Archive for the ‘PC Errors’ category

Get Rid of PC Errors Without a Technician

April 12th, 2011

Have you ever received error messages from your computer? Has there been a time that you had to finish a project and when you have tried to print it, the driver for your printer gave you this error message that you have no idea how to fix? Has your computer been so infiltrated by viruses and malware that you don’t know what to do? Did the Windows registry give you weird messages that something is broken? You think you don’t have any other option but to call out an expensive computer technician? There is another option!

If you’re having problems with a faulty driver in your computer, an expensive PC technician isn’t the only answer. You can fix the issue right away. Faulty drivers are mostly caused by not updating the device drivers installed on your computer. Device drivers need constant updates to be able to perform at their optimal. But, if you have not updated the drivers, you can search the internet for the correct updates and install them onto your computer, given that they are compatible with your operating system. Another way of solving the error message caused by faulty device drivers is to perform a clean uninstall of the driver and reinstall it correctly. By just doing that, you eliminate the error message caused by the device driver and you didn’t pay anything to a technician.

Registry errors are another cause of frustrations. First, because it makes your computer speed and performance slow down. Second, because the registry is one of the most complicated parts of the operating system and messing with it can totally damage your computer. The registry stores all the settings and configurations of a computer, so when it’s not working properly or if there’s something wrong with it, the whole system fails. But this problem can be worked out by downloading a fix from the internet. These are known as registry cleaners. Many are even downloadable for free. After you have downloaded and installed the registry cleaner, you can quickly fix many errors and problems. The computer technician would have done the same thing.

Now, if your computer system has a malware infection then that is a different story. Malware are programs created for the purpose of damaging a computer or for stealing data. These programs are all over the internet and can just enter your computer anytime without you noticing. In order to prevent this, you must protect your computer by downloading one of the malware scanners distributed on the internet. Run the scan on a regular basis and always keep the software up-to-date.

With these steps alone you can protect computer, improve performance and save a lot of money.

Cleanup the Desktop in Windows XP

October 3rd, 2008

This is a pretty simple tweak, but can be very useful for keeping your desktop clean and clutter free. The XP desktop cleanup works be helping you remove shortcuts that are not used very often.

What we will do is set Xp to automatically run the desktop cleanup wizard every 60 days.

  • Right-click on your desktop
  • Select properties
  • Click on the “Desktop” tab
  • Click “Customize Desktop”
  • Then check the box “Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days”
  • You can also run the desktop cleanup immediately by clicking the “Clean Desktop Now” button.

Done. You now have a nice clean desktop.

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Cleanup and Remove PC Errors – Free Scan

 

Repair Exe Errors in Windows

August 8th, 2008

EXE (.exe) files are executable files common to Windows operating systems. EXE files may also rely on other resources such as image files, for use in graphical interfaces.

EXE Errors

Most of you will be very familiar with EXE files and since they are so common on Windows they are also prone to various errors.  Errors in EXE files may be hard to detect and repair and can be caused due to file corruption, missing files or Windows registry errors.

How to Fix EXE Errors

Because it can be hard to diagnose EXE errors, the first option is to try and replace the EXE file with a new copy. This will solve the problem if the original file was corrupt or missing. If the source of the EXE errors is unknown, or if there are Windows registry problems, then you will need to run a third party registry repair.
Click here to scan your PC for EXE errors.

EXE Files and Malware

Quite often EXE files are used to spread harmful malware. Always be careful when downloading or running an EXE file that did not come from a trusted source. For example, never open EXE files sent in an email – this is a common way to spread viruses. EXE files can also be hidden in .ZIP files.

For more information on fixing EXE errors:

Fix Exe Errors

Common Outlook Express Errors

August 7th, 2008

We get quite a few emails regarding Outlook Express problems and troubleshooting. So I will cover some of the common Outlook Express errors that you might encounter.

There are some common categories of errors in Outlook Express, so I will break the errors down into their appropriate category.

Problems Sending Mail in Outlook Express

Sending email in Outlook Express can return various error messages and these are very common. First start by checking that you are properly connected to the internet. It is amazing how many people try to send without first being connected. Also note that some errors may be on the other users end – such as: user not found, mailbox not found etc.

Error 550 – Relaying Not Allowed
Can’t Send Mail, No Sender Specified
Mal-formed message ID: Line 3 References too long

Errors Opening Outlook Express or Outlook Express Crashing

This is quite a common problem in Outlook Express and in most cases the crashing is due to a corrupt .DBX file. These files are the database files for Outlook Express and store all the mail messages. If these files become corrupt, Outlook Express can fail to open or crash.

To avoid these errors it is important to compact your mailboxes on a regular basis. If OE wont open at all, you may need to move the DBX files until you get OE open.

In some cases, you may also have registry errors associated with Outlook Express and your mail files. You will need to run a registry repair tool to fix this common problem.

Error codes:

0x800c012e
0x800c0131
C0000006h

DBX File Errors

As mentioned above, the DBX files associated with Outlook Express can get corrupted over time. It is recommended to do regular compacting of inboxes to help avoid this problem. In certain situations you may need a special DBX repair tool. We will discuss more on that later.

Common Outlook Express Error Codes:

Below are some of the most common errors you will experience in Outlook Express.

0x800CCC00 
0x800CCC01 
0x800CCC02 
0x800CCC03 
0x800CCC04 
0x800CCC05 
0x800CCC06 
0x800CCC07 
0x800CCC08 
0x800CCC09 
0x800CCC0A 
0x800CCC0B 
0x800CCC0C 
0x800CCC0D 
0x800CCC0E 
0x800CCC0F 
0x800CCC10 
0x800CCC11 
0x800CCC12 
0x800CCC13 
0x800CCC14 
0x800CCC15 
0x800CCC16 
0x800CCC17 
0x800CCC18 
0x800CCC19 
0x800CCC1A 

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Fix Outlook Express – Free Download

Dr Watson Errors

August 7th, 2008

Dr. Watson is an application debugger included with Microsoft Windows that is used to help detect, decode and log errors that are encountered while windows or windows programs are running.

Whenever an error in your system occurs Dr Watson creates a text file and records the information needed by technical support personnel to diagnose the problem. The file recorded by Dr Watson is recorded as Drwtsn32.log or user.dmp.

Dr. Watson will shut down the offending program but the other programs and their data are untouched.

The Dr Watson errors generated fall in to three main categories :

1) Your processor has attempted to access an illegal instruction
2) Your processor has attempted to access invalid data or instructions.
3) Your processor has attempted to access data or code that the program is not privileged to access.

Find out more on Dr Watson errors here

Fixing DLL Errors

August 6th, 2008

Most Windows users will have experienced at one time or another, some form of DLL error. As with most errors, you probably have no idea what it means, or what a DLL even is.

DLL stands for Dynamic Link Library and these are common files used on Windows systems. They are not stand alone files, but are intended to be run from other programs. They are generally loaded on demand and linked in at run time.

So what causes DLL errors?

There can be a variety of reasons for experiencing DLL errors. Most commonly, the DLL file itself may be corrupt, you may have some invalid registry entries, or even adware/spyware on your PC.

In most cases, the problem can be fixed by replacing the DLL file with a new copy. But if there are other underlying problems, then you probably need to clean your computer’s registry. Certain adware/malware/spyware/viruses can replace DLL files with their own malicious copy, so be sure to run a regular anti-spyware scan on your PC.

Find out more about fixing DLL errors here

Accessing Msconfig

March 27th, 2008

I had an email from Melany and she has a question regarding msconfig. She is attempting to stop bootup programs from this blog post and she cannot manage to access msconfig.

I have made a quick video here showing exactly how to access msconfig, remember I use Vista so it could look slightly different to anyone using xp;

[swf]http://www.pc-error-free.com/images/msconfig.swf[/swf]

Microsoft’s New Updates

February 13th, 2008

You may already have received the new updates, so what are they all about?

Following its meager security updates in January, Microsoft came back with a huge release for February. The company released 11 security bulletins containing 17 fixes.

In total, 17 individual software flaws were patched in the updates. Microsoft rates six updates as critical, meaning they should be installed as soon as possible, while the remaining five updates are considered “important.” Last month was an easier month on IT administrators, when Microsoft released just two updates.

A major source of the patches this month are the Office products including fixes for Microsoft Word and Publisher as well as in Office itself. One critical update is for Windows OLE or object linking & embedding. The rest of the updates were for Active Directory, Vista TCP/IP, the Microsoft Works file converter, and the Internet Information Services Web server.

The MS08-007 update fixes a critical flaw in the Windows XP and Vista WebDAV redirector software. The flaw is rated important for Windows Server 2003 users. The updates also include critical fixes for Microsoft Word, Office Publisher and in Office itself. Another critical update for Windows’ Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Automation software is also included.

Computer Data Protection Tips

February 7th, 2008

Today many people depend on computers for a multitude of purposes including work related, personal business related, and even entertainment related. With so much dependency on computer systems for so many things, it becomes evermore critical to protect personal computers from hackers, malware, and other types of potential difficulties.

Many of the computer viruses which are produced today are designed to obtain personal data for illicit purposes. Some of these computer viruses can wreak havoc by destroying an entire hard drive. It is critical to understand computer security in order to protect from complete data loss due to these types of malicious programs.

The right type of computer protection can ease one’s mind from any undue worry related to potential computer data loss. Regular computer backup of files and good security measures are the underpinnings for a good data protection routine. These simple measures can make a big difference.

Computer data can easily be protected with a few specific techniques:

1. Security Programs

A frontline protection for any personal computing system is a quality security software. A little online research can help one discover the best security software for his or her personal needs. The Internet contains much in the way of useful information to help one narrow down the search for an appropriate type of security software.

Certain “computer geek” forums lend themselves to discussions on the best ways of securing a computer for particular computing styles and levels of knowledge. Software download sites are also useful places in discovering the popularity of a security software as they provide a forum for looking at number of downloads and examining reviews which address the pros and cons of any given software.

The addition of this information can help the consumer make quality choices in regards to computer data protection systems and security measures.

A good anti-virus software program provides the foundation of personal computer security. Other security measures include password encryption programs and anti- spyware programs. Many security software programs can be found for free or for a free time limited trial offer at certain download sites on the Internet. Installing and updating the software regularly can ensure that your computer is protected.

2. Computer Backup

System backups which are routine provide significant insurance against a total data wipeout. In some cases of a computer system failure, windows operating system can create a “restore point” by returning to an earlier time in the computer’s “life” and restoring the system to the earlier point by use of the command “system restore.”

Despite having access to this technique, it remains advisable to ensure the protection of all computer data by investing in a portable hard drive to which personal files and important data can be backed up outside of the computer system. Many people store their portable hard drives in locations away from their computers in order to provide more protection.

Other people utilize online storage systems in which they pay “rent” for the privilege of being able to backup their system to the service provider’s servers. Many people, however, are not comfortable in releasing the contents of their hard drive to such a service. Consequently, personal storage devices, be they portable hard drives or flash drives, etc, appear to be the best choice for many.

3. The Maintenance of Routine Updates

This is just an integration of the first two techniques. Most people actually create system backups and use security software but the problem that I usually see is that people do not update these things regularly.

If your computer data is always being stored and updated, make sure that you do these things in a routine fashion. especially for the hard drive backups. I actually lost a lot of data due to poor system backups and it cost me a lot of time and money, so I highly advise that you constantly update your information in your backup hard drives.

It is clear, that computer data protection is a critical activity and that regular backups and adequate security will prevent potential data loss from occurring. A little bit of prevention is worth a pound of cure in regards to ensuring that one’s personal data is protected and one’s computer system is secured.

Edit Your BIOS

January 23rd, 2008

This question comes from Andrew, he wants to know how to edit your BIOS.

The primary function of the BIOS is to identify and initiate component hardware (such as hard drives, floppies, and CDs). This is to prepare the machine so other software programs stored on various media can load, execute, and assume control of the PC. This process is known as booting, or booting up, which is short for bootstrapping.

From time to time you may need to you may need to change settings within your BIOS, but I have had emails from people saying they are too concerned about editing anything within the BIOS. You don’t need to be too worried about changing basic settings within your BIOS, and it is a very simple thing to do. Just follow these points and you will be able to edit your BIOS;

  • Click the Del, F2, or F12 key as your computer is booting up (the key is different with different computers)
  • You will now be in your BIOS
  • Use your arrow keys to navigate through the BIOS
  • Select the item you want to edit
  • Click Save and Exit
  • You are done