wow thanks guys for all your help. i'll do a search but any quick advice on a power supply? also is this something i could learn and do on my own or would i be better off letting the pros handle it? also any advice on reversing the xp reformat/install?? sorry but one more question from a newb...what needs to be upgraded so my cpu stops showing %100 (and please don't say the cpu ) thanks again!
look into taskmanager to see what is running so high in percentage wise. putting in a powersupply in is not hard but get 1 that uses same # of pins on the motherboard connector as dells are are supposedly notorious for using non-standard parts like motherboards & psu.
turn off some of what is running in the back ground you have to many things takeing up time with the cpu
hm ok i'll check the dell page and figure out what i need. btw my cpu doesn't always show 100, it just seems like it easily gets that high with just a simple operation and i don't know what to upgrade to remedy that. thanks for all your help guys i appreciate it!
can you guys tell me which one of these things is the power supply? http://support.dell.com/support/top..._info/en/details?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=2 i used the ps calc and your right - 300-350 should be good (the test showed 235w) so i would like to buy a new one but i'm not sure on what to look for.
the power supply is the box with all the wires coming from it to the drives & motherboard. your link doesn't work properly.
rc82, once you get everything figured, such as the power supply, my advice to you is to back up all necessary files that you have and then do a format C: and reload XP Pro. I say this, because in one of your post, you said that you ran a repair. If anyone gets to this point, it is time to do a format C: and a reinstall. A repair just doesn't do the trick.
sorry bout the link - my service tag is EYINB. that page lists all of the original parts to my comp and i'm not sure which one is the power supply. i'm gonna buy a new one but ideally i would like one that i could use in another comp someday and i'm not sure if this is possible because i don't know the different compatabilities. also, i heard that dell makes it kinda hard to upgrade. well, i'm doing a reformat right now and i'm going to the store for a new power supply tomorrow. hopefully this works. thx
make certain the motherboard connector of the psu will fit your motherboard as some named brand computers like dell & hp/compaq don't always use standard psu connectors & psu dimensions might be different. standard psu has a 20 pin connector whereas some motherboards have 24 pin connector. dimensions of a standard psu is 14cm(5.5")d x 8.5cm(3.25")h x 15cm(5.875")w.
