Category : PCs (archive 1)

PowerUsers.info - Paul Doherty Askme Archive of Questions and Answers

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Category : PCs

QAId : 51732
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : cdrom error
Private : No

Question : When I boot up with Windows98 boot disk, then
fdisk and format c: /s and load my cdrom drive installation. Then type "D:setup" to install Windows 98 Windows 98 I receive a error message CDR101:Not ready reading drive D.
I deleted the the partition that I created with the windows98 boot disk. I did a fdisk with a dos 6.2 format again, load the cdrom driver installation disk still gets the same error.
If I go into smartdrv to view the drives, there is a A,B and C drive there is no D drive. Help I need my cdrom active to load Windows98. Thank you in advance.

Answer : You have partitioned the disk, and formatted it, and made it a system disk (a better way than the "/s" on the format command is the sys command (as in "sys c:" from a bootbale floppy) as I have seen the /s not do it's job. But i digress. You've only overlooked one thing - a CD-ROM driver. You can't see your CD-ROM because you have not arranged to be able to - remember you're in DOS now and get access to nothing without a driver being involved. You will need to either dig up your CD-ROM's *.SYS driver from it's install floppy or grab the one I am providing for you at http://members.home.com/iqueue/idecd.sys

Next after obtaining this driver, copy it to C:\

Now create a config.sys as follows:

edit c:\config.sys (make sure you have edit.com available on C:\ or A:)

(alternative if on floppy):
a:\edit c:\config.sys

The config.sys needs the following in it:
device=\idecd.sys /d:cdrom001

Save the config.sys, copy the file mscdex.exe from C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND on another installation or from your CD-ROM drive to floppy, and the put it in your C:\ directory.

Now edit C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT and put the following in it:

@echo off
\mscdex.exe /d:cdrom001 /l:f

Now you will have a bootable hard disk that will bring up your CD-ROM as drive letter F: - the best thing to do at this point in your reinstall is NOT to launch the install, but rather ensure you have XCOPY.EXE and XCOPY32.EXE on the floppy or in the C:\ directory and do an xcopy of all the files in the "Win98" subdirectory off the CD to your hard disk and perform the installation from *there*. Why? A couple of reasons - one is the installation goes faster from the hard disk, but that's a minor reason. the primary reason is that after installation you will no longer be bothered by that annoying "please insert your Windows 98 CD" when upgrading drivers, installing new versions of DirectX, etc since all the source files for the OS are on your disk. the XCOPY command looks as follows:

xcopy f:\win98\*.* c:\win98kit\*.* /e

Once this copy is done you can delete your c:\config.sys and c:\autoexec.bat (or just put a REM at the front of each line to disable them) since you no longer need DOS to access the CD-ROM and you don't want realmode drivers enabled in Win98 (which will likely disable these lines anyway).

Once you've gotten rid of the DOS CD-ROM configuration by REMing or deleting config.sys and autoexec.bat run the install as follows:

cd \win98kit
setup

Good luck!
Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 51748
Asker : jwharton
Subject : CD ROM Drive
Private : No

Question : For a while now, my CD Rom Drive has been not recognizing cd's I have been putting in. It has been very sporatic and most of the time would eventually recognize the cd after a reboot. Now it has been consistently not recognizing any disk giving me the message "no disc in drive" even though it receives the disk and activates upon inserting it. I have been told the drive can be unplugged and have the computer find it as new hardware and then to reinstall the software. Is this the right way to approach it? Please help me fix this probably simple but annoying problem....thx

Answer : The unfortunate answer may be that your CD-ROM is dying. I have one that evidences identical behavior - the drawer opens OK, drivers acknowledge it's existence, but it will not read a disk. After reconnecting the cables (both power and data) try and access the CD-ROM from DOS with a DOS driver - if you still can't get to it it's the hardware. Quick review of how to do this:

Create a config.sys on a floppy with the following:

device=\idecd.sys /d:cdrom001

Create a autoexec.bat on the same floppy with:

\mscdex.exe /d:cdrom001 /l:f

"Sys" the floppy from your Windows 95/98 machine by opeing a DOS prompt and executing:

sys a:

Now copy the file C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE to a:\ like this:

copy c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe a:\

You can obtain the CD-ROM driver I mentioned from my web site at:
http://members.home.net/iqueue/idecd.sys or use the .sys driver for your CD-ROM install floppy - if you use yours change the config.sys line to be the name of your file (either of which needs to also be copied to A:\)

Now reboot on this floppy disk and ensure that you can read a CD (try more than one) on drive letter F:

dir F:\

Good luck!

Paul Doherty

Rating : 5

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QAId : 51760
Asker : sharjeel11011
Subject : About Visual Basic
Private : No

Question : I want to ask an Visual Basic Programmer.

How can I keep a form "Always on the top."

I mean when I run an application then during program execution, if I do any event with any windows program, My application must be on the top.

You may take example of Jet-Audio's specrum analyzer which always keep's it self on the top while running other program. Or windows Winamp Mp3 player which can be always on the top by configuring it.

Answer : Download the following free OCX which you just drop onto your form and toggle "enabled" or "disabled" to have the form stay on top or not:

http://www.softwarewithbrains.com/swbtop.zip

Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
Rating : 4.6
Rating : 4.6

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QAId : 51778
Asker : mike4
Subject : Tesla coils
Private : No

Question : Is there anyway to aim a tesla coil? And what is the highest powered tesla coil?

Answer : There is no way to control the aim of a Tesla coil in the conventional sense. The sparks given off follow the same rules that normal electricity (and water and light for that matter) follow: shortest/easiest distance is the path it will follow. So in a way you can direct the Tesla coil by ensuring you place a conductor attached to ground (and preferably not through you!) at a distance close enough to be the closest conductor to the sphere you have at the top that it will be the shortest path when the voltage rises high enough the bridge the gap.

As far as the most powerful they cannot truly be measured but I'd guess they can be in the 10's if not 100's of thousands of volts. Do no play around with these unless you absolutely know what you are doing as you can kill yourself!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 51799
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : older computer upgrade
Private : No

Question : My computer is a 486DX with a 100m hard drive
currently still running on Windows 3.1.
I would like to keep this computer for internet use and wor processing. Would it be a good idea to increase the hard drive size and upgrade to Windows 95 or 98?

Answer : Sure it would... you can add up to a 512MB hard disk easily, and may be able to get away with larger depending on your BIOS (and even if your BIOS doesn't directly support larger drives, most drives come with disk management software that can get around this - ex Maxtor drives come with "MaxBlast" which allows large drives on older hardware). Even with a 512MB drive I would suggest using Windows 95 (OSR2 if you can get it) as it takes up less disk space than Windows 98 and has a bit less eye-candy to eat up your limited resources on an older machine like this.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
Rating : 5
End :
Rating : 5

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QAId : 51822
Asker : naco
Subject : Computer Freezes
Private : No

Question : My computer freeses almost every day..
I want to know why? most of the times it freezes when i'm using the internet or listening to a music (with winamp)
I searched the windows98 knoleged base web site but found nothing that fixed my computer
I've formatted it 2 times , i have windows 98
...i don't know nothing else to do...
please help me
naco@openlink.com

Answer : Sounds like you have a hardware problem. The first thing I woudl suggest is that you ensure that your non-plug and play devices are not contending for any resources. Go to your Control Panels/System (or right-click My Computer and select Properties) and look under the "Device Manager" tab - if any of the items are in expanded form, with an yellow exclamation point or a red stop sign you have some kind of conflict. If you don't then I would first suggest obtaining the very latest drivers for your video and sound from either your manufacturer or the people who develop the chips (often called "reference drivers"). For example if you have an NVidia chipset-based video card like a Viper V550 TNT or Viper V770 TNT2 you can either get drivers from Diamond's web site (http://www.diamondmm.com) or from NVidia's webs site (http://www.nvidia.com/3Dgraphics/resource_center.html). Once you have upgraded the video and audio drivers see how the situation is at that point for a while. If it still persists I would then suggest removing one add-in card at a time (start with the sound card or modem since you said it happened on the net or while playing music mostly). If the problem stops when audio is gone then you may have a problematic audio board OR worse the motherboard may have a problem in which case you could potentially fix it with a different sound card or a replacement motherboard (not as expensive as it sounds - about 100 for most). Continue this removal of add on cards down to the video (without which you cannot do :-) and see if you can isolate the problem.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 52026
Asker : mpbdfn
Subject : external modems
Private : No

Question : Have heard external modems are better then PCI internal ones. They are expensive however; 3Com usb types cost in the 150$ range.
My problem is PC slows to a crawl after an hour or so on the net and also after that lenght of time my modem drops the connection. Redialing puts me back for a few minutes then it drops out again. This will continue until I reboot. Happens all times of the day and night, so I don't think phone traffic has anything to do with it.
Are external modems that much better to justify the price?
I live in the boon docks, so any kind of high speed connection is a long way off for me, so I will be tied to dial up connections for some time. Thanks for any help offered.

Answer : An external modem IMO is always preferable to an internal. For a couple of reasons:

1) You can see the status of the mode at any time, including send/receive activity

2) It frees up a slot for other devices that can't be externalized

3) You can easily sell the modem to anyone - Mac, PC, UNIX - anyone with a DB-25 or DB-9 RS-232 serial port can use an external - not so with an internal.

I think your culprit here may not be the modem as you suspect. From your description it seems to me that a driver (video or audio) or program is the likely suspect. What you describe sounds an awful lot like a driver or program that is leaking resources (allocates for a purpose but never gives it back).

Be sure you have the latest drivers for your video and audio. Installing these may solve your problem.

One way to test to see if it's applications that are leaking memory is to boot the system and run the Resource Meter (Win98 seems to have dropped this utility from the default install - here's a shareware one you can use to troubleshoot - ftp://members.aol.com/miklk/vbsys/vbsys430.exe)

With the meter open note what percentage of your resources are available (memory, user and GDI stacks/heaps). Then open your net connection and again note where you are at. Then start using it and see if it dwindles over time. If it does try removing as many of the tasks for your systray (at bottom-left of Windows main display) by either quitting them once open or preventing them from opening in the first place. With this process you can discover which app is causing the leak.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 52047
Asker : carver
Subject : Home computer/microphone
Private : No

Question : Good morning! I need a little help here! I can't understand my Help instructions on operating my microphone. I own a HP Pavilion system mod # 4445 with monitor and built in mic. I have purchased a headset and have pluged it in to the line in jack, is this correct? I have tried to talk to others on line and can hear them but they can't hear me. Any help you can give me would be appreaciated. Thank you. My e-mail add. is carver@shreve.net. Also, Happy New Year!

Answer : The line in jack is for external devices like CD players, etc. There should be a mic in specifically for the microphone. To get the mic to be the functioning input device you will need to double-click the volume icon on your systray (speaker icon at bottom-right of Windows desktop). Once in there go to the Options menu and select Properties, check the box for Recording, ensure in the list below that "Microphone" is selected, then hit OK. Now you will see the device available for input and their levels. Insure that the Mic one is turned up at least halfway and the checkbox below is not checked for mute. Now your listeners should be able to hear you. one other thing you may want to do is to go back to Options/Properties, select PlayBack this time, make sure that Microphone is in the list and hit OK. Then click the mute button (so it is checked) below the Microphone. Doing this in the playback section will ensure you do not attempt to output your own mic input - this would generate unneeded output and can cause feedback.

Happy New Year to you as well!
Paul Doherty

Rating : 5
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 52163
Asker : modem-qu40668
Subject : Modem Problems
Private : No

Question : When I look under device manager I only have a com port 1 and LPT Printer port..

Shouldn't I have a com 3 or 4, where a modem could go? This computer came with an HSP Micro Modem, but its crap, and I wanted to put in a USR 56K v.90, but the system wont reconize it. Any suggestions?

Answer : **NOTE

You may need to clarify *when* you saw a COM1 - was it with the old modem installed? With the new? Or with neither? For the purpose of answering the question I'll assume you have a COM1 (either with or without the old one installed and with the new one NOT installed). If this is not the case rephrase the question so I can tell what was where when you examined the machine.

**NOTE

It sounds like you have not yet installed the modem (and by your description it sounds like you are going with an internal). So assuming you have not yet installed the modem, you say you only see a COM1 - that is likely because you have com2 disabled in the BIOS of your system (and that's OK in fact). Unless you are using it for something it can be disabled. The reason you don't see an "available" COM port for your new modem is because *internal modems create their own COM ports*. I would suggest you go ahead with the installation of your new internal modem, but before inserting it into the PC (of course) power down the system and jumper the modem (if it has jumpers - otherwise it may be software-configurable) to be COM2, IRQ 3. After installing it physically and booting up Windows should sniff it out. If it doesn't open the control panels and either run the "Add new hardware" item or double-click on "modems" (if present) to install the modem and you're all set.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4
Rating : 4

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QAId : 52211
Asker : frazika@...
Subject : reformatting harddrive? I think
Private : No

Question : what is the best way to empty my harddrive and restart all over again from scratch. This is new to me so plz be sorta detailed. thnx

Answer : First thing is to make sure you have backed up all the files you may have made - things like word processing documents (resumes, etc), email (may want to copy your inbox file from your favorite mail reader and put it back in place when you restore), your bookmarks.htm file from Netscape or IE, and so on...

Now on to the easy part...

Build yourself a boot disk that can bring up your CD-ROM drive. It will need at a minimum a few things. Open a DOS prompt within Windows and execute each of the following lines (hitting ENTER after each) with a blank floppy in the drive to get a working bootable CD-mounting floppy disk with tools:

format a: /u /autotest
c:
cd \windows (making sure you are on C:)
sys a:
copy c:\windows\command\sys.com a:\
copy c:\windows\command\attrib.exe a:\
copy c:\windows\command\format.com a:\
copy c:\windows\command\fdisk.exe a:\
copy c:\windows\command\xcopy*.exe a:\
copy c:\windows\smartdrv.exe a:\
copy c:\windows\himem.sys a:\

Download idecd.sys from my web site to the floppy dir a:\

http://members.home.com/iqueue/idecd.sys

Now create a new config.sys & autoexec.bat on the floppy with (use ALT-F to get to the file menu when done and select EXIT - it will ask you if you want to save the changes - hit Y for YES):

edit a:\config.sys
(inside this file put the following:)

device=\himem.sys
device=\idecd.sys /d:cdrom001

edit a:\autoexec.bat
(inside this file put the following:)

@echo off
lh \mscdex.exe /d:cdrom001 /l:f
lh \smartdrv.exe /n c+ f 8192 8192
path=a:\
echo y | lock c: /off

Now with both these files saved you are done with the bootable floppy. Reboot your system and test it BEFORE moving further along here. When you boot up on this disk you should be able to do the following commands

dir C:\
dir f:\ (with a CD in the drive please :-)

and get a response from both. If you can then you are ready to continue - if not go back above and start over.

Now we are ready to clean this disk off and start anew... Execute the following with your Windows 95/98 CD in the drive:

(make DANG sure you have everything off the disk you want as this next line is the end of the road for the data on the disk)
format c: /u /autotest
sys c:
(only execute one of the next two lines based on whether you have 95 or 98)
xcopy f:\win95\*.* c:\win95kit\*.* /e (WIN95)
xcopy f:\win98\*.* c:\win98kit\*.* /e (WIN98)

You now have a clean hard drive with only the system files needed to boot and a "kit" for installing Windows 95/98. Pull the floppy out and reboot on the hard disk then do the following:

cd \win95kit (or \win98kit)
setup

You are now launched into your Windows install - hopefully you know what to do from here. Hope that was detailed enough for you!

Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.

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QAId : 52212
Asker : frazika@...
Subject : reformatting harddrive? I think
Private : No

Question : what is the best way to empty my harddrive and restart all over again from scratch. This is new to me so plz be sorta detailed. thnx

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 52252
Asker : rlappin
Subject : video cards
Private : No

Question : I'm looking at buying a new computer. I've seen great deals on emachines, and would like advice on how to determine how much video and memory I need. My use is very basic: home use, kids' games, etc. Some reviews say you need 8 MG of video to run games well. Also, the same question about system memory: some people say 64 MG SDRAM, but some of the great deals offer 4 Mg video and 32 SDRAM. How do I figure out what I really need? (FOr comparison, I've been chugging along on a P133 with 40 RAM and I think a 1 MG video card.

Answer : For the tasks you've described 32MB of system memory and 1-4MB of video is fine. In fact you should be more concerned with the CPU and video chipsets than with the amount of RAM they come with. (Little) Kid's games are the least intensive on the system, generally employing 2d-only screens and audio so they will not require much in the way of color depth, speed or resolution (and with the 15 inch monitors common with these lower-end machines you will not want the res too high anyway). The amount of memory on the video card is only important if you intend to push the envewlope in terms of color depth (number of colors onscreen being high) *and* doing so at a high resolution (say 1024x768 or above). From your description I would not say this is important to your buying decision. I would say go with 64MB system memory (avoids thrashing the disk during normal use a lot more than 32MB) if you can afford it, and with an NVidia (TNT or TNT2) or 3dfx (Voodoo3) chipset (these both come with 16MB standard for around 100 bucks) if you can.

Have fun!
Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 52269
Asker : username119
Subject : Autorun on diskettes
Private : No

Question : Can anyone tell me if you can put autorun on diskettes?

Answer : Apparently not (I tried it :-)

I copied the autorun.inf and setup.exe off a Windows 2000 Pro install CD, edited the autorun.inf to ensure there was no path-specific information to the setup.exe (there wasn't), and double-clicked the floppy icon to "launch" the app an no go. of course you already knew that a floppy is not polled as a CD-ROM drive is so the standard method of a CD-ROM launching itself would of course not be an option for a floppy anyway, but I did wonder whether it would autorun on double-click-opening the floppy drive. No soap...

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 52290
Asker : tcoyle6947
Subject : boot disk
Private : No

Question : I made a boot up disk for win 95. I put in a drive and start computer. It shows a:\, when I enter dir it shows all files on startup disk. Had this been a real emergency, what are steps necessary to boot up?

Answer : If this was a real emergency and you needed to boot from floppy then that likely means you have a registry problem. In that event what you would do is the following (execute each line):
(will need attrib.exe from c:\windows\command on your floppy disk)

c:
cd \windows
a:\attrib -r -h -s *.da?
copy user.dat user.bak
copy system.dat system.bak
copy user.da0 user.dat
copy system.da0 system.dat

OK now for a bit of explanation:

The files user.dat and system.dat are the entirety of the registry files in Windows 95. If you have a problem booting your system it is likely due to you adding a new piece of hardware or changing a setting for something critical which has rendered the system unbootable. In either case (hardware change/registry corruption) the restore is the same. First we copy the current *.dat files to a safe place (in case they end up being good). Once these are saved as .BAK files we then copy the .DA0 files over the current ones. The .DA0 files are the last good versions of system.dat and user.dat and are created on each successful boot (defined as booting all the way to the desktop). If you have trouble starting into Windows that's usually a good thing as it gives you a chance to rescind whatever crazy thing you did with this technique, as opposed to allowing Windows to boot "normally" at which point it updates these .da0 backups with the bad version!

A good idea when you get a system to a good point of configuration, and it's all running like you want, is to go ahead and perform the above steps to keep an archived version of the system.dat and user.dat (maybe name them system.ok and user.ok) so that in the event of a failure you'll have:

the current system version that's giving you headaches (*.DAT)

the last version you "successfully" booted with (*.DA0)

the version you liked enough to back up (*.OK)

Hope that helps,
Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 52298
Asker : jeffmitchel
Subject : Problem with PC
Private : No

Question : After replaceing the battery on my PC it is telling me that my CMOS setup is bad, CMOS is bad and I dont know what to do.please help if you can.

Answer : When you replaced the battery all the CMOS data was indeed "lost". The battery is the source of energy for storing the configuration data for your BIOS. But not to worry it isn't as bad as all that. Power up the PC and during boot you will see a message like "hit Del to enter BIOS Setup screen". hit the key indicated pretty quickly to enter the setup screen (if you mis it power off and try again). Once inside the screen there should be an option to "Load Setup Defaults" or something similar. Hit that to load normal settings for your motherboard. next thing is to find an item for "Autodetecting IDE/Hard drives" or something along those lines - this will save you from needing to know how many disks you have or what their configurations are. once that autodetect is finished (accept what it finds with 'y') then select the menu option to "Save Changes and Exit". Once the system reboots you should be golden. However, if you find that the system is not retaining these changes after a power down, this indicates that the battery is not providing juice to the CMOS circuitry and you either need to inspect the install (upside-down?) or check the socket for the battery for corrosion (pencil erasers work well here for removing corrosion).

Hope this helps,
Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
Rating : 4

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QAId : 52695
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : using cable TV facilities for data communications
Private : No

Question : I am trying to better understand how the cable technology is used to support data transmission.

Iff you have any information on that subject, please let me know.

Thank you.

Virginie

Answer : I am not sure the depth of response you expect from the way you asked the question but here goes. A cable modem servie provides (usually) bi-directional data service to homes or businesses by allocating a single 6 Mhz "piece" of the bandwidth that is normally available on the cable. This 6 Mhz of bandwidth is one "channel" of normal cable TV. IOW - you can get cable download speeds with the equivalent of the bandwidth allocated for the Cartoon Network... :-) That single 6 Mhz of bandwidth can carry up to 36Mbps (3.6 times normal Ethernet speed) of data.

Hope that was what you were after...
Paul Doherty

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QAId : 55312
Asker : rosqu
Subject : windows explorer
Private : No

Question : hi there Paul
i've got a win 95a installation that ever
since it was installed windows explorer yields a blank pane when "details" are selected. Viewing disk or file contents with
large/small icons or list works fine, however
details is really ummmm.....anti details
any clues?

Answer : I have no idea why this would happen. Is it consistent in any directory you do it in? If it is then I would suggest it may be due to the whole pile of bugs attributed to Windows 95a and the only thing you can try is to obtain the latest service packs for that rev and apply them - they can all be found from this info page - http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q142/7/94.asp

Good luck!

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 58596
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : DOS Printing
Private : No

Question : I have a small program I wrote for a client in Visual Basic for DOS over 5 years ago. The client is happy with the program that they distrubute to their clients to collect information then it is returned. The program prints out a small register of what was entered to LPT1. Over the years these clients have moved on to Windows and networks and many do not have a printer attached to LPT1. Is there a command or easy way to redirect the LPT1 output to a file? Then they could open this text file in a wordprocesser of choice and print out.

Answer : I know of no way other than writing (or finding one) a custom print driver that accepts output destined for LPT1: and send it to a text file. There *is* a driver availbale while setting up a new printer (Manufacturer - Generic, Item Generic/Text-Only) that can be sent to FILE: instead of LPT1: but this would have to be tested to see if it would work, as your DOS app is trying to hit the actualy LPT1: port and may not utilize this driver even if made the default printer. But definitely worth a try.

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 58609
Asker : cindy410
Subject : disk boot failure and setup failure
Private : No

Question : pauldoherty I am back with two questions
1. I have a 8.2 western digital harddrive I do not know what I did wrong. When the computer boots up, the error message is boot disk failure. I tried booting with windows startup disk. I copied the system files, and that did not work.
2. I load Msdos 6.2 after when my computer boot up I got a divide overflow error. I was able to bypass the error by hold the left shift key. I set the computer to boot from the cdrom to load the windows 98 setup. The setup ran until it came to windows running for the first time, then it stops on the boot
on the enter choice (1)hard drive (2)cdrom.
When you enter a choice it boots back to the same screen. I can not do a f8, f5 or anything to return to the a or c drive.
Help, Help. Thanks in advance.

Answer : When you say you "copied the system files" do you mean manually copying io.sys, msdos.sys, etc, or do you mean you used "sys c:"? The latter is preferable as you may miss something. You may also wish to boot from a *known clean * floppy and do an "fdisk /mbr" as you may have a boot sector virus. As far as your setup and the divide errors - you either have a serious misconfiguration or a hrdware problem (likely in your RAM with this error). I'd suggest you boot from a floppy, do the fdisk /mbr and see if the system comes up (in safe mode or normal). If it does and it's fixed it may have been a virus (if it was a virus then you are likely infected again as soon as you booted so you are not out of the woods yet). Best bet is to boot from a clean floppy with another blank floppy or two handy. Back up your user-created files (documents, bookmarks.htm, all important stuff you've made) to this extra floppy. Then blow away the installation and start fresh. The alternative to this is to get a very good virus program and search it out. As you just started a new install of Windows 98 I will not suggest the normal troubleshooting methods to bring back your registry (as you wouldn't have any valid backups yet).

Good luck!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 58647
Asker : octospider0
Subject : help
Private : No

Question : I recently install a new video card to my system (win98) the old one was a agp card on the mother board.
I removed the old adaptor for the system and rebooted but it trys to reinstall the old adaptor on reboot and in doing so locks the system up, I can only get in through safe mode and I have tried disabling the onboard vga through the bios but that didnt work either, is there any way around this. how can i get past the install lock up and then maybe install it but diable it though the system menu in control panel?

thx
bill

Answer : I have seen this type of beahvior before, where an onboard device will not stay undetected by Windows. Quite irritating. Your best bet here is to remove the new video card, let Windows detect the onboard card and configure it. Then go to the System control panel and into Device Manager and diable the onboard device (if that option is available - it may not be; it's not on mine) then shutdown and install the new card, (optionally at this point also jumper the motherboard to disable the onboard video) then reboot in and configure the new card.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 58656
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : ./configure and gnu-make
Private : No

Question : Hello,

I'm new to linux and have tried to install downloaded software, however when it comes time to compile and MAKE I seem to get several errors with what I presently run..Mandrake 6.1(redhat)...I have had no problem with SuSE 6.2 or AIX 4.1.4 so I have never had to trouble shoot and have rather blindly forged forward not knowing exactly what I am doing other than compilation....Any information regarding this process that I can use to troubleshoot this issue would be greatly appreciated! ...and yes I attempted to read the appropriate man pages to little avail.

Thankyou in advance for your assistance!

Answer : I am not an expert on libraries in Linux but I suspect that the configure and make scripts are failing becsue they expect certain paths to be in use for libraries, or expect different named library files. Your best bet in getting around this is to either edit these scripts by hand cleaning up the mistaken assumptions, or by finding an RPM of the same binary for easy install/removal. The RPM method is far and away the most popular option and all but the most obscure of software for Linux is offered in RPM version.

It would help next time you ask a question like this to include the commands issued and the errors they generated. Also what program you downloaded and are attempting to install would help too...

Good luck!

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 61117
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Getting DOS to recognize external cdrom
Private : No

Question : I accidentally reformatted my Sharp 486 laptop. Now I need to reinstall the external cdrom, so I can reinstall Win95, but can't get communication going. I know I am missing something simple (got talked through this before by someone who is not available now) I started by installing the version of DOS I have on hand (6.21) and then tried installing the NEC software that came with the cdrom (almost antique, but still works) I get halfway through and get an error msg saying that communication can't be established with the cdrom. I know it is connected the same way it was before. Can you help???

Thanks, M

Answer : Here is how to build a bootable disk to load your CD-ROM drive:

Create a config.sys on a floppy with the following line (replace the "YOURCD.SYS" with the .SYS driver that came with your external CD-ROM, and copy that same file to A:\ ):

device=\YOURCD.SYS /d:cdrom001

Create an autoexec.bat on the same floppy with:

\mscdex.exe /d:cdrom001 /l:f

"Sys" the floppy from a DOS/Windows 95/98 machine by opening a DOS prompt and executing:

sys a:

Now copy the file C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE (or C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE) to A:\ like this:

copy c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe a:\

Now reboot on this floppy disk and ensure that you can read a CD from drive letter F:

dir F:\

Good luck!

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 63590
Asker : rgarr
Subject : "Can't install Norton Antivirus 2000"
Private : Yes

Question : I have tried repeatedly to install my Norton Antivirus 2000 from autorun-it eventually comes up but it is slow responding-and then it goes very slow through the initial set-up phase-then I get the blue screen that says my E drive-which is what I use for my CD ROM drive can't read the disk or recognize the disk. It asks me to clean the disk or drive. I have cleaned the disk and I have put 3 different kinds of cleaning CD's in the drive and nothing works. Does anyone have any suggestions? Please help!!! Thanking you in advance for your help!!! :o

rgarr@earthlink.net

Answer : If you don't get this problem from other CDs I'd suggest that the CD is a marginal one that is difficult for your reader to pick up. A couple of ways around this:

1) Attempt to copy the data for the install from another CD-ROM (if you have one available) to your hard disk and install from there, then delete the source files.

2) Have a friend with a CD burner make a copy of the original for you - you will likely have better luck with the copy (amazingly) than with this original. I've had good luck with TDK and Verbatim blank CDRs and compatibility with most CD-ROM readers.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 63599
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : sound recorder wont record
Private : No

Question : I have win 98 and want to get the sound recorder to record off mic. Mic plays thru speakers but nothing records or plays back in sound recorder... I've changed between available devices without success. The device manager shows everything working correctly! Any ideas, trouble shooters or utilities to try???
Scott

Answer : Double-click the volume control at the bottom-left (systray). When that pops up ensure that the MUTE checkbox below the microphone IS checked (you don't need to hear yourself, and this can cause feedback). Then from the menu select Options/Properties and choose the Recording option. Ensure that Microphone is checked below before clicking OK. Now check the box below Microphone that is labeled "Select" and crank the slider for Microphone at least halfway up. Now minimize or close the volume control window and run sound recorder and test it out. You should be working at this point.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 71437
Asker : hwan1
Subject : a big step
Private : No

Question : Hi.
My name is Hwan and I am working in NYC as a Financial planner for a big financial institution. I am beginning to feel that I need a career change before it is too late. I have been looking at the compuet field. " it seems like the first step would be taking some course on MCSE or other certifictae exams such as CCNA or etc. I pretty much decided to take MCSE and prepare for that exam soon. I have to determine which other certificate that i need to get so that the company who will be hiring me will give me the job without much hesitation. I have background in finance and /marketing incollege so i woudl like to work for financial institution when i become IT person. The term networking seems very much broad to me. I am not even sure if i am referring to the right term when i am asking this question to you. I would really appreciate the help and advice especially when I am in the middle of major career change. Thank you

I am thinkin\

Answer : To change into the field of computers you really need to love it - don't do it just because the job prospects are better than in most other areas. Still reading? OK. Then I'll assume you're serious enough to try it out. The best recommendation to get familiar with as much as possible is to:

1) Obtain a computer at home (this is a no-brainer)

2) Obtain a *second* computer at home. This one is not so obvious. The reasoning here is that you will learn faster if you can build up and tear down (i.e. make mistakes) on a secondary system as opposed to your primary one. This secondary system doesn't have to be a great machine - in fact if you hop over to http://www.ebay.com and do a search for "486" or "pentium" I'll bet you can find a whole system for less than 300 dollars. Another benefit to this second system is that when you're ready and have the end-user side of things down pat (hardware troubleshooting/installation, OS installation/troubleshooting, applications, configuring of the OS, DOS, etc) then you can turn this machine into a server (Netware, NT, Linux, whatever) and begin your practice of administration skills.

3) Sometime after or during #2 above obtain a position as a phone help desk person at a corporation with the type of networking environment you are trying to learn (i.e. NT or Netware or both). Working at this job for at least 6 months will boost your credibility greatly. Then you can move on to a desktop support or network admin job with the help of your practice and perhaps your certification(s) too.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 71446
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Operating System>
Private : No

Question : Greetings:

I recently talked with Compaq tech support and in the process of fixing my problem I called about he had me hold the "Ctrl" key down which brought up this black page with different "Operating Mode" selections..ie> Normal, Prompt, etc. My problem was corrected but now I am stuck with having to make a selection from this "Mode Selection" page each and every time I turn on my computer. How do I stop this page from coming up each time I turn on my computer?

Answer : You likely have a changed MSDOS.SYS file which contains startup settings for Windows 95/98 (it used to be a binary file in the DOS/Win 3.x days).

Open a DOS prompt and type the following:

c:
cd \
attrib -r -h -s msdos.sys
edit msdos.sys
(once you hot enter on the edit command you will be in the editor - look for a section titled [Options] and under that the lines

BootWarn=1
BootMenu=1
BootFailSafe=1

If any of these lines is present just change the "1" to a "0" (zero) and this will disable the menu options and/or boots to safe mode. Then hit ALT-F to get the file menu open and use the cursor keys to select Exit (and it will ask to save changes - select Yes by hitting enter).

Then execute the following:

attrib +r +h +s msdos.sys
Now reboot your system and the menu should be gone (unless you press F8 to get it)

Good luck!

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 83341
Asker : puffins85938
Subject : home networking
Private : No

Question : Hello- 2 questions please:
1. When home networking, and the file and print sharing is enabled, do both (2) computers have to have the drivers and software installed for any any and all peripherals (scanner, 2 printers, digital camera)?
2. Using client for microsoft networks, is it advisable to enable netbui and IPX as well as TCP/IP........on one or BOTH computers?

Thank you for your assistance. I will be happy to provide you with whatever further info you may need.

Answer : For sharing of peripherals only one will actually perform an installation. Typically the only devices sharable over a network are files and printers. You may be able to share the scanner, but I doubt it, and the digital camera doesn't really apply as either computer can be used to download the pictures once they're take, and either can view the pictures after they're downloaded.

As to the second question - with an internal LAN that will be sharing resources it is unnecessary to have more than ONE of the protocols you listed installed. For ease of use I'd suggest you use IPX on both machines for easy LAN connectivity. But since I also suspect you have internet connections of some sort on at least one of these machines I would suggest TCP/IP as your sole protocol. Assuming you have some kind of hub in place for these ethernet connections to plug into you can set the machines TCP/IP properties as follows (in the Network control panel double click the "TCP/IP" entry that is associated with your network card, like "TCP/IP on 3Com 3C509B":

Machine 1:

Ip address - 10.1.1.1
subnet mask - 255.255.255.0
default gateway - leave blank
DNS - leave blank

Machine 1:

Ip address - 10.1.1.2
subnet mask - 255.255.255.0
default gateway - leave blank
DNS - leave blank

The DNS entries for your ISP account(s) should be put in, but not here as these settings affect the ethernet LAN, not your dial-up account. To add the DNS server addresses (if necessary) for your dial-up accounts go to the My Computer icon, then into Dial-Up Networking folder, then right-click the connection you use to get on the net and select Properties, then add the DNS servers in the appropriate tab.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 84000
Asker : puffins85938
Subject : note recent network question....
Private : No

Question : Very good and detailed response, excellent turnaround time. Does the above answer refer to machine 1 and MACHINE 2? There seems to be 2 machine 1's. As well,I should have mentioned that the internet connection is CABLE (not dialup) with dynamic IP. Secondly, I have a 4 port Linksys autosensing hub (cables,not phone or wireless). How do these issues now effect the above answers? Any harm to having TCP/IP and IPX or is that overkill?

Thank you very much.

Answer : That was 10.1.1.1 for machine 1, and 10.1.1.2 for machine 2 - all else was the same for both machines.

That (cable modem) changes everything - at this point with a cable modem you will likely want to do one of two things:

Install Windows 98 SE on one of the desktops along with an extra ethernet card, and enable one of it's new features, ICS (Internet Connection Sharing). One network card will be connected to the cable modem (your "external" connection) and one will be connected to the hub (your "internal" LAN connection). ICS is really a product Microsoft bought out called NAT 1000 that was on the market and incorporated it into Windows 98. NAT allows multiple machines on a local LAN to be routed to the internet across the one valid IP address given to you by a dial-up modem, ADSL or cable modem line. The beauuty is all of your machines can use the connection at once, and you don't pay for more IPs from your cable provider. That's the good side of ICS. The bad side is two-fold. One is that since one machine is effectively acting as a router for the other it's performace may suffer. Secondly if that primary machine running ICS goes down or even is rebooted the other machine can not get out until it's back in place. And finally having any of your Windows 95/98 machines directly connected to the cable modem presents security risks (this is the case whethere running ICS or not - your machine directly connected is directly addressable by anyone on the net). If setup properly these risks can can be mitigated.

My preferred choice for this kind of installation is a program called Sygate (a competitor to the now-defunct NAT 1000 MS bought) running on an NT Server. http://www.sybergen.com The nice thing about Sygate is it runs as a service, which means that it loads when NT loads, not when a user logs in, so it's always running even if you reboot your server and don't log back into it. Second reason is NT is more stable than 98 and less likely to crash while routing for you. Third this makes a nice situation since none of the 95/98 workstations are being pressed into service to perform this routing service none will have CPU cycles stolen for performing this chore (the NT Server is handling this load). And another benefit is that means any or all of the 95/98 machines can be doing whatever they want (playing an online game, being rebooted, etc) without affecting the ability of the other 95/98 machine(s) to get out onto the net. Also NT is faster at networking and makes a better choice for this task. Finally NT has more granularity when it comes to configuring networking so you can isolate the services that exist on the card connected to the cable modem, while leaving full file and print services available to your client machines (another benefit of the server is that it can share it's disk and printers with the 95/98 clients saving them even more work). And one more thing - if you install the NT Server as a PDC (Primary Domain Controller) all accesses to any resources on any machine logged into the domain must be authenticated by this NT Server, meaning that even if someone could figure a way past Sygate into your private LAN (which is using non-routable 10.x.x.x addresses too) then they would *still* have to crack NT's password authentication mechanisms to try to steal files. Basically unless the NSA wants to get at something on your computer it isn't going to happen. :-)

If all that sounds complex, well, it is and you may be better off with the ICS type of connection. In any event the connections will look like this:

CABLE -- Machine doing routing (ICS/Sygate)
(first network card)
|
|
(second network card)
|
|
HUB
|
|
--------------
| | |
PC PC PC

The machine connected to both the cable modem and to the hub (having two network cards - 'NIC's) is said to be "multi-homed" meaning it has two networks it is attached to. All the other machines have a single NIC are attached only to the HUB.

If you decide you do not want to route the connection to the Net but *do* still want to be able to do file sharing with the other machine you will have to call your cable comany and pay for another valid IP address. then your connection will differ from the diagram above in a simple respect. You will now plug the cable modem directly into the hub along with all the machines, and the IP addresses you assign to the PCs will be the two valid IPs given to you by your cable comany. I do not recommend this type of setup as it exposes both your machines at all times!

For file and print sharing as well as Internet access you will ONLY need TCP/IP - you may safely turn off IPX and NetBeui - unless you have a LAN-based game that needs IPX (at which point you can install it). Your LAN will run faster with less protocols (overhead chatter).

For a benign demonstration of what a hacker could do to your exposed machine go here:

http://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Good luck in your network pursuit!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 84074
Asker : puffins85938
Subject : home networking continued.....
Private : No

Question : I currently have installed the BlackIce program (solely for paranoiac reasons). It is truly astonishing what intrusions it catches.
The LinkSys Hub comes with what is called "10BT & 100BT Network capable at half or rull duplex;Full Wake-On-LAN Cabability, full backward compatibility with non-wake-on-lan motherboards, 95/98 PnP compatible, auto-partitioning protects pc's from downed network lines,perfect for sharing cable modems,etc,etc." With this in mind and with each computer having equal/independent capability as my objective, how do I proceed? My new computer will be Win98se PIII 800Mhz (if Intel ever ships), the older is Win 95b P200MMX.

Many thanks.

Answer : As I said in the rather lengthy last answer install ICS that comes with the 98 SE install, hook an additional ethernet card into that machine and hook one of the cards to the cabel mdoem and the other to the hub. The Win95 machine connects to the hub as well. then the 98SE will "route" the net connection for both machines.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 84825
Asker : persian_eagle
Subject : multiX
Private : No

Question :
Hello,

I'm student of hardware eng.
Would you please tell me differnce
amoung:
MULTITASKING
MULTIPROCESSING
MULTITHREADING

and if u know any references that
I can find more about it pls tell me.

Thanks a lot
Shahin Gh.

Answer : Multitasking - the ability of an operating system to juggle more than one program at a time - the ability to suspend one task, saving it's state, then reinstating a previously suspended app, allotting it some time, and so on. This creates the illusion of all the applications running at once when in actuality they are being rapidly switched out and getting CPU time as it is doled out by the operating system.

Multiprocessing takes place when more than one CPU is involved. All the tasks needed to manage the computer are then divided equally between the available CPUs. The end result is that the speed of the system is increased.

Multithreading is the ability of an individual application to spawn off subprocesses within it's control that can carry out tasks while the main program continues doing other things. For example when spell-checking one document or performing a find/replace you can also be printing another document from within the same application. The end user result of multithreaded apps is the user is less likely to be left waiting for control of the application.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 89093
Asker : winkydb
Subject : DOs Logon
Private : No

Question : I'm trying to find a logon that works at the DOS level that will lock up my computer if the logon is incorrect. Do you know of such a program or where I might find one?

Answer : It is very hard to secure a machine at the DOS level, especially against someone who is very knowledgable. Physical security is the best bet, but barring that there are a few programs that can help. Direct Access comes to mind immediately, and also can insulate the user in a menuing system for choosing apps to run (that you have made available).

Here is another -

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/microfox/programs.htm

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 89144
Asker : yerram
Subject : How do i write a batch file to delete all *.tmp files?
Private : No

Question : Hi,
Thanks for your time. Could you tell me how can i delete all the files with extension .tmp?

I wrote a batch file like below.
------------
del *.tmp
------------

This batch file is deleting only the tmp files in the top directory. how do i do it to delete the .tmp files on my whole hard disk?

Thanks
Hari

Answer : You have discovered one of the failings of DOS - namely how to make the output from one command become the *arguments* for another. Yes you can pipe or redirect output so a program receiving it will get it as it's standard IN, but that is not the same as the piped-to program treating each item sent as an argument.

For example:

type mytext.txt | more

works as expected and more displays a page at a time of the test from mytext.txt. now suppose, however that the format of mytext.txt is as follows:

/delete /s /a test
/nodelete /q /a wolf

and so on...

Now suppose you have a command-line program called "dosprog" that expects these parameters as above. In DOS there is not a way to "type" these characters, sending them to the dosprog utility one per line until the end of the mytext.txt file. In Windows NT you can use it's modified 'for' command to get this type of behavior done, but since we are probably talking about Windows 95/98 this holds true.

So I did what I usually do when confronted with a limitation (actually I was well aware of this before your question, but your need gave me impetus to go ahead and do it) in DOS - I wrote a utility to get around the problem.

I call this program rdelete.exe for "Recursive Delete" and were it not for @HOME's member FTP services being down I would make the .ZIP of RDelete available directly to you on my web page at http://members.home.net/iqueue But since I can not add any files to the web space at the moment if you will send me your email address to iqueue@home.com I will send your RDelete.zip directly. Anyone else that would like a copy can also request one at the same address, or if you're reading this much after it's been written I should have the files on the web site.

http://members.home.net/iqueue

RDelete is runnable from anywhere within Windows and is fully documented for easy use (copy it to \windows\command so it will always be in your PATH and accessible). You can run it from:

Start/Run menu
Directly from a DOS prompt inside Windows
From a shortcut to the EXE
From within a BAT file

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 90461
Asker : uuinin36636
Subject : KBps=Kbps?
Private : No

Question : B = Byte ?
b = bit ?
I am confused!

Answer : You are correct even if you're confused.

KBps would be a reference to kilobytes per second.

kbps would be a reference to kilobits per second.

A bit is a single 0 or 1

A byte is 8 bits (0's or 1's)
like: 10001110 (142 in decimal)

So to compare speeds you have to divide a kbps number by 8 to compare it to a Kbps number.

For example modems are commonly rated at 56kbps these days - let's translate that. 56kbps is a bit per second rating so to get that into bytes (each of which is 8 bits) we simply divide.

56,000 kbps
divided by 8 (bits per byte)
equals 7000 (7K per second)

So in theory a 56k modem at full speed could transfer uncompressed data at roughly 7K per second. However these modems are limited to a max connect of 53kbps anyway, plus line noise and modem error correction overhead reduces their effective full speed to more like 5-6K per second.

For another example a T1 line commonly used by corporations has a line speed of 1.544 Mbps (Megabits per second). Since we are talking "bits" here and not bytes we must divide by 8 if we want to get a number in bytes.

So 1,544,000 (roughly)
divided by 8
equals 193,000 bytes per second, or just under 200K per second (just under a 1/4 of a megabyte a second).

Hope that clears things up a bit...

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 90667
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : unix c
Private : No

Question : In unix c a infinite loop should be executed and whenever a key is pressed it should exit from the loop. In DOS the function KBHIT() we have tried and it is working. we want to know the equvilant function in Unix C Plesae send with a sample program

Answer : The problem you're having with this loop in UNIX may have to do with the fact that the read function normally needs a RETURN keypress to terminate input and allow a character to be read. If the TERM environment variable is set properly in the shell the program is running in, however, that can be gotten around. See the URL below for an explanation:

http://www.conetic.com/cbautil/cbautil00000187.html

Here is an example snippet I found that covers the topic (it's in C++ but should be easily adaptable):

The example below loops until the user presses the ESC key before exiting. If a 'printable' character is pressed, it is displayed within single quotes; if a control charcater or other keyboard key is pressed, it displays its code.

#include <iostream.h>
#include <iomanip.h>

#include <bios.h>
#include <ctype.h>

#define RIGHT 0x01
#define LEFT 0x02
#define CTRL 0x04
#define ALT 0x08

#define ESC 0x011b

int main(void)
{
int key, modifiers;

// Loop until user presses ESC key
while (key != ESC)
{
// Wait until a key is pressed
while (_bios_keybrd(_KEYBRD_READY) == 0);

// Fetch the key that is waiting
key = _bios_keybrd(_KEYBRD_READ);

// Determine if shift keys are used
modifiers = _bios_keybrd(_KEYBRD_SHIFTSTATUS);
if (modifiers)
{
cout << "[";
if (modifiers & RIGHT) cout << "RIGHT"; if (modifiers & LEFT) cout << "LEFT"; if (modifiers & CTRL) cout << "CTRL"; if (modifiers & ALT) cout << "ALT";
cout << "]";
}

// Print out the character read
if (isalnum(key & 0xFF))
cout << "'" << (char)key << "'" << endl; else
cout << setw(2) << hex << key << endl; }

return 0;
}

Rating : 2

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QAId : 92398
Asker : tom12
Subject : DOS - copy command
Private : No

Question : I am sure that this must be easy.
I would like a command that renames a file with the current date. So that I can create a batch file to rename this same file every day. It can't be that hard !
Any help appreciated.

Tom

Answer : Do you need to *rename* a file with the current date, or *create* a new file somewhere that has as it's name the current date? If the latter then I already have a program I wrote to do that - it's called DateIt.exe and when run from DOS or within a BAT file will create a "timestamp" file in the directory in which it is run whose name is the current date. With some subtle bribery of a box of chocolates or something I could be persuaded to change the functionality of DateIt.exe to accept command-line arguments so that if your need was the former you could run it as such:

dateit c:\mystuff\file_to_be_renamed

and it would then rename "file_to_be_renamed" as the current date.

Then the utility could function both ways - in the normal instance when run without parameters it would drop a newly created file with the current date as it's name; when run with a parameter (being a fully-qualified path (unless the file to be renamed is in the current dir)) it would instead *rename* the existing file with the current date.

Let me know which you need, but in the meantime I will modify and recompile for this functionality and make it available on my web page at:

http://members.home.net/iqueue

Paul Doherty

P.S. Send me an email at bitbucket911@home.com for my snail mail address so you'll know where to send the chocolates! (I like caramels and nuts) ;-)
Rating : 5

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QAId : 94251
Asker : PScoggins
Subject : secondary ide problem
Private : No

Question : i have a FIC SD11 motherboard and Athlon 500 cpu. I have a hard drive as master on primary ide and CD rom as slave. When i install second CD rom on secondary ide, neither the primary or secondary devices are found at boot up. The Bios is set to Auto for primary and secondary devices. How do I get the secondary ide to work.

Answer : First thing the second CD-ROM that is alone on the second channel needs to be jumpered as "master" (I also like to hang the master on each chain at the end of the cable, but that probably is just me :-).

Secondly what you should be doing here is moving the first CD-ROM off the slave position on the primary IDE connector and put *both* CD-ROMs on the secondary IDE controller, making one master and one slave. Keeping hard disks and CDs on separate IDE controllers makes for better speed on the hard drive.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 97201
Asker : sserra00879
Subject : Upgrading hard drive
Private : No

Question : Hi Paul,
Im running win98 on a 200 Mhz PC. I Installed a 17GB slave drive "D". I wish to copy all current info from "C" to "D" and make this my new "C" drive. The install software that came with my new Western Digital HD allows me to partition in FAT32 no problem. I receive an error message when I attempt to copy my existing "C" drive to "D". I receive a message about unable to access root directory FAT error. I thought perhaps Norton Antivirus was in the way and uninstalled it. No luck. Can I copy reliably with a DOS command?
Thanks in advance
Steve

Answer : Here is a much faster, cleaner way to do it. Access the URL at the bottom of this message to find a copy of the utility GHOST (Generic Hardware-Oriented System Transfer). What this little baby will do is remove the drudgery from what you are attempting to do - namely, take an installed C: drive and move it's entire contents (including boot-sector) to another, larger hard disk and then jumper the new larger disk as master, remove the original and boot as if nothing has changed if I understand you correctly. This is as smooth as it can get (there are much more tedious methods to the same end but why do it the painful way? :-)

Install the second disk as slave (it appears you have done so) - there is no need to fdisk it, format it or anything else - a bare disk is just fine. Then make a bootable floppy disk under DOS (either pure DOS or a DOS prompt under Windows) by:

c:
cd \windows
format a:
sys a:

--

Now copy the ghost.exe you obtained to this floppy and write-protect the floppy.

Boot on the floppy and when it finishes you will be at an A: prompt

Type ghost and hit ENTER

From the menu Select Local/Disk/To Disk and select the first hard disk (your installed "C:" primary IDE drive) as the source, and the new larger disk as the destination. Start it, and when it's done shut down the machine, take out the primary disk, replace it with the new one (jumpering it for master as you do so) and then turn the system back on. Voila! Back in business with a larger disk!

Paul Doherty

This program was purchased by Symantec, who no longer has an evaluation copy of the program available for download. So it is necessary in this event to do an FTP search on what you know you need to find someone who has a copy that will work long enough for this one operation, so you don't need to purchase a 100 dollar program for a one-shot upgrade. It's probably not totally above-board to do so, but if your conscience allows here's one I found that should do the trick:

ftp://ftp.aracnet.com/users/felix/GHOST.EXE

Rating : 5
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 107060
Asker : jim.spri11144
Subject : Home PC
Private : No

Question : In the market to purchase a Home Personal Computer. Am looking for the PC that offers the most options/Value relationship.

Computers in mind are HP 9000 series, Dell and Gateway. Would purchase a Flat screen for the system and was wondering who produces the best Flat screen and recommended size.

The PC will be primarily used to manage finance and explore the internet.

Your advice is appreciated.

Answer : Wow... with the array of options available even within *one* of these manufacturers it's difficult to make a recommendation without knowing:

1) What you want to spend

2) What you intend to do (besides manage finances and web)

if all you intend to do is finances and web browsing the lowest-end PC will do the trick as neither are very intensive tasks. But since you intend to splurge on a LCD screen I sense you are not looking to cheap the PC. :-) A couple of issues to be aware of with an LCD screen:

1) They are expensive (duh - you already knew that :-)

2) They require specialized video cards - i.e. not every video card can output to one so be sure if you do get one that works with your panel.

3) The major problem I have with LCD computer screens (besides the cost :-) is that they are a "fixed" resolution. Fixed in this sense meaning there is a discrete number of pixels across by pixels down (usually newer panels are 1024x768). this is great if all you run is Windows appas and always are at 1024x768. The problem comes in when you play that nice new game that you PC can only just barely qualify to run so you have to run it at 640x480 or 800x600.

Two things can happen at this point (and neither are good):

A) Now your "full screen" 15-inch LCD is showing a 640 or 800 image in center of the screen that only occupies literally 640 or 800 of the 1024 pixels across, and 480 or 600 of the 768 down. In short, your picture will be centered and smaller than the full size of the screen.

B) You have an "interpolative" LCD panel which takes lower resolutions and "upsamples" them to fit on the full space of the LCD panel. This sounds good in practice but the result is a strange one. Text is "globular" and graphics looks "smudged" for lack of a better word. It's a compromise at best.

For the same money as a middle of the road LCD you can buy the best flat screen 19" monitors. It's a better choice IMO.

In the end let your budget be your guide. Decide up front how much you want to spend and then choose the best system you can for the money. If I have to leave you with a recommendation as to minimum acceptable specs for a new machine:

P3-450 or better
128MB PC100 RAM
10GB hard disk (ATA 33 or better)
19" monitor (or LCD) - the Hitachi Superscan Elite series are nice
DVD drive (doubles as a CD-ROM and can play DVD movies)
SB Live audio card
Nice set of speakers - think Altec Lansing or Klipsch - and be sure to get a set that comes with a subwoofer.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4.9
Rating : 4.9

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QAId : 161403
Asker : geordie
Subject : checkpoint firewall
Private : No

Question : I have just had a nokia ip440 with checkpoint firewall1 installed on my network.
I want to introduce a new machine to the network(it will be a BDC with webtrends installed). The server should be able to access the 3 web servers in order to read their log files. The server must also be able to see out onto the internet.
I have given it a 192. ip address which is an internal ip address.
All the other machines also have a 192 address but they also have an external 142 address which gets translated. I was told that because I only wanted to let the BDC see out and not allow anything to see it that I didn't need to perform address translation. Is this so?

I have it set up so that the "source" is the "BDC" and the "Destination" is "ANY"

cAN ANYONE TELL ME WHERE i AM GOING WRONG?

Thanks alot,

Dan

Answer : Well if by saying the BDC has a "192" address you mean the non-routable 192.168.x.x type addresses you will have to perform NAT to let that machine see the internet. Any router on the net that sees a source address of 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x will drop it and you will get nowhere.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 161698
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : windows 98 lockups
Private : Yes

Question : Thanks in advance...Just put a pretty simple PC together and loaded windows 98 on it. Everything works perfect untill the darn thing just LOCKS UP on me. It does not do it on any particular program-it has happened during a windows screen saver, during windows solitare, I had office 2000 on the machine and it would happen anywhere in there also. I can not CONTROL-ALT-DELETE out of it. I even reformatted the hard drive and started over with ONLY WINDOWS LOADED, but it is still happening. Everything we installed inside the machine was brand new except the hard drive...I am so lost!

Answer : Well anytime an OS locks entirely (no blue screen, no GPF) that almost always points to hardware. The hardware itself or the supporting drivers. The first thing to do is to ensure that the latest drivers are installed from the web sites of your hardware manufacturers - this includes your motherboard manufacturer! Especially if you use an AMD processor; the chipsets that support the AMD are sometimes missing features or functionality at the lowest of levels. I just worked through a troubleshooting situation with one PC (that was an AMD 350) and the CD that came with the motherboard had absolutely mandatory patches to Windows 98 to even get the thing to properly detect PCI/AGP cards! Amazing for a two-year old OS and a less than one-year-old motherboard.

So ensure all drivers (and any motherboard patches) have been applied. Then if you still have problems it's time to find the offending component. Remove one card (audio, modem, etc - not video of course) until the problem goes away. If you get all the way down to having nothing but drives and video installed and still have problems then you may have to try another video card. there also may unfortunately be interactions with two or more of your installed devices that can cause this which can make troubleshooting difficult.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

FUQuestion : Thanks for your help Paul...I tried doing the updated patches and drivers thing, but after 30 mins, it happened again. So now I am in the pulling cards out mode. As I said before, this was a used HARD DRIVE that my buddy got from a guy he knows. He said it was in perfect shape, but who knows??? Could there be a bug in the HARD DRIVE that could cause this to happen? It's also an EPOX BX-3 MOTHERBOARD, and I am not very familair with them, I went to their web site and got a little confused in there driver section...Again, thanks for your help...Kraig

Answer : I doubt if the hard drive could cause a reboot like this. But there is a way to find out if it's involved (maybe). Create a bootable floppy - open a DOS prompt inside Windows and execute the following commands one at a time:

format a: /u
sys a:

Now you have a disk that will boot independent of the hard disk. Now you can disconnect the hard drive ribbon cable and power so it's effectively not in the system. At this point you can one of two things - wait for it to crash at this pure DOS mode you booted from on the floppy (if it does this after 30 minutes I'd be surprised as DOS by itself uses almost no CPU time unless you are doing something). The other thing to do would be before you reboot with this DOS floppy grab a few benchmarks that will fit on a floppy (and that can run in a continuous loop) and try them in a repeating loop to work the system out. this will help isolate if it's the drive. Here's a good site for some benchmarks:

http://optimize.bhcom1.com/english/benchmarks/benchmarks.htm

Three off here I'd recommend that may very well fit on your same boot floppy are:

ctcm (tests CPU and memory speed)
coretest (beats on your hard disk - if you leave it installed for the first run you can bang on it a bit)
3DBench2 (a repeating 3d performance benchmark - this one will stay running until you quit it)
Burnin Test (just what it says - burn a PC in by running it hard to see if it will fail)

If you experience a crash under DOS anything a all like the one in Windows (with the complete reboot) I'm going to say definitively you are talking about one of two things: faulty hardware (motherboard or add-in cards) or HEAT (more likely since you report no other problems until the thing reboots). How many fans have you got in the case? Is there a heatsink and fan on the CPU itself? (there needs to be if not) Is there plenty of space behind the system for airflow? You might consider adding a fan to the inside of your case. Depending on the type of case you can easily install one. All ATX form factor cases have a space for mounting an extra case fan in the front-bottom of the case. Also you can buy an "add-in" card that takes up the space of an internal slot but actually houses two fans that pull air from inside the case and blow it out the back. I personally have SEVEN fans in my system, but it's a highly overclocked machine and needs it. I am think ing your problem is one of heat - so do check into.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Again, I can't thank you enough for your help...The CPU is a PIII 500 oem with a heat sink and fan mounted to it,(not over clocked at all)and we have 3 fans in the chassis. I was kind of thinking it was acting like a heat problem myself, so let me ask you this...How bout we just got stuck with a bad CPU? I have an older PII 333, you think I should throw that in this machine and see if we still crash?......Kraig

Answer : Yes if you have the spare CPU that's an excellent way to isolate whether the CPU is at fault since everything else will be identical (mobo, chipset, add-in cards, HD).

Let me know what you find...

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Just to keep you updated on my NIGHTMARE! Well, popped the PII in the motherboard and we still crashed. I guess the only things left to check is the video card, or the motherboard itself. What brand of motherboard do you like, and what do you think of EPOX(what's in there now)?
Thanks....Kraig

Answer : I've never even heard of EPOX so I guess that means I'd have to guess they're a generic type board (not that I've seen them all mind you).

I like Abit and Asus brand boards myself. I'm currently running this system on an Abit BH6 (with Intel 440BX chipset). For a new system running at 800Mhz you will want to look at the motherboards recommended on the step-thermodynamics.com site I sent you but be aware that to get the needed 133Mhz FSB to overclock those chips you'll need either an Intel i820 chipset (hard to find without RDRAM - Asus has one that appears good) or the Apollo chipset that's out. Normally as I said I'd steer away from any non-Intel chip but the Apollo has been getting good press and right now it's the only other way to get AGP 4X, ATA66 and 133Mhz FSB.

Paul Doherty

----------------------------------------------------------------------
QAId : 177670
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : sending e-mail
Private : No

Question : I have send E-mail to germany to friends who are with AOL, i send it in rich text format with nice stationery as background, i also put in some pictures, but they don't seem do be able to open it, is there a way for them to open it?? They get it ok when i send it in plain text but it would be nice if they could also get e-mail that has annimated gifs, etc.etc. any easy way for them to open it?Or is there a special way for me to send it. thaks for your help in that.

Answer : Your problem is due to the very nature of email on the internet. Most email systems (and client programs) do not understand anything but pure text email. This is and has been done mostly for compatibility reasons. Many users on lots of operating systems, some of which use different character sets (for language, or system (ASCII/EBCDIC)) makes for a lot of things to deal with already. Adding "rich text" formatting, HTML, or other added features increases the load on the email systems (and requires that all parts of the email system be compatible with it). Since we can *not* ensure that all transports that may touch or receive our mail can deal with the formats we put on them, we make clients (the email readers we use on the desktop) that are smart enough to allow us to compose an email in whatever way we want (and that the client app allows), attach whatever files we want (binary or ASCII), and format the text, change fonts, bold it, etc. But what happens in the background is a different story. When you hit the SEND button all that formatting, font information, bolding, binary and ASCII file attachments, ALL get encoded into what is known as a UUEncoded format. This is a text-only encoding scheme so it is compatible with any email system in the world. Think of it as a trasnlator - you feed it whatever you want and it finds a way to represent your files and formatting with textual patterns compatible with the ASCII character set. This all used to have to be done by the user, using utilities like UUEncode/UUDecode. To attach a file you would write your note to the person you were sending the file to, UUEncode the thing you wanted to send to them, and then copy and paste that encoded "thing" into the document. It might look like this:

To: Joe Blow
From: Paul Doherty
Subject: That file you wanted...

Hey JB, long time no see! Here's that game demo you've been wanting...

PD

------- begin attachment seesaw.uue ------
as346dg79a78^**&($&ip 98yPG)GLOI*sdhaeYFdh
e45346q3b875(*&65c(*&_(NP*&(*%^G)BBBL&^F$%

many of these lines may be present followed by:
-------- end attachment seesaw.uue -------

Joe at the other end now has to copy and paste the data from the "begin" line to the "end" line and paste it into a UUDecoce utility to get back the original "seesaw.exe" file (assuming that was the original extension). All this conversion is still happening, but it's taking place covertly behind your back by your email client.

Well, after that long tangent, where can the process go wrong now? The email readers themselves. If an email reader cannot handle the encoding format, or more likely, the data resulting from decoding, the result is likely to not be as expected. Many times the email reader will show only the parts it is certain it can display correctly and will save off the rest as appropriate attachments (i.e. *.rtf for rich text format) even if they were originally part of the body of the message itself.

So the short answer (:-) to your question is that it is likely that one of you is generating messages the other's email client can not properly display. AOL being the likely culprit here... ask them what formats their email software can display correctly and use those formats only (you may have to find a new client for the non-AOL machine so it can generate "rich" emails compatible with the AOL email readers needs).

Good luck!

Paul Doherty

Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 179769
Asker : wmichael
Subject : e-mail and fax solution
Private : Yes

Question : Hello,

My company has about 20 PCs and a NT 4.0 server. There is a telephone specially for fax and sometimes checking e-mail.

Would you please suggest a solution to allow every PC users able to fax out directly from their PCs via the phone line without installing modem in each PC. I would like them to utilize only one modem.

Is there software to check and send mail only? Now, we are using Nestcape and IE, but we do not need our staff to browse in the internet. Just check mail and send is okay. Please suggest. Of course, I would like to use only the same modem, may be installed in the server, to serve all of them.

Best regards,
Michael

Answer : As far as the faxing goes I'd suggest you hook the fax line up to the NT Server (install a good fax/modem if you don't already have one) and then examine this URL for good candidates for the software backend:

http://winfiles.cnet.com/apps/nt/fax.html

You may even be able to setup and share the faxmodem *without* one of these apps - it's been a while since I've tried to share a modem, but I think you can.

Any email client software can be used if you wish to avoid the use of web browsers (sounds like a real sweat shop). Check here for some email-only clients:

http://cws.internet.com/32mail.html

Eudora somes to mind as an old favorite. You can likely find some free ones here too.

If you intend to share the one modem for internet traffic you may want to take a look at Sygate - http://www.sygate.com - it will run as a service on your NT 4 Server and allow all the clients on the network to simultaneously share the internet connection.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 183978
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : EMS Memory
Private : No

Question : What is EMS Memory and how do can I install
it?Does it also go by the name Expanded Memory Services and how can I install it?

Answer : You are correct - EMS is Expanded Memory (as opposed to Extended Memory (XMS)).

To create EMS (usually only needed for a DOS boot or a Windows 3.1 machine) simply add the following to your C:\CONFIG.SYS file:

DEVICE = C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE
(I'm running Windows 2000 so I can't confirm that it's not in C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND but make sure your path is correct for the location of EMM386.EXE).

By default EMM386.EXE makes EMS memory - with a "NOEMS" at the end it will make XMS.

EMS and XMS are not memory you *install* exactly, they are different schemes for accessing the memory you *already have* under environments that were perhaps not geared to access it. I'm sure you've heard of the infamous 640K limit? Well even in the days that the 640K limit was set the CPUs could address more memory. The first CPU that DOS and it's memory architecture was built around could address 1MB of memory. Most computers had 8K of RAM at the time so no one thought they would need the full 1 Meg... so they divied the 1MB up into 640K for program space and 384K (the upper area) for drivers and such. This 384K "high memory area" was mostly off limits to the user. Programs such as himem.sys and emm386.exe allow you to set your machine up to use that high memory area and memory beyond 1MB (call XMS - Extended Memory).

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : How would you setup ems memory in windows 95?
That is my current os system and this is for a emulator.

Answer : Windows 95/98 can emulate both types of memory without EMM386.EXE.

If you need EMS or XMS memory inside Windows (say in a DOS box running in Windows) make a shortcut that points to the executable you intend to run (your emulator). Then right-click that new icon and select "Properties". Inside you will find several tabs, one of which is named "Memory". Enter that one to tweak your memory settings for this application.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4
Rating : 4

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QAId : 184514
Asker : lecat_studios
Subject : fdisk/format-win95 won't install
Private : No

Question : History:

homemade 486 with an Award Bios running win95-A that crashed.
1. I fdisked it
2. I have a boot disk with cd drivers, config, autoexec, on it and
mscdex.exe. (I am now almost certian the msdos.sys is not 6.22 )
3. formated c:> with sys /s (I have also tried C:/s/u/c)
4. rebooted with boot disk in A:> & it tells me cd drivers are installed &
names the cd
5> I type D:
6: crying now... I type D: then type cd d:\win95 and the cdrom whirls for
awhile (it is
an MRTP 36x by aopen)

7: crying more. I get this error: CDR101: Not ready reading drive d:>
8. I can either retry, abort, fail. I abort and go back to a:\ & the
cdrom still whirls away.. until I take the cd out. I really need help

Before I redid the fdisk & format
I had tried it another way too. I put my drivers, config, autoexec and
mscdex on c and booted from from a sys disk without the cd related things
on it, the disk being exactly the same as the 1st one (actually I cut and paste to the orginial boot disk for fear of destroying it as nothing seems to be compatible with the computer excet that disk). I then went into
bios and changed the bootup sequence, booting from C instead of A, saved
changes and the rebooted. I was able to get into the D drive and even
read what was on the cd so I do know the windows cd (full version 95A) is working. I tried running D:\win95\setup and it would try to setup then die or prompt me for a command.com. I would answer saying it was in C:\ but it would only accept command.com from the orgiinal boot disk in A:\ drive. Then it will pop me back to the D: prompt while the cdrom spins away.

I tried setup with all the files on c: under a
temp directory where I placed the cab files and that didn't work either. I get alwys end up at the prompt.

I can only get into d:\ when I boot from c:\. With the floopy boot it gives me the cdr101 error.

I have tried other boots. Always receiving an error stating incorrect dos version. I have 6.22 on disk but I can't get it to install due to the same error messsage.

I have also tried attrib -r-h-s *.* on the root oc C:\ and then going into C:\cab\setup which also doesn't work.

My bios is set correctly & the cable is new and properly hooked up - I almsot have my A+ so I thought I knew a little about computers...I have two excedrine left. I hope you can help. Karen

Answer : OK here we go - start fresh with a new blank floppy. If you are not absolutely confident in this CDROM *.SYS driver you are using download the one I'm making available at:

http://members.home.net/iqueue/idecd.sys

It is Universal and will work on ANY IDE CD_ROM drive.

I'll assume you're using the one I've made available for here on - if not then simply exchange the name "idecd.sys" with yours.

OK now since you obviously have access to somebody's working machine (since you posted this question) open a DOS prompt and type the following:

format a: /u
sys a:

Create a config.sys on the floppy with the following:

device=\idecd.sys /d:cdrom001

Create an autoexec.bat on the same floppy with:

\mscdex.exe /d:cdrom001 /l:f

"SYS" the floppy:

sys a:

Now copy the file C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE to a:\ like this:

copy c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe a:\

Also get the commands "sys.com", "xcopy.exe" & "xcopy32.exe" and put them on the floppy (all these commands are either in \windows or \windows\command)

You may also want to get some other utilities like:

edit
fdisk
format
attrib
deltree

All together this disk *with* utilities from the same rev of the OS makes a handy disk for starting installs like you're doing or general troubleshooting.

Now that the disk is made reboot on your troubled system with it. When it boots it should find the CD-ROM drive and assign it to drive letter F: - access the CD with:

dir F:\

to be sure it works. I'm assuming you have done the fdisk and formatting as you said above so the disk is effectively empty. Now perform the following commands (from the A:> prompt):

sys c:
xcopy f:\win95\*.* c:\win95kit\*.* /e

now take the floppy OUT of the drive and reboot on the hard disk. Then type the following:

echo y | lock c: /off
cd \win95kit
setup

And away you go!

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : I did all that you said. The directions were wonderful. I couldn't get the disk formated with a:/u so I used a:/s 9i have win98- the paitent is a friends computer)

But when I got to setup I received this message: found a compressed volumne or disk cache utility on your computer. Quit setup and check your compressed drive or remove disk-cache utility.

I have nothing on the drive except the cab files under the directory I made from the instructions. When I fdisked the computer I only had a primary and extended dos partition. In bios I can't see where one might find a disk cache.

I could either quit set-up or continue. I continued and received a few lines of machine language.

I have no more excedriene.

FUQuestion : I went back to setup and also tried the /is & /iq switch but it hung. I also treid the swithches dircetly in the cdrom drive setup and it also hung

Answer : The trouble is your floppy disk has Windows 98's version of DOS on it and you sys'd the hard disk with it, but you're attempting to install Windows 95, an older version, on the same drive. Either find a Windows 95 machine and sys your floppy on *it*, or install Windows 98 and give your friend an upgrade. :-)

Also do not enable the CD-ROM in the C:\CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT - there is no reason to do so if you followed my directions above as the entire kit of files needed for install will be on the hard disk (after booting with the bootable CD-mounting floppy). Leave the config and autoexec empty and boot from the hard disk to start the install.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 206123
Asker : cftbox
Subject : Opening files
Private : No

Question : Ther are some files, that when I try to open, a window comes up asking me to select which program to use to open file. This is a drop-down window with several (lots) of programs to choose from. No one I know has the answer, someone suggested I ask the Pros at Xpert.com......so here I am. Is there a program that you can install that would choose the correct program in this situation?
Thanks
Charles

Answer : The problem you are describing comes about because you have no associated handler for the extension file you are double-clicking. Some file associations are made by Windows during installation. Others are made by programs you install. And still others can be made (or changed) by you. For example make a new document as follows:

Right-click your desktop and select New/Text Document from the menu - when the new icon appears type in the name test.ped - a prompt will appear saying that changing a file extension may render it unreadable. Just carry on with the new name (test.ped). Now click the new icon once to select it, then *while holding the SHIFT key* right-click the icon and select the item "Open With", scroll down the list of choices and select Notepad.exe and if you want put a description in the top field like "My text documents with PED extension".

As soon as you click OK and get out of the dialogs you will see the icon change to the Notepad icon. If you double-click the file it will not open in notepad.exe ready for editing.

you can use the same technique to change the association for any file type you want. One thing you may want to make sure of before you start this is:

Open My Computer, select View/Folder Options from the menu, go to the View tab, check the box for "Show all files", and uncheck the one for "Hide file extensions for known file types".

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 222816
Asker : fabricef67617
Subject : Operating system / Programming
Private : No

Question : I would like to know which tools/language
is most suited to produce scripts/programs which communicate with existing softwares.

Example 1 : I need to update a web site every week , I do it now manually , moving the files via ftp... Should I go for Perl/VB to make an utility transferring the files.
Example 2 : Let say I manually go to an URL,
click on an icon and download a file.
How could I conceive a program which makes this, with which libraries . Is this feasible or difficult ?
More generally, how build a script launching
and communicating with existing binaries?
All this assumed for Operating System=Windows

Answer : One of my favorites for this type of utility is WinBatch, a compilable scripting language that is very full-featured and can do just about anything in Windows that you would ever want to do.

For your example #1 - you can script the transfer of files to or from the FTP server with nothing more than the base FTP utility in Windows 95/98/NT. This utility has the dubious distinction of being the only DOS utility I can find (including others that are installed as part of the TCP/IP protocol suite like telnet.exe and ping.exe) that does *not* honor the normal syntax help switch of "/?" as in "ftp /?" for syntax help. Thus most people are of the (logical) opinion that FTP does not support unattended transfers. But it does. Type "ftp -h" for the syntax help. Here is how it works:

1) Create a text file (I call mine ftp.txt). Make the contents of this file look like the following:

username
password
lcd c:\windows
asc
prompt
hash
mput *.bmp
bye

Then you can either manually run the command (as follows) or you can put the same line in a .BAT file and schedule it to run when you want with Task Scheduler under 95/98 or the 'at' command in Windows NT.

ftp -s:ftp.txt ftp.wherever.com

As for the example #2 - you could use something like WinBatch for this - either to control a web browser and input the proper mouse or keyboard strokes (easier) or to write your own network-ready app that can retrieve items based on a URL (harder).

WinBatch can be had in a trial version (without compiler) at:

http://www.windowware.com

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 228867
Asker : allysonunderland
Subject : Help, fellow Xpert?
Private : No

Question : Knock, knock... can Paul come out and play? Hello! I'm allysonunderland and I, too am an on-site 'Xpert'. I can be found on the 'Jobs & Careers' board under the subject of 'Other'. I'm a C.P.C. (Certified Profes-sional Coder)> I work in the healthcare field, doing diagnostic/procedural coding. I am the #5 'xpert' on my board - regardless of the fact that I'm not 'playing along' - I am in strong oppostion to the competition and I've been DEEPLY hurt by the whole process. Like to know 'why'? I am actually NUMBER 1. I've been a member since 11/20/99. I have a 4.9 rating, 26 asked/25 answered within 10 hours. I lead in EVERY single category. Yet I am only valued by Xpertsite as #5. This is why I will never even try. I came here to be of service. This contest has utterly ruined an experience which I had previously treasured as one of my favorite passtimes. I am anonymous. I will NEVER take any prizes, nor money for this. The best time I ever had here was when I spent 3 LONG DAYS doing research on continuing education for a Prosthodontist in Kuwait. The gratitude and praise I got at the completion were warm and lovely! THE REASON I AM HERE. I will not allow Xpertsite to cheapen that warm moment. I am not judging any others who choose to 'play'. i'm actually here to 'throw you a bone' so-to-speak! Please see my QUESTION #26, which I am forwarding to you! If you satisfy this request I will gladly rate you highly. I took A STAND long ago that I'd attempt to answer any question (hence the inquiry from the Prosthodontist in Kuwait). So far I have received 3 inquiries re: Pentium processors! I found URLs for 2 of them and tried to steer them this way. The third guy was obviously on major hallucinogenics so I fed his fantasy! (check it OUT, it was pretty funny! He wrote my at 5 a.m. and I could smell the booze on his post (which I believe still appears on my site). If it doesn't I told him 'stop, or you'll make the humans suspicious. If you remain calm until the reinforcements arrive, I promise you, the whole east coast will be yours ... chill! Well, this note seems sincere. This time I am escorting my inquisitor directly to you in a stretch limo (edit>copy...edit>paste!)-If the technology will not allow you to repond directly to him, come and see me and I will get the answer to my new friend, a give you a purple heart, to boot!. Offered
in the name of love... ally -^--,+-=<{@

Asked By: ehab_atme
Subject: CD Rewritable
Question (private):
I have a Yamaha Rewritable drive 4416

I'm trying to record data on a Samsung CD-R.
Working on Easy Cd Creator 4.0,it finishes recording and tells me that the cd finished
OK.But when I put the CD-R in my Yamaha
it reads it as an Audio Cd with one track in it. I tried this CD-R on a TEAC 532E -B CD Rom, Gave me the same result. But when I read this CD-R
with a SONY CD ROM,the sony read the CD-R correctly with all the data on it.
I tried more than 10 CD's (Samsung) with different writing speed and 90 % of the CD's are read Audio.

Is this problem from the incopatibility of the samsung CD-R with my Yamaha, or there is something wrong with my SCSI or YAMAHA Rewritble Drive .

NOTE: Other kind of CD-R (TEAC, TDK)are recorded with no problems, Even the first 11
Samsung CD-R are recorded with no problems,
but after this the promlem came on the Samsung CD-R.

Thank You
*********************************************

Answer : I would say stay away from the Samsung CDRs as they appear to be the problem. I had a similar problem long ago with Maxell CDRs - now I won't touch them with a 10-foot pole. There are several colors of dye available on CDRs and not all of them are compatible with all CD-ROM readers. The dyes I'm aware of are blue, green and gold. You may want to note what color dye is on the Samsung's and whether any other CDR of the same dye color can be read in those same drives that have a problem with the Samsungs.

Personally I use TDK and Verbatim only when I can get them.

Paul Doherty

P.S. to allysonunderland
Sorry to hear that you feel badly about the way things are going around here. I too have wondered what is the methodology (algorithm actually) they use to arrive at ratings - is it points? Ranking of answers? Is there some subjective criteria we aren't aware of?
Rating : 5

FUQuestion : A GREAT BIG PURPLE HEART FOR YOU, GOOD EXPERT!!!!! ally --^--,+--=<<@
Declined (Reason) : No question asked - thanks for the Purple Heart... :-)
Rating : 5

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QAId : 290130
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : image resolution
Private : No

Question : How close are computer images to a photo? What would be the equivalent resolution in pixels of the following:
a) an original photo
b) a photo reproduced on glossy paper in a magazine
c) a newspaper photo
d) a TV screen image
e) a feature film image
f) a video image ( or would this just be governed by the resolution of your TV screen?
g) how does the resolution of a typical computer monitor compare to a TV screen?

Thanks. I am new to xpertsite, and I don't really know how this works. Do you want me to submit these as separate questions?

Answer : I'm not sure this is really a good question to answer as the whole concept of comparing an analog source with a digitized version of the same is a bit odd (although I must admit I have attempted to deduce the photo-to-PC comparison myself). Well take this with a big grain of salt...

a) Film is hard to define in terms of a computer screen's pixels, but if you forced me to hazard a guess I'd say that normal 35mm cameras and film produce images of about 6000x6000 (depending on ratio) equivalence on a computer screen.

b) Magazines typically print around 1200dpi - so I'd say this is in the neighborhood of 4000x4000

c) A newspaper is necessarily coarser since it's medium (pulp paper) is so limiting. The end result is much lower quality than the plates that are shot in the beginning, which can be rather high res. I would say that the image in the paper (smudging and bleeding aside) would rate about 50dpi or somewhere between 640x480 and 800x600 on a PC.

d) TV signals (in the US) use NTSC formatting and have essentially in the neighborhood of 525 lines of vertical resolution (that is, 525 horizontal lines from top to bottom). The fact that these lines are interlaced tends to weaken this resolution a bit so I'd say TV is at best equivalent to 640x480 on a PC.

e) Feature films are shot on film so we're back to our question a) essentially. If you want to take into account the fact that the image is blown up from so small (the actual film) to so large (the screen the projector uses) it would reduce the effective resolution by a large amount. Large being a relative term since I already estimated film to be 6000x6000 - let's say that projected film would retain effective 1280x1024 resolution.

f) If by "video image" you mean something on a TV then yes. No matter the source (to a degree), if the final result is something a standard TV can display you are limited by that format.

g) A computer monitor favors considerably better than even the best TVs in a few areas:

1) dot pitch - most TVs have .38 or higher effective dot pitch. Almost any monitor made in the last 7 years has a dot pitch of .28 or less.

2) Signal quality - Most TVs use composite inputs (RCA jacks) and the result of mashing all the requisite signals needed to produce a TV picture onto one cable results in interference between parts of the signal. Computer monitors have shielded 15-pin (or BNC) VGA cables to run each signal across on it's own line, maintaining high quality to the computer screen.

3) Monitors are designed to be seen from 6-24 inches away, and to resolve small items like tiny text and graphics. TVs are using a 50-year old broadcast standard and are mean to be seen from multiple feet away. Add to this the fact that this same 50-year old signal that started life on 5" and 9" TV tubes is now being asked to dispay on gargantuan 60" big screen TVs and you can see why it's a good thing that HDTV is on it's way in...

Paul Doherty

Rating : 5

FUQuestion : Thanks - here are a few more questions:

a) If magazines print at 1200 dpi - or approx. 4000x4000, is it fair to say that screen technology is quite a bit behind printer or scanner technology? (After all, isn't it possible to print at 1200 dpi, while a decent screen would be 1024 x768?)

b) If a newspaper photo is 50 dpi, why do you think the photos I print at 300 dpi on my printer look worse? (Source: printing off the internet or making a copy at 300 dpi). I think I'm confused by the comparison between dpi and pixels.

c) What do you think the equivalence in dpi is of a 1024x768 screen?

d) What definition is HDTV supposed to give?

e) What definition do DVD's give - or is that limited by the screen you play them on?

Answer : a) Yes and no. Display on a monitor is more "forgiving" than printing is. Yes since it is much higher resolution than the computer screen. Photographic plates for printing do not have the inherent limit on resolution a computer does, as a computer has to map out every location on-screen in video RAM and then has to display on the limited resolving power of a CRT.

b) It's not been my experience that newspaper color pictures beat those that I print on my color printer (Epson Stylus Photo 700). It could be your source material was less than 300dpi (if you weren't using a flatbed scanner, for instance). Or your printer may not be up to the task. Some of my printouts that I've printed from this 249.00 Epson and framed (and the source images were obtained completely digitally with an Olympus D320 digital camera at 1024x768) have been mistaken for real photographs.

c) A 1024x768 computer screen is probably about 50-60 dpi - I don't know the exact formula so I can't truly know.

d) HDTV's maximum resolution is 1920x1080 (interlaced) though some experts do not believe that most HDTV televisions will truly display this resolution (meaning they'll show it but they lack a quantity of pixels to resolve it completely).

e) DVD is around 720x480 resolution as compared to 240x480 for VHS tape.

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 294333
Asker : zz
Subject : changing IP adress
Private : Yes

Question : Can I change IP address on my computer using command prompt?If not can I make a program that will enable me to do that?
Thanks,
zorica@ibis.co.yu

Need More Information : What operating system are you wishing to change the IP from command-line? I'll assume a variant of Windows - in which case the short answer is no, if you want to know what the new address is going to be. If you want to renew a DHCP address you can first release the current one with:

winipcfg /release_all

and then obtain a new one with:

winipcfg /renew_all

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : winnt4.0
Can I write a program that changes IP address

FUQuestion : Is there any utility or an API that can do that. The reason I want to do this is because I have about 100 computers that need to have different IP addresses. What I would like to do is to change their IP addreses without going from one computer to another.

Need More Information : A couple of questions:

1) Are the computers to be changed all running Windows NT 4 Workstation?

2) Are their addresses being obtained with DHCP or are they static?

FUQuestion : 1)yes
2)both (I have several sites with different networks, somewhere computers have static IP addreses and somewhere they use DHCP)

Answer : OK - for the NT machines that use DHCP you can have them run:

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

to obtain a new address. As for the ones with static addresses I found some info:

Here is source code in Pascal to change the IP address of a Windows NT machine. Pay particular attention to the noted locations in the registry and the rundll32.exe references.

http://x26.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=326238034&CONTEXT=952706897.1391788089&hitnum=6

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 295450
Asker : dweikle
Subject : New CNE--Where do I start?
Private : Yes

Question : Recently received CNE certification (CNE3 & CNE4). Need experience. Advice from good CNE(s) on how to gain experience would be appreciated. Test scores were excellent; need real world work experience. Haven't started job hunting yet; want to be sure of what I'm looking for.

Where would you start?

Answer : Well it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway since I'm long-winded) that you should look for a site that is either all Netware, or has a mixed environment (maybe with some NT or Unix). This can be a pain but you will end up learning valuable cross operating system skills.

Being a freshly-minted (as opposed to a "minty fresh") CNE you may have trouble convincing someone to let you into a network administration job right off, but with the labor market so good maybe not. If you have the desktop skills necessary and do have trouble with landing a admin job right away spend some time in desktop support - you will learn a lot and may be able to move where you want from there.

Good luck!
Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 337311
Asker : kilgore54
Subject : MS-DOS command.com /F switch
Private : No

Question : I have recently heard that you can invoke the MS-DOS (V6.21 and up) command processor by typing COMMAND.COM /F. This causes it to automatically "Fail" if you get the infamous "Abort, Retry, Fail?" prompt.

I have tried this and it works but I can find NO DOCUMENTATION for it. Could anyone point me toward some documentation for this "feature" and possibly any other undocumented command.com switches?

Thanks.
K54

Answer : The "/F" appears to be the only undocumented switch around. You can also include it in your CONFIG.SYS for easy use in your "SHELL=" statement as in:

SHELL=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM /E:512 /P /F

Paul Doherty
Rating : 3.5
Rating : 3.5
End :

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QAId : 342818
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : firewalls?
Private : Yes

Question : I have been running AtGaurd firewall on my computer for about three months. As you may know it has a "learning mode", with any new connection or transfer a "rule" must be created. I must confess that I do a lot of downloading and would consider myself as a "high" risk canidate for virus and trojan attacks. Recently, I had a "inbound TCP service" trying to connect with my computer about five minutes after I logged on the internet. The program name or given was "Backdoor-g-1". I was wondering if this is as bad as it seems? I have it permently blocked but I'm wondering if I am infected with some sort of trojan or password stealer? Any help would be appreciated, Thank you

Answer : Well the operative word there is you had an inbound TCP service *trying* to connect. I suspect your program would have stopped it. Check with CTRL-ALT-DEL and see if any strange apps show up in your running tasks list. Also check in \windows\win.ini for the "load=" and "run=" lines - they should be empty. Also check in the registry with regedit.exe at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion

Look at Run and RunServices under this area by clicking each and seeing what they contain at the right - look for anything suspicious.

You may also want to get a better firewall - setting those rules by hand is tedious and prone to errors or oversights that can allow someone access. Here's a good one that's also free for personal use -

http://www.zonealarm.com

ZoneAlarm 2.0 - very nice and free - by default it blocks everything - then as you run apps that try to get out onto the net you tell it which to allow - very easy and very clean interface. I think you'll like it.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5
End :

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QAId : 350099
Asker : raistlinmu
Subject : ghostin hardrive
Private : No

Question : How do i ghost a hard drive that has no OS? any info is greatly appreciated

Answer : Ghsot doesn't care what is on the disk - simply boot from a boot floppy (format a: /s) and run Ghost to ghost the disk.

As long as the drive has *data* on it you can ghost it no problem.

Paul Doherty
End :
Rating : 3

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QAId : 355522
Asker : jcatena
Subject : task bar
Private : No

Question : Running W98 and all of a sudden when I click on the START button there is a slight delay before the menu will display. It never did this before and always came up instantly with one click. I can hear the computer searching for a few seconds before the menu displays. I have the taskbar set (always on top).
No big problem but when you know the computer is behaving differently, it strikes ones curiosity.
Thanks for your help.

Answer : See if there is any difference in speed between opening the Start menu by clicking with the mouse, versus opening it by hitting CTRL-ESC. If it's slow in both instances I'd suggest your hard disk may be getting fragmented - use Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Defragmenter late at night one night, with no other apps open, to resort the data on your disk for efficient operation.

It's also possible that a registry value controlling the speed of the Start menu has been changed with a tool like TweakUI. Just to be sure grab this utility and check the values it has (and try changing them).

Here's a link that works for TweakUI:
http://members.xoom.com/rlk253/ftp/tweakui98.zip

After unzipping the file right-click on the tweakui.inf file and select "Install". Once the install begins it will ask you for the path to the rest of the files (which are of course in the same place as the .inf file). just type the path where those files are located (like - C:\NEW\TWEAKUI98 ) to have it finish the install. It will open up a Help screen during install - close it after reading to finish.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Paul, Thanks for yoyr response.
When I tried CTRL-ESCP it opened instantly.I tried it several times and it opened instantly and appeared normal. Does that mean its OK. Also, I will try the defragment of hard disc too.
How often should defragment take place. I defragmented my disc aboul a month ago.
Thanks again,

Joe
Rating : 4.7

Answer : I have my disk set to defragment automatically at night once a week. You can schedule it too with the Windows Task Scheduler at the bottom-right (in the systray - it looks like a white window with a book and a clock on it). Double-click the scheduler and then dbl-click on "Add Scheduled Task" and add defragment.

With CTRL-ESC opening it instantly you will need to try the "menu speed" settings of TweakUI

OR

Download and install the latest mouse & video drivers for your machine as you may have trouble there. If you'll tell me the video card and mouse you have I can help you locate these.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4.7

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QAId : 361783
Asker : helena
Subject : Problem with Automatic Shutdown, using Win 98
Private : No

Question : Hi!
Do you think you could help me with this:
My operating sysytem is Win 98 and I've never had any problems so far with it until recently. Once when I turned on my notebook, my screen went into 'safe mode' and a box appeared saying that Win 95 is not operating.(?!) I reboot my notebook again and it was alright until a few hours later while I was online and it shut down automatically and did an automatic rebooting of the system. This happened twice already and I'm kind of concerned.
Can you please advise? Thanks!

Answer : It sounds almost like you may have a power management process of some sort that watches abttery life and is set to shut down your machine. I would look for any apps running in the systray (bottom-right of the main screen) and also try hitting CTRL-ALT-DEL once inside Windows and examine the list of running programs. If you see some that are listed that look suspicious (explorer *should* be there for instance) and you don;t see a corresponding icon in the systray or a window on the taskbar (at the bottom) then you may have some tasks loading from the registry and one of them may be the culprit. Give me a listing of what items you have running and I may be able to point out likely suspects.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Here's the list:
Explorer
Sleepmgr
Safeoff
Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar
Rnaapp
Realplay
Findfast
Printray
Imgicon
Gpstart
Tbtray
By the way, I wasn't using the battery when the problem occured.
Hear from you soon! Tks!

Answer : Likely culprits:

Sleepmgr
Safeoff
Gpstart

Here's how to begin to find the one responsible:

1) Try killing one of these tasks (sleepmgr) as follows:

a) Press CTRL-ALT-DEL once to bring up the task list.

b) Select sleep mgr and click End Task at the bottom. Wait about 10-15 seconds for a dialog to pop up and click End Task again when it does (doesn't always happen - some programs will die immediately).

c) Confirm the program is gone with CTRL-ALT-DEL

d) Use the system and see if the shutdown problem continues. If it doesn't sleepmgr caused it. If it does restart the PC and once in Windows kill one of the others and see what effect it has.

If you've tried all three separately and still experience the trouble try killing all three in the same session and see if that cures it (interaction is possible but unlikely).

Once you've found the bad guy you need to take it out so it doesn't load anymore. Three major places apps like this load from:

1) Start menu (Start/Programs/Startup) - too eradicate one of these right-click on the Start button at the bottom-left and select Explore from the menu. In the windows that opens go to the right-pane and double-click the "Programs" folder, then the "Startup" folder. Once in here you can examine the programs by name (but be aware that the name of the icon may not match the name shown in the task list). If the names are not easily tied to the name in the task list you can right-click and select Properties for each icon in turn and look at the text string in the "Target" field to identify the EXE actually being loaded. Once you find the offender (*if* you find it) delete it from this window pane.

2) WIN.INI - to check this file click Start, select "Run" from the bottom of the menu, and type C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSEDIT and hit ENTER. In the WIN.INI window look for the lines near the top starting with "LOAD=" and "RUN=". These should be balnk and appear as I've shown them. If not then your program could be loading here.

3) Finally the most dangerous place to check (and unfortunately the most likely place) is the registry. To check here go to Start/Run and type REGEDIT to start the registry editor. Once inside proceed by double-clicking in the left pane to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version. Once here click *once* on the entry in the left pane marked "Run" and examine what comes up in the right pane (the contents of the Run item). If you see the exectable you seek on the right side click on it and delete it by pressing DEL - it will confirm the removal. Also check the "RunServices" item on the left in the same way.

That should rid you of your problem if it is being caused by a rogue program.

Good luck!

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Rating : 5

FUQuestion : Thanks alot for your advise. I did as you've suggested and all seemed proper. According to your pt.(2) I should see "LOAD=" and "RUN=", but what I have are:
[Windows]
Run=
Will that be the same thing?
One suggested that I may have a trojan loading. That's strange coz' I have been a careful surfer and not one to download any non-essentials. However, I did find out that my phone line had been tapped into recently in the early hours (4-5am) by "I don't know who" from outside. Could this be related to 'trojan loading'?

Answer : Anything is possible, but I find that unlikely. Tapping your phone line does not give anyone access to your PC at any level so, while that may have afforded a criminal the ability to call his Swedish masseuse for free from your line, it wouldn't allow him to upload and install programs to your PC. that would require him to phsyically be there... THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE YOUR HOUSE - GET OUT NOW! hehe I couldn't resist. What was the name of that movie - "Are you in the House Alone?" - yeah that's it.

Anyway, a RUN= line that is empty and no LOAD= line is fine - those are just two entries that can be used to load programs without your knowing. Have you disabled any of the three I indicated? You say things are fine now - does that mean you found and removed the offender and are not experiencing the problem?

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 366357
Asker : cmaworks
Subject : operating system
Private : No

Question : I'm running a new system, on windows 98 second edition. Something is very wrong. Some icons are not what they say they are, for example; the sound recorder brings up the maintanence wizard, word pad brings up the compression agent, and imaging brings up windows explorer... Time was also lost on the clock, one day it lost time by 2.5 hrs.
Online it is hell, very slow and sluggish, like there is not enough memory. In icq for example, typing take ages to register, even just one key stroke. Also the keys on the left hand side of the keyboard are not working.
I brought the system myself and had a tech friend help build it, the problem is that he is rarely available, and I need a resolution ASAP.
I feel there may a problem in the config or something is faulty.
P.S also last night I set the schedules for the maintance wizard, and this morning it has time that were not set by me.
Its like the sys has a mind of its own, or someone has dampered with it
Your advise would be highly regarded.

Answer : I have never seen a machine exhibit some of these symptoms, much less all of them at once. My best suggestion to you is to rebuild the OS on this as you said it is a new machine and presumably would not have much in the way of data and installed programs. Performing some tests from pure DOS after fdisk'ing the drive(s) would be an excellent idea as you may have some serious hardware failures and installing Windows will only tend to mask them.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Man what a major, I do have a lot on my hard drive already. (really sick of starting from scratch all the time, too much time spent doing that on my old pc)But I may have no other choice.
as i have three partitions i have moved what i want onto suppilmentary drives, Now do i delete windows? rename it? run fdisk, will that only effect C: (main drive)????
icq 68040864

Answer : I would recommend the following:

1) fdisk *only* the Windows partition (C:) - it will be listed in fdisk menus as the "primary" partition and will also be the one marked as "active" (meaning bootable).

2) Reboot on a bootable floppy and format the new C: (try to do a "DIR C:" first to ensure it is truly a new partition - it should fail to be read with a media error - just hit A to abort and continue formatting. This ensures you don't accidentally format a different letter than you mean to.

3) Once the disk is formatted run some apps on the thing - stress tests would be good - here is a web page with some good DOS benchmarks and stress programs:

http://optimize.bhcom1.com/english/benchmarks/benchmarks.htm

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 376083
Asker : Lyons
Subject : Buying PC's in E-auctions
Private : No

Question : Paul -
I have seen a number of E-business websites that offer PC's for sale in auctions. Examples of these are ebay, cnet, and ZDnet. It looks to me like most of the sellers are custom PC builders with smaller businesses and not with major companies like Dell or Gateway. These guys appear to be selling PC's comparable to those made by the big name companies for $1,000 to as much as $2,000 less. So my question is - are these "cheapie", low quality PC's they're selling? Are they likely to fail quickly or to significantly underperform the equivalents produced by the larger companies? Do they produce PC's with components that are "thrown together" and poorly optimized? Am I asking for trouble by purchasing one of these and am I likely to be very dissatisfied? What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
lyons

Answer : Yes - the old saying is true - you can't get something for (or with) nothing.

I would stay away from these types of systems unless you are a PC expert and can verify the components with the seller via email *before* buying as they have to be cutting corners somewhere to seel them at cheaper prices. A few example places they may be cutting corners and their impact:

1) Celeron CPU instead of Pentium 3/Coppermine Pentium 3

Result - decreased performance and longevity - Celerons are good CPUs but they don't compare well with the latest P3/P3 Coppermines and lack the SSE gaming instructions that are becoming more de riguer every day.

2) Less RAM than is optimal (64MB as opposed to 128MB)

Result - System performance will suffer; disk will "thrash" more often as memory pages are swapped into and out of virtual memory. Some newer programs may refuse to load (not likely yet). Windows 2000 has an effective minimum of 128MB so if you plan to upgrade to it or Windows ME (Millenium Edition - update to Windows 98) you will want 128MB min.

3) Cheap video chipsets/less video RAM

Result - Games will be the big losers here - cheaper video chipsets like ATI and S3 will tank your frame rates in games and produce lower-quality visuals. Lower RAM (less than 32MB) on the video card equates to lower color depths and resolutions and will also slow frame rates in games with large amounts of textures. Good chips to look for are NVidia TNT, TNT2, GeForce 256, and Voodoo 3 or later 3Dfx chips.

4) Slower spinning (5400 RPM) hard drives with smaller cache (buffer) sizes

Result - Windows boots slower - all disk accesses are more sluggish - swap file access "thrashing" is more pronounced and program loads are slower. Smaller caches mean more often the disk is asked to read or write when, with a larger cache, the requested data could have been fed from the drive's on-board memory. Look for 7200 RPM spindle speeds and 1MB of cache minimum.

5) Cheap monitors 17" or less

Result - Fuzzy text and graphics display; lower refresh rates at even modest resolutions; inability to utilize the resolutions and refresh rates of the latest video chipsets. Look for monitors with a .25mm dot pitch (or aperture grill pitch for trinitron-style monitors) or less. 19" monitors are not much more than 400 dollars these days and are well worth the additional money.

This all goes without even mentioning that any warranty offered (if any) has little weight if it's from an individual seller.

Good luck with your purchase,

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 402204
Asker : jmnord
Subject : Startup Problem
Private : Yes

Question : I deleted, by accident, my vmm32 folder from the system folder. I cannot boot my labtop. It comes up with the following missing files:
C:\WINDOWS\system\VMM32\ifsmgr.VXD
C:\WINDOWS\system\VMM32\ios.VXD
C:\WINDOWS\system\VMM32\IFSMGR.VXD
C:\WINDOWS\system\VMM32\IOS.VXD
Invalid VxD dynamic link call to device number 10, service 7. then shuts down automatically.

It will not load in safe mode, but I can go through the step by step mode to get the DOS prompt. I cannont load window it says I am missing the HIMEN.SYS.

I need help on copying the vmm folder from a disk to the window\system folder. I do not have a start up disk or window 95 CD. My labtop is a CTX 166mhz.

Thanks.

Mark

Answer : You simply neeed to reextract those files from the original CD to the location Windows expects to see them (in this case C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32). Here is a question I answered already this week that goes into major detail on how to extract files from the Windows CAB files (in \WIN95 on the CD).

http://www.askme.com/ViewAnswer.asp?aid=358327&qid=&EX=1

You will need to obtain a CD-ROM driver for your machine unles your CAB files are on the local disk (boot, pressing F8 at "Starting Windows" prompt and select Command Prompt Only, the do a "dir c:\*.cab /a /s" to find if any of the Windows install CABs are on your hard disk). You can download a universal IDE CD-ROM driver from my website at:

http://members.home.net/iqueue/idecd.sys

Copy it your hard disk (C:\) and use edit to make the following changes to your config.sys and autoexec.bat:

config.sys:

device = c:\idecd.sys /d:cdrom1

autoexec.bat

\windows\command\mscdex.exe /d:cdrom1

Reboot and press F8 again, select "Command Prompt Only" again and this time the CD will come up. Then follow the directions in the question I cited above and you will be back in business, or at least well on the way.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 412684
Asker : coolhandjohnie
Subject : memory
Private : No

Question : Can you tell me how I can make my pc use the additional 128MB of RAM that I pluged in last night? I got the computer with 32MB and a 2nd DIMM slot, the bootup reads the addtional memory but the system resources are still low(63%)running Windows98 and on the internet! Thanks

Answer : Your RAM is being used...

You could add 500 Gigs of RAM and you're system resources won't go up appreciably. The resources referred to here are the GDI (Graphic Deivce Interface) resources and stacks/heaps used by the OS. These are fixed in size (larger than in previous versions of Windows) and do not change based on RAM. What is more likely is that you have a lot of "stuff" running that you don't really need. Check your systray (bottom-right of your screen with the clock). I have two icons there after a boot - one is the Windows Task Scheduler and the other is the volume control. I keep my clean on purpose - the system runs better and I have more available resources for the things I want to run. Another way to see what you have running is to press CTRL-ALT-DEL once and examine the list of running apps. I have 6 in there *with* Outlook Express (email) and IE open. If you have more than about 4 icons in the systray and more than 4 or 5 items in the CAD tasklist I would consider removing some of these items from your startup.

Places that these may be starting from are contained in a detailed response I gave:

http://www.askme.com/ViewAnswer.asp?vid=361783

Good luck,

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

FUQuestion : Thanks PaulDoherty, you and others said the same exact thing and Ive read it too! I feel better now that is taken care of. I need some help on another subject that Ive been reading about in the "Idiots Guide" and "Dummies Books." I can't afford the soft- ware recomended, but I did have some goodies that came with this good old multimedia pc that might work. My son,(10)would like to make his own cartoons and RPG's. I think it would be fun. What do we need to know and what software and/or hardware would you recomend for beginers?

Answer : Try ShockWave - it has the benefit of being able to be played across the web:

http://www.macromedia.com/

Also please rate the answers you receive - I sent a reminder to rate and not only didn't you rate the answer - you asked another question. :-)

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 417572
Asker : jcatena
Subject : Removal of files
Private : No

Question :
I would like to configure a Gateway 2000(5yearold
computer with less that a gig hard drive)for my grandson. At present there are no files or personal folders that I need to save. What I'd like to do(if it is doable) is to restore it to its virgin settings by removing all unecessary stuff that we have placed on it or came with it.We are currently running W95 with a modified version of Word 6.0
Basically, I want to take as many unnecessary stuff off the computer and set it up for my grandson to run programs like "Jump Start kindrgarten", "Freddie the Fish".
Right now there is very little disc space available.I used McAfee's Uninstall but that hasn't helped much to restore any drive space.
I have the original Gateway System CD and Windows95 CD, Can they be used to remove files and reinstall a new system.Again, there is nothing on the computer that I need to save, I would just like to get rid of many of the files that were installed from other programs.
Thanks for your help.

Answer : Yes if you have the Windows 95 CD you can rebuild the machine from a blank state even. I don;t know what gateway puts on their "System" CD but I suspect it has drivers and such that are specific to the Gateway machines. It doesn't sound like you are that comfortable with PCs so I wouldn't recommend that you do the rebuild yourself. Try and find someone to help - you've already taken a good step by ensuring that you have either backed-up all you need to, or confirmed there isn't anything you need to backup.

If you really can't get someone to help and want to do it yourself (without a full rebuild) you can open an Explorer (or just open My Computer) to C:\PROGRAM FILES and wipe out *most* of what is in there without disrupting the OS. One way to see if it's worth your time is to right-click on the "Program Files" folder and select Properties from the menu that appears. The total size of that directory and all it's subdirectories will appear - if the number of bytes saved is large anough - say 200MB or so on your drive - then you can take the risk of pruning the directories. A good way to do this is to not immediately delete a folder. Just *rename* a folder you think you can get rid of, use the system for a while and see if anything untoward occurs, and then remove it when you're relatively sure you won't hose something up. Try rebooting with the folder renamed before deleting it too... some errors may not show up until (or during) a reboot.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 5

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QAId : 437961
Asker : greener@...
Subject : Dell Dimension L550r
Private : No

Question : I recently purchased a Dell Dimension L550r PC as seen on their website for home computers. The graphics card is a Intel 3D AGP. As far as I can tell, there is no memory on this card. How important is that with respect to performance for the novice user, i.e. one that will be using MS Word and surfing the Internet?

Thanks.

Answer : Yes, looking at Dell's web site it shows that this integrated video card uses 4 MB of "DVMT" memory (Dynamic Video Memory Technology) which sounds suspiciously like BS for "I'm absconding with 4 MB of your system's RAM to run this video card - you don't mind, do you?" In your case you really won't mind as you are not performing anything that really require the onboard memory. Now if you try to play any games, especially newer ones, you may find that your system will not keep up with the Joneses. As long as you go into this knowing that, without adding a new video card (always an option), this will never be a great gaming machine, you'll be fine.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 451127
Asker : greener@...
Subject : Measuring PC Performance
Private : No

Question : Hello Paul,

Can you recommend a utility program to measure the performance of a PC, preferably one that is downloadable from the internet. Or maybe the question should be, what do you recommend for measuring the performance, how can I compare one against another?

Thanks, Ron Greener

Answer : benchmarks are the answer you are looking for - if you run a benchmark under the same conditions (same OS, same version of the benchmark) you can compare the results between machines.

Here is a web page with some good ones - try WinBench 2000.

http://www.zdnet.com/zdbop/

The next one has some good ones too... try bootMark and HDTach

http://www.maximumpc.com/benchmarking/ftp.html

A good benchmark for comparing overall system speed and especially 3D performance (which is highly dependent on the CPU) try 3DMark 2000:

http://www.3dmark.com

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 454214
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : low resources
Private : No

Question : what kind of adjustments can i make to free up resources on my pc without rebooting all the time.i have 400mhz pentium 2 64mb ram

Answer : You are likely running a lot of tasks at startup - many apps during install set themselves (or agents) to run on startup always cluttering up your systray (bottom-right of main desktop). Some of them don't even do you the courtesy of showing up in the systray or taskbar, being visible only in the CTRL-ALT-DEL taskllist. Here's how to find and remove the unwanted ones.

Once you've found one you want to be rid of, you need to take it out so it doesn't load anymore. Three major places apps like this load from:

1) Start menu (Start/Programs/Startup) - too eradicate one of these right-click on the Start button at the bottom-left and select Explore from the menu. In the windows that opens go to the right-pane and double-click the "Programs" folder, then the "Startup" folder. Once in here you can examine the programs by name (but be aware that the name of the icon may not match the name shown in the task list). If the names are not easily tied to the name in the task list you can right-click and select Properties for each icon in turn and look at the text string in the "Target" field to identify the EXE actually being loaded. Once you find the offender (*if* you find it) delete it from this window pane.

2) WIN.INI - to check this file click Start, select "Run" from the bottom of the menu, and type C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSEDIT and hit ENTER. In the WIN.INI window look for the lines near the top starting with "LOAD=" and "RUN=". These should be balnk and appear as I've shown them. If not then your program could be loading here.

3) Finally the most dangerous place to check (and unfortunately the most likely place) is the registry. To check here go to Start/Run and type REGEDIT to start the registry editor. Once inside proceed by double-clicking in the left pane to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version. Once here click *once* on the entry in the left pane marked "Run" and examine what comes up in the right pane (the contents of the Run item). If you see the exectable you seek on the right side click on it and delete it by pressing DEL - it will confirm the removal. Also check the "RunServices" item on the left in the same way.

Getting rid of non critical startup apps can greatly impact your free resources.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 462013
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : System Tray
Private : No

Question : How can i add Apllications to the System Tray?

Answer : You don't add them to the systray, per se, they *get* added by programs that have that as a feature. Typical examples of apps that use the systray:

virus scanners
clocks
video drivers
audio drivers

and so on... if the programmer has not made the program able to add itself to the systray then you can't make it go there. A good example of a program you can play with to demonstrate this is WinAmp (http://www.winamp.com) - in addition to being a cool MP3 player WinAmp also has a configuration option to show itself:

1) On the taskbar only
2) On the systray only
3) On the taskbar and systray at the same time

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 463157
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Drive Letters Changing
Private : Yes

Question : I recently built up a Intel 733M 256MB RAM with Tyan S1854 mobo. WIN98SE.I used my old hard drive as a slave and installed a second HD as master. After experiencing tons of problems, I removed the slave and kept new drive as master(3 partitions) with proper jumper setting. On bootup it stops at the MS start up menu. I pick #1 and enter. After a while I get 3 error messages.#1 MEMORY MANAGER NOT DETECTED #2 SB IRQ CONFLICTING WITH PCI IRQ and #3 SB16 EMULATION DRIVER NOT LOADING. ( Also put in a new Soundblaster Live X-Gamer that has caused nothing but trouble i.e. driver that came in box does not appear to work--kept getting general protection fault) I get no flags in the device manager. NOW FOR THE BIG PROBLEM. My drive letters are constantly changing. I get A-floppy, C-drive1, D-drive2,E-drive3,NO F,NO G,NO H,I-internal zip drive and J-CD Rom. All of a sudden my zip drive will get an E-drive letter and jump between the three hard drives. Then the computer can't find my programs from the desk top. Also if I try to move a file by right clicking in explorer and using 'send to' it shows removable disk-E and removable disk-I all the time. I have reinstalled win98se atleast six times. Can you please help. Bernie

0

Answer : You can manually set what drive letter each device gets by right-clicking "My Computer" and selecting Properties. Then go to the Device Manager tab and open each device going to it's Settings tab and see if you can change it to a different device letter. As to why this is occuring I would point my finger in the direction of the Zip drive and/or its related software and drivers. Try removing the Zip drive from your configuration by first running the Add/Remove Programs control panel (and removing any Iomega or Zip labeled entries) and then rebooting without the Zip drive attached (if it's internal disconnect the cable and power).

See if the situation changes that way... then when you get things under control you can add the Zip back in (get the latest software from iomega.com first though).

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Paul, thanks for the quick response. I got my drive letters straightened out and hopefully they will not move around anymore now that they run in sequence.In the past I did remove the zip and did what you said. If you are still willing to tackle this problem, maybe we could takes things one at a time. How do I fix the problem when I use the explorer "send to" fuction where it shows my zip drive at E and I drive locations? My curent letters are: A-floppy,C-hard drive,D-hard drive,E-hard drive,F-zip drive,and G-CD Rom drive. All the other previous problems still exist. Thanks Bernie

Answer : OK taking the "Send-To" problem fi9rst open your Explorer (or My Computer) to C:\WINDOWS\SENDTO and remove the "wrong" sendto icon by deleting it. Now try your right-click menu on something and see if the situation hasn't improved.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

FUQuestion : That's super Paul, that fixed my drive letter problem. Now lets teke a look at the start-up menu problem. Everytime I boot up I have to make a choice. My friend says it's because it is not shuting down properly. Thanks again,Bernie

Answer : Try editing your C:\MSDOS.SYS file with EDIT or NOTEPAD - add (or change) the following lines under the section named "[Options]":

(to get at this file you first need to remove the attributes that protect it from changes - you can do that with this from a DOS prompt:

attrib -r -h -s c:\msdos.sys)

BootMenu=0
BootMenuDefault=1

See if that doesn't get rid of it...

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 473704
Asker : curly2
Subject : pc's how to
Private : Yes

Question : hi I am the wife of a man that lives computors but doesn't have the money really to keep up with all that is out there. He builds them and fixes them too. he has a web cam and all that stuff,13meg hardrive and what ever. He has been really depressed and says I don't ever get any e-mail. He never writes anyone....All he does is sit around and play games and has no one to play against him on these games over the net. my q is how can I get in touch with someone that likes to play games over the net and just talk computers like he does. I don't know anything except how to do the programs, when you talk about the inside I am lost.... I want him to find someone to talk to and play against, he is good against the comp. but he wants to fly and battle in one of the new games. dont ask the name of it through me I don't know but I guess I could find out. thank you for your time. I hope I haven't sounded like a nut case but I really want him to snap out of it and get happy again. he loves to play and fix them and he can tell you almost anything a person wants to know about them. well maybe you can help and maybe not but it was worlth a try. thanks again.

Answer : I know what you're talking about...

I would suggest a few things:

1) You already said he is good with PCs - why not get him hooked up *on here* as an expert in various PC topics? Then he can share his knowledge and this gives him a creative outlet and a social one as well.

2) Playing games online - a good place for some social gaming and conversation is http://www.won.net - they have all kinds of games and lobbies for discussion.

3) Most retail games also have the ability to play/chat online - my favorite is BattleZone - it's very easy to get online too. Just establish your net connection, run the game, select Multiplayer, and Internet and jump onto server US3 and you're into it...

Hope that helps, let me know if you need more info or can provide me with some more specifics.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 476887
Asker : sdsr
Subject : modem????
Private : No

Question : I recently had my disk wiped and am running Win 98 on Pentium. We reinstalled Bellsouth, our ISP, and now when we turn the computer on the OCR box appears and when I try to get my mail I get disconnected and have to reconnect to the same server. The modem lights change from green to yellow and then when I do get connected they are the normal green again. Have we not installed out ISP correctly or is there another problem?

Need More Information : OCR box? You have scanner software installed too? Is this scanner attached to a parallel or serial port? What type of modem? Do you have the latest drivers (INFs) for that modem?

FUQuestion : re:OCR .....I think it is OCR..It is some type of box that has to do with registy of programs. It has the programs that we have listed and it had registry at the top. I am not sure if it was OCR or ORC.
Modem is 56K X2 w/voice
We do have a scanner attached to serial port.
Is there some way to check and see if you have the latest drivers?

FUQuestion : Hi, The OCR box is: Textbridge Instant Access Registraton.
The scanner is attached to a parllel port.
I am not sure about the latest driver. Is there a way to check it and see if it is the latest driver?
Thank you so much for your help.

Answer : Try removing the scanner software (also disconnect the scanner from the parallel port) and modem and then add back only the modem and Dial-Up Networking and see if this helps your dropped connections. Then add the scanner and software back into the mix once you have a solid modem situation.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 478116
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : hard drive failure
Private : No

Question : I installed a sound card and a video editing card to my pentium 100 PC. When I powered on the PC, there was "hard drive failure" message and it couldn't boot. What is the likely cause of the problem? Is the motherboard or hard drive damaged or just some cables disconnected or got loose? Thanks.

Answer : My guess is you disconnected the IDE cable to your hard disk while you were installing the new cards.

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 483208
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Converting Mac files to Windows
Private : Yes

Question : I used to own a Apple Mac Performa 630 and I've just changed to a PC. Is there any way that I can convert my Apple files to Windows format, especially Claris Works text files to Word 2000?

Thanks

Steve

Answer : WP 5.x appears to be a common format between them. Save your Mac documents as WP5.x and then transfer them to your PC (DOS floppy, email, FTP, etc).

If you find this to be troublesome or you lose some of the formatting try out this third-party app:

http://www.dataviz.com/

Another way to go is to download a free copy of ClarisWorks for PCs at:

www.clarisworks.com

This version will allow you to open and print, but not save.

Paul Doherty

Rating : 5

FUQuestion : I've tried the clarisworks website but it has changed. The address no links me to the new AppleWorks v.6 homepage on the Mac site. Any idea where I might find the free copy of ClarisWorks for PC now?

Thanks

Steve

Answer : It doesn't appear to be a current product...

You might try this phone number:

Claris, Canada 416-941-9611 (may not be correct - didn't try it)

Paul Doherty
End :

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QAId : 490014
Asker : culshafer
Subject : Password protection
Private : No

Question : Would like to find out if there is a way to password protect a floopy disk or zip disk and/or even a file.

Answer : I have never seen a true disk-level access control but here are some that can do the majority of what you ask:

http://winfiles.cnet.com/access-control.html

Some other things you can do:

1) Enable the password on your BIOS so the system cannot be booted without entering it.

2) Install encryption software - here's a few that can encrypt files and directories (so you could protect all the files/dirs on a floppy or ZIP disk - no one but you could read them without knowing the correct key (password)):

http://shareware.cnet.com/shareware/1,10269,0-16165-501-0-1-1,00.html?&tag=&qt=encrypt+folders&cn=&ca=16165

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 496349
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Printer for laptop
Private : No

Question : Hi,
I would like to know what printer would you recoment for laptop. i would like to print and scan with the printer. What is the dpi the priter you recomend.

Answer : I don't follow the notebook printer market very closely but I did find you some info.

Buy.com has a close-out section for discounted items and they have a nice-looking Canon portable printer/scanner for about 230 bucks:
Specific item:
http://www.us.buy.com/clearance/product.asp?sku=70000488

Closeout section:
http://www.us.buy.com/clearance/dept.asp?deptID=70203

Also try going to:

http://www.pricewatch.com and typing:

printer portable

into the top field and pressing ENTER.

Paul Doherty

Rating : 2

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QAId : 514162
Asker : biggens55
Subject : cd rom help
Private : No

Question : hi i'm a little bit new to computers and the prob i have is that i have just been giving an older dell pc, 64m ram and 2 gig hard drive something like that anyway. but this has no cd disc drive in it. so i have an even older compaq presario cds524 with a disc drive. so i have swaped the drive to the newer of the two. but windows 95 cannot detect any new hardware and manual install does not work either.

i throught maybe i need an install disc of the cd driver. so then i tired to boot up the compaq thinking that it should have an install program allready on it. but now the compacq will not power up. all it said is disk error, replace disk ande strick any key. no luck. this compaq is allso not mine. have i killed it.

can you please help in either getting the sony model number 4053699 version bb april 1995 cd drive to work in my newer pc and or getting my friends compaq to work again.

thank you

Answer : If this CD-ROm is an IDE version (meaning it plugs into the same cable your hard disk does) then you may have it jumpered incorrectly. One of the disks (the hard disk) needs to be jumpered as "master" and the CD-ROM as "slave". Or better still, put the CD-ROm on a separate cable as "master" also and run it off the second IDE connector on the motherboard. Putting the CD back in your friend's machine should put it back the way it was. If all you did was remove it.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 1

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QAId : 518076
Asker : CloudSC888@...
Subject : Networking
Private : No

Question : How do I setup a network between two computers to share files and printers and Inernet Connection. I have all the accesories, and both of my computers have windows 98 (my main host computer has second edition) Well thanks!

Answer : Wire both machines to the hub with one network card each and on the Windows 98 SE machine install either a second network card (if using ADSL or cable modem) or your modem and Dial-Up Networking. Then install ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) on the 98 SE box and set it to share that machine's connection with your other 98 machine.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : But how do u make the other computer appear in Network Neighborhood?

Answer : Go to each machine's Netwrok control panel and make them both members of the same workgroup (in Identification tab). Then make one the browse master and disable the other:

Network Control Panel
Click File and Print Sharing to add (if already there no need)
Double-click on the File and printer sharing
for Microsoft Networks entry in the list at the top, and select Enabled for the 98 SE, and disabled when you do the same on the 98 machine.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 532810
Asker : bcso262cop
Subject : building note book computers
Private : No

Question : I currently build and repair desk top PC's (Self taught) and am very proficient at it. I would like to start building lap top computers. I am looking for information on how to build and repair laptops and where I can purchase the cases

Answer : I've never heard of anyone making laptops from scratch. from their very nature they are dissimilar to PCs in that they do not use case standards like AT/ATX like desktops do. Different feature sets and layouts mean each notebook (atn least model range) is unique enough to make this unfeasible.

I could be off-base here, but I doubt it.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 539234
Asker : inmedia
Subject : system file error
Private : No

Question : I keep getting a system file error when I startup win98. It says file has been replaced by a reciently installed program that is older than the one win98 installed.

Applications may not work properly. Shut down and restart so windows can repair the file.

C:\windows\system\DDEML>DLL

Any ideas as to what I can do besides reinstalling Win98?
Tom

Answer : Sure - extract the original file from your Windows source CAB files - either from the hard disk (if they're there) or from the Windows 98 CD (\Win98 directory).

Here's how (I'll assume you have the files on CD):

1) Reboot the machine in Safe mode (press F8 during boot to get the menu)

2) Ensure you can see the CD-ROM drive while in Safe mode - if not build a DOS boot floppy to access the CD-ROM drive - see (*) below.

3) Open a DOS prompt and issue the following, hitting ENTER at the end of each line:

C:
CD \
EXTRACT /E X:\WIN98\WIN98_31.CAB DDEML.DLL (where 'X' is the CD-ROM letter)
CD WINDOWS\SYSTEM
REN DDEML.DLL DDEML.BAK
MOVE \DDEML.DLL .

(*) - To create a DOS-bootable CD-ROM access disk:

1) Put blank floppy in drive A: and issue:

c:
format a: /u
sys a:
copy c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe a:\
copy c:\wherever\idecd.sys a:\
(get idecd.sys from http://members.home.net/iqueue/idecd.sys)
now create two new files on the floppy:

edit a:\config.sys
add the line:

device=\idecd.sys /d:mscd01

edit a:\autoexec.bat
add the lines:

\mscdex.exe /d:mscd01
path=c:\windows\command;c:\windows

You can now boot off this floppy (put the 98 CD in after booting) and pick up with step #3

Paul Doherty
End :

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QAId : 540967
Asker : jebrighton
Subject : ECP LPT1 port
Private : No

Question : I have a new compaq 7478 and tried to attach my 3 year old hp820cse printer.
I cannot get any communication between the two. Cable is good, connections are tight. The only thing I see different between this computer and my old one is the parallel port. New one says
ECP LPT1 under device manager and old just says LPT1. What is this ECP stuff and could that be a reason a 3 year old printer will not work.....

Answer : ECP is Enhanced Capability (Parallel) Port and is a newer variety of parallel port that enables bi-directional transfers. Newer printers require bi-directional parallel settings and 3-year old may well qualify in this case. First thing to try:

Boot the system and press F8 to get the boot menu - select Safe mode command prompt only

Now try this:

copy c:\windows\config.txt lpt1:

To get the page to finish coming out of the printer you will have to either hit the formfeed button on your printer or, if you want to be fancy, you can do this at a command prompt:

c:
cd \windows\command
copy con formfeed
(after hitting enter on the line you will be building a new file - simply press CTRL-L once, hit ENTER, press CTRL-Z and finally hit ENTER to complete the file).

copy formfeed lpt1:

will now spit the page out...

Well that was quite a tangent... but effective nonetheless. If you can rpint this way then you are likely OK with your hardware setup - next thing to check is the drivers for your printer - go get the latest ones from your manufacturer's web site.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 541189
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Windows 98 Desktop
Private : No

Question : I usually have my screen resolution set at 800x600 high color(16 bit). On occasion at startup the screen is reduced to the size that is common with 1024x728 even though I have not tampered with my settings.When this happens and I check my settings they are still set at the 800x600 even though the picture on the screen is occupying about 3/4 of the screen. Each time this happens I have to change the setting to 800x600 True Color(32 bit) and run an automatic restart to restore desktop to cover my 17" screen.This has been happening too often to be ignored and I was wondering if something is wrong, or is this symptomatic of a problem that is coming.The only thing that has changed is that I had to install a new video card about two months ago and everything has been fine.
Please offer some assistance and thanks in advance.
Joe

Answer : It sounds like a video card driver problem - what card is it? Check in the Display control panel for any items relating to "virtual" displays as in the olden days of yore video cards would support this (dubious in my opinion) "feature" so that people with lesser monitors could use desktops bigger than their monitors could display.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 542920
Asker : jeb_pro51592
Subject : KDE Lines Vibrating
Private : No

Question : I am new to linux and the line in the KDE Main menu are vibrating. How do I get them to stop?

Answer : Try running 'xvidtune' at a terminal and then bring the vertical size in smaller as you may be sending out-of-range video signals to your monitor. xvidtune offers the ability to:

*shrink/expand* vertical and horizontal
*move* vertical and horizontal

I am suggesting you *shrink* vertically and then use the other adjustments to get it where you like it (need to be root when running this) and then be sure to click the Save button when done.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 543038
Asker : jpg
Subject : replace computer
Private : No

Question : thank you for your answer but you lost me at mother board . should i just go buy a new computer ? will i be able to keep the printer and monitor i have now or do i have to replace them too

Answer : The printer and monitor will work just fine... if you were lost on that part it would be best to pass that system to someone else (sell it, or give it to your child, etc) and get a new one based on the chip you want.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 545782
Asker : salpern
Subject : Graphics Problems - printing, slowdown
Private : No

Question : Help! My images won't print worth a hoot - memory overflow [hplaserjet4plus - no previous problems] - unless the images are pretty small. I got rid of TSR's (to the best of my ability) and pushed resources from 49% to 88% after rebooting and turning stuff off. I even opened up my printer folder, removed HP LaserJet 4 Plus and reinstalled and nothing. Still get memory overflow. Yes, I checked for viruses with McAfee ActiveShield, up to date, and McAfee Clinic Online: ActiveShield does seem to have caused shutdown problems with my new WinBook XL3.

Note: Internet Explorer 5 sometimes doesn't do what it should, and has in the past, and my outlook express 5 won't check my osu email the first go'round - it seems to search for a LAN - I hope that's a clue.

I'm truly in trouble if I can't get this to print images. Also, my Corel, which has always produced great images when printed, looks like latticework. Help! Suggestions? Will be appreciated. I do wonder if:

I've installed too many programs, of image making and handling and manipulating stuff, that came with installation disks, such as for my Microtek scanner; and have very some strong suspicions about my McAfee Online Clinic stuff - especially since they don't answer, and that's after a long time, as to what I can do about my laptop shutdown problem - I have to deactivate ActiveShield to shut it down in a timely manner, otherwise I suffer a long delay.

I tried to install McAfee Office's First Aid 2000 a few days ago, it wouldn't upgrade the first time, then froze the entire computer so I had to reinstall windows. Their Uninstaller program seems to work well, but that's the only one that seems to be trouble free, and somewhat effective.

Programs installed (most) using graphics: Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 [now prints poorly, too, but may, at least print something], Paint Shop Pro 6, Image Force, Logitech Scanner - a very simple, but useful program I've had for a while, Quick View Plus 5, OmniPage Pro 9, and a recent download from ZDNet called PhotoCopier. I've recently removed PhotoImpact 5, to install PSP6. Oh, I've installed several image manipulating programs that came with my Microtek install disk. Help!!!!! I will appreciate your help.

Answer : Try increasing your swap file size to 128 MB (if you're managing it manually).

Also the easiest way to troubleshoot the printer and see if you can create a change is to remove it entirely from your configuration (Start/Settings/Printers and DELete it) and reinstall it with the latest drivers from HP's web site.

Try that and get back to me with your results and we'll go from there.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 546254
Asker : vaal
Subject : PC Error Message
Private : No

Question : For the past year or so, every time I boot my home PC, Iget an error message that says "Invalid configuration file. Please run configuration utiltiy".

I assumed this meant to run the system setup utility. I've looked at all my settings,and even shown them to our PC experts where I work. No one sees a problems with the settings.

The message also says press F1 to continue, which I do and the PC runs correctly. Do you have any ideas on why I keep getting this message and how can I get rid of it?

I will provide some specific details about my PC.

It is a Packard Bell 100mhz processor. I upgraded the memory from 16 mb to 32 mb. About 2 years ago the original hard disk crashed and I replaced it with a 3 gb Western Digital. I used the setup software that came with the hard drive to set it up. It worked just fine. I have a sound card/modem that is on the mother board, and I installed a second 56k modem on my serial port. I disabled the com1 port for the original built in modem (14.4). I have a basic printer on the paralell port.

AT one time, I and the PC experts at my work thought it could be the battery. Well the battery is soldered in and cannot be easily replaced, but it must be OK since it keeps perfect time.

This is a stumper no one seems to have the answer. I hope you can help.

Thanks,

Steve Vaal

Need More Information : When does this message appear? Is it before booting, during the DOS portion of boot, or in Windows itself?

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : This comes up when I turn on the PC before it gets to windows. win 98 boots after I press the F1 key to continue. The message occurs after the memomry check.

Answer : Ok then we are atlking about a BIOS/CMOS issue. Try entering the BIOS and changing nothing but selecting the "Save and Exit" option and tell me if that clears it up.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : I've done that many many times and it changes nothing.

Answer : Ok... but your problem *does* reside in the motherboard. So whether you need to flash with a new BIOS or replace the CMOS battery that *is* where your problem is...

Paul Doherty
End :

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QAId : 548810
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Norton//McAfee virus programs
Private : No

Question : I am presently running Norton 5.0 and I want to change back to McAfee. When I try to uninstall Norton I get the following message, "uninstaller setup failed to initalize. you may not be able to uninstall this product." Do I have to uninstall Norton to be able to install and run McAfee successfully? thanks

Answer : If you can't get the uninstall to happen normally, you can do what I'd do - rip it out.

Remove any references to Norton apps in Start/Programs/Startup

Wipe the directory our (under \Program Files somewhere)

Remove any references to Norton apps in \config.sys and \autoexec.bat

Remove the Norton Anti-Virus (or similar) section with regedit.exe from the section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/(Norton?)

These are not easy steps for novice computer users so if you are not comfortable doing this yourself you may need to call Symantec.

Paul Doherty

Rating : 4

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QAId : 555385
Asker : lylah
Subject : errors
Private : No

Question : what does http500 internal server mean. i am trying to enter some thins and it comes up This page can not be displayed and the above error code. is there somewhere on the net that exolains what these codes mean? thanks

Answer : 500 is an error message indicating the server has a problem (the one you're trying to load a web page from). Here's a site with a description of the common http errors:

http://hosting.aussiegolfhol.com.au/custom-errors.htm

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 564378
Asker : Michael3
Subject : windows nt
Private : No

Question : Hi,
What is windows nt? I know it an os and a pc one at that though I used to think it was a network one. I'm new to computers but I know what windows 98 is as I'm typing to you on on one. How is nt different?
Thanks,
Mike

Answer : NT is MIcrosoft's server and workstation OS. It's more reliable and has better security and networking than Windows 95 and 98. It's not very useful for home users since it's support for gaming and the latest hardware is quite weak. Windows 2000 is the upgrade to Windows NT 4 and has better support for some of these items but will still lag in speed for gaming and such. For typical home use the next OS to look at will be Windows Millenium Edition (ME) which is the next upgrade to Windows 98.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 571426
Asker : tom434
Subject : crazy modem
Private : No

Question : when someone trys to call me when im offline my modem ithink goes off sounds like a fax machine going off i can still here caller put just barly lasts for a minute or two then stops, when i cheak properties it says unable to port already open

Answer : Your problem is that your modem is in auto-answer mode. If it's an external modem there is likely to be a set of what are called DIP switches - usually a red block with white switches. A diagram on the back of the modem or in the manual will tell you which of these jumpers controls the auto-answer function.

If it's an internal modem or you can't figure out the jumpers you can disable the function with what are known as Hayes 'AT' commands. Open up a terminal program (Windows comes with HyperTerm - you can use that - if not installed add it from Add/Remove Programs control panel, under Windows Setup/Communications), get connected to the proper serial port and speed (verify you are talking to the modem by issuing an

at

you should get an

OK

for a response

Now type this:

at&s0=0&w

(those are zeroes above)

This sets the modem to not auto-answer and saves that setting to non-volatile memory so the setting will always be there.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 603451
Asker : techgirls
Subject : PC reboots when I tell it to shutdown
Private : No

Question : My PC is an AMD 450 with 64 megs of ram running Windows 98. Recently I have been receiving a lot of fatal expections mainly when I am on the internet. I am not sure if it is connected or not but when I tell Windows to shut down it reboots. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Sheila Preston

Answer : Since you gave no information on the type of error or the programs running during the error I can't really tell you if they are linked. However, here is a step-by-step troubleshooting guide for Windows 98 shutdown problems that may help with the shutdown=reboot problem:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q202/6/33.ASP?LNG=ENG&SA=ALLKB&FR=0

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : I had already tried most of the options listed on the Microsoft web site to no avail. I am totally lost on this one. I have removed any programs that where installed since the problem, nothing. And the programs that are running when I receive the fatal exceptions are IE 5.00.2614.3500IC and somethimes Outlook 98 and my ISP dialer.

Answer : Well I'm sorry but I can't help further without being there. Your best bet may be to nuke the site from orbit - it's the only way to be sure... :-)

Paul Doherty

Seriously - you may want to back things up if it's getting out of hand, and reinstall Windows clean. but since you're associating it with your dial-up you may try removing dial-up networking via the Add/Remove Programs control panel and removing the modem. Then add the modem back and add Dial-Up Networking last.

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 611613
Asker : lingy
Subject : Standby mode
Private : No

Question : How do I exit from my desktop PC's standby mode? I'm assuming that my PC is using Windows 98's power management scheme rather than the power management scheme on my BIOS (which is disabled).

Answer : Pressing a key or moving the mouse should wake it up - if it doesn't try turning the BIOS functions back on and trying it then.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 3

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QAId : 612378
Asker : romuald
Subject : computers
Private : No

Question : What is Thinkpad?

Answer : A ThinkPad is a notebook computer from IBM - simply a brand name for their line of notebooks.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4
End :
Rating : 4

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QAId : 612975
Asker : sala
Subject : hardware problem?
Private : No

Question : My computer had Pentium II, working with
Windows 98. I have been having problems - have had my hard disk rebuilt. Can't transfer a document with Paperport from scanner to fax; seems like memory gets very low - don't know what is causing that. The longer the computer is on, the slower the clock gets, but comes up with correct time when computer is re-started. Does this mean the internal battery is low, or is this part of my other problems?
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Betty Sala sala@usa.net

Answer : If the clock comes up with the correct time after a reboot I'd say your problem is not hardware (as in clock or battery), but rather something in Windows is amiss. If you really care concerned with this (it doesn't reallt hurt anything) you can:

1) grab an atomic clock synchronizing utility from the web - this will sync your desktop time at regular intervals to atomic clocks on the net - here's some:

http://winfiles.cnet.com/apps/98/clock.html

2) Reinstall Windows or troubleshoot what subcomponent could be responsible.

As far as the scanner-to-fax transfers - one thing you may try is to increase the swap file size for Windows (if you're controlling it manually) or make more space available on the swap drive (if it's set to auto). There may be large memory requirements (relatively speaking) when performing this function that cause it to fail when it runs out of memory. If this doesn't solve it look to your scanner manufacturer's web site for updated drivers.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Paul - thank you for your answer. I am
not computer knowledgable - will re-installing Windows 98 mess up any of my files? Is it a fairly easy thing to do (I am pretty good about following directions)?
Rating : 5

Answer : You can reinstall Windows over the top of your existing install - you may get lucky and this will clear it up. You won't lose any of your installed programs, but you may create a few problems if newer versions of support libraries get overwritten with the Windows original versions but I doubt it. You'll likely be OK. Just pop that 98 CD in and away you go...

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 613055
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : printing from windows explorer
Private : No

Question : Is there a way to print the directory structure in windows explorer without doing alt+print screeen? I need more than one page of info printed off. Is there a way in DOS if not in windows?

Answer : Sure thing - I'll assume this printer is physically on your machine - if not then make sure you've captured LP1: to the network printer).

Open a DOS prompt and do this:

cd \dir\where\file\structure_I_care_about\resides
dir /s > lpt1:

You will also want to create a file with the following line - this file will contain just a formfeed character - it may be needed for your printer to get it to spit out the last page. If not then don't use it - it will just waste a page:

open a DOS prompt and type:

copy con c:\windows\command\formfeed
CTRL-L
CTRL-Z

In the lines above press enter after each line and for the "CTRL-L" and "CTRL-Z" lines literally press the CTRL key and hit the indicated key once.

Now you can add one additional line to the first sequence (after the "dir" command) at the top to get your full output:

copy c:\windows\command\formfeed lpt1:

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5
End :

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QAId : 615610
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Video problems
Private : No

Question : I have an Acer system at home and I lost my monitor display, I took another monitor home and now am getting lines across the monitor. Could It be the video card and is there a way to tell with no display???

Answer : You don't even see a DOS screen when booting? Try booting into Safe Mode by pressing F8 right as you see the message "Starting Windows" at the beginning of a system powerup or restart.

That will present a menu - choose "Safe Mode" and then after booting go to

Start/Settings/Control Panel/Display/Settings/Advanced/Adapted/Change and from the menu (near the top I think) choose the (Standard Display Types) at the left and VGA at the right. Then reboot and see if the video looks any better. If it does then the monitor is OK and you just need to:

1) Get the latest video drivers from your video card manufacturer's web site and install them

AND

2) Configure your new monitor type under the same Display control panel so Windows will choose (and allow you to choose) valid refresh rates for your monitor.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4
End :

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QAId : 618832
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : viruses
Private : No

Question : Hi. I did a virus scan with McAfee and i keep getting this virus called orifice.svr that shows up. It won't let me clean it and it says to delete it. I do that and the next time, there it is again. It like comes back. What is/does this virus and what should i do to permanently get rid of it? Thank you. Lorraine

Answer : Hmmm... I don't find any specific hits on "orifice.svr" but that sounds suspiciously like BackOrifice, which is a Trojan horse program designed to reduce security. Update your virus definitions and run a scan again and it should be able to clean it. Here is the update page:

http://download.mcafee.com/updates/updates.asp

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : First of all, what are virus definitions? Second, the site said this: IMPORTANT
Prior to downloading .DAT file updates, please take a moment to verify the scan engine version of your current McAfee product. To verify the scan engine of your McAfee product, open the McAfee VirusScan program from the "Start/Programs/McAfee VirusScan" Menu and click Help > About.

I go to it and i can't find any help/about. What do i do about this? I need to know what version i have first before i can download anything. How do i find that out?

Answer : Help/About means to open the main scanner program and select the Help menu, then pick menu item "About". On the resulting screen will be the info on the engine version.

Virus definitions are the files that contain the identifying strings or patterns that the scanner engine uses to identify viruses on your system. As new viruses are created they can be added to existing virus programs by simply updating these definition files.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : i know, but i can't find the Help/About menu! I just don't see it!

Answer : What can I say to that - poke around - maybe you're running the wrong piece of McAfee? Or read some of the readme.txt type of files in the installed directory - maybe they will mention the version.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 2
End :

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QAId : 624309
Asker : DRose
Subject : himem.sys
Private : No

Question : Dear Paul,

My son's laptop only boots to a c: prompt with the line "can not load windows can not find "himem.sys"
He has Win 98 (1st addition) on his machine. We found the file Himem.sys in the root direcroy and copied it to Windows\system but it didn't help.

What has happened, can you help?

Thank you

Answer : Well it belongs in C:\WINDOWS, not C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM. Try moving it there and rename your config.sys and autoexec.bat with .BAK extensions (to make them not be utilized) and see if you can boot in that way.

Paul Doherty

Rating : 5

FUQuestion : Paul,

I did everything you suggested and had no success. In fact, the situation is worse. After renaming config.sys and autoexec.bat, and placing himem.sys in the right filder, the boot up is halted with a ton of XMS driver errors. I told him to use windows start up disk and reload windows, Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Answer : There are some other things to try - like commenting out unneeded entries in C:\MSDOS.SYS - but that gets a little much by email. Best bet is to backup your data and punt (reinstall). One last-ditch effort you can try is to reinstate one of your registry backup copies that already exist - if you want to try that let me know.

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 628523
Asker : jjk1952
Subject : screen freezing
Private : No

Question : Hi.
I have been getting this aggravating problem where my screen freezes up and I then have to wait for it to unfreeze. Sometimes I will move the mouse to try to get something going. I never used to have this problem before. I purchased a fairly current PC (Gateway 450 Megs) for my kids and now it has ben acting up. I should mention, this never occured until I installed Norton's System Works 2000. Ironically, Norton has a screen ANTIFREEZE! Some friends have told me that my RAM might be full. I honestly don't know where the problem lies. Can you help me? As you can probably tell, I am not too computer savvy. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. And especially appreciated if it SOLVES MY PROBLEM!!

Answer : Have you tried uninstalling Norton and all it's component apps? I have seen Norton Anti-Virus in particular wreak all kinds of havoc on systems. It could easily be the responsible app. Try that and let me know if removing Norton rids you of the problem.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4
End :
Rating : 4

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QAId : 634665
Asker : tjw@...
Subject : 16 bit mode
Private : No

Question : My hard drive is running in 16 bit mode, and I think I have narrowed it down to the fact that my CDRom is using a standard IDE driver. I've tried to rem everything in autoexec.bat and config.sys and none of that has made any difference. What should I try next?

Need More Information : Can you copy and paste your config.sys and autoexec.bat here for me to see?

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : [common]
rem DEVICE=C:\CDROM\CDVT3630.SYS /D:MSCD001 /V

c:\windows\AD_WRAP.COM
rem SET CLASSPATH=C:\Program Files\PhotoDeluxe 2.0\AdobeConnectables
rem - By Windows Setup - C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /M:10
rem C:\WINDOWS\a3init.exe
rem SET PATH=C:\FMOUSE95\DOS

Answer : You do have everything successfully commented out so the next thing I would suggest is *if* nothing else is flagged in the Device Manager (System control panel) try removing the CD-ROM entry and rebooting (it should be auto-detected on next boot since it's an IDE device). Also be sure you have the settings in the BIOS correct as to which devices are present - IOW - if the HD is master on primary and the CD is master on secondary make sure the BIOS has master on primary and secondary set to "Auto" and the others set to "none".

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Paul I tried that and it did find it on start up and reinstalld soft ware to support it but I atill have the same problem. Does that help you to know more.

Answer : Ok - try this one out:

Go to Start/Run and type regedit and hit ENTER.

Open the following path on the left pane of regedit:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\VXD\IOS

Click on the "IOS" entry at the left and look for a "NOIDE" entry at the right. If you see one remove it by clicking on it and pressing the DEL key.

The presence of this entry means that Windows failed to initialize the 32-bit IDE driver once and thus is not trying ever again. Removing this entry and rebooting will make Windows try again to initialize in 32-bit mode. What may have happened is your DOS-based CD-ROM driver caused the failure, you removed it but Windows had this entry stopping it from trying again.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Theres not a noide in that folder.

Answer : Open regedit and press CTRL-F and type NOIDE and hit ENTER and see if you find any hits on that (after each hit you can press F3 to search from there - it will tell you when it's wrapping from the bottom to the top).

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : Paul, I ran the search and it didn't get any hits.
My HD is running a standard duel pci/ide driver, is that ok?

Answer : Yes, dual IDE controllers is the norm. You might try taking the IDE controllers out (System control panel, Device Manager tab) - just delete the entries for them (under "Hard Disk Controllers"). Windows will redetect them on the next boot.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 639529
Asker : haven2128
Subject : Invalid page faults
Private : No

Question : I have been receiving a serious of page faults recently and don't have a clue as to what to do to eliminate the problem. Please help.

These are the two most common errors that I seem to be getting.

IEXPLORE caused an invalid page fault in
module MSHTML.DLL at 017f:70c959d5.
Registers:
EAX=00000000 CS=017f EIP=70c959d5 EFLGS=00010212
EBX=00000000 SS=0187 ESP=07859d4c EBP=07859d70
ECX=00000000 DS=0187 ESI=0216de00 FS=13bf
EDX=021612b0 ES=0187 EDI=00000000 GS=439e
Bytes at CS:EIP:
8b 77 20 e8 fe d2 f9 ff 8b 40 5c c1 e0 1c 3d 00
Stack dump:
00000000 0216de00 00000000 00000000 005b6bc0 bff813f8 816a8030 70cd0e32 00000000 07859da0 70e3f88c 00000000 00000001 00000000 005b46d4 07859ee8

MSIMN caused an invalid page fault in
module URLMON.DLL at 017f:702921c1.
Registers:
EAX=03c00b50 CS=017f EIP=702921c1 EFLGS=00010206
EBX=004532cc SS=0187 ESP=0056c9a4 EBP=0056cde4
ECX=0056ce70 DS=0187 ESI=00000000 FS=5fcf
EDX=80009fd8 ES=0187 EDI=0045becc GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
8b 08 ff 51 04 89 75 fc 8b 43 28 8b 40 18 89 43
Stack dump:
03c00b50 00000000 00453294 800c000d 70297a04 0056cc40 00000207 00000000 bff77d9f 0056cc38 00000000 00410026 81b174d4 0056ca10 70bd197c 00000000

If you have any suggestions, I will be happy to hear them.

Thanks

Answer : You might try checking the attributes on your Windows swap file - some hits on MS's support site indicate that if the Win386.swp file is set to be read-only these errors can occur.

Also read the URL pasted below for the URLMON.DLL error - it has an easy-to-follow guide to (hopefully) solve it:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q254/4/90.ASP?LNG=ENG&SA=ALLKB&FR=0

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : I checked both of the suggestions that you offered and unfortunately neither of them applied. The swap file was not marked read-only. After reading the article about the URLMON.DLL error I opened the registry and checked out the string that it was talking about. No luck there either. If you have any more suggestions I would gladly accept them.

Thanks

Answer : Without seeing the computer in person I'm afraid I can't suggest any course of action.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 639585
Asker : lKG
Subject : computer--task bar
Private : No

Question : the task bar on my computer is about 2"
high from the bottom--I have tried to drag it down but it just will not go--I've for a week to get it to go back down to nomal size--When I try it - it
goes all the way out or it will jump on the sides--HELP!!!!What can i do solve this problem and what I do to prevent it from happening again?????linda

Answer : To change the *size* you need to approach the edge closest to the desktop space until the point changes shape to an up/down arrow. It sounds like what you are doing is clicking *on* the taskbar and then moving the mouse (that would explain the taskbar ending up on the side or top of the screen - that is the only way that can happen). Once the point changes to the arrow move up or down to increase or decrease the height of the taskbar.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 645686
Asker : dazzo31
Subject : pcmcia cards in dos
Private : No

Question : Just formated my laptop, i have an external cd-rom drive and it runs using a pcmcia card. Guess what i can't get any drivers for it to work and so can't install anything higher than ms dos.
is there a reason for me not being able to do this or is there something i need.
It's an IBM cd-rom drive - if thats any help

Answer : You didn't say whether it's an IBM notebook or not, but here is a link to the download area of IBM's site where they have PCMCIA DOS drivers for various drives... here's one:

http://www.pc.ibm.com/qtechinfo/MIGR-496LSQ.html

Try some of these, following their directions.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 648706
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Dial up networking
Private : No

Question : I have a dial up connection and would like to keep my kids from using the net without my permission.
Changed my password for my ISP but with a friends user name and password my son was able to log on anyway.
Do I have any other options besides cutting their access to the PC all together.

Answer : Short of encrypting a few choice files necessary for dial-up networking to function your best bet is to lock out the PC with a password in the BIOS or a good locking app.

Another thing you may consider instead of stopping the access to the internet at all is to filter what they can get to (not sure whether the problem is per-minute charges or porn :-). Here are some good apps for stopping the machine from being an online Playboy magazine:

http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0,10151,0-10059-106-0-1-3,00.html?tag=st.cn.10059-ron.bc.gp

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 665082
Asker : wordsaregood
Subject : printing business cards
Private : No

Question : This might be more of a software question, but you look like you know what you're doing so maybe if you don't know the answer you can direct me to someone who does --

I want to print business cards at home using pre-perforated business cards from the office supply store and am looking for a good, easy to use program to do it. I am running a brand new version of Windows with Works 2000 but I can't find anything built into the programs which prints business cards, so I'm wondering if I will need to get a new program.

Do you know of one or can you direct me to a good place to find one? Any help is greatly appreciated!

WAG

Answer : I'm not that familiar with the newer versions of Works but I don't remember there being business card templates.

Here are some apps that will help you design and print business cards:

http://download.cnet.com/downloads/1,10150,0-10001-103-0-1-7,00.html?tag=st%2Edl%2E10001%2Esbsr&qt=print+business+cards&cn=&ca=10001

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 672789
Asker : rbulanda54@...
Subject : CD-ROM drive missing
Private : No

Question : Hi,

I have an Acer Aspire computer and am using Windows 95. My CD-ROM drive is missing, and this is the second time it's happened. The last time I had to uninstall Windows 98 and re-install all the software I had. Why is this happening, and is there anything else I can do to get it back and prevent it from happening again?

Thanks,

Rbulanda54@aol.com

Answer : One thing you can do is to install a DOS-based CD-ROM driver - that should guarantee that the CD stays viable.

Here's how:

1) Download idecd.sys from http://members.home.net/iqueue/idecd.sys
Copy this file to the C:\WINDOWS directory.

2) Edit your C:\CONFIG.SYS and add the following line at the top:

device=\windows\idecd.sys /d:mscd01

3) Edit your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT and add the following line at the end:

\windows\command\mscdex.exe /d:mscd01

Now reboot and you should have your CD to stay. As for why it was disappearing it could be almost anything. So rather than go down that alley try this out and if it ever bothers you (can't see why it would) you can remove the lines from each file and work on it from there.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

FUQuestion : Hi,

Thanks for your reply on my missing CD-ROM drive. I've tried to follow your suggestion, but I can't get to this inital site in step #1. When I type in the address, I get a window that says "could not connect to the server www.members.home.net." Any suggestions?

I really want(and need)my CD-ROM drive back!

Thanks,

Renee Bulanda

Answer : Try again later... the web server at the ISP was (and still is) down....

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 676105
Asker : schertzman
Subject : Missing program file
Private : No

Question : I need a missing program file, pci.dll, for C:\Windows\System\vtnirq.pci. This is for a Compaq presario 5726, windows 98 2nd edition, pentium III, 500mhz. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer : Sounds like you need to reinstall one of more of your driver sets. That file probably comes with one of your devices drivers. Try to sound out the first 3 letters VTN and match that with one of your hardware devices if you want to be more specific and get only the drivers that need replacing. Here is the link to the download area for Compaq - just type in the model number of your Presario to get the list of files available.

http://web14.compaq.com/falco/sp_list.asp

Interestingly it appears that this file may not be a real DLL, but rather a simple text file:

http://www.computing.net/windows95/wwwboard/forum/4383.html

Some of these folks suggest creating a new text file in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM, then renaming it to pci.dll will "fix" this error. (shrug) You can try it and let me know or you can download these updated VIA drivers for your motherboard:

http://www.via.com.tw/drivers/index.htm

The one you need is likely the IRQ Routing Driver under the Individual Drivers section - or you can download the ones at the top and get the whole kit.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4

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QAId : 679530
Asker : ckron99
Subject : windows not starting
Private : No

Question : when i attemp to start my computer, the memory test fails and a series of messages appear saying that "himem.sys" is missing and "vmm32.vxd" is not found or damaged. I found out that this means a certain driver is missing, correct? how can i fix this problem? is reinstallation of windows required and how can i do this if its required?

Need More Information : Can you paste in the contents of your C:\CONFIG.SYS and C:\AUTOEXE.BAT files so I can see them?

Both of these files, if truly missing, can be extracted from the Windows source CAB files.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : I am asking this question for a friend, so i dont have acces to the computer, but i dont think the contents of "C:\CONFIG.SYS" and "C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT" can be pasted in because Windows95 does not start at all.
Would it be possible to solve the problem by uninstalling Windows95 and installing Windows98? I had to reinstall Windows over the weekend and forget how to do it...I enetered a command prompt. I went from C:\Windows, then to system, but then forget what to do from there...i know CABS has something to do with it. please help...

Answer : You can just install Windows 98 over the existing 95 install if you want. If you need help with starting the install let me know.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 686350
Asker : ooneinten@...
Subject : data delineate (ation)
Private : No

Question : data delineate (ation) (not sure how to spell that as one word, but my question(s) is.

·1: How does the following delineate data

·a. Asynchronous transmission
·b. Synchronous transmission
·c: HDLC

Answer : Frame delineation is composed of an expected series of bit patterns.

Go here for explanation/in-depth info:

http://bambam.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/RFC/09xx/935

and do a CTRL-F search for "frame delineation"

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 711873
Asker : jester961
Subject : Dell Laptop
Private : No

Question : I recently purchased a Dell Lattitude XPi CD 166 Mhz laptop on E-Bay. The unit came from a corporate setting and states ALL software has been deleted off the hard drive. There is no operating system and no files on this hard drive, buyer must install their own. I have a desktop PC that came with Windows 95. I have the Windows 95 CD marked "For distribution with a new PC". I also have the manual with the product identification number. I also purchased a 3.5" diskette that claims to recognize over 125 CD-ROMS. This disk is supposed to boot the unit to an A:\ prompt. My question is can I load Windows 95 onto the unit using the CD I have. If I can, can you give me a step by step process to do so. Im not that savy around computers. Thanks, Jester.

Answer : Sure you can - boot with the floppy that loads your CD drivers. Then partition (if necessary) and format the hard disk (C:). After that make a directory called WIN95KIT of your C: drive (md c:\win95kit). Then copy the CD files from X:\WIN95 (where X is your CD letter) to this new directory:

copy x:\win95\*.* c:\win95kit

Then issue the commands:

a:
sys c:

(if you don't have the sys command on this floppy put it there (from \windows\command) before beginning this whole procedure.
After this reboot the machine and do this to start the Windows 95 install:

cd \win95kit
setup

And you're off to the races...

Paul Doherty
Rating : 3
Rating : 3

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QAId : 736556
Asker : mrcavy3171142
Subject : Ports
Private : No

Question : I recently reinstalled my Windows 98. Now my computer is not recognizing my LPT port. How do I get this port back?

Answer : Two things to try:

1) Enter your BIOS setup (usually DEL key during boot) and under the Integrated Peripherals section (or somesuch-named area) ensure that the LPT port is on and set it for ECP using the page up/page down keys. Then re-enter Windows and see if it shows up in the Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager/Ports area.

2) Find the existing LPT port under the Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager/Ports area and remove it, then reboot. This will force Windows to find it again.

I suspect that step 1 is more likely to succeed here... let me know.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : I tried number one. It worked for a while. But it made my computer "see" two COM ports. It also began freezing up at the Windows 98 logo screen at startup. Why?

Answer : You very likely *should* see two COM ports - all PCs come with 2 on-board COM ports. If you don't want one of them disable in that same section of the BIOS.

As for locking up when does it do this? Did you get past it? If not, then how did you ascertain the LPT port got fixed and that there were now two COM ports?

Try disabling the second COM port and reboot and let me know what happens.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : When I first did it, it started up with no problems. The two COM ports show up in the system properties device manger, not the BIOS. As for freezing up, it does this at start up when the Windows 98 logo is on the screen. Sometimes it will almost load up and then I get a series of blue screen errors and then it freezes up. I ocassionally get through. It took me hours to get through to get online to write this. I just start and restart until I get through. Now what?

Answer : You have a sick-puppy system. Without being in front of the machine it's difficult to tell you where to go from here - best bet would be to backup and rebuild it from scratch. Hopefully you are not using some incompatible hardware or drivers that are causing this error (in which case you'll likely be back to the same situation or similar). One thing you can try is to do a reinstall over the top of the existing one - if something in Windows base files was messed up this could help (this would be a last-dicth effort before a rebuild).

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : This is the third time this month I've rebuilt from scratch. I have also tried installing over top of the existing system, with no success. My drivers are supposed to be compatible and up-to-date. Anything else?

Answer : Well as I said if you encounter these types of problems consistently it may point to some low-level incompatibility. Is this by any chance an AMD CPU-based system? In any event you may want to look at replacing the motherboard or the whole system if it remains unstable.

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : It's just a simple Pentium 166. It's almost three years old. I thought the hard drive might be deteriorating due to the fact it would not hold an operating system stable enough.

Answer : Anything is possible with equipment getting on in years. Good luck with your system.

Please don't forget to rate the help you receive here on AskMe.com - many of us experts like to know whether we helped or not...

Paul Doherty
Rating : 4
Rating : 4

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QAId : 749236
Asker : tlingit541
Subject : Fatal Exception 0E in Win98SE
Private : No

Question : How can I resolve this recurring fatal exception:

"A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C0005338 in VXD VMM (01) + 00004338."

The fatal exception does not seem to be associated with any particular action or program. Quite intermittant and annoying though. Computer does not hang, but I have to hit any key to get back to my screen.

I built my own computer, so I don't know if the problem is traceable to hardware, or possibly CMOS settings? I'm stumped! Appreciate your help.

Answer : Just a hunch, but the "VMM" means "Virtual Memory Manager" to me, and that means swap file. Try going into your System control panel, under Performance/Virtual Memory and check the section for "Let me specify my own settings" and set the minimum and maximums both to 0 (zero). Then reboot and come back in, and scandisk your hard disk(s) to ensure no errors are present. Then enter it again and set both to 128 and reboot. That will ensure that Windows has a clean swap file.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 750639
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Norton System Works 2000
Private : Yes

Question : Hello experts

I recently bought Norton System Works 2000, and there is a software called Speed Disk in NSW 2000. Is Speed Disk serve the same function as Defrag in Maintenance Wizard? What is the differences between the two? Which one is better than the other and which one should I use?

Answer : Yes, they are both disk defragmenters. I expect the only difference between them is that SpeedDisk can defrag the swap file in place whereas the one that comes with Windows can not move the swap file.

If you've already paid for SpeedDisk use it instead. If you hadn't already bought System Works and were considering purchasing a stand-alone copy of SpeedDisk I would have recommended against it since you cna get almost the same effect by setting the swap file size to zero, defragging the disk and the recreating the swap file.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 756472
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : pcs
Private : Yes

Question : what is it in a disk that gives it the ability to store information?

How does a computer display word, numbers,pictures etc?

Answer : A disk is a very simple device that looks complex due to the invisible (and small) nature of it's workings. A disk, be it a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a optical disk like a CD-ROM all work on the same principle. That principle is that computers, being electronic in nature, work with only two states, ON and OFF. These states are easy to check and allow for the production of very fast computers like we have today. The computers, therefore, were geared to use this on/off state as their primary method of manipulating information. Humans use a number system based on 10 (likely because we have 10 digits on our hands and feet). Computers only have two states so we use a binary number system (based on 2 - "bi") to represent information. The only difference is that to you and me a binary number looks a bit alien, and longer than the equivalent number in our decimal number system. For example these two numbers are the same:

30
11110

The bottom number is a binary '30' - the computer can work with this number the same way you and I would work with the 30. The benefit of working with '11110' to the computer is that no conversion needs to take place to the number as it already fits into the on/off two-state computer design and also fits nicely into our storage design (your main question). All disks for computers store one of two things - a value representing a '0' and another representing a '1'. That's it. A floppy or hard disk does this with plastic or metal disks covered with a thin layer of magnetic material. When the read/write head of the drive passes overhead it can either detect an induced charge ("read" data) or apply a strong magnetic charge to change the polarization of the magnetic particles at the location under the head ("write" data). An optical disk like a CD-ROM stores the same data type but uses the reflectivity of the disk surface (and "pits" or "lands" as they are sometimes called) to mean 0s or 1s.

A computer displays information as a grid of pixels. For example most people use their computers at a resolution of 800x600 or above. 800x600 means we have a grid of dots 800 across by 600 down. Each "dot" or pixel is the smallest addressable unit on the screen (meaning each can have it's color properties modified). So on this screen we have 800 X 600 pixels (multiply them together) for a total of 480,000 pixels. All information that is to be displayed on screen has to be formatted to fit onto this grid in some way. The way in which text or garphics get displayed is both a function of the operating system and of the programmer (these days it's mostly the operating system). For instance at 800x600 to display text you as the operating system wouldn't allow a letter "T" to take up 400 pixels across the top and 600 down would you? Not on an 800x600 screen - you'd only have room for a couple of letters. So fonts or typefaces are used - these are pre-rendered or dynamically-generated text images that have a specified size (measure in type-setting "points") and style. The operating system knows what font choices are in effect (either chosen by the programmer or by you the user) and renders the screen with the textual information in that type face to be passed to the video card for display. Displaying graphics is even simpler - remember that 800x600 screen resolution? If you want to display a picture that is 800x600 you simply copy the picture information (pixel for pixel) over into the video memory area (the image you see on screen corresponds to an area of memory that is on the video card but maps into the normal address space of the computer - so any writes that go there show up on your screen immediately).

I hope this has helped your understanding... if you need any more details or clarification feel free to ask.

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 757117
Asker : amrvdm
Subject : Windows 98 SE Start Up
Private : No

Question : http://www.askme.com/ask.asp?stype=one&xid=50373&cid=1445http://www.askme.com/ask.asp?stype=one&xid=50373&cid=1445

pauldoherty

Windows 98 SE Start Up

Hi pauldoherty,

Where (other than the following) do I check for programs which start automatically at Windows 98 SE start up?

Start > Programs > StartUp yields a grey (Empty) as I intended.

However, sometimes, this current log on in particular, (according to no pattern which I can discern) Dial Up Networking to my Internet Service Provider starts automatically.

If I have started my computer and failed to notice the unexpected connection to my ISP, I am unaware that my telephone line is tied up since there is no indication on my desktop taskbar.

What settings can I check and/or correct to change this intermitten problem?

Thank you very much for your help.

Robert van der Meulen
rv9@iname.com

2000 04 25 RvdM in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Answer : Other places to look for unwanted startup programs:

1) Start/Programs/Startup

2) C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI

3) Run regedit (Start/run/(type in regedit and hit ENTER) and look here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run

and

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/RunServices

With each of those two locations *selected* (one at a time - you have to click them to see their contents in the right windowpane).

Check your modem properties (Start/settings/control panel/modem) and see if it has a checkbox for automatic connection when an internet app is loaded. I know it's there but it's been 3 years since i've had to use dial-up so I don't remember where. Disable that and ensure that no app is loading that you don't want from the other areas above.

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 767075
Asker : holisp
Subject : help about Win98 Shutdown
Private : No

Question : I have a pc runing win98.
Now when I shutdown the win98,it reboot !!!,only thing I can do is turn off the power !
And when I reboot to switch to dos mode ,it halt.

But other appls can run on win98 ok.
I use msinfo32 to find nothing wrong.

Can I correct it without reinstall win98?

Answer : Try disabling "fast shutdowns" and see if it helps. Here's how:

Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information

From the menu choose:
Tools/System Configuration Utility

On the General tab click the Advanced button and check the box for "Disable fast shutdown" and OK your way out.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 3

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QAId : 788495
Asker : shield0415902
Subject : helppp
Private : No

Question : i just reformat my c drive..n i download win98 into my laptop(previously was win95).tried to detect for the internal modem but failed.what should i do?n also i tried to put in a modem..went to modem properties>diagnostics>more info...
it prompt to me that "port already open".
why is this so?
pls help...thanks =)

Need More Information : Do you mean you have an internal modem but added another? Did you add it internally (PCMCIA port) or did you put it external on a serial port? It sounds like both modems are occupying the same I/O address (COM port).

Paul Doherty

FUQuestion : ok....my laptop use internal modem.now i cant detect my modem.what should i do?
i have a driver disk...how should i install de driver for the modem...or what?

Answer : If your modems control panel is empty (no currently installed modems) and running the "add new hardware" control panel comes up empty, you can try manually adding it (after add new hardware fails it gives you that option). You will need to know the brand and model of the modem and what COM port it is on (may be able ascertain from the BIOS setup screens since it's an internal - if you can't get that info there it is likely to be one of two COM ports - 1 or 2 - COM1 has an IO addrewss of 3f8 and COM2 has an IO address of 2f8).

Good luck!

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 803437
Asker : fabzter2026
Subject : Buying just the tower
Private : No

Question : Hi, I need to buy a computer, but I just need the tower, I don't need monitor, keyboard and mouse, because I already have those items.

I just need the CPU Tower, that's all I need to buy...

Do you know some on-line stores that I can buy what I need ??

Thank you...

Answer : Sure thing - just go to:

http://www.pricewatch.com

and click "cases" under the CPU column.

Paul Doherty
End :

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QAId : 807729
Asker : chocolie
Subject : Hearts game locks up when sound is on
Private : No

Question : Hi, I have what I think is a strange problem. My boyfriend likes to play the Hearts game that installed w/ my Windows 95. Anyway, it worked fine up until recently. Now, everytime the sound is turned on, the game locks up when the Queen of Spades is thrown out. When the sound is turned off the game runs as normal. What do you think could be the cause of this? Like I said, it just started locking up when the sound on the game was on and it worked fine before. If you need additional info I would be glad to provide it, I hope you can help. Thanks, Julie

Answer : I would try updating your sound drivers - go to the manufacturers website and get the latest ones - if you need help with this let me know what sound card you have and I'll show you where to get these.

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 830021
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : purchasing computers
Private : No

Question : I am interested in buying a computer for around 350.00 to 400.00 Are there computers for sale at this price range in the stores? All I want on it is the internet.
Thanks,
Jane

Answer : Check http://www.ebay.com and look in their systems section (http://listings.ebay.com/aw/listings/list/category3736/index.html), or put in search words on the first page like:

pentium computer

which resulted in this hit just now:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&HT=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&QUERY=pentium+computer

You can find many used computers for this price range and that likely will have features you want that you wouldn't get on a new PC in that price range.

If you want a new PC try http://www.e4me.com/

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 831697
Asker : guesswho30312
Subject : PC upgrade help
Private : No

Question : I am trying to help upgrade some PCs in my department. I really need help and advise as to how to go about doing this.

Some Info:
six(6) LANs each LAN has fifty(50) workstations. Currently, a mixture of 486 (50 workstations) and PIs (250 workatations).
All machines are not Y2K compliant.

The Order Desk software is Y2K compliant.
Orders can be taken satisfactorily, but some supervisors feel that employees could be more productive if the response time between order screens could be reduced.

Questions:
1. Can the software/hardware be configured
differently?
2. Will WIN 95 updates help?
3. Are there processing advantages if we
upgrade to celeron, PII or PIII?
4. Can we just upgrade their 486s and PIs with
WIN 95 to utilize older machines?
5. Are there new technologies that may increase
user productivity and security?

6. The Order Desk recieves customer phone calls
takes, arranges payment, package tracking,
and customer compliants. For security, these
are diskless workstations. Printing is
capability only for supervisor workstations.
For order traking these workstations
interface via the internet with FEDEX, UPS,
RPS, and USPS. No backups are being done in
this area because all backups are handled
by the LAN - servers.

7. Requirements -- diskless workstations,
no DVDs/cd-roms, power-on passwords, and
and increase in worker productivity is to
realized with any computer upgrades.

8. Problems -- users lose passwords, users
complain that they would like to see
pictures of the product they are
selling so as to better interface with
the customer(s) over the phone. Existing
order desk software does not carry
pictures in the database.
Also, CTS is a problem in the area.

Your support is greatly appreciated.
Thank You

Answer : Any of those PCs can run Windows 95, but don't expect miracles. If they are unhappy with the speed now, it will likely be slower when the larger Windows 95 is put in place. Other benefits may help ease the pain like a nicer interface, better stability, better hardware support, etc.

95 updates? Are you meaning OSR2 (the OEM release of 95)? The only real difference it has besides a few bug fixes is the addition of FAT32 as a format option so I would expect you would gain much from that effort.

You would gain much from using Celerons, P2s or P3s in place of those 486/P1 machines. Since one of your primary user and manager concerns is speed between screens nothing will help that except:

-optimizing the application (probably already is to some degree if it's a commercial offering)

-speeding up the computer or relevant subcomponents (video for example).

#6 doesn't appear to ask a question so I'll leave it.

#7 - the productivity increase will be obvious with better machines. Plus computing hardware just doesn't live forever. Upgrades are inevitible.

One way you could set your users up to see the items they are selling when needed is to install a web server on your local LAN and build a web-based image database where you can let them look up and see a picture of the item in question in their web browsers.

As for CTS I would enforce breaks for users every 1.5 to 2 hours of at least 15 minutes and ensure that chairs and computer positions are ergonomic and comfortable.

Paul Doherty
Rating : 5

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QAId : 891066
Asker : ventink
Subject : hard disk partition
Private : No

Question : Hi
I have a HP pavilion with hard disk size of 17 GB.It is all in C:\. Windows98 and works are installed. I have a recovery CD supplied by HP, to reinstall ( to the original status of when the PC was delivered to me).I don't have any data on the disk.
Now I want to partion the disk into 2 more drives, D:\ and E:\.
Would you please let me know the best possible procedure to do it? Would I be able to use the windows98 and works after this.
Thanks

Answer : Since you said there is no data you need on the disk you can use fdisk off a boot floppy to create three partitions (C:, D:, and E:), reboot and format them, then use the recovery CD to hopefully write the original install to C: without disturbing the other two. If the recovery CD reclaims the other two making your disk be one large partition again you can use a utility like Partition Magic or FIPS to shrink the large partition down and make some empty space for the two new partitions (then use fdisk to make them - you will make one extended partition of the full empty space and then make two drive letters (D & E) inside that space of the size you want).

You can get FIPS here:

ftp://ftp.icsmedia.de/pub/FreeBSD/3.3-RELEASE/TOOLS/FIPS.EXE

Paul Doherty

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 899106
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : KERNEL32.DLL error when using Spinner.com audio streamer, Netscape Communicator 4.7, or IE4.0
Private : Yes

Question : Could you tell me what to do?

I have a "Close or Details" error window that pops up from time to time when I use any of the above programs. It states that an KERNEL32.DLL is involved.

What can I do? I have downloaded (but not installed) a Oct-8-1999 version of the driver.

PLEASE HELP!!!

Answer : You can try a couple fo things:

1) Rename the kernel32.dll you have in \windows\system as kernel32.bak and then extract the original from the CAB files on the CD:

On my Windows 98 that file is in file WIN98_33.CAB - to get it out:

c:
cd \windows\system
extract /e X:\WIN98\WIN98_33.CAB kernel32.dll

where "X" is your CD-ROM drive or path to your CAB files (can copy them to the hard disk first if you need to).

2) Go to the Windows Update web site (on your Start menu, first menu) and let it update IE to 5.01 and install any Windows 98 Service Packs you see under the Critical Updates or Recommended ones.

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 903076
Asker : austin_fernandes
Subject : windows 95 freezes
Private : Yes

Question : My computer freezes at the Windows 95 screen upon booting within 15 seconds or so.
I tried F8 and Safe mode. After some time there was a response saying that:
"Your program caused a divide overflow error.
If the problem persists, contact your program vendor."
Could you please help me. Thanks.
Austin

Answer : The system fails to boot even in Safe mode? If that is true you may have to backup your data and reinstall. If it's not the case try egtting to the boot menu and selecting a logged boot (Bootlog). Then after it hangs or crashes reboot, hold CTRL again to get the menu and then edit the file BOOTLOG.TXT (I believe it gets created in C:\). Then perform a search in the file for the word "fail" (ALT-S to get search menu). Any item(s) with fail on it may be the source of the trouble - it's likely a driver issue if you can get in with Safe mode. If the failed item is identifiable as a video card or audio card item just go to the manufacturer's web site and get the latest drivers (may need to use another machine for this) and install them in Safe mode on your machine.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 904378
Asker : learner3
Subject : Using Ghost to back up
Private : Yes

Question : Hello experts,

My question may sound like a very easy task for most of you guys, but I'm new to PC and I need a lot of help from experts. I will also ask a lot of qustions if necessary.

Here is what I want:

I am learning how to do hard drive backups, and I want to do it on a regular basis in the most efficient way. I have asked many experts and tried a few of their solutions, and I found the best solution for me to do backups is to use programs such as Norton's Ghost, in which I can restore a healthy image of the hard drive to replace a messy OS. I don't like to use CD-R to do backup because this only provides essential "files" for me to install. It won't "remove" the problem if I have done something wrong to my PC,

Here is what I have:

I am using Windows98 SE. I have the following tools and want to know which ones are essential and useful if I want to use Ghost to do backups. I have Partition Magic 5.0, Norton's Ghost (in Norton's System Works 2000), a CD-RW drive, Eacy CD Creator 4.0, Direct CD 3.0, and a 10GB HD.

Here are some problems and question I have/encounter so far:

1. I heard I need to have 2 hard drive to use Ghost. So what does the second hard drive have to be? A primary partition? A logical partition? Or......?
2. How exactly does Ghost work when restoring an old image of an hard drive? Does it reinstall the basic components of Win98 and add all the other files and programs after that? Or.....?

I know this is lengthy, but please give me a step-by-step instruction on how to do backups using Ghost. And it would be great if you could also help me with the 2 particular questions I have.

Thank you very much for helping. If I need more assistance, I will ask again.

Answer : Ghost makes a bit-by-bit copy of the original partition to the backup one. You can do this to any partition on your machine - one on a different disk, or even one on the same disk. When you restore you will have the exact same data that was on your disk when you backed it up - that's everything, including the boot sector, Windows install, programs, everything.

If you have only one hard drive and think this technique for backup is for you split the drive into a 60/40 split and use the 40 for the backup. For example with a 20GB hard disk:

Use fdisk to create two partitions (or if you need to preserve the first partition's data use Partition Magic to shrink the first down, making free space so you can then create the second partition) - make the first one 12GB and the other 8GB. Now install Windows and all the apps and stuff you want on it (including GHOST - also keep a copy of GHOST.EXE on the second partition (D:)). Now whenever you get the system to a good stopping point (one you want to save) just restart in DOS mode (Start/Shutdown/Restart in MS-DOS mode) and then type:

D:
GHOST

And from the menus select Local/Partition/To Disk Image - choose the first partition as the source and save it to D:\ as C_BACKUP.GHO (or whatever you want to call it). Use fast or high compression if the C drive is nearing it's 12GB limit to make it fit in 8GB.

That's it - when it gets done you now have a backup - to restore simply reboot your machine holding CTRL to bring up the boot menu and choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only. Then go to D: again and type GHOST again. Now go to Local/Partition/From Disk Image - select D:\C_BACKUP.GHO as the source and the first partition as the destination and let 'er rip. Remember before you do this - all data on C:\ will be trashed - so make sure there's nothing left on C: that you need to keep (that won't be present after the image write is complete).

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 913026
Asker : deeznutz2
Subject : disconnected
Private : No

Question : Using Win98. I use GoZilla to manage downloads. When I want IE to download (instead of GoZilla) you are supposed to hold ALT and click the link. However, when I do this, I frequently get disconnected. No error message. Tried gozilla.com, tried microsoft, checked Internet settings, tried reinstalling, to no avail.

Answer : When you want IE to do the fownload just right-click the link and select "Save Target As..."

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 915289
Asker : ramdragon
Subject : Game Port on Pc
Private : No

Question : I cannot seem to get my game port to recognize any controllers. I downloaded the software for the controllers that I've tried including software from windows 98 and the software from the site of the controller ( Logitech Wingman ) but even the software program when run says that there is no controller in the game port. I also tried to load it from the game controller incon in the control panel. My PC is an AST Advantage622 if that helps any.

David Draper
ramdragon46_2000@yahoo.com

Answer : One thing that may be it - the system defaults to using a controller called "Standard Gameport" which may or may not actually work depending on where your controller is located. Most are on the sound card and you need to say so to get things working. Open the Game Controllers control panel, go to the Advanced tab, and at the bottom hit the drop-down list and see if you have another choice besides the "Standard Gameport" - if you do select it and then try plugging the joystick in...

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 925605
Asker : barny
Subject : Networked CD-ROM
Private : No

Question : I have a 10mps ethernet network, but on my PC upstairs the CD-ROM is broken, so i am using the cd rom downstairs. This is fine for installing programs, but when i go to run stuff it asks me to insert the cd even if its in the drive downstairs or if i run it by going to network neighberhood and starting it from the drive downstairs. I have tried looking for config files in programs such as Age of Empires to see if i can change where it looks for the CD.
Thanks

Answer : Rather than doing that try going to:

http://www.gamecopyworld.com

They have many patches that can remove these nags.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 926509
Asker : jimhooks66858
Subject : Windows Temp File
Private : Yes

Question : I have noticed that theTemp directory in Windows is really full. Can I delete all the files in the temp directory and not disable anything?

Answer : Sure thing - just be sure you aren't using any install programs when you do it as they sometimes put things there - sometimes in anticipation of the next boot. So just have the system in a normal state and you can delete any and everything in that directory.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 927172
Asker : jimhooks66858
Subject : c:\windows\temp
Private : Yes

Question : There are several folders in the temp directory of windows. Can I delete all of them and be safe?

Answer : Sure thing - just be sure you aren't running any installers, or have run one but not yet rebooted, since they may have put things there. Other than that caveat you can open the TEMP directory and hit CTRL-A to select all and press DEL.

Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCPI, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Rating : 5

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QAId : 929277
Asker : thickas
Subject : pc crashes when saving
Private : No

Question : Hi,

I'm running win95 with lotus 123 '97, which always saved ok until I put on ccmail. now as soon as I save I get an "illegal operation and will be shut down message" Details= 123w caused astack fault in module kernel32.dll at0137 bff 725c5 blah! blah!. this also freezes the entire pc and results in having to hot boot it!. Please help us lesser mortals!

Need More Information : Have you looked on Lotus's web site since both products come from them? It may be they installed a bad version of one of their shared DLLs and that is why 123 is choking now. try reinstalling 123 from the CD again and see if it fixes it.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : sorry paul, didn't realise I couldn't go back and rate it . 4 star thanks
new to this site.

Answer : OK - here's your chance to rate the answer - did it fix it for you?

Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 931920
Asker : shel379470711
Subject : Computer prices
Private : No

Question : I was wondering if you knew a good place on the internet to find the best deals on pc's for students in college.

Answer : Try here:

http://www.e4me.com

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 3

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QAId : 940624
Asker : cdwy
Subject : Nt Physcial Dumps
Private : No

Question : Why do my NT machines accaisionally perform physical dumps and how can I better manage memory to avoid these dumps?

Answer : Dumps are the result of crashes - you can configure whether you want NT to create memory dumps during a crash by entering the System control panel, Startup/Shutdown tab and checking the appropriate boxes.

If you are seeing these often at all you may want to send one of these dumps to MS's NT support staff if you can not determine which programs or drivers are causing the crashes.

Paul Doherty, CNA (3 & 4), CNE (4), MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 948607
Asker : agen_h
Subject : windows 98 setup problem
Private : No

Question : Hi there,

I have this old & problematic PC. Decided to re-format and install windows 98 SE. But, after I format it and run setup, there is this problem.

After the setup wizard set itself up, the PC just hang and these words appeared;

"Run-time error R6003
- integer divide by 0"

Do you know what is the problem, cause I'm in a mess right now. Please answer in detail. Thanks.

-HagenOey

Need More Information : When and under what circumstances do you see this message?

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : I see this message right after windows98SE finishes setting up the "setup wizard", then a black rectangular bar appear in the center screen /w the stated message on the bottom left corner of the screen. And the computer just hang.

Can you help?

-HagenOey

Answer : I think the answer may lie in your "old & problematic" comment. This type of error may be a bad memory module. I don't know what this system is worth to you but to troubleshoot it you will need to take out some (or all but one) and see which is causing the error.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 956942
Asker : slapper64
Subject : system hangs
Private : No

Question : Hi, i recently installed an ethernet card on my comp after getting a cable modem. Now it seems like whenever i'am using several programs at once for example real player and several internet explorer windows open at once i get these minor system hangs, the music will stop and the mouse will freeze, it lasts for half a sec sometimes more, then unfreezes, then it freezes again 5 secs after. This proccess loops over and over until i reboot my comp then everything seems to be fine, the prob happens sometimes but not always, any help would be appreciated. :)

Answer : I would obtain the latest drivers for your network card - this sounds like a driver that leaks memory or otherwise gets wrapped around the axle over time. Check here for your manufacturer:

http://winfiles.cnet.com/drivers/network.html

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 958191
Asker : lstosic
Subject : Problem about HDD
Private : No

Question : I have Seagate 8.4GB HDD (i suppose it's Udma something), and I have old HDD also Seagate 200MB. When I connect them to work together, There is some Block that won't let computer start working. It's very important to me to connect them to work together, because on that HDD 200MB I have a lot of programs and old games that would like to copy onto 8.4GB

Please Help!
My Name is Luka Stosic and e-mail is lstosic@mad.scientist.com

Answer : Have you tried putting one drive each on the two IDE controllers in your PC? Make them each Master and put the one you want to boot from on the primary IDE port, with a different cable attaching the older drive to the secondary IDE port. Once the data is copied off you can then remove the second cable and hard disk.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 2.8
Rating : 2.8

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QAId : 959372
Asker : solo13286364
Subject : computer studies
Private : No

Question : hi, can u help me answer a few question

1)true/false a desktop CODECs for video are
hardware only
2)AMD K7 CPUs fit in to a)socket 8
b)slot 1
c)slot A
3)it is still possible to view 256 colours on a pc that does not have either a graphics card or a graphics chip on its motherboard: true/false

4)the LS-120 drive, in addition to its own media, is compatible: a)720kb and 1.44 Mb diskettes
b)720kb diskettes only
c)1.44Mb diskettes and CD-ROMs

5)examples of logical security are: a)cryptography
b)locked rooms
c)passes with ID pic

thanks for your help

Answer : 1 False

2 C

3 No

4 A

5 A & B

Hope that was what you were after... it *was* a multiple choice/true-false.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 963219
Asker : orgkaos
Subject : sound...
Private : No

Question : Hi Paul,
My computer (Compaq Presario 5240) is having a few problems. I can hear music from CDs, but not from midis, or anything of that nature. What would be my problem? Please help. My wife and I are trying to create our webpages and cites, but can't complete them because we can't hear the midis that we attach.

Org

Answer : Check your volume icon at the bottom-right (in the systray) - it looks like a speaker. Double-click it to bring up the Volume Control screen and ensure that the sliders for MIDI (or wavetable), WAV, and Volume Control are not at low levels - put them at least halfway up. Also ensure that the mute button is not checked on any of these.

Now to test WAV file ability:

open Start/Settings/Control Panel/Sounds

Select an event in the list that has a speaker next to it - with it selected are the play and stop buttons below it BOTH still ghosted? If both stay ghosted then your sound drivers need to be reinstalled (grab new ones here: http://winfiles.cnet.com/drivers/sound.html - select your sound card manufacturer). If they are NOT ghosted try clicking the play button with your sound turned up nice and loud.

Now to tets MIDI ability:

Start/Run - type mplayer and hit ENTER
Fropm the menu select Device/MIDI Sequencer and browse to C:\WINDOWS\MEDIA and pick a song like Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy.rmi - try and play it and see if you hear anything. No sound here also would indicate a need to get drivers installed (correctly).

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 980535
Asker : robertli04558
Subject : pc problem
Private : No

Question : hi there
after about 3hours or so my pc starts to have this humming sound (like when you are running some applications) and then later the floppy diskdrive starts to blink(like the pc is trying to read that diskdrive)
After that the system just slows down until it hangs totally.
All this happens even when i am not doing anything on my pc. Any idea please?

thanks for your time

Answer : You may have some app running in the background that is doing some things wrong. Try hitting CTRL-ALT-DEL once inside Windows after shutting down all visible apps (even the ones in the systray at the bottom-right). You should see:

systray
explorer

examine any other items in the list as possible suspects.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 986607
Asker : Victor5
Subject : Recognizing the hard-drive capacity.
Private : No

Question : Hi Paul:

My Pentium PC has a 6 Gig HD, but when I try to upload some software on it, after the 2GByte capacity, it will not recognize it and tells me that there is some problem with the C drive. When I run Norton Utilities on the C drive it will crash and will not do any checks. I am confused and even though somebody did reformat my HD once already for this same problem, I cannot seem to get the max. out of it. Please advice as to what I should do.

Thanks.

Victor

Answer : It sounds like you have encountered a BIOS limitation on your system. If your system is old enough it cannot see drives larger than a given size (on some it's 500MB; others choke at 2GB; yet others at 8GB). Two things to try (in order) and at least the second will require a repartition and reformat so start backing up...

1) Enter the BIOS and ensure that your settings for the disk are not manually entered but rather set to AUTO. Also set your transfer method to AUTO and if you have the option for translation type select LBA.

Reboot and see if it fixed the size issue. This *may* necessitate a repartition and reformat to test).

2) Install one of the disk extenders - software that allows your BIOS to stay as it is, but works around the issue by translating the disk's actual geometry into something the BIOS can understand. You didn't mention what drive you have, if it's a Maxtor here's their software:

http://www.maxtor.com/downloads/pub/main/maxblast.exe

If you have another brand of drive see their web page for a similar utility.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 989432
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : C:\Windows\Sti_Trace.log
Private : Yes

Question : I use Windows 98CE. While backing up my computer to tape, I began getting an error. It dealt with Sti-trace.log which appears to be continuously running. Error code (hex) = 80070057. There is more to the log than this and I will be glad to provide more info if you can help me and explain to me what this is all about. Thank you.

Answer : I'm not sure what STI-TRACE.LOG does, but it's being in use all the time is normal for several Windows files, most notably the swap file (WIN386.SWP). Unless you know you need these files on your backup just exclude them from being backed up and you shouldn't have any trouble.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : Following is the info on this log. I have only included the lst date, 5/3. Every day that I turn on the computer, the same info is added for that date and therefore creates an error in back-up (this error did not happed prior to 5/3):

Opened file log at 5/3/00. Tracer (STICLI), called from [STIMON.EXE::oxfffc5cbd] Severity Tracer Name [Prodess::ThreadId] Time Message Text
e STICLI [STIMON.EXE::Oxffc5cbd} Loading USD, failed to create device control block. Error Code (hex)=80070057

Does this info indicate an error that needs correction - for my system to operate correctly? Thanks.

Answer : From what I've found it seems that "STIMON" is involved with "Still Image Monitoring". It appears that the STIMON (and the partner file STI_TRACE.LOG) are associated with the USB ports on your machine. Do you have any cameras, mice or joysticks plugged into USB at this time? You may want to pull the CD or floppy that came with your PC (or motherboard if you built yourself) and check it for USB patches to Windows. Barring that check with your manufacturer's website (again OEM or motherboard manufacturer) for Windows patches - you may find there are a few others you need in addition to this one.

Here are some web resources that discuss it

http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/ddk/DDKdocs/Win2K/stillimg_92uh.htm

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q232/9/72.ASP

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : Thanks so much for the info and boiling the problem down. I do have a scanner connected to the USB port (Epron 1200). It seems that when the scanner is turned on, the dialog does not appear in the log. It does appear when the scanner is turned off. I would assume that when I backup that the error of the log running and being skipped is unimportant. I would assume that my other option is to turn on the scanner prior to starting the computer when I attempt to backup. I assume that I can then turn it off and it would not appear in the log. I'd appreciate your thoughts and thanks for advising a novice.

Answer : I'm glad to be of help to you...

As I said in the original response you can deselect that file so it is not in the backup or do what you said and turn on the scanner during the backup.

Please don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 990490
Asker : michael_kenney
Subject : ffghchxp
Private : No

Question : When my system boots (win98) a dialouge box opens asking me what I want to open ffghcxp with. I checked the win.ini file and found this run=ffghchxp line and when I did a search for ffghchxp on my system, found it in c:\windows. The file is 373kb with no extension. When I check the registry for this ffghchxp, it shows up in a couple of places. I work with systems but have never seen this one before. Ironically it all started happening shortly after a virus struck. However nothing indicates that this is the work of the virus I had or any other virus for that matter. Norton is updated to most recent and system has been scanned and nothing...I have also searched the web and knowledgebase for any indications of this except for a web address inside the code of the file that says This file is packed with the UPX executable packer http://upx.tsx.org $

Of course when I try the web address...it no longer exists. I am completely stuck and don't know what else to look for or if it is safe to delete these reg keys or run line.

Have you seen this before?? I still feel it is the damage of a virus that may even still reside on my PC.

Please help...

Sincerely,
Michael

Answer : I agree - that is likely nothing but trouble. No one doing anything remotely normal would name an executable this way, without an EXE extension unless they are trying to hide it. Add to that the fact it registered itself in the win.ini to load on every boot and you've got a trojan in my opinion. Rename it on your system and send a copy to SARC (Symantec Anti-virus Research Center - http://www.sarc.com) then remove the win.ini and registry entries for it fromn your system.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 991750
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Notebook vs Handell
Private : No

Question : What is the differences between Handheld and Notebook?Which one is the most convience?

Answer : A handheld is a unit like a Palm Pilot - it is intended to mostly replace a Day-Timer planning tool. It handles scheduling of appointments, contacts, pieces of data, calculator functions, etc. They also can run many applications but their small screens and limited CPU and memory don't really equip them for all that you might need.

A notebook computer is a full computer in every sense of the word. They can run the same apps and data you run on your desktop, and have a full-size keyboard and screen.

A Windows CE-based handheld tries to merge these worlds together, by running some standard Windows apps and using compact flash or other large storage devices. Whether they succeed or not at replicating a notebooks' functionality is up for opinion. For the money they cost and the hassles I have always sided for a Palm unit (had them since day one when I got a Pilot 5000 - now I have a 3C, my fourth Pilot - so I biased).

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 1012730
Asker : evander
Subject : pc problems
Private : No

Question : My computer gives me fatal exemption notices two out of every ten times I turn on my computer. I have a celeron 500. I am running windows '98. with office installed. I don't have any weird programms installed or anything. It also just freezes quite often, and I have to do a forced quite by just pushing reset button.

Does any know what is wrong with it. It is only a month old. It has always been doing this. I already did all of the crutial windows, and internet explorer upgrades. Microsoft wants forty five bucks to talk about it with me. My computer store wants the same to physically assist me. Do I have to pay. I obviously don't want to. This is getting very frustrating.

Thank you, in advance. I hope you can help.

Answer : Try the restore CD and if these problems continue work with the vendor to get it replaced or refunded. The system is brand new and should easily be under a replacement guarantee.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 1028220
Asker : marcustee
Subject : Linking Two Computers
Private : No

Question : My son has his computer in another room of our house. He has files that we want to transfer from his PC to mine without using a bunch of 3.5" floppies. We've conected a phone line directly to the modems on the computers but we can't get either PC to recognize the other for file transfer.
Any help?

Answer : The phone line won't do it. What you're after is a special cable called a null-modem cable. It's a normal-looking serial cable like you use for a mouse or an external modem except for one difference. It has all the send and receive wires switched at one end so that one computers send comes in on the other machine's receive wire. This simulates a modem connection so the modems will not actually be used. Just hook up a null-modem cable between the serial ports of both machines and then use terminal software (like HyperTerm that comes with Windows) - enter the serial port you used (COM1, COM1, etc) and set the speed to 115,200. Be sure you note what serial ports you have available and what type they are (9-pin or 25-pin) before you go buy the null-modem cable.

Another way to get this same functionality (and a parallel and null-modem cable to boot) is to get LapLink - it provides a nicer method of transferring the files once connected.

I also rooted around in my old files and found a utility I used to use for this - it's called xport.exe and once you have the null-modems connected it works like LapLink - it will find the COM port you used and set for the fastest speed it can. It then provides an easy way to transfer the files. Only thing is it runs under DOS and will likely mangle long filenames as it's from the olden days of DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.x. If you want it grab it from:

http://members.home.net/iqueue/xport.exe

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Rating : 4

Answer : Try the download again...

Paul Doherty

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QAId : 1030320
Asker : vincent_john@...
Subject : xeon?
Private : No

Question : I plan to purchase a new computer.

I will be using it for:

LightWave 6.0
Adobe Photoshop

Is a Pentium III Xeon worth the extra money over a Pentium III?

What does the Xeon offer over the Pentium III? Just speed?

Thanks

Vincent

Answer : Generally speaking the Xeons only differ from the general-purpose version of this chip in the amount of L2 cache on-board the CPU. This increased cache can make a big difference for servers and applications that can make heavy use of it - 3D rendering and Photoshop would be two that I would expect to see nice performance gains.

As to whether it's worth the extra money, you will have to decide whether to spend the extra or perhaps just buy a faster normal P3, or even to go with dual CPUs (I don't reocmmend this though).

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 1030385
Asker : ak47
Subject : PC security.
Private : No

Question : I live in a student house, where a number of us share one PC. This has Windows 98 and IE5 browser installed on it.

I use the PC to surf the web quite a bit, and sign upto various web sites. Such as web based applications, emails etc. However everytime I log in to the various sites I have to ensure that the browser does not remember my passwords etc. as I do not want my housmates using them. Thus, have to make sure I remembre the passwords and type them in every time i return to a site.

I was wondering whether there is a way of setting up my PC to secure all the information stored in the browser/PC so that only I have access to it. I was thinking along the line of maybe being able to log in to my PC to bring all the browser stored information into play.

Thanks for your time.

Answer : Yes you can install a "Microsoft Family Logon" in the Networking control panel and select it as the logon method at the bottom fo the screen and Windows should allow each user to login as themselves (it will create named accounts as you login with them so be sure to use the same one all the time) and have it swap to their previous profiles. This should include their browser files like cookies and the like.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1055889
Asker : fumble2fun
Subject : scan disk and defragmenting
Private : No

Question : I am attempting to run the scan disk and the defragmenter on my pc which is a compaq 7470. Both of these operations keep getting interupted by a program that is running. My question is how do I find out what program is running so it can be closed/turned off so i can run the scan disk and defragment without interuption? To the best of my knowledge i have closed all open programs.

Answer : Hit CTRL-ALT-DEL once and examine the list of running programs. Any but the following should be OK to stop so you can scan and defrag:

Explorer
Systray

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 1056708
Asker : shererthing
Subject : second printer
Private : No

Question : I rec'd a second printer from a friend, it's an Epson Stylus 600. I decided to use it for my color printer and use my Lexmark for black and white since the Lexmark requires changing cartridges when switching from black to color.
Anyway, I bought and installed a second printer port. It is working fine as is all my cables, these I have already tested.
My problem is, I can't get the Epson to work. I choose file, print, setup, choose printer desired and then print. Then nothing. It shows that the printer is ready and/or idle and in the que shows the print job pending but it never prints. I have no problems getting my Lexmark to print.
Once, in the process of printing something on the Lexmark for my daughter, I choose another thing to print and sent it to the Epson just for the heck of it and lo and behold! it printed. But I have not gotten it to do so since, although I have tried a variety of things.
I have a paperport scanner, that I moved once and the Epson printed right after that, but then nothing.
I have done all the steps in the windows help.
I am at my wits end on this thing. I just cannot get it figured out.
The printer does work tho'. I have printed test pages offline.
What next?
Thanks so much for your time.

Answer : The best way to troubleshoot printer problems is to drop down to the lowest level you can and try to hit it from there. That would be pure DOS mode - boot and press F8 or hold CTRL and select Command Prompt Only. Then try:

copy c:\autoexec.bat lpt1:

(or lpt2: or wherever your printers are at)

You may have to hit the formfeed to get the page to eject if it's less than a full page.

If you can hit the printer in this way then you at least have a live printer and a cable that can may work. (Some printers need bi-directional cables for Windows printing so this is not always a full test). If you printed here then try obtaining and installing the latest drivers for that *exact* model printer from Epson's site:

http://www.epson.com/printer/

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1067161
Asker : bkemp1221@...
Subject : midi song plays randomly... bug?
Private : No

Question : Hi! For about three months now ive been having a very strange problem, one which NOBODY can figure out. Ive called all kinds of tech support, read books, EVERYTHING, but i cannot find an answer...

Ok, it's a midi (the one that comes out of the internal speaker) song that plays at random times when my computer is just on (not playing anything, or online-- nothing that triggers it) I have deleted my hard drive, switched sound cards, screwed with msconfig.exe, EVERYTHING!!
Help me please!!! :(

thanks :D

Answer : I know the answer... Your computer is haunted! =)

Is it a particular MIDI file that plays?

I suspect you have a bad sound card - hardware problem. Here's how to confirm it:

1) Do a find (Start/Find/Files or Folders) and search any and all hard disk partitions for each of these extensions:

RMI
MID

When you find them rename them with a BAK extension like this:

Twinkle.MID becomes TwinkleMID.BAK

(be sure and include the original extension before the period so you can rename them back as they were later).

Ok now with every MID and RMI file renamed in this fashion you HAVE no MIDI files. If you still get the sounds the sound card or it's driver is doing this. If you do hear the sound still go grab the latest sound drivers from your manufacturers' web site - you can likely find it here:

http://winfiles.cnet.com/drivers/sound.html

If that still doesn't fix it then try moving your sound card to another slot (reseating it in this way plus moving to a new slot may fix a connection issue, or a bad slot). If it *still* does it then replace the sound card and see if it goes away.

Since you said you have reinstalled trying to fix this I would say the sound card hardware is likely the culprit.

Good luck, and don't forget to rate the answers you receive...

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : Well, i sure have some interesting info for you...

First of all, i searched for all rmi and mid or midi files, and i recognize all of them, and none is the one that plays... I have upgraded drivers and screwed around with that... I have moved it to a different slot (would the fact that it sin an ISA slot have anything to do with it?)... I have replaced the sound card with a new one, a new Creative one (for a PCI slot)...
IN ALL THESE CASES, IT STILL BLOODY PLAYED!!

I am completely stuck, but thanks for the help.

Answer : Sounds very strange! With a different card and drivers the only things I would expect we have left are:

1) freaky motherboard issue (doubtful it would manifest itself in such an innocuous manner).

2) Virus or other prank-playing program

I would guess we're talking about #2

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 1071589
Asker : tkubat
Subject : system resources
Private : No

Question : I have a Pentium III 600mhz processor that came with 128 meg ram. I was constantly running low on system resources so I upgraded to 256 meg ram and have not had a noticeable difference. The speed and performance are just fine, but I run out of gas. I usually run MS Word & Excel, Outlook, 3-4 IE 5.0 browser windows and a mapping program. All of which I could also run on my Pentium 133 laptop with only 48 meg ram. Any suggestions?

Answer : Increasing RAM does not increase system resources (except, of course, the memory programs and data use). The limitation is the Windows resource stacks and heaps that are used. These stacks have a finite limit (64K) and once they are exhausted all the RAM in the world won't make any difference. Two of the main components are USER.EXE and GDI.EXE (Graphic Device Interface). These handle all the graphical interface widgets and such for the OS and all applications. Some programs use more of these stacks than others, and some are bad about relinquishing these resources when they quit. To watch your resource levels try running (or installing from Add/Remove control panel/Windows Setup tab and running) Resource Meter. It is located at Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools. The best advice is to watch how many init-style apps you have loading - these are the kind that load from the Start/Programs/Startup folder, or that pop up in your systray when you boot (bottom-right). Remove the non-essentials here and you will find your load is greatly reduced.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1105568
Asker : erdahl
Subject : Missing CD Rom
Private : No

Question : On boot up the computer (os win 98) sees the CD Rom, and have just reinstalled Win 98 using dos. My computer shows the A drive, the C drive, but no D or CD Rom Drive. No CD ROM appears in device manager, and there are conflicks in the hard disk controllers. Hope you can help, thanks, Jim.

Answer : If you just reinstalled and are seeing conflicts on the hard disk controllers (IDE) I would suggest you look on youmaterials that came with your system or motherboard for a CD or floppy that has some drivers for Windows. Some motherboards are not quite Windows-compatible after a clean install and need these patches to straighten things out with PCI/AGP/IDE devices. I tend to avoid motherboards that need such things as they are not well-engineered IMO. Plus this mackes you reliant on them in the event the same thing needs to be done on the next OS you run on it.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 1126579
Asker : beatleknight
Subject : Installing Windows 98 over NT
Private : No

Question : Hi Paul. I recently purchased a Pentium III PC with 128mb RAM, 10.2gb hard drive, with a floppy, CD ROM, and Zip drive, from a local company that went out of business (they liquidated their assets). The problem is, the PC has Windows NT installed and it keeps asking me for a logon id and password. Needless to say, I haven't been able to do anything with it. Is there any way of istalling Windows98 over NT or do I have to uninstall NT? If so, how do I go about doing it? I have the Windows 98 SE upgrade, so do I need to purchase the full program in order to install it? I hope you are able to help me. Thanks for your time.

Answer : You're getting prompted for login because NT is more security-oriented and will not allow entry without an ID and password.

Yes you will need either a 95 or 98 CD to use the upgrade. Once you get one of those CDs follow the steps in this other answer I gave with exhaustive detail on preparing to install.

http://www1.askme.com/ViewAnswer.asp?vid=184514

For your machine there will be one difference - put a program called DELPART.EXE on the floppy also before you reboot and start fdisk'ing. It will be needed if your partitions are NTFS. You can get delpart.exe from here:

http://ftpsearch.lycos.com/cgi-bin/search?doit=Search&type=Case+insensitive+multiple+substring+search&hits=15&matches=&hitsprmatch=&limdom=&limpath=&f1=Count&f2=Mode&f3=Size&f4=Date&f5=Host&f6=Path&header=none&sort=none&trlen=20&query=delpart.exe

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 1237564
Asker : domenicabonanni@...
Subject : passwords and sent mail someone read
Private : Yes

Question : Dear Paul,
How do you find out what someone's password is that is using the same computer???????
And how does someone get you e-mail mail that you sent out back and read it...... / or find it on the computer,,,,,,,I would really like to know, my daughter did this to me and I would like to know how she did it,,,,,,
Thanks so much for your help,

domenicabonanni@hotmail.com

Answer : Finding a person's password differs from OS to OS, and not being the nosy type I don't delve into account information. As for the email she likely poked around in your "Sent" mail folder and saw what you had previously sent - most email packages save sent messages by default (can be disabled).

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.Sc.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 1249107
Asker : jbailey1
Subject : MS Word 97
Private : No

Question : When I go into tools, options the Track Changes, Edit, and Compatibility options are not available. The tab does not show any options. The others such as General, Print, and Save are fine. I need to get to Track Changes and Edit do you have any suggestions? I am on an office network and the computer guy reinstalled Word but it did not help.

Jay

Answer : I have not seen this but I can say that you may want to uninstall Word *completely* (Add/Remove programs control panel) followed by removing it's registry entries, likely stored at (run regedit from Start/Run) to access the editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Office/Word

Just delete the whole "Word" item to be rid of past settings and then reinstall Word.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1275090
Asker : shmuckman
Subject : How do I reformat my hard drive?
Private : No

Question : How do I reformat my hard drive?

Answer : If it's not the boot drive just open a DOS prompt or Explorer and right-click the drive to be formatted and select "Format".

If it *is* the boot disk (C:) then you will need to make a boot floppy and include the format.com utility from \WINDOWS\COMMAND. Open a DOS prompt and type:

c:
format a:
sys a:
copy \windows\command\format.com a:\

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com
Rating : 4

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QAId : 1275352
Asker : bill_lautsch
Subject : compaq prolinea 466 startup
Private : No

Question : Naive. I picked up a Compaq prolinea pc that I want to fix up for a friend. The person that I got it from said that the harddrive was wiped clean. I can get it to boot from a floppy but not from the harddrive. What do I need to to do? I know how to get to the setup (F10) but I'm not sure what to set. Or what files I have to copy to the hardrive. Can you help me?

Bill

Answer : Well the short answer is that you have no OS on the drive. In the BIOS you need to set the hard drive controller ports to "Auto" for detection and install an OS to the drive. That can be any of anumber fo things - DOS, Windows, Linux, OS/2, BeOS. But I suspect you want Windows. So boot from a boot floppy (see instructions below) and make a hard drive partition with fdisk.exe and then boot from the Windows install CD (or get the CD-ROM up under DOS and start the install that way).

Boot disk creation:

Open a DOS prompt and type:

c:
format a: /u
sys a:

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : I think that i have half of what you say.

Unfortunately I don't have a cdrom yet, I have to get that and install it this week, so for now I'm trying to get it to boot from c: drive. and use a DOS OS.

It recognizes that there is a c: drive if i do a boot from the bootdisk, but if I just copy the files from the boot disk to c: drive and reboot, I do get the "missing operating system" message.

I did an FDISK and it gives me this info:

Partition Status Types MBytes System Usa
1 non-dos 4 1%
c:2 A PRI-DOS 602 Fat16 100%

Are there hidden files that I have to copy from a: c:?

still lost.

Answer : You need the sys.com command file I mentioned in my first answer. Get it on that floppy from another system, boot on the floppy and issue an:

sys c:

This will install the system files to the C: drive and it will not boot to DOS without a floppy. To get Windows on this machine without a CD-ROM drive you will want to pull the hard disk out and put it temporarily into another machine that has one. Then copy the install files for the OS (Win 95 or Win 3.1) to the hard disk and then put the drive back.

For 95 you will:

Make a dir on the drive for the 95 files:
md X:\win95kit

Copy the files (CD is letter F: here):
xcopy f:\win95\*.* X:\win95kit

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the asnwers you receive on AskeMe.com...
Rating : 5

FUQuestion : GREAT!

That worked very well. I had a PC wth 2 harddrives and just replaced the second one with the empty harddrive.

If I had just one harddrive installed would I just take it off and do the same thing? Or if there is another connector on the cable could I just hook it up there?

Thanks again!

Answer : Most IDE cables have three ends - one for the controller (the one at the furthest end) and two others for each of two devices. You can hook two drives up to these two connectors. Be sure if you do that the primary disk (one you are booting from) is jumpered as "Master, Slave present" and the other is jumpered as "Slave". When you're done and take the second one out be sure to set the jumper on the primary back to "Master, no Slave present" if you have such a setting (some do, some don't).

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
End :

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QAId : 1277744
Asker : jon19
Subject : Installing a new hard disk
Private : No

Question : I have an ide hard disk that is partitioned into a c and d drive. The c drive is almost full. I want
to buy a 20 gig drive and then transfer everything from my old c and d drive. I then want to make my new drive the c drive (boot drive). I am using NT 4.0 sp 5 with NTFS.

Answer : Try using Norton's Ghost, for complete duplication of the old disk to the new. When you're done all will be the same but you will have loads of free space.

http://www.symantecstore.com/Product/0,1057,2-1-SN104675,00.html

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1278997
Asker : mystikal_nlp
Subject : text
Private : No

Question : I was in the internet when suddenly I did something and the size of the text got smaller.I can barely see the text.How do make the size of the text bigger or normal?

Answer : If you're in Internet Explorer as I suspect, select the View menu and then Text Size.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1281860
Asker : summers_maryann
Subject : pc anywhere or pro-comm plus
Private : No

Question : 1.)Have a PGDOS based application
2.) use pro-comm plus for terminal emulation on the office PC to access this application
3.) How can I get the office PC to have a unique IP addres so that I can access the application via the internet 90 miles away or am I dreaming.
The application is DDMS. I know they have a product called ACUMA which is costly and was wondering if I could achieve this myself.

Answer : #1 & #2 don't appear to be questions or relate to #3 so I'm answering #3:

Try this program - it allows you to connect to your PC-to-be-controlled from across the internet using a web browser only (and it uses SSL - Secure Sockets Layer) so it's encrypted.

http://www.remotelyanywhere.com/download.shtml

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com

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QAId : 1283988
Asker : djgaryb
Subject : ECP Printer
Private : No

Question : Here's my question for you. I'm trying to load a software program for Mark of the Unicorn Micro Express on my computer but it keeps telling me that there's a IRQ conflict. I figured out what it was by going to MOTU's web site and this was the answer that they gave.

"ECP printer port drivers are not compatible with MIDI. Use the normal Printer driver for the LPT port. To check whether or not you are using the normal driver, go to the device manager and click down on the ports list. Your LPT should publish "Printer port (LPT 1)" rather than "ECP Printer Port (LPT1). To update the drivers select the ECP printer port and choose properties. Hit the drivers tab and the "update drivers" button. Choose "No" for auto scan, next and "show all drivers". You should see a "Printer Port" driver on the RH side. If not, use your windows CD to install the driver."

I did all of the above but the problem is I don't have one that says "Printer Port (LPT 1)" but I do have "ECP Printer Port (LPT 1)."

I checked the win98 CD but I don't see anything that makes sense to use. I went into the printers folder but it only gave me a list of printers.

I checked my other computer which is win95 and it has the "Printer Port (LPT 1)."

So now, how do I get this "Printer Port (LPT 1) on my win98 computer?

Answer : Changing it there first may or may not have the intended effect. If they really insist on downgrading your parallel port you'll need to enter the BIOS setup screens (usually DEL during beginning of boot before hard disk access). Inside that screen find your "Intergrated Peripherals" screen or similar and use PgUp and PgDwn keys to set the parallel port to Standard LPT (sometimes "SPP") and then ESC out a few times and save/exit. Then reboot into Windows and see what the Device Manager says you have now (right-click My Computer on the desktop and select Properties, then enter the Device Manager tab and open the "ports" item). If it still says ECP that's likely because the driver hasn't been replaced. Have your Windows CD at the ready and select the ECP entry and press DEL to get rid of it. Then reboot and Windows should detect the "new" standard parallel port. If it still doesn't use the Add/Remove Hardware control panel to sniff it out.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1284122
Asker : bubblebugg
Subject : My icons on my desktop won't move!
Private : Yes

Question : Dear Paul,
I have a problem with the icons on my desktop. They won't move to where I try to put them. A while back, they'd go wherever I put them on the desktop (as far as location), but now they have columns set up and when you try to put an icon in a certain place, all the icons just rotate around! How can I change this so that my icons will stay where placed? (I have a PC with Windows98.)
Sincerly,
Cathy

Answer : No sweat... right-click an empty area of your main desktop and from the menu that pops up choose:

Arrange Icons and select (to uncheck) the "Auto Arrange" item.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1294482
Asker : ssmallet
Subject : Purchasing a New Computer
Private : No

Question : Hi Paul. I came across this web site today and think it's really neat. I appreciate your time. I am buying a new computer as my old computer is not able to handle all the programs I have and want to keep adding. I currently have a HP Pavilion with 46 RAM. I want a new computer to use for the internet and web-surfing, to make creating cards up and use word-processing features and put some of my games on. The old computer will be used by my children for games. Please make a recommendation as to how many RAM I would need so it won't be outdated in two years and other features
that might be important. I may decide down the road to use my computer to run a business. I want to capability to do things with it in the future. Thanks.

Need More Information : Can you tell me more? Like what web site you found and what machine they had that you liked? Also important is your budget for a system - if you tell me how much you want to spend I can target systems in that price range. A good place to start looking for economical systems would be:

http://www.e4me.com

Check out their Pentium 3 systems like the eMonster 600:

http://www.e4me.com/infocentral/product_emonster600.html

With a good monitor you could get this system for around 1200 dollars. Some of their systems require you to sign up for an internet account for a period of a couple or three years, upon which they reduce the system price by the account's cost effectively making the internet account "free". If this appeals to you then you can find some good deals this way.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : Hi Paul. I did end up buying a computer
last week. I thank you for your time.
I did some research on my own. But thanks again for your help. I just wanted to let you know that I've resolved the question. Thanks again.

Answer : Good enough... I hope you like the PC. Don't forget to rate the answers you receive.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 1295683
Asker : drcob
Subject : Does ASKME really payup?
Private : No

Question : Does this service EVER payup or is it a farce? You have been #1 for a while... what's up with them?

Answer : Yes they do pay. As you may or may nt know they don't pay the epxerts in every category each time - they randomly select categories for price money each time (not sure of the frequency). I've already been paid once since they chose one of my categories about a month and a half ago. At the time they checked the category (or by their averaging) I was #2 in that category and received a $50.00 check and a T-Shirt (about which I made some comments to them - the shirts should come in something other than mucho-grande and they should be unique (they are a generic AskMe.com shirt) - something on them should say "I'm an Award-Winning Expert on AskMe.com" so they are more fun for the winner).

I almost wish they didn't add the money thing (they did about 3 months after I started answering questions in January). I feel it has attracted many unqualified people, and has engendered many disingenuous techniques for raising people's stats. The money isn't very much anyway as you can see. $50.00 for the amount of effort I've put into this site would equate to about 25 cents an hour... I'm obviously not in this for the money.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 1309132
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : 3 Computer problems
Private : Yes

Question : 1. All of a sudden in my Word 2000 word processor all my fonts changed. Now all these new fonts have a computer Icon in front of each one. Even my favorite ARIAL is gone. Did I touch something by mistake? How can I put it back together and how can I include all fonts in my applications? Is that a good idea? Frankly I know nothing on how to manipulate the fonts.

2.My Defrag starts and stops at 10%, then everything freezes and and I have to turn on and off computer to start again. Can you take me to steps on how to fix this problem?

3. I have 450 IntelIII with 96 RAM, but for some reason I keep getting a memory not sufficient sign. I do save a few pix(could that be it)?. Do I have to get more memory or is there a cheaper way to solve this problem?

Thanks

Peters

Answer : 1. If the font problem exists only in Word (and not in all Windows apps) then you can try reinstalling (or uninstalling and reinstalling) Word to get it to reestablish it's links to your fonts. If this occurs in all apps your \WINDOWS\FONTS folder may have a problem.

2. Defrag problem. Try scandisk first (Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ScanDisk) and ensure there are no errors on the disk. Also try removing any running apps you don't need as they can interfer (but usually just cause a restart, not a lockup) - press CTRL-ALT-DEL once and remove all but explorer and systray from the menu by clicking End Task on each in turn.

3. You are running out of resources more likely than RAM. Reduce the number of items you load at boot-time (many of which will place an icon in the systray at bot-right). They can be loaded from a few places - the most common:

Start/Programs/Startup

In the registry at:
(use regedit.exe to examine the area)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run

With "Run" selected at the left examine the list of it's contents at the right. Any that you know you don't want click on them at the right and press DEL.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 1312224
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Interlinking a computer
Private : No

Question : Hello,

I have an old laptop I want to put 95 windows on it. I am going to use another laptop to do this. I know I have to use interserver and or interlink to do this. What do I have to have in the config. system on the client computer and the server computer. One of the computers has dos on it and the other one has 98 windows on it. Can you please respond to me asap as I am going to try this today... all help will be greatly appreciated..

Sincerely,

Danny Rich

Answer : Just hook a null-modem serial cable between the two machines, and boot each to DOS and run this utility:

http://members.home.net/iqueue/xport.exe

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1321588
Asker : bill_lautsch
Subject : CMOS Password
Private : No

Question : Since you were so good the last time.

I have a CMOS password that I can't get rid of. I've taken the CMOS battery out (overnight) still no good. There is a line on the motherboard "JP15 CMOS CLR" with a JP15 nearby, but no switch. What can I do?

Answer : On that jumper on the motherboard - just jumper it for a few seconds and then put it back. It will clear the contents of CMOS and should rid you of the password. The jumper itself should be three pins with a jumper (shunt - small black platic case with metal contacts) over two of the pins. Switch the jumper to cover the other two and it should reset.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : There is nothing like you describe, only one square and one round solder spot near the JP15. Do I just jumper these together?
Rating : 5

Answer : So that JP15 jumper pad has only two pins and they're not currently jumpered (they are "open")? Then yes just put a jumper on those pins for a few second and the CMOS data will be erased (be sure you know what settings you have different from defaults - drive parameters, LPT port type, etc). Once you do this all CMOS data will be reset to defaults and should remove the password as well.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 1331330
Asker : bubblebugg
Subject : My screen just goes blank!
Private : No

Question : Dear Paul,
I have another problem. It's my computer moniter. If I leave the computer alone for a while, my screen will just go blank. I don't have an on/off switch on my moniter. My moniter automatically comes on when you turn my hard drive tower thing on. The only thing I can do to make the screen come back is to restart my computer. I know the computer is on because the keyboard's lights are on, the tower's lights are on, and the speakers' lights, too. I know the moniter is off because the light on it is orange, which means it is off. What can I do to make my screen stop going blank?

Answer : You're having power management troubles. To fix it enter your BIOS setup screens (reboot and press DEL when prompted) and disable power management from there, then enter Windows and set what you want (in terms of minutes before monitor power-down, hard drive spin-down etc) there.

The settings for power management are in Start/Settings/Control Panel/Power.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 1332045
Asker : bill_lautsch
Subject : L2 cache, error messages
Private : No

Question : Hi again. I'm beginning to wonder if the P133 project is worth it. It was running for awhile but now I've run into a bunch of problems agaain. It halts sometimes after the Bios identification and before the System Configuration screen. If it does make it to the system configuration screen it says "L2 cache type : write back" and "Cache memory w/b cahce on", it used to sat 512K. I've also had error messages regarding the system.ini file and vwin32 vfat, vcond, spooler files. It has also said that "HIMEM.SYS has detected unreliable XMS memory at address 001000C0" and "HIMEM" is missing. I maanged to reload W95 on it again by disconnecting and reconnecting the cable between the motherboard and the first HD to get past the halt that I mentioned, and it's up and running now.

Is this a HD problem, a motherboard problem, a L2 cache problem, a memory problem or what? Is it worth trying to correct? If not, are there any parts that I can salvage for another machine?

I don't mind putting in the time if there is a "light at the end of the tunnel". If it's just a matter of replacing a HD or another component it's okay.

Your advice

Answer : Have you tried entering the BIOS and ensuring the settings are good for your hardware? If not you should. If you're not sure what should be what try hitting the "Load Fail-Safe Defaults" (or similar) to get some settings that are not optimal for speed but may solve any bad settings you have.

If you decide to give up on the machine the following items could be used elsewhere:

CPU
RAM
case
add-in cards (video, audio, network, modem)

You can also try disabling the L2 cache inside the BIOS and see if this eliminates your troubles (it will be a lot slower though so don't be surprised).

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

FUQuestion : I've tried to get into the bios but that password is still blocking me. I tried putting a jumper on the JP 15 I mentioned ina nother question, but it didn't do anything. Does the power have to be onwhen I do it?

Answer : It didn't get rid of the password huh? I usually set the jumper then power on (which on ATX boards it won't power up, but just in case it's required for the reset to occur I do it) for a few seconds and then power down and move the jumper back.

Try it that way and see if the password is gone.

Try this if it still won't go away (if an Award BIOS):

When prompter for the password hold down left SHIFT key and type

AWARD_SW

Press Enter then let go of the SHIFT key. It should bypass *and* disable the password.

Another thing to try is to remove the CMOS battery (if socketed) for a few minutes, perhaps in combination with the jumper). Once power is removed the CMOS memory should lose it's contents, including the password.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : I had to try your recommendation right away and "YES YOU ARE A COMPUTER GENIUS". The password skip worked and I got into the CMOS, I still have to check out the other problems with the CACHE and the HIMEM.SYS, but you solved something that has really been nagging me!

**********

THANK YOU!!!

Answer : You're very welcome! I'm glad I could help...

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
End :

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QAId : 1336781
Asker : amitmathur
Subject : computer troubleshooting
Private : No

Question : The programs on my PC hang and an error message "rundll32 error" or "msddrv file not found" comes and the monitor shuts down. when we scroll or move the mouse or press enter then the monitor comes to life but the win98 does not load fully. Help me.I have Pentium 233 MMX with 32MB RAM and Win98 loaded. I had formatted the hard disk and installed Win98 again but still the problem does not go away.

Answer : It sounds like two things may be going on (although you didn't provide enough detail):

1) Try disabling power management in the BIOS (press DEL at boot-time). This may fix your "wake-up" situations.

2) Scan for programs you have loaded that may be generating the rundll32 error. Checkin Start/Programs/Startup

and also check (use Start/Run/regedit.exe - hit ENTER) here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run

With "Run" selected at the left examine the items on the right. If any are programs you don't want loaded each time you boot click them and press DEL.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

FUQuestion : I have re-installed the VGA driver and now the earlier problem has gone. But a new problem has cropped up. It gives an error message "Fatal error" and some No. of that error. Now what should I do?
Declined (Reason) : No reason was provided for declining this question.

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QAId : 1677247
Asker : lars800
Subject : Fax / Modem Troubleshoot
Private : No

Question : Hi Paul,
I was faxing away on my internal "Fax Talk Communicator" via internal Modem SupraMax56.
The computer got too busy (maybe to many other programs open) and frooze. I had to shut down manually (power off). When starting again, the fax will not work.

The fax is not INITIALIZING, I get messages like:

"TAPI operation failed for unknown reasons"
"Invalid modem initialization string"

I did some of Win98's t-shoot, e.g. tried to connect the modem to MSDL by using HyperTerminal.
It will not connect when trying to dial the phone number "Disconnected" is displayed.

All this leads me believe something is wrong with the Modem set up? Under Modem properties (via control panel) it say it is connected to COM3 port..i thought it was supposed to be COM1..
I just tried to access the Modem for Aol ISP (I am using cable modem writing this), same deal not able to initialize modem...

Any ideas what could have gone wrong or what to try next?
Thanks
Lars

Answer : I would try uninstalling Dial-Up Networking (Add/Remove Programs, Windows Setup, Communications, Details, uncheck DUN) and then uninstall and reinstall the modem. Once the modem is back in place (I agree COM1 is the preferable choice here assuming it doesn't conflict with the onboard serial port (disable the onboard one under your BIOS setup) reinstall DUN.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1705230
Asker : shelvia49
Subject : slow running movie clip
Private : Yes

Question : I downloaded a movie clip from a website & it ran very slow & the words were garbled. My computer is an IBM compatible with a pentium processor. I have 32MB of memory. My video card is a PCI S3 virge 3D 64 bit with 4MB EDO Video RAM.

Thanks.

Answer : That's a not even close to a state of the art PC anymore my friend. Your problem may simply be that your hardware is not capable of playing that clip properly.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 1

Answer : That wasn't intended to be rude - sorry if you were offended by it - it was merely a humorous way to point out what I had hoped was already apparent - that this is a circa 1995 machine and may, by definition, have trouble performing multimedia chores.

Good luck in your computing, my non-friend... :-)

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : Ok-let's try again-sorry I took your comment the wrong way. I guess what you're saying is that, even though, I bought the computer only 2 years ago, that it only has the capabilites of a computer built in 1995? My son has an older computer, with what he says has much less capability than mine & he can view this particular clip just fine.

Answer : It's possible your machine is misconfigured but without seeing the machine I couldn't say for sure. Perhaps a clean install of Windows is in order? Be sure all your video and audio drivers are the latest from your manufacturer's website.

Good luck,

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : Thanks again & sorry about the low rating. Can it be changed? I would like to up it. lol

Answer : You're welcome, and not to worry - but I think you can rate after each response - just click a different star for this answer.

FUQuestion : My son is going to install Windows 98 for me--hopefully that will work. Also, couldn't change the rating--sorry. Thanks again for all your help.

Answer : You're very welcome - good luck with your system(s)!

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 1709520
Asker : detrick92479
Subject : Cookies
Private : No

Question : I have had my computer for about a year now and am still learning. I want to know should cookies be deleted every so often ? If so how do I do it? I am using windows 98. Thank you

Answer : Cookies are self-expiring and do not need user maintenance. If you really want to deal with them they are stored under \WINDOWS\COOKIES

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1720730
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : Windows
Private : No

Question : I just had to reinstall Windows 98 Second Edition yesterday. Now my question is doesn't Network Neighborhood and My briefcase come automatically with Windows? I didn't get them on my pc. Is there any way create Network Neighborhood?

(If I'm not mistaken then my briefcase is just another folder like my documents. Anyway, if I create a new folder named briefcase, will it have the briefcase icon?)

Thank you.

Answer : The Briefcase will be there only if you added it during install. To add it afterwards go to the Add/Remove Programs control panel (Start/Settings/Control Panel), click on the Windows Setup tab, click on Accessories, click Details and check the box for Briefcase.

The Network Neighborhood isn't showing up likely because you have no network devices configured (notice I didn't say "installed"). Try right-clicking the My Computer icon and selecting Properties. Then check the Device Manager tab and see if your modem or Ethernet card are flagged with an exclamation point (meaning there is a problem with them). If you know you have a device like a modem or network card and it's not even listed anywhere in here you may have a low-level IRQ conflict and may need to move the card to another slot to get it recognized.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

FUQuestion : I have my modem configured and there's not any ! or ? in the device manager. Isn't there any other way to get the NN from the windows CD?

Thanks!

Answer : A modem by itself is not a networking device - you'll need to add Dial-Up Networking now as well.

Start/Settings/Control Panel/Add-Remove Programs/Windows Setup tab/Communincations/click on Details button/check the box for Dial-Up Networking

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 1724949
Asker : charly23
Subject : really annoying prob
Private : No

Question : my computer freezes OFTEN when on the net why does it happen and HOW do i fix it ? it is very annoying especially when chatting ! PLEASE help me ! THANKYOU !

Need More Information : I need more details - what OS are you running - what app are you using when the error occurs? - what does the error say and look like? - How are you connecting to the net?

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : thanks for your reply.i am running windows 98.connect to net via 56k aztec external modem.no error message occurs everything just freezes nothing works,the only way to get back on is by restarting the computer this mainly happens when chatting. i chat in ninemsn in australia.it also used to freeze before i was connected to net but it now happens up to 4-5 times a night.hope this helps thanks for your time.

Answer : Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the modem? Did you use the manufacturer's disk at all? With an external modem it's probably best if you don't as there is nothing really needed from your modem "driver" except an initialization string - the serial port duties are handled well by Windows's serial driver. Try removing the modem entirely (note all internet settings in Network control panel and in Dial-Up Networking connection *first*). Also remove Dial-Up Networking from Add/Remove Programs control panel, Windows Setup tab/Communications.

Then add the modem back, then Dial-Up Networking, and then add your settings back in. Let me know if this helps or not and we can continue if need be.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1731383
Asker : barry1023
Subject : Network Neighbourhood
Private : No

Question : I've suddenly got the Network Neighbourhood icon on my desktop. I'm not on a network so how can I get rid of it.

Answer : It's there because you have some sort of networkable adapter installed. Check your Network control panel (Start/Settings/Control Panel/Network) and if you have adapters you don't need/want delete them.

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 1735012
Asker : glenn1034
Subject : Outlook 2000
Private : No

Question : Dear Paul,

I am using Windows 95 and Office 2000.
All of the Office programms are working fine except Outlook 2000.
When I go to start Outlook 200 it tells me that I need to have Internet Explorer 4.1 or higher installed and suggests I install Internet Explorer 5 from the Office 2000 CD. It then comes up with a screen saying "Cannot start Outlook"
However I already have Internet Explorer 5.5 installed on my system. Can you suggest why this is happening and a possible solution?

or alternatively can you suggest any other type of calander/schedule software that I may be able to use.
I am using Outlook Expree 5 as my default e-mail editor.

thanks and regards

Glenn Bidmead

Answer : It sounds like Outlook (and Office 2000 in general) is not hip to the beta of IE (5.5 - which is not an official release). What may solve it is to apply the Office 2000 Service Pack - you can apply it here:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/details/SR1.htm

Paul Doherty
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1746412
Asker : gdhf
Subject : Newsgroup
Private : No

Question : I have Outlook Express 5. I am having trouble getting a list of newsgroup and said unable to connect to a server. The protocol if you need to know is NNTP. I dont know if that make any different.

Answer : Open Tools/Accounts/News tab/select yours from the list/Properties

Ensure that the following item is not checked unless you know it needs to be:

"My news server requires me to logon"

Then try obtaining the newsgroups again.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

Rating : 5

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QAId : 1759232
Asker : jshum69
Subject : Notebook
Private : No

Question : Do you think Fujitsu Notebook are
reliable?? Do u think buying a notebook
is better online or the stores?

Answer : I don't have an opinion on their reliability as I've not used one.

As for online versus store this is an age-old debate (well as old as the 1997 or so when there were online sites).

The benefits of a store are:

Immediacy - you can see it, touch it, play with it, taste it (ok, maybe not - they might kick you out of the store for that one) before you buy.

Return - if the item is not going to work out (or simply doesn't work) you can return the item for another.

The benefits of online purchasing:

Lower cost/no sales tax - these are about the only advantages (other than purchasing in your PJs) that online sites have over the brick and mortar stores. If saving a bit of green is your primary consideration (i.e. "you already know what you want") then this may be for you. But be aware that if enough of the people in your neighborhood fail to support your local CompUSA or MomNPop shop they may not be there for you in the future.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 1848269
Asker : rdeboi
Subject : I'm trying to copy a CD Rom Disc
Private : No

Question : I'm using a PC and I'm trying to copy Corel Draw 8 from the CD ROM disc to my hard drive. However, most of the files copy OK, but evenually I get an error that says "Cannot Copy Flip.cpt, the device does not recoginize the
command."

What would you suggest? Thank you in advance.

Rick Deboi

Answer : Sometimes manufacturers put intentional read errors on CDs as a form of copy protection. This may be such a case. Try copying everything *except* the Flip.cpt file and see if it:

1) Copies successfully.

2) Installs (or does whatever it is that is prompting you to copy a CD you have in your hand to your hard disk).

If you really need a copy of this CD and have a burner try out Nero or CloneCD for the best ability to duplicate protected disks.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 5

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QAId : 1855797
Asker : gemni
Subject : outlook express email
Private : Yes

Question : I have outlook express email on my computer. How do I retrieve my email messages from another computer (or is it possible)? I haven't been able to figure out how to do this yet.

Also, I only have 32 ram on my computer for memory and would like to upgrade. Should I buy one 64 ram chip or just buy another 32 ram chip to make the total of 64?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Answer : As far as the RAM - there is always an inherent risk of instability when mixing memory brands/types so if you go for the cheaper method of adding a second 32MB stick you'll be at a higher risk of these problems. The more expensive, but better, option is to sell the 32MB stick and buy one 64 (or 128 preferably).

As for email - yes you can retrieve your email from other places. First check with your ISP and ensure that they don't have to enable this feature (they might call it "remote email" or something similar). Then just configure an account (Options/Accounts) in your friends Outlook Express (or any other POP email program - Netscape, Eudora, etc) to retrieve email from your ISP's server with your ID and password.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Rating : 4

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QAId : 1951255
Asker : sunmax
Subject : DRIVER
Private : Yes

Question : Bonsoir ! I always use TUMI'S 3d cursors , even the windows cursors are not animated , TUMI told me that it was obviously a driver problem , did not know what kind , gave me a link for drivers , but all was beyond my comprehension , would you perhaps be aware of what I need without setting Windows Sec,Edition ?
best regards,
Pierre Lepage
sunmax@aei.ca

Need More Information : Can you give me more details about what they told you (including the URL to the driver they told you to get)?

To add the standard animated pointers to Windows go to Start/settings/control panel/Add/remove programs/Windows Setup tab/Accessories/click Details/Mouse Pointers.

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

FUQuestion : Hi Paul ! I did what you suggested and was prompted to insert my Win.Sec.Edetion CD , which I was sure that it was retreiving the necessary drivers ,the directions were excellent however the cursors remainded flat , so did the windows cursors [no animation ] I'M I MISSING SOMETHING LIKE VBRUN OR WHATEVER ? BAFFLED !!!!
The person did not reply , so I WAS SURE THAT IF I SETUP WINDOWS AGAIN , I WOULD GET EVERYTHING I NEEDED BACK,NOT SO ! Also , after setup , I cannot drag icons in the left taskbar , it says when I right click on it , to use QUICK LAUNCH , CANNOT CREATE " TOOLBAR FOR" , This problem , I WILL CONTACT YOU AGAIN TROUGH PROPER CHANNELS !
Please do not reply no comment because you deserve an excellent rating ,
regards,
Pierre
PENT.111 450 with an Ultra ATA/66 Controller Card for PCI, Win.98 Sec.Edition ,3D CARD , 56K ROBOTICS ETC....

Answer : No answer given per user request.
Rating : 5
End :

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QAId : 2006967
Asker : consultant19
Subject : PCs/internet users
Private : No

Question : hey could anyone tell me how many PCs and internet users there are currently in the U.S.. I am doing a little research on current trends and I need some ratios or numbers for my project Any articles or magazies I could read on any demographics would be cool too. Thanks

Answer : This site looks like it may suit your needs quite well:

http://www2000.ogsm.vanderbilt.edu/baseline/internet.demos.july9.1996.html

Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue

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QAId : 2034243
Asker : jcatena
Subject : IE 5
Private : Yes

Question : Hi, When I followed your directions to uninstall IE5.5 I ended up with IE 4.3. It works beautiful and the computer is efficient again. Thanks for your help. I noticed that all my favorite sites are alphebetized in the start menu. How do you get them in alphabetical order?

Answer : Bring the menu up and while pointing at something in the Start menu you want to organize right-click and select "Sort by Name". if that option does not appear then you may want to find a copy of IE 5.01 as it has that feature (and actually works, unlike 5.5).

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2104462
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : SFC.EXE
Private : No

Question : Hi I sure hope you can answer this for me. I have an Pentium II 486 celeron operating windows 98. Frequently i use my system tools to keep my computer operating at its peak performance, however, I ran sfc.exe (system file checker) and it comes up with approx. 50 files that have either been altered or deleted etc. How do I distinguist which of these files have been altered or deleted so I can choose to make the right choice on either restoring the file, update, etc. I guess what i am asking is this: How do i determine what these files belong to in order to make the CORRECT decision whether to fix, restore, overwrite, etc. these files? I don't want to make the wrong choices and screw up the system.......Any and all info. in great detail would be most appreciative. Thanks in advance!!

Answer : Unless you are trying to fix a specific problem I would suggest that you *not* run the system file checker, since, as you mentioned, it is nigh to impossible to know which files *could* (or should) be replaced with originals without disrupting whatever program ran over it in the first place. now if your system is behaving badly - locking up, crashing, etc then you would be well-justified to let SFC put back *any and all* files it sees that are different than original. In this case you are fixing a problem - which would you rather have, a broken app with a stable OS, or the converse? In this case a broken app is easier to fix and this will nicely illuminate possible suspects for you (as those programs replacing base system component files may have started the trouble).

Windows 2000 (newest NT) and Millenium (upgrade to 98) both support "system file protection" which will not allow programs to run over Windows critical files in this way (they shouldn't be anyway, but some still try). Perhaps an upgrade to Millenium is in order?

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2199649
Asker : snow_jin
Subject : how can i know the initialization string of my ess ess56v-x mondam?
Private : No

Question : how can i know the initialization string of my ess ess56v-x mondam?

Answer : Here you go:

http://www.jenera.com/modems/?letter=E&action=List

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Answer : Don't forget to rate the answers you receive on AskMe.com...

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QAId : 2231608
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : desktop
Private : No

Question : Sometimes....in my taskbar there is a white page icon with window logo in center and folded right corner instead of the regular icon. Also same icons can be found in my favorites startup. Also when this happens and I right click on desktop I am not seeing the usual menu. What is this and why does it sometimes load this way and more importantly how can I get rid of it. Thanks Paul,

Joe

Need More Information : Please give me more specifics - what app is running at the bottom with this strange icon at boot-time? Do you right-click and close it when it's there? Before doing so next time press CTRL-ALT-DEL once and write down the list of items that appear in that list and send them to me here.

Also please elaborate on your Start/Favorites menu and what you are or are not seeing there that you think should be there.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

FUQuestion : If I hold over the icon it is the "show desktop" and the "view channels" . The others next to them are the original icons for Quick Time Player, Launch Outlook Express, IE and @Home Network. The show desktop and view channels, which have their own icons are not displaying the regular icon but instead are displaying this white page with windows icon in center..
In ctl, atl and del I am showing the following:
Explorer
GuruNet
Real Play
Agtexe16
Mgavrte
Anote
Stimon
Atiptaxx
Starter
Rundll
Systray
Starter

Answer : Both the "Show Desktop" and "View Channels" are built-ins on the quick-launch bar at the bottom-left of your taskbar. They are near to useless and can be deleted by right-clicking them and selecting delete.

If you want to repair them they are associated (or at least the "Show Desktop" one) with Internet Explorer. Upgrading your IE may well fix the problem - you can do this easily by running Start/Windows Update and selecting the IE upgrade from the list of choices you get on the Product Updates screen.

As for your running tasks - a few should not be present and may represent part of your problems:

rundll
Starter (two of them)

It seems you have some programs in your startup somewhere that are not bug-proof or are improperly installed. You may want to clean up your startup items to find which program this is (or perhaps you already know).

Several places to look for startup items:

Start/Programs Startup

C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI (load= and run= lines near the top)

C:\CONFIG.SYS & C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT

run regedit.exe and look in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/RunServices

To check both of the above registry areas click the name indicated above on the left pane to see it's contents in the right pane. Once you've deciphered their purpose you can decide which should go away. This is the most likely location for many of your startup apps.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Answer : One other thing I meant to add is that the Show Desktop button corresponds to a file called "Show Desktop.scf" that is stored in two places:

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM

and

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Replacing this file may fix the icon without upgrading IE...

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2291983
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : email photos
Private : Yes

Question : Hi,

I am really new to computers, and I don't know if I am asking the right expert, but here goes:

My children now have grandchildren, and I am getting many photos of all of them by email. The trouble is that I run out of space in my email account because photos take up a lot of email space.

Is there a method of transferring the photos to a floppy disc or to a cd? If so would you describe the necessary steps?

Also, if there is another way to save my photos, would you suggest it to me?

Thanks so much,

Marie

Answer : If you're running out of space in your *email account* that means you are bumping into the space they give you for having an account (usually 5 or 10 MB). If you actually mean that your own hard disk is filling up with these pictures then sure you can just copy them off to a floppy disk.

Put a blank floppy in the drive (if necessary open My Computer, right-click the A: drive and select Format to prepare the disk). Then find the pictures you want to move, hold the CTRL key and begin selecting them one at a time (watching the status bar at the bottom of that windows as it totals the size) until you get to a number close to 1.3MB or so, then right-click one of those selected and select Send To/Floppy. Once they are safely on the floppy you can then delete those same files from the hard disk to free up space.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2294376
Asker : ab11
Subject : Temp internet files
Private : No

Question : Thanks for reading my request.
I am runnning win 98 I have gone to internet exlpoorer 5.1 ,from there did the following internet options advance and have ckecked empty temp.internet files folder when browser is closed. then clicked ok. After leaveing the browser I have checked but the files are still there and idea why. Thought this would delete the files for me but guess not.
thanks for any help yu can offer
Alan

Need More Information : Where are you still seeing the temporary files at after exiting the browser?

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

FUQuestion : After I leave the browser i go to explorer and look at temp internet files and they are still there they were not deleted. Hope this answeres you question and thanks kor reply
Alan

Answer : Well I wanted the specific directory you were seeing the files in...

the directory I believe it uses is:

C:\WINDOWS\TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES

This is one of Windows' "special" folders (like "My Documents") and as such you can;t trust what you see there (I just discovered myself). If you open your My Computer and open the C: drive and drill down to that directory above you will see loads of cookies and other files (graphics, HTML files, etc). If, however, you view this directory from a DOS prompt there is next to nothing in there! I'm not really sure why this is happening - I see reference to it all over the net - one thing you can do:

While in IE empty the folder from Tools/Internet Options/Delete Files

Also perhaps under the "Settings" button you could set to 0 MB for usage for temp files to prevent their ever being created...

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2294502
Asker : subirp
Subject : atm vs ethernet card
Private : No

Question :
I just started working in a hp-ux environment(hp9000). I noticed by doing "lanscan", I see an atm01 card and
a lan01 and both are up. I know atm is suppose to be faster than lan01 card but how do I know
which one is being used to communicate with
other servers in the network ?
Why is the purpose of 2 cards on the network ?
Which one does the network use?
How fast in atm compared to lan01 card ?
Thanks,

Answer : Usually a machine has two NICs to enable it to be on two networks at once. this can be done for a few reasons:

1) A backbone - the ATM may very well be the server's connection to the main backbone of your network, and the other care may connect it to a different network (perhaps the client community at large?)

2) An isolated backup network - keeping servers backup traffic off the main LAN

3) The server may be being used a a router.

I'm not an HP person but you'll need to get the IP addresses being used by each card and then you can tell (from Windows machines with netstat -a) which card is being used by establishing, say, a telnet or ftp session to that server and seeing which IP address is being used. You may be able to get the HP machine's IP addresses with an "ifconfig" command (like "ifconfig dev1" where "dev1" is the device name of the one you want info on - like "eth0").

ATM on LANs is limited to 25 or 155Mbps, comparing well to 10Mb and 100Mb Ethernet. But considering that 1000Mb (Gigabit) Ethernet is available and not terribly expensive (like ATM) it's not fair to say that ATM is faster than the other as you may have Gigabit running there already.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2303480
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : file extensions
Private : No

Question : I'm working with my scanner and understand the following extensions: JPEG, GIF, TIFF. Can you define a PCX file and how it is most useful?

Answer : PCX is just another (compressed) graphics file format like the others. Choose whichever one suits your needs. Small size files needed? JPG. Full color depth and quality? TIFF/PCX. Only need 256 colors and want a smaller file with no lossy compression? GIF.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 4

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QAId : 2314806
Asker : erict
Subject : Weird Novell Server Behavior
Private : No

Question : I am an MCSE but know nothing about Novell servers. I have been successful in the past in setting up NT and Win2k servers alongside Novell without causing any disturbances.

However, recently, I ran into a situation where attempting to plug in a server or workstation would cause the workstations to lose communication with the Novell server -- the users then lose any unsaved data. Sometimes, the server won't be visible to anyone until the new workstation connected into the network is physically disconnected from the network.

Is there something that would cause a Novell server to act such a way that this symptom would sohw up?

Or does it suggest problems with the cabling/hub?

The network has been characterized as stable and reliable until I tried adding workstations, and I am thoroughly puzzled on how to proceed.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks.

Answer : Without more information of your topology, protocols, or the version of Netware installed, I would suggest that it sounds like a workstation being plugged in either has:

A) A statically-assigned IP adrress that conflicts with the Novell server's IP address.

OR

B) By some snafu you have a NIC that has an identical MAC address to another machine on your network. This shouldn't be possible (unless people on this network have, in the past, taken advantage of the ability of some newer servers to remap this hard-coded address).

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2318666
Asker : p2mp385
Subject : shutdown
Private : No

Question : everytime i shutdow my computer it restarts, why does it do this? thanks for your help

Answer : Try disabling "Fast Shutdown":

Start/Run/msconfig (hit ENTER)

Under the General tab, select the Advanced button and check the "Disable fast shutdown" box.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2322588
Asker : mk_tran1149
Subject : save image
Private : No

Question : I want to save an image as jpeg but I have only bitmap in box to select , how can I have jpeg ? thanks.

Answer : Grab yourself a program that can convert from one image format to another - then save initially as BMP, open it in this new program and save in whatever format you need it in.

Here's some image converters:

http://winfiles.cnet.com/apps/98/graph-editors.html

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2336812
Asker : ka8cut
Subject : disconnection
Private : No

Question : Everytime I send or receive with Microsoft Outlook Express, my computer disconnects. My ISP (Triton) hasn't been able to help.

Answer : Only things I can suggest you look at that may cause this:

1) Check in Outlook Express under Tools/Accounts/Mail tab/select your mail account in the list/click Properties at the right/Connection tab

Inside here see if you perhaps have more than one Dial-Up Networking entry in the drop-down box. If so and the one connected is *not* the one you use when dialing in initially (even though they call the same place) this could be why you're disconnecting and reconnecting.

2) Also inside Outlook Express go to Tools/Options and check the General and Connection tabs for similar information.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5
Rating : 5

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QAId : 2344088
Asker : sw642
Subject : batch files
Private : No

Question : I'm new at this and appreciate any help I can get. I'm sure the solution is simple, I just don't it or where to find it. I created a batch file to start several programs at once. When I click the icon, the dos window opens and starts running the apps. The dos window stays open until I close. I would like it to open, start the programs, and then close the window automatically.

Thanks a Batch, Bill

Answer : Try putting

exit

as the last line of the BAT file...

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2345791
Asker : darkfire10@...
Subject : cd erasing
Private : No

Question : Here is the problem.. I have a program that turns mp3's into music for audio cd's, then it burns it to the cd, so it can be played from a regular cd. Well I did that with one song to test it, and it work. But now I can't put anything more song's or anything on the cd anymore, when I try to it say's it's not a read/write cd, that it is a audio cd. I even tried the program for eraseing the cd's that came with the computer. My question is can I get a program somewhere that will erase the cd, or format it back so I can write back to the cd. Thanks in advance....

Answer : An audio CD is a "burn-once" affair. For an standard audio player in your car or home to recognize any disk as containing audio the audio "session" must be closed, meaning no further data writing to the disk is possible. When building a data CD more than one session can be made (by selecting "close session but leave CD open") but not with audio - with audio you must choose all the tracks you want on the disk from the beginning and burn them all at once.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

FUQuestion : Is it possible to erase the cd? Or get something to do it???

Answer : No, it is not possible to erase the CD for the reasons I mentioned above. A CDR can have multiple sessions (meaning you could fill up the rest of the unused space) *if* it was not created as an audio CD. Audio CDs are terminated at the end of the audio data so "dumb" players like your car and home stereo can play them. That CD is shot - go buy some more...

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2362004
Asker : lotusblossom2@...
Subject : CNA retention programs
Private : No

Question : How do you establish a program for retention of CNAs?

Need More Information : Do you mean a program to help CNAs maintain their certifications, or one that helps you, as an employer, keep CNAs on staff?

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

FUQuestion : I mean retaining them as employees on my staff. Thank You.

Answer : As a (double)CNA/CNE myself I would like for an employer who wants to keep me to provide study materials and testing fees to help me maintain my certification status. Study materials here can be things like CBTs, practice tests, or Novell courses at the training facilities in your area. If needed as an additional incentive you could offer bonuses to those employees who successfully complete their CNA-renewal tests, although this may be overkill. I am, however, a fan of companies recognizing the increased value of an employee in the form of raises upon initial *completion* of certifications (especially the higher-level CNE/MCSE/CCIE certifications) as these require a large investment of time and effort on the part of the certified individual.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Answer : One more thing - one thing that is sure to breed loyalty to a company in a certified-individual's eyes:

Not only help them keep the certifications they *have*, but help them attain *new* ones relevant to their work. This growth is key to their survival and success in the marketplace, and in turn you will be fostering loyalty and get a more highly-skilled worker in the process. And keep the challenges at work coming until they cry "Uncle" :-)

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2367030
Asker : nvandersteen
Subject : system reboot
Private : No

Question : Paul,
I have the problem that every time I play a video media file (mpeg, avi etc) it reboots my system. I am running win 98.
Any suggestions?
Thanking you
Nigel

Answer : First try playing it with an *alternate* utility (other than the registered handler). Download QuickTime from http://www.apple.com or RealPlayer from http://www.real.com.

If it still occurs using different utilities then go get the latest video and audio drivers for your machine.

http://www.winfiles.com/drivers

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 4

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QAId : 2368044
Asker : ruben_de_souza@...
Subject : .scn file?
Private : No

Question : what is a *.scn file?

Thanks,
Ruben

Answer : It's apparently a TruSpace2 scene file... this is a 3D modeling application.

http://www.caligari.com/

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2368487
Asker : mds918
Subject : Booting problems
Private : No

Question : When I boot my computer i always get a error message that says problem installing protocol # 2 error 254. Could you help me out with this?

Answer : Sounds like some setup issues in the Network control panel. Try (noting the settings first!) removing all protocols *except* TCP/IP and see if the messages go away. (Also ensure you have only adapters in there that truly exist on your machine (i.e. no "double entries" of the same adapter)).

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2371532
Asker : GrahamChap
Subject : file conversion
Private : No

Question : Paul

Do you know of any programs to do file conversions, TRS80 DOSPLUS format to the IBMPC format?

I have some old files created on a word processor program called NewWord which ran on DosPlus operating system.

Would be grateful for info.

regards

graham
graham@somerleyton-green.co.uk

Answer : You may not find exactly what you need here but you'll certainly find *something* of value for the TRS-80...

http://www.trs-80.com/trs80-e.htm

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 4

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QAId : 2375734
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : PGP 6.0.2 for solaris
Private : No

Question : I would like to ask you if you know a place I can download this from.. It looks like I cannot seem to find it anywhere.. Help please :-)

Thanx,
Margo

mtyrgalo@yahoo.com

Answer : I think I've found what you need...

http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2379228
Asker : tobielaws
Subject : "boot sector virus dropper"
Private : Yes

Question : hello paul,
i am trying to find out what this means because my computer has like 13 of them. i also need to find a program i can upload from the web that will disinfect these files, as they are needed.

I am not a computer whiz, but i do know a bit about this and that, and i have no idea where I got these bugs from...can you help?
thanks,
tobie
tobielaws@hotmail.com

Need More Information : Where are you getting the text "boot sector virus dropper"? Does the virus kick up taunting messages?

Try http://www.sarc.com - this is Symantec's Anti-Virus Research Center.

Have you tried running any anti-virus utilities yet?

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

FUQuestion : My boyfriend has 2 years of college regarding computers, and he wasn't even sure what this "boot sector virus dropper" was. Here's what I explained to him. I have a chat program called Pirch (www.pirch.com) and while chatting in a room I recieved a message from one of the "irc bots" (automatic message). Here is the message:

[09:01] services.newnet.net:voy-sub7 adding KLINE for ~*@142.176.111.89 expiring in +12 hours. (Your system is infected with the Sub7 trojan -- For help removing it, please visit www.hackfix.org/subseven)

I went to the website and the only thing I could decipher was that I needed to upload something from the web to disinfect my files. So thats when I freaked out and called my b/f...he brought home the F-prot disc and ran an extensive scan of every single file on this computer. There were four not-needed files correpted, and we deleted those. Then he got the updated F-prot from the web and thats when we found the 12 or 13 files that, "...could be a boot sector virus dropper..." It said that the files could not be disinfected unless there was a diagnosis.
There aren't any taunting messages, and there was no other place where this term was shown, except during the updated F-prot scan.
The only odd things that the computer has been doing is like sometimes it functions as if its wading through mud: goes through very s-l-o-w patches where nothing seems to work without taking much longer than normal. Also (though this happened once or twice before I found this out; and may be something else entirely) it just reboots, by itself.

I hope some of this is more clarifying. Thanks for helping me!
TobieLaws@hotmail.com

FUQuestion : Hallo again Paul,
I forgot to add, I did try the free online scan on www.jrwhipple.com/freev and it revealed nothing, though I do not know how effective that particular program is.
Thanks again.
tobielaws@hotmail.com

Answer : Download this program to another machine and extract it to a floppy, write-protect the floppy and then run it from the floppy on the infected machine (my steps, not theirs - may not work this way but this is to ensure that the cleaner doesn't get infected, too):

http://www.uha1.com/win/trojan/tds-2.zip

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2405296
Asker : w_bressler
Subject : system crash
Private : No

Question : I have crashed my system after having loaded two operating systems and then going into ms-dos and mistakenly creating an UNDEFINED Logical Drive on the extended partition. I can't delete the partition because there's a logical drive on it, and I can't delete the drive because it wasn't defined. I can't even get the Quick Restore disks to work. Have I ruined the Master Boot Record or something? Can it be repaired? Can I do the repair myself? Please Help.

Need More Information : What happens? Does the system boot at all? If it does/does not what do you see? Can you boot from a floppy and then do a:

dir c:\

If so, what do you there?

To be able to get rid of an extended partition (if that is your desire) you must first delete any logical drives defined within it. Open fdisk and select the delete option, then the logical drive option. After any and all of those are gone you can select delete again from the main menu and delete the extended partition.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

FUQuestion : I can boot from a floppy, however, I cannot do a Reinstall of either Windows or Linux. When I did an "fdisk" under a DOS boot floppy I can see that I have two DOS partitions; one a primary and the other an Extended. I cannot delete the extended partition because it has a drive on it which is UNDEFINED, and I cannot Reinstall either of the OS's because when I try to reinstall Windows, it only goes so far and then it hangs. If I try to reinstall Linux, I get an error message saying that there is not enough disk space for the install. My OS's are trapped in there! I even did a "Format" under DOS floppy and when I returned (rebotted with the floppy) I STILL had two DOS partitions. So! I can't erase the data, and I can't reinstall it. God! This is scary!

Answer : Put this utility on the floppy and run it after booting from the floppy to get rid of the partitions.

ftp://ftp.ncd.com/pub/ncd/Archive/WinCenter/Utilities/delpart.exe

Be warned! This utility *will* remove the partitions if you make it do so - afterwards you will have no disk partitions defined and will need to reboot on the floppy and use fdisk to setup your DOS partitions. Be sure your boot floppy is setup to be able to load drivers so you can see your CD-ROM - you can get a driver from my web site - direct download is:

http://members.home.net/iqueue/idecd.sys

To add this functionality to your boot floppy make a CONFIG.SYS (or edit the existing one) and add the lines:

device=\himem.sys
device=\idecd.sys /d:mscd01

(be sure and copy himem.sys and the other files I have in the list below to the disk also)

Now edit (or create) the AUTOEXEC.BAT on the floppy to contain:

\mscdex.exe /d:mscd01 /l:f
\smartdrv.exe /n c+ f 8192 8192

OK now copy the following files to the floppy (these files can be found under \WINDOWS or \WINDOWS\COMMAND on a 95/98 system):

mscdex.exe
himem.sys
smartdrv.exe
idecd.sys (the one from my web page)
xcopy.exe
xcopy32.exe
edit.com
fdisk.exe
format.com
attrib.exe
sys.com

Test the floppy to be sure it loads the CD-ROM drivers correctly. To test put a CD in and do a DIR F: after booting from the floppy disk.

Aslo note that when setting up the partitions only setup the ones you intend to use for DOS - likely just the primary partition only. Do NOT create an extended partition. For example, say you have a 10GB hard drive and you want to use 7GB for Windows and 3GB for Linux. Use fdisk to create a 7GB primary partition (answer Yes when you first load fdisk about whether to enable support for large drives) and make it active. Leave the other 3GB alone - Linux will allow you to create a new partition of that free space during install.

After you make the primary DOS partition exit fdisk, reboot on the floppy again and execute these commands:

a:
format c: /autotest
sys c:
md c:\win98kit
xcopy f:\win98\*.* c:\win98kit\*.* /e

(you'll need the Windows 98 CD in the drive for the last command above)

Now reboot on the hard disk (remove floppy and CD) and do the following to start installing Windows:

cd \win98kit
lock c: /off
(answer Yes)
setup

Have fun!
--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Question : I have a set of 10 CD ROM medical teaching programs. These require the CDs to run the program once installed on the hard drive. The files are primarily graphic and some text. Since I travel a lot, I've found lugging these around somewhat annoying. Is there any way I could load the software on to the hard drive and leave the actual discs at home?

I have a Fujitsu S-4542 P3600, 256MB, 20GB.

Thanks

Answer : You could try copying the entires CDs to subdirectories on the hard disk like:

C:\CD1
C:\CD2
C:\CD3
etc...

Then you can use a program like FAKECD.EXE to make the directory for the one you want to run appear as a CD-ROM drive to Windows. Get fakecd.exe here:

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/.3/simtelnet/msdos/cdrom/fakecd.zip

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2467053
Asker : mds918
Subject : Error Messages
Private : Yes

Question : If i allow my comp to sit idle for about a minute or so is always has this error message: EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in
module KERNEL32.DLL at 015f:bff9d709.
Registers:
EAX=c00300ec CS=015f EIP=bff9d709 EFLGS=00010216
EBX=0065ffbc SS=0167 ESP=0061ff18 EBP=006201b4
ECX=00000000 DS=0167 ESI=00000000 FS=6367
EDX=bff76859 ES=0167 EDI=bff79050 GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
53 8b 15 dc 9c fc bf 56 89 4d e4 57 89 4d dc 89 ....

Can you help me out with This? Thanks. MDS.

Answer : The best thing to do is to start updating either Windows itself (through Start/Windows Update) or the drivers for your video/audio devices. Many times these types of crashes can be attributed to bad video drivers. Check here for the manufacturer of your video card to get the latest drivers:

http://winfiles.cnet.com/drivers/video.html

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2501675
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : monitor
Private : No

Question : It is a real problem!
After Format c:
I put the start up (after all drivers, boot etc.) and I get the possibility for d:
But when I put the CD, that wasn't the full version Win98 … So I close the computer until I get the full version from my friend or to get the Win 95 and then use this version.
But after I close the computer I took of the screen to connect it to the other computer. After I get the Win 95 I open the old computer (the screen wasn't connected). He make 3 beeps and he work. But I close it like it is and I connect the screen. After that every time I start the computer he make 3 beeps and then work and the start up floppy is accepted and the CD is accepted … But no screen. The computer work, but the screen is black.
I remember before format c: , when it was on Win 98, when I change the screen, (to give it the big screen) I get a message, that the computer detect a new monitor and asking me the " ok ". But know it seems that he lost the connection with each of the screens. The small screen like the big screen are black and the computer is working, and have no program to detect any screen. And I have no communication with the computer without screen.
Can you help me?
A second question.
(My new mouse it start to be … I should try move it again and again until I can get the arrow where I want. Do you thing I can fixe it?)

Answer : You may have either:

1) dislodged the video board when plugging and unplugging the monitor cable - to verify that this is not the problem turn off the machine and UNPLUG it from the poer cable. Then open the machine and take out and reinsert the video card, making sure to screw it down securely. Then try booting again.

2) Video board may have been destroyed by your plugging and unplugging the video cable. I find #1 to be a more likely situation but destroying a card this way is not unheard of.

As for your mouse you likely have some dirt built up on the rollers inside. This happens over time as skin oils are picked up by the mouse ball and transferred to the rollers. then the now-oily rollers pickup any and all dirt and dust from your mousepad and begin to form lines of gunk across each roller. Take your mouseball out and look at each roller - you will likely see a thin line running in the middle of each - that is the gunk I'm referring to - take a flat-head screwdriver or other small instrument and GENTLY scrape sideways against the gunk line and take all of it off. You will find your mouse will roll like new again.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2511122
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : building a computer
Private : Yes

Question : I'm making some upgrades to my system but I have to buy a new motherboard because my old one doesn't support some of the things I want. My question is that can I take my hard drive from my old system and use it on the other motherboard so I don't lose all of the saved information?

thanks for your time

Answer : Yes and no... yes the data will be there, but no the OS won;t be happy and may even not boot properly (since you've just uprooted everything it knows about your hardware). Best bet is to archive the things you know you want to keep off to floppies, ZIP disks, CDRs, whatever and plan on doing a clean install of whatever OS you're using once the new motherboard is installed. If you can't do that you can do the next best thing:

1) make a boot floppy (make saure it loads CD-ROM drivers so you can access the CD and put the tools you'll need on it (fdisk,format,deltree, etc))

2) Boot off of it and nuke the installed OS directory

example:

deltree c:\windows

3) Reinstall the OS

All app directories will still exist so no saved data will be lost. However you may find that after you reestablish shortcuts to those apps they don't work anymore and may need a reinstall *to the same dir they are in now*. None of this is for the faint of heart so if this is not clear you may want to hire someone who does this for a living.

Good luck...

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 4

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QAId : 2532214
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : monitor
Private : No

Question : It is a real problem!
A small story before and after the problem and you will know everything.
After Format c:
I put the start up (after all drivers, boot etc.) and I get the possibility for d:
But when I put the CD, that wasn't the full version Win98 … So I close the computer until I get the full version from my friend or to get the Win 95 and then use this version.
But after I close the computer I took of the screen to connect it to the other computer. After I get the Win 95 I open the old computer (the screen wasn't connected). The computer tried to find the screen, was no screen so it makes 3 beeps and starts to work without screen. So I close it, I connect the monitor, and when and each time I open the computer it try to find the screen (even its connected) and for him the screen doesn’t exist. It makes its 3 beeps and starts working. (With a black screen. Absolutely noting, like it was no connection at all.
I remember before format c: , when it was on Win 98, when I change the screen, (to give it the big monitor) I get a message, that the computer detect a new monitor and asking me the " ok ". But know it seems that he lost the program for each of the screens. The small screen like the big screen are black but the computer is working, and have no program to detect any screen. And I have no communication with the computer without screen.
Can you help me?
A second question.
(My new mouse it start to be … I should try move it again and again until I can get the arrow where I want. Do you thing I can fixe it?)

Answer : Question #1

You very likely did one of two things when you unplugged, and then replugged, your monitor cable.

A) You dislodged your video card (likely). To test for this open the case with the power off and the power cable disconnected. Reseat the video card and ensure it is screwed firmly in place. Then try the system again.

B) You fried the video card or monitor by plugging and unplugging it. To check move the monitor back to the other system and see if it still works. If it does see #1 above to verify the vide card.

If after this you still get no video then you may have damaged the motherboard.

Question #2

Clean the mouse - open the bottom, take out the ball, and clean the rollers inside the mouse of gunk.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2571900
Asker : h_lebron
Subject : computer file
Private : No

Question : What is a file,how is organize,and how many types of file are?

Answer : A file is simply the smallest unit of organization from the operating system's perspective. A file can be a picture, a binary executable file, or a text document consisting of a single character (with the necessary header information). A file is composed of the data the user (or program) needs, plus a "wrapper" of sorts to identify the file format, length of the data portions, etc. The file format used when storing files differs from program to program - for example Microsoft Word uses it's own ".DOC" format. If you have another word processor that can't handle that file format then you will not be able to get at the data in that file (since this program does not know how to interpret the layout of the file format).

As for how many file types there are, that's an open question as anyone who cares to can generate a new way to store the same information, give it a name (extension) and there's another one to add to the list. Here's a sample of the file formats in existence (doubtful it's totally inclusive):

http://www.elfqrin.com/docs/hakref/file_formats.html

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 4

FUQuestion : I need to know more information about how a file is organized.

Need More Information : Well you will have to pick a particular file format you want to know more about, and then search up the details. For example, if I wanted to know about the file format JPG I could get some info by popping:

jpg file format specifications

into http://www.google.com and get this:

http://www.google.com/search?q=jpg+file+format+specifications

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2610429
Asker : EvilGt58
Subject : help!
Private : No

Question : Hi Paul,
Two questions, first, I seem to be getting errors on my hard drive frequently, as defrag won't run and scandisk is required to fix them- which it does. Why is this? I haven't had this problem until recently. I defrag daily at least, and scandisk every night. I've had OCCASIONAL errors, of course, but this is every time.
Second...I've been told to set my virtual memory settings (both min and max) to about twice my ram. Windows is managing them right now, and when I tried to change the settings windows was so against the very idea that it scared me off. Your opinion?
Apparently this is supposed to minimize fragmentation.
I'm running Win98 on an AMD Athlon 700 with 256 megs of ram. I'm not satisfied with the performance lately...internet-wise. I get crashes (freezes) frequently, and can't figure out why. My connection speed is usually about 48K.
Please help! I'm not computer illiterate, but I'm no programmer either, so keep it moderate or I'll be lost!

Thanks much,

Jamie

Answer : You sound like you have one of two things: bad hardware (as in compatible) or bad drivers at some level.

As for the hard disk, it may very well be developing bad sectors and may need replacement soon. It's OK to scandisk every coupld of days but defragging daily is overkill.

Yes, setting the swap space manually is a good idea, but unless you have less than 128MB of RAM I would only set it equal to your RAM amount (ex 128MB of RAM, 128MB of swap). This indeed does reduce fragmentation *if* you do this:

1) Set swap min and max both to 0 (zero)
2) Reboot the machine and do a full defrag
3) Set swap to final min/max values (128MB)
4) Reboot

Doing this will allow for all data to be organized and made contiguous *before* defining the swap space (which the Windows defragger cannot move once in place, fragmented or not). This guarantees your swap space will be:

1) Fixed in size (does not grow/shrink dynamically)
2) Contiguous

As for your crashes, again I will point to driver issues. My bet is your system has a WinModem of sorts (evil) and you would do best by replacing it with a nice external unit that plugs into your serial port. This has several benefits:

1) Less load on the CPU
2) No drivers to complicater your OS environment and create instability
3) Status lights and power switch so resetting the modem does not require rebooting the computer
4) One more expansion slot available inside - also less heat generated inside the case equals longer life
5) You can sell it to anyone (Mac, PC, UNIX, Amiga, etc) since the serial port is a standard.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

FUQuestion : Paul,

Need More Information : It looks like you tried to add something as a follow-up question but it's didn't work (got just "Paul," - can you try again?
Rating : 5

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QAId : 2612086
Asker : abusaud51
Subject : p
Private : Yes

Question : Hello, I would like you to give me a list of no-proxy sites so that I can bypass the proxy I'm using.
I need your help!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks.
Abdulazeez

Answer : Here you go - pop in your URL you want right here:

http://www.anonymizer.com/

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2624478
Asker : Kaotic1
Subject : NT4 Server upgrade to Win2K Workstation
Private : No

Question : Got NT4 Server on a 8.4GB harddrive, partitioned to 4GB FAT16 (C:), and the rest with NTFS (D:).

We want to upgrade to Win2K Server, retaining all settings, but the C: drive is really outta disk space.

We've got a 20GB drive waiting for surgery (waiting to become the single primary drive).

I tried Norton Ghost Personal Edition, but apparently, it doesn't ghost NT servers. The new drive does not bootup. No error messages, just a single blinking cursor.

Any suggestions on how to resolve this?
Thanks ahead!

FUQuestion : Sorry, my auto-complete "feature" in IE seems to have input the wrong subject for this question. The correct subject is:

"NT4 server upgrade to Win2K server"

Hope to hear from you soon,
Kao

Answer : Ensure that you chose to ghost the whole disk and not just the first (FAT) partition.

Also if the Personal version doesn't support NTFS perhaps the Enterprise one does (almost certainly does):

http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.com/content/productlink.cfm?PID=na&PromoCode=Trialware

Your best bet for this upgrade *is* to duplicate to the new drive and then boot from it and start your install (also gives you a perfect backup (the original disk) if the the install fails to turn out as you desire).

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 4

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QAId : 2628455
Asker : Anonymous
Subject : file transfers
Private : No

Question : When I first began downloading files from the net I mistakenly sent them to A drive instead of the Word Document. As I sent them to C from A, I then edit them in good format - deleted unwanted language. After editing I tried to send them back to A for storage. I was able to send most of them to A, however I ran into a problem with some. I received a dialog box with "error copying file" and
the statement in the box:
Cannot create or replace _________: The directory or file cannot be created

Now, what is the sofware problem (or, hardware possibly)that will not permit me to transfer edited files back to A?
FYI, I am basically computer illiterate.
I know practically nothing about the technical workings. Could I have prevented this problem if I had sent net files directly to C drive to Word Document? Thanks in advance!

Answer : If it's not the problem of having a file by the same name (doesn't appear that this is the problem since you are not being asked to overwrite the existing file) I'd say try another floppy. The floppy disk itself may be bad. Take a new blank and format it then copy the same files to it.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2629549
Asker : cindy_lens
Subject : access NT from home
Private : No

Question : Hi

I am able to telnet to UNIX machine at work from home. Is it possible to access Windows NT at work from home? If it is possible, how can I do it?

Thanks
Cindy

Answer : That all depends on your network connection. Assuming you have an open internet connection a nice tool for remote-control (telnet is not fully-functional for NT admin) is either of these:

Free:
http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/

Pay:
http://www.remotelyanywhere.com

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

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QAId : 2636826
Asker : dave4500
Subject : Graphics
Private : Yes

Question : Hi
My computer screen on my desktop and everything else is suddenly very large. My desktop picture can't even show what it is because it is distorted. I have gone into control panel and then to display and then to settings to try to change the pixels but it will not let me. It is at 640 pixel. Don't even remember if that is what it usually is. Is there something else I can do.
Thanks
Dave

Answer : Well first jack the resolution up (this may be the only problem). Right-click an empty area of the desktop and select Properties. Then click the Settings tab and move the slider from 640x480 to 800x600 and then click Apply. If that isn't right try 1024x768 in the same way. It sounds like a game or something set your res down and crashed, not putting you back where you were originally.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of

Question : Many of my computer games have stopped running altogether because of directx 7.0 problem I am having. I go start> run> dxdiag > DirectX Diagnostic Tool > Music Tab > bottom of windows under notes > Problems were found in the system registry. Details are available in the saved text file. You should reinstall DirectX

First of all how do I access the saved text file the error message refers to? How do I reinstall DirectX? I have downloaded the DirectX 7.0 setup program but when I execute it I get:
DirectX setup has determined that a newer version of DirectX is already installed. No installation was necessary.
It does not overwrite the DirectX that is already installed and my problem thus persists. I have tried control panel> add remove programs but DirectX is not listed, so I can't uninstall it. I understand that Microsoft has DirectX 7.0a but I have heard bad things about it and do not wish to upgrade to it. I want to uninstall DirectX 7.0 from my machine since it is not working and since the DirectX Diagnostic Tool suggests I do, so that I can reinstall a fresh copy of DirectX. I also do not want to format my hard drive or reinstall Windows 98. I have heard about the dxun program but in order for that to work for directX 7.0 one has to have a win98 cd-rom, my pc was preloaded with windows 98 and did not include the windows 98 cd-rom. So the dxun program is not an option for me since I do not have the $150+ to go out and buy a copy of windows 98. So how do I overwrite/uninstall the current copy of directx 7.0 and reinstall a fresh copy of directx 7.0? Any help would really be appreciated.

Answer : I would suggest you run the 7.0a install - I use it with great success and it has no problems whatsoever (and 8 will be out soon which will give you the next upgrade).

If you really want to uninstall DirectX and start again with 7.0 here's a utility to do exactly that:

http://www.utc.fr/~merlier/undx6.exe

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

----------------------------------------------------------------------
QAId : 2665472
Asker : faruq_1997
Subject : computers
Private : No

Question : what is programming lanuage mean in simple words?

Answer : A programming language in simplest terms...

A way for a user who wants to solve a problem with the computer to tell the computer the step-by-step instructions to solve it. Since a computer (at a low level) is such a simple device we need to be able to define the steps to solving a problem exactly and then be able to communicate those steps to the computer. For example if we wanted to write a program that could add two numbers that we get from a user it might look something like this:

number1 = askuser("Please enter the first number: ")
number2 = askuser("Please enter the second number: ")
number1 = number1 + number2
telluser("Your total is: ", number1)

The items "number1" and "number2" are what are called "variables" - they are just places to put values. In this example each is being used to hold a number that we get by prompting the user. What the user would see when we run this program would look something like this:

Please enter the first number: 5
Please enter the second number: 4
Your total is: 9

When you get right down to it a programming language is simply a way to tell the computer what you want done in a way that doesn't require you to completely work at the computer's low level.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2669276
Asker : arispub
Subject : Computer memory
Private : No

Question : I have 32 mgs memory, will increasing my mgs to 64 increase my available space on my C drive? If not, how will it help my computer capabilties if I upgrade from 32 to 64 mbs?

Answer : Adding memory will not change your disk space situation. What adding memory will do is give the operating system more room to work and allow you to open larger programs or more programs at once without the operating system needing to "swap" memory out to disk, a process known as virtual memory. Reducing swapping can speed your system, increase your hard disk's life, and stop skips and stutters on your machine while running programs.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

Rating : 5

FUQuestion : Is there anything I can do to increase my hard drive space on my computer? My computer is a Ibm Aptiva, 91-96 or 97.

Answer : The only way to increase your disk space is to:

1) Delete some files you no lnger need.
2) Compress the disk (bad idea for a novice).
3) Buy another hard disk to add to the one you have, or buy a larger one to replace the one you have.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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QAId : 2673957
Asker : nmarkides
Subject : Popkey
Private : No

Question : I have just downloaded Popkey and i find it very useful. However, it has one drawback: it inserts a CR at the end of the copied text which is not really harmful in a text editor but it can cause problems when filling fields in the browser as the CR is interpreted as a "perform action" character. How can i fix this?

Answer : You can send me a personal email (and maybe a box of chocolates) and I think I can make some changes and compile a different version just for you that will do this. My email address is on my webpage.

--
Paul Doherty, CNA, CNE, MCP+I, MCSE, A.A.Sc., B.A.
http://members.home.net/iqueue
Home of PC DiskMaster and other Windows utilities

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