IT Queries: Computer problems answered

Recently I had a new hard drive installed and ever since I keep getting the following message when sending a bcc in Outlook Express.

An unknown error has occurred. Subject ‘test’, Account: ‘mail.gotalk.net.au‘, Server: ‘mail.gotalk.net.au‘, Protocol: SMTP, Server Response: ’550 5.7.1 undisclosed-recipients is not my name’, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 550, Error Number: 0x800CCC69.

I have tried re-installing OE to no avail, I have trawled more “error” websites that I care to mention and still the error persists and done dozens of things suggested to fix it, all to no avail.

Any suggestions would be most gratefully received.  Thanks.

There’s a number of problems it could be.

First, check your outbox. There may be a damaged email trying to get out.

Next, have a look at who you are putting in the BCC field. It could be one of those email addresses is damaged.

Finally, double check your email settings with your Internet provider. The settings for GoTalk are available on their website.

I have an Apple Computer and use Safari for my internet searches. Recently i have trouble connecting to the taste.com.au website which i use a lot (used to) when I do, I lose connection or the computer crashes.
what could be the problem?

It sounds like there’s something causing problems in the cache, which is where information on previous visits is kept.

To clear this, click on the Safari item on the menu bar, click Empty Cache and then Empty. 

Restart Safari and see if that clears the problem.

If it hasn’t then reset Safari, however note this will wipe saved passwords and cookies.

To do this, click Safari again and click Reset Safari. The box that appears will have a list of all the saved settings, make sure all the boxes are ticked and click Reset.

Safari will then restart.

If the problem still persists, it may be a Java problem. Visit the Java website and download the latest update.

I keep getting a pop up saying “this device can perform faster USB 2.0″ i usually use skype for video chat. after i get this pop up my cam doesnt work until i restart… plz help me out.

The problem is the USB port you are plugging the web cam into is the older and slower USB 1.1 standard and your webcam doesn’t like it.

Some computers have a combination of USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports so you may want to try your other USB ports to see if they are the newer, faster variety.

If you don’t have USB 2.0 ports, your local computer shop can install a USB 2.0 card into a desktop system for under $100.

Otherwise, you may want to reinstall your webcam software as it sounds like it isn’t working properly. Download the latest software for your webcam, disconnect the cam and uninstall the software.

Reboot your computer, run the downloaded updates, plug in the webcam and see if that clears the problem.

When I open my computer I get a message box stating “run time error “339′: component ‘MSCOMCT2.OCX’ or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid”

Can you please advise on how I can fix this problem.  The computewr is a Acer laptop and is running on Vista Home Premium with an update.

The problem is part of a program hasn’t been properly registered by Windows Vista. It’s a simple task to fix it.

Click the Start button and in the Vista Search Box type run. A list will appear and at the top you will see a program called Run. Click the Run program.

A Run box will appear, type in the box the following line.

regsvr32 /u c:\windows\system32\mscomct2.ocx 

Then select OK.

You will see a message box saying the unregistered succeeded and you’ll need to select OK.
Repeat clicking the Start button and opening the Run program.

This time type regsvr32 c:\windows\system32\mscomct2.ocx and select OK.

You will see a message box saying DllRegisterServer in C:\windows\system32\mscomct2.ocx succeeded select the OK button.

This should fix the problem, if you get a message that mscomt2.ocx is missing or not installed then you’ll have to reinstall it as we describe in another question.

Fixing this problem can be fiddly and difficult, so you might want to call a computer tech if you are encountering problems.

Have a new computer that runs XP Home SP3. Used to use MS Office 2000 Pro, but its causing problems on new PC.  If I download Open Office can I convert my old files created with the above Office 2000 Pro to be usable or even just readable with Open Office?  There are also downloaded accounts off internet that use Excel.
Look forward to your advice.

There’s normally no problem reading Office 2000 documents in Open Office, the only time you may hit problems is where the documents uses advanced features like pagination and footnotes but most files are fine.

The same applies to Excel, Open Office’s Calc spreadsheet can handle *.xls files quite well.

For more advanced files you may need to use the various Office Viewers to read them, but these will be few and far between.

It’s best to give Open Office a go and see how well it works for you.

I have a PC with Windows XP Service Pack3, i run Internet Explorer 7, Opera 9.3 & Firefox. I see there are new versions of Firefox & Opera. If i were to download them do i need to remove the existing versions first and then download the new versions. I’m new to computers. Regards Don

Generally not. It’s usually okay to just to upgrade over the top of the existing program. The advantage with this is most of your settings will usually come across to the new version.

Some programs though are a bit sloppy and leave a lot of rubbish on your computer. Sometimes they can even confuse the computer about which version should be used, Adobe Acrobat Reader and Sun Java are probably the two worst offenders for this.

Best practice though Don is to leave the old programs on unless they are causing some trouble and if they do we have instructions on removing older software.

I have just bought a HP Touchsmart 515 but when I tried to transfer my CA Anti Virus software over, they told me they cannot support “64 bit”.  Can you recommend an Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware program that will support my computer?  I am happy to pay a reasonable amount.

The biggest problem with 64-bit hardware is getting software that will run on it. Utility and security software like anti virus programs are a particular problem.

That said, there are some good solutions available. 

One of the popular anti virus packages, Avast, does offer a 64-bit version. Even better news is they have a free package for 64-bit systems. 

It’s worthwhile shopping around to find the vendors who are prepared to make the effort to support the newer systems. Just be aware some software companies’ 64-bit products are very basic or even crippled so try before you buy.

I recently visited the website of a large multi-national finance company to check details of a contract we have with them.
Since visiting their website, I have sent a number of emails and received replies from their Australian office.
I am using Windows XP Pro SP3 with Norton 360. I use both Outlook and Outlook Express as email client programs.
After visiting the website of this finance company, I noticed that many of my desktop icons and shortcut icons have changed. Instead of showing icons for Norton 360 or other shortcuts that are normally on my desktop, I now see icons with the logo of this finance company instead. The icon titles are still the same as they used to be.
Any ideas? How do I fix this?
Is this because this company has placed a series of cookies on my PC?

It doesn’t sound like something the finance company would have done. What has probably happened is something in your Windows XP registry has managed to mess itself up.

The simplest fix is to visit the Kelly’s Korner XP Tweaks website and download the Restore Desktop Icons and Taskbar tool (line 195).

Run the tool, while watching out for warning messages from Norton and Windows about the dangers of running Visual Basic Scripts, and that should clear the problem.