Posts by TallCool1

I got a file from a friend that was split up (i assume by hj split). I used HJ split to join the files back together, but i have no idea what to do with the joined file, it's not a .bin, .cue, .iso, or a RAR, WinZip file either, when i look at properties to see what kind of file it is, i just says Filetype: File.

How large is the file? Also you can try the freeware Hex Editor XVI32 to read the beginning of the file and see what the header is.

what about the one from the housecall website? www.trendmicro.com

That's an on-line on-demand tool only and doesn't work in the background.

will this one expire in like 3 months and make me pay for it?

No, probably not. I have been using the free version of AVG for well over a year now. I wish I could afford to pay for it. I like it a lot.

I once used an old yamaha CD-RW drive with Nero Burning ROM. It wont detect the CD-RW Drive. It only works on Adaptec's EZ cd creator. maybe you're having the same problem that i had years ago.

I'm sure that was because that particuular copy of Nero was an OEM version keyed to a CD drive other than your Yamaha. It's a form of copy protection. The demo version does not have that limitation. since it's time-limited.

My computer wont shut down when I have my Printer (hp officejet d135) plugged into my USB 2.0 Hub. Ive plugged and unplugged the other 2 devices and they dont create the same problem.

I have found that certain drivers, especially those for SiS and VIA can cause wierd interactions with some USB hardware. Make sure your drivers are up-to-date. The VIA Hyperion 4-in-1 drivers are here, for the SiS drivers, start here.

Remember, too that the OfficeJet D135 has fax capabilities. There may be some configuration option in the BIOS or on the printer that's holding the system "on" to receive a fax (just a thought).

If you don't know the type of chipset your system has, give us a brand and model or motherboard brand and model and we can help identify it.

I have not just installed Windows XP......I think I have had this computer for the past year and their has been no problems, until late. I really have no idea what is going on, but thanks for your help.

This really indicates the likelihood of some sort of malware infestation. Your anti-virus is woefully out-of-date, and worse than worthless -- I recommend that you download the free version of Grisoft AVG and run a full scan. What do you scan for adware and spyware with? How much help do you need with this?

Yes I have 2 CD Drives 1 DVD, 1 CD-RW... My DVD Player works fine. But my CD-RW stop burning CD's, it still plays cd, but it won't burn to the CDs anymore. What could be wrong?

What burning software are you using? Did it work and stop, or has it never worked? You can download a trial version of Nero Burning ROM and give that a try. If you already have a version of Nero, try updating it.

Can someone tell me how to hook up my computer to my receiver so that I can play music through the receiver. Specifically I want to know if there is a wireless way to do this. I know that I could just run an optical with a mini plug on one end but my computer is in another room so I'm trying to do this with wireless. A friend of mine said that it is possible but I'm not sure how.

There are a number of wireless solutions, of varying quality and price. USRobotics, for example made a decent one that was widely available on closeout for as little as $30, but there are many others. These adapters have a pass-through so you still have local speakers, as well.

Tha audio output jack on a PC is usually (though not always) color-coded green. The symbol next to it is sometimes a pair of headphones, more often a symbol something like this: (((->))) with a dot in the middle and an outward-pointing arrow, indicating an output.

I have a Dell Inspiron 4000 laptop with Windows ME installed. ME has been nothing but trouble all along.

1. Either completely uninstall ME and reinstall ME, as lots of things not working. I don't know how to completely uninstall nor do I know how to boot from CD, nor format. NEED SIMPLE INFO ON THIS. Or;

2. I want to uninstall Windows ME and install Windows XP. (ONE QUESTION HERE WOULD BE, CAN I USE THE WINDOWS XP THAT CAME WITH MY GATEWAY DESKTOP? Remember the laptop is a Dell.

If that is possible then I need to know in very simple terms howto wipe Windows ME from the laptop and how to BOOT, FORMAT and INSTALL Windows XP to the laptop using the Gateway desktop CD.

If one way wont work then need directions VERY SIMPLE as to how to do the other.

Let's start with what you won't be able to do. You won't be able to install Windows XP from your Gateway disc. Not only is it not a full copy of XP (it's a so-called "restore" disc), but Windows is licensed on a per-machine basis and you need a new license to install to a new machine. Windows XP Home OEM Edition (the minimum you will need) will cost ~$70-100 on eBay (for example).

Windows ME is not worth reinstalling. If it was Windows 98SE, I would say, "Go for it!" I think your best bet is a fresh install of Windows …

This computer is used for home and work notas a server. I have ran norton antivirus and the scan come up clean. Any suggestions of which programs that don't need to be running? thanks

I asked because so many of the processes you listed are server-oriented. How did they get there? I'm working on a kill-list for you right now.

By the way, when I spoke of "garbage" in my first reply I was disparaging the software writers, not you or your system... :)

I have a EB-GD92 Panasonic GSM cellphone. I want to connect the cellphone to my PC. My PC configuration is Celeron 300/64Mz with a Motorola SM56 modem. What connector should I buy?
Does the connector connect to the PC modem port or USB/Serial/Parallel ports? Does it require special software? I am doing this the first time.

After looking over the manual (PDF format), I see nothing about any kind of computer connection...

yesterday i bought a new fan for my processor. i installed it as it said on the instructions and when i turned my computer on nothing comes on the screen, i can hear the computer on....after about 5 seconds i get a long loud beep...and this repeats every 10ish seconds...

You knocked a board loose, probably the video card. It's easy to do; some cases are a little sloppy on their tolerances -- a board can pull loose even when properly screwed down. Some MBs have a slot latch for the VGA card, but this one does not appear to. The VGA card is under a lot of mechanical stress -- that big, honkin' cable applies a lot of leverage and can pry it right out of its socket.

It could also be one of the DIMMs, as well, though that's less likely. Or it could be one of the PCI cards, but my bet is on the video.

I just tried out hijack this..please help.

Logfile of HijackThis v1.97.7
Scan saved at 8:52:51 AM, on 3/5/2004
Platform: Windows XP SP1 (WinNT 5.01.2600)

What is this computer being used for? About half the garbage looks like it's server-related, but the other half looks like a home PC.

Your problem seems to be partly an overload of background processes, rather than a virus, hijacker, or Trojan -- but we have to know how the machine is being used.

Note that RunDLL32.EXE does not normally run as a task under WinNT -- it runs, then exits. Look here under the Task List button for more on this.

Run a full virus scan, then tell us how you use it and we can help better.

Is there any way for me to hook it up the front sound jacks on my case? or do I have to have a P4 mobo? I have an asus p2b-f with a PIII-450mhz and the case has fire wire and usb in the front any way I can hook them up?

Only with wires running from the back panel to the front. The Intel BX chipset only has 2 USB ports and no FireWire, so those would require either two PCI cards or one combined card. Some USB PCI cards have a jack for the front-panel jacks, as do some FireWire cards.

I was curious why my computer as of late has been going into offline mode while i'm on it? Is their anything I can do to keep it working online? I have Windows XP and run with a cable modem.

Are you running a firewall? Which anti-virus software are you running? Have you scanned for spyware/adware lately? Inquiring minds want to know...

help me please i did the hijack thing heres the log

Logfile of HijackThis v1.97.7

MSIE: Internet Explorer v5.50 (5.50.4134.0100)

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch =

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = about:blank

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TaskMonitor] C:\WINDOWS\taskmon.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LoadQM] loadqm.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [frsk] C:\WINDOWS\frsk.exe

O16 - DPF: {4A3CF76B-EC7A-405D-A67D-8DC6B52AB35B} (QDiagAOLCCUpdateObj Class) - http://aolcc.aol.com/computercheckup/qdiagcc.cab

O16 - DPF: {00000EF1-0786-4633-87C6-1AA7A44296DA} - http://www.netpaloffers.net/NetpalOffers/DMO1/ON01.cab

First of all, before removing stuff manually with HijackThis, you should run at least the free version of Ad-aware. I also recommend Spybot -Search & Destroy, but please realize that it requires a bit more computer savvy than Ad-aware. In both cases, make sure that the data-file is up-to-date before you run either program.

Let's go over the problems, since some will have to be removed manually anyway.

* Frsk is one, a hijacker.
* The R0 IE search keys above can go.
* TaskMon is completely worthless, it can go.
* LoadQM is MS spyware ("trickleware") and known to cause problems, especially with Me. Remove it.
* The two 016 keys listed above can go, too. The AOL one is a useless "quality of service" monitor, the second one is part of the hijacker.

I highly recommend that you update to Internet Explorer 6, unless you have an extremely compelling reason not to do so.

i've been running win98 for way too long now and i finally got around to getting a copy of win2k pro. i'm having a problem installing it after the install restarts my comp for the first time, i get past the screen to access the bios settings and then where the win98 screen usually is, i get a black screen and it doesn't go any further than that.

Drivers, drivers, drivers. It's likely that something on your machine is newer than the drivers supplied with Win2K, possibly your video card. I don't have a quick fix for you, but there are ways of getting around this.

Have you tried restarting in Safe Mode?

My XP system came with Norton 2003 and I have found it OK but it is due for update and several people have advised me to get another AV programme to back up Norton. Any ideas on one that is reliable, easy to set up (I have tried to download AVG which I found good in the past, but now will not accept registration code I am sent)? I know there are other free programmes, such as Avast but can they run at the same time as Norton without conflict?

I have never had a problem with the keycodes to AVG, but since the registration code is keyed to the email address, simply use a free email addy like from Yahoo! or Opera to request another Key.

I personally use the free version of Grisoft AVG. The link to the free version is on the left side of the page, near the bottom. Not only is is highly effective, but it is much less of a resource hog than either Norton or McAfee.

It's not a good idea to run 2 anti-virus proggies at the same time -- they tussle with each other over hard drive access, interrupts, and other system resources.

If you want a program to run at startup,put its .EXE in the startup folder .
Open windows explorer ,and copy the progrms .exe to the startup folder.

No, the best way is to place a shortcut IN THE Startup folder. The easiest way to do this is to right-click on the icon for the program or script you want to start with Windows and then Send to -> Desktop. This will place a shortcut on the Desktop. Left-click and drag the icon over the Start button. While continuing to hold the left mouse-button, the Start menu will pop up. Simply drag the icon into the Startup folder and let go of the button -- voila!

Is there any way to bypass or disable this? The computer takes awhile to load up as it is, so I like to turn it on, do some things, and come back to an up-and-running computer. Having the welcome screen is just a pain.

TweakUI XP is designed for this sort of thing. You can "tweak" various aspects of the Windows GUI, that being one of them...

yeah ive already been there to do that. Everytime i try to dowload and install thats when i get the message about the URI. Thank for your help

You can get semi-sneaky. Download the free version of the Opera browser with Java, then install. You can always uninstall the browser after, but you will still have the latest version of Java left behind.

I tried to get the nic on my motherboard to work and got a message that the hardware did not have a Microsoft digital signature, but I continued anyway. Ever since this attempt, I have been getting the following errors in the event viewer and my ip address is not 169.254.x.x, mask 255.255.0.0, instead of its original 192.168.1.x it got from my router.

This may be a firmware problem. Some NICs have an EAROM with a default address and other information. For example, I had to download a program to reprogram the NIC to get a friend's motherboard working.

What brand & model of motherboard are we talking here?

hello everyone. the screen on my thinkpad is giving me these verticle and horizontal lines. they are multicolored and change depending on what is going on (whether it boots by itself or if it is connected to an external monitor). I have checked it with an external monitor and the computer seems to work perfectly. Seeing as the display changes, and there are multiple colors, i dont think it is the actual LCD. if anyone has any advice on how to fix this, it would be greatly appreciated. thanks to everyone for looking.

What does it look like when it's booting? Can you boot to DOS from a floppy? If so, does the text look OK then?

Every time i use mozila to browse the net i get this message thats keeps poping up

' the procedure entry point JS_DropPrincipals could not be located in the dynamic link library js 3250.dll'

i have to say i can still use mozila but this comes on two times for everypage i go, can someone tell me what this message means or even better how to get rid of it

Do you have the Sun Java Runtime Environment installed? If not, you should -- here. The Microsoft JVM is not very functional.

I have lost all my java applications for some reason. I am using windows XP with internet explorer. I have tried to download a new Java VM from java.sun.com but I keep getting an error message that reads something like this, unable to find URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). Can anyone tell me what this means and maybe what i can do to get my java back.

Here is a fairly-direct link. If you need further help, let us know.

Well thanks for the info. I probably will get another psu then.What brand do you think i should get?I just don't want to get a crappy cheap one and it goes dead on me.

Antec and Sparkle are two well-known ones -- there are many others.

Know your vendor is another watchword. There are a lot of decent (and not-so-decent) lesser-known brands and a good vendor would know the track record of what they sell.

Look for supplies that are Underwriter Labs or ETC recognized. The UL-recognized logo is a stylized, reverse "UR" symbol.

Make sure that the size and configuration of the new supply is compatible with your case. Some more-powerful supplies have two fans -- make sure that the location of the second fan allows a good fit. Some are on top, some on the bottom, and some are on the side opposite from the main fan. A bottom-mounted fan, if it fits, can increase the airflow around the CPU.

Most new supplies have tags that indicate that the unit is Intel- and/or AMD-compatible.

Thanks for the advice, but the Screen Print function simply prints the screen area. How does one print if the page is scrollable like a web page or an excel sheet.

Snagit can do this. It's a screen-capture program that can scroll-as-it-grabs in either text or graphics modes. It's a free-download timed trial.

I have changed everything back to what they were yet I still just get that blue windows xp screen, but it does not give my the chance to log in.

Your CMOS may be corrupt. Go into the BIOS setup screen and copy down all the settings as you want them. with the power off, open the unit and move the CMOS erase jumper to the clear position for however long the instruction book say to leave it there. Move the jumper back to the normal position and turn the unit on. The PC should report something like CMOS error -- defaults loaded and the real-time clock will be reset. Go into the BIOS setup and re-enter your desired values. Let us know what happens.

Hi all!

Someone left a monitor by a dumpster, and I couldn't resist the temptation to take it home and give it a try. Well, it actually (mostly) works! :) But it does have one problem. The display actually appears to curl into itself...like a 3D display. Pretty weird. This also means that the display only covers about 2/3rds of the screen, because part of the display curls back "underneath" the other part. Has any one seen anything like this? And can it be fixed somehow?

BTW, it's a Gateway 2000 Vivitron 15 inch, model # CPD-GF100.

Yeah, it's a decent Sony monitor -- but realize that I have seen these at trade shows, working, for about $25...

That having been said. how much do you know about electronics? Can you solder? The problem is a dried-out electrolytic capacitor. I don't understand why, after 25 years of the same problem, Sony couldn't design this out -- but they haven't. The problem should be relatively easy to detemine, if you have any electronics knowledge at all. If so, let me know -- I'll walk you through it.

Is the foldover (technical term) from top-to-bottom or side-to-side?

Thanks very much. Just in case - is there anything I should "watch out" for like not running it with another program, etc.?

You can run both Internet Explorer and Mozilla at the same time, for one thing. For another, since Mozilla doesn't "do" ActiveX (this is a good thing for security), sites like Windows Update that require it won't work properly.

It's a good idea to install the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) from Sun (even if you don't install Mozilla). You will also need to download and install the Flash and Shockwave players.

If you have further questions, let us know.

I'm going to go ahead and switch to Mozilla but I'm not sure which version - I went to download.com and see that there is Mozilla 1.6 and then a Firefox 0.8 - any advice for me?

Mozilla is stable, Firefox is beta. It's not so much that Firefox causes crashes (it doesn't), but that some of its features are not there or not fully functional yet. The plan is that Firefox will be the main browser when it reaches 1.0 -- but until that time, I recommend Mozilla Navigator for end-users. I run both Windows and Linux and use Mozilla in both environments.

Opera is fine, but the "free" version has advertising and the "full" version costs money. Nice browser, though -- I run 'em all for compatibility-testing purposes.

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSYSTEM.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [System Backup] msystem.exe

Do you know what this is? I have not found anything on it with a thorough search, which makes it suspect. This could be the culprit.

On further searching, I'm 99.99% sure that msystem.exe is, in fact, the culprit -- a dialer executable. Temporarily change its name to something like msystem.bak and see what happens. You can always change it back if you need it.

I guessed I solved it. I went to guru3d.com which i found someone listed one here and downloaded the via drivers and the nvidia ones window now loads up no problem.

I'm glad the link helped -- and thanks for reporting back!

I need to send a CDROM to friends in Uganda so they can install Internet Explorer 6 on their laptop computer. They don't have an internet connection, so they can't download IE6. But they can't install the printer drivers on a new multifunction printer that I gave them unless they first intall a very recent version of IE5 or else IE6.

The newest AOL v9.0 CDs have a fairly new version of IE6-SP1 in a directory on them. The directory is hidden, you do have to turn on show hidden files and directories in Folder Options -> View to see it, but it's there -- and (of course), the CD is free and available everywhere.

hey guys ihave run into a dilemma , i have a usb memory stick with 16 mb of space on it and i dont know how to access it . im running windows nt. Any help is appreciated

Most versions of Windows NT didn't have USB drivers to start with, let alone memory-stick drivers -- they may be included in one of the service packs. You should also check the manufacturer's website for NT drivers.

Thank you for your suggestion, but to do a network installation I must boot from CD or floppy, and I can't boot from these devices: I can only boot from internal HD (primary or secondary IDE) or USB HD.

How about a USB key? Is it possble to boot that way? Or a USB floppy, since you can boot from a USB HD?

darn cant find any burners like this tho for regular pc's. Still cool tho I need one hehe thanks again

I can virtually guarantee that you will not find a slot-loading CD-burner due to alignment issues. It's one thing to put a disc on a tray and let the mechanism load it. It's another thing entirely to shove a disc into a slot and have the mechanism deal with it that way. Think about it.

I tried using the CD, but it wouldn't boot.

Is your BIOS set to boot from CD? Most newer machines let you do this and leave it that way -- if the CD's not bootable, it just goes on to to boot from HD.

is that 2 GB for FAT32 or NTFS???

2 GB limit for Fat32. 2 terabytes (the maximum volume size) for NTFS, either version.

I need to know where I can get a auto-feeding CD-rom. I dislike the ones with these trays even tho I know if my cd got stuck in there it would be a pain to get out. I still like autofeeding ones better and have seen them before but I cant find them or on google search. Anyone know?

Try this search, for starters.

I thought it was 4GB for FAT32 and unlimited for NTFS. Not to offend anyone thats just what I thought....

No offense taken. Actually there is often some confusion about this. As far as I have been able to determine, one bit is reserved for offset (used to indicate whether seeking forward or backwards in a file), which limits an individual file to 2 GB on FAT32.

Is there a way to network my two computers with a USB connection?

Yes, but it requires an adapter specially-made to hook the two PCs together. A computer's USB port is always master, so the adapter makes each PC "look like" it's a slave to the other.

This is but one example of several -- you may find one at a lower price, as well.

Here's the deal. My sound wont work in surround now. I've done nothing as far as speaker connections to the mobo. Infact by using the nForce control panel applet I can tweek speaker and output settings, and I've set everything just the way it was before the reformat. When I click the "Test Sound" button, all four speakers sound off like they're supposed to (Left, Right, Left-surround, Right-surround), but Windows sounds and Musicmatch are not in surround.

Here's the real weird thing... Windows Media Player IS IN SURROUND!!! To bad I hate WMP... I've done all the obvious; like Window's system volume control and speaker setup, Musicmatch's output setups, etc.

There may be some updates for Windows that enhance the nForce sound drivers that have not yet been installed, primarily the WDM stuff, which is built into WMP, but not Windows itself. Try this search.

Hello everyone:
I have used ME for several years now, and up until a few days ago, had no major problems on my Viao PC. However, I now get a message as Win ME is loading that "Explorer has caused an error in D3DBE.DLL. and explorer will now close."

D3DBE.DLL is part of DirectX/Direct3D -- it's embedded, so it never shows up as a separate file. Try running DXDiag from the Start menu's Run box or a command-line interface and see what it reports. If it hangs up then, try downloading and installing the most up-to-date version, DirectX 9.0b, from the Microsoft web site.

When I am trying to install office, the setup is exiting without installing. It is not giving any error messages, it is simply exiting. The same problem is occuring when I am trying to install Microsoft Virtual PC 2004. What could be the problem? Previously I used to use Win98SE and Office 2000 used to get installed without a glitch.

There are a couple of possibilities. One is that your hard drive may be too full. I have seen the MS Installer fail silently for that reason.

Another is a damaged Registry. You can try a couple of things there. One is to use System Restore to go to an earlier state of the system. Another is to use NTRegOpt, which is part of the package with which Win NT/2000/XP users can do a full backup-and-restore of the Registry: ERUNT -- The Emergency Recovery Utility NT to keep your Registry backed up. ERUNT backs up and restores parts of the Registry that Windows' built-in tools do not.

well im not overclocking so does that mean that somethins wrong with the ram?

No, it means there's most likely a driver that needs updating, as I said before.

I am using Windows 2000 Prof and Prassi Primo CD Plus. I think previously when I was using Win98SE things were fine. But now even Prassi is showing the same problem and it says disk(ie the CD) is full and it cannot write to the CD and the writing session is aborted. Is this due to the OS Windows 2000?

Prassi Primo CD Plus is now RecordNow. Earlier versions are no longer supported (no updates for years) and don't work under WinNT.

I think i have a ram problem. Everytime i shut down my computer, as it shuts down i get a message that says something like cannot read from vx000000x1 or some crap like that. So i think its ram, any solutions, shouldi just replace it? btw this is a 7 month old alienware. with a gig of ram (2 512s)

Since it's happening at shutdown, it's more likely a driver incompatibility. It's not unknown for a Windows update (for example) to cause a driver to start failing, or for updating one driver to cause another to fail.

Are you overclocking? That, too, can cause this sort of problem. So much is going on at shutdown that a timing error can occur, with this type of error message -- or if you are "pushing" your RAM timings, same thing. In those cases, I wouldn't worry about it.

Overall, it doesn't sound like a serious problem.

I have an Acer CDRW 20x10x40 CD writer. It was working fine and I have written a number of CDs on it. However recently I bought CDs from 3 vendors and all of them when I put them in the CDRW and right click for properties showed that they were full (blue in color in properties in windows).
The CDs could not be faulted because I bought them from a different place each time. The writer cannot be faulted because I have used it before. Anyway the problem is before I am beginning to write. Why is windows showing me that the CDs are full (in blue color in properties)? Is my CDRW outdated and there are compatibility issues here or what?

They will always show "full" from Windows98/Me. In order to see their true state you must examine them from within your CD-burning software. What SW are you using?

I have an IBM T22 My screen has dust all over it but what can I use to clean it? I know some laptops if you touch the screen you'll ruin it. just wondering because the dust is really annoying me. thanks

Windex is fine for the cleaner, but in order to avoid scratches, use a clean cloth (like an old cotton t-shirt or cheesecloth) rather than a paper towel -- paper is abrasive. If the screen is already scratched up a bit, a good plastic polish like Gel-Gloss can fill in some scuffs.