[CGUYS] Please Help me with Windows Media Center Problem
Hi ... I'm running Windows xp media center edition and I have a Hauppauge box that allows me to see tv on my computer screen. This has become my favorite way to watch TV and now, suddenly, I'm getting a video error message when I try to turn on the Media Center. I don't believe there have been any recent updates that seem likely to have caused this, but I've tried all the fixes Microsoft recommends (uninstall and reinstall Service Pack 3, rollback to earlier date, etc., to no avail. A friend (who just loves to reformat HDDs) told me the only way to go is with a clean install by starting over with the recovery disk. I have a TON of programs on my computer and the thought of reinstalling everything is daunting, indeed, but if that's the way to go I'll do it. Thing is ... is that what you would recommend? And if so, what are the pitfalls? I don't believe I've ever reformatted a HDD (or if I have it's been a long time ago). I look forward to your always-sound advice. Warmest regards, Gail Miller __ I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning. ... J.B. Priestly * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Please Help me with Windows Media Center Problem
Thanks so much for a speedy reply!! 1) I have *not* tried to watch TV directly from Hauppauge although I used an earlier version of Hauppauge on an old computer that didn't have Media Center and it worked fine. My thought is that the TV capability is installed on this machine through Media Center but I'm not sure how to check that out! How would I go about this on this machine? Any suggestons? You've made the reinstall seem slightly more appealing; I like the idea of cleaning house. i recently purchased Carbonite to keep all my data backed up and I THINK I can download it piecemeal as I need it. I can check that before I get carried away. How can I check to be sure I have current drivers? My computer is a Dell Dimension E510 with 2 GB RAM. I really look forward to hearing back from you. Many thanks again! Gail Miller - Original Message - From: mike xha...@gmail.com To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2009 3:22 PM Subject: Re: [CGUYS] Please Help me with Windows Media Center Problem There comes a point when searching for what might be wrong would take longer than just reinstalling. Check and make sure drivers are all loaded ok. Have you tried watching tv from the Hauppauge application and not through XP media center? I don't know if there is a way to reinstall just media center part of XP but I don't think there is. The pitfalls of reinstalling? Time...forgetting to backup something you need later. Forgetting to make sure you have all your drivers before you reinstall and find yourself without an internet connection because you don't have a network driver. If you have a dell or HP or something, those drivers are on the recovery disks. You could also think of this as cleaning house, I reinstall a lot for this reason, sometimes I just like a clean desk. You might find you don't need or use some or a lot of those programs you have installed. You also could use this as a chance to try new programs instead of the old ones. I made an effort over a year ago to find free apps to replace the paid ones I use a lot...like instead of the bloatware mess that is Nero, I use imgburn. Instead of iTunes to listen to music, Foobar or Songbird. I pay for apps like acronis which is a complete backup and recovery package. Once you have your computer the way you want it, and it works, acronis makes an image and when you need to reinstall, you do so from the image and everything is where you had it. This gives me a completely clean/new install with my programs in less then 20 minutes from blank hard drive to booting. Before you do reformat if you do, make sure you have backups of all your data and any serial numbers you need to reinstall programs you have bought. On Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:01 PM, Gail.Miller gail.mil...@comcast.netwrote: Hi ... I'm running Windows xp media center edition and I have a Hauppauge box that allows me to see tv on my computer screen. This has become my favorite way to watch TV and now, suddenly, I'm getting a video error message when I try to turn on the Media Center. I don't believe there have been any recent updates that seem likely to have caused this, but I've tried all the fixes Microsoft recommends (uninstall and reinstall Service Pack 3, rollback to earlier date, etc., to no avail. A friend (who just loves to reformat HDDs) told me the only way to go is with a clean install by starting over with the recovery disk. I have a TON of programs on my computer and the thought of reinstalling everything is daunting, indeed, but if that's the way to go I'll do it. Thing is ... is that what you would recommend? And if so, what are the pitfalls? I don't believe I've ever reformatted a HDD (or if I have it's been a long time ago). I look forward to your always-sound advice. Warmest regards, Gail Miller __ I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning. ... J.B. Priestly * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Fw: Windows Live One Scan and Cleanup -- and a New Issue!
Thanks for your responses so far. Now this neighbor has a new issue! The dysfunctional Dell is just sitting there. He has an old IBM Thinkpad 2657 with a 20 GB HDD and 512 MB of RAM and running Windows 98. It's been in a closet for months (years?), Apparently it did not have anti-virus protection so he got a virus, He reformatted the HDD but now wonders what to do to get an anti-virus program before trying to go online again. He's tried Best Buy and Staples and neither has an anti-virus program that will work on Windows 98. He thought he might upgrade to Windows XP, thinking he could get a good price on an upgrade version of XP but they don't stock that either. So the option is to go online online to download something like Avast (which reportedly DOES work fine on Win 98) but he's afraid of going online for fear of infecting his newly-clean HDD. Another thingk, as the Thinkpad reformatted the drive it reloaded the programs that were on it before the reformat! Where'd they come from, he wonders and of course, I haven't a clue. He wonders (as I would) whether the Thinkpad graciously reinstalled the virus just as it reinstalled Word, and all the Windows Office programs, a graphics program or so and I don't know what else. I dont' think he has much on this computer. But anyway, his question is: Is there a way to reformat the drive and Not have existing programs reinstalled? How would he do this? Isn't this a dilemma that you folks like to get your teeth into? MANY Thanks in advance for your help! Gail Miller - Original Message - From: Tony B ton...@gmail.com To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 9:22 PM Subject: Re: [CGUYS] Fw: Windows Live One Scan and Cleanup Sounds like a hardware failure (likely has nothing to do with whatever was running when it failed). Can he get into the bios and sit there as long as he wants? Can he boot to a live cd and run an OS? Probably not worth repairing since the Win7 notebooks just hit the market at bargain prices. On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 1:10 AM, Gail.Miller gail.mil...@comcast.net wrote: Hi ... My neighbor just used Windows Live One Scan and Clean on his Dell laptop and it apparently has completely crashed his computer. When it tried to reboot after the scan he could hear the hdd whirring and the screen lit up for a moment with the Dell logo but then went to black and he can't get a picture to come back onto the monitor (excepton trying the reboot again, it will come back just momentarily). Then the mouse arrow appears on the screen (again only momentarily) and then it goes to black, the hdd (or something) continues to whirr and nothing else happend. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Fw: Windows Live One Scan and Cleanup
Hi ... My neighbor just used Windows Live One Scan and Clean on his Dell laptop and it apparently has completely crashed his computer. When it tried to reboot after the scan he could hear the hdd whirring and the screen lit up for a moment with the Dell logo but then went to black and he can't get a picture to come back onto the monitor (excepton trying the reboot again, it will come back just momentarily). Then the mouse arrow appears on the screen (again only momentarily) and then it goes to black, the hdd (or something) continues to whirr and nothing else happend. I looked at the Windows Live site trying to help him find a contact number to call but can't find anything even close to a contact phone or email. The computer (several years old) (Inspiron 8000) originally had Windows ME on it but he upgraded to Windows XP and has the XP CD but that won't bring up a picture on the screen either. Is this something mindless and easy to fix? (I hope!) Or will it require a trip to the shop (assuming he can find a decent one. He's in Takoma Park MD. Any suggestions?) This message neer got posted to the group so I'm forwarding it from my sent box. My friend phoned to say he was able to get the computer to boot from the cd but called back to say it was short-lived. Within the hour, the monitor had gone to black again. Any suggestions? As always, thanks in advance for your help !! Best, Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Please Help! Scores (maybe hundreds) of emails have disappeared from my Outlook Express Inbox
Hi ...I have my C drive waaay too full of stuff and I keep saying I'm going to purge it and purge the email folder but so far I haven't done it. Today the computer was running especially slow so I shut it down (the normal way) and when I rebooted, all this email was missing from my Inbox. I have maybe 10 with today's date on them and then the next date is 7/3/2008! What can I have done to cause this and what an I do to restore the missing emails?? Some of this is work-related (I freelance). None of my sub-folders (15 or so) seem to be affected. I tried a 'system restore' to last Friday even though no new programs have beenn added or anything, and on rebooting, same thing. No emails between 10/17/2009 and 7/3/2008. Please help!! Thanks in advance, Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] I've Just Done Something Really Stupid! Clicking on a Link...
Hi ... I've just done what I've told others for years NEVER to to and that is clicked on a link that I received in an embail from a stranger. The email's 'from' line listed the name Kia. I have a friend by that name who often sends links to his friends inviting them to go see movies he's made. That's what I thought this was ... but NO! It's a gross, graphic video of elephant abuse. And the site is written in an arabic language. I've never known what can (or often does) happen to people who click on a malicious link. Maybe someone here can tell me that too. But I really want to know whether there's anything specific I should do, or look for to be sure I've not been contaminated by something! I haven't yet deleted the email from my computer -- waiting for advice from you before I make another dumb move! I have McAfee Antivirus running and the icon says my computer is proteted. Email is specifically included in the scan options. I use Outlook Express on an XP machine. Aside from reaffirming my resolve never to do this, are there any things I should do to purge anything this site may have added to my computer? Once again, thanks in advance for your kind assistance that is always so helpful!! Warm regards to all, Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Outlook Express Disappears
Hello. I need your help. Yesterday my computer rebooted itself unexpectedly. And when it was all ready to go again, there was no Outlook Express. Moreover, I couldn't find it in the Program Files or by going to add or remove programs. So I did a system restore to the previous day. There it was as expected. Then last night it rebooted itself again, and same thing. I have now done another system restore to the same restore point as before and again, all is well. What I want to do is find out where the OE.exe (or whatever it's called) is located so I can find it manually next time this happens. I've tried adding a new icon to the desktop but when I go to Outlook Express can't find oe.exe -- the closest I've come is wab.exe. Will that do it? Beyond that, what can be happening to OE during this mysterious reboot? As always, thanks so much in advance for all your help! Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Outlook Express Disappears
Thanks so much Chris and Mr. Mike for your quick responses. As to how my IE is working -- I've hated it (and it is mercilessly S L O W) since Windows automatically downloaded IE 8. So I think i'll start using a different browser. I have to wonder, though, why McAfee (which seems to download updates several times a day) wouldn't catch a malicious file either in the email or in while browsing with IE. I called the Apple Store in Bethesda today to ask a couple questions about Ipods and a recording greeted, announcing that there's never been a better time to get an IMac/ Then it referred me to a Website to make a date for a personal demonstration. Maybe they're right this time ... Thanks, Gail - Original Message - From: Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 1:19 PM Subject: Re: [CGUYS] Outlook Express Disappears I don't know what's happening on your system, but Outlook Express is msimn.exe. -Original Message- From: Computer Guys Discussion List [mailto:computerguy...@listserv.aol.com] On Behalf Of Gail.Miller Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 12:12 PM To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Subject: [CGUYS] Outlook Express Disappears What I want to do is find out where the OE.exe (or whatever it's called) is located so I can find it manually next time this happens. I've tried adding a new icon to the desktop but when I go to Outlook Express can't find oe.exe -- the closest I've come is wab.exe. Will that do it? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Miraculous Healing of Mouse
Hello Everyone ... Thanks so much for all your good advice on what to do about my dead mouse. Having tried all the fixes, including Tom's suggestion for Ultimate Boot Disk to no avail, I decided to bite the bullet and reformat. I downloaded a backup program, Acronis, and put it on the machine this morning, then rebooted, in addordance with instructions and went to get more coffee. When I returned, lo and behold, there he was, his little belly glowing red like a beacon in the night. Praise the Lord; the mouse is reborn! I'm going ahead with the backup just in case this happens again but wanted to let you know -- and also ask if anybody has any idea of what this might be -- could there be a short-circuit somewhere? And if so, should I be worried about that?? The good news from this experience is I've learned to navigate the computer ad the internet without a mouse (no small feat, it seems to me) which has given me a lot of time to practice patience. Again, many thanks, as always, for your help! Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Miraculous Healing of Mouse
- Original Message - From: Rich Schinnell richnrockvi...@gmail.com To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 9:13 PM Subject: [CGUYS] Miraculous Healing of Mouse At 08:07 PM 6/10/2009, you wrote: Date:Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:40:38 -0400 From:Gail.Miller gail.mil...@comcast.net Thanks so much for all your good advice on what to do about my dead mouse. Having tried all the fixes, including Tom's suggestion for Ultimate Boot Disk to no avail, I decided to bite the bullet and reformat. I downloaded a backup program, Acronis, and put it on the machine this morning, then rebooted, in addordance with instructions and went to get more coffee. When I returned, lo and behold, there he was, his little belly glowing red like a beacon in the night. Praise the Lord; the mouse is reborn! It's evident that you have a female mouse not a Male one.. G Of course you know the difference, don't you? rich ummm, no, and I'm almost afraid to ask -- but I will. What's the difference between a male and female mouse? TIA...Gail * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Camera query. Just curious.
Digital camera folks! Which manner of viewfinding do you use and/or prefer? Camera held out in front of you at arms length as you stand or walk about looking like a zombie, or to use the actual viewfinder if your camera has one? I'm a viewfinder person myself if for no other reason than any camera is hard to hold steady when held at arms length. Steve I use the viewfinder, largely because it uses less power and the battery lasts longer between charges but also because, like you, I fine the camera to be more stable. Good luck! Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] bridge game for PC?
- Original Message - From: Judy Cosler jfcos...@gmail.com To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 9:23 AM Subject: [CGUYS] bridge game for PC? i'd like a computer bridge game for a PC to help me brush up; haven't played for decades! free or free trial period. Join BBO (www.bridgebaseonline.com), practice to your heart's content and play with people from all over the world. It's all free except for some of the tournaments which cost a buck. Enjoy! ...Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] The IT dilemma (was not cool enough)
Kept gripping about how badly his system was running how it was a piece of trash and you know the drill. Well when he went to work on Friday we got his laptop and I installed two clean up programs (anti-malware and super anti spyware) and cleaned up his system. Hi ... Would you be kind enough to share the names of the anti-malware and super anti-spyware programs you used? And, if not those very ones, is there a free (or very reasonably priced) one that you would recommend? My 3-year-old PCrunning Windows XP Media Center is VERY slow! Thanks in advance! Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Spam Blocker
Wow -- thanks for quick replies!! You're the greatest oo ALL of you!! I'm off to look at Comcast's options and Gmail as well!! I'll report back soon. - Original Message - From: John Duncan Yoyo johnduncany...@gmail.com To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 4:25 PM Subject: Re: [CGUYS] Spam Blocker You can try forwarding your mail through a gmail address. It does a decent job filtering spam plus it lets you identify spam. It might be a good time just to retire the spam laden email address or limit it to things that might generate more spam. Thunderbird has some sort of built in junk mail filtering as well. Does comcast offer any spam filtering? You might just need to turn it on. On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 3:43 PM, Gail.Miller gail.mil...@comcast.netwrote: Hi ... I'm drowning in SPAM in my Outlook Express mail program. Can anyone recommend a reliable cheap (better yet, free) anti-spam program? As always, thanks in advance! Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * -- John Duncan Yoyo ---o) * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Google weirdness and Firefox on Windows?
When doing a web search, every site bears the legend this site may harm your computer. I had a sort-of similar problem with IE a couple weeks ago -- every site was going to do harm and I thought I had a virus. Turned out I had checked the calendar in the tray to find a date and inadvertently closed it without checking that I had gone back to the current date. Seems unlikely you would have done that but just check to be sure your clock is correct before you start running down other stuff. Warm regards Gail Miller * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
