Copy the following 3 lines into a text file and change it to be on one line only (I have split it here so that it is not detected on my page) and save it and scan it, it should detect it as a EICAR_Test virus. This is not a real virus, just a way of testing.

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$

EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE

!$H+H*

I follow the instrucions that microsoft give about

How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting

however goes ok till i get to typing this bit.......copy c:\windows\repair\system
c:\windows\system32\config\system............

then it says "system cannot find this file"

ignored and continued but no luck still goes back to "could not start
because.....


any ideas?

****************** DO NOT INCLUDE THIS LINE ****************
@echo off

REM AUTOEXEC.BAT is not used to initialize the MS-DOS environment.
REM AUTOEXEC.NT is used to initialize the MS-DOS environment unless a
REM different startup file is specified in an application's PIF.

REM Install CD ROM extensions
lh %SystemRoot%\system32\mscdexnt.exe

REM Install network redirector (load before dosx.exe)
lh %SystemRoot%\system32\redir

REM Install DPMI support
lh %SystemRoot%\system32\dosx

REM The following line enables Sound Blaster 2.0 support on NTVDM.
REM The command for setting the BLASTER environment is as follows:
REM SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 P330
REM where:
REM A specifies the sound blaster's base I/O port
REM I specifies the interrupt request line
REM D specifies the 8-bit DMA channel
REM P specifies the MPU-401 base I/O port
REM T specifies the type of sound blaster card
REM 1 - Sound Blaster 1.5
REM 2 - Sound Blaster Pro I
REM 3 - Sound Blaster 2.0
REM 4 - Sound Blaster Pro II
REM 6 - SOund Blaster 16/AWE 32/32/64
REM
REM The default value is A220 I5 D1 T3 and P330. If any of the switches is
REM left unspecified, the default value will be used. (NOTE, since all the
REM ports are virtualized, the information provided here does not have to
REM match the real hardware setting.) NTVDM supports Sound Blaster 2.0 only.
REM The T switch must be set to 3, if specified.
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 P330 T3

REM To disable the sound blaster 2.0 support on NTVDM, specify an invalid
REM SB base I/O port address. For example:
REM SET BLASTER=A0
****************** DO NOT INCLUDE THIS LINE ****************

2. cd \system~1
if you get access denied then do the following and reboot, else skip to the next step..

cd c:\windows\system32\config
ren system system.bak
(while you are here you can (if you want) back-up the rest of the registry...
ren software software.bak
ren security security.bak
ren sam sam.bak
ren default default.bak)
Type exit to leave the recovery console and to restart the computer.

Go back to recovery console, this time you should be able to
cd \system~1

3.cd _resto~1
4.dir (if empty go to step 8)
5. Go into an RP folder (choose the highest number for the latest registry backup)
6.CD snapshot

7.
copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy _registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy _registry_machine_security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy _registry_machine_sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy _registry_user_.default c:\windows\system32\config\default

8.NOTE, IF THERE ARE NO FOLDERS IN cd \system~1\_resto~1 THEN THERE ARE NO REGISTRY BACKUPS, YOU ARE FORCED TO USE THE DEFAULT ONES CREATED AT INSTALLATION. THIS CAN BE DONE BY...
cd c:\windows\repair
dir
if there is only one file then go to step 9, else do the following...

copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default

9.Oh dear, there is only the SYSTEM.BAK file, so I have copied that over, and restored the other 4 files that I backed up in step 2 (this mix'n'match is not good). Fingers crossed, if this does not work then it is reinstall time.. No it didn't work, when I looked more closely the error is about the SOFTWARE hive file, so no wonder it never worked. Went to reinstall and I have noticed that there is an E: drive, I wonder if that is the original reinstallation folder, and I wonder if there is a copy of the registry in there somewhere, booting with BartPE to take a closer look.Tried, but it never booted. No luck.

So in this case a complete reinstall of Windows was necessary.

how to save word documents with OpenOffice?

OpenOffice is great but in an office where most computers use Microsoft Office it can be hard transfering files

How do I transfer files from OpenOffice to Word / Microsoft Office?

What is an ODF file? How do I open an ODF file?

ODF files are the OpenOffice standard file format.

If you need to give a file to someone to open in Word then you can SAVE AS and choose Word .doc ....

However if you want it to always save in WORD format then go to (options and choose File Location - to check) . I set it to save as Office XP documents.

Also here you can choose the defaults for the other OpenOffice application, so you can change the Excel Alternative to save as Office XP XLS file format.

However, the real solution perhaps is for all computers to use OpenOffice.

So I go to recovery console but before I get there I get
"setupdd.sys could not be loaded the error code is 7"

Step 2: Remove Alternative User Input Services from Text Services
In the Control Panel go to Regional and Language Options. On the Languages tab, click Details. Under Installed Services all items must be removed except the default Keyboard

Step 3: Start/Run these 2 commands.

Regsvr32.exe /u msimtf.dll

Regsvr32.exe /u Msctf.dll

Download this file...
http://www.w124performance.com/mp3PRO_v6_Plugins.zip
extract to here, overwriting the files....
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\AudioPlugins\

Using another computer I managed to salvage the recovery partition (the D: drive) and burnt this to DVD to make a non-booting Recovery DVD. Otherwise I would have had to use a standard Microsoft XP install CD, with all the hassle of activating it with Microsoft and installing drivers. Here's what to do with it....

Put the new drive into another PC and run Computer Managment.

delete all partitions

create a primary NTFS partition, 4 GB smaller than the size of the drive

create an extended partition (not primary) in the space left

now create a logical drive in the extended partition, make it fat32 and format it.

copy all the recovery files over into the new 4gb partition.

Put the drive back into the Presario, boot with BART PE and then run d:\MiniNT\system32\restore.exe

Chose the ADVANCED option

(on an HP you run MiniNT\system32\start.exe /run)

Windows will now install, after the reboot the first thing to do is install Windows Updates and Service Pack 2 (put the firewall on first if not behind a router)

Problems you may encounter...

Problem - It reinstalls windows but does not boot.

Solution - This happened to me when the drive was not partitioned correctly.

Problem - Installing directly from the DVD it goes through most of the way and then says "Please insert the Compaq System Recovery CD/DVD #2 now"

Solution - You need the files on the D: drive on the hard drive, it does not seem to work from DVD.

C:\STUBINSTALLER.EXE detected as 180searchassistant

limewire stubinstaller is falsely detected as spyware
Description : limewire swarmed installer. You do not need to worry about it, but you can delete this file if you wish.

removed hard disk, scanned for viruses
never helped
removed hard disk, replaced lsass.exe with a good verson.
never helped

Could not even install Windows on top of itself because the error would happen when it reboots during the reinstallation.

After researching this, it looks like registry damage so use an old version of registry....

Boot into recovery console

cd \system~1
if you get access denied then
cd c:\windows\system32\config
ren system system.bak

(while you are here why not back up the rest of the registry...
ren software software.bak
ren security security.bak
ren sam sam.bak
ren default default.bak)
Type exit to leave the recovery console and to restart the computer.

Go back to recovery console.

cd _resto~1
dir
choose an RP folder (choose the highest number for the latest registry backup)
CD snapshot

copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy _registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy _registry_machine_security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy _registry_machine_sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy _registry_user_.default c:\windows\system32\config\default

now gets to Windows but it is very slow.

Reinstall windows on top of itself and this time it worked.

AppName: explorer.exe AppVer: 6.0.2900.2180 ModName: ntdll.dll
ModVer: 5.1.2600.2180 Offset: 00011f6c

This error only happens when i open a certain folder.
It contains 6 videos. They are in XVid/AC3 format.

The problem has just started.
I was in the process of converting the files so I have just installed DIVX, AC3, and LAME MP3 codecs.
Many people have this problem on the net, but the solutions are vague.

I have to ctrl-alt-del and kill off the folder to regain control of windows.
After much investigation it looks like it is corruption in the file system.

I managed to move the files to a new folder and deleted the old folder.

This completely fixed the problem.

Can't remember if I tried this but I recommend you run CHKDSK.

Verify Unsigned Device Drivers
1. Click Start, click Run, type sigverif, and then click OK.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Click Look for other files that are not digitally signed.
4. In the Look in this folder box, type x:\Windows\system32\drivers, where x is the letter of the drive where Windows XP is installed.
5. On the Logging tab, make sure the Save the file signature verification results to a log file check box is selected, and then click OK.
6. Click Start.

NOTE: The log file is named Sigverif.txt, and it is saved in the Windows folder. Third-party drivers that are unsigned are displayed as "Not signed." Use the drivers in this list as your troubleshooting starting point.

Disable Unsigned Device Drivers
A common problem is power management features, and Microsoft requires power management support to certify drivers. Many third-party unsigned drivers lack this support, resulting in power management problems (such as problems going into or coming out of hibernation and standby).

After you find unsigned drivers, you can disable them by using any of the following methods: • Disable the device in Device Manager (you may have to click Show hidden devices on the View menu, and then disable the device under the Non-Plug and Play Drivers branch).
• Uninstall the software that installed the third-party driver by using the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.
• Rename the driver in the Winnt\System32\Drivers folder.

How to make sure that all of USB drivers have been removed,

How to remove the hidden USB devices in the Device Manager.

USB device not being reognised after installing the wrong driver.

To make sure that all of USB drivers have been removed, you need to remove the hidden USB devices in the Device Manager.

To do that you have to set the Device Manager up to show all hidden devices and details of devices that are installed but which are not currently attached to the computer. It is not sufficient just to open the Device Manager, open its View menu and enable Show Hidden Devices.

Open a command prompt window by entering cmd in the Start => Run box and enter the following commands exactly as they are written. Press the Enter key after entering each line:

set DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS=1

set DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1

start devmgmt.msc

This sets up and opens the Device Manager. Click the View menu item and choose Show Hidden Devices to see the entries for the devices that have been installed before but which are not currently connected. These will appear as faded grey icons compared to the other icons for devices that are installed.

Double-click on each of the entries for Disk drives, Other devices, and Universal Serial Bus (USB) controllers, right click on any icon that is greyed-out, and choose Uninstall from the menu. For example, under Universal Serial Bus controllers, there may be several greyed-out entries called USB Mass Storage Device. These should all be removed.

Next, open the Registry Editor by entering regedit in the Start => Run box.

Note well that before you make changes to the Registry, you should always create a restore point in System Restore under All Programs => Accessories => System Tools so that you can recover the system from Safe Mode should you erroneously remove entries that prevent Windows from booting.

By clicking on the + signs beside each name, navigate to Hkey_Local_Machine => System => CurrentControlSet => Enum => USB and remove Registry entries that refer to vendor ID (VID). You remove an entry in the Registry by right clicking on it with the mouse pointer on the entry and then you click on Delete in the menu that comes up. The entries that are required will be redetected when Windows restarts and you connect your USB devices. Note well that if you use a USB keyboard or mouse, don't remove the VID entries for them, because doing so could prevent Windows from starting properly.

If you can't delete a key, you may need to change its permissions by right-clicking on it and choosing Permissions. Select Everyone and then select Full Control in the Permissions section. Click Apply and then OK.

When you reboot the computer, your USB devices should be recognised correctly.

ipod making laptop go slow.
acer Travelmate 2700 laptop
iTunes saying "disk could not be read or written to"
says "Ipod need to be formatted to be read by Windows"

IPod is still not detected properly on laptop.

Turned out to be the power from the USB port was no longer good enough to run ipod, a powered USB hub fixed this problem.

HD crash, copied D: drive with recovery files to DVD.
Then run
D:\hp_recovery\miniNT\system32\start.exe

This starts the HP recovery process and will reinstall Windows back to factory setting (or course wiping any data off the C: drive).

IBM Thinkpad

Error 8611

IBM Thinkpad

Error 191

Here's an example...

How to get Monty Python's Meaning of Life to work in XP.
This game will not install on XP, it says you need service pack 3 for NT. The trick is to set compatability mode before you install.
Insert the CD (Tip - to make the game run better you may want to install DAEMON TOOLS and install the CD image rather than the real disc, this means that animations will run smoother - make an NRG image using NERO).
If the CD autoruns the setup program then close it down.
Browse the CD and find SETUP.EXE, right click on it and choose PROPERTIES/COMPATABILITY and tick next to WINDOWS 95, then click on OK.
Now double click on SETUP and the game will install.
We are half way there, we also need the game itself to run in compatability mode.
Browse to "C:\program files \7th Level\meaning of life" and find MOL.EXE. Right click on it and choose properties/compatability. To be on the safe side tick all the boxes (Run this program in compatability mode for Windows 95, run in 256 coours, run in 640 x 480 screen resolution, disable visual themes, turn off advanced text services for this program).
Bingo, it plays like a dream. The meaning of life working in XP.

This is using an 80gb hard drive from an external drive in a laptop.
Tried replacing NTDLR etc from bootdisk, no good.

Insall XP, same problem.
Attemp
Attempt the following in the recovery console:
fixmbr
fixboot
bootcfg /rebuild
just select the OS you want (ie the XP you are trying to install).

Could not repair this error so had to reformat the hard disk
I assumed it has some strong boot sector, but even formatting never sorted it.

drive is not accessible : incorrect function.

happens when you put a disk in upside down.
can happen if you have not closed a disk you have burnt.

Lots of people ar ereporting this problem using INTERNET EXPLORER 7. It happened to me, and none of the solutions worked. I did downoad the new Javascript (I had to accept the TOOLBAR or the install failed), but the problem returned

I have a solution - use FIREFOX instead.

When you install Windows XP, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
• When you restart your computer, you may be prompted to use the Last Known Good configuration. When you do so, your computer may stop responding (hang) during the restart, and each time you restart thereafter.
• You may be prompted to run ScanDisk. When you do so, your computer may stop responding (hang). If you do not run ScanDisk, your computer may start correctly. However you are prompted to run ScanDisk every time you start your computer, and if you do so, your computer may stop responding (hang).
• When you restart your computer, your computer may stop responding (hang).
• If you try to restart your computer in Safe mode, your computer may stop responding (hang) when Windows XP tries to load the Agp440.sys service.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps to disable the Agp440.sys service.

Important You must know the administrator password to complete the following procedure. If you do not know the administrator password, contact your system administrator. After you complete this procedure, any video adapter driver you have installed will be disabled, and Windows XP will use default VGA drivers.
1. Insert your Windows XP CD-ROM into the computer CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer from the CD-ROM.

Note Some computers may require that you modify the basic input/output system (BIOS) settings before you can start the computer from a CD-ROM. For information about how to modify the BIOS, see your computer documentation.
2. At the Welcome to Setup screen, press R to start the Recovery Console.
3. Press the number key that corresponds to the installation that you want to repair, and then press ENTER.
4. Type the password for the administrator account of that installation, and then press ENTER. You receive a drive:WINDOWS> prompt, where drive is the drive on which Windows XP is installed.
5. Type listsvc, and then press ENTER.
6. Make sure that the Agp440 service is listed, and that the startup type is set to "Boot".
7. Press ESC.
8. Type disable agp440, and then press ENTER.
9. You receive a message that the registry setting for this service was found, and that its current startup state is "service_disabled".
10. Type exit, and then press ENTER.
11. If you are prompted to start in Safe mode or Normal mode, start in Normal mode.
12. Log on to your computer.
Windows XP includes default video drivers that make it possible for your monitor to work. However, some features may not work as you expect with these default drivers. Update your motherboard chipset video drivers periodically. To do so, visit your computer manufacturer's Web site, and download the most recent drivers for your video adapter.

Installed SP2 from cd but it has not helped.

"The following updates were not installed"
"A problem on your computer is preventing updates from being downloaded or installed"

It seemed to be stuck on the Windows Genuine Advantage update (KB892130), and the Package Installer (KB898461)
However it does not seem to be one in particuar update, because I have downloaded and installed the updates manually (just google search for the KB number), and now it is stuck on the rest. What it does is downloads them, but fails when it installs.
I have tried
-adaware
-MS Windows Defender-
Spybot.
-sfc /scannow
-new version of java.
-I am logged in as administrator.

Not sure if ActiveX is ok.

Found a way to install the updates - start/shutdown and allow it to install before it turns the PC off. Weird, seems to be a problem with the MS Update page.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\SensLogn]
"DLLName"="WlNotify.dll"
"Lock"="SensLockEvent"
"Logon"="SensLogonEvent"
"Logoff"="SensLogoffEvent"
"Safe"=dword:00000001
"MaxWait"=dword:00000258
"StartScreenSaver"="SensStartScreenSaverEvent"
"StopScreenSaver"="SensStopScreenSaverEvent"
"Startup"="SensStartupEvent"
"Shutdown"="SensShutdownEvent"
"StartShell"="SensStartShellEvent"
"PostShell"="SensPostShellEvent"
"Disconnect"="SensDisconnectEvent"
"Reconnect"="SensReconnectEvent"
"Unlock"="SensUnlockEvent"
"Impersonate"=dword:00000001
"Asynchronous"=dword:00000001
------

Having a strange problem now (after all the above).
Windows XP Home thinks it has Group Policy controlling the firewall.

It does not. Now the internet is not working (limited connectivity).
Tried "netsh firewall reset".
However after some digging around I found that if you go
hkey_local machine/software/polocies/microsoft/WindowsFirewall
there are a couple of keys, one for standard and one for DomainProfile. I deleted them both, and hey presto I can access the firewall settings. However, it still says "for your security, some settings are controlled by group policy."

The internet connection then burst into life (once I had slowed the line speed from 100 down to 10MB - old cable I think),

It happens more often than you might think: you have two Office licenses and install the wrong one on a computer. If you activate it, Microsoft will think you moved it to a new computer and it can create problems later on.

How do you change the installation key without reinstalling Office?

Find the following registry key and locate the correct key for the application that needs a new installation key ("CD key").

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Registration (for Office 2000)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\10.0\ Registration (for Office XP)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\ Registration (for Office 2003)

The Office suite and any applications you installed individually will each have a registry key, identified by a GUID which resembles this one:
{90110409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9}
Look at the data values for the application name, then delete the two ProductID keys - (DigitalProductID and ProductID).

Open the application (any of the Office applications if you changed the suite key) and enter the correct CD key. If you already activated Office, you'll need to reactivate it using the correct key.

If you have more than one Office license, after activating the correct copy on the correct computer, save the activation files and export the Registration registry key. When you reinstall Office, you can use any of your licenses to install it then restore the activation and run the exported *.reg file to restore the correct licensing information on that computer.

Symptom(s):

* Error: "Can't find requested string" may be seen after updating to a newer version of the Intel® graphics driver (PV14.13 or later)
* This error displays in the Intel graphics driver's system tray menu
* This error displays in the Intel graphics driver's Windows* Control Panel icon

To work-around this issue, follow the steps listed below:

1. Uninstall the Intel® Graphics Driver using the following steps:
1. Open Windows* Control Panel by clicking Start >> Settings >> Control Panel (or clicking on Start >> Control Panel).
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Highlight and remove the Intel® Extreme Graphics Driver or Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver.
4. Follow the prompts to reboot the computer.
5. After reboot, Windows will detect a new device (the graphics controller) and attempt to search for the driver. Select Cancel in these "Found New Hardware Wizard" windows. The driver will be installed in a later step.

2. Modify the Windows* Regional and Language Options settings using the following steps:
1. Open Windows Control Panel.
2. Double-click on Regional and Language Options
3. On the Regional Options tab, and take note of the currently selected language.
4. Change the language selected to English (USA).
5. Click on the Advanced tab, and take note of the currently selected language.
6. Change the language selected to English (USA).
7. Click OK to accept these changes.
8. Click Yes when prompted to skip file copying and use existing files.
9. Click Yes to restart the computer.

3. After reboot, install the latest Intel graphics driver.

4. After reboot, modify the Regional and Language Options settings to set the language back to its original settings noted in Steps 2c and 2e.

Note:For step 2c and 2e above, if it set to French (Canada) and Arabic (Lebanon) on the Regional Options tab and the Advanced tab. Please select a different French and Arabic language listed.

This applies to:
Intel® 82852/82855 Graphics Controller Family
Intel® 82865G Graphics Controller
Intel® 82915G/82910GL Express Chipset Family
Intel® 82945G Express Chipset
Mobile Intel® 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset Family
Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset Family

I am making a version of a Windows 2000 installation CD.
I use a Windows 98 boot floppy and make a bootable CD using NERO.

However , when I try to install it certain files cannot be found.
On closer inspection, it appears that long file names have been truncated wrongly, so instead of Appser~1.cl_ on the CD in DOS it appears as Appser_1.cl_

I chose ISO LEVEL 2 (long file names) and Juliet, and the "relax ISO restrictions" options.

Lot's of talk of solutions on the internet, such as putting the offending files with long file names on to floppy disk.

This is my solution.

When you are burning the CD in NERO, In "character set" Choose DOS instead of ISO.

"the following file is missing or corrupt: <windows root>/system32.hal.dll"
Missing HAL.DLL xp boot problem.
Either due to corrupt hal.dll or boot.ini.
(This could be because of virus or HD damage.
Went to recovery console and Tried FIXMBR
Never helped.
Went to recovery console and bootcfg /rebuild
Never helped - but it changed the error message to...

"load needed dlls for kernel"
got this error after trying to fix Missing HAL.DLL xp boot problem.
expand d:\i386\hal.dl_ c:\windows\system32\hal.dll
"unable to create hal.dll"
del c:\windows\system32\hal.dll
still cannot expand new one, strange. Not even to another folder.
Oh I see the problem, don't put the filename (everyone tells you to)...
expand d:\i386\hal.dl_ c:\windows\system32 Also copied ntoskrnl.exe the same way. never helped.

I did notice a virus had wiped most of the folders and left an AXEL.DAV file in each folder.

time to do a complete reinstall.

If you routinely test hardware, software, and drivers that require you to switch into Safe

Mode, you don’t have to go through the hassle of pressing F8 at precisely the right time and
choosing from the startup menu. Instead, add one or more Safe Mode options to the list of
available operating systems that Windows displays at startup.To install this option, follow these steps:

* Right-click My Computer on the Start menu and choose Properties.
* On the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Startup And Recovery section.
* In the Startup And Recovery dialog box, click the Edit button to open Boot.ini in Notepad.
* Under [Operating Systems], select the entire line that contains the settings for your default operating system choice and copy it to the bottom of the list.
* Append the following set of switches to the end of the newly copied line:

/safeboot:minimal /sos /bootlog

(Replace minimal with network if you want the shortcut to start Windows in Safe Mode with networking.)

* You may want to change the timeout value to something like 5 (seconds) to give time for you
to select the option and not too long to have to wait for your pc.
* Change the description in quotation marks to "Windows XP - Safe Mode" (or similar) and then
save the file.

Next time you restart your PC the above option will be available.

Once I deleted this from the startups, it was fine.
Turns out to be called DUMMY trojan.
Download, Install, Update, and run EWIDO to clean up.

that SpamKiller needs to be verified (in fact it has expired).

How do I install the Recovery Console?

Some Windows XP installations have booting to the Recovery Console as an option.

Run this from Windows.

i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons

Sounds like it is on its way out. Backup your data straight away. Then it would be a good idea to try to ghost your drive to another drive.

Run a full scandisk.

There is lots of talk about old scsi UMAX scanners not working in XP.
Well, I have managed to get mine to work (finally).

S-12 Scanner in XP

XP drivers for SCSI Scanner

UMAX drivers for XP

However I have the following problem..

umax s12 keeps being detected in xp
Every time I started the PC. In Device manager I had 10 UMAX scanners (under OTHER DEVICES).

I tried to set it as an UNKNOWN DEVICE, I tried to disable it in this profile.
I tried setting it to be a different UMAX scanner to try to shut it up.

Seen someone else saying
"The scanner works with no problems, just the continous hardware wizard
popping up and leaving multiple instances of the same device showing in device manager
is really irritating."

In Media Player there is more info about MP3s than I see in Windows Explorer.

When in explorer, right click on the top bar and add columns, such as "title".

Try to boot after each of these steps in turn...

1. Is there a floppy disk in the floppy disk drive?
2. check the cables/jumpers on the drive
3. Boot to a windows 98 startup disk, check you can see the drive, and use fdisk to make sure the partition is marked as active
4. rebuild the boot record by typing 'sys c:' at the command prompt
5. fdisk /mbr
6. Reinstall Windows over the top

Here is an example.

reg query HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

NERO says it cannot burn in Disk At Once mode.

It used to work, but now it has stopped after I tried a demo of NERO 6.

Try this to see if it fixes the problem. Uninstall NERO 6 and reinstall NERO 5.

Go to FILE/PREFERENCES

Choose the EXPERT FEATURES tab

Tick "Enable overburn"

WARNING : Do not overburn much, 2 mintes, 3 is pushing it. The data errors will increase, and music may skip.

You can buy 90 minute disks that would work better.

Go to FILE/PREFERENCES

Choose the EXPERT FEATURES tab

Click "Do not eject the CD after the burn is complete"

Go to MY COMPUTER

Right click on the CD drive and choose PROPERTIES

Click on the AUTOPLAY tab

Select BLANK CD from the drop down list

Select TAKE NO ACTION and click on OK

my fave way of dealing with this is to associate .000 files with winrar, so you can double-click on the rar file and it will open winrar. then simply drag the contents of winrar back out into the windows explorer window.

Internet Explorer is not opening web pages, but we are connected to the internet.

Web pages on computers on my network start showing "Page cannot be displayed".
The computers can ping the website, but not open the page.

Here are some things to try (I assume the network cables and router are all working).

1. Download and run the free IEFix utility. (I NEED TO VERIFY THIS)

2. When the problem occurs, see if you can reach sites by their actual IP addresses instead of their URL. For example, if you find that you can't reach http://www.google.com, put the following in your browser's location/address box instead and see if the Google home page comes up:

http://66.102.7.147

3. When you can't reach a site through your browser, see if you can at least "ping" the site. Again using Google as an example:

- Under your Start menu, go to Programs->Accessories->Command Prompt.

- In the DOS window that opens, type the following command at the prompt and then hit Enter:

ping www.google.com

If that works, you should get 4 positive replys followed by some summary info. If it doesn't work, try to ping by IP address:

ping 66.102.7.147

4. disable all firewalls and try again.

So if you often find you delete files and then change your mind, right-click on the recycle-bin, select properties and increase the maximum size of the recycle-bin.

I assumed first it was just a corrupt RAR file or there really was a file missing. However I tried changing the file extension from blah.rar to blah.zip and it worked.

You could back up the whole C: drive. Use something like Norton's Ghost.

But if you are just planning to format and reinstall then make sure you do not lose anything...

Copy any files you wish to keep to your D drive or an external hard disk (or back up onto CD)

AND do the same for each user

- copy your Document folder

- copy files on your desktop

- copy your internet favourites

if you use OUTLOOK

- copy all your PST files

- write down any accounts you will need to re-setup and make sure you know the password.

If you use OUTLOOK EXPRESS

-copy the whole OUTLOOK EXPRESS folder

- export accounts.

- copy the ADDRESS BOOK.

If there are games on the PC then you can probably backup the saved postions by backing up the SAVE folder inside the game folder (Don't try to backup the whole game foldrer, it will be too large and need reinsalling anyway).

AND THINK - DO YOU SAVE ANYTHING ANYWHERE ELSE.

An exampe is the Palm Pilot III which stored it's data in PROGRAM FILES so you could backup that folder .

The hard disk I had as a slave the other day was Windows Professional. Could it somehow have confused my system?

To download and install UPHClean, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=1B286E6D-8912-4E18-B570-42470E2F3582 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1b286e6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582)
MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about UPHClean, view the Readme.txt file. To download the file, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=1B286E6D-8912-4E18-B570-42470E2F3582

HOWEVER, when I tried to install it I got "The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed" (see below)

And my computer is not in safe mode.

This is an XP bug, The file is being previewed by explorer. The problem appears mainly when you are viewing the files in DETAILS mode, so it might help to change the view to LIST.

You might have to resort to this...

If you select CUT , then click on another avi file and then PASTE it will work.

Where can I find tools to low level format my Hard Disk?

You generally download the EXE and run it, it asks you for a blank floppy, it writes the files to the floppy, then you reboot the PC with the floppy in and the tools will run.

Doing a low level format on a drive can sort it out when it gets in a really bad way, but it is not generally necessary.

Maxtor: www.maxtor.com
Western Digital: www.wdc.com
Seagate: www.seagate.com
IBM/Hitachi: www.hgst.com
Fujitsu: www.fujitsu.ca (easiest to find diagnostic at Canada site)

You should see about 60 V (at least 20) across the line when
disconnected (on hook). When off hook the line voltage should go
down to under 5, usually under 2, and the line current should be
at least 20 mA, often 60 mA.

echo AT L3 M2 H1 > COMn where n = 1,2,3, or 4

This turns on the modem's speaker at max volume and takes the modem
off-hook. The OP should hear a dialtone.

The same command sequence can be executed in HyperTerminal.

To hang up, type ...

echo ATH > COMn

--
If you don't hear a dialtone, you can confirm whether the modem is
receiving data from the COM port with a dial command such as ...

echo AT L3 M2 X0 DT your_own_house_number > COMn

If you hear the DTMF digits, then the problem must be between the
modem's DSP and the phone line.

Next, try listening for DTMF digits, and a break in dialtone, on a
parallel handset while the modem's speaker is turned off:

echo AT L0 M0 X0 DT your_own_house_number > COMn

Among other things, this will tell you whether the modem has managed
to take its hook relay off-hook.

If the modem has an electromechanical hook relay (I suspect the 33.6K
modem is one of these) then you should be able to hear it clicking
when you send a pulse dial command:

echo AT L0 M0 X0 DP your_own_house_number > COMn

I am trying to remove a broken NTFS partition. Partition Magic fails with errors, FDISK says you can not remove the logical drive because there is an extended drive, however there is not.

There are programs that will wipe a drive completely, which will also remove a virus from the boot sector. Such programs are CleanDrive or WipeDrive

format c: /fs:ntfs

Another way to format a RAW drive is in Windows XP. if you can stick the drive in another PC. Ok, this is from memory, so it my be in a different location: There is a program in the start->control panel-> administrative tools called "computer management". Run that, and one of the items in the browser bar will be storage. Go to Storage-> disk management. From there you will be able partition and format any non system disk.

When I try to rescue files from an old XP hard disk I cannot access the files.

NTFS files can have Ownership, which means if you own the files no one else can see them. This can be a problem if you need to backup or salvage these files.
to access files that are private in xp. This is for HOME, I think in PRO there is a different method because PRO has more options. However I am sure it would also work in PRO.

for example to backup your My Documents files if you have a hard drive crash and you have put the drive into another machine (note, even setting up the same user name and password will not allow you to access the private files).

To gain ownership of these files, boot into safe mode, log in as ADMINISTRATOR, right click on the folder you wish to gain access to (note it says ACCESS DENIED if you try to go into it), and add the ADMINISTRATOR to the owners. In fact it says "You do not have permission to view or edit the current permission settings for <folder name>, but you can take ownership or change auditing settings". Click ADVANCED, go to the OWNER tab, choose ADMINISTRATOR, tick "Replace owner on subfolders and objects", APPLY and choose YES. Bingo, you can now access those files.

Other Methods that I have heard about but not used....
I have heard that another way to get these files back is to use NORTONS GHOST to backup and then restore them, this removes the ownership apparently, I could not test it in this case because there were serious HD errors so GHOST would not backup the drive.
I also heard that you can use PARTITION MAGIC to convert the NTFS partition to FAT32 this removing the ownership, however this is reported to lose data, I have not tested it yet.
I have also heard that if you have BACKUP rights then you can backup onto a FAT32 drive, thus also removing the ownership details.

When I click with the left button it is like the right button has been pressed.

Occassional problem with mouse, rebooting will fix it.

When I move the mouse around the window I am in scrolls up and down madly.

Occassional problem with mouse, rebooting will fix it.

How do I tell if my internet connection is going as fast as it is supposed to?

Am I getting the speed I am paying for?

Speed-test your internet connection

Most likely WININIT.EXE is infected, so restore a new one from the WIN98 cab files using SFC

First do all the standard things to remove spyware, and run a virus scan.

Error in Outlook Express, it can no longer download emails although it can send. This is the error code : 0x800CCC0F . This is the full error message...

Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for this include server problems, network problems, or a long period of inactivity. Account: 'pop.tiscali.co.uk', Server: 'pop.tiscali.co.uk', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800CCC0F

This happened after I had updated Nortons and ZoneAlarm and Windows. I spent ages looking at Outlook Express to try and find the problem. The solutions from the internet say it is modem problems, check all SMTP and POP3 settings, and then reinstall Outlook Express (A bit severe and it did not fix the problem)

It turned out to be corrupt Nortons blocking the email. Any software that does email checking such as ZoneAlarm could also be at fault. So the moral is, first of all disable all software that starts on startup and try again.

Microsoft have a complicated way of doing this, here is an easier way.

1. Edit the following registry key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{44BBA840-CC51-11CF-AAFA-00AA00B6015C}
Modify/Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.
Data Type: DWORD // Value Name: IsInstalled
Setting for Value Data: [Change the Value from 1 to 0]

2. Download Internet Explorer 6 and run it with the /Q switch ( entering the IE-installer path in the Run box and adding the /Q switch will prevent the installer from checking upon the installed IE version

NB: If you are having problems with Internet Explorer you can do the same thing by editing the following jkey

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}
Modify/Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.
Data Type: DWORD // Value Name: IsInstalled
Setting for Value Data: [Change the Value from 1 to 0]

I found a handful of people with this problem on the internet, after suggesting updates to motherboard bios and video card drivers they had no solution, and the consensus was to install a different video card. I never had that option, so I persevered and found this solution....

WIndows XP is very slow at shutting down. It sits there on Saving Settings for a minute.

In the event viewer you see error 1000, which mentions Roaming User Profiles.

UPHClean is a service that once and for all gets rid of problems with user
profile not unloading.

You are having profile unload problems if you experience slow logoff (with
Saving Settings for most of the time while logging off), roaming profiles
that do not reconcile, or the registry size limit is reached.

And it can be downloaded from the following link.

Do these two things to fix this.
Copy the WIN98 folder from the Windows 98 CD to your C drive. Point the SRCFILES registry key there.
Remove ALL networks, reboot, install network INCLUDING FILE AND PRINTER SHARING.

If it asks if it should keep newer files say no.

In Windows 98, when you are putting it on broadband, you cannot run Internet Explorer without first installing a modem. It always goes to the WELCOME TO MSN INTERNET ACCESS page.

"WE WILL NEED TO INSTALL A MODEM BEFORE CONTINUING " - no we don't, read on...

This fix works for people using a LAN. It stops the PC searhing for scheduled tasks on the other PC, thus speeding things up.

Open up the Registry and go to :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace

Under that branch, select the key :

{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}

Right click it and select "Delete".

Disable error reporting in Xp

Stop error reporting in WinXP

Open Control Panel / System
Click on the Advanced tab
Click on the error reporting button at the bottom of the window.
Select Disable error reporting.

You can even stop it warning you when any critical error has happened. I am just trying that option out now.

Shutdown XP Faster

Windows Xp takes ages to shut down

When a user shuts down Windows XP, first the system has to kill all services currently running. Every once in a while the service does not shut down instantly and windows gives it a change to shut down on its own before it kills it.
This amount of time that windows waits is stored in the system registry. If you modify this setting, then windows will kill the service earlier. To modify the setting, follow the directions below:

Start Regedit.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control.
Click on the "Control" Folder.
Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"
Right click on it and select Modify.
Set it to a lower value, mine was originaly 20000 (Mine is now set to 2000).

NOTE: The lowest value Windows will recognize is 1000 (1 second)

ADVISORY: While rare, the "WaitToKillService" tweak can cause problems. If an application is in the process of saving data and the associated service is stopped prematurely, the data will not be saved and may be lost.

Also...

Like previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows xp
when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. to solve this problem you must disable
this useless sound.

click start button then go to settings -> control panel -> Sound,
Speech and Audio devices -> Sounds and Audio Devices -> Sounds, then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it. Now from sounds you can select,choose "none" and then click apply and ok.
now you can see some improvements when shutting down your system.

Hold ESC while booting will access the TANDON NB/386.

For other PCs the most common key is DEL, especially when an AWARD bios. F2 is also very common.

Here is a list I found of othe keys....

Press Delete during boot = AMI, Award
Press Esc during boot = Toshiba / Tandon
Press F1 during boot = Toshiba; Phoenix; Late model PS/1 Value Point and 330s
Press F10 when square in top RH corner of screen = Compaq
Press F2 during boot = NEC
Press Insert during boot = IBM PS/2 with reference partition
Press Tab during boot = Emachine
Press reset button twice = some Dells
Ctrl Alt + = Misc computers
Ctrl Alt ? = Some PS/2s, such as 75 and 90
Ctrl Alt Enter = Dell
Ctrl Alt Esc = AST Advantage, Award, Tandon
Ctrl Alt Ins = Zenith, Phoenix
Ctrl Alt S = Phoenix
Ctrl Alt Shift + Num Pad Del = Olivetti PC Pro
Ctrl Esc = Misc computers
Ctrl Ins = some PS/2s when pointer at top right of screen
Ctrl S = Phoenix
Ctrl Shift Esc = Tandon 386

USB Device May Not Automatically Be Detected in Windows 9x

USB Devices May Not Be found by Windows 98

Windows 98 USB not detected

Affected Products: Peripherals, Desktops, Software
Affected Operating Systems: Windows® 95, Windows® 98 , (+ME?)

ISSUE: USB devices, for example a printer or scanner, may not be detected automatically when plugged into the USB port. This issue occurs even if the USB port is enabled in the BIOS Setup Utility and USB is installed correctly in Device Manager. This issue can occur with either USB port on the computer.

RESOLUTION:
Verify that you are using Windows 95B or Windows 98.

Verify in the requirements for the USB device that it supports Windows 95B. Some USB devices are compatible only with Windows 98.

Verify that USB is enabled in the BIOS Setup Utility. Not all BIOS Setup Utilities have the option to turn it on or off.
Note: This option is only on older motherboards and is not the same as Legacy USB Support on current motherboards. Enabling Legacy USB Support allows you to use your keyboard while starting, but has no affect in Windows.

Verify that USB is installed correctly in Device Manager.

Verify that the cable is plugged into the USB port correctly on the motherboard.

Verify that the cable is plugged into the USB device correctly.

Remove the software that may be installed for the USB device.

Restart the computer.

From the Start menu, click Run.

In the Run dialog box, type: Regedit. Press the ENTER key.

Double-click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Double-click ENUM.

Double-click USB.

Under USB there may be keys that begin with VID_.

Select each VID_ key, and then press the DELETE key.
Note: If you have a Profile or Astro, do not delete all VID_ entries. Open and view each one individually. Delete only the ones that pertain to the USB device that you are trying to install.

When prompted "Are you sure you want to delete this key?", click Yes.

Disconnect the USB device.

From the Start menu, click Shut Down. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart, and then click OK.

After the computer has restarted, follow the directions for installing the USB device or use the tools.

The USB device is detected correctly.
Note: Verify that you are not using a USB hub. Plug the USB device directly into the USB port on the motherboard or the case for troubleshooting steps.

Before changing or modifying the Registry, make a backup copy.

USBVIEW on the Windows 98 CD under D:\Tools\Reskit\Diagnose (where D is the drive letter of your CD/DVD drive) is a good troubleshooting tool to verify that the USB device is recognized correctly.

This can happen after removing certain spyware

Get to a command prompt (may have to use SAFEMODE).

cd c:\Windows\System32
copy userinit.exe wsaupdater.exe

Run regedit and correct the following entry
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Change the key Userinit from "wsaupdater.exe" to "userinit.exe," (do not use quotes, and ensure the trailing comma is present as shown)

Restart the PC and delete c:\Windows\System32\wsaupdater.exe

Boot from the Windows XP CD.

Run the recovery console and type

CHKDSK /P

go ro START / RUN and type

control userpasswords2

check the box Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer

Bad news, You will have to get an email account with the broadband provider, or go with web-mail like msn hotmail or yahoo.

You can still continue to receive email from Freeserve for 90 days, but in the end they will deactivate your account because you have not logged in. You can however go to their website and reactivate, but you will have to do this every 90 days.

Outlook and Thunderbird and VagueClock all start when my computer starts up (when I log in). However sometimes one or two of these programs fails to start, as though the computer was too busy. Is it possible to fix this or at least delay the programs starting for a few seconds ?

Disable Universal Plug and Play

Disable the SSDP Discovery Service and the Universal Plug and Play Device Host. To do this, open Administrative Tools in Control Panel, and then open Services. Select "SSDP Discovery Service", right-click it and select Properties. Change the startup type to "Disabled" and then click OK. Repeat this for the "Universal Plug and Play Device Host."

This worked like a dream for me.

Windows 98 does not boot, half way through it says

SCNDRVP casued a Windows Protection Error , your computer must be restarted. Then it shuts down.

Access Denied when accessing PC over the network. This happens with XP HOME but could be other operating systems too.

The full error message is

\\adam is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. 
Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.

Access is denied.

There is much written about this (some of it complete rubbish), but this is the change that fixed it for me..

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa DWORD KEY "restrictanonymous" = 0 Then reboot.

explorer caused an invalid page fault in module shell32 017f:

(The memory address may be different, for me it was 017f:7fcc2479)

Here is the solution.

Delete the following registry keys....

Hkey_users\default\software\microsoft\windows\current version\explorer\streamMRU

Hkey_users\default\software\microsoft\windows\current version\explorer\streams

You may also look in HKEY_CURRENT_USER and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and delete the same keys.

This happened after I fixed the problem below by reinstalling windows over the top.

A fix is to go the Display Properties and choose USE LARGE ICONS

My desktop icons have all changed and show as .lnk files. They do not open. Any shortcut I make is the same.

This is happening in Windows ME (WinME)

There are many solutions to this problem on the net, but none worked for me.

People suggested deleting SHELLICONCACHE, deleing all DESKTOP.INI files, editing the registry, deleting .LNK from FOLDER OPTIONS/ FILES TYPES.

This appears to be registry corruption following a virus, so you could try to restore an old copy of the registry.

For WinXP there is a registry update that appears to fix a very similar problem (.lnk association), but this does not work in ME.

Reinstalling Windows over the top has fixed the problem

This sounds like the old problem that Windows 2000 (Win2k) had with AUTOEXEC.NT becoming corrupt. Here is a program that will repair the following files in WinXP.

• command.com
• autoexec.nt
• config.nt

XP_FIX.EXE

• Spell Check in MS Word is not checking the whole document.
• Spellcheck not working.
• There are still spelling mistakes in document after clicking on Spelling and Grammer..

AutoRecover failed and I have lost my Word document.

My MS Word document has not AutoRecovered after my computer crashed.

If you connect to that site, it says it is "UNDER CONSTRUCTION", Suspicious, I though. So I looked up who owned the site on http://ww2.arin.net/whois/

This site turns out to be owned by Microsoft.

I suspect it is some sort of spying, and the worrying thing is it happens when you do a search on your local harddrive. I would like to hear an explanation from Microsoft about what happening. One day I will look into what data is being transfered to Microsoft.

you get the followiing error

"There was a problem sending the command to the program "

This is because of settings in your firewall,

I got this error with this line of VB code

Shell "rundll32.exe shdocvw.dll,OpenURL c:\temp.url", vbNormalFocus

You need to allow RUNDLL.EXE to access the internet (not necessarily as server though). Some people say you also need to allow Windows Explorer, but not in my case.

So in ZoneAlarm go to PROGRAM CONTROL , and make sure Windows Explorer and “Run a DLL as An App” both have no red crosses in.

Will reinstalling Win98 cause me a problem with dual-boot....

c: drive is win98
D: drive is XP

If your Windows 98 is what is called the System Disk, then, yes, reinstalling Win98 will eliminate some boot files and screw up the MBR (Master Boot Record) which XP needs in order to dual boot between WinXP and Win98. But, you can fix it. To restore WinXP operation when Win98 (on the System partition) needs to be reinstalled:

Backup these files to a floppy if you can when you boot to XP

NTLDR
NTDETECT.COM

Reinstall Win98

Boot to Win98 and restore these files to the C drive.

Boot to the XP CD Recovery Console and run these commands.

FIXMBR
FIXBOOT
BOOTCFG /rebuild

To start the Windows Recovery Console, use any of the following methods:
Start your computer by using the Windows Setup floppy disks or the Windows CD-ROM. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press F10 or press R to repair, and start the Windows Recovery Console.

It could be due to this..

The directory name is the same as the name of the drive, example if you have a D: drive called DATA and inside that a directory also called DATA then you will not be able to open that folder over the network.

This happens when I am using a WinXP machine to get data off a WinMe PC. I had seen this behaviour a long time ago with Windows 95. I am surprised it has not been fixed.

If it says INVALID SYSTEM DISC then check that the Harddrive is powered and is properly connected to the primary IDE connector and the jumper is set to MASTER. Check the drive is being recognised by the BIOS.

These DOS commands are useful. to recover from a damaged hard-drive, for example after a virus, but be careful with them

FDISK /MBR (restore the Master Boot Record)

SCANREG /FIX (Restore the registry)

SYS A: C: (Copy system files from a bootable floppy eg a Windows 98 Startup disc)

Also you may need to copy MSDOS.SYS (or other system files) from a machine with working Windows 98. (especially if it is saying Invalid Himem.sys).

shutdown -a

Note, this is useful too if a virus is counting down to turn the PC off.

In Windows XP there is the compatability mode.

In Windows 2000 compatability mode.is most likely not enabled (especially if you have SP3) so you will have to enable it yourself....

The name of the program is APCOMPAT.EXE and it is in the Support folder on the CD.

Also...

If you are familiar with Group Policy, there is also a group policy template called compatws.inf that will lower some registry security setting and may allow the program to run.

After much messing about with this computer running Windows ME I think it has some problems, it seems to have a memory leak problem when running for a day or so, and the CPU is still chugging away at 20% when idle even though no programs are running at all. I think this is one of those cases where you either live with the quirks else a complete reinstall is necessary. Before reinstalling make a cd with all the latest drivers for the soundcard, graphics, motherboard, network, modem or cable modem.

Also I have hard that Windows 98se is more stable.

"Often when my kid presses all the keys on the keyboard, the computer behaves funny when I type and I have to reboot. For example pressing D minimises all the windows and pressing F brings up the search screen."

"ie4 tour startup cannot find server"

Everytime windows starts a popup appears that says "Cannot Connect to Server" and if you are quick you can see it is trying to get to IE4 Tour.

You need to edit the registry. In the registry editor go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Tips

This is a very common problem, which some people cannot solve. Try all the standard things , such as closing all other programs down, closing programs in the systray, running spyware and virus checkers, doing a ctrl-alt-del and seeing if anything is left in the task-manager.

If you still have the problem then you can run FIleMon to see what program is accessing the hard-drive and interrupting scan-disc.

You can run ScanDisk in safe mode, but even this may not solve the problem, .....

Here's the solution that Kate has discovered (no one else on the net mentions this) - unplug the machine from the network - this has worked twice now when nothing else was working.

Internet Explorer 6 keeps closing down and wants to send an error report to microsoft.

Uninstalling and going back to IE5 still causes errors, and it can lead to you not being able to type into the webpage.

Sometimes this problem happens randomly, and on some PCs it happens everytime you open (or maybe close) Internet Explorer. Often it happens more often when shutting down certain pages such as the Windows Update page.

The errors may be "IEXPLORER has caused an error in module MSHTML.DLL or WININET.DLL" when using IE6 and it tried to send a report to MS. When I reverted to IE5 the errors were still there but it no longer wanted to report to MS.

I tried all the obvious things such as checking for viruses, removing all spyware, and going to ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS selecting IE6 and choosing REPAIR. Also I have tried reverting to IE5 and then reinstalling IE6.

In the end I apppear to have fixed the problem by going to WWW.SUN.COM and installing the latest version of JAVA.

I did this fix on one PC and the Java installation failed, it said that \bin\jpicpl32.cpl (that's a control panel program) could not be overwritten because it existed but was not an official Java program (or some such error). I went to Add/Remove programs and removed Java, then found the Java folder (it contained the above program) and removed it. Then reinstalled Java and this time the installation succeeded, I have a suspicion that it is not damaged files or a virus, but bad Microsoft software (due to them trying to make their own Java or whatever they did) that is causing this problem.

Everytime I come across this problem it seems it needs a differnet solution. This time I tried everything and in the end out of desperation I used IERADICATOR to remove all traces of IE6, then I reinstalled IE5.5, then I extracted the files MSHTML.DLL, MSHTMLER.DLL, and MSHTMLED.DLL from the IE5 setup folder, and blam, fixed. Except it broke again when Windows Upgrade installed IE6.

type this into a command window

netstat -a -n

http://members.driverguide.com/driver/

LOGON=drivers Password =all

I cannot email documents and other files home because the company firewall is blocking them.

How do I bring files home from work?

Company policy probably says you cannot take files out of the office, however if you insist then there are many solutions (you could use a laptop on the network, burn a cd, print them, or even ask the boss) but this is my favourite answer....

Take your USB digital camera in, plug it in and simply copy the files onto the camera.. No one will suspect anything and no security measures exist to stop you or record what you have done (correct me if I am wrong). If no one is watching then you could plug a USB hardrive or memory card in but this will look more suspect. The latest version of this trick is to use a USB MP3 players, such as the popular iPod.

Don't blame me if you get in trouble !

PROBLEM : Lost dialup internet access in Windows XP.

When you try to add a dialup you get ERROR 711 - a configuration error on this computer is preventing this connection.

If you try to start Remote Access Connection Manager you get ERROR 5 : Access Denied

Whenever I try to play an MP3 file in Windows Media Player 9 I get the following error message....

"The audio codec identified by the format tag 55 is required to play this file. To determine if this codec is available to download from the Web, click Web Help."

I have tried rolling back to the previous version of Windows Media player (MP3 files would now play) and then reinstalling Windows Media Player 9 but the problem returned.

"no more menu chevrons"

Office 2000 and Office XP insist on hiding menu options that I haven't used for a while. They call it a feature. I call it a pain. I want to see all my menu options without waiting or making an extra click.

Why you should not run your computer as an administrator.........

You should not add yourself to the Administrators group and you should avoid running your computer while logged on as an administrator. For most computer activity, log on as a member of the Users or Power Users group. If you need to perform an administrator-only task, log on as an administrator, perform the task, and then log off.
Running Windows 2000 as an administrator makes the system vulnerable to Trojan horses and other security risks. The simple act of visiting an Internet site can be extremely damaging to the system. An unfamiliar Internet site may have Trojan horse code that can be downloaded to the system and executed. If you are logged on with administrator privileges, a Trojan horse could do things like reformat your hard drive, delete all your files, create a new user account with administrative access, and so on.
You should add yourself to the Users or Power Users group. When you log on as a member of the Users group, you can perform routine tasks, including running programs and visiting Internet sites, without exposing your computer to unnecessary risk. As a member of the Power Users group, you can perform routine tasks and you can also install programs, add printers, and use most Control Panel items. If you need to perform administrative tasks, such as upgrading the operating system or configuring system parameters, then log off and log back on as an administrator.
If you frequently need to log on as an administrator, you can use Run as.

In XP I was getting this error after a virus trashed XP and the repair failed because it was done with the XP HOME UPGRADE disc instead of the full version of XP HOME .

"The procedure entry point GetIUMS could not be located in the dynamic link library MSDART.DLL"

The best way to fix this error is to install the latest MDAC from Microsoft (Currently version 2.8). It will fix errors with all of the following files:

12520437.cpx, 12520850.cpx, adcjavas.inc, adcvbs.inc, adojavas.inc, adovbs.inc, cliconfg.dll, cliconfg.exe, cliconfg.rll, dbmsgnet.dll, dbmsrpcn.dll, dbnetlib.dll, dbnmpntw.dll, ds16gt.dll, ds32gt.dll, expsrv.dll, handler.reg, handsafe.reg, instcat.sql, msadce.dll, msadcer.dll, msadcf.dll, msadcfr.dll, msadco.dll, msadcor.dll, msadcs.dll, msadds.dll, msaddsr.dll, msader15.dll, msado15.dll, msado20.tlb, msado21.tlb, msado25.tlb, msado26.tlb, msado27.tlb, msadomd.dll, msador15.dll, msadox.dll, msadrh15.dll, mscpxl32.dll, msdadc.dll, msdaenum.dll, msdaer.dll, msdamg9x.dll, msdaora.dll, msdaorar.dll, msdaosp.dll, msdaprsr.dll, msdaprst.dll, msdaps.dll, msdarem.dll, msdaremr.dll, msdart.dll, msdasc.dll, msdasql.dll, msdasqlr.dll, msdatl3.dll, msdatsrc.tlb, msdatt.dll, msdaurl.dll, msdfmap.dll, msjro.dll, msjtes40.dll, msorc32r.dll, msorcl32.dll, msvcirt.dll, msvcrt.dll, mswdat10.dll, mswstr10.dll, msxactps.dll, msxml3.dll, msxml3a.dll, msxml3r.dll, mtxdm.dll, mtxoci.dll, odbc16gt.dll, odbc32.dll, odbc32gt.dll, odbcad32.exe, odbcbcp.dll, odbcconf.dll, odbcconf.exe, odbccp32.cpl, odbccp32.dll, odbccr32.dll, odbccu32.dll, odbcint.dll, odbctrac.dll, oledb32.dll, oledb32a.dll, oledb32r.dll, oledbjvs.inc, oledbvbs.inc, psapi.dll, sqloledb.dll, sqloledb.rll, sqlsrv32.dll, sqlsrv32.rll, sqlunirl.dll, sqlxmlx.dll, sqlxmlx.rll, vbajet32.dll

In Windows 2000 I started getting this error in EXPLORER.EXE

"The instruction at "blah" referenced memory at "blah". The memory could not be "read".

The best solution is to go here and run VBRUN60.EXE . This will Install the latest Run-Time Components for Visual Basic Applications and updates the following files:

ADVPack.dll, ASycFilt.dll, ComCat.dll, MSVBVM60.dll, OLEAut32.dll, OLEPro32.dll, STDOLE2.tlb, W95Inf16.dll, W95Inf32.dll, VBRun60.inf

The best solution is to go here and run VCREDIST.EXE. This will Install the latest Run-Time Components for Visual C++ Applications and updates the following files:

ASYCFILT.dll, ATL.DLL.dll, COMCAT.dll, COMCTL32.dll, MFC42.dll, MFC42u.dll, MSVCIRT.dll, MSVCP60.dll, MSVCRT.dll, OLEAUT32.DLdll, OLEPRO32.dll, STDOLE2.tlb.

If any ocx or dll is missing then you need to find a copy of it and put it in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM (download MSCOMCTL.OCX from here or extract it from your Windows CD). Then you need to register it, by going to the RUN command and typing REGSVR32 MSCOMCTL.OCX

"What programs can be run from the RUN command?"

Well, pretty much any .EXE, .BAT, .COM, etc that is in the path (C:\ , C:\WINDOWS, C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM). Here are some of the useful ones....

calc = opens calculator program

charmap = displays Windows character Map for various fonts

command = get a dos window

msconfig = diagnosis tool allows you to temporarily change the programs that start with the PC.

gpedit.msc = edit group policies in XP

regedit = edit registry - be careful

winipcfg = find your IP address for the network/internet.

winver = displays Windows Release Version

Sfc /scannow