[Liberator]

All the programs mentioned are really good and extend the life of the installation by a lot, but there will come a time when it's just too old and clunky and needs to be reinstalled.

[Bob-san]

All the programs mentioned are really good and extend the life of the installation by a lot, but there will come a time when it's just too old and clunky and needs to be reinstalled.

My sister is like that. She's had a laptop for like 4 years now with WinXP on it. Original install and loaded down with more crap than it can possibly handle. Everyone tells her that the best and basically only way to change it from snail-slow to decently-fast would be to reinstall Windows. Sometimes, things just get ****ed up. Otherwise, best way would be to create a Limited account and then forget the Admin password; not being able to install anything goes a long way.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

All the programs mentioned are really good and extend the life of the installation by a lot, but there will come a time when it's just too old and clunky and needs to be reinstalled.

I don't agree.  I haven't had to reinstall one system of my own due to slowdowns.  This goes all the way back to DOS (yea I still have one machine running that).  Never had to reinstall any win OS due to slowdowns.  Several times due to hardware failure but that is it and those reinstall only went back 3 months at maximum. 

Now other people tend to screw their systems up weekly.  It's all in the user. 

Eventually though all systems will become virtually unusable just due to windows updates.  It's almost unbearable to run XP on a P2 or P3 anymore with just a base install, updates to SP3 and basic firewall/anti virus.  Just not enough memory on those older systems and they can't be upgraded due to hardware limitations. 

[Nuke]

-format your windows partition every 6 months.
-internet explorer is what ive always considered windows' biggest security hole, dont use it.
-if you have a computer you never use, use it for testing new software and general stupid **** (torrents).
-if after evaluating a new piece of software, if it does anything you dont like, dont install it on your main rig.
-dont let anything try to update automatically. modern updates are huge and can easily consume a huge portion of your internet throughput.
-beware of programs you cant exit all the way such as programs with quick launchers. if you can disable those do it, otherwise find an alternative.
-beware anything that runs as a service or installs additional services (usually high end professional programs like max). if you dont need the service you can usually disable it.
-avoid useless programs that dont do anything useful no matter how cute it is. cuteness is evil! it will rape your computer.

[Iss Mneur]

All the programs mentioned are really good and extend the life of the installation by a lot, but there will come a time when it's just too old and clunky and needs to be reinstalled.

I don't agree.  I haven't had to reinstall one system of my own due to slowdowns.  This goes all the way back to DOS (yea I still have one machine running that).  Never had to reinstall any win OS due to slowdowns.  Several times due to hardware failure but that is it and those reinstall only went back 3 months at maximum. 

Now other people tend to screw their systems up weekly.  It's all in the user. 

Eventually though all systems will become virtually unusable just due to windows updates.  It's almost unbearable to run XP on a P2 or P3 anymore with just a base install, updates to SP3 and basic firewall/anti virus.  Just not enough memory on those older systems and they can't be upgraded due to hardware limitations. 

Agree 100%.  The only windows OS that I have ever had to reinstall on a regular basis was Window ME.  I too have never reinstalled my own machine because of slowdowns, nor have I had to do this to any machine in my house.  On the other hand, at work, I routinely reinstall windows as a virus removal method (its faster to remove the hard drive, attach it to another machine (which virus and malware scans every file copied), copy the customer data off to a temporary drive (or DVDs and then we can sell it as a backup as well ), put the drive back into the customer computer, reinstall windows, copy the customer data back, all of which can be done in about 4 hours (depending on how much data needs to be moved) and we know that the virus has been completely eliminated).

Windows ME was never reinstalled because of slowdowns though, it was always because the the OS would start glitching after about 2-3 months.  The "reinstall" was done using Norton Ghost, so we would be ready to go in about 30-45 minutes.

Most of the software that "optimizes" you computer is snake oil at best, and destroys the OS's stability (sometimes to the point of making the computer unbootable).  The only "cleaning" tool that I use is CCleaner and mostly just to clean up the temp folder at that.  But even its registry cleaner (which does not "defrag" the registry) only removes things that it actually knows are safe to remove.

[Nuke]

i never re-install because of slow downs. usually its because of a driver issue or some uninstaller didnt tie up a loose end and left something annoying behind. i know one scenario years ago where i uninstalled a sound card and the driver uninstaller left several icons in the control panel. i could have fixed it with a reg edit, but it gave me an excuse to install a newer os (xp pro 64 i believe).

[MachManX]

So there is really no way for a regular user to keep the speed at 100% unless that person goes to the extremes.  Long story short, which I've always known, Windows simply gets slower over time due to regular use.  Some softwares you cannot be without these days like antivirus/anti-malware protection.  I guess I prefer Mac OSX over Windows when it comes to overall speed over time, though I'm not using it at the moment. 

[Nuke]

the real thing it just be careful what you install. never install anything that has given you trouble in the past. if you need to install any piece of software it doesn't hurt to browse through that programs support forums for any common problems or just looking at general reviews of it should give you an idea of what you're installing. when installing it also pays to do the custom installation so you can catch if theyre trying to slip anything under the rug. i often catch installers trying to install browser toolbars or other applications that have absolutely nothing do do with what you needed the program for. you usually can disable those options so it never hurts to continue installing the program. its just something you got to be careful about.

[S-99]

Setup a password protected admin profile and a standard user account (preferably also with a password). Use the standard user account for everything. You'll learn how windows vista and 7 are fantastic multi-user operating systems and how much of a god send UAC is. It'll also keep your computer pretty damn fresh very easily.

[Nuke]

i myself cant stand to have to punch in a password every time i want to change my screen resolution or update my drivers or generally do something experimental or even stupid. if ids something i want to do then i will do it, and would rather not have the system tell me im a moron. instead i always consider the operating system and its entire partition disposable. since i can spin up one of my custom isos (where ive added any new service packs and drivers for my hardware) off of flash card (im starting to play with network installations as well) and get the os back up to how it was in as little as an hour. its an old skool way of computing but i am more comfortable with it.

granted its not for your typical computer user or even power users (hell ive met admins i didnt trust with an admin account). then again my moms computer runs as an admin account, the whole family uses it with skill levels ranging from total moron to soso power user. the machine has been like that for nearly 4 years, and the only problem its had in that time was that its memory became unseated once. it surprises me that its still working, and id probably go change the account to a regular user if only i wasnt waiting for it to self destruct so i could install windows vista/7.

biggest things ive seen detroy a computer:

-porn
-accessing wares sites (on internet explorer)
-p2p programs
-excessive pirating
-anything cute
-script kiddies doing stupid ****
-angry girlfriends
-exploding voltage regulators

[jr2]

Add bad capacitors to that list?  I just read about this like a month ago while doing some research on why a motherboard would fail.  Interesting stuff.

How did this happen?
   The reason this problem exists is because of a large-scale industrial espionage foul-up.  Some companies decided to steal an electrolyte formula from another competitor.  Little be known to them, the stolen formula was incomplete and flawed.  They didn't discover this until it was too late and they had manufactured and distributed literally MILLIONS of these flawed capacitors.  It was way too late for any kind of recall, and even today, these crappy components are being used in new boards.  As I mentioned before, I believe this problem runs much deeper than simply an industrial espionage screw-up, as that incident was exposed years ago, and the problem still exists today.  Nowadays, it just boils down to corporate bean counters cutting corners to save money by using shoddy components.

The cause...
   This inferior and flawed electrolyte formula was used by a number of component manufacturers that sold to many different, reputable, and well known motherboard manufacturers.  This problem isn't isolated to one particular brand of motherboard, and not even isolated to motherboards alone.  I won't mention brands, but a VERY popular monitor manufacturer has been plagued with RMA's on some of their monitors that were built using these inferior capacitors.  This problem has been reported in computer motherboards, monitors,  televisions, radios, and stereo equipment.  Through my experiences owning a service center, I've personally seen and serviced a large number of 'high-end' equipment that had prematurely failed capacitors.

More detailed information...
   In more technical terms, this is is what actually happens to the capacitor...in the simplest of terms.  Think of an electrolytic capacitors as a battery.  They are designed to store a charge and release that charge depending on the specific requirements of the circuit.  Inside the capacitor there are two metal plates with dielectric material between them, wrapped in paper, filled with acid (electrolyte), and sealed in its housing or 'canister'.  What happens is the flawed electrolyte prematurely deteriorates and dries up.  When this happens the capacitance value changes, becomes erratic, and can even short completely, which obviously causes the circuit to malfunction.  On your motherboard, this results in system instabilities or complete failure of your board.

   From a physical standpoint, the capacitor can display a number of symptoms and even have catastrophic failures.  Catastrophic failure is a rare phenomenon, but it does happen.  The reason is this...  A capacitor canister is completely sealed and air tight.  When the electrolyte dries it turns from a liquid state into a gas.  This gas expands with heat and builds great pressure inside the canister, the theory is the same as a pressure cooker.  Of course the obvious happens when that pressure builds too much, and the capacitor will vent.  This is what causes the capacitor to 'bulge' or swell up.  In a catastrophic failure, the capacitor may actually burst or explode.  It can sound like a firecracker going off or sound similar to air escaping from a car tire, depending on how high the pressure has built.  A physically failing capacitor has an ammonia-like odor (at least that what I thought it smelled like)...  Capacitors that has swollen up are easy to detect, but one that has burst are even more noticeable.  It will usually blow from the top and spew its innards throughout your computer case.  The innards are mostly paper and any remaining electrolyte, but it sure can leave a mess...  Once again, catastrophic failure is a rare phenomenon...  It's not dangerous either, as long as you practice common sense safety precautions!  If you suspect bad caps, don't put your face near them while the system is powered up, and don't eat the paper or electrolyte that they blow out!

I d e n t i f y i n g  -  P h y s i c a l   D e f e c t s   Identifying Bad Caps
Are you wondering whether your board has the bad capacitor plague? Here are some things to look for on your board that are tell-tale signs of bad capacitors. The board in the following photo's is an Abit KT7 Athlon motherboard. This particular board is a rather bad one, yours may not look quite as nasty..

Click the thumbnails in the right column for full size view. The full pictures open in a properly sized popup window, so you may need to disable any popup blockers to view. Don't worry, there is NO advertising on this site!! The item you click on is what's displayed!! No unwanted garbage!

Ok, from looking at those photo's, I'm sure you get the idea. Look for swelling on the tops of the caps, and also along the base of the caps. Take note of the brownish crap oozing from the bases, that is electrolyte . In some cases, you may also catch a whiff of a strange odor permeating the room, and this time it wasn't those refried beans you had for lunch. The smell kinda reminded me of an ammonia-like smell. Whatever it may smell like to you, the aroma is very distinctive!!

You may also notice that the capacitor isn't sitting flush to the board. If they're tilted and pointing in every which direction, that is not normal. The bases of good capacitors will be sitting flush to the board, and the cap should be at a near perfect 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the actual PCB (Printed Circuit Board). Like I mentioned above, this particular board is one of the worst case scenario's... Beware that not all capacitors will bulge, swell, and burst. They can fail and you would never know by looking at them.

Click for larger images.








I d e n t i f y i n g  -  S y s t e m   E r r o r s  &  S y m p t o m s
Here are some functionality symptoms and issues your system might display if your capacitors are failing. Please note that these symptoms can occur even if your capacitors are not showing the physical signs demonstrated above. This is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. Most of the time, there will be physical signs of failure.

System Faults:
Motherboard fails to POST.
Memory Test Fails.
System randomly and/or constantly reboots itself.
Fails to fully boot (or even install) Operating System.
System randomly and frequently freezes.
Random & frequent 'Blue Screens of Death'
BSoD or hard freeze under heavy drive activity (Either RAID, SCSI, or standard ATA)
CPU temps abnormally higher than usual under typical or less load.
*CPU VCORE & other system voltages are erratic or far out of tolerances.
Resetting the system after a freeze and the system will not repost.
(You have to completely power down then power back up.)

*CPU VCORE & System voltage issues can also be associated with a faulty power supply. Before you decide your caps are bad, ALWAYS try a known good and high quality power supply.

If your capacitors display any of the above symptoms, there's a chance that you've got the plague. The more sporadic and random that the symptoms occur is usually a good sign of bad caps. However, you should double check any and all drivers and other hardware FIRST! Some of these symptoms can easliy be mistaken for other computer problems! Although, if you've already done that and your system is still acting like this, there's a good chance that you may be faced with breaking out the 'ol soldering iron!!

F r e q u e n t l y  A s k e d  Q u e s t i o n s
QUESTION:
Is my motherboard worth repairing?

ANSWER:
That all depends, but I have to say for the most part YES.  For example, the Abit VP6 motherboard.  The VP6 is more of a specialized and costly motherboard.  The average repair cost for a VP6 is about $50.00, far less than the $150.00+ replacement cost IF you can even find one, and then pray its capacitors are good.  If your board is part of a server array or has proprietary characteristics, more than likely it is well worth repairing.  Also, many fail to consider all the hidden costs of upgrading their PC's core components.  For example, compatible RAM, new CPU, new hard disks, case, power supply, and the biggest bite in the ass, new Operating System.  If you're running a legit OEM copy of Windows XP or newer, you must purchase a new license if you change cores, as you will not be able to reactivate the old OS when you reinstall it on the new core.  All that can easily add up to hundreds, even thousands of dollars!

QUESTION:
Is my power supply the reason my motherboard has this problem?

ANSWER:
That's possible, but most likely not the true root of the problems.  Low-end power supplies can emit what's known as 'ripple', which is caused by poor filtration amongst the PSU's rectifier and regulation modules.  Ripple is A/C oscillation slipping through your PSU (Power Supply Unit) to your motherboard's regulation circuits.  Motherboard regulation circuits, also known as VRM's (Voltage Regulator Modules), were designed to further regulate the clean voltages from the PSU, not filter out 'dirty power'.  Dirty power thus causes unnecessary stress on its polarized component, such as capacitors, ultimately resulting in premature failure.  If your board has poor quality capacitors, the faulty power supply just sped up the inevitable, your board would have failed anyway.  With ANY computer system, I strongly recommend a sufficient power-rated and quality brand power supply.  I can't emphasize this enough!

QUESTION:
I think my computer was struck by lightning or a power surge, will this cause my capacitors to fail?

ANSWER:
Yes, lightning and power spikes are a leading cause of component failure amongst computers and many other electronic devices.  However, of you think that lightning has struck your computer, the damage usually goes much deeper than just fried capacitors.  I've personally seen lightning destroy motherboards, power supplies, video cards, and most commonly modems.

QUESTION:
My capacitors are not bulging, but my system has become unstable and displaying many of your listed symptoms.  Are my capacitors bad?

ANSWER:
It is very possible.  The reason the capacitors 'bulge' is because the inferior electrolyte dries, turning from a liquid state into a gas.  Since the capacitor is a sealed component, the expansion of the gas from heating will cause the tops and bottoms of the capacitor to swell.  Some capacitors in the earlier stages of failure may not swell up (or bulge), but are far out of their tolerances, and have failed all the same.

QUESTION:
If I send my motherboard in for repair, how long will it take before I get it back?

ANSWER:
While turnaround time will vary slightly depending on your type of board, the required capacitors needed for repair, and my current workload, the turnaround time for Standard Repair Service is usually no more than 15 days in-shop from the day I receive it.  This includes the cap replacement and full burn-in testing.  I you need it faster, I also offer Express Repair Service, which will cut the time down to NO MORE than 4 days in-shop.  The full procedure of what I will do to your board is outlined HERE, and pricing is outlined HERE.

QUESTION:
Do you warranty your capacitors against failure after I get my board back?

ANSWER:
Yes, I do offer a limited warranty on the actual components.  The full details of this warranty are outlined HERE.  I use very high-end replacement capacitors, and to be honest, I've never had a board come back on me with failing capacitors again.

QUESTION:
My motherboard was unstable out of the box when I bought it new.  Did I get a new board with bad capacitors?

ANSWER:
More than likely NO, your capacitors are not bad.  Before you jump to the conclusion that your capacitors are bad, there are TONS of other factors that will make your motherboard unstable.  First and foremost is power supplies!  Also make sure you have the latest drivers for everything, and that the motherboard and all your peripherals are compatible with each other.  Usually, your board will gradually go from perfectly stable and then become unstable as time goes by if the capacitors fail.  Think of capacitors as batteries, they weaken with age.  Normal electrolytic capacitors will last for many many years before becoming weak, but when they're manufactured with poor materials, they fail very prematurely, resulting in the headaches that brought you here to read this.

QUESTION:
My motherboard is still under its factory warranty.  If I send it to you, will my factory warranty be voided?

ANSWER:
Yes.  Although I am a very skilled technician, I am NOT an authorized service representative for any manufacturer.  If your motherboard is covered by the vendor in which you purchased it or by the manufacturer, send it to them!!  If I service it, the factory warranty will be voided!!

QUESTION:
I sent in my SFX system and noticed that not all of the original Rubycon or Panasonic caps were replaced, why?

ANSWER:
On many of the SFX systems, such as Dell GX and SX 270 and 280 systems, it is not necessary to replace them all.  If they used Panasonic or Rubycon caps initially, there's only a few in problem areas of the system that will cause you any issues, those are the ones that will be replaced.  I do check the others just to be sure, and if they're the least bit questionable, they are replaced.  If your system has Nichicon brand caps, they will all be replaced regardless, as those particular caps are problematic as it is.  Rest assured, even if all the caps aren't replaced, I'm confident enough in their performance and my experience that they will pose no problems, and I will cover them under my warranty.

[Nuke]

ive had lots of stuff fail because of ****ed up capacitors. most motherboards these days seem to all use solid state capacitors, which have all but replaced electrolytic caps in computer hardware (cant remember the last time ive seen one on a mobo).

[pecenipicek]

ive had lots of stuff fail because of ****ed up capacitors. most motherboards these days seem to all use solid state capacitors, which have all but replaced electrolytic caps in computer hardware (cant remember the last time ive seen one on a mobo).

i on the other hand had a relatively old mobo, (Asus A7N8-X) with 12 blown capacitors still in relative working condition (only the integrated LAN failed of all the components)

[Liberator]

That was a really good board, don't expect that to stay that way with swollen and blown caps though.

[Nuke]

after having two $300+ asus mobos fail on me in a row, i decided to never buy mobos from asus anymore. you can get a mobo for half that price that does the same thing.

[S-99]

i myself cant stand to have to punch in a password every time i want to change my screen resolution or update my drivers or generally do something experimental or even stupid. if ids something i want to do then i will do it, and would rather not have the system tell me im a moron.

Not a very good attitude. You see i can understand turning off UAC when you run as admin. But, UAC is the password prompt that comes up when you try to do something administrative from a standard user account. My guessing here is that you wouldn't be able to use linux with the whole super user thing, because the only thing microsoft did here with UAC was totally rip off the linux super user graphical front ends like gksu and kdesu.

Well, when a virus or hacker gets beyond your firewall and AV (this will happen eventually) you will have guaranteed down time whereas someone like me not running as admin never will. Standard user accounts have a much more restricted permissions set, which means if a virus or hacker does get onto your computer, then they'd need to know your admin password to gain access to system files. Whereas running as admin all the time, something malicious hops on, (and it eventually will) the permissions of the admin account will tell the malicious thing it has access to system files.

You equate yourself running from a standard user account with UAC to being treated like an idiot, whereas i equate anybody running as admin all the time to truly be the idiot.

Here's the other way to look at it since your feeling like an idiot thing is so overpowering. Software gets installed when you approve to be installed whenever you enter a password. The software you don't want installed you don't enter a password and it doesn't get approval and stays dormant until you get rid of it. The only thing malicious that can run in a standard user account is a rootkit. And mind you UAC is a great tool, so much better than XP's runas crap.

[pecenipicek]

That was a really good board, don't expect that to stay that way with swollen and blown caps though.

i'm not actually using it, gave it off to a "friend" a year ago


they had a few blow up during use too, so i was happy in a really... well. schadenfreude i guess.



yes, i'm a sadistic bastard sometimes.



@Nuke, i dont know whats the status of Asus boards these days, but back then when i bought said board it wasnt exactly el-cheapo, and was ranked as one of the more stable boards for Bartons... (AMD Athlon 2800+, real clock 2.02GHz IIRC)

[Klaustrophobia]

ABIT ruled back in that day.  i took a barton + ABIT nf7 all the way through Far Cry before i needed more juice.

[Davros]

the answer to the original question is yes
its called hyperos
http://www.hyperossystems.co.uk/

[Nuke]

i myself cant stand to have to punch in a password every time i want to change my screen resolution or update my drivers or generally do something experimental or even stupid. if ids something i want to do then i will do it, and would rather not have the system tell me im a moron.

Not a very good attitude. You see i can understand turning off UAC when you run as admin. But, UAC is the password prompt that comes up when you try to do something administrative from a standard user account. My guessing here is that you wouldn't be able to use linux with the whole super user thing, because the only thing microsoft did here with UAC was totally rip off the linux super user graphical front ends like gksu and kdesu.

Well, when a virus or hacker gets beyond your firewall and AV (this will happen eventually) you will have guaranteed down time whereas someone like me not running as admin never will. Standard user accounts have a much more restricted permissions set, which means if a virus or hacker does get onto your computer, then they'd need to know your admin password to gain access to system files. Whereas running as admin all the time, something malicious hops on, (and it eventually will) the permissions of the admin account will tell the malicious thing it has access to system files.

You equate yourself running from a standard user account with UAC to being treated like an idiot, whereas i equate anybody running as admin all the time to truly be the idiot.

Here's the other way to look at it since your feeling like an idiot thing is so overpowering. Software gets installed when you approve to be installed whenever you enter a password. The software you don't want installed you don't enter a password and it doesn't get approval and stays dormant until you get rid of it. The only thing malicious that can run in a standard user account is a rootkit. And mind you UAC is a great tool, so much better than XP's runas crap.

well when i see your worst case scenario happen, then il think about using the normal account. however in all my years of computing ive never had a system die because of hackers or because of a virus. back when i was a computer tech the old axiom was "99% of all failures are software related", in contrast my last several major failures were hardware related. if im doing something where the likelihood of running into a virus is high, i use one of my less important computers. when those get viruses, i ghost em. now id i did have a catastrophic failure, it wouldn't interrupt my workflow at all, id just use one of the other computers with one of my backup drives. and frankly id probably have more fun fixing my computer than actually using it.