Computer Related Questions - Volume 135 - Dynamic Dave

***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 136 *****


In this thread you may ask any computer related question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.

Usual rules apply,

No motoring related discussion,
No politics,
No Speeding, speed cameras, traffic calming
No arguments or slanging matches
Nothing which we think is not following the spirit of the thread
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Any of the above will be deleted. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain it will simply be removed.

There is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.

This is Volume 135. Previous Volumes will not be deleted.

A list of previous volumes can be found here:-

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=20892


PLEASE NOTE:

When posting a NEW question, please "Reply to" the first message in this thread, i.e. this one. This keeps each question in it's own separate segment and stops each new question from getting mixed up in amongst existing questions. Also please remember to change the subject header.

"owning" software rights - Dalglish
you dont "own" drm files. You aquire the rights to use it. - Its just like software..


in reply to tvm
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=54273&...e

may i say "tvm" to tvm for helping any "thick" people on this forum who failed to understand my use of "quotation" marks.

"owning" software rights - Baskerville
>> you dont "own" drm files. You aquire the rights to use it. - Its
just like software..


And of course the licensing restrictions on some music and software are less onerous than others. Microsoft is one of the worst offenders here without doubt, though no large media companies are entirely innocent. For example, the Zune music player even applies DRM to music you have composed, performed, and recorded yourself and therefore definitely do own.

When I license* my own work I use a "some rights reserved" Creative Commons license, which seems more reasonable to me:

creativecommons.org/

*Note that licensing is not the same thing as copyright, which I retain.
Music download sites - J Bonington Jagworth
In answer to the query on the previous thread, I feel I should put a word in for www.emusic.com which I have found very reliable and a fascinating mine of musical performances, many of which I would never have found otherwise. They charge about £8/month for at least 30 tracks, which makes iTunes look seriously expensive, and although the site lacks some of the chart stuff (which I can live without) it more than makes up for it in diversity.
Music download sites - billy25
Anybody tried Limewire? - loads of stuff, (video's, files, music etc) all free as it's a "fileshare" site, but make sure you put a tick in the "box!!!!"

Music download sites - J Bonington Jagworth
"Anybody tried Limewire?"

I hope your firewall, anti-spyware/virus and spam filters are all working! Good luck to you if you can make it work without your computer falling over... :-)
USB 2.0 & Card Readers - Peter
This might get longwinded and complicated. I have a USB 2.0 CF card reader, a USB 2.0 4 port hub system and a USB 2.0 4 port card in the computer. The PC uses XP SP2. I also have 2 USB 1.0 ports.

If I put the card reader and card into the PC via USB 1.0 it works well as advertised but with the attendant cautionary warning that the device can perform better on USB 2.0.

If I put the card reader and card onto the USB 2.0 hub, very little happens. The PC sees the card but file management and file transfer is abysmal. Often the PC and My Computer just hang there. All other devices connected to the hub work as promised, the CF card will also work properly if I leave it in the camera and connect to the hub. I have now tried two USB card readers, both respond exactly the same. To remove the hub from the equation, I have even put the CF card and reader directly into the 4 port card to no avail.

Is it fair to ask that there may be a programming problem somewhere in XP? As the card works well via its camera connection and the USB 1.0 ports I do not think it is the card.

Helpful suggestioins greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

USB 2.0 & Card Readers - GregSwain
To remove the hub from the equation I have even
put the CF card and reader directly into the 4 port card to no avail.


Obviously not a problem with the hub then. Try finding the 4-port card manufacturer's website, and downloading the latest USB2.0 drivers. All I can think is that the standard XP generic drivers aren't compatible with the 4-port card in USB2.0 mode, so it's using USB1.1 as the lowest common denominator, with resulting slooooow performance. Just a suggestion!
USB 2.0 & Card Readers - Stuartli
Go to Device Manager>USB Controllers>click on + sign. You should see on the list that appears one or more references to Enhanced, which indicates that USB2.0 is Enabled.

More info on USB and XP at:

www.usbman.com/WinME%20USB%20Guide.htm
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Reasonably priced laptop? - malteser
I think this subject has been raised before, but updated information would be helpful.

My daughter is looking to purchase a laptop to replace her ancient desktop PC which has just expired.
She hasn't got a lot to spend, but would like a reasonable specification as it will be used in her new teaching job, [ Power Point etc.] starting in September. She already has M.S. Office 2007, so that's not required.
Has anyone any suggestions. She won't consider the PC World "free" laptop with Orange as they are moving house soon and a long term contract is not an option for ADSL.
Her husband is self employed, so VAT is reclaimable.
Suggestions welcomed!
Thanks
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
Reasonably priced laptop? - normd2
just taken delivery this morning of a Lenovo N100 for my son to use at uni. Under £500 and first impressions are VERY favourable. In fact I'm pondering buying another to use as a home PC.
Reasonably priced laptop? - daveyjp
We now get Lenovos in the office due to a tie up with IBM. We have had five over the past year and everyone has needed attention - batteries, power packs, screens going faulty, hope yours proves better normd2 (the IBM desktop kit doesn't seem much better either - two power pack failures last week and a fried motherboard on another - all machines new this year). Fortunately we kept the Dells we used to be supplied with and at 4+ years old they still do the job we need of them.
Reasonably priced laptop? - J Bonington Jagworth
FWIW, I bought an IBM R50 laptop off these guys recently, and it was in very nice condition:

www.tier1online.com/

I got mine through eBay, which was somewhat cheaper, but they sell directly as well, which may easier for VAT purposes.

You can get new from Ebuyer for £300-ish, too...
Reasonably priced laptop? - hxj

Does your daughter need to buy one?

The 4 state schools that I am involved with all provide teachers with laptops.

Has she asked?
Ongoing display issue ? - cheddar
Hello,

A little bit of an ongoing issue:

I got a new PC in June with an NVidia 8600GTS graphics card. I ordered this machine with a 17" screen with a view to using my excellent year old 19" screen with the new PC and the new 17" with my old machine. However I could not get a good screen image with the new machine, both the 17" and 19" screens were fine with my old PC though I could not balance the video output on the new PC to give a truly satifisfatory screen image. The best I could do was achieve warm yellowish whites and pink/blue greys.

I came to an accomodation with Dell, apparently unlike some DVi graphics cards the 8600GTS does not work well with DVi to VGA adaptors. So I bought a DVI monitor, a 20" 1200x1600 4:3 Dell Ultrasharp FP2007 at a favourable price.

This is excellent in most respects however I have noticed that the display appears slightly pinker on the left hand edge of the screen, only slightly though noticable within greys, in photo terms it needs 1 or 2 magenta out though if corrected via the OSD or graphics card setting of course the right hand of the screen is also effected though detrimentally. I spoke to Dell tech and they suggested that I connect up a 16:9 Dell 2007WFP Ultrasharp widescreen monitor that was delivered to me in error and is awaiting collection.

This other monitor exhibits the same characteristcs thus indicating that the graphics output is the issue though I have already had the graphics card changed regarding the initial problem and the new one was no different. Nevertheless I am going to try reseating the card and speaking to Dell again tomorrow.


Any ideas?


Many thanks.
Ongoing display issue ? - Altea Ego
Well ched - I will have a crack at this. As you are using digital output, and have discounted the card and screen, this can only be 1/ an inherent design issue with the card or 2/ the drivers.

Display drivers (both ATi and Nvidia) are a real mess at the moment. Both are struggling with DX10 and Vista issues. Try downloading the latest drivers.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
Ongoing display issue ? - cheddar
Thanks TVM, it is XP Pro so not a Vista issue though the card is DX10 so the drivers could be a bit flaky, still dont see why the colour should be uneven one side of the screen to another.

The drivers were latest three weeks ago, will check for an update.

What about mobo?
Ongoing display issue ? - Stuartli
These nVidia drivers (including for the 8600GTS) were issued on Monday:

drivers.softpedia.com/get/GRAPHICS-BOARD/NVIDIA/NV...l

There is a list of supported cards further down the page.

The Softpedia website carries a large batch of nVidia drivers for various operating systems and graphics cards.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Ongoing display issue ? - Stuartli
You might find this well written guide interesting:

www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_1.html

There's also one for ATi.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Ongoing display issue ? - cheddar
Thanks Stuart, I will try the drivers, I am also goint to try a different DVI cable. Will update.
Windows Vista Backup to XP machine - VR6
Hi.
My laptop came with Windows XP with a free upgrade to Vista. I upgraded to Vista in March. However last week my harddisk failed, which means I need to re-install Vista. But I am toying with the idea of reinstalling XP instead as it runs quicker than Vista.

Now to my problem - I backed up my data using the inbuilt backup thing in Vista. Does anyone know if i can restore my backed up Vista data to XP?
Windows Vista Backup to XP machine - Altea Ego
If you used the "windows backup and restore centre" I suspect you can only restore back to Vista using

1/ The Vista CD for a complete system restore
or
2/ Windows backup and restore centre wizard (running under Vista) to recover individual files.

I would load Vista, recover your files, back them up using another tool, format drive, load XP, recover files using your "another tool"
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
Windows Vista Backup to XP machine - VR6
Well you were right. Just wasted a bunch of time installing XP and trying to restore. So I've put Vista back on and will back up using another tool as suggested.
Windows Vista Backup to XP machine - Dalglish

vr6 - i am curious to know what brand of laptop/harddrive it was that failed so soon. and was it replaced under warranty?

Windows Vista Backup to XP machine - VR6
Hi Dalglish,
Laptop is a dell inspiron 1501, but the hard disk that failed was one that I bought off the net to replace to one that came with it as i needed more space. The one that failed was a Western Digital Scorpio 120GB SATA drive. I have now got a replacement (free) under warranty. It only took about 4 days to get to me. The new drive is the same model. Differences - the old one was a little noisy from day 1, but i just thought that was normal. The noises just got worse over time, I should have twigged it was faulty before i lost my data. My replacemnet is whisper quite, I can hardly hear it. So, my original one was on its way out before i installed it.

On a brighter note, I reinstalled vista, copied all my data to an external harddisk and then installed XP. Laptop is now working like a charm.
Default Display Settings on MDA PDA - Nsar
Hi,
I'm trying to work out how to set my MDA PDA so that when I switch it on it displays landscape. It switches to landscape when I slide it open, but I need it to be landscape when it's closed and when I switch it off/on it defaults back to portrait.

Any help gratefully received.
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - L'escargot
According to CCleaner my computer has over 100 "issues". However, having looked at the list I realise I am way out of my depth as I haven't a clue as to the significance of any of them. Can I ignore them all with impunity? If I hadn't had CCleaner installed I wouldn't have even been aware of them.
--
L\'escargot.
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - Citroënian {P}
What are the issues? If they're tracking cookies it's not really a big deal, if it's a bunch of worms and trojans it's a bit more serious!


-- Biggedy biggedy bong
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - L'escargot
Missing Shared DLL ~ 22
Unused File Extension ~ 20
ActiveX/COM Issue ~ 26
Missing MUI Reference ~ 12
Old Start Menu key ~ 4
Uninstaller Reference Issue 8
Application Paths Issue ~ 4
Invalid Default Icon ~ 5
Open With Application Issue ~ 4
Obsolete software key ~ 2




--
L\'escargot.
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - Stuartli
The type of entries I delete - as I have already pointed out there is the facility to do a backup if you are not sure.

CCleaner is well proven over a long period.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - hxj

If it's of any help I simply allow it to delete or change anything. Been using it for years and it has never caused me any problems.
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - Stuartli
Most of them will be remnants of installing or uninstalling hardware and/or software.

There is an option to make a backup before allowing CCleaner to remove "issues". If your system runs OK for a few days afterwards, you can delete the backup.

Personal preference is to run Issues after every installation or uninstall to clear up unwanted Registry items.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - L'escargot
Thanks for the advice. The backup option was checked by default. It took three runs to do it but I'm now left with just one issue, namely an Invalid Default Icon for ZoneAlarm. But as reported earlier running the cleaner always leaves 4 cookies in the "Cookies to Delete" column although not always the same ones. I reported it to CCleaner.com but the only suggestion they came up was a forum to visit. Weird.
--
L\'escargot.
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - Citroënian {P}
Looks like your computer is cleaned now!

Keep an eye on it to see how it runs, but CCleaner is a decent product, I'm pretty sure you'll be OK.
-- Biggedy biggedy bong
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - buzbee
I have used CCleaner, letting it delete everything, almost every day for over a year and have never had a problem.
Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - Dalglish
...But as reported earlier running the cleaner always leaves 4 cookies in the "Cookies to Delete" column although not always the same
ones. I reported it to CCleaner.com but the only suggestion they came up was a forum to visit. Weird.

>>

as you say, weird. if you find the solution, it will be good to hear of it.
in the meantime, you can do no harm by running the free tools (especialy spybot s&d) available from
www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Scanning for "issues" with CCleaner - L'escargot
if you find the solution it will be good to hear
of it.


Do I gather that you have a similar problem with CCleaner?
--
L\'escargot.
Infected PC - Mike 996
Morning everyone,
Despite having Norton and Zone Alarm my PC has been "invaded". A new icon has appeared on the task bar. It looks like a shield and alternates between red with a cross in it and blue with a question mark in it. At the same time my quick start bar was turned off and my Internet Explorer home page was changed. I restored the home page and quick start. When I now open Internet Explorer within a few seconds other copies of IE open. All have different web sites (virus protect pro, mobile phone sales, gambling etc). If I close them down they continue to appear. Norton, spybot, spy hunter, ccleaner and adaware have all cleaned out a lot of "parasites" but have failed to solve this problem. Trying to use the internet at the moment is almost impossible.
Any ideas of what to next would be very welcome.
Cheers,
Mike.

{moves question to correct place in thread, as per the PLEASE NOTE message at the top - DD}


Infected PC - Dalglish
... Any ideas of what to next would be very welcome


it seems like your pc has been hijacked.
your best bet would be to visit
forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=288
follow their instructions carefully, especially regarding downloading and running and posting the logs of "hjt" (hijackthis - items 4 and 5 in the 2nd post there by "tashi" ).
the hjt experts will then guide you.

also, see
forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=279
forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?s=046a70a3a28a...2

Infected PC - Dalglish
a quick search indicates similar symptoms are displayed by computers allegedly infected with spylock, spydawn, spysherrif, spycrush, etc.

help for those is availbale at
forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?p=156369&sid=2890b0c...c
forums.pcpitstop.com/lofiversion/index.php/t143716...l
www.xp-vista.com/spyware-removal/spylocked-removal...s

Infected PC - Victorbox
Of course this is spyware/malware which is different from a virus. I would try Adaware &/or Spybot Search & Destroy but sometimes the easiest route is just to do a System Restore (if XP, Vista or Win ME) to the day before the "infection" showed up. Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. This is particularly effective if you've installed no other programs since the problem began otherwise you'll need to reinstall these programs again.

Once you are clean, if Windows XP, download Windows Defender from Microsoft which will run in the background to prevent a re-infection.
Infected PC - Mike 996
Thanks for the replies so far, looks like I'm in for a "fun" weekend.
Mike.
Infected PC - Dalglish
Thanks for the replies so far, looks like I'm in for a "fun" weekend. Mike.


first try the system restore trick that victorbox rightly suggests
if that fails, look up
www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic80749.html
SpyCrush is a rogue anti-spyware created by the same developers as VirusBurst and SpyLocked. Originally a rogue anti-spyware product ...
www.geekstogo.com/forum/SpyCrush-Removal-Instructi...l
SpyCrush version 3.1 and 3.2 are updates from an earlier rougue spyware application of the same name from February. Also the same application as as SpyDawn, SpyHeal, SpywareQuake, VirusBurst, & VirusBursters. ..

Infected PC - rtj70
If there is a C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles folder (or similar) you will probably find it contains a few EXEs one of which is Services.exe. This is part of the spyware. Step-sons PC had similar issues at the start of the week and I didn't have time to rebuild this week. This even turned off firewall etc.

Run Ad-Aware, Anti-Virus, SpyBot Search and Destroy and found lots and removed them. But still having problems. In the end I deleted the folder above containing the problem files and rebooted. Then spotted there were many references in the registry to services.exe which failed because it had gone. Removed all of these and all seems fine.

At one point after running all the scans all seemed okay and then a song started to play from the PC... still not 100% right but will do for now.

NOTE: services.exe is a valid and necessary windows files when it's the one that ought to be in c:\windows\system32.
Infected PC - rtj70
Forgot to say the malware my step-son had on PC was BraveSentry which pretends its anti-spyware and is "finding issues". To remove them you have to buy the full product - only it's the product that is the spyware.

Assume this got downloaded either via a dodgy webpage or chat type forums.
Infected PC - Dalglish
Forgot to say the malware my step-son had on PC was BraveSentry which pretends its anti-spyware ...


which sounds similar to the issue that mike has got.
these infections are commonly classed as "smitfraud" or "zlob". they are difficult to remove and the best tool seems to be "smitfraudfix" as recommended by aumha, geekstogo, dslreports, bleepincomputer, pcpitstop, pchell, spybot, etc.
eg. see www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic55983.html

Infected PC - rtj70
The tools I mentioned above removed most of it but not all. And probably because they need to be run in SAFE MODE in Windows and I didn't at first.

However, the files were still there although most problems fixed. I then deleted manually and did all the scanning again.
Infected PC - Victorbox
To expand a little further. By selecting a restore date prior to the infection you avoid all this messing around in the registry (which is mainly what the anti- spyware programs try to correct) as you are restoring the registry to a point before the spyware/malware messed with the registry. Your operating system will cease to know the malicious files are there & certainly not launch code to reinstall the offending program at each boot.

You can of course keep choosing different restore dates until the problem is cleared up. When my daughter's laptop was similarly infected I used Spybot to remove what it could from the hard disk plus I system restored to a known good date.
Infected PC - rtj70
"To expand a little further. By selecting a restore date prior to the infection you avoid all this messing around in the registry (which is mainly what the anti- spyware programs try to correct) as you are restoring the registry to a point before the spyware/malware messed with the registry."

I assume you do not know Windows as a professional and how it works, registry, file system and all. If you do I apologise and your employer easily hoodwinked.

The anti-spyware software does not roll back the PC to a previous restore point. It removes if it can spyware/trojans/viruses/etc. Can we not spread carp on this forum.

Apologies but your post was mis-information.

Yes restore to a previous restore point may fix things but this is something totally different. I'll explain how it works if you want.
Infected PC - Dalglish
....Can we not spread carp on this forum...


somehow methinks this is uncalled for, because it seems to me rtj70 has completely misunderstood victorbox ! but let victorbox defend himself.

Infected PC - Victorbox
I agree rtj70 has completely misunderstood me!!!
Infected PC - Stuartli
Nobody ever suggested, as far as I am aware, that spyware "rolls back" System Restore - the System Restore suggestion is a well tried method of seeking to eliminate spyware.

Another good anti-spyware program is SUPERAntiSpyware:

www.superantispyware.com/

It needs to be installed and updated immediately before doing a scan.

I use this (checked for updates manually every day before browsing) along with SpywareBlaster, Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware 2007.

Most S and D updates are issued on Wednesday and Ad-Aware is automatic.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Infected PC - cheddar
Seems that rtj70 did misunderstand Victorbox, using the Windows utilility System Restore to role back to a pre infection point is an option though it only restores system files and the registry, not userfiles so depending on the spyware present may not make any difference. Disinfecting the machine is the first thing to do after which System Restore can be used to address any damage that might have been done.
Infected PC - Victorbox
Thanks to Stuartli & Dalglish for their support.

I am perfectly aware what anti-spyware programs can achieve & that they are in no way connected to the System Restore function of Windows.

I was suggesting TWO separate methods of fixing the problem particularly as the file deletion & registry changes made by the anti-spyware programs to kill the spyware/malware may possibly partially cripple the PC. Using System Restore afterwards to go back to a good date before the infection gives you a nice clean uninfected registry.
Infected PC - malteser
Another line of defence - and it's FREE - is COMODO Anti-malware [Boclean] . It's good at stopping many trojans etc. from executing.
Smitfraud and its variants is considered by may to be one of the nastiest and most difficult to remove of all infestations.
For those of you interested in PC security have a look at this site:- www.wilderssecurity.com/index.php

COMODO's site is here:- www.comodo.com/products/free_products.html
At this stage their anti-virus program is not generally reckoned to be as good as many, but the firewall is`excellent (FREE!)


--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
Infected PC - Mike 996
Thanks for all the suggestions, I tried most of the suggested methods and programs but not one of them was 100% effective. Finally tried Spyware detector (www.spywaredetector.us/) . It costs about £11 but so far has done the job.
Mike.
Infected PC - Dalglish
... Finally tried Spyware detector ..


if it worked for you well & good. in my personal view, it is just as well that your link to that company is slightly wrong and is therefore does not work without a little tweaking.

reliable sources of info, some already recommended in previous posts above, are :

forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=5609
www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
www.f-secure.com/sw-desc/max_spyware_detector.shtml

Infected PC - Victorbox
I would be interested to know whether you tried Windows Defender from Microsoft www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=...n as this gets good reviews & is automatically part of Windows Vista & can be added to XP for free. Could be worth running in the background to prevent a reoccurrence.
Infected PC - Stuartli
I don't use it but, when my best mate acquired a new Dell system which was set up for him by the offspring (an IT support specialist with one of the country's largest employers), he installed Defender and told my mate not to bother with his previous use of S and D, Ad-Aware, SpywareBlaster etc.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Infected PC - Dalglish
note firstly that i am not suggesting that mike's pc was infected by malware that was connected with spywaredetector.

however, what i find intriguing is how mike was persuaded in to trying/buying spywaredetector?
and exactly what malware was it that was found on his pc?

the symtoms of the infection that he had indicate that it was of a type where the malware points you to buy a commercial product.

Infected PC - Mike 996
snipquote

Hi,
After having no luck with all the prevous suggestions I googled and came up with :

www.comparespywareremovers.org/malware.html?gclid=...g

I did a free scan, it came up with over 300 problems, I purchased the program, ran it and so far it has done what says on the tin ! I'm happy at the moment.
Cheers,

Mike.
Infected PC - Dalglish
.. I googled and came up with : www.comparespywareremovers.... I did a free scan, it came up with over 300 problems, ...


mike: if you are happy, that is all that really matters.

note for anyone else: if you are tempted to take up the products listed in mike's link, first check if any of the "top" products that were flagged up appear here:
spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
and whether any of them appear in the "trustworthy" and/or "legitimate/licensed" list there.

take care!

Infected PC - Chicken Vindaloo
Stick with S&D, Ad-Aware etc. Windows Defender misses many of the problems which those two find, as I have just found out in a back-to-back test.
Infected PC - rtj70
And run in safe mode too.

I'll duck out again as I misunderstood earlier advice :-) But safe mode important for some spyware removal because you cannot delete a file in use. And spyware will normally be running.
Infected PC - JH
a bit late in the day, but Spware Doctor appears to be free from Google.
JH
Demonoid - Vin {P}
Is anyone a member of Demonoid? If so, is there any chance of sharing an invitation code, please?

My email's in my profile.

Thanks,

V
My Computer can Read my Mind! - Armitage Shanks {p}
Please can anybody with a maths degree explain how this works? It might keep children amused during the school hols even if it can't be explained!

www.learnenglish.org.uk/games/magic-gopher-central...f


My Computer can Read my Mind! - Citroënian {P}
It rotates the symbols so you always get a choice from 9, 18, etc.

My brian is too tired after a long weekend to work it out but I'm sure there's a simple formula for it.

At least I think that's the case. Good fun for the kids though!
My Computer can Read my Mind! - Citroënian {P}
Just had a look and the numbers are all multiples of 9 (+0)

(a*10 + b*1) - (a+b) = (a*9)

(b cancels out)

Ha!
My Computer can Read my Mind! - Armitage Shanks {p}
I have had a long day too - still at work! I don't quite follow your learned dissertation! You have a choice of numbers from 10 to 99, not just multiples of 9. I am going hom to bed - my brain hurts! I'll try and get my head round it in the morning. It is a bit of fun for the children, that is for sure!
My Computer can Read my Mind! - billy25
Thought i'd beaten it,, but my >>Brian<< is also tired an i'd added up wrong :-(
My Computer can Read my Mind! - cheddar
Yes, when you take a randon two digit number and add the digits together and then take the new number from the old you always end up with a multiple of 9, i.e:

21 - (2 + 1) = 18

49 - (4 + 9) = 36

63 - (6 + 3) = 54

So as has been said the symbols rotate so that mutiples of 9 always have the same symbol, the max applicable number is 81 so 90 and 99 can have different symbols which, as key multiples of 9, confuses things.
My Computer can Read my Mind! - Altea Ego
Where does it say the random number has to be odd?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
My Computer can Read my Mind! - cheddar
It doesnt:

22 - (2 + 2) = 18

24 - (2 + 4) = 18

68 - (6 + 8) = 54


etc
PC swap dilemma - advice? - cheddar
I recently mentioned my purchase of a new high end PC (Core 2 Duo E6700, 4GB ram, 2 x 250gb Seagate Barracuda h/d's, Firewire etc etc) for business use, this has been great but for an ongoing issue with colour balance, various things have been tried, different monitors, new graphics card, new graphics drivers all to no avail.

The supplier offered to replace the base unit for the same model with an even higher end graphics card, an nVidia 8800GTX as opposed to 8600GTS, however I suspect that the issue is with the card and is perhaps caused by the nVidia 8000 series drivers being a bit flaky. They have now offered to collect the system and credit in full, this is a good offer because it enables me to keep the excellent 4:3 monitor that they let me have at a special prices as one of the atempts to address the problem, also of course I will get more for my money now, two months on from when I placed the order for the system.

I can order a system from another supplier or show some loyalty based on their generousity and enthusiasm in trying to find a solution. In VFM terms I can get comparable system though with the later Core 2 Duo E6750 cpu and Intel P35 chipset and an ATi graphics card for a good few hundred pounds less than I originally paid!

However ....

.... my inclination is to reclaim my 18 month old P4 630 Dell that I have set up as a family PC, it has / did everything I need (X-Fi sound, two optical drives, large h/d, PCi modem as broadband back up, on board LAN etc) and buy a more basic new base station as the family PC. This latter option would have a more powerful CPU than the older Dell (a Core 2 Duo E4400 probably) though lesser spec in respect of sound, h/d etc and could be had for £300 ish so would enable a good few quid to go back into the bank.

So should I buy another high ish end base unit for around £600 - £700?

Or buy a £300 ish base unit for the family PC and use the 18 month old Dell for business?


Any thoughts? Thanks.
PC swap dilemma - advice? - Altea Ego
well the GTX upgrade is obviously a waste of time, its just an overclocked GTS and uses the same GPU and drivers.

Upgrade your existing P4 630 dell, and use the old parts to build a family machine.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
PC swap dilemma - advice? - cheddar
well the GTX upgrade is obviously a waste of time >>


Its the 8800GTX as opposed to the 8600GTS, it is a lot more powerful though as you say the same drivers.

Upgrade your existing P4 630 dell and use the old parts to build a family
machine.

>>

Now there is an idea.

Citrix Neighborhood Agent - drbe
I have recently noticed that when I boot up my PC, a previously unnoticed box appears on the bar at the bottom of the screen.

It says " Citrix Neighborhood Agent is not Connected" (or words to that effect)

What does it mean? I have done a quick Google for Citrix etc. and I get a lot of language which is above my pay grade.

Should I worry/ try to delete it/ ignore it / or what?

As usual advice would be much appreciated.
Citrix Neighborhood Agent - Altea Ego
CITRIX?

where did this machine come from?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
Citrix Neighborhood Agent - drbe
>> where did this machine come from?
------------------------------

>>

Sorry, TVM, I don't understand.
Citrix Neighborhood Agent - Citroënian {P}
Citrix is used mainly in corporate environments to allow users to run software remotely - that is, the bulk of the work is done on a server somewhere rather than on the laptop itself.

It would be pretty odd to find Citrix on a home laptop that wasn't previously used on a corporate network.


Citrix Neighborhood Agent - drbe
Perhaps I should have have added, that I don't recall installing Citrix.
Citrix Neighborhood Agent - Sim-O
We have Citrix installed on our work PC's.
Basically it enables anybody to log onto any PC and still have all the applications that you need, even if thay aren't installed on that particluar PC as your profile etc are stored on a remote server and the apps are loaded from there rather than the local machine.

Just means I am based in Oxford, and if I go to our Birmingham offices I can use apps that are specific to my role in oxford, in birminham without the need for techs to get involved.

Someone will be along in a minute with a with a clearer explanation.
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
Cyber link media library - Pugugly {P}

Had Norton Firewall flag this up as an attempted intrusion on to my system. Advice on the web is confusing (to say the least) Norton suggests allowing access...any ideas ?
Cyber link media library - Altea Ego
Its cyber link DVD programe trying to access the net to get titles/artists information for tagging to media
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
Cyber link media library - Pugugly {P}
Thanks.
Cyber link media library - BazzaBear {P}
The cyberlink stuff (which seems to be part of XP media edition) is exceedingly annoying. I have several processes which run on my computer which I have traced to being part of this suite. Including something called CLMLservice.exe which runs for a good few minutes when the computer has first started up, and makes quite a racket as it acesses and writes to the hard drive.
I keep thinking about trying to get rid of it, or at least stop it running at boot. Can anyone advise?
Cyber link media library - III
Click Start then run and then type msconfig and select the startup tab and disable the unwanted app.

Hope this helps.
Cyber link media library - Ravenger
I use startup monitor and startup control panel to stop apps installing themselves in the systray.

www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml
www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

They're free, and work very well.
Cyber link media library - billy25
If you have spybot s d installed, have a look in "tools" scroll down to "start-up", and by highlighting the items in the list, it will give you an explanation of what they are, and if they are needed or not, any that you think you don't need - uncheck thier associated box, if it turns out you do need them at a later stage, simply re-check it, otherwise you can permently delete it from the start-up menu.
Free OCR - Sim-O
I know this is probably asking the impossible, but can anyone recommend any free Optical Character Recognition software, please.
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
Free OCR - drbe
This question was asked in Computer Related Questions - Volume 96.

I have tried them, but frankly, they weren't very good.
Free OCR - Sim-O
thank you
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
Broadband - ethernet/USB connection - Wilco {P}
I'm looking to add an additional computer onto my existing broadband service. The new machine needs to connect via Ethernet. My existing laptop connects through a USB modem.

Can I just replace the existing USB only modem with an ethernet/usb modem and plug each into the relevant connection - or do I need a router?

Cheers...
Broadband - ethernet/USB connection - rtj70
You will need a router.

I assume you're on ADSL because you mention USB only modem therefore replace the ADSL modem with an ADSL router/modem combination which are fairly cheap. Could even go wireless.
Broadband - ethernet/USB connection - Wilco {P}
Yep - on ADSL - thanks for the help.
Broadband - ethernet/USB connection - Stuartli
>>I assume you're on ADSL because you mention USB only modem>

Actually there are USB dial-up modems...:-)

Here's one example:

www.amazon.co.uk/TRUST-MD-1250-56K-USB-MODEM/dp/B0...E
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Broadband - ethernet/USB connection - rtj70
You are correct Stuartli hence my "I assume". There would have to be USB dial up modems now there are PCs without serial ports for external modems and new PCs without in built dialup modems. My last "new" PC in Nov 2005 does not have internal modem but does have serial port (unused) :-)

OP in this thread needs a router. About £40 or less probably including wireless.
Broadband - Ethernet connection - Stuartli
>>OP in this thread needs a router.>>

I would fully agree with you.

However, Wilco {P} does say: "The new machine needs to connect via Ethernet."

Perhaps he/she can be open to persuasion..:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Terminally ill PC after being dropped - Blue {P}
Oops, I think I'be terminally injured my computer! :-(

It's a Toshiba Satellite P4 1.7GHz and I knocked it off the sofa last night, upon boot up all I was getting was a message sayng something about Intel Boot agent, it then said that there was a PXE Media Check failure and helpfully told me to check the cable.

I took it into a computer shop today who sold me a new hard drive which has, to a certain extent, fixed the problem.

However, as soon as I started installing the broadband I got a message telling me that I must visit some registry fixing website immediately as I had 55 critical registry errors. I thought this looked suspicous as I've never seen any message looking like that before. Sure enough, shortly afterwards, a box came up saying that the PC would shut down in 60 seconds.

I seem to have gotten away with writing this message so far, but I still get the PXE failure message on bootup (I'll write down exactly what it says next time), does anyone know what a PXE failure is and whether my laptop is terminally injured?

I thought I'd managed to fix it for £35 today, but it looks like I may still need to spend £400 on a new one! :-(

Blue
Terminally ill PC after being dropped - integrale
PXE stands for Preboot eXecution Environment.

It's software that is on the motherboard of your computer that allows it to boot and/or get an operating system image across a network. When I have come across it is in a commercial environment where it is used to install Windows onto a computer from a PXE server rather than using a CD etc.

I'm going to take a guess that you didn't have anti-virus, firewall and anti-spyware on the computer when you connected to broadband after installing the new hard drive? The 55 critical registry popup sounds like typical malware/spyware.

If the machine is working, I think you can probably ignore the PXE error message. But your machine sounds like it almost certainly has become infected so my advice would be to get hold of the following

Firewall - e.g. free version of Zonealarm
Anti-Virus - AVG free edition

burn these onto a CD

Then re-install Windows and install the firewall and anti-virus software BEFORE re-connecting your broadband.

integrale
Terminally ill PC after being dropped - Blue {P}
Thank you very much Integrale, it always amazes me how there's always someone who can answer even the most obscure question!

The exact error message is:-

Intel Boot Agent Release 4.1.06
Copyright blah blah
PXE-E61: Media Test Failure, check cable
PXE-M0F: Existing ***** boot agent


*** denotes a word that I cant make out on the quick snap I took of the error message!

I'll download that stuff now as it was on the PC before it had it's little bump, I've never known an attack so swift before, I hadn't even fully finished configuring the software!

Blue