How to uninstall a program that refuses to uninstall normally?

Generally there are two ways in which you can uninstall a program.

1. Use the control panel's 'Add/Remove programs' and select the software that you want to uninstall and click the 'Remove' button to uninstall.
   
2. The software group itself will have a 'Uninstall' icon to uninstall the software.

If using the above two methods you cannot uninstall the software then you have another option to remove that software. By deleting the registry keys related to that software. Here are the steps to remove an application that refuses to uninstall.

To totally uninstall the software

• Before doing this method we have to take a backup that is create a restore point in the windows if some problem occurs here we can restore it.
• Now click on 'Start->Run' and type 'regedit' and click enter key. Now the registry editor will open. In registry editor search the company name or the software and delete all the keys that has the software name. 
  
• Then press 'F3' button to search the next occurrence of the software key and delete. Likewise delete all occurrences.
  
• Now reboot the computer. Check if there are any errors while rebooting. If there are no errors then deleting registry keys did not cause any problems. If there are any errors that means there was a problem due to editing the registry. Therefore restore the backup.

To check the Registry

It is very important to check whether there was any harm due to editing the registry. There are many 'Registry Checker' software. For example Windoctor, jv16 are some of the registry checker software. You can use these software to check your registry.

To remove the software name from the registry

• Sometimes when you uninstall a program, even after installing you may still find the software listed under the 'Add/Remove programs' list. To remove the listing from the add remove programs list you can use the registry.
  
• Open the registry editor by typing 'regedit' in the 'start->run' box. Now click on the + icon in the 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE'. Now scroll down and select 'Microsoft', 'Windows', 'current version' and then 'uninstall'. In the right hand side watch the 'display name' and 'uninstall string'. The software name displayed in 'Display name' is what is listed in the 'Add/remove programs'. 
  
• Choose the software name that you want to delete and then click the delete button. Now in the confirmation dialog box click 'Yes'.
  
• In the 'Uninstall string' key the windows folder in which the software is installed will be shown. Now in the internet explorer, go to this folder and deleted all contents.

Office Software in Linux

Linux Operating System is widely in use in many places either because it is free or because it comes with the source code. Windows and Windows based applications are not free. But Linux and applications that run on Linux are also free.

SuSe and Mandrake are some of the Linux distributions. In this article we shall see the many different free applications that can be used in Linux.

Office Software in Linux

1. openoffice.org provides a free Office software that can be used in Linux. The Open Office software has Write (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentation) and Draw (Image editor).
   
2. Similarly Kword, Karbon are other free Word processors available for Linux
   
3. Gnumeric and Kspread are other Spreadsheet softwares available for Linux
   
4. KOffice is the Office suite that compares well with the MS Office.

Problems and Tips while using USB ports

Sometimes we may face a problem that when we insert a pendrive in the computer it is not detected. Here is a solution for it

You can solve this by doing below. 

1. Go to Start => control panel =>Administrative Tools and click in administrative tool. After that double click on     Computer Management. 
2. In that left side select Disk Management, at the right side a drive displays with the name of a removable drive. 3. This is the drive thus containing to same name of already using drive. 
4. To change it right click on the while bar then a got a list. 

5. Now select “change drive letters and paths”. 
6. Now you can select the letter that you want. Click the “change” option. 
7. The letter that you selected it should be already used one. 
8. After finishing this you should get a warning message.
9. Now click ok to it. 
10. Now close the computer management console while clicking the My computer icon. 
11. You can see the USB drive’s letter.

We face more problems on problem on using USB port. Some part may become in accessible due to the power shortage of computer. These kinds of problems happen on USB 1.1 ports only. These problems happen only on windows 2000 and the before edition while getting these kind of problems. We just disconnect the instruments after that connect one by one. 

Now a days the new version computer consists of at-least four USB ports. Two ports are fixed in backside and the remaining two parts are fixed in front side. Windows XP packages will manage these ports without any problems.

How to send email with signature?

When you write letters to other people you put your signature at the bottom. You can also add a signature to all your emails before sending.

Here let us see the steps to add a signature to emails in MS Outlook or Outlook Express

To create a signature and to make changes to an already created signature outlook has options. You can configure outlook to add signatures below every email that you send using outlook or only for specific emails.

You can also create multiple signatures. For example one signature for office use, one signature for friends and another for family etc. For this, you should have many email accounts.


How to create signature?

1. Open Outlook Express or MS Outlook. Click on 'Tools->Options'. Select the 'Signatures' tab and click on 'New' button.
   
2. In the 'Edit Signature' section the 'Text' option will be selected by default. In that box, you can key in your signature details.
   
3. If your signature in a text file or an HTML file then select the 'File' radio button and click on 'Browse' button' to select the signature file.
   
4. Now select the 'Add Signature to all outgoing message' checkbox and click on 'OK'.

To use different signature for different email accounts

1. First, create many signatures as mentioned in the above paragraph.
   
2. Open outlook and click 'Tools->Options' and select the 'Signature' tab.
   
3. select the first signature in the list and click on 'Advanced' button then select the email account that should use that signature and click on 'OK'.
   
4. Follow the same step again to configure your other signatures for other accounts.

To add your REAL signature in emails

1. In a blank white paper put your real signature. Then use your scanner to scan the signature and save it as an image. For example you can save it as a sig.jpg file. 
   
2. Let us assume that you have saved your signature image as 'sig.jpg' and saved under 'c:\myfiles' folder.
   
3. Now you have to create an HTML file for your signature. To create an HTML file for your signature open your Notepad application. And type the following.
   
   
4. Now save the file by choosing 'File->Save' in notepad. Save the file as "mysign.htm". Note that your filename should be between two double inverted commas. If you do not use the double inverted commas then notepad will save your file as misigh.htm.txt
   
5. Now open outlook and select 'Tools->Options' and click on 'Signature' tab.
   
6. Now select the 'File' radio button and click on 'Browse' button and select teh mysign.htm file.
   
7. Click 'OK' and then check the 'Add signatures to all outgoing message' and then click 'OK' again.
   
8. Now your real signature will be added to the bottom of each email you send.

Email attachment problems

Important tips and problems while using email attachments

1. Many do not like to open attachments from emails. The reason being the fear of viruses in the attachments. Therefore as far as possible try avoiding sending attachments in your emails. If it is un avoidable then make sure that the attached file does not contain viruses.
   
2. If the size of the attached file is too big then the time taken to send these emails and the time taken to download this email by the recipient will be too long. So check that the attached file size is small.
   
3. Do not send images in BMP (MS Paint default) format at it is too big. Try to convert bmp to GIF, JPG or PNG formats and then attach.
   
4. If you have more than one file to attach then use a compression software such as WinZip or WinRar to compress to a zip or rar format and then send
   
5. Those files that your recipient dislikes or unexpected should not be attached
   
6. The text files are smaller in size compared to .doc file or .pdf file. So try using pure text files wherever possible.
   
7. If you have a very big file and you HAVE to send it by all means then use some software such as splitter to split the file into smaller files and send it. 
   
8. Instead of sending too many files in a single email, you can send many files with few files in each mail.
   
9. When you reply to the files with attachments make sure that the replied email does not contain attachments.
   
10. When you send emails to news group or mailing lists avoid attaching files.
    
11. When you sending a special file with a different extension which is not commonly used, check with your recipient whether he has the required application to open that file. If not try to convert your file to a more commonly used format and send it. 

How to translate emails and text in other languages?

Sometimes the email that we receive may contain text in other languages. 

To translate  follow the steps given below
1. First copy the content in other language

2. Then go to www.freetranslation.com

   

Some search engines such as google and altavista has a link named 'Translate this' in the search results to translate into english the contents of a foreign lanuguage website.

These are some of the websites that allow you to freely translate. (Free translation tools)

1. Google, Altavista, Dictionary, Free Translation, Tmail and Systran are some of the websites that allow translation from many languages to many other languages.
2. www.systranssoft.com is a website that translates online. Goto the language translation page and key in the text or the URL to translate. Select the source language and select the destination language from the list. Then click on the 'Translate' button to translate into your desired language of selection.
3. Tmail (www.tmail.com) is another language translation website that translates emails in other languages. 
   

Keys for Special Symbols

To get † symbol use Alt+0134
To get ‡ symbol use Alt+0135
To create the trade mark (™) symbol use Alt+0153
To get bound sterling (£) symbol use Alt+0163
To get the Japanese currency yen (¥) symbol use Alt+0165
To get copy right symbol (©) use Alt+0169
To get registered trade mark symbol (®) use Alt+0174
To get degree symbol (°) use Alt+0176
To show (±) symbol use Alt+0177
To show super script 2 symbol (²) use Alt+0178
To show super script 3 symbol (³) use Alt+0179
To make a center dot symbol (•) use Alt+0183
To describe ¼ use Alt+0188
To describe ½ use Alt+0189
To describe ¾ use Alt+0190

We can create more symbols as same as above. We mostly use the above symbols. To see more combinations of symbols visit at 

http://home.earthlink.net/~awinkelried/keyboard_shortcuts.html

How to print all files in a folder in a single command?

We can print one document in Windows XP. 

But how to we print all files in the folders? 

?
?

Ok.

 If one folder has 10 files we can open all files and then give print command. If 100 files are there and you have to take a printout of all of them what can we do?

 Here only notepad comes to our help here we can write a batch file and command it to print from a right place. Lets see briefly how is this done.

First of all open note pad, through Start--->All Programs---> Accessories---> Notepad 

then type the following code without fault.


@echo off

dir%1/-p/o: gin>

“%temp%\listing”

Start/wnotepad/p”%temp%\listing”

Del”%temp%%\listing”

exit

Save the file as printdir.bat , then save it in c:\windows folder. 

A small tip: - you can save this file in any name but you must give the extension as .bat only. Now you have successfully created a file to print. Now, let’s see how to print all files in a folder,

1) First double click the My Computer icon.
2) Select Folder options from the Tools menu
3) Then Click File types tab, it will be in the upper side of the screen.
4) You will find a file type below” Registered file types”
5) Select it and click Advanced Tab
6) This opens Edit File Type. In this you can see a button “New” click it
7) New action dialog box opens
8)Type print directory in action tab
9) Browse for c:\windows\printdir.bat through browse button at application used to perform action
10) Click ok and close all the dialog boxes

If lot of files is to be printed we can create a folder and put them inside it, now right click on the folder and select print directory option in it, if you select this all files in the folder will be printed. 

How to remove drawing canvas from MS Word?

1. Go to Tools menu ------> select Options,  click the General tab.

2. In the various features tack the tick near ”Automatically create drawing canvas when inserting Auto shapes” then       click ok and exit. 

What is Dual Core Processor?

By the invention of new chip Intel organization makes a milestone in the usage of personal computer. The chip contains two new functional processors. The personal computer containing this kind of chip would able act as double-brained system. Past 12years empire of the Pentium chips comes to an end. This new invention had brought on the silver jubilee of the invention of personal computer.

This chip had been brought 40years after the invention of moor’s law. Moor’s law says that the capacity and speed of the processor will be doubling every 2 years while the cost remains same.

By using this dual pc we get high clarity of video, picture and audio’s. even though we get digitalize pictures in 3D effect.

Uses of dual core processor:

It can handle to entirely different type of processes as fast and easily at same time. For example a dual core chip can do the work of making imagination about the four car’s traveling path and also it can observe the path for it. We don’t want improve the speed of cars. by this dual core chip we do the music file downloading and games downloading on same time. At the same time we can also handle high capacity of data’s also. Before the dual core technology we use Hyper-threading technology, which can manage two different processes at single time. But dual core technology handles four different processing at single time.

Computer Monitor troubleshooting steps

1. First of all check if the power supply to the monitor is ON. In old type of computers the power supply is given in the CPU but in recent computers the monitors have own power cable.. Check if it is fixed correct and If the switch is on. If the power supply comes to the monitor the LED will glow in the monitor. Otherwise it does not glow.

2. After that you have a switch control in monitor for adjusting the monitor setting. You can adjust to get display. Children may change the settings mistakenly. We can check it out.

3. After that check whether video cable is connected to the CPU firmly.

4. If you have any other monitor you can connect with CPU by using the same video cable and also the problem continuous that means the video cable has a problem.

5. If you can connect your monitor with another CPU then we decide the problem is in your monitor. You have to change your monitor or repair the monitor by the technician.

6. When booting the computer the monitor that is identified maybe incorrect then we decide the problems in your display card. Try to change the monitor driver if you have the CD. Or change the video card. 

After fixing new display card, if the problem continues then change your monitor. 

Some Windows Error messages and means to avoid them

This program is not responding End now cancel

These types of errors are occurring while we get transfer the data’s frequently from program to computer. If the program got crash means you got the message as End now/ Cancel. These errors are occurs on old type of computers. When we use our pcs on hard task we got this message at that time you may click Cancel and got continue on program else press End Now and got close the program and open once again it to work.

Non system disk or disk error. Replace and press any key when ready
When computer can’t get read the booting disk at the time you got this error message. If you may not take the floppy from the CPU means you may go this problem. So you would take away the system and restart the system. If you wont get cure means switch off the current and open the CPU cabin and find whether any cables get disconnected means connect it even though you may no got cure means bring your computer to a hardware mechanic.

An Exception OE has occurred
For each program it may need memory these memory are allocated by the computer automatically. When a program access the unauthorized memory these type of errors are displayed, if you got these type of errors frequently occur means you may get delete the recently installed file either if we change any setup means re modify it. This process is called as System Restore.

An error has occurred in your program to keep working anyway, click ignore and save your work to a new file. To quit this program click close.
If you got any bug errors on running program mean you got these message. You may also continue running the program even these error displayed now you give ignore and save the file into new name. Because the old file can be get corrupt.

Duplicate name exists
These type of message displays on the networking, because in network each system contain separate names so if any tow system have same name means it will display it. Without the separate we wont access the network at once you right click the My computer icon and select Computer name => change and give the new name to it and use the computer.

A runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug?
You got these message while using internet explorer these error are happen due to the website that you have accessing it. You wont debug it debugging is software developer work. If you want to avoid this messages means do the following steps. 

Go to Tools => Internet options => Advanced => Browsing => Disable script debugging and put a tick mark on it

Display Hibernate Option on the Shut Down dialog

For some reason, Hibernate isn’t available from the default Shut Down dialog. But you can enable it simply enough, by holding down the SHIFT key while the dialog is visible. Now you see it, now you don’t!

Instantly Activate a Screensaver

• Turn on a screensaver without having to wait by adding a shortcut to your desktop:
  

• Click the Start button, and then click Search.
  

• In the Search Companion window, click All file types.
  

• In the file name box, type *.scr
  

• In the Look in box, choose Local Hard Drives (C or the drive where you have system files stored on your computer.
  

• Click Search.
  

• You will see a list of screensavers in the results. Pick a screensaver you want. You can preview it by double-clicking it.
  

• Right click on the file, choose Send To, and then click Desktop (create shortcut).
  

• To activate the screensaver, double-click the icon on your desktop
  

Get the "Administrator" name on Welcome Screen

1.To get Admin account on the "Welcome Screen" as well as the other usernames, make sure that there are no accounts logged in.

2.Press "ctrl-alt-del" twice and you should be able to login as administrator!

Disable error sending report

To disable the stupid feature in WinXP which tries to send a report to microsoft every time a program crashes you will have to do this:

1. Open Control Panel

2. Click on Preformance and Maintenance.

3. Click on System.

4. Then click on the Advanced tab

5. Click on the error reporting button on the bottom of the windows.

6. Select Disable error reporting.

7. Click OK

8. Click OK

Delete An "undeletable" File

1. Open a Command Prompt window and leave it open.

2. Close all open programs.

3. Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR.EXE

4. Go to the Processes tab and End Process on Explorer.exe.

5. Leave Task Manager open.

6. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory (or other                undeletable file) is located in.

7. At the command prompt type DEL where is the file you wish to delete.

8. Go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the GUI      shell.

9. Close Task Manager.

Keyboard Shortcuts Result in Excel 2000 - Movement.

 F1 Key Help

F2 Key Edit current Cell

F5 Key Goto

F7 Key Spell Check

F12 Key Save file as

CTRL and A Select entire worksheet.

CTRL and B Toggle Bold Text.

CTRL and C Copies the item or items selected to the Clipboard and can be pasted using CTRL and V.

CTRL and F Displays the Find dialog box.

CTRL and H Displays the Replace dialog box.

CTRL and I Toggles Italic Text.

CTRL and N New File.

CTRL and O Open File.

CTRL and P Print.

CTRL and S Save File.

CTRL and U Toggles Underlined Text.

CTRL and V Paste the contents of the clipboard.

CTRL and X Cut the selected item.

CTRL and Y Redo the last undone action

CTRL and Z Undoes the last action.

CTRL and 1 Displays Format Cells Dialogue Box

CTRL and 5 Toggles Strikethrough Text

Keyboard Shortcuts Result in Excel 2000 - Formulas

ALT and = Autosum

ALT and F8 Macros

CTRL and ; Insert Current Date

CTRL and : Insert Current Time

Keyboard Shortcuts Result in Excel 2000 - Movement

Left Arrow One Cell Left (also SHIFT and TAB)

Right Arrow One Cell Right (also TAB)

Up Arrow One Cell Up

Down Arrow One Cell Down

Home Go to End of row

CTRL and left Arrow Go to End of Column

CTRL and Home Go to Top of Worksheet (A1)

CTRL and End Go to End of Worksheet

CTRL and PAGE-DOWN Go to Next Worksheet

Keyboard Shortcuts Result in Excel 2000 - Cell Selection

CTRL and Spacebar Select the entire Column

SHIFT and Spacebar Select the entire Row

CTRL and A Select Entire Worksheet

SHIFT and Left Cursor Select all cells to the left of the active one

SHIFT and Right Cursor Select all cells to the right of the active one 

How To make XP Faster

There are quite a few services you can disable from starting automatically.

This would be helpful to speed up your boot time and free resources.

Some possibilities are:

Alerter

Application Management

Clipbook

Fast UserSwitching

Human Interface Devices

Indexing Service

Messenger

Net Logon

NetMeeting

QOS RSVP

Remote Desktop Help Session Manager

Remote Registry

Routing & Remote Access

SSDP Discovery Service

Universal Plug and Play Device Host

Web Client

How To Find Serial Numbers On Google.

If your looking for a serial number for nero (for example) goto google.com and type nero 94FBR and it'll bring it up

this works great in google

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Quite simple really. 94FBR is part of a Office 2000 Pro cd key that is widely distributed as it bypasses the activation requirements of Office 2K Pro. By searching for the product name and 94fbr, you guarantee two things.

1)The pages that are returned are pages dealing specifically with the product you're wantinga serial for.

2)Because 94FBR is part of a serial number, and only part of a serial number, you guarantee that any page being returned is a serial number list page.

How Long Has Your System Been Running?

Click Start | Run and type cmd to open a command prompt.

At the prompt, type systeminfo

Scroll down the list of information to the line that says System Up Time.

This will tell you in days, hours, minutes and seconds how long the system has been up.

Note : This command only works in XP Pro, not in XP Home. You can, however, type net statistics workstation at the prompt in Home. The first line will tell you the day and time that the system came online.

Delete Files From The Recent File List In Windows

This tip requires a change to the Windows Registry. 

Windows Media Player (WMP)  remembers the most recently played files and displays them in the Recent File List under the File menu. This feature is useful if you regularly play certain files, but you may want to clear the list if you share the computer and a user account or create archives and CDs.

There are two ways you can clear the list:

I. The ClearMRU.exe Utility is available for free in the Windows Media Player Bonus Pack from Microsoft, but Microsoft does not support this tool.

II. You can also manually delete the list through the Windows Registry:

1. Start the Windows Registry Editor, regedit.exe, by typing regedit in the Windows Run Command Line.

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\RecentFileList.

3. Delete the RecentFileList subkey.

4. If you've also streamed content from the Internet, you can delete the RecentURLList subkey.

5. Exit the Registry Editor.

6. Restart the computer.

To keep certain files in the list, don't delete the entire key. Deleting individual entries within the key will get rid of the files that you no longer want in the Recent File List

Change The Default Location For Installing Apps

Change The Default Location For Installing Apps

-----------------------------------------------

XP uses the C:\Program Files directory as the default base directory into which new programs are installed. However, you can change the default installation drive and/ or directory by using a Registry hack.

Go to :-

- Start > Run

- Type “regedit” (without “” NOOBS!)

- Go to this directory…

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

- Look for the value named ProgramFilesDir. by default,this value will be C:\Program Files. Edit the value to any valid drive or folder and XP will use that new location as the default installation directory for new programs.

10 Fast and Free Security Enhancements

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.

3. Install a free spyware blocker. Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.

7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support." 

Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. 

Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. 

This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors.

 Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display.

 Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. 

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.