IT Queries: Computer problems answered

Burning CD with Sonic software. I have a problem – two files (photos) have been burned on the one cd – there is still space on the cd.

When I try to view as a slide show, the cd stops after about 20 images. After a while, the screen will unfreeze and then I can get out of Sonic by using the symbols on the top right hand side of the screen. I cannot, using these symbols, tell the cd to pause, or go back or forward although all symbols appear on the screen after it unfreezes.

Prior to adding the second file, I could views all of the images from the first file. I have Windows XP – still very much learning when it comes to the photo side of things.

It sounds like there’s a problem with the either the CD or the Sonic Software.

The first thing to try is burning a fresh CD. If this works, then it’s likely the CD had some problems.

It’s also possible Sonic was struggling with rewriting the CD. This sort of problem is why we tend to steer people away from re-writing data onto CDs. We prefer to burn once and forget.

This is especially true if you are sending CDs to other people. Set the software to burn at the lowest possible speed and do not use R/W media. The simpler you can make it, the less likely it is that things will go wrong at the other end.

As far as photo management goes, we’re great fans of Google’s Picasa. Not only does this have a basic photo editing features but it also has a CD burning utility. It’s a free download from Google.

I am having difficulty setting up my BR Broadband. Cut a long story short have been advised by the BT Technical Dept that my virus software is stopping the broadband from connecting. I have tried to delete the software. There were 3 files, 2 deleted but the last one will not delete. It comes up with a message saying “Delete Macafee Service Centre” but there is no file of that description.

This is a fairly typical problem with the big security software programs. They leave all sorts of components lying around and don’t do a good job of removing them.

Fortunately the bigger software developer have removal tools for their products. In this case McAfee have the McAfee Consumer Product Removal tool and the instructions for its use are at their website.

If the problem with the connection continues you may want to check for other firewall or security programs on your computer by looking in the Add/Remove Programs applet.

I have Publisher 2000 and have received an email attachment which is showing in it’s properties that it is Publisher 2000 as well.  However, repeated attempts to open it result in “Publisher cannot open files from a different version”.

The problem is that the attachment has the .pub suffix so the computer recognizes it as a Publisher file but because it’s been created in a different version your machine can’t actually read it.

Microsoft have never got around to creating a Publisher reader tool or converter pack like they have with Office applications which makes it difficult in these situations.

All I can suggest is to ask the sender to save the document into a different format, say .jpg or .pdf  and send it again.

I’m wondering if I can delete all the older Java and iTunes updates as they take up a good space?

Some programs, particularly Java, aren’t very good at cleaning up older versions of themselves. This does take up hard drive space and can cause problems. It should be fine to uninstall the old versions.

We have instructions on uninstalling programs in an earlier post. If there are any problems after uninstalling, you can download the new version and reinstall.

It’s always a good idea to backup iTunes libraries before upgrading iTunes and do a full backup of your important data before doing any system changes.

After doing a backup, I get an error message: SVCHOST.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program. An error log is being created.  This message comes up each time I log in.

I have searched and found the icon svchost.exe but it is not in capital letters as in the error message. I tried to run it but nothing happens.

Svchost is part of Windows that controls how different programs work with the Windows operating system. Svchost itself doesn’t do much as far as you, the computer user is concerned. So an error with svchost usually indicates there’s something wrong with a program.

Given the problem is happening after you run the backup software, the backup software is probably the villain. The simplest solution would be to uninstall and reinstall the software.

It will also be worthwhile checking the backup software’s website to see if there are any problems with your setup (clashes with antivirus programs, etc) and if there are any updates to the program.

Svchost errors can be a symptom of a spyware infection as well. So it’s a very good idea to check your computer for viruses.

I installed a digital image editing program (PhotoPlus 11), and now everytime I want to open anything from My Pictures, it opens in this program.  I think I may have made the program the default manager for  all the  image file types I thought I might be likely to use (via the installation wizard on the CD).  I would rather have Windows Picture Manager as the default for viewing my pictures, but I can’t find it as a program on my computer.   Where do I go to change it back?  I have Windows XP SP2 Home Version.

To get the association back on image files, right click one of your images. Click the Open With option and select Choose Program.

In the choose program dialog box select Microsoft Office Picture Manager and tick the box below that reads Always use the selected program to open this type of file.

Click okay and this will fix the problem. Keep in mind you’ll have to do this with each type of image file (eg; jpg, gif, etc.).

I uninstalled Zone Alarm Free but it appears that some remants are left. I try to use RegEdit to delete Zone Labs
(MiniLog, TrueVector, Zone Alarm) but get a message saying “Cannot delete Zone Labs: Error while deleting key.” I get the same message if I try to individually delete items.
How can I get rid of Zone Labs?

The first thing to check is that  you are logged on as an administrator. To check, right click on the start button and if “Open All Users” is an option, then you are an administrator. If not, log off and back on as an administrator.

Next, check you have removed Zone Alarm using the Add/Remove Programs function. If not then do so, if you have and it appears not to have fully uninstalled, it’s best to reinstall Zone Alarm, reboot and remove it again.

It isn’t unusual to find remnants of registry keys from old programs, some developers don’t do a good job of writing uninstall routines. Generally these won’t hurt the computer and shouldn’t detract from performance.

Should you want to remove these keys then first check all the Zone Alarm files have been deleted from the computer after uninstalling. Once you’ve confirmed this, run a registry cleaner.

WARNING: The following paragraph is for advanced users only. Do not edit the registry unless you have a backup and understand what you are doing.

If the registry keys still remain, you may be able to delete them by booting into safe mode running Regedit, right clicking the errant registry key and selecting Permissions. In the permissions screen, give yourself full control. If it doesn’t you’ll need to click on Advanced, Owner and make yourself the owner of that registry key.

Generally though, we strongly recommend leaving the registry alone unless there is a serious problem that needs to be resolved.

Every time I try to install messenger so i can chat on computer by typing it says something is interrupting it from connecting

If you can connect to the Internet through your web browser or email program then it is almost certainly your firewall blocking Messenger.

To fix this, you’ll have to tell your firewall that Messenger is a legitimate program. To do this with the Windows firewall, click on Start, Control Panel, Windows Firewall.

In the Windows Firewall control panel, click the Exceptions tab. If Messenger is listed, tick the box beside it. If it isn’t listed, then click “Add Program” and select it from the list.

If you have a different firewall then you’ll have to go through a similar process. Unfortunately there are dozens of different firewall programs so we don’t have space to go through them here.

O.S. is XP SP2. I have a problem with Java(TM)6 update 3. When I go to some sites, I cant get in as it tells me I need to install plug ins,I download Java then it tells me my pc alrady has Java installed, I click yes to reinstall,error message internal error 2753 comes up, then fatal error during installation. Have tried to uninstall Java through add/remove programs, but get the same error message internal error 2753.

When i go to start,run,control, there is no Java showing there at all. Windows installer has started turning itself off, so I go to start,control panel, Administrative tools,services,make sure windows installer is on auto and right click on it then start. I am sorry I cannot explain it any better, hope you will understand,thank you.

Hi Desperate Nana,

The problem is with your Windows Installer function. To fix it, download and install the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility.

When you run it, it will refer to Microsoft Office. Don’t worry about this.

Once its finished, reboot and the problem should be clear.

Hi, I have a brand new Dell Vostro that is really slow when I’m typing. The letters appear on the screen several seconds after I type. The computer is almost unusable.

The reason for this keyboard lag is the MediaDirect feature Dell have in their Vostro systems. It appears the program loads up your Outlook contact list so the more contacts you have, the slower your computer becomes.

It’s easily turned off by opening MS Config, clicking on the Startup tab and taking the tick off the PCMService item.

Click Okay then restart your computer and the problem will be over.