Hi guys, got a prob with my laptop. When i turn it on it doesnt boot up and comes up with the following over and over:

For Realtek RTL8139(X)/8130/810X PCI Fast Ethernet Controller
PXE-E61 Media test failure, check cable
PXE-MOF: Exiting PXE ROM.

Anyone tell me whats wrong and or how to fix it please?

maddoctor, it depends on the compression used for the video information and exactly what you're downloading. An hour's TV program can be around 0.75Gb, but that is not DVD quality or anything near it. Best thing to do is to look at the site you are downloading from, they must have the info somewhere, either on the file you are downloading or in the FAQ or forums.

fundy, it looks like your laptop is trying to boot from the network and finding there isn't one there. Look in the BIOS boot options and check that it is set to boot from the C drive.

Kayak

can you tell me how i do that please

Difficult to say exactly, depends on your laptop, but normally press the Del key while it's booting and then look for an option in one of the menus giving a list of devices to try on booting. The floppy drive or CD drive should be first, then C drive rather than the network. There might also be a separate option telling it to boot from the network.

I should say though that you might also find that the options are set correctly and that the reason it is trying to boot from the network is that your disk drive is dead, hopefully not!

Kayak

thanks

the menu comes up with 4 options:

1) Hard Drive
2) CD-ROM/DVD Drive
3) +Removcables devices
4) Network Boot

Have tried all 4 and get the same error message :-(

When you say disk drive is dead - am i right in assuming you mean the Hard Disk?

Kayak , thanks for reply , just using the bbc website \ totp

optimist/mightymicro - many thanks. i guess running Virtual PC or buying a new Intel Mac is the only way around it.

Fundy, yes I meant the hard disk. It's not necessarily had it, but I think you're at the stage where you need to have someone look at the laptop.

Self19

I think the problem with the Intel Mac solution is that you will either have to set the machine up to dual boot or run Windows as a virtual machine. The first means that you can't use the Mac programs at the same time as Windows, the latter that your machines resources have to cope with the two concurrent operating systems.

If yo use a separate Windows machine with Remote Desktop client, the Windows box can be an old low spec machine because it is only used to run your trading software and the client on your Mac only has to display the Windows screen.

The Remote Desktop client for Mac is free so you can try it out by getting a friend to plug their Win XP Pro laptop into your network.

Kayak

thanks for your help on this, its going back to Toshiba in the morning

Looking for a very inexpensive inkjet printer for father in law. Loads around but then find the ink cartridges cost almost as much as the printer (surprise surprise!).

Does anyone know of one where the cartridges (OK with compatibles) are cheap enough. He's not going to be printing reams off, just the occasional document, but it would be nice to have one he's not going to fork out an arm and a leg every time it needs filling!

Seymour C. : Ref Printer Inks I use www.valueshop.co.uk. Bought a printer from them and also get all my ink there.

A first class service and as you will see the price is right.
Worth a try Mike.....

Seymour C.

Epson R220. Pints double sided, great photo's and cd/dvd. 6 seperate inks:you only change the one thats out. widley available replacements. cheap to buy easy to use and comes with good software package.

I print nearly 10,000 sheets plus photos a year. now on 2nd machine (first was R200 and lasted 3 years).
I now use a bulk ink system approx 80-100ml per tank and never change cartridges but the equivelent cost would be about 25p a throw.

This link will take you to the people I and about 8 others use and give you all the details and you can order from them.

http://svp.co.uk/searchresults.php link for ink including bulk and replacement cartshttp://svp.co.uk/products-list.php?bid=0&cid=106
this one should go to the printer. cost 62-99 incl vat at the moment.

Lately my laptop is freezing, ie while I working on it everything stop fuctioning. I have to switch it off at the mains and start again.

Islahi

From the little informatio that you have given, it could be almost anything, but the first and easiest things to check are :-

1. Is the fan(s) running and are the vents clear? Very often, the cooling vents get blocked and clearing them will restore normal operation.

2. You could have a hard disk fault or corruption. Open a command window and run "chkdsk" to check the disk. If it reports one or two errors then run "chkdsk /f" to correct them. If there are loads of errors then back up your data before fixing the errors.

Does the laptop freeze when you are in a particular program? Does it only freeze after significant use? How much free memory have you got? Do the mouse and the caps lock light also stop? If you leave it long enough will it recover?

could somebody please tell me what you can safely use to clean tft flat screens

MD, I breathe heavily onto them, then wipe very gently with a soft paper tissue. After that I breathe again and use a microfibre cloth that you would normally use for coated spectacle or camera lenses. It's probably not the best technique but it's free and easy, and I haven't damaged any of my screens yet.

Chartist and Graeme Alexander - thanks for the printer info. I like the sound of both, and may get the Epson one myself. Chartist, Valueshop looks good.

Thank you optimist. Fans running when frozen.The light goes off. Fan area is not blocked. I have run "chkdsk" and after checking, I got the message saying "convert lost chain to file" Y/N, for which I said yes. There was no message to indicate for the amount of errors. I also tried to run "chkdsk/f", but got the message "file not found". Most of my time I spend on MONEYAM site so I am not sure if the problem is on one site only.I do not have a separte mouse for my laptop, I use the pad.

I have been using these for the past 3 years for my Epsom printer with no problems: www.choicestationary.com

I still don't like to trust giving my credit card details over the net (despite the many assurances) so I like their offer to use the Freephone facility.