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.

How can someone send an e mail using my hotmail account to all my contacts when I did not send it?
It has then deleted all my contacts? What should I do ?

Your account has been hijacked. You must change your password immediately. In fact you change all your passwords for websites and computers.

The new passwords you choose should be complex, long and use a combination of letters and numbers. Our sister website, PC Rescue, has hints on how to put one together that you can remember.

It’s also important to check your computer hasn’t been compromised by checking for viruses and Trojans. You should also monitor your bank accounts for suspicious activity.

This all sounds paranoid, and it probably is, but you can’t take risks with your online security.

I installed deepfreeze on my computer.

My problem is I don’t know how to uninstall. a friend of mine said that if i want to uninstall the program i must click the installer file. but a message appears.

“Deep Freeze 6 Standard must be disabled before any Install/Uninstall can proceed.”

How can i disable the deepfreeze where can i find the program? is not in the control panel add remove program menu.

thanks.

The problem is Deepfreeze is running in the background.

Unfortunately Deepfreeze isn’t a trivial program. It has some tricks to uninstalling. Before doing anything you should ensure all your data is backed up.

Once you’ve backed up your date, follow the instructions on the Deep Freeze website.

If you are still stuck, you’ll need to call a computer tech. This program is very secure and shouldn’t be messed with unless you know what you are doing.

My free AVG has been bugging me for weeks that it’s going to be upgraded and now it’s telling me I have until May 31.

When I click on the links I can’t figure out where the AVG Free version is. What should I do?

If you’re using AVG 7.5 you’ll have been nagged for the last month about the end of support for the product. Updates will finish this week. Following the websites AVG directs you to a website that pushes the paid for version and makes it difficult to find the free version.

We don’t mind the paid for version as it still represents good value compared to some of the overpriced products but there is a free version still available.

To get it, go to the Free AVG page. Click the “Get it now” tab on the LEFT side of the page under the heading “Free basic protection”.

This will take you to a comparison page will shows the differences between the free and paid for products. Go to the bottom of the page and click “Continue to AVG Free download.”

The next page explains the limitations of the free AVG, note you get NO SUPPORT for it, that’s why it’s free. If you are happy with this, click “Continue to AVG Free download” again.

Finally you’re at the last AVG page. Click the Download AVG free button and you’ll be directed to the download.com website. Click the Download now button and it will download to your computer.

When it’s finished, you can run the installer. It will ask you to remove previous versions of AVG Free and you should let it do that.

Generally we’ve had no problems with the upgrade, but you can never be too sure. So you should backup your data before running the program and check everything is working afterwards.

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.

System: Windows XP.  On start up I’m getting a message “C:\WINDOWS\system32\igghxjtd.dll

The specified module could not be found”.

This is since my PC was cleaned up after being infected by PC Cleaner. On the other hand it is also after my son removed some old games.

The problem is some remains of the spyware is still around on your system. In this case, the reference to some of it in the startup processes. When the computer starts it looks for the igghxjtd.dll file, can’t find it and so warns you.

To fix this, you need to run the Microsoft System Configuration tool (msconfig), choose the startup tab and take the tick off the igghxjtd item.

It’s worthwhile also giving the system another scan for viruses and Trojans as well.

I access my work email from a website which then runs through Microsoft Outlook. No problem until i bought my new computer (Vista Home) – everything seems ok but i can’t reply to an email. I can enter addresses and titles, but the main text box has a small white square with a red cross in.

The problem is the security settings in Internet Explorer 7. By default many functions are blocked and this restricts many of the scripting features required for remotely connecting to Outlook.

To fix this you need to add the site to the Trusted Zone. Go to your Outlook web page and click Tools and Options.

Select the Security tab then the Trusted Sites zone. Click Add Sites to the Trusted Zone then Add a Site to the Trusted Zone, make sure you take the tick off the box that reads Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone.

Save the settings and restart Internet Explorer and the problem should be fixed.

everytime I open my internet explorer there is an error appear on the lower right corner of my monitor saying”System Messaged click here for details”. then when I click the message it automatically go to one site. what is the problem? is this a virus? thanks.

Unfortunately you probably are infected with something, follow our Removing a Trojan advice. If you have clicked for details and paid any money to these people then you should contact your credit card company. We’d also strongly recommend changing banking and other important passwords after your computer has been cleaned.

I am operating Vista, with a Bigpond account.  I continue to have problems with my e-mail account.  Bigpond instruct me to have no firewall, so it is turned off.  I am not comfortable with this solution, however they say the firewall interfers with the e-mail.

Can you give me some advice on this please?

It sounds like the firewall or anti-virus program is blocking access to the mail server. You’ll need to make sure your email program is trusted by the firewall and the email server is trusted, in Bigpond’s case this is mail.bigpond.com.

In the Windows firewall,  you should add your email program to the trusted applications list by Start, Control Panel and Network Connections. Select your Internet connection, the name will vary with your computer.

In the General tab of the Internet connection properties, click the Properties button and the Advanced tab. Click Settings under the Firewall heading and click Exceptions.

In the Exceptions list, select your email program by ticking the box beside or clicking the Add Program if it isn’t listed.

There are some settings in Norton Antivirus where you can make similar exceptions. In recent versions, this has been under the heading of Internet Worm Protection.  The location of these settings varies between programs.

Since I’ve upgraded to Internet Explorer 7 I’ve lost the padlock icon that tells me when I’m on a secured site. Am I protected when I go to my bank’s website?

With the new release of Internet Explorer, Microsoft have changed the location of where the padlock icon is shown. Rather than put it in the bottom right hand corner where every browser, including previous versions of Internet Explorer, have placed it, they’ve put it next to the address bar near the top right hand corner.