Posts by TallCool1

IE won't allow me to Log onto or view certain sites. IE ignores any file with an .exe extension. When I use Netscape I have no problems. What settings do I need to change?

Clarify, please. Under what circumstances are you dealing directly with EXE files within IE (and why)? Give a step-by-step scenario, if you can. When you can't log on, what kind of error message(s) are you getting? Can you give examples of sites that error out, so we can attempt to replicate or recognize the problem? It could be a Java problem, an ActiveX problem, a scripting problem, etc. It would help to get a handle on which it could be.

in my work environment i have a system of intel mb and 1.7pro. with win 98se
i was regularlygetting problems with this explorer becoming slower ans slower as the day progresses even i upgraded with 5.5 also no use ,only if format and reinstall i am getting it right can't i mak the things w/o format

How much RAM do you have in your system? How much free space on your hard drive (and what's its capacity)? You may be having a problem with virtual memory, especially if your hard disk is filling up to near its capacity and is fragmented.

Nowadays, anything less than 128 MB of RAM is virtually worthless, though there is a 512 MB RAM limit for Win98 due to its caching scheme.

Yahoo DSL... same thing

What you are probably experiencing is resource depletion. Are you running Windows 98?

I have SBC Yahoo! DSL, and have installed it for others. The main problems:

The Yahoo! browser is a front-end shell that uses Internet Explorer on the back end. This means that you have a bloated shell on top of a bloated engine. This is resource Hoover number one.

Next is the so-called Quality of Service (QoS = "good" spyware--heh) software that SBC installs, all of which is bloatware. You will want to remove those programs from the Startup list.

For example, I did a full SBC Yahoo! DSL install on a friend's machine running Windows 98. By the time I installed the full package and ran the Yahoo! browser online (with nothing else running), over 80% of the SYS resources were being used (a dangerous situation). Running a virus checker and a software firewall in addition used up all resources, causing a system crash. I guess they figure that everyone is using Windows XP... If you are using Windows 98, you can check resource usage using TinyResMeter http://perso.accelance.net/~pesoft/trm/us_trm.html Which can be set up to monitor GDI, SYS, and USER resources (the first two are the most useful).

There is a solution to the overall problem.

1. Download and run CodeStuff Starter (thanks, Big BA):

http://www.webattack.com/downloadfind.php?st=starter&search=Search&action=s

Go to the File menu, select Save As Plain Text, and post the result. I …

My friend has a Compaq 5000(i know that's his problem right there). But anyway, it randomly restarts (not the right way but the double-control+alt+delete way) during any environment. Ummm...don't really know what info to include but if you guys need any more, just ask for it and I shall post.

When you say "any environment" do you mean multiple Windows versions? One likely possibility is a RAM problem. You can test for this with the free MemTest86: http://www.memtest86.com/

It's available both as a floppy-based version and as a CD-bootable ISO image. It's very effective--gross problems show up in minutes, but it can be run overnight for more subtle problems. It's a good burn-in test.

That series of Compaq PCs usually has integrated sound and video, so card seating problems are rare, but proper seating of the RAM SIMMs can be a bit tricky. If the RAM comes up "bad" check that first.

By the way it's just [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del], not [Double-Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del] for a reboot...

Here are three setups I'm looking at. Which do you think would be better suited to run this site alone, which mainly interacts with MySQL and php.

Pentium 4 1.8 ghz with 512 mb of SDRAM
Celeron 1.8 ghz with 1024 mb of SDRAM
Celeron 2.0 ghz with 256 mb DDR RAM

Of these three, which would be the best solution (in your opinion) for a database driven site?

The P4 has more cache RAM. I think that counts, due to the threading nature of what you are running (slight pun intended). The more it can hit local memory, the quicker it can talk to the world. All three are pretty close, though, and would work OK.

Because it's there. Why would Joe Home User want to download a new browser, especially if he's unfamiliar with the new Dell he just received at his doorstop?

Could it be because "doorstop" is the right term to use in this context? What better time to take greater control of your system? (Well, after you download all the patches needed by your "fully installed" Windows XP.) We are suggesting Mozilla so strongly because Internet Explorer (IE) is so fundamentally broken as to be rather dangerous in many ways. Let's look at the facts:

* Microsoft has admitted, in print, that IE has serious problems--but that they will not be fixed until the next version of Windows. Paraphrase: "There will be no new stand-alone versions of IE." That new version of Windows, currently codenamed Longhorn, is not slated for release until 2006 at the earliest.

* There are dozens of critical vunerabilities in IE, many unpatched for years. In fact, many of these flaws cannot be fixed. Because it is "integrated" with Windows, the whole system is made massively vunerable.

* ActiveX controls are high on this list, and so closely related to the DCOM/RPC vunerabilities exploited by the Blaster worm and its variants as to represent a gaping hole in any security wall a user tries to erect, including hardware firewalls. When a website uses ActiveX controls exclusively, it is exposing its users to unintended consequences through potential malicious exploits. This also excludes …

...I just thought i'd try posting this and see if somebody has any ideas at all. I've emailed tech support and everything as well, just considering my options at the moment.

No options--warranty repair or exchange is required. Modern electronics don't always stink, smoke, flash, or make noise when they fail, though I've seen some fireworks in my day. :eek:

Samsung is no worse (or no better, for that matter) than any other modern electronic manufacturer. Don't hold it against them. Mass-produced electronics are more reliable now than ever, but if you are holding a bad one, it's just as annoying as it was thirty years ago. Just be glad it happened within the warranty...

Anytime I want to open a new window by holding down shift then clicking on the url I get a new window ok except I only get the top blue line with the document header information and the right three option boxes. I must right click the blue line and choose maximize to see the screen every time. I have Win. 98. I tried saving the browser and re-opening to change the browser settings without help.

I had a user with a similar problem a while back. This worked for him: http://www.theeldergeek.com/maximize_internet_explorer.htm

You may have to play around with this a little, but I have seen this technique do the trick more than once, for Win98 as well as XP.

Somedays ago It was with only
microsoft sites now it's with random sites...i'm paranoid.
then there's this .org site that I can't get to anyway always it's showing the xp loading image stopped right in the middle.So,after about 3 minutes the browser then redirects to autosearch.msn.com for some reason though the addy is right. I don't know whether they are activex or javascript...

The Portland site uses a custom scripting language. Microsoft sites use ActiveX, of course. Have you tried running a spyware tool?

It's also possible that your Security setting have been dinked with.

Finally, you can also download the Sun Java Engine. The Microsoft Java Virtual Machine is crappy and broken by design. Download the runtime package for Java language support. Windows installation is mid-page (scroll down): http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

...and, like the Big B A, I must recommend Mozilla for general use: http://www.Mozilla.org. It's inherently much more secure and flexible than IE, which is an unfixable mess in its present form (By MS's own documented admission).

My pc pentium 200mhz with 32 mb ram does not detect new 40gb hard drive. what should i do? Please advise appropriate solution.

Your BIOS does not support drives above 32 GB, possibly even an 8 GB limit (less likely). It likely will not recognize such large drives in their default configuration, even if you use utilities that work for that purpose.

Go to the website of the drive manufacturer and download the drive utility package (MaxBlast for Maxtor, for example). Part of these packages is something usually called EZ-Drive (or similar) which wedges an interrupt to allow large-drive access. The problem is that older BIOSes don't expose this int13h interrupt, so it can't be "hooked".

A Promise or HighPoint (for example) add-in IDE controller would solve this, but would likely cost as much as a used, faster computer...

For this reason, nearly all 40 GB drives can be "strapped" with a jumper to a 32 GB limit (the manufacturer's site has diagrams, if the drive doesn't) so they can be used on those machines that absolutely will not work with larger drives; I've done this and it's better than nothing!

I'm having weird problems about failing to browse some two or three specific sites. Most of them are showing time-out errors.Where should I fix it?

Which 2 or 3 specific sites (if you're willing to share;))? Which scripting language is being used, Java, ActiveX, or other?

It's likely a scripting or proxy error of some sort.

Multiple IE windows start on my machine and then I get "out of virtual memory" error. Can somebody tell me how to stop this?

More information, please. Which version of Windows are you running? Are you on dial-up Internet access or always-on DSL or cable? Are your Windows Update patches up-to-date?

Virtual memory is usually (though not always) a reference to the swap-file on your hard drive. Check to see if your hard drive is full, or nearly so.

Are you running a virus checker and firewall? A firewall is needed if running broadband Internet. You may be having a spyware/adware infestation, as well.

Awaiting more info...

I have been having issues with Internet Explorer 6.0,

When ICQ is accessed on the computer Internet explorer fails to recognize the modem. It gives the message regarding a failure to detect the internet connection with the options of retrying or working offline. When I click retry, it loads and works properly, but each time I open a new IE browser I run into the same problem.

I am using Sympatico high speed edition and in the Internet Setting option it does not recognize the modem. The internet works fine except for this problem.

This is a DSL service. Somehow, the ICQ application is hogging the modem -- which client application are you using? It could be a PPPoE issue with the client. One thing you could try is a different client; I use both the Linux and the Windows version of the free multi-protocol client GAIM: http://gaim.sourceforge.net -- It's newer software, supports ICQ and might work better with DSL/PPPoE. It's a good place to start.

Another thing you can try for experimental purposes is the CD-bootable Knoppix Linux (see my sig). It works well with my SBC/Yahoo! DSL and includes the Linux version of GAIM, as well.

I know this has been spoken about in numerous posts , and i have read them but none have been of any new help.

Svchost runs at 100% and have tracked this problem down to when internet explorer hangs then crashes. Plus sometimes explorer won't display internet sites using .asp

It turns out that even with the MS patches applied, there are still DCOM/RPC vunerabilities. Go to Gibson Research Corp at http://www.GRC.com and download DCOMbobulator and ShootTheMessenger. The first shuts down DCOM, and the second shuts down the Windows Messenger Service, useful only as a source of spam pop-ups, most selling "services" to stop spam pop-ups...

It's also good to use Gibson's UPnP utility to shut off Universal Plug and Play, another useless feature. All of these utilities are reversible, as well.

man i am plagued by the same problem. will try the solutions recommended.

It turns out that this is one of the hijack sites used by Lop.com. Any spyware/adware killer that you use must be up-to-date, since Lop updates itself continuously to avoid deletion. It can be removed by Spybot Search & Destroy. Go to http://www.download.com and search for "spybot" to download. Be sure to get the updates before first scan. Also see http://Security.Kolla.de for more info on Spybot Search & Destroy.

I don't have the blaster worm and I myself still receive problems with svchost.exe.

It keeps hogging up all my cpu, and I can't lower the priority, and I can't disable it because it disconnects me from the 'net.

:eek:

Do a site search on "coolweb". I think that might be part of your problem.

The other aspect is that svchost.exe is a launcher, so the offending process is "hiding" behind it. I don't run XP or 2000, but the following may help (quote from an earlier post):

Download and extract the free utility PrcView from http://www.teamcti.com/pview/prcview.htm

This utility is excellent for looking at what processes are running on your system. It will show you not only processes but threads that the Task Manager often hides from you, including spyware. It also can give you details on each task and kill them, if you so wish.

Installation doesn't modify the Windows Registry, so you simply extract it to wherever you want. I find it so useful that I put a shortcut to it in my Startup folder; I run it with Windows.

Try running it and let us know what's running.

i downloaded norton 2004 and updated it and it found the following in a toolbar folder babe,conwiz,url2,cnbabe.dll,exit,winnet then adware.commonnames and one is adware.clearsearch but it says to unistall adware but the intructions are stupid in says to go to control panel then add and remove programs then look for common name but i didnt find it does anyone know what i should do?

CommonName can be removed by Spybot Search & Destroy. Go to http://www.download.com and search for "spybot" to download. Be sure to get the updates before first scan. Also see http://Security.Kolla.de for more info on Spybot Search & Destroy.

I did not see a solution to the problem that "I love my lt " is having. I have the same problem and would very much appreciate some assistance. Thank you.P.S. My keyboard (HP illuminated USB ) is not responding on the top keys . For example Internet connections etc.
Please help.

Your question needs to be more specific. I cannot find the "I love my lt" reference, so I don't know what you need.

As to part 2, you need the correct driver software before the extra keys will work. The disc came with the keyboard.

I am having a problem with my computer (Windows XP, 1Gig Celeron, 512 PC133 RAM) booting up. Whenever I completely power down my computer, even if it has only been on for a few minutes, I cannot immediately power up my computer.

It sounds like power supply problem. A PS has a startup cicuit, and if it's not working properly, it won't start up. Another, related possibilty is that the output voltage is out-of spec on warm startup. There's a power supply good (PSG) signal that will hold off the system if voltages are out-of-spec.

EDIT... EDIT... EDIT
It's possible that the power supply fan is not spinning or that the power supply itself is too low a power rating for the load. Except for mini-systems, 300W is the absolute minimum that I would recommend.

I have a monitor that will not come out of 640 x 480, 16 colors. How do I fix this?

The Computer is a Generic brand with a standard VGA card. The monitor is a KDS Tiger 13".

What brand of video card? The generic VGA drivers will often only support 640 x 480, 16 colors. You need to get the exact drivers to even get more colors, let alone higher resolution. Look at the Device Manager and see what it reports.

yes as a matter of fact It can be done and I am presently doing it now. There are some small problems to handle. Basically what you need is a PCMICA card with a video input

This is not the same thing. Video resolution is nowhere near that of computer display resolution; if it was, I would have suggested that to begin with.

This is not to say that this approach doesn't have its uses (video networking, etc.), it just doesn't answer the original question.

I need help applying to grad school. All of the forms are online as .pdf documents. I'm supposed to somehow fill them out on my computer and then print them and mail them.

There are several ways to do this. You don't need Acrobat full version; these forms are designed to be filled-in under Reader. If version 5 isn't doing it for you, try downloading and installing version 6.0 to start. Another appproach is to submit them on-line and get back plain-text versions: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html

If the forms are under 5 pages each, here's some easy-to-use trialware: http://www.retsinasoftware.com/p2t.htm

Hope this helps!

While downloading some windows updates, my computer crashed with the message on a blue SCREEN! about: kernel32.dll (or something lkek that) error needs to close to save disks...

Which version of the operating system? Which filesystem on the disks? It sounds like you have a damaged master boot record (MBR) on Drive 0. More information would help.

If all else fails, go somewhere with broadband and download Knoppix (see my sig). Bootable Linux on a CD, it can be used to recover files and keep the long filenames intact (a boot or recovery floppy often won't).

can scratches be removed from the plastic face of a laptop LCD???

Brasso brass polish works well; it has a very-small-particle abrasive and a light wax; test in on a small area first, to ensure that the solvent doesn't craze the plastic (it never has for me). It works well on CD scratches too (polish radially). Just don't rub too hard.

If you have a CD scratch-remover kit, that works, too.

I have a computer that will boot (I think) but it requires an admin password to even allow it to boot. The screen is black and there is nothing on it but

Supervisor Password:

Is there anyway of changing this without knowing what the previous password is?

Yes, but it depends... How old is it? Desktop or laptop? "Brand name" or generic?

In most cases, you need to erase the contents of the battery-backed CMOS RAM. This is done by moving a jumper, usually the one closest to the coin-cell battery. For example, if it were a two-year-old generic desktop PC, and you could find the brand and model of the motherboard, you could go to the manufacturer's web site and download the manual (usually in PDF form). You could then find the exact location of said jumper from the manual.

If the unit is newer or a laptop it gets trickier. Some laptops and newer desktops use flash memory (semi-permanent, not battery-backed) and require a back door or special techniques to erase or reset the password. Since this varies from brand to brand, we would need to know more.

An error keeps popping up when I clik on my shortcut... "IE has encountered a problem" I click on info and it has something to do with iexpole.exe

This is usually the result of a partially-failed browser hijacking. Not only are you going to have to run a spyware/adware stomper (I recommend Spybot - Search & Destroy), but you will likely have to dump your System Restore points due to Registry corruption (not 100%, but probable).

To get information on Spybot S&D, go to http://Security.Kolla.de -- which also has support forums.

Also go to Gibson Research and run the utilities that explicitly shut off the unneeded services DCOM/RPC (for which patches simply don't work), Messenger Service (a pop-up server, don't confuse with MSN or .NET Messenger), and Universal Plug and Play. http://www.GRC.com

Make sure you have a software or hardware firewall (the MS XP firewall doesn't cut it). The free version of ZoneAlarm is OK.

You must run anti-virus software. Grisoft has a free-for-personal-use version of its AVG package. http://www.Grisoft.com

I'm having trouble opening files such as my control panel or my properties to open my screen savers etc.. it keeps saying my Rundll32.exe file is missing and the only way i can think that i dont have it anymore is that someone or somehow it was removed or deleted and i was wondering if you could help me find it or how i can fix the problem. Was hoping someone could tell me how to locate deleted files because i know even though u delete files and uninstall things they are still in your computer i was just wondering if you could help me with that. thanks!

Rundll32.exe means you are probably running Win9x. Your best bet is to find another system running the same version of the OS, copy the file from the Windows directory (where it normally lives) to a floppy, then copy it to the Windows directory on the target machine. Un-deleting a file can be tricky under Windows; this is easier.

A friend thinks it may be an overheating problem with the central processor, however I am clueless to the problem.

Overheating is possible, but it's more likely a clogged or bad power supply fan. If it's clogged, yank out or blow out the killer dust bunnies. If it's slow-spinning, they are relatively easy to replace; you can even get a replacement at Radio Shack or any computer shop or trade show. Most are 80mm square x 25mm thick and draw about 200mA current at 12V (roughly 2.5W). Just be sure to unplug the unit and wait about 10 minutes before opening it to let the capacitors discharge (they have bleeder resistors partly for this purpose).

You may want to go one step further and replace the whole supply; most are a standard form factor known as ATX.

I just finished building my computer and when I turn it on the only thing that happens is all the fans turn on and the floppy drive light stays on. The monitor screen stays blank also.

...floppy drive light stays on... almost always indicates a floppy-drive cable connector plugged in backwards. It usually does not cause damage, but it can "hold off" the system and prevent booting. Try that first and report back.

I had a system built not too long ago, and have not tried burning any CDs till earlier ago. I don't know what exactly is wrong, but when I try burning, the CD burner would stall the program and all I hear is the disc or something spinning, but nothing's happening. I can't stop the process, and the entire system lags up. Is it a software/driver or hardware issue, and are there things I can try to fix this?

Make sure that DMA is turned on for the drive. It is not turned on by default under Win98, for example--this will cause no end of problems. Let us know which version of the operating system you are using, and we will walk you through it.

The number of pageviews to my site has been constant for quite some time. (Or rather, steadily increasing day by day). For some reason, the number of pageviews to my site doubled today! ...I've gone from 3,000 pageviews to 6,000 pageviews in a single day!

I Googled Internet Explorer slow the other day, and the first two hits were to a thread here. I think it's a snowball/ripple effect. PageRank has your number, it would appear.

I just changed my power supply and when I boot it says till i use 40 conductors wire and not 80 cond. w. it will be switching from d2 to ultra33 mode what does it mean and what should I do

This is not a bad thing. 80-conductor cables have better signal integrity, and both drives and controllers can sense (by the additional ground wires) that such cables are in use. The d2 reference is not one I'm familiar with, though. Normally, 40-conductor cables will support Ultra-33 mode. Most new hard drives are Ultra-100 or 133, but nearly all CD/DVD drives are still Ultra-33 (a 52X CD drive is still under 8 MB/second data transfer). Still, I use 80-conductor cables for better signal quality, where possible.

Running XP Pro - think I've sussed it - went to Symnatec(?) and got rid of the worm - I think. Is there any programme or web based thing that anyone knows about so I can test my system to make sure it's running at it's optimum???

I know that I'm coming a little late to this party, but some important new information has come to light. It turns out that even with the MS patches applied, there are still DCOM/RPC vunerabilities. Go to Gibson Research Corp at http://www.GRC.com and download DCOMbobulator and ShootTheMessenger. The first shuts down DCOM, and the second shuts down the Windows Messenger Service, useful only as a source of spam pop-ups, most selling "services" to stop spam pop-ups...

It's also good to use Gibson's UPnP utility to shut off Universal Plug and Play, another useless feature. All of these utilities are reversible, as well.

I have a old HP paviliion 63XX. Its about 5 years old, 500mhz. It has no video card so I guess its on the mother board. Anyway for no reason the computer starts out fine with the windows logo looking great then when It asks to log on it switches over to a lower resolution. I try switching it to higher res but it goes back. My question is If I buy a Pci Video card will it bypass the video chip on the motherboard. Will this work. I'm planning on buying an old 64bit diamond steath card for about $10.00. Is this a good idea?

Important information needed: which version of Windows do you run? Next, go to the Device Manager and determine which chipset you have. Please post this information, and I will tell you what you can do. Unless you run heavy-duty games or video playback, the stock video chip should be OK. Anyone who gives you advice without asking for further information is talking up their sleeve.

I answered that question already--in detail--in an earlier post. Check it out (end of page 1).

I have a Leading Technologies Monitor Model #1270A and also a Blue Chip Model #BCM-12G, what type of monitors are they?
I'm trying to buy another monitor that is compatible with either one of these.

Good luck! They are both MDA monochrome monitors, and I have not seen a new one of those in about 15 years. Most multiscan color monitors will work OK, giving a green display, but the cable pinout has to match. These monitors used a DB-9 plug like the CGA or EGA monitors, but the pinouts are different. This might require a custom cable or adapter to an existing monitor cable.

I have a 17" flat panel monitor and there semes to be something wrong with it. When I turn it on it looks just fine but after about a sec the light that lights up the screen will turn off. If I shine a light on the monitor I can see a picture but the backlight that lights up the monitor is off. Any one know whats wrong or knows how to fix it it will be greatly appreciated if you share this information.

What you are experiencing is one of the main drawbacks of flat-panel monitors. LCD backlights are basically miniature fluorescent tubes, driven by electronics. A high-frequency inverter is used to provide the voltage and current-limiting required, like a ballast in an overhead fixture. The drawback is that the power transistors and/or integrated circuits used for this application can become thermally intermittent and shut down after a period of operation, or the whole board can fail.

If the unit is still under warranty, you are golden. If not, it can get expensive. I don't know of a regular source for inverter boards, though I would do a Google search. When I tried the search LCD replacement inverter, I did get some hits--pricing ranged from about $10 to as high as $50.

Brand-name parts may (or may not) be easier to find. This is one case, too, where using the FCC ID number may help to track down the original manufaturer (OEM) and a parts source.

Hi, I have lost my browser windows toolbar! I have searched just about everywhere and can not find it. I believe a hyjacker may have taken it away, to make it hard to find now. I am operating Windows 2000 pro on IE6. Broadband cable, Comcast...I downloaded mozilla firebird after reading a recent reference from you...It shows the links just fine...
I tried adding the links manually through the internet explorer bar,to my browser, but they did not appear. Can you help? Thanks nebulot

It may not be a hijack incident. It's possible that a corrupted INI file or even an errant dragging caused the bar(s) to disappear. I'm in Linux right now, so this is from memory. Go to the View menu. look at Toolbars to see what's checked. You might also go to http://www.Google.com and install the Google Toolbar and see what happens... worst case, it's a good pop-up stopper.

You might also check the now-world-famous Internet Explorer running slow thread for some more information. I'll boot into Windows soon to check my answer.

My computer was made May 2003 is that good, because I dont know where to check the compatibility at the website.
Where would I find out how much it supports?
And what would happen if it only supports 137GB?
Another thing is BIOS even needed to recognize the hard drive on XP?

There's no useful info on the eMachines site, but I got this from the Maxtor site: https://maxtor.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/maxtor.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=960

I hope this helps.

I found a 160GB hard drive the manufacturer is Maxtor its a 7200RPM internal hard drive with a 8MB cache is that good enough to store mp3s,movies, and programs?

Yes, but make sure that the BIOS will support a 160 GB drive. Until very recently, 137 GB was the limit. Check your manufacturer's website to confirm compatibility.

Unfortunately links above are now the start up page on my I E 6 ;
I had never visited the damn pages before this unwanted change ;
such change is unwanted and would be unauthorized if I had chance ;

I simply cannot change it as start up page option is now disabled (buttons disabled and into the address box is one of those damn URLs every time I open up my browser.

You have been hijacked! Go to www.Download.com, in the search box, type spybot. This will give you the link to Spybot - Search & Destroy. Download and run the program, but before doing a scan, click the online button, then Search for Updates. Once it finds the updates, download them and install. Only after installing the updates should you scan your system.

Other places to look for information are the best list of startup programs: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_full.htm
and the best list of malware and hijackers I have found is at http://www.mvps.org/inetexplorer/Darnit.htm

I downloaded and used "Starter" and it tells me I've got the following running:

Microsoft Office.lnk-C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\OSA9.exe

QuickTime Task-C:\WINNT\System32\qtask.exe -atboottime

These two can be safely killed. They are both useless wastes of resources. A good tool to do this with is xteq x-setup http://www.xteq.com/products/xset

If you run Windows, you absolutely must run an anti-virus program! Avoid Norton and McAfee--the first is a resource hog and the second has too much baggage. My absolute favorite is Grisoft AVG http://www.Grisoft.com, but there are other good ones, including Panda, AVAST, and FreeAV.

One caution: some of the above programs are specified as free for personal use. Since you would be using them in a commercial environment, any use of the free versions would be for evaluation purposes only, but you should be able to check them out, at least. IANAL...

In general, the best list of startup programs is at http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_full.htm
and the best list of malware and hijackers I have found is at http://www.mvps.org/inetexplorer/Darnit.htm

is there software that will email me my remote PC's IP address?
or is there away to setup outlook to send me an email everyday with the IP address?

There's another possible way to solve your problem: check out http://www.dyndns.org, which may help you get what you want as a web-based service, no software needed.

It's possible that it is stepping the processor power down when your laptop is running off of batteries, to conserve power. Try plugging it in and see if it jumps back to 1.79ghz.

In my opinion, this is exactly what's happening--1.79 GHz is exactly what a 2200+ runs at. The fact that it shows that result sometimes indicates that all is OK.

I was given a laptop from a friend and it is in great shape. But when it powers on, after it does it's memory tests, it says "External Cache: Not Found" and it just sits there. I've looked around in CMOS and there isnt anything about disabling the external cache. Yes it does have memory. In CMOS it says it has 32728 KB of memory.

Brand? Model? Which processor? It seems like there's a mismatch between the BIOS settings and the actual hardware configuration, but more information is needed.

Well I just installed winxp pro but unfortunately i can't find any microsoft word,powerpoint,excel anywhere in program files.I went to microsoft.com but I could only find add-ons.If anyone knows the exact site address , I think someone should copy and paste here...

Also unfortunately, those are all parts of Microsoft Office, which costs extra. Unless you want to pay $150-$400 (give or take), you might want to try the free OpenOffice.org suite; the just-released version 1.1 is much faster than the 1.0.x versions:
http://www.OpenOffice.org

While not perfect, it does have some nice features including very good compatibility with MS Office formats, the ability to save in PDF and SWF formats and more--and it's free. I use it as my primary office suite under both Windows and Linux.

Hi

Having a big problem here. I have an almost-new Samsung 955DF which has been giving me problems since day one.

The monitor initially had a huge brown patch in the center of the screen, almost like dirt. Increasing brightness/contrast did nothing for the picture. In addition focus was very poor, there was a lot of bloom and reflections. The service center said they replaced the CRT.

Now, it is unable to reproduce black. Everything has a reddish cast to it, apparent even at the lowest brightness setting. Even when Windows boots, the initial screen has a reddish tinge to it, which grows more and more prominent as the monitor warms up. After a few hours it is unusable. Since black is not coming correctly, everything looks blurred and indistinct.

Without a doubt, replace the whole monitor. The problem never was the CRT, it's clearly electronic. These monitors are microprocessor-controlled, so you have to have the alignment software to set them up. The basic problem is that the low-light (screen) control for red is either misaligned or defective. This is the control for setting the baseline (dark areas) of the brightness range.

...when i want to get a new monitor what do i ask for?

...i want to get a new flat screen monitor (not lcd).

As a monitor repairman (and TV repairman going back about 40 years), I tend to start with the CRT and work back from there.

Assuming you want the best CRT available, here it is: the Mitsubishi Diamondtron. Mitsubishi licensed the Trinitron from Sony, but an improved electron gun design makes the Diamondtron a much better tube.

A number of manufacturers use this series of tubes, including Mistubishi themselves, Samsung, Iiyama, and Sceptre.

Another good choice is ViewSonic/Optiquest--most models are made under contract by Matsushita (Panasonic) and use Mastsushita CRTs.

Sony is usually a safe choice as well.

At the cheap end, Sceptre and Envision/AOC are safe choices--even our local discount appliance store chain sells Envision/AOC brand monitors. AOC has a nearly forty-year history.

If this doesn't answer all your questions, fire away!

i have a case fan 80mm and the ends of the wires were torn off to cinnect it to get power and i now theres a way for it to get power without the ends so can some one tell me how to hook it up?

A case fan only draws about 250 mA, so this is easy. Strip back the red and black wires about 1/2 inch. Grab one of the large drive power connectors. The 12V wires are black and yellow. Use a razor or utility knife to (gently) scrape off some insulation; run the blade parallel to the wire to expose the conductors (it helps to bend the wire slightly and scrape along the outside of the curve). Wrap the stripped fan wires around the power conductors black-to-black and red-to-yellow and tape them up. That should do it.

I don't have an Athlon XP 2600 yet, but unless I hear any advice otherwise, I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to have in my posission whenever I figure out all this compatibility stuff.

Personally, I prefer AMD over Intel, so I'll stick to that aspect.

It mostly depends on what you want to do with it and your preference in motherboard manufacturers. Overall, the best chipset for that series of AMD processors (pre-Barton high end) is the nVidia nForce2 chipset (or chipset-and-a-half, depending on how you look at it). With the nForce2, there are a broad range of options; you can get boards with or without integrated graphics support, with or without on-board real-time Dolby encoding, with single-channel or dual-channel RAM busses, and with one or two network interface ports.

The other alternative is the VIA KT400 chipset, but unless you are strongly opposed to nVidia it comes out a poor second.

The best-known brands for nForce2 are MSI, ASUS, Abit, and Gigabye (in no particular order).

Hope this helps!