Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting.....

My computer takes long to start (bootup).
1. Some applications install modules which must be loaded before windows is loaded. For example, Norton Utilities installs a number of .vxd files to modify the behavior of certain disk routines.
2. Some applications install and keep part of the program resident in memory at all times these programs typically add icons into the tray bar. Some applications which do this are virus scanners.
3. Your hard disk is fragmented.
4. As applications are installed and uninstalled some files or registry entries are not deleted.
5. As hardware and drivers are changed the original configuration for every device is remembered.
6. Bus mastering drivers retrieve information from your hard disk quicker and requires less CPU overhead.

Applications take too long to launch.
1. Your hard disk is fragmented.
2. Some applications install and keep part of the program resident in memory. At all times these programs typically add icons into the tray bar. Some applications which do this are virus scanners.
3. Bus mastering drivers retrieve information from your hard disk quicker and requires less CPU overhead.
4. Your computer is not transferring information from the hard disk in the most efficient way.
5. Your mainboard includes a new chipset which does not have built in support.

My disk space is low.
1. Uninstall applications that you no longer use.
2. Not every file on your hard disk is needed. There are many files types that can be deleted.
3. When programs are not shut down properly or when your computer crashes it keeps files in your temp folder.
4. If you have an updated version of Windows such as Windows OSR2 or Windows 98 you can use the FAT32 file system.

I bought an Ultra IDE hard disk and it not fast as it should be.
1. Your hard disk is fragmented.
2. Support for Ultra IDE is not installed. Ultra IDE requires the Intel 440TX(Pentium) or 440BX(Pentium II).
3. Bus mastering drivers retrieve information from your hard disk quicker and requires less CPU overhead.
4. Make sure support for Ultra IDE is activated in the BIOS.

My SCSI devices (hard disks/CDR/etc) are not as fast as it should be.
1. Download and install the latest drivers for your SCSI controller.
2. Make sure all SCSI devices are properly terminated.
3. Make sure all high priority devices are on lower SCSI ID numbers. For example, hard disks should start at SCSI ID 0 and continue in sequential order. Lower priority devices such as CD-ROMs, CD-Rs or scanners should be placed on high SCSI ID's.
4. Each SCSI setup is difference and settings in the SCSI BIOS could affect performance.

Every time I pop in a CD it automatically pops up. Can I turn that off?
By default Windows will automatically try to run a CD when you insert it. You can disable CD Autoplay.
1. Right Click My Computer.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click the Device Manager tab.
4. Click CD-ROM.
5. Double Click your specific CD-ROM.
6. Click the Settings tab.
7. Uncheck Auto Insert Notification.
8. Click OK.
9. You must restart your computer before the new settings will take effect. Do you want to restart your computer now? Click Yes

I'm running Windows. How can I download updates or patches to keep me up to date?
There are many updates/patches available to download to correct various Windows bugs.
1. Load internet explorer. Click on tools. Click on WIndows Update or go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.
2. Download the appropriate updates.
3. Restart your PC if required.

I have problems with my sound card. How can I fix it?
1. One of the most common mistakes is to have the speaker outputs either not plugged in or plugged into the wrong jack on the sound card.
2. If your sound card worked at some point and is not working now or your PC crashes while playing sounds if probably is a driver problem.

To Update Your Sound Drivers
1. Download the appropriate drivers and uncompress them if necessary.
2. Right click my computer.
3. Click Properties.
4. Click the Device Manager tab.
5. Double Click Sound, Video and Game controllers.
6. Double Click the sound card to upgrade.
7. Click the driver tab.
8. Click Update Driver. Click Next. 9. Click Other Locations.
10. Click Browse.
11. Select the directory on the downloaded drivers. Click OK.
12. Click Finish.

I'm having problems printing. How can I fix it?
1. Make sure the port you have the printer attached to is installed and working. Go into device manager. Double click ports. Click the appropriate port. Click properties. If the port is not working remove the boot and reboot your PC. Windows plug and play should reinstall the port correctly.
2. Sometimes the drivers controlling the printer could have been corrupted or require an update.

To Update Your Printer Drivers
1. Click Start.
2. Click Settings. Click Printers.
3. Right Click the specific printer.
4. Click Properties. Click Details.
5. Click New Driver. Click Yes.
6. Click Have Disk.
7. Type in the directory where you downloaded the printer drivers. Click OK.
8. Select the appropriate printer model. Click OK.

Stability Issues...

1. As applications are installed/upgraded/uninstalled entries in the registry are modified. You will need to clear out outdated information from the registry.

Whenever I play a Direct X game my computer crashes.
1. Some games use Direct X to draw its graphics. A corrupt or incomplete or outdated version of Direct X can cause problems.

An application used to run but know it says I'm missing a DLL.
1. Sometime when you uninstall an application it removes a shared DLL(dynamic link library) used by more than one application. Reinstall the application that flashes the error message.

Applications crash and say I'm out of disk space.
1. Uninstall applications that you no longer use.
2. Not every file on your hard disk is needed. There are many files types of files that can be deleted.
3. When programs are not shut down properly or when your computer crashes it keeps files in your temp folder.
4. If you have an updated version of Windows such as Windows 95 or later you can use the FAT32 file system.

I try to load windows but my PC says my registry is corrupt.
1. You should receive a message that says restore from backup. Click this option and let the computer replace the current registry with a backup. You will have to restart your PC. If this does not correct the problem you can look for additional backup copies of the registry. The registry consists of two files system.dat and user.dat. Some applications that modify the registry back it up before they make modifications. Copy these files over the current registry files. For example, copy user.nu3 to user.dat and system.nu3 to user.dat. When you restore the system with the Norton utilities copy of the registry all the modifications and applications installed after that will be lost.(no specific tip available)
2. You can reinstall Windows over itself hoping it will reinstall all corrupted and missing files.
3. In the worse case you will have to erase your current installation of Windows and totally reinstall Windows and every applications.
4. This problem occurs much less in Windows 98. Windows 98 maintain 5 copies of the registry and automatically backs up the registry when the system starts and can perform rollbacks.

I added some new hardware and my PC or mainboard is slightly old now my computer crashes.
1. Your mainboard BIOS revision may not include support for type of device you are tyring to add.
2. The hardware you are adding is causing an IRQ/DMA or memory address conflict. Change the resources the device is using to other settings that are not in use by any other device. Go to device manager. Click the device. Click properties. Click the resources tab. Uncheck the use automatic settings. Choose the appropriate resources.
3. The drivers for the piece of hardware were not correctly installed. Remove the device in device manager and reboot the PC if the device is PNP the OS should detect it and reinstall it. If the device does not reinstall add it manually and make sure you choose a IRQ/DMA and memory address that no other devices are using.

When I try to boot into Windows I get an error message and the system will not load. The system loads normally in safe mode.
1. Safe mode disables all enhanced 32 bit services and installed drivers and boots only a base set of built in drivers. This means that a driver or device is causing a conflict or is corrupted and is preventing the system from booting. Go to Device Manager and remove the offending device or switch the device back to the default drivers that shipped with Windows. Restart your PC.