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Windows XP/Questions Answered by Expert Troy M. MCSE, CNA, MCP, CST, IC3, A+
| Subject | Date Asked |
| defragmentation notice | 12/31/2011 |
| Q: My computer has always said I "should defragment" about once every few months, which seemed right. ... A: You sound like you know a bit about computers and this Defragmenting stuff - and your instincts on ... | |
| Adding Windows 7 64-bit drivers to a Windows XP print server | 12/13/2011 |
| Q: I have recently setup a brand new HP CM2320nf MFP and connected it to a Windows XP Pro pc via USB. ... A: This is more of a generic incompatibility between architectures you have run into. What I mean is, ... | |
| old... Adobe photodeluxe business edition 1.0 | 11/27/2011 |
| Q: I have never found a photoshop program I like better than PhotoDeluxe Business Edition 1.0. Yes I ... A: There could be a few problems with installing any program and getting this error. I am sorry that I ... | |
| Windows XP Login Icons/Pictures | 10/28/2011 |
| Q: How are you? I have Windows XP in an ASUS Netbook. This little Netbook has always been great. ... A: There are a few things that could have happened and at first I was worried that you had used some ... | |
| windows xp bad sound(not no sound) | 10/25/2011 |
| Q: i have recently updated from the windows xp update website a "update for my sound card" and not i ... A: Greetings Harold, That does happen from time to time when changing things on the computer and there ... | |
| Windows 7/Windows XP dual booting | 10/24/2011 |
| Q: I have a Toshiba Satellite series laptop computer that is only 1 year old and am looking to have a ... A: Although this is more of a Windows7 question that deals with attempting to use XP a bit, I'll still ... | |
| Advertisements | 10/17/2011 |
| Q: Advertisements keep appearing in the right hand side of the page I am using. (Using Firefox ... A: Greetings Ken, Although I understand they do help in maintaining and supporting websites (thereby ... | |
| DEFRAGER | 10/12/2011 |
| Q: .... WAS WONDERING WHY MY DEFRAGMENTER ONLY CAN RESTORE 20 TO 45% OF MY FILES WHEN IT USE TO DEFRAG ... A: Disk Defragmenter is a great utility to keep data on hard drives in a nice order. It helps in ... | |
| error on system recovery | 10/10/2011 |
| Q: "I am working on a friends PC - they were getting this error on boot up - Windows could not start ... A: First of all, I want to compliment you on your 'techie' instincts! Immediately taking off all of ... | |
| Why No Scandisk? | 2/2/2011 |
| Q: In the Windows XP Professional I use in office, there is no Scandisk in System Tools. Naturally, ... A: Microsoft's Scandisk has been replaced in Windows XP by ChkDsk: ... | |
| laptop won't start | 12/10/2010 |
| Q: How are you? I have a Dell laptop 120 GB HD, 1.8 GHz, running WinXp and Kubuntu (parallel systems). ... A: GRUB stands for Grand Unified Boot Loader, and is the program that starts up the operating system(s) ... | |
| mic setting problem | 12/7/2010 |
| Q: here it is... in my master volume if i click option > properties it will appears mixer device : ... A: Recording from sources is usually a job of the Input mixer. If you can't click Recording, what you ... | |
| Copy image into body of Outlook email | 12/5/2010 |
| Q: I am using Outlook 2000 with XP. For years I used to open a jpg in IE, select all, and paste it ... A: Here's a couple things you could try: One is when you Paste your items, try the picture separately ... | |
| Ghost | 12/4/2010 |
| Q: I'm an Indonesian. How to solve the problem if the computer can't run well because of the image gone ... A: I am guessing that the image done by Ghost Personal Edition is not working, or restoring the image ... | |
| disc cleanup | 12/3/2010 |
| Q: Have 3 yr old Compaq Presario that is running really slowly, done defrag and removing recent stuff, ... A: One idea it could be is that it might need an Administrator to run the program. For security ... | |
| Boot problem | 6/2/2010 |
| Q: I have a ChainteVNF3-250 motherboard with an AMD Athalon socket 754 64 bit processor. ( I know this ... A: Greetings Marlin, I'd be happy to try to help you out with what could also be a hardware issue, but ... | |
| xp powertoy --tweakuninstall | 6/3/2009 |
| Q: I read you where you said to use the tweakuninstall to allow a missing drive letter to ... A: I'm sorry but I wasn't the one talking about Tweakuninstall, that was another fine helper named ... | |
| cursor | 6/2/2009 |
| Q: When i am typing my cursor jumps backwards to any position of what i have already typed .I have a ... A: I am assuming your name comes from the fact that your laptop seems to be 'rambling on and on' on ... | |
| charging battery | 11/2/2008 |
| Q: I have a laptop and I have it plugged in, but the batttery charging icon on the laptop alternates ... A: It sounds like your battery, and although it could be the laptop itself (don't get scared it ... | |
| i have got a virus | 7/4/2008 |
| Q: i had gone to a cybercafe two days ago & had picked up some pics of landscapes for my desktop. when ... A: I'm not 100% sure on what you were saying 'shut down', the pen drive or the computer. I'm going to ... | |
| Winxp | 3/16/2008 |
| Q: I purchased a used HP nc6000 laptop without an operating system. I tried installing Winxp and the ... A: This is actually quite normal for laptops/notebooks. The hardware inside laptops are somewhat ... | |
| xp loading problem | 1/22/2008 |
| Q: when loading xp fresh on new pc everything loads and when the first screen to complete install comes ... A: There are a few things it could be.. Some of it you can check yourself and some I would suggest ... | |
| Help!! | 1/21/2008 |
| Q: i recently installed a new modem on my WindowsXP and now every time that i try to connect to the ... A: When people ask for help with problems, you may find that each contact (vendor, manufacturer, ... | |
| error code | 1/20/2008 |
| Q: I am tring to reecover my Toshiba laptop with Recovery and Aplications/Drivers U200/U205 Series ... A: When dealing with error codes, it’s always best to try to go to the manufacturer of the product that ... | |
| my sound doesn't work! | 1/19/2008 |
| Q: I have a windows xp computer from hp and recently it was rebooted because it was so bad. The problem ... A: To start off, by “rebooting” I’m going to assume you mean ‘reinstalling’/‘redoing’/’restoring’ ... | |
| No sound on Windows XP | 1/18/2008 |
| Q: Help! I reinstalled Windows due to a virus, but I was playing music right up until the night before. ... A: Not to worry, I understand and have even had this happen a few times in my many Windows reinstalls. ... | |
| Modem issues | 1/16/2008 |
| Q: This is a problem I had couple of times: The sound (clicking noises during connection) from a ... A: At the time, it was an advancement and it seemed like a ‘good thing’ that the modem sounds of ... | |
| path to "My Computer" | 12/6/2007 |
| Q: I designed a desktop wallpaper (HTML File) that has shortcuts to every program or folder I need when ... A: The MyComputer icon is a little different than those other ones that are normally used for starting ... | |
| Missing .DLL files | 11/3/2007 |
| Q: This question is for a friend who has a laptop Toshiba Qosmio G35-av650. When he turns it on, a ... A: This kind of a message is always difficult to unravel, because it’s a very open, generic error. It ... | |
| Google Earth | 11/2/2007 |
| Q: Cannot run Unicode version of ATL71.dll I am trying to install Google Earth and after ... A: This is a problem that has been going on for a little while, the mystery is: is it GoogleEarth, or ... | |
| backgrounds | 4/6/2007 |
| Q: How do I enable windows backgrounds? I can not click on any. I see them but are not given access to ... A: I wasn’t exactly sure what you meant by ‘can’t click on any’.. Do you mean you can’t see the ... | |
| Sound Issue | 4/4/2007 |
| Q: HP PC reinstalled new harddrive now the sound doesn't work. When I go to the Device Manager -sound ... A: Sounds like you may have a few problems, or they may all be related.. Installing new hardware ... | |
| windows problems | 4/3/2007 |
| Q: I have a dell inspiron 1150. When I open the Dell window comes up and stays on for a few minutes. ... A: There could be a couple things causing a system to start up slowly (and keep those lights on). One ... | |
| Searching in Windows Explorer | 4/2/2007 |
| Q: .. -What does the program use to search? I mean, if you select "video files" as what you are ... A: - WindowsExplorer (the ‘navigator’ to go through the files/folders you have in your system) uses ... | |
| Dead drive cd-etc. | 10/24/2006 |
| Q: Well the problem is that my cd/dvd drive/burner doesn't work. It will not open any media..... - ... A: no I won’t blame Mr.Dylan! Hmm.. I still can’t find your question, perhaps you asked someone else? ... | |
| MSDOS window in XP | 10/22/2006 |
| Q: In Windows 2000, when I opened a DOS window I was able to enlarge it to full screen by pressing ... A: A DOS window can be viewed fullscreen by hitting ALT+ENTER (hitting it again to get out of it). I ... | |
| Saving data associated with programs | 10/20/2006 |
| Q: I have noticed that numerous writers recommend that data should be saved on a separate partition on ... A: sorry for the time taken to get back to you, I have been ill the past while… Good observation and ... | |
| Dead drive cd-etc. | 10/19/2006 |
| Q: Sorry to bother you again. Okay I have tried some of the sites you recommend. I have downloaded a ... A: sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, I have been ill now for the past while… Hmm, you’ll have to ... | |
| Windows Gaming | 10/18/2006 |
| Q: I'm pretty experienced with computers. On a desktop I built about a year ago (running windows xp ... A: I am sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill the past while… That’s great that ... | |
| XP wont start up | 10/17/2006 |
| Q: I am running XP home on Toshiba L/Top with a wireless card plugged in. MS did some downloads over ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill the past while… That is most ... | |
| Windows XP Professional | 10/16/2006 |
| Q: I have just recieve student software from my school and I dont know exactly how to install it. I ... A: I am sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill the past while… 1) The x64 ... | |
| Changing storage location of user profiles | 10/15/2006 |
| Q: I want to change the storage location of a user's profile to another machine on the network, so the ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill for the past while… You are correct, ... | |
| Formatting a second hard drive | 10/14/2006 |
| Q: I got a used hard drive from a friend and want to format it so I can use it for backing up my first ... A: I’m sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill the past while…. If you know how ... | |
| slow pc | 10/13/2006 |
| Q: Hey Troy, I've got a 2.4ghz processor with 512mb of ram and 160gb hard drive. My pc has been getting ... A: I apologize for the time taken for my reply, I have been ill for the past while… That is great ... | |
| picture and fax viewer | 10/11/2006 |
| Q: When I try to use "picture and fax viewer" to print a picture that I have been emailed not only does ... A: I apologize for the time taken for my reply, I have been ill the past while… Sounds like there ... | |
| partitioning hard drive | 10/9/2006 |
| Q: I partitioned my hard drive into two seperate drives and now my C: drive partition is full. Is there ... A: I apologize for the time take for my reply, I have been ill the past while… There are a few ... | |
| Windows XP | 10/6/2006 |
| Q: The previous operator of our Dell computer died and we didn't know where the restore disk was that ... A: sorry for the time taken for my reply, I have been ill the past while… The only reason that you ... | |
| IE 6 on XP PC | 10/5/2006 |
| Q: We are using IE 6 on a home XP PC, using dial-up. As we browse the net, after about 20 web pages, ... A: sorry for the time taken for my reply, I have been ill the past while… This can be caused by a ... | |
| Autofill problem | 10/4/2006 |
| Q: I have autofill ticked on in internet options but it isn't autofilling anything. Any clues? Thanks A: I’m going to assume you mean “AutoComplete”? From the Content Tab of Internet Options? (AutoFill is ... | |
| error starting windows xp | 10/3/2006 |
| Q: my moms computer recently started acting up in the form of not allowing her to run windows. the ... A: I am sorry for the time taken for my reply, I have been ill the past while… You sound like you know ... | |
| XP will not boot | 9/30/2006 |
| Q: I was re-booting my PC because my printer was not working and now I have a black screen with a ... A: I’m sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill the past while… That is an ... | |
| Compatibility of Microsoft Software Products | 9/29/2006 |
| Q: Pertinent information: I operate a Gateway2000 with Windows 98SE (home-site) computer. In 2002 I ... A: I’m sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill the past while… Just as some quick ... | |
| System back up | 9/28/2006 |
| Q: I am running windows XP Home. I would like to perform a system state back up to an external hard ... A: I’m sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill the past while… Windows’ built-in ... | |
| using windows xp and 95 together | 9/27/2006 |
| Q: How do I install, write in missing components from windows 95 or what ever to get 95 programs to run ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill for the past while… A couple ideas ... | |
| XP Adding/Removing windows components | 9/25/2006 |
| Q: Troy M. I am having problems with accessing my add/Remove windows component tab. My other ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been sick for a while now… That could be a sign ... | |
| monitor | 9/24/2006 |
| Q: I am a senior 68yrs old I do my best to fix a problem but i am not that advance.For the past month ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill lately… It sounds like your ... | |
| Windows XP and Norton | 9/23/2006 |
| Q: I have Windows XP version 2002, service pack 2 and I have been using Norton Antivirus 2005. 2 days ... A: I’m sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I have been ill lately… It does indeed sound ... | |
| Unable to download forms | 9/22/2006 |
| Q: I tried to download a form from a banking institution yesterday; when I clicked on the link, the ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, have been ill for a while… I get the mother ship joke, ... | |
| Retreiving a Word document | 9/21/2006 |
| Q: I think that I made a terrible mistake. I opened a Word document that I have received through email ... A: I am a little unclear on what you mean by ‘saved mechanically’ (perhaps you mean Automatically?) ... | |
| File extention | 9/20/2006 |
| Q: i have a UPD file that can not open with any of the programs I have. how can I open this kind of ... A: UPD is sort of a generic type, used for a couple of things. One is ‘Universal Print Driver’, a ... | |
| PC Virus problems | 9/19/2006 |
| Q: exe on my PC and then two others qwwwyyu.exe and rAggge.exe. I can not find the b.exe file but when ... A: sorry to hear your system is under attack (so to speak), there are a few things you can try and I’ll ... | |
| Loss of all Internet connections on XP Pro | 9/18/2006 |
| Q: I was trying to reduce my set-up time because I can only use dial-up here. I have a Dell 8300, with ... A: Using MSconfig isn’t a bad idea for helping streamline your startup and to be honest, there ... | |
| LSA Shell (export version) | 9/17/2006 |
| Q: Back in the old days, some software (Netscape, for example) used to have an export version (low ... A: I remember always wanting that ‘128-bit’ version back in the day – not that I really needed ... | |
| Goodbye, XP.... | 9/16/2006 |
| Q: Two nights ago I left my computer running (it's an HP from about 2003, running XP). I went to ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, am ill at the moment.. Don’t worry too much, there ... | |
| Multiple User Logins Not Working | 9/15/2006 |
| Q: I have had my computer for over 5 years with XP. I always had 2 user accounts set up, myself, and ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, am ill at the moment.. There are a couple of things ... | |
| Viruses | 9/14/2006 |
| Q: I have a Dell Dimention 4600i, running Windows XP Pro. I was over come with viruses on my system. I ... A: I’m sorry to hear you are in that state, it’s annoying when that happens.. There should be a ... | |
| Disk Cleanup no longer works | 9/13/2006 |
| Q: I'll try to give you every bit of information about my problem to make this easier to answer. I'm ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you – I’ve been sick for the past while… That’s great ... | |
| Xp Startup problem | 9/11/2006 |
| Q: When starting the computer, it loads to the user choice window. I chose my icon and it starts to ... A: There are a couple things that could be causing that. Starting simply, it could be an application ... | |
| Mirror backup programs for XP | 9/10/2006 |
| Q: Troy. I'd like to backup my entire HD to DVD in case of a catastrophic incident either with my HD or ... A: That’s great that you want to are considering backing up anything at all, as far too many people ... | |
| error message on windows start | 8/14/2006 |
| Q: I get an error message every time I start Windows XP home edition, with a dial-up modem. The error ... A: sorry for taking so long to get back to you, am under the weather these days.. I don’t have any ... | |
| svchost.exe | 8/13/2006 |
| Q: Im having a problem with my lap top running on Windows XP professional. Evey time my computer ... A: I can give a few ideas.. SVCHOST.EXE is a system file that Windows uses to run programs. There ... | |
| virus | 8/12/2006 |
| Q: i have a virus that wont go away with the use of trend mirco. if i format my computer and reinstall ... A: sorry for the delay in my reply.. Wow, that sounds like a doozy of a virus. Formatting the ... | |
| Accessing and/or reinstalling a program | 8/11/2006 |
| Q: When I first got this laptop with Windows XP Home Edition installed, I installed a program through ... A: there could be a few reasons why this message is coming up. One reason is a simple one: it may ... | |
| XP Wireless Zero Configuration | 8/10/2006 |
| Q: I have a Linksys Wireless Adapter for my laptop and a Linksys Router. The Adapter has it's own ... A: For now, I’m going to assume you mean either Wired Equivalency Protocol or Wireless Zero ... | |
| windows picture and fax viewer | 8/9/2006 |
| Q: windows picture and fax viewer just stopped working. It was working fine for 3 years and then just ... A: There are a few reasons why it may have stopped working, and although it may end up that you can ... | |
| windows installer on windows 2000 | 8/6/2006 |
| Q: i recently loaded windows 2000 and installed service pack 4. i have a good system with 1 gig cpu, ... A: First of all, I am sorry that I did not see your question when I checked recently. For some reason ... | |
| registry cleanup | 8/5/2006 |
| Q: I keep getting a error message saying there is a problem and internet explorer must close, Ok i went ... A: there are a few things about your question that I’d like to touch on, and hopefully I can give you ... | |
| Updates Failed? | 7/16/2006 |
| Q: I have a Dell Desktop with XP Professional. I'm suddenly having a problem with the latest updates. ... A: You have stumbled upon a fairly recent problem that is apparently plaguing some people but not ... | |
| next volume required | 7/16/2006 |
| Q: I was using winrar to extract a file that i had downloaded when I got a error message. "You need to ... A: That usually happens when there is a sequence of files that is missing some of the files needed. For ... | |
| XP & file locations plus passwords | 6/27/2006 |
| Q: I run XP version 5.1 build 2600 xpsp1 020828-1920 service pack 1. I have just changed over to a ... A: congratulations on your new computer! If you are using Outlook, what I do to find where the ... | |
| no subject | 6/26/2006 |
| Q: I am trying to use a Financial Indicator spreadsheet which requires the "Date" entry to be "Parsed", ... A: I'm not sure, but I might have attemped to help you before, heh. I hope you find your answer soon! ... | |
| unable to open some saved jpeg and midi files | 6/26/2006 |
| Q: My problem is strange in that it doesn't apply to all of my midis and jpegs, only some of them that ... A: let’s see… Since you did a system recovery (even if you didn’t) try installing the most recent ... | |
| Dos game with Windows XP | 6/26/2006 |
| Q: I have an old (1991) Dos game named Oh No, More Lemmings and I think it is a great game for young ... A: I have heard of VDM over the years, yes. It shouldn’t harm your system really, it just acts as a ... | |
| Slow moving screen. | 6/25/2006 |
| Q: I have just had to re-install Windows XP Home, but now scrolling or moving the screen/page with the ... A: I can definitely give you some ideas on what could be causing it. That’s great that you know how ... | |
| Save to CD? Basic question. | 6/24/2006 |
| Q: I was hoping you could help me with a basic computer question. I’m running Windows XP on a Compaq ... A: I am quite happy to try to help you. :) That’s odd that it comes up with a ‘read only’ error ... | |
| issues with the internet | 6/23/2006 |
| Q: When I went into the device manager, I saw an exclamation by "Series Cable using IrDA Protocol". It ... A: having any luck? Are we talking about a laptop? That message usually comes up with notebook ... | |
| Internet issues | 6/23/2006 |
| Q: I sent a previous email, but didn't get an email confirmation, so I thiought I'd send it again! I am ... A: Kathy! :) I received your email and have just sent you a reply, hehe. Just to let you know.. ;) I ... | |
| issues with the internet | 6/23/2006 |
| Q: I have been having major issues with the internet - cannot connect to messenger services, cannot ... A: There could be a few things stopping you from getting through with those applications. Do these ... | |
| Date Format | 6/22/2006 |
| Q: Could you tell me how to convert the normal Date Format to "Day of the Century", - called "parsing" ... A: Let’s see if we can help you out with how WindowsXP handles the date.. You are right about ... | |
| Missing minimized programs | 6/21/2006 |
| Q: I don't use any VOIP software and use HijackThis to seek&destroy any spyware. Microsoft in the KB ... A: Kelly's Korner! That IS a good site, and I saw it many years ago and thought it long gone, ... | |
| tools for control system | 6/20/2006 |
| Q: The system will be automatically delete any additional software or any unwanted file that being ... A: There are a number of ways you can do this, it just depends on whether you are able to spend a ... | |
| Missing minimized programs | 6/20/2006 |
| Q: Hey Troy, All of a sudden, my taskbar has started behaving funny. The open programs that I minimize ... A: The Taskbar in Windows is quite customizable and I have definitely messed around with mine in the ... | |
Windows XP
Answers by Expert:
Troy M. MCSE, CNA, MCP, CST, IC3, A+
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Hi there! Even though I am relatively new around here, I have been having great fun with PCs for over two decades now, becoming familiar with Windows through versions 3.x/9x/Me/2000/XP/2003. I enjoy helping others with what I feel is an exciting industry - computers are always changing, improving and offering new opportunities for learning. I look forward to assisting you with questions concerning Windows, how it interacts with your PC Hardware, configuration/settings or just general tips and ideas. Besides troubleshooting questions, feel free to ask the basics, as well. I will always start there, and I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a dumb question - we are all ‘Beginners’ at one time or another!
Experience
I am an A+ Certified, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with Computer Service Technician and LAN Administration diplomas and 15 years direct experience with PCs including assembly, troubleshooting/support and upgrading.
I have worked for retail outlets, schools and businesses, and have been an Instructor in the past as well – helping others, just like you, understand and enjoy computers!
Education/Credentials
MCSE
(Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), CNA
(Certified Novell Administrator), MCP
(Microsoft Certified Professional), CST (Computer Service Technician (Formerly Computer Engineering Technician)(Hardware/OS servicing Diploma), IC3 (Internet and Core Computing Certification)(Hardware/OperatingSystem/Internet Fundamentals Certification), A+ (Computing Technology Industry Association Hardware/Operating System Certification)
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