Smart IT Skills

If you need to free up disk space, then you need to consider various things like, 1] System Restore backup files. Do you need them all, or can you remove all but the latest one using the Windows Disk Cleanup utility? 2] Music and Video files. Video files in particular take up a lot of disk space. Can you move any of these files to other storage media? 3] Unwanted programs and applications. Inspect your Add/Remove Programs to consider what applications you don't use/never use, and whether it is safe to remove/uninstall them. 4] Use a general file cleaner like CCleaner, from http://www.ccleaner.com to clean out all temporary files and temporary internet files, and other rubbish that builds up over time. 5] Obtain additional disk space, like an external or another internal hard drive. 6] Delete Temporary Internet Files 7] Delete User's Local settings/Temp folder 8] Delete Hidden Files in Windows Folder like $Uninstall folder

... is not accessible: Message: "....is not accessible. You may not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions. Network path was not found." Resolutions: 1) make sure no any firewall blocks the LAN traffic. 2) make sure you have created the same workgroup, and the same username on w2k/xp for logging on a remote computer. 3) check user's rights. 4) you may want to enable guest account on w2k/xp. 5) if you are using simple file sharing, you may try to disable it and re-share the drive manually. 6) if it is mixed OS (win98, NT, ME and W2K/XP) network, enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP. 7) make sure the Computer Browser service is started if all computers are w2k/xp. 8) stop Computer Browser service on win9x, ME and NT if this is a mixed OS network. 9) cache credential by using net use \\computername\share /user:username command (it is better to have the username logon shared computer). 10) if you...

Cleaning your registry is a very vital process. It's the bread and butter of your maintenance and repair tasks. Reason being is because it hold data to every single program and even your operating system that's installed on your computer. But how to clean the registry you ask? Well it's pretty simple actually. All you have to do is find a registry cleaner and it can do all of this for you. Trust me you don't want to do this manually. Even computer technicians don't manually edit the registry for registry cleaning. Maybe for one or two entries that involve a virus or spyware but certainly not for cleaning. It's too hectic to try to do this manually thus that's why we have programs that have been dedicated to handling this for us. Remember the registry is very delicate and if you delete or edit the wrong data entries in it then you could ruin your programs and even your operating system. There are many registry cleaners available but there's only a rare fe...

Are you tired of asking the question, why is my Internet Explorer so slow? You are asking this question because you know that you have a high-speed internet connection and there was no power interruption, yet a single web page takes minutes to load. Believe me, this is a very typical concern of every Internet Explorer user. But don't worry because after you read this, you will be able to find out the answer to your question, why is my Internet Explorer so slow? Let us first know why Internet Explorer runs slow. The most common reason of having a slow Internet Explorer is because cookies and browsing history has never been deleted. Also a probable reason is that maybe the version of the Internet Explorer you are using is not up to date. Another reason is that the settings may have been modified in the wrong way. Having an unmaintained computer could also cause your Internet Explorer to slow down. Perhaps there are Trojans or viruses that affect your connection or maybe some of your ...

The best intentions and advice could actually be the worst because it will mislead you and maybe make you spend more than you have to. What am I talking about? Computer problems. We all have them, and boy, do they happen at the most inopportune times. The most common complaint I hear is "what's with my computer? Its very slow to start and it tends to freeze every so often." This is a situation that will happen to all computers that are used on a regular basis because registries tend to get bloated, and when it does, your computer's performance will be affected. A registry is a database in your Windows operating system that stores all the files needed to run the computer and all its software, hardware, and applications. This registry will keep getting bigger the more you use it, and it ends up with errors, duplicate or obsolete files that get in the way of the computer's performance. There's a very simple, inexpensive solution to this problem. You need to find ...

Over the years as a mobile PC technician I have received so many calls from customers telling me that their PC or notebook will simply not turn on. In many of these cases the problem was quickly resolved over the phone or a quick on-site visit if the customer was not comfortable to try a few suggestions. The issues can obviously either be categorized as hardware or software related. Here are a few steps you can follow that don't require a technician service which in many cases will resolve your problem. Software: - If you received a windows file or boot sector error, or windows hangs or does not completely boot here is what you can try: In XP and Vista simply start taping the f8 key when you hit the power button. You should then come to a list of options to choose from. The option you then need to select is this one: Start windows with Last known good configuration. - If this does not work the next thing you can try is the windows fix boot utility. To run this you will need a XP o...

The "Show Desktop icon" in XP missing, a lot of people seem to be confronted with this phenomenon. This small icon on the Quick Launch bar is very handy when you need to access a program or document on your desktop. No need to close or minimize all your windows first, just click this little fellow and voila, your desktop shows up. Sometimes people loose this icon. It can accidentally be deleted or you may loose it for some other reason, but the bottom line is : only few people know how to restore it. That's because it is not an ordinary shortcut. To recreate it : Click Start->Run In the "open" box, type "notepad" (without the quotes) Click ok Copy the following lines in your new notepad window : [Shell] Command=2 IconFile=explorer.exe,3 [Taskbar] Command=ToggleDesktop Click "File" in the notepad menu and select "Save As" Save the file to your desktop as Show Desktop.scf Drag the new icon from your desktop to y...

Is your computer the next victim of the SVCHOST.exe 100% cpu utilization bug? Microsoft has published article KB927981 that explains how your computer may become unresponsive when it is hit by an issue that can affect system performance during software updates. Symptoms are that your computer is veeery slow after startup and if you check running processes on your computer with Windows Task Manager, you will see an svchost.exe 100% cpu utilization process. If you don't know how to start Task Manager, here's how: right-click an empty sport on your task bar and select "Task Manager" from the menu. Alternatively, you can hit ctrl-alt-del and click on the Task Manager button. In the Task Manager windows, click the "Processes" tab to display process information. You can click on the column headings to sort processes. Microsoft says that this is a rare problem and that only few computers are affected by the svchost.exe 100% cpu utilization bug. Judgin...

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the owner . The term “virus” is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. Viruses A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs. For example, a virus might attach itself to a program such as a spreadsheet program. Each time the spreadsheet program runs, the virus runs, too, and it has th...

If you’re even thinking about scanning your computer for adware and spyware, then you’re probably experiencing some of the symptoms I described earlier in this article. Those include instability, performance problems, or possibly a hijacked Web browser. There is software specifically designed for detecting spyware and adware, and helping you remove it. The one with which I’m most familiar is Ad-aware from Lavasoft . This is the program that I recommend to most of my friends. A freeware version is available for use by individuals at home. A commercial version is also available for use in corporate environments. A program like Ad-aware finds adware and spyware on your computer and then removes them. You can find more adware and spyware removal tools at the Spyware Protection and Removal guide. This Web page includes links to popular spyware removal programs, as well as a number of useful articles. If you’re not going to use a popular program like Ad-aware, however, search Google Group...

Companies pushing adware and spyware are relying on two things: your desire for free software and your gullibility. I’ve had two friends bring me their computers after they were seriously infected with adware. In one case, the culprit was my friend’s craving for free file-sharing software. His desktop was a mess with countless icons for programs that he downloaded from the Internet. I was aghast. What he didn’t realize is that he gave implicit permission to install adware. He knows better now. My other friend isn’t a freeware glutton. Instead, she has a habit of clicking the Yes or OK buttons on every dialog box she sees. Even suspicious-looking dialog boxes that don’t pass close scrutiny. Of course, when a dialog box pops up asking if it’s OK to install a new program, she clicks the Yes button. The lesson that you can learn from my friends will help you prevent the installation of most adware and spyware: Make sure the programs you install don’t contain adware. Many freeware prog...

Windows XP is the ability to uninstall XP if you performed an upgrade from Windows 98, 98SE, or Windows Me. The standard method of removing XP is achieved by booting into XP normally and uses the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. If you are unable to start XP normally, the second option is to load XP in Safe Mode then use the same tool. If you are unable to boot normally or boot into Safe Mode, XP can be removed by uninstalling from a Command Prompt. The procedure is as follows: Note: This procedure is available only if a successful image of the previous operating system was created during the XP upgrade. 1. Start the computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt. 2. At the command prompt, type cd\ , and then press ENTER. 3. Type cd\windows\system32 , and then press ENTER. 4. Type osuninst.exe , and then press ENTER. On screen instructions will guide you through the uninstall process to revert to the previous operating system. This procedure can only be performed by users...

Here’s how with a step-by-step description of the initial Repair process included for newbie’s. 1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (it’s assumed here that your XP CD is bootable – as it should be - and that you have your bios set to boot from CD) 2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your cd Typically, it will be “ Press any key to boot from cd ” 3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files. 4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now 5. The Licensing Agreement comes next - Press F8 to accept it. 6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair . It should read something like “If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it”. Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin...

Cause of DLL missing A system file required by the application has been deleted. This can happen after uninstalling software, running a disk clearer utility, or after an attempt to tidy up the hard disk by removing files and folders that don’t appear to be used. Solution 1 Reinstall the application that is reporting the error. This will usually replace any missing components as well as put right any registry entries that might be contributing to the error. Solution 2 If you recently uninstalled another program, and suspect that the error began to occur subsequent to this, reinstall that program again, or use System Restore (if you’re running Windows Me or XP) to roll back to a date before the problem occurred. Solution 3 Try downloading a copy of the DLL from this web site. A few of the most commonly required DLLs are available for download from the table below. If the file you require is listed, download it, run it, read and agree to the disclaimer text, and keep clicking on Next. ...

You set a BIOS password on your computer. The next time you start up the computer, you forgot what it was. How do you reset it? 1. Open up the computer to expose the motherboard. For normal desktop computers , you will have to slide the case cover or side door off. For Laptops, remove the keyboard by unscrewing the screws securing it to the unit. 2. Look for a battery on the main board. It will either look like a large watch battery or like half of a AA. 3. Remove the battery for about 10 seconds. 4. Place the battery back on the motherboard. If this doesn’t work, it is likely that you will need to look in the documentation for your motherboard to learn the jumper that will reset the BIOS password.

If the master boot record of your computer gets corrupted because of a virus or any other problem like improper shutdown or electricity failure then you must have to repair it otherwise you will be getting an error with blue screen saying that the master boot record is corrupted or something similar to this. This has happened to me yesterday when i started my computer it just kept on restarting this problem also happened with me before some day so i pressed F8 while the computer goes for boot and then selected last good known configuration and then everything was OK but this time this option also didn’t worked for me. If you face the same problem and your system kept on restarting you need to first have a look at How to disable automatic system restart on crash.So you can see the actual error rather than restarting.After having a look at the error if the error is related to master boot record then you need to perform steps given below. First Method As i also mentioned above that i ...

Are you among those who are not able to access or see your folder options under File Menu>>Tools in Windows Explorer on your Windows XP ? This problem of hidden or disabled folder options occur normally due to malicious virus (w32.rontokbro@mm) activity. The virus creates an entry in registry to disable “Folder Options” in Windows explorer. Let us see how we can fix it. Fix: In most of the cases, even if the virus is been already removed by your anti-virus program, it doesn’t restore the registry back to the original state. Also anti-virus usually does not delete the registry entry created by the virus. For restoring the registry settings,follow the steps given below Enable your folder options in explorer. 1. Go to Start > RUN 2. Type regedit and press enter. 3. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > Explorer 4. On the right side of the screen, you can see some registry entry names, out of them, right-click on N...