If you are experiencing profile unloading problems such as slow logoff (while Saving Settings for most of the time), roaming profiles that do not reconcile, or the registry size limit is reached you may be able to fix these problems with UPHClean.
The User Profile Hive Cleanup service helps to ensure user sessions are completely terminated when a user logs off. It will clean up handles to allow unloading of the user profile hive. This can help speed up logging off, reconciliation of roaming profiles and prevent exceeding the registry size limit. Many log off problems as caused by improper coding in software which may cause registry access problems. UPHClean takes action to allow profiles to unload
Download the UPHClean software and install it. It will run as a service on your computer. It can also be removed if needed.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000; Windows NT; Windows Server 2003; Windows XP
Security Accounts Manager Initialization Failed Message in xp
You will typically see this message if the Security Accounts Manager file (SAM) is corrupted or missing. The SAM file is responsible for storing passwords for Windows and is where it stores all the user account information. The file is stored in %systemroot%\system32\config\sam.
To fix this problem you need to either restore or replace the SAM file. There will be a backup copy located in the C:\Windows\repair folder.
If you do not have a backup of this file outside the computer but you can get to the command prompt in Windows, Safe Mode or a boot disk then you can copy the SAM file from the repair folder using a command prompt. Keep in mind you cannot use the Recovery Console to perform this fix since it requires authentication, which cannot occur if the SAM file is corrupted. You also cannot fix this by doing a repair installation of Windows.
Click Start, click Run, type cmd (or command if you are using Windows Me or Windows 98), and then click OK.
At the command prompt, type each of the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
Note This procedure assumes that you have Windows installed in the following default location (c:\windows). If not, substitute windows with the name of your system folder.
Restart the computer
To fix this problem you need to either restore or replace the SAM file. There will be a backup copy located in the C:\Windows\repair folder.
If you do not have a backup of this file outside the computer but you can get to the command prompt in Windows, Safe Mode or a boot disk then you can copy the SAM file from the repair folder using a command prompt. Keep in mind you cannot use the Recovery Console to perform this fix since it requires authentication, which cannot occur if the SAM file is corrupted. You also cannot fix this by doing a repair installation of Windows.
Click Start, click Run, type cmd (or command if you are using Windows Me or Windows 98), and then click OK.
At the command prompt, type each of the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
Note This procedure assumes that you have Windows installed in the following default location (c:\windows). If not, substitute windows with the name of your system folder.
Restart the computer
Software Errors
* Your are unable to copy and paste in Windows Explorer.
Go to Start, Settings then Control Panel. Select the Internet Options icon and click on the Security tab. Then click on Custom Setting, and make sure the "Drag and copy or paste" option is enabled.
* Windows encountered an error accessing the system Registry (Windows 98/ME)
Do a search on the C Drive for the User.dat file. If the file size is 0k, delete the file so Windows will recreate it next boot up.
* Your files do not open with the program you want to open them with.
Hold down shift while right clicking on the file. Select Open With from the menu. Select Choose Program and find the appropriate program from the list. If the program you want to use is not listed, click on Browse. Navigate to the executable (.exe) for the program and then click on Open. Check the box that says "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox.
* Error deleting file or folder
This message will most likely occur if you attempt to delete, save over, or move a file while it is in use by another application. Close the open file and try it again. If it is open by another user over the network you will get the same error.
* llegal Operation Errors
An illegal operation is usually when the computer requests an operation that is unknown to the operating system or processor and that can't be performed. The operating system or processor usually terminates the program that made the illegal request. If this keeps happening you should reboot your computer.
Web Browser Errors
* Cannot find server
This basically means your web browser was unable to find the Web server you attempted to reach. It usually means there is a problem with your internet connection or the web page just happens to be down.
* 401 Unauthorized/Authorization Required
You will usually see this error when you are trying to access a web page that requires a password or some other credentials to get in which you do not have.
* 404 Not Found/The Page Cannot Be Found
This usually happens when you try to access a page that doesn't exist on the web server. This is most likely caused by mistyped URL.
* 503 Service Unavailable
This usually means the page is offline due to too much traffic or maintenance.
Go to Start, Settings then Control Panel. Select the Internet Options icon and click on the Security tab. Then click on Custom Setting, and make sure the "Drag and copy or paste" option is enabled.
* Windows encountered an error accessing the system Registry (Windows 98/ME)
Do a search on the C Drive for the User.dat file. If the file size is 0k, delete the file so Windows will recreate it next boot up.
* Your files do not open with the program you want to open them with.
Hold down shift while right clicking on the file. Select Open With from the menu. Select Choose Program and find the appropriate program from the list. If the program you want to use is not listed, click on Browse. Navigate to the executable (.exe) for the program and then click on Open. Check the box that says "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox.
* Error deleting file or folder
This message will most likely occur if you attempt to delete, save over, or move a file while it is in use by another application. Close the open file and try it again. If it is open by another user over the network you will get the same error.
* llegal Operation Errors
An illegal operation is usually when the computer requests an operation that is unknown to the operating system or processor and that can't be performed. The operating system or processor usually terminates the program that made the illegal request. If this keeps happening you should reboot your computer.
Web Browser Errors
* Cannot find server
This basically means your web browser was unable to find the Web server you attempted to reach. It usually means there is a problem with your internet connection or the web page just happens to be down.
* 401 Unauthorized/Authorization Required
You will usually see this error when you are trying to access a web page that requires a password or some other credentials to get in which you do not have.
* 404 Not Found/The Page Cannot Be Found
This usually happens when you try to access a page that doesn't exist on the web server. This is most likely caused by mistyped URL.
* 503 Service Unavailable
This usually means the page is offline due to too much traffic or maintenance.
Cannot Open a PDF File Attachment or Website Link
When you try to open an Adobe PDF file in an e-mail or website link you get one of the following errors:
* File does not begin with '%PDF-
* The document '[filename]' could not be opened, because the application program that created it could not be found
* Error in zip use PKZipFix
* Cannot open file; it does not appear to be a valid archive
* System Error -36
To resolve the problem try one of the following:
* Make sure you are using the right application to open the file. For help with file associations, click here.
* Remove and then reinstall the application you're using to open the file.
* Have the sender to send the file again using an encoding format your e-mail application can use like UUEncode, BinHex, or MIME.
* Make sure your e-mail system has a high enough storage limit to accept the attachment.
* Have the sender resend the file in case it has been damaged.
* Make sure the file has a .pdf file extension and not .mme
* File does not begin with '%PDF-
* The document '[filename]' could not be opened, because the application program that created it could not be found
* Error in zip use PKZipFix
* Cannot open file; it does not appear to be a valid archive
* System Error -36
To resolve the problem try one of the following:
* Make sure you are using the right application to open the file. For help with file associations, click here.
* Remove and then reinstall the application you're using to open the file.
* Have the sender to send the file again using an encoding format your e-mail application can use like UUEncode, BinHex, or MIME.
* Make sure your e-mail system has a high enough storage limit to accept the attachment.
* Have the sender resend the file in case it has been damaged.
* Make sure the file has a .pdf file extension and not .mme
Outlook Express Error Codes 0x800CCC0D and 0x800CCC0E
When trying to send or receive mail in Outlook Express you may get one or both of the following errors:
The information will vary to match your mail settings and user account name.
The host ‘mail.verizon.net’ could not be found. Please verify that you have entered server name correctly. Account:”accountname”, Server ‘mail.verizon.net’; protocol: POP3, Port:110 Secure(SSL):No, Socket Error:11001,Error Number 0x800CCC0D.
The connection to the server has failed. Account: ‘mail.verizon.net’, Server: mail.verizon.net, Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 10061, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E
There may be a few reasons for these types of errors to occur.
The easiest thing to try is to close Outlook, reopen it and try again.
You can also check your mail settings by going to Tools, Accounts then the Mail tab and select your account and click on Properties. Verify that the information is correct. Sometimes your mail provider will change their mail server or port number and not tell you. Most of the time you can go to their website to find the latest mail server information.
Make sure that your username and password are correct as well. Try retyping your password to see if that helps.
Next you can telnet to your mail server to make sure you are getting a connection to help you see if its Outlook or your mail server that may be causing the problem. Open a command prompt by going to Start, Run and typing in cmd and clicking Ok. From the prompt type in the following: telnet mail.verizon.net 110 but change mail.verizon.net to your mail server and make sure you are using port 110 and if not, change it to match. You can find the port number in Outlook under accounts and then the Advanced tab.
If the telnet test works successfully it should give you an OK message. Then one last thing you can try is to delete your account from Outlook and set it up from scratch again in case something has become corrupted. Make sure to write down all of your settings before doing so.
The information will vary to match your mail settings and user account name.
The host ‘mail.verizon.net’ could not be found. Please verify that you have entered server name correctly. Account:”accountname”, Server ‘mail.verizon.net’; protocol: POP3, Port:110 Secure(SSL):No, Socket Error:11001,Error Number 0x800CCC0D.
The connection to the server has failed. Account: ‘mail.verizon.net’, Server: mail.verizon.net, Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 10061, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E
There may be a few reasons for these types of errors to occur.
The easiest thing to try is to close Outlook, reopen it and try again.
You can also check your mail settings by going to Tools, Accounts then the Mail tab and select your account and click on Properties. Verify that the information is correct. Sometimes your mail provider will change their mail server or port number and not tell you. Most of the time you can go to their website to find the latest mail server information.
Make sure that your username and password are correct as well. Try retyping your password to see if that helps.
Next you can telnet to your mail server to make sure you are getting a connection to help you see if its Outlook or your mail server that may be causing the problem. Open a command prompt by going to Start, Run and typing in cmd and clicking Ok. From the prompt type in the following: telnet mail.verizon.net 110 but change mail.verizon.net to your mail server and make sure you are using port 110 and if not, change it to match. You can find the port number in Outlook under accounts and then the Advanced tab.
If the telnet test works successfully it should give you an OK message. Then one last thing you can try is to delete your account from Outlook and set it up from scratch again in case something has become corrupted. Make sure to write down all of your settings before doing so.
Windows 2000/XP CD Autoplay Repair Wizard
There is a bug in Windows XP and 2003 that can cause your computer to hang or freeze when trying to utilize the autoplay feature of a CD or DVD. Windows XP and 2003 are designed to make it simpler to run your CDs or DVDs, and the autoplay feature assists you by launching the correct program to open or view the files or to run the program from the CD. Microsoft has come out with a fix for the problem. It’s a small executable file that you simply run to have it fix your autoplay settings. The Microsoft AutoPlay Repair Wizard will scan your computer devices to find defective AutoPlay settings, and then will attempt to fix any it finds.
You can download the file here or go to the Microsoft site and get it from there.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=C680A7B6-E8FA-45C4-A171-1B389CFACDAD&displaylang=en
You can download the file here or go to the Microsoft site and get it from there.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=C680A7B6-E8FA-45C4-A171-1B389CFACDAD&displaylang=en
Your System Has No Paging File?
Your computer may lock up while Windows is starting and you may receive the following error message after you log on to Windows:
Limited Virtual Memory
Your system has no paging file, or the paging file is too small.
To fix this problem, go to System in Control Panel, click the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click Settings. On the Advanced tab, click Change. Click 'Custom size,' and then type an initial or maximum paging file size.
This error message can occur if Windows tries to create a paging file on an NTFS drive and the Administrators and System accounts don’t have the correct NTFS permissions on the drive.
FIX:
To fix this problem you need to give the Administrators and System accounts full control of the NTFS drive that contains the paging file.
If you are running Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional but you don’t log on to a domain, you nee to start your computer in Safe Mode.
Open Windows Explorer or My Computer and right click a drive that is configured to use a paging file and click Properties. Click the Security tab to view the drives permissions.
Click Add, type computer name\system, where computer name is the name of your computer and then click Ok.
Click Add, type computer name\Administrators where computer name is the name of your computer. Make sure you put the s on Administrators. Click Ok, and then Ok again.
You can also click on Advanced and then Find now to bring up a list of users on your computer and select them from there.
Click on the System user and then click the Full Control check box. This will automatically select the other check boxes. Do the same for the Administrators user. Then click on Ok.
Restart the computer.
Limited Virtual Memory
Your system has no paging file, or the paging file is too small.
To fix this problem, go to System in Control Panel, click the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click Settings. On the Advanced tab, click Change. Click 'Custom size,' and then type an initial or maximum paging file size.
This error message can occur if Windows tries to create a paging file on an NTFS drive and the Administrators and System accounts don’t have the correct NTFS permissions on the drive.
FIX:
To fix this problem you need to give the Administrators and System accounts full control of the NTFS drive that contains the paging file.
If you are running Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional but you don’t log on to a domain, you nee to start your computer in Safe Mode.
Open Windows Explorer or My Computer and right click a drive that is configured to use a paging file and click Properties. Click the Security tab to view the drives permissions.
Click Add, type computer name\system, where computer name is the name of your computer and then click Ok.
Click Add, type computer name\Administrators where computer name is the name of your computer. Make sure you put the s on Administrators. Click Ok, and then Ok again.
You can also click on Advanced and then Find now to bring up a list of users on your computer and select them from there.
Click on the System user and then click the Full Control check box. This will automatically select the other check boxes. Do the same for the Administrators user. Then click on Ok.
Restart the computer.
Windows XPs Automated System Recovery (ASR)
The Windows Backup Utility provides access to the Automated System Recovery Wizard. The ASR utility allows you to restore the system disk including the Windows files, registry settings and user programs and data. To access the ASR Wizard, click Start, Accessories, System Tools, and then click Backup or you can click Start, Run and type in ntbackup and click Ok.
The Automated System Recovery Wizard creates a floppy disk, which contains your system settings, and a backup of your local system partition that you can save on a tape or as a file located on another computer on the network
To back up your system partition, do the following:
* In the Advanced Mode window of the Backup Utility, click Automated System Recovery Wizard.
* Click Next on the Welcome To The Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard page.
* Click Next to continue.
* Select the appropriate media type you want to use and backup media name or filename, and then click Next.
* Verify the information you entered and in the Completing The Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard page and then click Next.
* The Automated System Recovery Wizard makes a backup of your system files. This may take an awhile.
* When prompted, insert a floppy disk in your floppy disk drive.
* When the backup completes, click Report if you want to read the report. When you finish reviewing the report, close Notepad.
* Click Close to close the Backup Progress dialog box, and then close the Backup Utility.
If you need to restore your system partition, you can use the floppy disk created by the Automated System Recovery Wizard. The backup of your local system partition on tape or as a file must be available to be restored.
You would boot with your Windows XP CD and when you get to the screen that says Press F2 to run Automated System Recovery (ASR) you need to press F2
You will then be prompted to insert the ASR floppy disk. Then it will automatically start formatting your C drive. Next you will see a process very similar to the typical Windows XP installation.
It will then start the Automated System Recovery Wizard where you will tell it where your Backup media or file is located.
At the end of the ASR process, you would then use the Backup or Restore Wizard to restore your data and applications.
The Automated System Recovery Wizard creates a floppy disk, which contains your system settings, and a backup of your local system partition that you can save on a tape or as a file located on another computer on the network
To back up your system partition, do the following:
* In the Advanced Mode window of the Backup Utility, click Automated System Recovery Wizard.
* Click Next on the Welcome To The Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard page.
* Click Next to continue.
* Select the appropriate media type you want to use and backup media name or filename, and then click Next.
* Verify the information you entered and in the Completing The Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard page and then click Next.
* The Automated System Recovery Wizard makes a backup of your system files. This may take an awhile.
* When prompted, insert a floppy disk in your floppy disk drive.
* When the backup completes, click Report if you want to read the report. When you finish reviewing the report, close Notepad.
* Click Close to close the Backup Progress dialog box, and then close the Backup Utility.
If you need to restore your system partition, you can use the floppy disk created by the Automated System Recovery Wizard. The backup of your local system partition on tape or as a file must be available to be restored.
You would boot with your Windows XP CD and when you get to the screen that says Press F2 to run Automated System Recovery (ASR) you need to press F2
You will then be prompted to insert the ASR floppy disk. Then it will automatically start formatting your C drive. Next you will see a process very similar to the typical Windows XP installation.
It will then start the Automated System Recovery Wizard where you will tell it where your Backup media or file is located.
At the end of the ASR process, you would then use the Backup or Restore Wizard to restore your data and applications.
Using Remote Assistance Post
Making the Request for Assistance
In Windows Server 2003 Help, there is a wizard driven section for Remote Assistance, The wizard driven connection allows for a request to be sent either through a Microsoft .NET Passport account, through sending a saved file, or through a non Passport e-mail account, by using Windows Messenger. For a successful request through e-mail, both computers must be using a Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)-compliant e-mail client.
To use the Windows Messenger service for your Remote Assistance connection, you must have the assistant’s Windows Messenger user name in your contact list, and make the request from a Windows Messenger client. Windows Messenger will display their status as online or offline. Remote Assistance can only be requested directly when your assistant is online. Remote Assistant requires that both computers are running Windows XP any Windows Server 2003 operating system.
After receiving a request for Remote Assistance, the helper can remotely connect to the computer and view the screen directly to fix the problem. When you initiate a request for help, the Remote Assistance client sends an encrypted ticket based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) to the helper, who is prompted to accept the invitation.
Using Remote Assistance
A user can request assistance from another Windows Messenger user by placing the request through the Help and Support Center application or directly through Windows Messenger. Both applications use the same mechanisms for determining if the expert is online, and then making a request for assistance.
The Windows Messenger window opens, and the user selects the expert’s Windows Messenger account. The expert receives the invitation as an Instant Message. When the expert clicks Accept, the Remote Assistance session is initiated. The requesting user confirms the session by clicking Yes. When the remote connection is established, the Remote Assistance session begins on the expert’s computer. The expert and user can share desktop control, file transfer capabilities, and a chat window through which they work together to solve the user’s problem.
Offering Remote Assistance to a User
Remote Assistance is especially useful if you want to initiate troubleshooting on a user’s computer. To do this, you must enable the Offer Remote Assistance Local Group Policy setting on the target (user’s) local computer:
1. On the user’s computer, click Start, Run, and then type gpedit.msc. The local Group Policy editor appears, enabling you to adjust policies that affect the local machine.
2. Under the Computer Configuration node, expand Administrative Templates, then System, and then click Remote Assistance.
3. Double-click Offer Remote Assistance and then select Enabled.
4. Next, click Show, then specify the individual users that will be allowed to offer assistance by assigning helpers within the context of this policy. These “helper” additions to the list should be in the form of domain\username, and must be a member of the local administrators group on the local computer.
Initializing Remote Assistance
You can now initiate Remote Assistance from your computer, to a users computer, providing that the credentials that you supply match those of a helper defined in the target computer’s local Group Policy:
1. Open the Help And Support Center, click Tools, and then click Help And Support Center Tools. Next click Offer Remote Assistance.
2. In the dialog box, type the name or IP address of the target computer, and then click Connect. (If prompted that several users are logged on, choose a user session.)
Then click Start Remote Assistance. The user receives a pop-up box showing that the help-desk person is initiating a Remote Assistance session.
3. The user accepts, and Remote Assistance can proceed.
In Windows Server 2003 Help, there is a wizard driven section for Remote Assistance, The wizard driven connection allows for a request to be sent either through a Microsoft .NET Passport account, through sending a saved file, or through a non Passport e-mail account, by using Windows Messenger. For a successful request through e-mail, both computers must be using a Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)-compliant e-mail client.
To use the Windows Messenger service for your Remote Assistance connection, you must have the assistant’s Windows Messenger user name in your contact list, and make the request from a Windows Messenger client. Windows Messenger will display their status as online or offline. Remote Assistance can only be requested directly when your assistant is online. Remote Assistant requires that both computers are running Windows XP any Windows Server 2003 operating system.
After receiving a request for Remote Assistance, the helper can remotely connect to the computer and view the screen directly to fix the problem. When you initiate a request for help, the Remote Assistance client sends an encrypted ticket based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) to the helper, who is prompted to accept the invitation.
Using Remote Assistance
A user can request assistance from another Windows Messenger user by placing the request through the Help and Support Center application or directly through Windows Messenger. Both applications use the same mechanisms for determining if the expert is online, and then making a request for assistance.
The Windows Messenger window opens, and the user selects the expert’s Windows Messenger account. The expert receives the invitation as an Instant Message. When the expert clicks Accept, the Remote Assistance session is initiated. The requesting user confirms the session by clicking Yes. When the remote connection is established, the Remote Assistance session begins on the expert’s computer. The expert and user can share desktop control, file transfer capabilities, and a chat window through which they work together to solve the user’s problem.
Offering Remote Assistance to a User
Remote Assistance is especially useful if you want to initiate troubleshooting on a user’s computer. To do this, you must enable the Offer Remote Assistance Local Group Policy setting on the target (user’s) local computer:
1. On the user’s computer, click Start, Run, and then type gpedit.msc. The local Group Policy editor appears, enabling you to adjust policies that affect the local machine.
2. Under the Computer Configuration node, expand Administrative Templates, then System, and then click Remote Assistance.
3. Double-click Offer Remote Assistance and then select Enabled.
4. Next, click Show, then specify the individual users that will be allowed to offer assistance by assigning helpers within the context of this policy. These “helper” additions to the list should be in the form of domain\username, and must be a member of the local administrators group on the local computer.
Initializing Remote Assistance
You can now initiate Remote Assistance from your computer, to a users computer, providing that the credentials that you supply match those of a helper defined in the target computer’s local Group Policy:
1. Open the Help And Support Center, click Tools, and then click Help And Support Center Tools. Next click Offer Remote Assistance.
2. In the dialog box, type the name or IP address of the target computer, and then click Connect. (If prompted that several users are logged on, choose a user session.)
Then click Start Remote Assistance. The user receives a pop-up box showing that the help-desk person is initiating a Remote Assistance session.
3. The user accepts, and Remote Assistance can proceed.
Understanding Blue Screen or Stop Errors
Blue Screen errors (Also known as bug checks)occur when the system encounters a condition that compromises safe operations. As a result, the system is halted and the “blue screen” with the bug check information or STOP error is displayed. These types of errors can occur for several reasons:
* Software defects in drivers or core system services cause an invalid instruction to be sent to the processor.
* Defective hardware causes unhandled messages to be sent to the operating system.
* Core system services have been terminated (e.g., Local Security Authority or Client/Server Runtime Subsystem).
Bug checks provide diagnostic information such as STOP codes and driver names that can help lead to problem resolution. Because of the volatile state of the system, this information cannot always be recorded when the event occurs. It is important that you record the information associated with the bug check and driver information sections. Many of the bug check messages have relevant information that you should read and understand if they apply to your situation. Finally, if you have enabled memory dumps, wait until the dump is complete before restarting the computer (if you do not have automatic restart enabled). Your device vendor and/or Microsoft use the memory dumps to help understand the state of the system at the time that the bug check occurred. You can change the memory dump settings through the Startup and Recovery button in the System Properties’ Advanced tab, while the STOP messages might not always indicate the root cause of the problem, in combination with other sources of data; it can help direct a trained support technician to track down the root cause of the problem.
Dell [USBD] Boot Error Post
There are 2 steps you can do to fix the problem
1. Change the USB Emulation Setting in the BIOS
NOTE: It is recommended to disconnect any USB devices before performing the following steps.
Restart the system.
Wait until the Dell Logo appears.
At the Dell Logo screen, press F2 right away to enter the System Setup.
The System Setup screen will appear.
Press the down arrow key to highlight Integrated Devices (LegacySelect Options).
Press Enter.
A small box with a list of devices appears in the middle of the screen.
Press the down arrow key to highlight USB Emulation.
The default setting is On.
Press the Space Bar on your keyboard to change the setting to No Boot.
Press the Esc key.
The small box disappears.
Press the Esc key again.
A small box with list of options appears in the middle of the screen.
Make sure that Save Changes and Exit is highlighted in blue.
Press Enter.
The system will then restart.
The recommended changes have now been made to the BIOS.
2. Reset the Dell Dimension desktop System Setup (BIOS) to factory defaults.
Restart the system.
The Dell logo screen appears.
Press F2 to enter the System Setup (BIOS).
The System Setup screen appears.
Press the ALT + F key combination.
Press the Esc key to Save and Exit.
Press Enter to Save changes and exit now.
The BIOS is now set to the default settings.
1. Change the USB Emulation Setting in the BIOS
NOTE: It is recommended to disconnect any USB devices before performing the following steps.
Restart the system.
Wait until the Dell Logo appears.
At the Dell Logo screen, press F2 right away to enter the System Setup.
The System Setup screen will appear.
Press the down arrow key to highlight Integrated Devices (LegacySelect Options).
Press Enter.
A small box with a list of devices appears in the middle of the screen.
Press the down arrow key to highlight USB Emulation.
The default setting is On.
Press the Space Bar on your keyboard to change the setting to No Boot.
Press the Esc key.
The small box disappears.
Press the Esc key again.
A small box with list of options appears in the middle of the screen.
Make sure that Save Changes and Exit is highlighted in blue.
Press Enter.
The system will then restart.
The recommended changes have now been made to the BIOS.
2. Reset the Dell Dimension desktop System Setup (BIOS) to factory defaults.
Restart the system.
The Dell logo screen appears.
Press F2 to enter the System Setup (BIOS).
The System Setup screen appears.
Press the ALT + F key combination.
Press the Esc key to Save and Exit.
Press Enter to Save changes and exit now.
The BIOS is now set to the default settings.
Windows Installer Could Not Be Accessed Error (Windows XP)
Re-register the Windows Installer components.
1. Open My Computer or Windows Explorer
2. Browse to the Windows\System32 folder and make sure that the application file msiexec.exe is there.
3. Start the Registry Editor. Click on Start, Run, type in regedit and click Ok.
4. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer.
5. Select MSIServer, then make sure the value ImagePath contains C:\WINDOWS\system32\msiexec.exe /V
6. Restart your computer in Safe Mode.
Click on Start, then Run and type msiexec /regserver and click Ok.
7. Restart the computer.
If that doesn’t work then you can try to reinstall the Windows Installer.
Download and install the latest version of the Windows Installer.
1. Open My Computer or Windows Explorer
2. Browse to the Windows\System32 folder and make sure that the application file msiexec.exe is there.
3. Start the Registry Editor. Click on Start, Run, type in regedit and click Ok.
4. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer.
5. Select MSIServer, then make sure the value ImagePath contains C:\WINDOWS\system32\msiexec.exe /V
6. Restart your computer in Safe Mode.
Click on Start, then Run and type msiexec /regserver and click Ok.
7. Restart the computer.
If that doesn’t work then you can try to reinstall the Windows Installer.
Download and install the latest version of the Windows Installer.
Common PC Error Messages
Fatal exception error
Fatal exception errors are codes that are returned by a program in the following cases:
• Access to an illegal instruction has been encountered
• Invalid data or code has been accessed
• The privilege level of an operation is invalid
When any of these cases occurs, the processor returns an exception to the operating system, which in turn is handled as a fatal exception error. In many cases the exception is non-recoverable and the system must either be restarted or shut down, depending upon the severity of the error.
Illegal operation error
An application has experienced instability due to some type of error. This could also be caused by some other application interacting with the error producing program.
Registry/configuration error Choose Command prompt only and run scan reg.
To restore the registry Windows 98:
1. Click Start and then click Shut Down.
2. Click Restart in MS-DOS mode, and then click Yes.
3. At the Ms-Dos prompt type scanreg/restore
Not enough memory to render page
This error appears when a document you sent to the printer is too big for the printer’s buffer memory.
Data Error Reading/Writing Drive C (or other drive)
The error messages given indicate hard drive failure or serious data corruption
This error can be caused by:
Hard drive not setup properly in CMOS.
Hard drive not connected.
Bad hard drive.
This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor
Some type of software tried to communicate with the computer’s CPU, which didn’t understand the request or the request was an invalid action.
There is not enough free memory to run this program. Quit one or more programs, and then try again
You do not have enough memory (RAM) to run all the programs you want to open
There was an internal error, and one of the windows you were using will be closed. It is recommended that you save your work, close all programs, and then restart your computer
You most often see this when you open several windows from the same application, such as many open browser windows or several text documents running in separate windows. When one of the open windows experiences errors and crashes, this message pops up
Invalid system disk Replace the disk, and then press any key
That message means that your hard drive is no longer bootable. Likely causes are a defective drive, corrupted files, or a virus.
Not enough memory to render page
The printer driver may have determined the amount of printer memory incorrectly. This behavior can also occur if the printer does not have enough memory to render the page.
Stop 0x0000000A or IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
This behavior can occur if there is incompatible hardware or an incompatible device driver on your computer. Try and restore your configuration using the Last Known Good Configuration option from Safe Mode. Remove any newly installed hardware.
Invalid Page Fault
An unexpected event has occurred in Windows.
A program has requested data that is not currently in virtual memory, and Windows attempts to retrieve the data from a storage device and load it into RAM.
An invalid page fault error message can occur when Windows cannot locate the data.
The virtual memory system has become unstable because of a shortage of RAM or hard drive space.
A program is attempting to access data that is being modified by another program that is running.
Windows Protection Error
This behavior can occur when a when your computer loads or unloads a virtual device driver (VxD)
Non-system disk or disk error. Replace and press any key when ready
You may see this message if your start device/disk (floppy disk drive, hard disk drive, or CD-ROM drive) does not contain boot files
Fatal error: An error has been encountered that prevents setup from continuing.
One of the components that Windows needs to continue setup could not be installed.
You may see this message if your hard disk is damaged or corrupted. You receive the error messages because the Setup program is trying to repair the problem on your hard disk.
System has recovered from a serious error
This problem occurs because after a Minidump file is written, the paging file continues to have a flag set that indicates that a Minidump file must be written.
The system is low on virtual memory. Windows is increasing the size of your virtual memory paging file
This issue may occur if there is not sufficient memory on the computer, and when the current virtual memory settings are not set high enough.
This application requires the Windows Installer to run
The Windows Installer is missing or damaged.
Internet Explorer. A runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug
Internet Explorer is displaying this message because it has encountered this error when trying to run some JavaScript on the page.
This message may appear when the Visual InterDev PageNavbar control tries to open a Web page whose name contains an apostrophe (').
The margins of section X are set outside the printable area of the page. Do you want to continue?
Your margins are set closer to the edge of the paper than your printer is capable of printing.
Fatal exception errors are codes that are returned by a program in the following cases:
• Access to an illegal instruction has been encountered
• Invalid data or code has been accessed
• The privilege level of an operation is invalid
When any of these cases occurs, the processor returns an exception to the operating system, which in turn is handled as a fatal exception error. In many cases the exception is non-recoverable and the system must either be restarted or shut down, depending upon the severity of the error.
Illegal operation error
An application has experienced instability due to some type of error. This could also be caused by some other application interacting with the error producing program.
Registry/configuration error Choose Command prompt only and run scan reg.
To restore the registry Windows 98:
1. Click Start and then click Shut Down.
2. Click Restart in MS-DOS mode, and then click Yes.
3. At the Ms-Dos prompt type scanreg/restore
Not enough memory to render page
This error appears when a document you sent to the printer is too big for the printer’s buffer memory.
Data Error Reading/Writing Drive C (or other drive)
The error messages given indicate hard drive failure or serious data corruption
This error can be caused by:
Hard drive not setup properly in CMOS.
Hard drive not connected.
Bad hard drive.
This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor
Some type of software tried to communicate with the computer’s CPU, which didn’t understand the request or the request was an invalid action.
There is not enough free memory to run this program. Quit one or more programs, and then try again
You do not have enough memory (RAM) to run all the programs you want to open
There was an internal error, and one of the windows you were using will be closed. It is recommended that you save your work, close all programs, and then restart your computer
You most often see this when you open several windows from the same application, such as many open browser windows or several text documents running in separate windows. When one of the open windows experiences errors and crashes, this message pops up
Invalid system disk Replace the disk, and then press any key
That message means that your hard drive is no longer bootable. Likely causes are a defective drive, corrupted files, or a virus.
Not enough memory to render page
The printer driver may have determined the amount of printer memory incorrectly. This behavior can also occur if the printer does not have enough memory to render the page.
Stop 0x0000000A or IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
This behavior can occur if there is incompatible hardware or an incompatible device driver on your computer. Try and restore your configuration using the Last Known Good Configuration option from Safe Mode. Remove any newly installed hardware.
Invalid Page Fault
An unexpected event has occurred in Windows.
A program has requested data that is not currently in virtual memory, and Windows attempts to retrieve the data from a storage device and load it into RAM.
An invalid page fault error message can occur when Windows cannot locate the data.
The virtual memory system has become unstable because of a shortage of RAM or hard drive space.
A program is attempting to access data that is being modified by another program that is running.
Windows Protection Error
This behavior can occur when a when your computer loads or unloads a virtual device driver (VxD)
Non-system disk or disk error. Replace and press any key when ready
You may see this message if your start device/disk (floppy disk drive, hard disk drive, or CD-ROM drive) does not contain boot files
Fatal error: An error has been encountered that prevents setup from continuing.
One of the components that Windows needs to continue setup could not be installed.
You may see this message if your hard disk is damaged or corrupted. You receive the error messages because the Setup program is trying to repair the problem on your hard disk.
System has recovered from a serious error
This problem occurs because after a Minidump file is written, the paging file continues to have a flag set that indicates that a Minidump file must be written.
The system is low on virtual memory. Windows is increasing the size of your virtual memory paging file
This issue may occur if there is not sufficient memory on the computer, and when the current virtual memory settings are not set high enough.
This application requires the Windows Installer to run
The Windows Installer is missing or damaged.
Internet Explorer. A runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug
Internet Explorer is displaying this message because it has encountered this error when trying to run some JavaScript on the page.
This message may appear when the Visual InterDev PageNavbar control tries to open a Web page whose name contains an apostrophe (').
The margins of section X are set outside the printable area of the page. Do you want to continue?
Your margins are set closer to the edge of the paper than your printer is capable of printing.
C:\Winnt\System32\Drivers\Pci.sys Error
When you start Windows, you receive an error similar to:
File is missing or corrupt: C:\Winnt\System32\Drivers\Pci.sys
When this happens you should restore the file using the Recovery Console or perform a repair installation of Windows.
To restore the file do the following:
1. Start the Recovery Console.
2. Select the installation you wish to access.
3. Type the administrator password.
4. Type MAP to determine the drive letter assigned to the CD-ROM.
5. Type Expand\i386\pci.sy_ c:\Winnt\System32\drivers /y. You should receive a message that says:
pci.sys
1 file(s) expanded.
6. Type exit and reboot.
*NOTE: c:\winnt should be replaced with the location of your Windows installation.
File is missing or corrupt: C:\Winnt\System32\Drivers\Pci.sys
When this happens you should restore the file using the Recovery Console or perform a repair installation of Windows.
To restore the file do the following:
1. Start the Recovery Console.
2. Select the installation you wish to access.
3. Type the administrator password.
4. Type MAP to determine the drive letter assigned to the CD-ROM.
5. Type Expand
pci.sys
1 file(s) expanded.
6. Type exit and reboot.
*NOTE: c:\winnt should be replaced with the location of your Windows installation.
Missing Folder Options
If you open My Computer or Windows Explorer there is a menu item called Folder Options under the Tools menu. You may find that you do not have this option or did have it and it disappeared. There are a few methods you can try to get it back.
Edit the registry to get the folder options back.
Go to Start, Run then type in regedit and click Ok.
Browse to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Find the NoFolderOptions key and change the vaule to 0 assuming you have this registry key.
Restart your computer.
Check your computer's policy to make sure its not disabled.
Click on Start, Run and type in gpedit.msc and navigate to the following location:
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer.
On the right side, set Remove the Folder Options menu item from the Tools menu to Not Configured by double clicking it and setting the appropriate option.
Import a registry tweak\edit.
Download and import this registry tweak that will change settings in your registry.
Download the file.
Double click it and then click Run and then Yes when it asks if you want to import the file into the registry.
Edit the registry to get the folder options back.
Go to Start, Run then type in regedit and click Ok.
Browse to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Find the NoFolderOptions key and change the vaule to 0 assuming you have this registry key.
Restart your computer.
Check your computer's policy to make sure its not disabled.
Click on Start, Run and type in gpedit.msc and navigate to the following location:
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer.
On the right side, set Remove the Folder Options menu item from the Tools menu to Not Configured by double clicking it and setting the appropriate option.
Import a registry tweak\edit.
Download and import this registry tweak that will change settings in your registry.
Download the file.
Double click it and then click Run and then Yes when it asks if you want to import the file into the registry.
System Configuration Utility (msconfig) Addon
This Microsoft update will add a Tools tab to the System Configuration Utility (msconfig). The Tools tab will allow further diagnostic tools to be launched from within the System Configuration Utility. It will allow you to perform many administrative/troubleshooting tasks from one location. It includes such utilities as checking your IP address settings with ipconfig, running network diagnostics and viewing your computer’s hardware and software configuration.
Internet Explorer Error - A Runtime Error Has Occured?
There is a certain change you can make to your Internet Explorer settings to avoid seeing this message. It involves disabling runtime and script errors.
To make the change do the following:
* Open Internet Explorer.
* Click on Tools and then Options.
* Click on the Advanced tab.
* Check the boxes next to Disable script debugging (Internet Explorer) and (Other)
* Remove the check in the box for Display a notification about every script error
* Click Ok
To make the change do the following:
* Open Internet Explorer.
* Click on Tools and then Options.
* Click on the Advanced tab.
* Check the boxes next to Disable script debugging (Internet Explorer) and (Other)
* Remove the check in the box for Display a notification about every script error
* Click Ok
Performing a Clean Boot in Windows XP
If your computer does not want to start normally or is giving you errors that you cannot diagnose then Windows XP has a feature to help troubleshoot these issues when you start your computer. This process is known as clean booting. This will start the computer with a minimum amount of processes to allow you to better troubleshoot your problem.
Be warned that after you follow the instructions for a clean boot, you may lose some functionality of your computer. When you restore the settings, you will restore the functionality, but you may receive the same error message or encounter the same problem.
Here are the steps to perform a clean boot in Windows XP
Make sure you are logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group.
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and click Ok.
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then clear the Process System.ini File, Process Win.ini File, and Load Startup Items check boxes. You won’t be able to clear the Use Original Boot.ini check box.
3. On the Services tab, select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
4. Click OK, and then click Restart to restart your computer.
5. After Windows starts, check to see if you still have the same problem or error.
Run msconfig again and check the General tab to make sure that the check boxes that you cleared are still cleared. Continue to step 6 if none of the check boxes are selected. If the Load System Services check box is the only disabled check box, your computer is not clean booted. If additional check boxes are disabled and the issue is not resolved, you may require help from the manufacturer of the program that places a check mark back in Msconfig.
If none of the check boxes are selected, and the issue is not resolved, you may have to repeat steps 1 through 5, but you may also have to clear the Load System Services check box on the General tab. This temporarily disables Microsoft services and permanently deletes all system restore points. Do not do this if you want to retain your restore points for System Restore or if you must use a Microsoft service to test the issue.
6. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig and then click Ok.
7. On the General tab, select the Process System.ini File check box, click Ok, and then click Restart to reboot your computer. If the issue continues, the issue is with an entry in your System.ini file. If the issue does not continue, repeat this step for the Process Win.ini File, Load Startup Items, and Load System Services check boxes until the issue occurs. After the issue occurs, the last item that you selected is the item where the issue is occurring.
Note Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not use System Configuration Utility to modify the Boot.ini file on your computer. Doing so may make your computer unusable.
Manual steps to start the Windows Installer service if needed
The Windows Installer service does not start if you disable Load System Services. To use Windows Installer in this case, you need to start the Windows Installer service manually.
1. Click Start, Run and then type services.msc and click Ok.
2. Right click Windows Installer, and then click Start.
If you run a Setup program without manually starting the Windows Installer, you may receive the following error message:
The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that the windows Installer service is properly registered.
Manual steps to return from a clean boot state
1. Click on Start, Run and type msconfig and then click Ok.
2. On the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services.
3. Click OK, and then click Restart when you are prompted to restart your computer.
Be warned that after you follow the instructions for a clean boot, you may lose some functionality of your computer. When you restore the settings, you will restore the functionality, but you may receive the same error message or encounter the same problem.
Here are the steps to perform a clean boot in Windows XP
Make sure you are logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group.
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and click Ok.
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then clear the Process System.ini File, Process Win.ini File, and Load Startup Items check boxes. You won’t be able to clear the Use Original Boot.ini check box.
3. On the Services tab, select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
4. Click OK, and then click Restart to restart your computer.
5. After Windows starts, check to see if you still have the same problem or error.
Run msconfig again and check the General tab to make sure that the check boxes that you cleared are still cleared. Continue to step 6 if none of the check boxes are selected. If the Load System Services check box is the only disabled check box, your computer is not clean booted. If additional check boxes are disabled and the issue is not resolved, you may require help from the manufacturer of the program that places a check mark back in Msconfig.
If none of the check boxes are selected, and the issue is not resolved, you may have to repeat steps 1 through 5, but you may also have to clear the Load System Services check box on the General tab. This temporarily disables Microsoft services and permanently deletes all system restore points. Do not do this if you want to retain your restore points for System Restore or if you must use a Microsoft service to test the issue.
6. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig and then click Ok.
7. On the General tab, select the Process System.ini File check box, click Ok, and then click Restart to reboot your computer. If the issue continues, the issue is with an entry in your System.ini file. If the issue does not continue, repeat this step for the Process Win.ini File, Load Startup Items, and Load System Services check boxes until the issue occurs. After the issue occurs, the last item that you selected is the item where the issue is occurring.
Note Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not use System Configuration Utility to modify the Boot.ini file on your computer. Doing so may make your computer unusable.
Manual steps to start the Windows Installer service if needed
The Windows Installer service does not start if you disable Load System Services. To use Windows Installer in this case, you need to start the Windows Installer service manually.
1. Click Start, Run and then type services.msc and click Ok.
2. Right click Windows Installer, and then click Start.
If you run a Setup program without manually starting the Windows Installer, you may receive the following error message:
The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that the windows Installer service is properly registered.
Manual steps to return from a clean boot state
1. Click on Start, Run and type msconfig and then click Ok.
2. On the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services.
3. Click OK, and then click Restart when you are prompted to restart your computer.
Data Execution Prevention Error Message
This is most likely occurring because you are using the Data Execution Prevention feature of Windows XP. You may get this error if the program you are using is not compatible with Data Execution Prevention
Data Execution Prevention (DEP) helps prevent damage from viruses and other security threats that attack by running (executing) malicious code from memory locations that only Windows and other programs should use. This type of threat causes damage by taking over one or more memory locations in use by a program.
Resolution 1
1. When you receive the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section, click Change Settings.
2. Click to select the check box next to the program, and then click Apply.
3. When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK two times, and then restart your system.
Resolution 2
1. Right click My Computer and select Properties
2. Click the Advanced tab, then click Performance, and then Settings.
3. In Performance Options, click the Data Execution Prevention tab, and then click Add. To enable the Add button you may have to check the radio button that says Turn on DEP for all programs and services except for those I select.
4. In the Open dialog box, locate and then click the program.
5. Click Open, click Apply, and then click OK.
6. Click Ok to restart your computer.
Data Execution Prevention (DEP) helps prevent damage from viruses and other security threats that attack by running (executing) malicious code from memory locations that only Windows and other programs should use. This type of threat causes damage by taking over one or more memory locations in use by a program.
Resolution 1
1. When you receive the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section, click Change Settings.
2. Click to select the check box next to the program, and then click Apply.
3. When you are prompted to restart your computer, click OK two times, and then restart your system.
Resolution 2
1. Right click My Computer and select Properties
2. Click the Advanced tab, then click Performance, and then Settings.
3. In Performance Options, click the Data Execution Prevention tab, and then click Add. To enable the Add button you may have to check the radio button that says Turn on DEP for all programs and services except for those I select.
4. In the Open dialog box, locate and then click the program.
5. Click Open, click Apply, and then click OK.
6. Click Ok to restart your computer.
Your System Administrator disabled the Display Control Panel
To fix this problem you can perform a simple registry fix.
1. Start the registry editor by clicking on Start, Run and then type in regedit and click Ok.
2. Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3. If you have an entry for NoDispCPL, double click it to open it
4. If not you can create it by going to the Edit menu and selecting New and then DWORD value
5. Enter a name of NoDispCPL and press enter
6. Once you have this entry you should double click it and set the value to 0
.NET Installation Cleanup Utility
The .NET Installation Cleanup Utility is designed to allow you to manually remove .NET software from your computer in the event of a failed installation or un-installation. You may have experienced problems with Windows Updates failing on .NET installations or service packs or even with manual installations.
On occasion it is possible for Windows Installer to become damaged if installing or uninstalling a specific piece of software or an update consistently fails on your computer and you want to remove any leftover files and settings before trying again. It is also possible for your computer's registry becomes corrupt for various reasons. Corruption can also happen if someone inadvertently changes a registry setting used by the Windows Installer. Another cause can be if you are installing software that uses Windows Installer (for example, .NET Framework 1.0, 1.1 or 2.0) and it gets interrupted during the installation.
When you download the Installation Cleanup Utility, simply run the cleanup_tool.exe file. It does not need to be installed. When you run it you will see a dialog box that lists all programs that can be cleaned up with this version of the Installation Cleanup Utility. Keep in mind that you will have to reinstall any versions of the .NET framework that you have the utility remove.
When you select a product and click Cleanup Now, the Installation Cleanup Utility will remove all file, registry, and Windows Installer information associated with the selected programs, including the entries for the programs in Add/Remove Programs. The information that will be removed is listed in the accompanying file cleanup.ini. If you remove the settings for a product that is currently installed on your computer, you must reinstall the product in order to use it again.
This version of the Installation Cleanup Utility will work properly on all 32-bit Windows operating systems beginning with Windows 95. In order to clean up Windows Installer-based products, you must have a version of Windows Installer installed on your computer.
Click here to download the .NET Installation Cleanup Utility. Note that onlinecomputertips.com cannot guarantee the safety of this software so use this it as well as any other software you download online at your own risk.
On occasion it is possible for Windows Installer to become damaged if installing or uninstalling a specific piece of software or an update consistently fails on your computer and you want to remove any leftover files and settings before trying again. It is also possible for your computer's registry becomes corrupt for various reasons. Corruption can also happen if someone inadvertently changes a registry setting used by the Windows Installer. Another cause can be if you are installing software that uses Windows Installer (for example, .NET Framework 1.0, 1.1 or 2.0) and it gets interrupted during the installation.
When you download the Installation Cleanup Utility, simply run the cleanup_tool.exe file. It does not need to be installed. When you run it you will see a dialog box that lists all programs that can be cleaned up with this version of the Installation Cleanup Utility. Keep in mind that you will have to reinstall any versions of the .NET framework that you have the utility remove.
When you select a product and click Cleanup Now, the Installation Cleanup Utility will remove all file, registry, and Windows Installer information associated with the selected programs, including the entries for the programs in Add/Remove Programs. The information that will be removed is listed in the accompanying file cleanup.ini. If you remove the settings for a product that is currently installed on your computer, you must reinstall the product in order to use it again.
This version of the Installation Cleanup Utility will work properly on all 32-bit Windows operating systems beginning with Windows 95. In order to clean up Windows Installer-based products, you must have a version of Windows Installer installed on your computer.
Click here to download the .NET Installation Cleanup Utility. Note that onlinecomputertips.com cannot guarantee the safety of this software so use this it as well as any other software you download online at your own risk.
Deleting Jammed Print Jobs
When you print a document or other type of file from within Windows you may have noticed that a small printer icon pops up by the clock in the system tray and then disappears. That is your print manager letting you know that your job is printing. If you are printing a large job then the icon tends to stay in the tray longer. You can even double click it to check the status of the print job, pause the job or even cancel it.
Occasionally you may see a red and white question mark on the printer icon indicating a problem with your print job. When this happens that means that some error has occurred and it needs your attention. Once again you can double click this icon to open your print manager to see the status of the job.
You may see under the status area that you have an error message. This message can be caused by a variety of things from a printer malfunction, paper jam, being out of paper or a Windows or print driver problem. Most of the time this is easily fixable by deleting the print job and trying again. You can either go to the Document menu and select cancel or to the Printer menu and select Cancel All Documents if you have printed it more than once and need to clear out all the print jobs. Once you get a printer error any other jobs you print after that will get stuck behind it until you solve the first problem. So you may open your print manager and find a whole list of documents waiting to be printed.
Once you delete the document it may take a few minutes for it to be removed from your print manager window. There may also come a time where it won’t go away no matter how long you wait. When this happens you have to take some additional steps. First you should try to reboot your computer and see if it clears it out. Once rebooted go back to your printer by clicking on Start then Printers and Faxes or Start, Settings then Printers and Faxes depending on how your Start Menu is configured. Then double click your printer and see if the print job is still listed there. If not then you can try to print again.
If the print job is still there then the next step is to stop the Print Spooler service. The Print Spooler is software that manages sending jobs to the printer from the computer. To do this you need to go to the services control panel. The easiest way is to click on Start, Run and then type in services.msc and click Ok. You can also go to Start, Programs, Administrative Tools and then Services. Keep in mind that you may not have your computer configured to show Administrative Tools under your Start Menu options. Once you are in the services area find the item that says Print Spooler. Then right click it and select Stop. Then restart your computer again. The service will restart itself when the computer reboots. Now go back into your printers and see if the print job is gone. If not you may have to repeat the process again since sometimes it won’t work on the first try.
Occasionally you may see a red and white question mark on the printer icon indicating a problem with your print job. When this happens that means that some error has occurred and it needs your attention. Once again you can double click this icon to open your print manager to see the status of the job.
You may see under the status area that you have an error message. This message can be caused by a variety of things from a printer malfunction, paper jam, being out of paper or a Windows or print driver problem. Most of the time this is easily fixable by deleting the print job and trying again. You can either go to the Document menu and select cancel or to the Printer menu and select Cancel All Documents if you have printed it more than once and need to clear out all the print jobs. Once you get a printer error any other jobs you print after that will get stuck behind it until you solve the first problem. So you may open your print manager and find a whole list of documents waiting to be printed.
Once you delete the document it may take a few minutes for it to be removed from your print manager window. There may also come a time where it won’t go away no matter how long you wait. When this happens you have to take some additional steps. First you should try to reboot your computer and see if it clears it out. Once rebooted go back to your printer by clicking on Start then Printers and Faxes or Start, Settings then Printers and Faxes depending on how your Start Menu is configured. Then double click your printer and see if the print job is still listed there. If not then you can try to print again.
If the print job is still there then the next step is to stop the Print Spooler service. The Print Spooler is software that manages sending jobs to the printer from the computer. To do this you need to go to the services control panel. The easiest way is to click on Start, Run and then type in services.msc and click Ok. You can also go to Start, Programs, Administrative Tools and then Services. Keep in mind that you may not have your computer configured to show Administrative Tools under your Start Menu options. Once you are in the services area find the item that says Print Spooler. Then right click it and select Stop. Then restart your computer again. The service will restart itself when the computer reboots. Now go back into your printers and see if the print job is gone. If not you may have to repeat the process again since sometimes it won’t work on the first try.
System Recovery Options in Windows Vista
The System Recovery Options menu Windows Vista contains several tools that can help you recover Windows from a serious error. You can perform repairs to the files that Windows uses to start itself, perform a restore operation using System Restore, and restore your entire computer and system files using backups that you have made previously.
The Recovery Console in earlier versions of Windows has been removed in Vista and replaced by several tools located in the System Recovery Options menu. The System Recovery Options menu is on the Windows installation disc. The menu might also be installed on your hard disk if your computer has preinstalled recovery options.
Here are the tools you can use to recover your system:
Startup Repair
Fixes certain problems, such as missing or damaged system files that might prevent Windows from starting correctly. When you run Startup Repair, it scans your computer for the problem and then tries to fix it so your computer can start correctly.
System Restore
This option helps you restore your computer's system files to an earlier point in time. It's a way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as e-mail, documents, or photos. If you use System Restore when the computer is in safe mode, you cannot undo the restore operation. However, you can run System Restore again and choose a different restore point if one exists.
Windows Complete PC Restore
Restores the contents of your hard disk from a backup. Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore is not included with Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic, or Windows Vista Home Premium.
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Scans your computer's memory for errors.
Command Prompt
Command Prompt replaces the Recovery Console from earlier versions of Windows. Advanced users can use Command Prompt to perform recovery-related operations and also run other command line tools for diagnosing and troubleshooting problems.
For more detailed information on how to use these tools type in the name of the tool in Windows help.
To access the System Recovery Options menu
If you have a Windows installation disc:
1. Insert the installation disc.
2. Restart your computer.
3. If prompted, press any key to start Windows from the installation disc. If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or DVD, check your BIOS settings.
4. Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
5. Click Repair your computer.
6. Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next.
7. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it.
If your computer has preinstalled recovery options:
1. Remove all floppy disks from your computer, and then restart your computer.
2. Do one of the following:
If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you will need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.
If your computer has more than one operating system, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system you want to repair, and then press and hold F8.
3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Repair your computer, and then press Enter.
4. Select a keyboard layout, and then click Next.
5. Select a user name and enter the password, and then click OK.
6. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it.
The Recovery Console in earlier versions of Windows has been removed in Vista and replaced by several tools located in the System Recovery Options menu. The System Recovery Options menu is on the Windows installation disc. The menu might also be installed on your hard disk if your computer has preinstalled recovery options.
Here are the tools you can use to recover your system:
Startup Repair
Fixes certain problems, such as missing or damaged system files that might prevent Windows from starting correctly. When you run Startup Repair, it scans your computer for the problem and then tries to fix it so your computer can start correctly.
System Restore
This option helps you restore your computer's system files to an earlier point in time. It's a way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as e-mail, documents, or photos. If you use System Restore when the computer is in safe mode, you cannot undo the restore operation. However, you can run System Restore again and choose a different restore point if one exists.
Windows Complete PC Restore
Restores the contents of your hard disk from a backup. Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore is not included with Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic, or Windows Vista Home Premium.
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Scans your computer's memory for errors.
Command Prompt
Command Prompt replaces the Recovery Console from earlier versions of Windows. Advanced users can use Command Prompt to perform recovery-related operations and also run other command line tools for diagnosing and troubleshooting problems.
For more detailed information on how to use these tools type in the name of the tool in Windows help.
To access the System Recovery Options menu
If you have a Windows installation disc:
1. Insert the installation disc.
2. Restart your computer.
3. If prompted, press any key to start Windows from the installation disc. If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or DVD, check your BIOS settings.
4. Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
5. Click Repair your computer.
6. Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next.
7. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it.
If your computer has preinstalled recovery options:
1. Remove all floppy disks from your computer, and then restart your computer.
2. Do one of the following:
If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you will need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.
If your computer has more than one operating system, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system you want to repair, and then press and hold F8.
3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Repair your computer, and then press Enter.
4. Select a keyboard layout, and then click Next.
5. Select a user name and enter the password, and then click OK.
6. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it.
Troubleshooting Computer System
# If you use your computer more than a few hours per day, we suggest you not to turn off your computer at the end of the day. Instead turn off only the monitor to save electricity. Daily power up and down makes the components exposed to high and low temperature cycles that are not good for the life-time of the components, particularly the critical ones such as hard drives, CPU, and memory. The temperature cycle would result in expansion-shrinking cycle for the components. The lifetime of electronic components would be increased if they were run at constant temperature with adequate ventilation.
# If your area experiences a few times of power outage per year, it is necessary to use a UPS. Sudden power downs while the system is running may cause severe damage to hard drives.
# A tape backup and a lock to make systems hard to move are worthy investment for critical data.
# Use your hand to touch and feel the cover of your computer at least once a week. The cover should be at room temperature. If it feels warms there may be a problem! Check to make sure that the cooling fans on power supply and CPU are working properly. Clean the air pathway on the back of the power supply on a regular basis.
# If your area experiences a few times of power outage per year, it is necessary to use a UPS. Sudden power downs while the system is running may cause severe damage to hard drives.
# A tape backup and a lock to make systems hard to move are worthy investment for critical data.
# Use your hand to touch and feel the cover of your computer at least once a week. The cover should be at room temperature. If it feels warms there may be a problem! Check to make sure that the cooling fans on power supply and CPU are working properly. Clean the air pathway on the back of the power supply on a regular basis.
Troubleshooting Fax/Modem
My modem is a 56K, but I can connect to the Internet only at slower speed.
The current copper wired telephone lines are limited only to about 53K. If you are connected only to 33.6 or 28.8K, check the following first:
* Is your modem compatible with the modem used at your ISP?
* Is your modem set up to run at full speed?
* What?s the maximum speed your ISP allows?
* How far away are you from your ISP?
* Some modems need special initiation strings to get full speed.
* Some conditions are out of your control, such as weather and conditions of telephone lines in your community.
* Problems may occur when you are dialing through a phone system such as one in a hotel.
Modems answers incoming calls and then returns to the on-hook condition, disconnecting the caller:
This occurs most often when connecting to a UNIX system. In most cases, the host does not prefer to see any result or command echo codes. If this is the case, the codes can be disabled by adding E0 Q1 to the modem configuration string.
The modem dials and appears to complete the connection, but the communications software does not enter the correct mode. (The screen remains blank)
This is normally caused by an I/O address or IRQ conflict. Verify that the COM port is not in used by any other serial device and if necessary use another COM port or I/O address setting. Refer to your computer manual on how to determine what serial ports are installed.
The modem dials and appears to complete the connection, but the communications software does not enter the correct mode. (The screen remains blank)
* There may be an I/O conflict (see the solution for the previous problem).
* The Result Codes may have been disabled by the software configuration set up. Check if Q1 is in the configuration or initialization string. If so, change it to Q0.
* Your software may require numeric result codes rather than verbal result codes. Use either V0 for numeric result codes or V1 for verbal result codes in your initialization or configuration string.
* Some software requires full-extended result codes (i.e., CONNECT 33600 instead of CONNECT). This can be controlled by the Xn command. X0 sends a summarized code (CONNECT) and X4 sends a full extended code (CONNECT 33600)
The modem does not auto answer
The auto answer mode is determined by the S0 register. If S0 has been set to 0, the modem will not answer. Asign another value to S0 by entering the following command: S0=n, where n= the number of rings to occur before the call is answered (ATS0=2, the modem answers after two rings)
The modem always answers the phone.
Set the S0 register to 0. ATS0=0.
The communications software displays, ?No Dial tone.?
Make sure that your phone cable is working properly and that it is firmly seated to the phone socket at your phone jack and in the real panel of the modem.
A high-pitched squeal is emitted from the external speakers.
This phenomenon is ?feedback? and occurs when the microphone is pointed at the external speaker or is close enough to pick up the speaker output. This may be remedied by using a unidirectional microphone, making sure that it is pointed away and as far from the speaker as functionally possible. Another option is to use a headset with an attached microphone.
The current copper wired telephone lines are limited only to about 53K. If you are connected only to 33.6 or 28.8K, check the following first:
* Is your modem compatible with the modem used at your ISP?
* Is your modem set up to run at full speed?
* What?s the maximum speed your ISP allows?
* How far away are you from your ISP?
* Some modems need special initiation strings to get full speed.
* Some conditions are out of your control, such as weather and conditions of telephone lines in your community.
* Problems may occur when you are dialing through a phone system such as one in a hotel.
Modems answers incoming calls and then returns to the on-hook condition, disconnecting the caller:
This occurs most often when connecting to a UNIX system. In most cases, the host does not prefer to see any result or command echo codes. If this is the case, the codes can be disabled by adding E0 Q1 to the modem configuration string.
The modem dials and appears to complete the connection, but the communications software does not enter the correct mode. (The screen remains blank)
This is normally caused by an I/O address or IRQ conflict. Verify that the COM port is not in used by any other serial device and if necessary use another COM port or I/O address setting. Refer to your computer manual on how to determine what serial ports are installed.
The modem dials and appears to complete the connection, but the communications software does not enter the correct mode. (The screen remains blank)
* There may be an I/O conflict (see the solution for the previous problem).
* The Result Codes may have been disabled by the software configuration set up. Check if Q1 is in the configuration or initialization string. If so, change it to Q0.
* Your software may require numeric result codes rather than verbal result codes. Use either V0 for numeric result codes or V1 for verbal result codes in your initialization or configuration string.
* Some software requires full-extended result codes (i.e., CONNECT 33600 instead of CONNECT). This can be controlled by the Xn command. X0 sends a summarized code (CONNECT) and X4 sends a full extended code (CONNECT 33600)
The modem does not auto answer
The auto answer mode is determined by the S0 register. If S0 has been set to 0, the modem will not answer. Asign another value to S0 by entering the following command: S0=n, where n= the number of rings to occur before the call is answered (ATS0=2, the modem answers after two rings)
The modem always answers the phone.
Set the S0 register to 0. ATS0=0.
The communications software displays, ?No Dial tone.?
Make sure that your phone cable is working properly and that it is firmly seated to the phone socket at your phone jack and in the real panel of the modem.
A high-pitched squeal is emitted from the external speakers.
This phenomenon is ?feedback? and occurs when the microphone is pointed at the external speaker or is close enough to pick up the speaker output. This may be remedied by using a unidirectional microphone, making sure that it is pointed away and as far from the speaker as functionally possible. Another option is to use a headset with an attached microphone.
Troubleshooting Video Cards
Here are some basic trouble shooting tips for video cards:
* Check that the card is seated properly in its expansion slot. Some AGP cards have design flaws and are ?well-known? to ?pop out? during transportation. For PCI cards, if the problem still exists, try a difference PCI expansion slot.
* Ensure the display cable is securely fastened to the card?s display connector.
* Make sure that the display and computer are plugged in and receiving power.
* If necessary, disable any built-in graphics capabilities on your motherboard. For more information, see your computer?s manual.
* Make sure you selected the appropriate display device and graphics card when you installed your enhanced driver.
* If you problems during start-up, start your computer in Safe Mode. In Windows 98, press the F8 key when ?Starting Windows 98? appears; or, in Windows 98 press and hold the CTLR key until the Windows 98 Startup Menu appears on the screen. Then select the number for Safe Mode, and press Enter.
* Check that the card is seated properly in its expansion slot. Some AGP cards have design flaws and are ?well-known? to ?pop out? during transportation. For PCI cards, if the problem still exists, try a difference PCI expansion slot.
* Ensure the display cable is securely fastened to the card?s display connector.
* Make sure that the display and computer are plugged in and receiving power.
* If necessary, disable any built-in graphics capabilities on your motherboard. For more information, see your computer?s manual.
* Make sure you selected the appropriate display device and graphics card when you installed your enhanced driver.
* If you problems during start-up, start your computer in Safe Mode. In Windows 98, press the F8 key when ?Starting Windows 98? appears; or, in Windows 98 press and hold the CTLR key until the Windows 98 Startup Menu appears on the screen. Then select the number for Safe Mode, and press Enter.
Troubleshooting New Monitors
Here are some basic trouble shooting tips for new monitors:
1. The picture does not appear
* Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.
* Check to see if the computer system?s power is ON.
* Check that the Brightness Control is at the appropriate position, not at the minimum.
2. The Screen is not synchronized
* Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.
* Check that the output level matches the input level of your computer.
* Make sure the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
3. The position of the screen is not in the center
* Adjust the H-Size, H-Phase or V-Size, V-Center controls.
* Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
4. The screen is too bright or too dark
* Check that the Brightness Control is at the appropriate position, not at the minimum or maximum.
* Check if the specified voltage is applied.
* Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
* Especially, check the horizontal frequency
5. The screen is shaking
* Move all objects that emit a magnetic field, such as a motor or transformer, away from monitor.
* Check if the specified voltage is applied.
* Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
1. The picture does not appear
* Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.
* Check to see if the computer system?s power is ON.
* Check that the Brightness Control is at the appropriate position, not at the minimum.
2. The Screen is not synchronized
* Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.
* Check that the output level matches the input level of your computer.
* Make sure the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
3. The position of the screen is not in the center
* Adjust the H-Size, H-Phase or V-Size, V-Center controls.
* Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
4. The screen is too bright or too dark
* Check that the Brightness Control is at the appropriate position, not at the minimum or maximum.
* Check if the specified voltage is applied.
* Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
* Especially, check the horizontal frequency
5. The screen is shaking
* Move all objects that emit a magnetic field, such as a motor or transformer, away from monitor.
* Check if the specified voltage is applied.
* Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
Troubleshooting Hard Disk Drives
# Basic Troubleshooting Tips after Installing a New Hard Drive
Based on Seagate IDE hard drives.
If you have installed your drive and it does not function properly, perform the following basic checks:
Warning: Always turn off your computer before changing jumpers or unplugging cables and cards. Wear a ground strap or use other antistatic precautions while working on your computer or handling your drive.
* Verify compatibility. Verify that the host adapter and drive are appropriately matched to each other and to your computer. Refer to the relevant documentation for details.
* Check all cards. Verify that all the cards are seated in their slots on the motherboard and secured with mounting screws.
* Check all connectors and cables. Make sure all ribbon and power cables are securely connected. Ribbon cables are easily damaged, especially at the connector. Try a new cable that you know is good. Make sure no connector pins are bent. Verify that pin 1 on the interface cable is aligned with pin 1 on the drive and host adapter.
* Verify jumper settings. Review the instructions in this guide and in your host adapter installation guide. Make sure all appropriate jumpers are installed or removed as necessary.
* Check your power supply specifications. Each time you add a new device to your computer, make sure your computer?s internal power supply can support the total power demand. If necessary, consult your dealer for a new power supply.
* Verify the drive-type settings in the system setup program. The drive-type settings in the system BIOS must not exceed the physical specifications of your drive. Also, the settings must not exceed the limitations set by the operating system and BIOS.
* Check for viruses. Before you use someone else?s diskette in your system for the first time, scan the diskette for viruses.
Additional Troubleshooting Tips
If you have performed the preceding basic checks but the problem persists, follow these guidelines for troubleshooting specific cases:
* After you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.
* The screen remains blank when you power up the system.
* The system does not recognize the drive.
* The dealer partitioned and formatted the drive for you in the store, but the drive does not respond when you install it.
* The system hangs in FDISK or fails to create or save the partition record.
* The system error message, ?Drive not Ready,? appears.
* The FDISK error message, ?No Fixed Disk Present,? appears.
* The drive does not format to full capacity.
* The DOS message, ?Disk Boot Failure,? ?Non-System Disk? or ?No ROM Basic-SYSTEM HALTED? appears.
* The system error message, ?HDD controller failure? appears.
# After you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.
Check your computer manual or BIOS manufacturer to determine whether your BIOS support drive that have more than 4,092 cylinders. If your system has this limitation, use the following procedure to configure your computer:
1. Turn off your computer, open the case, and remove your new drive.
CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge damage to your computer or hard drive, make sure you are well grounded before touching the drive, cable, connector or jumpers.
2. Move the jumper on the alternate-capacity jumper. This causes the drive to appear to your BIOS as having a 2.1-Gbyte capacity (4,092cylinders, 16heads, 63sectors per track). You may need third party partitioning software, such as Disk Manager, to achieve full capacity of the drive.
3. Remount your drive in the computer and replace the computer drive.
4. Insert a bootable system diskette into drive A and turn on the computer. It should boot from drive A and automatically detect the new drive as a 2.1-Gbyte drive.
5. Insert your Disc Wizard diskette into drive A and type A: XDM. Then press ENTER. This runs the Disk Manager program.
6. Follow the Disk Manager instructions to install the dynamic drive overlay and to partition and format your new drive to its full capacity.
7. After Disk Manager is done, reboot your system. You should see the Disk Manager banner and be able to access the full capacity of your new drive.
# The screen remains blank when you power up the system.
If the steps listed above do not remedy this problem, try the following:
* Make sure the monitor is plugged in and turned on.
* Check all cards.
* Make sure the video card is seated in its slot and secured with mounting screws.
* Turn off the computer and remove the drive host adapter. If the screen turns on after you reboot, the host adapter may be incompatible or defective. If so, see your dealer.
# The system does not recognize the drive.
* Check all cables.
* Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.
* Reboot the computer and listen to make sure the drive motor starts up. If the drive is very quiet, it may be difficult to hear its disc reach operating speed. If the drive motor does not start up, recheck all drives cables.
* Verify that for each drive, a drive-type is listed in the system setup program.
* Try rebooting your computer by pressing the CTLR, ALT and DELETE keys simultaneously. If the drive is recognized after you reboot the system, the computer BIOS test may be completing before the drive is ready. One solution is to slow the processor speed during startup. If your computer has a turbo switch, set it to slow speed before turning the computer on. If there is no turbo switch, you may be able to use keyboard commands; see your computer manual for details. After the computer is up and running, return the processor to the fast speed. Another solution is too warm-boot your computer after every power on.
* Check for I/O address conflicts. To isolate the conflicts, verify that the drive and host adapter are compatible with your computer. Turn off the computer and remove all the peripheral adapter cards except for the video card and the host adapter. If the computer recognizes the drive when you reboot the computer, turn off the computer. Reinstall the other peripheral cards, one at a time, until the conflict reoccurs. After you have isolated the source of the address conflict, you can resolve the conflict by changing the 1/0 address of the peripheral that appears to cause the conflict.
* If Disk Manager has installed the DDO on your hard drive and you have booted directly from a diskette, the information in the boot record for the drive may not have been loaded. Make sure there is no diskette in drive A and reboot. If you want to boot from the diskette, follow the ?Booting with a Diskette? instructions under ?Advanced Disk Manager Options?
# The dealer partitioned and formatted the drive for you in the store, but the drive does not respond when you install it.
* Reboot the computer and make sure the drive spins up.
* Check all cables.
* Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.
* Make sure the DOS or Windows version the dealer used to partition and format the drive is the same version you have installed in your computer. If it isn?t, see your dealer.
* Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program. You must install the drive using the same drive-type values your dealer used to partition the drive.
* Check for 1/0 address conflicts between the peripheral cards.
* Check for viruses.
# The system hangs in FDISK or fails to create or save the partition record.
* Check all cables.
* Your setup system diskette may be corrupted. Try using a backup diskette.
* Make the partitions smaller.
* Change the interrupt jumper setting on the host adapter.
* Some BIOS have a Track 0 protection feature that protects Track 0 from viruses. This may cause FDISK to hang the system. You must disable this feature in the system setup program before you can use FDISK. See your computer reference guide for assistance. Be sure to re-enable this important feature when FDISK is done.
# The system error message, ?Drive not ready,? appears.
* Check all cable connections. Make sure pin 1 of the drive is connected to pin 1 of the hard-disc controller or host adapter.
* Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.
* Reboot the computer and make sure the drive spins up.
# The FDISK error message, ?No Fixed Disk Present,? appears.
* Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.
* Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program.
* Check for 1/0 address conflicts.
# The drive does not format to full capacity.
* Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program. One of the following problems may have occurred:
* The values may be set with an incorrect translation characteristic.
* You may have entered a parameter value that exceeds the physical capacity of the drive.
* You entered a translation characteristic that does not take full advantage of the drive?s capacity.
* The drive?s physical specifications exceed the translation limits imposed by the BIOS.
CAUTION: If you change the drive-type values in the system setup program, you must partition and format the drive again. This erases data on the drive.
* If you have partitioned the drive into individual logical drives, you may need to make the partitions smaller to access the full drive capacity.
* If your computer supports LBA mode, you may need to enable LBA mode in the system setup program to access the full capacity of the drive. Refer to your computer?s reference guide to find out how to enable LBA.
* Your computer may not support drives that have more than 4,092 cylinders. Follow the instructions on page 25 for after you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.
# The DOS message ?Disk Boot Failure,? ?Non-System Disk? or ?No ROM Basic-SYSTEM HALTED? appears.
* Reinstall the DOS system files using the DOS SYS utility.
* Check all cables.
* Use FDISK to verify that the primary partition is active.
* Check for viruses.
# The system error message, ?HDD controller failure? appears.
* Confirm the jumper settings on the drive.
* Verify the drive-type settings in the system setup program.
Based on Seagate IDE hard drives.
If you have installed your drive and it does not function properly, perform the following basic checks:
Warning: Always turn off your computer before changing jumpers or unplugging cables and cards. Wear a ground strap or use other antistatic precautions while working on your computer or handling your drive.
* Verify compatibility. Verify that the host adapter and drive are appropriately matched to each other and to your computer. Refer to the relevant documentation for details.
* Check all cards. Verify that all the cards are seated in their slots on the motherboard and secured with mounting screws.
* Check all connectors and cables. Make sure all ribbon and power cables are securely connected. Ribbon cables are easily damaged, especially at the connector. Try a new cable that you know is good. Make sure no connector pins are bent. Verify that pin 1 on the interface cable is aligned with pin 1 on the drive and host adapter.
* Verify jumper settings. Review the instructions in this guide and in your host adapter installation guide. Make sure all appropriate jumpers are installed or removed as necessary.
* Check your power supply specifications. Each time you add a new device to your computer, make sure your computer?s internal power supply can support the total power demand. If necessary, consult your dealer for a new power supply.
* Verify the drive-type settings in the system setup program. The drive-type settings in the system BIOS must not exceed the physical specifications of your drive. Also, the settings must not exceed the limitations set by the operating system and BIOS.
* Check for viruses. Before you use someone else?s diskette in your system for the first time, scan the diskette for viruses.
Additional Troubleshooting Tips
If you have performed the preceding basic checks but the problem persists, follow these guidelines for troubleshooting specific cases:
* After you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.
* The screen remains blank when you power up the system.
* The system does not recognize the drive.
* The dealer partitioned and formatted the drive for you in the store, but the drive does not respond when you install it.
* The system hangs in FDISK or fails to create or save the partition record.
* The system error message, ?Drive not Ready,? appears.
* The FDISK error message, ?No Fixed Disk Present,? appears.
* The drive does not format to full capacity.
* The DOS message, ?Disk Boot Failure,? ?Non-System Disk? or ?No ROM Basic-SYSTEM HALTED? appears.
* The system error message, ?HDD controller failure? appears.
# After you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.
Check your computer manual or BIOS manufacturer to determine whether your BIOS support drive that have more than 4,092 cylinders. If your system has this limitation, use the following procedure to configure your computer:
1. Turn off your computer, open the case, and remove your new drive.
CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge damage to your computer or hard drive, make sure you are well grounded before touching the drive, cable, connector or jumpers.
2. Move the jumper on the alternate-capacity jumper. This causes the drive to appear to your BIOS as having a 2.1-Gbyte capacity (4,092cylinders, 16heads, 63sectors per track). You may need third party partitioning software, such as Disk Manager, to achieve full capacity of the drive.
3. Remount your drive in the computer and replace the computer drive.
4. Insert a bootable system diskette into drive A and turn on the computer. It should boot from drive A and automatically detect the new drive as a 2.1-Gbyte drive.
5. Insert your Disc Wizard diskette into drive A and type A: XDM. Then press ENTER. This runs the Disk Manager program.
6. Follow the Disk Manager instructions to install the dynamic drive overlay and to partition and format your new drive to its full capacity.
7. After Disk Manager is done, reboot your system. You should see the Disk Manager banner and be able to access the full capacity of your new drive.
# The screen remains blank when you power up the system.
If the steps listed above do not remedy this problem, try the following:
* Make sure the monitor is plugged in and turned on.
* Check all cards.
* Make sure the video card is seated in its slot and secured with mounting screws.
* Turn off the computer and remove the drive host adapter. If the screen turns on after you reboot, the host adapter may be incompatible or defective. If so, see your dealer.
# The system does not recognize the drive.
* Check all cables.
* Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.
* Reboot the computer and listen to make sure the drive motor starts up. If the drive is very quiet, it may be difficult to hear its disc reach operating speed. If the drive motor does not start up, recheck all drives cables.
* Verify that for each drive, a drive-type is listed in the system setup program.
* Try rebooting your computer by pressing the CTLR, ALT and DELETE keys simultaneously. If the drive is recognized after you reboot the system, the computer BIOS test may be completing before the drive is ready. One solution is to slow the processor speed during startup. If your computer has a turbo switch, set it to slow speed before turning the computer on. If there is no turbo switch, you may be able to use keyboard commands; see your computer manual for details. After the computer is up and running, return the processor to the fast speed. Another solution is too warm-boot your computer after every power on.
* Check for I/O address conflicts. To isolate the conflicts, verify that the drive and host adapter are compatible with your computer. Turn off the computer and remove all the peripheral adapter cards except for the video card and the host adapter. If the computer recognizes the drive when you reboot the computer, turn off the computer. Reinstall the other peripheral cards, one at a time, until the conflict reoccurs. After you have isolated the source of the address conflict, you can resolve the conflict by changing the 1/0 address of the peripheral that appears to cause the conflict.
* If Disk Manager has installed the DDO on your hard drive and you have booted directly from a diskette, the information in the boot record for the drive may not have been loaded. Make sure there is no diskette in drive A and reboot. If you want to boot from the diskette, follow the ?Booting with a Diskette? instructions under ?Advanced Disk Manager Options?
# The dealer partitioned and formatted the drive for you in the store, but the drive does not respond when you install it.
* Reboot the computer and make sure the drive spins up.
* Check all cables.
* Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.
* Make sure the DOS or Windows version the dealer used to partition and format the drive is the same version you have installed in your computer. If it isn?t, see your dealer.
* Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program. You must install the drive using the same drive-type values your dealer used to partition the drive.
* Check for 1/0 address conflicts between the peripheral cards.
* Check for viruses.
# The system hangs in FDISK or fails to create or save the partition record.
* Check all cables.
* Your setup system diskette may be corrupted. Try using a backup diskette.
* Make the partitions smaller.
* Change the interrupt jumper setting on the host adapter.
* Some BIOS have a Track 0 protection feature that protects Track 0 from viruses. This may cause FDISK to hang the system. You must disable this feature in the system setup program before you can use FDISK. See your computer reference guide for assistance. Be sure to re-enable this important feature when FDISK is done.
# The system error message, ?Drive not ready,? appears.
* Check all cable connections. Make sure pin 1 of the drive is connected to pin 1 of the hard-disc controller or host adapter.
* Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.
* Reboot the computer and make sure the drive spins up.
# The FDISK error message, ?No Fixed Disk Present,? appears.
* Make sure the power supply is adequate for system needs.
* Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program.
* Check for 1/0 address conflicts.
# The drive does not format to full capacity.
* Verify the drive-type values in the system setup program. One of the following problems may have occurred:
* The values may be set with an incorrect translation characteristic.
* You may have entered a parameter value that exceeds the physical capacity of the drive.
* You entered a translation characteristic that does not take full advantage of the drive?s capacity.
* The drive?s physical specifications exceed the translation limits imposed by the BIOS.
CAUTION: If you change the drive-type values in the system setup program, you must partition and format the drive again. This erases data on the drive.
* If you have partitioned the drive into individual logical drives, you may need to make the partitions smaller to access the full drive capacity.
* If your computer supports LBA mode, you may need to enable LBA mode in the system setup program to access the full capacity of the drive. Refer to your computer?s reference guide to find out how to enable LBA.
* Your computer may not support drives that have more than 4,092 cylinders. Follow the instructions on page 25 for after you install your new drive, your computer will not boot, and no error message appears on the screen.
# The DOS message ?Disk Boot Failure,? ?Non-System Disk? or ?No ROM Basic-SYSTEM HALTED? appears.
* Reinstall the DOS system files using the DOS SYS utility.
* Check all cables.
* Use FDISK to verify that the primary partition is active.
* Check for viruses.
# The system error message, ?HDD controller failure? appears.
* Confirm the jumper settings on the drive.
* Verify the drive-type settings in the system setup program.
How to change the boot Time in window XP?
You can set the boot time in windows XP as your wish if you are install two operating systems on same computer, for example window 2000 with windows XP or more than two. Yow can do this with editing Boot.ini file. Here you can also set the sequence for operating system which operating system boot first.
First Right Click on My Computer option and then select its Properties. In next dialog box open Advanced tab button. Under Startup and Recovery, click on the Settings button. Use the spin box "Time to display list of operating systems" to set the number of seconds you want the system to wait before automatically starting the default operating system. Here you will set time in seconds and its range start from 0 and ends with 999 seconds.
After set the time, then click OK option to close the dialog box to save your change. The next time you restart, the new time will take effect.
First Right Click on My Computer option and then select its Properties. In next dialog box open Advanced tab button. Under Startup and Recovery, click on the Settings button. Use the spin box "Time to display list of operating systems" to set the number of seconds you want the system to wait before automatically starting the default operating system. Here you will set time in seconds and its range start from 0 and ends with 999 seconds.
After set the time, then click OK option to close the dialog box to save your change. The next time you restart, the new time will take effect.
How to create a System State data backup?
Using System State backup technique, you can create the backup of windows critical components on any system drive and this backup file can be used if the original copy is lost, damaged, or destroyed. On windows 2000/XP/Vista, system state data wizard backed up the following components.
Windows registry
Windows boot files
COM+ class registration database
But if you are running domain controller, system state data wizard backed up the following components.
Active Directory
System volume (SYSVOL)
Windows registry
Windows boot files
COM+ class registration database
Follow the given steps to run System State data backup wizard:
To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.
First click on Start button> All programs> Accessories> System Tools then click on Backup.
Now by default backup wizard will start, click on advanced mode option to change the backup settings.
Here a dialog box will appear with title "Backup Utility", select "Welcome" tab and click on Backup Wizard [Advanced] button to create backup of windows important components.
Click on Next button to continue backup wizard.
Now select option "Only back up the System State date" on what to back up page and click on Next button.
Here click on Browse button to specify the destination for backup file and also set backup file name under "Type a name for this backup" box then click on Next button.
Now verify your selected settings and click on Finish button to start backup process.
Windows registry
Windows boot files
COM+ class registration database
But if you are running domain controller, system state data wizard backed up the following components.
Active Directory
System volume (SYSVOL)
Windows registry
Windows boot files
COM+ class registration database
Follow the given steps to run System State data backup wizard:
To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.
First click on Start button> All programs> Accessories> System Tools then click on Backup.
Now by default backup wizard will start, click on advanced mode option to change the backup settings.
Here a dialog box will appear with title "Backup Utility", select "Welcome" tab and click on Backup Wizard [Advanced] button to create backup of windows important components.
Click on Next button to continue backup wizard.
Now select option "Only back up the System State date" on what to back up page and click on Next button.
Here click on Browse button to specify the destination for backup file and also set backup file name under "Type a name for this backup" box then click on Next button.
Now verify your selected settings and click on Finish button to start backup process.
How to increase your Laptop Battery's Life?
Follow the few steps to increase the laptop battery's life:
Lower the backlighting on your screen.
The screen of your Laptop takes up significant amount of power and you do not require its maximum brightness. You should have to check your system and decrease the screen brightness it to a comfortable point.
Stop your wireless signal when you are not using.
After turning off your Laptop can save max. 20 minutes of your laptop's battery time because WiFi can use a considerable quantity of power. By right clicking you can stop your WiFi signal when you are not using.
Manage the correct power scheme in XP
Windows XP contain a number of predetermined power plans, which control settings like how rapidly your laptop turns off and when your screen saver boots in. You can change your laptop power scheme by choosing Control Panel > Power Options. For max. Battery life from the "Power scheme" chooses the option "Max. Battery" and decline the list. There are good choices for you just like "Low Power Mode" and Portable /Laptop. They don't conserve as much power as Max Battery. After selecting a power scheme you click Ok button to finish the process.
Lower the backlighting on your screen.
The screen of your Laptop takes up significant amount of power and you do not require its maximum brightness. You should have to check your system and decrease the screen brightness it to a comfortable point.
Stop your wireless signal when you are not using.
After turning off your Laptop can save max. 20 minutes of your laptop's battery time because WiFi can use a considerable quantity of power. By right clicking you can stop your WiFi signal when you are not using.
Manage the correct power scheme in XP
Windows XP contain a number of predetermined power plans, which control settings like how rapidly your laptop turns off and when your screen saver boots in. You can change your laptop power scheme by choosing Control Panel > Power Options. For max. Battery life from the "Power scheme" chooses the option "Max. Battery" and decline the list. There are good choices for you just like "Low Power Mode" and Portable /Laptop. They don't conserve as much power as Max Battery. After selecting a power scheme you click Ok button to finish the process.
Windows Vista startup process
The startup process of Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems is slightly different from previous versions.
Contents
* 1 Boot sequence
* 2 Windows Boot Manager
* 3 Boot Configuration Data
* 4 winload.exe
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links
Boot sequence
The sequence of booting Windows Vista is slightly different from any previous version of Windows that uses the NT kernel. First, when the computer is switched on, either the BIOS or the EFI is loaded. In the case of a BIOS system, the MBR of the boot disk, which can be a hard drive or external media, is accessed, followed by the boot sector of the drive or of the relevant hard disk partition. This boot sector then loads the rest of the boot blocks. For Windows Vista, the boot sector loads the Windows Boot Manager (with filename BOOTMGR), which accesses the Boot Configuration Data store and uses the information to load the final stage, the operating system.
Windows Boot Manager
The Windows Boot Manager reads the Boot Configuration Data and "displays an operating system selection menu",[1] and is thus, in some respects, equivalent to the boot selection menu functionality of NTLDR in prior versions of Windows NT.
To maintain a consistent boot experience on Extensible Firmware Interface systems which also have a boot manager of their own, the Windows Boot Manager, and hence all of the installed Windows operating systems that can be booted using it, appear as a single entry on the EFI boot manager menu. (On EFI systems, the Windows Boot Manager is an EFI application stored on the EFI System Partition.) Microsoft only adds multiple entries to the Windows Boot Manager(BCD) menu itself, and sets the timeout of the EFI boot manager to 2 seconds.
Boot Configuration Data
Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is a firmware-independent database for boot-time configuration data. It replaces the boot.ini that was used by NTLDR, and is used by Microsoft's new Windows Boot Manager.[2]
Boot Configuration Data is stored in a data file (formatted in the same way as a Windows registry hive) that is located either on the EFI System Partition (on machines that use Extensible Firmware Interface firmware) or in \Boot\Bcd on the system volume (on machines that use IBM PC compatible firmware).
Boot Configuration Data may be altered using a command-line tool (bcdedit.exe), by using Windows Management Instrumentation, or with 3rd party tools like EasyBCD which allow for more advanced configuration and support for non-Windows operating systems.
Boot Configuration Data contain the menu entries that are presented by the Windows Boot Manager, just as boot.ini contained the menu entries that were presented by NTLDR. These menu entries can include:
* Options to boot Windows Vista by invoking winload.exe.
* Options to resume Windows Vista from hibernation by invoking winresume.exe.
* Options to boot a prior version of the Windows NT family by invoking its NTLDR.
* Options to load and to execute a Volume Boot Record.
Boot Configuration Data allows for third party integration so anyone can implement tools like diagnostics or recovery options.
winload.exe
winload.exe is the operating system boot loader. It is invoked by the Windows Boot Manager in order to load the operating system kernel (ntoskrnl.exe) and (boot-class) device drivers, and is in that respect functionally equivalent to (the operating system loader functionality of) NTLDR in prior versions of Windows NT.
Contents
* 1 Boot sequence
* 2 Windows Boot Manager
* 3 Boot Configuration Data
* 4 winload.exe
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links
Boot sequence
The sequence of booting Windows Vista is slightly different from any previous version of Windows that uses the NT kernel. First, when the computer is switched on, either the BIOS or the EFI is loaded. In the case of a BIOS system, the MBR of the boot disk, which can be a hard drive or external media, is accessed, followed by the boot sector of the drive or of the relevant hard disk partition. This boot sector then loads the rest of the boot blocks. For Windows Vista, the boot sector loads the Windows Boot Manager (with filename BOOTMGR), which accesses the Boot Configuration Data store and uses the information to load the final stage, the operating system.
Windows Boot Manager
The Windows Boot Manager reads the Boot Configuration Data and "displays an operating system selection menu",[1] and is thus, in some respects, equivalent to the boot selection menu functionality of NTLDR in prior versions of Windows NT.
To maintain a consistent boot experience on Extensible Firmware Interface systems which also have a boot manager of their own, the Windows Boot Manager, and hence all of the installed Windows operating systems that can be booted using it, appear as a single entry on the EFI boot manager menu. (On EFI systems, the Windows Boot Manager is an EFI application stored on the EFI System Partition.) Microsoft only adds multiple entries to the Windows Boot Manager(BCD) menu itself, and sets the timeout of the EFI boot manager to 2 seconds.
Boot Configuration Data
Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is a firmware-independent database for boot-time configuration data. It replaces the boot.ini that was used by NTLDR, and is used by Microsoft's new Windows Boot Manager.[2]
Boot Configuration Data is stored in a data file (formatted in the same way as a Windows registry hive) that is located either on the EFI System Partition (on machines that use Extensible Firmware Interface firmware) or in \Boot\Bcd on the system volume (on machines that use IBM PC compatible firmware).
Boot Configuration Data may be altered using a command-line tool (bcdedit.exe), by using Windows Management Instrumentation, or with 3rd party tools like EasyBCD which allow for more advanced configuration and support for non-Windows operating systems.
Boot Configuration Data contain the menu entries that are presented by the Windows Boot Manager, just as boot.ini contained the menu entries that were presented by NTLDR. These menu entries can include:
* Options to boot Windows Vista by invoking winload.exe.
* Options to resume Windows Vista from hibernation by invoking winresume.exe.
* Options to boot a prior version of the Windows NT family by invoking its NTLDR.
* Options to load and to execute a Volume Boot Record.
Boot Configuration Data allows for third party integration so anyone can implement tools like diagnostics or recovery options.
winload.exe
winload.exe is the operating system boot loader. It is invoked by the Windows Boot Manager in order to load the operating system kernel (ntoskrnl.exe) and (boot-class) device drivers, and is in that respect functionally equivalent to (the operating system loader functionality of) NTLDR in prior versions of Windows NT.
system errors and freezes for Illustrator CS3/CS4 (Vista)
1. Make sure that the system meets the minimum requirements for Illustrator CS3.
Illustrator may not run correctly on a system that doesn't meet the following requirements:
* Intel Pentium 4 or Pentium 5, Centrino or equivalent processor
* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise Ultimate (certified support for 32-bit editions only)
* 1GB recommended; 512 MB minimum
* 2GB of available hard-disk space
* 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution 16-bit video card (24-bit screen display recommended)
* Internet or phone connection required for product activation
* DVD-ROM drive
To check basic system information, such as processor speed and how much RAM is installed, choose Start > Control Panel > System.
2. Install the latest version of Illustrator.
The latest version of Illustrator may be more compatible with the operating system and drivers. Before you install an update or upgrade, make sure that the system meets the requirements.
Updates are available from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads. An upgrade, however, may solve a wider range of problems. (You may prefer to try the tasks in the rest of this document before upgrading.) You can purchase upgrades from Adobe Authorized Resellers and from Adobe directly:
* To locate an Authorized Reseller, visit the Adobe website at http://partners.adobe.com/resellerfinde ... seller.jsp and choose your country or region from the menu at the top of the page.
* To purchase an upgrade from Adobe, visit the Adobe Store at http://store.adobe.com/store and choose your country or region from the menu at the top of the page.
* To contact Adobe Customer Service in your region for assistance, visit the Adobe website at www.adobe.com, select your region from the menu at the top of the page, and then click Contact Us.
3. Install current Windows service packs and other updates.
Updates to the Windows operating system improve its performance and compatibility with applications. You can obtain Windows service packs and other updates from the Microsoft website at www.windowsupdate.com. For assistance installing service packs and other updates, contact Microsoft technical support.
Important: Before you install a system update, check the system requirements for Illustrator CS3 (and any third-party software or hardware you may use with Illustrator to ensure compatibility. If the update isn't listed, then contact Adobe or the manufacturer of your third-party software or hardware.
4. Re-create the Illustrator preferences file.
Re-create the Illustrator preferences file to eliminate problems that a damaged preference file might cause.
Note: When you re-create the preferences file, unsaved actions are lost. To save actions that you created, choose Save Actions from the Actions palette menu.
To re-create the Illustrator preferences file:
1. Quit Illustrator.
2. Rename the AIPrefs file (for example, to AIPrefs.old) in the Users/(user)/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator CS3 Settings folder.
3. Start Illustrator. Illustrator creates a new preferences file.
If the problem continues, then the AIPrefs file isn't the cause. To restore custom settings, delete the new AIPrefs file and restore the original name of the previous AIPrefs file.
5. Run Illustrator CS3 while no other applications are running.
Some applications or services may cause system errors or freezes when running concurrently with Illustrator. Before starting Illustrator, disable other applications, including startup items and services (items that start automatically with Windows).
To disable startup items and non Microsoft services:
1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
3. Write down all unselected items under the Startup and Services tabs.
4. Click the General tab, and choose Selective Startup.
5. Click the Startup tab and select Disable All.
6. Reselect FLEXnet Licensing Service and select any startup items that are essential for testing the problem. If you are unsure whether an item is essential, leave it deselected (disabled).
7. Click the Services tab, and check Hide All Microsoft Services.
8. Select Disable All then re-select any services that are essential for testing the problem. If you are unsure whether an item is essential, leave it deselected (disabled).
9. Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
Note: Upon restart, you'll be notified that the System Configuration utility has made changes to the way that Windows starts up. Click OK. When the System Configuration utility appears click Cancel.
10. Right-click icons in the Notification Area and close or disable any startup items that are still active.
Then, try to re-create the problem:
* If the problem no longer occurs, one of the startup items is the cause of the problem.
* If the problem recurs, startup items are not the cause of the problem and you can re-enable them:
1. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
2. Click the General tab, and choose Normal Startup.
3. Deselect any items that you wrote down in Step 3 of the previous section.
4. Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
6. Change the Windows default printer.
Some system errors or freezes may be caused by an incompatible printer driver. To determine if the driver for the current default printer is causing the problem in Illustrator, change the default printer.
To change the default printer:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Printers.
2. The current default printer is indicated by a check mark. Right-click on a different printer, or right-click on a document printer, such as Adobe PDF or Microsoft XPS Document Writer. Do not right-click on a network printer.
3. Choose Set As Default Printer from the menu.
Note: If no printer other than the current default printer is available, then create a virtual PostScript printer and set it as the default by doing the following:
1. In the Printers window, click Add A Printer. The Add Printer Wizard will open.
2. In the Add Printer Wizard, click Add A Local Printer.
3. Select Use An Existing Port. Choose FILE from the pop-up menu. Click Next.
4. Select a PostScript printer, such as Canon GP200/GP215 PostScript, HP LaserJet 4050 Series PS, or Lexmark Optra Color 45 PS. (The names of PostScript printers in the list generally end in "PostScript" or "PS.") Click Next.
5. Type Virtual Printer in the Printer Name text box. Select Set As The Default Printer. Click Next.
6. When the Add Printer Wizard displays the message "You've successfully added Virtual Printer," click Finish.
Once you have changed the default printer, try to re-create the problem in Illustrator. Then do one of the following:
*If the problem still occurs, then a printer driver is not the cause of the problem. Restore the previous default printer and proceed to task 7.
*If the problem no longer occurs, then install or reinstall the latest version of the driver for the previous default printer. (Go to the printer manufacturer's web site to download the latest driver.) Once you have installed the latest driver, open Printers in the Control Panel and restore that printer as the default printer. Then try again to re-create the problem in Illustrator. If the problem returns, then set the default printer back to the different printer or virtual PostScript printer that you chose in the steps above. Then, when you wish to print to your actual preferred printer from Illustrator, select that printer in the Print dialog.
7. Troubleshoot third-party plug-ins.
Remove third-party plug-ins from the Illustrator plug-ins folder, and then restart Illustrator. If the problem recurs, then move the plug-ins back to the Illustrator plug-ins folder and proceed to the next section of this document, "Intermediate troubleshooting." If the problem doesn't recur, then identify and address conflicting plug-ins.
To identify and address conflicting plug-ins:
1. Move one third-party plug-in back to the Illustrator plug-ins folder.
2. Restart Illustrator, and try to re-create the problem.
3. If the problem doesn't recur, then begin again at step 1. If the problem does recur, then contact the developer of the plug-in that you last moved, and inquire about an update.
Intermediate troubleshooting
If the tasks in the previous section don't solve the problem, then try the following intermediate troubleshooting tasks.
8. Reinstall Illustrator CS3 in Low resolution mode.
Note: You must install Illustrator CS3 in Low resolution mode, as the installer isn't compatible with Safe mode.
Device drivers and software that loads automatically with Windows (for example, screen savers and virus protection utilities) can conflict with the Illustrator installer and cause problems in Illustrator. To prevent conflict, reinstall Illustrator while Windows is in Low resolution mode. In Low resolution mode, nonstandard device drivers and startup software are disabled.
If reinstalling in Low resolution mode doesn't resolve the issue, then try installing and running Illustrator on a different computer, or on a different hard drive.
To reinstall Illustrator CS3 in Low resolution mode:
1. Move any personal files out of the Illustrator folder and it's subfolders
2. Uninstall Illustrator.
- If you installed Illustrator from the Illustrator CS3 DVD, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Uninstall a Program. Select Illustrator CS3 and click Uninstall/Change. Follow the on-screen instructions.
- If you installed Illustrator from any version of the Creative Suite 3 (Web, Design, Standard, Premium, etc.), choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Uninstall a Program. Select Adobe Creative Suite 3 (Version of Suite) and click Uninstall/Change. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the Illustrator component of the suite.
3. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
4. Write down all unselected items under the Startup and Services tabs.
5. Click the General tab, and choose Diagnostic Startup.
6. Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
7. Press the F8 key before Windows starts, when you see a message such as "For Advanced Startup Options.รข
8. Select Enable low-resolution video (640x480) from the list of startup options and press Enter.
9. Install Illustrator from the installation media.
10. Re-enable the disabled Startup items and services. To re-enable startup items and services:
* Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
* Click the General tab, and choose Normal Startup.
* Deselect any items that you wrote down in Step 3 of the previous section.
* Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
9. Run Illustrator in a new user account.
Create a new user account that has the same permissions as the account that you use when the problem occurs. If the problem doesn't recur, then the original user account may be damaged. For instructions on creating a new user account, see "To add a new user to the computer" in Windows Help or contact your system administrator.
10. Disable UAC (User Access Control).
Important: This procedure involves disabling User Access Control. This feature is intended to prevent administrative accounts from performing undesired actions that may affect the system. Disabling UAC removes these notifications. You must restart your system after you disable or re-enable UAC.
For more information on UAC, see the Microsoft Windows Vista support site.
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click User Accounts.
3. Select Turn User Account Control On Or Off.
4. Deselect Use User Account Control (UAC) To Help Protect Your Computer and click OK.
5. Click Restart Now.
To re-enable UAC:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click User Accounts.
3. Select Turn User Account Control On Or Off.
4. Select Use User Account Control (UAC) To Help Protect Your Computer and click OK.
5. Click Restart Now.
11. Update the video card driver.
Many video card manufacturers frequently update their software drivers. If you haven't recently updated the video card driver, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver, or download one from the manufacturer's website. (To determine the manufacturer of a video card, view the card's properties in Device Manager.)
12. Disable Windows Aero.
Aero is a new hardware-based graphical user interface in Windows Vista. It is intended to offer more advanced features than are available in the standard interface, including new transparencies and animations.
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click Personalization and select Window Color and Appearance.
3. Select Windows Color And Appearance.
4. Click Open Classic Appearance Properties For More Color Options.
5. Select a Color Scheme other than Windows Aero and click OK.
6. Re-create the problem behavior, and then do one of the following:
* If the problem doesn't recur, then Aero is the cause.
* If the problem recurs, then Aero isn't the cause. Re-enable Aero.
To re-enable Aero, do the following:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click Personalization and select Window Color and Appearance.
3. Select Windows Color And Appearance.
4. Choose Windows Aero from the Color Scheme menu and click OK.
13. Verify that other device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista.
If updating the video card driver doesn't resolve the problem, then verify that all other device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista. Device drivers are software files that allow Windows to communicate with devices such as scanners, mouse devices, and keyboards. Contact the device manufacturer to make sure that you are using the latest driver for it.
To check for device driver problems:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click System.
3. Click Device Manager in the Tasks pane.
4. Click the plus sign (+) to the left of each device type.
5. If a device appears with a black exclamation mark (!) in a yellow circle, then right-click that device, and choose Properties from the menu.
6. Note the properties for the device:
* Check the Device Status field: If the device isn't working properly, information in this field can help you troubleshoot the problem.
* If the Properties dialog box has a Driver tab, then click it. If the Driver tab doesn't indicate the driver provider, then click Driver Details. If Microsoft is the provider, then a generic driver is probably installed; contact the device manufacturer to obtain the most recent driver that they provide
14. Optimize handling of temporary files by Windows Vista.
Windows and applications store working data in temporary (.tmp) files that they create on the hard disk. Excessive or outdated temporary files can interfere with performance of Windows or applications.
Delete temporary files by using the Disk Cleanup utility included with Windows or by using the following instructions. Make sure that at least 1 GB of free space is available on the hard disk to which temporary files are written. To start Disk Cleanup, choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. For information about Disk Cleanup, see Windows Help.
To manually delete temporary files:
Note: Windows deletes temporary files when Windows and applications close normally. However, when Windows or an application crashes, temporary files can accumulate on the hard disk. Windows may prevent you from deleting some temporary files as they may be in use. Delete as many temporary files as you possibly can, without deleting the files that are in use.
1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start and type %tmp% in the Search text box and press Enter.
3. Delete the contents of this folder.
4. Note the drive letter where this directory is located.
To ensure that at least 1 GB of free space is available on the hard disk to which temporary files are written:
5. Choose Start > My Computer.
6. Select the drive noted in step 4. Right click and select Properties.
7. Confirm the drive has at least 1 GB of free space.
15. Set the virtual memory paging file to the default size.
Virtual memory allows the system to use hard disk space to store information normally stored in RAM. Windows Vista manages virtual memory by using a paging file. You specify the minimum and maximum size of this file. If the size is different from the default in Windows Vista, applications may return errors. However, some applications may require a non-default size for the paging file. Change the size only if other applications aren't adversely affected.
To set the paging file to the default size:
Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to change the size of the paging file.
1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start > Control Panel.
3. Double click System and select Advanced system settings from the Tasks pane.
4. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings in the Performance area.
5. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Change in the Virtual Memory area.
Note: Before you proceed to the next step you may need to deselect the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives checkbox.
6. From the Drive list, select a hard-disk partition that has free space equal to at least three times the amount of the computer's installed RAM. To determine the amount of space available on a hard-disk partition, click the drive letter; the amount of space available appears in the Paging File Size For Selected Drive area.
7. In the Initial Size box, enter a value equal to one and a half times the amount of the computer's installed RAM.
8. In the Maximum Size box, enter a value equal to twice the amount of the Initial Size value.
9. Click Set, and then click OK to close the Virtual Memory dialog box.
10. Click OK to the alert "The changes you have made require you to restart your computer . . ."
11. Click OK to close the Performance Options dialog box, and then click OK to close the System Properties dialog box.
12. Click Restart Now to restart your system.
16. Optimize scratch disks.
When insufficient RAM is available for bitmap image editing, Illustrator uses a scratch disk file--temporary disk space used for storing data and performing computations. Illustrator can create two scratch disk files of up to 2 GB each. Each scratch disk file must be on a separate partition.
The partition you specify as the primary scratch disk should have free space equal to three to five times the size of the average image file; specify a secondary scratch disk if you have an additional partition. If disk space is insufficient, then delete temporary files (see task 13) or remove other files from the hard disks.
To specify a scratch disk in Illustrator, choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disk.
17. Repair and defragment hard disks.
System errors can occur if hard disks contain damaged sectors or fragmented files. Repair and defragment hard disks, either by using the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter utility included with Windows or by using a third-party disk utility (for example, Symantec Norton Utilities). You should run such utilities on each hard disk or partition. More information about the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter appears below; for more information about a third-party disk utility, refer to the documentation for the utility.
The Error-checking tool repairs bad sectors, lost allocation units and file fragments, cross-linked files, and invalid file names. To access the Error-checking tool, choose Start > Computer, right-click the desired hard disk, and choose Properties from the menu. In the Local Disk Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then click Check Now in the Error-checking area.
Note: To prevent Disk Defragmenter from moving files to bad sectors of a disk, run the Error-checking tool before running Disk Defragmenter.
Disk Defragmenter rearranges the files and free space on your computer so that files are stored in contiguous units and free space is consolidated in one contiguous block. To access the Disk Defragmenter utility, choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
18. Scan the system for viruses.
Use current anti-virus software (for example, Symantec Norton Antivirus or McAfee Virus Scan) to check the system for viruses. Virus infections can damage software and cause system errors. For more information, see the documentation for the anti-virus software.
Advanced troubleshooting
If the tasks in the previous section don't resolve the problem, then you may be able to resolve the problem by reinstalling Windows Vista and Illustrator, reformatting your hard disk and reinstalling Windows Vista and Illustrator, or by determining if hardware is conflicting with Illustrator.
Disclaimer: Adobe doesn't support hardware and provides these procedures as a courtesy only. For further assistance, contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller. If you troubleshoot hardware problems yourself, then you may void the warranty for your computer.
Note: Before you remove or rearrange hardware, turn off and disconnect power to the computer and any peripheral devices.
19. Log in using the built-in Administrator account.
The built-in Administrator account has a higher access level to the system than a normal local administrator account. By default the built-in Administrator account is disabled. For information about enabling and logging in to the built-in Administrator account, contact your system administrator. You can also refer to this support document on the Microsoft support website: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926183/ ... 737&sid=73.
20. Check for problems with RAM modules.
Ensure that the RAM modules are installed properly and are not the cause of your problem. Do one or more of the following:
* Change the order of the installed modules.
* Remove all but the minimum number of modules needed to run Windows and Illustrator, and test to see if the problem persists. If it does, replace the modules you removed and remove the others, testing again to see if the problem recurs. If it doesn't, then one or more of the removed modules are the cause. For assistance, contact the RAM manufacturer.
21. Contact Adobe Technical Support.
If none of the above steps has resolved the error or freeze that you are experiencing with Illustrator, then you need to contact Adobe Technical Support. You can find the support options at the Support Center.
Illustrator may not run correctly on a system that doesn't meet the following requirements:
* Intel Pentium 4 or Pentium 5, Centrino or equivalent processor
* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise Ultimate (certified support for 32-bit editions only)
* 1GB recommended; 512 MB minimum
* 2GB of available hard-disk space
* 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution 16-bit video card (24-bit screen display recommended)
* Internet or phone connection required for product activation
* DVD-ROM drive
To check basic system information, such as processor speed and how much RAM is installed, choose Start > Control Panel > System.
2. Install the latest version of Illustrator.
The latest version of Illustrator may be more compatible with the operating system and drivers. Before you install an update or upgrade, make sure that the system meets the requirements.
Updates are available from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads. An upgrade, however, may solve a wider range of problems. (You may prefer to try the tasks in the rest of this document before upgrading.) You can purchase upgrades from Adobe Authorized Resellers and from Adobe directly:
* To locate an Authorized Reseller, visit the Adobe website at http://partners.adobe.com/resellerfinde ... seller.jsp and choose your country or region from the menu at the top of the page.
* To purchase an upgrade from Adobe, visit the Adobe Store at http://store.adobe.com/store and choose your country or region from the menu at the top of the page.
* To contact Adobe Customer Service in your region for assistance, visit the Adobe website at www.adobe.com, select your region from the menu at the top of the page, and then click Contact Us.
3. Install current Windows service packs and other updates.
Updates to the Windows operating system improve its performance and compatibility with applications. You can obtain Windows service packs and other updates from the Microsoft website at www.windowsupdate.com. For assistance installing service packs and other updates, contact Microsoft technical support.
Important: Before you install a system update, check the system requirements for Illustrator CS3 (and any third-party software or hardware you may use with Illustrator to ensure compatibility. If the update isn't listed, then contact Adobe or the manufacturer of your third-party software or hardware.
4. Re-create the Illustrator preferences file.
Re-create the Illustrator preferences file to eliminate problems that a damaged preference file might cause.
Note: When you re-create the preferences file, unsaved actions are lost. To save actions that you created, choose Save Actions from the Actions palette menu.
To re-create the Illustrator preferences file:
1. Quit Illustrator.
2. Rename the AIPrefs file (for example, to AIPrefs.old) in the Users/(user)/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator CS3 Settings folder.
3. Start Illustrator. Illustrator creates a new preferences file.
If the problem continues, then the AIPrefs file isn't the cause. To restore custom settings, delete the new AIPrefs file and restore the original name of the previous AIPrefs file.
5. Run Illustrator CS3 while no other applications are running.
Some applications or services may cause system errors or freezes when running concurrently with Illustrator. Before starting Illustrator, disable other applications, including startup items and services (items that start automatically with Windows).
To disable startup items and non Microsoft services:
1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
3. Write down all unselected items under the Startup and Services tabs.
4. Click the General tab, and choose Selective Startup.
5. Click the Startup tab and select Disable All.
6. Reselect FLEXnet Licensing Service and select any startup items that are essential for testing the problem. If you are unsure whether an item is essential, leave it deselected (disabled).
7. Click the Services tab, and check Hide All Microsoft Services.
8. Select Disable All then re-select any services that are essential for testing the problem. If you are unsure whether an item is essential, leave it deselected (disabled).
9. Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
Note: Upon restart, you'll be notified that the System Configuration utility has made changes to the way that Windows starts up. Click OK. When the System Configuration utility appears click Cancel.
10. Right-click icons in the Notification Area and close or disable any startup items that are still active.
Then, try to re-create the problem:
* If the problem no longer occurs, one of the startup items is the cause of the problem.
* If the problem recurs, startup items are not the cause of the problem and you can re-enable them:
1. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
2. Click the General tab, and choose Normal Startup.
3. Deselect any items that you wrote down in Step 3 of the previous section.
4. Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
6. Change the Windows default printer.
Some system errors or freezes may be caused by an incompatible printer driver. To determine if the driver for the current default printer is causing the problem in Illustrator, change the default printer.
To change the default printer:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Printers.
2. The current default printer is indicated by a check mark. Right-click on a different printer, or right-click on a document printer, such as Adobe PDF or Microsoft XPS Document Writer. Do not right-click on a network printer.
3. Choose Set As Default Printer from the menu.
Note: If no printer other than the current default printer is available, then create a virtual PostScript printer and set it as the default by doing the following:
1. In the Printers window, click Add A Printer. The Add Printer Wizard will open.
2. In the Add Printer Wizard, click Add A Local Printer.
3. Select Use An Existing Port. Choose FILE from the pop-up menu. Click Next.
4. Select a PostScript printer, such as Canon GP200/GP215 PostScript, HP LaserJet 4050 Series PS, or Lexmark Optra Color 45 PS. (The names of PostScript printers in the list generally end in "PostScript" or "PS.") Click Next.
5. Type Virtual Printer in the Printer Name text box. Select Set As The Default Printer. Click Next.
6. When the Add Printer Wizard displays the message "You've successfully added Virtual Printer," click Finish.
Once you have changed the default printer, try to re-create the problem in Illustrator. Then do one of the following:
*If the problem still occurs, then a printer driver is not the cause of the problem. Restore the previous default printer and proceed to task 7.
*If the problem no longer occurs, then install or reinstall the latest version of the driver for the previous default printer. (Go to the printer manufacturer's web site to download the latest driver.) Once you have installed the latest driver, open Printers in the Control Panel and restore that printer as the default printer. Then try again to re-create the problem in Illustrator. If the problem returns, then set the default printer back to the different printer or virtual PostScript printer that you chose in the steps above. Then, when you wish to print to your actual preferred printer from Illustrator, select that printer in the Print dialog.
7. Troubleshoot third-party plug-ins.
Remove third-party plug-ins from the Illustrator plug-ins folder, and then restart Illustrator. If the problem recurs, then move the plug-ins back to the Illustrator plug-ins folder and proceed to the next section of this document, "Intermediate troubleshooting." If the problem doesn't recur, then identify and address conflicting plug-ins.
To identify and address conflicting plug-ins:
1. Move one third-party plug-in back to the Illustrator plug-ins folder.
2. Restart Illustrator, and try to re-create the problem.
3. If the problem doesn't recur, then begin again at step 1. If the problem does recur, then contact the developer of the plug-in that you last moved, and inquire about an update.
Intermediate troubleshooting
If the tasks in the previous section don't solve the problem, then try the following intermediate troubleshooting tasks.
8. Reinstall Illustrator CS3 in Low resolution mode.
Note: You must install Illustrator CS3 in Low resolution mode, as the installer isn't compatible with Safe mode.
Device drivers and software that loads automatically with Windows (for example, screen savers and virus protection utilities) can conflict with the Illustrator installer and cause problems in Illustrator. To prevent conflict, reinstall Illustrator while Windows is in Low resolution mode. In Low resolution mode, nonstandard device drivers and startup software are disabled.
If reinstalling in Low resolution mode doesn't resolve the issue, then try installing and running Illustrator on a different computer, or on a different hard drive.
To reinstall Illustrator CS3 in Low resolution mode:
1. Move any personal files out of the Illustrator folder and it's subfolders
2. Uninstall Illustrator.
- If you installed Illustrator from the Illustrator CS3 DVD, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Uninstall a Program. Select Illustrator CS3 and click Uninstall/Change. Follow the on-screen instructions.
- If you installed Illustrator from any version of the Creative Suite 3 (Web, Design, Standard, Premium, etc.), choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Uninstall a Program. Select Adobe Creative Suite 3 (Version of Suite) and click Uninstall/Change. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the Illustrator component of the suite.
3. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
4. Write down all unselected items under the Startup and Services tabs.
5. Click the General tab, and choose Diagnostic Startup.
6. Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
7. Press the F8 key before Windows starts, when you see a message such as "For Advanced Startup Options.รข
8. Select Enable low-resolution video (640x480) from the list of startup options and press Enter.
9. Install Illustrator from the installation media.
10. Re-enable the disabled Startup items and services. To re-enable startup items and services:
* Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
* Click the General tab, and choose Normal Startup.
* Deselect any items that you wrote down in Step 3 of the previous section.
* Click Apply, and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
9. Run Illustrator in a new user account.
Create a new user account that has the same permissions as the account that you use when the problem occurs. If the problem doesn't recur, then the original user account may be damaged. For instructions on creating a new user account, see "To add a new user to the computer" in Windows Help or contact your system administrator.
10. Disable UAC (User Access Control).
Important: This procedure involves disabling User Access Control. This feature is intended to prevent administrative accounts from performing undesired actions that may affect the system. Disabling UAC removes these notifications. You must restart your system after you disable or re-enable UAC.
For more information on UAC, see the Microsoft Windows Vista support site.
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click User Accounts.
3. Select Turn User Account Control On Or Off.
4. Deselect Use User Account Control (UAC) To Help Protect Your Computer and click OK.
5. Click Restart Now.
To re-enable UAC:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click User Accounts.
3. Select Turn User Account Control On Or Off.
4. Select Use User Account Control (UAC) To Help Protect Your Computer and click OK.
5. Click Restart Now.
11. Update the video card driver.
Many video card manufacturers frequently update their software drivers. If you haven't recently updated the video card driver, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver, or download one from the manufacturer's website. (To determine the manufacturer of a video card, view the card's properties in Device Manager.)
12. Disable Windows Aero.
Aero is a new hardware-based graphical user interface in Windows Vista. It is intended to offer more advanced features than are available in the standard interface, including new transparencies and animations.
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click Personalization and select Window Color and Appearance.
3. Select Windows Color And Appearance.
4. Click Open Classic Appearance Properties For More Color Options.
5. Select a Color Scheme other than Windows Aero and click OK.
6. Re-create the problem behavior, and then do one of the following:
* If the problem doesn't recur, then Aero is the cause.
* If the problem recurs, then Aero isn't the cause. Re-enable Aero.
To re-enable Aero, do the following:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click Personalization and select Window Color and Appearance.
3. Select Windows Color And Appearance.
4. Choose Windows Aero from the Color Scheme menu and click OK.
13. Verify that other device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista.
If updating the video card driver doesn't resolve the problem, then verify that all other device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista. Device drivers are software files that allow Windows to communicate with devices such as scanners, mouse devices, and keyboards. Contact the device manufacturer to make sure that you are using the latest driver for it.
To check for device driver problems:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click System.
3. Click Device Manager in the Tasks pane.
4. Click the plus sign (+) to the left of each device type.
5. If a device appears with a black exclamation mark (!) in a yellow circle, then right-click that device, and choose Properties from the menu.
6. Note the properties for the device:
* Check the Device Status field: If the device isn't working properly, information in this field can help you troubleshoot the problem.
* If the Properties dialog box has a Driver tab, then click it. If the Driver tab doesn't indicate the driver provider, then click Driver Details. If Microsoft is the provider, then a generic driver is probably installed; contact the device manufacturer to obtain the most recent driver that they provide
14. Optimize handling of temporary files by Windows Vista.
Windows and applications store working data in temporary (.tmp) files that they create on the hard disk. Excessive or outdated temporary files can interfere with performance of Windows or applications.
Delete temporary files by using the Disk Cleanup utility included with Windows or by using the following instructions. Make sure that at least 1 GB of free space is available on the hard disk to which temporary files are written. To start Disk Cleanup, choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. For information about Disk Cleanup, see Windows Help.
To manually delete temporary files:
Note: Windows deletes temporary files when Windows and applications close normally. However, when Windows or an application crashes, temporary files can accumulate on the hard disk. Windows may prevent you from deleting some temporary files as they may be in use. Delete as many temporary files as you possibly can, without deleting the files that are in use.
1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start and type %tmp% in the Search text box and press Enter.
3. Delete the contents of this folder.
4. Note the drive letter where this directory is located.
To ensure that at least 1 GB of free space is available on the hard disk to which temporary files are written:
5. Choose Start > My Computer.
6. Select the drive noted in step 4. Right click and select Properties.
7. Confirm the drive has at least 1 GB of free space.
15. Set the virtual memory paging file to the default size.
Virtual memory allows the system to use hard disk space to store information normally stored in RAM. Windows Vista manages virtual memory by using a paging file. You specify the minimum and maximum size of this file. If the size is different from the default in Windows Vista, applications may return errors. However, some applications may require a non-default size for the paging file. Change the size only if other applications aren't adversely affected.
To set the paging file to the default size:
Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to change the size of the paging file.
1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start > Control Panel.
3. Double click System and select Advanced system settings from the Tasks pane.
4. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings in the Performance area.
5. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Change in the Virtual Memory area.
Note: Before you proceed to the next step you may need to deselect the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives checkbox.
6. From the Drive list, select a hard-disk partition that has free space equal to at least three times the amount of the computer's installed RAM. To determine the amount of space available on a hard-disk partition, click the drive letter; the amount of space available appears in the Paging File Size For Selected Drive area.
7. In the Initial Size box, enter a value equal to one and a half times the amount of the computer's installed RAM.
8. In the Maximum Size box, enter a value equal to twice the amount of the Initial Size value.
9. Click Set, and then click OK to close the Virtual Memory dialog box.
10. Click OK to the alert "The changes you have made require you to restart your computer . . ."
11. Click OK to close the Performance Options dialog box, and then click OK to close the System Properties dialog box.
12. Click Restart Now to restart your system.
16. Optimize scratch disks.
When insufficient RAM is available for bitmap image editing, Illustrator uses a scratch disk file--temporary disk space used for storing data and performing computations. Illustrator can create two scratch disk files of up to 2 GB each. Each scratch disk file must be on a separate partition.
The partition you specify as the primary scratch disk should have free space equal to three to five times the size of the average image file; specify a secondary scratch disk if you have an additional partition. If disk space is insufficient, then delete temporary files (see task 13) or remove other files from the hard disks.
To specify a scratch disk in Illustrator, choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disk.
17. Repair and defragment hard disks.
System errors can occur if hard disks contain damaged sectors or fragmented files. Repair and defragment hard disks, either by using the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter utility included with Windows or by using a third-party disk utility (for example, Symantec Norton Utilities). You should run such utilities on each hard disk or partition. More information about the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter appears below; for more information about a third-party disk utility, refer to the documentation for the utility.
The Error-checking tool repairs bad sectors, lost allocation units and file fragments, cross-linked files, and invalid file names. To access the Error-checking tool, choose Start > Computer, right-click the desired hard disk, and choose Properties from the menu. In the Local Disk Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then click Check Now in the Error-checking area.
Note: To prevent Disk Defragmenter from moving files to bad sectors of a disk, run the Error-checking tool before running Disk Defragmenter.
Disk Defragmenter rearranges the files and free space on your computer so that files are stored in contiguous units and free space is consolidated in one contiguous block. To access the Disk Defragmenter utility, choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
18. Scan the system for viruses.
Use current anti-virus software (for example, Symantec Norton Antivirus or McAfee Virus Scan) to check the system for viruses. Virus infections can damage software and cause system errors. For more information, see the documentation for the anti-virus software.
Advanced troubleshooting
If the tasks in the previous section don't resolve the problem, then you may be able to resolve the problem by reinstalling Windows Vista and Illustrator, reformatting your hard disk and reinstalling Windows Vista and Illustrator, or by determining if hardware is conflicting with Illustrator.
Disclaimer: Adobe doesn't support hardware and provides these procedures as a courtesy only. For further assistance, contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller. If you troubleshoot hardware problems yourself, then you may void the warranty for your computer.
Note: Before you remove or rearrange hardware, turn off and disconnect power to the computer and any peripheral devices.
19. Log in using the built-in Administrator account.
The built-in Administrator account has a higher access level to the system than a normal local administrator account. By default the built-in Administrator account is disabled. For information about enabling and logging in to the built-in Administrator account, contact your system administrator. You can also refer to this support document on the Microsoft support website: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926183/ ... 737&sid=73.
20. Check for problems with RAM modules.
Ensure that the RAM modules are installed properly and are not the cause of your problem. Do one or more of the following:
* Change the order of the installed modules.
* Remove all but the minimum number of modules needed to run Windows and Illustrator, and test to see if the problem persists. If it does, replace the modules you removed and remove the others, testing again to see if the problem recurs. If it doesn't, then one or more of the removed modules are the cause. For assistance, contact the RAM manufacturer.
21. Contact Adobe Technical Support.
If none of the above steps has resolved the error or freeze that you are experiencing with Illustrator, then you need to contact Adobe Technical Support. You can find the support options at the Support Center.
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