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Quick Fixes

Here you can find answers to common computer problems and links to Service Packs and Application Patches.

Click on a link to find help with different operating systems, hardware and software.

Caution!!! You should always backup all important files and make sure you have a current startup disk before making any changes to your computer.

Microsoft

Windows 95:

Windows 98:

Windows 2000:

Windows XP:

Making a Startup Disk

  1. Obtain a Pre-Formatted Floppy disk or reformat an existing disk.
  2. Click on Start>Settings>Control Panel
  3. Double Click Add/Remove Programs
  4. Click on Startup Disk Tab
  5. Insert disk in floppy drive and click on Create Disk
  6. Label and store in a safe and handy place
  7. Update disk whenever major changes are made to the system

USB Problems

The first version of Windows 95 did not have USB support .You will need Windows 95b or Windows 98 or greater to be able to use your USB ports .
To check your version of Windows:
Right click on the My Computer Icon on your desktop and choose Properties from the Menu.
This will bring up your system information including your Windows version number.
If you do have Windows 95b/98 check to see if the USB ports show up in your Device Manager (Start>Settings>Control Panel double click the System Icon and click on the Device Manager tab).
If they do not show up and you are sure you have the ports physically connected they have probably not been enabled in your BIOS.
To enable USB in your BIOS reboot the computer and enter the BIOS this is done differently with different BIOS manufacturers but it usually involves hitting the Delete key during boot.Once into the BIOS navigate to the window that has an entry with USB ports disabled and change this setting to enable them.
Save changes and exit. When the system reboots Plug and Play should recognize them and load the appropriate drivers. It may request the original Windows disk so have it handy.

System Shutdown Problems

Most shutdown problems occur when a program prevents the system from completing the shutdown procedure .
The most likely culprits are antivirus programs that have been programmed to scan the floppy disk during shutdown . Some antivirus manufacturers have patches to fix this problem available at their websites but the easiest way to solve this problem is just to disable this option in the antivirus softwares preferences or options menu.

Driver Problems

Drivers are software which is needed for hardware to communicate with your computer. These often become corupt or outdated and can cause a myriad of problems.
New versions of drivers and patches for malfunctioning drivers are often available at the hardware manufacturers website to download for free .
Before reformatting a drive or upgrading your operating system always make sure you have the drivers for your hardware on hand and that they are compatable with your operating system.
Many error msgs on booting your system can be attributed to corupt driver files.
To check what drivers you have installed on your system right click on the My Computer icon and then click on Properties on the menu. This will bring up the System Properties box. Click on the Device Manager tab.
If there are problems with a device driver there will be a yellow exclamation mark next to the hardware name and a new driver must be supplied for this item to work properly.
If there is an item which does not have a driver installed there will be a question mark next to it.
To find out which driver is installed on a peice of hardware click on the plus sign next to the item you want to check it will show you the item installed on your computer. Then highlight the item and click the properties button then click the driver tab and the driver details button, write down the name and version number of the driver. Once you have this info you can check the companies website to see if an updated driver is available.
Once you download the updated driver you can either go back to the Device Manager and click the Update Driver button on the item and point it to where you have the new driver saved or sometimes the hardware company has written the driver to a self extracting file where all you have to do is double click the file and it will self install. The directions for installation should be available at the company's website.

Display Problems

Most display problems can be attributed to corrupt or out of date drivers . Often when visiting sites or working in certain programs your screen may freeze up these are usually associated with imcompatabilities to the OpenGL or Direct3d standards.
Visit your display adaptors manufacturer to download the most current driver. For more info on drivers click here Driver Problems

All driver settings including changing adaptor and drivers can be done by clicking on the Display icon in your Control Panel (Start>Settings>Control Panel).
Once in you can choose a screensaver, wallpaper, your window appearance,colour settings and screen area.
The advanced button under settings will take you into even more options depending on the manufacturer of your display adaptor.

Internet Explorer

Note: Internet Explorer and Explorer are two different things. You may get an error message that states "explorer has caused a page fault in module xxxxxxxx.xxx". The term Explorer refers to the Operating Shell not Internet Explorer so if you do get an error message concerning Explorer be aware this has nothing to do with the Web Browser and if you ever delete Explorer.exe your computer will not work.

Files in Internet Explorer have a tendency more than most to become corrupt or outdated . Fortunately there are a couple of easy fixes for this.
The first method is through basic maintenance by visiting the Windows Update site and downloading the newest patches and service packs available.If a new version of Internet Explorer or any Plugins such as Windows Media Player are available you may want to hold off a month or two on these until they have been used by others for a while and Microsoft has gotten any bugs out. Remember once you upgrade and if it doesnt work properly you will have to delete the new items and find the previous versions to reinstall.

Microsoft has also provided a repair option for Internet Explorer. If you do feel that the browser is not functioning as it should follow these instructions.

  1. Click on Start>Settings>Control Panel
  2. Once in Control Panel double click on Add/Remove Programs
  3. Click on the Install/Uninstall tab
  4. Cursor down the list of programs to Microsoft Internet Explorer (your version number)and highlight it
  5. Click the Add/Remove button
  6. An Internet tools box will appear click on the Repair Internet Explorer radio button
  7. Click the OK button, a small window will appear asking if you want to run the repair program click yes
  8. Once this program has run restart the computer

Programs Load Slowly

Often as a computer gets older and you try to open a program or files they tend to open very slowly, this is often accompanied by excessive hard drive activity (thrashing).This usually points to something called fragmentation not old age!
A computers hard drive can become fragmented over a period of time by the adding and removal of programs and files and folders.
Your hard drive is composed of sectors which can only store a preset amount of data once this amount has reached its limit the hard drive will then write the data to the next free sector space.On a new hard drive data is usually written in contigious sectors (all together) .However once you start removing data or programs you will then have empty segments in between used segments. When you then add other programs or files this empty space will first be used but if the space cannot hold all the data in one spot it will then move to the next empty sector and write data there.The next time you open this program or file the hard drive will then have to look at more than one contigious file to many files located on different sector , this is called fragmentation.

Defragmentation:There are many third party hard drive utilities available to perform defragmentation but Microsoft has it own built in utility for most of its operating systems.To use the Windows 95/98 Defragmention Tool follow the instructions below.

  1. Close all running programs. This includes TSR's(Terminal Stay Resident)which are programs such as Antivirus,Firewall and Crashguard programs.In Windows 95/98 you can press control-alt-delete to see which programs are running and you can stop them from running here also.
  2. Turn off your screensaver.See Display Problems on how to access this setting. You can turn this back on once Defragmentation is done
  3. Turn off any power management settings for your monitor and hard drive.To access these settings click on Start>Settings>Control Panel then double click on the Power Management Icon. Set the monitor and hard drive to never shutdown . You can enable this again once the Defragmentation is done.
  4. Click on Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter
  5. You will then be asked which disk you want to defragment if you have more than one hard disk or partition you can choose one disk or all.
  6. Click Ok
  7. Once the Defragmention utility starts to run DO NOT TOUCH the computer . If you try to use it the defragmentation will stop and start from 0%. Go take a bath or watch TV . If you have never done this it will take an hour or two the first time. If the program keeps resetting to 0% and you have not touched the computer this means you still have some program running in the backgraound and it must be shut down.
  8. After you have Defragmented your hard drive once try to do it every 3 or 4 months it will keep your system running smoothly and will only take a few minutes to completely defrag if run regularly.

Incorrect Time and Date

To correct the time and date on your system click on Start>Settings>Control Panel and then double click on the Date/Time Icon. Here you will be able to change the time and date that displays on your system. However if the next time you turn on the computer and the time and date are incorrect once again, you probably have a dead CMOS battery. This is a small battery on your motherboard and can be replaced fairly quickly,and usually runs about $4.00. If you do it yourself, make sure the battery is the correct one as specified in your motherboard manual. Make sure the computer is unplugged and that you ground yourself on the metal case to discharge any static electricity that may fry the motherboard.

Windows Update

Microsoft has provided one of the most simplest ways of keeping your Windows and Microsoft Office products up to date with service packs,patches and addons.These can easily be downloaded and are all available free of charge .
To access windows update connect to the internet and then click Start>Windows Update once the Update page/ has come up you can either click on Product Updates or click on Microsoft Office Product Updates.
When you choose Product Updates you will get a little window that lets you know that your system is being checked and then a webpage will come up and tell you which products are recommended and will also give you optional products you can download. Just click the box next to the ones you wish to update and then click download.

Creating Shortcuts

A shortcut is an icon you can place on your desktop or your taskbar for quick access to open a program.Windows 95/98 all have a similar way of creating a shortcut.
If you want to creat a desktop shortcut for an item in your Start>Programs menu just navigate to the program icon as you would when you normally open it. When you do come to the icon right click on it and while holding the mouse button down drag it to your desktop and release the mouse button, a menu will appear click on create shortcut here and you will have created a shortcut on your desktop.You can also create shortcuts to documents, files and folders by using the same method.

If you wish for the shortcut to appear in your Taskbar ( the bar which appears at the bottom of your monitor) just right click the shortcut drag it to an empty section of the taskbar release the right mouse button and choose move here from the menu which appears.

Installing Service Packs

Installing service packs for the Operating System uses the same procedure as Windows Update

You should however consider whether to install service packs . All security patches should be installed but if your system is working trouble free you may want to pass on installing a service pack.
With Windows 2000 many programs became problematic with Service Pack 2 however service packs can now be removed using the Add/Remove Programs option in Control Panel.

If you do not have internet accessability you will have to contact Microsoft to have them sent to you on CD.

Adding a Network Printer

You can connect and print to a printer which is not directly connected to your machine. To do this the printer must be shared on the network and you must have permissions set so that you or a network group you belong to have print permission.
To set up a network printer:

  1. Click Start>Settings>Printers
  2. Click the add printer Icon the add printer wizard will appear click next
  3. Under Local or Network printer choose network and click next
  4. Under locate your printer you can type in the name and location using the URL address. This is not recommended as a misspelling can lead to problems. If you leave this empty and click next you can browse your network and choose the correct printer to use . Highlight it and click next.
  5. The next page will ask if you want to use it as your default printer. Choose yes or no and finish.

Creating Repair Disks

Repair disks are similar to startup disks in an they are a way to start up your machine and correct problems to your computer when it will not boot properley.
To create a repair disk in Windows 2000:

  1. Format a floppy disk
  2. Click Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Backup
  3. Click the Emergency Repair Disk button.
  4. It will ask you to insert the formatted floppy into your disk drive. You will also have the option of backing up the registry.If your machine has been performing well backup the registry if it is not you should not do this.
  5. Click on OK this will build your repair disk.

Before You Upgrade

Before you upgrade to Windows 2000 you should check to see if you have compatable hardware and software on your computer.This information can be found at the Microsoft Website:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx

If you already have a Windows 2000 disk you can run a compatability check by running the following command.

D:\I386\WINNT32.EXE /CHECKUPGRADEONLY
(where D: is your CDRom drive letter)

Network Problems

If you cannot connect up to your network make sure to check the obvious first (cables are intact,the server is up and others are able to connect).
Once you have checked these then you should check that your Network (NIC) card is working.This is best checked with a Loopback Adaptor plugged into the NIC card and by Pinging your machines IP address.
To use the Ping utility type in CMD at the Start>Run menu. Once you have the CMD window open type Ping 127.0.0.0 which is just a loopback IP address or try to Ping another IP address on your network.
When you setup Windows 2000 it will automatically detect your network . Make sure you choose the correct network type:Workgroup or Domain. If you choose Workgroup and your computer is on a Domain you will not be able to see other resources on the network.
This option can be changed if it was set up incorrectly by right clicking on the My Computer icon and selecting properties from the menu.Click on the Network Identification tab and then click on the properties button. Here you can set the computer to connect to a Workgroup or a Domain.
*Make sure you spell the Workgroup or Domain name correctly.

Using Remote Assistance

Windows XP has now made the task of troubleshooting your system problems much easier by introducing Remote Assistance.
This addition helps the user by making it possible for them to request assistance over the network or internet and having a third party remotely connect to their machine to perform troubleshooting tasks.
To use this feature it must first be enabled on the XP machine. To enable it follow these instructions.

  1. Click Start>Settings>Control Panel>System
  2. Click on the Remote Tab and make sure that the Allow Remote Assistance Invitations to be sent form this computer has been checked off
  3. Click advanced if you want to limit when and what the remote user can do.
  4. Click OK

The next step is to actually have someone connect to your computer . This must be done with someone who is running a version of XP and that you know their Email address. You should also assign a password so only that user can access your computer.
Follow these instructions to request Remote Assistance.

  1. Click Start>Help and Support
  2. Click Support>Ask a friend to help
  3. Click on Invite someone to help
  4. You will then have the option of contacting the person via email or Instant Messenger
  5. Continue by following the instructions on the screen.
  6. You will then be prompted for the password
  7. You will be able to chat and describe your problem to the support person
  8. When the support person tries to take control of your system you will get a dialog box asking for your OK just click yes and sit back!

Using Helpcenter

In Windows XP the regular help section is replace by the Windows Helpcenter this can be accessed in several ways:

  1. Click Start>Help and Support
  2. Click Start>Run . Type in helpcenter
  3. Hit the F1 key

The Help and Support window will then open . This window gives you many options from basic Windows instructions to using Windows Update,System Restore and asking for Remote Assistance.
This is a very good place to explore the new features available with Windows XP

System Restore

System Restore is an extremely powerful tool which can restore your system to a previous state in time . This is primarily used for troubleshooting purposes when new hardware or software is installed or changes are made to the registry which makes the machine not fuction properly. (System Restore only affects system files and not your documents)
System restore is turned on by default but to check or to turn off system restore right click on My Computer and click on properties on the menu. Click on the System Restore tab in the System Properties window. You can now turn off or change the amount of Hard Drive space System Restore uses.It is recommended you use the defaults.

If your computer does not function properly after a software or hardware upgrade you can restore it to a previous point in time.You should first remove the program or the hardware which is causing the problem. If you have updated a driver and that seems to be the problem it is very easy just to "rollback" to the earlier version of the driver.
To rollback the driver:

  1. Click Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore
  2. Choose Restore My Computer to an Earlier Time. Click Next
  3. The Calender will appear with the available restore points in bold text.
  4. Choose your restore point and click on the Next button.
  5. Your system will restart and will notify you if the System Restore is successful.


XP Critical Updates

As with all new software products there were a few glitches with XP . One of these was a vunerability with the Universal Plug and Play option which would allow user to gain access to your machine . This problem was identified by a software security company and there were no documented instances of this occuring however it is still a best practice to download all patches to the operating system especially any security patches.
To obtain the latest Windows XP Critical Updates click here.

 

 

 

 

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