HD unless its absolutely necessary. You should always back up your data, but if you haven't done so, you have to spend time backing up important files, etc... etc...

My current system hasn't been reformatted for well over 4 years. Its running with WinXP Pro and I haven't run into any issue that would force me to format. If there is a problem with a hotfix or patch or what not, I can usually resolve the problem by searching tech forums or the MS Knowledge database. I agree with hatesyou that WinXP has reduced the number of times you absolutely need to format.

If you are noticing that your system is running sluggish, I would recoommend you using CCleaner. Wonderful free program that gets rid of a lot of junk that gets left behind. You can download it at www.ccleaner.com . Run this program once a month to keep your system free of unnecessary clutter.

The last time I had to reformat was when I went through a sequence of major computer upgrades (more like built a new computer).

Ryuu,

Lets agree that we both disagree on the subject. I respect your views on the subject and you have every right to express those views. However, my views differ from yours and we can go back and forth arguing. So lets agree to disagree and not further derail the thread ^-^;;

With the absurd price of gasoline here ($3.15 USD/gal), I am more likely to buy an extremely efficient Hybrid or alternate fuel vehicle. I don't really care how a car looks like. Get me from point A to point B in relative comfort and I'm good.

Next car... Toyota Prius :<

The Assualt Weapons Ban was not a socialist move or enacted by socialist. So the idea that the ban was a move toward socialism is absurd. The assualt weapons ban was a bill that passed both Senate and House and signed into legislation by President Clinton in 2004.

This bill did not strip any person of their 2nd amendment rights. The bill was developed and enacted in response violent crimes. Two events that involved military style semi automatic rifles in teh late 1980's and early 90's were given as examples to the destructive nature of these weapons.

The January 17, 1989, schoolyard shooting in Stockton, California, in which the murderer killed five children and wounded 30 others before shooting himself (also known as Stockton massacre); a semi-automatic version of the AK-47 was used in the murders.

The January 25, 1993, murder of two people in front of Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia, by Mir Aimal Kansi; using another semi-automatic version of the AK-47.

The Weapons ban in New York was a move to curb violent crimes (similar reasons for the original ban). I'm sure everyone still remembers Columbine. Assault weapons are used for "assualts". They do not belong in the hands of ordinary people. Banning one type of move is far from being socialist. If you want to see socialist, examine the politics of Hugo Chavez.

@Ryuu

You have to remember that the President alone cannot make any changes to the constitution without it being ratified by (a majority) of the states. Any attempts to change or introduce new laws to circumvent the 2nd amendment would be quickly struck down by the Supreme Court.

Also, vetos can be overwritten with 2/3 support from Congress. So its not like the president can do whatever he/she feels like. Also, its not like the Senate or House is stupid enough to let the president to dissolve Congress. Regardless of who is the president, there are checks and balances to ensure that our democracy continues.