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Windows Vista/Questions Answered by Expert Richard Rost
| Subject | Date Asked |
| upgrade to IE 9 or stay with IE 7 | 8/5/2011 |
| Q: my computer is toshiba laptop model Satellite L305-S5915 2 GB sd RAM 160 GB HDD Windows Vista Basic ... A: I've always been an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of guy. If you're visiting web sites that ... | |
| extracting from an archive | 8/2/2011 |
| Q: I'm not too hot on computers so perhaps you can answer this question in a step by step way so I'll ... A: Windows Vista and 7 can work directly with ZIP files. There's really nothing you have to do. Just ... | |
| Vista operational problems | 5/13/2011 |
| Q: I recently had a tech at my house to repair a hard-drive problem. I mentioned to him that I also ... A: There can be MANY factors that lead to a computer slowing down including just software issues. YES, ... | |
| formatting laptop | 1/6/2011 |
| Q: I would like to reformat my Toshiba Satellite P205D laptop computer back to factory settings. I have ... A: Walking you through the entire process of reinstalling Windows is really beyond the scope of what I ... | |
| Deleting User Profiles | 10/14/2010 |
| Q: When I bought my Dell Latitude the technician demonstrating it created and account called 'user' ... A: The first account created during Windows setup becomes your de facto "admin" user. I would set up a ... | |
| IE 8 and Chrome not working in Vista | 8/18/2010 |
| Q: I'm at my parents house and they are having some problems with their computer which a couple of ... A: Use Firefox. :) Go into your IE settings and make sure that "use a proxy" isn't checked. I've seen ... | |
| Software Transfer | 6/18/2010 |
| Q: Mr. Rost, I would like to upgrade from Vista 64 to Windows 7. I am concerned that I will lose the ... A: 99% of the time, the best thing to do is backup your DATA files (documents, game info, email, ... | |
| Windows bug issue | 5/20/2010 |
| Q: My PC, running Windows Vista, frequently freezes in which any button will not work. It fails to ... A: This is exactly why I don't troubleshoot… it could be ANYTHING from a bad memory chip to a software ... | |
| how can i open cd's creasted on xp or 95 | 4/24/2010 |
| Q: I have much of my old data stored on cd's using windows xp and windows 95, Now when I try to access ... A: I'm not sure what an "ss" file is, but any CD that you burned using Windows XP or 95 should be ... | |
| CD-ROM vista problem? | 4/3/2010 |
| Q: My windows vista CD-ROM used to work a while ago. Now it isn't working 1/4 the time. Im not the only ... A: Wesley, it's almost impossible for software to damage hardware. I doubt a virus would have "fried" ... | |
| external hard drives | 3/30/2010 |
| Q: could you please give me some info on how to copy my files on an external hard drive to another ... A: If your external hard drives are both USB or ESATA, then you should just be able to plug them both ... | |
| Full Disk E on Vista OS | 3/22/2010 |
| Q: I have a laptop with Vista Business OS SP2. My Drive E is almost full: I cannot cleanup data from ... A: Obviously something is still taking up space. Open up Windows Explorer and take a look. Right-click ... | |
| Deep-cleaning C: | 3/21/2010 |
| Q: It seems that no matter how much I keep enlarging my C: drive, with Vista no size seems big enough. ... A: 28 GB ??? Wow. Why don't you just use multiple partitions? Personally, I prefer the following ... | |
| vista partition | 2/4/2010 |
| Q: my c:\ drive was 100gigs and the operating system (vista) showed to be 36.8gigs...all software on ... A: Windows creates a "swap file" which it uses to virtualize additional memory. This swap file is ... | |
| Searchung within folders - Vista | 1/12/2010 |
| Q: I am currently using Vista Home Premium on a PC. Previously (a couple of computers ago) I was able ... A: Vista and Windows 7 both have more advanced search capabilities than any previous version of ... | |
| Sound volume. | 1/2/2010 |
| Q: I have Windows Vista Home Basic 2007,RAM 1.00GB,processor ADM Athlon 64X2.I can't get much volume ... A: Well, first make sure your speaker volume is turned up. You'd be surprised how many people try ... | |
| installing win7 | 12/8/2009 |
| Q: I just bought a new computer and it came with free win7 upgrade. When the disk comes should I do a ... A: You should be able to just install Windows 7 as an upgrade to Vista without having to wipe your ... | |
| Vista Password at Set Up | 10/21/2009 |
| Q: I have a new Gateway One computer with Windows Vista Home Premium. Windows Vista Set up appears on ... A: If you don't want to enter a password each time you start Vista, just remove the password from your ... | |
| Modify a form | 10/3/2009 |
| Q: We have Windows Vista Home Premium and what I'd like to do is scan a form I use to make reports on ... A: You can either scan the document as an IMAGE and use it as a background in your Word documents, OR ... | |
| Start-up | 9/30/2009 |
| Q: I am running Windows Vista Home Premium. I wish to know how to add a program to my start up, ... A: Create a shortcut to the web page you want to automatically load and drop it in your startup folder. ... | |
| Backup | 9/24/2009 |
| Q: how are you doing? I bought a computer about a year ago with Vista on it. The computer did not come ... A: Check your user manual. A lot of computers today come with a HIDDEN PARTITION on the hard drive that ... | |
| Vista Home Premium Defrag problems | 9/15/2009 |
| Q: Richard, I have an Acer Extensa 5510 which has crawled down to very slow indeed. I have done virus ... A: Backup your data. Reformat and reinstall Windows. It's good to do once a year or so anyhow. Nothing ... | |
| Multibooting XP (Vista Preinstalled) | 9/15/2009 |
| Q: I bought an HP G70-463CL last week. I need to multiboot XP in order to install a design program that ... A: You should set up a SECOND PARTITION on your drive to install XP. Don't try to run XP and Vista off ... | |
| Program window larger than the monitor | 9/14/2009 |
| Q: I am using an embroidery software. When I open it, its size is larger than the size of the monitor. ... A: ALT-SPACEBAR to open the control menu. M to move ARROW KEYS to move the window. Try to move it ... | |
| svchost.exe | 9/12/2009 |
| Q: i pay attention to my task manager fairly often to make sure uneccessary programs are not running ... A: The only thing you can really do is run a virus scanner to make sure that there isn't anything on ... | |
| Save | 9/4/2009 |
| Q: Is The Feature Save As really better than just save? This sounds like a dumb question, but I was at ... A: SAVE is fine if you're saving OVER the current file. Use SAVE AS if you want to change the ... | |
| scandisk | 7/24/2009 |
| Q: Richard my old comptuter with windows 95 had "scandisk" Does windows vista have it? I can't seem ... A: Right-click on your drive, go to Properties, Tools Tab, Error-Checking. It's as close as you have to ... | |
| FAT16 Partition | 7/17/2009 |
| Q: My Vista computer (Dell Inspiron 518) has three partitions: C: OS D: RECOVERY FAT16 39.19 MB FS: ... A: FAT16 is OLD. Actually FAT32 is OLD. It's an old-style "File Allocation Table" method of storing ... | |
| Vista Problem | 7/5/2009 |
| Q: I live in a small town located in west of Asia. Over here we are free to do anything we like ... A: Yes, it is possible to remove Vista and install XP or even Windows 2000 provided that you have all ... | |
| Transfer data to new computer | 6/19/2009 |
| Q: Wife bought a new computer with Vista. Old laptop has XP. Question is how best to transfer old ... A: The BEST way to transfer data from one PC to another is to burn it on a CD or DVD. This way you have ... | |
| registry cleaner | 6/6/2009 |
| Q: .i have vista 32 bit, and am wondering if there is a program you can recommend...a free one if ... A: Sorry, I have yet to find a registry cleaner that works really well. Once a year or so (whenever my ... | |
| open office.org | 5/2/2009 |
| Q: im a sleep expert on this site and was wondering if you know how to delete the recent documents from ... A: I have NEVER used OpenOffice. Sorry. Let me know if you have any other questions or comments. ... | |
| Spinning Blue Circle | 4/30/2009 |
| Q: I have a dell Studio 540 desktop with Vista 64 bit. Recently, at start-up, and on opening my first ... A: Ken, it's almost impossible to diagnose a problem like this without sitting behind the computer. It ... | |
| Add to "Open With" list? | 4/21/2009 |
| Q: First I'd like to thank you for past answers from you that have been very helpful. We have another ... A: Right-click > Choose Default Program… Now just pick the program. If it doesn't appear in the list, ... | |
| enlarging window sidebar | 4/17/2009 |
| Q: I have windows vist with the option to have a sidebar. i have the stocks, weather and top headlines ... A: For the most part, you can't. Vista Sidebar Gadgets are programmed for a specific size, and unless ... | |
| Outlook | 4/5/2009 |
| Q: I have two computers, a laptop with Vista home and a desktop with XP pro. I want to install Outlook ... A: I have no idea what Outlook Suite is. If you mean Microsoft Office 2007, then yes, I would recommend ... | |
| searching in Vista | 3/27/2009 |
| Q: When users searched for a file in XP, they could search their entire hard disk for files "containing ... A: Vista's search automatically looks inside of documents that it can read (Word docs, text files, web ... | |
| Start Up Menu | 3/26/2009 |
| Q: I would like to have Outlook 2007 start automatically after my computer boots up. I have Windows ... A: You said it - copy a shortcut to it to your STARTUP folder. Let me know if you have any other ... | |
| Installing new HD in Vista machine, and keeping old drive | 3/25/2009 |
| Q: Richard, My PC is now 2 years old, and I want to replace the HD as a preventative measure. The PC ... A: You probably have a system restore PARTITION on your hard drive then. You'll have to contact your ... | |
| Acrobat 5 vista incompatibilty | 3/24/2009 |
| Q: I have a data cd written when acrobat 5 was latest version, and ran under windows xp. Changed ... A: There's no reason why the latest version of Acrobat Reader can't open that file. I have old PDF ... | |
| Installing new HD in Vista machine, and keeping old drive | 3/19/2009 |
| Q: Richard, My PC is now 2 years old, and I want to replace the HD as a preventative measure. The PC ... A: I would move the current drive to the primary slave drive, then put the new drive in as the primary ... | |
| wpdusb.sys driver disabled | 3/14/2009 |
| Q: My PC decided it doesn't want to recognize my Cannon camera. It appears that one of the drivers, ... A: The only thing I can suggest is to look on the Cannon web site to see if they have an updated ... | |
| Vista Basic | 3/8/2009 |
| Q: My laptop drive is in three partisions "C"=26GB (24.1GB used)"D"=11.9GB "G"=16.5GB C is nearly full ... A: David, depending on what you've got on your system, Vista could be taking up 16 GB of space - but a ... | |
| customizing the start menu | 2/23/2009 |
| Q: i have vista home premium. i want to add folders in the start menu to sort my programs. i was able ... A: Right-click on your Start Button and hit EXPLORE. From there on out it's exactly the same as in XP. ... | |
| Windows Updates | 2/22/2009 |
| Q: I have been trying to get Windows Updates. The last update I got was way back around Thanksgiving. ... A: Go to Start > Programs > Windows Updates and run it manually. Let me know if you have any other ... | |
| Windows Enterprise to Vista | 2/21/2009 |
| Q: I have a laptop with Windows Enterprise loaded. I have a brand new copy of Windows Vista Ultimate ... A: I don't recommend the upgrade. Backup all of your data. Find your original program files. Reformat ... | |
| XP equivalents of Vista | 2/14/2009 |
| Q: I use XP, highly customized with a hundred macros, etc. A friend has Vista and doesn't know much ... A: I know Microsoft has a "cheat sheet" Flash App on their site that shows you where things have been ... | |
| vista permissions | 2/7/2009 |
| Q: I am the only one using this new installation of Vista Home Permium but many times when i try to ... A: Did you set yourself up with ADMINISTRATOR access? If not, go into your User Account manager and ... | |
| Specific module could not be found | 1/30/2009 |
| Q: After removal of spyware software from my Windows Vista. I am facing a problem that when windows ... A: Windows is still trying to load that file. Some program that is loading on startup needs it. Remove ... | |
| hidden files in W Vista Ultimate 2007 | 1/24/2009 |
| Q: I have a file . I suspect it is a hidden one. How I can see hidden files...? Where I have to change ... A: Open up Windows Explorer. Press the ALT key to see the toolbar and select Tools > Folder Options. ... | |
| low ram | 1/16/2009 |
| Q: I have an HP Pavillion laptop running Windows Vista; 4 gb of ram, however, windows shows 4 gb of ... A: I don't have any particular recommendations for speedup programs, sorry. Sometimes the best thing to ... | |
| scanning to vista | 12/23/2008 |
| Q: I have windows vista and a HP officejet 6310 all in one printer.I want to scan a picture from the ... A: Load the software that came with your printer/scanner. Let me know if you have any other questions ... | |
| how to deal with low disc space pop up | 12/11/2008 |
| Q: I use Vista. In my d drive I keep receiving a low disc space pop up.When I purchased the computer ... A: Well, basically you need to delete some of that data from your D: drive. You can either move it over ... | |
| Dual boot of Windows Vista Business & Windows 98 on a single systems with 80 GB HDD | 12/5/2008 |
| Q: Sir, I was running a windows 98 system which is running some oracle based applications. Now i have ... A: Windows 98 is so old that I doubt Microsoft planned for dual boot with it. You will either need to ... | |
| IE | 11/29/2008 |
| Q: What do you think of this below (By the way it goes faster -much once started but not ... A: That's just going to increase the number of open connections to whatever server you're connecting to ... | |
| Folder glitches in Vista | 11/22/2008 |
| Q: I'm having a few recurring problems when I view folders: 1) When I open a folder such as My ... A: John, I will just say this… Vista is FULL of glitches… still. Microsoft has been fixing and ... | |
| Hard Disc space disappears | 11/16/2008 |
| Q: My primary hdd C: is a 240 gigabyte drive. In the last few days it has gone from having about 60 ... A: Well, I really can't tell anything from your screen shot, but if you're SURE none of your programs ... | |
| Outlook Express | 11/14/2008 |
| Q: I have Vista on my semi-new laptop (less than 6 months old). It came loaded with Internet Explorer ... A: Outlook Express doesn't come with Vista. It's now called Windows Mail. OE isn't bundled with IE ... | |
| Vista, USB | 11/11/2008 |
| Q: I have been trying to pull info off my older HDDs from prior computer systems. My current machines ... A: Your older hard drives should be formatted FAT or FAT32, and Vista should be able to read them just ... | |
| General question looking for signposts | 10/21/2008 |
| Q: I think I am in the right 'expert' area. Thru friends reunited and other sites and research we have ... A: Paul, you didn't really ASK a question. I don't really know what to tell you about "where the info ... | |
| yaywwwu.dll error message | 10/15/2008 |
| Q: however, an error message keeps going on the screen when i start the laptoop up it says: "error ... A: Most manufacturers today are including an image of your factory default settings on a hidden hard ... | |
| General question looking for signposts | 10/14/2008 |
| Q: I think I am in the right 'expert' area. Thru friends reunited and other sites and research we have ... A: The only way that someone can really get your email address is if someone GIVES it to them. It is ... | |
| Windows Vista magnifier | 10/12/2008 |
| Q: When I start my PC and Windows loads, the magnifier takes over about half my screen which is easy to ... A: Is it in your Startup group? If not, do you know how to check your registry to see what programs are ... | |
| Vista > SP | 10/4/2008 |
| Q: I recently backed up from Vista Home Premium to XP Pro on a new laptop I had purchase. Prior to ... A: No sorry. I haven't had a need for one in the past 5 years or so - because I keep very vigilant ... | |
| Vista > SP | 9/29/2008 |
| Q: I recently backed up from Vista Home Premium to XP Pro on a new laptop I had purchase. Prior to ... A: Do you remember how you formatted the USB drive? If you formatted it with NTFS then you might have ... | |
| making a sound file from speakers? | 9/26/2008 |
| Q: howdie Is there a way in Vista home premium to make a sound file with your speakers and microphone? ... A: I haven't used any in years. Sorry. Let me know if you have any other questions or comments. ... | |
| Start-up Menu customization | 9/26/2008 |
| Q: I've got to many programs/apps starting up when I boot on my Vista Home Premium ed. computer . So my ... A: I really couldn't tell you what programs to check and uncheck in your startup group. This is really ... | |
| Files & Settings Transfer to New Vista Laptop | 9/18/2008 |
| Q: My old laptop died and no longer works. I have a new Laptop with Vista and have removed the old ... A: Well, if you have the old drive in an external case and you can SEE it on your new machine once you ... | |
| making a sound file from speakers? | 9/17/2008 |
| Q: howdie Is there a way in Vista home premium to make a sound file with your speakers and ... A: You can record sounds from your microphone with the Sound Recorder accessory. To capture Internet ... | |
| Changing Sound Effects | 9/14/2008 |
| Q: How do I change the sounds on my Windows Vista Home Premium ed. ? I've got sounds that I'd like to ... A: Go into your Control Panel and look for Sounds. You'll find them in there. Let me know if you have ... | |
| Windows Vista | 9/12/2008 |
| Q: I'm running Windows Vista Home Premium and recently I experienced MSN.com popping up while I'm ... A: Sure... uninstall it. Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Let me know if you have any other ... | |
| mailing labels. | 9/12/2008 |
| Q: I have gone to a CT.gov web site and found a listing of several hundred people I need to contact via ... A: Sure... but you'll need a word processor like Microsoft Word or a database program like Microsoft ... | |
| Vista / xp games | 9/3/2008 |
| Q: We are about to purchase a new laptop for our son, the OS will be Vista (Home Premium probably). All ... A: however they might perform WORSE than they would if he had XP on the new machine. Unless the new ... | |
| Windows XP | 9/3/2008 |
| Q: Is it possible to add Windows XP to a lapto computer that already has Vista? Thank you for your ... A: It's POSSIBLE, but it's much easier to go the OTHER way - install XP first, then install Vista on a ... | |
| XP wont install | 8/31/2008 |
| Q: I have recently bought a Dell laptop with 250GB hard disk WDC-WD2500BEVS-75UST0 The operating system ... A: Yes... the BEST solution is to repartition the hard drive. Install XP first, then install Vista in a ... | |
| Vista 64-bit compatibility with KDS USA monitor | 8/27/2008 |
| Q: I got a Gateway GT 592 that runs Vista 64-bit Home Premium. However, upon hooking it up, all the ... A: Sounds like a connection problem between your PC and your monitor. Take the plug out of the PC and ... | |
| admin | 8/26/2008 |
| Q: how can i logon administrator account in windows vista like in xp ctrl+alt+del and i logon admin A: The Administrator account is DISABLED by default in Vista. You have to log on with your regular ... | |
| Changing Sounds | 8/24/2008 |
| Q: How do I change the error sounds (ect.) in Vista ? I've been to a store where when they make a ... A: Go into your Control Panel to the Sound profiles. You should see an option to change your system ... | |
| cleaner | 8/20/2008 |
| Q: .i have vista home, and am looking for a good free drive cleaner, and also a registry cleaner and ... A: Personally, I don't really use those utilities myself - I don't install junk I don't need, and I ... | |
| First Time Vista User | 8/14/2008 |
| Q: Mr. Rost, I am a first time Vista user, but I am not a first time Windows user. I just completed my ... A: A lot of programs now will ask you if you want to install them for ALL users on the machine, or just ... | |
| help. | 8/12/2008 |
| Q: I've just bought a laptop, equipped with Vista. It's working perfect, but i've noticed one strange ... A: If you're continuing to lose hard drive space at the rate of 2 to 3 gigabytes per 10 minutes, then ... | |
| Window explorer in Vista Business | 8/12/2008 |
| Q: My laptop is running Vista Business. Everytime when I use the window explorer (not internet ... A: This really could be anything, but if it happens every time you load Windows Explorer, something is ... | |
| Where is Outlook Express | 7/23/2008 |
| Q: A friend just bought a new Toshiba Satellite laptop. She got a terrific deal, in part because it has ... A: Outlook Express has been replaced with WINDOWS MAIL. It should be in all versions of Vista. Let me ... | |
| I can't delete a lnk file | 7/15/2008 |
| Q: I can't delete a lnk file what must i do to delete it. A: Press DELETE. :) What is Windows telling you? Is it a READ ONLY file? I need more to go on if you ... | |
| Vista Installation | 6/11/2008 |
| Q: A friend of mine bought a laptop that should have had Vista preloaded. When turned on, they ever ... A: Quick answer... take it back where you bought it and have them fix it if you JUST bought it. XP ... | |
| Microsoft Computer Systems | 6/9/2008 |
| Q: I am trying to find information that tells me the pros and cons for Apple systems and Mircosoft ... A: Well, depending on who you ask, you're going to find conflicting information. If you ask Apple, ... | |
| windows and vista | 6/7/2008 |
| Q: on my pc right now i have windows xp sp 2 installed on it,if i were to install another hard drive ... A: You can run both operating systems one one PC. When you install Vista on a new drive (or partition) ... | |
| windows vista | 6/7/2008 |
| Q: I recently bought a new gateway laptop with Windows Vista from best buy, they pretty much set it up ... A: Wow... that's a new one. I've never heard of that before. Google Images? Sounds like a virus or some ... | |
| Vista Ultimate and Service Pack | 6/5/2008 |
| Q: Hey, I was just wondering if Vista Ultimate is really worth the money? I was online the other ... A: I can't answer the question of whether or not Ultimate is worth the money. That's up to you. If you ... | |
| windows vista oem question | 5/20/2008 |
| Q: My laptop is running vista premium. I want to format the hard drive and put XP on it. If i decide ... A: As long as you have your Vista CD from Toshiba, that SHOULD allow you to reinstall it later, yes. It ... | |
| problem in installing softwares | 5/18/2008 |
| Q: Everytime i install a software i get a message that i am not allowed to install the software as i do ... A: The Administrator account is disabled by default in Vista. Are you SURE you're using the ... | |
| DUAL VISTA AND XP | 5/16/2008 |
| Q: I have installed windows xp on C: and on D: Now I want to format C: and install Windows vista on it. ... A: They should run fine together. I had a system running Windows XP on my C: drive. I installed a ... | |
| vista/windows media player | 5/15/2008 |
| Q: I use vista/windows media plaYER(WMP)TO "PLAY" AUDIO/VIDEO content.I double click content & WMP ... A: When you install WinAMP, it will ask you if you want to use it as the default media player. If you ... | |
| Windows 2003 for Vista? | 5/7/2008 |
| Q: Bought a Compaq Presario with Vista for $150.Came with a trial of Windows Home Office 2007 which I ... A: The only "cheap" way I know of would be to purchase the STUDENT (educational) version of Office 2003 ... | |
| BACKUP. | 5/6/2008 |
| Q: I have Windows Vista Home Premium. When I go to backup it tells me I cannot use a USB flashdrive. I ... A: Can you access the drive normally? If you open up your COMPUTER icon, does it show up there? Can you ... | |
| Codec for Vista Business | 5/5/2008 |
| Q: I just upgraded my computer form XP Pro to Vista Business. After the upgraded, all the avi file that ... A: You're going to have to download and install whatever CODEC the video files tell you that you need. ... | |
| I've erased my vista and can't get it back | 4/27/2008 |
| Q: I recently installed a windows xp cd into my computer that had windows vista pre-installed on it. ... A: If the CDs you made are no good, you're going to have to contact your PC vendor (or Microsoft) and ... | |
| Retrieve. | 4/27/2008 |
| Q: Recently I was editing a gigantic work I made on Windows Word Office, and instead of Save As I ... A: Well, if you have automatic backups ON in Microsoft Word, it might have saved a backup file... other ... | |
| Running Windows Vista | 4/25/2008 |
| Q: I has 2 sets of desktop with me. Set 1:- Intel Dual-Core E2160,Integrated Graphic, 1GB DDR2-RAM, ... A: My first guess would be bad hardware. Perhaps a faulty memory chip or processor. It could be ... | |
Windows Vista
Answers by Expert:
Richard Rost
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I am happy to answer any questions about how to use Microsoft Windows Vista. Also, please be sure to check the Windows Tips & Tricks and Windows Vista Tutorials sections of my web site.
Experience
I have been using Windows Vista since it first came out. I have been teaching Windows (all versions) in the classroom since 1994, and online through computer tutorials since 2002.
Organizations
I have been volunteering on AllExperts in the categories of Microsoft Access, Visual Basic, and Weight Loss for many months now.
Publications
I have created a line of Windows (including Vista) computer tutorials online at www.WindowsLearningZone.com and www.599CD.com/Windows.
Education/Credentials
Personally, I am self taught. I've learned everything I know from books and trial & error. If I don't know the answer, I know how to find it.
Past/Present Clients
I have over 20,000 happy clients worldwide.
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