DOCTOR
IMPROVING YOUR PC EXPERIENCE ONE STEP AT A TIME
This month the Doctor tackles...
OEM OEM Angst
Analog Analog Hole A Grinding Noise Am I An OEM? I’m in the middle of building the Pro Gaming PC from your website (www.maximumpc. com/tags/parts+guide) and I have a question about the operating system you recommend. The Vista 64-bit Home Premium on your parts list is the system builder pack, intended for system builders only. I am a home user. I went to Microsoft’s website and looked up the OPK preinstallation information. I have to register with my business information, of which I have none. Should I send it back and purchase the end-user’s version? Please respond... I am on pins and needles waiting for the reply. —Debra Hodge Debra, you don’t have to install your OEM version of Vista using the preinstalled environment, as Microsoft suggests. Instead, you can just insert the DVD and install it as normal. The OPK method is useful for system builders who are setting up multiple PCs at once, but you don’t have to use it. The reason OEM licenses for Vista are cheaper than retail versions is that they are tied to your specific motherboard—if you replace the motherboard, you may have to get a new Vista license. A call to Microsoft might reactivate your OS in the event of a mobo swap, but it’s by no means guaranteed.
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The Neverending Memtest I downloaded memtest86+ 1.65 (on the recommendation of your magazine) and tried it out on one of my systems. I cannot get past the “auto” running memtest86+ to finish booting to Windows XP Pro. My system is an AMD 2.2GB dual core with 2GB of RAM on a TForce 550 SE mobo. How can I stop memtest86+ from automatically starting every time I boot? I assume there is an autoexec.bat file that is running. Memtest86+ ran for nearly 48 hours non-stop without ever finishing the tests. Is this normal? Should I have let it run to completion? —Dave Dave, memtest86+ runs from a boot CD, USB, or floppy drive. Just remove that media before you start your computer, and you should boot normally. The test will actually run forever in the default burn-in mode; if you are seeing 48-hour runs without problems, your memory’s in pretty good shape! The current version of memtest86+, by the way, is version 2.11, which you can get at www.memtest.org.
Pluggin’ the Analog Hole On my old Windows XP PC, I used Audacity to record music, etc., from the Internet with great results. Recently I bought a Dell XPS 420 with Windows Vista 64-bit and now Audacity (or even the PC’s Creative Sound recording software)
In Windows XP (top), Audacity can record directly from the soundcard, but in Vista (below), the feature has been disabled by Microsoft.
can’t record any audio. I came across some related forums and tried a couple of suggestions (check disabled items on the Sound properties, etc.), which haven’t worked. In XP I used the Stereo Mix setting in Audacity but in Vista I don’t have that option. And recording from the mic isn’t an option, either. Is this a Vista “feature”? If so, how can I record audio from the Internet? Vista has grown on me so I’d rather not downgrade to XP. —Suleman You’ve got it, Suleman. Recording from the soundcard is disabled in Vista to prevent people from gettin’ music for free by taking advantage of the “analog hole”—that is, recording real-time sound output rather than actually duplicating files. Sounds like you’ve already tried enabling dis-
abled devices, the usual fix, so we don’t have any further advice. On the bright side, music subscription services like Rhapsody let you download from a selection of millions of songs for a small monthly fee (and keep them as long as you have your subscription), while Internet radio stations like Pandora, last.fm, and Slacker.com let you listen for free.
RAM Timing Again I’m building a new system consisting of an Intel Q9650 processor, an EVGA 790i Ultra SLI mobo, an EVGA GTX 280 videocard, 2GB of Corsair Twin 3X2048-1600C7DHXG memory, a SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeGamer PCI soundcard, three SATA 500GB 5000AAKS Western Digital hard drives, and a retail version of Windows XP Pro with SP2. My BIOS is Phoenix Award. I