IT Queries: Computer problems answered

We are currently implementing web-based application systems, is there a need to have all computers connected to the internet?

It depends where the servers for your applications are based. If this is an office based system then you’ll only need a connection to your intranet and not to the wider Internet. It is possible for your system administrator to set up a network so certain computers can’t go outside your office.

However most web based applications have their own servers. This means any computer that wants to use these programs has to have an Internet connection.

While it is possible to set up Internet connections that only access certain websites it does take a level of IT skills and can be messy to implement and enforce.

If this is a problem for your business, then you’ll have to consider the viability of a web based application.

When i hit the power button of my PC something seems to happen but it does not boot up. Its only by repeatedly pushing the rest button that it will come on. What could be causing this problem??

The OS is windows XP, the PC is 7 years old, could it be age related?

It almost certainly is age related. Either the motherboard or the power supply is failing as we discussed in an earlier question.

The best solution will be to take the computer to your local PC store and let the techs there have a look. They’ll be able to advise you on the most effective fix for the problem. If it’s the power supply, it’s a cheap repair while if it’s the motherboard it will probably be cheaper to get a new system.

Can you please tell me how I can speed up page downloading with my current web browser, which is Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.12. I also seem to have difficulty loading pages with ‘youtube’ attachments, as per the news.com daily news website.

I am running Windows 2000 Professional with 256 meg ram, cpu 550mhz, modem 56kbps, dial up ISP.

Can you please refer me to a free tool as I am on a disability pension.

There’s a number of things you can do to speed up your computer and we’ve covered these previously.

You could also download the latest versions of Flash and Java as well.

The real problem though is your Internet account: Dial up doesn’t cut it any more for anything beyond basic email and websurfing. Content rich sites like youtube and news.com.au are designed on the assumption you have a faster connection.

Depending upon how much you use the net and your local telephone charge rates, you may find broadband is actually cheaper than dialup given you don’t have to pay for telephone calls.

Our suggestion is to contact your Internet Service Provider and see what’s available in your area.

I have just got a new notebook bundled with Vista Home Premium. This comes with Windows Media Centre. When I rip my music to the hard drive from cd Media Player cannot connect to the internet to download the cd information.

I have set up the internet connection successfully in Media Centre a few times but when the system attempts to connect it cannot, the error being no internet connection. So off i go again, following the prompts with the same outcome. V

ery frustrating and I don’t understand why a notebook would come wiht such a extensive system as Media Centre. if i knew what it was when i ordered the machine I would have got the basic Vista. Help please it is driving me crazy

The problem sounds like Media Center is being stopped by a firewall. Check your firewall settings that mcrmgr.exe is trusted to go onto the Internet.

If you continue to have problems, we’d suggest using another CD burning program like Nero.

What are all the various domains I need to register to secure my business name?

You’ll first need to decide what domain you want to operate in. For some businesses .com is the right way to go but many of the good names have already gone.

If you are operating in a single country outside the US visit then you may want to consider registering in your specific country’s domain such as .ca for Canada, .au for Australian or .uk for British domains. Every country has their own rules and methods for signing up.

In many cases you’ll find the name is already gone in the commercial, that is the .com or .co domains, so you may have to consider other domains such as .net or .biz.

It’s best to consider which one meets your needs and exactly what’s available. Then shop around and see who has the best deal.

Be careful of super cheap prices however as some domain registrars aren’t as good as others and some try to load you up with extras such as webhosting, e-commerce and other features you may or may not need from them.

If you have a web designer it’s worthwhile discussing this with them as they will be more across what will be right for your business.

When I try to log into Gmail using Internet Explorer the search times out whereas if I use Firefox I can gain access without problem.

The problem could be proxy settings in Internet Explorer, to check these click Tools, Internet Options and Connections.

In the connections box, click the LAN Settings and tick the box for Automatically detect settings. Take the tick off Use a proxy service for your LAN. You may need to check with your Internet provider that this will not affect your web browsing.

Another possibility is an errant add in such as a phishing filter or anti virus program. We’ve covered resetting IE in a previous post. Again note this might affect programs like password managers.

Finally, it may be that Internet Explorer needs repairing. This has also been covered previously.

I use Microsoft Outlook for emails, plus Mailwasher as a filter.  It has worked very well up till a few months ago, when I found that I would receive a few lots of emails successfully, and then the send/receive button would not operate.  I could send emails but not receive them. Restarting the computer resets it to the default again, but after a few goes the send/receive button fails again.  I have checked with my provider, iinet, and they do not think my Inbox is too full. In any case I deleted a lot of emails. What to do?

It sounds like your user profile is damaged. You should backup your data, export your email rules and note all your mail account settings.

Shut down Outlook. Open your Control Panel, click Mail and Profiles. In the Profiles screen you can delete your user profile.

Restart your computer and when you open Outlook you’ll be walked through the account setup wizard and at the end of it you’ll have a fresh installation of Outlook. Once it’s working properly, you can import your backed up data and rules.

I use Microsoft Outlook with Mozilla Firefox and would like to know how to backup my Emails, contacts, calendar etc.

This is a topic covered on our sister website, PC Rescue. Microsoft have a free tool  to automatically back the files up and we’d recommend it.

An important thing to note with Outlook, or Entourage, is the file tends to be hidden deep in the user’s profile.  You should note that location and make sure the .pst files are part of your regular backup routine.

I’m running Vista Premium on a Dell Dimension 9200 using Adobe Reader 8.1.1.It will not install updates or uninstall Adobe Reader–Error 1402 Could not open key. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Softwareclasses\CLSID\(D38064DA). Adobe will not provide tech help as it was a free download except for a lengthy instruction which involves fiddling with the Registry–which I dare not do.I could not find any reference in your archives.Thanks.

It sounds like something is tying up your Adobe installation. You may want to try starting the computer in Safe Mode and seeing if it is possible to uninstall Adobe that way.

If it isn’t possible, then disabling any Adobe products that are starting with the computer is the next step. You’ll need to open the System Configuration Tool and take the ticks off anything referring to Adobe in the Startup tab.

Finally, you could try creating a different administrative user and seeing if this repairs the problem.

If none of these work, you’ll have to call in a technician to fix the registry problem.

Sometimes it’s necessary to create a new user profile on your computer. To do this, click Start, Settings and Control Panel. Then choose User Accounts. In Windows Vista, choose Users.

Choose Create a new Account and follow the wizard which will include giving the account a name.

When you are asked if you want the account to be an Administrator or Limited User, we recommend Limited User for day-to-day use and Administrator for running maintenance tasks such as installing software and removing viruses.

However it’s best to first allow the new user to be an Administrator while you set up their profile.

Once you’ve set up their email accounts, Microsoft Office preferences and the like you can then change to Limited Users.