IT Queries: Computer problems answered

OS : WIndows XP SP2

I am having a problem with my USB PCI card.It is of VIA, it is written on the card is of 2.0, but I am not getting speed of 2.0, infact whenever I am connecting any USB device (Tried with many PEN drives), windows XP balloon popup says “This device can perform faster ” This USB device can perform faster if you connect it to a Hi Speed USB 2.0 port. For list of available ports, click here.”
I tried many drivers from internet, but no luck.
I am planning to use printer port to connect USB drive
Please let me know whether it will work optimally or not

Plan:
1. Connect Printer port to USB cable
2. Attach USB female to female point at the USB node
3. Attach USB drive at the last USB node.

What will be the result. Whether computer will detect it as USB drive, and in case detected whether will it give 2.0 speed?

The “this device can perform faster” message is a common problem on Windows XP systems, as we’ve discussed previously this message is often simply incorrect.

It could be that the drivers for your USB card haven’t been installed so Windows has chosen to use the standard XP drivers that only detect 1.0 USB devices.

You should have received with the card a CD or DVD with the correct drivers and software on it, if not you should visit the VIA website and download the correct drivers for your USB card.

I use windows XP and have used Incredimail for years without problem, since upgrading to Incredimail 2 as suggested in October, the computer continually closes down with a message the system has recovered from a serious error.

I again upgraded and am still having the same problem The error signature is BC Code14, BCP1 00000003, BCP2 859D9020, BCP3 859D9194, BCP4 8060577E, OS Ver 5_1_2600, SP3_0, Product 768_1 Can you advise me what the problem is please and how do I fix it.

Thanks Denise

Denise, it sounds like the problem isn’t related to Incredimail, it’s more likely to be a hardware problem, possibly a hard drive problem, a memory defect or simply some dust causing the system to overheat.

You can check some of these things yourself by following our instructions in the “System Has Recovered From A Serious Error Message” post, however it’s very likely you’ll need to take your system to a computer technician for a check up.

I subscribe to your very interesting newsletter and I have a problem. When I’m trying to write anything. e.g. this email the cursor will tend to jump around the computer screen to where the positional arrow is at the time. Obviously it is very annoying and inhibits my assignment writing etc. I have looked through all the help sections but can’t find anything address it. I’m sure its probably only a minor adjustment, can you help please?

Jumping cursors are one of these nuisance problems that can be difficult to diagnose. The usual cause of this are laptop computer trackpads where the typist accidentally touches the pad causing the cursor to jump.

The simplest solution is to turn the trackpad off, this will be a setting on your laptop usually sitting in the manufacturer’s tools folders.

It can also be caused by faulty batteries in a cordless mouse or even a slightly unstable work surface causing the mouse to jump as you type.

There are situations where faulty software or drivers can cause the problem but without more information it’s really hard to find the cause.

My HP laptop has developed a thin yellow line,about 1mm thick running vertically down the screen. The performance has not been affected but it’s annoying. What is the yellow line from and can I get rid of it?

Unfortunately problems like this are usually hardware. It is possible the cable connecting the motherboard with the monitor has worked loose and a technician may be able to open the system and reseat the part.

However it’s more likely the cable or monitor is damaged. Usually the cost of repairing these problems is more than buying a new system.

It’s best to get it to your local computer technician to have a look at the problem, if you’re tempted to take the laptop apart yourself, be prepared for a frustrating process of losing obscure screws and the system not fitting well together afterwards.

Depending on the age of the machine, it may be time to replace it.

On my computer screen a big blue padlock has appeared. The computer seems to be working normally, but I can’t get rid of the padlock.

The problem appears with some brand name LCD monitors. It’s actually a security setting that seems to have a habit of turning itself on.

To fix it, there are four solutions;

1. Press and hold the menu button for about 30 seconds
2. Press the monitor’s volume decrease and channel up buttons at the same time
3. Press the channel up and volume increase buttons on the monitor simultaneously
4. Change the screen resolution as we’ve discussed previously.

These four solutions seem to all fix it. If none of them do, then it could be the monitor’s motherboard is misbehaving and it could be time for a new screen.

My MacBook laptop i bought earlier this year is bugged…

I’ve left it on standby accidentally, and ants have moved in. Any recommendations on how to remove them

Being in standby mode probably didn’t have much to do with them moving in, but this is an ongoing problem particularly in tropical regions.

The easiest way to get ants or other bugs like cockroaches out of your system is to use a household “roach bomb” from your local supermarket or hardware store.

Before firing the bomb, read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. One important thing to note is you should turn off all electrical equipment in the room that you are going to use.

If the ants aren’t aggressive, it’s best to pop the battery and removable drives out of the case and leave them alongside the laptop with the case and any other accessories. Once again, make sure the system is not plugged in.

Fire off the bomb and close the door to the room that you’ve chosen. Leave it for a couple of hours or however long the manufacturer recommends.

On your return, take the laptop and all the accessories outside and spray them thoroughly with a tin of compressed air, obtainable from most hardware or electronic stores, to blast any insecticide reside from the computer as this might damage the motherboard over time.

When spraying keep the compressed air nozzle at least two inches (5omm) from the system as it can freeze components which may damage them. Spray all the accessories as well to get rid of residue and dead bugs.

Put the computer back together and watch out for future infestations.

I’ve just been given a laptop but when I try and write my email the at sign does not work when pressed with arrow the only sign it brings up is \’ if you can help many thanks, tash x

Hi Tash, the problem is probably due to your keyboard preferences are set to the wrong country. You’ll need to set them to the right nationality as different country settings mean different layouts

In Windows, you will find the settings under Regional Options in the Control Panel, while on Mac they hide in the Language & Text Preferences.

It could also be possible the laptop has a function where some of the keys are mapped, and someone has “mapped” the \ symbol to the @ key. Fixing this is going to depend on the model of your computer.

Finally, it could be the keyboard itself is broken and this is why the owner gave away the laptop.

Does windows 7 operating system supports 32 bit processor or not? I installed the OS but I cant get sound when I am playing songs? What’s the reason?

Window 7 does support 32 bit systems which is a good thing as your system probably is one. The reason you can’t get sound is that the sound card drivers haven’t correctly installed when you upgraded the system to Windows 7.

The easiest way of resolving this is to install the Windows 7 drivers for your sound card from the manufacturers website if they are available.

Microsoft have a wizard to help fix sound problems in Windows 7 and this might assist you as well.

I can’t determine whether I have usb 2.o. When I plug any usb device in I get message  “device could operate faster using high speed port…” When I go to “Device Manager” It shows a list of USB controllers and one is -SiS PCI to USB Enhanced Host controller. I’ve tried changing ports but nothing changes. All devices seem to work OK but I always get the “slow speed message” when I plug anything in.

I am using windows XP service pack 3, Pentium 4. 2.53ghz 1.75gb ram

The underlying cause for this are the different USB standards; there’s USB 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0 with each one being faster than the previous number. Windows tries to help by telling you when you’ve plugged a device capable of the higher speeds into a slower port but it’s often incorrect about the problem as the Laptop Junction website describes.

It is possible your USB cable is damaged or only capable of the lower speeds so you can replace your USB cable with one certified for the higher speeds. However you’ll probably find either the system’s USB ports are only the 1.1 standard or Windows is misreporting the problem.

Should you not need the higher speed, you can turn off the error messages by clicking on the Advanced properties of USB controller in the Device Manager. This will only get rid of the warnings.

If you do want the higher speeds, you should ask your local computer shop or support tech about adding a USB3.0 expansion card to your system which should cost around $100 excluding installation.

Hi guys, hope you can help before I lose all my hair.

My screen and browser have suddenly developed a red line around them.  The text within the browser is blurry and appears to have a shaddow effect, again this is red.

O/S Win XP professional
Ver 5.1.2600 SP 3 Build 2600

Browser details:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.4 ( )

Monitor is Philips CRT 107s

No new software has been added and I did a system restore to a point 30 days ago with no change at all.

Tried updating the graphics and display drivers, again no luck.

Have not reformatted in about two years.

Appreciate any help you can provide.

Cheers and thanks in advance.

It sounds like the CRT monitor has reached the end of its days. Although you may want to check the pins inside the plugs at each end of the cable that connect the PC and monitor as red effects usually indicate there’s a problem with the colour mixing and a bent VGA plug pin is a common culprit.

Should it turn out to be a bent pin, use a pair of needle nose pliers to gently straighten the pin. If you break the pin, then you’ll need to replace the cable unless you know someone good with a soldering iron.

Overall though, it’s probably time to consider retiring the CRT and moving on to a more environmentally and real estate friendly LCD monitor.