IT Queries: Computer problems answered

 I file a lot of my emails using Folders and sub-folders. When I file something all the sub-folders open up. Is there any way of stopping this?

This is called auto expanding and it irritates a lot of people. To disable it click Start then Run and type Control Panel. In the Control Panel double click on Folder Options.

Select the View tab and in the Advanced Settings box take the tick off Display Simple folder view in Explorers folder list and click OK.

Every time we update our Windows XP Professional 2002 Service pack 3 programme, it causes our computer to cut out the top tool bar when we access Explorer. We are both novices at IT, so have no idea regarding rectifying this problem, other than using System Restore and going back a couple of days before the update. Why is this so ?

It sounds like the position of the screen changes. Press the Alt key and the space key (Alt-Space) together and you’ll get the dialogue box that include Move and Size. Choose Move and you’ll be able to drag thescreen to where you want it.

Is it possible to have the default for all files in my Documents and elsewhere to appear in the list option?  This used to happen but since my computer crashed it now defaults to icons and I find them hard to rcognise.  I know that I can chance them BUT I hope that there is a way to set the default.

First get the view you want. Open My Computer, click View and select either List or Details.

Then click Tools, Folder Options and the View tab. Click the Apply to all folders button.

Whenever I click any drive (C: or D: ) to open, it asks me to choose a programme to open the file (drive), is this some virus?

No, the problem is more mundane. You have inf files in the root directory of the drives. Inf files are used to run programs when you open a drive or folder. It’s how CDs run automatically when you put them into your Windows computer.

In your case some of these inf files have found their way onto the C: and D: drives, probably through a mistake while downloading or opening files.

To fix this, simply search your hard drives for any files finishing in .inf and rename them to something like .in0.  Remember you should only rename the files you find in the root directory and not in any subdirectories or you may find programs might stop working.

Uninstall a W98 to WXP OS upgrade.

Many thanks in advance

Yikes! This is a lot of trouble for an old computer.

The problem appears to be that you have some old programs that were installed to the wrong location that have been subsequently deleted. It might be best to run the Windows Installer Repair Tool and  then run a registry cleaner.

If you still want to uninstall Windows XP then you should continue right past the message where you stopped. The Windows Updates are irrelevant to Windows 98.

You may find however that Window 98 won’t work properly after you’ve uninstalled as, depending upon the choices you made during the installations, there may be shared components.

If you are determined to reinstall Windows 98 and then XP, then it’s probably going to be quicker and easier just to back up your data, reformat your hard drive and start with a fresh install. Your computer will love you for it and the system will be far quicker.

Overall though, this computer is old. In human terms, it’s pushing 120 years old. The poor beast is probably due for retirement.

Keep in mind that, like all old technology, the costs of keeping it running are often higher than the costs of a new system.

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.

When i turn on my PC an errors appear on the screen, “The system has recovered from a serious error. A log of this error has been created ….”

What is the problem? do I need to reformat my PC? or this is a virus?

It could be a number of things. Something is causing an error when your computer shuts down.
First, you should check your hard drive is free of errors. Be warned that this can take some hours to run. We find it best to leave it overnight.

Once the chkdsk has finished make sure your computer doesn’t have a virus or spyware infection.

Once that is finished, uninstall any programs you don’t use.

Then, clean up your computer.

If the problem is still continuing you’ll need to consider reformatting or calling a tech to investigate further. We’d suggest the latter as it actually could be something benign.

Remember though to backup your data as these sort of messages are often an indication something may be going badly wrong.

When opening any application such as Internet explorer and even add or remove programs in control panel my computer says “The file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Please create an association in the folder options control panel”

Even when i try to run command prompt, it is asking to choose the program in which we want to open. What is the problem with my system?

This error message is the computer telling you it doesn’t know what to do with a particular type of file. Normally this is a simple fix of either installing the correct program or opening My Computer, clicking Tools, Folder Options and File Types where you can change the settings.

In your case the computer no longer knows what to do with .exe files so you can’t run programs.

Fixing this is a fiddly problem luckily Doug Knox has provided the answer and you can download the .EXE registry fix from his page.

It is probably that you’ll have trouble running the regedit tool or the zip functions because they are damaged as well. Doug explains what to do about this at the top of the page. It is essential you read and understand his instructions.

Once you’ve fixed the problem, scan your computer for viruses or spyware. It’s highly likely this problem is due to such an infection.

If you still have problems with your systems

I am running my new Toshiba Satellite A210 laptop on the same dial-up phone line as my old Compaq PC with windows xp. My PC now seems to have same start window as the laptop with vista, all old icons have gone and the PC needs much prompting to start. What have I done with windows XP?

The problem sounds like your user profile has been damaged. Given your system is having trouble starting our first thought is the hard drive is failing.

You need to get this computer to a technician as soon as possible to check the drive and recover any data.

I am facing a problem at the time of start up of my Laptop. Ut is showing messages like “windows cannot find Winsafe in a particular location, type the name correctly & search it again”

Can you please tell me the solution, so that this message should not come afterwards .

The problem is due to Windows looking for a program that no longer exists. To stop the message appearing, run the MSConfig utility, go through the start up list and take the tick off Winsafe.

When you reboot the message will be gone.