IT Queries: Computer problems answered

We have a computer which we are intending to sell. Could you please advise how to clear the hard drive of all info prior to selling?

The answer depends on who you are selling it to and what state you want it in when it’s sold.

You can wipe the computer hard drive completely, repartition the drive and reinstall the operating system. This is a long winded way of doing things however it’s probably the best if you are selling it on the open market. It also requires some degree of computer knowledge.

A quicker fix is to simply delete the user profiles currently on the system.

In Windows go to the Control Panel, click User Accounts and add a new user. Choose to make the user an Administrator. Log off and log back on as the new user,  go back to the user accounts and delete the accounts you currently use, choose to delete all user data when it asks you.

On the Mac, go into System Preferences and open the Accounts settings. Create a new user and give them rights to adminsister the computer. Log off and log back on as the new user and go back to the accounts. Select the user accounts you want to delete, then click Delete then Delete Immediately.

On both systems you’ll need to explore the hard drive to see if any applications have left data in other locations. Some programs, particularly accounting packages, have a habit of not storing data in the user folders.

Once you’ve deleted the data, you may want to ensure it’s securely deleted by running erasing software across the hard drives. Free programs include Eraser for Windows and Permanent Eraser for the Mac.

Remember to make sure any important data has been backed up before you do any of this.

I want to replace my 250GB IDE drive with a 500GB drive, but they are only available with the SATA interface.  What is my best option – a SATA/IDE adapter/converter, or a PCI card (more expensive) that does the same thing? Is there a performance difference?

Thanks, Steve.

It’s a very good question, Steve. IDE is the older hard drive standard that’s gradually being phased out. In fact, if it wasn’t for the relative scarcity of SATA CD and DVD drives, it probably would have died a few years ago.

SATA’s the faster and newer standard and most high capacity drives, say over 250Mb, don’t come in an IDE version.

You can get a SATA to IDE adapter that plugs onto the hard drive or motherboard interface but usually you’ll find these are the most crowded areas inside a computer and it’s difficult to fit them in.

Another issue with these adaptors is they slow the data transfer down as the conversion from SATA to IDE takes some time.

 Finally, you’ll find the adapters aren’t that much cheaper than a PCI SATA card.

So overall, we’d go with the PCI card option. If the budget allows, spend an extra couple of dollars to buy a card with an eSATA connector that allows you to plug in external SATA devices.

Before you buy the card, it’s worthwhile having a poke around your motherboard. Most motherboards released in the last five years come with SATA and IDE connectors, so you may find the SATA option is already there.

Overall,

I am using Vista on my Laptop and now i want to change back to XP.

Please help on to how to install XP on laptops already running vista

The problem isn’t XP or Vista, it’s the type of hard drive you have. Windows XP doesn’t recognize SATA drives. You have to tell it what it is and supply the disk with those drivers on it.

Early in the Windows XP installation routine you’ll be asked to press F6 to add mass storage controller drivers. Unfortunately Windows XP will only do this from floppy disk. This presents two problems.

First, these drivers usually come on CD, you’ll have to copy them to a floppy disk. To figure out which drivers you need, you’ll have to look at the specifications of your computer. It’s probably a good idea to download the latest drivers.

The second problem is many Vista machines don’t include hard drives. You can buy a cheap USB floppy drive for under $50 and use that.

It’s often simpler to use a slipstreamed version of Windows XP which includes all the drivers and up to date service packs for your system.

If this is all to hard, you may want to take the system to your local  computer shop and let them do it for you.

My sister has Windows XP and MS Office2003. With some Word documents when she goes to Print Preview she gets a blank page,no writing of the document saved, and receives a blank page when printed. Excel docs and emails can be printed.

We have tried System restore, and have reinstalled Office 2003. What needs to be unchecked or what can be done to enable the print preview to show the document wording?

It’s almost a certainly a printer driver problem. The best solution is to make sure Office is fully installed, then download the latest printer drivers, fully uninstall the printer, reboot and then reinstall the printer with the new software.

Microsoft have a full troubleshooting guide for Word on their website.

I upgraded my AVG Security software to the latest version. I have a canon fax/scanner/printer a HP laser printer and a Xerox colour printer. My desktop is the server for printing.

After the update I have no problems printing with the HP and the Xerox but I am unable to print from the Canon printer. If I print it comes up with the frame “Collecting Printer Status” and then nothing else is happening. I am able to scan there is no problem there. The printer is online.

Not sure what caused this, any ideas?

The problem is the upgraded AVG firewall has blocked the Canon printer software from communicating over the network.  It’s necessary to force AVG to redetect the Canon software and allow it access to the network.

The simplest way to do this is to download the latest software for your Canon printer. Then uninstall the existing software, reboot and install the new software. The first time you print with the new software AVG will ask if you want to grant permission to the Canon application and the printer spooler.

You should choose to Allow full access to the network for these applications.

AVG also allows you to grant access to individual applications. To do this, right click the colored AVG square in your taskbar (usually in the bottom right hand corner of your screen) and click  Launch AVG Control Center.

In the Control Center, highlight AVG Firewall and click Configure. Select the Applications tab and scroll down until you find the Canon software, click edit and change the action to Allow. Repeat this for the Print Spooler application.

Firefox have a graphical example of how to fix AVG 8 problems for their browser. These instructions will work for the printer as well, just change the Firefox to the print spooler and Canon applications.

I have XP Pro that has suddenly stopped . When i try to start it , an audio error about my memory may have a problem comes out. I haven’t changed anything so what can be happening?

This is almost certainly a hardware error. A number of things can go wrong with your computer’s memory from silly trivial things like one of the chips has worked loose right through to a part failing.

In this case you’re going to have to take the system to a computer shop to check what the problem is. Memory problems are notoriously erratic so to allow them to diagnose it properly, leave the computer at the depot for at least 24 and preferably 72 hours so they can run a proper test on it.

When i hit the power button of my PC something seems to happen but it does not boot up. Its only by repeatedly pushing the rest button that it will come on. What could be causing this problem??

The OS is windows XP, the PC is 7 years old, could it be age related?

It almost certainly is age related. Either the motherboard or the power supply is failing as we discussed in an earlier question.

The best solution will be to take the computer to your local PC store and let the techs there have a look. They’ll be able to advise you on the most effective fix for the problem. If it’s the power supply, it’s a cheap repair while if it’s the motherboard it will probably be cheaper to get a new system.

In my CD drive one CD is broken inside and it is not coming out. CD drive is not opened. What do i want to do next?

Normally you’d eject a CD through using a straightened paperclip and pushing it into the tiny hole at the front of the CD drive.

While you should try this, it’s highly likely a broken CD has damaged the device as well.  So in this case, we’d suggest replacing the entire unit.

If it’s a desktop computer, then it’s a simple matter of swapping the old one out. For a laptop, you’ll need to contact the manufacturer and its very likely you’ll find the repair is expensive if you can do it all. In that case, you may want to consider an external drive.

When I boot my machine it starts check disk for drive d and the keyboard doesn’t work while checking the disk so I can’t cancel it.

The keyboard not working is fine. This is due to the BIOS not being set to detect your type of keyboard during startup.  It’s best to get a computer tech to look at this as it involves changing some very sensitive settings.

The chkdsk on startup is a much more serious problem. This usually indicates bad sectors on the hard drive. This will mean replacing the drive.

To check for the bad blocks, run Check Disk in the full /r mode. We have instructions on a previous page, just change the drive letter to d:.

when i start my CPU there is a message always appearing on my screen

how can i set that on my bios to continued booting and not to press F1 before it continues?

What’s  happening is your BIOS, the part of the system that remembers all your settings and handles the initial start up of the computer, keeps forgetting the computer settings.

This is almost certainly a flat battery on the motherboard. Most motherboards use a watch battery to keep the BIOS chip charged while the power is off. When the battery goes flat, the BIOS resets.

It’s probably best to take the system to a computer tech who can replace the battery and check your BIOS settings.