IT Queries: Computer problems answered

I use windows XP and have used Incredimail for years without problem, since upgrading to Incredimail 2 as suggested in October, the computer continually closes down with a message the system has recovered from a serious error.

I again upgraded and am still having the same problem The error signature is BC Code14, BCP1 00000003, BCP2 859D9020, BCP3 859D9194, BCP4 8060577E, OS Ver 5_1_2600, SP3_0, Product 768_1 Can you advise me what the problem is please and how do I fix it.

Thanks Denise

Denise, it sounds like the problem isn’t related to Incredimail, it’s more likely to be a hardware problem, possibly a hard drive problem, a memory defect or simply some dust causing the system to overheat.

You can check some of these things yourself by following our instructions in the “System Has Recovered From A Serious Error Message” post, however it’s very likely you’ll need to take your system to a computer technician for a check up.

I subscribe to your very interesting newsletter and I have a problem. When I’m trying to write anything. e.g. this email the cursor will tend to jump around the computer screen to where the positional arrow is at the time. Obviously it is very annoying and inhibits my assignment writing etc. I have looked through all the help sections but can’t find anything address it. I’m sure its probably only a minor adjustment, can you help please?

Jumping cursors are one of these nuisance problems that can be difficult to diagnose. The usual cause of this are laptop computer trackpads where the typist accidentally touches the pad causing the cursor to jump.

The simplest solution is to turn the trackpad off, this will be a setting on your laptop usually sitting in the manufacturer’s tools folders.

It can also be caused by faulty batteries in a cordless mouse or even a slightly unstable work surface causing the mouse to jump as you type.

There are situations where faulty software or drivers can cause the problem but without more information it’s really hard to find the cause.

My HP laptop has developed a thin yellow line,about 1mm thick running vertically down the screen. The performance has not been affected but it’s annoying. What is the yellow line from and can I get rid of it?

Unfortunately problems like this are usually hardware. It is possible the cable connecting the motherboard with the monitor has worked loose and a technician may be able to open the system and reseat the part.

However it’s more likely the cable or monitor is damaged. Usually the cost of repairing these problems is more than buying a new system.

It’s best to get it to your local computer technician to have a look at the problem, if you’re tempted to take the laptop apart yourself, be prepared for a frustrating process of losing obscure screws and the system not fitting well together afterwards.

Depending on the age of the machine, it may be time to replace it.

I have a Packard Bell PC. Operating system is Window XP. I can only access Outlook Express once after start up. Nothing happens when I want to access it again. I have to reboot the system to be able to access O/E again, then I again can only access it once. Can you help please?

Outlook Express is a fragile program and there’s a number of things that can upset it. The first thing to do is to clean up your mailbox by deleting unwanted emails and emptying the trash bin as OE doesn’t like the data folders getting too big.

If that isn’t resolving the problem, check our post on Outlook Express Keeps Disappearing.

Should it still misbehave, you can reset Internet Explorer’s settings or checking for damaged Outlook Express files as we describe in Missing Links in Outlook Express.

The final solution could be a damaged Outlook Express data file and we have the instructions for that at Outlook Express data files damaged.

Outlook Express is a fairly buggy program and is very much showing its age, so you might want to consider alternative options such as Gmail, Windows Live or Yahoo! Mail.

An anti-virus program called Smart Engine has been installed on my pc

I have sent 3 e-mails to them find how to remove it – the 3rd answer gave a link to an uninstall file however Windows Defender says the file is infectected with the Win32/FileVimes trojan & will not allow me to download the full file – smart Engine advised me to turn off Windows Defender to allow the uninstall file to be installed – this does not sound like a good idea to me

Can you please give me any advise on how to remove this program?

It’s not worth calling Smart Engine an anti-virus. It’s actually a scam that claims you’re infected with all manner of viruses and asks you to pay them to remove the non-existent malware. If anything, it’s more likely to be adding viruses than removing them.

The best way to deal with this program is to download Malware Bytes and follow the instructions in our Removing a Trojan post. This will clean it off.

Before doing it, it’s worthwhile backing up important data just in case something serious goes wrong.

I am using windows 7.  Everytime I open a file that has winrar file in it I get this error message “COM surrogate has stopped working” I have searched Microsoft and the web and have not found a solution to the problem. I have just updated to the lastest winrar, but this didn’t fix the problem. I don’t know what else to do.

I did read to in file options to turn on always show icons,never thumbnails, but because i am into photography this does not suit me. I also tried turning off the com surrogate, but that did not work either. Unlike most people I only have the problem when using winrar.

The “COM surrogate has stopped working error” is related to the way Windows shows files, particularly images and movies.

If a program wants to preview files when you look at them isn’t compatible with your version of Windows then it will cause this crash.

You can change the Windows7 settings by opening the Default Programs applet by following Microsoft’s Change which programs Windows uses by default instructions and setting program access and computer defaults back to the original Microsoft settings.

If it is WinRAR causing the problem, the first step is to completely remove it by going into “Programs and Features” and running the Add/Remove Programs function.

Once you’ve uninstalled the program, restart the system and check the COM surrogate problem has gone away. If it hasn’t you need to start considering what other programs are causing the error, these can include Nero and Adobe products along with any video and picture viewer programs.

When you identify which program is causing the problem you need to then consider whether you should continue using that application. If you choose to use it, then make sure you have the latest, Windows 7 compatible version of the program.

During the installation you should be asked if you want to run a custom install. Select that option and in the associated files list that appears only select archive files such as ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7Z, Z. Take the ticks off other options such as cab and db.

This should clear the problem. If the error reappears after reinstalling the program, you’ll need to contact the software developer.

I get my emails in Outlook Express on my PC but I’d like to be able to get them on my laptop via the the web when I’m away from home.  How do I do it?

The easiest way of collecting emails while you’re on the road is to use your Internet provider’s or hosting company’s webmail service which allows you to log on to their server through a web browser. Once into the system you can handle your email as you would in Outlook Express.

A better way is to set up one of the webmail services from Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo!. All of these services can be used to collect mail from your account and are usually more flexible than the webmail services provided by the service providers.

Before leaving, remember to import your address books into the web service so you have a list of email addresses for your family and friends.

I use an 8GB Lexar USB drive to transfer downloaded shows from my Mac Mini to my HDD.

The problem is that when the USB is inserted in the computer and I delete some or all items from it, the info shows that the number of bytes available does not alter and I am unable to add any items.

I have deleted all the downloads from the USB, so it should be blank, but it does not acknowledge this and reports that “the item cannot be copied because their is not enough free space”. I have just copied an item of 366.6MB and the Info says there is 25.5MB available, and 7.98GB used in disk. It is the only item on the disc.

Are you able to tell me how to clear the previous content from the USB?

You should be able to clear this by emptying the Trash Bin on a Mac or the Recycle Bin on a Windows System.

On a Windows computer, right click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin. It should then clear all your deleted files off all drives.

It’s a similar process for the Mac, either right click on the Taskbar’s Trash Bin icon and select Empty Trash or click on the desktop, then select the Finder menu and click Empty Trash.

If neither of those work, then you may have to follow our reformatting a USB drive instructions.

Somehow I downloaded a program called Playitall. It started to take over my computer, first by, when starting media player, pop ups occured asking for Playitall instead. I searched out this program within the computer and found it in program files and in documents and settings.

I went to add and remove and removed the program and then searched out any other programs with the same name in Explorer. Entrees that I found I deleted. I then went to the Registry and did the same.
I restarted the computer and was unable to start any programs.

All the Icons on the desktop were labled with .lnk. I did a sfc and that did not work. After all my efforts to restore .exe files, I installed my XP disk and did a total repair of the operating system (not Format). After this I downloaded all updates and service packs. Once completed< Playitall was back. I have researched this on Mcaffe, Norton,and AVG and also google and not come up with any answers. the research I have found is there are other people out there with the same problem but no answers.

The problem is PlayItAll is a poorly designed program that damages your critical file associations which means Windows doesn’t know what to open programs with.

To fix it, you’ll have to download a couple of the File Association fixes from Doug Knox’s excellent site. Specifically the ZIP Folder Association Fix, REG File Association Fix,EXE File Association Fix and the LNK (Shortcut) File Association Fix. Save all of these to a folder you can access easily.

Uninstall PlayItAll and follow Doug’s instructions on running the two fixes from the Command Line as they won’t work without the file associations.

You can then fix the problem by running first the Zip folder which will mean you can unzip the other three fixes.

Once you’ve unzipped the REG, EXE and LNK fixes, click CTR-ALT-DEL and choose File and New Task the type regedit into the box.

In the registry editor, choose File and import then select the REG fix that you unzipped earlier. Import the file and click Exit.

Once you’ve exited the Registry Editor you should be able to just click the EXE and LNK files for them to be automatically run, if not re-open REGEDIT and import them the same way as you did for the REG fix.

When finished, exit registry editor and reboot your computer. You may find some of the other file associations may need to be fixed as well. In the worst case, some programs may have to be reinstalled.

We’ve covered a similar problem in our Cannot Open Programs post.

Purchased brand new desktop with Windows7 pre-installed, and I am unable to activate the product key the technician and I wrote down, as one  message says it it not genuine. A message in the bottom right hand corner reads “Windows7  Build 7600  This copy of Windows is not genuine”

The system cost was over $2000 from a reputable national chain. No back-up disc included.

To make matters worse, when turned off, next morning I find the console is on again – seems to have a mind of its own.

What can I do as I work full time and have never had such problems with a new computer?

Normally there is a sticker on the side of the computer with the authorisation number. That number should verify the system when it first runs.

In this case, either the wrong number has been put it or the number supplied wasn’t correct.

You’ll have to check with the store you bought it from as this is their problem.

Be careful though, the store’s first reaction will be to refer you either to Microsoft or to the manufacturer of the computer. Given the system has been like this since you’ve bought it, this is the retailer’s problem.

You don’t say if you bought this on a discount as floor or returned stock and it may be that somebody has tampered with the computer before you bought it.

Unfortunately in this case, you’re going to have to stand up against the store. You might want to follow our sister site’s checklist for dealing with disputes. Good luck.