G’day,

Windows Vista service pack 2.

I’d been entering some data into a forum post using firefox, backing it up into a word document. I decided to close firefox (without saving the post) while my computer sorted out some things – as per details discussed below.

I was installing some important updates all at the same time – HP, hp health check, windows and something else. I realise I should do different types of updates seperately, although it didn’t happen on this occasion.

I was working on a word (microsoft office 2007) document, which although I had saved some work, more was added when the computer requested I restart stating the following programs were stopping this from happening.

With office configuring itself, even while I had my document open, before clicking cancel a third time I noticed the save bar on the word document displaying ‘5 out of 7 pages saved’ and I wasn’t keen to cancel again; and not understanding how word and the internet recover, I clicked restart.

Following this, there was an issue with the laptop either not shutting down or not restarting, as screen had turned black although blue touch buttons on and fan noise, so after 5 minutes I held the off button to shut down. Then I turned the laptop back on, all the updates were installed fine however I discovered the limitations of microsoft word, clip board and firefox, as my document was missing the extra data and even though I had hoped it might be in the clip board when I used cut and paste data in the firefox forum post I was writing – it wasn’t!

Is there a way to get it back. I’m going to try recover my files by get data. I also want to know how to open clip board using vista, as in the search function it display, attempts to open after clicking though prematurely closes before it opens to its full size and zooms away again.

Cheers mate,

Jesse

Solution:

Dear Jesse,

First of all, let’s have a look at your Microsoft Word Documents as well as their back-ups. In order to restore a Word Document, Microsoft Word uses a back-up file that might have been damaged or not completed in time. I will explain to you how to access that file every time something like this happens.

First of all, you will have to enable “Show Hidden Files and Folders” on to your system. This is how you do it:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.

2. Click on the Start button. This is the small round button with the Windows flag in the lower left corner.

3. Click on the Control Panel menu option.

4. When the control panel opens you can either be in Classic View or Control Panel Home view:

If you are in the Classic View do the following:
a) Double-click on the Folder Options icon.
b) Click on the View tab.
c) Go to step 5.

If you are in the Control Panel Home view do the following:
a) Click on the Appearance and Personalization link.
b) Click on Show Hidden Files or Folders.
c) Go to step 5.

5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.

6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide extensions for known file types.

7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files. Once this is done, your Folder Options screen should look similar to the following image.

(tutorial quoted from http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial130.html )

Now you have to navigate to the folder where you had your word document, let’s assume it was named “Document.docx”. Hopefully, you will find a file in that folder named “~$cument.docx”. This is the back-up file that you double click to open. If it is not there it means that office has rewritten it and/or deleted it so do not worry, it is not an error. Normally that file exists only when the document “Document.docx” is opened. However, in case of a crash, that is the first file you have to go to.

If it is missing or when you open it, it does not contain the information you need, then the information is lost. There is nothing else you can do, because it was not saved in a secure location (as Hard Disk Drive). Clipboard is a temporary storage area that is saved inside the RAM memory and such, is gone at every restart.

However, to view it though, there are few methods known to work, and they are presented properly here: http://www.winvistaclub.com/t72.html

Do not be alarmed by your computer not shutting down properly. Most likely due to an update the function of shutting down was bypassed in order to finish the installation.

Best of luck,
- Bluedrop

have a Superwrite master Optical drive and i put a cd in it in windows and the cd dosent apear on My computer it says cd drive (D:) and when i press on it it says please insert a disk into cd drive (D:).

this allways happens with every cd.

i went to device manager and i press install drivers and then it says u have the right drivers installed.

But it is working because i had to boot up from the cd and do a system restore yesterday. and i worked perfectely.

Iam running Windows vista Home Prem

These are my specs:

Intel core 2 quad Q9400
ASUS P5N-D Mobo
640GB HDD
4GB ram
Superwrite master Optical drive

On the device maneger on the Optical drive’s propoties in the general tab it says:

Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

Click ‘Check for solutions’ to send data about this device to Microsoft and to see if there is a solution available.

so if u Could help me that would be much apreciated!!!

thanks in advance,
freddy b

Solution:

Unfortunately I can only explain one problem to you but if you will provide with some information we we will get to the bottom of the next.

The problem I can tell you about is the one with the “a”-s. This appears when the Operating System from your computer is not installed properly. If you want I can elaborate to exactly where it gets from but there are a lot of technical terms. Basically the installation was done wrong by the program, it is nothing you can set manually, so I recommend either choosing other version of Windows or at least another CD.

And if you have Linux installed (which is another Operating System in case you did not know that)  it also tampers with the “a”-s so it would be best to remove it, or reinstall it.

The system’s fault was responsible for the error when you tried to install the graphics board. Choosing another system or another CD will rid you of the screen of doom.

Considering the blue stripes I need to know if they remain when the computer boots up with the new system as well, or they just appear at boot-up. If they remain then I suggest trying another monitor, if you have the possibility to connect your laptop to any external monitors then by all means do so. We need to know if it is the monitor’s fault or not.

I hope I will get a reply soon, and also that I have been helpful.

Best of luck,
- Bluedrop

Extra:

When i dissconect the laptop monitor and i connect another monitor i dosen’t boot up from the external monitor.

ive installed windows 3 times I had Vista Home premium And it stoped booting up from it and then I installed Windows Vista Ultimate 2 times and it worked perfectly but i still had the problem of the blue stripes and the a’s

when i had ultimate i installed the GPU Drivers thats when the blue screen of doom came on.

The blue stipes are on all the time even when it boot ups normaly into windows ultimate.

Could u still help me?

Thanks in advance,
Frederico Botelho

Solution:

Windows Vista Ultimate is a particular program that requires high qualifications to properly set with all the drivers, and fixed system (such as laptops) have to be set in special modes (most likely BIOS settings are necessary). Do you have any knowledge on how to set BIOS parameters on your laptop ? If not, you will have to find someone who does, it could be something simple.

I will assume you know how to do that or have a acquaintance who does so I will tell you that the “AGP Apperture Size” must be set to a lower level, and if it does not do the trick, the RAM latency timers must be reduced.

However, it is highly likely that your GPU providers have not fully resolved all compatibility problems between the Graphics Board and Windows Vista Ultimate so installing those drivers is not such a good idea for now. I suggest describing the problem also in a contact form on the website of your GPU provider and they may release a new version of your driver that will be safely installed on Windows Vista Ultimate.

The blue stripes still sounds to me like a monitor malfunction. Your laptop should be able to provide another monitor exit so that you can connect two monitors at the same time, one being the original one so it can actually boot and another one with the exact same image (that’s easily set and should happend automatically) so that you may check if there are stripes on the other monitor as well.

Good luck,
- Bluedrop

Sir, I have mailed my problem to u and re posting it here too:

Yesterday I reinstalled Windows XP SP 1 in my PC. As usual I reinstalled drivers: Graphic, LAN, MODEM and AUDIO . But Audio hardware is not being detected. My speakers are connected but still windows is not detecting it even after searching the newly added Hardware. That’s why audio driver assignation is failing.
In Windows Device Manager (devmgmt.msc), under ‘Sound, Video and game controller’ a question mark is there on Realtek High Def, Audio. I’m trying to uninstall this from there but it’s failing too.

Please mail the solution of this problem.
Lord V

Solution:

Dear Sir,

I have received notice of your mails (both as direct mail and post).

Here are the possible causes to your problem and their solutions.

First of all I am going to assume that your sound worked before you reinstalled your System. If it did not work then it might be disabled from BIOS and has to be enabled at boot-up. If that is the case please reply and tell me the version of your BIOS so that I can guide you.

If it worked before and now it does not work there are multiple causes:
1. There is a problem with the SP 1 patch, in which case you might consider installing SP 2 and then reinstalling the sound drivers.
2. There is a problem with the driver itself, it should be installed from the main board’s CD. Do not install RealTek if you are not sure your main board support RealTek drivers.
3. If you are installing your audio drivers from the main boards CD then the CD could have problems and I recommend taking the last version of the drivers. Here is where you can download it:
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=8&PFid=14&Level=3&Conn=2
AC’97 is very popular compared to “RealTek High Definition” so I recommend trying to install that one if you are not sure your board support High Definition sound. (This may also be a drawback of XP SP 1).
4. It may be in conflict with some other drivers, in which case you could try uninstalling the graphic drivers and then reinstalling the sound.

Please note that I have ordered the solutions accordingly to how often the problems are encountered and how likely the causes are. That means that most likely is case 1, then 2, 3 and finally 4.

You would think something like “I had Windows XP SP 1 before and it worked!”. If you had installed then one update took care of the problem for you, so that is why it does not work. Windows XP (of any patch not just SP 1) with then it permanently upgrades to a newer version and probabily your last version was far newer then the one you just installed.

I hope this will solve your problem. If the problem persists please let me know and I will investigate further but the response will have at least one day delay.

Good luck,
- Bluedrop

Using Windows XP, I almost always have several windows open while I am working. Sometimes I will be loading something in IE, and because I know it will take a while, I switch to Firefox to continue working. But when the loading is complete, IE automatically pops back up to the top of the screen, even if I am in the middle of writing something in Firefox or Microsoft Word. Is there a way to stop this from happening?

I am using the most recent version of IE7. My computer has a fast connection and all up-to-date components, so I do not believe it is my computer.

Solution:

Dear Robert,

Since you have a fast connection it is wrong to wait for your page to be loaded in Internet Explorer unless there is a database conflict. Unfortunately the database format Internet Explorer 7 uses is not compatible with XP database storage and the conversion takes a long time.

Internet Explorer generally takes focus when the page has been loaded and it cannot be disabled. Normally, it should take a short time.

My best suggestion to you is to either go Vista or roll back to IE6.

I was reinstalling windows vista Home premium and it said ” windows is starting for its first time… ” then like 15 seconds later the blue screen of doom came up and it shut down my computer.

ive done The recovery 3 times and the BSOD allways comes up at the same time.

can anyone help me?

thanks in advance,
John

Solution:

Dear John,

What is happening to your computer is a conflict between Vista Requirements and your hardware.

Most often this is a RAM memory problem. And also this happens from the BIOS settings of your RAM memory.

Since the replacement of your RAM may be inconvenient and might not solve your problem, we are going to look into your BIOS settings.

You have to change the RAM latency timers. Even default or auto may be the wrong setting for Vista so you have to do it manually. If you do not know how, you will have to ask a favor from somebody in your vicinity to aid you.

I cannot be more precise because I do not know what version of BIOS you have and thus where to find those settings exactly. Basically, once you find them you will have to set them closer to the minimal value, and then reinstall your system.

At reinstalling Windows Vista the “Blue Screen of Doom” keeps appearing and shuts down the computer.

Solution:

What is happening to the computer is a conflict between Vista Requirements and the hardware.

Most often this is a RAM memory problem. And also this happens from the BIOS settings of the RAM memory.

Since the replacement of the RAM may be inconvenient and might not solve the problem, we are going to look into the BIOS settings.

The RAM latency timers need to be changed. Even default or auto may be the wrong setting for Vista so they have to be changed manually.

I cannot be more precise because depending on the version of BIOS where to find those settings exactly is different also. Basically, once they are located they have to be set closer to their minimal value, and then the system may be reinstalled.

What are codecs? Codecs are programs used to “encode” a movie so that it occupies little space on your hard drive. Since the movie is a succesion of images (usually 25 images/second) you can imagine that a two-hour movie would take several tens of GB. So, in order to deal with the space problem and to be able to put the movie on a dvd or cd we use “codecs” to encode the movie, and thus make it smaller. Now once you have encoded it, it’s ok you have the small file, but to play it you need to “decode” it first. This is where codecs come into your practical use. Players (such as Windows Media Player for example) get codecs from where they are installed. So you just have to install the codec and your player will know how to use it.
Unfortunately there are loads of codecs these days, so the movie may be encoded in several ways, and you cannot just search for a new codec every time you want to see a movie.

Anyone prefers a solution that has “All in One” and that is exactly what you can find here. If the previous link does not work, you can get the codec from one of the mirrors here.

Here is some of the extensions that “Codecs_Allin1.exe” can provide for: .avi, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, .vob, .divx, .xvid, .ogm.

For Advanced Users

Similar to Codecs_Allin1 (as presented for beginners) there is the K-Lite codec pack, which you can download here:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download_soft.php?d=5012&s=775
If the link above does not work you can download it from one of the mirrors here:
http://www.free-codecs.com/K_lite_codec_pack_download.htm

K-Lite has much more settings than Codecs_allin1 and there are not set automatically by default, which is why you might experience displeasure when you play a certain movie (video falls behind audio or is unclear). However, if you take your time to set things the way it is best for you and/or your computer, you will obtain a better performance.

Codecs_allin1 automatic settings keep it at bay from DVD video files (such as .mkv files) where most often are necessary specific settings to view it right. K-Lite is also excellent for those with a slow computer. Manual settings can be made to improve your experience, even if normally that format would not work right.

Here are some extensions that K-Lite provides for: .avi, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, .vob, .divx, .xvid, .ogm, .mkv.

Permanent solution

However, codecs might not provide for all of the video formats that exist, and also keeping loads of codec packs would eventually slow down your computer performances.
For this kind of thing, you can use “Avi Video Converter”, which you can find here:
http://softproblem.com/2008/11/20/avi-converter/
This software can convert any video format into basic “AVI” that most players are able to play with a minimum pack of codecs.

Here’s why:

One of the possible causes for that to happen is a defective RAM Memory.
If you go present it to the store cause it is still in its warranty period you might not be satisfied with the result. What will happen there is that they will test you RAM Memory with a tester, and it will pass the test gloriously and if you insist they will mount it in a computer or even in your computer to show you that no error appears.
Trying to explain them that the error does not appear all the time seems useless. Also if it happens that the error appears at that specific moment they will definitely convince you it is not the RAM Memory’s fault.

This is what I have learned from experience and I might be wrong, there might be loads of salesman ready to help that will replace your RAM as you require.

Anyway, this happens to old RAM Memory, such as DDRAM (DDR1) or SDRAM these days and I would expect to experience the same symptoms on new memories as well, as soon as they reach 3-4 years in age.

In conclusion here is what you need to do:
1. Check if it is the RAM problem. How to do that? If you are using two RAM Memories remove one and work like that for a while, then move it to another slot, then remove the one you used and try the other one… and so on. If you are using only one, then it would be best to borrow from someone another one to test your PC with it.
2. Once you have found the defective RAM (The one with which the computer keeps giving error messages and/or blocks and restarts) go with it to the store and try to get a replacement. If you cannot get a replacement, then buy a new one.

The second and most popular of causes is an error in the Registries.
What are registries? Registries are entries that Windows holds for all the programs installed so that they do not have to initialize everything every time you start them. If it would not be like this, every time we run a program we would be waiting a time comparable to how long it takes it to install.
Most common problem here is that uninstalled programs do not usually remove themselves completely from the registry. Although many times this is considered to be a bug, there are programs that do it on purpose.

For instance, some trial programs hold in the system’s registry the information about their install, so that if after the trial period has ended, you cannot uninstall it and reinstall again to gain another 30 days (if that’s the length of the period).

However, after uninstall and installing multiple programs that “do not clean up after them” the registry becomes full and often corrupt. Programs will not run accordingly any more, since they never check the information they get from the registry, they just get it and use it, and if it is corrupted, they crash.

To avoid this from happening, you must have a tool for fixing your registry when needed. The internet database can provide you with a lot of programs that will help, but from what I have tested so far, I recommend Registry Cure as an optimal solution.

Another possible cause is the bad organization of the RAM Memory.
Windows system does not usually check how programs use the RAM Memory. If programs overwrite parts of the memory and enter in conflict, the system is often unaware and will eventually crash one of those programs or even both.
This can be kept at bay with a proper RAM organizer, such as RAM Saver Pro. However, this is rarely encountered these days, since most softwares have their own checking system and do not overwrite memory any more. If you want the quick solution of removing the software that is causing trouble, in order to get a replacement, look for the oldest software you have running. That one is often the cause.

2. You think there is a problem with your RAM memory.
We can encounter two situations here.
The first one is when one has loads of RAM but the computer still moves slowly. This is because in order to save RAM, Windows system use “Page File” which is a virtual memory kept on your hard drive and remember! hard drive is usually the slowest component in any PC.
In order to disable page file, here is what you need to do:
- Go to “Start Menu” right click on “My Computer”, or right on “My Computer” from desktop if it is there.
- Go to “Properties”
- Select the “Advanced” tab.
- In the “Performance” section click “Settings”
- Select the “Advanced” tab again in this new window.
- In the “Virtual Memory” section click “Change”.
- In the new window, select “No paging file” and click “Set”. You will be informed that it is necessary restart you computer.
- Click “Yes”, then “OK” to all the windows and you will be prompted to “Restart the computer now” and I recommend to click “Yes”. That’s it, you’re done!

The second situation is where the system has little RAM.
Here the clever thing to do is to choose which processes run and which do not, based on necessity and memory usage. Also optimize RAM memory by reorganizing the data.
This is very hard to do manually. And the memory optimization in impossible. The solution is to use a software to help you.
I reccomend: RAM Saver Pro to get the job done nice and easy.

Obviously this is very hard to guess for anyone. It seems difficult to remember in this form. This is why, every time you type it, you repeat the phrase: “I love my wife since 12/2000″ in your head, type the initials, digits and special characters and here you are with a brand new good password.

ATTENTION! DO NOT USE THIS PASSWORD! This is just an example and it is available for everyone, so using these steps you have to find your own password, different from “Ilmys12/2000″.

2. Don’t fall in the trap with “required account and password”!
There are sites (and those are based on scam) that for your membership, or to download something, or for a random offer require to input an email and the password to that email. It will never be necessary in any way. If they request that kind of information of you leave the site immediately!

3. Key Stroke programs.
There are some programs (generally detectable spyware) that record the keys you input and send the result to a person that may reproduce you actions and so access your accounts.
How do you protect yourself from this?
First of all you have to have an effective antivirus on your computer, so that no spiders (hidden programs) can sneak through into your computer.
And secondly, when it is some really important account, you better use some virtual keyboard program and/or some programs that offer keyboard protection, like: Privacy Keyboard