Might have a weak motherboard - any comments or advice?

This is the system I have setup
AMD64 3200+
MSI K8N Neo4 nForce4 Ultra
Wavemaster Case
OCZ Gold Series Dual 1GB DDR PC-3200
Thermalright XP-90
OCZ ModStream 520W
Sapphire Radeon X800 XL
I have been playing with the overclock for a few days. The machine runs very stable at stock speeds.
I have had a problem getting my fsb above 230 so I decided to isolate the HTT and the CPU and the Memory to see which was giving me the problem.
So I started with the HTT. I set my cpu mult to 8x and my memory to 166 and 2.5-3-3-8 2T and started pushing my fsb at htt 4x.
I was able to post at only 230 then I bumped my northbridge volage some but I could not get the board to post above 235fsb with htt set to 4x or 3x. The board runs fine at 200 htt5x though. So I thought maybe the hard drive sata port isnt locked so I unplugged my hard drive to see if the bios would post and it still did not work. It starts to post and then the hard drive light stays on and it just sits there.
So I backed off the clock to 230 and htt 4x and reset my cpu to 10x and my memory to 2-2-2-8 1T and the machine runs prime stable for 12 hours. This seems to tell me I have something in my motherboard that is not stable at almost any overclock level of the fsb. Any ideas or comments? Did I get a weak motherboard?
I have seen many people reaching the 270fsb level so I am not sure why my board can not come close to 250 which is my goal.
What I hoped  to run was 250 htt4x with the best memory timmings I could get. But right now the motherboard seems to be holding me back.
Any help would be apreciated.

I have exactly the same problem. No problem with no OC, MemTest-86 and Prime95 ok.
I saw a excellent article on anandtech.com:  http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1497607&enterthread=y
First I tries to detect the max HTT/FSB. According to this article I put the CPU multi to 6, the memory to SPD, 2T and memoryclock to 100.
HTT to 4.0. CPU spread spectrum, PCI-e spread spectrum and SATA to disabled. Vcore 1.50V and Vmem 2.60V
FSB 200 en 210 ok. Then FSB 220 the BIOS doesn't start anymore. THe power- and the HDD-led lights continuous and no image on the screen.
I have to reset the BIOS with the button on the board to get back to normal.
I haven't tried Clockgen. As soon as I have results a report back.
My system specs:
BeQuiet Powersupply 400W, +12V 20A
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum BIOS 1.1
Winchester 3200+
Leadtek Geforce 6600GT
2 x 512MB Crusial Ballistic PC3200
120 Gb Maxtor
Windows XP Pro S2
nVidia nForce4 standalone driver v6.39

Similar Messages

  • My ipod isnt turning on after plugging into the wall charger, im afriad it might have blown it out any ideas?

    what do i do!?!?!

    Thank you for your reply. I spoke to Express Lane support, who recommended the same thing. I did try all of the suggestions I saw you had made to others with similar sounding problems (links to restore and what not), including holding down both the sleep/wake button and Home button for 10 seconds -- no luck. Made an appointment for Friday afternoon.
    Thanks again for your support. Wendy

  • After installing Leopard, my G4 will no longer boot in OS 9.22. (Classic still works, but I need it to boot in OS 9.)  Any clues about what the Leopard installer might have done to my machine that rendered OS 9 boot unusable? What can I do to fix it?

    After installing Leopard, my G4 will no longer boot in OS 9.22.
    (Classic still works, but I need it to boot in OS 9.)
    Any clues about what the Leopard installer might have done to my machine that rendered OS 9 boot unusable? (And what can I do to fix it?)
    Details:
    G4 Gigabit Ethernet
    Boot ROM version: 4.2.8fl
    Accelerator card added: 1.6 MHz
    1.5 Gig Ram
    I have erased the partition that had Leopard installed on it.
    I zapped the pram.
    In Open Firmware, I "reset-nvram", and then "reset-all"
    I tried to reinstall G4 FW Update 4.2.8, but that must be done when booted from OS 9, and of course, that's the problem: it won't boot into 9.
    I tried restarting from 9.2.1 DVD.
    I tried restarting from an external firewire drive containing OS 9.2.2.
    I tried moving a fresh OS 9.2.2 system folder into an empty partition on an internal hard drive. (Partition was created WITH OS 9 drivers installed.)
    All attempts to boot into OS 9 give me the same results - grey screen - no spinning beach ball, no icons or logos - just a blank grey screen.
    This machine still works fine in OS 10.3 and 10.4, and it worked fine for many years booting into OS 9, until I installed Leopard, and I haven't been able to boot into OS 9 since then, although I have done considerable research online and tried many things.
    I have since learned that this machine does not support Leopard - 10.5. Fine, but how did it break 9.2.2?
    Any help greatly appreciated.

    Thanks for checking in, BDAQua.
    Problem solved.
    In the docs that came with my Powerlogix accelerator card, I found this sentence buried:
    "If you reset the PRAM, the NVRAM code for OS9 compatibility is cleared, so you will have to boot from the Firmawre Update CD and perform this process again in order to boot in OS9."
    The "process" it's referring to is the process of setting up the NVRAM for booting into OS9 from the CD.
    Fortunately, I was able to find the disk, and it worked as expected. I can now, once again boot into OS9.
    Conclusion: My (unadvised) attempt to load Leopard on this old machine apparently reset the PRAM on the accelerator card and cleared the NVRAM code for OS9 boot. Although I did attempt to reset the NVRAM via Open Firmware, it did not reset it on the accelerator card.
    So, thank you BDAQua, for your "Ah yes" . . . that's all I needed to steer me in the right direction.
    Gratefully,
    tupester

  • Firefox freezes (along with any other program I might have running) a minute or two after I have started my session. After a minute or so, it's O.K.

    Firefox freezes (along with any other program I might have running) a minute or two after I have started my session. After a minute or so, it's O.K. I have disabled all off my extensions and the problem still persists.

    Hello Meg, the phone allowed me to stay on long enough to download a new app but then shut down the app centre and returned to the home screen.
    Was there a specific "fix App" for this?

  • I have a macbook pro. i think i might have pushed some buttons that made my macbook look for a wireless keyboard.. i dont have any wireless keyboard. and now i cant use the keyboard on my macbook. how can i get the normal keyboard staring?

    i have a macbook pro. i think i might have pushed some buttons that made my macbook look for a wireless keyboard.. i dont have any wireless keyboard. and now i cant use the keyboard on my macbook. how can i get the normal keyboard staring?

    korgba wrote:
    it pops up a script were it says that the macbook cannot find a bluetooth keyboard, and it isnt a keyboard connected
    For some reason, your Mac doesn't recognise that a keyboard is present, so it looks for a wireless keyboard. The question is, why doesn't your Mac recognise that a keyboard is attached?
    First, you need to make sure you remove all peripherals, especially USB peripherals (the keyboard is on the USB bus). Then restart holding down the Shift key. This should boot in Safe mode. If the computer boots normally (not in safe mode) and the keyboard is still not working, try resetting the SMC
    Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
    <http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964>
    If that still doesn't fix the problem, then the keyboard (or its controller) is probably damaged and needs to be replaced.

  • I can't update my flash player and i might have a virus help me out with any advice on getting my mac on track ?

    i can't update my flash player and i might have a virus help me out with any advice on getting my mac on track ?

    You may have installed one or more of the common types of ad-injection malware. Follow the instructions on this Apple Support page to remove it. It's been reported that some variants of the "VSearch" malware block access to the page. If that happens, start in safe mode by holding down the shift key at the startup chime, then try again.
    Back up all data before making any changes.
    One of the steps in the article is to remove malicious Safari extensions. Do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those. If Safari crashes on launch, skip that step and come back to it after you've done everything else.
    If you don't find any of the files or extensions listed, or if removing them doesn't stop the ad injection, ask for further instructions.
    Make sure you don't repeat the mistake that led you to install the malware. It may have come from an Internet cesspit such as "Softonic" or "CNET Download." Never visit either of those sites again. You might also have downloaded it from an ad in a page on some other site. The ad would probably have included a large green button labeled "Download" or "Download Now" in white letters. The button is designed to confuse people who intend to download something else on the same page. If you ever download a file that isn't obviously what you expected, delete it immediately.
    Malware is also found on websites that traffic in pirated content such as video. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect more of the same, and worse, to follow. Never install any software that you downloaded from a bittorrent, or that was downloaded by someone else from an unknown source.
    In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere  should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.
    Still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked
              Install system data files and security updates (OS X 10.10 or later)
    or
              Download updates automatically (OS X 10.9 or earlier)
    if it's not already checked.

  • Whenever I try to log in to my Gmail account, the page redirects for a loooong time, then says that it won't load properly, and that the problem may be caused by not enabling cookies, but I have them enabled. Any idea what the problem might really be?

    Whenever I try to log in to my Gmail account, the page redirects for a loooong time, then says that it won't load properly, and that the problem may be caused by not enabling cookies, but I have them enabled. Any idea what the problem might really be?

    I did think about that and if I have to I will do that, however there are about 50 songs. I have closed and reopened iTunes several times and I am sure that I have the latest version. It fails right away but I can click on the cloud download icon and download the song that it failed on ... therefore it is not that song "or any one song" causing the issue. Any ideas?

  • TS1702 Books I have purchased through iBooks have chapters missing with the comment error on line 1 document empty ... Anyonelse have this issue, any advice? And yes I have tried reinstalling, restarting etc. etc

    Books I have purchased through iBooks have chapters missing with the comment, error on line 1, document empty at line1 ... I have tried reinstalling, restarting, any other advice?

    If you're stuck within an app or you've noticed a problem, simply hold both the home button and sleep/wake button at the same time. It's important to keep your fingers on these buttons until step 3.
    After a few seconds the red ‘slide to power off' screen will appear, simply ignore this. Ensure your fingers are still holding down the home and sleep/wake switch.
    Shortly after you should see the Apple logo, it's now safe to let go of the iPad's buttons. Your iPad should now boot, beware this process can take up to 15 minutes or so.

  • I can't open Safari. It keeps giving an alert that says, "Suspicious Activity might have been detected." How do I fix this?Please help. thanks!

    Safari won't work. It flashes an alert. Alert says that a Suspicious Activity Might Have been Detected. Major Security Issue. How do i fix this? Please help. Thanks!

    You may have installed a variant of the "VSearch" ad-injection malware. Follow Apple Support's instructions to remove it.
    If you have trouble following those instructions, see below.
    Malware is always changing to get around the defenses against it. This procedure works as of now, as far as I know. It may not work in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for a more recent discussion, or start a new one.
    The VSearch malware tries to hide itself by varying the names of the files it installs. To remove it, you must first identify the naming pattern.
    Triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination  command-C:
    /Library/LaunchDaemons
    In the Finder, select
              Go ▹ Go to Folder...
    from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.
    A folder named "LaunchDaemons" may open. Look inside it for two files with names of the form
              com.something.daemon.plist
    and
               com.something.helper.plist
    Here something is a variable string of characters, which can be different in each case. So far it has always been a string of letters without punctuation, such as "cloud," "dot," "highway," "submarine," or "trusteddownloads." Sometimes it's a meaningless string such as "e8dec5ae7fc75c28" rather than a word. Sometimes the string is "apple," and then you must be especially careful not to delete the wrong files, because many built-in OS X files have similar names.
    If you find these files, leave the LaunchDaemons folder open, and open the following folder in the same way:
    /Library/LaunchAgents
    In this folder, there may be a file named
              com.something.agent.plist
    where the string something is the same as before.
    If you feel confident that you've identified the above files, back up all data, then drag just those three files—nothing else—to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Close the Finder windows and restart the computer.
    Don't delete the "LaunchAgents" or "LaunchDaemons" folder or anything else inside either one.
    The malware is now permanently inactivated, as long as you never reinstall it. You can stop here if you like, or you can remove two remaining components for the sake of completeness.
    Open this folder:
    /Library/Application Support
    If it has a subfolder named just
               something
    where something is the same string you saw before, drag that subfolder to the Trash and close the window.
    Don't delete the "Application Support" folder or anything else inside it.
    Finally, in this folder:
    /System/Library/Frameworks
    there may an item named exactly
                v.framework
    It's actually a folder, though it has a different icon than usual. This item always has the above name; it doesn't vary. Drag it to the Trash and close the window.
    Don't delete the "Frameworks" folder or anything else inside it.
    If you didn't find the files or you're not sure about the identification, post what you found.
    If in doubt, or if you have no backups, change nothing at all.
    The trouble may have started when you downloaded and ran an application called "MPlayerX." That's the name of a legitimate free movie player, but the name is also used fraudulently to distribute VSearch. If there is an item with that name in the Applications folder, delete it, and if you wish, replace it with the genuine article from mplayerx.org.
    This trojan is often found on illegal websites that traffic in pirated content such as movies. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect more of the same, and worse, to follow. Never install any software that you downloaded from a bittorrent, or that was downloaded by someone else from an unknown source.
    In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere  should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.
    Then, still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked
              Install system data files and security updates (OS X 10.10 or later)
    or
              Download updates automatically (OS X 10.9 or earlier)
    if it's not already checked.

  • I believe that i have malware on my mac, osx 10.9.4. accordingly, i've tried to run clamxav (on my mac HD) but just get a spinning wheel, then have to shut down. any advice on how to stop spinning wheel or get rid of malware? please help. :-).

    i believe that i have malware (possible highjack of safari browser) on my mac, osx 10.9.4. accordingly, i've tried to run clamxav (on my mac HD) but just get a spinning wheel, then have to shut down. any advice on how to stop spinning wheel or get rid of malware? i have symnatic endpoint and, after scanning, it reveals nothing. please help. :-).

    are locked user files or that have incorrect permission a bad thing?
    Yes.
    why am i removing symantec?
    Short answer: Because it's worse than useless and worse than the imaginary "viruses" you're afraid of would be if they really existed. For the long answer, see below.
    1. This is a comment on what you should—and should not—do to protect yourself from malicious software ("malware") that circulates on the Internet and gets onto a computer as an unintended consequence of the user's actions. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the computer, or who has been able to log in to it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it.
    The comment is long because the issue is complex. The key points are in sections 5, 6, and 10.
    OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.
    2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."
    The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
    The following caveats apply to XProtect:
    ☞ It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
    ☞ It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
    As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.
    3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
    Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
    ☞ It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
    ☞ A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
    ☞ An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
    Apple has so far failed to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. These failures don't involve App Store products, however.
    For the reasons given, App Store products, and—to a lesser extent—other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandbox security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
    4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
    5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, and a technological fix is not going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
    The best defense is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the scam artists. If you're smarter than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.
    Software from an untrustworthy source
    ☞ Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent, or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
    ☞ Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, or your browser, or any other software.
    ☞ Rogue websites such as Softonic and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
    ☞ The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.
    Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
    ☞ High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
    ☞ An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission.
    Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
    ☞ A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
    ☞ A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
    ☞ You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
    ☞ Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
    ☞ A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
    ☞ Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
    Unexpected events
    ☞ A file is downloaded automatically when you visit a web page, with no other action on your part. Delete any such file without opening it.
    ☞ You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
    ☞ An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
    ☞ Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.
    I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.
    6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
    Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
    Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it—not JavaScript—in your browsers.
    Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a lock icon in the address bar with the abbreviation "https" when visiting a secure site.
    Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.
    7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" (AV) or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they are all worse than useless. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.
    Why shouldn't you use commercial AV products?
    ☞ To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. This technique is a proven failure, as a major AV software vendor has admitted. Most attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based AV does not defend against such attacks, and the enterprise IT industry is coming to the realization that traditional AV software is worthless.
    ☞ Its design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere. In order to meet that nonexistent threat, commercial AV software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
    ☞ By modifying the operating system, the software may also create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
    ☞ Most importantly, a false sense of security is dangerous.
    8. An AV product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject low-level code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
    An AV app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful, if at all, only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware.
    Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else. A malicious attachment in email is usually easy to recognize by the name alone. An actual example:
    London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe
    You don't need software to tell you that's a Windows trojan. Software may be able to tell you which trojan it is, but who cares? In practice, there's no reason to use recognition software unless an organizational policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in everyemail attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar product from the App Store may serve a purpose if it satisfies an ill-informed network administrator who says you must run some kind of AV application. It's free and it won't handicap the system.
    The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
    9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.
    10. As a Mac user, you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither can you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. Navigating the Internet is like walking the streets of a big city. It's as safe or as dangerous as you choose to make it. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

  • GRC-AC 5.3 SP14: Any comments?

    Hi all,
    We are evaluating SP14. I was hoping there might be some experts out there that have already upgraded or are in the process of upgrading to SP14.
    Any minor or major issues? Any comments?
    Many thanks in advance.
    Best Regards,
    - John

    Our development GRC system is upgraded. Now we are testing ERM part. Found problem "Unhandled problem n/a". ABAPer is helping to resolve the problem with pre-implemention steps in note.
    What will be in CUP, RAR and FF I don't know yet
    Regards,
    Artem Ivashkin

  • New Magic Mouse.. Any comments?

    I'm trying to figure out which mouse and keyboard to order with my new imac. I'm excited about the new wireless magic mouse but I have to admit that after a test drive at my local Apple store I'm unsure about it. It's sharp on the sides and maybe a little too low profile for my taste. I think I might miss the pinch buttons on the side for expose as well. (Maybe it just takes a little getting used to). I'm looking for comments from those of you who have used it for a while... Any comments?

    There have been quite a few topics on that same subject. You can read this one, for example.
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10575543

  • My sudoku program, any comments, improvements appreciated

    Hi all,
    So I've been refining my amateur-ish programming skills for around a month, and have been writing a C++ program that solves sudoku. (My background is in physics.) I realize there are a lot of mathematical sides in sudoku, but I'm concentrating on the programming side and not too much on the math/brain side. Now the program is basically finished (I hope!) and I just thought the hackers here can have a look and see if there are any things I can improve.
    The link is here: http://ifile.it/jkr56v8/Sudoku.tar
    Basically, a sudoku is an instance of Board, an abstract base class with the pure abstract function Go(). Any concrete class derived from it is essentially a strategy. I think this design pattern is called strategy?
    I've implemented two basic strategies, BruteForce and Priority. BruteForce does the good old sudoku brute force algorithm, which use trial-and-error from the top left box to the bottom right box all possibilitiies until the correct one is found. Priority does basically the same as BruteForce, except instead of trying from top left to bottom right, it plugs numbers in the box that has the most filled "associated" boxes.
    To accommodate "composite strategies," I implemented the prototype pattern, so for example, I can write
    void HyperBF::Go(void)
    BruteForce::Go();
    When a solution is found, I throw an exception to notify the main program, am I correct in that this is a clear and elegant use? Or is it a misuse and an alternative should be considered?
    To actually choose a strategy, I created an abstract factory, a singleton. I'm aware there are all the advice out there that says don't use a singleton unless absolutely necessary? So, should I use a singleton in this case? Also, I think my implementation of the singleton leads to a bug, which is the only known bug: when I put a completed sudoku as input, it gives the output as usual, but gives a segmentation fault afterwards:
    ./Sudoku Puzzle/test_1_Basic.psv BruteForce | tail -n 12 | head -n9 | tee completed
    |5|1|8|2|9|6|7|3|4|
    |3|9|7|8|4|1|2|6|5|
    |6|4|2|5|7|3|1|9|8|
    |1|5|6|4|2|7|3|8|9|
    |4|7|9|3|6|8|5|1|2|
    |8|2|3|9|1|5|6|4|7|
    |7|8|4|1|3|2|9|5|6|
    |2|3|5|6|8|9|4|7|1|
    |9|6|1|7|5|4|8|2|3|
    ./Sudoku completed BruteForce
    Starting configuration:
    |5|1|8|2|9|6|7|3|4|
    |3|9|7|8|4|1|2|6|5|
    |6|4|2|5|7|3|1|9|8|
    |1|5|6|4|2|7|3|8|9|
    |4|7|9|3|6|8|5|1|2|
    |8|2|3|9|1|5|6|4|7|
    |7|8|4|1|3|2|9|5|6|
    |2|3|5|6|8|9|4|7|1|
    |9|6|1|7|5|4|8|2|3|
    Final configuration:
    |5|1|8|2|9|6|7|3|4|
    |3|9|7|8|4|1|2|6|5|
    |6|4|2|5|7|3|1|9|8|
    |1|5|6|4|2|7|3|8|9|
    |4|7|9|3|6|8|5|1|2|
    |8|2|3|9|1|5|6|4|7|
    |7|8|4|1|3|2|9|5|6|
    |2|3|5|6|8|9|4|7|1|
    |9|6|1|7|5|4|8|2|3|
    Number of attempts: 0.
    Time elapsed: 0.00 s.
    Segmentation fault
    So what's wrong here?
    Having implemented the basic functionalities, I tried to play around and gain some simple experience in some optimization. I looked at the Go() function and saw probably the expensive operation is IsConsistent(), so I optimized it by only checking the consistency of changed boxes. By doing so, I reduced the computational time to around 1/3 the original time. Is this the right move, or bad move, or are there better moves?
    As a last question, I defined the number of attempts as a global variable. My reason is that, although it is possible to put it in class Board, I just think it doesn't "naturally belong" there, and putting it in a restricted scope would mean a lot of passing of parameters, slowing the program down unnecessarily. So, is this global variable fine?
    Lastly, please have a look at my Makefile. This is the first Makefile I wrote, and it took me 3 solid days to get all the .o files in Release/ ! Are there things I've left out?
    I realize the Generator is a joke, but at this moment I don't care too much about that, unless anyone has some good ideas.
    Any comments would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

    Grazz256 wrote:
    Just looking over your code a little I have a couple of comments about your coding style. Please keep in mind that these are just comments...
    I think you need to comment your code more. I know its a pain and I'm horrible about it as well but it really does help when/if you go back to read your code in a couple of years.
    I try to avoid lines like these:
      fprintf( stdout, "Starting configuration:\n" ); a->Write(stdout);
      start = clock(); a->Go();
    by putting two commands on one line it makes the code harder to read. with one command on each line I can quickly scan through and know
    generally what each line does, with two I have to actually read each line fully so that I don't miss anything.
    Descriptive variable names can also help with readability, I've always been taught the convention of using the first character to indicate type then
    using a short descriptive name. For instance you have a function that returns a long value, the value would be decalred like this:
    long lRetVal;
    so looking through the code I would know thats a long value that represents a return value.
    This is an area I'm all over the place with, I always try to stick to one convention but never seem manage it...
    As far as your problem goes, where are the boards normally deleted? ie if an incomplete sudoku is inputed?
    One possible solution is to run an IsComplete check before you start processing the board. so you would have...
    if (a->IsConsistent()) {
    if (a->IsComplete()) {
    a->Go()
    I'll be honest in that I don't really understand the flow of your code, but instead of having the board deleted within strategy or within win why not just delete it on the next line... eg:
    start = clock(); a->Go();
    delete a;
    the downside to this approach is that you would have to delete it within each exception as well but this is relatively minor.
    Cheers
    Thanks for your comments. At my present level of programming skills, any comments will help.
    I thought all my code was basically concise and self-explanatory, and each function is small enough that a quick skim through the definition and declaration would be enough to understand. As the project grew, however, things got slightly more complicated. I have added more comments in my source files, trying to comment why rather than how. I thought the flow of the code was fairly obvious though, by inspecting the main loop. It takes care of the input, bark if anything's wrong, trigger a.Go(), and try to catch a Win. Do you mean the flow within Go()? Anyway, it is very true I need clearer coding style.
    Yeah I now solved the segfault problem. The reason a completed sudoku was deleted twice is because the original sudoku is meant to be deleted by the abstract factory, while the solved sudoku is meant to be deleted by Win. When a solved sudoku is inputted it would be deleted twice. Due to lack of programming experience, I failed to see the obvious way is to, as Grazz256 said, check in the beginning whether the inputted sudoku is already solved. If it is, then I duplicate the inputted sudoku and throw the win exception.
    By the way, I think I'm beginning to understand why some people are obsessed wtih optimization. I did 3 optimization techniques in my program. First, I thought the most expensive procedure is the IsConsistent() method. By evaluating it lazily I reduced the time to 1/3 the original time. Then following http://www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds1-4/ovp.html, I used initialized the 2D vector within each sudoku via constructor rather than as statements. Doing so gave a 20% time boost. Using a friend procedure while copying sudokus boost another 5%. Doing a right move and getting positive feedback through better performance can be so satisfying.
    EDIT:
    I found out there was memory leak after all, which I finally solved.
    What happens is with all my brute force algorithms I keep creating new Board's and call the Board's Go() recursively. To delete all Board's in the heap I need to have, within each Board::Go(), instead of
    Board* a = Clone(); // return new derived Board(*this);
    a->Put(x,y,'0'+k);
    a->Go();
    delete a; // if an exception is thrown this line never gets executed
    this
    Board* a = Clone();
    a->Put(x,y,'0'+k);
    try {a->Go(); }
    catch( const Win& e) {
    delete a;
    throw(e);
    delete a;
    But this deletes the winning sudoku too. This means I have to keep the result in Win, either by duplicating the winning sudoku or storing the string. In the end I overloaded Board::Write(File* f) to also have Board::Write(std::string& p) to sprintf on the reference of a string, so Win just stores the solution in string format. Finally, no memory leak, no need to do a first check to see if the inputted sudoku is already solved, and no pointer deleted twice.
    So in the end, to manage pointers I recursively threw exceptions. That made me ask, is using exceptions worth it, or should I stick to the more conventional methods, such as have Go() return a boolean value, then deleting pointers which would give an implementation that is essentially the same as recursive exceptions?
    I still think exceptions is the way to go, the reasons being:
    1) Exception mechanism provide a natural place to hold the result. Throwing exceptions recursively and the traditional way is essentially the same, but where should the result be stored in the latter case?
    2) Arguing over the dictionary, an exception is not necessarily an "error." Winning is an exception in this algorithm, because failure is the norm (as in life).
    3) Exception arguably gives better presentation in the main loop, to my "unbiased" eyes at least. Board* a->Go() is triggered in the try block in the main(), with all (foreseeable) possible results caught as exceptions. It is true that this might be a bit unconventional, but given proper comments I still think it is at least as good as the conventional way, in terms of presentation.
    So what do you think?
    Last edited by dumas (2009-12-21 12:37:47)

  • I'm unable to open Safari.  I keep getting a alert security message Suspicious Activity Might Have been Detected. How can I fix this proplem?

    I'm unable to open Safari.  I keep getting a alert security message Suspicious Activity Might Have been Detected. How can I fix this problem?

    You may have installed the "VSearch" trojan. Remove it as follows.
    Malware is always changing to get around the defenses against it. These instructions are valid as of now, as far as I know. They won't necessarily be valid in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for more recent discussions or start a new one.
    Back up all data before proceeding.
    Step 1
    From the Safari menu bar, select
              Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Extensions
    Uninstall any extensions you don't know you need, including any that have the word "Spigot," "Trovi," or "Conduit" in the description. If in doubt, uninstall all extensions. Do the equivalent for the Firefox and Chrome browsers, if you use either of those.
    Reset the home page and default search engine in all the browsers, if it was changed.
    Step 2
    Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
    /Library/LaunchAgents/com.vsearch.agent.plist
    Right-click or control-click the line and select
              Services ▹ Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)
    from the contextual menu.* A folder should open with an item named "com.vsearch.agent.plist" selected. Drag the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password.
    Repeat with each of these lines:
    /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vsearch.daemon.plist
    /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.vsearch.helper.plist
    Restart the computer and empty the Trash. Then delete the following items in the same way:
    /Library/Application Support/VSearch
    /System/Library/Frameworks/VSearch.framework
    ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ConduitNPAPIPlugin.plugin
    Some of these items may be absent, in which case you'll get a message that the file can't be found. Skip that item and go on to the next one.
    The problem may have started when you downloaded and ran an application called "MPlayerX." That's the name of a legitimate free movie player, but the name is also used fraudulently to distribute VSearch. If there is an item with that name in the Applications folder, delete it, and if you wish, replace it with the genuine article from mplayerx.org.
    This trojan is often found on illegal websites that traffic in pirated content such as movies. If you, or anyone else who uses the computer, visit such sites and follow prompts to install software, you can expect more of the same, and worse, to follow.
    You may be wondering why you didn't get a warning from Gatekeeper about installing software from an unknown developer, as you should have. The reason is that the Internet criminal behind VSearch has a codesigning certificate issued by Apple, which causes Gatekeeper to give the installer a pass. Apple could revoke the certificate, but as of this writing has not done so, even though it's aware of the problem. This failure of oversight has compromised both Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. You can't rely on Gatekeeper alone to protect you from harmful software.
    *If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination  command-C. In the Finder, select
              Go ▹ Go to Folder...
    from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

  • 865PE Neo 2 any comments?

    I am thinking of buying one of the new 865PE Neo 2 MSI motherboard to run a 2.4 800mhz, has anyone had any problems or success with the board.  just reading some of the treads on the 875 Neo it appears MSI had stuffed things up quite bad this time.  another thing is the so called new feature of "dynamic overclocking" on the new neo 2 boards, is that a good thing or bad thing?
    my planned systme at the moment is:
    MSI 865PE neo-2 S
    ati 9500
    2.4 800mhz
    seagate 120G serial ATA 8mb cache
    cheers.

    I am already running my system based on 865PE Neo2-LS and i am absolutely satisfied with its stability and overclockability. Only one problem i ecpected at the moment is, that my system fails to boot from external PCI
    Controller based on Highpoint HPT370 chipset (built by ABIT - type: HOT Rod
    100). If no Hard Drive installed on Onboard ICH5 controller, it is possible
    to normaly boot from RAID 0 through PCI controller. If any Hard Drive on
    Onboard ICH5 detected, booting from external RAID fails even if in BIOS is
    selected "Legacy SCSI" as first boot Device. All attemts as moving RAID
    controller to another PCI slot, disabling onboard Serial ATA Controller
    failed. After booting from another HDD connected to ICH5 RAID 0 is visible
    in Windows and working properly. I received from MSI beta bios version 121 and to be honest i am rather disapointed to use them before official release. Do you have some another expactations and comments to this board? Did anyone from you try this beta bios? Is it working properly?

Maybe you are looking for