IT Queries: Computer problems answered

Microsoft now considers XP to be older software – yet quite a few of us will keep XP as our operating system for many years.

I rebuild 3+ machines every year and the additional downloading of updates can take many hours and bandwidth.

Is there a “final” fully integrated XP Install CD/DVD/iso-file that comprises all service packs and fixes?

There’s no such thing as a “final” Windows installation, or of any other operating system, as supported products are always having some sort of updates or hotfixes released to meet new security issues or hardware requirement. Windows XP gets a lot of these as it’s particularly prone to attacks on various security holes that aren’t an issue with Vista and Windows 7.

What you are actually looking for is a “slipstreamed” Windows install where all of the updates are rolled into the Windows installation disk.

No-one reputable will distribute these as to do so risks falling foul of Microsoft’s licensing rules, but Microsoft themselves make the instructions available in their knowledge base at How to integrate software updates into your Windows installation source files.

You’ll find it’s a fairly complex and fiddly procedure which you’ll have to keep up to date as new patches become available. You would start with the Windows Service Pack 3 package and then add every subsequent update and hotfix.

If you’re only re-installing Windows XP on three machines every year, you might find it’s not worthwhile doing this and perhaps re-imaging the drives when you do a clean install might be a easier, quicker and less fussy option.

turned my computer on and this error message appeared;

\windows\system32\config\

Usually data isn’t affected by a damaged registry file, however the damage can sometimes be an indicator that the hard drive is failing. So it’s important to check your hard drive for errors once the computer has been repaired.

Everytime I open an internet site I get a box with the following dialogue:

Line 11
Char 56
Error Object does not support this properly or method
Code  0
URL   http/www.google.com.au/search?
sourceid = navclient&ie=UTF
&&rlz=IT4TSAU_enAU354AU354&q=

When I start my computer a warning appears saying “update manager an error occurred”. It’s something to do with Installshield but I can’t get rid of it”

You’ll need to remove Installshield with the Remove Programs functions on the computer. To do this, follow our instructions on Adding and Removing software.

In many situations it doesn’t appear in the Add/Remove programs box and you’ll need to go into your drive and uninstall it manually by running unwise.exe from the file C:\WINDOWS\IsUninst.

To do this, click the Vista Start Button and in the search box at the bottom of the menu that appears type in C:\WINDOWS\IsUninst. This will open the folder for the Installshield remover.

Then double click the Unwise.exe program and the removal of Installshield will begin.

With Windows 7 and Vista system you may get the User Access Control messages warning you that this might be unsafe and asking if you want to go ahead with it. The answer is you do and you should click Yes to continue with the uninstall.

When complete, restart your computer and the problem will be gone.

I am operating on Windows XP.

Whilst installing the latest version of AVG Free and after re-booting a dialog box appeared with the following message:- ‘The software you are installing for this hardware Non-Plug and Play Drivers has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatability with Windows XP”.

It recommends not continuing,which I did.

What does it all mean ? should I have carried on or not.

The Windows Logo testing refers to Microsoft’s program of certifying that devices and software is compatible with the current version of Windows. The aim is to let consumers know what products are guaranteed to work on their computers.

While the program is a good idea, it involves quite a bit of cost for vendors and Microsoft so not all equipment is certified. Also older products won’t be certified for newer Windows versions and manufacturers rarely bother certifying new products for the older versions of Windows.

So generally you can ignore the warnings and proceed with the installation, just note that running uncertified products on your system might increase the chances of the computer being slowed down or becoming unstable.

How can I use system restore option. It is in “off” mode in my computer?

On your computer click the Start button, usually found in the bottom left corner then right-click My Computer, and  click Properties.

The System Properties box will open, then click the System Restore tab.

Either take the tick off the Turn off System Restore check box or click the Turn off System Restore on all drives box to turn it back on. Click the OK button and system restore will be back when you restart the computer.

If you haven’t turned system restore off, you should also check your computer for viruses as a common trick for malware is to turn of Windows’ System Restore function.

Operating System: Windows XP SP3
Windows Media Player is default media player.
On saving email attachments that are in Adobe Acrobat Reader format, they show up as _auto_file with the WMP icon and can’t be read unless I go through the process of choosing to open them in Adobe Reader.
A further file type that is defaulting to the WMP icon is PDS for home movie editing. This particular type of file becomes inaccessible and also shows up as _auto_file.
How can I stop the _auto_file function occurring and return the affected files to the correct formats?
Look forward to your advice. Regards Jen

Hi Jen,

In Windows XP you can change the file association simply by saving one of your PDF attachments to a directory or your desktop, then going to that directory or the desktop right-clicking the file and choose Open With in the menu.

Then select Choose Program and select the correct application from the list and tick the box reading Always use the selected program to open this kind of file. Click OK and the problem will be fixed for that particular file.

You might want to check your computer hasn’t had a virus infection as this problem is common after a malware attack, to scan your system visit our Removing a Trojan page.

When I start my computer a message appears saying “ntldr is missing. Press any key to restart”. The machine won’t do anything else.

NTLDR is the key file that Windows needs to load when it starts, if the computer can’t find this then it will sit there waiting for it.

The most common cause of this problem is that a removable drive such as a USB drive or a DVD disk is confusing the system on where it should look for NTLDR. So the first step is to disconnect any USB device and remove any CD or DVD disks.

If the problem still happens on restart, then there is a problem either with the Windows installation or the hard drive. The website Computer Hope has some suggestions of the specific problems and fixes but all of them require some computer knowledge and are best done by a technician.

OS : WIndows XP SP2

I am having a problem with my USB PCI card.It is of VIA, it is written on the card is of 2.0, but I am not getting speed of 2.0, infact whenever I am connecting any USB device (Tried with many PEN drives), windows XP balloon popup says “This device can perform faster ” This USB device can perform faster if you connect it to a Hi Speed USB 2.0 port. For list of available ports, click here.”
I tried many drivers from internet, but no luck.
I am planning to use printer port to connect USB drive
Please let me know whether it will work optimally or not

Plan:
1. Connect Printer port to USB cable
2. Attach USB female to female point at the USB node
3. Attach USB drive at the last USB node.

What will be the result. Whether computer will detect it as USB drive, and in case detected whether will it give 2.0 speed?

The “this device can perform faster” message is a common problem on Windows XP systems, as we’ve discussed previously this message is often simply incorrect.

It could be that the drivers for your USB card haven’t been installed so Windows has chosen to use the standard XP drivers that only detect 1.0 USB devices.

You should have received with the card a CD or DVD with the correct drivers and software on it, if not you should visit the VIA website and download the correct drivers for your USB card.

I use windows XP and have used Incredimail for years without problem, since upgrading to Incredimail 2 as suggested in October, the computer continually closes down with a message the system has recovered from a serious error.

I again upgraded and am still having the same problem The error signature is BC Code14, BCP1 00000003, BCP2 859D9020, BCP3 859D9194, BCP4 8060577E, OS Ver 5_1_2600, SP3_0, Product 768_1 Can you advise me what the problem is please and how do I fix it.

Thanks Denise

Denise, it sounds like the problem isn’t related to Incredimail, it’s more likely to be a hardware problem, possibly a hard drive problem, a memory defect or simply some dust causing the system to overheat.

You can check some of these things yourself by following our instructions in the “System Has Recovered From A Serious Error Message” post, however it’s very likely you’ll need to take your system to a computer technician for a check up.