IT Queries: Computer problems answered

IE cannot open my MSN Premium Mail now. I get this message: Windows cannot find “C:\Program Files\MSN\MSNCoreFiles\MSN.EXE”. Make sure you typed, etc.

Clicking on the MSN Installer [desktop] shortcut, I get a Runtime error.

The problem is the MSN.EXE file is not where the computer thinks it should be and your installer program is not working properly.

This sounds like an anti-virus or spyware detection program has identified MSN as being suspicious and has tried to remove it.

The first step is to download a new version of MSN. As a premium member you should be able to access http://membercenter.msn.com/. If you cannot access the site you’ll have to contact MSN Premium support for instructions.

Once you have downloaded it, disconnect from the Internet and disable your anti-virus software. The run the installer.

When the installer has finished, turn off the computer, reconnect the Internet and restart the system.

If the anti-virus or spyware program warns you about MSN.EXE then choose “allow” or “trust” or whichever the instruction is that tells the anti-virus program that MSN.EXE is trusted.

It may be that you have some spyware or a damaged hard drive. If that’s the case, you’ll have to contact your nearest computer tech.

I have no sound. If I put a cd in these are the messages I get: “There are no active devices available. To install mixer devices, go to control panel, click printers and other hardware, then add hardware.”

Colleen

The problem is with the sound card settings. The first thing to do is open the Control Panel, click on Sounds and Audio Devices and click on the Audio tab.

In that tab, click the drop down box under Sound Devices and choose your soundcard, click Apply and Okay and restart your computer.

If no soundcard is shown, then there is a problem with the system drivers. If you have the installation disk that came with the computer or sound card, then you should run the setup. A call to the manufacturer might assist you with doing this.

If you can’t run the installation routing, you can check the drivers are running properly. In the Control Panel open the System applet, click on the hardware tab and then the Device Manager button.

The Device Manager will list all the hardware installed on your system. On that list, you should check that nothing has a black exclamation mark or a red diagonal through it.

If the sound device has red diagonal then it has been disabled, right click it and choose Enable.

Should it have a black exclamation mark then Windows is having a problem with the drivers. Right click the driver, choose Update and follow the Hardware Update Wizard.

It may be that the card has failed or has come loose on the motherboard. If that’s the case, you’ll need to see a tech. We may have a technician near to you that can help.

My PC keeps shutting down. What might the problem be?

This is one of those problems that could be a number of things. It could be hardware or software related.

The key to finding out is by noting when it shuts down. If it regularly shuts down due after several minutes work, then it is probably hardware related. Shutting down when a certain program or document is opened, usually indicates a software problem.

You’ll have to note when the shutdowns actually happen before it’s possible to say what the problem probably is.

It’s worthwhile running a check for malware. Sometimes spyware and viruses cause these shutdowns.

If it’s a hardware problem, it’s probably a failed fan or defective power supply. Sometimes an inadequate power supply is trying to power too many devices. Unplugging all USB and Firewire equipment will indicate if this is a problem.

Diagnosing these sort of problems takes experience and patience. You might find calling a computer technician is a quicker and more cost effective solution.

If it’s a hardware

One of my kids has done a system recovery on the PC. We haven’t done a back up for some time. The last restore point is after the recovery. Is it possible to get info back from the hardrive?

This is one of the reasons we think system recovery disks are evil. It’s a cheap and nasty practice that causes problems like yours and we’d encourage consumers to avoid computers that don’t come with a proper operating system disk.

It is possible your data is still there. It depends on what the recovery disk did. Some will reformat the drive, while others will just overwrite the Windows and other critical folders but leave the data intact. Some give a choice of the two options.

If the drive has been reformatted, then there is little chance you’ll get the data back. However if only the Windows folder has been wiped then it’s quite likely the data is still there, just not visible.

In Windows XP, user data is saved in the C:\Documents and Settings folder and in Vista in the C:\users folder. In that folder you’ll find a number of sub-folders that contain the various user profiles and data.

Windows works hard to avoid overwriting these folders, for instance if Pete creates a new profile and Windows finds there’s already a Pete profile, it will name the new profile pete.000 to protect the data that might be in the pete folder.

To see if any might be the data you’ve lost, right click on the folder open Properties and look at the date the file was created or last modified. If either of these dates are before the recovery disk was run then you’ve probably found the profile.

Inside the profile you’ll find a Desktop, My Documents and other folders which will contain the users data.

It is possible to reset a stray profile so the computer looks the same as it did before the trouble, but this is something you would need to get a tech in to do.

I have Windows XP Pro 64 bit version as the operating system on my home computer. Can you recommend internet protection software, such as anti-virus, which will run on a 64 bit Windows XP? At least two of the major internet protection providers state in the ‘systems requirements’ for their latest software that it will not operate with Windows XP Pro!

64 bit versions of Windows are always problematic as many programs haven’t been ported across and security software is one of those areas where vendors have struggled.

A search on the net indicates quite a few programs are compatible, but when they were tested by the Start64 website, most were found lacking.

From their tests, it appeared only Computer Associates eTrust and Symantec AntiVirus for 64-Bit Windows Client were the only two the reviewers had any confidence in.

Because our experience with 64 bit Windows is so limited, we couldn’t make any recommendations on our own, all we can suggest is trialling the different available products and seeing how well they work for you.

I had problems that with my new computer which my technician put down to the fact that I had activated the 2007 Microsoft Office System that came already installed and gave me 30 or 60 days ‘free’ use. I’d then installed my old Office XP over it.

I just looked in my uninstall programme list and I saw that I now have installed both the 2007 Microsoft Office System & my own Microsoft Office Professional 2007 – each is occupying 507 MB of memory.

Should I uninstal the 2007 Microsoft Office System, please?

No, if the system is working fine then you should leave Microsoft Office installation files alone. One of the bugbears with MS Office is that it shares a lot of its features across applications and it’s unpredictable how those shared functions work together.

If you are having problems then it might be worthwhile to clean up the problem by uninstalling all versions of Office and then reinstalling the latest one (not the trial version).

Hi ,

I have a very minor, though very strange and frustrating, problem with my Dell laptop.

The cursor keeps moving automatically to either top-right or bottom-left corner of the screen. The mouse doesn’t work and it’s impossible to do anything. Then, all of a sudden it will be ok.

What do you think could be causing this? I’ve tried other mice, so it’s either a socket or other hard/software quirk.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

It sounds like hardware. First, is this happening only with external mice and is the laptop’s built in glidepad working fine?

If this is happening with both the Glidepad and external mice, then it’s a Windows problem. The first thing we’d suggest is to uninstall any mouse software you currently have on the system. It is possible an older program is interfering with the rest of your system.

If this fails, visit the mouse settings in the Control Panel and check the Scrolling features are not set too fast.

You might also want to check for spyware. This is the sort of problem we’ve often encountered with silly spyware infections.

If the problem is only affecting external mice, then it could be a hardware problem, try plugging the mouse into a different USB port, or test it through an external USB powered hub.

It’s also possible the desk or surface you are using is tilting, sometimes leaning or shifting position causes the mouse to roll one direction or another. Try changing the surface.

If the problem continues there might be a problem with your computer and we’d recommend getting a tech out to check it.

Best of luck.

Hi

After working on a document (University paper) for 8 hours that same document was saved without the final changes although it was saved at various stages along the way. All we have is the document opened at the starting point.

Our question is, is there a way to access the document at a point prior to the last save, the save icon was pressed to save the work to C: drive, and also e: Flash drive, but the search with the filter, ‘date modified ‘failed to locate the finished document in either place.

I have Windows XP.

It sounds like the document hasn’t saved to where you think it did. The first thing we’d suggest to search all your drives to see if it isn’t hiding in a different location.

Another possibility is the name is wrong, try searching for all files modified in that time. It might be under a different name or file type.

If you still can’t find it, Microsoft Word (which is what we’ll assume you’re using) saves the file you’re working on as a tmp file. Often, Word doesn’t clean these up so there’s a working copy of your document still on the system.

Often temp files are hidden, so in the Windows search panel choose the More Advanced Options heading and tick the Search hidden files and folders option and repeat your search on all files modified during that time.

Unfortunately in this case it does sound like you’ve done everything right. So if you can’t find it there might be a problem with your computer and we’d recommend getting a tech out to check it.

Hi,

Can you please tell me to name of the programme that you can buy/download that is used to return digital dictation that you have accidently deleted from your computer.

Julie

Hi Julie,

Losing any file is a serious pain. The best free tool we’ve come across is Restoration.

When you’ve lost a file, the most important thing is to stop using that computer. The more you use the computer, the more likely you are to overwrite the deleted file.

We recommend you download the program to another computer, then copy the program to a USB drive or CD (Restoration will actually fit on a floppy disk which you can use if you have spare disks and both machines have floppy drives).

When you run it, choose the drive (usually c: drive) where the file was lost from, type part of the lost file’s name (leave blank if you don’t remember what it was called) and click Search Deleted Files.

The search might take some time, several hours if you’ve left the file name blank and it’s a big drive. Be patient and let it run.

Once its finished and the list of found files appears, highlight the file you want and click the Restore by copying button. You’ll be asked to save the file somewhere, make sure you choose a place and name you’ll remember.

Losing data is always a big worry and this is why we always recommend having a backup drive and good backup software.

I’m receiving advertising messages from people through Skype. How do I stop this?

One of the irritants with Internet messaging is the amount of spam you receive. Regardless of whether you use email, instant messaging or anything else, as soon as your address is public, idiots will spam you.

Skype is a great service but its chat function not immune to this problem and can be a security risk.

We recommend restricting Skype chat to your contacts, that way only the people you know can talk to you. To do this, open Skype, click Tools, then Options, select the Privacy tab and tick the boxes that allow only people from your contacts to call or chat to you.

We discuss a specific problem with Skype on our Cranky Tech blog and this problem is discussed in depth on our PC Rescue website.