IT Queries: Computer problems answered

I have just bought a Ipod shuffle and have not been able to sync my music from my desk top (windows XP sp2) error messages are, could not find required disk and unknown error 1418. I have tried with out success is any one able to help??

It sounds like there is a problem with the disk format. The first thing to do is format the disk. In Windows, open My Computer, the iPod should appear there as a device. Right click it and choose Format.

The format settings should be as follows;

Capacity: The full size of the iPod.
File System: FAT 32
Allocation Unit Size: Default Allocation Size
Volume Label: Can be anything you like

The format options are important, none of the options should be ticked.

Click start, leave it until it is reformatted then eject it. Restart your computer, update iTunes and try again.

If it still doesn’t work on the computer, try it on another. If that still fails return it to the shop for a replacement.

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.

The following appears on my screen each time I start up – I have searched can not find and answer – I have limited computer skills. “Application fail to utilize: 0X800106ba. A problem caused Window Defender to stop. To start the service, restart your computer or Search Help & Support on how to start a service manually.

The problem is due to the old version of Windows Defender being on your computer. Rather than politely telling you it’s out of date, it gives you an obnoxious message on start up. It’s just a matter of removing it.

To remove it, open the Control Panel by clicking the Start button then Settings, then Control Panel.

Once in the Control Panel, open Add/Remove Programs, go down the list and highlight Windows Defender, click the remove button.

Once it’s removed you’ll have to restart.

You can install the latest Windows Defender from the Microsoft website. Generally though, we find Defender a bit erratic and unreliable and would suggest alternative products.

Every time I start my pc it comes up with. “16 bit window subsystem. The system file is not suitable for running MS-Dos and microsoft windows application close ignore”

I also get Kodak easy share wanting to know if I want to send an error report

It sounds like the Kodak Easy Share software has become damaged. The best solution is to reinstall the Easy Share software. If it still continues to give problems, you should remove it.

It may also be that some of your system files are damaged. This sort of error appears when the Config.nt, Autoexec.nt or Command.com files have a problem.

To fix those, try running the System File Checker utility.

If that fails, you can manually reinstall these files by following Microsoft’s instructions. This is a complex and awkward task, so we’d recommend you call a tech if this is required.

I accidentally removed windows XP service pack 2 from my computer. i logged back on and tried to down load again and couldn’t as i need internet explorer 5. so i tried to download that but was unsuccessful. I have the original windows XP home edition CD but i cant find my serial no. how do i get my computer running normal again?????

Missing registration keys are a nuisance that we’ve discussed in a previous post.

The fact you can’t install Internet Explorer indicates there is some sort of problem with the Windows installation. You’ll need to repair this by running the System File Checker function.

If this doesn’t repair the problems, you’ll need to call in a computer tech. The good news with that is a competent tech will have both the later versions of Internet Explorer and SP2 which will save you the nuisance of the big downloads involved.

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.

“When attempting to download images from some websites, I am asked to download a program “Video ActiveX”. Do you know if it is safe to allow this program to my PC?

Also, when I try to cancel the image download, I am not able to without accessing Task Manager and closing Internet Explorer. Can you advise an alternate method?”

Both of these problems indicate a spyware infection. Active X downloads are the favourite methods of spyware writers. Firefox and Opera don’t have built in support for Active X and this is why we recommend them over Internet Explorer.

You must check your computer for spyware. We’ve previously posted the instructions to do this. We’d also strongly recommend you stop using Internet Explorer and start using an alternative browser.