Category Archives: Hardware

Speaker settings in Windows XP reverting to default

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I had issues with my Windows XP system from time to time resetting/reverting the speaker settings back from surround (4.1) to desktop speakers.

I finally found a newsgroup posting that put it in connection with my Creative Audigy 2:

Some games and other programs can change the Windows speaker-settings though, so you might want to try the second solution: stop the Audigy from using the Windows settings. Make sure you have the newest drivers installed, go to the Audigy 2 speaker settings program and uncheck ‘Synchronize with Control Panel’. That’s all – the Audigy 2 should now remember it’s own speaker settings, insteaf of resetting them to those of Windows.

Downloading the latest drivers from the soundblaster.com site also included the Creative Audio Console, which can do what the posting above points out. And sure enough, I suddenly have my surround sound in World of Warcraft again.

Hard disk woes

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If you have a hard disk and after a few reinstalls of Windows XP you keep getting:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

Check your hard disk with your manufacturer’s test software (like PowerMax in Maxtor’s case), the hard disk might just be dying. It seems to be in my case. Best part, it is already a RMA replacement drive for my previously dying hard disk. Got to love that. Was a refurbished one they sent me. *sigh*

Might as well go Seagate by now.

Colours/colors and codecs

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After installing the latest K-Lite Codec pack and NVIDIA drivers I found that some video files had weird colours.

After some futzing around I found the issue.

Go to the NVIDIA tray icon, select color correction, at ‘Apply color changes to’ select ‘All’. Then at ‘Color profile’ select ‘Advanced mode’ and then ‘Restore Defaults’, select ‘Apply’. This fixed my colour problem. Apparently the new NVIDIA drivers/control panel do something with the gamma, which isn’t shown in the panel.

Caused me a few days of head breaking, especially since it only was for some codecs/applications.

SATA and RAID

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Been looking at 3Ware and Areca SATA RAID controller cards. Looks like very decent stuff and best of all: FreeBSD support.

Combined with a Chenbro chassis makes for a nice RAID system with good cooling. The Chenbro stuff comes with enclosures to put your normal disks in, so no need for ordering expensive ‘specially prepared’ hard disks from $VENDOR. Just order your regular 200 GB Barracuda SATA disk, put them in the enclosures and place them in the chassis.