Windows XP/Vista and Software Tips and Tricks - Page 1 |
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| CONTENTS This is Page 1 of four pages of Tips and Tricks. It contains the latest additions, which appear at the top of the list. Click here! to go to Page 2 Click here! to go to Page 3 Click here! to go to Page 4 |
Scroll down the list of links below, and click an article's heading to go to that information. - Use your browser's Back button to return here.
| Because of the importance of removing previous versions of software, this item will remain at the top of the list 1. - Always uninstall a previous version of software before you install the latest version |
4. - How to run Disk Cleanup in enhanced mode in Windows XP/Vista
8. - A fix for choppy video and audio and skipped frames when playing DVD movies, etc.
9. - How to run Internet Explorer from within Mozilla's Firefox browser
11. - Sundry useful Windows 95/98/Me/XP tips
12. - How to identify programs that hog the processor and RAM memory in Windows 95, 98, and XP
13. - How to prevent Safe mode in Windows 95 and 98 from ruining the desktop settings
14. - How to create a desktop shortcut to the audio recording level controls
15. - Disable Search Assistant in Windows XP
16. - Using a batch file to start up more than one program at a time
17. - "Set Program Access and Defaults" in Windows XP SP1
18. - How to repair the System Restore feature in Windows XP
19. - The new version of TweakUI for Windows XP won't install
20. - My computer seems to be active when I am not using it
21. - The Windows XP Messenger Service is being used to advertise porn sites
22. - I have built a computer by following all of the instructions but it won't boot?
23. - WinMX can download but cannot share files with remote users
24. - The Windows XP Security Console - by Doug Knox, MVP
25. - A printing problem caused by a conflict between start-up programs
26. - A website has incurably hijacked Internet Explorer's Home page setting
27. - Why can't the Registry Editor in Windows XP find any entries all of a sudden?
28. - The System Restore feature in Windows XP stops working after cleaning a virus infection
29. - Inserting a blank CD locks up the whole system
30. - My computer's hard disk drive has to be checked for consistency at startup
31. - I need to transfer programs to an unused partition to free up space on the C: drive
32. - Why a computer can suddenly slow down very markedly
33. - Printer tips
| This is Page 1 of four pages of Tips and Tricks. It contains the latest additions, which appear at the top of the list. Click here! to go to Page 2 Click here! to go to Page 3 Click here! to go to Page 4 |
It is always a good idea to uninstall the previous version of a software package before installing the latest version, because the previous version might leave parts of itself that are not compatible with the latest version. This is especially advisable with antivirus and firewall utilities and also with beta (test) software, such as Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 and Release Candidate 1 (IE7 RC1), which were the final beta versions before the official version of IE7 was released.
You should never install beta software over beta software, or a final product over a beta installation of that product. Always uninstall a previous beta version before you install a newer version, because beta software is not meant to be upgraded.
The kind of trouble that users can run into can vary from user to user, depending on the other software they have on their systems. Some users might not experience any problems, but other can be affected. For example, at the time of writing this, there were reports on the web of users who could not uninstall IE7 (the final product) that would not work with certain sites that IE6 worked with because they had installed it over a beta version.
You should consult the software's Help files to find out if more is required to remove it than merely using the Add or Remove Programs utility in the Windows Control Panel.
For instance, removing the ZoneAlarm firewall completely can be a bit complex. The Windows Registry must be searched and edited, and all residual files and folders must be located and deleted (according to ZoneLabs Service & Support). Otherwise, Internet access can be blocked the next time the computer is rebooted. This is because of a failsafe lockout program that is installed by the latest versions of the firewall.
Read this thread on the Lockergnome forum if you want to know how to remove it completely so that your system is restored to the way it was before ZoneAlarm was installed. - http://help.lockergnome.com/index.php?showtopic=21171
Using Add/Remove Programs to remove a program or utility almost always leaves entries in the Windows Registry, and folders and files left intact that should be removed before the new version is installed.
You should also make sure that antivirus and firewall software is completely removed even if you are installing the same kind of software made by another manufacturer, because leftovers from the previous manufacturer's software can adversely affect the new installation.
Note well that if you are going to reinstall or upgrade Windows, you should uninstall all of the security programs, because security programs are more complex than ordinary programs, and consequently reinstalling or upgrading Windows without removing them as completely as possible can result in all kinds of weird problems, such as Windows refusing to reinstall the security programs themselves, or having them block all Internet traffic.
Note well that if you are upgrading from an earlier version of Windows to Windows XP, you should always uninstall the security programs (virus scanners and firewalls, etc.) beforehand, and then reinstall them after the upgrade has taken place.
This advice is especially applicable to the Norton security programs, such as the Norton Personal Firewall. It would be a good idea to comb the computer for all references to Symantec's products (the makers of the Norton products) and deleted them, and then search the Registry and delete all the items you can find, using Norton and Symantec as the search terms.
If you want to make sure that Norton AntiVirus is removed, a file called Rnav2003.exe is available from http://www.symantec.com/ that removes the programs files and Registry entries for Norton AntiVirus 5.0, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.
You should not have more than one software firewall installed, because such a setup can be the cause of numerous problems. Also don't forget that the installation of one make of firewall can affect the installation of another make of firewall, even if one make of firewall has been uninstalled before the other make is installed. This is because entries are always left in the Windows Registry, and these entries can interfere with the operation of the new installation.
Indeed, you may not even be aware that the system has two software firewalls installed, because Windows XP installs its own rudimentary firewall that remains invisible to a user who hasn't become familiar with the list of start-up programs and services, and McAfee VirusScan also installs McAfee's firewall.
Fully Uninstall Software Firewalls - http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/35.htm#csavvy
If the Registry in Windows XP, which contains the configuration data and the settings for all the PC's hardware, the operating system software, the application software and user settings,etc., is corrupted to the point where it won't allow the PC to boot, you won't be able to access Safe Mode in order to use System Restore or any of the other recovery options, all of which are dealt with on this section of this website.
However, there is a way to restore the backups of the Registry (that Windows stores as restore points in System Restore) by using the Windows XP Recovery Console.
If you have not installed it on the PC's hard disk drive that allows it to be accessed from the boot menu, accessing the Recovery Console requires a Windows XP installation CD. Note that you cannot use the Recovery CD/DVD that many brand-name PC manufacturers supply instead of a Windows XP CD.
How to install the Windows Recovery Console - "This article describes how to install the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console to your hard disk. If you install this tool to your local hard disk, Windows Recovery Console is added as a choice on the Windows Startup menu." -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216417
If you don't have a Windows XP CD, you can make use of a specially-designed recovery CD, such as Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE). You can also use a Linux-based recovery disc such as the Ultimate Boot CD. However, the commands will be different from those provided here for the Windows XP CD.
Here is how to use the Windows XP CD to restore the Registry:
1. - Make sure by entering the PC's BIOS that the CD/DVD drive is set as the first boot device, otherwise the computer won't be able to boot from the CD. If you don't know how to d that, visit the BIOS section of this site for the required information.
2. - Boot the system from the Windows XP CD.
3. - Windows setup will start. Use the option to press the R key to access the Recovery Console. Select your Windows installation. It will be the only installation unless you have more than one version of Windows installed.
4. - Enter the Administrator password when prompted for it. If you don't use one, just press the Enter key.
5. - Enter the following commands as is:
CD C:\ CD “system volume information\_resto~1”
DIR
6. - Choose the restore point (RPx) that you want to use by using the folder date stamps as a guide and then enter the following commands:
CD RPx (x is the System Restore restore point that you chose)
CD SNAPSHOT
7. - Enter the following commands that overwrite the existing corrupted Registry files:
COPY _registry_machine_system C:\Windows\System32\Config\System
COPY _registry_machine_software C:\Windows\System32\Config\Software
COPY _registry_machine_sam C:\Windows\System32\Config\Sam
COPY _registry_machine_security C:\Windows\System32\Config\Security
COPY _registry_user_.default C:\Windows\System32\Config\Default
Enter the exit command to exit the Recovery Console and restart the PC.
Loss of features such as Help and Support is common when Window XP/Vista is reinstalled from a CD/DVD that contains an older version. Help and Support makes use of many files used by Internet Explorer. For example, the Windows Setup Reinstall option on the Windows XP CD replaces newer files with its older files, but leaves the newer versions of other files, which causes your particular problem - and can be the cause of many other problems. All that you have to do to rectify the situation is reinstall any of the Service Packs released since the version included on your CD/DVD. For example, if you have a Windows XP SP2 installation CD, reinstall Service Pack 3 (SP3) and then visit Windows Update for any updates released after SP3 become available. If you have the CD of the original issue of Windows XP, you must add SP2, which contains SP1 and then add SP3. If you installed Internet Explorer 7 as an upgrade from version 6, reinstall it as well.
In order not to have to perform so many reinstallations in the event of a future system failure, it would be a good idea to slipsteam the Windows XP CD that you have with the subsequent Service Packs to create a bootable CD that contains them.
Click the folowing link to go to that information on this website: Slipstreaming Windows XP/Vista: How to create a Windows XP/Windows Vista installation CD/DVD containing the service packs and missing drivers.
The Disk Cleanup tool in Windows 98/XP/Vista when used in enhanced mode offers additional options that are normally hidden.
The unenhanced tool is accessed by right-clicking the relevant drive (usually the C: drive) under My Computer (XP) and Computer (Vista), and then clicking Properties, followed by the Disk Cleanup button.
Before you try using the following commands to set and run the enhanced program, it is advisable to make a restorable backup of the system, or, at the very least, a System Restore restore point. Also make a note of the used and free space on the drive that you are going to clean so that you can compare the figures to those presented after the cleaning. To do that right-click on the drive under My Computer/Computer and click Properties.
If you want to read the documentation of Disk Cleanup to find out what is cleaned in more detail than the program provides, enter the term in Start => Help and Support in Windows XP/Vista.
The file name of the Windows Disk Cleanup is cleanmgr. To access and set Disk Cleanup's enhanced options, enter cleanmgr /sageset:99 in Windows Vista's Start => Start Search box. It is the Start => Run box in earlier versions of Windows.
When you press Enter, the Disk Cleanup tool will run in a special setup mode that offers more cleanup choices than are presented in its default state. The System Agent (Sage) will remember the choices you've set, so you will be able to reuse the same enhanced choices when you run the Disk Cleanup tool subsequently.
Select every option that is presented for maximum cleaning. If you want to change your mind later, you can. Just run the command cleanmgr /sageset:99 again and change your choices. Note that the Disk Cleanup tool in Windows Vista doesn't have the "Compress old files" option that is available in the version of the program in Windows XP.
To run the enhanced Disk Cleanup tool in Vista, enter cleanmgr /sagerun:99 in the Start => Start Search box. It is the Start => Run box in Windows XP.
When the Disk Cleanup tool has finished its cleanup, open My Computer/Computer and right-click on the C: (or other drive) that has been cleaned. Compare the free and used space values with the ones you noted.
Enabling DMA (Direct Memory Access) in Windows allows the hard disk drive to access the system's RAM memory directly instead of via the processor, thereby increasing system performance, because the processor can the do other work. Windows XP and Windows Vista should have DMA enabled by default, but, for reason or another, this isn't always the case. You should check that it has been enabled.
You can do that by opening the Device Manager by entering devmgmt.msc in the Start => Run box in Windows XP. In Windows Vista enter devmgmt.msc in the Start => Start Search box.
Under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, open the listed devices by clicking the + sign with the mouse and double-click on the Primary IDE Channel. Open the Advanced Settings tab and make sure that the DMA if available setting is enabled in both Transfer Mode drop-down menu boxes. Do the same for the Secondary IDE Channel.
If you don't have a PS/2 keyboard that will allow you to access your computer's BIOS setup program in order to enable Legacy system support for a USB keyboard and USB mouse, which would install USB keyboard and mouse device drivers before Windows starts to load, you can use the following method to force Windows XP/Windows Vista to boot into Safe Mode.
Open the System Configuration utility by entering msconfig in the Start => Run box. (In Windows Vista, enter msconfig in the Start => Start Search box.) Open the BOOT.INI tab by clicking on it with the mouse. There is a setting called SAFEBOOT under the Boot Options heading. Place a check mark in its box with the mouse pointer. The MINIMAL radio button is enabled by default. You can enable the NETWORK radio button if you want to boot into Safe Mode with network support. Windows will now boot into Safe Mode the next time Windows is booted. You can run your spyware scanners and then open the System Configuration utility (while still in Safe Mode) in order to disable the SAFEBOOT setting so that Windows boots into normal mode when the system is restarted.
All of the links to websites that you have in your Favorites folder or elsewhere will opened by the browser that is set as the default browser, which is usually Internet Explorer. However you can force a shortcut to any site to use the browser of your choice.
The executable files for Internet Explorer and the Mozilla Firefox browser that run the programs are iexplore.exe and firefox.exe. For example for the Firefox browser, open Windows Explorer (right-click on Start and click Explore) and locate the firefox.exe file under Program Files => Mozilla Firefox. Right-click on the file and choose Create Shortcut. You can the drag-and-drop or copy the shortcut that is created in that folder to the Windows Desktop or to any other folder. Right-click on the shortcut and choose Properties. In the Target box, is the path and executable filename for the Firefox browser in quotation marks. Just enter the full URL of the site that you want the shortcut to open after the path.
Here is an example: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/.
Click OK and the shortcut will make the Firefox browser access that website when you click on it. You can change the name of the shortcut and also its icon. Note that in Internet Explorer 7, which was made available on October 18 2006, associating a website with a particular browser overrides any multiple Start websites/webpages that you may have set up.
Someone sent me this excellent tip.
"I have an older Systemax Pentium 4 1.4GHz PC, which has ATI Radeon 7000 and SoundBlaster Audigy 2 video and sound cards, running Windows XP Pro. I've always had problems with choppy video, audio and screen flicker. My DVD movies were skipping a lot a frames. Anyway, to keep it short, I discovered a checkbox below the hardware acceleration slider called "write combining" which is, I guess, a Windows program, which is checked by default. I unchecked this box, did the shut down and restart and viola, no more choppy video, audio or skipped DVD frames. It's as though I've got a new computer. I also tried this on a couple of friends' eMachines which run AMD Semprons, built-in audio and video, and Windows XP Home. While their computers were not quite as choppy as mine, there was also a huge increase in overall performance. I did not reduce hardware acceleration at all."
To find the setting, open Display in the Control Panel, open Settings tab, click on the Advanced button, open the Troubleshoot tab. Under Hardware acceleration, use your mouse to remove the check mark in the box beside Enable write combining.
Some pages don't display in Firefox as they should mainly because Internet Explorer contains bugs that website designers have had to create workarounds for. Firefox doesn't have these bugs, so the pages which contain the workarounds don't display properly in it.
Fortunatley there is a workaround for this in Firefox itself in the form of an extension that you install. It enables you to run Internet Explorer from within Firefox.
To download the extension go to http://www.mozilla.org/ and look for IE View on the Extensions page.
Because Windows 95/98/Me and Windows XP systems have completely different architectures, some programs written for Windows 95/98/Me simply won't run at all or won't well under Windows XP, no matter what you do to rectify the situation.
However, there is a way of making such programs run properly under Windows XP - run the Program Compatibility Wizard.
I used it when MS Excel 97 and MS Word 97 wouldn't work. After running the wizard, they worked as they had done under Windows 98. I chose Windows 98 as the operating system to emulate.
To run the Program Compatibility Wizard, follow this path:
Start => All Programs => Accessories => Program Compatibility Wizard.
If you require more information on how to make Windows 95/98/Me programs and games run better under Windows XP, visit the following pages on the Microsoft site. The information there also applies to virtually any program that anyone might want to run under Windows XP.
Compatibility Resources and Information - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/compatibility/default.asp
Using Program Compatibility Mode - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gethelp/appcompat.asp
In the event of an unrecoverable system crash, reactivation of Windows XP can be avoided by making copies of the Windows Product Activation database files - wpa.dbl and wpa.bak. The files are located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. Restore the copies to that folder after Windows has been reinstalled and you won't have to reactivate it.
This tip works in Windows 95, 98, Me, and XP.
To bring up Windows Help, click on an empty space on the Windows Desktop (where all the icons are), and press the F1 key. If you are in another window, such as in Internet Explorer or another program, there is no need to go back to the Desktop, just press one of the Windows keys (the two keys with the Windows flag on them) and then press the F1 key.
This tip works in Windows 95, 98, Me, and XP.
Click the Start button, click Run, and enter msconfig in the entry box.
You can run any program file by entering its file name in the Run box. There are also some shortcut names such as command to bring up a DOS window running within Windows 95, 98, and Me, and cmd to bring up the command prompt in Windows XP. Entering sfc will run the System File Checker in Windows 98, and Windows Me. [Click here! to go to information on this site on how to use the SFC in Windows 2000 and Windows XP.] Entering iexplore runs Internet Explorer. For other programs, you might have to enter the full file name, which, in this case is iexplore.exe.
To show the Quick Launch tool bar in Windows XP that previous versions of Windows have, use the right mouse button to click on the bottom taskbar, then click on Properties in the menu that is presented. Enable the Show Quick Launch option.
If you need to enable the Quick Launch bar in Windows 95/98/Me, right-click on the taskbar and then click Toolbars in the menu that is presented. Enable the Quick Launch bar by clicking on its name.
In Internet Explorer 6.0, if, say, you're visiting a particular web page that contains a link to another page (on the same or another site) and you want to bring it up in a new window so that both windows are shown on the taskbar, just hold one of the two Shift keys down (the two keys with an arrow pointing upwards) and then click on the link. A new browser window opens. Both windows are now showing on the taskbar. All you have to do is click on a particular entry on the taskbar to bring that window up on the screen. You can open many different windows in this way. You can also right-click on the link itself and then click on Open in New Window.
Internet Explorer 7 and the Mozilla Firefox browsers have tabbed browsing that makes a new tab open automatically within the main browser window for every page that is opened.
Click here! to go directly to the information on a page on this site that contains some useful tips and tricks specific to Windows.
If you want a program that lists the memory usage for all of the main process in the order of how demanding they are for Windows 95 and Windows 98, look for a program called Memload that is no longer supported by its author but which is still available from Tucows. For processor usage in Windows 95/98 there are plenty of programs you can use, but probably the best one is called TaskInfo from http://www.iarsn.com/.
For Windows XP and Windows 2000, you can use its own Task Manager. If you press the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combination the Task Manager pops up. Click on the Processes tab, and all if the information is presented - the processes themselves, what is running each of them, and the processor time and memory that each of them is using.
By clicking on the heading you can sort them in ascending or descending order. You can sort so that the most processor-intensive programs appear at the top of the list, or you can sort by the amount of RAM memory used. For most of the processes you can determine which program launched them from its name. But if you can't identify a process, try using the Windows Search feature to locate its folder, or use the process name as a search term in Google, because that works most of the time.
When you go into Safe mode in Windows 95/98/98 SE, it has to use a lower resolution and thus rearranges the desktop icons to fit the screen space. When you go back into normal mode, many of the icons are in other parts of the screen, and you have to spend time rearranging them to the way they were. Often enough you can't remember which icon went where, and you have to get used to a new arrangement.
Luckily, this is an easy irritation to overcome. If you use a search phrase such as "save windows icon positions" (as is) in the Google search box provided at the top of this page, the links to many programs that can do just that should be presented.
Here are a few I found:
http://www.soft411.com/ provides ten pages of links to such programs.
Activicons - http://www.cursorarts.com/ca_aifw.html - Some inexperienced users might find it complicated to use.
Icon Restore - http://www.freesoft411.com/freeware/icon-restore.html - Install it, and use the right mouse button to click on an empty space on the Windows Desktop. On the menu that presents itself, there should be an item called Save Desktop Icon Layout and another item called Restore Desktop Icon Layout. After you have saved the icon layout, you just have to click the restore layout option to restore the icon layout.
If you do a lot of recording of audio on your computer then you should create a desktop shortcut to the recording level controls, because they are difficult to access.
Use the right mouse button to click on an empty space on the Windows desktop. Click on New => Shortcut and enter sndvol32 / r as the location of the item in Windows XP. Click Next, select where you want to place the shortcut, and then click Finish. In Windows 98, enter the command in the Command line box, and use the Browse feature to select a location, which is usually Desktop.
If you dislike the Search Assistant in Windows XP, you can disable it and restore the Windows 2000 type of search functionality. -
http://www.windows-help.net/WindowsXP/tune-20.html
If you want to have two or more programs, such as Internet Explorer and Outlook Express start up at the same time, you have to create a batch file. A batch file contains text commands, and you give it a name that has a .bat extension.
To run a batch file, you would create a shortcut to it, and place it on the Desktop, or on the Quickstart taskbar. Batch files still work in Windows XP even though they are a hangover from DOS.
The command line that starts a program has to have the word Start preceding it. Then the path to the executable file that runs the program is provided within quotation marks. This is done because DOS doesn't allow spaces such as the space in the name of the Program Files folder, and some special characters such as a question mark. Moreover, DOS also doesn't understand file names that have more than eight characters in front of the extension. Using quotation marks around tha file path allows DOS to find the correct path.
Here are the commands that start Internet Explorer and Outlook Express:
Start "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IExplore.exe"
Start "C:\Program Files\MSimn.exe"
Give the file a name, such as Internet.bat, and create a shortcut to it, and place it on the Desktop, from where it can be dragged down to make a copy of itself on the Quickstart taskbar. If there are no spaces, and no long file names, etc. in the path, you don't have to use quotation marks.
If you can't set a program as the default, such as to use Outlook Express as the default e-mail program via Internet Options => Programs, there is a new option available in Windows XP running Service Pack 1 (SP1) that does this for you. It's called Set Program Access and Defaults, and you access it by clicking Start => All Programs, and it's found up by the Windows Update icon.
There are several reasons why the System Restore option won't appear in Windows XP.
When you open System in the Control Panel, the only options available are General => Network Identification => Hardware => User Profile => Advanced. There is no mention of System Restore. This could be because you have logged on as a guest user, or limits have been placed on your administrative rights as a user.
You can tell if you have administrative rights by clicking the User Accounts in the Control Panel. If you are an Administrator, you will have access to the User Accounts and be able to change the rights of the other listed users. But if you see a message saying that you need to be an Administrator, you have to log on by entering the Administrator's password at start-up. You will have had the chance to register as the Administrator when Windows XP was installed. Otherwise, the only way to log on as an Administrator is to obtain the log-on password from the person who has administrative rights.
A virus such as the Blaster worm also has the ability to prevent System Restore from working. If you see the following cryptic message when you attempt to open System, there is an excellent chance that the system has been infected with the Blaster worm:
"Rundll32.exe Entry Point Not Found. The procedure entry point RemoteAssistancePrepareSystemRestore could not be located in the dynamic link library WINSTA.dll."
There is information on Microsoft's site on how to deal with the Blaster worm. You can also look up this worm at sites such as Trend's at http://www.antivirus.com.
Another reason why the System Restore tab can go missing is if some system files somehow go missing or become corrupt. Luckily, there is a way to restore the missing or corrupt files.
1. - In the Tools menu in My Computer, choose Folder Options on the View tab, place a checkmark in the Hide extensions for known file types option, and click OK.
2. - From the Start menu, click Run, and in the Open box enter %windir%\inf.
3. - You should see plenty of files. Scroll down the list until you come to one called sr.inf. Right click on this file's entry, and then click Install from the list of options. Windows XP will ask for its CD to be inserted into the CD-ROM drive, and all you have to do is follow the steps and the System Restore feature will be restored.
Some users of Windows XP can't install the latest version of the system-tweaking utility TweakUI for XP. They're greeted with this cryptic message when they try to install it: "The procedure entry point GerDIIDirectoryW could not be located in the dynamic link library KERNEL32.DLL".
The reason for this happening is because there is a new version of TweakUI for XP out (version 2.10.0.0) that only installs on systems running Windows 2003 Server, or Windows XP which has the Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed. It will not install on the original pre-SP1 version of Windows XP. Unfortunately, Microsoft's sloppy programmers forgot to include a message in the update that informs such a user of this.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing this (November 27, 2003), Microsoft UK had removed the page that allows a user to order SP1 on a CD, so downloading it is the only way to obtain it. Because of its large size, this is something that people with dial-up modems are likely to avoid doing because of the length of time it would take for the download to complete.
Unfortunately, Microsoft has removed the old version of TweakUI from its site. Unfortunately, Microsoft has also said that SP2 won't be released until mid-2004. Version 2.00.1.0 of TweakUI works with the pre-SP1 version of XP, and you may find it on some non-Microsoft download sites. Use the Google search box at the top of this page to find it by using "windows xp" + "tweakui 2.00.1.0" as the search term. Be aware that although some download sites that refer to the old version only provide the new version.
The latest version can be downloaded from this page:
TweakUI for XP (part of the Powertoys) - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
The IDE LED light (indicating HDD and CD/DVD activity) on the front of the case flashes, and the broadband Internet connection shows activity even when you don't have a browser open. Are you being paranoid or is something suspicious taking place?
The specific causes of the activity that you're witnessing could be nothing more than any of the several background services or programs that Windows runs as a matter of course. However, it could be one of many malicious spyware/adware programs that has made its way into your computer and is using it for sending out spam, worms, or even hosting pirated software for others to download without your knowledge.
Most virus scanners can be set to download the latest virus signature updates automatically on a regular basis, and all of the versions of Windows from Windows 98 can also launch Windows Update automatically so that updates can be installed without any user interference. These are some of the legitimate Internet accesses that could be taking place.
To find out what Internet access is taking place you can use the netstat (which stands for NETwork STATe) utility that comes with Windows. Before you use it, make sure that all of the running programs are closed - your browser and e-mail programs in particular. Click Start => Run and enter the word command for Windows 95, 98 or Me, and enter cmd for Windows NT, 2000 or XP. This opens a DOS window in Windows 95, 98, and Me, and the command line in Windows 2000 and XP, which no longer use DOS. Once the window is open, if necessary change to the root directory by entering the command cd \, and enter the command netstat, which will bring up a series of headings that read: "Proto" - "Local Address" - "Foreign Address" - "State".
If you closed all of the running programs, there shouldn't be anything under any of these headings.
Proto lists the 'protocol' (usually either TCP - Transmission Control Protocol - or UDP - User Datagram Protocol). Local Address is the IP address of your computer. Foreign Address is another computer/server on the Internet or on a local network. State lists the current state of any of the connections, and it is the one that is of the most interest in this case. If the word Established appears under the State heading, than something is causing your computer to connect to another computer on the Internet. To find out what a normal connection looks like, open your browser and connect to any website, then run netstat again. If you see any established connections when you run netstat, and none of your Internet-related programs are running, there must be an unknown program running in the background that is accessing the Internet. The website address that it's connecting to should appear under the Foreign Address heading (ending with :http), thereby providing you with a starting point for determining if this is a legitimate or a malicious connection. If the URL provides a name you can enter in the Google search engine (there is a Google search box at the top of every page on this site), this will often provide links to sites that discuss the good or bad intentions of the site under investigation.
In any case, try running programs such as Ad-aware or SpyBot S&D, both of which can remove the known adware and spyware programs.
The Windows Messenger Service used in Windows NT / Windows 2000 / Windows XP systems can be set by some websites to download and display adverts for porn, etc., whenever you go online. It's easy to disable this service. In Windows XP, follow this clicking path: Control Panel => Administrative Services => Services => Messenger. Click the Stop button, and change the Setup Type to Manual and click OK. Now the Messenger Service can only be used if you enable it manually.
Problem
Having calculated the benefits and savings to be made by building your own computer, you bought the following components that meet your computing requirements:
Motherboard: Gigabyte 7VT600
Processor: AMD Athlon XP 1800+
RAM: a 256MB module of single-channel, 184-pin, DDR RAM
Video card: nVidia GeForce4 MX440
Hard disk drive: 40GB, 7,200 RPM, IDE ATA, Western Digital Caviar
Case: Midi ATX with a 350W power supply unit.
Monitor: the working 17" CRT monitor from another system.
You installed the components in the case (and connected the video card to the monitor) by following the instructions in the motherboard's manual, but when you switched the power on, nothing came to the screen. However, sounds were issued by the processor's cooling unit and the case fan, and the RAM LED on the motherboard lit up. You checked the settings and reseated all of the components, but the computer remained in the same state.
Reply
Remove everything that is not needed to make the system function. In other words, just have the motherboard, video card, RAM, and hard disk drive installed. You should be able to boot to the BIOS setup program with only the motherboard, RAM, and video card installed, so do that if the system won't boot with the hard disk drive installed.
In case they are plugged in the wrong way round, make sure that any USB devices are unplugged. If you have a PS/2 mouse, use it instead of a USB mouse, which you should leave unconnected to begin with, just to make sure that it's not the source of the problem.
Make sure that the disk drive cables are connected the correct way round. I've seen several cases where a disk-drive cable that was plugged in the wrong way round prevented the computer from booting. This is easy to do with many floppy disk drives because they often don't come with keyed cables that can only be installed one way round.
Make sure that the motherboard is mounted in the case properly. I have come across people who have mounted the motherboard directly into the case without using stand-off screws (mounting posts) that separate it from the case. Of course, the case shorted out the circuits on the underside of the motherboard where it came into contact with the metal case, rendering the computer unbootable. In any case, check to make sure that there is nothing apart from valid stand-off screws between the case and the motherboard that is shorting it. I have come across cases where an unused stand-off screw has been left screwed into the case and was touching and therefore shorting the circuitry on the underside of the motherboard.
Remove the processor's heatsink and fan cooling unit (never power up the system without a cooling unit fitted properly to the processor or you will fry it), and remove the processor. Check to make sure that the processor was installed the correct way round and that none of the pins on its underside are bent. Two corners of the Athlon processor have a missing pin, and one of the corners will be clearly marked with a triangle (an AMD Duron processor has a square dot on one corner). The marked corner on the processor must fit into the marked corner on the motherboard's processor socket. There is only one way the processor can fit properly into its socket. I have come across several cases in which this was not done, and pins on the corners of processor were bent, and this made the system fail to boot.
You've checked the motherboard's settings, but that doesn't mean that you've got them right. This motherboard uses DIP Switches to set the Front Side Bus (FSB) settings, but other motherboards can have all of the settings set via the BIOS setup program, or by using a mixture of BIOS settings and jumper settings and DIP Switch settings on the motherboard. Users often misinterpret the X used to indicate an "On" setting in the manual as meaning "Off". Another common mistake is to misread the diagram in the manual that illustrates how to connect the LED and Power-On plugs to the motherboard. I have come across several cases where the On-Off switch was connected to the wrong pins on the motherboard.
If none of the above options cures the problem, the next step would be to swap the components with ones that are known to work - if you have them available. This would include the power supply unit. The motherboard will run with any AMD Athlon or Duron processor. A PCI video card can be used if you don't have an AGP card. A repair shop would probably install a POST diagnostic card that displays codes that the computer produces as it goes through the obligatory Power-On-Self-Test (POST) tests. If any of these tests fails, then it would be considered as at least one cause, and hopefully the only cause of the problem.
If nothing works, you'll have take the computer to a reputable local repair shop. You'll probably have to return one or more components, so hopeful you'll have had the good sense to purchase all of them from one supplier.
If you don't understand anything in this article, visit the Build a PC set of pages on this site for clarification.
Problem
You use WinMX to download and share files across the Internet. You have recently upgraded from Windows 98 SE to Windows XP Home edition. You installed and messed around with some utility software and a virus scanner, then all of a sudden found that although you could still download files with WinMX, it wouldn't allow others to download them from your system.
Answer
Most people using WinMX have problems when using it with Windows XP's built-in firewall enabled. Although it is possible to configure the firewall to allow file sharing, doing so can cause dire processor usage problems. Therefore, it is advisable to disable the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) service in XP.
To disable ICF, use the right mouse button to click on My Network Places and then left-click on Properties => Network Connections (or access the Network Connections icon in the Control Panel). Next, click on Properties for your connection, followed by the Advanced tab, where the ICF should appear. Uncheck its box to disable it.
Alternatively, you can click its Settings button, then Add to add a new service, which you can call WinMX. Enter the IP address 127.0.0.1 (which is for the IP address for the local computer), and for the TCP port enter 6699. Repeat the process for UDP port 6257.
You should also uninstall any other Internet security programs, because both Norton and McAfee Internet security products can cause multiple problems with WinMX, apparently even when they have been disabled instead of being uninstalled.
The ZoneAlarm firewall should work with WinMX, but many users have reported severe processor usage when running the two programs together. It would seem that this firewall is not designed to cope with the very high level of Internet traffic that is generated by a file-sharing network of this kind.
No cable or DSL broadband connection (that is naturally always connected to the Internet) should be left without firewall protection. The best remedy is to use an inexpensive cable/DSL router that has a built-in firewall. See the Networking page on this site for some good examples, the cost of which can be as low as £40.
To configure such a router merely involves running its setup utility, which will bring up a webpage containing the settings.
"When you're outside of a domain environment, XP has some features missing. XP Home leaves you completely without the Group Policy Editor, while XP Pro lacks the ability to use the Group Policy Editor to selectively apply policies to specific users. Well, that's about to change. Doug's Windows XP Security Console allows you to assign various restrictions to specific users, whether you're running XP Pro or XP Home." -
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm
Problem
The system is running Windows XP Home edition, an Epson Stylus C80 printer, and a Kodak CX4210 camera that uses Chadic's EasyShare software. The system won't print colour prints either by using EasyShare or by printing directly through Windows. Only the first inch of a print is printed when a message appears saying that the document failed to print. The printer then churns out sheets of paper until the feeder runs out of them. Epson's support staff suggested that the problem might be cause by a conflict between the TSR (Terminate or Stay Resident) programs that are loaded automatically when the system starts up. The suggested cure was to enter msconfig in the Start => Run box and then disable all of the Startup group items in the System Configuration utility (that can also be accessed in the same way in Windows 98, but not in Windows 95). You discover that doing this cures the problem. But to find the culprit, Epson suggested re-enabling them one at at time until the problem recurred and the offender was identified. There are twenty-two of these start-up programs, so the suggested method would consume a lot of paper and ink. You therefore want to know if there is a more practical method of revealing the offending start-up program.
Answer
It is unlikely that you will need to have all of the twenty-two programs starting up every time you turn on your computer. Therefore, the first action to take is to visit PacMan's Portal at http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/, and then look up each of the programs listed in the Startup program list.
There may be start-up software associated with a scanner and the camera that can be run by creating a batch file that can be run when you need it. See the first item on the Tips pages of this site for an example of how to create and use a batch file to launch programs after the system has been successfully started.
There are several standard Windows start-up programs that are loaded and which are very unlikely to be the cause of the problem. These include LoadPowerProfile, which should be listed twice (once as a task and once in services), ScanRegistry, SchedulingAgent, SystemTray, and the TaskMonitor. You will also probably want to keep your antivirus software running constantly, although be sure to take care not to install more than one antivirus program.
Try printing with just the above list of programs running. If you can print, you'll be left with a list of unselected programs that you've decided from information gleaned from PacMan's Portal are either definitely not needed or which may be useful to keep running. By this time you will probably only be left with just four or five TSR programs to eliminate. You can do this most quickly by using a technique called a binary chop.
To isolate the problem in the least number of steps, simply divide the list of remaining items into two halves. Test with one group enabled. If printing works, add half of the remaining group and test again. At each step, you will eliminate half of the possible offending start-up programs. If you started out with eight programs left to test, it will take just three tests to isolate the offending program.
Problem
No matter what you set as the Home page in Internet Explorer, it is only kept as the Home page for that session. Another page automatically becomes the Home page the next time the system is booted. Even changing the Home page via the Windows Registry by using the Windows Registry Editor doesn't stop it from being reset. The offending page is located at http://www.global-finder.com.
Answer
Plenty of websites are able to hijack your browser (in this case Internet Explorer), and point it to their home pages. No computer that is connected to the Internet will be free of spyware that has been covertly installed by offending websites. To remove the spyware use these excellent free programs - Spybot S&D or Ad-aware. Make sure that the latest updates have been installed for both programs before you run either or both of them.
Global-Finder is a variant of CoolWebSearch, which is a particularly tenacious hijacker of browsers. The creators of this spyware keep changing its code in order to bypass spyware-removal software.
If neither of the above programs get rid of it, try using CWShredder.
A Dutch college student, Merijn Bellekom created a small freeware program called CWShredder that is the only program able to detect and successfully remove all known variants of the CWS hijacker, which none of the antispyware or antivirus programs available on the web are able to do. But, fortunately, CWShredder has made a comeback. Merijn has sold the source code and rights of his program to Intermute. They have published an updated version at http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html.
It is still is a free download being regularly updated to deal with new variants of the CWS hijacker.
Software of this kind most commonly finds its way into a system by exploiting a particular security bug in Microsoft's version of the Java Virtual Machine (VM).
There is a security patch available to defeat this bug. For more information and a download link, Read Knowledge Base article 816093: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=816093.
Problem
All of a sudden, for some unknown reason, when entering the term RegEdit in the Start => Run box in the Home edition of Windows XP to search the Registry, the Find facility is found to be faulty. When conducting a search, a message comes up saying, "Finished searching the Registry".
Answer
For some unknown reason, Microsoft has changed the behaviour of the Registry Editor in Windows XP.
In Windows 95/98/Me, when you open the Registry Editor by entering regedit in the Start => Run box, the search position always starts from the top of the list. However, in Windows XP, the Registry Editor remembers where you were the last time it was opened. So, if you finished a search, the next search will begin at the end even if it is weeks or months later. In this case, you aren't offered the option to start a search from the beginning, and the "Finished searching the Registry" message appears immediately.
However, it's easy enough to start a search from the beginning. Simply click on the My Computer heading at the top of the Registry Editor's window, and the search will then run through the whole Registry.
Problem
You have been infected with a virus and, according to instructions for its removal, you have turned off the System Restore feature in Windows XP. However, you then discover that you are unable to turn it back on again. An illiterate cryptic message comes up saying: "The procedure entry point remote assistance prepare system restore could not be located in the dynamic link library WINSTA.dll." - You want to know how best to rectify the situation.
Solution
Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't thought through the way its System Restore feature works. At present it has to be turned off before you remove a virus, but turning it off removes access to previously saved restore points (points at which options that make it possible to restore the system were created). Therefore when you have removed the virus, you couldn't use the feature to restore the system to the state it was on a specific date on which a specific restore point was created.
The cause of the problem is a mismatch between file versions. You most probably repaired the system by using the Windows XP CD, which did not include file updates such as are supplied by XP's Service Pack 1 (SP1) update. This would not have been the case had you been able to use System Restore, because it would have reinstalled the correct files.
You need to reinstall SP1 and any other updates that Microsoft Update (on Microsoft's site) tells you are required. Then go to the Control Panel, click System, click the System Restore tab, and then restart Windows Restore by unchecking the option called Disable System Restore.
Question
You have a system running Windows Me and Pentium 3 processor that has the following drives installed on the two motherboard channels, using the latest 80-conductor IDE ribbon cables:
Primary IDE Channel - a 60GB hard disk drive as master
Primary IDE Channel - a DVD-ROM drive as slave
Secondary IDE Channel - a 30GB hard disk drive as master
Secondary IDE Channel - a CD-RW drive as slave
You have used this configuration because you have read that for the fastest copying the source and destination drives should be on different IDE channels. The CD-RW drive came with Nero copying software.
There is no problem playing data or music CDs or DVDs in the relevant drives, but when you insert an unformatted CD-RW disk or a blank CD-R disk in the CD-RW drive, the whole system locks up until you remove the offending disk.
Possible solutions
There are several possible causes, so you should follow these troubleshooting steps in the order of their listing:
1. - Uninstall any software that accesses CDs/DVDs when they're inserted in a drive. Use the software's uninstallation option or Windows' Add/Remove Programs utility if the program doesn't have its own removal tool. The Windows Media Player, Media Match, and Real Jukebox are the most common programs that do this, but there are others.
2. - Make sure that only one software program that burns CDs is installed, and that only one version of it is installed. Different versions could be installed to different locations. Other CD-burning software could be interfering with Nero. It is also possible that a CD-burning program that you have previously uninstalled is doing so, because the uninstallation routine did not remove all of the Windows Registry entries properly. If this is the case, the only way to remove them is to search the Registry for references to that software by entering the term regedit in the Start => Run box and then use Edit => Find => Find Next. If doing that (and none of the following steps) solves the problem, a fresh installation of Windows would be necessary to remove the offending entries. If necessary, see the Software page on this site for links to sites providing information on how to reinstall Windows.
3. - Restart the system in Safe Mode by either holding the Ctrl key or by repeatedly pressing the F8 key during the start-up process. The boot menu that offers Safe Mode as a choice should be made available. Use the right mouse button to click on My Computer, left-click Properties, and then click on the Device Manager tab. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, the Device Manager is under Hardware. Click the + sign beside the CD/DVD headings, and then select any CD and DVD drives, and use the Remove button to remove them. There may be multiple entries for a particular CD/DVD drive. Removing all of the entries can often solve peculiar problems with one or more of the drives. When you reboot into Normal mode, Windows will reinstall the drives automatically. You can then check in Safe Mode to make sure that only one instance of each drive is installed. You have to look in Safe Mode because the multiple instances do not appear in Normal mode.
If you require more detailed information try using a search phrase such as: clean + "device manager" + "safe mode" in the Google search box at the top of this page.
4. - In the Device Manager, have a look under the Hard disk controllers heading to see how the IDE controllers are described. If the descriptions for the three controllers use wording such as Standard IDE Controller, then Windows has loaded its standard IDE controllers and you should install the correct controllers (busmaster drivers) created for the relevant chipset on the motherboard. The correct controllers for the motherboard's chipset are usually described using the maker's name, such as ALi, VIA, and Intel. You do that by downloading the latest IDE driver file from the system's motherboard's website, or from a brand-name computer's site, if you have one. If necessary, click here! to go directly to the links on this site to free utilities that can identify a motherboard. If you have the correct driver file installed but you haven't downloaded and installed the latest driver file, you should do so. While you are there also obtain any other updates such as the AGP driver, the USB Controller, and the latest BIOS file. Running the standard Windows IDE controllers or old proper controllers can be the cause of problems such as the one under consideration.
5. - Disabling DMA (Direct Memory Access - search the Disk Drives page on this site for information on it), can often cure the problem - and other peculiar problems. This is usually done via the Settings tab for a particular drive listed in the Device Manager where there is a checkbox called DMA that can be checked or unchecked. Sometimes the DMA setting has to be disabled in the BIOS, and sometimes there is no DMA setting and you have to run a utility (which should be listed under the Programs menu if you installed the correct IDE controllers), or it is done by reinstalling the IDE drivers and then disabling DMA option during the installation routine. For example, the Intel 815E chipset uses a utility called the Intel Ultra ATA Companion. The VIA four-in-one IDE busmaster drivers allow the DMA option to be set or disabled via a utility run from the Programs menu, or by reinstalling the drivers.
6. - Some CD-RW drives will not function unless they are installed as a master drive, so, if this is not the case make it so, preferably as the only drive on the IDE cable. If doing that cures the problem, you can try other combinations of IDE drives, such as having a hard drive attached to the same cable.
7. - Try disabling the auto insert notification setting for all CD/DVD drives. You will still be able to start the CD formatting or burning process manually. This setting appears under the Settings tab for a particular drive in the Device Manager.
8. - Check the CD/DVD drive's manufacturer's site for a firmware update. This is not a software driver, it is similar to the programming used in the BIOS. It reprograms the programming that is hard-coded into the drive and which is responsible for controlling its operations.
9. As a last resort, if the BIOS file installed isn't the latest one, download the latest file from the PC maker's or the system's motherboard maker's site, and reflash the BIOS. Specific instructions on how to do that should be available from the same source as the file.
10. - Try a different brand of blank CD-R disks, because some CD/DVD drives don't work with some brands. Tom's Hardware Guide has stated that it finds Verbatim disks to be the most compatible with most drives.
11. - If you have a cheap CD-RW (or DVD-RW) drive, replace it with one that has been given good reviews. Click here! to go to the page on this site that contains the makes/models of well-reviewed drives. You can use the Google search box at the top of this page to look for other reviews of a particular drive. See the Build a PC set of pages on this site for information on how to install IDE drives.
Problem
Every time you start your computer, a message comes up before Windows XP starts saying that the hard disk drive needs to be checked for consistency. Windows then checks the files and everything continues normally. This happens every time you start the computer.
Possible solutions
The most likely explanation is that the system is not writing back all of the cached hard-disk-drive information before it turns off the computer. There is a patch for this bug in Service Pack 1 for Windows XP (SP1), so either download and install it, or obtain the SP1 CD from Microsoft. It is a very large service pack that would take a very long time to download on a dial-up 56K-modem connection.
The problem could also occur on a multi-boot system running Windows XP, Windows 98, or Windows Me. If the Windows 98/Me system is missing a large IDE cache patch for the problem, it would also fail to write back the cached information before shutting the system down.
On some older computers, you may have to reflash the BIOS. If necessary, see the BIOS page on this site.
There could also be a hardware problem with the drive itself, so use the free diagnostic utility provided by the drive's manufacturer to check it.
There could also be a problem with the drive's partition record - especially if the drive was partitioned by using a third-party partitioning utility such as Partition Magic or Partition Manager. For instance, Microsoft does not recommend using the FAT32 file system for partitions over 32GB in size. (NTFS is Windows XP's native file system, but it can use FAT32 if upgraded from Windows 98, or FAT32 is opted for during the installation.) Indeed, XP's own partition-creation utility that is run from the Windows CD, will refuse to create a larger partition using FAT32. Other third-party partition utilities may create larger FAT32 partitions, and one or more of these could therefore be the cause of the problem.
Problem
You are running Windows 98 SE on a Pentium III 800MHz system. The 20GB hard disk drive is partitioned so that the C: drive has 12GB, and the D: drive has the remaining space. The C: drive is nearly full, so you want to know how you can adjust the partition sizes or transfer programs or files to the D: drive without having to uninstall any programs and then reinstall them to the D: drive.
Suggestions
Programs such as PartitionMagic and Partition Manager allow you to change the partition sizes without destroying any data. But it is a complex business that can easily go wrong and require you to re-partition, reformat the drives, and reinstall Windows, so you are advised to create a restorable back-up of the whole system before you use any such program.
Moreover, you should make sure that you are using a version of the program that can handle large hard disk drives, because it was not long ago that these programs could only work with drives of 8GB. Using such an an old program on a large HDD would probably require a complete reinstallation of everything on it.
It would be a better option to make a clone of the system on a spare or new HDD with the free XXCopy utility, and use the DOS utility FDISK to remove the existing partitions, and then create new ones, or use the whole 20GB as one volume. See the Tips page on this site for articles on how to use XXCopy to clone a system.
You can also usually free up a considerable amount of C: drive space by merely transferring the Windows Virtual Memory swap file, the Temp folder (that holds temporary or .tmp files), and the Temporary Internet Files folder to the D: drive.
In Windows 98, you set where Windows places the swap file under the Performance tab of System in the Control Panel. The location of the Temporary Internet Files folder is set under Internet Options in the Control Panel by using the Move Folder button. To move the Temp folder, first create a Temp folder on the D: drive, then enter the term notepad c:\autoexec.bat in the Start => Run box. Doing that will bring up the DOS text editor with the contents of the autoexec.bat file showing. Enter the following two lines, and then click Save and Exit:
TEMP=D:\TEMP
TMP=D:\TEMP
Then delete the contents of the C:\Windows\Temp folder.
If doing that doesn't free up enough space, use Windows Explorer mode to find out which programs use the most space, uninstall them by using their own uninstallation options, or via Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, and then reinstall them to the D: drive when the relevant option appears during the installation process.
There are many free programs that analyse the contents of a HDD or partition on one and tell you which programs are occupying the most space. Try using Google search box at the top of this page to look for EasyCleaner 1.7f, and use its Space Usage analyser. Use double quotation marks around the name.
The two most common causes of sudden system slowdowns are viruses and spyware.
Note that there is always a lag between new viruses and spyware being issued/used and the ability of updated antivirus and anti-spyware programs to recognise and eliminate them. Therefore, it is always possible for a system to be infected by viruses and spyware that the scanners can't detect.
By default, Norton AntiVirus will only check its Internet site for updates to its virus definitions automatically once a week. If you clicked on Norton's virus definitions entry on its status screen, it will say that they are up to date. But if you were to click on the Live Update button while online, the program often downloads new definitions, which will often reveal a virus infection that it missed previously.
The same goes for the use of the most widely used spyware detector and removal programs, Spybot S&D and Ad-aware.
Disk defragmentation can cause significant slowdowns, but is very slow to develop, so is not likely to be the cause of a sudden marked slowdown. However, something that gets stuck in the fan of the heatsink and fan cooling unit and a build up of dust in the unit can also slow the system down because BIOS protection measures can be set to slow the system down if it overheats. This kind of trouble could kick in all of a sudden, so it should be investigated.
Other causes of sudden slowdowns are files installed by new applications, new hardware device drivers, or even a Windows update.
Look under Add/Remove Programs to find out if a particular update can be removed. Otherwise, with Windows Me and XP, use the System Restore feature to roll the system back to a time that predates the installation of the update. If a Windows update has screwed a Windows 95/98 system up, you might have to reinstall Windows, or restore a backup of it. If want to know the best ways of doing that, look for the relevant section on the Software page on this site.
If all of the above have been eliminated as the cause, check the DMA mode settings. A bug in Windows XP and Windows 2000 can result in a DMA mode being set that is much slower than the maximum setting that the drive is capable of using.
In Windows XP, right-click on My Computer, then click Properties followed by the Hardware tab. Under IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers,select each channel and then click Properties followed by the Advanced Settings tab. The Current Transfer Mode is shown. This will be Ultra DMA Mode 5 on modern systems running relatively recent hard disk drives (HDDs).
If the mode is PIO, or one much slower than the HDD's capabilities, the system will slow down to that mode of operation. Microsoft's Knowledge Base (KB) article number 817472 explains the problem and suggests solutions. - http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=817472
See the Diagnostics page on this site for information on how to use the Knowledge Base.
For a Windows 95/98/Me system, make sure that all of the IDE settings in the BIOS are set to Auto, and have a look under the Performance tab of System Properties by pressing the Windows key and the Pause/Break key. If there is a message there that says that Windows is working in Compatibility mode, read this MS Knowledge Base article - 151911 - MS-DOS Compatibility Mode Problems with PCI IDE Controllers - the NOIDE Registry entry. - http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=151911
With Windows Me and XP, if the slowdown hasn't been resolved by any of the above steps, you should use its System Restore feature to roll the system back to a time that predates it. You will then have to reinstall anything that you installed after the date of creation of restore point that you chose to use.
All of the inkjet printer manufacturers advise you to use only genuine printer cartridges that they manufacture in their printers. But, I have been using the much cheaper compatible cartridges for years with no problems at all.
The genuine cartridges for my Epson inkjet printer - a black and colour cartridge - currently cost £31 each, while the compatible cartridges currently cost me only £5.95 each.
Epson recommend that the cartridges are replaced when the printer tells you that they are empty, because the print heads could be damaged if the printer prints without ink. In other words, the printer informs the user that the cartridges are empty when they are not. In fact, in my experience, they are still 30% full. I discovered this by pretending to replace the cartridges by taking them out and replacing them. The print heads have never been damaged when the ink runs out completely and the printer cannot print. When a cartridge runs out completely, I replace it by pressing the Clean Heads button. When the print heads are open, I pull the power lead out so that they stay that way, and I can replace the cartridge. Not a recommended process to be sure, but it has yet to do any damage. Anyhow, even if any irrecoverable damage were done, I could replace the printer for the cost of two replacement cartridges, so I am willing to take the risk.
You can purchase compatible or refilled printer cartridges for all of the major brands of inkjet printer, usually much cheaper than the cost of the original or new cartridges. But, as might be expected, you should know the about the pros and the cons. The following article is a good source of such information.
Inkjet printers: compatibles vrs the originals - http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,111767-page,1/article.html
Laser printers
Refilling laser printer cartridges
There are plenty of companies that sell refilled laser-printer cartridges. For do-it-yourself information, try http://www.urefilltoner.co.uk/.
Keep it in mind that these DIY kits allow you to add more toner without emptying the waste toner bin. Eventually the waste toner bin becomes full, and the waste overflows. Some of the waste can get into the fuser unit, where it will fuse with whatever it comes into contact with - usually the fuser unit itself. The fuser unit is usually one of the most expensive parts of a laser printer, but the damage done will differ from printer to printer, since some printers have waste containers that are very small compared to others. The smaller the waste bin, the sooner it will overflow if not professionally cleaned out. The website provided above, claims that every cartridge it has tested can be safely refilled at least three times, but you may prefer to be cautious and exchange your empty cartridge for one that has been professionally cleaned out and refilled.
Apart from a waste toner bin, many laser printers include the printer's drum built into the cartridge. So, if you replace such a toner cartridge, you are also replacing the printer's drum. There are many laser printers, such as those made by Brother and Kyocera, that provide the drum as a separate unit. Therefore, you will save more money by refilling the cartridges that contain the drum, since a cartridge that don't have an inbuilt drum is less expensive to replace with a new brand-name one.
Therefore, before purchasing a laser printer you should visit its manufacturer's website to find out about what kind of toner cartridge is used. You can then visit the websites of companies that provide new cartridges and those that refill them in order to compare the costs of refilling and replacement.
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