Windows mouse cursor flashes a disk icon

R

RobertMacUser

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 20, 2005
Messages
186
my older pentium 4 is having trouble.
a disk icon is flashing on the mouse cursor. it comes and goes about once every second. the computer is making funny sounds. taking 10 minutes to boot up (on a totally fresh install of windows xp pro.) a LED that indicates the harddisk activitiy is staying solid. The computer is making loud and constant whirrrrrring noises. also my usb wireless network adapter stopped working (i just noticed that it kinda is broken, but i think it still works)

-thanks for any help!
 
Definately go to your hard drive manufacturers website and pick up their utility to test hard drives. This is usually done by floppy during boot. It will analyze it and then tell you if anything is up. Sounds a lot like the hard drive could be failing or something, check it out.

...Dan
 
i was gonna ask about the psu.

if i decide to change th psu i would??

turn off, unplug, use my anti-static thingy, uncover.

look at the psu, find the serial number, buy another compatible one. then replace it using some online guide?

also, thanks for the suggestion about the hard drive ultiity. i will try it.

-RObert
 
is this an OEM computer such as a hp/dell/compaq/sony?
If not then how tall/big is your case?
 
I doubt you'd have to worry about an antistatic wrist strap (use it if you want, but usually you wont really need to touch at anything static senstive to view the model and manufacturer). Usually the info is on the side facing you or on the bottom. Just unplug the power supply, touch the bare metal of the case, look at the power supply. If you bought it from a company like what was said above, just contact them and get another. If you want to save a few bucks and the power supply is a standard atx, just go to a computer store and pick up another, it's a lot cheaper. Just in case you're not sure what an atx power supply looks like then look at this link: ATX Power Supply I'm sure you could find a install guide for a atx power supply, most likely it would be included with the one you would buy from a store. There definately has to be atleast one on the net. All you pretty much need to do is:
1) unplug power cable
2) attach anti-static wrist strap
3) unplug 4-pin connectors from hard drive and from cd-rom (located to the right of the case)
4) unplug 24-pin main power cord (easy to tell what it is) from mother board, push on the little tab and then pull towards you
5) unplug any remaining power connectors from board and devices (floppy, etc)
6) unscrew the 4 screws holding the power supply onto the case
7) pull the power supply out
8) repeat the steps (pushing instead of pulling this time, lol)

I'll find an online guide for you if you want to go and install it yourself :) just ask

...Dan
 
Here's an online guide: Install Power Supply

There are some pictures to help. Pretty much read my post and the guide when you install the power supply. The guide doesn't have a lot of detail on the removal of power connectors so that's where my post will come in handy. ;)

...Dan
 
alright well assuming the power supply is the problem...this antec power supply should be fine for your pc. It's 350W compared to your 300W and consumes less power than most power supplies (up to 25%).

Antec's lowest priced :
Antec SmartPower 2.0 350W

Antec is a very reputable company and has been around for 20 years now. And I believe that this also comes with their usual AQ3 (Antec Quality 3 Year Warranty).

Hopefully this fixes your problem,

...Dan
 
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