Posts by donkey_pasta

Sure, no prob. Glad you got it figured out.

Have you tried right-clicking on Administrative Templates and selecting Add/Remove Templates? (Maybe they were removed for some reason.)

I think what Jezza70 is saying is that you need to install the operating system from a full installation disc, not a recovery disc.

Didn't you already post this? http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread263625.html

Uninstall Adobe Flash Player using the removal tool: http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/current/uninstall_flash_player.exe

Download the file and put it in C:\
Open the Command Prompt and type C:\uninstall_flash_player.exe /clean
Make sure there is a space before /clean. Follow the prompts. Then download and install the newest version of Adobe Flash Player (I've been using the 10.1 Beta).

What burning program are you using?

If all you want to do is reformat and install <desired OS> then you should be able to run Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) http://www.dban.org/ to completely erase the hard drive and then reinstall your operating system. You'll need to burn the DBAN .ISO file onto a CD using a program like imgBurn or CD Burner XP and then boot to the CD -- you might have to change the boot settings in the BIOS menu.

EDIT: I suggest downloading and burning DBAN using a different computer.

It sounds like one of the programs you installed may have added an item to the context menu that is causing it to display this way. If this is the case, this website details how to remove items from the context menu: http://www.ehow.com/how_5867604_restore-context-menu-default-settings.html

Looks like it requires a 3D capable graphics card or DirectX.

Google Earth configuration requirements: http://earth.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=20701

Boot into Safe Mode with Command Prompt, type C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe and press Enter. Follow the instructions given.

I'm assuming it did not come with any discs? Personally I would want to have the original OS back on it -- Windows 7 64 bit. Can you contact the shop in Italy and see if they will send discs? Also, generally speaking, it is a good idea to install hardware drivers.

The past couple years have been a step in the right direction. I think Ubuntu is addressing issues that have been in question for a long time.

Sounds like you need to install your hardware drivers. You might have to download them on a different computer and transfer them over using a flash drive. Make sure to install the chipset driver first.

Try to access it from the start menu. >Start >Programs >Accessories >System Tools >System Restore

If it's a fresh installation you might consider re-installing the OS.

Also you could run some hardware diagnostics using UBCD or Hiren's Boot Disk.

The sound card problem is most likely a driver issue. Find the latest drivers and install them. Is that the only thing that was in 'conflict'?

This looks like the right driver: http://support.us.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R105827&formatcnt=0&libid=0&typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=136683

I had a problem like this the other day with an XP Pro machine. I had to clean some viruses off of it. The virus did some serious damage to the system file associations. You couldn't even open Notepad or Command Prompt. I logged into the Administrator account and noticed that the file associations were still intact. So I saved all the important files to C:\, deleted the other user account and created a new user account. All the file associations were there -- everything working good now.

Does it display a message when you try? Your post is pretty vague.

It could be a permissions issue. Do you have XP Home or XP Pro?

<snip> live CD has worked for me in the past

Edited by Moderator. No password cracking information allowed.

I recently had a similar problem. I ended up using Active Password Changer on Hiren's Boot Disk to wipe the current Administrator password.

Have you edited the hosts file?

It looks like all the google sites are on your hosts file list (among many other sites). Go to C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc and open the hosts file using notepad. Delete all the google entries and save the file with no extension.

I have not experienced the issue since I switched keyboards. Gotta love the good ol' IBM KB-9910!

As gizgiz said, connect using LAN. Generally Ubuntu works out of the box on most network cards (from what I've experienced) but XP does not always (depending on how old the installation disc is). You may need to install the drivers for your network card. If you can't find them then post the brand and model of your computer and we will help you find the right drivers. Obviously you'll need to download them on a different computer and transfer them with a flash drive or external hard drive.

I think I may have figured it out. One thing I didn't think of before is that it could be my keyboard. It is possible that one of the keys is sticking or becoming electrically activated. I have switch keyboards. I'm going to try it for the day and see if the auto-scrolling continues.

It looks like most all of your questions are related to internet security. You might get more action posting in the Neworking - Security forum: http://www.daniweb.com/forums/forum167.html

Specs: HP dx2300 -- XP Pro SP3 -- Logitech Trackman Wheel USB mouse (wired)

Problem: Applications constantly scroll up and down (intermittently will stop for a period of time then start scrolling erratically again). This happens in all applications; FireFox, Notepad, Task Manager, etc.

I have not changed anything in my hardware setup recently.

Troubleshooting steps I have tried (to no avail):

# Unplugged Trackman Wheel mouse and plugged it back in
# Tried different USB ports
# Rebooted computer
# Took apart Trackman Wheel mouse and blew it out with compressed air (was not very dirty inside)
# Unplugged Trackman Wheel mouse and plugged in brand new HP Optical USB mouse (wired)
# Installed latest drivers -- Logitech SetPoint (the problem was happening without SetPoint installed so I don't think it has anything to do with that)
# Ran scans for viruses -- ran Malwarebytes full scan (updated first) -- ran McAfee Total Protection full scan (commercial version) -- neither found any infected/threatening objects

I don't have experience with PC Tools Firewall Plus, but what you can do is look at the applications list -- that will show you which applications are communicating and it may tell you which ports.

If you're modem is wireless most likely you have DSL and the modem is probably doing the routing. Typically DSL modems have a firewall enabled.

As far as the MD5 hashes go, it's something that you may not bother with as it sounds like you are a pretty average user. But if you use FireFox you can download an extension that will calculate the MD5 hash of a downloaded program. If the download website provides the MD5 hash you can compare the two using the extension and if they match then the file is clean, if they don't match then there is definitely some potential danger. Extension: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/12335

You sound like you are in good shape though, using a limited user account, having a firewall intact, using anti-malware/virus/spyware software. Make sure your wireless connection is secured using WPA or WPA2 encryption along with a good strong network key (password).

Should I log off of my administrative account before accessing the net via my limited account?

I don't think it matters because the Administrative account has different permissions. Although my personal preference is to log off before logging onto a different user account.

And is there any way for a website to infect you other than actually going to that website?

This is kind of an awkwardly worded question. (I could be wrong but) I think what you're asking is -- 'Is there a way to be penetrated by threats if you don't go to threatening websites?' If that is you're question then the answer is yes. Some ways to safeguard yourself:
*Make sure you have your firewall enabled. Check the exceptions list to see what ports are open.
*Use OpenDNS web filtering to block sites known for malware.
*Check MD5 hashes on downloads you think could be potentially harmful.
*Don't surf porn or download pirated content

I use OpenDNS at home and at 32 of my company locations. It's AWESOME and free. Tons of businesses and schools are ditching paid web filtering software and switching to OpenDNS. Check it out: opendns.com

I've had the same problem before and it ended up that it had a bad hard drive.

You can test the RAM using Memtest86 -- download and burn the ISO file to CD using imgBurn or another burning program.

You should be able to find a hard drive diagnostics program based on the brand of hard drive. Or you could burn a boot disc like UBCD or Hiren's -- both have hard drive tools on them.

Do you have Administrative permissions on the account you're trying to connect them with? That may be required to install the drivers.

One thought is that maybe your USB ports are bad on the motherboard. Or maybe you have USB 1.0 ports and the sticks are USB 2.0.

If that is the case then the video adapter is probably good. Could just be that the LCD is going out. Also I've seen if a different cable is loose or not connected on a laptop they can do strange things.

Try uninstalling/reinstalling the drivers for the network card. Do a reboot after you uninstall them.

Also if you have an extra NIC laying around you could install it, disable the other adapter and see if the problem persists.

Open Windows Explorer.
Go to Tools, Folder Options, View tab.
Deselect "Use simple file sharing"
Select Apply, Ok

Now find the folder that you wish to change permissions on.
Right-click on it, select Properties, Security tab.
Select the Users group (or whatever group your limited accounts belong to) and check Full Control under Permissions for Users.
Select Apply, Ok, and you're done.

My guess would be a faulty video adapter, although I've seen weird things happen to video when the problem is actually RAM. If there are multiple RAM sticks try popping one out, cycle through them, then cycle through the slots. You could also try running some hardware diagnostics tools.

During the reboot cycle how long does it take to turn off compared to the time it takes to boot up?

Try unchecking all the items in msconfig startup and see if that does it.

Also, I've see some system services be more aggressive than others -- so even if you deselected it in msconfig something may be causing it to start.

I'm really curious to see if it takes a really long time to shut off during the reboot cycle or if it takes a really long time to boot up. My guess is it takes a really long time to shut off and if that is the case then there is a program hanging up.

Do you get any kind of error messages or messages asking if you want to "end 'blank' program now" when you reboot?

So what are you wanting to do? Have you decided?

I've had a similar problem on a company computer before.

It ended up being a driver issue. We were using some old ID scanners that were built for Windows 98 and the drivers were terribly ported to XP by the sales guy (they were really cheap).

So every time the computer was rebooted, logged off, etc, the drivers would hang up the system and you would have to go into Task Manager and kill the process in order to logoff or reboot (unless you wanted to wait several minutes for the logoff/reboot).

Not sure if that has anything to do with your problem, I'm just saying there's a possibility that it could be driver related.

You can burn a live boot disc like UBCD (Ultimate Boot CD) or Hiren's Boot Disc. There are several different hard disc tools on them. If you're familiar with linux (sounds like you are little familiar) then you can boot a live Ubuntu (or other) CD and use the hard disc tool(s) provided. Alternatively your manufacturer may have a bootable tool you can use to format the drive.

Really the big question here is -- is your current Windows installation worth the hassle of going through the steps to fix it? It may just be easier to backup your important files and install Windows from scratch.

Also -- like I said I'm sure there's a much easier way to restore the default Windows boot selection menu, I just don't know how.

Dyed Purple is on the right track. Also, you might get more action on this in the Viruses forum: http://www.daniweb.com/forums/forum64.html

You could have a BIOS virus (I think that's what it's called?). I've had one before. The way I got rid of it was used Darik's Boot And Nuke (DBAN) to completely wipe the hard drive. Then I had to flash the BIOS (to the newest version) from a thumb drive. Reformatted and installed XP and was good to go.

If you do actually try doing this I'm sure you'll have some questions. Feel free to ask.

I wish I could help more but I don't have much experience with embedding sound in PDF files.

One thing you could do is setup some sort of notifier so that when they click on the sound it displays an icon or something changes color. If it displays the correct thing when the button is clicked but no sound comes out then you know the document is probably working properly and that it may have more to do with their audio mixer settings on their computer.

One other thing you could do is download and install all the top 5-10 PDF readers and see how the document performs in them. For example: Adobe Reader (not Adobe Acrobat), Foxit Reader, Sumantra PDF Viewer, PDF X-Change Viewer, etc. Once you know which ones work and which ones don't, you could include a page in the document suggesting which PDF Reader(s) to use.

Try uninstalling Java Runtime Environment, reboot, and see if it still has high CPU issues. That will tell us if it's directly related to Java or not.

What is the brand and model of computer?
Do you have the model of NIC as well?

What's brand/model is the computer?
Does it have an integrated network card or is it an add-on card?

caperjack is right -- you need drivers. When your friend said he already tried that, was the driver installation successful? Were there any errors?

You will need to have a copy of the OS you wish to install. There is no "master installation disc" with every OS known to man.

You could perform an Internet Explorer reset. In Internet Explorer go to >Tools >Internet Options >Advanced tab >Reset >Reset

Thanks for your help donkey. I reinstalled updated drivers for the adapter and I'm back in business.

Glad to hear it.

Also, I don't know how the whole 'solved thread' thing works, but if you don't mind -- try to give me a 'solved thread' point.

What PDF reader are you/they using?

Also, to me, hearing the words "PDF" and "sound" together just don't mix well. It sounds like your educational material may do better on a website rather than a PDF file.