I'm Freezing!
Q: I have a HP Vectra desktop PC. I am on Shaw high-speed network. My PC keeps freezing and nothing works. I hit ctrl-alt-del and a box comes up saying Explorer is not responding. I can either end the task or cancel, If I hit cancel the PC responds and finishes loading the program. I have had a tech in and he can't figure why it does this. It does it at random, in different programs. Have any suggestions?
A: There are a number of reasons why this could be occurring. The most likely reason, sadly, is "Windows is hosed." If you are running Windows Me or a program such as GoBack Pro (from www.roxio.com), the answer is easy: just "roll back" the computer's calendar to a date when the system was working. (The forthcoming Windows XP will provide a similar feature.) If however, you do not have this capability, your options aren't very pleasant: and may require a completely clean reinstallation of Windows. This is a lot of work, but chances are excellent that the problem will go away and the computer will probably seem a lot faster, to boot.
I seldom recommend such a Draconian procedure as a first step, but if, as you say, it "keeps freezing and nothing works," what have you got to lose?
If the answer is "...MY DATA!!!" then back up everything that's important and start afresh. I generally don't reformat the drive, but you might want to.
You also might have a Vectra CD that completely restores everything to factory-fresh condition. If you do, I heartily recommend using it, again after backing up all your important documents, email addresses, etc. In this case, you may ignore all the following steps.
Here's how I do a "clean" installation.
The exact command sequence to do this from the A:\ (or C:\) prompt is
REN C:\WINDOWS C:\WINBAD
(I added extra space between the words for clarity)
Now, you can install Windows to the usual C:\WINDOWS directory, and none of the old junk will be there. I usually keep the WINBAD directory around for a day or two, until I'm sure I'm not missing anything critical (like some weird INI file or something!) that might be lurking in one of its SYSTEM directories.
If the installation to C:\WINDOWS goes well and the system works as expected (and I'm predicting it will!), you will need to reinstall ALL your applications. I suppose the ultimate solution is to entirely back up this pristine system once you've got all the apps installed, so you'll never have to go through such a hassle again.
If, however, you go through all these steps and the problem persists (!!!), then it is clearly not a software-related issue. You would then need to take your computer for service (or, considering its age, replacement).
Alternatively, consider the "bake some cookies for a computer expert" strategy. ;-)
Netscape Crashes
Q: I have upgraded to Netscape 4.73 and almost every time I send email (mostly when I am sending from 'unsent messages' folder) I end up getting the following message and Netscape crashes:
Why does this happen and what can I do to fix it???
Many thanks in advance for your help,
A: Because there are many possible reasons why this might be occurring, let's begin with the obvious one: Netscape may have somehow become corrupted. Start by uninstalling that version and installing Netscape Communicator 4.74 (you might as well go for the "Strong 128-bit Encryption" version). I usually restart after completing an uninstall operation, just to be on the safe side.
Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you might go for the newest version of Netscape 6 PR 2 (which I'm not a big fan of) or Internet Explorer. If you are feeling not at all adventurous, then you might even consider going backward to the older version you were happy with before. I do not recommend this unless the above steps all prove unsatisfactory.
If the problem persists, then you have a deeper problem best fixed with a "rollback strategy" -- restoring your system from a recent backup or using a tool such as GoBack Pro or Windows Me's System Restore function. Such situations provide us with yet another good reason to back up our data. It's either that or install a fresh copy of Windows (or whatever OS you are using).
Free Long Distance Calls
Q: On today's CBC radio you have mentioned long distance call through internet. I have checked your web site but could not find related information as you mentioned. Could you please tell me where I can find the related information?
A: Sorry you had difficulty finding the info. (I should have suggested the use
of my site's "Advanced Search" option to aid in finding things.)
The page you are looking for is
http://pcbuyersguide.com/solutions/networks/internet_telephony.html
The MSN Messenger 3.0 program that does the free long-distance phone calls
is linked to that page. (Update: The company has begun charging for this formerly this feature.) Here is the link:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2000/jul00/07-20msnmessenger...
Q: Last May I downloaded the latest version of Winamp and it took out my entire system (Windows 98).
For me what it did was associate itself with the security downloads coming from Microsoft and from there kill all exe files. I thought I was crazy to make the association between Winamp & 98. The technician at the store thought I had a worm. But after a careful re-install of 98 and putting back in Winamp, he too concluded that this is an insidious program. My solution is to dump it and I currently use RealJukebox.
Anyway, if you check out Winamp's site you will find lots of strange problems with their current release.
RK
Nanaimo
A: Certain versions of Winamp are known to have conflicts with Windows 98. Fortunately, I have been lucky. I've used versions 2.02 and the latest (at this writing, versions 3.0 and 2.9), with good results. I prefer the 2.x versions, as they remind me more of the style and speed of older versions of WinAmp, before AOL bought Nullsoft and arguably wrecked what was once a fairly non-intrusive program. More recently, I've been using QCD and Windows Media 9 as my Windows-based audio players of choice.
Diablo II and MIDI problems
Q: I heard you on CBC (actually I am hearing you right now), and you offered yourself up as an answer guru of sorts, so here I am taking advantage. :P
I have two problems, actually, both of which I have researched via the web as best I can, and have not yet solved the problem.
My system is relatively new (which makes it completely outdated already, but there it is).
Touch Pentium-3 450 MHz System Including:
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks.
Tianna.
A: That's a very nice system.
Actually, the Asus card is better than the one from Diamond for two reasons:
They both use the TNT2. I've got an Asus 3800 Ultra (one model up from yours, I presume), and it works well for me. It's not the absolute fastest card on the market, but it's a good choice. I'd stick with it.
You can compare specs if you wish. Here's the Diamond info:
Here's the Asus info:
MIDI problem:
I use Windows Media Player to play MIDI files with no problems. And you note that the Real player isn't working now, either. Therefore, it must be something else. Could it be your volume control? Double-click the Speaker icon in the taskbar to check the MIDI volume setting. If this isn't the reason, then check that the sound card is working by opening the System Control Panel and clicking "Device Manager." Remove it if necessary and refresh or reboot. If this fails, reinstall the driver -- preferably the latest version from the company's Web site.
There could be a few other places to look: The Multimedia control panel lists available MIDI devices. Click the Vortex device's MIDI properties and make sure they aren't disabled. also, check the MIDI tab, to ensure that the sound card's Synth option is selected, not some (non-existent?) external MIDI device.
Again, reinstalling the driver should set all these options to their defaults.
Diablo II:
This is a commonly reported problem. To solve it, install the latest reference drivers (Detonator 2) from www.nvidia.com
Read the reports at
http://altavista.remarq.com/altavista/transcript.asp?g=%2B%22diablo+2%22...
TNT2+%2Bblocks&tn=18310000&sh=ff8d804ff79ee243&str=%2B%22diablo+2%22+%2BTNT2
+%2Bblocks&idx=0
...where other people are experiencing the same problem (and, fortunately,
describing how to fix it!)
(By the way, the newest Asus 3800 driver is 5.33. The driver can be
downloaded from:
http://www.asus.com.tw/Products/Addon/Vga/asuse/enthusiast_hottestdrv.htm.)
If the Asus driver doesn't do the trick, you'll need to go to the
above-mentioned "reference drivers."
Thanks for listening to the show!
Mac Antivirus solutions
Q: I am one of your CBC listeners. I have an iMac and here are my two questions: 1) When I try and print something from the internet, the text is so small that I need a magnifying glass to see it. Which setting do I have to change? and 2) If Norton anti-virus is causing so much trouble, which anti-virus program do you recommend for an iMac?
A: Actually, I do recommend Norton AntiVirus for Mac. It's the best-supported anti-virus tool for Mac, as a search of the term "anti-virus" on a site such as Macintouch.com will prove.
Another decent choice is Network Associates' Virex. (www.nai.com).
As for your question on printing Web pages, you don't mention which browser you are using, but here is some general info:
Regards,
Graeme Bennett,
Editor, MacBuyersGuide.com
Modem Problems
Q: Its always a treat to listen to you on CBC.
I would like to take you up on your offer of help:
Win 95 / 133 (olde!) generic modem with no ID on it at all. No doc from manufacturer.
After 4 years of no trouble I am frequently disconnected from my ISP. This is in the middle of active use. Telus came out and checked the phone line - OK. ISP - get this - says I am disconnected from them because a web site is too busy. I have extended the time-out string - I think that was what it was called. This is really annoying because the whole system then freezes so the only way to get things moving again is to punch the power button off. Can't even give it the three finger salute.
Happens any time day or night. Weather is not a factor.
I think the ISP which is Digital Ark has changed modems or done something else but they claim, as always no nothing has changed and I am the only one with this problem.
Any ideas, please ! !
Thanks
PS. Thanks for the "do not put Win 98 on a 133" tip - our guru at work is urging this.
A: That modem problem's a tricky one. The clue seems to be the whole system freezing. A simple ISP change wouldn't do that to you. I am also skeptical that any configuration string you could type into the modem init dialog would cause this problem. Thus, there seem to be gremlins at work.
Do you have a friend who could loan you a different modem (and its driver disk, if needed) to eliminate that as a variable? If not, I'd be inclined to start by suggesting that a new 56K modem (about $25 for a cheap, but
serviceable "Winmodem" model. I hate to admit it, but the $32 Acer/AOpen Winmodems are pretty good these days, considering how much I used to slag them when they first came out) would probably solve the problem and, I suspect, give you a faster modem than your four-year-old model. If you bought it from a place with a return policy, it might be worth a try as a quick fix.
If you do this and the problem DOESN'T vanish, then:
For the record, I just visited an office today where the guy had a P133 running Win98 and it was so slow, he couldn't bear it. (It only had 16MB of RAM -- no wonder!). I replaced the OS with Windows 95 (changing nothing else) and came back later and asked him if it was faster. He characterized
it as "blazingly fast now."
I might not use that exact term to describe a P133 these days, but it certainly tells a tale. ;-)
Windows 2000 Multimedia hassles
Q: Dear Mr. Bennett,
I was probably next in line to ask a question on the radio this afternoon. So here goes.
My husband replaced our old Pentium 100 with a new P III 700, with windows 2000 pro. We had great difficulty with the drivers for the Lexmark printer and the Acer scanner. But all is well now. We also got the ATI All in wonder 128 32mg and the SoundBlaster Live. Unfortunately Guy has installed and uninstalled so many times with these two programs he's avoiding doing it again. The programs will not work properly. It is the drivers again that don't work with windows 2000. Any suggestions. We've in the past downloaded stuff from the Web sites that are supposed to help with windows 2000. But the instructions get a little confusing and Guy has tried to follow them but we still end up with the same thing. For example, we got Altec speakers for surround sound, but only 2 of the small speakers work and with the All in Wonder, if you are watching TV, you can only click on some of the buttons or it freezes the screen.
We have gone through the help desks of these two programs, but again it has just led to a lot of uninstalling and installing and no change. Do you have any easier suggestions. My husband is away in a logging camp and only comes home for 5 days out of 3 weeks. I would like him to be resting, not getting frustrated at the computer. The printer took 1.5 hours on the phone with the help desk at Lexmark. We are just lucky it was toll free.
A: You probably don't want to hear this, but the most hassle-free solution is to "downgrade" to Windows 98, or wait a month for Windows Millennium Edition. If, however, you want to hang in there with Windows 2000, which is definitely weaker when it comes to surround sound, video capture and multimedia support, then your best bet is to refer to the info at www.ntcompatible.com on how to solve the driver issues.
Under Windows 2000, the problems with the sound card are best addressed by LiveWare 3 for Windows 2000 Professional: http://www.soundblaster.com/liveware/w2k/
The page at http://www.soundblaster.com/liveware/w2kfaq.asp describes a few outstanding issues. Most importantly, you should NOT be using the "built in" Windows 2000 drivers. Use Creative Labs' enhanced LiveWare 3 driver for Win2K instead.
As for the All in Wonder, the driver you probably want to use (http://www.ati.com/) is still in "beta," meaning that it is known not to work correctly. However, I think you'll find that the latest driver is not too bad (I'm running an All-in-Wonder 128 under Windows 2000 right now).
A page of release notes (here) provides additional details on limitations of the product.
The good news is that I think both the SB Live and the All-in-Wonder 128 are really great products. (I own both.) For the next year or so, I think Windows 98 or Windows Me (coming Sept. 14th) will probably be your best bet for maximizing their potential.
Norton Utilities Problems
Q: Heard your interview today. Good job as usual. Had similar problems with Norton Utilities - 2 years ago, it constantly crashed my Dell 233 PII running Win95 OSR2. Finally it crashed Win95 permanently and I had to reinstall. Went to defrag my Compaq 1210 notebook with Norton and it repartitioned my hard drive - wiped out division between C & D, so D contents showed in both. Unfortunately, I deleted some critical files before I discovered the problem. Solved it with Partition Magic, apart from having to reinstall some software.
Had better success with McAfee Office 2000 suite, though not all features were stable or would work. Suspect it may have had something to do with WIn95 glitches (see below). Uninstalled it when system became unstable, and things improved. Should try it again now that I have installed the two SRs below.
Re slowing performance of Win95. It was taking longer and longer to close Word97 or Excel files (anything in Office), climbing from 9 seconds to about 35, over a year. System was leaving temp file shortcuts in the directories instead of wiping them out when files were closed. (The ones beginning with a tilde that you see when a file is open.) Discovered through Smart Computing (magazine & website) that it might have something to do with Outlook's journalizing of all files opened. (Don't use Outlook, and discovered it would not open anyway) Discovered there were service release fixes for Outlook that referenced one DLL that kept popping up in my error messages. Installed Win95 SR 1 & 2b and the problem disappeared.
Hope this is of interest.
HS
A: It certainly is. Determination pays off! I look forward to the day when all software works the way "Windows Update" does, automatically updating applications without the complexity and drudgery (not to mention dubious results!) of manual methods.
Norton Utilities Fixes It...
Q: The chronic problem I have is this: I run Windows 95. I rely on Norton Utilities. Regularly I am informed that I have a windows problem. The details of the problem are invariably: The key, :EX_auto_file\shell\command," refers to an invalid command entry, "C:\Program Files\Creative\CTSND\PROGRAM:%1"." The solution Norton always employs to fix the problem is : Fix invalid Registry entry with file : :C\Program Files\Creative\CTSND\PROGRAM," file version
N/A . My question is "how can I fix this repetitive problem once and for all?" It has popped up about three times a week for the past year. I have tried uninstalling and re-installing the Creative Labs Sound Blaster files..
A: That's an odd one. If the Registry needs to be manually fixed regularly (three times a week!), something is seriously wrong. I think the best solution would be a clean installation of Windows. This is not a quick solution, though.
Because I loathe installing Windows from scratch, I'd probably try RegClean, a free utility, first. Then, I'd go and get the newest Creative Labs drivers, uninstalling the old ones, rebooting, and updated as you apparently did. Then, I'd double-check that Norton Utilities itself (or some other "system meddling" software component) wasn't causing the problem by removing it for a week or so. As I mentioned on the show, I've found that Norton Utilities often cause as many weird problems as they fix.
If none of these easy steps did the trick, I'd do a clean Windows installation, as detailed in the first section of this article.
Before The Problems Started...
Q: You mentioned some software that uses a calendar to "turn the clock back" when you are having problems. I missed the name of the software or the site.
A: There are a few titles that can "turn the clock back" when you are having problems. Adaptec offers "GoBack." Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (coming Sept. 14th) will have a similar feature built into the OS. It's a really useful feature and works quite well. I have details on it at http://pcbuyersguide.com/software/system/MS-Millennium.html
For Further Reading
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