Windows XP

Crash, Bang, Wallop!

It’s not a spelling mistake, this freeware program, which claims to be able to solve many slow boot up problems is called Soluto or ‘anti-frustration software’. It’s an ambitious claim to be sure and I'm always wary of programs that reckon they can solve this type of problem, but I have to say this one is a bit different. To begin with it’s free and there’s no crafty demands for money to fix your machine. Second, it is very easy to use, ideal for novices in fact who are wary of delving too deeply into the boot up process, and third, it doesn’t do a bad job. It tells you exactly what's taking up all the time and it should be able to shave at least a few seconds, possibly a lot more off the average PC boot up. It’s a Beta release and all of the usual provisos apply, but it seems pretty stable so if your machine is taking forever to get going it has to be worth a try.

14/06/10

Easier Errors?

-One of Windows more annoying traits is the error code box that sometimes appears when something goes wrong. What on earth does 0x80000005 mean? Then there’s the perennial favourite 0x80000008… Of course you can google the code and most of the time you’ll get a good number of hits, and maybe, if you are patient you can sift through them and eventually find out what it means, but here’s a short cut. It’s a small, stand-alone freeware utility called ErrMsg, just type the code into the box and it will tell you what it means. One word of warning, though, it’s not going to tell you how to fix it, and the explanation may leave you no wiser; 0x80000008, for example translates as ‘Unspecified Error’…

10/05/10

Lookin Good

LooKInMyPC won’t fix your PC the next time it throws a wobbly, but it might make it easier for you, or someone who knows their way around computers, to track down the fault. When called into action it produces a detailed system profile and diagnostic report about all of the hardware, running services, drivers, updates, startup programs, networks, Internet connections, event logs and a zillion other things about your PC that could prove useful. Save the report when the PC is behaving itself and if things do go awry and help isn’t at hand you can email the report to a knowledgeable friend or tech. You don’t even have to install it on your PC after you’ve downloaded the program you get the option to install it on your hard drive, or on a removable drive or UDB memory stick. Hopefully you’ll never need it (some hope…) but if you do, it’s ready to help.

01/03/10

Scan Your Sectors

Is your PC getting a bit cranky? Are you suffering from unexpected crashes and shutdowns? It could be all manner of things but a problem with the hard drive is fairly high on the list, and it’s something you can eliminate, or confirm quite easily with a free utility called Windows Surface Scanner. This freeware utility tests the entire drive, sector by sector, to check the validity of the data it contains and to see if there are any read/write errors, if one or more are detected it will tell you and if there’s a lot of them, then this could be a sign that your drive may be about to fail.

23/11/09

Digging for Lost Files

I must have had a charmed life because very few of the many storage devices and media that I use have failed. Nevertheless, I am ready for it when it happens and I now include a small freeware utility called DiskDigger in my armoury of recovery tools. It works on any media that can be read by your computer, including USB drives and memory cards, CDs, DVDs hard drives and so on and it works on all file types. It can retrieve accidentally deleted and corrupt files and apparently it even works on drives that have been formatted or have bad sectors. The program file is small and can be run from anywhere, including another memory device so there’s nothing to install. Let’s hope you won’t ever need it, but I suggest that you download a copy now, just in case…

28/05/09

USB and Memory Card Rescue

It may not be the ultimate free data recovery tool around but when the microchips are down and your USB stick, digicam memory card or CD has thrown a wobbly then you may be thankful that you have Encopy in your utility toolbox. Encopy is a data recovery program that can extract files from damaged or corrupt media. It’s very easy to use, and thorough, with plenty of user options that will give you the best chance of retrieving something useful from your mangled memory or dodgy discs.

20/04/09

Explore Your Computer
Windows has a number of diagnostic and system monitoring tools built in but this one, called System Explorer puts everything you need to know about your computer, and what’s it doing now, and in the past, into one very convenient and easy to use package. Here’s just a taster of what it can do. You can view information about running processes, startups, Explorer, IE Add-ons, uninstallers, drivers, services, connections and open files. You can check which programs and files were opened, and when, take snapshots of your Registry and later compare them if something has gone wrong to see what’s changed. It uses fewer resources than the Windows utilities and there’s even a portable version that you can run from a pen drive. Try it, get to know it and one day it could save you a lot of time and trouble if your PC throws a wobbly…

06/11/08

Oops – I Wish I hadn’t done that!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn back time? Well now you can – at least as far as your computer is concerned -- with a utility called Undelete + and the really good news is that for a limited time it is absolutely free. Undelete + is a file restoration utility that recovers data that has been deliberately or accidentally deleted from your hard drive, even if you used the nuclear option of holding down the Shift key (deleted files bypass the Recycle Bin). Undelete + understands all common file systems (FAT16/32,NTFS/NTFS5), and works on all types of media (hard and floppy drives, USB memory sticks and CF, SmartMedia, SD and most types of memory card).

30/10/08

Audit Your PC

How much do you know about your PC? Yes, I know Windows tells you about the hardware and you can see what programs you have on the All Programs list, but that’s just scratching the surface. What, for instance, is the make and version of your PC’s BIOS, what peripherals are attached, how much of your memory is in use, when was your PC first switched on and how many times have you booted it up, what is the make, model number and size of your hard drive, and just how many programs are still on your PC that you’ve forgotten about?

These and hundreds of other even more interesting questions can be answered by a small freeware utility called WinAudit. It generates a full audit, including an extensive hardware and software inventory, performance and fault logs, network statistics and much more besides, and you don’t even have to install it, it will run from a pen drive or CD. If you want to know what’s going on under the bonnet, give it a whirl, you will probably be surprised by what it finds!

10/03/08

Restoring Confidence

If the number of emails and letters I receive on accidental deletion of files is anything to go by we’re in suffering an epidemic of ‘butter fingers’… Picture files on memory cards are by far the most popular files to get zapped by mistake but it affects everything, from Word documents to album tracks, and I can’t deny that I haven’t done it myself, but when it happens the worst thing you can do is panic. If you do the chances are you make the situation even worse, so when you’ve erased a file, and you want it back the first thing to do is check the Recycle Bin. If it’s not there then there is still a very good chance all or part of it is still on the drive, and this little freeware program, called Restoration could get it back for you. The program is small and runs from any file location, even a memory card, so it doesn’t mess around with Windows. All you have to do it tell it which drive to scan and a few moments (or minutes) later – depending on the size of the drive, it will report back on what it has found. You can then save the recovered file in a new location on your hard drive, and if you are lucky, it will still be readable.

24/01/08

Protecting the Windows Registry

This tip is for advanced users. As I have said on numerous occasions the Registry is the heart of Windows and the place where all of the most critical configuration settings, and much more besides, are stored. Even a simple mistake can make your PC unusable so it should be off-limits to novices and tinkerers. However, it’s very easy to get at, so if you are at all concerned about its security, and you know your way around Windows System files you should block access to it. To do that open the Registry Editor by typing ‘regedit’ (without the quotes) in Run on the Start menu, highlight a key, right-click and select Permissions. Click on the account you want to restrict and tick Allow or Deny as appropriate. Repeat as necessary for each of the main keys

26/09/06

Warning Noises, Don’t Wait for the Crash

You should listen to your PC, and we’re not talking about MP3 tracks but the noises it makes when you first boot up, and whilst it is running. Any change to the sound of your PC should ring alarm bells. A low level whine that gradually disappears after a while is almost certainly the first sign of a CPU cooling fan failure. Get it seen to immediately, when it finally dies, and it will, the CPU can go into meltdown in less than a minute. At best it will automatically shut down and you’ll loose whatever you were working on; at worst the chip could fry and you’ll face a hefty repair bill.

A sudden increase or change in hard disc chatter could be a sign of trouble to come, or more likely a badly fragmented drive, either way make sure your backups are in good order then at your earliest convenience run Defrag and the hard disc Error Checker (right-click the disc icon in Windows Explorer and select the Tools tab). Noisy CD/DVD drives could also be a sign of wear, though a lot of the time it’s down to cheap and nasty discs, so try switching brands. If the noise persists replace the drive as it may well be on its last legs.

18/09/06

Cold Remedy for Dead Drives

Here’s a weird little tip that has been doing the rounds for a while -- I first heard about it in the late 1980’s -- and over the years quite a few people claim to have temporarily revived a dead or dying hard drive simply by popping it in the freezer for a few hours.

The drive should be tightly sealed inside a 'ziplock' plastic bag, to prevent condensation and left in the freezer compartment for at least two or three hours. It’s not a permanent fix and once back inside the case the drives apparently work long enough for the user to recover data, maybe 20 minutes to half an hour. Obviously this isn’t going to work for all types of hard disc failure -- and there are plenty of serious faults freezing cannot help with -- but if you have exhausted all other methods, and you need to recover an important file in a hurry then it has to be worth a try.

29/08/06

PRINTING SYSTEM INFORMATION

While your Windows PC is working normally you might like to make a permanent ‘hard-copy’ record of its configuration. It may not mean much to you now but it could prove useful to you later or to an engineer diagnosing a problem. Here’s what to do, open System Properties by pressing Winkey + Break (or right-click My Computer and select Properties) then click Hardware > Device Manager. Click and highlight the Computer icon at the top of the tree then go to the Actions menu and select Print. Your Printer Properties dialogue box will open, click Print and it should start. Keep the printout in a safe place; you never know when you might need it.

STICKY DRAWERS

Sounds unpleasant but it could happen to you…More PC users are making their own CDs and DVDs, and dressing them up with printed labels. The trouble is the adhesive on some of these labels can soften if left in the drive (it gets quite warm in there) and if it starts to peel the drive tray can get stuck. No amount of pressing the eject button is going to free it up and the only solution is to manually open the drawer. Pretty well all CD and DVD drives have a emergency release latch, just look for a tiny hole on he front panel, it’s usually underneath the loading draw. To open the draw switch off the PC and find a paperclip, open out one end and gently poke that into the hole, when you meet resistance press it in another millimetre or so and the draw should pop open enough for you to be able to pull it all of the way out and retrieve the disc. If the label has got stuck to anything open the draw very slowly to avoid it sticking and tearing. Remove the label completely if you want to use the disc again and this time use a CD pen or marker.

MANUAL REGISTRY BACKUP

Before making any changes to the Windows Registry or using any tool or utility that can affect it I strongly suggest that you make a backup of the Registry and if you are using Windows XP create a new System Restore point. This is easy, go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Restore, select ‘Create a Restore Point, then Next and follow the prompts.

To manually backup the Registry go to Run n the Start menu, type ‘regedit’ (without the quotes) then OK. Select Export on the File menu; give the file a name (e.g. today’s date) then click Save. Should anything go wrong double click the saved *.reg file in My Document and your Registry will be automatically restored.

QUICK DIAGNOSIS

A totally dead PC is very rare so if nothing happens when you power up for the first time check the obvious – the rear panel on/off switch, the ‘On’ switch connections on the motherboard and the two power cables from the PSU to the motherboard. If the fan is running then the mains supply is okay, if not it could be the cable or mains fuse. If the PC bleeps more than twice there may be a problem with the memory module, make sure it is properly seated. If the PC bleeps but the screen remains blank check the monitor is on and the cable is securely connected. If the PC won’t boot from the Windows CD-ROM check the drive’s power and data cables, also enter the BIOS program (press the Del key at boot up) and verify the CD/DVD-ROM drive is listed as a ‘Boot Device’. If you are using an alternative operating system or an older version of Windows you can use a Windows 98 emergency recovery disc to partition and format the drive.

PRINTING SYSTEM INFORMATION

SAVING HABIT

Video editing programs are hugely complex applications and can really put a strain on your computer hardware and operating system, pushing both to their limits so crashes and lockups are not uncommon. It is vitally important that you get into the habit of saving your project every 15 to 20 minutes otherwise when the inevitable happens you will end loosing your work and wasting a lot of time and effort.

TOO MANY PROGRAMS

A common cause of Windows crashes or lock-ups is too many programs running at the same time. You might be lucky and get a warning that something bad is about to happen – a slow running program is a sign of impending danger -- but you can keep an eye on what is happening, and possibly prevent a crash, using a simple utility called the Resource Meter. It is quite well hidden. From the Start button select Programs, then Accessories and click on System Tools. Double click on Resource Meter and a small bar-graph icon will appear on the Taskbar, next to the clock. Placing the mouse pointer over the icon will give you an instant readout of the percentage of resources being used, better still click on it and a set of three bar graphs will appear. Problems can occur when any of the three meters fall below 25%. If that happens you should close one or more programs, not forgetting to save any open files first, reboot and all should be well again.

LIGHTNING REACTION

Thunderstorms can be fatal for PCs. Strikes on nearby overhead cables and sub-stations can send high voltage 'spikes' down mains supplies, frying computers and other electronic devices. It's sensible to switch your PC off, disconnect the mains plug and telephone modem lead during a thunderstorm, even if it's not directly overhead. If that's not possible then it is worth investing in surge protection devices, for the mains and telephone connections. Protection devices, built into mains sockets or multi-way adaptors are relatively inexpensive -- £20 to £50 -- compared with the cost of PC and loss of data. Telephone line protectors start at around £40 and are readily available from PC stockists.

KEEP YOUR (PC) COOL

Make sure your PC is well ventilated as the combination of a hot office and poor airflow can result in erratic behaviour. Check that the fan is working properly and if there is a build-up of dust around the grille, clear it with a clean paintbrush. Use a vacuum cleaner hose to suck out fluff and debris from the back of the machine. Remove any clutter from the front and side ventilation slots. Don't forget the monitor, now would be a good time to file those papers that are piling up on the top and blocking the vents. Peel off any stickers and furry creatures that could obstruct cooling air.

THE COLOUR OF DEATH

This tip won’t stop the dreaded 'Blue Screen of Death' (the error message that heralds a major system crash) from appearing, but you can change the colour and make it a more restful shade. Use Notepad to open the System.ini file in the Windows folder. Scroll down to the section that starts ‘[386enh]’ and at the end type the following two lines, paying attention to the spacing, capitalisation and spelling:

MessageBackColor=

MessageTextColour=

Now you need to add a number or letter (hexadecimal code) after the equals signs for the background and text colours, the choices are: 0 for black, 1 blue, 2 green, 3 cyan, 4 red, 5 magenta, 6 yellow, 7 white, 8 grey, 9 bright blue, A bright green, B bright cyan, C bright red, D bright magenta, E bright yellow, F bright white, and here's hoping you never see the fruits of your handiwork…

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