alias Create an alias
apropos Search Help manual pages (man -k)
awk Find and Replace text, database sort/validate/index
break Exit from a loop
builtin Run a shell builtin
bzip2 Compress or decompress named file(s)
cal Display a calendar
case Conditionally perform a command
cat Display the contents of a file
cd Change Directory
cfdisk Partition table manipulator for Linux
chgrp Change group ownership
chmod Change access permissions
chown Change file owner and group
chroot Run a command with a different root directory
cksum Print CRC checksum and byte counts
clear Clear terminal screen
cmp Compare two files
comm Compare two sorted files line by line
command Run a command - ignoring shell functions
continue Resume the next iteration of a loop
cp Copy one or more files to another location
cron Daemon to execute scheduled commands
crontab Schedule a command to run at a later time
csplit Split a file into context-determined pieces
cut Divide a file into several parts
date Display or change the date & time
dc Desk Calculator
dd Data Dump - Convert and copy a file
ddrescue Data recovery tool
declare Declare variables and give them attributes
df Display free disk space
diff Display the differences between two files
diff3 Show differences among three files
dig DNS lookup
dir Briefly list directory contents
dircolors Colour setup for `ls'
dirname Convert a full pathname to just a path
dirs Display list of remembered directories
du Estimate file space usage
echo Display message on screen
egrep Search file(s) for lines that match an extended expression
eject Eject removable media
enable Enable and disable builtin shell commands
env Environment variables
ethtool Ethernet card settings
eval Evaluate several commands/arguments
exec Execute a command
exit Exit the shell
expand Convert tabs to spaces
export Set an environment variable
expr Evaluate expressions
false Do nothing, unsuccessfully
fdformat Low-level format a floppy disk
fdisk Partition table manipulator for Linux
fgrep Search file(s) for lines that match a fixed string
file Determine file type
find Search for files that meet a desired criteria
fmt Reformat paragraph text
fold Wrap text to fit a specified width.
for Expand words, and execute commands
format Format disks or tapes
free Display memory usage
fsck File system consistency check and repair
ftp File Transfer Protocol
function Define Function Macros
gawk Find and Replace text within file(s)
getopts Parse positional parameters
grep Search file(s) for lines that match a given pattern
groups Print group names a user is in
gzip Compress or decompress named file(s)
hash Remember the full pathname of a name argument
head Output the first part of file(s)
history Command History
hostname Print or set system name
id Print user and group id's
if Conditionally perform a command
ifconfig Configure a network interface
import Capture an X server screen and save the image to file
install Copy files and set attributes
join Join lines on a common field
kill Stop a process from running
less Display output one screen at a time
let Perform arithmetic on shell variables
ln Make links between files
local Create variables
locate Find files
logname Print current login name
logout Exit a login shell
look Display lines beginning with a given string
lpc Line printer control program
lpr Off line print
lprint Print a file
lprintd Abort a print job
lprintq List the print queue
lprm Remove jobs from the print queue
ls List information about file(s)
lsof List open files
make Recompile a group of programs
man Help manual
mkdir Create new folder(s)
mkfifo Make FIFOs (named pipes)
mkisofs Create an hybrid ISO9660/JOLIET/HFS filesystem
mknod Make block or character special files
more Display output one screen at a time
mount Mount a file system
mtools Manipulate MS-DOS files
mv Move or rename files or directories
netstat Networking information
nice Set the priority of a command or job
nl Number lines and write files
nohup Run a command immune to hangups
nslookup Query Internet name servers interactively
passwd Modify a user password
paste Merge lines of files
pathchk Check file name portability
ping Test a network connection
popd Restore the previous value of the current directory
pr Prepare files for printing
printcap Printer capability database
printenv Print environment variables
printf Format and print data
ps Process status
pushd Save and then change the current directory
pwd Print Working Directory
quota Display disk usage and limits
quotacheck Scan a file system for disk usage
quotactl Set disk quotas
ram ram disk device
rcp Copy files between two machines.
read read a line from standard input
readonly Mark variables/functions as readonly
remsync Synchronize remote files via email
return Exit a shell function
rm Remove files
rmdir Remove folder(s)
rsync Remote file copy (Synchronize file trees)
screen Terminal window manager
scp Secure copy (remote file copy)
sdiff Merge two files interactively
sed Stream Editor
select Accept keyboard input
seq Print numeric sequences
set Manipulate shell variables and functions
sftp Secure File Transfer Program
shift Shift positional parameters
shopt Shell Options
shutdown Shutdown or restart linux
sleep Delay for a specified time
sort Sort text files
source Run commands from a file `.'
split Split a file into fixed-size pieces
ssh Secure Shell client (remote login program)
strace Trace system calls and signals
su Substitute user identity
sum Print a checksum for a file
symlink Make a new name for a file
sync Synchronize data on disk with memory
tail Output the last part of files
tar Tape ARchiver
tee Redirect output to multiple files
test Evaluate a conditional expression
time Measure Program running time
times User and system times
touch Change file timestamps
top List processes running on the system
traceroute Trace Route to Host
trap Run a command when a signal is set(bourne)
tr Translate, squeeze, and/or delete characters
true Do nothing, successfully
tsort Topological sort
tty Print filename of terminal on stdin
type Describe a command
ulimit Limit user resources
umask Users file creation mask
umount Unmount a device
unalias Remove an alias
uname Print system information
unexpand Convert spaces to tabs
uniq Uniquify files
units Convert units from one scale to another
unset Remove variable or function names
unshar Unpack shell archive scripts
until Execute commands (until error)
useradd Create new user account
usermod Modify user account
users List users currently logged in
uuencode Encode a binary file
uudecode Decode a file created by uuencode
v Verbosely list directory contents (`ls -l -b')
vdir Verbosely list directory contents (`ls -l -b')
vi Text Editor
watch Execute/display a program periodically
wc Print byte, word, and line counts
whereis Report all known instances of a command
which Locate a program file in the user's path.
while Execute commands
who Print all usernames currently logged in
whoami Print the current user id and name (`id -un')
Wget Retrieve web pages or files via HTTP, HTTPS or FTP
xargs Execute utility, passing constructed argument list(s)
yes Print a string until interrupted
. Run a command script in the current shell
### Comment / Remark
Monday, March 31, 2008
An A-Z Index of the Linux BASH command line
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
MORE TECH PROBLEM
My Unusual Windows Sizing Problem - aka “Restore Down” Problem
Recently a problem that I had never seen before cropped up on my main Windows XP system. It was affecting Microsoft Word as well as a couple of other programs. When I clicked the X in the upper right corner to close the program it closed the program - no problem. When I clicked the _ to minimize the program it minimized it - no problem. When I clicked the box in between the _ and the X it minimized the program instead of making the window smaller (like it is supposed to) so that I was unable to resize it. This is technically call the “Restore Down” button. I did some google searches for things like “xp restore down equals minimize,” “xp restore equals minimize,” xp minimize maximize restore down,” “xp restore window equals minimize” but didn’t find a solution. It looks like there are some Windows repair programs out there but I didn’t try any of those.
After some trial and error I found the solution. With Word and the other “problem programs” maximized I right-clicked on the taskbar and selected “Cascade Windows.” That put the problem windows in a neat order and the windows were not full size. At that point I was able to size them however I wanted to.
YES!! Problem solved!
When to Buy a Color Laser Printer Instead of an Ink-Jet Printer
Computer and technology products continue to improve, and color printers are no different. If you liked the printer your friend bought last week, just wait. You’ll be able to get one better and cheaper next week.
So, if you’re in the market for a new home or small office printer what should you get, ink-jet or laser? My short answer - laser. Let me explain.
When black ink-jet printers first came out you had to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $500. You could get a replacement ink cartridge for 20 bucks and you’re good to go. Or, you could buy an ink refill kit and refill your cartridge for a fraction of the cost of a new cartridge. Well, those days are long gone. Now you pay twenty bucks for the printer and $500 for the ink! Well, not quite, but it seems that way.
I’ve worked on printers with a single color cartridge and with one cartridge for each of the three standard colors and either way, you end up paying a lot for ink. So what do a lot of people do to save money on ink? They use their printer as little as possible. While this may seem like a reasonable solution it creates another problem; the ink dries up. Then when you go to print it’s all streaky because the ink has dried up and clogged the microscopic jets. So what to do now? You run your printer through the cleaning process, which, unfortunately, USES A TON OF INK!
Here’s the answer, buy ink cartridges on sale and stock up. Oops, wrong answer. Ink cartridges have an expiration date and usually don’t work after that date.
How about refilling? Most cartridges today use some kind of “smart” technology that knows when it’s empty and won’t work when refilled - plus it can be a real mess.
The reason most ink-jet printers are so inexpensive today is that printer manufactures use the same business model as cell phone companies, that is, give away the phone (printer) and make the profit by regularly selling minutes (cartridges). Add to that the natural trend of computer products getting cheaper and the fact that today’s printers are really cheaply made (notice I didn’t say “inexpensive,” I said “cheap”) and you’ll see $29 ink-jet printers all the time.
But don’t think you can just buy a new printer whenever your ink runs out, because most printers are sold with “starter” cartridges which are less than 50% full.
So, what about color laser printers? Color laser printers have been around for quite a few years now, costing about ten grand and weighing 100 pounds when the first came out. Now you can get one for under $300 that weighs less than 40 pounds. So obviously it costs more to purchase a laser printer than an ink-jet printer, BUT, the cost per page is much less with laser and the hassle is greatly reduced as well.
So, for routine small office and home use these days, I recommend color laser printers. To get you started you can look at this Samsung printer
How to Make a Strong and Secure Password That You Can Actually Remember
Passwords are everywhere these days. You need a PIN for your ATM card, a password for your cell phone voice mail - I even have to have a password to call my mom (just kidding). And that doesn’t even begin to take into account all the computer and online Internet passwords.
I’m going to give you a few tips on how to create a secure password, but one that’s not too difficult to remember.
The first thing you need to avoid is any word that can be found in the dictionary. Let’s take, for example, the name of my website, ThatTechBlog.com. A bad password would be “that” or “tech” or “blog” but a better password would be “thattechblog” since thattechblog is not a word in the dictionary.
But what’s an easy way to make the password thattechblog even more secure without making it too hard to remember? Well, one way is to use some capital letters since most passwords are case sensitive. An easy way would be ThatTechBlog. That’s a little too easy for someone else to guess, however, so a better option would be to capitalize the last letter of each word, like this: thaTtecHbloG.
Now, let’s get a little more sophisticated. What I’ll do now is show you how to replace some of the letters with numbers, but still make it fairly easy to remember. Since a capital E looks like the mirror image of 3 we’ll make that change so now we have thatt3chblog as the more secure password. Other number for letter replacements would make your password look like this: thatt3chb10g. As you can see I’ve replaced the E with 3, the L with 1, and the o with 0 (zero).
To make a password even stronger you may want to insert symbols to replace letters, giving you a password like this: th@ttechb!og.
These examples are all fairly easy to remember and are much more secure than a dictionary word. Here’s another password that is fairly easy to remember, however it is kind of hard to type: rglrrwxgvkif. At this point you may be asking, “How can that password be easy to remember?!” Stop reading right now and take a look at your keyboard and see if you can discover the system.
Did you see what I did? I took each letter from thattechblog and moved one letter to the left on the keyboard. T became R, H became G, etc. Since the A is all the way on the left side you replace it with L, just like you would replace Q with P or Z with M.
Now, if you really want to make a strong password you can combine the above methods and turn thattechblog into rg@Rrwxgv1if. That may be a little complicated just to check your Yahoo email, but for online banking I’d recommend getting a little creative and use one or more of the methods and not just using a password like “money” or something.
It looks like passwords are here to stay, so be creative, have a little fun, and make your online activities more secure. If you want more information about creating passwords, take a look at the book Perfect Passwords
Problems With Computer Fans
Over the years I have seen quite a few problems with computer fans. Not too long ago I was called to look at a user’s Dell Optiplex GX280 who said his fan was really loud. As soon as I walked in there was no doubt there was a problem since the computer sounded like a jet ready to take off! The CPU fan on this computer is a variable speed fan and only runs as fast as necessary to keep the CPU cool. I ran some diagnostics on the fan. During diagnostics the system tells the fan to run at 3000 RPM and then the fan’s sensor is supposed to report back the speed it is running at. I discovered that this fan had a bad sensor so it was always reporting that it was running at zero RPM even though it was screaming at full speed. I ordered a new fan and that took care of the problem.
Later, however, I was called back because it kept giving the error message “Previous fan failure,” which was accurate since there had been a previous fan failure. I went into the BIOS under “Post Behavior.” I went to “Keyboard Errors” and set it to “Do Not Report” and rebooted the computer. It came up without reporting the “Previous fan failure” error. I returned the setting to “Report” and now the fan error is no longer there. I’d have to say that this was one of the more unique problems with computer fans that I’ve seen.
Microsoft Embarrassed, Releases 11 Critical Security Patches
I just read an article about the 20 new patches Microsoft is releasing this month, 11 of them labeled critical. In the world of Microsoft patches, nothing is more serious than the rating of critical.
The most important is MS07-010 “which patches a critical bug in the malware scanning engine used by Windows OneCare, Windows Defender and the Forefront Security and Antigen products.” In other words, Microsoft’s security software is not secure without this new patch. Symantec, the maker of Norton Anti-virus, rated MS07-010 a 10 out of 10 in urgency.
If you want to make sure your computer is protected from hackers, go to Windows Update right now and get your PC protected.
My DSL Modem Setup Problem
I recently moved into a new house. I made all the necessary arrangements to get ATT SBC Yahoo DSL turned on when I arrived. I had a small problem that delayed the DSL, but soon my Siemens SpeedStream 4100 Ethernet ADSL modem arrived via our friendly FedEx truck. The DSL modem arrived none too soon. If I’d had to endure a few more days of dial-up I might have gone back to watching TV…no, wait, no cable yet either. With modem, patch cables, and Netgear wireless router in hand, now I could begin setting up my network.
I decided not to use the setup CD that came with the modem since I don’t like extra software on my computer and I was going to be using the Netgear router anyway, not just a single computer. I hooked everything up and I was having all kinds of strange problems. (At my old house I had cable internet via Charter Communications and my Netgear router and Linksys cable modem worked fine there.) If I didn’t have the DSL modem plugged into the router I could ping the router, but if they were patched together I couldn’t ping the router. I swapped cables, I tried connecting wirelessly with my Dell laptop, I tried my spare Netgear router, but nothing worked.
I looked again at the bottom of my Siemens DSL modem and read the fine print…Ah Ha, the IP address of the modem was 192.168.0.1, the same as my router - I had an obvious IP conflict. With my Linksys cable modem hooked up to Charter Internet I saw no such problem because the cable modem takes the public IP address, something like 71.9.94.234, and passes that through to the “Internet” or WAN port on the Netgear router.
I wasn’t sure if there was a way to change the IP on the DSL modem so I decided to change the address of my router instead. The default IP for my model of Netgear wireless router is 192.168.1.1 but I had changed it a year ago to 192.168.0.1 since that was the default of my old Netgear RT314 router. Now that I had my wireless router set to 192.168.5.1 I was in business, or so I thought.
Since I hadn’t used my setup CD I hadn’t set up my account with ATT SBC Yahoo. I made a phone call to their tech support and spoke to a very helpful technician. She understood my not wanting to install the software from the setup CD onto my computer and walked me through the steps to get my account set up. After a little while I was online surfing at high speed.
I went to check my e-mail and saw that I had to reconfigure Microsoft Outlook, but that’s a posting for another day.
CD Drive Not Working
Problem - I had a call that the CD drive was not working on a Dell computer.
Solution - The CD was not showing up in Device Manager but the tray did work. Checked the BIOS and found that it was only showing the HD, the other three were OFF. I set the Secondary Drive 0 to AUTO. Next time it booted up it reported CD-ROM Reader and worked fine.
Fast and Secure Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Setup
It is very important that your Windows 2000 PC is secure, but you also want it to be fast. When I install Win2k I try to leave off as much “fluff” as possible; in fact, whenever I get a new computer (my last three have all been Dell) I reinstall the OS because I don’t like all the extra junk they put on it. Not too long ago I worked on a Compaq and right out of the box the desktop was half full of icons! Here are the steps I take when installing Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (aka Win2K):
WARNING!!! This procedure will delete EVERYTHING that is currently on your hard drive. If you want to keep anything, burn it to a CD, save it to a flash drive, save it to a network drive, etc.
NOTE: You may find that there are newer versions of Adobe Reader, QuickTime, etc. available since this was written. Feel free to install the latest version that will work on Windows 2000.
- Change BIOS to boot from CD.
- Install Win2k from the CD.
- Press ENTER to set up Windows 2k now.
- Press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
- Press Enter to set up Windows 2000 on the selected item.
- Select the C: Partition and Press D to delete.
- Press ENTER to delete the partition.
- Press L to delete the partition.
- Select the Unpartitioned Space and press ENTER to set up Windows 2k on the Unpartitioned space.
- Format NTFS.
- After it copies files and reboots, press Next to continue.
- Select Your System Settings | United States, English, US | Next
Enter Name: User1, Organization: Your organization. - Enter the Product Key.
- What’s your computer’s name? | Leave as Your-whatever. Enter Administrator password of your choice and write it down.
- What time zone are you in? | Select Your Time Zone | Next
- Select Typical Network Settings
- Put the computer in the WORKGROUP workgroup.
Remove the CD and Finish. - Make sure the network cable is plugged in and click Next for the Network ID Wizard.
- Select “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer.”
Click Finish. - Log in.
- Add the user “Tech” with the password the same as the administrator’s. Uncheck “User must change password at next logon” and check “User cannot change password” and “Password never expires.” Add to local Administrator group. Use this account for the rest of the setup.
- Reboot and change BIOS to boot from HD.
- Log on as Tech.
- Set Num Lock ON as the default. START | Run | regedit | Navigate to HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Keyboard. Change the value for InitialKeyboardIndicators from 0 to 2.
- In the Getting Started with Windows 2000 window uncheck “Show the screen at startup” and click Exit.
- Right-click the Task Bar | Properties | check “Show small icons in Start menu” | click Advanced tab and check “Display Logoff.”
- Click OK.
- Right-click Desktop | Properties | Effects | uncheck “Use transition effects…” and check “Show windows contents while dragging” and click OK.
- Right-click Desktop | Screen Saver | None
- Monitor Power | Power | Power Schemes | Home/Office Desk | Select “Never” for “Turn off monitor,” “Turn off hard disks,” and “System standby.”
- Open My Computer | Tools | Folder Options | View and check “Display the full path in the address bar,” “Display the full path in the title bar,” select “Show hidden files and folders,” uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types.” Click Apply and Like Current Folder.
- Copy the I386 folder (cabs) from the CD to the C drive and remove the CD.
- Install SP4 for Win2k.
- Install IE6.
- Install Windows Media Player 9, keeping all defaults. Test.
- Go to “Connect to the Internet,” select LAN, select LAN again, uncheck “Automatic discovery of proxy server,” answer No to Internet mail, Finish.
- Set up IE. Go to View | Toolbars | uncheck Links and Lock the Toolbars. Move the Address bar to the top to the right of “Help.” Lock the Toolbars. Set the home page to your favorite website. Go to Colors | Visited | select red.
- Do Windows Updates.
- Go to a website where you have to log in. Log in and check the box “Don’t offer to remember any more passwords.” Click “No” for remember this password.
- Open Task Manager | Options | uncheck “Always on Top.”
- Install Microsoft Office 2k if you have purchased it. Enter your initials. Enter your license. Choose Customize. Accept the default location. Click on Microsoft Office and select “Run all from My Computer.” Install the 2nd CD completely.
- Go to Windows Updates and click on Office Updates to update Office 2k.
- Hide the “Office Assistant.” Click on Clippy, Options, uncheck “Use the Office Assistant.”
- Install Adobe Acrobat 6 and open it to click Accept.
- Go to START | Programs and delete the folder “PrintMe Internet Printing” that was added when Acrobat was installed.
- Install RealOnePlayer V2GOLD.
- Select your speed.
- Select “Custom” and uncheck all of the boxes for Desktop Settings.
- Uncheck all boxes regarding RealOne being the default player.
- Register RealOne Player. If not registered you will be asked to register whenever you use the player (but not more than once per day). Use any e-mail address, valid or not, and uncheck the box for receiving mail.
- Modify Message Center options. Open RealOne Player | View | Message Center | Options | Personalize Message Center | uncheck all boxes | Save Changes.
- Uncheck Automatic Services. Open RealOne Player | Tools | Preferences | Automatic Services | uncheck all four boxes (“Periodically check for software updates,” “Periodically check for new messages,” “Maintain my choices set in Media Type preferences,” and “Check for newly downloaded media to add to My Library.”
- Uncheck AutoUpdate. Open RealOne Player | Tools | Preferences | Automatic Services | AutoUpdate | uncheck “Automatically download and install important updates.”
- Test Real Player.
- Clean up Windows Components. Go to Add or Remove Programs | Add/Remove Windows Components | uncheck Outlook Express.
- Install the latest Flash and Shockwave from Adobe’s site. For Shockwave select “Under 13” and uncheck “Check for Updates.”
- Install QuickTime 6.4. Choose defaults, select Recommended, leave Registration blank, and choose your speed. Test.
- Set Windows Update to download in the background but not install. Click on the “Stay current with automatic updates” icon in the system tray. In the “Automatic Updates Setup Wizard” click Next. Check the box that says “Keep my computer up to date…” and select “Download the updates automatically and notify me when they are ready to be installed. (Only an administrator is given the opportunity to install them.) Click Next, then Finish.
- Install your favorite anti-virus software and configure.
- Clean up the desktop. If you have installed Microsoft Office, copy Word and Excel shortcuts from START | Programs to the desktop and then copy them to Quick Launch.
- Empty Recycle bin.
- Empty IE Temp files, cookies, and clear History.
- Reboot in Safe Mode (F8 at the end of POST).
- Defrag.
- Clear mapped drives from the list. Regedit. Do a search or go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Explorer\Map Network Drive MRU. Delete a, b, c, etc. - Clear items from the START | Run list. Regedit. Do a search or go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\RunMRU. Delete a, b, c, etc. - Collapse all of the folders in regedit back to the five HKEYs.
- Copy settings to Default Users profile. Reboot and log on as Administrator. Copy the Tech profile to Default User. Click Change and type in “Everyone” for “Permitted to use” or navigate to Permitted to use | Change | Advanced | Find Now | Everyone.
- Log off and log on as Tech and delete the Administrator profile.
- Congratulations, you’re done. Install other software, printers, etc. as necessary.
Common Computer Problems And Possible Fixes
Problem: When I use Windows Explorer it hangs when trying to delete or right a file or folder.
Possible Solution: If you have installed the Vividence player (MS site has a popup that asks if you want to take part in a usability survey, if you say yes, you will have had to install this ‘plug-in.’ – Uninstall the Vividence player.
Problem: I've been using AdAware to clean out any “spyware” on my system, however, I keep getting a cookie called "doubleclick". Does anybody know what it is and how to permanently remove it?
Possible Solution: Internet Explorer: Tools > Internet Options... > Privacy > Web Sites "To override cookie handling for individual Web sites, click the Edit button." Enter "doubleclick.net" in the edit box, and click "Block.”
Problem: I have an Emachine and I recently installed a CD-RW drive, but it does not show up in Windows. Why?
Possible Solution: You will need to download the VIA “IDE Miniport Driver” (http://www.viaarena.com). This is not part of Via 4 in 1 service pack which you should also have installed. The Miniport Driver will install a “Bus Master PCI Utility”, which you will see in your system tray after installation. Double-click on it and you should see your CD-RW drive in the list. Click once on the CD-RW drive and change it’s current mode to PIO MODE 4, then click File and click Save, click File and Click Commit Change. After re-boot the CD-RW should work as expected.
Problem: When trying to download critical updates from Microsoft for Win ME, I get an error message that reads: WScript Error-Windows Scripting Host (on the top of the window) then in the window it says: Loading script "C:\Nologo" Failed.
Possible Solution: Download & install the Microsoft scripting engine(s) to see if that corrects the problem. You can get it here:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/winscript56/Install/5.6/W9XNT4Me/EN-US/scr56en.exe
Problem: How can I turn off that annoying error reporting with Internet Explorer 6 in WinME?
Possible Solution: In Registry Editor (Regedit.exe), create a DWORD value called IEWatsonEnabled and set it to 0 in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
For more info, see this MSKB article: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q276550
Problem: When I attempt to install Easy CD Creator, the windows installer fails for me in both WinME and Win 2k pro. I don't even get files copied to the HD before it aborts.
Possible Solution: If you receive an error or the installer just quits when trying to install Roxio Easy CD Creator 5, then co to the folder: "C:\Program Files\Common Files" and rename the folder: "InstallShield" to "xInstallShieldx".
Then install Roxio Easy CD Creator 5. If in the future when trying to uninstall a program you receive an error, you can rename "InstallShield" to something else and rename "xInstallShieldx" back to "InstallShield". Although, this may never be necessary.
Problem: How can I share my Epson printer with other PC’s on my network?
Possible Solution: http://support.epson.com/webadvice/wa0178.html
Problem: Why doesn’t Family Logon work?
Possible Solution: Try this http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q176/0/59.ASP
If that doesn’t work, try this:
regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
NETWORK
LOGON
Set key 'Primary Provider' = Microsoft Family Logon
Problem: I am having a small problem opening "windows setup" (control panel>add/remove programs>windows setup) When the window opens I get an error message saying, Rundll32 - An error has occurred in your program, to keep working anyway, click Ignore and save work in a new file. To quit this program click Close. You will lose information you entered since last save. The "Ignore" button does not work, when clicking "Close" I get another error message saying :
Rundll32 has caused an error in Setup
Rundll32 will now close.
Rebooting doses not work.
Any ideas on how to fix this?
Possible Solution: Run this attachment! A registry cleaner is the cause of this.(VarLDID.reg)
Problem: I upgraded to Windows ME about a year ago. Now whenever I open My Network Places, it a) Opens up, but it freezes and Explorer crashes and b) after Explorer crashes, I can open up My Network Places again and nothing will happen. This only happens the first time I open My Network Places with each logon. Occasionally it will happen the second and third times with each logon, but that's not often. Before I upgraded to Windows ME, this never happened.
Possible Solution: Try un-installing Client for Microsoft Networks, rebooting, and re-installing it.
Problem: Does anyone know if Windows ME has the little utility program called "Backup"
that is located in the system tools of Windows 95 and 98?
Possible Solution: The MS Backup program is in the add-ons\msbackup folder on Microsoft Me CDs
but unfortunately it appears that not all OEMs have included this folder on
the CDs they provide with new PCs. Similarly many of those OEMs who
simply provide restore CDs appear also to have omitted this program.
See also MS KB Q264541 - "Microsoft Backup Tool Is Not Installed by Windows
Millennium Edition"
(http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q264/5/41.ASP)
Problem: I get an error message when I load Outlook Express (IE5.5
Possible Solution: It's a bug in the PGP plugin for Outlook Express. In versions after 6.5.8 (e.g. 7.0), it *might* be fixed. Since I really don't rely on the plugin, I merely installed PGP without it and it works fine. If I need to unscramble a news item, I just decrypt the current window from PGPTray.
Problem: Content Advisor was enabled. I would like to disable it. I cannot just click the DISABLE button...need to go into settings. Each time I go into Tools | Internet Options | Content | Settings and deselect the second check mark about users not having to type a password....then APPLY...I can then DISABLE (after typing my password). However, when I exit IE and then reopen, content advisor is again enabled. How can I completely disable the content advisor so I don't keep getting the pop-up menu about "check settings for content advisor" each time I access the Internet?
Possible Solution: The password is held in the HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Ratings in a key
labeled "key" delete this key and it will set the password to blank. Next, find and delete the file Ratings.pol. You've just deleted your original Content Advisor password. Restart the computer and run Internet Explorer again. Choose View, Internet Options, click on the Content tab, and click on Disable. When asked for a password, don't enter anything, just click on OK. This will disable Content Advisor, since there's no longer a password. You can enable it again if you want as soon as you think up a more memorable password.
Problem: Can anyone tell me how to add or remove entries that are listed when right clicking the start button? Is it a registry hack?
Possible Solution: Yes it is a registry hack.
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell
Everything in here is what is listed when your right click on the
Start button.
To remove an entry just deletes the Key.
To add an entry, do this. (As and example I will add a Notepad option)
1) Right click on the "shell" Key and select New->Key.
2) Name the new Key "Notepad."
3) In the default string enter "Notepad" in the data field. (This is the name that will appear when you right click on the Start button.)
4) Right click on the "Notepad" key you just created and select
New->Key and name the new key "command"
5) For the default string type in "c:\windows\notepad.exe" in the data field. (Enter whatever command you want to run when you click on the item, after right clicking on the Start button.)
This is just and example of using the Notepad command, but you could really do it for any application on the windows system.
Problem: In the My Computer window, I click on Map Network Drive, select the next available Drive letter, and select the path that is \\HOME\C, I can either check, or leave the Reconnect at logon box and it doesn't make a difference. I don't get any error message. But I also don't see the mapped drive.
I can access the ME C drive from the 98 machine through Network Neighborhood, but why can't I see it as a Network Drive?
Possible Solution: Is Tweak UI installed? If so, run it and go to the My Computer tab. Make sure that your chosen drive letter is enabled.
Problem: Using either the AT&T dialer, a connectiod with the AT&T number or a connectoid to the local free service (ALL which worked previously) the modem dials, logs on and then seems to stop any sending/receiving of data. It's as if the computer doesn't know he's connected to the internet. When I try to browse any web pages (IE) I get 'Page cannot be displayed'
Trying to send/receive email (Outlook Express) gets 'Server not found'. Pinging web name addresses and IP addresses gets 'unknown host'
Possible Solution: The "Unknown host" message from "ping" indicates that DNS name resolution is failing. Since it's happening with two different I
enter:
ping 216.32.74.51
ping www.yahoo.com
If the first one succeeds and the second one fails, there's a good TCP/IP connection but no name resolution. In that case, try this fix:
Go to Control Panel | Internet Options | Connections. If there's a LAN Settings button, click it, then clear all of the boxes on that screen.
If that doesn't help, try this:
1. Un-install Dial-Up Networking. Don't reboot.
2. Delete registry key HLM\System\CurrentControlSet\
3. Re-install Dial-Up Networking.
4. Reboot.
Problem: My firewall (zone alarm) and it telling me that explorer.exe is trying to connect to 239.255.255.250 port 1900. Anybody know anything about this?
Possible Solution: Take a look at this MSKB article, it may help.
Q262458 - Description of Universal Plug and Play Features in Windows Me
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q262/4/58.asp
Q276507 - How to Enable the Universal Plug and Play Feature in Windows Millennium Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q276/5/07.asp
Problem: My internet explorer will not find any web pages. I can successfully ping from DOS, but in Windows, I cannot visit any web sites or check e-mail.
Possible Solution: Here are two likely fixes:
1. Go to Control Panel | Internet Options | Connections | LAN Settings
and clear all of the boxes.
2. Re-create the Winsock2 registry entries:
a. Un-install ICS (if installed).
b. Un-install Dial-Up Networking. Don't reboot.
c. Delete registry key HLM\System\CurrentControlSet\
d. Re-install Dial-Up Networking. Reboot.
e. Re-install ICS (if desired).
Problem: When I attempt to manage my virtual memory settings, it shows a negative number as the maximum allowable size. Why?
Possible Solution: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q272/6/20.ASP
Problem: Help! I deleted SULFNBK.EXE because of the email hoax suggesting it (http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/sulfnbk.exe.warning.html) how do I restore this file?
Possible Solution: Click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG (hit enter), click the button labeled "Extract File." For the name of the file you want to restore, type SULFNBK.EXE. Restore from your Windows Millennium CD (if your CD is your D: drive, type: D:\WIN9X). Save File In: C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
Problem: On boot up, after it displays "verifying DMI pool data...", the next message I see is "Cannot set the code page(s) in Display.sys". WinME continues to load without any problems. I play games ok and everything looks fine. I'm just a bit concerned on this message.
Possible Solution: Click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG (hit enter), click the button labeled “Extract File…” For the name of the file you want to restore, type EGA.CPI. Restore from your Windows Millennium CD (if your CD is your D: drive, type: D:\WIN9X). Save File In: C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND. (Found that in msconfig (international) pointing to display data file
c:\windows\command file EGA.CPI).
Problem: Windows Family Logon missing in Windows ME?
Possible Solution: The file you will need to extract is NETFAM.INF: Click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG (hit enter), click the button labeled "Extract File." For the name of the file you want to restore, type NETFAM.INF. Restore from your Windows Millennium CD (if your CD is your D: drive, type: D:\WIN9X). Save File In: C:\WINDOWS\INF. Then back in your network properties, click Add, click Client, click Add, and Microsoft Family Logon should appear.
Problem: When I open msinfo32 Device Manager it tries to connect to the internet. It is sucatreg.exe (Windows catalogue registration) knocking on the door out. What is it trying to do and how do I stop it doing it?
Possible Solution: Most likely you have an "unsigned" driver that sucatreg.exe is trying to update a driver for or you may have a damaged catalog. In Control Panel, double-click Internet Options, click on the TAB labeled Advanced, scroll down the list to the heading of Security, and Uncheck the option “Check for publisher’s certificate revocation.”, Then click OK. That should fix it.
Problem: Before I had to reformat my hard drive and reinstall Windows ME last week, I was able to view ALL files/folders, not just the .cda files, on an audio CD using Windows Explorer. I was also able to open the .wav files using Windows Sound Recorder.
Possible Solution: You must replace the CDFS.VXD virtual device driver that is part of WinMe with one that displays the contents of the CD as wav rather than cda files. See http://www.sonicspot.com/alternatecdfsvxd/alternatecdfsvxd.html where you will find full details. Unfortunately the link on that page to cdfs.zip containing the required vxd is broken but others are easily found on the net using your favorite search engine or try here: http://cooler.irk.ru/BIN/
Problem: How can I turn off my numlock when Windows ME boots?
Possible Solution: Copy and paste the following 2 lines into a Notepad file. Save the file as Numlock.vbs. Then create a shortcut to it in the Start Menu, Programs, Startup folder
set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.SendKeys "{NUMLOCK}"
Problem: Several apps have been known to leave a "folder" in My Computer after uninstalling. How can I remove these empty folders?
Possible Solution: It is a NameSpace item. Go to REGEDIT.EXE and the CLSID of the icon will be under the key: For folder in "My Computer"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\mycomputer\NameSpace\
For folder on "Desktop"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
It is a good idea to export the \NameSpace\ key to a temp.reg file first to be safe before deleting the key under NameSpace.
Problem: Even if I close all open Explorer windows before I restart, several reopen after the restart.
Possible Solution: This is a bug with ie6 beta. To fix it, open regedit, delete the key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Restart
Commands
Problem: Outlook 2000 and Windows 98se – Some of my messages have started coming in with no subject line and the message body is empty.
Possible Solution: Have you installed Internet Explorer 6 beta. If yes: There is a reported fix to the problems with the beta version of Internet Explorer 6 in respect of not receiving header and body information in some mail messages. This fix is by John S. Vasco Jr.
"The fix is unsupported and care must be taken in regard with the possible consequences in its use not only with IE6 but any other program that this file may be used by."Close all Programs then from Start > Run type sfc (System File Checker) > Extract a file called mlang.dll from your installation disk or from your Windows cab files (located Windows Update Setup Files). There is no need to uninstall IE6 for this to work After extraction Reboot your machine.For a brief overview of SFC check out this knowledgebase article:http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q185/8/36.ASPPlease Note a few people in this newsgroup have reported having problems with this fix, as it says earlier the fix is unsupported and it cannot take into account the mix of software on people's machines, I reckon though the fix has cured the problem without side effects more regularly then not.. Problem: I keep getting a buffer error while recording CD. I have an HP Recorder and I'm running Windows ME. Is there any setting that can help???
Possible Solution: Download and install Cacheman from www.outertech.com it has an optimized cache setting for CD burning.
Problem: When I right click with the mouse, the system requests a disk be inserted into drive A (a floppy disk drive).
Possible Solution: Do you have StuffIt installed? If so then the fix is here:
http://www.aladdinsys.com/support/techsupport/win/dswin/dswin3.html
Problem: For about a week every time I do a right mouse click on any file or folder, it always goes to my floppy drive first (with an annoying noise as the drive is empty) before it opens. Anybody have a solution for that?
Possible Solution: Take a look at this MSKB article, it may help.
Q216752 - Floppy Disk Drive Is Active When Opening or Saving Files:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q216/7/52.asp
In addition: When the last action in Explorer was A:\, Windows remembers this action.
Insert a floppy and access A:\, then access C:\, and close Explorer and reboot.
Open
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU
Look for an entry that references A:\
Other places to look:
C:\Windows\Recent (hidden folder)
C:\Windows\Pif (hidden folder)
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Recent
FLOPPY DRIVE RANDOMLY GRINDS
Open the registry editor and do a find on: A:\
However before deleting the entry, export the key so you can restore the
registry should problems occur. Most likely a reference will be in an MRU
key. Be sure to use F3 to continue the search as there could be multiple
entries. PC Mag article on other causes: Floppy Disk Drive Demons
http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/pctech/content/solutions/uu1617a.htm
Problem: I am having problems with outlook, windows media player and real player. Each program will tell me that it has caused and error in winmm.dll and if it is continuing then try restarting.
Possible Solution: Do a search for winmm.dll. The date should be
START button/Run/msconfig/Extract
C:\Windows\System\winmm.dll
Problem: I ran Boot Log Analyzer and found that "Enumerating Tape Detection (Tape controller\Tape Dectection\0000)" is taking 227 seconds. Does anyone know how I can disable this detection? I do not have a tape system.
Possible Solution: Tape detection is probably a result of having installed MSBackup. When you installed MSBackup it installs three virtual device drivers one or more of which is causing you your start-up problems. I would suggest removing or renaming the following files to stop tape detection at startup.
drvwq117.vxd
drvwppqt.vxd
drvwcdb.vxd
You might also want to remove/rename:
pnpwfdc.inf
pnpwide.inf
pnpwtape.inf
pnpwppt.inf
Boot Log Analyzer should tell you which of the above vxds is causing you your problems; I seem to recall that the usual culprit is drvwq117.vxd.
Problem: Do those programs that claim to cool your PC actually work?
Possible Solution: If your system is using ACPI (right-click My Computer, select Properties, then the Device Manager tab, check the "System Devices" branch) then you don't need it at all. Windows Me implements the same "HLT" command that CPUIdle, Rain, Waterfall, et.al. do, so adding the software will do nothing for cooling your CPU.
Problem: How can I determine what is running at startup?
Possible Solution: To produce a list of items running from Startup:
Start - Run (type) "msinfo32" (no quotes)
Click on +Software Environment (left pane)
Click on Startup Programs (left pane)
Click Edit (up top) select: Select All (highlights items in right pane)
Click Edit (again) select Copy
You can either Paste to Notepad and Save as a text file, (Startup.txt) or Paste directly into your next message
Problem: When I clicked restore to check my checkpoints, the calendar is showing
Possible Solution: You appear to have been using a registry cleaner that is not compatible with WinMe and removed some vital entries from the registry. See MS KB Q275646 - "System Restore Shows Date of
Uninstaller 6.01 which is supposed to be ME compatible.
Problem: When I go online using the MSN Internet Access Icon, I get the message that "Another program
is dialing the requested number".
Possible Solution: MSN and IE are both using it. Right-click on the IE icon, go to Properties, then Connection and check "Dial whenever a network connection is not present"
Problem: How can I add PWS to windows ME?
Possible Solution: From
(How To Install PWS in Windows Me: http://members.home.net/winhelp98/pws.htm)
Q266456 - Personal Web Server Is Not Included with Windows Millennium Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q266/4/56.asp
Use the patch from this Microsoft Knowledgebase Article first:
Error Message: An Unknown Error Occurred While Making MTS Specific Changes to the System Registry
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q246/0/81.ASP
Install PWS IN custom MODE and ONLY install Transaction Server, SETUP will prompt you, that other components are needed. Get it down to basically just Transaction Server, core components and MDAC. Reboot and then run Setup again via Add/Remove and install the other components. (Personal Web Server, etc..)
If you already have PWS installed, try removing everything via Add/Remove but Transaction Server then reboot. Run Setup again to add the rest.
=====================
To Download\Install FrontPage Express: (includes PWS)
http://corporate.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp
Click Search, then on next page click Software Updates, then on next page (type) "FrontPage Express" (FrontPage must be one word) and select "Windows 98 (IE5, 5.1, SP1) and also select "Other downloads" and click Next. FrontPage Express is the only download listed.
====================
FrontPage Express 2.0 (2.0.1.2131)
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Component Type: Other Downloads
Platform: Windows 95 (Internet Explorer 5, 5.01 SP1)
Language: English
Date Posted: Thursday, February 17, 2000
Size: 1.2 MB Installation package: fpesetup.exe
File Listing of Personal Web Server 4.0 for Windows 95 :
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q167/2/53.asp
Q217763 - File Access Vulnerability in Personal Web Server:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q217/7/63.ASP
Problem: I store my graphic files in the default folder "My Pictures". When I click a graphic at a web page, the "Save to" option is always "Desktop" [active desktop is enabled]. I browse to "My Pictures" and save there. Next time I need to save a graphic I have to go this process again. How do I choose a default other than "Desktop" for graphics?
Possible Solution: Be sure to backup the registry before attempting this -- Change it in both places:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Problem: Sometimes menus don't expand when pointed at with the mouse pointer (for example: settings > control panel...) and the only cure for this is to restart my computer.
Possible Solution: devldr16.exe c:\windows\system\devldr16.exe All Users
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Uncheck via Msconfig | Startup \ Restart = NO!
Follow the instructions below then restart.
Disable "Creative SB16 Emulation" in Device Manager. If you have no interest in dos sound/games etc, then rename devldr16.exe to devldr16.bak and reboot. Use the "Cleanup" button in Msconfig to remove entry. You can disable SB16 emulation from your System Properties.
1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
2. Double click the System icon, and then click the Device Manager tab.
3. Click the plus sign (+) next to Creative Miscellaneous Devices, unless the device category is already expanded with a minus sign (-).
4. Click Creative SB Live! SB16 Emulation to highlight it, then click Properties.
5. Put a check-mark in box that says Disable This Device In This Hardware Profile.
6. Click OK, OK again, and then Close. Note that this will disable your sound device in MS-DOS mode.
Be wary of this, in system properties there are many entries for a properly installed SoundBlaster, the only one you should disable is the SB16 emulation, disabling the multimedia entry that is paired with it
will cause you to lose the joystick.
Problem: After reinstalling ME yesterday on a clean hard drive, System Restore no
longer works. I either get a blank window or more usually the following:
An error has occurred in the script on this page
Line: 14
Char: 9
Error: Object doesn't support this property or method
Code: 0
URL: res://rstrui.exe/start.htm
Do you want to continue running script on this page?
Possible Solution: It's most likely due to your computer not making a restore point on its initial load of windows. What you need to do is make this first restore point, and it should work fine.
Just run it with the switch, from a command prompt as follows:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\Restore\rstrui.exe /makefirstrestorepoint
Then restart and it should work
Problem: Every time the computer is turned on, the Scandisk program runs. Not only does it run, but it runs in "Thorough" mode, looking at every sector on the hard drive.
Possible Solution: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q273/0/17.ASP
Problem: Since switching to WinME from Win98, the button images will become corrupt. They still work, but the images look like "static". This will always happen to the Minimize, Restore, and Close buttons on all windows, and will usually happen to checkboxes and other standard window elements.
Possible Solution: These are all generated from the common system font MARLETT.TTF. This is what happens if it gets corrupted. This font is a protected file: to restore a good copy from the CD, first use a run of msconfig.exe and its 'Extract File' button to put a copy into C:\windows, then boot to the startup floppy and do the following commands:
ATTRIB -H C:\WINDOWS\FONTS\MARLETT.TTF
COPY C:\WINDOWS\MARLETT.TTF C:\WINDOWS\FONTS\
ATTRIB +H C:\WINDOWS\FONTS\MARLETT.TTF
Problem: Every folder has the + to its left, whether there is a sub-folder or not. If there is not a sub-folder clicking on the + sign next to it does nothing.
Possible Solution: Your problem exists because you are running the BETA of Internet Explorer 6. That's one of the little bugs in it. Check out the IE6 beta newsgroups at msnews.microsoft.com.
Problem: How can I make the text under the icons on my desktop transparent?
Possible Solution: Use this software: http://www.pobox.com/~jayguerette/transparent
Problem: I have installed Internet Explorer Version 6 and I really hate the floating toolbar that seems to come and go, how can I get rid of it?
Possible Solution: In Control Panel, double-click on Internet Options, click the Advanced Tab, scroll down the list to the Multimedia heading and uncheck the box that says “Enable Image Toolbar”
Problem: Is there any way to change the save location for Notepad. It currently saves to My
Documents.
Possible Solution: Just adjust the Start In property in the shortcut within the Menu Tree.
Do Start > Settings > Taskbar and Start Menu. Click the Advanced tab. Click the Advanced button.
An Explorer window comes up with your menu tree as its source. In order, double-click the Programs, and then the Accessories folder. Right-click the Notepad icon and choose Properties. Type your preferred folder in the “Start In” text box, click OK and Notepad will start wherever you wish. Same procedure for WordPad.
Problem: Anytime I leave my machine for awhile, and come back and disturb the mouse, (I have "blank screen" as my SS), there will be an empty box in the taskbar. It goes away when I click on it, but what's it doing there in the first place?
Possible Solution: In most cases you can clear this up by updating your video drivers or reduce the Hardware Acceleration for your Display Adapter:
1. Right-click My Computer, click Properties, and then click the Performance tab.
2. Click Graphics, and then move the Hardware Acceleration slider two notches to the left.
3. Click OK, click Close, and then click Yes to restart your computer.
There is also an option in Tweak UI that may help. re: "Stop processes from stealing focus"
Problem: Needed to set a Restore point, but computer said unable to
Possible Solution: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q275/6/46.asp
Problem: CD's show up in explorer but will not auto play.
Possible Solution: If the CD is determined to be an audio CD-ROM, Windows performs the
default action, if any, associated with that file type. "Play" is normally the default action for the AudioCD file type.
Note: If the Play command is bold, the CD will play when it is inserted, if Play is not bold, it will not. Double-click My Computer. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
On the File Types tab, click AudioCD in the Registered File Types box, and then click Edit.
The word "Play" should appear in bold in the Actions box. Click Close.
If AudioCd is associated with Media Player the Registry entries should read:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD]
@="AudioCD"
"EditFlags"=hex:02,00,00,00
"BaseClass"="Drive"
"MPlayer2.BAK"="AudioCD"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\DefaultIcon]
@="quartz.dll,-201"
"MPlayer2.BAK"="C:\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM\\shell32.dll,40"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\shell]
@="play"
"MPlayer2.BAK"="play"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\shell\play]
@="&Play"
"MPlayer2.BAK"="&Play"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\shell\play\command]
@="\"C:\\PROGRA~1\\WINDOW~1\\wmplayer.exe\" /device:AudioCD \"%L\""
"MPlayer2.BAK"="C:\\WINDOWS\\cdplayer.exe /play %1"
Problem: Scandisk keeps locking up on me when I run it.
Possible Solution: Delete the Windows Applog folder from DOS. Insert your WinMe boot disk and restart, select: Minimal from the menu. (Type and press Enter after each command) From A:\
C:
cd\windows
deltree applog
Restart via Ctrl-Alt-Del, and run Defrag again.
Problem: What is the Applog folder and will deleting it cause any problems with my system.
Possible Solution: Windows tracks your program usage in the background. It then stores this info in the Applog folder. When you run Defrag, this info is used to "optimize" the programs you use most often, so that they load faster.
The Applog folder usually gets corrupted on a bad shutdown or total crash, where the system does not properly record the "usage info". Note: in most cases you can spot the corrupt file, where it will contain a "~" in the filename. Deleting the folder really does no harm, however this needs to be done from Dos.
Problem: My Control Panel is missing. What can I do to get it back?
Possible Solution: Click Start, Click Run, type Regedit (hit enter). Drill down to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Look for the value “NoControlPanel” If the Control Panel has been disabled, the value will be 01 00 00 00. To re-enable it, change the value to 00 00 00 00 or simply delete it.
Problem: My Quick Launch toolbar disappeared, and when I try to create one, WINME simply displays the error message: Cannot create toolbar for "
Possible Solution: This behavior can occur if the Quick Launch folder has been deleted. To resolve this issue, recreate the Quick Launch folder. To do this, perform one of the following procedures:
Create a folder named "Quick Launch" (without the quotes) at the following location:
C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\
-or-
If you are currently using Windows Profiles, create the Quick Launch folder at the following location:
C:\Windows\Profiles\[profile name]\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\
Where [profile name] is the name of the currently logged on user name. (Do not include the brackets)
Problem: Hello, for a long time now I have not been able to CTRL+ALT+
Possible Solution: **THE FOLLOWING IS EXPERIMENTAL**
I have no solid data on it yet, except that it hasn't interfered with my computer running and has introduced no new problems.
**I REPEAT, THE FOLLOWING IS EXPERIMENTAL. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.**
Several suggestions have been floating around the newsgroups recently of some Registry changes to address this. I've compiled them into a single Reg file. I installed the file on my computer. I have so few occasions of this kind of problem that, in the almost-week they've been in place, I haven't had a single problem situation to test, so I haven't the slightest idea if they really do anything. But they haven't (on my computer) causes any problems.
BACK UP YOUR REGISTRY. Then, if you wish, run the attached Reg file.
If you choose to use this, I would appreciate any feedback on the results, if any. (speedshut.zip)
Problem: After installing Windows ME the modem on the PC began to answer all incoming calls.
Possible Solution: Add the string "AT S0=0" in the "Extra Settings" field of the modem properties
dialog. "S0=0" sets the modem not to answer incoming calls and overrides the initial setup of the modem.
This "Extra settings" input field for a modem in Windows ME is found here:
Control Panel/Modem/Properties/Connection/Advanced
.
Problem: I have a problem updating WinME. One day I clicked on the update icon in the start menu and a page came up with this message: “Your organization has decided to provide software updates internally rather than through Windows Update. To download updates for your Windows computer, please see your Network Administrator". I don't have an administrator just a server-Prodigy.
Possible Solution: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q283/2/88.asp
It appears that this same error message is given if the file wupdinfo.dll is either missing or damaged. I would therefore suggest that you check for this file and replace with a new copy from your Me cab set (either from the WinME CD or from the ..\windows\options\install folder).
1. Click on Start\Search\For Files and Folders.
2. Type wupdinfo.dll into the Named field.
3. Make sure that it is looking in your C: drive and click Search Now.
4. If it finds this file, right-click and Rename it to wupdinfo.old. If you do not find it, then continue on with the next step.
5. Close the Search window.
6. Now click on Start\Run and type MSConfig in the blank and click OK.
7. This open up the System Configuration Utility. Here you need to click on "Extract File" on the General tab and then type wupdinfo.dll in the blank. Then click Start.
8. Now click the down arrow to the right of the Restore from box and this should display the path to your install files, if not browse to their location (or the CD containing them).
9. Now click the Browse button to the right of the "Save files in" box and browse to C:\Windows\system
10. Click on OK to accept the location to extract the file.
11. Click OK to accept the Backup folder to store the old file,
12. When the file has been extracted successfully, then, again, click on Start\Run again.
10. This time, type in "regsvr32 wupdinfo.dll" and click OK. This will register that file.
11. Now go back to the Windows Update site and see if this has resolved the error.
Problem: My image preview has just decided to stop previewing gifs
Possible Solution: To repair image view:
Start / Run:
regsvr32 thumbvw.dll
That should fix it
Problem: Favorites no longer show up when I go to Start, Favorites. Only the Media, Channels, etc. folders show up, nothing else. They are still in the Favorites folder in Windows and do show up in Favorites from within I.E., but not from the start menu.
Possible Solution: If you have used a program called Microangelo to remove the shortcut arrows from shortcut icons, restoring the arrows also restores the Favorites back into the Start Menu Favorites folder.
Problem: Why can’t my machine hibernate?
Possible Solution: Click Start, Click Run and type "NOHIBER.TXT" and it will tell you what’s holding
things up. Most common cause is the audio driver.
Problem: What does the ‘Universal Plug and Play’ option in Windows ME do? Should I instruct Windows to install it?
Possible Solution: Don't bother with it. It has no real use yet... here's a run-down:
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a new standard for network devices (and networked computers). It actually has nothing to do with what most people think of as Plug and Play (or Pray). UPnP allows networked devices to identify themselves and their services across a network without the usual
necessity of client computers loading hardware drivers. The idea is that any computer that supports UPnP would be able to use a device on the same network without installing drivers for that specific device. That's just one example. UPnP has other features as well.
Basically, UPnP is available in Win ME (as you have noticed) but there is no reason to enable it. There are very few (actually I don't think there are any) devices that even support the standard yet. The version of UPnP that comes with Win ME doesn't even support all the features that are defined in the UPnP specification...
Here's some more info if you're interested:
http://www.upnp.org/
-or-
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q262/4/58.ASP
Problem: When I try to access the Microsoft help and Support function in the start menu I get the "Page cannot be displayed" message.
Possible Solution: If you are using Easy Cleaner, go to its UNDO folder, and double-click on the undo.reg files you see. To stop Easy Cleaner from doing this, enter HELP in the SKIP window of the "Clean Registry" function.
Problem: When I try to print in IE 5.5 SP1 by hitting the print icon, my system freezes and I need to hit the reset button. I can print in all other applications. I have WinME w/HP 932c installed
Possible Solution: Go to the font’s folder and delete a font called BDDenver which is corrupted. That's all it took. Hope that's all it requires for you.
Problem: When I try to restore my computer with the system restore program, instead of letting me select a day to restore from, it shows a box with the date
Possible Solution: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q275/6/46.asp
Problem: When trying to install Internet Connection Sharing, I get the following error message: “Netconn has caused an error in Netconn.exe”
Possible Solution: Try finding Netconn.exe in your C:\Windows directory and double-clicking it. If the error still occurs, delete Netconn.exe, and then click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG (hit enter), click the Extract File button, type in NETCONN.EXE as the file you would like to extract, click the button labeled ‘Start’, type the path to your WinME installation files where it says ‘Restore From’ (example: D:\Win9x), and type in ‘C: \Windows’ where it says ‘Save File In’ and click OK.
Naturally, back up registry, move copy of deleted keys to desktop before removing.
Delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,System, CurrentControlSet, Services,
ICSharing (the whole thing).
In addition to removing the whole ICS Sharing folder,
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ICSharing (entire folder),
Remove HKLM\System\CCS\Services\RemoteAccess\LocalNameResolution (all keys)
Extract ics.inf, icshare.inf and icsharep.inf to a temp folder (like C:\ICS)
Problem: I still have problems with Netconn.exe causing a crash.
Possible Solution: Start/Settings/Control Panel/Add-Remove Programs/Windows Setup – remove ICS. Do not reboot.
Click Start, click Run, type Regedit (hit enter)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,System,CurrentControlSet,Services --
Remove ICSharing key
Under Class, noted number of folders under NETTRANS key.
Don’t close, just go to next step.
Under Network properties:
Add protocol called NETBEUI
Remove all instances of TCP/IP
Click OK DO NOT reboot.
Back to Regedit, press F5 to refresh the screen. Remove all folders under NETTRANS key that WERE there before. Do not remove the new keys. They might be at the end, or in the middle. Don’t remove the new NETBEUI folders.
Back in Network properties, add the TCP/IP protocol. Be sure that File and Printer Sharing is not present (this is a must), and delete the NETBEUI protocols.
Start/Settings/Control Panel/Add-Remove Programs/Windows Setup – Communications – select ICS. Click OK, Click OK.
ICS should run perfectly. Then open network properties and add File and Printer sharing.
Problem: Why does my computer take forever to update hardware information?
Possible Solution: This problem is caused by an incompatibility with Norton 2000 and Windows ME. Norton creates several thousand 0 byte files in your C:\Windows\Inf directory. You must delete these. More info on this problem and how to prevent it from occurring in the future can be found here: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nunt.nsf/docid/2000120915010309&src=w
Problem: What is causing the creation of 0k temp files in the C:\Windows directory with names such as the following,
fffe309b_{CB3586A9-A2AD-46AC-B5DF-FDF81CF1326F}.tmp
fffe30ef_{2ACF0CDB-B4A4-44B6-8489-9C1E43F7D06F}.tmp
fffe30ef_{48729DDC-175A-4CCD-846C-E037E29503F9}.tmp
Possible Solution: Disable Machine Debug Manager (MDM.EXE) using MSCONFIG, under the Startup tab. Also, in Control Panel / Internet Properties, on the "Advanced" tab, there's a check box for "Disable Script Debugging". If that's not checked, it could still start the Machine Debug Manager even after you have unchecked it from MSCONFIG. . For more information, please visit http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q221/4/38.ASP
.
Problem: Internet Explorer has small buttons now. How do I change them back to the larger buttons?
Possible Solution: Open a folder, go to view, toolbars, customize, and choose show text labels.
Problem: Windows Media Player 7 constantly crashing.
Possible Solution: Remove all items from Startup (using MSCONFIG) and see if the problem still occurs. Software called AYPaste is known to cause this behavior.
Problem: While transferring large files from one PC to another, the network speed seems to drop and the process seems to take much longer than it should.
Possible Solution: Limit Windows VCACHE setting to 32 Meg regardless of the
amount of RAM on the system. I suggest you download and install Cacheman (www.outertech.com). This application lets you change the VCACHE settings easily. Set maximum and minimum disk cache to 32768 and CHUNKSIZE to 512.
Also, I got off the phone with the upper level tech of Microsoft and my problem with FA310 is that mine are C1 or C2 hardware versions which are NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification) 3. WinME needs NDIS 4 and "prefers" NDIS 5. To see what NDIS your network card is go to regedit LOCAL MACHINE>System>Current Control Set>Services>Class>Net>0000>Ndi>Interfaces
You can see if your network card is on the Hardware Compatibility List that Microsoft certifies at: http://www.microsoft.com/hcl/default.asp
Problem: Why is my hard drive constantly active?
Possible Solution: When you are not using Windows, the operating system will reduce the swap file size (since it is not being used) and the ‘System Restore’ software is making back-ups of critical files. Also, if you have a Sound Blaster card, a piece of software called Disc Detector constantly polls the drives for new media. To disable this, you will find an icon in the Control Panel labeled Disc Detector. Also, you can disable PCHEALTH from MSCONFIG and see if that helps as well. This does not seem to affect Windows. This is a "scheduler" and does *not* turn off PC Health. The PCHealth entry in MSConfig & the Task Scheduler is *only* for data collection. "pchschd.exe" launches winmgmt.exe to collect this data if the system is idle. Quite unnecessary for the vast majority of users of Me.
Problem: I am running Windows Me and until recently when you inserted a CD it would automatically start. Suddenly that does not happen. I have to start it manually. I have checked to see that the Auto Insert flag is checked in device manager and it is. Does anyone have any idea why this would happen or a work around?
Possible Solution: Type REGEDIT in the run box, then open HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software,
Microsoft, Windows, Current Version, Policies, Explorer. Right click on NoDriveTypeAutoRun to MODIFY the setting to 95 00 00 00
CD-ROM Does Not Run Automatically When Inserted
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q177/8/80.asp
----------------
Values of note:
95 HD and CD are autorun (default)
B5 HD is, CD is not autorun (after TweakUI 'Paranoia')
BD HD is not, CD is not autorun (suggested value)
9D HD is not, but CD is autorun (if you like CD autorun)
00 Everything is autorun
FF Nothing is autorun
---------------
Tweak turns off to disable a CD auto-play of Audio?
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\shell default = "play" (to auto play audio cds) or ..default = "" (to not)
Problem: I can only hear CD’s using Windows Media Player 7. No other software works when trying to play audio CD’s.
Possible Solution: Go into Control Panel, System, Device Manager, highlight your CD player, go into Properties. Under the Properties tab, enable Digital CD Playback.
Problem: No matter what I set the access privileges for in network control panel, after I shut down the machine and log back in again the access goes back to user-level. It will not stay on share-level no
matter what I do.
Possible Solution: Try making the change in Safe Mode and then re-starting in normal
mode. Be sure to click OK after making the change.
To start Windows Me in Safe mode:
1. Click Start | Shut down | Restart | OK.
2. Hold down the CTRL key until the Windows Startup Menu appears.
3. Enter the number for Safe mode and press ENTER.
Problem: Why can’t I see computers listed in my network neighborhood, but I can find them using the Search function?
Possible Solution: the problem might be that during the set up of Home Networking Wizard, Microsoft somehow names your Workgroup to be "Mshome" (the default value) EVEN THOUGH you have specified your own name. Here is the fix:
- Start -> Run -> regedit
- Find "Mshome" (which should be in My
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\VNETSUP)
- Right click on Workgroup (on the right hand panel) -> Modify
- Change the "Value Data" to whatever your Workgroup Name is.
Under the DNS tab for the TCP/IP stack of the NIC card I had the host name for my router instead of the name of my computer. All of my windows boxes were misconfigured that way but only WinME complained about it. I changed the host name to match the name of the computer and everything is working just fine. You might also try adding these lines to your registry:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Network\Real
Mode Net]
"preferredredir"="nwredir"
"Autologon"="1"
"transport"="*nwlink,*netbeui,"
"netcard"=""
Problem: My A: drive keeps being activated even though I am not using it. How can I prevent this from occurring?
Possible Solution: Click Start, Click Settings, Click Taskbar and Start Menu, Click the Advanced tab, Click the button labeled “Clear.”
Problem: NetBEUI is not in the list of network protocols available
Possible Solution: Click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG (hit enter), click the button labeled “Extract File…” For the name of the file you want to restore, type NETBW.INF. Restore from your Windows Millennium CD (if your CD is your D: drive, type: D:\WIN9X). Save File In: C:\WINDOWS\INF
Once the file is restored, repeat this process with NETTRANS.INF, and then once more with RPCLTC5.DLL, only extract this file to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM. Then back in your network properties, click Add, click Protocol, click Add, click the Have Disk button, click the Browse button, go to C:\Windows and on the left you should see NETTRANS.INF, click once on it and click OK. NetBEUI should now be available as a protocol option in your network properties.
Problem: When I reboot my Windows ME, sometimes I get a whole lot of the following messages: “windows could not upgrade the file %1 from %2 %1:%2” What is causing this?
Possible Solution: You have disabled SYSTEM RESTORE and you have deleted the _RESTORE directory. As a result, Windows cannot find the directory necessary to create a restore point.
Problem: What's the minimum and recommended ('sweet spot') amount of RAM for Windows ME?
Possible Solution: http://promiseraid.tripod.com/info/mem1.jpg & http://promiseraid.tripod.com/info/mem2.jpg
Problem: Windows Explorer always starts in My Documents. How can I change that so it always starts at the root of the C: drive?
Possible Solution: Right click on the Windows Explorer icon, select Properties and change the Target to C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /e,C:
/n = open with one panel
/e = open with 2 panels
No need to use both. /e will overwrite /n
explorer.exe /e,c:
explorer.exe /n,c:
See this MS KnowledgeBase article for more info: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q130/5/10.asp
Problem: Where can I find information about upgrading from Windows 95/98 to Windows ME?
Possible Solution: Check here: http://www.pcworld.com/hereshow/article.asp?aid=36590
Problem: Where can I find more information about System Restore and possibly how to disable it?
Possible Solution: http://www.3dspotlight.com/tweaks/windows/windows-2.shtml
Problem: Script Error with My Network Places
Possible Solution: You have Tweak UI installed and have changed the first item to appear on the
desktop from My Documents to something else. Change it back to My Documents.
Problem: Windows Update Setup says: "A previous program installation was never completed. You need to restart your computer to complete the installation before running Internet Explorer Setup. Setup will now close."
Possible Solution: Start - Search - Files (type) "wininit.ini" (no quotes) Right-click and select: Rename [example - wininit.old]
Start - Search - Files (type) "ie5setup.exe" (no quotes) Right-click and select: Rename [example - ie5setup.old]
Download a new version of ie5setup.exe from:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/ie55sp1.htm
Select the option to Save to Disk [example - C:\Download]
Next, clean out the *entire* contents of Windows\Temp
Next, clear your temporary Internet files
Internet Options | General tab | Delete Files button
Select the option to also delete offline items
Create a Desktop shortcut to [example - C:\Download\ie5setup.exe]
Double-click to start the install (while online)
Select the option to install the browser, and continue
Once completed, reboot and go online again.
Double-click on the IE setup Desktop shortcut,
Run the install again, select components not in bold.
Select the desired options, *only* install 1 or 2 components at a time.
Reboot and repeat as needed. Once completed delete the Desktop shortcut
Delete the *entire* contents of Windows\Temp again.
Clear your temporary internet files again.
Problem: Cannot enable DMA on hard drive.
Possible Solution: You must contact the manufacturer of the hard drive and download the utility used to enable or disable the Ultra ATA 33/66/100 capability on drives that support this feature. Drives are typically shipped with the fastest DMA mode enabled. If you do not have a special 80 wire IDE cable, or your motherboard does not support UMDA 66 or UDMA 100, you must set the drive to UDMA 33 mode.
Problem: When I click on the Start button, the sidebar that says Win ME has disappeared and there is a long bar of pure black.
Possible Solution: There is a minimum requirement of 8 icons being listed on the start button. If you have 7 icons or less there is no way to display the logo.
Problem: When I try to use the search function in the Start Menu nothing happens.
Possible Solution: If TweakUI is installed, go into it and click on Desktop and make sure “Search Results” is checked. MS Knowledgebase article: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q274/8/47.asp
Problem: Kernel32.dll errors while running Windows Me
Possible Solution Without precise details of error messages, it is a bit hard to diagnose, so I'll give you my general advice for kernel32 errors and we'll take it from there. Also, please carefully check the spelling of kernel32 (kernAl32 can indicate a virus).
Kernel32 errors are most often caused by video drivers that need updating. Note that the memory address for video problems is 0nxx:bffxxxxx, where n is 0, 1 or 2 and x is any hex number (0-9 or a-f). Go to the web site of your video card manufacturer and get the latest drivers for your card. Try turning down your hardware acceleration, color depth, animated cursors, and/or screen resolution.
Update your java VM at http://www.microsoft.com/java
Also update to the latest version of DirectX at www.microsoft.com/directx (run dxdiag to check what version you currently have).
Have a look at these links for assistance.
Error Message: IEXPLORE Caused an Invalid Page Fault...
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q155/1/16.asp
Err Msg: Invalid Page Fault in Module Apitrap.dll (yes it specifically mentions kernel32.dll as well)
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q224/8/13.asp
If you run Cleansweep, go to Symantec's web site, do a search for apitrap.dll and download their version. A conflict between IE5 and Symantec's version of apitrap has been known to trigger this error message.
And if you're running CrashGuard, turn it off. And turn off any of those programs such as AdsOff or PopOff. They cause kernel32 problems as well.
Netsonic is known to cause problems and needs to be uninstalled. Basically *any* internet related programs should be disabled or uninstalled - replacing one at a time to track down the aberrant program.
There has been a run of problems caused by advert.dll and Comet Cursor.
McAfee Antivirus is now acknowledged as causing kernel32 crashes (as at V5.1). According to McAfee they are planning to release a patch during the final quarter of 2000. Some have solved their problems by turning OFF the download scan option.
[Thanks go to Sandi Hardmeier, Microsoft MVP, for this tip.]
Problem: Low memory errors.
Possible Solution: Use the MaxFileCache setting in the System.ini file to reduce the maximum amount of memory that Vcache uses to 512 megabytes (524,288 KB) or less OR Use the System Configuration utility to limit the amount of memory that Windows uses to 512 megabytes (MB) or less.
Vcache is limited internally to a maximum cache size of 800 MB.
This problem may occur more readily with Advanced Graphics Port (AGP) video adapters because the AGP aperture is also mapped to addresses in the system arena. For example, if Vcache is using a maximum cache size of 800 MB and an AGP video adapter has a 128-MB aperture mapped, there is very little address space remaining for the other system code and data that must occupy this range of virtual addresses.
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q253/9/12.ASP
Problem: When you choose shut down, the screen goes blank and you get the “Windows is shutting down”, then the screen goes black and it NEVER says “It is now safe to turn off your computer”.
Possible Solution: Go into the BIOS, select “Power Management Setup”, under “Video Off Method” choose “V/H Sync+Blank”
Problem: Computer receives a general protection fault while attempting to install Windows 98 or 95.
Possible Solution: Check voltage settings on CPU, check memory, replace CPU.
Problem: When the computer is turned on for the first time each day, the lights come on but there is no video. Turning the computer off and then back on, or pressing reset then allows the computer to boot properly.
Possible Solution: Bad power supply.
Problem: Computer beeps or buzzes intermittently while on.
Possible Solution: Bad power supply fan or CPU fan or bad keyboard (sticking key).
Problem: While doing a defrag, the computer keeps starting over, making defragmentation take forever.
Possible Solution: Press CTRL-ALT-DEL one time and select END TASK on every item that is listed EXCEPT for Explorer and Systray. You will have to press CTRL-ALT-DELETE each time after you select END TASK. Also, if your computer is on a network, unplug the cable from the back of your network card.
You can download a great utility that will close down all background programs. It is called ENDITALL and you can find it here: http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/info.html?b=pcm&fcode=0011NB
Problem: MediaPlayer 7 gives me an 80004005 error when I try to play a CD.
Possible Solution: Turn off the digital playback option in MediaPlayer 7.
Problem: I plugged the headphones into the outlet on the CDROM player and get no sound.
Possible Solution: Turn off the digital playback option in MediaPlayer 7.
Problem: Network keeps getting disconnected or lots of collisions on hub.
Possible Solution: Plug and Play has set the IRQ or other memory address and is sharing it with another device. Both devices can not be active at the same time. I recommend setting the Network card manually using the software that comes with the card or downloading the software from the manufacturer’s web site. Use an IRQ and memory address that is not currently in use and go in to your computer’s BIOS and, under Plug And Play, select MANUAL and turn off the IRQ that you assigned to the network card.
Problem: Network is very slow
Possible Solution: Visit this page for more info: http://algi273qy50xj.bc.hsia.telus.net/network_slow.htm
Problem: How do I make a bootable floppy with Windows ME?
Possible Solution: Just format a floppy and copy IO.SYS and COMMAND.COM from
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\EBD onto the floppy. Instant bootable floppy, just like
that.
Problem: When you turn the computer on, the lights come on, but there is no video.
Possible Solution: Bad monitor, bad video card or video card not seated properly, broken/bent pin(s) on monitor cable, broken/bent pin(s) on keyboard connector, switch on bottom of keyboard is set to XT instead of AT, RAM is bad or not seated properly, CPU is bad or not seated properly, power supply is bad or switch in back of power supply is set to 230v instead of 115v, CMOS may need to be cleared and reset. If this is a new system, the CPU voltage, multiplier and clock settings may not be properly set on the motherboard or BIOS/CMOS.
Problem: After installing an application such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, or Corel SmartSuite, the computer freezes intermittently in these programs.
Possible Solution: RAM is bad or not seated properly, CPU voltage, multiplier or clock settings not set correctly, bad video card or bad video card drivers.
Problem: Can not recognize printer or other device attached to parallel port.
Possible Solution: Go in to the computer’s BIOS/CMOS setup and in the section entitled Integrated Devices/Peripherals make sure that the Parallel port is enabled and set to EPP mode, if given a choice of 1.7 or 1.9, select 1.9. Do not select ECP or SPP mode. Also, possible bad cable or the cable may have a broken or bent pin. Also, possible bad printer or other device. Always make sure the device is ready, in the case of the printer, ensure the power is on, paper is in it, ink or toner is installed the Green Online light is on before starting diagnosis. A printer self-test can determine if the printer is bad. See your printer’s owners manual, or visit the manufacturer’s web site for details on how to do this with your specific printer.
Problem: Modem dials out but there is no connection.
Possible Solution: Some phone systems require you to dial a 9 first, try adding a “9,” to the front of the phone number you are dialing.
Problem: When installing a piece of hardware from on old computer to a new computer, Windows locks up or gets General Protection Faults.
Possible Solution: Find out what IRQ the hardware device is using. Some older Sound Blasters have two IRQs, one for the sound card and one for the built in controller for the CDROM. Make sure to disable both of those IRQs in your BIOS under Plug And Play (select MANUAL and turn off the IRQ(s) that the hardware device is using).
Problem: Modem says NO DIALTONE when you try to dial out.
Possible Solution: Phone cable is bad or not connected to the proper port in the back of the modem or possible bad modem or you have voice messaging or some other phone service that causes your dial tone to ‘stutter’ letting you know you have messages waiting or you are on a PBX system which requires you to dial a 9 first before getting a dial tone. In either case, you can turn off your modems ability to check for a dial tone. To do this, click on Start, Settings, Control Panel and then double-click on Modems. Make sure your modem is highlighted, if not, click once on it, and then click on Properties (NOT Dialing Properties). Click the Connection tab, and then click on the Advanced button. Under Extra Settings type in “AT X0” without the quotation marks and then click OK until you are back to the Control Panel. Close the Control Panel and try dialing out again.
Problem: One of your hard disk drives is stuck in 16-bit mode.
Possible Solution: Try going into Control Panel and re-detecting new hardware. If you are still in 16-bit mode on your hard disk drive(s), click on Start, type REGEDIT and hit Enter. Then type CTRL-F and in the field that appears type “NOIDE” without the quotation marks and hit Enter. It may take a while to search and while it is searching it may appear the computer is locked up, be patient. If it finds a NOIDE in the registry, it will highlight it. Delete this entry and then close the Registry, it will automatically save your changes. When you re-boot, all hard disk drives should be in 32-bit mode.
Problem: CDROM is in 16-bit mode.
Possible Solution: You may need an updated driver from the manufacturer if your CDROM plugs into a proprietary controller card or sound card. Also, if your CDROM has a proprietary controller card or sound card attached to it, it’s IRQ and/or DMA settings may be conflicting with the BIOS/CMOS Plug And Play settings. Make sure to disable those resources in the Plug And Play section of your BIOS/CMOS. You may also be loading MSCDEX.EXE in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. If so, edit the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file and type “REM” without the quotation marks at the beginning of that line.
Problem: Modem fails to respond, or is intermittent and causes lockups.
Possible Solution: The modem, if internal, is more than likely configured to an IRQ or COM port that is already in use. I recommend setting the modem to COM PORT 4, IRQ 3 and verify the BIOS/CMOS Integrated Peripherals settings have the COM PORTs defined as COM1 (2F8) and COM2 (3f8). Do not set them to AUTO (if that is an option in your BIOS/CMOS).
Problem: Sound Blaster AWE 64, no sound (speaker icon in system tray).
Possible Solution: Go into BIOS/CMOS and DISABLE ACPI. This setting can usually be found under the section entitled POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP.
Problem: What is a Cross-Over cable?
Possible Solution: A cable sends and receives data, right? So if pin 1 and 2 send data and pins
3 and 6 receive data, when you plug it into the computers they'll butt heads.
That is what a hub, switch or router is for. On a 2 pc network, you need the receive and send wires reversed on one end of the cable so the data being SENT from one can be RECEIVED by the other. Otherwise you are trying to SEND data to a computer's SEND data port.
It would be like trying to talk into the ear piece of your phone. Doesn't work real well since that's a speaker, and not a mic. (It's an output, not an input). You cannot plug an output into another output or an input into
another input. At least, not if you expect it to work. You must plug one output into another’s input. Didn't your parents have this talk with you yet?
Where can I get one and how much?
CompUSA, Fry's Electronics, Best Buy... they all have those crossover cables. How much? $5-$20 depending on length.
Problem: Start button is empty, does not say “Start” and tabs in windows are blank. All buttons are blank, no text in them.
Possible Solution: Go to your display settings, click on the Appearance tab and choose the Windows default scheme. This occurs when the text color chosen is the same as the background color.
Problem: Drive letters opening when starting Windows
Possible Solution: If you're using Norton Internet Security 2001 or Norton Personal Firewall 2001, change the settings in the program to not load at startup. Create an entry in Start|Programs|Startup to launch the program from there. There's a timing problem, causing these products to launch explorer windows.
The following link from Symantec's website provides a better description of the problem and gives a link to a step-by-step fix.
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nip.nsf/ddb3f5ca22507b08852569370052afd6/026cceacd2e609f78525695f0061c6be?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,startup
Problem: Password is not being saved and/or login screen keeps coming up when Windows 95/98 starts.
Possible Solution: There are numerous settings that need to be set correctly, so we will add/reconfigure each one to insure it is properly set.
Go to the Control Panel, double-click the icon entitled “PASSWORDS.” At the top of the screen there are tabs. Click the tab titled “USER PROFILES” and make sure the option “All users of this computer use the same preferences and desktop settings.”
Click OK.
While in the Control Panel, see if you have an icon called “TWEAK UI”, if so, double-click it, find the tab that says Paranoia, and make sure the option “Clear Last User at logon” is NOT checked. Click OK.
Back in the Control Panel, double-click on the icon titled “Network” and make sure you have the following components installed:
Client for Microsoft Networks
Dial-Up Adapter
TCP/IP
If you have any other components, remove them, these are the only three you should have (unless you have a network card or are using AOL). Check to see that "Windows Logon" is selected for the "Primary Network Logon" listed below.
Double-click "Client for Microsoft Networks" and make sure "Log on to Windows NT domain" is NOT checked. While in that window, make sure that "Quick logon" is selected. Click OK.
On the tabs at the top of the screen, select "Access Control" and make sure the option "Share-level access control" is selected.
Click OK.
If you are asked to re-boot, say NO.
Close the Control Panel.
Double-click My Computer
Double-click Dial-up Networking
You should see the icon used to dial your ISP here. Right-click on it and select PROPERTIES.
On the tabs at the top of the window, select the one that is titled “Server Types”
Under ADVANCED OPTIONS, the ONLY item that should be selected is “Enable software compression”. Please make sure that “Log on to network” and all of the other options are not enabled.
Below that, it says “Allowed network protocols”
Make sure the last option, “TCP/IP” is the ONLY item selected.
Click OK.
Close any open windows.
Click on Start.
Click on Run.
Type COMMAND (hit enter).
Type CD \Windows (hit enter).
Type EXIT (hit enter).
Run the registry editor, open this registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Network\Real Mode Net
and delete the value named "AutoLogon". This web site explains how to
do it: http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/nologon.htm#AutoLogon
Click Start
Click Shutdown
Choose “Restart”
When Windows comes back up, a login screen should be displayed. For the name, type TEST (hit enter)
For the password, type nothing, just hit the enter key.
If Windows asks for password verification, hit the enter key again.
That’s it, you’re all done! The next time you restart Windows, the logon screen should not come up, and when you dial your ISP, the option to save your password should be enabled.
Problem: Windows 95/98/ME always asks for a logon password.
Possible Solution: To prevent Windows from prompting you for a password at startup, follow
these steps:
Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click
the Network icon.
On the Configuration tab, click to select Windows Logon in the Primary
Network Logon box, and then click OK.
When you are prompted to restart your computer, click No.
In Control Panel, double-click Passwords.
NOTE: If you cancel the network logon dialog box when you first start your
computer, the Change Passwords tab may not be available. You must logon so
the Change Passwords tab will be available.
Click the Change Passwords tab, click Change Windows Password, select any
check box items you want to be included in the change, and then click OK.
In the Change Windows Password dialog box, type your current Windows
password in the Old Password box. Leave the New Password and Confirm New
Password boxes blank, click OK, and then click OK.
NOTE: If you have forgotten your old password, please see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Microsoft's Policy Regarding Missing or Invalid Passwords
Click the User Profiles tab and verify that the All users of this PC use the
same preferences and desktop settings option is selected, and then click
Close.
On the Start menu, point to Find, and then Files or Folders. Type *.pwl, in
the Named window. Look in (all) "Local hard drives". Select Include
subfolders, and then click the Find Now button. Rename the extension on all
".pwl" files to ".old".
Shut down and then restart Windows.
NOTE: If ".pwl" files are not disabled, the passwords from those files can
be detected by Windows and the Windows Logon request continues to appear.
If the issue has not been resolved, this issue may be caused by the TweakUI
tool in Microsoft Windows 95 Power Toys. If you have installed Microsoft
Windows 95 Power Toys, and are using the TweakUI tool, please see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q135586
TITLE : Hiding the Last Logged on User Name in Windows 95
For information about how to cache your Microsoft Windows NT domain
password, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q140709
TITLE : How to Cache Your Windows NT Domain Password in Windows 95/98
Problem: What’s the difference between RAM & Resources?
Possible Solution: "System resources" are among the most misunderstood elements of Win95 and Win98 (and most otherwise good references don't touch on the subject -- the first two Windows textbooks I picked up don't even have "resources," in this sense, in the index). This FAQ file is intended to address some of the common questions about this topic.
Could someone give me a breakdown of what constitutes:
a) Windows 98 "resources" and
b) "Memory"?
System Resources are of two kinds: User Resources, and GDI (Graphic Device Interface) Resources. In the Windows 98 Resource Kit, check the article titled "Core System Components." Much of what follows comes from that article. The Win98 Core consists of User Resources, GDI Resources, and the Kernel.
"The User component manages input from the keyboard, mouse, and other input devices and output to the user interface (windows, icons, menus, and so on). It also manages interaction with the sound driver, timer, and communications ports. Windows 98 uses an asynchronous input model for all input to the system and applications. As the various input devices generate interrupts, the interrupt handler converts these interrupts to messages and sends the messages to a raw input thread area, which in turn passes each message to the appropriate message queue. Although each Win32-based thread can have its own message queue, all Win16-based applications share a common one."
User Resources are limited to a fixed 64 KB. You cannot increase this.
"The Graphics Device Interface (GDI) is the graphical system that manages what appears on the screen. It also provides graphics support for printers and other output devices. It draws graphic primitives, manipulates bitmaps, and interacts with device-independent graphics drivers, including those for display and printer output device drivers."
GDI Resources are limited to a fixed 64 KB. You cannot increase this.
Why these 64 KB limits? They are used to ensure backward compatibility for 16-bit programs originally written for DOS and Windows 3.x. This backward compatibility is one of the main reasons Windows 95/98 would be chosen by a user instead of Windows NT (which has much poorer and less reliable backward compatibility for 16-bit programs). Note that the 64 KB limitation on User and GDI Resources does not exist in Windows NT (which, however, may not be able to run some of the particular programs causing the "Resources drain" in Windows 95/98).
The Resource Kit article "Understanding System Performance" gives more details of this that you might want to examine.
In contrast to this, "Memory" is generally used to mean RAM (although, technically, there are several kinds of 'memory').
I've always kind of lumped "Resources" and "Memory" together.
This is a very common misunderstanding.
My Resources drop as low as 50-60% a lot of the time. What's wrong? Should I worry?
Having only 50-60% Resources available is not a problem at all. You can easily have resources drop to 10-15% without a problem. I have run the computer with less than that (on one occasion, as low as 0 %!). When Resources get in the 15% range, it is maybe time to think about shutting down some programs for a while.
This does not match my experience. When my Resources get to a certain low level, by computer starts running very slowly, or freezing, or otherwise misbehaving. Are you sure you can run the computer with Resources that low?
Yes. I am sure -- provided Resources is the only problem. However, there are often other things going on at the same time that Resources get low. Especially with today's advanced hardware, users are easily tempted and encouraged to run more and more programs, of increasing sophistication, at the same time. Resources are consumed when this happens -- but it is not the only thing consumed! They may be just a symptom.
At the same time the Resources are dropping, you are probably consuming more RAM. You may be pushing your swap file functioning much harder. Also, not all programs "play well together." That is, some of them tend to interfere with each other (especially if they include older 16-bit DOS or Windows 3.x programs). Using more programs at once increases the chance that you will encounter this type of conflict. But Resources are not the problem in this situation. (I emphasize this because it is more likely you will find out what is really causing your problem if you do not persist in believing it is something else!)
You may benefit from examining how your Windows memory management is configured. Especially in versions of Windows later than Win95, zealous memory management commonly causes problems resulting in system slowdowns and even freezes or lockouts.
Where does one see the quantity of resources being consumed, as opposed to "memory"? Does Norton System Doctor show you, for example?
Yes, you can set Norton System Doctor monitors for "User Resources" and "GDI Resources." These show as "USER Free" and "GDI Free." I recommend setting them. Also, the Windows Resource Meter (RSRCMTR.EXE) will monitor these nicely with very little overhead; and there are several freeware utilities that do the same thing. (Note that any utilities to monitor resources will, themselves, consume system resources -- at least a little.)
Why do system resources not return to their full value after I have exited all of my programs?
There are two kinds of reasons for this: good reasons and bad reasons. These are discussed in the Knowledge Base article "Free System Resources Do Not Return To Previous Value." In brief, the reasoning is this:
The "good reasons" involve particulars of how Windows handles system initialization. Windows defers much of system initialization until the first time a program asks for a particular service. For example, each font is initialized when a program first asks for it, rather than initializing all fonts at system startup. Then, if a program requests a service that uses deferred initialization, the service remains initialized after the program has exited -- the system resources associated with that service are not freed. The system keeps the service initialized so that the next program that requests the service does not have to wait for the service to be initialized. (This behavior is by design.)
In addition, for compatibility reasons, Windows does not free system resources abandoned by Win3.1-based programs until all Win3.1-based programs have been closed. Only when there are no Win3.1-based programs running can Windows safely release abandoned system resources. (This behavior is also by design.)
The "bad reasons" are that a particular program sometimes will not free resources upon exit, as it is supposed to do, perhaps because it was badly written. This is, surprisingly, relatively rare.
How is one supposed to handle applications that consume large resources?
Be careful about loading several of them at once. These resources are finite. Programs with heavy graphics demands are among the biggest hogs (GDI resources usually go down faster than User resources, at least where heavy graphics demands are involved). Heavy multimedia use puts demands on both. (See the functions of each near the top of this post for some clarification.)
According to Knowledge Base article "System Resource Decrease After Starting and Quitting a Program," additional decrease in resources (without their release) can occur if you start to load a program and then quit it before it has completely started.
Can't I just "throw" more memory at them? As it is, how can I be sure that Windows actually uses my 128 MB of RAM?
You cannot effectively throw RAM at resources, because the size of the two categories of resources is limited to a specific amount. Whether you have 16 MB, 128 MB, or 1,024 MB of RAM will not affect this.
Are there any third party apps that allow one to successfully "handle" such resource-guzzling applications?
There are programs that claim to do this, but probably Win98's resource allocation cannot be improved while maintaining full backward and lateral compatibility. Memory managers and resource managers are, first of all, programs that demand memory and resources! Secondly, they don't tend to work that well (if at all). And one thing that is certain is that they cannot increase resources per se. Note that Win98 releases resources back to the system far more efficiently than Win95 did, though there are still limits to this and you ultimately will need to reboot. (I have to do this about every 5-6 days of normal use.)
It seems that "resources being drained" and "memory disappearing" into the murky waters of Windows 98 are two entirely separate entities!
Absolutely! You've got it!
Source: James A. Eshelman - http://www.aumha.org/a/resource.htm
Problem: How do I get in to my computers BIOS?
Possible Solution: Below is a list of possible solutions from major manufacturer’s brands of PCs.
Acer
www.acer.com
Aspire
1. Reboot using Ctrl-Alt-Esc.
2. Use the arrow keys to highlight System Security and press Enter.
3. Find On Board Communication Ports and then use the arrow keys to highlight Operation Mode.
4. Use the left/right arrow keys to set the operation mode to Extended Capabilities Port.
5. Press Esc and select Yes when asked to save the settings.
Compaq
www.compaq.com
Presario 7100
1. Turn on (or reboot) your system.
2. Press
3. Select Advanced System Settings.
4. Select Integrated Peripherals.
5. Select LPT Extended Mode.
6. Press the Space Bar to select ECP.
7. Press F10 and select YES to Save and EXIT.
Dell
www.dell.com
Dell's web page has instructions for each one of their computers. As a generic example, try this:
1. Turn on (or reboot) your system.
2. When prompted, press
3. Press Alt-P to get to Screen 2.
4. Use Tab to move to Parallel Mode.
5. Use the arrow keys to set Parallel Mode to ECP. (If your computer doesn't have ECP, set the mode to PS/2 to get bi-directional functioning.)
6. Press Esc to exit the system configuration.
Gateway 2000
www.au.gw2k.com
To tell what kind of BIOS you have, reboot your computer and watch the screen carefully. If one of the first words you see is
with
1. If you are in Windows, exit to DOS.
2. Press Ctrl+Alt+Esc. If this doesn't work, follow these steps.
3. Leave the computer turned on and use the key to lock the keyboard.
4. Press the Reset button on the front of the computer. A message will display asking you to unlock the keyboard.
5. Unlock the keyboard and press F2.
with AMI or Award BIOS
1. Press the Reset button on the front of the computer. Watch the screen. After the memory count is complete, a message appears about pressing Delete to enter the setup program.
2. Press Delete. After a few moments a menu appears on the screen.
3. Move the highlight bar to RUN CMOS SETUP and press Enter. If you are prompted to choose Standard or Extended setup, choose Standard.
an EISA computer
Press the Reset button on the front of the computer, then press Ctrl+Alt+Esc immediately when the memory count begins. EISA bus computers usually require a separate diskette or CD-ROM to permanently change the system configuration.
If Ctrl+Alt+Esc doesn't work, try Ctrl+Alt+S.
Hewlett-Packard
www.hp.com
HP Vectra
1. Reboot your computer.
2. When the bottom of the Hewlett-Packard System Hardware Test screen displays, press F2.
3. Use the arrow keys to highlight Parallel Port Mode.
4. Use F7 and F8 to switch settings. Set to
Bi-directional ECP, if available
Bi-directional, if necessary
HP Pavillion
1. From Windows, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, and then click Yes.
2. At the HP Blue screen, press F1 to enter CMOS.
3. Use the arrow keys to highlight the appropriate setting.
4. Press F10 to Save and Exit, and then press Enter.
IBM
www.ibm.com
Aptiva
1. Reboot using one of these three methods
a) Press Ctrl-Alt-Del.
b) From Windows, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, and then click Yes.
c) Turn off computer, wait 30 seconds and then turn it back on.
2. When you see the Blue IBM screen and memory counting, press F1 to enter the configuration utility.
3. Once you're in the configuration utility, you will see many choices.
a) Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight Parallel Port Mode.
b) Use the left and right arrow keys to switch choices until Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) mode is highlighted, and then press Enter.
Micron
www.micron.com
with
1. Reboot using Ctrl-Alt-Del or the Reset button.
2. During the POST test (memory count), press F2.
Packard Bell
www.packardbell.com
Hardware Setup Program
1. Reboot your computer.
2. Press F1 or F2 (depends on your computer) before you hear the beep as the system boots up.
Problem: What is the difference between Windows ME and Windows 2000?
Possible Solution: Visit here to learn about the differences: http://www.dell.com/us/en/biz/topics/vectors_2000-w2kvsme.htm
