IT Queries: Computer problems answered

Burning CD with Sonic software. I have a problem – two files (photos) have been burned on the one cd – there is still space on the cd.

When I try to view as a slide show, the cd stops after about 20 images. After a while, the screen will unfreeze and then I can get out of Sonic by using the symbols on the top right hand side of the screen. I cannot, using these symbols, tell the cd to pause, or go back or forward although all symbols appear on the screen after it unfreezes.

Prior to adding the second file, I could views all of the images from the first file. I have Windows XP – still very much learning when it comes to the photo side of things.

It sounds like there’s a problem with the either the CD or the Sonic Software.

The first thing to try is burning a fresh CD. If this works, then it’s likely the CD had some problems.

It’s also possible Sonic was struggling with rewriting the CD. This sort of problem is why we tend to steer people away from re-writing data onto CDs. We prefer to burn once and forget.

This is especially true if you are sending CDs to other people. Set the software to burn at the lowest possible speed and do not use R/W media. The simpler you can make it, the less likely it is that things will go wrong at the other end.

As far as photo management goes, we’re great fans of Google’s Picasa. Not only does this have a basic photo editing features but it also has a CD burning utility. It’s a free download from Google.

I cannot access administrator account. I think it got happened while i was playing with computer management.

Not having a Administrator account can cause all manner of problems with Windows. So you’ll need to get this back.

First check if the Administrator account still exists. To do this, click Start, Run and type  Control userpasswords2. This will get you into the User Accounts screen.

If Administrator exists there, click change password and that should reset it. You may have to re-enable the account.

The next step is to do a System Restore.  We have instructions on a previous post.

Should these not clear it then the Windows Vista Forums have a detailed post on how to fix the problem. The instructions are quite complex and involve some knowledge of using the Windows Registry.

If you don’t have this knowledge then we’d strongly suggest contacting your local computer tech.

I am having difficulty setting up my BR Broadband. Cut a long story short have been advised by the BT Technical Dept that my virus software is stopping the broadband from connecting. I have tried to delete the software. There were 3 files, 2 deleted but the last one will not delete. It comes up with a message saying “Delete Macafee Service Centre” but there is no file of that description.

This is a fairly typical problem with the big security software programs. They leave all sorts of components lying around and don’t do a good job of removing them.

Fortunately the bigger software developer have removal tools for their products. In this case McAfee have the McAfee Consumer Product Removal tool and the instructions for its use are at their website.

If the problem with the connection continues you may want to check for other firewall or security programs on your computer by looking in the Add/Remove Programs applet.

Please tell me how to set the classpath and all for running a java program. OS is Windows 2000.

The classpath should be set as part of your Java installation. It’s best to uninstall all the old Java installations , download the latest version and reinstall it.

If a program is asking for the classpath, then it may be a problem with the program and you should reinstall that.

In my CD drive one CD is broken inside and it is not coming out. CD drive is not opened. What do i want to do next?

Normally you’d eject a CD through using a straightened paperclip and pushing it into the tiny hole at the front of the CD drive.

While you should try this, it’s highly likely a broken CD has damaged the device as well.  So in this case, we’d suggest replacing the entire unit.

If it’s a desktop computer, then it’s a simple matter of swapping the old one out. For a laptop, you’ll need to contact the manufacturer and its very likely you’ll find the repair is expensive if you can do it all. In that case, you may want to consider an external drive.

When I boot my machine it starts check disk for drive d and the keyboard doesn’t work while checking the disk so I can’t cancel it.

The keyboard not working is fine. This is due to the BIOS not being set to detect your type of keyboard during startup.  It’s best to get a computer tech to look at this as it involves changing some very sensitive settings.

The chkdsk on startup is a much more serious problem. This usually indicates bad sectors on the hard drive. This will mean replacing the drive.

To check for the bad blocks, run Check Disk in the full /r mode. We have instructions on a previous page, just change the drive letter to d:.

I downloaded the script problem which eliminated the blue box with a red cross in upper left hand corner. New problem: When I send an E-mail, the screen fades and says that Internet Explorer has stopped working and shuts my computer down.

It sounds like Internet Explorer is struggling with something. The first thing is to check you don’t have a virus.

If your system is clear, then reset Internet Explorer by clicking Tools and Internet Option. In the Internet Options screen, click the Advanced tab and click Reset. Another box will appear and you should click reset again.

Note that this will disable any toolbars and add-ins you currently have in Internet Explorer.

I am a windows XP SP2 user. Everytime on start up i get the following error message “windows cannot find KHATARNAK.EXE. Make sure you typed the name correctly and then try again. To search for a file, click the start button and then click search”.

Below this i get another dialogue box with the message “windows cannot find ‘c:\WINDOWS\inf\other.exe”. Make sure you typed the name correctly and then try again”

If i click ok or close this dialogue box i get one more dialogue box which says “could not run “c:\WINDOWS\inf\other.exe” specified in the registry” and on closing this another one which says “windows cannot find “c:\windows\system32\config\win.exe’ .make sure u type the name correctly and then try again”

On closing this my normal desktop screen appears. What is wrong ?? What is the solution ??

 What’s happening is Windows wants to open some programs when it starts.  It can’t find them so you are getting these errors.

The good news is these programs are spyware and viruses. What it seems has happened is you’ve been infected but the infection has been cleaned from the computer.  Whatever cleaned your infection, it didn’t remove some of the pointers to the problem.

To fix this, open the System Configuration tool and take the ticks off the startup options pointing to KHATARNAK.EXE and the other items that are coming up as “not found”.

It’s also a very good idea to scan your computer for other infections and change any important passwords such as banking details.

I have had Vista Ultimate for three months now and the temp files folder is filling up with temp\RAC.tmp files which Windows Disk Cleanup or EasyCleaner will not delete.

When I track them down and open them they open up I Tunes. Can I delete them? Also some called tracing\RASMAN.OLD and other old files. I have AVG,Spybot S&D and AdAware.

Thanks for your site,  James.

Hi James,

This problem sounds like there’s an errant Virtual Private Network or dial up connection on your system.

The first step would be to look in the Network control panel and remove any connections that are not being used. If you are using a VPN then it’s probably best to talk to your system administrator about why these errors are being generated.

With removing these files, it’s best to start in Safe Mode and run the disk clean up utilities from there.

I have a Dell Photo All in One printer 926 which now will not print at all.  The error message is Alignment Problem. The advice is to check the tapes on cartridges, check trouble shooting in manual which provides same advice – have done both to no avail. The printer spits out pages and pages of alignments in blue and black, and is using all my cartridge ink in the process.  I don’t have access to any other printer, and now have a backlog of docs for printing.

It may be one of the cartridges is defective. Try replacing the cartridges to see if the problem clears. If it does, then you should contact Dell for a refund on the defective cartridges.

If the problem persists then the printer has is defective. Again you’ll have to contact Dell for repairs. Unfortunately, unless it’s under warranty, you’ll probably find the repair is going to be far more expensive than a replacement printer.

So do some troubleshooting but be prepared to buy a new printer.