How to recover from a bad flash on a LiteOn CD Writer using MTKFlash & Litefirm

It explains step by step how your once dead CD drive can come alive again, with these two little DOS programs: MTKFlash & Litefirm.

After hearing all the writings and arguments between the Intel -vs- AMD folks, you have finally decided to go the AMD route. But how can you overclock it? Join TweakTown as they bring you an updated AMD Overclocking Guide. It will cover the process of overclocking the processor, setting the BIOS and even some general troubleshooting tips and hints. Let's revisit just what makes the AMD line of processor so special.

The developer of DEAMON Tools has posted information on CDfreaks forum regarding the latest SecuROM versions. He says that it's currently impossible to copy some of the latest games and describes why.

The Latest version of Securom CANNOT be copied on usual media just like other protections of this style (CDCOPS etc.). PERIOD. Forget about 1:1 copy in a traditional way! The glass master used to produce original SecuROM disc has unsteady physical parameters along the spiral track containing data sectors. Securom loader verifies these parameters and checks that they are indeed changing along the track which is not the case on your '1:1' copy. You cannot copy it on usual media because usual CD-R/RW has consistant chacteristics all over the disc (track pitch etc) and its parameters are different than parameters of the master.

Num-lock.net have posted an In-depth guide looking @ AMD's Opteron "soon to be, the mother of all" CPU! Here's a snip.

AMD is currently in their 8th generation of micro-processors. Showing their interfaces for both single & multi-processing aswell as useability in both 32 & 64-bit Operating Systems. But yet again AMD is hitting a milestone; using their new 64-bit Hammer series of processors to bring Usability, Stability and Affordability to the market.

Their first step towards this will be the AMD Opteron. The AMD Opteron is cabably of running between 1 to 8 processors without using external logic. This will make it easier for designers to create the computers, also makeing them more affordable and scalable.

Xtremesystems.org have posted a new guide showing you how to volt mod your ATI Radeon 9700 Pro! Here's a snip.

It's volt mod time again, and thanks to our Volt mod guru and Xtreme technician and Moderator, DDTUNG, XtremeSystems are proud to present the Vgpu and Vmem volt mods for the Radeon 9700. DD developed these mods several days after the retail availability of the Radeon 9700...and the Xtreme 3Dmark Team has enjoyed their benefits up until this point. The specifications for the 2 volt modifications as outlined by DDTUNG are below....followed by pics contributed by Xtreme 3DMark Team members PiLsY, Manoj Mahtani and myself.

Jay Berkenbilt has posted a guide on the Red Hat 8.0 mailinglist about making your own RedHat 8.0 DVD from the CD ISO images:

Red Hat has finally created a DVD version of their distribution for US consumers. (They've had one in Europe for a while, I understand.) For 8.0, though, it seems that you have to buy RedHat 8.0 Professional to get the DVD, and RedHat is not presently offering an ISO image of the DVD for download.After reading some of the anaconda source code, I have figured out how you can make your own DVD from the CD ISO images. I've done this, written it to a DVD+RW disc, had it pass its Media check, and successfully installed from it.

Icrontic have posted a nice 11 page guide that looks @ AMD's upcoming HyperTransport Technology.

AMD HyperTransport Technology brings the promise of the end of the motherboard as we know it. Gone will be the bottlenecks that we live with today. Or will they? Icrontic takes apart HyperTransport piece by piece for you. It's our answer to where AMD HyperTransport: The New Era will take you.

Just got word that Saints Haven.com have posted a new tweaking guide for Windows XP that's based on Nvidia/AMD Systems. The article is called Saints Ultimate Tweaking Guide but I changed the title to better describe the content. Here's a snip.

For the sake of helping the most people I have based it upon an Nvidia Video card and an AMD processor, the most widely used combination in homebrewed gaming rigs today. If your system does not have one or either of these then please make sure to read any system requirements before installing any of the tweaking programs listed below. If you try to install a tweaking program that is incompatible with your system you may inadvertently cause damage to your Operating System and have to reinstall it.

Savagenews.com has done up a quick comparison of the newly leaked Detonator 40.52 against the last Detonators 40.41 and 30.82 using 3DMark2001SE.

Inno3D GeForce3
AMD Athlon XP 2200+ processor, 179MHz FSB
EPoX 8K3A (VIA KT333) mainboard
256MB DDR 333 Memory KingMax

Today at Computer Chaos they ventured off into the land of case modification. Even though it was their first attempt, it was a fun, frustrating and informative project that ended up looking good IMHO.

" We have now finished the painting process and installed the window kit (what a pain in the butt). We learned that our project was not all that well planned out. The window kit should have been installed prior to the paint process. We also realized that quality of the hole for the window is critical when it comes to installing the locking rubber ring. This ring of rubber is used to hold the window secure. Our window hole was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination so the uneven shape made the locking ring almost impossible to install. "

The Tech Report have posted a new guide asking the question does 64MB of extra memory make that much of a difference in your graphics card? Here's a snip:

In the NVIDIA corner, we have a couple of GeForce4 Ti 4200s running at 250/250MHz for their core and memory clocks. Running a GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB with a 250MHz memory bus requires a little overclocking, since the GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB's memory bus is supposed to run at 222MHz. The 64MB version, meanwhile, runs stock with 250MHz memory. Overclocking is necessary here to isolate memory size as a variable for the purposes of this article. This isn't a review of 64 vs 128MB cards, but more of a generalized comparison of different graphics memory sizes. You can check out our initial GeForce4 Ti 4200 review or our subsequent round-up of different GeForce4 Ti 4200 cards for benchmarks and analysis of cards running at stock speeds.

Here's a list of all the known Lite-On drives that can be overclocked for faster speeds and which drives could not be overclocked.

This just in from Extremetech.com. A new guide that will show you which version of Nvidia's Geforce 4 line up will deliver the most bang for buck - or simply put is performing best for the money. Here's a snip:

NV18 and NV28 are imminent, which will add AGP 8X support to GeForce 4 MX and Ti, and of course, the next flagship GPU, NV30 is also headed toward final production. But in the meanwhile, board makers of nVidia-based products have begun to aggressively cut prices in an effort to stimulate demand for the GeForce 4 Ti-based offerings. A recent search on PriceWatch found 128MB Ti 4600 boards for as little as $235, a far cry from the $399 premium nVidia and its board partners could command a short while ago. But with NV30 just around the corner, and a little tsunami named Radeon 9700 soon becoming widely available, boards using GeForce 4 Ti GPUs are going at near fire sale prices.

Just got word that winbeta.org have posted a new guide. Here's what they're saying:

I've noticed quite a few people asking questions about getting errors when using Add/Remove Programs, when Windows XP Service Pack 1 is installed, so I've decided to do a quick "How-To" Guide on fixing the problem.

This just in from 3dgpu.com:

received a few emails asking about backing up some of the latest copy protected games out there and thought I would post a summary of some information I wrote for a previous article at another site. I did some rather extensive research on the subject and even went out and purchased the equipment and ran it through a ton of tests to make sure it works, and it has on everything I have tried so far. Since the law provides the right for purchasers of games and CD's to make backup copies for personal use, there should be no DCMA or other copyright violation issues.

SharkyExtreme.com have posted a new guide to tweaking your Nvidia or ATI video cards. Here's a byte from their article:

One of the most widely overlooked areas of video card tweaking has nothing to do with the 3D card or the drivers, and is located deep within your motherboard's BIOS. These settings are universal, and will work with most major graphics chipsets regardless of make or model; that is, as long as they are AGP-based and have been made in the last few years.

Usually, the BIOS can be accessed by pressing the delete or F1 key during the boot process. If you've tried those two, and still can't get into your System BIOS, then check your motherboard user manual, or check the system while it boots. There will often be instructions right on the screen, as to which key to press.

This article shows you how to return the Recycle Bin back to normal after installing Norton AntiVirus 2003 Professional Edition with Windows 2000 and/or Windows XP.

As reported earlier on this site, it appears there is a problem with Windows Update version 4 for Windows 2000 users with Service Pack 3 installed. Today I discovered how it to fix this problems and get it working again.

To begin with, when I entered the Windows Update, all appeared well. But when I did a scan, the browser would stop functioning. This problem would also manifest itself on my other Windows 2000 set ups to. So I thought I would actually get around and install Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 Final (Build 1106IS), which was also released a few weeks after SP3 was. When I returned to Windows Update, installing MSIE 6 SP1 fixed both the crashing bug and error code 0x800A138F. I hope this little titbit help's any of the Windows 2000 users out there.

When the Pentium 4 processors with 533MHz FSB support first hit the market, there was some complaining about the standard being to quick to market. Since then, the market has accepted this new processor family and it has garnered some solid support from the chipset manufacturers. Come join TweakTown as they host a shootout that pits Intel against SiS against VIA. There are no holds barred, so come see who can claim to be King of the Hill!

Just got word that Arstechnica.com have posted an in-depth bios guide! Here's a snip.

The key to configuring fast and stable systems often involves tweaking the way they operate at the most basic level via the BIOS. While most enthusiasts are familiar with some settings that yield significant performance benefits, many other BIOS settings remain poorly described and may unknowingly play a crucial role in system performance and stability. Wayne Hardman--a.k.a. "Hat Monster"--has written up a detailed article explaining the function of these settings and how to set them properly to have a high-performance, reliable system.