SPC Computers Support Page

SPC Computers Technicians will offer end users of computers and networking equipment online technical support. From time to time our technicians will post support information on this site to help you with your problem. If you don't fine what you are looking for on this support page, you can e-mail support@spccomputers.com and someone will contact via e-mail to try and help you with your problem FREE of charge. If a link is broken please contact brokenlink@spccomputers.com

If you are feeling a like a nerd and don't know much about computers check out some of our information below

Question:	I Just Upgraded To Windows Service Pack 2 And Now I Can't Get On The Internet ?
Answer:	Most of the Internet connectivity problems arise out of corrupt Winsock settings. Windows sockets settings may get corrupted due to a networking software installation, spyware or remnants of it. You may notice errors such as "Page cannot be displayed" or similar, in Internet Explorer. You will be able to get connected to the Internet, but the packets won't transfer back and forth. One of the main cause for these problems is the corruption of Winsock settings. In any case, you may use these methods to repair/reset the Windows Sockets settings to defaults. Winsock now has the ability to self-heal after a user uninstalls such an LSP. Two new Netsh commands are available in Windows XP Service Pack 2. • netsh winsock reset catalog This command resets the Winsock catalog to the default configuration. This can be useful if a malformed LSP is installed that results in loss of network connectivity. While use of this command can restore network connectivity, it should be used with care because any previously-installed LSPs will need to be re-installed. • netsh winsock show catalog This command displays the list of Winsock LSPs that are installed on the computer. To output the results to a file type this in Command Prompt (CMD.EXE) netsh winsock show catalog >C:\lsp.txt
Question:	What is Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) ?
Answer:	A service pack is an update to a software application that provides fixes and enhancements to the product. Service packs can either be downloaded or ordered directly from the company. Windows XP Service Pack 2 is mostly about security. It will give you tools to easily view, understand, and control the security aspects of your computer. It includes changes in the operating system to nearly every area related to computer and network security.
Question:	What to Do Before You Download Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) ?
Answer:	You will need to follow some easy steps to prepare your Dell computer before you download and install Windows XP Service Pack 2. Update and run your spyware removal software to scan and remove spyware. SPC Computers recommends Ad-Aware 2008 to remove any spyware prior to downloading and installing Windows XP Service Pack 2. Run your spyware software and remove any unwanted spyware, then reboot your computer and run the software again. If unwanted spyware is still found, remove it and reboot your computer. NOTE: Some spyware could potentially cause the installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2 to fail and may leave your computer inoperable until you remove Service Pack 2 or reinstall Windows XP. Support for spyware removal applications is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.
Question:	What is Spyware ?
Answer:	The term spyware refers to software that gathers personal information from your computer, sometimes without your knowledge. The information is often used for advertising purposes. Spyware may cause your computer to slow down or encounter errors. Spyware has also been known to cause unwanted pop-up advertisements, an inability to connect to the Internet, and problems printing. Spyware applications can be bundled as a hidden component of free programs downloaded from the Internet. Once installed, spyware can monitor your activity on the Internet and transmit that information to a third party. Some forms of spyware can gather information about e-mail addresses, passwords, and even credit card numbers. A common way to get spyware is through the installation of file-swapping programs that are used to download music and movies from the Internet.
Question:	What is Spam And How Can You Avoid It ?
Answer:	Internet Spam by definition is unsolicited commercial email sent to a large number of addresses. Spam has become a major problem throughout the Internet. The individuals that send spam have a variety of utilities they use to harvest or guess email addresses. Most spam is generated outside of this country and presently there are no international laws regulating it. There are a few states that have laws regarding spam but these laws, as they are set up presently, are difficult if not impossible to enforce. These are some things you can keep in mind regarding your email address to help you avoid becoming a target for spammers and their mailing lists: 1. Avoid using your email address in chat rooms and bulletin board sites. Many marketers use utility programs that harvest email addresses of individuals posting to these kinds of sites. If you must use an email address, get a secondary email with another ISP and then use it for these sites. Any spam would then be sent to that account instead of your account. 2. Don't reply to unsolicited junk email, even if the message tells you to in order to be removed from their list. Replying to it only validates your email address, leaving you open to be added to even more spammer lists. 3. Treat spam as you would a telemarketing phone call or mail solicitation. Don't believe their wild promises, just delete it. 4. If a website, business, or individual asks for your email address, treat it like you would your telephone number. Don't give it out without asking who will use it and whether they will share it. Ok, now that you know what to do to help yourself avoid spam it is also important that you realize, there is no way for you to evade it 100%. Spammers have utility programs that can generate or guess email addresses for particular domain names and send to them. If your email address happens to be one that they generate or guess, you've just received their spam. This is why its also important to setup filters or Anti-Spam blockers to help ward off a majority of your spam mail.
Question:	What Can I Do About Spyware ?
Answer:	SPC Computers offers spyware removal software to download such as Ad-Aware 2008. which have received favorable reviews in many computer industry trade publications and other related web sites. To find or learn more about these applications, simply search the Internet using your favorite search engine. Alternatively, spyware removal software may be added as an upgrade to the anti-virus application that came with your system. NOTE: Support for spyware removal applications is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.
Question:	What is a Virus ?
Answer:	Viruses are self-executing, self-replicating programs. They alter the way a computer operates without the knowledge or permission of the user. When activated, viruses may damage files, cause erratic system behavior, or display annoying messages. The ability to self-replicate differentiates viruses from Trojan horses, worms, and other virus-like programs.
Question:	What is a Worm ?
Answer:	A worm is a self-replicating virus that does not alter files but resides in active memory and duplicates itself. Worms use parts of an operating system that are automatic and usually invisible to the user. It is common for worms to be noticed only when their uncontrolled replication consumes system resources, slowing or halting other tasks.
Question:	What is a Trojan Horse ?
Answer:	Trojan horses are malicious programs disguised as something benign. They've been known to pose as games, utilities, and email attachments. Once opened, Trojan horses act much differently than you expect. Some merely annoy, sending emails to everyone in your address book. Others do serious damage, to the point of stealing passwords and data files. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses are not self-replicating. Active Trojan horses are an advanced type of Trojan horse. They use unprotected ports to open lines of communication with your computer, and they can ultimately give hackers control over your machine. Active Trojan horses are also called Remote Access Trojans.
Question:	When Should I Flash My BIOS ?
Answer:	A BIOS upgrade will usually contain one or more of the following: additional BIOS features, fixes for various bugs and/or compatibility problems, and additional CPU support. The newest BIOS upgrade will always contain the fixes from earlier revisions (so you do not need to flash every BIOS revision between your current revision and the latest revision). However, if your system is working without problems or conflicts, then it isn't recommended that you flash your BIOS. If it isn't broke, don't fix it! Trying to fix a working system might result in a non-working one!
Question:	How Do I Find The IP Address Of My Computer ?
Answer:	Windows 9x From the Start menu, select the Run option. In the space provided, type WINIPCFG and press enter. A dialog box will be displayed, showing IPs/Gateways/Subnet masks for the different interfaces on your PC. The drop down list at the top of the dialog will show all of your interface devices. These may include your network card, dialup modem or xDSL adapter. Select the adapter that connects you to the Internet to view the corresponding IP address. Or you can go to http://whatismyip.com/ to find out what is your IP address Windows 2000 From the Start Menu, go to Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. In the DOS Prompt window that opens, type IPCONFIG. You should see a list of interfaces and corresponding IP addresses. Or you can go to http://whatismyip.com/ to find out what is your IP address. Linux From the shell prompt, type /sbin/ifconfig and press enter. You should see a report with list of devices and corresponding information about them. Locate the device that connects you to the internet, and make note of the "inet addr" This is your IP address. Or you can go to http://whatismyip.com/ to find out what is your IP address.
Question:	What Is The Difference Between A Hub And A Switch ?
Answer:	Generally, a switch is much faster than a hub and reduces collisions/retransmissions. Switches send traffic only to the destination device/port, while hubs broadcast the data to all ports. If you have a choice, a switch will provide more reliable and faster transfers of data. Typically it is hard to notice a difference between hub and switch transfer speeds in small LANs (2 to 3 devices), however the more devices you introduce to the network, the greater advantage of using a switch.
Question:	How Do You Disable CD AutoPlay When Windows Scanned For A Newly Inserted CD ?
Answer:	Disabling this feature let’s the CPU do other things besides looking for a CD every second 1. Right Click My Computer. 2. Click Properties. 3. Click the Device Manager tab. 4. Click CD-ROM. 5. Double Click your specific CD-ROM. 6. Click the Settings tab. 7. Uncheck Auto Insert Notification. 8. Click OK. 9. You must restart your computer before the new settings will take effect. Do you want to restart your computer now? Click Yes
Question:	What is Windows XP ?
Answer:	Windows Experience (Windows XP) is the name for the next version of Windows 2000 (formerly known as Whistler). Technically, Windows XP isn't the huge jump that Win2K was from Windows NT 4.0, but Windows XP does realize Microsoft's long-term plan of one code base. Starting with Windows XP, there will be no more Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me) or Windows 9x. The Windows XP family currently comprises the following products: Windows XP Personal (the Win9x replacement) Windows XP Professional (Win2K Professional) Windows XP Server Windows XP Advanced Server Windows XP Data Center The differences between Windows XP Personal and Windows XP Professional are minor. Windows XP Personal supports only one processor; Windows XP Pro supports two. In addition, Windows XP Personal doesn't support RDP, but Windows XP Pro does. In fact, with Windows XP Pro, even local sessions use RDP, which means that you can log off your machine, someone else can log on to your machine then log off, and you can log on again with all your programs still running! Windows XP also adds support for the 64-bit processor, Itanium, which will ship in Windows XP Pro and Windows XP Server. Microsoft is adding some of the neat Windows Me features to Windows XP, including the Video Editor software. Windows XP also has an updated UI, although the older style UI is still available for those who prefer it.
Question:	When Powering Up The System, The Power Supply Comes On But There Is No Video, What Should I Check First?
Answer:	Possible Solutions: a) Open Case, and re-seat video card b) Re-seat CPU and RAM c) Check Power Supply voltage to insure 115 volt setting is set
Question:	I have a Super Socket 7 Motherboard And Am Loading Windows 95/98/98SE And Can't Get The AGP Video Driver To Work. It Only Comes Up With 4 or 16 Colors. What Is The Problem ?
Answer:	Possible Solutions: Super Socket 7 motherboards with AGP require a special driver in order for Windows 95/98 to activate the port. You will still get standard VGA from the system, but until the driver is loaded the port can not be manipulated by Windows 95/98. a) For Windows 95, OSR2 will be required, USB support files must be loaded first before the AGP patch file. After USB is loaded, install the AGP patch provided by the motherboard manufacturer. After AGP, then load the video card drive. Update DIRECTX drivers if necessary to DX5 or DX6. b) For Windows 98, install AGP patch file then install video driver. Update DIRECTX drivers if necessary to DX8.
Question:	I Always Was Told That Viruses Could Not Damage My Hardware. Now I Am Told That A Virus Has Destroyed My BIOS. How Can This Happen ?
Answer:	Just a few years ago, motherboard BIOS information was stored on an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The EPROM contents can only be erased or programmed using special equipment, because of this it was difficult to upgrade the BIOS to fix problems. As motherboards evolved, designers starting using an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM) to store the BIOS information, this allowed the motherboard BIOS to be easily changed to fit the increasing market of components and software. Since an EEPROM is programmed using a special software tool, it is more easily accessed by computer viruses. A recent computer virus (C.I.H. - a.k.a. Chernobyl) can modify the EEPROM's data. Any changes made can render the motherboard in operable.
Question:	How Do I Get My Computer Out Of Standby Mode ?
Answer:	On all SPC Computer Systems, the computer will come back from standby with mouse movement or by depressing the spacebar on your keyboard. On some systems, it is necessary to momentarily press the power button to bring the system out of standby. Most systems monitors has energy saving feature that puts the monitor to sleep. Windows also has a feature that does this as well. You should never try and run them both together because you might have conflicts fighting each other and might never wake up your system up, only by rebooting your system again which can be a pain at times.
Question:	My Computer is Turning On By itself At Night. I Have A Gigabyte GA5AX Motherboard And Windows 98/98SE. What Is The Problem ?
Answer:	You might have gremlins in your computer. "No not really" This is a known problem with Gigabyte motherboards. In order to fix this problem, Gigabyte has released BIOS Version F4 for this motherboard.
Question:	I Have Installed A New Hard Drive In An Older System And It Is Only Detecting 8 Gigabytes Of The Drive. What Is The Problem ?
Answer:	Hard drive size is determined by your system’s BIOS. If you are installing a hard drive over 8GB into an older machine, make sure you have installed the most updated BIOS for the motherboard. BIOS updates can be found on this page or the motherboards manufacture and sometimes after you updated your motherboards BIOS to the latest revision and it detects more hard drive space but, not all the space on the hard drive is because the motherboard manufacture has not come out with a BIOS revision large enough to support the larger hard drive. You might want to check back with your motherboards manufacture for yet another updated revision. If there is no current or never will be another updated for your motherboards BIOS, then you can still use the larger hard drive with no damage to the hard drive or motherboard. You can also change the mother to another type or manufacture. Check the specs on the motherboard before purchasing it to suit your needs.
Question:	How Do I Know What Type Of Computer I Should Get ?
Answer:	Computers come in all sizes, speeds and styles. The kind of computer you should get depends on what you want to use it for. Keeping your books, inventory control and graphic design are just a few of the business functions that can be done using a computer. SPC Computer Systems is committed to spending the time to get to know your business, so we can advise you as your value added reseller on the best and most cost-effective computer system for your needs.
Question:	I Have Noticed That The Pentium® 4 Processor-Based Systems Have A Different Type Of Case And Power Supply, Are These Necessary ? Can I Use My Existing Case And Power Supply ?
Answer:	An Intel® Pentium® 4 processor-based PC requires a minimum of 250 watt ATX12V power supply, and a chassis that mechanically supports the processor heat sink assembly. A 300 watt power supply would be minimal and the idea one to get if you were think about a Pentium 4 processor would be a 300 to 350 watt power supply. AMD64 requires a 300 watt power supply minimal but, ideal would a 300 to 350 watt power supply. System designs based on Pentium 4 processors require a new type of power supply. This new type is a superset of the original ATX power supply specification and is defined as an "ATX12V" power supply. The extra +12V power connector enables the delivery of more current to the Pentium 4 processor-based boards. The presence of the +12V 4-pin connector indicates that the power supply is an ATX12V. The absence of the +12V 4-pin connector indicates that the power supply is an ATX version. The new +12VDC connector lies near the processor's DC to DC converter and voltage regulators, which affords higher power conversion and transmission efficiencies and future platform flexibility. Additionally, there is a 6-pin aux connector associated with the ATX12V power supply. This auxiliary power connector provides additional +3.3VDC and +5VDC current. Your chassis solution must have support for the processor heat sink assembly and additional support mounts for the heat sink. Therefore, it is recommended that you use a chassis that has been designed to mechanically support the Pentium 4 processor. CAUTION: Failure to use an ATX12V power supply, or not connecting both additional power supply leads to the Intel® Desktop Board D850GB or an Intel® Desktop Board D850GBAL may result in damage to the desktop board and/or power supply.
Question:	Why Does My System Keep Locking Up ?
Answer:	Determining the cause of a lock up can be very frustrating. Attempt to determine if your situation is caused by a software problem, a hardware problem, or due to something external to your machine. It is always best to make one change at a time until you discover the cause. Software: Application specific - Is the machine only locking up under one application? Operating System patches Look for temporary files and delete them. Do NOT do this while applications are running. Latest drivers for video and IDE devices Advanced CMOS settings - make sure the settings are 'default'. Improper settings for timing can cause havoc. Upgrade the BIOS revision to a newer one. Please read all the steps before doing this procedure. If you don't like reading manuals, before you flash the BIOS is the time to read. Hardware: Is your CPU cooling fan dirty or working? If your CPU cooling fan is working, maybe it's not spinning fast enough to cool the CPU off enough like it did when you first purchase your computer. Check all the jumper settings on the mainboard. Pay Special attention to jumper settings for CPU, Bus settings, voltages, and L2 Cache settings. L2 Cache may be bad. Disable the cache by removing it and changing the jumper settings or, as a minimum, disable the cache in the BIOS settings per the motherboard manual. Incompatible devices such as video cards, SCSI cards, etc. Remove all devices except the bare minimum. CPU cooling Power supply Core memory modules Extra cooling fans may have to be added to your case depending on what type of processor you have on your motherboard. The new processors today are required to have extra ventilation because they are getting faster and hotter. If you don't add extra ventilation you could damage your processor and motherboard and other components. If you have already installed extra cooling fans to your case maybe they are not working correctly or you have them installed wrong. SPC Computers recommends that there should be a cooling fan in the back and front of your case for the best cooling solutions. You want the air to enter your case in the front and then exit the back of the case. Just like you would have on your house roof ventilation. External Causes: Poor power from the outlet
Question:	Problem Running ScanDisk And Defrag ?
Answer:	Many people have problems running ScanDisk and/or Defrag, with the program running 10% or 30% and then stalling. Often with a message that Windows is trying to write to the drive. To run ScanDisk/Defrag successfully: Go to Start > Run and type msconfig in the Open: box On the General tab, uncheck all items listed under Selective startup (make sure that Selective startup is selected) Hit apply and OK and restart Windows This starts Windows with only the basics running; Insures nothing will interfere with ScanDisk and Defrag Run ScanDisk and Defrag, when ready go into msconfig and select Normal startup and restart Windows (If you use Windows 95, restart your system, when you see the Starting Windows 95... text on your screen, quickly press the F8 key. From the menu that follows, choose Safe mode, and run ScanDisk & Defrag. When ready, reboot.)
Question:	I Hear A Loud Noise in My Computer What Might That Be ?
Answer:	Many people having that same problems with that same noise is from not cleaning the CPU cooling fan or case fans or for that matter your power supply cooling fan. If you leave your computer on all the time 24/7 on the floor beside you or under your desk you are inviting dirty and dust to be sucked into you computer 24/7. Even if you think that your house or office is clean and dusted, you are still sucking all that dirty into your computer. You people that smoke when you are on the computer or around it is even worst! Remember all that smoke plugs up your lungs is also going into your computer along with the dirt and your wonder why? does your computer make noises and does not work very fast your why your power supply burned up! Make a small investment and buy some compressed air and open the computer side panel and, blow out all the dirt that is robbing your computers life! Do this like once a month to keep your computer working for many year to come. We have seen many computers come to our shop from bad power supplies and burned up CPU and motherboards. We have took pictures of a system that came to us and we thought that we would share it with you. Just click on the pictures below to view them close up! This what we saw in the shop that day. Pictures are close up snap shot and are very large and depending on your internet connect will take longer to view them on line. Please be patient! More information below

GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: The system's fan is whining loudly.

Solution: A loud fan can be the result of a number of minor problems. The common cause is dirt. A dirty fan, clogged with dust, is highly inefficient and works harder to handle its cooling duties. As the fan struggles to cool the system, it produces the whirring sound. A quick cleaning should do the trick. If the fan is new and you're still hearing a loud whirring, your problem may be "ambient heat." You need to operate your PC in a cool environment. Many PCs get louder as they get hotter, with the fans spinning faster to keep the system cool. Be certain your PC is clean and cool and you'll run trouble-free.

Symptom: Your PC spontaneously reboots.

Solution: A long-standing mystery solved! If rebooting occurs in a PC that you've just built, try re-seating your CPU's heat sink. Make sure you're using the proper thermal gel and spread it evenly between the heat sink and the processor. If inadequate amounts of gel have been applied or low-quality gel has been used, the system will reboot as the CPU heats up---and builds in the uneven "pockets" created by the uneven gel. Also: check to see if you've removed the protective sticker on the bottom of the heat sink (don't laugh---it happens!). And by all means, make sure your motherboard supports the CPU you're installing. If these steps check out and you're still experiencing spontaneous reboots, your problem may be one of the following: Overclocking: We do not recommend Overclocking. Memory Timing: The fix? Go into your BIOS and set your memory on "Auto" or at a more conservative setting and see if the reboot problem goes away. Outdated BIOS: Make sure you have the latest BIOS for your board. You can determine if your CPU is supported by browsing the BIOS updates of the motherboard's manufacturer. If you're running a Pentium 4 Extreme Edition and notice that it's only supported with the latest BIOS updates, you may have located the problem! Inadequate Power: If you've made significant component upgrades---with the exception of the power supply---your power supply may be overstressed or failing due to heat or age. Finally, if you've migrated your OS and other files from machine to machine to machine, it may be time for a clean install.

Symptom: Your Optical Drive (CD or DVD) Runs Slower and Slower....

Solution: Again, the villain may be dirt, since optical drives rarely "slow down" on their own. Optical drives either work---or they don't, so a mechanical problem is ruled out. What most likely has happened is that your dive has accumulated a layer of dirt or dust. Here's the fix: You'll need a can of "spray air" (available everywhere). Eject the disc tray and spray into the drive with short bursts---and be sure to spray at an angle so the dust will be expelled out of the drive. Do not spray continuously or turn the spray can upside down (doing so could introduce moisture into the drive. Repeat this process a few times, then try test the drive.

Symptom: I have four pieces of RAM installed and I'm pretty sure that at least one is bad. What's the best way to test RAM for errors?

Solution: Since you have four pieces of RAM, you can install just one DIMM in your motherboard at a time and run the machine until it crashes. This isn't a completely reliable way to test RAM, though. As an alternative, download Memtest86 (www.memtest86.com) and create a bootable CD. Memtest86 does a fair job. It runs several test patterns through the RAM. If a piece of RAM passes these tests, swap it with another DIMM and continue your tests. Even better than Memtest86 is Ultra-X's RAM Stress Test Pro 2, which is a self-booting diagnostic plug-in card. This card uses a comprehensive set of test patterns to assess your memory, and we've found that it finds bad pieces of RAM that other testers miss. Keep in mind that it may not actually be a stick of RAM that's bad. The problem may in fact be a bad DIMM slot. If all four pieces of RAM pass the test, you may have to rerun them in each individual slot on your motherboard. Finally, your motherboard's BIOS usually sets RAM timing by reading the SPD setting on the module. If the SPDs are set too aggressively (we've seen this), it may cause problems. You should consider going into the BIOS and manually tweaking settings such as your CAS latency to a more conservative setting.

Symptom: Sometimes when I play games for a long time, my computer just randomly crashes to the desktop.

Solution: Random crashes in games can be the result of a few different problems. Typically, it's a heat issue, a driver issue, or a problem with the game. The first thing you should do is check for a patch for any of your games that are crashing. It seems like common sense, but frequently we receive complaints from people trying to run games that have been patched three or four times. Once you've updated your games, you need to update your video card and chipset drivers. Get you video card driver from the company that manufactured your card's chipset, either ATI or nVidia. You should also check for newer drivers for your motherboard's chipset whenever you update your video card drivers. Outdated motherboard chipset drivers are one of the main causes of general system instability. If you've updated all your hardware, but are still having problems, you may have a heat issue. Open your case and look at your AGP card. Is there another card right below it? If there is, you should consider moving that card to another slot. A card directly below a high-end video card can disrupt airflow enough to cause overheating issues with today's top-of-the-line video cards. If freeing the neighboring slot doesn't alleviate your problem, try adding a fan that fits into one of your PCI slots and exhausts hot air from the bottom of your PC.

Symptom: My new Athlon XP system is telling me that my brand-new Athlon XP 3200+ is only any Athlon 2200+!

Solution: It sounds like your motherboard's bus speed is set incorrectly. You see, you probably bought and Athlon XP 3200+ that runs on a 400MHz bus (which is actually a double-pumped 200Mhz bus). For the motherboard to recognize the CPU as a 3200+, the CPU has to run at 2.2GHz, or 2,200MHz. The CPU reaches that speed only if the motherboard is set to an 11 multiplier and with a 200MHz bus. So, 11x200=2200. If your motherboard's front side bus is set to run at 166MHz, the CPU would boot at 1833MHz. It's no coincidence that this is the same speed at an Athlon XP 2200+. To correct this, reboot your machine and go into the BIOS by hitting DEL or F2 during boot. Look for the section that lets you change the bus speed. Hopefully we're right and it's set for 166MHz. Increase it to 400MHz, save the settings, reboot and you should have a 3200+.

Symptom: My optical drive has suddenly slowed to a crawl reading discs, and it refuses to read some discs.

Solution: Optical drives usually don't expire gradually; most simply stop working without so much as a death rattle. It's much more likely you drive's lens has accumulated a layer of dust.
Get yourself a can of compressed air at the local geek emporium, and eject the disc tray. Spray into the drive with quick, short bursts at an angle (so the dust is more likely to be expelled from the drive). Do not spray continuously or with the can upside down, because that could introduce moisture into the drive. Give the dust a minute to settle, and spray the innards again.

Symptom: I just bought a new PC, and now my PocketPC refuses to connect via the USB port.

Solution: This is a common issue. You'll have to buy a new PocketPC. Just kidding. This problem occurs if you plug your PocketPC in before installing ActiveSync. Check the Device Manager by right-clicking My Computer, selecting Properties, clicking the Hardware tab, and then selecting Device Manager. If you see an Unknown Device entry, delete it by right-clicking it and selecting Uninstall. Restart you PC, install your PocketPCs drivers from the manufacturer's disc, and plug it in again.

PC AUDIO AND MP3S

Symptom: I'm only getting sound out of one speaker.

Solution: This usually happens when the mini-jack coming out of your speakers us not fully plugged into the soundcard input slot. Reversed polarity of a speaker can cause some of the weirdness as well, so make sure the positive terminal on the actual speaker is connected to the positive terminal on the subwoofer (or wherever the speakers connect to the amplifier), and vice versa for the negative terminals. One final possibility: Pet owners should routinely check speaker cables for teeth marks and replace the cables when Mr. Bigglesworth eats through the outer layer.

Symptom: The remote control for my PC speakers suddenly stopped working the other day. I installed new batteries but it still won't work. Is it dead?

Solution: Probably not. It sounds more like a sleeping remote. To wake it up, simply remove the batteries and press every button on the remote in a sequential order. Then just replace the batteries and your remote should work again.

Symptom: Sometimes I'll rip a worn CD, only to find later that some tracks have skips in them.

Solution: This is a common problem, and can be easily fixed. Go to www.exactaudiocopy.de (don't worry-the site is in English). We've brayed about Exact Audio Copy before, and here's why: When Exact Audio Copy rips audio it double-checks that data for accuracy, and if it detects any discrepancies between the original and the rip, it will extract the data again and again until it has determined that the result precisely matches what's on the disc. If the error correction is unable to compensate for a flaw in the disc and the data is irretrievable, Exact Audio Copy will let you know, sparing you from unpleasant surprises later. Oh, and did we mention Exact Audio Copy is free? Life is good.

Symptom: My Creative Labs Jukebox Zen Xtra keeps crashing. Is it broken?

Solution: If a single bit in an MP3 file is out of place or errant for any reason, it can make many MP3 players lock up or crash. You'll know this is the case if your player crashes on the same track every time. If so, you'll have to remove or re-encode the track. If an errant track is not the problem-you'll know this is the case because it won't crash on the same song/s-you may be able to rehabilitate your player be reformatting the drive. You'll find instructions at the Creative Labs web site. Go to Support, click Portable Audio, and select "Troubleshooting the Nomad Jukebox 3 as a Standalone Unit" (also known as Solution ID #7392). Reformatting will delete the contents of your player, of course, so make sure you have all your music backed up before you go for it.

Symptom: I can burn audio CDs and listen to them on my PC, but my portable CD player and car stereo can't recognize them.

Solution: Commercial CDs are literally stamped from extruded masters, creating pits and lands that CD players have been designed to read. Burned CD, however, create darkened areas that mimic the pits and lands of commercial CDs. As you've noticed, not all players-especially older ones-can deal with these kinds of discs. But all is not lost. Your best bet is to burn at a slower speed, 4x or below. This creates slightly more prominent differences between the burned and non-burned areas. If you have a Plextor burner, though, you have an even better option. The bundled Plex Tools includes VariRec, which allows you to subtly alter the burning strength of your optical drives laser. By experimenting with various discs and burning strengths, you will almost certainly find the right combination for your CD player. VariRec is supported by both Nero and Easy CD Creator. We've used it to make audio CDs playable on otherwise uncooperative boom boxes.

PC BUILDING TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: I just built a new machine and am experiencing totally random crashes. What are the possible culprits?

Solution: Random crashes are always hard to diagnose, so let's cover all the bases. The first area to check is your drivers. Make sure you have the latest drivers for all your hardware, especially the motherboard chipset drivers. You should also make sure you've downloaded all Windows Updates. Next, consider your power supply. If you're running a midsize 300-watt PSU, and upgraded to a late model Pentium 4 CPU or Athlon FX, or are just running several hard drives and PCI add-in cards, you should upgrade your power supply to a 400 watt or thereabouts model. Inadequate power to your components can cause the entire system to lock up at worst, or just cause certain components to malfunction or stop working. The final consideration is cooling. Ideally, you should have a decent size fan in the lower front of your case sucking in cool air from the ouside, and a large exhaust fan above your AGP card pull air out of the case.

Symptom: I'm building a new PC and have the motherboard mounted inside the case. When I push the AGP card all the way down in the slot, the end of the metal tab on the slot cover hits the bottom of the case, preventing me from inserting the AGP edge connector all the way.

Solution: Even though every ATX motherboard and ATX case should be exactly the same dimensions, there are still small variances that can create problems when transplanting your hardware into a new environment. It's fairly common for the video card to not quite fit, and when this happens the solution is to simply bend the end of the metal slot cover away from the board ever so slightly. This will afford it the extra millimeter or so of clearance the card needs to fit all the way down into the slot. But be careful!

WIRELESS (WiFi) NETWORKING TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: My wireless laptop will not connect to my wireless router. It can't even see it!

Solution: Usually Wi-Fi connection problems are the result of configuration errors, incompatible firmware, or interference with another router. It's easy to fix firmware issues-all you need to do is download the latest firmware for your wireless router manufacturer's web site. If you've installed the firmware update and still can't connect, your next step is to temporarily disable WEP or WPA. If you can connect to the router when security is disabled, check all your WEP settings. You need to use exactly the same key on your router and any machines that connect to it wirelessly. Also make sure the Authentication Type on each of the PCs matches the setting on the router. Troubleshooting interference issues is more complex. First, you should move your router off of the default channel. Most routers shipped today are set at channel 6 be default, and the sheer traffic can create a lot of interference. You should also uncheck the field that says, "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks"-there is no advantage to the feature and it can cause your computer to behave erratically if you're in the proximity of the other networks. If you're still having problems connecting, there may be a hardware problem on your laptop. Check Device Manager and make sure there isn't an exclamation point beside your Wi-Fi card. You should also try connection to another router that you know works properly. Finally, try connecting to your network using the same settings, but a different brand of Wi-Fi card. If all else fails, contact your router manufacturer's tech support line. You may actually have a faulty router.

Symptom: My broadband connection feels like it's downloading really slow.

Solution: Sadly, there isn't much you can do to improve your broadband connection's performance without spending more money to upgrade your existing service. Sure, there are a whole lot of products out there that claim to "improve your broadband speed" but we don't know of anything that actually works. If your performance is significantly slower than the advertised claims of your provider, you should complain to your ISP. For services advertised as full-speed, we expect a minimum of 50kB/s download speeds and prefer to see our speeds top out over 100kBs. If you are paying for a high-speed broadband connection, but are seeing less than 50kB/s downloads, you should switch ISPs!

Symptom: I can't see the other computers on my home network from my laptop. What can I do to make it work right?

Solution: First, you need to make sure that each computer you want to connect to belongs to the same workgroup. Open the Start Menu and right-click My Computer. Go to Properties, then Computer Name. If your workgroup name doesn't match, you can change it by clicking the Change button. Some versions of Windows only show the computers that actually have shared folders or printers, so make sure you have at least one folder shared on every computer you're trying to connect to. The next step is to disable your firewall. By default, most firewalls block the ports used by Windows networking, keeping even legitimate users-like you-from connecting to your machine. If all your machines use the same workgroup and your firewalls are disabled, and you're using a wireless router, your problem could be the router. If your wired machines can all see each other, but a wired machine can't see a wireless machine, it's almost certainly the router's fault. Barring a firmware update that fixes the problem, there's no easy way top connect your machines if this is the case. Check with your router manufacturer for a newer version of the firmware. If that doesn't work, you may need to get newer hardware. Here's one last tip: You can try to connect to your computer's specific IP address instead of its name. To find the IP address, go to the Network Connections control panel, right-click your network card, and select Status. The IP address is on the Support tab. Once you have the IP, you can go back to your other computer and put //IP.address.here/ into Explorer. If you have shared folders on the PC you're trying to connect to, they should pop up immediately.

HARD DRIVE TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: I just got a new Serial ATA hard drive, but when I try to load the image of my current drive onto it, the drive-imaging software doesn't recognize my new hard drive.

Solution: This is a problem that has vexed us as well, and it comes down to the fact that most drive-imaging software programs don't recognize Serial ATA controllers and therefore won't let you image the drives connected to it. We've tested practically every imaging program on the market in the Lab, and the only one that successfully moved an image to a SATA drive and made it bootable was Symantec's (formerly Powerquest) Drive Image 2002.

Symptom: I just plugged in a brand-new hard drive but it's not showing up in Windows XP.

Solution: All brand-new hard drives are sold unformatted and thus don't show up in Windows until they've gone through the formatting process. To get up and running, connect the drive, boot your PC, and at the Windows desktop right-click the My Computer icon and select Manage. Click Disk Management in the left-hand tree, and every drive connected to your system will show up. Simply right-click your new drive and select New Partition. Then follow the steps to get your drive up and running.

Symptom: My system crashed, and when I rebooted, my RAID array was no longer working properly.

Solution: RAID arrays can stop functioning for several reasons, but it's usually a case of a cable coming loose or something in the BIOS being reset. Serial ATA cables easily come out of their drives, so check them first. If everything is connected properly, you should also check to make sure that the ports your array is plugged into are set to "RAID" rather then "IDE." Because these ports often double as either standard IDE ports or RAID ports, they must be set in the BIOS to one or the other. Be sure to check here first if your array suddenly disappears.

WINDOWS XP TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: My computer is acting odd. Loads of windows open all the time, and I'm getting a bunch of popup windows that don't look like Internet Explorer windows.

Solution: Your problem is most likely caused be incoming Messenger service messages. In a networked corporate environment, Messenger is used to send time sensitive messages about server outages, and software updates, but there's really no reason to leave Messenger running at home. To disable it, go to Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and then Services. Scroll down to Messenger, right-click it, and select Properties. Change the Setup Type to Disabled and then press OK.
Note that this Messenger service is different from Windows Messenger. You can disable this service and still receive instant messages!

Symptom: A couple of days ago, my computer began behaving very oddly. The disk runs a lot, even when I'm not using the computer, and my browser home page is reset to a site I've never been to before.

Solution: This sounds like a classic case of spyware infection. There are two apps we recommend for combating spyware: Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware. You can download Spybot from www.safer-networking.org and get Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de. Both applications scan your hard drive for potential spyware and will help you remove it if detected. We recommend using both apps, because sometimes one application will detect a new spyware program that the other won't. If one of the applications detects spyware on your PC, it will either automatically remove it, or give you instructions that allow you to remove it.

Symptom: My e-mail frequently stops working-it often stalls when receiving and sending. And no matter how many times I change the e-mail settings, it reverts o "localhost."

Solution: There's an outside change the problem could be a virus, but the most likely culprit is your antivirus program or your spam filtering program. These apps work by situating themselves between your mail program and your e-mail server, then taking a look at every piece of mail you receive. But if one of these programs crashes or needs input from you, it will hold up the e-mail download and your mail program will think the connection has died. If this happens, just restart your antivirus program and spam filtering program and try downloading messages again.

Symptom: I keep losing menu options in Microsoft Word.

Solution: Our bet is that you really like to use em-dashes. The default keyboard shortcut for an em-dash is Ctrl+Alt+the numpad Dash, but people often mistakenly press Ctrl+Alt+ the Dash on the primary keyboard, which is the default keyboard shortcut for "Remove item from the menu." After you call up that shortcut, your cursor will change to bold minus sign and the next menu or shortcut you click will disappear from Word. The solution? Don't use so many em-dashes! Alternately, you can remap the em-dash shortcut to something a little more convenient. Go to Tools, Customize, Commands, and then click the Keyboard button. Then, under Categories, scroll down to Common Symbols and click Em-dash in the right pane. Change the hotkey to whatever you'd like. We like Ctrl+M. To get back the menu items that you've lost, go to Tools, Customize, Commands, and drag the elusive commands back into place.

Symptom: I keep accidentally e-mailing my friend at her old address because the program created a shortcut for me.

Solution: This is an easy fix. When you're typing the name into your To: field, scroll up and down until you get to the one you want to delete. When it's highlighted press the Delete key and it will be gone forever!

Symptom: I get a ton of spam every day.

Solution: There are a couple of really good, free anti-spam utilities available today-SpamPal (www.spampal.org) and Popfile (popfile.sourceforge.net). They use slightly different approaches, but each can reduce your spam intake by up to 99 percent. SpamPal analyzes every e-mail you receive and compares the path it took across the Internet with the servers and IP addresses of known spammers. It's very effective right out of the box, but if you frequently receive e-mail from countries where spam is known to originate, such as China, Russia, and Taiwan, or from webmail services like Yahoo, which are frequently abused by spammers, you may see a lot of false positives.
On the other hand, Popfile uses a technique called Bayesian filtering to determine which letters are spam based on the content of your e-mails. Every time you mark a message as spam, the contents of the message are added to the database. This is highly effective once the filters are fully trained, but it can take several weeks of flagging each incoming message as spam before you start seeing greater than 90 percent accuracy.

Gif2Icon.exe is a simple utility to convert a GIF picture to a Windows 3.0 Icon. Windows 3.0 icons are 32 x 32 x 16 colors, therefore the Gif should be the same.

The wait is over. Firefox 2.0 empowers you to browse faster, more safely and more efficiently than with any other browser. Join more than 8 million others and make the switch today. Firefox imports your Favorites, settings and other information, so you have nothing to lose.

At Lavasoft we believe that every individual, regardless of economic status or geographic location, should have the power to control their individual privacy and security. Lavasoft is the original anti-spyware company, and we are still delivering the best protection today. After all, over 300 million computer users around the world can’t be wrong!

Ad-Aware 2008 Free is available for personal home use only. Commercial use is prohibited.

Product Information:

Ad-Aware 2008 Free remains the most popular anti-spyware product for computer users around the world, with nearly one million downloads every week. Our free anti-spyware version provides you with advanced protection against spyware that secretly attaches and takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity, even identity theft through stolen bank details, passwords, and credit card account numbers. If you want real-time scanning capabilities, consider upgrading to Ad-Aware 2008 for real-time protection against spyware, all the time!

What's New in Ad-Aware 2008 Free?

More Key Features:

NOTE: Support for spyware removal applications is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

RegCleaner is the most advanced registry editor and cleaner yet it's very easy to use. With RegCleaner you can easily get rid of those old and obsolete registry entries created by software that you have destroyed ages ago. And by easily, I mean easily. You don't have to be any expert to use this program. Please notice
Support for Windows 95 is limited, all the functions aren't available under Win95. Also, RegCleaner doesn't work on many multi processor systems, usually it starts (you can see it with the task manager) but it stays invisible.

You shouldn't have to become a contortionist to check your hard drive LED. This utility places an icon in your system tray that does what your hard drive LED does--but you don't have to crawl under your desk to see it. You can monitor up to five hard drives with it. Change the color and time delay of the flash to make it really work for you.

This tool computes the real latency of each cache memory level. Notice that the reported sizes may not be the correct ones on CPUs that use an exclusive L2 (for example a Duron will report a 128Kb L2 cache size instead of 64Kb, because the L1 size in included).
Moreover, notice that using this tool if the CPUs is heavy loaded can provide bad results. Please use the "Refresh" button to restart the calculation.

Other chipsets may be partially supported (no AGP or memory information).

Operating systems:

Windows 95, 98, Me, NT4, 2000, XP and Vista

WS_FTP LE (Limited Edition) is a standard FTP client for Winsock. It has an easy-to-use graphical interface and advanced features. It contains profiles that can be set up to toggle between commonly visited FTP sites. Newer features included corrections to FTP servers for year 2000 compliance; a default transfer mode option in session parameters; auto re-get; prompts for file overwrites and preserving file date and time; support for new firewall and host types; and other minor corrections. This version is available free to government employees, noncommercial home users, and students and staff of educational institutions. Corporate users or those who do not qualify for free use of WS_FTP LE must use WS_FTP Pro.

View Key XP is a is a small program that will find your WindowsXP Product Key. If you wanted to re-install WindowsXP and lost your product key or it came off your CD case, this will find it for you so you can write it down again. Works great! and best of all that it's FREE!

The leading rich client for Internet content and applications across the broadest range of platforms.

With Macromedia Shockwave Player, you can enjoy multimedia games, learning applications, and product demonstrations on the Web, using