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After REINSTALLING my OS, I get a prompt that says I have 30 days to activate Win XP.  Just what does this ACTIVATION do?  My XP seems to work ok.It validates your 'real' WINDOWS installation with M$.. Yes, you install will work OK...for 30 days.  After that you will be LOCKED out unless you validate it.

Alan &LT;><

What to you find to be the best burn-in software?

Alan &LT;&GT;<  TRY Prime95, or Super-Pi, or EVEREST, or Sandra.
I've used all but Prime95 myself.

Hello all...

I am using XP Professional on a 3.3GHz laptop w/ 512MB.

Whenever I log off and log back on, it has saved my username and only prompts for my password.  I would like to be able to change this so that INSTEAD of having my username (dworley) already there, it has my other user name (darryl) up instead.

Here are my current logon preferences:
I do not use the XP start window (I use the classic version that sort of looks like 2k)
All accounts are password-protected (so no automatic logon)... I do have the passwords so I can change all user accounts, though

I am unsure even as to where I begin: the REGISTRY? user accounts?

Thank you,
-darrylWindows automatically displays the last username you had logged in with upon reboot. So if you logged in with darryl last, then that is what should APPEAR. I have never come across a way to change this as of yet.You can GET WINDOWS to not remember the last logged on user, but you can't make it display the name of a user who wasn't the last one logged in, as far as I know.
Hope this makes sense.Yeah, I need it to display a different user.

Well I must say this is a little disappointing. I appreciate the help though guys.

Thanks all,
darrylDon't be disappointed. That's how it is designed. It is just doing what it is supposed to do, and it makes good sense why it is that way.

If you use the XP logon screen you can choose.

Hey, I am having a problem.  I want to use outlook express to view my yahoo mail.  I guess i am using the wrong INCOMING and outgoing mail server.  In outlook when trying to set up new email ADDRESS I am trying to use:

pop.central.yahoo.com          (have also tried pop3.central.yahoo.com)
smtp.central.yahoo.com

When i click on test account settings it tells me outlook could not connect to the incoming or outgoing mail server.  Does anybody know the correct server settings to use for yahoo mail.  I can't seem to find them anywhere on the yahoo sight.

I don't think it is possible, someone please correct me if I'm wrong though.
I tried to set up Thunderbird with my old Hotmail account and although various sites suggested various settings, some also said it was impossible.
I think it's because the webmail is free, they won't let you do it or something.I think i figured.  I purchased the yahoo mail plus and USED:

pop.mail.yahoo.com
smtp.mail.yahoo.com

and it worked like a charm.  

OK, cool.
At least that's SORTED for you then. Quote

pop.mail.yahoo.com
smtp.mail.yahoo.com

When I try to change my DESKTOP theme I get an error message 'Run a dll as an App has encountered a problem and needs to close'. I am able to change the wallpaper. HOWEVER, it's stuck on Windows Classic. I was thinking that this started a few months ago when I decided to uninstall some programs. Like StyleXP and Windowblinds. Since then I've been getting this error. This is driving me CrAzY! I've searched the internet for answers, tried several suggestion, but none have worked. PLEASE help!

THANKS!You could try reinstalling those programs, seeing if it works, uninstalling again, and seeing if it works. A Windows repair install MIGHT also solve the problem, but that's a more extreme measure to take right away.

Thanks to for 2k_dummy for this IDEA. In safe mode, try start > run > sfcStart Run sfc /scannow and hit Enter...have your XP CD handy...

I am trying to RUN programs with administrator-only permissions from a power-user account in Windows XP PRO using the runas command from the command PROMPT.

"C:\> runas /user:%computername%\administrator cmd"

it RETURNS:

"Enter the Password for ComputerName\administrator: "

but it won't let me enter in anything.
Why not?

Thanks,
-darrylhttp://www.autohotkey.com/docs/commands/RunAs.htmAs simple as this site MAKES it sound, nothing it offers works.

-darryl

I'm playing movie files (mpeg) USING windows media player, and it plays very fast. i want to play it nornal speed how?MANY more DETAILS are needed. See below.Have you tried under the "play" menu goto "speed" and then select "normal". If you've already checked this than I really cannot HELP you without more info on your system.I would just have a few Bourbon's and LET it sort itself out...

Just kidding !

Hi everyone,

I've just received my start up pack to connect my broadband at home. I'm running XP pro on a pretty new machine that's never had any problems reading or displaying disks correctly before but when I put my broadband disk in it wouldn't run. It starts to auto-play but never gets past the INITIAL white screen, I've explored the CD contents and there doesn't seem to be anything I can run other than the auto-run application, I tried the disk in my work pc this morning (an older machine on win 2k) and it booted up straight away with no problems. I have absolutely no idea what's causing the problem or how to resolve it so any suggestions would be great!

Thanks!Check it in Explorer...is there a "setup.exe" on there ...if so you can just double click this and it should work.
Sounds like that lens on the CD unit is dirty. Quote

Check it in Explorer...is there a "setup.exe" on there ...if so you can just double click this and it should work.
Sounds like that lens on the CD unit is dirty.

I've just done a restore from backup after a problem and the character sets are wrong on some of my application MENUS.

All the English menus are CORRECTLY displayed in ISO-8859-1 (English)
Simplified Chinese Mozilla Firefox menus are correctly displayed in Simplified Chinese
However all the other Simplified Chinese versions of applications have their menus displayed incorrectly with ISO-8859-1 so its all unreadable garbage instead of Chinese.
Within the applications and on the desktop all the filenames are correctly displayed in Simplified Chinese
Also I can SWITCH between English and Pinyin keyboard input by clicking [ch20013] or [ch33521] on the task bar.

I've checked Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options, under the Languages tab, and Install East Asian Languages is already selected.

Anyone got any ideas on what's up?Great news - I noticed what was wrong  

In the "Regional and Language Options" under the Advanced tab it asks for the "Language for non-Unicode programs"
I assumed it meant it wanted the default language, which for me is English - United Kingdom.

What it really means is that for non-Unicode programs such as my Chinese applications, what character encoding should be USED to display menus and dialogs which aren't in English.

As soon as I set this to Chinese PRC, rebooted, and re-installed the applications, everything now DISPLAYS correctly.
That is for Unicode English it displays in English, and non-Unicode Chinese displays in Chinese.

Yippy

:-?  I was trying to restore my hard DRIVE to original.  The Compaq restore disk would not  allow me to do a complete restore.  So....I started deleting stuff on my own.  BIG MISTAKE!!  I must have deleted some important things because now it won't go to the desktop when started.  It just goes to the Windows 98 page & stays there.  I can get into the safe mode & into dos, but don't know if there is a way to recover what I lost.  The system does not detect my d drive now.  Typing some commands in dos have resulted in 'bad command or file name'.  Is there a logical place to begin?

 Runner :-/Try to use the system restoration CD once again.  If that does not work, see if you can reinstall Windows 98 SE using a Windows 98 SE CD (they're going cheap on eBay, and you might even know someone who will give their Windows CD to you).Thanks, but I have tried to reinstall windows -- the d drive does not work anymore.Windows might not recognize the drive, but the system restoration CD should, unless, of course, the drive is not RECOGNIZED by the BIOS setup.  

Is the system restoration CD bootable?
Did you enter the BIOS setup to see if the CD-ROM or other optical drive is shown there?
If you can still boot to safe mode, try running sfc and check for deleted files. Start/run/sfc click ok. You can also restore the registry to a previous DATE/time from the dos prompt by entering scanreg /restore..The system restoration CD is Not bootable.  I do not know how to get into the BIOS setup - I really don't know what that is.
Can you lead me into that?  Thanks. Quote

If you can still boot to safe mode, try running sfc and check for deleted files. Start/run/sfc click ok. You can also restore the registry to a previous date/time from the dos prompt by entering scanreg /restore..

I have a serious problem here. My jpeg thumbnails are not what they're supposed to be!!

When I'm editing I'm looking at my thumbnails a lot. But sometimes the thumbnails are not the picture they appear to be.  I notice when I take a closer look to edit using Microsoft Office Picture Manager or just filmstrip mode.  Sometimes I notice when I change the name of the picture and it magically changes back into the real one.

Another question is why some and not the others? I have over 20,000 pictures on my computer-almost all from a digital CAMERA, some from scans-and this has only HAPPENED like 30 times.

But still enough to bother me.grrrrrrrrrrr It's very annoying if you're trying to edit, organize, name and rename pictures and you can't know what you're working with just by looking at the thumbnails.*grumble, grumble*

Simply put the thumbnails are wrong. I wonder if this is supernatural? Is my comp possessed and do I need and exorcist. If not, what do I need?

Any help would be APPRECIATED. Oh, I have an eMachines T3256 with Windows XP Home.

Desperate,

John

PS The problem is contagious! I put the folder with all the pictures on a USB FLASH drive and moved them to another computer and those thumbnails are still not what they're supposed to be..

Im experiencing a problem with windows XP freezing and not responding to ctr-alt-del or and commands. It usually freezes at the applying network settings screen when loading but occasionally will log on and start windows then will freeze after a few minutes. I can log in in safe mode with no problems which make me believe it is a software rather than hardware issue (or at least it is not a hard drive issue)

The last action I did before the problem was an automatic update of adobe acrobat.

I have tried using system restore to revert to previous system states, and as a last resort reloaded an old registry back up I made 6 months ago. This did not solve the problem.

I am once step away from reloading windows but would prefer not to.

The details of my system are:
Toshiba satelite M40 (about 1 1/2 years old)
PENTIUM M2Ghz
1G Ram

Thanks for your time

Andy


You can try a repair install, but if that doesn't work a good format nd reinstall will fix all Windows problems.....for a while.

HTTP://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx

This will require a real Windows CD, not a restore CD or a restore partition.Try removing the adobe virus & use foxit instead.ok just an update.

I decided to reload windows.

I used knoppix to back up the data from my hard drive, and attempted the re install with a quick format on the drive.

The install proceeded untill the installing devices stage, then rebooted the computer and gets stuck in a loop installing devices.

Any ideas?

Thanks
AndyI think ive found the problem. It MIGHT be that one of my devices has a problem, based on this link here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/828267/en-us

And what about this:


3. If the log files do not indicate the cause of the issue, try removing hardware to determine which device is causing Setup to stop responding. a.  Remove any external hardware, such as attached devices that are not required for setup (for example, printers, external serial devices, and Universal Serial Bus [USB] devices other than the primary keyboard).  
b.  Remove any internal cards that are not required for setup, such as sound cards.
c.  Disable items in the basic input/output system (BIOS), such as ports or power management features, and on-board devices that are not required for setup to complete, such as modems.
 
4. Try to move or reseat the cards in the Peripheral Connect Interface (PCI) slots. Thanks I saw that, but its a laptop so I cant easily get inside to remove sound cards etc. Also I DONT know anyhting about the bios. There are some settings I can adjust at start up but none of them are really hardware related. I have the latest bios settings from toshiba would it help to install them?? How would I do this? Use a dos boot cd and install them from dos?

Im waiting for a system recovery CD but its going to take 10 long days.

Thanks again for your help.Ok I found this GREAT suggestion for solving this problem.Which I will try now but my dos skills are´nt great so I dont know if its going to be out of my league


http://nitinpai.wordpress.com/2006/09/23/xp-installation-the-34-minute-hiccup

I want to DELETE my Maxtor backup software I erroneously installed before becasue of this horrible program below.
C:\Program Files\Maxtor\Maxtor Backup\MaxBackServiceInt.exe

This file (Maxtor Backup) cannot be deleted!  I see it in Add/Remove Programs but theres no "Remove" option in the ENTRIES!  I also used KillBox which told me the file cannot be delelted.  I am stumped here I want to remove the enitre Maxtor Backup software but nothing I try works.  The file keeps saying "Cannot delelte DRVIFNT.dll: Access is denied." whenever I try to delete it from the C: Drive directly.

What can I do??Have you tried doing this in safe mode?copy this and save as a .bat file (batch)

Code: [Select]DEL "C:\Program Files\Maxtor\Maxtor Backup\MaxBackServiceInt.exe"
and copy the batch file over to startup folder in Start, Programs, Startup. Reboot and hopefully it helps.
Quote

copy this and save as a .bat file (batch)

Code: [Select]del "C:\Program Files\Maxtor\Maxtor Backup\MaxBackServiceInt.exe"
and copy the batch file over to startup folder in Start, Programs, Startup. Reboot and hopefully it helps.

It is probably loading at startup and running as a service. Stop the service, then go to start/run, type msconfig, click OK. Click the startup tab. Uncheck any associated programs or entries for Max Backup. Click apply and close msconfig. Restart to make sure you cleared it from running. If you have, it should uninstall.

Have you tried doing this in safe mode?

I am trying to TRANSFER music to a philips hdd065/05 mp3 player.Ihave installed the musicmatch jukebox software, clicked the plug in version that it TOLD me to but still the programme does not recognise the player and am unable to transfer any music. i have also UPDATED the players firmware but nothing.
Any suggestions please.
Windows XP service pack 2.Does the player work with other software?  Eg Windows Media player.
Can you see the player using My Computer/Windows Explorer?
Does the player itself work?NO i can not find the player in my computer and it does not work with any other software programme.Windows media player or anything.
The player works ok and even though i have downloaded the plug in it still remains non existant ?.Check the Phillips site for an available driver for that device...

Everything You Need

I have two computers with this problem. emachine T3393 AMD Sempron 3300+ 1Gig Ram/Micron Millennia pentium II 512meg Ram/ Both will boot the windows CD, find the right drive ect. but will not take my Administrative password even if I remove the password. I'm Using Spybot SD and Avast. This problem started after I removed Adobe photo shop and tried to recover due to damage done. Then I discovered my other computer wouldn't recover either.when you first installed or set up windows it ASKED for a "administrative passowrd" this one trumps all others and is needed to preform some operations like entering safe mode and recovery. Can you think of any other passowrd you may have used when you first configured windows.

Hopes this helps.

P.S. If anyone READS this does anyone know how to reset, change or create it if not entered at at initial config.I installed the XP (SP2 by the way) on both PCs I have. Do not remember any password input, though I could be wrong. I'm sure it's something that I have missed or went it over my head, easy to do. Could it have something to do with upgrade vs. full version?Most times people don't enter an administrative password, so try just entering it blank. If this does not work, I will teach you how to blank what they call the SAM file which removes the password for the Administrator account. Let me know if you need this help. Probably best if you send me a PERSONAL message for this, because although this can be used for LEGITIMATE purposes, it can obviously be used for gaining control of a system, as you do not need any previous passwords of any accounts to do it. Let me know either way.If I give the right password for recovery should I end up in a DOS command Screen ?SKSA varied form of DOS, yes.OK, I think I've got it! I thought it was adobe( sorry)EI7 gets the credit. I thought I couldn't get in to recovery,but I did not reckonize the format,it's not unlike 98SE recovery, and I've done that. Thanks for the help. SKS

I installed a 80 gig wd harddrive in my HP Pavilion. Had a WD 40 gig as primary drive.All data on 40 was transferred to the 80.Due to ignorance, the 40 was "crashed" and is no LONGER operable.Using Recovery software was able to downloade the 40 data on 34 cds.All 34 disks loaded on the 80 yesterday. Now I need to know how to extract the files containing the data that was on  the 40 and restore it to an easy useable source. I am elderly and not very well versed in computer use or repair. All help would be gratefully received.Like to help you but more details are needed. First you said you have the data on cds, that's a good start. What data recovery program did you use? Are you able to see the file extensions on the recovered files? If so what are they? It is important to know that because commonly data recovery programs may not distinguish what KIND of file to recover unless you specify what you want, otherwise it will just recover everything, which is a good thing because you can pick out what you want to keep by looking at the file extension.

For example, if the extensions are .dll, .exe, .ini, .inf..., these files are useless because they belong to either the system or applications, however, if they are .jpg, .bmp (picture files), .doc, .xls (Microsoft office files), .TXT(text files)... these may be useful and important to you.

Write back. K.

B.I will tell you what I remember that I have done. The software is Recover My Files. When I pull up My Computer, I see folders-d oc & set, and Owners doc, plus i see c and d drives for data and two cd rom drives and a floppy drive. on drive c, isee folders as follows: doc and set,1386,quick ntfs partition 1, WINDOWS, ftw,program files,quick ntsf patition 2,wu temp, icon excel(Scotts cash). In part 2, I see floders as follows: cmcms, doc,hp,inet( will skip some down to RECYCLER. When I open that I see 27 folders starting with Di5 Registry entries, Di18-has some Quick books data that i need to recover. Di27 has some saved emails that i would like to recover.Di61 contains 28 folders. I am not much of a typist so hope that you can understand what I hope that I am saying to you. Quote

I installed a 80 gig wd harddrive in my HP Pavilion. Had a WD 40 gig as primary drive.All data on 40 was transferred to the 80.Due to ignorance, the 40 was "crashed" and is no longer operable.Using Recovery software was able to downloade the 40 data on 34 cds.All 34 disks loaded on the 80 yesterday. Now I need to know how to extract the files containing the data that was on  the 40 and restore it to an easy useable source. I am elderly and not very well versed in computer use or repair. All help would be gratefully received.

Like to help you but more details are needed. First you said you have the data on cds, that's a good start. What data recovery program did you use? Are you able to see the file extensions on the recovered files? If so what are they? It is important to know that because commonly data recovery programs may not distinguish what kind of file to recover unless you specify what you want, otherwise it will just recover everything, which is a good thing because you can pick out what you want to keep by looking at the file extension.

For example, if the extensions are .dll, .exe, .ini, .inf..., these files are useless because they belong to either the system or applications, however, if they are .jpg, .bmp (picture files), .doc, .xls (Microsoft office files), .txt(text files)... these may be useful and important to you.

Write back. K.

B.

Quote

Like to help you but more details are needed. First you said you have the data on cds, that's a good start. What data recovery program did you use? Are you able to see the file extensions on the recovered files? If so what are they? It is important to know that because commonly data recovery programs may not distinguish what kind of file to recover unless you specify what you want, otherwise it will just recover everything, which is a good thing because you can pick out what you want to keep by looking at the file extension.

For example, if the extensions are .dll, .exe, .ini, .inf..., these files are useless because they belong to either the system or applications, however, if they are .jpg, .bmp (picture files), .doc, .xls (Microsoft office files), .txt(text files)... these may be useful and important to you.

Write back. K.

B.

When I print anything off the internet it prints extremely LARGE. Once I print from a Word Document, for example, it prints fine. So i know it's not the printer...but what else can it be?

Also, say I try to print something like a coupon, where it will automatically start printing, that also prints too large.

Please help...I tried 3 DIFFERENT printers so I know it is not the printer itself, rather some sort of font setting or something.

EDITED--OK, I narrowed it down to something on MOZILLA Firefox Verson 1.5.0.8 that is doing this. I printed the exact same page in IE and it worked fine.Are you using Print Preview and Page SETUP SCREENS to preview and change settings before printing?Check your font sizes in Firefox. Firefox uses what you have set it to use.Fixed!! It was the print setup. It was set to scale to 200% for some reason. Thanks!

Hi, didn't see anything in the Q and A (though I honestly didn't go through all the pages, only checked the first few). Quick question with regards to the Registration Key for Windows XP. I've got a friends wife with multiple computers in their house now.  I know with 98/95 I was able to use one copy to install on both my computers back home. Am curious if this can still be done with XP.. rather then buying a complete second copy of XP. Since now you need to register it Online where as with the earlier versions that wasn't mandatory.

If it's not possible... rather then spending a WHACK of cash unneccesarily on another XP copy, is their a way of using the same install CD and purchasing (legally) another registration key cheaper? The computer is for her son and school, she's buying it for X-Mas but was curious if this was possible prior to spending a bunch more money to purchase another XP O/S. She then thought she'd ask me, since I'm slightly (not much!) more computer savy. Being the nice guy that I am, I said I'd Inquire about it.. and WELL here I am!

Thanks in advance!Well, when you did that with Win 95/98, your use was illegal.  And, that's PRECISELY why Microsoft implemented Windows XP's product activation procedure.  

I found this old article about Microsoft selling additional family-use licenses, but the savings was really not very significant and I doubt that the program is no longer being offered.  At least, I never hear anything about it in computing forums, so I suspect it's basically been abandoned.  The article: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,72863-page,1/article.html

So, your friend does, indeed, to purchase a separate copy of Windows for each computer.

Well, apparently volume licensing is not dead.  Here's a Microsoft web page with info: http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/vol/default.mspx.  I still don't see anything there that you can really count on to save much money in a home computing environment.If you want more information on the activation process then take a look at
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/ProductActivation.htm

As you can see from the terms of the EULA, what you are suggesting would be illegal.

There is some interesting stuff about being able to legitimately obtain more than one activation code from Microsoft after you've had to change your hardware significantly.Just get a real Windows CD for every computer. Microsoft wants it that way, and they have taken steps to insure it. You will be better off in the long run.I don't know about America (assuming you live there), but in Australia the internet activation is not mandatory, and can be done over the phone. When you do this over the phone, and try to activate it again using the same serial number, it will not work, henceforth putting you on to a customer service representative, in which case you can explain your situation and they will give you an activation code.
phoenix910-We sure are lucky you became a member.

I think everyone will learn from you.

Thank You,for the help you provide. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

RobertCheers man, and no worries. Glad to be of some help. I've got time to spare, might as well use it ey? Quote

Cheers man, and no worries. Glad to be of some help. I've got time to spare, might as well use it ey?

I don't know about America (assuming you live there), but in Australia the internet activation is not mandatory, and can be done over the phone. When you do this over the phone, and try to activate it again using the same serial number, it will not work, henceforth putting you on to a customer service representative, in which case you can explain your situation and they will give you an activation code.

How do I CONFIGURE Chinese Simplified Microsoft Pinyin IME 3.0 for a UK keyboard?

On the task bar I can select EN for English(UK) and the " is correctly on the 2 key, and the on the ' key.
However, when I select CH for Chinese(PRC) and [ch33521] for alphanumeric, the " and symbols are on the wrong keys as if I'd selected EN - English (US).

How do you get the " and symbols on the correct keys for a UK keyboard when using Chinese(PRC)? Quote

banjo67xxx........  Don't you already have this issue posted in another thread on this board ?
Double posting will not get you answers faster , in fact you may just be completely ingored.
dl65  

i tried to log onto my COMPUTER account and i typed in my password and hit enter and i got a message saying "this account may be corrupted" or something along those lines so it made me a temporary account from which i created a NEW administrator account but i still need to recover my desktop files from my original account.

anyone know whats going on?Welcome to the forums.

To get PROMPT help you MUST give some details of your pc and what you did just prior to the ERROR message appearing.  You MUST also post the entire error message.

I think your pc is suffering from virus/trojan attack - what protections do you have :-?

uh. pentium 4 2.0 GHZ. 512mb ram. it's a Dell. thats the problem.

i have norton anti-virus 2007 and when i logged onto the new profile i had to make, i did a scan and discovered a trojan and managed to get rid of it but it didn't fix the problem and i still cannot log onto my original profile as it continues to say it may be corrupted and makes me a temporary account.Are you using a firewall :-?

Having created a new administrator account you may not be able to login to the old one.  

Browse to you desktop folder and see if your desktop files are still available..

And if not..

Try This.And just to clarify, Dell is absolutely NOT the problem.

Using Internet Explorer V6 when I go to an web site and try to open a link on the site it will not open. The only WAY I can them to open is to RIGH click and to go "open new window". Computer is running WINDOWS XP home. Every think else is working fine JST the site's links will not open. Thanks[size=14]I recently moved to DSL from dialup and I have this same problem, If I turn off the firewall or hold the CTRL key downl when clicking on the link it comes up just fine, then I have to turn on my firewall again if the holding down the  CTRL Key dont work. I am using Yahoo email for this, and they told me to Upgrade to IE7 but I dont want that as yet.[/size][/color]

Quote

Does SpywareBlaster WORK? Sure it SAYS you are protected, but doesnt show anything, just sits in the backround, have had it for years and have no freaking idea if it actually does anything....

Thank You for the laugh fullbug....I have things on my computer I forget about too.Now what was that for?Always asking myself that.

I don't think Spywareblaster has a realtime scanning function?
Please enlighten me if I'm wrong.

is waste time to run those utilities/anti virus check under safe mode.

I've just succeeded in getting a new hard drive for my wife's computer up and runnung. It's formatted and partitioned. Now --- on to the next challenge.

The reason for the new drive is that the old one, which is the C: drive  is small (3 gig) and almost full. I thought that I'd replace it with a larger drive. I don't want to go through the hassel of re-installing Windows, and then having to re-install all the programs, because of the Registry. I thought I could coppy the entire contents of the old C: drive to the new drive, and then SET the new drive as the Master, and I'd be off and running. I should have known .....

Copying all the contents of the old drive (except for the Windows directory) was easy. Copying the Windows directory is a challenge I haven't overcome yet.

I've booted from a Start-up disk, and then tried to use xcopy to copy the Windows directory from the C: drive to the new drive I've st up as a slave (D:), but no luck. I get a message saying the F: Drive isn't ready (F: Drive, what F: Drive?)

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to do what I want; or any other suggestions as to a different way to go about it.

Incidentally, I'm using WIN98SE as the OS on the existing C: drive.
TomSometimes a new hard drive comes with the software to do this. Or did you just get a bare drive? What brand? Did you check the drive maker's site?

If you hooked the hard drive up as a slave, then it is an extended partition, not a primary partition which is what is needed for Win98 to boot.I agree with GX here...the CD that shipped with that HDD should have a "clone" utility which will make an exact copy of your existing drive and all that is left is to reset the jumpers and cabling and you should be good to goUnfortunately, the hard drive was a used one. It's a Maxtor, and I've been to their site. They provided programs so that I could format and partition the drive, but nothing to let me copy the contents of another drive. Maybe I overlooked something. I'll go back and check again.
Meanwhile, any other ideas?
TomEverything You Need

Remember after you are DONE to move the new drive to the end of the ribbon cable, jumper it as master and it should boot up into Windows exactly as the old one did with all your Programs, data etc. Quote

Everything You Need

Remember after you are done to move the new drive to the end of the ribbon cable, jumper it as master and it should boot up into Windows exactly as the old one did with all your Programs, data etc.

Quote

Everything You Need

Remember after you are done to move the new drive to the end of the ribbon cable, jumper it as master and it should boot up into Windows exactly as the old one did with all your Programs, data etc.

Thanks, but that's not particularly helpful. If I were able to copy the Windows folder to the new drive I wouldn't have asked the question.
Tom

just use the utility..........already or do a clean install.
I wuld just to a clan istall with windows xp and slave up your old drive easy acces to your files and you have a new updated OS

Windows cannot find 'scvhost.exe'. Make sure you typed the NAME correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.


that can't be good.sCvhost.exe is a trojan & you should immediately scan.

sVchost.exe is an essential part of the Windows Operating System.

Which one are you POSTING about :-?

Under what circumstances is the error message displayed :-?check to see if SVCHOST.exe is located in C:\WINDOWS\system32. If it is, then you are posting about SCVHOST.exe, which is the previously mentioned trojan. You should then search for a FIX for the trojan, or do a virus scan.Download and run AVG Anti-Virus and AVG Anti-Spyware,
both are free and good programs.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1right as i LOG onto my computer it gives me two messages stating "Windows cannot find 'scvhost.exe'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search." i close one and right underneath it is the second one. then a third one pops up after closing the first two that says it can't run scvhost.exe, obviously because it can't find it.

i searched for svchost and was able to find it in my system32 folder so i guess it is the virus which is odd CONSIDERING i did a virus scan and deleted a trojan and now it's clean and yet continues to do this.

Definitley a virus of sort.

B.Run hijackthis and remove the [highlight]entry[/highlight] that is calling for the scvhost.exe file.
CAUTION: Do not get confused with the names.You could click start, run, type 'msconfig' and go to startup tab and uncheck the malicious program (but be aware don't uncheck important programs). then try to get rid of the problem with anti-virus/spyware.

I think the OS knows the key does not go with the copy used.

There are 3 user accounts on our computer, when  one user deletes an icon from their desktop it deletes it from all users desktops, it only started doing this when we reformatted the hard drive. any help on how to fix this problem. would be greatly appreciated.Out of the THREE accounts...change them through CONTROL Panel/User Accounts and only allow one as the Adminstrator.  Set the others to limited account status.

If you don't...you'll find yourself missing a lot more than a desktop shortcut.


Good LUCK!SAVIOUR has a  good point but I dont think this is your prob. If I remember correctly there is a SETTING that "Allow User's to change Desktop" has to be checked... Its been a long time since I used multiple accounts so I cant put my finger on it exactly... I am almost positive there is some setting somewhere....

Hello,  

My system: Pentium 4 windows XP.

Problem    :  Error message " Windows Explorer needs to close. We are sorry for any inconvenience      
                   this may have caused"  Then at the bottom I have choice tabs to either DEBUG  or CLOSE

Time problem
happens         :  When i try and open a folder and thumbnails start opening up then message comes up.
                         Also when i use edit and capture film from video camera programe. The capture works ok, but if i try and open a project from my hard drive then message SAYS.

" we are sorry but Pinnacle STUDIO has encountered a problem and needs to close we are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Very frustrating problem, so any help much appreciated.




Happy Christmas to all.If this seems to be happening quite often with many different applications it may be a problem with not enough memory (or processor capability) to handle everything that
the system is being asked to do. Therefore the last task-your program- can't get enough of the system's resources and hangs long enough for Windows to decide that it's a dud and should be stopped. IF this is the case I would check to see how much stuff you have running in the background. Here are two widely used free programs
that can help you get a handle on background processes:
Win Patrol- http://www.winpatrol.com/
What's Running- http://www.whatsrunning.net/wh atsrunning/main.aspx
Use these to stop as many non-system processes as you can from starting
with Windows. You can always start them manually when you need them.
XP Services also contribute to the load. Not all are essential.
Here is a good place to get started:
http://www.theeldergeek.com/se rvices_guide.htm
In the meantime a workaround can be found in Taskmanager.
When Taskmanager opens select "Applications." Rt. click on the name of the
program you want to run and choose "go to process" Rt. click on the
highlighted process and choose "Set priority." Choose "High"
Answer "Yes" to the scary dialog box. Now your program will be given a
higher share of the system's resources off the top. Avoid "Real Time."
Crashes have been reported.

Of course, it is important to make SURE that malware is not a factor in the problem.
Never assume that just because we have antivirus and antispyware on our systems
that we can't get infected. All that protection is worthless if I bring the baddies home
myself--downloads etc. Scan with several utilities-one may find something that another does not.

If all that is not enough you may need to install more RAM or go to a bigger CPU
to make your system work the way you want.

Let us know your progress.
Good luck-1101doc
_________________Thank you very much for the advice but unfortunately it does not help.
My system has 2.7 Ghz and 512mb 40GB HDD(which i know is not the highest) but when i look at CPU usage in taskmanager this is on very low.
Even when i try just using one application for instance my W.E if i choose to view files in list things are ok, but as soon as it opens up automatically in thumbnail mode thats when the error message appears.

I also get that error when trying to open a saved project in my editting programme from my videos.

The same sometimes happens when i try and open files from my EXT HDD 250GB .


Thumbnail mode eats up alot of resources especially if the folder being viewed has many files in it.

You can run system file checker on that machine to see if things IMPROVE...

Go to Start / Run and type in sfc /scannow and hit Enter.

Have your XP CD handy as it will ask for it.

Hello,

I can't quit figure out this problem.  I have an eMachines m5309 laptop, with 512MB RAM, which was running Windows XP Home SP2.  Last week it suddenly got really slow, I mean it took like 20 MINUTES to start up Windows.  The problem even occurred in Safe Mode.  I thought it was a VIRUS and tried running Spybot, but that literally took nearly 48 hours to get 3/4 of the way through.

I downloaded the Ultimate Boot CD and ran some antivirus programs from it instead, but they couldn't find any viruses.  So I backed up the hard drive with Acronis TrueImage -- that seemed to work fine -- and then I reinstalled Windows using the eMachine restore CDs.  But when I went to start Windows, it was still running slow!

So I guess that means it's a hardware problem, rigiht?  But I ran a Hitachi drive fitness TEST on the hard drive (it is a Hitachi DK23FA-60) and the test showed no problems with the drive.

So, I've reached the limit of my technical expertise.  If it's not the software, and it's not the hard drive, what could it be?  Or is it still possible that it's the software or drive?

One last note: Everything seems to work fine until the Windows logo appears; at that point, suddenly the progress bar that runs underneath the logo shows fits and starts and long pauses.

I would appreciate any help anyone could give.  Thanks.


DavidI'm stumped...it could be many things. what programs do you have installed in windows XP? also, have you tested the RAM and hard drive in another laptop or computer? my only guess would be it is the RAM, hard drive, or a BIOS setting. reset the BIOS to factory defaults, see if that helps.Reinstalling Windows is not the same as formatting. Did you format or not? If you're not sure say so.Have you done any regular maintenence on that machine lately ? ?

Right click your C: drive in My Computer and select Disk clean in the first window...

Then select Tools in the same window and run defrag.

Re-boot and see if things are any better.

If Spybot took that long that HDD might be havin troubles...check how much free space you have and REPORT back...in the meantime DLoad and run the diagnostics on that drive from the manuf. site.I guess I assumed that the restore CDs format the drive because they erase all of the data.  Is that not the same thing?

Anyway, I'm pleased because Dead_Reckon's suggestion to reset BIOS settings to defaults worked!  My computer isn't slow anymore ...  I just don't know why it worked.  I haven't played with the settings at all.  Could a virus have changed the BIOS settings?  How can I prevent that from spontaneously happening again?

Many thanks for all the help.I'm having the same kind of problem. How do you re-set the BIOS? Quote

reset the BIOS to factory defaults, see if that helps.

I'm having the same kind of problem. How do you re-set the BIOS?

My MOTHER was given an eMachines T1440 (1.4GHz Celeron).  I took it for awhile, formatted the hard drive and restored the system from the RESTORE disks (Win XP Home and other stuff), installed SP2 and all Updates, and delivered it to her yesterday.  This is mom's first experience with Win XP.  She had previously used Win 98SE.  

Obviously, getting the Win XP updates is going to be a much slower process with a dialup connection.  And, it really slows down any other Internet activity with the computer while the updates are downloading.  I also think this process may be confusing to mom, who is 81 years old.

So, I left Automatic Updates TURNED off.  And, I'm thinking maybe I'll leave it that way and then guide her through getting updates about once every 3 months.  She normally turns the computer off at night but could leave it on overnight to get the Updates, or maybe just do it during the day while she's doing other things.  

Another option might be to just bring to my place once every 6 months or so and get all the updates via my DSL connection.  

Actually, I'm not too worried about her not staying current with Updates.  Her main Internet use is email; she does not do very much web surfing.  I elected to use Windows Firewall rather install some other firewall.  AVG anti-virus is installed; that's what she had been using with Win 98SE.  I also installed Spybot S & D and CCleaner, and will occasionally remind her to run them, same as with Win 98SE.

Just thought I'd post this for some discussion, if anyone cares to comment.  

If you live close by...you may want to stop in occasionally to see if she is keeping everything else up-to-date.  Waiting every three to six months to do updates is not recommended...you're asking for trouble...even if she is only using it for e-mail.

You, more than anyone should know that if she is going to be on the Internet...regardles if she is just using email...

1) Windows Updates
2)  Antivirus/Spyware Updates
3)  Firewall Updates

And any other software she may use may require updates...

If you wait 3 - 6 months to do updates...you'll find yourself doing the same thing you've just got finished doing.

Better safe than sorry!  Good Luck!I think she will be fine only updating every 3 months, it takes Microsoft a month to get their own act together.
I hope you set her XP to traditional mode and activated the Spybot advanced mode protections.
(Did you install the new Spybot patch?)Well, Saviour, I agree with the general view of what you're saying.  She first started using a computer in Dec 1999 when she received her first computer, the Win 98SE machine she was using up to this point.  No updating of Win 98SE for many months; as you know, Microsoft support for it has ended.  

In the beginning, it took awhile to get her to understand how to use the anti-virus software she had installed at that time.  Once or twice, during the first two years, as I recall, she got a virus in her computer and, on one occasion, I did format her hard drive and reinstall Windows.  I believe SOMEONE else also once formatted her hard drive and reinstalled Windows.  Besides the early problem with viruses, she did pick up a few undesireable things, such as a browser toolbar, that she had no idea how she obtained, but a re-formatting has not been necessary for the last 2 or 3 years.

Still, she only lives about a half hour's drive from me.  And, yes, I probably should make a point of making sure her computer is updated more frequently. Quote

I think she will be fine only updating every 3 months, it takes Microsoft a month to get their own act together.
I hope you set her XP to traditional mode and activated the Spybot advanced mode protections.
(Did you install the new Spybot patch?)

So what i decided to do was install windows on my hard drive again.. But i was afriad that it would delete all my important info so instead of saving the installation file on c:\windows I named a new folder called OS BACkUP and it installed from there using the windows cd. Everything installed correctly but i cant access my old files.. Its not deleted thats for sure because i have my programs in tact.. But None of my previous user names are there.. It basically looks like a fresh version of windows xp.  
Also when i start my computer now it gives me the choice of two OS... Windows xp home, and windows xp home.. obviously one is the fresh windows install and the other is my old files still frozen in the installation setup bug....  

Hello

I went on to Microsoft Update website and tried to update files...It says "Files required to use Microsoft Update are no longer registered or installed on your computer." and so I chose "Register or re-install files for me (RECOMMENDED)" ...it then "register" and then back to the same old screen with the error message again "files required to use........computer (i.e. above)...

then I tried to update Window Defender... error message "can't check for definitiion updates...Error found Code 0X802444001".

How do I fix the above two problems... it SEEMS complicated to me. I hope you can help me...I used to be able to view past update history.. not now. I must have done something wrong ...

thanks

This is reputed to have worked:..

"This problem can be corrected by re-registering the VARIOUS dll files that Windows Update requires to run.

To do this firstly click on the “Start” button then “Run” and enter the following command into the “Run” dialog box

 regsvr32 wuapi.dll

You should then RECEIVE a message to say it was successful. The above process then needs to be done for each of the following commands:-

 regsvr32 wups.dll

 regsvr32 wuaueng.dll

 regsvr32 wucltui.dll

 regsvr32 atl.dll

 regsvr32 msxml3.dll "

Good luck

Hello

Thank you for your expert advice. I follow your instructions and it worked. Wow!  I am so happy that I can get help from your forum. Keep up the good work! I really appreciate your help.


rYou're very welcome..

Thanks for getting back to us Robin.

I am a Crucial kind of guy. (You should have known that!) Quote

Getting my warranty honored to replace the memory is the other trick.  I have to send my computer away for three weeks just to replace a module... *sighs*
 

Nope, never.  

Did you just jinx me?

I am a Crucial kind of guy. (You should have known that!)

Get some usable RAM to complete the operation unless you just have LOTS of time and are willing to sacrifice your data.

With bad RAM, anything you copy can not be trusted.  

[highlight]Lessoned learned = ghost/backup on a daily/wkly basis!  man, after my move to arizona, everything got out of wack and i haven't backup up in two months... *cries*  never again![/highlight]

Quote

[highlight]Lessoned learned = ghost/backup on a daily/wkly basis!  man, after my move to arizona, everything got out of wack and i haven't backup up in two months... *cries*  never again![/highlight]

But even at that 2 months of lost data is far better than starting over completely wouldn't you agree ? ?

patio.  8-)

I just upgraded Windows Media Player 11 and now I can not play my audio files on my Digital Media PLayer(D-link-320) I can STILL veiw my pictures but the player says it can not access the music folder.
I hav tried everything(I THINK) and I need some new advice.

Thanks
Can you access your music through Windows EXPLORER?
Go to My COMPUTER and see if the device is shiown there - can you find and play your MUSC like that?

My computer has been SLOW lately.  I normally perform a disk clean up 2-4 times a week without even paying attention to the info for each category.  The past to weeks I noticed the total files size has been 3 million plus.  That's when I realized It doesn't delete Compressed Old Files.  I have already tried cleaning them up with my "Norton" program, a program that was recommended on here "CCLEANER", and running a defrag.  Nothing helps!!   Another thing I have noticed is when I run LiveUpdate with Norton Every time I run it It says there are 25 updates available and I down LOAD them every time.  I believe they are the same files and my computer is not allowing them to be saved on my computer or something.  I would appreciate any help that anybody could offer.  THANKS!!  Michael.


O and I am running Windows XP Home Edition, in a VPR Matrix with a Pentium 4,  1,024 MBThat's because Disk Cleanup is not offering to delete the compressed files, if you read the screen you will see that Disk Cleanup is offering to COMPRESS your old files for you.Well either way shouldn't it have cleared that after I FINISHED the disk clean up?  I have performed a disk clean up many times and the number remains the same at 3,126,042kb   the "WebClient/Publisher Temp Files" does the same thing although it is only holding onto 32kb   that and my Norton not saving any of the updates I download for it.  it says it is complete than I close it and right away a message pops up saying that I need to update my virus definitions.I think the default is NOT to compress old files, it's not something I do, too risky IMO.

Ok I took my computer to best buy to get it fixed and they found viruses to be my problem and removed them. Now I have my computer back and while all the viruses and the problems they caused are gone, every thing is running real slow. I read through the service log they left on my computer (which I will post below) and noticed two things. One they seemed to have messed around with my settings. Two they were unable to defrag completely which I tried and was not able to as well. I would try to do a system restore but they cleared out all my restore points. I have also ran Mcafee virus scan and Ad-Aware and both fond nothing. At this point any suggestions would be great aside from reformatting.
  





                        This is the service log they left me

Star ID #:      00212-879325288

Precinct Agent:      Agent Ted

Black Ops Specialist: Agent Bachman, Val Arvin Elicay, agent marvin dipasupil; Agent Jeph Adalia

Notes:      Unit is slow. Made sure power management/screen saver
      were disabled. Adobe Reader installer keeps launching
      itself. MRI in single optical drive.
Ad-Aware previously installed

SKUs Performed By Black Ops Specialist:
   ___ Diagnostic                      (SKU: 1856593)
   ___ Computer Optimization                (SKU: 3984825)
   _X_ Adv. Computer Repair and Diag.      (SKU: 6684206)

   ___ Anti-Spyware Install            (SKU: 1478804) KEY:
   ___ Anti-Virus Install            (SKU: 1478804) KEY:

Recommendations:Needs AS and AV install, Needs to change/add hdd


Actions Executed By Black Ops Specialist:

Removed Adobe BHO/toolbar entries with MRI and Hijack This to stop the adobe reader
  installer from trying to launch itself, hooked back to JU since it sat and session
  expired.  IE and explorer.exe now work fine after removal of corrupt Adobe toolbar/BHO.
  -Agent Rico (at store) 11/22/06 8:48 PM MST

5:57 AM 11/24/2006 McAfee Security Center updates - 0 updates found
5:59 AM 11/24/2006 Unused Desktop Icons moved to folder "Unused Desktop Icons" folder on Desktop
6:03 AM 11/24/2006 48.0MB of temporary files removed
8:04 AM 11/24/2006 QA+Win32: HD, Memory & System Board passed diagnostics
8:32 AM 11/24/2006 Agent Tools installed & updated

***Safe Mode
8:53 AM 11/24/2006 GS Sys Prep run
9:01 AM 11/24/2006 Manually removed 3 malicious programs
9:01 AM 11/24/2006 KaZaABeGone - 2 items removed
9:15 AM 11/24/2006 HiJackThis - 11 items removed
9:30 AM 11/24/2006 AS Ad-Aware - 0 items found
10:45 AM 11/24/2006 AS Ewido - 10 items removed
12:50 PM 11/24/2006 AS Spy Sweeper - 7 items removed
2:18 PM 11/24/2006 AS Trend MICRO - 79 items installed

10:11 PM 11/24/2006      received in safe mode
10:16 PM 11/24/2006      AS Spyware Doc: 125 infections removed
10:16 PM 11/24/2006      AV McAfee: 1 item removed
11:30 PM 11/24/2006      AS TMAS: 0 found
11:32 PM 11/24/2006      AS Ewido: 0 found
12:29 AM 11/25/2006      AS Ad-aware: 0 found
1:21 AM 11/25/2006      AS Spyware Doc: 59 infections removed
2:29 AM 11/25/2006      AS KazaaBegone: 0 found
2:29 AM 11/25/2006      AS HijackThis: 1 item fixed
2:30 AM 11/25/2006      moved desktop icons and folders to "Desktop Folders and Icons" folder
3:04 AM 11/25/2006      AS Spyware Doc: 0 found
3:39 AM 11/25/2006      AS Spy Sweeper: 0 found
3:48 AM 11/25/2006      MSConfig: removed uncommonly used/blank startup entries; ENABLED all services and normal startup
3:49 AM 11/25/2006      reboot to normal mode

Normal Mode...

4:08 AM 11/25/2006      Temp Files: 4.9 mb cleared
4:31 AM 11/25/2006      AS Ad-Aware: 1 critical object removed

** 4:35 AM 11/25/2006 continued by Agent Reynes **

4:37 AM 11/25/2006      run AS Ewido 0 found
4:47 AM 11/25/2006      run AS Trendmicro 0 found
5:18 AM 11/25/2006      run AS Spyware Doctor
5:25 AM 11/25/2006      run AS AdAware 0 found
5:35 AM 11/25/2006      run AV/AS Panda active scan

8:02 AM 11/25/2006      as trend micro - found 0 trace
8:03 AM 11/25/2006      as spyware dr. - found 0 trace
11:10 AM 11/25/2006      as spysweeper - found 0 trace
11:13 AM 11/25/2006      activescan - found 2 infections, removed manually
11:24 AM 11/25/2006      windows update - ie7 installed
11:39 AM 11/25/2006      rebooting to complete updates installation
11:52 AM 11/25/2006      kazaabegone - removed 2 items
1:25 PM 11/25/2006      av mcafee - cant update becuase it is asking
                  for a log in name and password
2:26 PM 11/25/2006      mri bde - freed 5.7MB
2:27 PM 11/25/2006      manually removed empty folders and temp files
2:35 PM 11/25/2006      removed quarantined items of all agent tools
2:35 PM 11/25/2006      optimized ie
3:11 PM 11/25/2006      windows upadte - no hi pri
3:11 PM 11/25/2006      defragmented c:
3:11 PM 11/25/2006      applied agent tweaks
3:11 PM 11/25/2006      created restore point

***eval start
6:40 AM 11/26/2006 msconfig - set to normal and verified all services are enabled
6:55 AM 11/26/2006 ran the PO tool and verfiied the defrag failed
6:55 AM 11/26/2006 checked and verified the machine has been defragged
6:55 AM 11/26/2006 reran defrag and the fragmentation still is above 20%
7:00 AM 11/26/2006 will boot to safe mode to try defrag there

***safe mode
7:22 AM 11/26/2006 redefragged the drive using the defrag GUI and the command prompt
7:23 AM 11/26/2006 file fragmentation still at 45%. saDownload, unzip, install and run Everest Home Edition
Everest

Select Computer>Summary from the left hand screen.
Right click in the right hand screen & select Copy All
Paste the details in here.

Is it slow when you are NOT connected to the internet?
Is it slow in safe mode?
What protection are you running?Field      Value
Computer      
Computer Type      ACPI Uniprocessor PC
Operating System      Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack      [ TRIAL VERSION ]
Internet Explorer      6.0.2900.2180 (IE 6.0 SP2)
DirectX      4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name      YOUR-J9BFDDR9VA (butlerz computer)
User Name      B Gardner
SMTP E-mail Address      MI[email protected]
Logon Domain      [ TRIAL VERSION ]
Date / Time      2006-12-08 / 21:06
      
Motherboard      
CPU Type      Intel Celeron, 2600 MHz (26 x 100)
Motherboard Name      Intel Sea Breeze D845GVSR  (3 PCI, 2 DIMM, Audio, Video)
Motherboard Chipset      Intel Brookdale-G i845GV
System Memory      [ TRIAL VERSION ]
BIOS Type      AMI (12/10/03)
Communication Port      Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port      ECP Printer Port (LPT1)
      
Display      
Video Adapter      Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller  (32 MB)
3D Accelerator      Intel Extreme Graphics
Monitor      Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB]  (1610)
      
Multimedia      
Audio Adapter      Realtek ALC202(A) Intel 82801DB ICH4 - AC'97 Audio Controller [A-1]
      
Storage      
IDE Controller      Intel(R) 82801DB Ultra ATA Storage Controller - 24CB
Floppy Drive      Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive      WDC WD400EB-00CPF0  (37 GB, IDE)
Optical Drive      LITE-ON LTR-48327S  (48x/32x/48x CD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks STATUS      OK
      
Partitions      
C: (NTFS)      [ TRIAL VERSION ]
Total Size      [ TRIAL VERSION ]
Thanks for the reply and yes it is still slow with the internet disconnected and in safe mode as for protction I am running McAfee anti virus

and here is that everest info

Field      Value
Computer      
Operating System      Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack      Service Pack 2
DirectX      4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name      JIM-EHL84M97FAL (1)
User Name      Jim
      
Motherboard      
CPU Type      Intel Pentium 4, 2800 MHz (21 x 133)
Motherboard Name      Dell Dimension 4600i
Motherboard Chipset      Intel Springdale-G i865G
System Memory      1536 MB  (PC2700 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type      Phoenix (01/15/04)
Communication Port      Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port      ECP Printer Port (LPT1)
      
Display      
Video Adapter      RADEON X1600 Series Secondary  (512 MB)
Video Adapter      RADEON X1600 Series  (512 MB)
3D Accelerator      ATI RV530 Pro
Monitor      Dell E172FP  [17" LCD]  (M16094292F1S)
      
Multimedia      
Audio Adapter      Intel 82801EB ICH5 - AC'97 Audio Controller [A-2/A-3]
      
Storage      
IDE Controller      Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
IDE Controller      Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
Floppy Drive      Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive      IC35L060AVV207-0  (60 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Disk Drive      Seagate External Drive USB Device  (74 GB, USB)
Disk Drive      HP Photosmart 8100 USB Device
Optical Drive      LITE-ON COMBO SOHC-5236V  (DVD:16x, CD:52x/32x/52x DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks Status      OK
      
Partitions      
C: (NTFS)      38138 MB (5315 MB free)
E: (FAT32)      76295 MB (45592 MB free)
Total Size      111.8 GB (49.7 GB free)
      
Input      
Keyboard      Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse      Logitech-compatible Mouse PS/2
      
Network      
Network Adapter      Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection  (192.168.0.87)
Modem      Intel(R) 537EP V9x DF PCI Modem
Windows likes 15% free space, can you free up some space on C drive?
Get rid of 5 GBs.
Make sure all power saving options are turned off and try to defrag again.Last time I defarged I gave it 17% free space and what happens is that the status bar gets to about 14% done and then it stops and say that it is complete even though did relly do any thing. also as a said before when I LOOKED  through the service log the best buy guy left it sounded like they could not get to work ether. But as far as power saving options  how would I make sure they were off?
 
And what did they charge you to not fix it.? I would take it back and let them finish the job they already charged you for.yea I was going to go complain to them if i could not fix it myself but im not really jumping for joy at the idea of losing my computer for another week and a half.      Best buy geek squad = bad idea lolYou have a DVD burner in that machine lets make use of it.
If you have movies; music; photos and any other files that are non-program or OS files burn them to a DVD.

Power down and re-boot.
Open My Computer and right click C:...choose disk cleanup and let it run.
Now choose Tools and run Defrag after right clicking all items in the tray and turning them off.

Unless there are problems with that HDD Defrag should now be able to run to completion.

Let us know...All right i tried that and i got the same resalt it gets to 14% and then stopsRun the HDD manuf. diagnostics on the C: drive...available at the manuf. site.

It looks like it's only reporting 38G out of 60 unless i'm missing something. Any hidden partitions on that drive ? ? Quote

Partitions      
[HIGHLIGHT]C: (NTFS)      38138 MB (5315 MB free) [/highlight]
E: (FAT32)      76295 MB (45592 MB free)
Total Size      111.8 GB (49.7 GB free)

windows XP NTFS File system can handel how much drive size and what file system should be choosen for all drives when harddisk has windows XP installed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFSSpeaking of which, I don't get this,

"Maximum Volume Size
In THEORY, the maximum NTFS volume size is 2\64-1 clusters. However, the maximum NTFS volume size as implemented in Windows XP Professional is 2\32-1 clusters. For example, using 64 KiB clusters, the maximum NTFS volume size is 256 TiB minus 64 KiB. Using the default cluster size of 4 KiB, the maximum NTFS volume size is 16 TiB minus 4 KiB. Because partition tables on master boot record (MBR) disks only support partition sizes up to 2 TiB, you must use dynamic volumes to create NTFS volumes over 2 TiB."

When I tried o install WinXP pro in NTFS on my 300G hd, it only recognizes 127G, I had to use the format disk that came with Seagate to get it to RECOGNIZE 300G then copy the system from the master drive  using a Seagate utility, what am I missing?

B.Is this XP Pro with SP2 already on it?O, I kinda CIRCUMNAVIGATED it. When I bought the 300G, I was going to use it as a slave for storage. I set it up as the slave on my WinXP pro SP2 machine. WinXP can only format 127G of it, so I used the utility Seagate provided, afterward WinXP recognised it as 300G. Then a scary thought came across my mind: what if the master fails? I better install an OS on the slave just in case. So I yanked out the master and set the 300G drive as the master, tried to install XP on it, XP said it can only format 127G. (I did not partition it, I just want a whole big chunk of disk space.) Then I found out Seagate also has an utility to copy files from another drive. So I went back to set the 300G drive as the slave and boot the PC up with the original master drive. Used the Seagate utility again to make it 300G recognisable to XP, then used the other utility to copy the entire XP to the 300G drive. It's kinda circuitous. Sorry this is so long, hope I explain it clearly.

I tested it and it works. All I need to do, in case of disaster, is to set the 300G drive as master and it will boot up with all my data intact.

I READ a lot about file system and almost every ARTICLE has the same answer that NTFS is capable of  up to 2T or 4T but I am not sure why WinXP doesn't support it. What am I missing here. I keep my XP updated all the time, is there some tricks in WinXP I am missing?

B.

I've created a self-signed digital certificate as follow step:
Start button-->Microsoft OFFICE-->Microsoft Office Tools-->Digital Certificate for VBA Projects.
1.How to delete the self-signed digital certificate after created?
2.How to change the expiration date for the self-signed digital certificate?
 
I'm ASSUMING that the certificate didn't work which is why you want to delete it...

More info on what you want to accomplish.Might be some helpful info here: Google Groups RESULTS for remove self-signed VBA digital certificate.

And, here's a Microsoft REFERENCE: SIGNING a VBA Project.

If I already have windows XP, but need a disk because the origianal one has been LOST, in order to re-INSTALL it, will a home edition upgrade disk work?
Theres one on best buy for 59 dollars, 30 pounds, which is a good price to pay rather than 50 pounds at my LOCAL PC fixing shop.I highly recommend that purchase...if you don't mind losing that data you COULD upgrade to XPPRO. Quote

I highly recommend that purchase...if you don't mind losing that data you could upgrade to XPPro.

If I already have windows XP, but need a disk because the origianal one has been lost, in order to re-install it, will a home edition upgrade disk work?

Hi,

I was recently downloading a few things off the internet and left my computer on over night to do so. However, when i checked the computer in the morning there was an error message appearing in the bottom right hand corner saying something about a corrupt file unfortunately i did not think to make a note of what it was saying !! :-(
My windows was working ok though from what I could SEE so I just decided to run norton go back and go back a day to hopefully restore my drive and erase the problem. However, on restart norton failed to restart the computer and after numerous attempts of restarting at different times via norton i then got an error message that norton had an error. I now cannot restart my computer to windows at all I keep receiving this message - "Missing or corrupt c:\windows\system32\drivers\ntfs.sys."  I have tried to use a windows xp CD to repair this by doing "copy x:\i386\ntfs.sys c:\windows\system32\drivers at the dos prompt but i just keep getting a message saying "the SYSTEM cannot find the file specified".  Do you have any ideas of what I can do as I do not want to lose what I have allready installed on my computer, applications, files etc which I think would happen if I reloaded windows xp on my system would'nt it ?

Any Help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

DNorton strikes again.

Do you have a real Windows CD? If so you can try a repair installation so your data is safe.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspxThe files in the i386 folder are compressed and then the last letter of the file's extension is removed and replaced with an _, which would explain why the system couldn't find it. Isn't there an extract.exe or expand.exe in the folder too so you could extract the file? Correct me if i'm wrong. But even if you were to replace that one file there's likely to be others missing too...

-John Quote

Norton strikes again.

Do you have a real Windows CD? If so you can try a repair installation so your data is safe.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx

Sorry but I really am a beginner when it comes to these computer problem type things !!
So are you saying if they are not the same service pack then I can't really repair this ?
How do I find out what windows version/service pack I have when I can't restart my comp back to windows to check ?
Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to solve this problem and if it is the correct service pack edition etc could i just do a re-install and not lose my data/apllications etc ?

Sorry but I really am a bit clueless !! :-(

Thanks for your help

Dean

i've got so far on the link you posted but when it says on that link to make sure you select the current installation of Windows XP in the selected box, and then press R to repair Windows XP. Nothing is happening when i press "r", it does'nt seem to be an option to press "r" i can press enter to "select setup of windows xp on the selected item".  Would that be what I need to select or is this not the right thing ?

Sorry but wanted to make sure before i do it wrong and finally destroy my computer completely !!  

I have a real windows XP cd but it's not from my computer I did not get one with mine when i bought it, it's the one off my old mans laptop, would that make any difference ?

:-[None of my icons appear in the notification area except Zone ALARM even  though they are checked in MSCONFIG. When I install new software they all show after the installation, but they don't appear after a reboot. The icons are my sound, ANTI virus plus a few others that are checked for startup.You have to choose the option to display the icons in the Notification Area.  This option should be in the settings for your antivirus program.  To add the sound icon to the notification area:

1. OPEN Control Panel
2. If you are using Windows XP, select Switch to Classic View
3. Open the sounds and multimedia applet
4. Select the Show Volume Control check box
5. Select Apply and OK

If you cleared the check boxes for the programs in MSCONFIG and then selected the check boxes in MSCONFIG, you might now have to disable and enable the show icon in Notification Area option for each program.

Followed your instructions and got all my icons back, but after rebooting the sound icon dissapears again. Tried several times with the same results. Glad to have the others back  so thanks for the help, I think I can LIVE without the sound icon.Make sure the check box for SNDVOL32 is not cleared in MSCONFIG.  If that does not do it, reinstall the drivers for your sound card or motherboard sound controller.

Hi, I am using XP SP2 Home Edition.
I don't KNOW what I have set, coz there is something strange happening in my XP.

Normally, when you minimize or open a program, you would just see an ICON SHOW on the toolbar.
But I see there are always duplicate icons on the Toolbar in my Windows whenever
 I open a program or a folder.
PLEASE take a look at this screen shot:


Please help!If you SELECT both taskbar buttons, do they each display the same Web page?  If you right-click on one of the taskbar buttons and select Close, are both taskbar buttons removed from the taskbar or only the duplicate button?

I think Doc is on the right track here.
When you minimise a window in Netscape or any other browser it shows up in the taskbar.
In other words every window you open will go there unless you close that window.

The time for me to take my MCSE 70-270 exam (which is the Windows XP certification) is coming down to the wire. Does ANYONE know any good sites that can offer me good quality, either free or inexpensive practice TESTS and study guides? I've found quite a few, like TestKing which has been my favorite so far, but they want about $80 for a complete package, which includes practice exams and a study guide. Anyone know any cheaper alternates?I've found Test King did an EXCELLENT job of providing practice exams with more than 75% of the ACTUAL questions i found on the real exams.

http://www.testking.com/70-270.htm

Hi,

I have a problem with my laptop. I'm getting the following error when running chkdsk on the DOS command.

"Error found. CHKDSK cannot continue in read-only mode".

This happen after i MANUALLY shut it down by pressing on the power button while the WINDOWS still trying to close the network connection.

I think some memory might have been corrupted.

I run windows XP Pro on this machine. Is there a way of fixing this up again?

Thank you in advanceHave you tried without running it from a Command Prompt ? ?

To do so open My Computer , select the drive by right clicking it and choose properties...

Go to Tools and choose and select "error checking"You need to select automatically fix ERRORS. If this is a system partition, then you will probably be asked to restart for a boot-time scan, so that the partition can be "locked".

Is it possible?  I have Windows ME, the router is hard WIRED into my system.  The wireless router is sending the internet signal to a WindowsXP computer in the next room.  Can I transfer files from my computer (#1) to the computer in the next room (#2)?

Reason I'm asking is because right now all my USB ports have suddenly stopped working (meaning I didn't change any settings before this happened) and if I can't get them to work I need to transfer my important files before I try reinstall windows.  I have alot of data I want to backup so burning it all to CD-ROM would take too MANY.  look in your device manager and make should all the usb drivers are good (look for a red x or yellow question mark.  and i think it is possible. make sure file sharing is turned on and both computers have the same workgroup name.


unlovedwarrior"make sure file sharing is turned on and both computers have the same workgroup name. "

Where do I find out if file sharing is turned on and both computers have the same workgroup name.  And if they do I still wouldn't know how to transfer files.

The device manager shows all the USB ports as working fine.  When I plug in mass storage devices it no longer shows up in "my computer" as an f: or e:... drive.  The "safely REMOVE usb device" no longer appears.  It's like it doesn't see it.  You need to read about simple file haring FIRST:

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp/filesharing.htm

We are assuming your hardware is OK and set up correctly. If not, check your OWNER's manual.

I saw that my AVG detected a virus and it cleaned it and my computer needs to reboot. The virus started with an F but I cant remember the NAME. Anyway now everytime I try and turn my comp on it tries but just loops booting up once its done with the windows loading screen. I tried booting in safe mod but that did not work. I tried booting from CD with no results. I also reinstalled the Kernel32.dll file that was suggested to me by Microsoft Support.

Is reformating the only option?You could try reinstalling Windows without formatting. The others might be able to suggest some kind of boot-time virus scanner, maybe?http://www.ubcd4win.com/
Ultimate Boot CD for Windows, this includes a virus scanner along with numerous other useful tools.
Might be of use.Trying the UBCD thanks I hope it works No problem, fingers crossed for you.
I've not used the UBCD myself, but I've heard good things about it from people on this forum and some other people I know.Do you have important data on there to backup first?

Quote

I tried booting from CD with no results

I decided to run a registry cleaning program a couple of nights ago without setting a system restore point, which may be one of the stupidest decisions I've ever made.

Right now, Windows XP is not saving my settings and acting rather peculiar. In particular:

-When I boot up, it does not remember to display the Quick Launch bar. I have to put it on manually everytime.
-My folder toolbar settings are never saved - when I click on My Computer, I want the "Address Bar" toolbar to always show. As soon as I click off My Computer, the setting is forgotten and the address bar is gone.
-When I boot up, my desktop icons are arranged by name and not in the custom arrangement that I CREATED for them.
-Most frustratingly, once I arrange my desktop icons back into the order I want and align them by grid, they instantly revert back to the old "by name" settings as soon as I make any kind of application change. (I'm not sure I described this well, so I'll give an example. Let's say I go into My Computer, click on Tools, Folder Options, View. If I check any BOX or make any change and hit "apply," all of the icons revert back to the by name order and my 'align by grid' setting is completely forgotten despite the fact that my change had nothing to do with desktop icons).

I have tried restoring my system to a variety of points within the last week, but I have had no success; whenever I try, Windows XP gives me an error message upon booting up that says "Your computer cannot be restored to xxxxxx." I have tried making some registry ADDITIONS on the Kelly's Korner website at the advice of other people. I am completely stuck, frustrated, confused and unsure of what to do next.

I am quite certain that this problem is somehow linked to the registry alterations I made a couple of days ago, but have no way of knowing for certain. It appears that my Windows XP is locked into a particular brand of settings that I do not want. But I could be quite incorrect about this. If there were somehow a way to bypass my System Restore problems, it seems as if the issue would correct itself.

I hope have described this well enough that someone can come along and help. If ANYONE has any ideas, please do let me know. Thanks.

Best,

Jay
Tried booting in safe mode.  :-?Do you have a real Windows CD? You could do a repair install and MAYBE get by.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx

Registry playing about, either manual or via a program can sometimes result in a FUBAR'ed system.

I had some VIRUS change my c-drive icon some time ago, and i managed to get it back changing the registry keys. But it did only half of the job, in the windows explorer it's ok, but in e.g. any music player, when i want to add a folder, and small window with explorer tree in it appears, old icon (virus) is displayed again  :-? . Did anyone have the same problem? How can i repair this?Are you sure it is a virus and not a windows theme??? If so you may want to consider looking into getting rid of it.Sgt P:

What is the name of the virus?And how are you sure your system is CLEAN now? What are you using? Quote

Are you sure it is a virus and not a windows theme??? If so you may want to consider looking into getting rid of it.

:-/ When i turn off my computer the last thing i see is a big blue screen that reads.
A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to avoid damage to your computer.
It says that there is a problem with new hardware/software not being installed properly.
It advises me to disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. :-/ No idea,
I have searched the device manager to try and uninstal a philips hdd065/05 portable player that did not work properly when CONNECTED to my system and think this MAY be the cause of the error.I did disable it but still get the big blue screen when i turn off my computer.
Question is how can i uninstall it
I do get a new icon in my control panel for a portable device but when i click on it there is nothing there.
My system is windows xp service pack 2.
any more than that i will have to find out on request.
HELLLLLLLLLLLLP.That is kind of what is happening to me  . It's called the BSOD or Blue Screen of Death. Could you post what the error message that COMES along with the BSOD so that I or someone else may assist you further. To see what I mean by error just read my thread it says, "BSOD keeps crashing computer somebody help plz...".Did you add any new hardware, such as a new video card or DVD drive?  If so, try removing it and seeing if the Stop error stops.  If it does, the problem might lie with the drivers you installed for the device using the Windows Found New Hardware wizard.It may also be a buggy Windows XP installation, faulty drivers?Have you been in the BIOS foolin around and testing new things ? ?The warning that comes up on the BSOD reads DRIVER POWER STATE FAILURE.
No i have not done anything with the BIOS It just started happening The only thing i have tried so far is to check all the drivers from the device manager the only one that says it is failing is the MTP device under the heading of portable devices it says it has an error code 10 :-/

One thing i should mention in case it is important is when i disconected the portable music player i forgot to click on the safly remove hardware icon by MISTAKE could this have any bearing on the problem.
Quote

One thing i should mention in case it is important is when i disconected the portable music player i forgot to click on the safly remove hardware icon by mistake could this have any bearing on the problem.