FIDDLIN’ WITH NERO
I recently built a BartPE disk with Nero 6 on it, fol-
lowing Logan Decker’s November 2005 “How To”
article. Now I can boot into BartPE, but nothing hap-
pens when I launch Nero. I copied the contents of
my Nero install directory to the bartpe\plugins\nero\
files directory, but when I tried to enable the plugin,
BartPE said it could not locate some *.prf files. I then
used Notepad to create an empty text file, changed
its file extension to .prf, and placed it in the same
directory where I had copied the Nero files. Only
then could I enable the plugin and subsequently
build the BartPE disk. What gives? I’m using Nero
version 6.6.0.12.
—Jon ZahosWe used Nero version 6.6.0.18 in our “How To”
testing, but the Doctor doubts your version is
the culprit; after all, this plugin has worked
since version 5.5. What should happen is that
Nero creates its own .prf file during the first
launch, but for some reason, it’s not doing that
in your situation.
Did you remember to edit the penero.
inf file with your Nero registration informa-
tion and serial number? This is an important
step because the information it enters into the
Registry allows your system to recognize your
copy of Nero as being registered; skipping this
step might have prevented Nero from creating
its own .prf file. As you discovered, however,
you can easily satisfy the app by creating a
blank .prf file from a text file.RANDOM RESTARTS
My fancy-pants new computer suffers from com-
pletely random restarts. Its major components
include an Asus A8N-SLI Premium mobo, an Athlon
64 X2 4600+, two 7800 GTX cards in SLI, 2GB of
memory, and more fans than you can legally shake
a stick at. I run Windows XP Pro. I like to leave it on
during the day to run SETI@Home and to download,
ahem, whatever it is I’m downloading that day.
Anyway, is there some sort of crash log I can
access to see what might have happened? Or am I
stuck staring at the computer for a whole day, wait-
ing for my computer’s metaphorical pot to boil over?
—Kapten KalabajooieThe easiest way to see how long your PC has
been up is to hit Start, Run, and type CMD. Once
you’re in the DOS window, type Systeminfo.
This will list a wealth of information, including
the system up time. For a little more info on
what might be rebooting Windows, go back into
XP, right-click My Computer, select Manage,Diagnosing and curing your PC problems
and look at the Event Viewer (under System
Tools). A crash should be recorded under the
Application Error Records and System Error
Records. You can also set Windows XP to
not restart after a bad crash. Right-click My
Computer, select Properties, then Advanced,
and then choose Settings under Startup and
Recovery. In the box labeled “System failure”
uncheck the item “Automatically restart.”
Determining what’s causing the crash
is more difficult. It could be a number of
things, ranging from an overheating CPU
(SETI@Home is a demanding application)
to an overtaxed power supply (running two
7800 GTX cards requires a high-quality, SLI-
rated PSU).SYSTEM OF A DELL
I went against my better judgment and took the
easy way out by purchasing a Dell XPS 600, as
opposed to building my own rig. But after hearing
several rumors that Dell likes to use proprietary
hardware, and that its mobos aren’t designed to
standard specs, I’m left wondering what futureupgrade options I might have. I’ve heard, for
example, that the power supplies in many Dell
systems are wired so they work only with Dell
motherboards. Is this true? Will I be hard-pressed
to upgrade the mobo on this rig further down
the road?
— Joe Marqueshow 2 IMPROVING YOUR PC EXPERIENCE, ONE STEP AT A TIME
Ask the Doctor
62 MA XIMUMPC JANUARY 2006
- Do you fi nd the tone of the writing to be:
❒ The right mix of fun and informative
❒ Too serious
❒ Too silly - Do you fi nd the content of the magazine to
be:
❒ Below your level of expertise
❒ Just right for your level of expertise
❒ Diffi cult to follow - How would you rate the content of the disc?
❒ Too many games, not enough apps/utilities
❒ Too many apps/utilities, not enough games
❒ Not enough content, period
❒ The disc is just right
❒ I don’t get the disc - Rate the following sections of the maga-
zine, where 1 = I like it; 2 = I neither like nor
dislike it; 3 = I don’t like it:
Quick Start
Head2Head
Watchdog
How-To
Ask the Doctor
R&D (White Paper)
R&D (Autopsy)
R&D (Previews)
In the Lab
Reviews
In/Out
Rig of the Month - Do you prefer stories that:
❒ Tell you how to do something to your PC
❒ Tell you how to do something with your PC
❒ Inform you of new technologies and products that
will be available in the future
❒ Inform you about products available for purchase
right now - Do you build or buy your PCs?
❒ I build my own
❒ I buy prebuilt - Which coverline is most interesting to you:
❒ Arch Rivals Face Off
❒ Best Case Ever?
❒ Tested: Video iPod!
❒ Build It! The Ultimate $300 PC
❒ Install Linux Now
Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. No purchase
is necessary to win, and as a contestant you have not yet
won. The odds of winning depend on the number of entries
received. Future Network USA cannot be responsible for
lost, late, misdirected, or incomplete entries. The prize is a
computer case valued at $250 and is nontransferable and
no substitutions will be allowed. Winners will be determined
by a random drawing of all valid entries and the decision of
Future Network USA shall be fi nal. This contest is open to
residents of the United States only. Return of any prize or
prize notifi cation as undeliverable will result in disqualifi ca-
tion and an alternate winner will be selected. Winners are
responsible for paying any income taxes on the value of the
prize received. Void in Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and where
prohibited by law.✂
Dell’s penchant for using proprietary
mobos can trip up buyers who have a
penchant for upgrading.Continued on page 64ËMAXIMUM PC 2006MAXIMUM PC 2006
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MAXIMUM PC 2006
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MAXIMUM PC 2006
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MAXIMUM PC 2006 Continued from previous page
READER SURVEYMAXIMUM PC 2006
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