***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 123 *****
In this thread you may ask any computer related question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.
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Just recently on one of my laptops, when I do an AVG scan, it pops into the Blue Screen of Death. If I do the scan in Safe Mode all is OK. I'm running XP Home SP2 on both and the other beastie is perfectly happy. I should add that the offending laptop has seven USB2 things hanging off its two hubs and a USB2 card. I'm wondering, as this is a motoring forum, if I have some driver conflict?
Anyone got any ideas as this is becoming a PITA situation?
--
e Prof - Another Recycled Teenager
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AVG is one program I have never had a problem with. I think there was a recent new version (since the change to 7.5 in January), just checked and mine is 7.5.446 - do you have this version? Might be worth a re-installation anyway though I suspect you have tried this? My next step would be to disable processes one by one to try and identify the conflict.
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I seem to be locked in to a limited account on another computer ,it has no passwords set but can not get back in to the administrater account or it might have been accidentally deleted ,does anyone know how to get admin acc back ,tia
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You cannot delete or disable the local admin account on Windows 2000 or XP. The account can be renamed however - has that happened?
On XP you can prevent the admin user appearing but on the "quick logon screen" with icons for each user. But even then with nobody logged on at all, hit CTRL-ALT-DELETE to bring up the old fashioned login box and logon as the Administrator account (or whatever it has been renamed to) with the relevant password.
Hope to have helped.
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If XP download tweakui from here:
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xp...x
It will enable you to see all users, might not help if you dont have the admin password, though cross that bridge when you come to it.
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thanks for your replies ,I got it fixed by logging on in safe mode and deleting troubled account and returning to a previous day
thanks again
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Sent myself an e-mail from a friends house a couple of days ago and it never arrived. Checked with him that it had actually appeared in his "Sent Items" folder and sure enough there it was. Other mails sent at the same time to other people did arrive. The e-mail address was correct and it had not been bounced back. So, how can we check just where it did go or where it got held up. Can mails really just get lost in cyberspace?
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Sometimes mail sent to me goes straight to the Junk e-mail section of Outlook and I don't see it come in. Could that have happened to you?
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Nope, Outlook is set not to junk anything
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I have no idea which mail providors are being used, but from my own experience:
Mail sent from "my_brother"@btinternet.com would never arrive in my work inbox, though mail sent from "my_brother"@btopenworld.com did. Infact, both are aliases for the same mail account, and speaking to colleagues I learned that some had noticed the same behaviour. After a protracted troubleshooting process the cause was eventually traced to a combination of anti-spam filters at the third party "filtering house" that all mail for my employer first passes through. In effect, the combination of filters provided a black hole in to which mail from any btinternet account would disappear; it wouldn't be delivered, it wouldn't be rejected, and it wouldn't trigger any exception or error reporting. Legitimate mail from the equivalent btopenworld.com domain would pass through untroubled. Corrective action was taken, and all is now well.
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Can an email address be found via your IP address ? and is this where most of the spam emails come from ?
Regards Mal.
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I don't have a spam filter and yet I only get the very occasional spam from companies with which I have done business and even this is stopped by "unsubscribing".
What am I doing right? ;-)
--
L\'escargot.
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I don't have a spam filter and yet I only get the very occasional spam What am I doing right? ;-)
You don't have any friends? Or maybe you don't have friends who keep your email address in their address books and have had compromised computers. And probably your email address is not on newsletters or documents that have found their way online.
I recently made an appeal for information in a newspaper and created an email address for the purpose which is now on quite a lot of websites. Within two months that address receives upwards of 30 spam emails each day, all safely sorted by Mail.app, or Evolution, whichever client I happen to be using. I'll kill it soon.
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Hi Mal,
It would be extremely unlikely that someone with your IP address could find your email address, I wouldn't worry about that too much.
Lee
-- He\'s a cheeky wind-up scamster and he\'s on the radio....
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Please, can anyone tell me of a UK ( or anywhere else for that matter ) supplier of this companies products? I am seeking a Butterfly V3 Computer tower case and am hitting a brick wall.
Jeantech have contact details on their website but so far, have failed to respond to any attempt at communication. Dixons Group, that is Curry's, Dixon's ( as was ) and PC World claim " no stock "
I am fully aware of the fact that Jeantech does not sell direct to the public, so need to locate an outlet that stocks their products. Any assistance much appreciated.
Thank you.
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See:
www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?JEA-AQUA
www.xcase.co.uk/b/6401/1/jeantech.html
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Thanks again Stewart.
X Case do not list the model I seek on their website but I phoned them with the manufacturers model number and they claim to have 10 in stock. Will chase it up on Monday.
Again, many thanks.
Rgds.
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also PC World certainly used to stock this brand in their component section
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Having just deleted the n'th spam of the day, where the spam is one of those low quality graphics advertising some American stocks youve never heard of, I have two questions -
Is this a real attempt to get you to buy the stock in question, or is there some sinister hidden link or connection to the Mafia/Yakuza/Triads or some other evil empire
If it is an attempt to sell the stock, who on earth has the spare cash to allow them to buy dodgy stocks on the strength of unconvincing spam (I've an invetment opportunity i'd like to interest you in, sir, but first I need your bank account and credit card details for authentication purposes.......)
And now off home, where there will be more spam......
--
Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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Is this a real attempt to get you to buy the stock in question, or is there some sinister hidden link or connection to the Mafia/Yakuza/Triads or some other evil empire ..
some answers to these questions here:
search.theregister.co.uk/?q=spam+botnets&mode=site
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..spam,spam,spam.....
and it is going to get much worse, as the spammers have found a new method to defeat the anti-virus vendors:
www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/07/storm_malware_def.../
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Feedback.
Thanks for all the advice Cheddar and others. Purchase made yesterday. You were right Cheddar that the best specs seemed to be the Acer models you mentioned... and best value by online purchase. However this is all new to me and I decided to buy with how the machine felt to use and handle as a major factor once a basic spec was met.
Took the advice to get a dual core Intel processor, stick to the Intel 950 graphics, buy with 1024 ram installed and ignore Vista basic in favour of home premium. Ended up with a Compaq mainly because it just semed the right size, finish and style with a keyboard feel that I liked. Also found all the stocked machines had the gloss brightview screens so have ended up with that. Yes it does reflect in adverse lighting but our photos look stunning.
Against my better judgement bought from PC World. I was prepared for the extended warranty hard sell but totally unprepared for the aggressive upselling attempts on extras and software. Seems they have a target of about an extra £150 in these areas per laptop sale.
Even when looking onlineas you went to the checkout their website added by default... a carry case/extras pack at over £100 plus Norton Antivirus at £50... bit naughty.
Thanks again.
DW
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Thanks for the feedback MM.
I bought an Antler New York leather laptop case from PC World, £59.99 in store, £29.99 online (quoted as web exclusive at £24.99 + post), went in store to look at it and they matched their online price, £24.99, so I saved £35. CSFTTT!
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Acer models are also extensively rebadged by other top name manufacturers.
Agree that adding items to your online basket is a "bit naughty" - I would have put it somewhat more strongly...:-)
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Seem to recall that Dell used to (maybe still do) add three years warranty to their systems if you ordered on-line so you couldn't match the advertised price unless you reduced this warranty back down to 1 year.
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Switched broadband supplier about a month ago and I've just noticed that the bar at the top of the screen is still showing the old supplier i.e says " microsoft internet explorer provided by wanadoo" when I'm now with Global. Everything else is OK. Any ideas on how I can change it so it reads Global ?
Cheers
Steve
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This title bar is purely cosmetic and has no effect on your connection or browsing experience.
If you want to change it, see support.microsoft.com/kb/176497 for details how.
Be careful when poking around in the registry though...
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You don't need to go into the Registry.
Just go to Start>Run and copy and paste this line:
rundll32 iedkcs32.dll,Clear
and insert it into the box and click OK.
Voila.
If, by any chance, this doesn't work, then use:
rundll32 iedkcs32.dll,BrandCleanInstallStubs
(Note the spaces in both lines).
It's IE's own method of remvoing the branding.
If you have SpywareBlaster you can compose your own "branding" in the Tools section - I have my name on the bar, purely for reasons of vanity.
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Thanks to all who replied - especially Stuartli whose fix worked perfectly.
Cheers
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"especially Stuartli whose fix worked perfectly"
Can you tell me which one worked - the first or second method?
On a similar vein to the IE branding question.... The MESH PC I bought new at Christmas has Tiscali Broadband branding on it when I use Internet Explorer which I intend to remove using Stuartli's method.
In addition, in the programme lists and in Add/Remove components it shows Tiscali Broadband and Tiscali Browser - two separate entries. My question is for those who know MESH's ways can these be uninstalled without affecting Internet Explorer which is running quite nicely? It could be a question of "if it ain't broke don't fix it."
Internet Explorer 6 has upgraded itself to version 7 since I purchased the PC.
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"Can you tell me which one worked - the first or second method?"
The first fix did the trick but only after re-booting.
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Something has attacked my Shell32.DLL in the Sys32 folder and I need to restore it.
The DLL on the CD is called Shell32.DL_ and I have taken a copy of it.
Anyone know if I can change the extension to DLL and use it?
I suppose that is too simple for my luck and it will be a zipped file.
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..Anyone know if I can change the extension to DLL and use it? ..
you need to install it using the xp-repair or restore function, which extracts the file from the cd or the i382 folder.
however, you should have a backup copy of the latest windows xp updated extracted file here:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache
(mine is version 6.0.2900.3051 as shown on the properties panel accessed by right-clicking on the file).
alternatively, download it from the free dll file resources on the web.
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i382 folder
:: edit :: should read "i386 folder"
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If you have an XP disk you could also try typing:
sfc /scannow
in the Run box and clicking OK (note the space before the slash).
You may need to have the disk in your CD/DVD drive.
This repairs any missing or corrupt files in Windows Files Protection.
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Thanks a lot for the help/s. Super. I will be able to have a go a bit later on. I did try altering the DL_ last night but that did not work and I put the one other back. .
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My Shell32 is now restored after the sfc use. Thanks. And I have saved a copy elsewhere.
I will go and have a look at C:WINDOWS\system32dllcache out of interest.
I had a back door worm, VB.AUG, that AVG got rid of after the boot but it was there again after the next boot and AVG removed it again, so potentially nasty. The currupt Shell32.DLL was the same size as the good one! But it was not the same file and AVG warned it had changed.
VB.AUG had also got into a restore file which AVG detected.
I have now done a full scan again after another boot and everything looks OK.
I see Major Gooks site offers free virus scans. And mentions VB.AUG. Any thoughts on the scanners?
www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/trojans.php?ref=goo...n
and
www.enigmasoftware.com/a1/free-trojan-scan2.php?gc...Q
Might be useful another time.
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For reference, as with most Windows versions (at least 3.1 onwards), you should be able to uncompress the file using
expand D:\\[file path]\\Shell32.dl_ C:\\[file path]\\Shell32.dll
at the command prompt.
--------------
Mike Farrow
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you should be able to uncompress the file using expand D:\\[file path]\\Shell32.dl_ C:\\[file path]\\Shell32.dll
Everything but shell32.dl_ as my playing tonight revealed :-S
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||you should be able to uncompress the file using|| ||Everything but shell32.dl_||
Funnily, 'expand' worked OK for me and the DLL_ produced an 8.5 MB or so DLL. That was close in size to what my original was and was probably OK. However, when I looked closely, the DLL file did not have the benifit of the SP2 mods, whereas the stuartli method produced one that did. You can tell because sp2 appears in the version information if you use 'properties' on it and the size is slightly different.
sp2 was not in the virus one either and there was also a spelling mistake in the 'properties' info.
Since then MS has downloaded me an automatic update so I have saved yet another DLL copy.
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Yes, I had forgotten about the various 'updates' microsoft puts out on these files.
Still, always handy to retrieve useful features from older version disks such as Write and Painbrush - which IMHO have superior features to their more modern counterparts.
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Mike Farrow
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Please, can anyone recommened from actual use experience, a non-Microsoft, stand alone, word processor program with a spell checker function?
Looking for something that my sister can use to create A4 documents on her new Laptop, without all the Microsoft baggage.
Thank you.
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openoffice
It is free download, very good and will read/write microsoft office files.
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Oh, the British English dictionary for the spell checker might be a seperate download.
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Try Jarte, which offers what you want and has a spell checker etc but is a fraction of the size:
www.jarte.com/
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Openoffice.org is terrific, but is a full office suite (wordprocessor, spreadsheet, presentation, graphics, database etc), not a standalone wordprocessor. You could also try Abiword, which is very lightweight, very good, and free:
www.abisource.com/
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Many thanks to Adverse, Stewart and Baskerville for the input. This should be enough to keep her happy.
Thanks again. Petel
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Hi,
I have a list of adressess in Word that I would like to add to an Excel database, any ideas as to how I can import the data into Excel?
Using Office XP (2002).
Many thanks.
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separate the address by a comma, save as a text file, import as *.csv?
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Thanks, the list exists so any way of avoiding the need to add the commas?
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save as a text file, open with excel as a txt file and see if the txt wizard will sort it, or the "text to columns" feature (used to be called parsing)
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Thanks again, though that takes every line into a seperate row rather than, for instance all first lines into column 1, all second lines into column 2 etc.
?
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On the Mac so can't check this, but I'd try selecting the cells in the word table you have, select copy and then paste into excel.
Should think it would work.
-- He\'s a cheeky wind-up scamster and he\'s on the radio....
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Do you have a blank line between the addresses, and are they all the same number of lines ?
If so a quick sed or awk script would sort you out in no time.
Im sure sed and awk are available for windows as a free download.
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That shouldn't be a problem if all of the addresses have exactly the same number of lines, use a little excel macro to re-order the data in columns.
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Following the laptop purchase on Friday I have a wi-fi question.
We did not expect to want wi-fi as I though only one machine could be internet connected at any one time so we were leaving the desktop to those duties.
However today someone said you can share your broadband connection between machines with a sharing of the speed the only penalty. Is that true?
Our new laptop is wi-fi enabled so what do I need to buy to get wi-fi in the house and where does it connect?
Thanks.
DW
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>>However today someone said you can share your broadband connection between machines with a sharing of the speed the only penalty. Is that true?
Absolutely.
>>Our new laptop is wi-fi enabled so what do I need to buy to get wi-fi in the house and where does it connect?
You buy a wireless router. Plug it into your existing environment exactly as your current router is, or even into the back of your current router. And then it can be used anywhere within range. Make sure you use an encrypted approach to stop any freeloading. Routers are typically plug and play with the approriate setup instructions included for security.
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>>a sharing of the speed the only penalty
And typically two machines will not be asking for a page at exactly the same moment so unless you're using both machines to download large files you are unlikely ever to notice.
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.. You buy a wireless router. Plug it into your existing environment exactly as your current router ..
as mark says, get a wireless router.
more advice here:
www.thinkbroadband.com/faq.html
www.dslreports.com/
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Ahh that's good. So will the cheapest £29.99 Belkin router with a 54Mps speed be OK? Will that replace our existing broadband modem or do I need a special router/modem unit? There are no spare sockets on our Fujitsu modem... just the phone line in and the USB to the main PC.
Point taken about security... but as you know there are few opportunities for freeloaders to get near us here. Their window of opportunity will be short at 60mph!
DW
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Ahh that's good. So will the cheapest £29.99 Belkin router with a 54Mps speed be OK? Will that replace our existing broadband modem or do I need a special router/modem unit? There are no spare sockets on our Fujitsu modem... just the phone line in and the USB to the main PC.
If you have a USB modem, you'll need a router with a built in modem. They are probably the commonest type and are usually described as 'ADSL routers'. The basic routers are for people who have modems with Ethernet connections. I have one because my internet connection is via a cable modem, not ADSL.
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Yes, better to get a wireless router with built in modem than to connect a router to your existing modem. PC World do Belkin, Philips, BT, Linksys etc some with a card to add to your desktop to also allow that to connect wirelessly if you wish, some for well under £50.
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Looking at the PC World site I think the cheapest wireless routers with adsl modems built in are just a whisker under £50. BT voyager is one of them so that would probably be my choice.
DW
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I got somebody to set just such a wireless network up for me last week - a young lad called Adam, once well known to the Back Room
In order to make your network secure, you need a 'key' for encrypting the secuirty algorithm - if you use an 'Adam' to set up your network, and he asks you for a word to use as a key, make sure you and the 'Adam' both spell the word the same way.......... ;-)
He knows now - it's Guatemala, not Guatamala --- and I've changed it since then !
--
Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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Just a bit of feedback. Ended up with a Belkin £59 ADSL wireless modem/router. Paid £10 more for that than similar ones of other brands as it has a lifetime support and hardware warranty.
Easy to connect (if you have your original Broadband connection data as supplied by your ISP when you first signed with them) and got back onto the Internet quickly.
Had to phone their 24hr support though as I just could not get any mails in/out once on the new router. Our friends abroad insisted on following their screen script and wasted ages going over everything that was already OK but then became stumped with the actual problem.
They told me it must be a Microsoft problem and I should phone them! In response to my grumbling the guy went to ask someone. In the long time he was away I tabbed through various items in Outlook Accounts/Tools and found a box that referred to using LAN to connect to the mail account. Ticked this and all my mails came tumbling in. Told the guy when he got back and he said that was exactly the next step he had for me.... hmm!
The next annoying thing was that when browsing now and again a box would come up saying I was working offline and did I want to connect.... yet the router showed I was online. If I clicked to stay offline the page or whatever would not load. If I clicked to connect it would try and dial one of my non-Broadband backup connections.
Eventually sussed in Internet Options (reached from Internet Explorer) I had to tick the *Never dial a connection* box and all is OK now.
The laptop wi-fi connection on the other hand was faultless. The machine detected it and straight away and allowed me to browse with no issues. To use the Internet away from the restriction of a fixed cable is so useful... best £59 I've ever spent on a PC device.
Thanks for advice as usual.
DW
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that referred to using LAN to connect to the mail account. >>
Thiis is from OE's Tools>Accounts>highlight your account or individual accounts in turn>Properties>Connection tab>Always Connect to this Account using>(in this case) LAN account.
With other accounts it may just be the name of your ISP which was used to set up the connection.
In the case of Never Dial a Connection this is, of course, because your modem/router is always connected unless the system is switched off.
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MM, I've had a Belkin (Cable not ADSL) wireless router for 3 or 4 years and although the more techie amongst us are not always that complementary mine has been absolutely faultless. WiFi is a bit of a pain to start with but once up and running, is as you say, the best £50 you ever spent IMHO.
Assume you have got some encryption and security set and have changed the default SSID and password for the router ? If not this can also be a bit frustrating initially :-)
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No I haven't attempetd the password and security bits yet. We live in a remote location apart fom the single adjoining house who haven't got wi-fi... or perhaps they have now!!
It was a late night stress getting those issues I mentioned sorted but I will go into the router menu and do all of that tonight.
DW
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>>It was a late night stress getting those issues I mentioned sorted but I will go into the router menu and do all of that tonight.
Especially important if you're using file sharing on the PC. A year or two back a neighbour of mine had a shared folder available to everyone on the street that is labelled "[Name of Well Known Local Estate Agent] Accounts". I didn't look in it because I realised something was wrong, but I looked in the top level shared folder because I thought I was connected to my network. This neighbour (a partner in aforementioned estate agent) lives a surprisingly long way away too; maybe as much as 100 metres but with three houses to block the signal on the way.
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Warning noted but do please tell me how to file share... the good lady wanted that facility and I didn't know you could.
DW
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Warning noted
the security is quite easy to set up, so do give it a go.
>>but do please tell me how to file share... the good lady wanted that facility and I didn't know you could.
on both computers, assuming they are running xp:
1. go to start>control-panel>set-up-network and follow the instructions.
2. to share files from the 1st computer, open "windows-explorer" ( i.e. the file manager, if you do not already know, it is from start>all-programs>accessories ), and right click on any folder or file you want to share. From the menu that pops up, select "sharing and security" and take it from there.
3. on the 2nd computer, you should now see the file visible in your "my network places" folder.
step 2 can be repeated from the 2nd computer to enable sharing of files/folders on the 2nd pc.
note - for personal reasons, i prefer to set windows-explorer to:
tools>view>
1. untick the option to "automatically search for network folders and printers"
2. tick the option to "use simple file sharing"
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I have the UPnP and SSDP Discovery Service both Disabled on my system. The reason for it is explained here:
www.updatexp.com/upnp_security.html
Despite the age of this link the advice is still given on recent links - I've cited it because it explains the reasons.
I also Disable UPnP in the Bios if installing a new motherboard.
It makes no difference to the general upgrading etc of my system.
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Can anyone give me any info, or point me to anything on the web, regarding the comparative reliability (or customer satisfaction) of different brands of laptop?
(I'm particularly wondering about the respective merits of Toshiba and Acer)
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They all use the same suppliers for the internals, so you're down to how well the box protects the components from impacts, heat and general abuse. This article from last year suggests IBM/Lenovo top the reliability charts with Apple in second place. I'd concur with that; even the "consumer" Mac laptops are really, really well screwed together. But just like cars the differences between different brands are pretty minimal:
"Who makes the most reliable computers? Lenovo, closely followed by Apple, if you believe online service and support company Rescuecom's latest reliability audit, derived from more than 20,000 calls made by the firm's customers during the second quarter this year ...
... Rescuecom was also quick to claim that even Gateway's reliability is "solid". It said the same of HP and Dell, claiming those vendors' product reliability was merely "potentially less so" than Apple or Lenovo. Which is a bit like saying: Lenovo machines are more reliable than Dell's. Only they might not be..."
www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/16/rescuecom_reliabi.../
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Toshiba are currently offering £100 cashback on their laptops & a full refund of the purchase price if it fails in the first year (upgradeable for cost to 3 years!!!). They must be fairly sure of the quality or have really deep pockets!
Mark
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My daughter bought a pre-owned year old Toshiba Satellite laptop from www.laptopbits.co.uk about four years ago (a company about 10 miles from where I live) - it came with the balance of the three year warranty and she paid half the laptop's original price at the time.
After 18 months the display packed up completely and Toshiba advised her to take it to one of its authorised service centres.
It was returned three days later in perfect working order and Toshiba picked up the £600 parts and labour charges without quibble.
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Thanks all.
Baskerville: it seems to me that if you don't want an Apple or a Lenovo, they are all much of a muchness. btw, you may be interested to know that I'm looking at getting a digital camera, and am just considering whether it is worth the extra to get a Canon Powershot A620 rather than an A85
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Thanks all. Baskerville: it seems to me that if you don't want an Apple or a Lenovo, they are all much of a muchness.
Even then in similar price brackets I don't think there is much between them. The main thing for me is the rigidity of the chassis. "Cheaper" laptops are all plastic and can flex; over time that puts stress on the internal components if the machine is used as a truly mobile device. The better ones have an alloy frame inside, but that costs more naturally.
btw, you may be interested to know that I'm looking at getting a digital camera, and am just considering whether it is worth the extra to get a Canon Powershot A620 rather than an A85
The A620 is more flexible--manual control is *almost* complete--has a bigger optical zoom and more pixels if that bothers you. It is a more recent model of course. It also uses standard AA batteries, which for me is a big advantage. Even so the A620 has now been superseded, so the prices should be keen. Don't take Jessops as your guide, they are way over the Internet price. I'd say the extra is worth it. My A620 has been superb over the last year or so--and has surprised me by working for its living too.
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tyro,
In a few previous threads I've received loads of help pointing us to the best £500 laptop for ourselves... eventually bought last week. I found that you could search on the Internet and find despair stories for every single brand so I decided it had to be a personal judgement.
I did not mail order because I wanted to handle the model I was buying. The differences in feel were quite marked and we ended up with a slightly larger, heavier one that resisted chassis/screen twist when handled. We put this above the ultimate best valve spec. Some models were so flexible I was worried about the long term impact on the internals.
We noted that, whatever the brand, laptops were likely to be more unreliable than desktops. We were OK with this in using it as a family machine where data/files once produced would be loaded back to the desktop.
DW
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When I put my computer on "standby" it often comes to life again of it's own accord, even if there is nobody in the room. It's on a substantial desk on a concrete floor so it's not due to vibration. Is it possible to adjust the sensitivity to prevent it doing this?
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L\'escargot.
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Two things to check straight away..
Is it waking up for a virus check/update ?
Is it waking up to check for new e-mail ?
For that matter, do you have any software on scheduled updates ?
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Is it waking up for a virus check/update ? Is it waking up to check for new e-mail ? For that matter, do you have any software on scheduled updates ?
All my security software is set to update automatically. Perhaps that's what does it.
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L\'escargot.
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It still uses power on standby, although less. Better to use hibernate and have to put up with a little longer start-up times but not as long as a full boot-up.
Probably waking because of a scheduled job or something similar. Of course a machine switched off can be made to wake-up if it supports wake on LAN and send it the "magic packet".
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This has been reported by a few people as happening after installing the latest microsoft wga.
Have you allowed the Windows Genuine Advantage thingy to install ?
Given that ms have admitted that it 'phones home' without your permission on a regular basis that would sound about right.
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Have you allowed the Windows Genuine Advantage thingy to install ?
How do I find out whether I have or not?
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L\'escargot.
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This has been reported by a few people as happening after installing the latest microsoft wga.
adverse camber:
i am interested to know where this has been "reported" "as happening" and what is meant by "few people ".
How do I find out whether I have or not?
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l'escargot
assuming adverse is referring to the same story, then it is quite the opposite. the "phone home" to microsoft happens if you decide to "cancel" the latest wga update, not the other way round.
www.heise-security.co.uk/news/86429
arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2007/03/07/...e
.. if the user clicks the close button to cancel the installation of this WGA update, Windows sends some information back to Microsoft over the wires.
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l'escargot:
here is microsoft's comment on this issue (bold added by me):
" ...
our latest WGA Notifications package sends install telemetry when installed or canceled. Given past concerns about data WGA sends out I wanted to take a moment to explain what is happening with this latest release and why.
First, all downloads that flow through Windows Update return success/failure telemetry. This is because of the large scale of distributions over Windows Update. When sending out an update package to potentially millions of customers it?s important to gather basic data on successful installations, install failures and user rejections or cancelations at any point in the process. Second, this event is one time only. Also, if the system isn?t connected to the internet nothing will be sent nor will it be if an attempt to send fails.
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I cant remember where I first saw this but google for example finds this at zdnet (march 2007)
Microsoft has faced a lot of heat over WGA Notifications -- in particular, because it delivered a prerelease version of the tool alongside security fixes, perhaps turning Windows users into unsuspecting guinea pigs. Also, WGA Notifications was found to ping a Microsoft server after each system restart, a behaviour the company did not disclose.
Several security sites have reported for some time that wga causes communication with ms on every restart. not just a ping as above.
Ive seen comments about the unwanted startup issue on several IT forums. dont remember which and I am not interested enough to try and find them again.
As a unix and linux user it isnt something I have experienced myself. I raised it only as a possible reason for the problem.
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Several security sites have reported for some time that wga causes communication with ms on every restart. not just a ping as above.
ok, it was chinese whispers then.
at every start, ms-update contacts ms for any latest updates. this has been normal practice for yonks. with wga installed, wga will check for conformity at intervals of some weeks whether the software is genuine. ( even if you passed previously, it can be classed non-genuine for example if reinstalled in other computers against the licence policy ). nothing new in that. and it is to be expected that before ms can work out what updates your computer needs, your computer has to send back information about the software/hardware/drviers that are currently installed.
the difference with the latest wga is that it adds a new "phone-home" feature whereby ms is contacted when you press cancel and decline to install the wga. ms still allow you to download security updates despite saying no to wga.
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If, like me, you object to your P.C. "phoning home" to Microsoft periodically, go to this tinyurl.com/gwhhv web page where you can download a tool to disable the thingy!
You can still do Windows updates etc.
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Having upgraded from W95 machine to a XP machine and transferred over all working documents, it has been found that the imported printed documents (.doc and .xls files ) actually print up with slightly smaller print.
The HP printer is the same one, the font and size settings have remained the same in the imported documents.
I can only think that the printer driver is somehow forcing this inconsistency. Any body seen it before? Any possible fixes?
I do not have the printer model number to hand (but it is about 2 yrs old, USB enabled).
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pmh (was peter)
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You will need to find out the model of HP printer and then find the XP driver at:
welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/support.html?pageDisp...s
XP does include most HP printer drivers, but as yours is a recent model and USB this is unlikely.
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What's for you won't pass you by
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For the benefit of any doubters the heading for this subject was
f o n t s i z e v a r i a b l e {now corrected - DD}
I will check tomorrow, but on thinking about I suspect that XP loaded a default generic driver when the printer was transferred.
p
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pmh (was peter)
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It's not necessarily the printer driver. Are you using the same version of Office? One version of Office can be a bit weird with documents from other versions. How about new documents created with the same fontsize. Does that text come out smaller too?
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I am currently using Outlook 2003 for my e-mails. I am receiving Access files (mdb. extension) from trusted sources which unfortunately Outlook has decided to block as a "potentially unsafe attachment" which I know for a fact are safe and virus free. Anyone hit this problem and know a nice easy fix?
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get them to change the extension ? zip them or something ?
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yeah, AC got them to do that as an interim measure, but I'm really looking for a permenant fix.
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You could try the advice here www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article08-104
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In Outlook Express, from Tools>Options>Security it's done by unchecking Do Not Allow Attachments to be Opened or Sved that May Contain a Virus.
It's overkill and can be unchecked in the case of OE. Could be something similar with Outlook.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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You can also disable the annoying "Splash" screen which appears when opening Outlook Express. It requires a registry edit, but it's simple enough and I've done it!
Here it is:-
tinyurl.com/3xu3os
Remember to back up your registry first!
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Cheers Smokie, worked like a dream
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