IT Queries: Computer problems answered

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.

How can I change the default player on my computer? my default player now is quicktime player and I want to change it to windows media player. thanks…

To change all the default settings it’s best to do it through the Windows Program Defaults settings. In Windows XP, click Start, Run and type control. In the Control Panel click Add/Remove Programs and click on Set Program Access and Defaults.

In Vista, click the Start button, select Default Programs, then Set program access and computer defaults. You might be prompted to confirm the operation or provide an Administrator password.

In the Program Access settings, choose Custom and expand the list by clicking the double arrows pointing downwards to the right. Scroll down the list until you get to  Choose a Default Media Player where you’ll have all the available media players. Tick the box for Windows Media Player and the box alongside that reads Enable access to this program.

Click okay and reboot the computer.

How oi I disable the crt+alt+delete and the start menu for the other user in the computer? im using administrator account and i want to disable in order to maintain the safety of the computer. thanks.

You can do it through the Group Policy Editor in Window XP Professional and Vista. The Elder Geek has instructions on using Group Policies.

The problem with this is that Group Policies are a powerful tool and can cause problems unless you know what you’re doing.

Generally, we’d recommend leaving these functions alone and just locking down the other users with Limited User profiles and protecting the administrator profiles with strong passwords.

My Windows XP Pro will not update from the Microsoft Update site. There appears to be an error. How can I fix it?

There’s a number of things that could be causing it, we’ll start with the easy ones.

1. Check your web browser
Windows Update only works on Internet Explorer. Make sure you are not accessing it through Firefox, Opera or Safari.

2. Remove pop up blockers
Pop up blockers can cause problems with Windows Update. If you are running the Google or Yahoo! toolbars you should disable the built in pop up blockers.

3. Watch for error messages
Sometimes the update function will try to update itself. This will trigger an error message in yellow across the top of the Internet Explorer 6 or 7 window. If that appears, you need to click it to install the Active X control that runs the update function.

4. Clean up your system
Sometimes the system is cluttered with temporary files. Clean up the computer to flush out anything that might be getting in the way.

5. Reinstall the Windows Scripting Host
One common problem that affects the Windows Update function and other web based programs is the Windows Scripting Host. Downloading and installing it often repairs ongoing problems.

Finally, patience might be all that’s needed. The Window and Microsoft Update pages are terribly slow to run at times so you may have to just let them go.

It is important though that you do update Windows on a regular basis so stick with it.

How do I go about networking both XP and Vista computers?

You’ll need to setup file sharing on both computers. Microsoft have instructions for sharing in XP here and for Vista here. You’ll need to connect both to a switch or a router either wirelessly or through Ethernet cables.

There are some tricks. We find lots of problems with firewall and security programs. Microsoft have instruction on changing the built in Windows firewall settings on their website.

You also need to make sure that all the folders you want to share have had their sharing enabled and permissions granted.

Troubleshooting network problems can be fiddly so if you find it’s taking too long you should call a computer tech to have a look.

I’m trying to share files between Windows XP machines. When I try to access anything on the computers I get an error saying “You may not have permission to use this network resource”.

I’ve shared my folders but still can’t seem to access anything?

There’s a number of issues that can be causing it. Microsoft have a comprehensive run down on the common causes for this problem on their website.

If none of the solutions on that page fix the problem, you may want to check if you have a firewall blocking the file sharing service. If you do, you’ll have to allow file sharing or add your network to firewall’s trusted zone.

I have a new HP tablet/notebook running Windows Vista Home Premium. When I start it up I get the error message “Wmdsync.exe – unable to locate component. This application failed to start because re. Re-installing the application may fix this problem”.

I suspect it happened because I installed ActiveSync, then realised I didn’t need it, then uninstalled it. I have tried installing the latest version of Windows Mobile Centre, but it has not fixed the problem. Any advice please? Regards Wendy

Hi Wendy,

The problem is ActiveSync still want to start but Vista, correctly won’t let you install the required dll.

To fix the error message, open the system configuration tool, select the Start Up tab and take the tick off Wmdsync.exe. This  will fix the error message.

You may need to install the Windows Mobile Device Center which is the Vista replacement for Active Synch. You can get the latest update from the Microsoft website.

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.

I have Windows XP Pro, SP2. On startup I get the error: “Windows cannot load the user’s profile but has logged you on with the default profile for the system.” “Insufficient system resources exist to complete the required service.”

This happens to all users when computer is first started. Then try restart and same problem. Tried shut down, reboot and still same problem.

The problem is caused by Windows not being able to open the user profiles on the computer. This is often due to damage on the hard drive.

Our first suggestion would be to back up all important data and then scan the drive for errors. If bad blocks are found during the scan, you’ll need to replace the hard drive.

Checking for malware is another useful step which may resolve the “insufficient system resources” error but usually doesn’t cause the profile problem.

If problems continue, the next step is to create a new user in the system and see if the problem continues. If it does, there may be user permission issues on the Documents and Settings folder and it’s probably best to contact a repair service to see about resolving this problem.