IT Queries: Computer problems answered

When we access the start menu, click on icon for Media player it comes up on the task bar but no window, it would appear to be hidden behind what ever screen is open at the time.

What’s happened is the media player has been accidentally dragged off the screen. The quick way to fix it is to right-click the task bar icon and  select Maximize.

If you want to fix the problem permanently and select Move, then use the arrow keys to move the program back onto the screen.

Recently I downloaded a trial version of magix music maker14 on my computer. It got installed properly. but when I tried to run the program , I got the message - magix music maker needs a screen display of atleast 1024 by 768 pixels. my computer’s screen resolution is 1280 by 720 and my operating system is Windows XP .

Unfortunately this is a problem with the software. It doesn’t realise that resolutions like 1280 x 720 are common on modern computers and will adequately deal with 1024 x 768 pictures.

The best course of action is to contact the vendors of Magix Music Maker to see if they have a fix. Otherwise you’ll have to change your screen resolution while using the program.

I just moved a folder (my xmas photos!) onto my USB drive and then accidently deleted them off my USB is there anyway the USB can be restored or have I lost them forever?

If you haven’t done anything to the USB drive since the accident then there is a good chance you’ll be able to recover them.

We covered restoring files in a previous post. The important thing is not to panic and to save everything onto a different drive so you don’t overwrite anything important on the original drive.

Best wishes and we hope you get those Christmas pictures back.

I have DSl modem it works great. If I hook either of my computers to the DSl modem they works fine. If I hook up my 4 port D-Link or Linksys router the computer which is 25′ away will work but the other which is 150′ away will not connect. I have ran a new line, replaced the router ,and talked to someone for an hour at D-link that did everthing but fix my problem. Dell wants to charge me $50.00 just to tell me the problem please HELP?????????????

Normally the first thing I would look at with this problem is the cable running to the computer 150′ away. However you say that you “ran a new line” so I’m assuming you’ve replaced the cable.

The most likely cause of the problem is the network card in the remote computer has a problem with detecting the connection to the routers.

Modern Ethenet cards automatically detect the speed of the device at the other end of the cable and adjust their settings accordingly.

Most modems have compartively slow, and older, 10 Mbit Ethernet connections while most routers have 100 or 1,000 Mbit ports and sometimes defective Ethernet ports struggle to detect the faster ports properly.

The simplest solution is to replace the network card. You can do this yourself with a cheap USB adaptor or you can get your local computer tech to install a new internal card.

I am using Vista Home Premium SE and I have the message below popping up on start up, how can I fix it ? Andy

(Error!  Please run this program from the Administrator account so it can set up your license. Once the license is set up, you can run it from any account.)

This problem is due to Windows permissions. A program you installed wants to change a setting that Vista is blocking.

To fix this you’ll have to login as an Administrator or turn off User Access Control.

Once you’ve set the program up, log back in as a normal user or turn User Access Control back on as they are both important in protecting your Windows Vista system from virus and other malware.

User Access Control is a function of Windows Vista to prevent unwanted programs damaging critical parts of the system.

Some older and poorly written programs don’t like being restricted in this way and will either irritate you with continuous prompts or the program simply won’t work at all.

To turn off User Access Control, click the Vista Button and select Control Panel.

In the Control Panel, click User Accounts and Family Safety, click User Accounts and select Turn User Account Control on or off. Then tick the Use User Account Control (UAC) box.

Then click Okay and restart your computer. UAC is now disabled.

As User Access Control is an important part of Windows Vista’s protection against malware we strongly recommend keeping UAC enabled unless it is causing serious problems or you need to carry out a maintenance task.

If you have a program that requires you to leave UAC turned off, then you should contract the vendor for an updated Vista compatible version.

In some situations programs require Administrator rights to do certain things in Windows. If you encounter those, you may have to logon as an Administrator.

To do this, click the Start Button, select All Programs and Accessories. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

You may be asked to type the Adminstrator password at this point.

In the black box that appears type net user administrator /active:yes in the command prompt and press Enter.

Restart your computer and at the logon screen type Administrator as the user name and leave the password if no password has been set up.

We don’t recommend running as an Administrator for day to day use of a computer so you should only logon in this profile for doing system maintenance tasks and for installing new software.

I am attempting to home network by ethernet cable my two desktop PCs - one running Vista and the other, XP.

The Vista PC has an existing broadband internet connection and a new DLink modem/router, both operational. The driver for the modem is installed only on the Vista PC.

I clicked through various prompts on both PCs to set up a network, and each PC now displays the twin computers icon at the right hand side of the taskbar. But when I view the network, neither PC shows an icon of the other. They are invisible to one another.

I haven’t acquired any internal or external NICs because I thought that an ethernet port is a NIC - perhaps I’m wrong? I’ve read the relevant section in PCs For Dummies, but obviously I have overlooked something essential.

I hope you can advise me.

Kind regards, Elizabeth.

Hi Elizabeth.

You’re absolutely right about the Ethernet port being an NIC, or Network Interface Card, all new computers come with them so you don’t need to buy another.

There’s a number of differences in the way XP and Vista handle networks and this can cause problems. 

The most common one is Vista’s use of the Link-Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) protocol which allows Vista computers to find each other on a network but isn’t part of Windows XP. 

If you want to get XP machines talking to Vista, the simplest way is to download and install the XP LLTD software from Microsoft.

Should this not work, Microsoft have futher troubleshooting tips, but you may need to call on the services of a computer tech to help you with what can be a complex and obscure problem.

We are trying to access a number of sites and recieve a message “replace index html file”

Index.htm is the front page of a website. The problem is the sites you are trying to access are not properly configured. This is beyond your control.

It is possible your computer has been hijacked with some malware and the web browser is being redirected to a site that has been disabled so you should check your computer isn’t infected with a Trojan.

We have just realised we used our last ‘regional code’ change for our DVD player to code 1 and we need code 4 (aus)(DVD installed inside the laptop). What is the best option for being able to use our DVD player again? ie. software (bought/free) or new external DVD player?

You could try another DVD playing program, but that can be hit and miss. A free DVD player is VLC Player and that may resolve the problem. 

Another option is to use a program like AnyDVD which overcomes the zoning settings before the player can read it.

It may be worthwhile doing contacting the laptop manufacturer to see if they have a workaround or an update. In some countries, such as Australia, DVD region coding isn’t legal and may be a breach of consumer rights.