blog-talk

fixing sound issues with vista and windows 7

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:30:52 +0100

Fixing sound issues with Microsoft Vista/Windows 7 – and slow YouTube vids

March 1st, 2010 3:02pm mike s Leave a comment Go to comments

For some unlucky users (including us), there’s been recurring problems with the sound vanishing from Windows and Windows 7 machines when they’re woken up from hibernation.

All our computers run 64 bit versions of Windows, but we understand that users on 32-bit Windows have suffered the same annoying glitch.

Ruddy Realtek

Our problem seemed to be down to the onboard Realtek soundcard which refused to wake up when Windows woke up – which was particularly annoying seeing as we love to blast the office with big tunes through our juicy pair of AudioEngine speakers.

Microsoft help – fail

We’d already spent some time rummaging around Microsoft’s site, and got nowhere with their Troubleshooting Sound Issues page or their ‘No Sound In Windows‘ automated ‘diagnose and repair’ page.

The latter page suggested we do the following:

To access the diagnostics built into your computer:

* Click Start, Control Panel
* In the Control Panel, click System and Security
* In the System and Security window, under Action Center, click Troubleshoot common computer problems
* In the Troubleshoot computer problems window, click a specific task to automatically diagnose and fix a problem. To view more troubleshooters, click a category.

It didn’t work for us, but it may sort out your problems, so please try them first.

Drive on… and off.

Fed up with the sound of silence, we tried downloading the latest drivers, uninstalling, reinstalling, rebooting and doing a little jig around the PC in an attempt to please the Gods of the Soundcard, but still the problem persisted.

In the end, we figured out a bodge that works for us every time, so we thought we’d share it with you (note: we’re using screengrabs from Windows7, but it’s more or less the same for Vista).

We hope it works for you too, because it was driving us mad.

Step one:

Right click on the speaker icon in your desktop taskbar.

Select ‘sounds’ to open up the dialogue box we’ll be tinkering about it.

The dialogue box has four tabs running along the top – select the ‘Playback’ tab.

Step Two

Next, right click on the icon that shows your speakers (the one with the green tick) and you’ll see a pop out menu.

This bit is important: first make sure that you have “Show disabled devices” ticked, and then click ‘disable.’

Then right click again and enable the speakers – and that should be it – sweet sweet music should be flowing forth from your PC.

Good luck!

why firefox crashes

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:21:36 +0100

Find Out Why Firefox Crashes 14

Tip

Hey

I like using Firefox. I think, for my tastes, it is better than Safari. But there is a few quirks. For example, it does crash quite a lot. This can be a problem. You don’t want a crashing browsers. There is a solution that can help, thats simple and easy to do. It does take a while, but I found it solved the crashing problem.

The solution is to remove plugins. Over time you end up with more and more plugins. This results in Firefox becoming bloated and slow. It is also the culprit of random crashes. With all this code running there is bound to be conflicts. To find the plugin that is causing the problem. Go to Tools > Add-On’s. From this list, it will show every plugin that is currently loaded.

To find the problem plugin, disable every single one. Also uninstall all of the ones you don’t need. The more plugin’s you have the slow Firefox is. Once as you have disabled every single one restarted Firefox, and start one at a time. Surf the web, if it survives enable the next one. So on and so forth.

You may find the application that crash. If so you can disable it or update it. If you don’t find it, something else might be to blame. I found through this method problem plugin’s as a result I uninstalled it.

internet explorer keeps crashing

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:17:15 +0100

How to avoid IE (Internet Explorer) browser from crashing?
(Estimated Time: 15-20 minutes approx, Level= Intermediate User)
This question has been asked several times by a lot of people. Can I stop the Internet Explorer browser from crashing again. Well the answer to it is yes if you know how to safely browse the internet. Internet Explorer browser is really not that bad a browser. Infact I have tried using several other browsers to compare the speeds but finally had to come back to Internet Explorer. Especially the Ctrl+Enter feature of it which automatically prefixes http:// and postfixes .com when you type a website address in the address bar. I just am so used to that feature now that I cannot live without it. Now it even has a pop up blocker with Windows XP SP2 update, which works really well. Actually the main reason why Internet Explorer keeps crashing is because more and more websites are becoming increasingly dangerous. They are waiting for you to be infested with spyware and viruses .. Below are a few tips on how to avoid IE browser from crashing:
Don't open many applications while browsing (esp. when you are low on RAM and processor speed)
Use active shield if you are using an Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware and/or a firewall
Do not open more than 7-8 browser windows at a time
Block at least 95% of pop up windows from websites
Use plain text to view messages in Email inbox
Increase security level of Internet Explorer
Clear up your start up programs
Stay away from spyware
If your Internet Explorer somehow frequently crashes try the below Internet Explorer repair methods.

Repair Internet Explorer - IE
(Estimated Time: 5-30 minutes approx, Level= Novice User)
Method 1:
Reinstall Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer is listed in the Add/Remove Windows Components part of Add/Remove Programs of Windows XP, but you can only remove access to Internet Explorer from the Start menu and Desktop. After removing try installing it again by selecting it again.

Method 2:
System File Checker
If that doesn't help the other option is to repair Internet Explorer by allowing "sfc" to check the system files.
Click on Start ----> Run
Type "sfc /scannow"
Note: You might need the windows XP installation disk with you.

Method 3:
Repairing Winsock
1) Click on Start --> Run and type "cmd" and click OK.
2) At the command prompt type: "netsh winsock reset catalog" and then press Enter
3) At the command prompt type: Exit and then press Enter to exit the Command Prompt Window
Alternatively try installing Winsock Fix available for a free download from the Top 10 Freeware Section

sending a remote assistance invitation by email

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:22:05 +0100

reinstalling windows 7 or vista properly

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:43:43 +0100

How To Properly Reinstall a Program in Windows 7 or Windows Vista

By Tim Fisher, About.com Guide

See More About:

creating a iso file from start up program to back up on disk

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:35:18 +0100

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How to burn an ISO image using ImgBurn

By mitchell adams, eHow Member

burn an ISO image using ImgBurn

User-Submitted Article

In one of my recent articles I outlined how to rip a CD/DVD using the free-ware application ImgBurn. Now I am going to show you how to take an image and burn it to a CD / DVD.

If this is your first time working with ISO files then you might want to check out my first article linked below. However, an ISO is simply a raw snapshot of a CD or DVD.

In the first tutorial I showed you how to rip an ISO image from your media to either be stored on your computer digitally, or burned as a backup.

In this article, I will show you how to burn it with ImgBurn.

Difficulty: Easy

Things You'll Need:

Computer
ISO image
CD/DVD Burner
Blank CD/DVD
ImgBurn

1

Insert your blank CD/DVD, and fire up ImgBurn.
2

Click on "Write Image file to disk". See the photo for more details.
3

Click on the folder icon with the little plus sign out from it. This will let you brows your computer for the ISO image you want to burn.
4

Once you have selected your ISO file the large icon at the bottom of the window should become click-able. Click it and ImgBurn will start burning your CD/DVD.

signs of a virus

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:27:00 +0100

Computer virus symptoms

After you open and run an infected program or attachment on your computer, you might not realize that you've introduced a virus until you notice something isn't quite right.

Here are a few primary indicators that your computer might be infected:

Your computer runs more slowly than normal
Your computer stops responding or locks up often
Your computer crashes and restarts every few minutes
Your computer restarts on its own and then fails to run normally
Applications on your computer don't work correctly
Disks or disk drives are inaccessible
You can't print correctly
You see unusual error messages
You see distorted menus and dialog boxes

These are common signs of infection—but they might also indicate hardware or software problems that have nothing to do with a virus. Unless you run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool and install industry-standard, up-to-date antivirus software on your computer, there is no way to be certain if your computer is infected with a virus or not. If you don't have current antivirus software installed or if you're interested in installing a different brand, visit our Windows Marketplace for software from other companies.

Tip: Beware of messages warning you that you sent e-mail that contained a virus. This can indicate that the virus has listed your e-mail address as the sender of tainted e-mail. This does not necessarily mean you have a virus. Some viruses have the ability to forge e-mail addresses.

scheduling and maintenance

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:06:08 +0100

Preventive Maintenance Schedule and Summary

In order for preventive maintenance to be useful, you have to remember to do it! This is not always as easy as it sounds. Most of us have equipment around the house that we know we should work on but we always forget if not reminded (I do). Something that can help is to create a preventive maintenance schedule.

As discussed here, some types of maintenance are really better done when they need to be done based on the condition of the system or device, instead of just doing them after a preset amount of time. This can be hard to gauge though, and it is easy to forget to do the maintenance work (or put it off indefinitely).

For this reason, I recommend that you set up a preventive maintenance schedule. This is simply a chart that shows various maintenance activities, and how often they should be done, to allow you to setup a calendar so you remember to do your PM work. You should alter this schedule when it makes sense, and also add extra instances of importance PM activities when they make sense. For example, you may normally only update the information on your emergency boot floppies once every few months, but you will also want to do it any time you upgrade your operating system, regardless of when you did it last before this event.

Once you have set up a schedule, you can translate it to actual dates to help you remember when to perform various preventive maintenance activities. Software

procedures, which often should be performed daily, are best done using some sort of automated program scheduler. For longer-time-interval tasks, you can simply mark the activity down on a regular calendar. If you have appointment book software, such as Schedule+ from Microsoft, or Lotus Organizer (or similar) you can put reminders to do your preventive maintenance right in the software!

Below I have included a sample preventive maintenance schedule, which includes approximate recommended time intervals for performing the various procedures. The frequency with which you perform preventive maintenance really depends on what your system is, how you use it, and what is important to you. The numbers below are guidelines that should at least put most people in the right ballpark. You should determine what schedule makes sense for you by reading up on the various maintenance procedures and deciding what you think is most appropriate.

I have intentionally not made my schedule too aggressive; if the schedule is ridiculous ("check your surge suppressor daily!") then maintenance becomes a major drag and chances are that nothing at all will end up getting done. I have also made my recommended frequencies so that similar activities (where reasonable) are performed at the same interval. In particular, performing all the maintenance activities that require you to open up the PC at the same time makes sense, for obvious reasons. Having a single, annual "clean the PC day" allows you to keep your PC running at top form without having to open the dumb thing up several times a year.

Also note that backups should follow their own organized schedule. This is because even if you do backups daily (and you should), you may not back up the same items each day. See here for a discussion of backup schedules.

The sample schedule below is actually organized by recommended frequency (even though the activity itself is in the left-most column). It represents those preventive maintenance activities that I think make sense for most PC owners. The "Auto?" column contains the word "Yes" for those activities that can normally be set to run automatically using a program scheduler:

Preventive Maintenance Activity	Recommended Frequency	Auto?
Scan hard disk file systems for errors	Daily	Yes
Scan for viruses	Daily	Yes
Back up data	Daily	No
Clean CRT screen	Weekly	No
Defragment hard disks	Weekly	Yes
Scan for hard disk read errors	Weekly	Yes
Clean mouse	Monthly	No
Check for full hard disk volumes and remove unnecessary files	Monthly	No
Update virus definition files	Monthly	Sometimes
Check power protection devices to ensure they are still protecting the system	Quarterly	No
Check power supply fan for ventilation and dirt buildup and clean if necessary	Quarterly	No
Back up CMOS information	Quarterly	No
Update emergency boot floppies	Quarterly	No
Clean floppy disk drive internals and read/write heads	Quarterly (depending on use)	No
Check processor temperature, inspect heat sink and fan to ensure they are working	Annually (or whenever case is opened)	No
Check hard disk for temperature and vibration	Annually (or whenever case is opened)	No
Clean exterior of case	Annually	No
Clean exterior of monitor	Annually	No
Check and clean interior, motherboard and expansion cards if necessary	Annually	No
Check internal connections and cables	Annually	No
Clean keyboard	Annually	No

linxsys wireless modem issues

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 11:33:36 +0100

How to Fix a Failed Linksys Wireless Router Set-up

By Richardthe3rd, eHow Member

A Linksys router

User-Submitted Article

Setting up a wireless network is one of the ways to extend your Internet connection to computers in other parts of your house. Sometimes, however, the default instructions for setting up the Linksys Wireless Router may not work. When that happens, you can fix a failed router set up by following these steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You'll Need:

Linksys wireless router
Windows XP computer connected to a DSL modem
Browser software
Internet access
Category 5 network cables

Power Cycle the Router

1

Turn on the router, then use a pencil to press and hold the reset button on the back for 30 seconds.
2

Unplug the router's power cord and wait for 1 minute, then plug it in again.
3

Find the cable that connects the computer to the DSL modem. Unplug the modem and connect the computer to port 1 of the router.

Set-up the Router

1

Go to the desktop and launch a web browser. You're going to have to go to the inline configuration panel for the setup.
2

Type "http://192.168.1.1" into the address bar and click "Go." A login window will appear.
3

Skip user name and type "admin" (admin is the default password) as the password, and click "OK."
4

Click on the "MAC Address Clone" sub tab and select "Clone your PC's MAC". Save the settings. This may take a minute or so.
5

Go back to the "Basic Setup" tab and look for the LAN IP, which is 192.168.1.1.
6

Change the IP address to 192.168.2.1 then save the settings.
7

Shut down the computer and router for 2 minutes, then turn both back on.

Get Online

1

Connect the DSL modem to the Internet port of the Linksys router.
2

Shut down the DSL modem, Linksys router and computer, and wait 3 minutes.
3

Turn on the DSL modem and wait for it to stabilize.
4

Turn on the router once the modem has stabilized, then turn on the computer.
5

Check to see if you are able to get online.

changing your startup menu in windows 7

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 11:37:36 +0100

How to Change Startup Programs in Windows 7

By Lysis, eHow Contributor

updated: April 30, 2010

With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has made several changes to the company's operating system. Startup program settings are similar to those of previous operating systems. Startup programs are saved in a specific folder on the hard drive. When the operating system boots, links listed in this folder start their respective applications. Changing settings for current startup applications is accomplished through the system configuration tool.

Difficulty: Moderate

Add a Link to the Startup Folder

1

Click the Windows "Start" button and select "All Programs." Right-click the "Startup" folder in the menu and select "Open All Users." This option opens the folder for all users on the computer. Choose "Explore" to open the folder for the currently logged-in user only.
2

Right-click the folder or file you want started when the computer boots. Select "Copy" from the menu.
3

Right-click any white space in the "Startup" folder you opened in Step 1. Select "Paste" from the menu list. The program will now open the next time you start the computer.

Change Current Startup Programs

1

Click the Windows "Start" button and type "msconfig" in the search text box. This opens the System Configuration console.
2

Click the "Startup" tab. This gives you a view of all the programs installed as startup options on your computer.
3

Check boxes of the applications you want to start when you boot the computer. For programs you no longer want to start, clear the check box.
4

Click "Apply" and close the configuration window. A popup window will ask if you want to reboot the computer. Click "Restart" to reboot the computer and save the changes.

blog-talk

fixing sound issues with vista and windows 7

Fixing sound issues with Microsoft Vista/Windows 7 – and slow YouTube vids

why firefox crashes

Find Out Why Firefox Crashes 14

Tip

internet explorer keeps crashing

sending a remote assistance invitation by email

reinstalling windows 7 or vista properly

How To Properly Reinstall a Program in Windows 7 or Windows Vista

Sponsored Links

creating a iso file from start up program to back up on disk

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signs of a virus

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scheduling and maintenance

linxsys wireless modem issues

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Things You'll Need:

Power Cycle the Router

Set-up the Router

Get Online

changing your startup menu in windows 7

How to Change Startup Programs in Windows 7

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Add a Link to the Startup Folder

Change Current Startup Programs