Q: Why does PCMark04's "Grammar Test" fail on some new CPU's when running at high frequencies?
A: The "Grammar Test" in PCMark04 is not a suitable test for the latest high-end CPU's. The test fails on some processors that began shipping after PCMark04 was released. Futuremark strongly suggests using PCMark05 instead when evaluating and benchmarking the PC system performance. PCMark04 is no longer technically supported by Futuremark.

Q: Why is the CPU not recognized properly in the System Info and I don't seem to get proper performance readings from the tests with Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840 while Hyper-threading technology is disabled in BIOS?
A: This behavior is a known issue and is related to the inability of PCMark04 to properly detect unpublished products, such as Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840. We are posting this as a PCMark04 erratum and will provide a fix in the next public revision of PCMark04 to properly detect new hardware. With the new revision of PCMark04, the performance of Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840 should be on par with expectation.

Q: I've lost my registration key, how can I get it back?
A: If you have used the ORB with your registration key, you can find all of your registration details from the ORB Profile Manager. You can access the Profile Manager from the ORB left navigation bar. If your registration key is not listed, please contact Futuremark Support using the support form and include your full name and all purchase details.

Q: PCMark04 reports that I need Windows Media Player/Encoder 9 even if I already have Windows Media Player 10 installed.
A: PCMark04 works correctly with MediaPlayer 10, but you'll still need to separately download and install Windows Media Encoder 9 as version 9 is the latest Windows Media Encoder available. You may see a notification about this even if you have Media Player 9 or later and Media Encoder 9 installed. PCMark04 will work correctly despite the message during installation.

Q: I have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed and the DivX Encoding test doesn't work. How can this be corrected?
A: Disable the DEP (Data Execution Prevention) or add PCMark to the list of non-DEP applications: open Control Panel - "System", select "Advanced" tab - press Performance "Settings" - select "Data Execution Prevention" sheet - "Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only" or "Add" PCMark04.exe to the list.

Q: The WMV Video Compression test does not work?
A: We are inspecting this. Things to try:

- There seems to be a problem between PowerDVD and Windows Media Encoder and it causes the WMV Video Compression test to fail. If you have PowerDVD 4, the latest patch should fix the problem, but for version 5 there does not yet seem to be a solution.

- Uninstall other 3rd party codecs from your system. At least Nimo codec pack seems to cause errors.

Q: [ANYTHING] detected incorrectly in System Info?
A: We do our best to make System Info detect all available hardware correctly, but with new hardware and drivers constantly appearing, this is a very hard task. Also, some hardware features cannot be generically detected, and require some hardware specific lookup info. We have not implemented any such detection in System Info since such software would require constant updating. If you notice something detected incorrectly in the System Info, please contact our support department here.

Q: Why does the System Info say I have hyper-threading technology on my Intel P4 CPU, when it doesn't?
A: The Intel P4 Northwood CPUs have the hyperthreading technology on the CPU, but it is disabled on the hardware, and it cannot be taken into use.

Q: I'm not able to view the System Info?
A: You need Internet Explorer 6 to view the details of your system.

Q:When I try to export my test results to Microsoft Excel, I get an error message saying "Couldn't start Excel".
A: Check that Microsoft Excel is installed in your system. PCMark04 does not include a version of Microsoft Excel.

Q: Why does the System Info say I have hyper-threading technology on my Intel P4 CPU, when it doesn't?
A: The Intel P4 Northwood CPUs have the hyperthreading technology on the CPU, but it is disabled on the hardware, and it cannot be taken into use.

Q: I'm not able to view the System Info?
A: You need Internet Explorer 6 to view the details of your system.

Q: When I try to export my test results to Microsoft Excel, I get an error message saying "Couldn't start Excel".
A: Check that Microsoft Excel is installed in your system. PCMark04 does not include a version of Microsoft Excel.

Q: I added more memory to my system, but the memory score stayed practically the same?
A: The memory score is affected by the memory type and speed, not the amount.

Q: I changed the memory/graphics adapter/CPU on my system and the PCMark score went up/down?
A: This is how PCMark04 and benchmarks in general works. You get the PCMark score for the system, where different components affect the performance and if you change something, the performance reading can be different.

Q: My test result is different than the similar test in PCMark2002/3DMark2001/3DMark03?
A: No test results, scores or tests can be compared with the ones in our other products.

Q: Do all PCMark tests score like "bigger is better"?
A: All except the Memory latency tests, where smaller time to access the data in the memory equals better performance.

Q: Is a PCMark/Memory/GFX/HDD score of 5000 good or bad?
A: All the scoring formulas have been built in a way that 5000 would be the score for a high-end system during the launch of PCMark04. So 5000 is a good score indeed.

Q: How are the scores calculated and why?
A: See the help files and the PCMark04 White Paper for details on scoring.

Q: Why don't I get a PCMark/CPU/Memory/Gfx/HDD score?
A: You need to run all the tests in that specific test suite in order to get a score. Note that you need Pro or Business version of the product for other tests than the System Test suite.

Q: What do the scores represent?
A: Please read the help files and the PCMark04 whitepaper for information on scoring and the tests.

Q: After running the virus scanning test, is my system clean of viruses?
A: The virus scanning test only scans certain data files included with PCMark04. IT DOES NOT SCAN YOUR SYSTEM FOR VIRUSES! We highly recommend you to purchase a virus scanning software, e.g. from F-Secure, to ensure no viruses are harming your system.

Q: I have PCMark04 free and I can't run the HDD tests?
A: The HDD tests are a Professional/Business Edition feature only. Please see the differences between different versions on the help files.

Q: I don't have IE6/Media Player 9/Media Encoder 9/DirectX 9 installed, can I still run PCMark04?
A: Some tests require the additional software mentioned above, but not all. You can run some tests (depending on what you're missing) but you will not get the score until you have all the required components installed.

Q: How can I create own test sets and compare them?
A: Please see the help files for creating the test sets and exporting them to Microsoft Excel. Note that you need Professional or Business Edition of PCMark04 to create your own test sets.

Q: The Internet Explorer window is small during the Web Browsing test and I cannot expand it?
A: The window is intentionally small, so that the graphics performance would not affect this test. After the test, the window size is restored to normal.

Q: Why does it take so long to run the HDD tests?
A: The time to run the HDD tests depends on the performance of the HDD.

Q: My system takes a lot more time to start than the respective HDD test runs?
A: The HDD tests' traces are created on a certain system. The startup test's runtime can not be compared with your system startup time, as they may contain different tasks.

Q: I have Windows Media Encoder 9 and Media Player 9 installed but the WMV Video Compression test still doesn't work?
A: Check the version of you Media Encoder. It should be 9.00.00.2980 at minimum. You can get the latest version of the encoder from Microsoft.

Q: My Pro/Business registration code doesn't seem to work?
A: Check that you have entered it correctly, note that the code is case-sensitive. If you still have problems, contact sales@futuremark.com.

Q: I have PCMark04 free and I can't run the HDD tests?
A: The HDD tests are a Professional/Business Edition feature only. Please see the differences between different versions on the help files.

Q: I don't have IE6/Media Player 9/Media Encoder 9/DirectX 9 installed, can I still run PCMark04?
A: Some tests require the additional software mentioned above, but not all. You can run some tests (depending on what you're missing) but you will not get the score until you have all the required components installed.

Q: How can I create own test sets and compare them?
A: Please see the help files for creating the test sets and exporting them to Microsoft Excel. Note that you need Professional or Business Edition of PCMark04 to create your own test sets.

Q: The Internet Explorer window is small during the Web Browsing test and I cannot expand it?
A: The window is intentionally small, so that the graphics performance would not affect this test. After the test, the window size is restored to normal.

Q: Why does it take so long to run the HDD tests?
A: The time to run the HDD tests depends on the performance of the HDD.

Q: My system takes a lot more time to start than the respective HDD test runs?
A: The HDD tests' traces are created on a certain system. The startup test's runtime can not be compared with your system startup time, as they may contain different tasks.

Q: I have Windows Media Encoder 9 and Media Player 9 installed but the WMV Video Compression test still doesn't work?
A: Check the version of you Media Encoder. It should be 9.00.00.2980 at minimum. You can get the latest version of the encoder from Microsoft.

Q: My Pro/Business registration code doesn't seem to work?
A: Check that you have entered it correctly, note that the code is case-sensitive. If you still have problems, contact sales@futuremark.com.

Q: Why doesn't PCMark04 work on my Win98/ME system?
A: PCMark requires Win2000 or WinXP Pro/Home to work.

Q: What is the difference between Professional and Business Edition?
A: The versions have the same functionality. Pro version is meant for personal use only, while the Business Edition is the fully licensed version for business and commercial use.

Q: Why should I upgrade to Pro or Business Edition?
A: Only the Professional and Business versions have full functionality, e.g.:

- Total control over which tests to be run.
- Four additional test suites (CPU, Memory, Graphics and HDD)
- Advanced online functionalities

Q: PCMark04 uses additional 3rd party components such as DivX video codec, F-Secure virus-scanner, do I need to install those also?
A: They are included with PCMark, but they can only be used by PCMark04. If you want to scan your system for viruses, create own videos etc. you need to obtain those components from the respective manufacturers.

Q: There are no menus, where can I find the help files?
A: PCMark04 as well as 3DMark03 have the menus behind right-click on the main screen of the software.

Q: What additional software do I need installed?
A: Windows Media Encoder 9, Windows Media Player 9, Internet Explorer 6 and DirectX 9 are required.

Q: How long does a benchmark run take?
A: The default run (System Suite) takes approximately four minutes to run, depending on the system. Running all the test suites takes approximately 15 minutes, depending heavily on the HDD performance.

Q: What is PCMark04?
A: PCMark04 is a benchmark that measures your PC's performance in home use and lets you compare your system with others.