Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Open the case, and without touching anything, have a look at the model number of the motherboard, which will be clearly printed somewhere on the board.With this number, an answer will be easy to provide.
Mitz from Tips4pc
I like the USB keyboard theory personally. Most modern motherboards have USB support, but often you need to enable it in the bios… easier than getting a ps2 keyboard though if you dont have one handy.
Mitz from Tips4pc
If only the hal.dll file is the problem, then the solution is certainly to simply replace it. I will (eventually
Mitz from Tips4pc
Both files are part of WinPatrol, an antispyware program. If you have chosen to install this program, and you are happy with its performance and function, then leave them both alone as they are required to run this particular program.Its been known for spyware to disguise itself using these filenames though, so if you don't remember choosing to install this program, or you arent using it, then you would be better off removing the entire program. If you dont have an uninstall link in your start menu, and you also cant find the program in add and remove programs, try looking in C: program filese WinPatrol. There may be an uninstall option in that folder.
Mitz from Tips4pc
If you would just like to repair Windows, its likely that this will also remove your viruses, but not 100% certain. Its certainly worth a try though, as it saves your files! Formatting will destroy all data on the disc!Follow my previous post to set the computer to boot from the cd drive. Once you find that you can boot from the windows disc, follow mitz's instructions to repair Windows.
Mitz from Tips4pc
If you are sure you want to format the drive, the solution is relatively easy.The reason the computer will not accept anything is that it's trying to access a drive with faulty files, not the CD. If you see a message while the computer is loading which says 'press any key to boot from cd', then that's all you need to do to boot the Windows disc and reinstall Windows. It will require you to format the drive as part of that process.If you don't see that message (with the Windows disc already in the cd drive) your computer is not set to boot from the CD drive, which is what you need it to do. This behaviour needs to be set in the bios. Leave the Windows disc in the drive and follow the instructions below.1. To access the bios and set boot priority, turn the power on, and you will see a lot of writing appear as the computer starts. Watch carefully for a line that says.. to enter bios press (?). (?) is most likely to be (del)
Mitz from Tips4pc
First, its important to distinguish between Internet Security Suites and Anti-virus software, and what they protect you against. Anti-virus software is exactly that. It protects you against viruses. Thats it. An Internet Security Suite includes an anti-virus, but also offers protection against other threats and annoyances such as the ones you have described.Many organisations regularly test some versions of these kinds of software against each other, announcing winners.The bottom line is that ALL of the mainstream software to deal with this stuff works well. The differences for the end user come down to how much they like the interface, whether they prefer the software to constantly check before performing tasks or just take a very hidden approach and quietly do their job, and in some cases whether the software works well in your particular operating environment. You'll find some people who think Norton is the best thing since sliced bread, and others, like myself, who think Norton can create more problems than it solves. This applies to every piece of security software, as we all have different expectations on how the software should operate and how much input it requires, and how visibly its doing its job!If you were to google Microsoft Anti-Virus Partners, you will find that Microsoft has a list of recommended software companies. Any of the ones on the list are fine, and you may wish to go to them all, one by one, downloading 30 day or more trials, and seeing which one you feel works in the way you prefer. When you have found one you like, buy it!If you choose an Anti-virus only, you are going to need an additional anti-spyware strategy to compliment that.Many people prefer to use free stuff. It so happens that one of the very best Anti-virus is also free! This is the free version of AVG anti-virus. If you travel this road, then you should also investigate Spybot Search and Destroy, and Adaware. The combination of these 3 can offer you good protection for no cost at all.I personally have 4 computers, each running different things. On my main computer, I use Panda IS 2009 internet security. I am very happy with it. Another one i like is on another PC, Kaspersky Internet Security. A 3rd computer is currently using McCafee, but I will replace that with Panda fairly soon, as I have had some issues with it. The 4th computer is a Linux only computer and has no anti-virus installed.Its an interesting subject, and I think I will post a series of articles on what various kinds of virus and spyware are, what they do and how they can be defended against.
Mitz from Tips4pc
If you go to startall programsaccessories can you see the scanner and camera wizard? If you can, when you click on it, does it work?
Mitz from Tips4pc
This is intended as a guide for a computer that costs little, and can be easily upgraded. Of course, its best to shop around both for your parts and for your labour if you are going to pay someone to assemble it. Every part could be substituted for a better or lesser part if desired - this is just a guide as to where the best value for money lies at the moment in my opinion. The motherboard supports the very best CPU on the market at this point in time (unless you include xeon or multiprocessor computers) though of course thats not the CPU I have recommended because its a guide to a budget PC. I've put it together with futureprooofing in mind, and the basic system is capable of many more upgrades. The midrange computer I will post next will be also be based on this motherboard.Keeping in mind that I am Australian, its also possible that many of these particular components are not even available in other countries, but you can use the basic specifications of these models to find something of a similar performance and value level in whichever country you live.It is also possible to save a lot of money by lowering the standard of the PC, with for instance a Celeron CPU instead of a Core2Duo. That would hurt the futureproofing of the PC though, because the performance of lesser components will just not stand the test of time.I'm not aware of any modern motherboard that you cannot access the bios on, unless some of the large companies building complete computers dont have that facility provided. Certainly when buying components and assembling them yourself, I am pretty sure bios access is universal.I've included a floppy drive because they cost almost nothing, and though floppys are indeed almost a thing of the past, there are still some uses for them. One of those would of course be adding a RAID volume at a later stage, and others include bootable rescue discs, transferring network settings, etc. Given that they are so cheap to
Mitz from Tips4pc
I wouldn't agree that device manager showing no problems negates a driver issue. The fact that the audio is still working, and device manager's advice makes it seem likely that its not though. I'd point out that even new components can be faulty, but I doubt thats the case.Its possible that the popup was a one-off.. a bit of a hiccup perhaps, it certainly happens.I'd be curious to know which application was shut down, but I'd leave things as they are for now and watch for a re-occurence.
Mitz from Tips4pc
You haven't stated whether your audio still works ok. The message means either the onboard sound in your computer is faulty, or there is a driver issue. I'd start by uninstalling and reinstalling the device. If the problem persists, seek updated drivers for this device, or if you have recently updated the driver, try rolling back to the previous one. If none of these work, its likely you have a hardware issue. If the audio works, and the popup isnt there every time you use the audio, then it may be easiest to just live with it. If it really bugs you, since its an onboard audio issue, the easiest way to fix a hardware issue is to permanently uninstall it and fit an aftermarket sound card.Another thing that is possible is that you have installed something else recently thats creating a conflict. Have you recently added anything that can access audio, like a webcam ?
Mitz from Tips4pc
Hi Susie 🙂There are a whole bunch of reasons which can cause your computer to run slowly. The first thing to examine is how fast has this problem developed? If its been slowly getting worse over a period of time, then its most likely a cumulative effect of various programs you have installed, all running processes in the background, various files being scattered all over the computer and creating extra work for the computer in finding them, changes to windows complicating the various paths the computer needs to take to get to where its going.. etc. Every time you add a program to your computer, you are making changes to Windows, be they minor or major. Its like adding extra streets and one way signs to a road map. You have more roads, can go more places.. but it gets harder and more complicated to travel them, slowing you down. Most of the software you will install will, by default, start some background processes with Windows. This means your computer is working harder and harder, just keeping the background processes functioning. Many of these processes are simply there to make individual programs start up faster when you actually want to use them. You've allowed them to do this by clicking the automatic installation when you installed the program. They can sit there, using your resources, and saving you an extra 5 seconds when you open the program once a week! Over a period of time, these can build up to the point where there is so much going on in the background that Windows is running out of brains to think with!If you click ctrl-alt-delete (all at the same time) to bring up your task manager, and click on the tab 'processes', you'll see a list of the stuff thats currently running. My own personal computer is a very fancy one, and I have a lot of stuff installed in it, as I use the computer for many things. Of course, I keep it well maintained, I dont allow automatic installations and I go through the processes regularly and keep them well under control. Even so, I currently have 54 processes running. If you have more than this, then you are almost certainly working your computer too hard. Some of these processes are necessary for your computer to run, and others are just wasting your resources to save 5 seconds loading when you need a particular program. You need to identify each of these processes, decide which ones are necessary and which ones arent. You have a couple of roads you can travel here. You can type each of the processes into google.. ie. I have a process called nvsvc32.exe running. I dont know what it does, so I type nvsvc.exe into google and hit search. There are hundreds of results so I just choose the top of the list, and I find that it describes the process as a function of my nVidia graphics cards. I read further, and I discover that it controls the right click function on my desktop which allows me to easily change the settings on my graphics cards. The cards will work just fine without it, but its going to be harder for me to change the settings easily. Since I change the settings a lot, I consider this an important one so I will leave it running. I also note that its using 5,868k of my memory and since that is not a significant amount, its not hurting me. I look through the processes some more, and I see that a program called NMIndexStoreSvr.exe is using 49,824k of memory. Thats quite high, so I google it, and discover its part of Nero Scout. Its a cataloguing program that provides information on my files for other Nero products. If I were to use one of the other products, they would open this automatically as needed anyway, though they may take a few seconds longer to do their job. The verdict - its using a lot of memory and its just not needed, so that one I choose to turn off. I can turn it off by just highlighting it and clicking 'end process' down the bottom.If you go through the processes that are using the most memory, find out what they are, and turn them off if they arent needed, then your computer should run faster. If it does, you've found at least some of your problem. However, all you have done is turn them off for now. They will turn back on automatically next time you start Windows! You need to stop them from loading at startup. If you had Vista, then it has a very good startup manager built-in; go to Control Panel > Performance Information and Tools, and then click on Manage Startup Programs on the left. You can manage which programs start with windows here, being very careful of course to identify what it is you are turning off, and deciding whether its necessary or desirable to have this start automatically.Since you have XP, or if you had an earlier Windows version, you are going to need a program to help you out doing all this. You need a startup manager, and I'd suggest you download (its free) the one you find here.. http://startupmanager.org/An additional advantage of doing all this, is that Windows is going take less time to load when you start it!Its also possible, as bear has stated, that you have picked up a bug. A virus doesn't necessarily kill your computer, but it can slow you down a lot. A lot of spyware stuff can also cause the problem. You should run a virus scan and use a good spyware program to check this out. My personal choice for detecting and removing spyware is CA AntiSPyware,formerly known as eTrust PestPatrol. Its very effective and easy to use, doesnt come up with too many false postives, and is incredibly fast at its job. It does cost money though, unlike Spybot Search and Destroy (as recommended by bear) which is reasonably effective and totally free. CA AntiSpyware can be downloaded at this link
Mitz from Tips4pc
It is interesting and frustrating that many email clients just dont work together. In the case of Thunderbird for instance, there are a bunch of smileys you can insert into your emails. BUT if the recipient is not using Thunderbird, they will only see the : ) of the smiley where you typed it, and the actual smiley will show as an attachment.Even worse.. if you have paid the money for something like the upmarket version of Incredimail.. you'll be able to create veritable works of art, with a wealth of animations, backgrounds, and other pretty stuff. If the recipient doesn't have Incredimail though, they'll get a simple text email with all of your pretty stuff as individual attachments
Mitz from Tips4pc
I have never seen the problem personally. I receive emails from many TBird users. I have investigated, and found the integer value to be already set at 1 in my TBird. As I have not altered it, I can't explain if yours is set at 0. Perhaps its something thats been changed since the last major update?Its something I will certainly watch for though, and now if it happens I know the fix. Well done !
Mitz from Tips4pc
