| Question/Answer |
| sallie00 asked on 12/27/07 - MS Word I click the start button and no documents are showing up in my recent documents, even though I have been opening up some of my docs.
How do I make my recent docs show up.
Thanks in advance. ScottGem answered on 12/27/07:I think the list of recent docs are stored in the Registry. If its been cleared, I don't think there is a way to recover without restoring a Registry backup. Try doing a System Restore.
Hope this helps
Scott<>
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| Question/Answer |
| naushad_khan asked on 10/01/07 - I Cant view my hidden files and Folders Dear Sir,
I am having Windows Xp pro SP2 Operating System. Right now i am facing a problem, i cant veiw my hidden files and folders. In the folder option - view tab i press the "show me hidden files and folders" radio button - apply ok. even then it automatically goes to "dont show hidden files and folders"
exactly what is the problem i dont know. please help me out.
thanks in advance
regards,
naushad khan ScottGem answered on 10/01/07:Have you tried Restoring to an earlier restore point or booting to the XP CD and running the Repair option?
Hope this helps
Scott<>
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| Question/Answer |
| richturner asked on 07/27/07 - Task Bar Icons The icons on my taskbar (the one that shows running programs such as antivirus) are funky. Sometimes they appear when I boot up, sometimes not. In the properties listing, many of the programs listed under "Past Items" have the wrong icons. Programs where I've checked "display an icon on the taskbar" sometimes do and sometimes don't.
I know all about hiding taskbar icons, and I've used msconfig to manage the programs that automatically start on bootup. However, no matter what I do, it's impossible to predict what I'll get each time I boot up. Even such standard icons as the one for adding and removing hardware and the volume control come and go, seemingly at random.
Any idea what the problem is?
Rich ScottGem answered on 07/28/07:not really sure. have done regular maitnenance? defrag malware scans etc.
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Helpme asked on 06/22/07 - lsass.exe-system error when we turn our laptop on and wait for the log on page to come up a box pops up. In the box it says lsass.exe-system error
Object name not found
I have gone to the microsoft website to find a solution. what i found did not help. it told me to press f8 key when the operating system selection page is displayed or before the cjomuter starts Windows. select the Last Known Good Configuration option.
it aslo said if the problem still occured to do the following.
Windows 2000 and Windows XP
1. restart computer.
2. press F8 key before the Windows logo page is displayed.
3. press the F8 key to select Advanced Startup Options when the operation system selection page is displayed.
4. use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and then press ENTER.
I followed these resolutions and the box with the same message appeared. what else can i do. I can't logo onto any profile.Please help me ScottGem answered on 06/25/07:did you try this site:
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/lsass/
Hope this helps
Scott<>
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| Question/Answer |
| thecatcher asked on 04/29/07 - bookworm adventures delux this is a kids game - i have downloaded this onto a CD and it will not play - says "fatal error - unable to extract game executable" - any ideas? the game will play if i download to my computer ScottGem answered on 04/29/07:Most programs cannot be run from CD. It looks like what you did was copy (not download) a compressed file to the CD. When you try to run it, it trys to extract the compoenents onto the CD whihc you may have finalized so you can't write to it anymore.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| thecatcher asked on 04/29/07 - closing problems when i close windows explorer a box comes down and says it has to close and do i want to send an error report - windows explorer will not close normally - what can i do?
ScottGem answered on 04/29/07:What version of Windows and IE? You might need to reinstall or repair IE.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Linoleumpoppyz asked on 04/25/07 - remote desktop i dont have xp pro, is there another way i can use remote connectivity to repair someone's computer? ScottGem answered on 04/25/07:You can try using a service like Logmein.com
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| keon14 asked on 02/11/07 - taskbar problem I have lost items on my taskbar.I have lost the "run" and "shutdown & restart" buttom. I have to shutdown power to shutdown computer, i cannot shut it of the proper way. Please help. thank you ScottGem answered on 02/15/07:You need to repair your installation or go back to an older restore point.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 02/04/07 - Automatic Log-on My laptop, which uses Win XP Media Ctr. Ed. 2005, always prompts me for a password to log on to Windows during startup.
How do I change the setting so that I won't have to log on at all?
Many thanks,
C.L.
ScottGem answered on 02/04/07:From Windows Help:
To turn the Welcome screen on or off
You must have a computer administrator account on a computer that is a member of a workgroup or is a stand-alone computer to turn on or turn off the Use the Welcome screen feature. Logging on at the Welcome screen is not available on computers that are members of a network domain.
Open User Accounts in Control Panel.
Click Change the way users log on or off.
Do one of the following:
To specify that users log on to the computer using the Welcome screen, select the Use the Welcome screen check box.
A user logs on to the computer by clicking his or her user account name on the Welcome screen. If a password is assigned to the account, the user is prompted to type it.
To specify that users log on to the computer without using the Welcome screen, clear the Use the Welcome screen check box.
The Welcome screen will no longer appear when you start the computer. To log on to the computer, type your user name (and password, if you have one) in the standard Log On to Windows dialog box.
Notes
To open User Accounts, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click User Accounts.
Fast User Switching is available only when the Welcome screen is turned on. For more information, click Related Topics.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
drgade asked on 01/10/07 - System Tray Icons
System Tray IconsDo I have to download a program in order to hide some of the icons in my system tray? Or is there a simpler way of doing this?
While I'm finally getting around to trying to cleaning up my desktop, one of the icons that got in my Tray is a Microsoft "update" one that asks me (....every day)if I want to download the updates. Reading the "contract" it sounds like downloading may reconfigure my display/or what I am used to seeing on the desktop.
I'm NOT a computer literate person and have found that once I say "yes", I can't get rid of what I didn't want changed. How do I stop Microsoft from "asking" if I want to do this now? ...or will it really change a lot of things familiar to me if I agree to have the downloads?
I appreciate your time and expertise in giving answers. All fives for any answer. ScottGem answered on 01/10/07:First you should download anything Microsoft states is a critical update. These are generally security and bug patches. The other stuff you can decide for yourself.
It would also help to know what version of Windows. With Windows XP, the tray area contracts and hides seldom used tray icons.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| keenu asked on 01/07/07 - My pictures option I have windows xp home version, service pak 2.
I used to have the option of minimizing the size of the picture when emailing pictures from the my pictures folder. No longer. It disappeared. Why? Is it because I upgraded to IE7?
I really miss that option. Is there any way to get it back? ScottGem answered on 01/07/07:Not sure what that feature was. Whether it was in your e-mail client or image editor. You can use an image editor to reduce the size of images.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| superqaz asked on 11/14/06 - xp disc wont boot hi
xp disc wont boot
i inheritated, with my pc, an xp instalation disc which will not boot ..so installed an os with a bootable win 2000 disc then had to upgrade to xp [same problem xp disc]
the proffessional techie i brought the machine from said it was a definatly a bootable disc..can you tell me, possibly, why it wont boot or how to make it do so.
msg says invalid system disc [or very simalar meaning same thing]
boot order in bios is correct
thanx mark ScottGem answered on 11/14/06:Did you check your CMOS settings to make sure the Boot sequences looks at the CD first?
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| nayana asked on 11/08/06 - password protection for folders in winxp I have 2 pcs with winxp formatted using fat32 partition.In both the pc's i have created users using
administrator rights.both the pcs r in network.Now in network neighbourhood I can see both the pcs.I want to know how can i put password protection when one pc
access the other pc in the network neighbourhood.Also
can i put password protection for my shared folders.
I have heard this is only possible in ntfs patition.
can i convert from fat32 to ntfs partition directly without causing data loss ScottGem answered on 11/08/06:I would recommend going weith NTFS and you can convert without loss of data. But you should back up just for safety's sake.
You can right click a folder and select Properties, then the Security or Sharing tab to share folders password protected or not.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| headranger asked on 10/22/06 - GOOD FREE DEFRAG UTILITY TO USE WITH XP I have heard that there are a few defrag utilities (to be used with XP) out there that are FREE and are better than the one coming from Microsoft.
Appreciate any ideas,
George in San Fran ScottGem answered on 10/22/06:Jo is right that Diskeeper is considered the best. I don't know of any other. The thing is the one built into XP uses Diskeeper technology. I think the branded version has some more features, but the same base technology.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| sallie00 asked on 10/09/06 - Saving documents How do you save all my documents on MicroSoft Word onto a floppy disk.
Thanks in advance. ScottGem answered on 10/09/06:This depends on a couple of factors. Assuming that you save all your Word docs into the same folder (My documents is the default), you go into that folder select the documents then copy to a floppy (if they will fit).
You would not do this from inside Word.
If you want to save an individual document to a floppy, use the Save As option and select the floppy as your destination.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| naushad_khan asked on 10/07/06 - I Want to use ctr+alt+del to log on in windows xp Please help me how should i use ctr + alt + del option in the startup to log on in windows xp. ScottGem answered on 10/08/06:I don't understand what you want. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del brings up the a panel withe several options. But its not applicalbe to the startup.
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| webtrain1 asked on 10/03/06 - recovery of Windows XP What is the best recovery method to use in case Windows XP cannot startup?
Restore Cd (Can I make my own? How?)
Ghost?
Go Back?
Webtrain1 ScottGem answered on 10/03/06:First method is to boot from XP and use Repair option. If that doesn't work and you need to restore the whole drive partition, then Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image is a good backup option.
I have a multi-pronged backup policy. I have my machine setup with 3 partitions. The C partition is just the OS, D is for my data files and E for Executables (programs). I use Norton Ghost to do a daily file backup of the D Drive, then create images of C and E when I make changes.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| webtrain1 asked on 09/26/06 - restore cd boot disks I am purchasing a rebuilt HP Pavilion 501N for my company for email, Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, digital phot editing, and online order processing and general internet use. The computer company that is selling me the PC, does not have any boot disks or restore cd's.
Can i make my own boot disk in case of boot failures?
And can i make my our restore cd's from within this pc? (It does have a cd-burner)
Or do i have to purchase it from HP?
The computer company told me that they could not make me any restore cd's due to copyright laws?
ScottGem answered on 09/27/06:Depends n how rebuilt the machine is. HP puts the System Restore on a small partition on the hard drive. You can access this partition during boot to create restore disk or run the system restore. But if they changed any hardware you don't want to use it since it assumes its the same hardware that originally came with it.
I am bothered about their lying about the restore disks. There is NO copyright issue involved there.
I would get Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image and make your own restore image.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| PKHING asked on 08/03/06 - to develop webpage in window XP environment Nowaday, to develop a webpage is quite difficult i feel especially when i want to test it in the browser. The information bar seems to be irritating. I use pinnacle and flash software to create some animation before test it in the browser but always a information bar interupt me for the display. Tried several times but still fail. please help. Thank you ScottGem answered on 08/03/06:Developing a webpage is not difficult. Developing a page with animation and a lot of interaction may be more complex.
Its not clear what "information bar" you are referring to.
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| pete4187 asked on 04/27/06 - XP: lmhosts vs hosts WinXP: What's the difference between C:WINDOWS-system32-drivers-etc-lmhosts and C:WINDOWS-system32-drivers-etc-hosts? ScottGem answered on 04/27/06:The two are very similar. The structure is about the same, but the Hosts files is used for Internet addresses, while the LMHosts is used for local network addresses.
They both translate names (either machine names or URLs) into an IP address.
The Hosts file, in particular, can be used to speed and secure Web browsing. By listing frequently visited sites, you can speed up retrieving those sites. Since the Hosts file is looked at first before going out to the DNS (Domain Name Service) servers. It can speed up finding the address. Conversely, you can block accessing certain sites (like ad servers) by routing the URL to your PC's IP.
HTH
Scott<>
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 04/02/06 - Change protection of Win XP Home folder On a Win XP Home system, I wish to set read/write protection on a specific folder so that all users of this PC may read/write/modify all files in that folder, regardless who created them.
All users of the machine are able to read all files, but can modify only their own files in that folder.
Is there a way, with XP Home, to set permissions on a folder so that all members of a group (users on this PC) can modify files in that folder which were created by another user?
ScottGem answered on 04/02/06:You cna set a folder as shared or change the security restrcitions for a folder. Not sure if it works the same on Home as Pro, but try right clickcing on the folder and selecting Properties then Sharing or Security.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 03/20/06 - Replacing My OS Dear Scott:
Remember I said that the Win XP I have on my new PC I bought from an online retailer at a deep discount? And you said that it may be an illegal copy and might cause problems?
Well, I'm thinking now that it is an illegal copy because I have encountered a problem with it:
I went to China Airlines' website, and a box popped up telling me that I need to pop in my Windows CD and install the Chinese Language Pack. I insert the CD and the computer searches, then says that it cannot find a certain file. So the install cannot be completed.
So, now I want to purchase a genuine copy of the OS from a reputable vendor. Once I get it, is replacing the illegal copy with the legal one on my PC as easy as uninstalling the first and then installing the second one?
Because if I uninstall the first one, then how will my computer function without an OS in order for me to install the second one? Or can I not uninstall the first one and just do an over-the-top install of the second one?
Many thanks,
C.L.
ScottGem answered on 03/20/06:I would go with the "over to top". Method. Boot to the good CD and choose to install. At some point it will ask if you want a clean install instead of an update. Choose the clean one,
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| jocase asked on 03/08/06 - Turning off Windows XP service pack 2 Firewall Panda Titaniam antivirus and windows firewall conflict.
I need to the ability to turn off and on Windows XP Pro firewall service pack 2. It is "on" and all choices are greyed out.
I log on with administrator rights. This is a stand alone computer, no network. I just updated windows, and the first update was service pack 2.
I suspect is is a group policy set to always keep the firewall on. I don't know hoe to edit the group policies on the win xp pro machine.
Can you help?
Any ideas? ScottGem answered on 03/09/06:Go to Start>Help and search on firewall. You will find a link and instructions to turn it on and off.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 02/27/06 - Alphabetizing All Programs List Under my Win XP Start Menu, not all the items in my All Programs list are in alphabetical order. How do I make Windows arrange them in alphabetical order?
Many thanks,
C.L.
ScottGem answered on 02/27/06:There is no easy way since the Programs menu is gotten from several sources. In your Documents and Settings folder there are folders for each user including an All Users and Default User. Under each is a StartMenu>Programs folder. You can Arrange by Name, bit it doesn't coordinate all of them.
Your best bet is to drag and drop each item into place.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| forare asked on 02/27/06 - one prog. for 2 users I have an application which runs ok for one user on winxp and it does not run for another account i tried to uninstall and install again but still not working. is there a way to make it always run as the first account which is working.
thank you
ScottGem answered on 02/27/06:What happens when you try to run it under the second user? Did you try installing it under each user? What application is it?
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 01/30/06 - OS Upgrade Am I permitted to install an upgrade to an upgrade? Here's what I mean:
My current OS is Win Xp, which is the Upgrade Edition. Will it work if I get and install Win Vista Upgrade Edition?
Or does Microsoft not allow that, but requires that I buy the Full Version of Vista?
Many thanks,
C.L. ScottGem answered on 01/30/06:In most cases you can upgrade an upgrade. The only time I've ever encountered a situation when you can't use an upgrade as long as you have the previous version is when its an academic edition.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 01/27/06 - Follow-up to "PC won't Boot Up" Question Dear Scott:
Thanks for responding to the last question. I have a follow-up:
Remember you said I should not have tried to reinstall Win ME? Well, I don't have to because I exited Windows Setup and manually shut down the computer.
Now I can boot up the computer using the Win XP CD and choose the Repair Option.
So I did that, but ran into a problem -- it says this on the screen:
Windows XP Recovery Console
Which Windows installation would you like to log onto(To cancel, press ENTER)?
I don't understand what they're asking. What do I do?
Thanks again,
C.L.
ScottGem answered on 01/27/06:It sounds like its registering multiple Windows installations. What choices does it give you.
Scott<>
P.S. the Repair console IS what you want to get into. |
| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 01/27/06 - PC won't Boot Up Dear Scott:
Thanks for answering my anti-spyware question this morning.
Something bad has happened. My PC won't boot up now. After I turn it on, it gets stuck during boot-up and this is what I see on my screen:
Verifying DMI Pool Data......
Boot from CD: Boot from CD:
NTLDR is missing
Press any key to restart
I press a key, and then I get this error message:
DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER
The PC uses Win XP, which I bought as an upgrade. The computer's original OS was Win ME. My XP Upgrade did not come with a Startup floppy disk. So in response to the above prompt, I insert the Win ME Startup disk.
Then the computer gives me a list of options, one being to boot up from CD-ROM. I choose that option, and then I eject the Startup disk and pop in the Windows ME CD.
Then I get some lines of error messages, telling me that certain files are missing(I think they're missing from c:windows). Among the missing files are RAMDRIVE.SYS, and CONFIG.SYS(or COMMAND.COM, I forget which).
And then I get the command prompt A>
The above was what happened the first time I tried to solve the problem after discovering that my PC won't boot up.
Just now I tried something else. I turn off the computer, and instead of booting up with the Win ME Startup disk, I boot up with the Win XP CD-ROM.
Windows Setup comes up on the screen. I choose the option to install. It tells me it is unable to find the previous version of Windows on the computer(remember my Win XP is an upgrade CD). It gives me a list of options, including inserting the Win ME CD into the DVD-ROM drive.
So should I do that? That would be an over-the-top re-install of Win ME, right? And after that I should re-install the Win XP Upgrade, right? Would that take care of the problem?
Also, could the boot-up problem have been caused by the WinFixer spyware? After fixing the boot-up problem, my next step will be to buy an anti-spyware program to clean up my computer of the spyware, malware, trojans, etc. Would that be enough to keep my computer from developing major problems again? I know my hard drive is long overdue for a defrag, so I'll do that too. Should I also get something like System Mechanic to fix all the problems and bugs that might be on my computer?
Many thanks,
C.L.
ScottGem answered on 01/27/06:Not sure what could have caused the problem. But the problem was caused by an issue loading the operating system.
You made a mistake by trying to install Win ME. You should have just booted to the XP CD and used the Repair or Reinstall option. Now you need to identifiy the previous version by inserting the Win ME CD as requested.
Hopefully that will get the OS reinstalled.
HTH
Scott<>
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| Question/Answer |
| Bradd asked on 01/08/06 - Uninstalling Windows media Player How do I uninstall Windows Media Player. It's playing havoc with Real Player and is a nuisance.
Add/remove programs doesn't work. File search doesn't work.
I have Windows XP-Pro. Thanks.
ScottGem answered on 01/09/06:Without knowing what version of WMP, I couldn't find any specific instructions. I tried searching at support.microsoft.com.
I've used both RP and WMP on several machines without problems. What problems are you having?
HTH
Scott<>
|
| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 01/07/06 - Win XP Media Ed. vs. Win XP Home Ed. What can Win XP Media Edition do that Win XP Home Edition can't?
Many thanks,
C.L. ScottGem answered on 01/07/06:Media Center Edition has utilities that run on top of Windows to provide greater control over Video, music, photos etc. Its designed to be worked using a remote control rather than a keyboard and mouse.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 01/04/06 - Network Operating Systems I understand that Windows XP Professional is for a network. So what is MS Windows Server Enterprise Edition for? What's the difference between the two, and if they already have Windows XP Pro then why do they need a Win Server Enterprise Ed?
Many thanks,
C.L.
ScottGem answered on 01/04/06:Windows XP is a CLIENT. It is meant to be used on a individual PC that may or may not be on a network. The extra stuff in XP Pro is for better control over the network connection when connected to a Windows server.
The Server versions of Windows are designed for running on a machine that will act as a server for other PCs on a network. The services performed by such a server are login authentication, file and print services, directory services etc.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| jocase asked on 12/27/05 - Wireless on dial up connection? Asking for a friend:
Will a wireless router work on a computer that has an internal modem and only dial up access to the internet? No cable ....no DSL...Win XP home. ScottGem answered on 12/27/05:Not without significant jury rigging. However, there are some routers that work include a modem to use with a dial up connection. They aren't easy to find however.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| cubclowns asked on 12/27/05 - regedit i have just installed a pant shop program and when i open program ireceive message
failed to update system regestery please try using regedit
what do i do? ScottGem answered on 12/27/05:Uninstall the program then reinstall it. Something went wrong during the install process.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| lilac asked on 12/19/05 - base 2 pane form dear experts,
whenever i shut down my computer i see a small window saying the programme base 2 pane form is closing down. The window appears for 3 seconds and then teh computer shuts down regularly.
i have noticed this for a few days.
A goggle search gave 2 different results which puzzle me: either it is a dangerus virus coming from irc programmes or jsut soemthign related to a new printer installed.
Actually i have recently installed a new hp printer
and also msn messenger was installed a few days ago.
Another problem i have is taht 'image transfer', teh programme i use to download my digital photos, is not working any more. It goes like this: an error has occurred in teh programme
thanks for your kind help
ScottGem answered on 12/19/05:I have several HP printers and never had that issue. What it means is that you have a program, probably loading at startup, that needs to be shut down when you shutdown Windows.
The questions is what the program is. Try going to Start>Run type MSCONFIG and check under the Startup tab for this program. If you find it uncheck it and see if anything happens.
If you have up to date virus and spyware scanners, then I wouldn't worry about it being a virus.
As for your Image softwarem, just try reinstalling it.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 12/14/05 - File Association change I have WinXP/SP2. I wish to associate the file extension ".DOC" with MS WordViewer, rather than MS Word 2003. I did that in the WinExplorer Tools > Folder Options > FileTypes while logged on as Administrator, but the "Change" and "Advanced" buttons are greyed-out for other (non-Admin) users.
What must be done to change the file association for ".DOC" files from Word 2000 to WordViewer for non-admin users?
ScottGem answered on 12/15/05:Did you test it under the non-admin users? I don't believe that is a user specific parameter. Looking in the Registry, the associations are a root class, not a user class. Which would indicate its machine specific, not user specific. You might need to reboot to affect the change for all users.
If it is still Word for the other users, there are 2 things you can try. You can try right clicking on a DOC file and selecting Open With. Then select the Viewer and see if you can check the Always Open box. If that doesn't work, then I would change the User temporarily to an Admin, go in and make the change, then change them back.
HTH
Scott<<>
|
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 12/12/05 - Dupe DVDs I have a few family DVDs that I'd like to duplicate. How do I do this? ScottGem answered on 12/12/05:The first place to look is your burning software. There should be an option to copy a disk.
If not, there are a number of utilities that will make copies of non-copy protected DVDs.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| marbeene asked on 12/02/05 - TO Reload or Not to Reload.. that is the Question Got distroyed by sasser. Finally deleted worm and tried to reinstall XP Home and reload is unstable.
Should I FDISK then reinstall? If so where do I get the Fdisk.EXE command?
ScottGem answered on 12/02/05:You can do a full install from the XP CD which will do a reformat. Its not necessary to FDisk.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Linoleumpoppyz asked on 11/21/05 - Uninstallation issues More than once I have tried to uninstall certain programs only to be given a message saying the program has been succesfully uninstalled, yet then I see the program remain in the Add/Remove Programs List and the folder still present in Program Flies along with all the files and apps. I don't know what is causing this and would appreciate some help. I realize I could delete the particular folder, but with few exceptions, I would probably not be able to reinstall the program in the future, as XP would still list it as being installed under the Add/Remove Program list. Thank you for your time. Feel free to ask me any questions. ScottGem answered on 11/21/05:With many programs, there may be customized or data files in the Program folder so the ininstall routine won't remove the folder. You can safely remove the folder without it affecting your ability to reinstall.
However, the entry in Add/Remove Programs should be removed. If it stays it could just simply be a poorly programed uninstall routine. However, the listing there may or may not inhibit reinstalling.
If the program doesn't uninstall properly, your best option is getting support from the program author/vendor.
HTH
Scott<>
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| Question/Answer |
| ontadian asked on 11/10/05 - CHDSK program Can someone tell me why the CHDSK program always starts up when booting up on my WINDOWS XP and is there a way to stop this? ScottGem answered on 11/10/05:Have you let it complete? ChkDsk has to run from a command prompt. If you elect to run it, it will setup to run the next time you log on. If you don't let it complete it will continue to try and run.
If it is completing, then try running MSCONFIG and see if its listed in Startup and uncheck it.
Or check this article.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;831426
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| robertx75 asked on 10/04/05 - unable to download certain attachments several weeks ago, when I tried to click on the "Printable Version: for an Email atachment, A little red circle with a white hand popped up,Along with a small grunting noise, and was unable to use the "Printabke version". Since then the same thing has happened when ever I try and download any attachents. I Emailed my problem to "ALL EXPERTS" and received back a reply but was not able to see it because it was an attachmnt that the "red Circle" blocked. Asked a techy at PC Club and he said it may be a virus but was unable to offer an answer of how to correct the problem. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated. Am using windows XP, Intel SIS651 mother bd.intel celeron-D processor 330 2.66GHz ,256MBx1 memory, 80GB ScottGem answered on 10/05/05:Do you have an anti-virus utility? If so, is it up to date? Have you run a full scan?
If you don't have an A/V try the free scan at www.grisoft.com.
You are saying the attachments are blocked. Do you get any message? Have you checked your security settings for Internet Explorer?
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| tomder55 asked on 10/03/05 - Saving information to a CD disk My wife is having a problem. After she saves information on a CD she is unable to add information onto he disk . What is she doing wrong? ScottGem answered on 10/03/05:There are two types of CD; CD/R and CD/RW. CD/Rs are write once and CD/RWs are read write. However, for you to be able to write again to a CD/RW it has to be formated for read/write.
You can add to a CD/R is you set it up for multi-session. This means that each session is separate, but once you close the disk its locked.
How you do this depends on the burner software you are using. You need to read the Help on Multi-Session and CD/RW for more info.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/19/05 - Using msconfig I used the ‘msconfig’ command to see what TSRs I could delete to speed up my computer.
There were 5 programs I identified right away that appeared to be associated with programs I never use:
mmtask c:ProgramFilesMusicMatchMusicmatch Jukeboxmmtask.exe
mm_tray c:ProgramFilesMusicMatchMusicmatch Jukeboxmm_tray.exe
NeroCheck c:WINDOWSsystem32NeroCheck.exe
qttask c:ProgramFilesQuickTimeqttask.exe –atboottime
Real Play c:ProgramFilesRealRealPlayerRealPlay.exe SYSTEMBOOTHIDEPLAYER
I unchecked each of these, then rebooted the computer.
On reboot, I received the following Windows message:
.....
“You have used the System Configuration Utility to make changes to the way Windows starts. The System Configuration Utility is currently in Diagnostic or Selective Startup mode, causing this message to be displayed and the utility to run every time Windows starts.
Choose the Normal Startup mode on the General tab to start Windows normally and undo the changes you made using the System Configuration Utility.”
.....
I clicked ‘OK’, then restarted under Normal Startup. When I checked the msconfig again, the 5 programs above which I had unchecked were again checked as startup files.
What does this Windows message mean and how should I respond? ScottGem answered on 09/20/05:When you choose the Normal Start you negate the changes you made. The best way to deal with this is to check the Don't show this message box and let the machine use Selective Startup.
You might want to consider uninstalling Musicmatch. If you don't use Nero for CD burning you can uninstall that too. I would leave QuickTime and Real Player because you never know when you might need them to view WEB based content.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/13/05 - Checkdisk results Is there a way to see the results of Checkdisk after it has completed even if I tell it to automatically fix errors? ScottGem answered on 09/13/05:You can redirect the results to a text file if you run it from a command prompt.
chkdsk /R | C:chkdsk.log
will send the results to a file named chkdsk.log in the root of C.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/06/05 - Icons on Desktop In Win XP, are more resources used if I have icons on my Desktop screen vs. in a folder on my Desktop? ScottGem answered on 09/07/05:The answer is yes, but its not a concern. Windows needs to keep track of every customization. Every aspect of the desktop, wallpaper, colors, font size, icons etc. all have to be maintained. This does use up resources. The fancier the wallpaper, the deeper the colors, the more icons all require more resources.
However, Win XP does not manage system resources like Win 9x did. There aren't limited pools of memory that can be used up causing problems. This is one of the factors that makes XP much more stable then Win 9x. So gussying up your desktop is not the concern it was under Win 9x.
Unless you have a low amount of RAM (256M or less) there is no reason to concern yourself. If you have 512M or more I wouldn't give it a second thought.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| richturner asked on 09/05/05 - System Restore Scott:
Since reinstalling Windows XP Home on my computer, I have had difficulty getting restore points to "stick." I've been creating quite a few, and they hold for a while but then vanish. For example, I set about five this afternoon while I was installing new software. After I was done - at about 6 p.m. - all the restore points were in place. I did not shut down the computer, and my wife was using it to scan some photos while I was away. She did not install anything or restart the computer and did not even change users since anything she did could be done under my logon. However, when I looked at system restore at 11 p.m., it had no restore points.
Under system restore settings (System Restore tab in Control Panel), I have allowed the maximum disk space usage (9175 MB). According to Microsoft's own Windows XP Inside Out manual, system restore "automatically creates restore points every 24 hours" and "deletes restore points every 90 days." However, even before I reinstalled Windows, it did not do this. Most restore points do not last more than a day, it zaps them at random, and it certainly does not automatically create them every 24 hours. And this is true even when days go by without my using system restore at all.
How can I correct this situation? Alternately, is there something I can safely download to take the place of system restore (without screwing up Windows)?
Rich ScottGem answered on 09/06/05:I tried searching for info on disappearing restore points and couldn't find anything. The only alternative to using System Restore is to use an imaging app like Ghost or Acronis to create an image file of your drive.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/05/05 - Services in Control Panel What is the relationship between the items in the lists under Services in the Control Panel (Start-CP-Admin Tools-Services) and the msconfig utility?
What is the difference between Standard and Extended services? ScottGem answered on 09/06/05:The MSConfig utility is used to control how your system is configured during the startup process. Some of the items listed in MSConfig are services that will load at startup or they are a call to load those services.
Services are an enhanced version of what used to be called Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) utilities. They are utilities that run in the background to provide additional functionality to Windows. Loading as a service is more efficient then just running the program in the background. Some services may be essential to your system others may not.
Extended services are usually API calls that software authors may use to enhance their software.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| haran asked on 08/22/05 - XP drive space May i know the the total drive supported by the windows XP professional ScottGem answered on 08/23/05:I believe XP will support drive sizes into the Terabytes, if that's what you are asking.
But its better to partition larger drviers into smaller more manageable chunks.
If this doesn't help, please rephrase your question to make it clearer.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| tabarestani asked on 07/21/05 - REGISTERY CLEANER HI,MY COMPUTER HAS SOME ERRORS,AND I WNAT TO REGISTER IT,BUT I DONT WANT TO PAY MONEY, IN WHICH SIDE I CAN DOWNLOAD REGISTERY CLEANER FREE? ScottGem answered on 07/21/05:Try googling "Free Registry Cleaner". you should find several optionsd to choose from.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| tcd1952 asked on 07/16/05 - freeing up system resources in XP How do I free up my system resources. I'm trying to install a new video card not enough system resources.
I just bought this computer used and it has windows xp in it I have 256 in mem and a amd 3 530 mgz
Tom ScottGem answered on 07/16/05:The answer is; you don't. System Resources is a Win 9x thing. It doesn't exist in Win XP Because XP is built on the NT platform not the DOS platform that required the use of resource pools. XP manages memory and resources differently (and much better) then Win 9x. That's why its much more stable.
I would double the amount of RAM you have though. I consider 256M bare minimum for XP. It likes 512 much better.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| wahaj87 asked on 07/15/05 - Taskbar disappeared hi I have read this help message but it did'nt help.
I have an intel p4 based pc with xp. So what else can be done, any solution from windows registry?
wahaj87@hotmail.com
----------------------------------
"On my Dell Desktop I have lost my taskbar at the bottom of the screen::
What is the easiest way to get this taskbar back???
Thanks, HR George in SF
Answered By Answered On
ScottGem 09/17/03
Well the problem is why it disappeared. The first thing to do is try pressing your Windows logo key (or Ctrl+Esc). See if and where the taskbar appears. If it appears on a different side then the bottom, just drag it back down.
If that doesn't work try moving the cursor to the edge of the screen and see if it turns into a double headed arrow. If it does, drag the edge up to increase the size of the taskbar.
---------------------------------
ScottGem answered on 07/15/05:What happens when you press Ctrl+Esc or the Windows logo key?
|
| Question/Answer |
| purplewings asked on 05/28/05 - Microsoft pop ups. Help. I can't get anywhere anymore. Everytime I try to write or go to another page, I get pop ups on top of pop ups. Usually I have to move them to the bottom of the screen because they refuse to be x'd out. What can I do to save my sanity? ScottGem answered on 05/28/05:Run spyware scans and get a popup blocker. Also make sure you upgrade to SP2.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 05/22/05 - Display date On the Win XP Taskbar, is there a way to automatically display the date along with the time without having to hover over the clock portion? ScottGem answered on 05/23/05:It doesn't look like there is and frankly I think it would take up too much room. I use a freeware utility (DSClock, www.dualitysoft.com/dsclock) that displays the date a time in a small box on the desktop. Not only that, but it synchronizes your time with official clock sites on a schedule so you are ensured of always having the correct time.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| lilac asked on 05/22/05 - mouse freezes on computer switching off dear experts,
i have had some problems with the mouse lately ...it used to freeze after some time i was using the computer but now it seems to be working properly and hardly ever freezer while working on the pc...
these days it has started to freeze any time i switch the computer off: i disconnect the internet then i click on switch computer off and at that time it freezes, so that i have to switch off by disconnecting the power. When i reconnect the power and switch it on it works properly.
i have an infrared mouse (the one with a red light at the bottom)
thanks in advance for yr help:)
ciao ScottGem answered on 05/22/05:It probably has nothing to do with the mouse. It probably has to do with shutdown issues. As soon as you select to shut down, the whole system freezes.
Windows has always had a history of shutdown problems. Go to support.microsoft.com and search for 'Shutdown problems' and you will find several troubleshooting articles.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| jocase asked on 05/03/05 - Corrupted System Files I am told by microsoft support that I have corrupted system files. I cannot find the CD that came with my Micron Computer. It is not a full version of win xp and was produced before service pack 2 was released.
A new full version of win xp costs 499.95 at Best Buy.
Others on this board have warned about the cheap OEM products that are sold.
The computer is about 4 yrs old. Should I just buy a new box?
John ScottGem answered on 05/03/05:Contact Micro, they should send you a replacement recovery CD. But I would be more inclined to replace the computer then spend $500 for XP.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| pete4187 asked on 04/22/05 - Fonts Fonts are stored in c:windowsfonts, I know, but I can't find the file that holds helvetica. Which file is it? ScottGem answered on 04/22/05:Most Fonts are copyrighted. When Microsoft first came out with True Type for Windows (rather then adopting and paying for Adobe's proprietary Postscript Type 1 fonts), they had to use fonts and font names that didn't violate existing copyrights. Therefore, Helvetica became Arial and Times Roman became Times New Roman. While there are some slight differences between True Type versions and the real thing, they are essentially the same. There are Helevetica versions if you want to download them. Not sure if they are free or not.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| pete4187 asked on 03/28/05 - upgrade Win XP Home to XP Pro This is installing XP Pro over the existing Home edition installation. Any known problems or issues? ScottGem answered on 03/28/05:As long as you are using an upgrade version, shouldn't be a problem.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| kfar7142 asked on 03/23/05 - Windows Font In MS Word I would like to use Script Font. It is not on the dropdown list. The font is in the font library in Control Panel. How do I get access to this font? ScottGem answered on 03/23/05:Make sure the font is installed. Even if its listed in the font folder it may not be installed to Windows. All installed fonts should show on the Font list in Word. So if it is installed, you may be looking for the wrong name. The default script font is named Brush Script and would be under the Bs alphabetically.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 03/15/05 - Reverse computer problem I work with Blind students and I help them with basic application software and sometimes they hit the wrong keys, making the computer not function properly.
Does anybody know how to prevent this from happening or know of a program that I can use to undo what was done?
I tried System Restore but it didn't reverse the problem.
For instance I presently have a computer in the lab that has a monitor problem. Under settings I can only set the resolution to 4 Bit. It appears that something happened to the driver. The student does not know what he did. And I really can't blame him.
ScottGem answered on 03/16/05:I don't think there is anyway to prevent it from happening. But there are some things you can do to recover from it happening.
First, I would repartition each PC into at least three partitions. The C drive would hold ONLY the OS. The D Drive would be used for Data files and the E drive for programs.
Then get a copy of Norton Ghost (or similar) and make an image of the C drive either onto CD or network. Now if anything goes wrong, just restore the most recent C Drive image. Most computer schools use a similar technique to restore their machines after a class.
If you don't care about preserving data, you can keep it as one partition, but you may have a problem fitting the image onto CD.
You will need to update the image everytime you add any software to the machine.
As for the specific monitor problem you mention. This usually means that the video adapter was blown out. Another thing I would do is to go to www.belarc.com/download.html and run their analyzer to get a compresehnsive inventory of what's on the PC (after its put back into good order). Then you can refer to that to reload the correct video adapter, which is what you need to do to fix the problem of limited resolution.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| drgade asked on 03/10/05 - About a blank ad I have an ad that keeps popping up even though the content has been removed.
It simply Ad-Microsoft, but where the ad would be, there is a blank box. I've tried to find its source but with no success.
Any suggestions or more information needed? ScottGem answered on 03/10/05:Have you run spyware utilities, like AdAware, Spybot or Microsoft's new Anti-Spyware beta?
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| lilac asked on 03/04/05 - internet explorer is very slow dear experts
i followed the advice you gave me after i encountered a 'disk boot failure problem' and took my computer to a technician as you suggested.
The technican couldn't understand waht was wrong and just formatted teh disk and reinstalled window xp.
The computer has been working well for about a week, but now teh internet explorer is very slow and when i use teh internet, pages take so long to load and surfing becomes unnerving. It happened all of a sudden yesterday. I performed an adware scan, ran a cleaning programme but nothing worked..please help
thanks in advance ScottGem answered on 03/04/05:Hi Lilac,
First, try using System Restore and go back to before yesterday. If that doesn't work, make sure you do a virus scan and try Microsoft's Anti-spyware utility. You can find it at:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx.
What you are describing is typicall of spyware.
Other things you can check is go to Start>Run type MSCONFIG and look in the Startup tab and see what's loading at startup. If there is anything there you don't recognize, unbcheck it. If you find you need it, you can always recheck it.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 02/22/05 - Intermitent Sound Problem I am running Windows XP SP2. I am suddenly unable to get sound when playing CD games (Reader Rabbit & Jump Start). I can hear MID files but not WMA or WAV files. I have checked the Device Manager and there is no exclamation mark in a yellow circle or a red x next to the devices. All the devices are list as working properly.
Going to Start – Settings – Control Panel –Sounds and Audio Devices -
Volume tab - Advanced – Speakers tab - Speaker Setup: shows Quadraphonic speakers
Audio tab - Sound Playback - Default Device: shows Intel Integrated Audio, and MIDI Music Playback: shows Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth
Hardware tab - shows the following:
HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8160B – DVD/CD-ROM drives
Intel 82801BA/BAM AC97A – Sound, video and games
Audio Codecs – Sound, video and games
Legacy Audio Drivers – Sound, video and games
Media Control Devices – Sound, video and games
And again, it indicates that all devices working properly.
NIS, Spybot and Ad-Aware indicate I am problem free.
The only thing I've done recently is install TurboTax. Have you ever heard of TurboTax causing a sound problem? I can restore back to that point but hate to do so as updating TurboTax took over 30 minutes. Add that to updating Sypbot, Ad-Aware, NIS, and Windows, I'm hoping there is an easier fix that I'm missing.
Any suggestions?
ScottGem answered on 02/22/05:Hi Luhayes,
The only thing that comes to mind is that ist possible that TTax changed the codecs or associations for WMA or WAV files. TTax does include a lot of sound and video in its support files.
The first thing I would check is your associations (Open Windows Explorer, select Tools>Folder Options>File Types. See what's associated with WAV and WMA. Its probably Windows Media Player. If it is, then try and get new codecs for WMP from Microsoft's site.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 02/17/05 - SDK.DLL After downloading Windows Service Pack 2 several months ago, a message kept coming up that there was an error and Windows needed to close. This was caused by a program called "Pg SDK.DLL". I called Windows Service Pack 2 Help line. The Windows technician told me where to go to uninstall that program, and since then I have had no problems. However, every time I open my computer, a message box appears, "This application has failed to start because PgSDK.DLL was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem." The title bar for this box is "PgMonitr.exe - Unable to Locate Component" I just close this box, and get right on to the Internet. But it's worrisome to always see this message. What's going on? Do I need this application? ScottGem answered on 02/18/05:Luhayes,
A google search lists PgMonitr.exe has known spyware. Running your spyware utility should detect it and remove it. If it doesn't make sure its up to date or try another utility.
Editing the Registry should always be reserved as a last resort fix.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| lilac asked on 02/17/05 - to Scottgem..improvement after boot failure Dear ScottGem
Thanks so much for your precious help. I followed your tip and performed the Disk Maintenance you mentioned….. well after doing it the computer has improved a lot ... it has been working properly for about 2 hours before opening the boot failure warning again (before it used to open the boot failure warning after about 10 –12 minutes of poor working.
Windows media player is not working anymore, but all other functions are ok.
The disk maintenace went through 5 steps; at the 4th step it warned” it is impossible to replace damaged clusters for file 17069 named system tilde1_RESTO tilde 1R P400A0059153.dll.
I could not see the final report because the page quickly disappeared.
Do you still think i will have to make it repaired by a technician or can i wait to see whether it undergoes further improvement?:) (not likely eh?)
your opinion would be much appreciated thanks again
bye ScottGem answered on 02/17/05:The message indicates there is damage to the drive.
Such damage can't be repaired. So your best option is to replace the drive. Fortunately Drives are not expensive. I don't know how large your drive is, but you can get 80G drives for around $50. Many stores, like CompUSA, will install the drive for free if you buy from them. They might charge, however for copy the old drive onto the new.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| lilac asked on 02/17/05 - disk boot failure dear experts
yesterday my computer went black and in teh window teh following words appeared:
"disk boot failure
insert system disk and press enter"
does that mean i have to insert window xp disk ? and then which option do i have to choose?
please can you tell me in details waht to do?
at the moment my computer is sort of working intermittently (i'm using one of this fortunate spells to write this help call:)... for isntance,,,,, it switches on then after say 10 minutes the black window appears with teh same boot failure words
Also when all seems to switch on ok the boot failure warning appears briefly before running xp,,,,,, also the computer is veryyyy slow at times or get stuck.
please help
thanks very much in advance ScottGem answered on 02/17/05:Lilac,
What this means is that the system did not find a bootable disk. Since its working intermittently, it sounds like either you have a loose drive cable or the drive is going bad. If you are comfortable with opening the case, do so and make sure that all the cables going into the drives are tight and secure.
If that doesn't fix the problem I would replace the drive ASAP.
You could try doing a Disk Maintenance (right click on drive in My Computer, choose Properties, then Tools). But I think you have imminent drive failure and if you want to recover anything you should get a new drive ASAP.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 02/02/05 - Slow boot up time Windows XP
When I boot-up, my wallpaper comes up almost immrdiately, same as always. However, it takes about 6-8 minutes before the Desktop icons appear.
I have not downloaded any new software, the "msconfig" start-up listing is at an absolute minimum, and I have ZA, NAV, Spybot, and Adaware. I even went back to a past restore point, but still no change.
Does anyone have any ideas or recommendations or what's causing this and if there's anyting I can do to speed it up? ScottGem answered on 02/02/05:Hi Luhayes,
The only thing I can suggest is checking the Event Viewer (Right click on My Computer and select Manage), you may find some clues in there.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 02/01/05 - Flashing button when try to print I'm using Windows XP. When I go to print I sometimes get flashing on the top row of the display (the line above the menu bar) and at the same I get orange flashing of Microsoft Word at the bottom of the display (to the right of the "start" button). What is this telling me?
If I wait nothing seems to happen.
The only way I've found to get out of it is to click on the start button, then click on "turn off computer" and then it tells me it can't turn off because a dialog box is open. I click on okay and it lets me continue and I can now print the document.
What am I doing wrong? ScottGem answered on 02/01/05:Does the item actually print? I'm guessing but it sounds like a warning message is being displayed, but its being hidden behind the active Window. Try minimzing your windows to see if you can see the message dialog.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Bradd asked on 01/28/05 - Delete or Update ?? In Windows XP Pro, clicking on Tools>Internet Options>General>Settings>View Objects, an Object listed is what looks like a Registry entry (long alpha/numeric).
Status says "damaged". Right-clicking, I get "Update" and "Delete" as choices. If I choose delete, will Western Civ as we know it end? What happens if I choose "Update"?
Thank you. ScottGem answered on 01/28/05:Bradd,
I did find the View Objects you referred to. However, I had nothing listed as damaged. I've not encountered this before so I'm not 100% sure what to do.
I would backup my machine and create a System Restore point. Then try the Update option and see what happens.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 01/22/05 - Installing Programs on XP sys We have 3 user accts and we would like to know how to load programs on the computer and have them available to all 3 accts.
For example, I loaded Money on one acct. Then when going to another acct., it doesn't show up in the All Programs. We did a Search and found it, but I figured there must be an easier way. And it only puts the desktop icon on that user's acct where it was loaded.
Ideas? ScottGem answered on 01/22/05:This really depends on the program. Different programs act differently. But its actually easy to make the program available to all after the fact.
Under the documents and Settings folder there is an All Users folder. All you need to do is log onto an Admin acct and copy the icon from the individual user to the All Users Start menu.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| webtrain1 asked on 01/12/05 - XP comment and question First my comment about Windows XP and I would like to hear opinions as well.
I like Windows XP. But, I am disappointed with pc makers do not supply a version of Windows XP with their computers. Some provide only restore cd's. My friend bought a new HP PC and it did not come with any XP or restore cd's. HP said that the restore cd could be made internally and onto a cd disk. He did not know this until Windows became completely corrupted and the registry corrupted as well. HP instead sold him restore cd's for 32.00.
They should have cam in the box.
All pc should come with XP on cd.
My question is:
Can restore cd's be used over and over if needed?
Will it work on another pc?
If I buy an upgrade or full version of XP, can it be reused more than once?
Thanks ScottGem answered on 01/12/05:I just purchased a Compaq (HP) computer. There is a small partition on the drive (about 4.5G) that contains all the recovery files. The setup instructions CLEARLY suggest that you make a copy of this partition and tell you how to do it. So your friend should have practiced RTFM. As knowledgeable as I am, I still browsed thru the Setup instructions just to make sure there were no surprises.
XP is licensed to one machine and one machine only. To use the license on another PC, would mean it had to be removed from the original PC. For example. The Compaq was replacing a Dell whose motherboard died. Therefore the machine was not operable. The Compaq came with XP Home, but I had XP Pro on the Dell. I was, therefore, legally able to install XP Pro because I was transferring the license to a new machine.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 12/31/04 - Items in Sys Tray Using Win XP. I have 2 items in my Sys Tray that I don't see in the lists within msconfig.
How can I turn these off so they don't start automatically when I start up my computer? ScottGem answered on 01/02/05:Before you start editing the Registry, please list what these programs or icons are. To remove something from the registry you really need to make sure you get every bit of it. Otherwise you could cause problems with the Registry.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 12/17/04 - error message loop When I do a reboot procedure I get a message that says "Please wait while Setup updates your configuration files. This may take a few minutes....." Then it says "FILE NOT FOUND"-Windows could not upgrade one or more system files before starting. Windows may not start or run properly. If windows fails to start, run SETUP again. Press any key to continue. At this point I can hit the RETURN key and it continues to reboot successfully.
I tried to go back and do a system restore but I must first reboot the system before doing a system restore to a different date. If I reboot I go back into this same loop. Any suggestions sp I can do a full reboot without intervention? ScottGem answered on 12/18/04:Another thing you might try is booting to Safe Mode and doing your System Restore from there.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 12/15/04 - SP2 Express vs. Custom Install I have Windows XP and was given the option to choose between Express Install or Custom Install.
Which do you suggest? ScottGem answered on 12/15/04:I always choose Custom Installs. I want to see what's being installed and make my own choices. Generally I choose the defaults, but sometimes I will make changes.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| webtrain1 asked on 12/14/04 - XP running very slow I have a pc with WIndows XP, and it is running very slow. I noticed that there are a lot of processes that are running in the background. I don't even know what most abbreviations mean. How can I increase my pc usage and stop all those processes from running and run what i need? ScottGem answered on 12/14/04:You can run MSCONFIG and uncheck items inthe Startup tab that you don't want to load at startup.
To understand what the processes are, search your hard drive for the file name listed.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| chris asked on 11/19/04 - TV Display I am trying to conect my Laptop to display on a T.V. I have conected it via an S-Video cable and the T.V. displays part of my computer screen but not all of it. When i maximise a window it fills my laptop screen but dosn't have any effect on the TV. I am running Windows XP ScottGem answered on 11/19/04:I'm wondering what that S-Video plug is for then. It might not be designed to send VGA to a TV. It might be just for viewing DVDs on a TV. You should read about it in your system manual.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| chris asked on 11/19/04 - TV Display I am trying to conect my Laptop to display on a T.V. I have conected it via an S-Video cable and the T.V. displays part of my computer screen but not all of it. When i maximise a window it fills my laptop screen but dosn't have any effect on the TV. I am running Windows XP ScottGem answered on 11/19/04:I'm assuming your laptop has a TV Out jack. You might try playing with the resolution. TVs usually don't give very good reproduction.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| laparka asked on 11/18/04 - How to delete everything on H:? I would like to delete everything in my H: drive (external hard drive) using the command prompt. But when I typed "del *.*" I got "Could Not Find H:*.*". What am I doing incorrectly? ScottGem answered on 11/18/04:It would be easier to just reformat the drive. Right click on the drive icon in My Computer And select Format. Or type Format H: at a command prompt (not the H: prompt).
The Del command only works on the current directory. I suspect there are no files in the root directory of H: Which is why you got the message. There is really no good way of deleting all files and folders on a drive in one shot except by reformatting.
HTH
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| rare1 asked on 10/22/04 - WinXP Free Disk Space When I'm adding and deleting things from my hard drive, the free disk space indicator is not updating properly. If I check the free disk space of one of my drives, it might say 20GB. But if I delete almost the entire contents of the drive, it might still say 20GB. I've noticed that sometimes rebooting, or just leaving the computer for a few hours seems to fix it, any idea what is the cause? and possible solution?
Win XP Pro SP2
AMD Ahtlon XP 1900+
512MB of RAM
80GB + 10GB Hard Drives
The problem happened before and after Service Pack 2 also, so it's not SP2 related.
Thanks for any help,
Rob ScottGem answered on 10/23/04:First, when you delete a file it goes into the recycle bin. So you actually haven't freed up much space. Second, wwhichdrive space indiactor are you referring to, there are several ways to check drive space. Some of them might not update immediately. If you go to My Computer, select a drive, select Properties, that should be a current indicator.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| Liz22 asked on 10/19/04 - Memory Low? Before my teenager starting using Yahoo chat rooms, I never had problems with memory now in the mornings my XP will say- Low on memory.
Can someone please tell me what is the best way of freeing up space my hard drive?
My Local C free space reads 28.3 GB the Fat32 is 25 percent free, I always make sure
I do the entire maintenance plus Disk cleanup what other way could I work to get more memory?
Thank you so much for your time. ScottGem answered on 10/20/04:What is the EXACT message you are getting and when do you get it?
If you have 28G of free space then the message is probably not referring to storage space. There are two types of "memory" in a system. Memory usually refers to RAM which is volatile and clears when your system is shutdown. Storage refers to your disk drives. How much RAM do you have on your system?
Also have you done scans for spyware?
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| MAHASHA asked on 10/13/04 - window xp in bottom two lines Dear scott
Hi
My brother when I start pc there are in start up bottom there are two lines one has time clock and another line has wednes day. HOW MAKE A ONE LINE IN START LINE IN BOTTOM
Yours-RAJ ScottGem answered on 10/14/04:This is your taskbar. Position the cursor at the top edge until it becomes a two-headed arrow. Then drag it down to one line.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Raging asked on 10/11/04 - service pack xp problems Hi just upgraded to Service Pack XP but Nortion hangs the computer, how do you fix it. ScottGem answered on 10/11/04:Get rid of Norton. Or contact Symantec to see if thwere is a patch or upgrade you need.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 10/04/04 - Confirm that SP2 has been installed On a Win XP system, what can I check to confirm that SP2 has been installed? ScottGem answered on 10/04/04:Right click on My Computer and select Properties. You will see what version is installed.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/29/04 - IE updates Are all critical IE updates always "included" within new Windows XP critical updates?
Or, do I need to periodically check the MS website for new IE updates in addition to my Windows updates? ScottGem answered on 09/29/04:IE updates will be included when you go to the Windows Update site and scan for new updates.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| gtoman asked on 09/28/04 - XP Pro with viruses A freind called and asked if i could wipe her hdrive clean and reinstall XP Pro because she said theres a few viruses running in it. She said she copied a lot of important files to other media, she didn't say what kind,and she'd like me to wipe the hdrive clean and reinstall XP Pro, BUT, she said there's Microsoft Access Word software that they didn't copy to another media. she wants me to copy all of that if i can. i'm not sure how large the program is but if i try to burn it onto a CD-R and it's too big for that can I copy it to 2 CD-R's? i've never done that before. also, i know, since i did it to my hdrive, when i reinstalled XP Home i fdisked but didn't format it and XP Home reinstalled fine and i didn't have to call microsoft for a new access code for it to work. will this same proceedure work also with XP Pro?
Any help will very appreciated,
Thanks, Jim ScottGem answered on 09/28/04:As Paul said, you usually can't copy and installed program then restore it after an OS reinstall. It needs to be installed from the original disk. She will have to get the disk or a legal version of Office.
As for Reinstalling XP, that should work fine. But if she has a recovery CD that would work better.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| vickiroz asked on 09/16/04 - desktop&screensavors how do u delete some screensavors on my display,there not in the uninstall anywhere,i want to delete some of them,but there is no delete button,help ScottGem answered on 09/17/04:Screensavers are generally stored as SCR files in the Windows folder. Just do a search for *.scr to find them. Then highlight and press Delete key for those you don't want.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Corinne asked on 09/16/04 - Everything has gone huge!! Hello!
I'm a new user of Windows XP Pro. My son was playing one of his games and when he was done, everything has turned large. My desktop icons, IE pages, OE...everything!
Does anyone know how I can fix this?
TIA :) ScottGem answered on 09/16/04:Sounds like the resolution was reset. Right click on a blank area of the desktop and select Properties. Then go into the Settings tab and change the resolution slider. I suspect its set at 640x480, you want to slide that to the right. Play with the settings.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 08/29/04 - System Restore and SP2 Will a manual System Restore point set just before installing SP2 (in the future), give me the safety net I want if something goes wrong? ScottGem answered on 08/30/04:Its not necessary. SP2 will remove easily from Add/Remove Programs.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 08/29/04 - SP2 on CD vs. Download Is the SP2 update on CD that can be ordered from MSoft likely to be as up to date as the downloadable version of the update? ScottGem answered on 08/29/04:Probably. If there are any additions they will probably be separate patches.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| webtrain1 asked on 08/28/04 - Windows XP SP2 Has anyone tried to download the new XP Service Pack 2? Don't do it.
I installed SP2 yesterday. And the update offers big security options that is suppose to make the internet experience safer. What the SP2 has is a security center with virus, firewall, and automatic updates as options. What it also does is disable your LAN and High Speed option in Network connections. Now i turned off the virus, firewall, and automatic update features and it still disabled my lan connections which is also my high speed connections. I tried to enable it but it will not work. instead is has a limited or no connectivity status no matter how many times you try to enable it. i was able to get on the internet fine after shutting off all the security options and enableing the LAN connections as best I could.
I called Verizon my high speed DSl ISP and they told me to stay away from SP2 because a lot of calls have been coming in with the same problem. I tried my system restore function but it too was disabled?
Now I can at least get online. But verizon told me to contact Microsoft directly. They don't respond to email and the call is charged. I could not find this on the microsoft web site but does anyone know how i can restore back to SP1 without reformatting the hard drive or reinstalling Windows? ScottGem answered on 08/28/04:The good thing about SP2 is it is supposedly easy to uninstall. Just go to Add/Remove programs and scroll down to the bottom to uninstall it.
I think that making such general statements is unfair. I know several people who have install SP2 with absolutely no problems. I do agree that caution should be taken, but it shouldn't be condemned outright because some people had a bad experience.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| DILLIGAS asked on 08/23/04 - XP-Pro backup issue and replacement I have a client that is using XP Pro, and I shaving issues with the integrated backup provided by MS. They asked for a cost effective backup software solution that would work to backup single directories either in a backup format or in a file by file method.
I have very large enterprise solutions that are overkill for this guy. Does anyone have a solution that is cheap and good (His words, not mine.)
Thanks,
DILLIGAS
ScottGem answered on 08/23/04:I use Backup PC from Stomp. There are a couple of others in the under $100 proce range.
They all do a file backup of selected folders and/or files.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| webtrain1 asked on 08/10/04 - SP2 for XP Is the new WIndows XP Service Pack 2 worth downloading? ScottGem answered on 08/10/04:There seems to be some differing opinions about that. I would suggest searching the WEB on XP SP2. You should find several articles that will give you enough facts to make your own decision.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| kafarnham asked on 08/05/04 - Compaq TouchPad The Install disk for XP Pro does not recognize the Synaptics TouchPad v5.8 on my Presario notebook. I am running XP Home with no problem. Can I safely install XP Pro? ScottGem answered on 08/06/04:Make sure you get drivers from Compaq. I assume the notebook came with XP Home, so the drivers were preloaded.
Hope this helps,
Scott<>
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| Question/Answer |
| pete4187 asked on 08/05/04 - replacement for MS Project I'm looking for a replacement for Microsoft Project, but it has to be a program that works in a Windows environment. MS Project has too steep a learning curve, and I'm looking for something that people can use for project management without investing days just trying to figure it out. ScottGem answered on 08/05/04:I did some research on Project Mgmt software a while back. Frankly, MS Project is one of the easiest to use. The fact is that project mgmt is a fairly complex task. And the software designed to do it is complex to use.
Maybe if you described just how you want to use project mgmt software we can recommend something.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 08/01/04 - Backup I like to back up critical files on a regular basis. So far I've been backing up everything in My Documents, my Favorites, and my email.
Is it also important to back up my Windows System files. If so, where are they located on a Win XP system? ScottGem answered on 08/01/04:Depends on what you think of as your Windows System Files. It does not make sense to restore Windows partially. If you want to restore Windows, best to do a full backup of your OS partition or (even better) use disk imaging to clone the drive.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 07/27/04 - Windows firewall and new service pack I just read that the new service pack for Windows will automatically turn on the Windows firewall.
Since a system should have only 1 software firewall installed, how will this affect users that already have Zone Alarm or another firewall installed? ScottGem answered on 07/27/04:Where did you hear that a system should only have one firewall? While I personally wouldn't run multiples, it shouldn't do the system harm, maybe slow it slightly.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| richturner asked on 07/16/04 - Runtime Errors Scott:
This is no big deal but a nuisance. I recently wiped my hard drive and reinstalled everything. All programs, of course reverted to default settings, so they may not be as I had them before.
Ever since the reinstalls, I have been receiving an error message on a few sites when I first open them in my browser (Explorer 6). The message reads: "A Runtime Error has occurred. Do you wish to debug?" The next line says "Line" followed by a number. Then a line says "Error: Expected" followed by a symbol that looks like a semicolon between two single quotes. Underneath are a "Yes" box and a "No" box. No matter which I click, the runtime error message goes away or gives me an identical message with a different line number. Click again and the message keeps popping up (maybe once more, maybe four or five times) until eventually it goes away and the Web page appears. As I said, it happens only on a few specific sites, and sometimes when I go into edit mode on my own website.
I suspect that a security setting in Explorer is not what it should be or that some setting in Pop-Up Cop may need to be changed, though disabling Pop-Up Cop does not eliminate these error messages. What else could it be?
I have tried downloading every Microsoft update and patch I could find (uncluding Service Pack 1) that might have a remote bearing on the problem, but the message persists -- always at the same sites.
Any advice on what to try to get rid of the things?
Rich
ScottGem answered on 07/17/04:The problem is more likely on your home page. Try changing the home page and see if it stops.
You can also disable that message (whihc I recommend) by going to Tools>Internet Options, then under the Advanced tab check off the Disable Script debugging box.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
bloodcherry asked on 06/23/04 - Adding Fonts
Hi, How do you add new fonts in XP?
Thanks ScottGem answered on 06/26/04:Then the problem is most likely the files you are downloaded. Try with other files.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
bloodcherry asked on 06/23/04 - Adding Fonts
Hi, How do you add new fonts in XP?
Thanks ScottGem answered on 06/23/04:Same way fonts have been added in just about every version of Windows. Open the Fonts folder in Control Panel. Select File>Install New Font. Select the font you want to install from wherever it is and click OK.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| purplewings asked on 06/14/04 - Those Wizards on XP. While trying to set-up my old scanner which wouldn't work on the XP, the Hardware Wizard came out to search for a driver. Eventually I bought and hooked up a new scanner but since that day every time I reboot, a wizard appears called Found New Hardware Wizard. I click the box 4 times to get rid of it. I've tried all that I know to get it permanently removed but have no luck. It's very annoying. Do you have any ideas? ScottGem answered on 06/14/04:It sounds like the device is still hooked up so XP is still detecting it. Try letting the Wizard work its way through.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| riccioni asked on 06/11/04 - How to reduce the size of the icons In Windows XP (Professional Edition), is it really possible to reduce the size of the icons present on the desktop? If so, how?
ScottGem answered on 06/12/04:Right click on the desktop, select Properties, then in the Appearances tab you can make adjustments to things like icon size and spacing.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| webtrain1 asked on 05/13/04 - formatting the hard drive if for some reason i would need to format my hard drive and reinstall Windows XP. How can XP be reinstalled if the manufacturer only supplied a restore cd and no XP OS on cd? ScottGem answered on 05/13/04:That's what the Restore CD does.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 05/11/04 - My Recent Documents Win XP Pro. How can I delete the whole list of recently used documents (under "My Recent Documents")at the same time rather than tediously one by one. I can't find a way to clear the list or select all and then delete. ScottGem answered on 05/11/04:Right click on a blank area of the taskbar. Select Properties. Under the Start Menu tab press Customize. Under the Advanced tab is the Clear list button.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 05/05/04 - Taskbar size On my XP computer the taskbar at the bottom of the page (containing the Start button) is twice as high as it usually is. Holding the mouse button down produces the double arrow. But dragging that arrow has no effect; neither does restarting.
How can the bar size be changed?
ScottGem answered on 05/06/04:Dragging should resize it. You might not see the drag outline until you move it down to one line's worth.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| LisaB4657 asked on 04/30/04 - Reinstalling WinXP Home Upgrade Hi again, Scott!
Well, my problems with my zip drive and printer haven't been resolved. I bought a USB hub and hooked up my printer to it but it's still doing the same things (cutting off text randomly, lines and streaks in pictures). I spent 2.5 hours on the phone with HP support and after doing every possible test imaginable to the printer we've come to the conclusion that the upgrade from Win98 to WinXP is the culprit. Since both HP support and Iomega support are scratching their heads just like me, I figure my next step has to be to uninstall and then reinstall my WinXP upgrade.
Any tips you can give me? I was told to make sure everything is unplugged from the tower except for the monitor, mouse and keyboard. And it's a given that I need to back up all of my data. I guess my question is, what do I do next? Where do I go to uninstall my WinXP upgrade? (Yes, I kept the Win98 backup files).
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. ScottGem answered on 05/01/04:You can't really uninstall XP unless you installed it with that option. If you did, then you need to boot to the XP CD and see if you have an uninstall option. If not, Then you will need to reformat the drive and install 98. Following are instructions to reformat. You can make a Win 98 boot disk at bootdisk.com. Make sure it reads your CD drive before reformatting.
The first step is to make sure you have installation disks for all your software including Windows and drivers disks for all your hardware. The next step is to make sure you have the Windows Startup floppy or a bootable floppy that will read your CD drive. You can make the floppy under Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs. You also need FDISK and FORMAT on that floppy.
Once you are prepared you boot from the floppy and run FDISK and run SETUP from the CD. You may need to Format the drive first. in which case you run FORMAT C: /S from the floppy.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| joelicht asked on 04/21/04 - deleting large file I downloaded a large file over the imternet . Now if I try and delete the file i get an error message "cannot delete .... close any programs and try again ...
No other programs are open and I cannot get rid of the file . Is there an alternative to delete - or a stronger version ?
thanks ScottGem answered on 04/21/04:Was there any more to that message? Did you try rebooting? Try deleting from Safe Mode?
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| jwest112 asked on 04/09/04 - Q&A for Windows XP Professional Since installing Xp on my system I have been unable to run Q&A. Is there away to run Q&A on XP?? ScottGem answered on 04/09/04:Are you referring to the Database program? If so, its a really old and obsolete program. What you can try doing is right clicking on the executable and selecting Properties and in the compatability tab choose an older version of Windows.
I would then suggest that you export the data and use something else.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 04/07/04 - Large hard disk drives I've heard that if a hard drive on a Win XP system is larger than 133 GB, it MUST be partitioned into at least 2 partitions.
Although this may be a good idea, is it really necessary? ScottGem answered on 04/08/04:Not sure where you heard this, but its not correct. First, there are issues about partition type. XP can support partitions of NTFS, Fat32 and Fat16. Each has its own limitations. But none at 133G.
However, there are many good reasons to partition drives in smaller chunks, especially for FAT systems. Conversely, there is no really good reasons for using a huge partition, unless you are creating full length animated movies.
I would suggest going to support.microsoft.com and looking up Partition Size under Win XP and reading the information found there.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 03/24/04 - Folders What utility/program is available that will allow me to print a list of the various embedded folders on a Windows XP system? ScottGem answered on 03/24/04:What do you mean by "embedded" folders?
There are several utilities that will print a directory listing. Just search the shareware libraries for them. But you don't need one, since you can do it from a command prompt.
Open a command prompt (Start>Run type CMD) and then switch to the folder you want a listing for (using the CD command). Then type DIR > PRN. This will send a directory listing to your printer. If you type DIR > DIRLIST.TXT it will send the listing to a text file that you can open in Notepad and print from there.
For more options when using the DIR command type HELP DIR at the command prompt. Just typing HELP will give you a list of line commands you can use. Typing HELP command will give you instructions for using the individual command.
Hope this helps,
Scott<>
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| Question/Answer |
| JeffreyBryson asked on 03/16/04 - Hacking XP Hey again, Scott. Time for another question. I have a friend who acquired a computer with XP. The problem is that of the three profiles on the computer she can only get into and use one, and it happens not to be endowed with administrator's privileges. So, she can't install any programs. Actually, the real problem is that she can't get into the admistrator's profile.
Is there any way that she could get into these other profiles without knowing the passwords so that she could use her new computer without limitation?
Thanks,
Jeff ScottGem answered on 03/17/04:They will probably listen to her question without charge, but to provide help may incur a charge.
Why can't she go back to where she got the machine from?
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| JeffreyBryson asked on 03/16/04 - Hacking XP Hey again, Scott. Time for another question. I have a friend who acquired a computer with XP. The problem is that of the three profiles on the computer she can only get into and use one, and it happens not to be endowed with administrator's privileges. So, she can't install any programs. Actually, the real problem is that she can't get into the admistrator's profile.
Is there any way that she could get into these other profiles without knowing the passwords so that she could use her new computer without limitation?
Thanks,
Jeff ScottGem answered on 03/16/04:She will need to contact Microsoft about that. Or the person she acquired the PC from. She should have gotten the admin password when she got it. If she is a valid owner, Microsoft will help her.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 03/13/04 - Defrag in Win XP I've heard that in Windows XP it is not necessary to close hidden programs before running Defrag.
True?
If so, why is this so? ScottGem answered on 03/14/04:The reason for this is XP is better at multitasking and managing open files. With older versions, when defrag encountered an open file it might hang up.
It will still take longer and not be as efficient if you defrag with open programs and files.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| jocase asked on 03/07/04 - Error on boot up win xp home I am trying to help my daughter long distance. She has a laptop that has been working fine. There is now a problem causing windows xp home not to load.
On boot up she gets a message "The application or DLL C:winsys32kbdus.dll is not a valid windows image. Check it against your setup files." (The last sentence is not word for word, but close.
Her choice is "OK" which works by striking the enter key. Mouse will not work at this point.
When she attempts to boot in safe mode, she can get as far as a black screen with "safe mode" in each corner. However, her desktop will not load.
She has a "Rescue disk that came with the computer. She powers off, inserts the disk, but computer does not read the disk and nothing happens.
She has chosen "last known good configuration" with no luck. Black screens will not take any DOS commands. I'm stumped! Can you help us? Thanks
John
ScottGem answered on 03/08/04:Assuming this rescue disk is a CD? Have her check the CMOS settings to make sure the CD drive is first in the boot sequence. She will probably need to run a repair on XP to get this back.
I would also check at support.microsoft.com for that error message. I suspect the problem may be a bad keyboard and that it may require repair. She should contact tech support for the mfg.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 03/03/04 - Outlook Express Addresses My friend is using Outlook Express v.6 on his Win XP system and is in a state of panic.
First of all, he had failed to do any backups so that's not an option.
He has a folder in the Address section of OE that contains many, many names, etc. of prospective customers.
He accidentally deleted this folder -- doesn't recall answering any confirmation questions but, anyway, it's not listed any longer.
I had him try a System Restore back to yesterday's date but no luck since this isn't a system file.
I had him look in his OE folder to see if there was possibly a file that looked like an automatic backup of his address book -- no luck.
Of course the address book folder isn't in his recycle bin.
And, EDIT-UNDO is unavailable now.
Any ideas?
ScottGem answered on 03/03/04:You can try the site that Jo listed, it looks interesting. However, it seems to deal with deleting items from within the folder, not the entire folder.
I would search the WEB for data recovery utilities. There are utilities that claim to be able to recover deleted files. If he deleted the folder very recently he may be able to recover it.
In any case, I hope he has learned a valuable lesson about backing up.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 03/03/04 - Taskbar button Using Win XP, why does one of the buttons (representing an open program) in the Taskbar occasinally change from the usual royal blue to orange? ScottGem answered on 03/03/04:Well the color change depends on your themes, but the reason for the change is usually due to some activity being needed in the running program. Maybe a process was completed and a message to that affect is being displayed or additional input required.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| JeffreyBryson asked on 01/25/04 - Disk Cleanup Freeze Ok- I'm open to all suggestions but, of course, specifically hopin' for somethin' good from you, Scott.
It's simple but not easy. My friend has XP, and while initiating disk cleanup it immediately became frozen in the "calculating" stage. Of course, she went to Knowledge Base for the solution. She found exactly one relevant article and did precisely what it advised which was to delete every file in the Temp folder and to delete all offline content via Internet Options. No go.
So, now what? ScottGem answered on 01/25/04:Try it from Safe Mode. See if that works, if it does then it means she has too much running in the background. At the very least she probably needs to disable her virus checking before running it.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 01/20/04 - Resource Meter Is there a similar way in Win XP to check the Resources used as there was in Win 98? ScottGem answered on 01/20/04:XP doesn't use Resources like Win 9x did. Because its based on the WIN NT kernal its not subject to the limits that Win 9x was.
If you go into Task Manager you can see some performance figures that may be what you are looking for. I also use a freeware product called Cool Beans which monitors XP performance issues.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| tbaile44 asked on 01/16/04 - Windows XP 5.1.2600 Service Pack 1 NavNT 9.00 when I open up Norton Antivirus to get my live up datesI can not retrevie or install or it will not let me install the english version of norton and iam loosing the rest of the downloads a little bit at a time it gives me this Windows XP 5.1.2600 Service Pack 1 NavNt 9.oo thats the details it tell me that it can not install and it will not completely down load the update before i get this message. My computer is a windows xp home edition 32.I just bought it from Conns brand new about 4 months ago.I would appreciate some help with this problem ii am having.I called techtv call for help and they referred me to you people.If ya could help i sure would appreciate it a bunch. Thanks tbaile44 ScottGem answered on 01/16/04:Have you tried contacting Symantec or the people you bought the PC from or the people who built it?
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| riccioni asked on 01/11/04 - Windows Update A friend has an illegal copy of Windows XP Home Edition installed on his laptop. He has asked me whether it's safe to download updates such as security patches from the Windows Update website? In other words, does he risk being "caught"?
Thank you very much in advance for your kind help.
ScottGem answered on 01/11/04:Tell your friend to get a legal copy. Please don't ask us to help support piracy.
I can tell you that SP1 won't work with a pirated copy.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| lilac asked on 01/08/04 - how to go back to previos settings dear experts
i have a window xp and a very old monitor dating abck to 95.
my son has changed the property settings of the screen changing from 800 X600 pixel to 1280 X1024 pixel and now i can't see anything on my screen
... it is so little i can't restore the old settings any more
is there a way to restore the old setting by using the key board?
i 'm using a different monitor at the moment and this is working fine,,, but i have got to give it back very shortly and restore my old monitor to its usual fucntions
can anybody help please????
thanks in advance for your kind help:) ScottGem answered on 01/08/04:when you get the dialog box where you can change the settings, Press Alt+Spacebar. This will pull down a menu with Move as one of the options. Select Move, then use the cursor keys to move the dialog box to where you can see the Apply button.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| TheTamster asked on 01/02/04 - Strange Problem! When i am using any sort of windows explorer folder e.g. my documents, Firstly every time i open them xp has to sort them into file types (e.g. if its a folder full of jpg the folder will freeze until they have all been identifide as adobe files, EVERYTIME since i installed)
Secondly when i close the files my whole desktop dissapears, taskbar and all! then a in a few seconds it will return and work fine.
When it does this i tend to lose any icons in my system tray (althought the progs are still running)
Everything else on my comp is fine , games and apps all start up and run fine and with no errors as does internet explorer.
ScottGem answered on 01/02/04:Check your Folder options, you probably have it set to Sort by file type. Change the sort.
The desktop thing is the screen refreshing, but it shouldn't take that long. I would check for spyware on your system. Get AdAware and/or Spybot.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| riccioni asked on 12/29/03 - Deleting files Is it possible to delete an object such as a file or a folder without sending it to the Recycle Bin?
Thank you very much in advance for the help.
ScottGem answered on 12/29/03:Hold down the shift key while pressing
Delete.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| riccioni asked on 12/24/03 - Deleting Temporay files In Windows XP, what is the best way to delete Temporary files and Temporary Internet files?
Thank you very much in advance for your kind help.
ScottGem answered on 12/24/03:First the two are very different and are treated differently. Temp Internet Files are copies of downloaded Web pages stored on your system to make retrieval faster. They are also called your Web cache. To delete them isn't any different in Win XP since its an Internet Explorer issue. You go to Tools>Internet Options from IE and the options are on the General tab right in the middle.
Temp files are files created during processing on some programs. These files are stored in the Temp folder assigned for the system. This folder is the WindowsTemp folder by default. The rule of thumb is you can delete any tmp files that do not have a current date. You can delete them as you would any file. You can also use the Disk Cleanup option for XP (right click on the drive in My Computer and select Properties, its ont he General tab).
I will mention there are utilities that will clean up these files and others for you on an automatic or semi-automatic basis. You can find them in any shareware library or other volunteers may mention them.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| pete4187 asked on 12/23/03 - FTP software Is there a good FTP program built into Windows XP? I found ftp.exe, but I'm looking for something GUI based rather than command line.
If there's nothing built into XP, what is your favorite FTP program? Remember, free is good. ScottGem answered on 12/23/03:Both Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer are FTP awarre and can be used to connect to FTP sites. However, neither is very user friendly.
I use FTP Commander, a freeware app. You can get it at http://www.internet-soft.com
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| riccioni asked on 12/22/03 - Protecting files/folders with a password In Windows XP, is there a way to protect a file or folder with a password?
Thank you in advance for your kind help.
ScottGem answered on 12/22/03:I would suggest going to Start>Help and looking up Security. Win XP has a number of options for securing files and folders. What you use depends on your situation.
Probably the easiest is to create user accounts and then restrict access to certain folders or files to other users. Then log off your user when you leave the machine.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| riccioni asked on 12/21/03 - RECENT DOCUMENTS folder In Windows XP, is there a way to remove the contents of the "Recent Documents" folder?
Thank you very much in advance for your kind help.
Happy holidays,
Paolo ScottGem answered on 12/21/03:Right click on the taskbar and select Properties. Then select Start Menu tab and press Customize. In the Advanced tab you can clear the list.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| kristi107896 asked on 12/16/03 - spontaneous restarts hi, i just bought a new computer and set it up and its restarting spontaneously, the error message says that its a driver problem but i can't see where any of my drivers could be causing it. anybody know whats wrong or how to fix it? thanks ScottGem answered on 12/16/03:What brand? Call the manufacturer or store. If its a driver error, then the machine was configured properly.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| lowell3 asked on 12/14/03 - press f1 to reboot Can anyone help me i have a dell cpu with windows 2000. All of a sudden when i boot the cpu it automatically goes to this screen that say press f1 to reboot, but when i do this nothing happens the same thing keeps reapperaing, Ive tried to make a boot disk off another cpu with the same version of windows but i only get the message that it is the wrong system disk or something to that affect. Ive read on a webpage that trying to press f8 before the cpu starts up allows you to bypass this but ive tried and it does not work.
Anyone that can help me please respond. ScottGem answered on 12/14/03:I would call Dell, but to get into Safe Mode you need to keep pressing F8 as the machine boots.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| lowell3 asked on 12/10/03 - programs opening slow http://My brother downloaded a piece of software the other day i think it was some sort of free keylogger. But after that when i shut my computer down and restarted it, the programs like internet explorer, msn messenger basically all other programs take a while before they basically load and open. Ive ran ad aware, spybot, trojan remover and still cant seem to find no remedy . Just checking to see if anyone may know what causing this problem and how to fix it.
My brother is banned from my computer for life, ScottGem answered on 12/10/03:Did you try going back to a restore point before your brother started fooling around?
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 12/10/03 - Standby I use Windows XP. My computer is on my desk in Standby during the day. My problem is the system turns on by itself with the slightest vibration -like closing a drawer or if my cat jumps on the desk. Is there a setting where I can make it go back on only by touching any key?
ScottGem answered on 12/10/03:The Standby is geared to detect a keyboard press or mouse movement to wake up. The vibrations could be causing the mouse to move. You might try a different rodent, but I don't think there is a setting to disable detecting a mouse movement.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| jocase asked on 12/08/03 - Disk cleanup I usually check off recycle bin and Temporary Internet files when I use Disk cleanup. All works well.
I notice that the Temporary files (not internet temporary) is 62,888KB. Scan disk does not allow me to view these files as it does allow viewing of other files.
Where do I find them to see what are they and how old they are so I can safely remove them? Thanks.
John
ScottGem answered on 12/08/03:They are in your environment's temp folder. Usually this is WindowsTemp, but maybe different. To find out you can type SET and Enter at a command prompt and it will list the Environment variables. Look for TEMP = and that will indicate the folder.
You will fiund a load of TMP files in this folder. You can safely delete any that do not have a current date.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| instrumentalizacion asked on 12/04/03 - WINDOWS XP problems Hey, I'm having some problems 'cause I used to have Windos 98 and then I upgraded it to Xp. Several problems appeared.
*My folder had a background image and white font. Now, the image from the background of my Folder is gone and I'm stuck with white "invisible" letters that I can't read. How do I make an image the background of my folder, not my desktop, like I used to so eassily in Windows 98?? I've searched everywhere and there is no such option!
* I have a weird folder named "fdc72e31eaa3e6e446cd6ceddd81" which appeared out of nowhere. ITs located in C: , and its got 2 subfolders I can't access. Is it dangerous, an error, a virus?
I Thank you greatly for your assistance.
Carolina.
ScottGem answered on 12/05/03:Changing your background hasn't changed much in Win XP. Right click on the Desktop and choose Properties (or select Display from Control Panel). You will find tabs there where you can chanhge the background and change Win XP's Appearances.
Haven't a clue what that folder is. Do you a virus scanner? Is it up to date?
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| jocase asked on 11/24/03 - Net Meeting on Win XP I have win xp pro. I can't seen to find net meeting on it. When I try to download from my help screen, it says win 2000 users already have net meeting. Do you know anything about this?
John ScottGem answered on 11/24/03:Yes, It's there but its not out in the open. Go to Start>Help and search on Installing NetMeeting. Click on the NetMeeting link. It allows you to install NetMeeting or shows you how to access it if already installed.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 11/14/03 - Moving a computer What is the best way to package my Win XP computer so it can be shipped with a mover? ScottGem answered on 11/15/03:Preferably in the original packing. Barring that, then wrap the keyboard in bubble wrap and put the CPU unit in a box filled with foam peanuts at least 2" all around.
You should consult the moving company. They will give you advice, material and they need to know about it.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| Richelle asked on 11/03/03 - Problem with program I upgraded from win98se to winxp pro and i was reinstalling software program, when i got an error with the following program; Disney Adventures in typing With Timone & Pumbaa.
The error reads - Assert failed:iNumAudio Channels==2 in C:sdivcoreplatformwin95ssoundsystem.cpp Line119.Can anyone help me retify this problem.The program install but wouldn't - open hence the error.
Richard ScottGem answered on 11/03/03:Uninstall it completely then try reinstalling. Hopefully it was just a glitch during the install. Could be a bad disk though. You may have to contact the author.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| laparka asked on 10/30/03 - "InstallShield Installation Information" Folder? Somehow, my "InstallShield Installation Information" folder got stuck on my XP Desktop. Where is this folder supposed to go? ScottGem answered on 10/30/03:Mine is under the Program Files folder.
Moving may cause problems however, if the Registry continues to list it on the Desktop. You may need to edit the Registry to change the location.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 10/23/03 - Transferring AOL to new computer What is the easiest way to transfer all components of an AOL account to a new computer. Even if I need to reinstall AOL, I don't want to lose favorites, contacts, etc. ScottGem answered on 10/24/03:If you are using AOL 6 or later your address book and buddy lists are stored on AOL's servers. This makes them available wherever you logon to AOL so don't need to be copied over.
If you are using AOL 8 or later, you were given the option of storing your favorites online as well. I forget where the opetionf or that is (probably somewhere under keyword PREFERENCES). If you didn't take that option, you can save your Favs by opening the Favorites folder and selecting the Save/Replace option. This will save them to a file that can be imported on a new machine using the Replace function.
The only other thing is your Personal Filing cabinet (PFC). To save that open the PFC and right click on the topmost folder and choose Save As. Copy the file to the new machine and use File>Open to open it. Open the new PFC and drag and drop the topmost folder into the new one.
Hope this Helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| Sparkling_star asked on 10/06/03 - slow start-up my computer takes a couple of minutes to start up.i have done speed disk. but the problem still persist.futhermore, when i open more than 2 browser sites and play winamp at the same time, the songs in the winamp lag. it'll be sort of stuck as if, it's interrupted and it plays the same part over and over again. please assist. thank you. ScottGem answered on 10/07/03:Jo is correct in his answer and it points out that you really gave us insufficient info to help you. To give further help we would need to know what version of Windows, your CPU and speed, how much RAM you have, how big a hard drive and how muchy of it is free. It might also help to know how many programs are listed under Task Manager (when you press Ctrl+Alt+Del).
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/29/03 - Upload with Internet Explorer 6 on Win XP Someone told me that I can upload files to a server if I have Internet Explorer 6 and am using Win XP.
Is this true? If so, how? ScottGem answered on 09/29/03:IE 6 is also an FTP client as well as a WEB browser. FTP is the standard protocol for transferring files across the Net. In fact, FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. If you have an FTP server that you can access you can type the address inm just as you would a web address except its ftp://url instead of http://.
Of course you need access to an FTP server to do this.
There are many other (better) FTP clients out there. WS_FTP is a popular one and free for personal use. Another I use is FTP Commander.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| TMarc asked on 09/26/03 - file extensions ?? hey fredg...How can I display all file extensions..at all times...for all files...running Windows XP ???
Many thanks.. ScottGem answered on 09/27/03:The correct answer is open Windows Explorer and select Tools>Folder Options under the View tab uncheck "Hide Extensions for known File types". Click the Apply to All Folders button. This will display the extension on icon and list views.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| leosmp asked on 09/23/03 - I can't download I have not been able to find an answer on Microsoft's site that helps at all, so I hope you can.
In the last couple of weeks I have not been able to download from the internet. When I attempt to download anything, the dialog box opens, but nothing happens.
I'm running XP Pro and IE 6 with most of the updates.
Hope you can help ScottGem answered on 09/24/03:I am not real sure of the problem without any error messages etc. The only thing I can suggest is trying to repair IE. Go to Add?Remove Programs in Control Panel and select IE, you will then get the repair option. Another thought; have you tried restoring the system to back before this started?
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| speedball1 asked on 09/20/03 - Lost Image on Windows XP I recently had a computer built to my specs. 2.4gig CPU--55 gig hard drive-- 1 gig of memory-- a nVidia GEForce MX4oo 64 meg graphics card and went from 98SE to Windows XP Pro. for a platform. My problem is this. I'ma expert on this site,(plumbing) and two others. On one site, (AllExperts.com) there is a graph where you can measure your progress against the other experts in your field. Clicking on my stats should bring up a graph but all I get is a large blank box and a small box with a red X in the upper left hand corner. I am told this is just a glitch in the registry but I'm a plumber and not a computer whiz. how do I get my image back? Help me out here and on your next plumbing problem you'll get special attention. Thanks, Tom aka speedball1 ScottGem answered on 09/20/03:The red X usually indicates a broken link. Is this the only page causing the problem? How long has the problem been occuring?
Most likely the problem is on AllExperts end in generating the chart. But its possible you need to delete your AllExperts cookies to get it back working.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/14/03 - Move AOL files to new computer What is the best way to move the Filing Cabinet, Favorites, and Address Book from my old computer to the new one.
AOL used to have a "Members Helping Members" where someone always had the answer but it seems to be gone.
ScottGem answered on 09/15/03:Its not gone. Go to keyword Help community and you will find it.
The answer depends on what version of AOl you have (you should always list software versions when asking for help). With AOL 6.0 and later, the address book is stored online so there its accessible wherever you log on. so no need to copy it to another machine.
With AOL 8.0 or later, the Favorite places can be stored online as well. Otherwise, if you open the Fav Places window (Select Fav places from menu, then Favorite Places from the first menu) there is a Save/Replace option. Use Save to save to floppy or other media to copy to new PC. Use Replace on the new PC.
For the filing cabinet, open the PFC and right cclickon the topmost folder. Select Save As and save to a file. Copy that file to new PC, open the file in AOL using File>Open, then open the PFc on new machine (File>Filing Cabinet). Finally, drag the folders from the copied PFc to the new one.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/09/03 - Backing up Outlook on Win XP system On a Win XP system using Outlook (not Outlook Express), if I back up the entire Outlook folder from C:Documents and SettingsLocal SettingsApplication DataMicrosoftOutlook to a CD, can I be sure I am getting all folders AND contacts I have saved in Outlook? ScottGem answered on 09/09/03:Within Outlook there is a folder called Personal Folders. By default the contents of that folder (Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, etc.) are stored in a file named outlook.pst that is stored in the path you listed. If you are using the default and back up that file, then you have your entire personal Folders.
If you have created any other folders outside that one (Like Archives), then you created an additional PST file which could be stored elsewhere and you would alos want to backup.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| Phips81 asked on 09/08/03 - Networkin 2 computers that are running Windows XP Home Edition What exactly are the steps to networking 2 computers running Windows XP connected through a network (using a 10/100 Mbps switch)? I have tried to do this, but can only get access to one computer's files from the other comp, but not the other way around. (i.e., from the other computer you can't join/see the workgroup that the other computer created. (I hope that made sense!) LOL ScottGem answered on 09/09/03:What steps did you take? How are you assinging IP addresses? Did you load NetBeui protocol?
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| Zoltan asked on 09/04/03 - Computer Crash Hi Scott
Ive got XP home edition and when i boot up the computer, right before i get to the screen with the Profile chioces, it blue screens. Ive tried to Safe boot but before it completes it, back to the same blue screen. What can i do? To even get the computer started??
The Blue screen is a full page but will try to reproduce the
important stuff verbatim
A problem has been detected and Windows has shut down to prevent damage to your computer.
REGISTRY_ERROR
(this is paraphrased) then it recommends restarting the computer and if the error
message reappears it recommends removing newly installed software/hardware, disable
BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. Then it recommends using Safe Mode
if you need to. (as in my original message I can’t boot up in safe mode)
TECHNICAL INFORMATION ***STOP: 0x00000051 (0x00000003, 0x00000003, 0x00000000, 0xE22B6000)
Beginning dump of physical memory
Physical memory dump complete
Contact your system administrator or technical support group for further assistance
My computer is a Dell Dimension 4400, 1.6 GHZ processor i think, 80 Gig HD, not a
techie, is that enough?
The only recent installation is a trial copy of a program called auto shutdown professional
by Gill Information Technology at http://www.gillit.com/. I was looking for a way
to limit use of the computer by my kids, midnight to 6am during the school week.
I tried to set it to turn the computer off automatically at 12 midnight, and not
allow a restart until 6am. http://www.gillit.com/ .... i know the obvious comment
but i hope this is enough information
Kind regards
Gary
ScottGem answered on 09/04/03:If you can get into Safe Mode, try using the System Restore function to restore back to before you installed that program. If not, try booting to the XP CD and using the Repair function.
Hopefully one of those will get you back up and running. Then get rid of that app.
Go to Microsoft Knowledge Base and look up policy editor for Win XP. You should be able to setup user accounts for your kids that will restrict the hours they can use the PC.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/04/03 - Burning a CD When I try to use the CD burning utility in Win XP I get an error message that reads...
The destination folder is a subfolder of the source folder.
...when I try to paste the "Documents and Settings" folder (or only the contents of that folder) into a blank window that represents the blank CD I inserted.
Since the Documents and Settings folder I'm trying to copy is on my C drive and the CD is in a different drive -- and nothing else is open at the time -- what is causing this error message to appear?
My goal is to easily backup the entire Documents and Settings folder to a CD periodically.
Ideas? ScottGem answered on 09/04/03:That is kind of wierd, but the Documents and Settings folder is a system folder. Maybe there is some circular logic there.
But frankly, if you want to "easily" backup your system, I would invest in a backup utility. I use one from Stomp called My PC Backup. There are a few others as well.
With a backup utility, you can create defined sets of backups. For example, you can have one that just backs up that folder. To run your backup, you simply select the defined set and start the backup. Most will allow you to span media and will compress the files as it backs them up to save space. Most have a scheduling capability so you can schedule the backup automatically when your system won't be used. Most of these utilities cost less than $100, usually less than $50.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
P.S. You might also want to check out my FAQ on backups |
| Question/Answer |
| MAHASHA asked on 09/01/03 - windows98se,2000,xp home edition or professional Dear Scott
Please guide me that i have windowXp home edition.I install windowxp pro.computer is same as before.I did not see any change.which window is faster thanXP.Ihave all CD as above.
Yopurs-Raj ScottGem answered on 09/01/03:You will not notice any material difference between XP Home and XP Pro. The interfaces are exactly the same. XP Pro has more features for netwokring and businesses. It has has better remote control festures.
There is no material speed or stability difference.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 09/01/03 - How send fax on Win XP system On a Win XP system with a modem is there a way I can send a fax? ScottGem answered on 09/01/03:All current modems have fax capability. XP includes a Fax utility. Generally Fax utilities are installed as a printer driver. Look in your printer folder for a Fax printer. To send a fax, go to File Print and select that as your printer. Then follow the prompts to provide fax number and send.
If there is no fax printer, try going to Add/Remove Programs and look in Windows components under communications to install it. Its also possible your system uses a different fax utility since almost all fax modems come with a fax utility.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| joelicht asked on 08/31/03 - hp 1100 laser printer I have an HP 100 laser printer . Under windows XP what do I have to do to set the printer for 2 sided printing ?
thanks
Joe ScottGem answered on 08/31/03:Are you sure the 1100 supports double sided? If it does, then you don't do anything in XP itself. Fromt he software you are printing from (Word or whatever) Select File>Print, then Settings or Properties or something similar. This will load the printer settings dialog. If doublesided is a workable option you should be able to choose it from there.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 08/30/03 - scheduling tasks On a Win XP system, the Scheduled Tasks screen does come up, but I can't find HOW to type in the schedule for the Norton AV 'tests'. Tests like: System Check; Scan Disk; Defrag; and Disk Cleanup.
On the old Win98 OS the 'tasks' were listed and all that was necessary was to fill in the day and time for the respective tests. With my XP, the schedule comes up, but is blank.
Where/how does one type in those tests and days for execution for them? ScottGem answered on 08/30/03:Not all tasks can be schedu8led thur TasK Scheduler. You should be able to set the schedule for your A/V thru the A/V program.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| riccioni asked on 08/23/03 - Scandisk Dear ScottGern:
Is the Scandisk feature included/present in XP Professional?
Thank you.
Paolo
ScottGem answered on 08/23/03:No Scandisk is not included in XP as SCANDISK. There is CHKDSK but that has to be run at a command prompt. You can do disk maintenance by right clicking on a drive in My Computer and selecting Properties then Tools. Use Error-Checking.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| fredg asked on 08/23/03 - Not Number 1 Anymore? What Happened?? Overall, Hank1 is tops.
Have you lost your "touch"?
Hope so..........
GreatlyAmused ScottGem answered on 08/23/03:I'm answering this so that the question becomes public and it will show everyone what type of person you are.
While I have taken pride in my rankings on the various Q&A sites, it has NEVER been about ratings or rankings for me. All I have ever cared about is that people seeking help get the best help they can. This is the reason I have frequently objected to help you have provided. Many times your responses have shown a lack of understanding of the question asked and, therefore, have been miseleading or poor advice. To be fair, many times you do give a good and correct answer, but I've seen too many bad answers on your part.
This attack on me and your recent attack on me on PointAsk have reinforced my opinion about you.
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 08/13/03 - Avoiding Blast Worm problems I understand that the blast worm affects only some WinXP systems. If I manually update Norton A/V daily (using LiveUpdate) will I probably be safe from this threat? ScottGem answered on 08/13/03:Just to add something here, Since this is a worm that invades open ports, it probably would not be stopped by an anti-virus utility. The A/V would only detect it during a scan.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| joelicht asked on 08/05/03 - disable messemger How can I disable the messenger service that flashes messages accross the screen ? ScottGem answered on 08/05/03:For Win XP, right click on My Computer and select Manage then Services, and scroll down to Windows Messenger and disable it.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| nazarijahromi asked on 08/05/03 - xp what is windows xp 2003? ScottGem answered on 08/05/03:Doesn't exist. Windows latest version if Windows XP. There is a Windows Server 2003.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 08/02/03 - Using older Office programs with XP Does Excel 97 and Word 2000 work OK on a Win XP system? ScottGem answered on 08/02/03:I have Office 97, 2K ans XP on my Win XP machine. No problems here.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 07/17/03 - Many references to My Documents Please explain why there are so many "My Documents" folders listed on a Win XP system?
I know that Win XP allows for multiple profiles but even when I'm logged on with my own profile, why do I see more than one My Documents reference? ScottGem answered on 07/18/03:My question is are they different folders or just links to one folder in different places. See if the list of files is the same. If so, its just links to one place. If its different folders, check the complete path to see where they are.
One of the things Windows has always been known for is multiple ways to do something. This is both a boon and a curse.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 06/30/03 - Notify of Critical Updates How can I set Win xp to notify me when only critical updates are available?
Also how to do this for a Win 98 system also? ScottGem answered on 07/01/03:I don't think it can be that fine tuned. the automatic update feature can inform you when updates are available, but not what type. Just use the Windows Update feature to get there.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 06/26/03 - DOS Games Is it possible to run an old DOS game on a Win XP system? If so, how? ScottGem answered on 06/26/03:Its possible, whether it works or not depends on the game. The first thing to try is just running it like you would any app. If that doesn't work, you can try opening a command prompt (Start>Run type cmd, hit OK) and running it from there. You can also try right clicking the executable and selecting properties, see if there is a compatability tab and set it to DOS or Win 95.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| jimguy asked on 06/20/03 - How to delete unwanted IE toolbar Recently while web surfing, some nefarious site attached its own toolbar to my Internet Explorer (ver. 6). I can hide it easily enough, but I want to delete it as an option, get rid of it completely. I found two related directories in Program Files, but one file is somehow protected from being deleted: istbar.dll. Any suggestions would be most appreciated! ScottGem answered on 06/20/03:Get either AdAware or Spybot (or both). That should remove it. You can find them at tucows.com.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| crawler02 asked on 06/08/03 - Reinstalling Windows xp home over existing install I have had the following error message "lsass.exe system error Object name not found" appear. I have tried using the microsoft fix, however the lsass.exe file does not exist where they say to copy it from. Is it possible to obtain a copy of this file that can be copied over the existing file using the recovery console?
ScottGem answered on 06/09/03:You should be able to find which CAB file this file is in. Then extract it from the CAB file.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| laparka asked on 05/30/03 - MS-DOS programs in XP Are there any drawbacks to running MS-DOS programs under XP, say as opposed to running them under "real" MS-DOS? Where are some good websites/stores/etc. to get MS-DOS programs nowadays (esp. general purpose such as word processing and e-mail) ? ScottGem answered on 05/30/03:Not sure what you mean by drawbacks. Some older programs will not run under XP. Some may run in compatability mode, others may run just fine. There is also an issue of printing problems when using DOS based programs under any version of Windows.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 05/24/03 - Location of Outlook Express folders and contact list I have one computer with Win Xp and another with Win 98SE.
Where are my Outlook Express folders and contact list located within my Windows structure. I can't locate them in the Outlook Express folder itself on either system. ScottGem answered on 05/24/03:Outlook Express stores your info in DBX files. They are fairly well hidden to protect them. But if you just search the drive for *.DBX you will find them.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 04/28/03 - Desktop in win XP While browsing the web, a pop up kept interferring with my session (some sort of dialog box), so out of frustration I waved the arrow accross the box. I might of clicked something, I'm not sure.
All of the sudden everything zoomed quite large, where maybe I could only see 1/4 of the desktop or browser window.
I'm not to familiar with the WinXP OS (or computing in general for that matter), so I have no idea what is going on. I had a friend resize my display properties to true color and the resolution to 1024x768.
After that, my desktop is all black with just white outlines and icons that still have large lettering though they all fit on the left side now.
My friend says that this almost looks like safe mode, though he also is not familiar with XP. There is no "safe mode" in the borders, but this config resembles safe mode in win98.
Anybody have an idea what might be going on?
ScottGem answered on 04/28/03:Double check your display settings. Its possible that what you clicked on may have changed your video adpater so even though your friend changed the display properties they didn't save because the wrong video adapter is selected. A "safe mode" look to the screen usually indicated Display settings of 640x480 and 16 colors.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 03/26/03 - Allow updates? Is it generally suggested to allow all updates to Windows XP and Office XP? ScottGem answered on 03/26/03:I keep my updates up to date.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| DILLIGAS asked on 03/23/03 - Concatenate In Windows Back in the days when I used UNIX, there was an editing command
called "cat" [concatenate] which put together two (or more) files. A
typical command line would be "cat file.1 file.2 > file.3". The end
result would be a new file called file.3 which was made up of file.1 (at
the beginning) and file.2 at the end. If one left out the "> file.3"
in the previous command, then the new file will still be called file.1
but would now contain the additional information from that which was
file.2 in it's later half.
My question is thus, how do we do this in windows? For example, if
I am in my windows explorer and want to combine two .txt files, can I do
it without going to an editor? Or do I have to open one file, copy it,
then open the other file and then paste the first file into the other?
How can I combine two .dat files when I do not even have an editor to
read the darn file?
Any help would be appreciated. ScottGem answered on 03/23/03:Windows can't do this, but the command prompt can.
Copy file1.txt+file2.txt file3.txt
The files need to be plain text.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| jdublu asked on 03/23/03 - .dat files I'm running XP Home Edition. Sometimes when I open an email attachment it says "Caution...Your attempting to open a file of a type "(.dat) These files are used by the operating system and by various programs. Editing or modifying them could damage your system. If you still want to open the file, click Open with, otherwise, click Cancel." I click Open with and it shows all of the program applets. How do you know which one to choose so you can read the file or email?
This doesn't only happen with email, it's also happened trying to open a file when I go into Search.
What can you do to open these files so they'll be readable?
Thanks, Jim ScottGem answered on 03/23/03:DAT files can be from a variety of applicatios. So there is no way to tell What the file actually is. First you should NEVER open files sent by strangers ro ones that you aren't expecting. That's how you get a virus. If you are unsure of what to use to open a file, check the File Format list at whatis.com. If you still can't figure it out, e-mail back the sender and ask what the file is and what to use to open it.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| slsandoval asked on 03/20/03 - New to XP - Having problems merging with two programs I recently transferred over to the XP system and I am trying to merge some data from an excel sheet to a word document, but the merged numbers lose their formatting once I merge to word.
When I was on the NT system, I would merge and what ever I had formatted (dollar amounts with dollar sign, percentage number with percentage sign) would come through as what ever I had used in excel.
Can you please help, is there someway of telling the new word program to copy the numbers as they are formatted in excel. ScottGem answered on 03/20/03:Ok, that's what I needed to know. I just did a test. I formatted a range in Excel, then did a copy and paste into Word. the formatting carried over. After doing the paste there was an icon in the lower right corner of the pasted area. clicking on the icon gave me "Paste Options". the first option, which was selected, was to retain formatting.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| fuzzybritches15 asked on 03/18/03 - My windows xp is making assumptions about what I want to do. I have Windows XP. It assumes that I want to get on the internet every time I turn the computer on. When working with a document it gives me a pop-up for connecting with the internet. How can I make it stop?
Fuzzybritches15 ScottGem answered on 03/19/03:It sounds like something loading at startup is looking to connect to the Internet. The first thing to do is go to Tools>Internet Options from IE. In the connecions tab, set it to Never Connect. that should stop it trying to connect. You should also check MSCONFIG, startup tab and see what is loading that might cause the PC to look to the Net.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| Nitin asked on 02/09/03 - motorola modem driver for win Xp proffesional Hi
I was using win 98 and have a dial up connection I use Motorola 56 k internal modem
I installed win xp professional and was shocked to see that there was no such thing as dial up networking
I started playing about a bit and saw that the modem was installed but the driver was not there
Pls can u give me the exact location of the driver
So that I can use my dial up to connec to net
Thanks
Nitin Golani
ScottGem answered on 03/11/03:I highly recommend XP. It is much more stable and feature full.
There could be a variety of reasons why its responding slowly. I would need more info (start a new note) to dela with that.
No, your 98 themes won't work with XP.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| MAHASHA asked on 03/09/03 - window XP home efition 5420 US Dear Brother
I know you have a great knowledge about computer.My computer running slow,memory 512MB. 1.47GHz. 80GB hard drive.Is there any way I make a fast as before last year.I buy last year in april 2002.Please teach me.
Yours-RAJ ScottGem answered on 03/10/03:Fred gave you mostly good advice, but left out a couple of things as well as one piece of bad advice.
First, cookies have no affect on system performance so there is no need to delete them. In fact, removing cookies may slow down access to some web pages as they are rebuilt.
He also didn't mention the 2 first pieces of system maintenance, Defragging and CHDSK (SCANDISK). If you right click on the drive in My Computer, you can perform these and other maintenance options.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| alanc asked on 03/04/03 - re-install update I’m unable to install a critical update. I think the problem is that I successfully installed it and then restored my system to an earlier time, so the registry is a bit confused about it all. Any ideas? ScottGem answered on 03/05/03:Try reinstalling use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 03/02/03 - System Resources and Windows Components If I uncheck items in the Add/Remove Windows Components dialog box, will this free up system resources? Are these components automatically loading every time I start Windows? ScottGem answered on 03/02/03:Win XP does not have Resource pools like earlier versions. So having programs running in the background is not a problem as it is with Win 9x.
However only some Windows components will run at startup, most won't.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 02/28/03 - Win XP won't read new ThumbDrive I have Win XP Home version on my desktop computer with the following devices:
- 3 1/2 Floppy Drive (A)
- Hard Disk Drive #1 (C)
- Hard Disk Drive #2 (D)
- DVD Drive (E)
- CD-RW Drive (F)
- SanDisk card reader for my camera (G)
I just purchased a Memorex 256 MB USB ThumbDrive which is supposed to be "Plug and Play" on a Win XP or Mac system.
When I open My Computer or Windows Explorer, the new ThumbDrive isn't listed as a drive as the instructions indicated even though I tried restarting Windows.
However, when I check Device Manager, I see it clearly listed under the disk drive category as Memorex ThumbDrive.
I also installed the software that came with it on my Win 98 SE laptop system and was able to get it to show up as my D drive on this laptop and was able to copy files from my laptop's hard drive (C) to this new D drive.
But when I insert the ThumbDrive in my Win XP USB port, it isn't visible in My Computer as explained above. I did double check the contents of my Hard Disk Drive #2 (D) and it still contains files I have copied there from my Hard Disk Drive #1 (C).
Any ideas?
ScottGem answered on 02/28/03:Remove the drive, reboot and insert the drive after you finish booting. Does the detecting new hardware show up? Does an icon for the drive show in the tray area?.
Is the card reader also USB? Did you try plugging the thumb drive into that USB port to see if maybe the other port is bad?
I have one of those USB drives and it works fine under XP.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 02/23/03 - Windows XP updates? I have been getting reminders for automatic Windows updates on my new Windows XP computer. Many of them have to do with security, but not all. Is it okay to download all of them. How do I know if some may not be a good idea? ScottGem answered on 02/23/03:I have my XP set the same way. Anything marked critical you should get. While many of these security holes probably wouldn't affect a large # of people, its still a good idea to protect yourself.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| alexl01 asked on 02/14/03 - Running Win95 software in XP I have bought a new computer running Xp and was trying to run some of my old CD. One of them would not install. It fail on running setup with the following error. Unable to locate component msjt3032.dll. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem. How do I fix this problem please? Are there Win95 software that just would not run in XP and why not? A search on the net suggest that msjt3032.dll is a VB component but my XP machine has VBruntime installed already. What is a safe way of fixing this? ScottGem answered on 02/14/03:Did you try reinstalling? It may not have installed that component properly. While there are some Win 95 apps that won't run under XP most will. Another thing to try is right clicking on the executable and selecting Compatibility. Then using Win 95 mode.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 02/13/03 - Can't end Checkdisk Tried to run 'checkdisk' (Win XP) It completed and when the list displayed at the end it gave me a message to 'wait while windows restarts'. Computer hung and the only way to to power off was to turn off the surge protector. I did notice that the fan started to run faster and louder (don't know if that means anything) What could have gone wrong?? ScottGem answered on 02/13/03:Really hard to answer that. How did you run CHKDSK, from Maintenance Tools? Did you do it with a surface scan? Could have been any number of things. The question is will it happen again. It could have been just a momentary glitch.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| Nitin asked on 02/09/03 - motorola modem driver for win Xp proffesional Hi
I was using win 98 and have a dial up connection I use Motorola 56 k internal modem
I installed win xp professional and was shocked to see that there was no such thing as dial up networking
I started playing about a bit and saw that the modem was installed but the driver was not there
Pls can u give me the exact location of the driver
So that I can use my dial up to connec to net
Thanks
Nitin Golani
ScottGem answered on 02/09/03:One of the biggest areas where there was a lack of drivers for XP was modems. Because many newer modems were "WinModems" meaning they only worked with Windows, it was a lot harder to update those drivers for XP and many mfgs didn't bother. The only place I can suggest is motorola's web site. Otherwise you may have to replace the modem. The good news is that modems are cheap.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 02/04/03 - File dates changed We are trying to copy several hundred files from floppies onto a CD-RW using a laptop computer (Toshiba) running Windows XP. They were originally created using 3.1, 95, 98 and 2000.
When the files are copied (tried using several methods, including using My Computer -> "A" Drive -> Open -> Edit -> Select All -> Copy. Then pasting them onto the CD Drive.) for some unknown reason, the date that the file were last edited appears as the current date (the date they were COPIED, not the last time they were edited).
The files are not being opened nor modified in any way, but the date consistently changes. This is problem since these are backup files and the best way to determine which are the older or newer files is by the date they were last modified/saved.
It is not feasible to rename each of these hundreds of files, to include the date as the file name.
How can we overcome this apparently default setting that changes the dates? We want the original date (as shown on the floppy) to be the date appearing on the CD version of the file.
ScottGem answered on 02/04/03:You are correct that the default when copying to CD is the copy date. I don't think there is anyway of changing that.
A couple of suggestions. Try making copies of the floppies, then MOVING from floppy to CD. Or copy the files to the hard drive, then burn to a CD/R. Another possibility is to ZIP each floppy to the CD/RW, the Zip archive may preserve the original dates.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| jdublu asked on 02/01/03 - Online access in other accounts My friend has her account set up as administrator in XP Home Edition. She can get online but 2 other accounts which are set as user accounts can't. A friend of mine said you have to set up email accounts in IE for the other users to get online in their accounts. First, how do you set up email accounts in your account since your the only one that can get online, and if you can how, do you set the email accounts up to allow them to get online in their accounts?
Thanks, Jim ScottGem answered on 02/01/03:A key missing piece of info here is how they get online. If it is dialup, then the a Dialup setup has to be created for each user. Setting up an E-mail account shouldn't have any affect on them getting online.
What she needs to do is check with her ISP.
As for setting up e-mail accounts, that's depends on the e-mail software. For Outlook Express, go to Tools>Accounts.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| JeffreyBryson asked on 01/28/03 - Outlook Express in XP Hey Scott. Can you tell me exactly how to disable OE so that it doesn't open when I want to send a web page or when I click onto an e-mail address link online. I have both Outlook 98 and internet options set for Outlook 98 as my default mail program, but . . . you know.
Jeffrey ScottGem answered on 01/28/03:Open Internet Explorer and go to Tools>Options. In the Programs tab there is a listing for E-Mail program. Make sure that is set to Outlook 98.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| jdublu asked on 01/25/03 - System Configuration In XP I went to into the System Configuration Utility to the Startup tab and unchecked one of the listed items and it said "Requires a reboot" and then it restarts with a dialog box asking "Do you want XP to start in Selected Startup Mode? So what might be a problem stating in Selected Startup Mode versus Normal Startup Mode?
Thanks, Jim ScottGem answered on 01/25/03:Selected Startup mode allows you to check or uncheck items on the Startup tab.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 01/17/03 - Runtime Error message I occasionally get a message like the following:
A Runtime Error has occurred.
Do you wish to Debug?
Line: 80
Error: Object Expected
What causes this?
What should I do?
ScottGem answered on 01/18/03:A Runtime is a module that provides what a program needs to be executable. Depending on the language used to write the program, will depend on what runtime is being accessed.
Basically this message just means that an error was found in the code for the program that is being run. Sometimes the error is just a temporary glitch, others its sloppy or incorrect programming.
Unless you are the programmer there is nothing you can do about it but click Cancel or whatever option is available on the warning.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 01/17/03 - Emergency Startup Disk with Win XP Is it true that you no longer need an Emergency Startup Disk with Win XP? ScottGem answered on 01/18/03:As TBolt said, with most machines capable of using XP the CD can be made bootable in the CMOS settings. You should make sure that is the case.
However, I would still want to have an emergency boot disk. Your anti-virus software should create one or you can use the article that TBolt mentioned.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 01/08/03 - Windows XP Product Activation Module One expert on this website told me that the Windows XP Product Activation Module is a real pain in the butt. What is the Product Activation Module? Is there a complicated process I have to go through after I install Windows XP before the operating system is ready for use? Many thanks, C.L. ScottGem answered on 01/09/03:Not complicated at all. After installing you are prompted to activate. You do not have to do it immediately but must do so within 30 days. The process involves filling in your location (just country as I recall) and then connecting to Microsoft's site to activate.
What can be a pain about this process, is that the activation makes a hardware snapshot of your system. If you make material changes in your hardware you could be forced to reactivate which may mean having to call Microsoft.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 01/02/03 - Version of USB On a Win XP system, how can you determine whether you have USB 1 or 2?
Also, how on a Win 98 system? ScottGem answered on 01/02/03:I'm not on an XP system now so this is off the top of my head. You can try right clicking on My Computer, select Manage and then open Device Manager. Open the USB folder on the bottom and check the properties of the USB controller. This might list the USB version. You can also check the copyright date. USB 1.1 drivers will probably have a 199 date, USB 2.0 a 2001 date.
The documentation that came with the system should also tell you wat version the ports are. Depending on the manufacturer you might be able to go to their website and check the model specs (Dell, Gateway, HP, & Compaq all allow this).
One additional option is go to www.belarc.com . Download the free Advisor which gives you a comprehensive printout of your system hardware and software.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 01/01/03 - Available hard drive space Since Win XP uses a larger amount of available hard drive space for System Restore and as an extension of RAM for handling large programs, what is the absolute minimum amount of hard drive space you should maintain on a Win XP system?
What about on a Win 98 system?
ScottGem answered on 01/01/03:All versions of Windows use Virtual Memory (use of hard drive space as an "extension of RAM").
With both System Restore and Virtual memory you can set the maximum amount of space used by each feature.
I set my XP OS partition to 6G and moved Virtual Memory to a different partition.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| mlrtlm asked on 01/01/03 - Clock not working Hi,
I'm having problems with the clock on my computer. Whenever I set it to the correct time, the next day, or even the next hour, it is behind. After about a week or two, it is about 30 minutes behind!
I just realized that my computer clock synchronizes with some internet time server. I have switched to another time server, but I won't know if it was successful until tomorrow.
If the time is still wrong, what is wrong with my clock? This is very annoying!
P.S. I am computer illiterate! I can go online, talk with my friends, type stuff up, and scan... but done give me any of that mumbo jumbo, please:) ScottGem answered on 01/01/03:I use DSClock http://www.dualitysoft.com/dsclock/?about to sync my system.
What you need to do is check what you are using and see how often it syncs and what the settings are.
The other possibility is that the battery which powers the clock chip may be going causing the clock to lose time.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| ic888us asked on 12/03/02 - Where is administrator account Hello,
OS: Windows XP Professional
On welcome/login screen of windows XP there is no Administrator account. TO enter administrator account i have to go to safe mode. On welcome screen every user is present except for the Administrator.
How can i enter administrator account with out going to safe mode.
Will be waiting for your reply.
God bless you.
ScottGem answered on 12/03/02:You don't. The purpose of the Administrator account is for diagnostics and repair.
Hope this helps,
Scott u
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 11/24/02 - My Documents folder seems to be a duplicate In Win XP, when I check Windows Explorer I notice that there's a My Documents folder listed under Desktop which seems to be a duplicate of the My Documents folder found under My Computer - Local Disk C - Documents and Settings - my name.
Are they the same folder or are these files duplicated on my system?
Also, can I just delete the All Users file since I'm the only one using this particular coputer and share music, pictures, or other documents with anyone?
ScottGem answered on 11/24/02:Yes, they are the same folder. The Desktop and My Documents folders are special system folders. So the direct link to My Documents points to your My Documents folder.
I would leave all users alone.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 11/23/02 - Low memory message I have been working on an example of a brochure in Publisher 2002 (Win XP) and when I go to edit, I get a message that says "Windows is low on memory. To free up memory, save your work and close other porgrams, then continure working."
I have done that, and I have deleted pictures, checked the disk and defragged and it hasn't helped.
Any ideas? ScottGem answered on 11/23/02:Answered in another category.
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| pcminds asked on 11/16/02 - Networking XP With NTSF and XP With FAT32 Hi everyone
I have a problem
Bought a computer which came with Windows XP preinstalled with NTSF format, and had a computer on which Windows 98 was installed. I am sharing the internet through a hub just fine.
I used to be able to share our new printer too that was connected to the new printer, but one day it stopped, and couldn't get it working again.
To try to fix the problem I bought a copy of XP home eddition (upgrade) and upgraded the old computer running Win98 FAT32. Now Windows XP is on FAT32 now because of the upgrade option .Still the internet was running fine but still is not able to network the two computers running the same OP. I now that there is a problem with FAT32 format to see NTSF drives, however I went through the network setup with the setup disk created with the new computer, but it still wouldn't work. I only have the default setting installed on both computers. The new computer is able to see the old oone but the old can not see the new and not even him self in the My Network Places.
I tried to change the computer name. I enabled the sharing of some directories, and the sharing of the resources. But still won't communicate with each other.
The connection is setup through the hub. I beleve that that connection is sufficient to establish a network connection, and internet sharing as well.
Please tell me otherwise, or give me suggestions on how I can network NTFS and FAT32
Regards,
Nicholas ScottGem answered on 11/16/02:Try making sure NetBeui protocol is loaded. This oftens fixes problems in sharing. By the way there should be no problem in clients reading NTFS partitions.
Hope this helps,
Scottu
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| Question/Answer |
| Ccl471 asked on 11/11/02 - Copyright Infringement I read somewhere that Windows XP has features that prevent copyright infringement. Does that include disabling filesharing applications? Many thanks, C.L. ScottGem answered on 11/11/02:Not sure what you are referring to. XP does require an activation (which is already done for reinstalled versions). This prevents the software from being installed on other PCs.
There is a new version of XP (the Media version) that originally had a feature that would prevent items burned to CD from playing on a different player. But Microsoft backed off on that.
As far as I know, there is no feature that prevents the use of file sharing systems. You have to let your conscience be your guide in using them legally.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
| Question/Answer |
| luhayes asked on 11/09/02 - Restore Points Is there any drawback to setting lots of restore points when using Win XP -- especially while loading different programs on a new system?
Should restore points be cleared out manually occasionally? ScottGem answered on 11/09/02:Restore points take up space on your hard drive. So you should clean them out after awhile. Since the purpose of restore points is to restore the sytem back to a working configuration then anything before a config that iw workign for awhile can be deleted.
Hope this helps,
Scott<> |
