Chris Byers tackles readers' hardware and software conundrums.
Sound haS Stopped Q I'm unable to get sound from my Windows 7 hp laptop. I've checked everything I can think of and have now run out of ideas. Bill Stevenson The loss of sound could be due to a number of things, Bill. Here's a troubleshooting checklist for you to try. Click Start, type system volume in the Search box and press Enter. In the System Volume dialog box that pops up, check that the volume is turned up and not muted. Ensure the correct sound device is selected. Some computers have more than one sound card, particularly if the graphics chip offers integrated audio. Click Start, type sound in the Search box and press Enter. In the dialog that pops up choose Sound, then check your speakers are set as the default and aren't disabled. Check the status of the sound device. Click Start, type device manager in the Search box and press Enter. Expand 'Sound, video and game controllers' in Device Manager and find your sound card. If no red crosses are displayed against its name, the card is fitted and working correctly. Remember to check the laptop itself for a manual volume control. This might be a wheel or a button. Ensure these are set correctly. Look for a mute button, too. Next, check that sound isn't disabled in the Bios. To enter the Bios, reboot the laptop and press F2 before the Windows login screen appears. All systems are different, but sound settings should be easy to find. If you're still without sound, try updating your drivers and Bios. Since yours is an HP laptop, head to tinyurl.com/2jj7p and search for the drivers and downloads for your specific model. If none of these solutions fix your problem, you could arrange for the manufacturer to repair the laptop under warranty; if this has expired, take it to a local computer shop. However, if one of the components has broken, rather than a bad setting being responsible for the loss of audio, your best bet is to pick up a USB sound card. These cost as little as ukp8 online. MISSIng ituneS playlIStS Q When I got my pC back after being repaired, everything that was on it before was still there, except itunes. I'm worried I'll lose the playlists on my 30GB ipod classic if I plug it into my pC after reinstalling itunes. Cameron Carter It sounds as though your hard drive was backed up and wiped in the course of the repair. Since your email and the rest of your files are intact, it's likely anything else that was previously on your PC will also be present - we simply need to find where the playlists are stored and tell the new version of iTunes where to find them. First, locate your 'Music' or 'My Music' folder in the Start menu. If there's a folder called 'iTunes' within it, back it up to an external drive or USB memory stick. Next, download the latest version of iTunes and reinstall it (select No if it asks whether existing files can be overwritten). The new software should pick up your music and settings. Unfortunately, unless you previously backed them up, you may find you're no longer able to play any DRM-protected audio files in your library. If there's no iTunes folder to be found in the 'Music' or 'My Music' folder, use Windows Search to locate the items that should be in there. It's also worth trying a file-recovery program such as Recuva (recuva.com) if this search yields no results. In future, back up iTunes regularly. Go to File, Library, Back Up to Disc and insert a blank CD or DVD. unloCkeR authentICIty Q You've previously recommended unlocker, but Internet explorer (IE) 8.0 won't let me download it. I managed to obtain the file using google Chrome, but Security essentials then blocked it and said it was a trojan. Russell Ellis Don't worry, Russell. Unlocker is an authentic program. We check and scan for viruses for every program we recommend. However, Unlocker seems to have been identified as a false positive (a genuine website that has been wrongly flagged as malicious), so you need to tell IE 8.0 to 'Disregard and continue'. If IE wrongly reports a site as suspicious, click the 'More information' link and choose 'Disregard and continue'. For extra peace of mind, download Unlocker from our own website (tinyurl.com/2fevefv). VIRuS on a uSB StICk Q as a regular speaker at conferences, I carry my presentations on a uSB memory key and plug it into the organiser's laptop to access them. In doing so, I believe my uSB drive has picked up some malware. In Windows it appears on the desktop as a green icon with 'keygen' written on it. It also creates a message box saying 'updatenetFramework'. If I delete the file it simply reappears. norton antivirus 2009 hasn't managed to eradicate it, and I now have the same message on all the uSB drives I use. Dr Alok Modi Back up any files and folders you require, then wipe your hard drive and reinstall Windows. You need to remove the files without booting into Windows, however, since any drive you plug in will get infected. First, buy a new USB drive with the capacity to store all your files. Using a different PC, download a copy of Ubuntu ( ubuntu.com) and burn the ISO file to a blank CD. Print out the instructions given at tinyurl.com/5qfk2e on how to recover your Windows files using a Ubuntu boot disc. Insert the Ubuntu CD and plug in the new USB key. Restart your PC, but boot into Ubuntu on the CD rather than Windows. This is important: should you boot into Windows at this point, your new USB drive will also get infected. Follow the instructions to transfer your files to the drive. Having done all this, format your hard drive and reinstall Windows. Remember to reinstall your security software and any updates that are required. CongeSted haRd dRIVe Q the C drive on my toshiba laptop is nearly full with music, photos and other downloads. I'd like to redistribute some of this data on two other available hard drives. I also want to edit some photos and mini-dVd videos, so advice on storage issues would be welcome. David Dobson In addition to the main C drive, computer vendors often supply their machines with a hidden partition that contains the files needed to reinstall the operating system (OS), plus one or more others for storage. To find this hidden partition, go to Start, type computer management in the Search box and press Enter. In the window that pops up choose 'Disk Management'. >From the screenshot you supplied with your query, it's clear that you can >easily move files from the congested C drive to the D drive. Double-click the D drive to open it in Windows Explorer, then create a new folder called 'Documents'. Copy and paste your photos from the 'Documents' folder on the C drive by right-clicking 'Photos' and selecting Copy. Do the same for your Video folder. If you're certain that everything has been copied over successfully, delete the originals on the C drive. Windows will probably advise that the folders are too large to leave in the Recycle Bin and need to be deleted immediately. Click Ok to allow this. This process should free up lots of space and may also make your PC run a little faster. If you wish, you can set future software installations to occur on the D rather than C drive. To do so, simply change the specified default installation drive and folder during the software setup process. For example, when offered C:\Program Files\New Program as the installation directory, change the drive letter to D:\Program Files\New Program. a QuICk guIde to Xp Mode Q I was very interested to learn that it's possible to run older programs in Windows Xp Mode on my Windows 7 pC. however, I've been unable to make this work on my acer Windows 7 home premium 64bit laptop. Can you tell me where I'm going wrong? Glyn Foster Unfortunately, only the Professional and Ultimate editions of Windows 7 let you run Windows XP Mode. However, other free virtual computing options are available for Home Premium, including VirtualBox (tinyurl.com/68 grams tv4). VirtualBox is easy to use and comes with full instructions. Once downloaded, check that the 'Virtualisation' option is turned on in the Bios. Your computer needs to have enough RAM to power both Windows and any virtual machine you run. Ideally, a minimum of 4GB RAM should be installed for Windows 64bit. You'll also need an XP installation disc and a valid licence key - you can pick one up for around ukp30 online. Alternatively, you can run a free version of Linux with VirtualBox. goIng BaCk to BaSIC Q My Commodore 64 is outperforming my Windows Xp pC. I thought I'd take advantage of this and get to know its ins and outs. Where can I find a program for writing Basic and a book of operation codes? Stephen Condon We love the fact that you want to learn Basic. You'll find plenty of links and overviews at codebase64.org. You may also want to use an emulator on your PC so you can run the Commodore 64 OS on it. A list of emulators is available at tinyurl.com/lo5lnh. If you're interested in computer languages, it's worth trying to get to grips with Visual Basic. Microsoft Visual Basic Express (tinyurl.com/2wxoc22), Visual C# and Visual C++ and others are all free. yahoo MaIl SCRIpt eRRoR Q I access my yahoo Mail account via a dialup internet connection on my Windows Xp computer. When I try to log into the webmail interface, IE reports script errors '871' and '865' on the page. these errors started to appear after I upgraded from Ie 7.0 to version 8.0. I have since reverted to the earlier browser, but the error messages still appear. Is Ie 8.0 safe to use? Stephen Dutton The issue is probably caused by an outdated web cache. You can empty the cache in IE by clicking on Tools, Internet Options, Browsing History Options, Delete. As you're using a dialup connection, note that it may take some time for websites to load while IE rebuilds its cache. An out-of-date or faulty toolbar is another possible cause. Try disabling or uninstalling the Yahoo toolbar and any others you use - with the exception of the Menu Bar, Favorites Bar and Status Bar. To do so, right-click the toolbar in IE and turn off any add-ons you use or click Tools, Toolbars and deselect the toolbars from there. It's also possible to delete toolbars from Control Panel, Add\Remove Programs. If the problem persists, try accessing Yahoo Mail from a different browser. We've compared Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Opera in our Web browsers compared feature in this month's issue. IE 8.0 is perfectly fine to use, but some websites may not render correctly. If you find this is the case, try the 'Compatibility view' button. If a site you're trying to visit has an icon that resembles a torn page, right-click the browser toolbar and add the 'Compatibility View Button'. Pressing this button should fix display errors. An updated version of Java (java.com) will also help. >From the forums playIng iMoVIe VIdeoS on a pC Q I created a dVd using iMovie hd6 on a MacBook. how can I get it to play in Windows Xp? the disc isn't recognised in either of my pCs or laptop, but plays fine on my tV. Allan Try Handbrake (handbrake.fr). It's available for both Mac and PC and converts lots of formats to, well, lots of other formats. See How to: Windows for other media playback and management tips. Note that DVDs created for playback on a Windows PC usually need to be 'finalised', so that may have prevented your iMovie file from playing initially. BaCkup dRIVe needed Q I want to install a second hard drive for backup purposes. I think I have a Sata drive at present. how can I be sure, and how do I go about installing a new drive? Daiol The photo you supplied was useful. Yes, you have a SATA drive currently fitted in your PC. To find out what's installed in your PC you can use the Belarc Advisor on a site such as crucial.com. This takes an inventory of your hardware setup. Adding a second SATA drive is easy. Make sure you order a new SATA cable along with the drive. To fit the new drive, power down the PC and unplug the PC from the mains, then discharge any static. Slot the new hard drive into a spare bay, connect the SATA and power cables and affix any associated retaining screws. You don't need to worry about master and slave drives on a SATA drive. However, note down the SATA socket number because some motherboards require you to enter the Bios and enable the port in order to see the new drive. Switch your PC back on and, if prompted, go into Disk Management (go to Start, type computer management in the Search box, press Enter, then choose Disk Management) to 'initialise' the new disk and format or partition it. The whole process should take around 10 minutes. QuaRantIned FIle Q Microsoft Security essentials has quarantined 'VIR tool:JS/obfuscator.p'. the program advises me to 'Remove this software immediately'. how do I do this? Ajs160n Open Security Essentials and click on the History tab. Here, you can view the quarantined items and delete them as required. To have Security Essentials automatically remove malware, click on the Settings tab, choose Default actions, then set what actions you want it to take. ColleCtIVe update WoeS Q My desktop pC, my laptop, my partner's laptop and my mother-in-law's laptop have all started freezing just after startup. We haven't installed any new software on any of them and they are in separate locations. the only thing they all have in common is the Windows updates that have been applied. any idea why this should be or how to get around it? I've resorted to manually powering down and rebooting the computers. Chriscross72 Windows updates can, and sometimes do, cause problems. It's surprising that the issue is affecting all the family PCs at once, though. The simplest fix is to use System Restore on all the affected computers to roll them back to an earlier time. Restart the PC and press F8 before the Windows login screen appears to enter Safe mode. Next go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore and follow the step-by-step instructions to roll back each machine to a time before the updates were installed. CoMputeR SayS no Q My Windows 7 pC has four hard drives (C, e, F and g). I've been having a lot of trouble with them lately, and a couple of weeks ago my computer wouldn't start up. I ran through Startup Repair a few times, but it hasn't helped. I've tried disconnecting my secondary hard drives and reconnecting them one at a time following restarts. everything worked fine for a while but, after I tried to burn a dVd, I again got a locked-up computer with only two of the four drives available. Selectively adding the drives hasn't cured things this time, although the C drive continues to work normally. Joe Beaven This could be due to a loose component (RAM, graphics card and so on), the computer overheating or an impending motherboard failure. First power down the machine, unplug everything and earth yourself. Gently clean the interior and casing of the PC to get rid of any dust. Also check for excessive dust on the processor and graphics card coolers and cables. Turn the PC back on and connect the drives one by one to see whether they now work. Update the Bios to help stave off future problems. If the problem persists, it may be more serious and your motherboard could be at fault - you may be able to get it repaired under warranty, though. Windows 7 is unlikely to be to blame here, because of the random missing drives. The reboots point to something else. ShaRp ShootIng Q I have a 10Mp camera. When viewing the photos it takes a couple of seconds for each one to become sharp. Would a better graphics card than my six-year-old nVidia geForce FX2500 speed up this process? James Heaney The graphics card would have very little to do with this, to be honest. The processor handles the 'flat' image on your screen - photo display shouldn't be an issue. The graphics card performs 3D and video rendering more than anything. If photos take ages to appear, you may need more RAM or a faster processor. Bear in mind that a 10Mp image results in a large file and, if you're viewing them while they're still on the camera, the image is being sent down a relatively slow USB connection. Transfer your photos to the PC first. Technical telepathy: 09969636745 I am more inspired by Newton's apple tree than Adam's forbidden apple. To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
