Archive for the Troubleshooting Category

How to Fix Computer Continuously Rebooting After XP SP3 is installed

1. June 2008 by admin.

Stop Error 0×0000007E After SP3 is installed

I’ve had a few computers that will not boot correctly after I’ve installed Windows XP Service Pack 3 on them. The computer finishes the install and then prompts for a reboot. The computer will start to reboot then give a BSOD Stop Error for a second and reboot again. This process will continue unless the computer is started in Safe Mode. In Safe mode the computer boots correctly and everything seems fine.This problem only appears on some systems after upgrading to SP3. This particular problem on systems that have been prepared with SysPrep. The sysprep image was created on an Intel based computer, and then the sysprep image is deployed on a Non-Intel system such as an AMD processor.  In these cases, the registry entry for Intelppm is incorrectly set and causes the computer to go into a continuous reboot after the service pack has installed.


How Can I Solve This Problem?Follow these steps to resolve this issue with the computer not booting correctly after SP3 is installed.

1) Start your computer in Safe Mode.

2) Click on Start, Run, and type REGEDIT and press Enter. This will open the Registry Editor.

3) Click the pluses(+) next to the following registry keys to navigate to the correct spot.

  •  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
  • SYSTEM
  • CurrentControlSet
  • Services
  • Intelppm

4) In the right hand column find the entry titled START and double-click on it5) Change the number to 4 and click Ok

6) Close the Registry Editor

7) Shut down your computer and restart

This time the computer should restart normally and finish the installation of SP3

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Troubleshooting “My Computer” Opening Slowly on Windows XP

16. May 2008 by admin.

If “My Computer” takes a really long time to open on your computer, you are most likely experiencing a well-known issue where Windows hangs while trying to search for network folders and printers before displaying anything to you.

This problem is easily solved, and most of you are probably familiar with the fix already, but we’ll go through it anyway.

Open up Folder Options from the Tools menu in Windows Explorer:

winexpoptions.png

Then choose the View tab:

image

Uncheck the box for “Automatically search for network folders and printers”, and close the dialog.

The changes should be immediate, and your problem should be gone.

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How to enable the advance performance setting in windows vista?

16. May 2008 by admin.

If you have noticed that the speed of your system is very slow with windows vista then today tip is very useful for you to increase the performance of windows vista. There is some default setting in vista which is used to manage the write caching on disk. By default windows enabled the write caching on disk but the advanced performance setting is disabled.

Follow the given steps to configure the advance performance setting in Windows Vista:

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How to increase the Browsing and Downloading speed in Windows Vista?

16. May 2008 by admin.

With windows Vista you have noticed the slow internet speed. The web browsing and downloading speed is very slow as compare to previous versions of windows. You can open the same sites in windows XP and server 2003 with the normal speed.

Follow the given steps to increase the Vista browsing speed:

First go to Advance tab in Internet Explorer and turn off the TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption option. Here to fix problem with some secure pages turn on the SSL 2.0 (Secure Sockets Layer) feature and click Ok button to close it.

Follow the major fix for this problem:

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In Windows, how do I check my computer’s IP address or physical (aka MAC) address?

15. May 2008 by admin.

Windows NT, 2000, and XP

To see what IP address, default gateway, and subnet mask your computer is using:

  1. Click the Start button and select All Programs (XP) or Programs (NT and 2000).
  2. Select Accessories, then Command Prompt (2000 and XP), or Command Prompt (NT).
  3. At the command prompt, enter: ipconfig
  4. To close the command prompt, enter: exit

For other IP information on Windows, including the physical address, at the command prompt, enter:

ipconfig /all | moreThis will give you information regarding your computer’s TCP/IP setup, including:

Host name
DNS servers
Physical address
IP address
Subnet mask
Default gateway
WINS servers

The IP address will be a series of numbers following the pattern xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, for example, 156.56.27.32.

The physical address, which many people call the MAC address, will be a series of six hexadecimal number pairs following the pattern xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx, for example, 00-40-A4-F3-C0-01.

Note: If you have more than one active network adapter, you will see multiple entries here. Many laptop users nowadays have at least two adapters: one for the regular Ethernet adapter, and one for the wireless 802.11b or 802.11g card. Some computers will have three entries or more (for example, for either an infrared or a Bluetooth adapter). Sometimes it’s easy to distinguish between the two (for example, one of them will say “wireless” next to “Description:”), but other times it’s not (the description will give only a manufacturer and model). You may have to consult the manufacturer’s documentation for your computer to tell which section of the ipconfig/all | more output refers to which network adapter.

Windows XP, without using the command prompt

Alternatively, in Windows XP, if you want to find this information and want to stay within the graphic user interface, or for any reason do not want to use DOS commands, you can find this information by doing the following:

  1. Right-click the My Network Places icon, and then select Properties.
  2. Double-click the Local Area Connection icon. Occasionally, there will be a number on the end (e.g., Local Area Connection 2); it depends on your computer’s configuration. If you are looking for the MAC address for a wireless adapter, the icon will normally be named Wireless Network Connection.
  3. Click the Support tab.
  4. Click the Details... button.

The physical address (MAC address) and IP address will be listed in the window that appears.

Windows 95, 98, and Me

To check your computer’s IP address or physical address, follow the steps below:

  1. Click the Start button and select Run... .
  2. Type winipcfg and click OK.
  3. From the drop-down menu, select the adapter being used for your connection:
    • Select PPP Adapter if you’re dialing in.
    • Select the Ethernet adapter if you’re connected to a LAN or a broadband connection.
    • Select the wireless adapter if you’re connected via wireless.

The IP address will appear in its labeled field. The MAC address will appear in a field labeled Adapter Address.

Alternatively, you may follow these steps:

  1. Click the Start button and select Settings, then Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Network. Select TCP/IP, then click Properties.

The IP address appears under the IP Address page tab

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Safe Mode in Windows XP

15. May 2008 by admin.

Safe Mode in Windows XP

For diagnostic purposes, it is possible to operate Windows with a reduced set of drivers and files. This is called Safe Mode. How to get to Safe Mode is discussed here.

What is Safe Mode?

All versions of Windows come with a diagnostic setup called “Safe Mode”. Many average PC users are unfamiliar with the purpose of Safe Mode and only encounter it when there has been a system crash or similar problem. They are then puzzled by what to do next. The purpose of Safe Mode is to help troubleshoot computer problems by operating with a bare minimum of drivers and Windows components. By reducing what is running, Safe Mode can help you diagnose a problem caused by a faulty driver or software.

How to Get to Safe Mode

One way to reach safe mode is by booting up and pressing the F8 key right after the POST check. In practice this can be tricky to time correctly and all too often you can end up in the regular boot mode. The technique is to repeatedly tap the F8 key until the startup menu appears. Sometimes you will fill up the buffer memory with all the key taps and get an error message or the computer will complain by beeping. Also, the F8 key may not work with a USB keyboard because USB drivers have not yet been loaded. However, newer computers have USB support in the BIOS so this problem should be limited to older machines.

When you successfully initiate the boot options selection, the window shown below will open. The menu provides a number of advanced options. The default selection is “Start Windows Normally” and is highlighted. To open in Safe Mode, use the up arrow key to select it and then press the Enter key.

Windows Advanced Options Menu
Please select an option:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging
Enable VGA mode
Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)
Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)
Debugging Mode

Start Windows Normally
Reboot
Return to OS Choices Menu

Use the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight to your choice.

Add Safe Mode to boot menu

If you try out a lot of new gadgets or software and find yourself frequently needing to go into Safe Mode, you can add Safe Mode to the Boot Menu by editing the file boot.ini. The Boot Menu and how to edit it is discussed in detail on another page. For a specific example of adding Safe Mode, see this Elder Geek page

Use Msconfig to get to Safe Mode

If you only want to enter Safe Mode occasionally and have trouble using the F8 key, you can use the System Configuration Utility (msconfig) . Go to Start|Run and enter “msconfig” (without quotes). When the utility opens, click on the tab BOOT.INI as shown in the figure below.

Highlight the operating system listed in the section [operating systems] as shown in the figure below. Next put a check by the entry /SAFEBOOT as shown below. Also click the radio button MINIMAL Then reboot. The system should open in Safe Mode. When finished using Safe Mode, open Msconfig again and remove the check by /SAFEBOOT. Otherwise, you will continue to open in Safe Mode whenever you boot.

When the Computer Boots to Safe Mode without Asking

Many people have probably had it happen that instead of a normal boot, Windows puts up an error message and boots into Safe Mode. The most common reason for this to happen is that Windows has been shut down improperly. This will be indicated in the error message that comes up first. Generally, all that needs to be done in the case of improper shutdown is to restart the computer and Windows will clean up the problem and reboot normally.

If the system continues to go into safe mode, there may be a corrupt file or a driver problem. The error message may indicate the problem. Try doing a system restore. If the problem persists, there may be a problem with spyware or other pest so use the methods for cleanup associated with your particular anti-malware programs.

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BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death)

15. May 2008 by admin.

This is often found on a computer that has hardware problems. I found a great site to troubleshoot errors. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms789516.aspx

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