IT Queries: Computer problems answered

I was just listening to your computer advice on 2UE’s Trevor Long show and was wondering if you can help with this problem.  I need to download Adobe Flashplayer to read ecards etc but am unable to do so as message comes up saying – You already have Google Chrome installed.  I’m unable to view some content with Google Chrome.  Can you tell me how to install Flashplayer?

The problem is that Adobe tries to install Google Chrome as part of its setup process, as you’ll see from some of the comments on the Adobe site this is not popular with users.

You can over come this by running carefully through the Adobe install wizard and when you encounter the box asking if you want to install Google Chrome, take the tick off the box.

It shouldn’t be necessary to install Flash in Chrome as the program is built into the browser, so it may be worth making sure which plug-in you have running. Google have instructions on how to find and disable chrome plug ins.

I keep getting an error message fwcore.sys driver_irql_not_less_or_equal I think the problem is with the on board sound card.

The fwcore.sys driver is part of the eAcceleration StopWall firewall product which is a program we wouldn’t recommend.

Removing it could be a problem. If you can, start the computer in Safe Mode and follow our instructions for removing a program to uninstall anything associated with eAcceleration.

If you are able to uninstall it, we’d also recommend running a check to remove any viruses or trojan horses.

Should you be unable to run the system in Safe Mode, you could try to use Window’s Last Known Good Configuration feature then remove the eAcceleration program.

Failing that, you may need to call your local IT support company who should be able to disable fwcore or restore the system to an earlier date.

I have had guests using my PC…their names now appear whenever I use Skype. How do I clear their names from the log in box?

Skype has a habit of leaving a list of the most recent calls and messages you’ve had on the service. Removing them is easy as you just have to right click the contact and click close.

If it’s a scammer, you might want to block them from future calls.

Keep in mind that when you allow people to use your computer, you give them access to your address books, accounts and the ability to use any credits you may have on services like Skype. So set up a new, limited access, Windows account for guests to use as we show in our Creating a New Windows User post.

My Windows computer keeps installing updates that take a lot of time to install which can be irritating when I’m at a client’s site. How can I stop this from happening?

Updating your computer, whether you have a Windows or Mac computer, is very important as new security bugs are found all the time. Unfortunately Microsoft’s automatic update function can be intrusive.

It isn’t a good idea to totally disable the Windows Update service as those updates and patches are important, but you can change the settings so they are downloaded but not installed until you choose to do so.

Microsoft’s Knowledge Base describes how to change the Windows Update Settings, we recommend the download updates but let me choose when to install themoption.

Warnings keep popping up on my computer screen saying my system may need cleaning up. How do I get rid of these messages?

These messages are known as  malware – software designed for malicious reasons – which has been the bane of Windows computer users for years and unfortunately this curse has spread to the world of Apple computers with MacKeeper, and other variants like MacProtector and MacSecurity, appearing on people’s Macs.

In almost every case, these warnings are a scam and the programs don’t actually do anything once you’ve purchased them. So we’d recommend getting rid of the messages.

Removing Mackeeper is relatively easy and Apple has released a security patch to fix it on OSX systems. Details and download are available at the Apple Support website.

When I try to play YouTube clips, I often get a blank screen. Why can’t I play these videos on my computer?

This is usually due to problems with the Adobe Flash software on the computer.

To fix it, first uninstall all the versions of Adobe Flash on the computer. Then run a computer cleanup on the system.

Once the clean up is finished, reboot your computer then reinstall Adobe Flash Player.

Another reboot and you should have fixed the problem.

Help! My computer is telling me PC Health Advisor says I have 510 problems. Would this be why I am unable to burn CD’s through ITunes?

Any help gratefully accepted!

It is possible that the errors PC Health is reporting are related to being able to burn CDs although it’s difficult to say without seeing the error report.

Generally we don’t like programs like PC Health Advisor as they try to prove their worth by reporting minor issues as errors, so most of those 150 errors are probably trivial things that would be fixed with a computer clean up. You may want to follow those instructions and see how the computer’s performance improves.

CD burning is a black art. You can have ten identical computers and each one will have it’s own quirks with burning CDs. Generally we recommend burning at the lowest speed for the best reliability.

We also find that different brands of blank CDs work better than others. Again this varies with every machine. We recommend always steering clear of the super cheap blank CDs as well given some of them are of pretty poor quality.

The problem may be with iTunes and its Digital Rights Management (DRM), so you might want to check if you can burn CD’s from other programs or even if they are playing in your system. It could be the CD burning issue might be hardware.

I want to install Japanese version MSOffice 2007 or 2010 on my PC running with Windows 7 Home Basic. Will it work?

It will, but you may find various functions of Office may not work properly or require additional setup in Windows. You may also hit some font problems.

The most obvious problem is going to be the keyboard support which may not map correctly if you’re running a non Japanese keyboard.

A very good guide to running Japanese applications on Microsoft products is Declan Software’s Guide to Installing and Using Microsoft’s Japanese IME that looks at installing the various options available under the different versions of Windows.

If you’re looking at just using the English options, that should work subject to any validation quirks, however you may find the Japanese version lacks some of the proofing and formatting features of the English versions.

When I start my computer a warning appears saying “update manager an error occurred”. It’s something to do with Installshield but I can’t get rid of it”

You’ll need to remove Installshield with the Remove Programs functions on the computer. To do this, follow our instructions on Adding and Removing software.

In many situations it doesn’t appear in the Add/Remove programs box and you’ll need to go into your drive and uninstall it manually by running unwise.exe from the file C:\WINDOWS\IsUninst.

To do this, click the Vista Start Button and in the search box at the bottom of the menu that appears type in C:\WINDOWS\IsUninst. This will open the folder for the Installshield remover.

Then double click the Unwise.exe program and the removal of Installshield will begin.

With Windows 7 and Vista system you may get the User Access Control messages warning you that this might be unsafe and asking if you want to go ahead with it. The answer is you do and you should click Yes to continue with the uninstall.

When complete, restart your computer and the problem will be gone.

I am operating on Windows XP.

Whilst installing the latest version of AVG Free and after re-booting a dialog box appeared with the following message:- ‘The software you are installing for this hardware Non-Plug and Play Drivers has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatability with Windows XP”.

It recommends not continuing,which I did.

What does it all mean ? should I have carried on or not.

The Windows Logo testing refers to Microsoft’s program of certifying that devices and software is compatible with the current version of Windows. The aim is to let consumers know what products are guaranteed to work on their computers.

While the program is a good idea, it involves quite a bit of cost for vendors and Microsoft so not all equipment is certified. Also older products won’t be certified for newer Windows versions and manufacturers rarely bother certifying new products for the older versions of Windows.

So generally you can ignore the warnings and proceed with the installation, just note that running uncertified products on your system might increase the chances of the computer being slowed down or becoming unstable.