Quick question about 2 / 3 pin plug [pin spot] [pin plug]

Q: I recently MSI nForce 415 motherboard and case and Enlight. The matter power connector is a 3-pin plug and the board has a 2 pin spot on it. Does anyone know how to solve?
Re:Use a knife to split the three pin plug into two pieces. Then just connect the appropriate wires to the motherboard. However, I do find it weird that the mobo has the two power LED pins right next to eachother when the standard is to have one empty in the middle. Double check that you're looking at everything correctly.

As for the power button, what you're experiencing is completely normal. ATX power supplies turn on instantly but won't turn off unless you hold the power button down (unless you're not in Windows yet). Just push the button and hold it down for like 4 seconds and the computer will turn off.
Re:I was looking at the power LED, sorry, but do you know how i can get it to fit on the 2 pin thing, i can't seem to get the wire out of the plug to move it around in the plug. Also, on a semi-related note, i got the power button working and it turns the mobo on and all the fans come on, but it wont turn anything off, i have to pull the power cable out of the wall and when i plug it back in the everythings off, does anyone know whats wrong with this?
Re:<< do you mean bend the pin on the motherboard so that the 3 pin power connector fits on it? I see that the plug from the power button only has 2 wires, but it has 3 pin things on it and the wires go to the 2 outside ones, leaving the middle one empty. The mobo just has 2 pins right next to each other. >>

Just move one of the wires in the middle spot. Problem fixed
Re:You're getting "Power LED" crossed up with "Power Switch". "Power LED" is usually a three pin connector with the middle not used.
Re:do you mean bend the pin on the motherboard so that the 3 pin power connector fits on it? I see that the plug from the power button only has 2 wires, but it has 3 pin things on it and the wires go to the 2 outside ones, leaving the middle one empty. The mobo just has 2 pins right next to each other.
Re:Are you talking about the power switch? It should only have two wires, so just split the connector.

View the original article here

Quick question about CPU SpeedStep [intel speedstep] [cpuid]

Q: Hi there –

does anyone know if it possible to easily see if you have an Intel Speedstep CPU usage? Would msinfo32 list of applications such as, for example? Or Intels CPUID program? Or BIOS? Basically I do not think my laptop SpeedStep a P4 in it, and the manufacturer claims it does, so I try to find out whether it is a way other.

Thanks!
Re:Desktop intel CPUs don't have speedstep, it's a technology reserved for their dedicated mobile processor, here's a excerpt from the anandtech sager laptop review
The processor, being of desktop variety, does not support any of the power saving features implemented in Intel's dedicated mobile chip, the Mobile Pentium 4-M. SpeedStep technology is the main item missing; a technology that gives the Mobile Pentium 4-M processors to dynamically alter its clock speed based on demand. Battery life of the notebook is certainly penalized because of this but the system does get an immense performance boost. nor did a breif google search show any desktop CPU with speedstep, so I would hazard to say that the manufacturer is pi$$ing down your back and tellin' you it's raining
Re:OK, I know it's the desktop version in here, which the manufacturer acknowledges, but they have still been trying to convince me that it has speedstep built in… which seemed odd… so yeah, i'll keep the search up for definitive proof. A physical inspection is probably not possible, as I don't want to void the warranty right now. thanks!
Re:If you can establish that it's a P4-M that will denote speedstep if it's a desktop version…no speedstep…….also the mobiles evidently do not come with a IHS so physically examining the CPU is most helpful.
Re:Yup, tried that. Didn't really get me anywhere – it didn't say outright that it is a speedstep processor, but it didn't say no either. Also, I couldn't match all of the details to any one processor on Intel's website – for instance, the 512k of L2 cache. Should CPUID actually say somewhere that it is or isn't a speedstep processor?
Re:Intel's CPUID is your best bet to decode the ID.

Intel? Processor Frequency ID Utility (Windows version) (http://www.intel.com/support/processors/tools/frequencyid/download.htm)

View the original article here

Question about networking (layer 2) [static ip addresses] [ethernet packet]

Q: This is more a basic network involved. I just curious.

If, say, a switch and then a PC connected to one port (A) and another on a different port (B). They all have static IP address, say 192.168.0.1

From 0.2 and 0.1 PC I ping the machine is 0.2, the switch knows the MAC of 0.1 on port A, but how does PC know 0.1 what MAC address to set the “Destination Address” field in the Ethernet packet?
Best Answer: I don't know who told you only layer 1 devices can be touched, but that is just silly. What device exists that cannot be touched? There is no imagination layer in networking.

Switch/hub is usually layer 2, although some switches do some layer 3 functionality. router is layer 3 but many home routers contain a small switch (this is how they offer 4 or more LAN ports for example). So the line is not clear in every case in how to label a device. It is very clear however in how to label each function the device provides.

Server contain many parts, hardware and software. They contain a network card which functions on layer 1 and 2. They contain an IP stack which provides layer 3 and 4, and services and application software which provides layers 5-7 (things get murky in the upper layers, sometimes everything above layer 4 is called the "application layer" or "layer 7" and treated as a group.
Re:Ah ok, this makes a lot more sense now! I was looking for a command like that too.

Thanks everyone!
Re:Originally posted by: guy
So do each of the PCs keep a table of IPs to MAC address entries?

I understand how a switch knows how to forward to which port, just confused on how the PCs know which MAC address to put in for the DA MAC.
Yup, each host keeps an arp table/cache of the other hosts they can connect to over layer 2. If you're running a windows machine bring up a command prompt and type "arp -a" to see what your machine has in it's cache right now.

Erik
Re:So do each of the PCs keep a table of IPs to MAC address entries?

I understand how a switch knows how to forward to which port, just confused on how the PCs know which MAC address to put in for the DA MAC.
Re:A switch is essentially a fast, multi-port bridge, and it operates as a bridge does (@ Layer 2).

The bridge gets it's addresses (MACs) by passively listening and noting the *source* address of the frame on the "wire". If it hasn't seen that source before, it adds it to the forwarding table (for whatever the defined amount of time). It goes in the table as 'this MAC came in from this Port'.

When one device send a frame to another, the switch/bridge looks at the destination MAC … if it's in the table, it sends the frame out that port. It also looks at the source address … if that source is not in the table, it's added.

If the destination MAC is not in the table (unknown), the switch/bridge "Floods" the frame out all ports except the one it came in on.

Do not confuse "Flooding" with "Broadcasting" … they are different.

With a broadcast, the destination MAC is all ones (usually, by convention) which matches all addresses in the broadcast domain.

Flooding sends the frame out all ports with the source and destination address intact (not all ones destination). The general idea is that if the destination evice is out there, it'll get the frame and respond accordingly.

Hope this helps

Scott

Edit: Nuts. I somehow managed to miss the whole last paragraph of the OP … I gotta get some better drugs …
Re:Address Resolution Protocol. ARP.

It's a layer2 broadcast asking for "who has this IP address? Respond to my source mac address"

View the original article here