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NOTE: Support for Fire Fox application is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

Chrome is designed to keep you safer and more secure on the web with built-in malware and phishing protection, auto updates to make sure the browser is up-to-date with the latest security updates, and more. Learn more about Chrome's security features.

Google Chrome

Version 15.0.874.106

OS/ Windows 95,98/SE/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista/Windows7

NOTE: Support for Google Chrome application is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

Norton™ Internet Security 2012 Free Upgrade From 2011

90 Day Trial Version

If you upgrade from 2011 to this version 2012 you will not lose the days left on your subscription or if you don't have Norton Internet Security 2012 you can download this version and it will give you a 90-day trial version.

You can purchase Norton Internet Security 2012 after the 90-Day Expires click on the Norton logo arrow below

Get the latest version now! As a Norton subscription customer, you deserve the most current protection available. With your current paid subscription, you are entitled to download the latest version of your Norton product during your service period. It's safe, easy, secure, and provides the latest features and performance improvements.

Looking for Windows® 7 compatible versions? 
The Norton Update Center provides compatible versions of most Norton Products.

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NOTE: Support for Norton Internet Security Upgrade from Symantec application is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

 AD-Aware 

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 2011 Free is available for personal home use only. Ad-Aware 2010 is absolutely FREE!  Commercial use is prohibited.

Product Information:

Ad-Aware 2011 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 2011 for real-time protection against spyware, all the time!

What's New in Ad-Aware 2011 Free?

• Redesigned Engine – Benefit from superior program flexibility and more accurate scanning methods with all-new program architecture.

• Improved Code Sequence Identification (CSI) Technology – Boost your privacy protection with precise detection of embedded malware, including known and emerging threats.

• Incremental Definition File Updates – Save precious time and resources with smaller update files resulting in faster download times.

• TrackSweep - Control privacy by erasing tracks left behind while surfing the Web on Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera, with one easy click.

• Multiple Browser Support – Choose Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera with expanded browser support.

• New Straightforward User Interface – Effortlessly maneuver the complexities of malware detection and removal with our new user-friendly interface.

More Key Features:

• User-Controlled Spyware Removal - Decide for yourself what to delete from your system and what to keep.

• Extensive Detection Database – Stay protected with regular updates from the extensive library of identified and analyzed spyware.

• System Restore Point – Easily revert to your clean system to recover from a spyware attack.

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NOTE: Support for Ad-Aware Spyware removal applications is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

Download WinZip 45-Day Evaluation Version 16.0

WinZip is proud to announce our latest release, WinZip 16.0! In addition to cutting-edge compression, encryption, and archiving capabilities, WinZip 16.0 includes the following NEW capabilities:

• Avoid email size limits and send up to 2GB, hassle-free
• Upload and post any type of file directly to Facebook
• Tap into your computer's full zipping power with our new 64-bit zip engine
• Zip and write files directly to Blu-ray Disc
• Enjoy greater flexibility with support for additional compressed file formats
• Scan your system for PC performance issues with just one click

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

Glary Utilities     Optimize, clean and boost the speed of your Windows.   Protect your privacy and security.   Block spyware, trojans, adware, etc.   Fix certain application errors.   Simple, fast and User friendly interface   For only private use

Glary Utilities offers numerous powerful and easy-to-use system tools and utilities to fix, speed up, maintain and protect your PC.

It allows you to clean common system junk files, as well as invalid registry entries and Internet traces. You can manage and delete browser add-ons, analyze disk space usage and find duplicate files. You can also view and manage installed shell extensions, encrypt your files from unauthorized access and use, split large files into smaller manageable files and then rejoin them. Furthermore, Glary Utilities includes the options to optimize memory, find, fix, or remove broken Windows shortcuts, manage the programs that start at Windows startup and uninstall software. Other features include secure file deletion, an Empty Folder finder and more.

Glary Utilities is absolutely FREE!

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

SuperAntiSpyware

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SuperAntiSpyware is absolutely FREE!

                             NOTE: Support for Super Anti Spyware removal application is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

 

Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI)

FREE PC Security for Home Users

Used by millions of home users around the world

 Watch: How to install and use the Secunia PSI 2.0

The Secunia PSI is a FREE security tool designed to detect vulnerable and out-dated programs and plug-ins which expose your PC to attacks. Attacks exploiting vulnerable programs and plug-ins are rarely blocked by traditional anti-virus and are therefore increasingly "popular" among criminals. 

The only solution to block these kind of attacks is to apply security updates, commonly referred to as patches. Patches are offered free-of-charge by most software vendors, however, finding all these patches is a tedious and time consuming task. Secunia PSI automates this and alerts you when your programs and plug-ins require updating to stay secure. 

 

Secunia Personal Software Inspector

Secunia Personal Software Inspector

New Version 2.0

OS/ Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Windows 2003/Vista/Windows7/32-bit, 64-bit dual core CPU support

1,739,024 KB

NOTE: Support for Secunia Personal Software Inspector PSI application is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

Disk fragmentation leads to system slowdowns, PC crashes, slow startups and shutdowns. Auslogics Disk Defrag is designed for fast optimization of modern hard disks.  to get the top performance out of your expensive hardware.

Why Defragment Disks?

Auslogics Registry Defrag

NOTE: Support for Auslogics Registry Defragment application is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

Auslogics Boost Speed

15-Day Trial Version

Hard Drive Indicator

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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.  

Hard Drive Indicator

HDI

Version 1.3

OS/ Windows 95,98/98SE/ME/2000/2003/NT/XP/Vista/Windows7

148 KB 148,548MB

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

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CPU-Z is a freeware that provides some information on your system:

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.

CPUs:

Quite all Intel's and AMD's CPUs that hold cpuid instruction are supported.
Latest i486, Pentium, Pentium MMX, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Celeron, Pentium !!!, Pentium 4, Pentium !!!-M, Pentium 4-M, Pentium M;
Am5x86, K5, K6, K6-2, K6-III, K6-2+, K6-III+, Athlon (4, XP, MP), Duron, Athlon 64, Opteron ;
VIA C3 (Samuel, Samuel2, Ezra, Ezra-T, Nehemiah), Cyrix M1, M2 ;
Notice that all information's are not provided on all CPUs.


Chipsets:

Following chipsets are fully supported :

NOTE: Support for CPU-Z applications is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

WS -FTP Limited Edition

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.

  Adobe Reader X

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

Adobe Reader Download Center

Install Adobe Reader X   Click the button to begin installation          System Requirements            Version:X Browser: Internet Explorer File size: 35.09MB Intel® 1.3GHz or faster processor Microsoft® Windows® XP Home, Professional, or Tablet PC Edition with Service Pack 3 (32 bit) or Service Pack 2 (64 bit); Windows Server® 2003 (with Service Pack 2 for 64 bit; Windows Server® 2008 (32 bit and 64 bit); Windows Server 2008 R2 (32 bit and 64 bit); Windows Vista® Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 2 (32 bit and 64 bit); Microsoft Windows 7 Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise (32 bit and 64 bit) 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended) 260MB of available hard-disk space 1024x576 screen resolution Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or 8; Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or 3.6 Video hardware acceleration (optional) (includes Acrobat.com on Adobe AIR) Language: English Clicking the Install Now button means you have accepted the terms of the  Adobe Product End User License Agreement

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

 

 

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  Adobe Flash Player 11

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

Adobe Flash Player Download Center

Install Adobe Flash Player 11   Click the button to begin installation System Requirements          Installation Instructions Version:11.01.152 Platform: WindowsXP,Vista,7 Browser: Internet Explorer File size: 3.62MB Language: English Clicking the Install Now button means you have accepted the terms of the  Adobe Product End User License Agreement

NOTE: Support for Adobe Flash Player applications is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

  Adobe Shockwave Player 11.6.1

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

exciting new 3D technology.

Adobe Shockwave Player Download Center

Install Adobe Shockwave Player 11.6.1     Click the button to begin installation System Requirements Version: Shockwave 11.6.1 Platform: WindowsXP,Vista,7 Browser: Internet Explorer File size:6.31MB Language: English Clicking the Install Now button means you have accepted the terms of the Adobe Product End User License Agreement

NOTE: Support for Adobe Shockwave Player applications is provided by the manufacturers of the applications themselves and Not SPC Computers.

To Create a Restore Point in Windows XP and Vista

1. Access the System Restore Wizard through Help and Support Center.

2. Click Create a restore point, and then click Next.

3. In the Restore point description box, type a name to identify this restore point. System Restore automatically adds to this name the date and time that this Restore Point is created.

   • To finish creating this restore point, click Create.

   • To cancel restore point creation and return to the Welcome to System Restore screen, click Back.

   • To cancel restore point creation and exit the System Restore Wizard, click Cancel.

   

 Note:

• To access the System Restore Wizard, click Start, and then click Help and Support. Click Performance and Maintenance, click Using System Restore to undo changes, and then click Run the System Restore Wizard.

• Creating a restore point can be useful any time you anticipate making changes to your computer that are risky or might make your computer unstable.

• To view or to return to this restore point, from the Welcome to System Restore screen of the System Restore Wizard select Restore my computer to an earlier time. Then select the date when the restore point was created from the calendar in the Select a Restore Point screen. All of the restore points that were created on the selected date are listed by name in the list box to the right of the calendar.

Using the System Restore Wizard

System Restore overview

Junk Files Can Be Dangerous

Computer experts all agree that junk files can kill a computer. Not literally, of course. We found that a very large number of junk files will eventually grind your computer to a halt. The more junk files you have, the slower your computer, Internet browser and other programs become. They can even cause “out of memory” and other errors. So what exactly is a junk file?

Junk Files Explained

A junk file is a file that a program left behind. Programs typically create hundreds of temporary files a day. Some programs "forget" to remove these files and they clog up the system preventing your PC from performing even the simplest of tasks. Your PC ends up with thousands of junk files slowing your computer indefinitely.

Whenever a program creates a file or deletes a file into a Recycle Bin, your computer looks for a unique file name. The more junk files you have the longer the system takes to find that unique file name. Internet browsers keep downloaded images and pages in the cache in order to quickly show them the next time you visit the same page. However it’s a double edged sword. Too many cached files will also slow down the Internet browser.

Finally, if you do have a lot of junk files, then your disk defragmentation, antivirus or antispyware programs have to deal with a much greater number of files. This of course makes them work much slower.

But that's not half of it. You will find that trying to locate, open or save the necessary document takes longer. Even the time your PC takes to start up or shut down may increase from several seconds to minutes.

Scandisk & Defrag

This page applies to all versions of Windows 95, Windows 98, as well as Windows ME.
Any differences are noted below.

Scandisk and Defrag are important utilities that come with Windows, to help you tune up your Windows file system and make sure it's running properly. Scandisk checks your drive to make sure there aren't any problems with it, and Defrag (short for Disk Defragmenter) organizes your file system to help Windows read files faster.

You can usually find Scandisk and Defrag on your Start menu under "Programs" then "Accessories" and "System Tools". Another easy way to access both programs is to open "My Computer", and right-click on the drive you want to tune up. On the context menu choose "Properties" and then select the "Tools" tab. If you use this second method to start Scandisk and Defrag, you should see a window like this:

As you can see, this window tells you how long it's been since you last ran Scandisk or Defrag on this drive. If you see a message like "Windows was unable to determine when you last checked this drive for errors", or "Windows was unable to determine when you last defragmented this drive", then you probably haven't done it since Windows was installed.

Just like you periodically get your oil changed in your car, you should run Scandisk and Defrag now and then, to keep everything running smoothly. You should run Scandisk and Defrag at least once a month. Later versions of Windows (Windows 95B a/k/a OSR2 and later) will automatically run the DOS version of Scandisk before starting up, if the computer was not shut down properly before this boot. On these systems running Scandisk regularly is not as important, although there are some problems that the DOS version of Scandisk will not repair.

It should be noted that running Scandisk and Defrag more than once a month is still helpful. Also, the more often you run Defrag, the less time it will take, because there is less work to do.

Running Scandisk

When you first start Scandisk, you should be greeted by a window similar to this:

At the top you will find a box that lets you select which drives you would like to check for errors. If you want to have Scandisk check multiple drives, you can hold down the Ctrl key while selecting them. Usually you will just select the one drive you are interested in.

Moving downwards, there are two radio buttons, called Standard and Thorough. A standard test completes fairly quickly, but only checks the FAT tables and directory entries. The Thorough test can take a long time, but performs a test on each sector of a drive. This test is similar to the one performed when formatting the drive.

Almost all of the time, I would recommend using the Standard option. Any errors that are not due to a failure of the hardware can be detected with a Standard scandisk. On the other hand, if you suspect the hardware is having problems, or sectors on the drive are going bad, choose the Thorough option.

The checkbox near the bottom named "Automatically fix errors" is controls the behavior of Scandisk when a problem is found. If you leave this box unchecked, Scandisk will stop and ask you what course of action to take, for each error it finds. Scandisk's default actions are pretty safe, so it's okay to leave this checked.

The image to the left shows the dialogue box presented after clicking the Advanced button. The default settings are shown here, and there is little reason to change them.

Most of the settings are self-explanatory. "Check host drive first" applies only to compressed drives. A compressed drive must be contained within an uncompressed drive, and checking this option tells Scandisk the uncompressed drive first. For a description of what "Lost file fragments" and "Cross-linked files".

The image to the right shows the Scandisk results window. "KB total disk space" is the usable size of your disk, left over after the FAT file system overhead. "KB available on disk" is the total free space left. "Bytes in each allocation unit" is the cluster size of this file system. "Allocation units on disk" and "available allocation units" are the same as "KB total disk space" and "KB available on disk", respectively, except expressed in units of clusters instead of kilobytes. To convert from clusters to kilobytes, you can multiply by the "bytes in each allocation unit" field, then divide by 1024.

"Bytes in bad sectors" shows the number of bytes used up by clusters that have been marked bad (unusable). A small number of bytes in bad sectors (less than 100000) is normal, as is finding a new one now and then. On the other hand, if your drive regularly finds new bad sectors, it is probably time to think about replacing the drive.

The other fields are self-explanatory, and just show the number of bytes taken up by different types of files on your system.

Running Defrag

  After starting Defrag, you will see a window similar to this, asking which drive you would like to defragment. Unlike Scandisk, there is no way to select multiple drives simultaneously. In Windows 98, the defragmentation process will start as soon as you hit the `OK' button, so the `Settings' button is also on this window.

To the right is the main Defrag window. Under Windows 95, you will usually just click the `Start' button. Under Windows 98, Defrag will automatically start working, so there is no need. The `Advanced' button here takes you to Defrag's settings.

After Defrag has started working, it will display a percentage bar showing how much of the drive has been defragmented already. At this time you can click the `Show Details' button if you wish to watch Defrag moving the blocks of data around your drive. It isn't a very useful option, but it can be fun to watch, especially if you're bored waiting for your Defrag to finish. If you have a slower computer, using this option may slow Defrag down noticeably, but anything faster than a Pentium 166 with a decent video card won't experience a significant slowdown.

On the left you can see a screenshot of Defrag in action, when Show Details mode is on. Hitting the Legend button will show a chart detailing what the different colored blocks mean. The Pause button will halt Defrag temporarily, and Stop will cancel your defragmentation.

Here is a screenshot of the Defrag settings under Windows 95. The default options are shown here. There are 3 choices for the Defragmentation Method. The first is `Full', which is the best choice. It moves files so that they occupy continuous ranges of clusters, and Windows can read them faster. It also tries to make the space not used up by files into one large block. The second choice is `Files only'. With this option you will get the benefits of defragmenting the file system, but since the free space may still be scattered around the disk, new information written to the disk will more easily become fragmented again. The third option, `Free space only', doesn't optimize any of your current files, but will help make sure new ones do not fragment.

You should leave the "Check drive for errors" option checked. It doesn't take much time to do a quick check of your drive before the Defrag, and you risk losing data if you try to defragment a corrupted file system.

The Windows 98 Defrag has fewer settings. Again there is an option to check the drive for errors, and one to tell Windows to rearrange your files so that they load quicker. I don't know of any downside to that option, and it does improve performance, so leave it checked.

When Defrag is done, it will present you with this window. Just hit `Yes' unless you want to defragment another drive.

Creating Handy Shortcuts

Scandisk and Defrag have some command-line options that you can use to customize their behavior. But, since they are hard to remember, it makes sense to start them with a custom shortcut. Below I will present step-by-step instructions on creating these shortcuts.

Scandisk Shortcut:

1. Right-click on a blank area of your desktop (somewhere without an icon). A context menu should appear. Choose `New', then `Shortcut'.

2. A window will pop up asking what command to run for this shortcut. Type "scandskw /A /N /P".

3. Click Next.

4. Windows will ask to confirm the name of your shortcut. Since "Scandskw" is not very friendly, type "Scandisk", "Scan All My Hard Drives", or something else meaningful to you.

5. Click Finish.

The /A switch in the example above tells Scandisk to scan all the non-removable drives in the machine. The /N tells Scandisk to start automatically. The /P tells Scandisk not to automatically correct errors.

Defrag Shortcut:

1. Once again, right-click on a blank area of your desktop (somewhere without an icon). A context menu should appear. Choose `New', then `Shortcut'.

2. A window will pop up asking what command to run for this shortcut. Type "defrag /all /F /no prompt /detailed".

3. Click Next.

4. Windows will ask to confirm the name of your shortcut. You can type a new name here or just go with the default of "Defrag".

5. Click Finish.

The /all switch tells Defrag to defragment all the local fixed disks. The /F tells it to do a full defragmentation. With /no prompt, Defrag will start automatically. The /detailed switch is optional, and just tells Defrag to run in the `Show details' mode.

What's the point?

You can now automatically scan or defragment all of your drives, in one easy step. Just double-click on one of the two new icons on your desktop. It can be a good idea, just before you go to bed, to double-click the Defrag shortcut and leave it running during the night. Just don't use your shortcuts to launch both Scandisk and Defrag at the same time. :-)

Problems With Writes To The Drive:

Both Scandisk and Defrag allow you to continue working with your computer while they run. Since they need to manipulate the drive at a low level, they will restart to re-read the file system information when a drive they are working with is written to. This can especially pose a problem when the Windows swap file used for virtual memory is on that drive. Windows may read and write the swap file even though you are not saving any files to that drive.

The dialogue box to the left shows a warning you may receive after Scandisk was forced to restart 10 times. If you want Scandisk to finish faster, it's probably a good idea not to continue running other programs during the scan. You may even want to quit some programs, or do a full reboot before you scan.

Note that even if it looks like you aren't running any other programs, memory could be being used up by the Windows disk cache, programs that are running in the system tray, and device drivers, leading to swap file usage.

Another common problem is screensavers that trigger during a Scandisk or Defrag. An easy way to prevent this is to click on the Start menu, but leave it open. Windows will not trigger your screensaver while the Start menu is displayed.

If you still have constant problems with Scandisk and Defrag restarting, try the following steps:

• Do a search for *.TMP files and delete them all. (Windows will not allow you to delete files that are currently open by other applications.)

• Delete your cached web browser files. (This is browser-specific, but in IE 4 and 5 you should be able to delete the `Temporary Internet files' from the General tab of the Internet control panel.)

• Try running Scandisk or Defrag from within the Windows Safe Mode.

Read the following FIRST! 

WARNING! If you encounter problems while updating the new bios, DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR SYSTEM! since this might prevent your system from booting up. Just repeat the process, and if the problem still persists, update the original BIOS file you saved to disk above. If the Flash Memory Writer utility was not able to successfully update a complete BIOS file, your system may not be able to boot up. If this happens, your system will need service and will have to be taken to your local computer store. SPC Computers is Not Responsible! in the event the something goes wrong when updating your computers BIOS. Make sure that you have the correct BIOS version for your motherboard before updating your BIOS.

IMPORTANT ! If "unknown" is displayed after Flash Memory:, the memory chip is either not programmable or is not supported by the ACPI BIOS and therefore, cannot be programmed by the Flash Memory Write utility.

Check Your BIOS On Your Computer With This BIOS Utility

This utility will tell your what type of BIOS you have on your motherboard.

EXAMPLE:

Type C:\ ctbios.exe       At the command prompt in DOS.

(Example Below:)

Computer ID: FC,Type:AT

BIOS Date: 07-25-01

Award BIOS Found: Award Modular BIOS V6.0

Award ID-String: 07/25/200-VT6942Z-CUV4X

Board/BIOS-Version: ASUS CUV4X ACDI BIOS Revision 1006

OEM: ASUSTeK

AMI BIOS Utility

This utility is designed to assist users in determining the manufacturer of a motherboard using AMIBIOS. While this utility will work with most any BIOS vendor, AMIMBID can only reliably determine the motherboard vendor on an AMIBIOS-based system.

American Megatrends BIOS Technical Support

Prevent Pop-up Ad Windows When Browsing with Internet Explorer

Are you looking for a way to control Internet advertisements that pop-up in new windows while you're browsing online? There are controls included with Internet Explorer 6 in Windows XP Professional that can help.

The issue arises when you visit some Web sites, and a new Internet Explorer window (or in some cases, multiple new browser windows) opens on your computer. These windows often contain advertisements, and in some cases, offensive content.

Pop-up advertisements occur when the administrator of a Web site adds code to the page you are visiting, making the ads open on your machine when you first visit the site, or at other times while you view the site.

One step you can take is to contact the administrators for the Web site and ask them to remove the pop-up ads from the site, or prevent them from opening on your machine.

A more general approach to prevent most pop-up windows from opening on your computer is to disable Active Scripting in Internet Explorer.

To disable Active Scripting for a particular Web site, you can add that site to the Restricted Sites zone, and then disable Active Scripting and other content for the Restricted Sites zone. This prevents most pop-ups from working, but only for the sites that you add to the Restricted Sites zone.

To add a site to the Restricted Sites zone in Internet Explorer:

1. Start Internet Explorer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.

3. Click the Security tab.

4. Click Restricted Sites, and then click Sites.

5. In the Add this Web site to the zone box, type the Web address for the site that you want to restrict, and then click Add. Repeat this step if you want to add other sites to the zone.

6. Click OK.

7. Click Default Level to set the Restricted Sites zone to the recommended level, which disables Active Scripting. Click OK.

You can also disable Active Scripting in Internet Explorer for all sites. You might not want to use this method, because it prevents other scripts from running. This might cause many Web sites to be displayed incorrectly.

There are many non-Microsoft programs designed to prevent pop-up and pop-under advertisements from opening on your computer. These programs may cause side effects, such as preventing a Web site from opening a new window or other script-related problems. Microsoft does not provide product support for these programs.

BIOS Recovering A Corrupt AMI BIOS

With motherboards that use "Boot Block Bios" it is possible to recover a corrupted bios because the boot block section of the bios, which is responsible for booting the computer remains unmodified. When an AMI bios becomes corrupt the system will appear to start, but nothing will appear on the screen, the floppy drive light will come on and the system will access the floppy drive repeatedly.  If your motherboard has an ISA slot and you have an old ISA video card lying around, put he ISA video card in your system and connect the monitor. The boot block section of the bios only supports ISA video cards, so if you don't have an ISA video card or your motherboard does not have ISA slots, you will have to restore your bios blind, with no monitor to show you what's going on.

AMI has integrated a recovery routine into the boot block of the bios, which in the event the bios becomes corrupt can be used to restore the bios to a working state. The routine is called when the system block of the bios s empty.

The restore routine will access the floppy drive looking for a bios file named AMIBOOT.ROM, this is why the floppy drive light comes on and the drive spins. If the file is found it is loaded into the system block of the bios to replace the missing information.

To restore your bios simply copy a working bios file to a floppy disk and rename it AMIBOOT.ROM, then insert it into the computer while the power is on. The disk does not need to be bootable or contain a flash utility. After about four minutes the system will beep four times. Remove the floppy disk from the drive and reboot the computer.

The bios should now be restored.

Award BIOS Error Messages

Beep Codes

The only Award BIOS beep code indicates that a video error has occurred and the BIOS cannot initialize the video screen to display any additional information. This beep code consists of a single long beep followed by two short beeps. Any other beeps are probably a RAM (Random Access Memory) problems.

Screen Error Messages

The following messages are examples of messages including errors detected by the BIOS during POST and a description of what they mean and/or what you may do to correct the error.

BIOS ROM checksum error - System halted: The checksum of the BIOS code in the BIOS chip is incorrect, indicating the BIOS code may have become corrupt. Contact your system dealer to replace the BIOS.

CMOS battery failed: The CMOS battery is no longer functional. Contact your system dealer for a replacement battery.

CMOS checksum error - Defaults loaded: Checksum of CMOS is incorrect, so the system loads the default equipment configuration. A checksum error may indicate that CMOS has become corrupt. This error may have been caused by a weak battery. Check the battery and replace if necessary.

CPU at nnnn: Displays the running speed of the CPU.

Display switch is set incorrectly: The display switch on the motherboard can be set to either monochrome or color. This message indicates the switch is set to a different setting than indicated in Setup. Determine which setting is correct, and then either turn off the system and change the jumper, or enter Setup and change the VIDEO selection.

Press ESC to skip memory test: The user may press Esc to skip the full memory test.

Floppy disk(s) fail: Cannot find or initialize the floppy drive controller or the drive. Make sure the controller is installed correctly. If no floppy drives are installed, be sure the Diskette Drive selection in Setup is set to NONE or AUTO.

Hard Disk Initializing

Please wait a moment: Some hard drives require extra time to initialize.

Hard Disk Install Failure: Cannot find or initialize the hard drive controller or the drive. Make sure the controller is installed correctly. If no hard drives are installed, be sure the Hard Drive selection in Setup is set to NONE.

Hard disk(s) diagnosis fail: The system may run specific disk diagnostic routines. This message appears if one or more hard disks return an error when the diagnostics run.

Keyboard error or no keyboard present: Cannot initialize the keyboard. Make sure the keyboard is attached correctly and no keys are pressed during POST. To purposely configure the system without a keyboard, set the error halt condition in Setup to HALT ON ALL, BUT KEYBOARD. The BIOS then ignores the missing keyboard during POST.

Keyboard is locked out - Unlock the key: This message usually indicates that one or more keys have been pressed during the keyboard tests. Be sure no objects are resting on the keyboard.

Memory Test: This message displays during a full memory test, counting down the memory areas being tested.

Memory test fail: f POST detects an error during memory testing, additional information appears giving specifics about the type and location of the memory error.

Override enabled - Defaults loaded: f the system cannot boot using the current CMOS configuration, the BIOS can override the current configuration with a set of BIOS defaults designed for the most stable, minimal-performance system operations.

Press TAB to show POST screen: System OEMs may replace the Phoenix Technologies' Award BIOS POST display with their own proprietary display. Including this message in the OEM display permits the operator to switch between the OEM display and the default POST display.

Primary master hard disk fail: POST detects an error in the primary master IDE hard drive.

Primary slave hard disk fail: POST detects an error in the secondary master IDE hard drive.

Secondary master hard disk fail: POST detects an error in the primary slave IDE hard drive.

Secondary slave hard disk fail: POST detects an error in the secondary slave IDE hard drive.

Resuming from disk, Press TAB to show POST screen: Phoenix Technologies offers a save-to-disk feature for notebook computers. This message may appear when the operator re-starts the system after a save-to-disk shut-down. See the Press Tab & message above for a description of this feature.

Master, Slave, or Cable Select - Which jumper settings should I use?

Master/Slave
Under most conditions the standard Master or Slave setting should work just fine. Maxtor ATA drives ship directly from the factory configured as a Master device. If the drive is going to be installed as the only device on the ribbon cable, or is going to be installed as the boot drive, then the default Master setting can probably be used without any problems. Just keep in mind that the Master device should always be attached to the end (black) connector on the Ultra ATA (UDMA) ribbon cable.

If the drive is going to be installed as a secondary device to another hard drive, then use the Slave setting outlined in the jumper diagram. A Slave device should always be attached to the middle (gray) connector on the ribbon cable.

Note: Hard drives should never be configured as a Slave device to a CD-ROM or DVD drive.

Cable Select
Cable Select (CS) is an alternative - plug and play - method for configuring ATA or ATAPI devices. In this configuration both the master and slave drives utilize the same jumper configuration (that is, both devices are set to Cable Select). The drive's master or slave status will be determined by which connector the drive is attached to on the cable (black connector for master, gray connector for slave). Many ATAPI devices such as CD-ROM and DVD drives, or ATA hard drives from other manufacturers, may come pre-configured as Cable Select. This option should be taken into consideration when installing a new Maxtor ATA with any existing ATAPI or ATA devices that may employ Cable Select as their default setting.

Award Software BIOS Technical Support

Click above

Exception beep code codes are always fatal.

1. (beep Refresh failure)
2. (beeps Parity error)
3. (beeps Base 64K memory failure)
4. (beeps Timer not operational)
5. (beeps Processor error)
6. (beeps 8042 - gate A20 failure)
7. (beeps Processor exception interrupt error)
8. (beeps Display memory read/write failure)
9. (beeps ROM checksum error)
10. (beeps CMOS shutdown register read/write error)
11. (beeps Cache memory bad)

What you should try to fix your problem.

For 1 beep, 2 beeps, or 3 beeps try reseating the memory first. If the error still occurs, replace the memory with known good chips.

For 4 beeps, 5 beeps, 7 beeps, or 10 beeps the system board must be sent in for repair.

For 6 beeps try reseating the keyboard controller chip. If the error still occurs, replace the keyboard chip. If the error persists, check parts of the system relating to the keyboard, e.g. try another keyboard, check to see if the system has a keyboard fuse.

8 beeps indicates a memory error on the video adapter. Replace the video card or the memory on the video card.

9 beeps indicates faulty BIOS chip(s). It is not likely that this error can be corrected by reseating the chips. Consult the motherboard supplier or an AMI product distributor for replacement part(s).

If no beeps are heard and no display is on the screen, The first thing to check is the power supply. Connect a LED to the POWER LED connection on the motherboard. If this LED lights and the drive(s) spin up then the power supply will usually be good. Also you can check the voltage on the power supply with a power supply test that you can purchase from SPC Computers.

Next, inspect the motherboard for loose components. A loose or missing CPU, BIOS chip, Crystal Oscillator, or Chipset chip will cause the motherboard not to function.

Next, eliminate the possibility of interference by a bad or improperly set up I/O card by removing all card except the video adapter. The system should at least power up and wait for a drive time-out. Insert the cards back into the system one at a time until the problem happens again. When the system does nothing, the problem will be with the last expansion card that was put in.

If the above suggestions fail to cause any change in the dysfunction of the system, the motherboard must be returned for repair.

For 1 beep, 2 beeps, or 3 beeps try reseating the memory first. If the error still occurs, replace the memory with known good chips.

For 4 beeps, 5 beeps, 7 beeps, or 10 beeps the system board must be sent in for repair.

For 6 beeps try reseating the keyboard controller chip. If the error still occurs, replace the keyboard chip. If the error persists, check parts of the system relating to the keyboard, e.g. try another keyboard, check to see if the system has a keyboard fuse.

8 beeps indicates a memory error on the video adapter. Replace the video card or the memory on the video card.

9 beeps indicates faulty BIOS chip(s). It is not likely that this error can be corrected by reseating the chips. Consult the motherboard supplier or an AMI product distributor for replacement part(s).

If none of these steps works and you have tried everything to repair the computer. You should not invest the time and money anymore into the computer that you are trying to repair. We would recommend to buy a new computer.

Windows95/98/98SE Knowledge Base Exception & General Protection Fault Errors

Windows95/98/98SE

Windows Tip: Quick Reboot

If you press Ctrl + Alt + Delete once, Windows displays a dialog box listing your open applications. If you see a "Not Responding" next to an open application or process, just highlight and click "End Task." Be patient while the application or process is being ended because it may take some time.

If you press Ctrl + Alt + Delete twice, your computer will reboot.

Forget the Windows Password

Does your computer at home ask for your user identification every time you start it up? If you are the single user of a home computer, you probably don't need to see the logon screen every time you boot up.

1. Open the Network Control Panel.

2. Make sure the Windows logon is selected, not the Microsoft network logon.

3. Restart your computer.

4. When the logon window comes up, enter a name (it doesn't matter what name you pick), leave the password blank, and hit return.

5. When it asks you to confirm that blank password, hit return again.

After that, you should never see the logon screen again.

Enable Hard Drive DMA

Direct memory access (DMA) gives your hard drive the ability to read information from memory without using the CPU. It can help speed up tasks that are disk intensive, such as accessing databases.

To Active DMA In Windows 98:

1. Right-click My Computer and select Properties.

2. Click on the Device Manager tab.

3. Click on Disk drives. Then select your hard drive and click on the Properties button.

4. Click on the Settings tab. Check the DMA check box if it is not checked.

If the check box is grayed out, your motherboard chipset doesn't support the bus master interface. If you have problems booting, reboot in safe mode and turn off DMA.

To Activate DMA in Windows 2000:

1. Right-click My Computer and select Properties.

2. Click on the Hardware tab, then select Device Manager.

3. Click on IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.

4. Right-click an IDE channel and select Properties (your hard drive is probably on the primary IDE channel).

5. Select the Advanced Settings tab.

6. For Device 0 and Device 1 under Transfer Mode, select "DMA if available." Click OK.

7. Click OK and restart Windows.

In some cases, you do not want to have DMA turned on if you are using an extremely old hard drive or if you're using a CD-R or CD-RW drive. You want to stick with the PIO mode 4 or the default setting. DMA can cause data buffer problems when used in conjunction with a CD-RW or CD-R.

Outlook Rules Wizard

What's in your Inbox? Spam, spam, spam, real email, and spam? Don't admit defeat just yet. Use the Microsoft Outlook Rules Wizard to cut down on fake email.

By default, Outlook 2000 funnels all your email into one central Inbox. Let's create a rule that sends spam email to a different mailbox.

1. Click Tools in the Outlook 2000 menu, and then select the Rules Wizard.

2. Click the New button, which brings up the Rules Wizard. Select "Check messages when they arrive" and click Next. This checks every incoming email against your rule.

3. What conditions do you want to check? Scroll down and check the box beside "Suspected to be junk email or from junk senders."

4. In the bottom window of the Rules Wizard, click on "Junk senders." Add the email address of the offending spammer and click OK. After you add the addresses of all the offenders, click Next.

5. What do you want to do with the offending message? You can permanently delete spam email before it ever gets to your Inbox. However, if your rule mistakenly blocks email from your friends, you won't see it. Instead, check the box beside "Move it to a specified folder."

6. In the bottom window of the Rules Wizard, click "Specified folder" and tell the Rules Wizard where you want to store email from this spammer. Click OK and then Next.

7. Check the boxes beside any exceptions you want added to your rule (e.g. "except if sent directly to me"), and then click Next.

8. Your rule appears as a sentence in the bottom pane of the Rules Wizard. If it looks okay, check the box to turn on your new email rule and click Finish.

Change the OEM Information

All PCs using Windows display OEM information. You can change this information and personalize it to suit your personality.

To see the OEM information, just right-click on My Computer and select Properties. The window that opens defaults to the General tab, which shows the OEM information. (No OEM information in there? You can create your own.)

To change this information, follow these steps:

 

1. You want to find a file called "oeminfo.ini". You can do this by performing a Find File for "oeminfo.ini". The file is in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder.  Make a backup of this file and save a copy in a safe place.

All About Network Cabling

The two most popular types of network cabling are twisted-pair (also known as 10BaseT) and thin coax (also known as 10Base2). 10BaseT cabling looks like ordinary telephone wire, except that it has 8 wires inside instead of 4. Thin coax looks like the copper coaxial cabling that's often used to connect a VCR to a TV set.

                    10BaseT Cabling

When 10BaseT cabling is used, a strand of cabling is inserted between each computer and a hub. If you have 5 computers, you'll need 5 cables. Each cable cannot exceed 325 feet in length. Because the cables from all of the PCs converge at a common point, a 10BaseT network forms a star configuration, or geometric design, when viewed from above. In the figure below, three computers are connected together with 10BaseT cabling and a hub.

A 10BaseT hub is basically a box with a row of 10BaseT jacks. Most hubs have 5, 8, 12, or 16 jacks, but some may have more. Most hubs also have an uplink port, which is a special 10BaseT or thin coax port that allows the hub to be connected to either (1) other hubs, or (2) a thin coax backbone (see below for information on backbones). By unlinking multiple hubs together, you can add additional computers to your network whenever you need to.

10BaseT cabling is available in different grades or categories. Some grades, or "cats", are required for Fast Ethernet networks, while others are perfectly acceptable for standard 10Mbps networks--and less expensive, too. About 85% of the networks in the U.S. use standard unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) Category 5 10BaseT cabling because it offers a performance advantage over lower grades. If you are using a 10Mbps network, category 3 is fine. If you plan on building a Fast Ethernet network at some time in the future, it's best to install Category 5 cabling.

	 		
10BaseT 
Category     What It's Used For
------------------------------------------------------
   5	     Fast Ethernet (and everything below)
   4	     Networks other than Ethernet
   3	     10Mbps 10BaseT 
   2	     Alarms, telephone voice lines
   1	     Unknown (not rated for anything specific)

If possible, decide whether you'll be using standard Ethernet or Fast Ethernet technology before you begin building your network. If you're not sure which technology you'll eventually use, choose to install Category 5 cabling. Remember, Fast Ethernet network adapters and hubs are not directly compatible with each other. It is possible to have both 10Mbps and 100Mbps segments on the same network, provided you have a switching hub between them that allows them to communicate.

Thin Coax Cabling

The geometric design that is formed when thin coax cabling is used is called a linear or backbone configuration. The reason for this is that thin coax is always arranged in a straight line of PCs, hubs, or other devices. Thin coax networks always require termination, which is the act of "plugging up" both ends of the network. Instead of inserting an incoming thin coax cable directly into a PC, a T-connector is inserted instead, splitting the network adapter's input port into two separate ports. One port receives an incoming network cable; the other receives an outgoing network cable. If the PC is at the end of the network chain, a terminator plug is inserted into the empty hole of the T-connector.

Thin coax is only used with 10Mbps Ethernet networks. Fast Ethernet networks, which are 10 times faster than standard Ethernet, use category 5 10BaseT cabling.

The figure below shows three PCs connected together in a backbone configuration. Note that the backbone has termination at both ends, and each "T" connector plugs directly into a PC, where it allows for an incoming and outgoing connection. The maximum length for any thin coax segment is 607 feet.

                              Mixing 10BaseT & Coax

Finally, thin coax backbones and 10BaseT cabling & hubs can be connected together to allow for a wide variety of expansion options. In the more complex example below, a thin coax backbone connects two 10BaseT hubs together, along with a computer in-between. Each hub, in turn, branches off to still more computers with 10BaseT cabling. Note that the ends of the thin coax backbone are properly terminated.

How to Pick Cabling

There are two things to consider when deciding on the type of cable to use for your network.

1. How many PCs do you want to link together?
2. How long (in feet) is your network going to be?

The answers to these two questions will determine the cabling that's best for you, and whether or not you'll need a hub.

Use thin coax cabling if you...

• have fewer than 10 PCs,
  

• don't have any portable computers,
  

• and don't plan to expand
  
  Use 10BaseT cabling with a hub if you...
  

• have 16 or fewer PCs within a 325 foot radius of each other,
  

• have portable computers,
  

• and/or you plan to expand
  
  Use both thin coax and 10BaseT together if...
  

• you have more than 16 computers,
  

• or the radius of your workgroup is more than 300 feet
  

Common Problems & Solutions

 

• Avoid Interference
  Network cabling can be run under floors, around office dividers, or over dropped ceilings. When planning your wiring layout, try to keep cables away from power outlets, florescent lighting fixtures, uninterruptible power supplies, and other sources of strong electromagnetic interference. Coiling up cables can also cause interference.
  

• Thin Coax Cabling
  When using thin coax cabling, you must always use a T-connector at each PC and termination at both ends of the network, even if you're only connecting a couple of computers together.

• 10BaseT Cabling
  When using 10BaseT cabling, you must use a hub--even if you're only networking 2 PCs together. Many first time net workers forego a hub and simply plug a 10BaseT cable between two PCs' network cards. Such an installation is guaranteed to either (1) not work, or (2) be unreliable.

Set Up & Installation Hard Drive Partition And Formatting Procedure 

This procedure describes how to set up a new, empty hard disk so that it is ready for an operating system to be installed on it. This process includes partitioning and formatting and results in a bootable hard disk. The procedure covers configuring the hard disk as a single large partition or splitting into multiple, smaller partitions. The procedure provides specific instructions fore using the FISK program and is based on the Windows95 OEM SR2 (Windows95B) FDISK version with FAT32 support.

Procedure Overview:

Difficulty Level: 2 (Low).

Risk Factor: 1 (Very Low). This assumes that the hard disk has no data on it.

Hardware Required: None

Software Required: Boot disk containing the FDISK.EXE and FORMAT.COM programs.

Time to Perform: 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the size and speed of the hard disks.

Preparation/Warnings:

• To be safe, always run FDISK from DOS only.

• Be extremely careful when using the FDISK program, as one incorrect keystroke can result in major data loss. In particular, in a system with multiple hard disk drives be careful to make sure you are working on the right physical disk or you may accidentally end up disturbing the contents of the wrong drive. Beware that DOS drive letters can change after creating or deleting partitions, and that with multiple hard disks the partitions may be lettered in an unexpected sequence.

• Do not perform this procedure until the system is in good working order. Resolve any hardware conflicts or other issues before commencing.

• I assume that the system has been turned on and booted from the floppy disk. FDISK uses binary megabytes when displaying drive and partition sizes, not decimal megabytes.

• All commands in DOS or within FDISK require you to press {Enter} to select them.

Procedure Steps:

1. Check Version Number: At the DOS prompt, enter the following command: "ver". The system will respond with the version of DOS/Windows you have booted. Make sure that this matches whatever you want to install on the hard disk. For Windows95 OEM SR2 the version number will "4.00.1111".

2. Plan Partitions: Decide how you wan to partition your hard disk. In particular, for large hard disk under Windows995 OSR2, decide if you want to set up your hard disk with a single large FAT32 partition, or several smaller FAT16 partitions. (You can of course mix these). I provide instructions for doing either of these, but cannot tell you how to set up your system. You must decide based on what makes sense for you. For assistance in making this decision and more general information on partitioning, cluster size and related issues. Most people today to set up anew system using a single FAT32 partition.

3. Run FDISK.EXE: From the command prompt, enter the command "FDISK". If you have a disk large enough to warrant use of FAT32, you will be asked if you want to enable "large disk support". Enter "Y" if you want to enable FAT32, or "N" if you do not want to enable FAT32. If you do enable this, any partition over 500MB that you create will be FAT32. Note that if you do not enable FAT32, you will not be able to put your entire hard disk into one partition if it is greater than 2GB in size.

If you decided to place your entire hard disk into a single partition, then follow this step:

4. Partition Hard Disk (Single Partition): Follow these steps up to your hard disk:

A: Select from the FDISK menu "1. create DOS partition". or Logical DOS Drive".

B: Select "1 Create Primary DOS Partition". FDISK will verify drive integrity. Then it will ask if you want to use the maximum available size of the disk for primary partition and set it active. Enter "Y". The system will allocate the whole disk to the partition, and that's that.

C. Press {Esc} to exit FDISK.

If instead you want to set up your hard disk with multiple partition (or if you don't have WIndows95 OEM SR2), follow this step. In order to make the process easier to follow, I am going to use an example below. In the example, a 3100 (binary) MB hard disk is being partitioned into four partitions of 1000 MB, 800 MB, 700 MB and 600 MB respectively.

4. Partition Hard Disk (Multiple Partition): Follow these steps to set your hard disk:

A: Select from the FDISK menu "1. Create DOS partition or logical DOS Drive".

B: Select from the FDISK menu "1. Create Primary DOS Partition". FDISK will verify drive integrity. Then it will ask if you want to use the maximum available size of the disk for the primary partition and set it active. Enter "N". The system will show the size of the entire disk in MB.

C: Enter the size of the primary DOS Partition". In our example, this would mean entering "1000". The system will tell you that it has created the primary partition and will assign it the drive letter "C".

D: Press {Esc} to return to the FDISK menu.

E: Select "2. Set active partition". Select partition 1. FDISK will report that it has set partition 1 active.

F: Press {Esc} to return to the FDISK menu.

G: Select from the FDISK menu "1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive".

H: Select "2. Create Extended DOS Partition".

I. When Prompted, press {Enter} to select the entire remaining area of the disk for the extended DOS partition. FDISK will automatically prompt you to create your first logical DOS volume within the extended DOS partition.

K: Enter the size of the first logical partition (the second partition overall). In our example you would enter "800". FDISK will create the partition, label it D:", and then say "Logical DOS Drive created, drive letters changed or added". Don't touch anything, just wait and FDISK will prompt you for the next volume.

L: Repeat the previous step for the remaining partitions (In our example there would be two more partitions to create, the 700MB and 600MB ones). When all of the partitions have been created, FDISK will report "All available space in the Extended DOS Partition is assigned to logical drives".

M. Press {Esc} to exit FDISK.

Continue with the procedure:

5. Reboot: Reboot the system using either the reset button or the "three-fingered salute" ({Ctrl}+{Alt}+{Delete}). Make sure the floppy disk is in its drive, since you still need it. Note that you may get "invalid media type reading drive C" error while rebooting. This is normal this stage.

6. Format Primary Partition: From the "A". DOS Prompt, issue the following command: "format c:/s". Don not forget the "/s", as this is what will make your C: drive bootable. You will get a "scary" warning message such as "WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST. Proceed with format (Y/N)?'. Since of course there is no data presently on drive C:, just enter "Y" and the system will format the hard disk. The program will show it's progress as it formats and at the end will prompt you for a volume label. Enter one if you wish.

7. Format Additional Partitions (if necessary): If you set up multiple partition, format the additional partition now. This is done in almost the same way as formatting the primary DOS partition, except  that you leave off the "s/". So normally you would be entering "format d:"/ "format e:" and so on, until all the partition have been formatted. The prompts should be the same as in the proceeding step.

Warning: If you have a second hard disk in the system and it has a primary DOS partition, that partition is probable assigned D: because DOS assigns letters to all primary partition before any logical partition. Be careful of what you format.

8. Remove Boot Floppy: Eject the boot floppy from the disk.

9. Reboot: Reboot the system using either the reset button or {Crtl+}+{Alt}+{Delete}. The system should boot up from the hard disk this time and stop at the "C" prompt. Note that if you get an error such as "NO ROM BASIC, SYSTEM HALTED" or "No boot device found" at this stage, this means you forgot to set primary DOS partition "active". Reboot form the floppy, run FDISK again and use option 2 to set the primary active, then reboot. If you get an error like "No operating system", this means you probably forgot the "/s" parameter when formatting the C: drive. Put the floppy disk back in the drive and then return to step 5.

If you follow these rules you should not have any problems setting up your hard disk.                  

  Error Message Appears When You Try to Start Internet Explorer

SYMPTOMS

When you start Internet Explorer (IE), you may receive the following error message:

Page cannot be displayed

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the following registry key is corrupted: You have a Winsock Error (Winsock needs to be re-Installed again)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinSock2

RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT or Windows 2000, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

To resolve this behavior, import a clean copy of the WinSock2 key into the registry:

1. Go to run on your start button.

2. Type Regedit and click ok.

3. Locate the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\EM\Network (Delete MSTCP Folder)

To delete the existing MSTCP key, click the key, and then on the Edit menu, click Delete.

1. Go back to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE from where you started.

                   2. Locate the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

(Delete WINSOCK and WINSOCK2 Folders)

To delete the existing WINSOCK and WINSOCK2 key, click the key, and then on the Edit menu, click Delete.

3. Quit Registry Editor.

4. Restart your computer.

1.When your computer is booting up you will see it finding new hardware and asking you to install it. Click cancel on each prompt window until the computer is back up.

2. Go to your start button.

3. Go into your control panel.

4. Located network Icon and click on it.

5. It will tell you that your network is incomplete do you want to continue? (Click YES).

6. Click on ADD.

7. Locate Protocol Icons.

7. You want to ADD a Protocol.

8. On the left column scroll down until you see Microsoft and click on.

9. On the right column you want TCP\IP only.

10. Click ok and close the network icon.

11. It will then ask you to restart your computer. If it does not ask you, then go to your start button click on shutdown then restart.

12. After the computer is back up then you should be able to go on line.

13. If for some reason that these steps didn’t help you then you didn’t have a Winsock problem.  

WARNING: SPC Computers is not responsible in any way shape or form in trying these steps might or might not fix your problem. And might crash your system. You are fully responsible! Use these steps at your own risk! (We have tried this on many of our systems that we repaired for our customers and have had no problems!)     

CMI C-Media Audio Chip Drivers

WARNING: CMI Audio Chip Drivers are OEM customers in their products. SPC Computers itself does not manufacture end-user products, such as PC or sound cards, so it can not fully control the drivers provided to consumers. Drivers provided at this site, therefore, MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE! to all sound cards. Drivers you download from this site may function well at certain situation, but SPC Computers does not give any guarantee or assurances. Please be aware that these drivers might cause some technical difficulties when installed. In the event that you install the wrong driver, this will not damage your sound card. It just will not work and you can try another sound card driver until you find the correct one that will work.

It is highly recommended that you consult your sound card dealers before downloading drivers from this site.

CMI8738 Audio Chip Driver	CMI8738	Version 2001/04/26	OS/ Windows 95/98/98SE/ME/2000	1.27MB 1,137,408 Bytes
CMI8338 Audio Chip Driver	CMI8338	Version 2001/12/04	OS/ Windows 95/98/98SE/ME/2000	21.7MB 2,2313 Bytes
CMI8330 Audio Chip Driver	CMI8330	Version 2001/03/03	OS/ Windows 95/98/98SE/ME/2000	3.67MB 3,854,336 Bytes

Controller Drivers

Promise ATA 66 Driver	promise_144	Version  1.44	OS/ Windows /95/98/98SE/2000/2003/ME/NT4	105KB 107,803 Bytes
Promise ATA 100 Driver	promise_100_160	Version  1.60	OS/ Windows 95/98/98SE/2000/2003/ME/NT4	271KB 278,213 Bytes
Promise RAID Driver & Utility	promise_raid_130	Version  1.3-60 1.3-45	OS/ Windows 95/98/98SE/2000/2003/ME/NT4	2.56MB 2,686,048 Bytes