IT Queries: Computer problems answered

i have error message stop:- c0000218 (registry file failure) the registry cannot load the hive stystemroot\system32\config\software or its log or alternative, it is currupt, absent or not rewritable. Physical memory dump complete. i cannot start in safe mode as the keyboard does not work until the blue screen with the above error message appears. thank you

You have a corrupt registry file. The four registry files; security, system, sam and software, are essential to the computer and Windows cannot load if any of them are damaged.

The fix for this is relatively simple but requires an experienced tech to do it. It involves booting the computer off a boot disk such as BartPE or the Windows install disk then accessing the registry backup files in the System Volume Information folder as Microsoft describe here.

Those files need to be copied to the %windir%/system32/config folder, the old software file needs to be renamed and the recovered file named to software.

Once this is done, the computer needs to be checked for disk errors, virus infections and anything else that could damage the registry.

This is a job we’d strongly recommend you get done by a qualified computer technician.

I access my work email from a website which then runs through Microsoft Outlook. No problem until i bought my new computer (Vista Home) – everything seems ok but i can’t reply to an email. I can enter addresses and titles, but the main text box has a small white square with a red cross in.

The problem is the security settings in Internet Explorer 7. By default many functions are blocked and this restricts many of the scripting features required for remotely connecting to Outlook.

To fix this you need to add the site to the Trusted Zone. Go to your Outlook web page and click Tools and Options.

Select the Security tab then the Trusted Sites zone. Click Add Sites to the Trusted Zone then Add a Site to the Trusted Zone, make sure you take the tick off the box that reads Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone.

Save the settings and restart Internet Explorer and the problem should be fixed.

I installed a new monitor, which worked fine until I tried to adjust the display settings to improve the fonts. Then I got a black screen and a message that said I have the wrong frequency. Now I can’t see anything to reset the default display. I know the monitor works because I can see the computer name and Windows logo at boot up. How do I get to settings again?

You’ll need to start the computer in Safe Mode. Once in Safe Mode, Click Start, Control Panel and choose Display.

In the Display properties, click on the Settings tab and move the slider under the heading Screen Resolution to the left.

When you reboot the computer, the display will be back at 16 colors. You can then move it back to the proper resolution.

If this happens in future, don’t panic. If you wait ten seconds WITHOUT touching the mouse or keyboard the screen will go back to the previous setting.

My pc seems to be getting slower what ways are there to speed it up before I decide to go out and buy more speed for it?

I assume you mean getting more memory when you say “buy more speed for it”. In my view, adding memory is always a good idea to give a sluggish computer a boost.

In this case though we’d recommend you give your computer a clean up just to see if that will give it a speed boost. First, try uninstalling any unnecessary programs. Only remove programs you know and don’t use: If you don’t know what it does, leave it alone.

The next step is to make sure your system is clean with a spyware check.

Once you are sure the system is clear of nasties, run a clean up tool to flush out accumulated junk. We recommend CCleaner or Cleanup! Make sure you backup important data files first.

With all of that done, it can be worthwhile checking your disk for minor errors. The Chkdsk tool built into Windows is as good as any.

If you find all of this hasn’t improved speed then you should speak to your local computer tech about the upgrading options.

Hard drives are complex and precision engineered pieces of equipment and saving files on them is a complex business. Sometimes the computer can forget forget exactly where it has saved files.

When this happens, computers slow down as the system has to search for files when it needs them.

To overcome this problem in Windows computers, you can run the Check Disk command. Click Start, Run and type Chkdsk c: /r in the box. On Windows Vista machines click Find and do likewise.

The c: refers to the main disk drive. If you have more drives you can insert d:, e: or whatever. Note this won’t work with CD and DVD drives but it will with external and flash drives.

A black box will appear and if you’ve chosen the C: drive or any other drive that’s in use, it tell you the drive is locked and do you want to run chkdsk the next time you start the computer. Type Y (for yes) and press the enter key.

If the drive is in use as a network or data drive, you may be asked if you want to dismount the drive. Press N (for no) and then Y for the next question.

When you restart the computer a blue screen will appear telling you a disk check has been scheduled and press any key to cancel. Leave the computer alone and let it run.

Be warned this process might take several hours. Once the process starts, you cannot cancel the operation and the computer must not be restarted.

If Chkdsk detects bad blocks on the hard drive, then you should contact your computer expert immediately as your hard drive is probably beginning to fail.

I have a hp m9080a running windows vista ultimate. When i goto double click on internet explorer, a clicking/ticking noise starts to come from inside the computer. This noise continues to happen every few seconds while ever the internet explorer screen is up. the IE screen however stays blank and doesnt actually load the website. My PC is less than 6 months old. Your help would be much appreciated.

The ticking noise is probably from the system overheating. Some computers are set to give a warning when the CPU, Central Processing Unit’s, temperature goes above a certain level. The ticking is that warning.

Given this happens when Internet Explorer is opened, it indicates there is a problem with the program. The first suspicion is you have a malware infection so the first recommendation is to check your computer for viruses and Trojans.

If you have trouble opening Internet Explorer, you should be able to go straight to the websites by clicking Start, Run and typing the address into the run box.

If you do this you have to include either the http:// or www. at the start of the address so the computer knows it’s a web page and can use the right program.

We’d also recommend running Firefox and keeping Internet Explorer in reserve for websites that won’t work on anything else.

If the problem continues, it could be you have a hardware fault. As the machine should still be in its warranty, you should contact the manufacturer or retailer.

I have a problem using IE7 with XP Home. It can’t access Microsoft Windows sites and cannot change homepage in Internet Options even though I am the system administrator. I also Keep getting error codes;http404 with IE7,error #56with Live Messenger and errors #80048820/#80048430 with Ninemsn Premium.

This almost certainly sounds like an Active Scripting problem. We’d suggest downloading and installing the latest Windows Scripting Host.

It’s also possible you have a spyware infection. So running a spyware scan would be a good idea.

Another possibility is Internet Explorer needs reinstalling.

You don’t need to uninstall and reinstall, open the Control Panel and click Add/Remove Programs, or Programs in Windows Vista, and select Internet Explorer.

To right of the selection there are two buttons; change and remove. Click the Change button and follow the wizard to repair the existing installation.

I’m wondering if I can delete all the older Java and iTunes updates as they take up a good space?

Some programs, particularly Java, aren’t very good at cleaning up older versions of themselves. This does take up hard drive space and can cause problems. It should be fine to uninstall the old versions.

We have instructions on uninstalling programs in an earlier post. If there are any problems after uninstalling, you can download the new version and reinstall.

It’s always a good idea to backup iTunes libraries before upgrading iTunes and do a full backup of your important data before doing any system changes.

I am running Trend Micro Internet Security and get an unresolved problem TROJ_Generic.ADV Infected File in a file called keygen.exe. How can I resolve this?

Some files can’t be cleaned because they are in use when the scanner picks it up. You’ll need to start your computer in Safe Mode and run a scan while most services are dormant. We have instructions on starting your computer in Safe Mode in a previous answer.

Some anti-malware programs can’t run in Safe Mode, we’re not sure if this is the case with Trend Micro. If it is, then you should download and run the free X-Clean scanner and run that in Safe Mode.

The free X-Clean scanner will give you an indication if you have an infection. If you do, then it will be worthwhile running other malware tools such as Spybot Search and Destroy, Ad-aware and PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor.

It is also possible the warning is a false alarm. In our office we have a number of security tools that regularly get flagged as potential viruses or spyware. But it’s better to be safe than sorry.

I have lost all my clip art pictures on my computer. Is this a matter of deleting then re-installing Microsoft Office or is there a much easier way than this. Many thanks.

You don’t need to uninstall and reinstall, open the Control Panel and click Add/Remove Programs, or Programs in Windows Vista, and select Microsoft Office.

To right of the selection there are two buttons; change and remove. Click the Change button.

In the Microsoft Office setup screen select Add or Remove Features. Depending upon the version of Office you’ll either be presented with a list of features or a screen with tick boxes for each of the main components of Office.

If it’s the latter, click the choose advanced customization of applications and the features list will appear.

The clip art appears under the Office Shared Features heading. On some versions of Office the clip art itself appears under Clip Organizer. Click the Clip Organizer or Clip Art and select Run All From My Computer.

At this point you will need your Microsoft Office Disk. Insert it when prompted and install the clipart. You can also access clip art online from Microsoft as well as download clip art from third parties or buy it on disk.