IT Queries: Computer problems answered

The Microsoft System Configuration utility tool is a handy program built into Windows versions since Windows 98. It allows you to change how Windows starts and what programs run with it.

This is a very useful function if you are trying to diagnose what’s slowing a computer or to get rid of an irritating message.

To start it, click Start and Run and type MSCONFIG. In Vista do the same except type MSCONFIG in the Search box.

For most people, the important part of MSConfig is the Start Up tab, this lists all the programs starting up with Windows and lets you turn them off with a tick. If you find an important function stops working, then you can undo it simply by ticking the box again.

There are millions of programs that can start with your computer, if you’re not sure what one is then you can search it’s name on the Sysinfo website.

Note though that more sophisticated spyware and viruses hide themselves deeper in the system or hitch hike on legitimate programs, so not everything that starts up will be listed.

The other important part for novice users is the General Tab where you can choose diagnostic startup which is the equivalent to Safe Mode.

The other tabs in the tool are for more advanced users. If you don’t know what you are doing, then you should call for an experienced tech.

Win XP SP 2(I think). I tried to get a program to open in another way and somehow accidently changed all Prog (exe.) to open in Adobe Photoshop. Clk open and all progs seem to go to adobe. I couldn’t get the system restore to undo this error. Have used up all my restore points which could have been of assistance.Please help if you can, after all tis the season…….and I don’t feel too jolly !!
Cheers Colin

This is a nasty problem we used to see in with bad spyware infections. It is a real pain and requires a number of changes to the registry.

Luckily someone’s done this already for you. Visit the excellent Doug Knox file associations page and download the EXE file association fix. The page also has instructions on how to open Regedit when the associations have been trashed.

Once you’ve opened Regedit, click File and Import then select where you’ve saved the inf file. Once you finish the merge, exit Regedit and reboot the problem should be fixed.

Merging the inf can be tricky using the command prompt and is certainly not something we’d recommend if you aren’t an experienced computer user. If you are stuck it’s important you call a computer tech.

I’m having difficulty with Office2007. C= vista D= XP Pro both C&D both have the Office 2007. Can I safely delete O7 from “D” then re-install Office XP in that partition? I have the original CD.

You certainly can although we’d be reluctant to advise you to wipe the Office 2007 folder given the potential problems it can create.

We’d recommend you uninstall Office 2007 from both versions of Windows through the Control Panel as we’ve discussed previously. Note that uninstalling from one will affect the other.

It’s probably best to uninstall all versions of MS Office, then run a registry cleaner and finally reinstall Office XP.

Keep in mind that deleting folders and changing registry settings can cause problems for your computer. If you have any problems you should contact a technician for proper advice and service.

I have Windows XP and would like to know do I have to remove Adobe 3 from the system before installing Adobe 8

It’s a good idea to remove older versions of Adobe as one of the long standing bugs with Acrobat is it leaves older versions sitting around to cause trouble.

The best way to remove programs is to open the Control Panel (click Start and then Settings), go to Add/Remove Programs and then select each of the older versions of Acrobat on the system.

Unfortunately this doesn’t always work as it should, if this happens Adobe make it difficult to remove the package. Adobe have the instructions for removing version 6.

To remove earlier versions, it might be best to delete the Adobe program folder and then run a registry cleaner. We recommend you get a qualified tech to help you with this.

We are running Windows XP – every time we start the computer we get the following error message:
Windows – No Disk: Exception processing message c0000013 Parameters 75b6bf9c 4 75b6bf9c 75b6bf9c

It doesn’t seem to make any difference to the way everything works – is it a problem – or how do we stop the message appearing.

It sounds like there’s a program starting with the computer that looks for a disk, probably a removable drive or a CD/DVD that isn’t in the tray or connected so the system bleats about it being missing.

To fix this, first disconnect your computer from the Internet. By this, we mean unplug the affected computer from the modem or network.

Then open the System Configuration Utility by clicking start, run and typing MSCONFIG. Once in the utility, go to the startup tab.

In the startup tab, take the tick off ALL the items. This will probably disable your firewall and antivirus which is why we recommend you are not connected to the net while doing this.

Reboot the computer. You may get other error messages relating to other programs not starting, ignore them.

If the error message does not go away you need to call a tech.

Normally the missing disk message should have gone away. It’s now a matter of finding which one is the problem program. We do this through a process of elimination.

Go back into the start up tab of the System Configuration Utility and tick the top half of the programs listed and reboot the computer.

If the problem re-appears on restarting, it’s one of the programs you’ve ticked. Take half the ticks you put on last time and reboot again. Keep doing this until the problem go away.

Should the problem not reappear, it’s in the other half of the programs. Tick half the ones remaining and restart again. Keep doing this until the problem reappears.

By adding and removing programs, you’ll find the one causing the problem. You can then leave that one disabled or uninstall the program.

We often see this after removing spyware or viruses, the removal tools fix the underlying problem but don’t remove what was starting with the system.

I am running XP and one of my programs when I try to pen it comes up with the Message 429: ActiveX component can’t create object. Can you tell me how to fix it

ActiveX is part of the Windows Scripting function. Many programs rely on Windows Scripting for basic functions. In your case the program relies it for printing.

Fixing ActiveX can be a nuisance, the first thing to do is download the latest Microsoft Data Access Components. A lot of database type programs require this to work properly. Reboot your computer after installing it.

The next step, should the first one fail, is to install the latest Windows Scripting Host. This will update all the scripting functions and is something we recommend if you’ve had a spyware infection.

We’d also recommend you complain to the software company about their program relying on these function. We’ve found MDAC and the Scripting Host to be somewhat unreliable and they tie the program, and it’s user, too deeply into the Windows operating system.

So if Windows goes wrong, such as with a serious spyware infection, the entire system goes down.

Hi,
when i try to open the clock on the menu bar the message appears:

thank you,

Somebody has been playing with your computer and locked you out of various functions. We often see this with second hand corporate systems where the system admins don’t want people playing with the settings.

To fix it, you are going to log on as an Administrator and change your user log on to being an administrator as well. You may also have to change the Group Policy settings.

None of this is simple and you may have to call in a tech.

Hi,
Im not to bad with computers but latley of got the \”megaclick\” virus were it takes you to the megaclick page whenever you clickany link and claims it doesnt exist(obviously a lie since google does exist)
Ive tried all my virus programs wich are

Greg

Greg, you have a spyware infection. Page hijacking, where the start page is taken over by the bad guys, is a classic trick of these people.

To fix it, follow our Removing a Trojan advice. Before starting, make sure your Spybot Search and Destroy is fully up to date along with the other removal tools.

Why does it take a very long time to run check disk utility in windows vista?. It starts running at startup and runs for more than half an hour displaying an information that it is fixing errors? I have Windows Vista Home Premium in my HP laptop. I forced shutdown after 35 minutes. any harm in that

While Vista can be slow for many tasks, in this case it’s probably not the villain. The CHKDSK program can take a lot of time to scan a large hard drive. It’s not unknown for it to take several hours.

We certainly don’t recommend shutting a computer off while running the disk checker. You might damage critical system files or lose data.

One thing to watch out for though is that a slow disk scan can be an indicator of a defective or damaged hard drive. It’s best to check the Application section of the Event Logs after running the disk checker to see what errors, if any, were found.

I have no sound. If I put a cd in these are the messages I get: “There are no active devices available. To install mixer devices, go to control panel, click printers and other hardware, then add hardware.”

Colleen

The problem is with the sound card settings. The first thing to do is open the Control Panel, click on Sounds and Audio Devices and click on the Audio tab.

In that tab, click the drop down box under Sound Devices and choose your soundcard, click Apply and Okay and restart your computer.

If no soundcard is shown, then there is a problem with the system drivers. If you have the installation disk that came with the computer or sound card, then you should run the setup. A call to the manufacturer might assist you with doing this.

If you can’t run the installation routing, you can check the drivers are running properly. In the Control Panel open the System applet, click on the hardware tab and then the Device Manager button.

The Device Manager will list all the hardware installed on your system. On that list, you should check that nothing has a black exclamation mark or a red diagonal through it.

If the sound device has red diagonal then it has been disabled, right click it and choose Enable.

Should it have a black exclamation mark then Windows is having a problem with the drivers. Right click the driver, choose Update and follow the Hardware Update Wizard.

It may be that the card has failed or has come loose on the motherboard. If that’s the case, you’ll need to see a tech. We may have a technician near to you that can help.