CD/DVD Drive Auto Play Feature is Not working

When you insert the CD or DVD in optical drive installed in your drive, it does not read the disk automatically. You are opening the disk manually by using My Computer. This issue occurs if the Auto Play option accidentally disabled in System Settings or in Registry.

To resolve this issue, please perform following steps.

Step 1:

1. click Start > Control Panel > Play CDs or other media automatically .
2. To manually determine the action for each type of media in the list, click on the Choose a default option and select a default action or application for each item.
3. To set the Windows default for all types of media, verify that a checkmark is in the box beside Use Autoplay for all media and devices , then click Save.

If the above steps not resolve this issue, please perform the following steps.

Step 2:

1/ Click the Start button

2/ In the Search dialogue box type; Regedit

3/ UAC will kick in and ask your permission to continue prior to opening the registry editor. If you are the Administrator, Click Continue. If you are not the Administrator then you will need the Administrator password, etc before you can continue

4/ The Registry Editor will now open

5/ Now navigate to the following subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom

6/ Look down the list of option in the Right Hand pane of the Registry editor Window and locate the AutoRun option

7/ If the AutoRun value is 1 (one) then AutoRun is enabled. If it is 0 (zero) then it is disabled. To re-enable it, Right Click on the AutoRun option, Select Modify and in the Value Data box type: 1 (one), then Press OK

8/ If AutoRun is already enabled in this Registry key, then Locate the following Registry subkey: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

9/ Look at the entry NoDriveTypeAutoRun (It is sometimes difficult to locate this particular option in the maze of other registry entries, therefore, I find that it is easier if one the Find option. Click Edit on the registry main toolbar and then, from the drop down menu, select Find. In the 'Find What' dialogue box type NoDriveTypeAutoRun and then click the Find Next button.

10/ If the value of this key is 0xb5, then AutoRun is turned off. (or 255) then AutoRun is turned off

11/ To turn AutoRun back on, Right Click the NoDriveTypeAutoRun option and then Click Modify. Select the Hexadecimal option then type: 91 (Ninety One) in the value box, and then press OK

12/ Finally Close the Registry Editor

13/ Insert a CD or DVD into the CD/DVD-Rom and, hopefully, it should now AutoRun.

Use Inbuilt/External Webcam with MySpace

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Use Inbuilt/External Webcam with MySpace

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Delete Internet Browsing History

While browsing Internet using Internet Explorer, we always want to assure our privacy. If you are using the internet Café computer and don’t want the other people know what you have did using café computer, then you have to remove your browsing history by following the below steps.

1. Click on Start Menu (the flag located to the lower right of the Windows task bar), then on Control Panel.
2. Click on the Internet Options icon.

NOTE: If the "Internet Options" icon does not appear, click on the "Classic View" link to display all the configuration panel icons.
3. In "Browsing history", click on Delete....
4. Click Delete button across from Temporary Internet Files, Delete Cookies, Delete history.
5. Click on Yes
6. Click Close.
7. Click Ok.

Tip: You can adjust your Internet Explorer 7 settings to automatically clear the cache whenever you close Internet Explorer 7.

Go to the Tools menu, and click Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab. In the "Settings" box, scroll down to the section labeled "Security," and click to check the box next to the "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed" option. Click OK to finish. This option does not delete cookies, but it will clear your cache of other files when you close your browser.


If the above steps not deleting the browsing history then please perform the following steps.

1. Tap Window key (Flag key) and R key at once on the keyboard. You would see “Run” window.
2. In the RUN window type REGEDIT and press Enter or Click OK.
3. Now you would see Windows Registery Window.
4. Click on the pluses(+) next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
5. Click on the pluses(+) next to Software
6. Click on the pluses(+) next to Microsoft
7. Click on the pluses(+) next to Internet Explorer
8. Click on the pluses(+) next to Typed URLs.
9. In the Right pane window you will find the list of URLs, please select all the URLs and delete it.
10.Close the Registry Editor
11.Close all open Internet Explorer windows
12.Reopen Internet Explorer and you will see the browsing history will be deleted.

Error While Installing Windows Update

Symptoms: Any Error Message while Installing Windows Update from Automatic Update.
System Hangs up or installation hangs up while installing windows Update.

Cause: This issue might be occurring because of improper installation of previous software or some improper changes in the system.

To resolve this issue we need to perform few instructions. Here are they

Step 1: Disable Windows Update

a. Click on start
b. Click on all programs
c. Click on accessories
d. Click on Run
e. Type services.msc and press ok
f. Right click on "Windows Update"
g. Click on stop (Windows Update is now disabled)

Step 2: Rename Software Distribution folder

a. Navigate to: C:/Windows/
b. Find the folder named: "SoftwareDistribution"
c. Rename that folder to something like "SoftwareDistribution.old"
d. Create a new folder called "SoftwareDistribution"

Step 3: Enable Windows Update

a. Click on start
b. Click on all programs
c. Click on accessories
d. Click on Run
e. Type services.msc and press ok
f. Right click on windows update
g. Click on start

If you are unable to find Software Distribution Folder, follow these steps before #2 above.

1. From the explorer window press the Alt key to view the file menu.
2. Click Tools
3. Select Folder Options
4. Select the View tab
5. Select “Show hidden files and folders”
6. Remove the selection from “Hide protected operating system files”
7. Click OK

If the issue still persists then please perform the system restore. System Restore allows you to replace all of the current files and settings with those of a previous time without loosing your personal data files. For example, after a new HP Pavilion computer has been started for the first time, a restore point is created. If you accidentally delete monitored files or monitored program files become corrupted, you can run the System Restore to restore your computer to a state before those changes occurred.

Here are the steps to perform System Restore in Windows XP and Vista Operating System.

Windows XP and Vista

1. Click Start, Programs or All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then System Restore. The Welcome to System Restore window appears.
2. Select Restore my computer to an earlier time, and click Next. The Select a Restore Point window appears.
3. Select a date and a restore point, and then click Next.
4. Click OK when a pop-up window about closing programs appears. The Confirm Restore Point Selection window opens.
5. Click Next. The computer should shut down and turn back on automatically after the restoration completes. The Restoration Complete window appears.
6. Click OK. Your computer will now be restored to a previous time when it functioned correctly.

Low Disk Space Error Message

All the HP Pavilion and HP Presario Notebooks have two partitions, C: and the Recovery partition. The Recovery partition is not user accessible. The system will automatically update the recovery partition information. Since the recovery partition size is kept minimum, the system will automatically report the "Low disk space" pop-up when the disk space went minimum.

HP computers do not come with recovery CDs. Instead, they use a space (partition) on the hard disk drive to store the recovery information. The use of a hidden partition provides a convenient process that eliminates the use of recovery discs that may be lost or scratched. Recovery discs for Windows Vista can be created by using the Recovery Manager.

The Low Disk Space Error shown if customer accidentally save any data in recovery partition. This issue also occurs after backing up the data or before. Here are the steps to resolve this issue.

Windows XP

You can stop the pop-up window by disabling the low disk space warning option in Windows XP. But this will not cause any adverse
effect to the system and the Recovery Partition also will not get
affected. This is a work around.

Perform the following steps to disable low disk space warning.

Step 1:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type NoLowDiskSpaceChecks, and then press ENTER.
5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6. Type 1, and then click OK.
7. Restart the computer.

Step 2: Use PC Recovery boot.img Removal Tool

This is an application that contains a PC Recovery boot.img Removal Tool for Windows XP operating systems. This package provides a fix for the "Low Disk Space" warning message that may be displayed after Recovery Media has been created. You can download the utility from following web link.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericSoftwareDownloadIndex?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&softwareitem=ob-43512-1

Windows Vista

The Windows backup files are easily identified because of their folder and file naming conventions. A typical folder and file name convention is D:\\Backup Set \Backup Files\Backup files.zip . For example, D:\MyPC\Backup Set 2007-01-31\Backup files 1.zip .

To reclaim the drive space on the Recovery Partition, locate and delete the unneeded folders and files, as follows:
1. Click Start , type explorer in the search field, and click on Windows Explorer when it appears in the program list to open the explorer window.
2. Click Computer in the left panel to display the names of the drives in the right panel.
3. Double-click on the Recovery Partition, which is normally named the (D:) drive, to display the folders and files in the right panel.
4. Highlight all the folders and files on the Recovery Partition, except the RECOVERY folder, and press the delete key.
The files will be removed and the space will be available to the Recovery Manager program.

"HpSdpAppCoreApp " Error Message

In HP notebooks, while you are installing any software, the error "HpSdpAppCoreApp " comes up. This issue is caused due to corrupted registry entry of Easy/Ez Internet Signup software. The computer system reports that HpSdpAppCoreApp.msi error while running some applications or during startup of computer.

The issue can be resolved by performing the following troubleshooting steps. We need to delete some registry entries which is causing this error.

Step 1: Delete all entries for HpSdpAppCoreApp.msi application from Windows Registry.

1. Click Start, Run
2. Type REGEDIT and click OK
3. Click on "+" beside HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
4. Click on "+" beside SOFTWARE
5. Click on "+" beside classes
6. Click on "+" beside Installer
7. Select Products
8. Click Edit on the menu bar and select Find option
9. Type "HpSdpAppCoreApp" without quotes
10. Click Find Next button
11. If any key is found, select the key and press Delete button. Click Yes for confirming the deletion.
12. Press F3 key to find the next entry and repeat the above step till it reaches the end of the registry.
13. In the right-pane, delete all the keys having "HpSdpAppCoreApp.msi" or similar value. To do so, you need to select the key and press Delete button. Click Yes for confirming the deletion.
14. Close the registry and restart the system.

Now you can install or uninstall the programs. Or run any program without any issue. The issue should be resolved and error should not be shown at startup.

If the issue persists, please perform the step 2:

Step 2:

1. Click Start, Run
2. Type Regedit and click OK
3. Click Edit on the menu bar and select Find option
4. Type "HpSdpAppCoreApp" without quotes
5. Click Find Next button
6. If any key is found, select the key and press Delete button. Click Yes for confirming the deletion.
7. Press F3 key to find the next entry and repeat the above step till it reaches the end of the registry.
8. Close the registry and restart the system.

If the issue still persists then please perform the following steps which will resolve this issue.

Step 3: Use Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.

We can resolve this issue by using Windows Installer CleanUp Utility to remove the HpSdpAppCoreApp.msi application. This is Visit the following Microsoft article for information on Windows Installer CleanUp Utility:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=290301

Hide Hard Drive In Windows XP

This is a very interesting topic. I would like to share a trick to hide the hard drive in your computer system. After performing this trick, when you open the My Computer then you will find that there is no hard drive exists in My Computer.

As we all know the operating system divides all the devices in computer system with different names. It gives some specific alphabet for CD/DVD drive, alphabet A for Floppy disk drive. Some times, you want to hide the information and data which is saved on your hard drive. To perform this task usually we use some specific software like Folder Lock or hide files by using the Hide option.

Now, I want to share a ultimate method to hide your documents to avail security. Please perform the following steps to hide your hard drive in Windows XP.

Note:- As these steps involve the changes in Windows Registry. These steps might cause some issue. So, I recommend to back up the registry before performing the changes. Here are the steps to back up the registry.

I. Backing up the registry:

1. Click Start, Run.
2. In the "Open" field type "REGEDIT" (without quotes.)
3. Click OK.
4. Click "Registry" in the menu.
5. Click "Export Registry" from the drop down menu this will open a new box.
6. Click the down arrow beside "Save In" and select "Local Disk (C:)."
7. In the File Name field type BACKUP.REG.
8. Verify that under the "Export Range", that the radio button is beside "All".
9. Click Save.
10. Close the window.

The registry is now backed up.

II. Making changes in the registry to hide computer’s hard drive.

1. Click Start, Run.
2. In the "Open" field type "REGEDIT" (without quotes.)
3. Click OK.
4. Click the plus sign (+) beside HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
5. Click the plus sign (+) beside Software.
6. Click the plus sign (+) beside Microsoft.
7. Click the plus sign (+) beside Windows.
8. Click the plus sign (+) beside Current Version.
9. Click the plus sign (+) beside Policies.
10. Click the plus sign (+) beside Explorer and Select Explorer.
11. In the right pane, right click on empty space and Select New >> DWORD Value and give its name as NoDrives.
12. Right-click the value and choose Modify.
13. In the dialog box that appears, enter the value as 3FFFFFF and select the Radio Base button to Hexadecimal because this is a Hexadecimal Value.
14. Click OK to close the dialog box.
15. Close the registry editor window.
16. Now, Restart the Computer.

Now, you will be surprise, the complete hard drive will be hide. However, if you like to bring it back, just delete the created key in the registry i.e. NoDrives.

HP Total Care Advisory

All HP Pavilion and Presario Notebook PCs come preinstalled with HP Total Care Advisor. The HP Total Care Advisor is a utility which checks all the Hardware and Software for faulty in your system. This software application monitors the status of the PCs health as well as provide a wealth of information on troubleshooting and maintaining your PC.

Total Care Advisor: Homepage



The PC Health & Security tab is the homepage for HP Total Care Advisor. It provides a dashboard of information.

* Internet Connection
* Battery Health
* Warranty Information
* Printer Supplies
* Backup status
* PC Health Status
* Security and Update monitoring
* Hard drive and removal drive storage capacity

Total Care Advisor: PC Action Center


The PC Action Center alerts the user of important information regarding their PC. Alerts included are:

* Critical and Recommended hardware and software updates
* Tasks recommended for the user to complete such as registering their PC, touring the Experience Center and creating their Recovery Disc set.
* Important communications from Hewlett-Packard

When troubleshooting a customer's notebook PC, it's important to launch the Total Care Advisor (available from an icon on the desktop) and click the PC Action Center to view a list of current alerts.

Total Care Advisor: PC Help


The PC Help tab is organized into two main sections:

* Get Help - Contains a list of top How-To's.
* Common Tasks - Links to finding information, learning about your PC, troubleshooting and resolving common issues.

Note: This information is similar to what is found in HP Help and Support.

Total Care Advisor: Experience Center


The Experience Center is a new section added to Total Care Advisor. This new section contains a wealth of information on using the features and software applications included with the PC. The Experience center contains the following main categories:

* Connect (using the Internet and Chat)
* View (and edit photos and albums)
* Listen (and manage your music)
* Watch (and create movies and videos)
* Protect (your notebook a secure your data)
* Play (PC and Internet Games)
* Productivity (tools for managing your information)
* Manage (your notebook)
* Discover (and learn how to use your computer)

S-video port on the Notebooks/Laptops and its connection

Display Video to a Television Using the S-Video Port From Notebook Computer equipped With the NVIDIA Geforce 4 Go Video Card in Microsoft Windows XP.

Sep 1: Attach the Notebook to the Television.

The method for attaching an S-Video-equipped HP notebook computer to a television will vary depending on the type of video inputs available on the television. Check the input to be used on the back of your television and click the appropriate set of instructions for your type of video input:



Note: Please use 7-Pin to 3 RCA cable you can use 4 pin cable but check your notebook’s specification and compatibility with your notebook.

1. Ensure that both the television and the computer are powered off.
2. Connect one end of the S-Video cable to the computer Depending on your system model, your S-Video jack location may vary.
3. Connect the other end of the S-Video cable to the S-Video input on your television. Turn on your computer and television.

Step 2: Configure the NVIDIA Video Drivers to Display Video on an SVideo.(N-Force card).

1. Click the Start button,
2. Click Control Panel,
3. Click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display to display the Display Properties window.
4. Click the Settings tab.
5. Click Advanced.
6. Click the nView tab.
7. Click the circle to the left of Clone below the nView Modes category, which moves the radio dot from Standard to Clone.
8. Click the drop-down button to change the Display: field to nView
9. Click Apply. Set your television to display input from the appropriate S-Video or composite video jack.
10. For more information on setting your television to display input from the appropriate S-Video or composite video jack, consult the instruction manual for your television.

Upon setting the video input correctly, you should now see the same image on your television that is displayed on your computer screen.

If no video is displayed on the television, continue to Next steps.

1. Click the GeForce4 440 Go tab.
2. Click Additional Properties.
3. Click Additional Properties.
4. Click the Overlay Controls tab.
5. Click Video Mirror Controls.
6. Click the circle to the left of Secondary display under the Full
7. Screen Device category. The radio dot fills the circle to the left of Secondary display.
8. Click Apply.
9. Click OK.
10. Click OK to close the Adapter and Monitor Properties window.
11. Click OK to close the Display Properties window.
12. Click the X in the upper right-hand corner of the Appearance andThemes window.

Now Push Fn key on the keyboard and tap F4 key once. You would get the display on TV. Then tap once again, you would get the display on both.

How to install Windows XP on DV9500, DV6500 and DV2500 above model notebooks without using USB floppy drive.

How to install Windows XP on DV9500, DV6500 and DV2500 above model notebooks without using USB floppy drive.

If your notebook shipped with the Intel Processor and it is HP DV9500, DV6500 and DV2500 and above model notebooks. When you try to install XP on it using the XP operating system discs, mostly you will see the error that “Hard drive not found”. This issue occurs because the Operating system disc which you are using does not has the SATA drivers and all New HP notebooks shipped with the SATA hard drive. SATA is a technology which will be not supported by XP.

To resolve this issue and to install XP on your notebook, we need to install SATA drivers. This tutorial covers the process of installing Windows XP on an HP DV9500, DV6500 and DV2500 with Intel processor series Laptop. Currently, most HP Laptops are being shipped with Windows Vista, and there is minimal driver support on the HP website site for those who want to downgrade to Windows XP.

Generally we need USB floppy drive to install SATA driver on the above listed series notebooks but we can install SATA drivers with out using USB floppy drive.

To do this we are using nLite which will create a Windows XP installation disk with integrated SATA drivers. To do this we need a Optical drive which can burn discs. I would also recommend having a USB flash drive handy to hold the additional drivers that will be installed after XP installation.

Before proceeding to create a XP operating system disc with SATA drivers, I recommend to back up the important data from hard drive and create recovery discs for your notebook from recovery partition.

HP computers that ship with Microsoft Windows Vista do not come with recovery CDs. Instead, they use a space (partition) on the hard disk drive to store the recovery information. The use of a hidden partition provides a convenient process that eliminates the use of recovery discs that may be lost or scratched. Recovery discs for Windows Vista can be created by using the Recovery Manager or are available from HP for a minimal cost.

Here is the web link which has instructions to create recovery discs for your notebook using recovery manager software. Please follow the instruction and create recovery discs.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&docname=c00809678

Installation Procedure to f install Windows XP on a HP dv6500, dv9500, dv2500 series Laptop

First we need to "create a new Windows XP installation disk integrated with SATA drive controller drivers" (Intel SATA AHCI Controller Driver). Otherwise Windows XP will not find the hard disk during the installation procedure.

1. Download and install the nLite software from following web link.

http://www.nliteos.com/download.html

2. Download the Intel SATA AHCI Controller Driver from following ftp link and run the executable installing to the default c:\swsetup\SP37005 path (Note: After running the sp37005 file, it will ask you to insert a floppy, ignore the message and click on cancel)

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp37001-37500/sp37005.exe

3. Insert your Windows XP CD into your CD drive

4. Navigate to Start -> Programs -> nLite and click nLite to launch the program

5. Once you get to the Locating the Windows installation section, Click the Browse button and navigate to the CD drive where your Windows install CD resides, then click OK and Next

6. Next, the program will ask you where to save the CD installation files for modification, click OK
7. Next, you will need to create a folder to save to and work from. Click the Make New Folder button, type in a folder name, and click OK

8. Next, nLite will attempt to copy all files from the Windows installation disk to the folder you have created. Once it has finished, click Next

9. Once you arrive at the Task Selection page, select the Drivers and Bootable ISO option and then click Next

10. Next to select the SATA drivers to integrate. Click Insert, select Single driver and navigate to the c:\swsetup\SP37005\Files and click iastor.inf and click Open

11. Next, select "ALL" of the driver files listed and then click OK .
12. Next, when prompted to start the process Click OK
13. After the process has finished, click Next till you arrive at the Bootable ISO page
14. I prefer to Create and ISO Image and then use other software to burn the ISO to a CD



15. Next, find your newly created ISO and burn your ISO to a CD using your preferred burning software
16. Insert the remastered Windows XP CD into your HP dv6500 series Laptop and proceed to install Windows XP

How to install XP on DV9500/DV6500/DV2500 above model notebooks with Intel processor

If your notebook shipped with the Intel Processor and it is HP DV9500, DV6500 and DV2500 and above model notebooks. When you try to install XP on it using the XP operating system discs, mostly you will see the error that “Hard drive not found”. This issue occurs because the Operating system disc which you are using does not has the SATA drivers and all New HP notebooks shipped with the SATA hard drive. SATA is a technology which will be not supported by XP.

To resolve this issue and to install XP on your notebook, we need to install SATA drivers. This tutorial covers the process of installing Windows XP on an HP DV9500, DV6500 and DV2500 with Intel processor series Laptop. Currently, most HP Laptops are being shipped with Windows Vista, and there is minimal driver support on the HP website site for those who want to downgrade to Windows XP.

Here is the web link which has the SATA drivers and it be supported by above series notebooks with Intel Processor.

Click Here to download the SATA drivers.

Installation Instructions.

Requirements:

1. A USB diskette (floppy) drive is required to use this driver. If an external USB diskette drive is used, ensure that it is plugged into the system before starting installation processes.

2. This SATA driver is ONLY required for use with a purchased retail Microsoft Operating System CD or DVD.

Installation Procedure.

--> Download the SoftPaq .EXE file to a directory on your hard drive.

--> Execute the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions. A diskette containing the driver is created, and the driver files are also made available at c:\swsetup\sp36132. If you choose to cancel diskette creation, you will need to copy the driver files to the chosen media.

1. Insert the operating system CD, and Power On the notebook to boot from the CD.
2. At the very beginning of the operating system installation, the following prompt is displayed at the bottom of the screen:

"Press F6 if you need to install a SCSI or RAID driver...."

When the prompt is displayed, press F6.

3. Later in the operating system installation, you are notified that a mass storage device could not be detected. When this notification occurs, press S (S=Specify Additional Device).

4. When prompted, insert the diskette that was created from the SoftPaq file, and then press Enter.

5. Select "Intel 82801HEM/HBM SATA AHCI Controller (Mobile ICH8M-E/M)" and press Enter.

NOTE: At this point, the following prompt MAY be displayed, depending on the version of your operating system CD. If the prompt is displayed, press Enter to use the default Windows driver and continue, if it is not displayed, continue with Step 6. The prompt reads as follows:

Windows already has a driver that you can use for
"Intel(R) 82801HEM/HBM SATA AHCI Controller (Mobile ICH8M-E/M)".

Unless the device manufacturer prefers that you use the driver on the floppy disk, you should use the driver in Windows.

S=use the driver on floppy
ENTER=use the default Windows driver

6. Continue with the operating system installation, as prompted.

NOTE: If a problem is encountered when using the external USB floppy drive, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 916196: "A connected USB floppy disk drive does not work when you press F6 to install mass storage drivers during the Windows XP installation process."

No sound from Web pages in Internet Explorer (XP)

To hear sound while viewing web pages with audio, perform the following steps:

Step 1:

1. Click Start , and then Control Panel .
2. Click Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices and then Sounds and Audio Devices .
3. Click the Sounds tab.
4. In the Program events list, find and select Windows Explorer .
5. Select Complete Navigation and set " sounds " to " notify.wav ".
6. Start Navigation and set the " sounds " to " Windows XP Start.wav "
7. Click OK .

Step 2: Reset Internet Explorer settings

1. Close any Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer windows that are currently open.
2. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
3. Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
4. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.
5. In the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box, click Reset.
6. When Internet Explorer finishes restoring the settings, click Close, and then click OK.
7. Close Internet Explorer. Your changes will take effect the next time you open Internet Explorer.

Step 3. Disable phishing filters and protected mode.

1. Click on start and click on "Control panel".
2. Double click on the "Internet Options".
3. Click on "Security" Tab.
4. Uncheck the Check box of "Protected mode"
5. Click on apply.
6. Click the "Advanced" tab. Scroll the options untill you see the " Disable Phishing Filter " option. Now click on "Disable Phishing Filter "( it must be checked}
7. Click Apply, and then click OK.

Internet Explorer Errors

Error " Internet Explorer has encountered an error and needs to close".

Step 1. Reset Internet Explorer settings:

1. Close all Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer windows.
2. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
3. Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
4. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.
5. Click Reset.
6. When you are done, click Close, and then click OK.
7. Close Internet Explorer and reopen it for the changes to take effect.

Step 2:

1. Open Internet Explorer and click Tools , and then Internet Options .
2. Click the General tab, and click Delete from the browsing history section, and then click the Delete Cookies button..
3. Click OK on the confirmation window that opens.
4. Click the Delete files button, click OK on the confirmation window that opens, and then click Close .
5. Click the Programs tab and then click the Manage add-ons button.
6. Add-ons are active-x controls that change the way Internet Explorer is used. These can be toolbars, plug-ins, and other code that can interfere with the operation of IE.Select any suspicious add-on names from the name list and select disable to prevent the add-on code from opening when IE is opened.
7. Click the Advanced tab. Remove the checkmark from Enable third-party browser extensions (requires restart) .
8. Click OK , and click OK again to restart the computer.

Step 3: Download and install the Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista (KB942615)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=26D303DA-BB2E-4555-96F1-BECB0E277341&displaylang=en

Notebook's Battery and its Issues

Issue:- Notebook’s Battery is not working at all.

Step 1:- Download and install latest BIOS update

Download and install the latest BIOS update from HP Website. Make sure that you are installing the correct BIOS update. If you install the incorrect BIOS update which is not for your notebook then it causes damage to your notebook. Install BIOS update on AC adapter; do not install it by running the battery on Battery.

Step 2:- Perform Power Drain

Here are the steps for Power Drain:
1. Disconnect the AC Adapter.
2. Remove the Battery.
3. Hold the Power button down for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Reconnect the AC adapter and do NOT connect the battery now.
5. Turn on the Notebook power.
If the problem persists, please disconnect the AC adapter and connect the battery alone.
Now check it again.

Step 3:- Check the Battery Condition.

How to check battery condition in HP Notebooks?

HP Notebooks are very popular world wide. As all know HP and Compaq merge and now we have HP Pavilion and HP Compaq Notebooks in market. Here are the steps to check the notebook’s status. These instructions help you to find out the status of your notebook’s battery. It is called battery health check.

The HP Battery Check is a utility that helps the end users to check the battery’s condition. It provides the information on the status of the batteries installed in the Notebook PC. For all latest notebooks, you can download the utility from following ftp link.

For more information please refer the documents:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00625471&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN


Checking the health of the battery:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00035864&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

After downloading and installing the softpaq, the HP Battery Check icon will be located in the Windows Control Panel.

On the Battery Check display panel, the information is organized into three indicator areas - Installed Batteries, Health and Storage Capacity. These indicators update every five seconds. If the battery health check shows the result “replace” then you have to replace the notebook’s battery.

What to do if Battery does not charge?

If the battery does not charge, try the following:

* Make sure the AC adapter is plugged into the power source and the light on the adapter is on.
* If using a power strip, remove the AC adapter from the power strip and plug it directly into a wall outlet.
* Verify the battery is fully installed and locked in place.
* Turn off the computer, and then verify the battery contacts are clean and the AC adapter cables are fully plugged in.
* Move the computer away from any nearby heat source. Unplug the AC adapter and allow the battery to cool down. An elevated battery temperature prevents charging.
* Try another battery.
* Try another AC adapter.

Most of the time, when the computer is in Standby mode, power can be saved by the computer by shutting down all the device connected to the notebook. Devices like Hard drive, monitors, fans etc. So, it is good idea to keep the computer in standby mode if your are not using it. However, the computer still uses power to save the data in memory.

One of the power management mode is Hibernate mode. When the computer is in hibernation mode, windows XP stores the data in memory to the hard drive. In this situation the power cut off completely and it preserves more battery life.

If you're using the XP theme view, you might not see the Hibernate option when you select to shut down the computer. First try holding down the Shift key to cause the Standby key to change to Hibernate. If that doesn't work, hibernation might not be enabled. Go to Control Panel Performance and Maintenance Power Options (or just Power Options in classic view). On the Hibernation tab, check the box that says Enable hibernation and click OK.

Optimizing Notebook's Battery Life

How to increase Notebook’s Battery Backup Time?

Battery is very useful component in Notebooks or laptops. It enables the portability of a notebook. We must know the procedure and methods to increase the Battery backup time.

The battery operating time depends on your power management settings. Your Notebook components, the options, and the allocations that you use also affect the operating time. The information below shows you how to increase the length of time you are able to operate under battery power.

The display, processor, CD/DVD drive, and hard drive use the most
battery power. To maximize the battery operating time, perform one or
more of the following actions:

* Reduce the display brightness and to select a short wait for your screen saver.
* Select a screen saver that does not generate a lot of graphics or
motion.
* Reduce audio volume or use headphones.
* Exit modem / wireless programs when you are not using them.
* Remove PC Cards when you are not using them Or other external devices.
* Remove CDs or DVDs when you are not using them.
* Use Sleep or Hibernation mode to turn off your notebook when you are
not using it.

Increase battery backup time by performing Battery calibrating frequently

Recalibrating the battery simply means recharging the battery to its maximum capacity and resetting the battery gauge to display the level of charge accurately. You may notice that the battery gauge does not correctly display the battery charge level when you first receive your Notebook or if you have not used your Notebook for a long period of time. If the battery gauge becomes inaccurate, you must recalibrate your battery.

To recalibrate the battery, complete the following steps:

1. Plug in the AC adapter.
2. Allow the battery to charge until the Battery Charge light turns off, showing that the battery is fully charged.
3. After the Battery Charge light turns off, unplug the AC adapter.
4. Turn on or restart your Notebook.

NOTE: Steps 5 through 8 prevent your Notebook from entering Sleep mode. These steps also allow the battery to drain faster.

5. Click Start and then Control Panel.
6. Click the Power Options icon to display the Power Options Properties dialog box.
7. Click the Power Schemes tab and select the Portable/Laptop scheme.
8. From the Running on batteries column:

a. In the Turn off monitor drop-down list, select Never.
b. In the Turn off hard disks drop-down list, select Never.
c. In the System standby drop-down list, select Never.
d. In the System hibernates drop-down list, select Never.

9. Let the battery drain until your Notebook reaches Hibernation and turns off.
10. Plug in the AC adapter and restart your Notebook.
11. Return to the Power Options Properties dialog box, and re-enter your power savings settings to the desired level.

NOTE: Battery charging time will vary based on the initial battery charge, the type of battery, and the activity of your Notebook while charging. Your Notebook's batteries charge much faster if the Notebook is off while charging.

Mechanism of Computer Virus

The engineering of Computer Virus is depending on individual who are making it. It is one of the interesting subjects among programmers who intentionally develop these kinds of software. Computer Virus is also a kind of application which is created by intention to perform some harmful work in computer. Viruses are mysterious and grab our attention.

Properly engineered virus can have tremendous effect on the world wide world i.e. Internet. You may hear about the Mydoom worm, which experts estimate infected approximately a quarter-million computers in a single day. In March 1999, the Melissa virus was so powerful that it forced Microsoft and a number of other very large companies to completely turn off their e-mail systems until the virus could be detected and removed.

In the year 2000 had a similar virus called ILOVEYOU which spreads through email. But these viruses were very simple.




Here are the different types of viruses. There are many types of electronic infection but the most common are:

Virus

The most recognized and dynamic of the rogue software is the virus. A virus modifies other programs to include executable virulent code. In some cases, the virulent code mutates and changes as it is copied. Viruses are extremely difficult to detect and even harder to erase. And the task becomes even more difficult as viruses become increasingly powerful and sophisticated. Eventually, most viruses will self destructive, typically taking the hard-drive files with it.

WORMS


It is a small piece of software that uses computer networks like Internet and security holes to replicate itself. Worms always scan the computer network to find out another computer system which has similar security hole. If they find it, they simple copy itself to the new machine using the security hole. Unlike most other types of virulent code, the worms travel through a network computer system. The worm travels from computer to computer –usually without doing any real damage. Worms rarely replicate, except in cases where it is absolutely necessary to continue traveling through the system, and delete all traces of their presence. It selectively alters or destroys a limited number of files or programs. Because worms can be made for specific jobs, they are often difficult to spot unless the worm is known.

Trojan Horses

The Trojan horse is largely considered to be the grandparent of today’s virulent software. Generally, Trojan horse is a destructive computer program which resides in the very useful programs like Word processing or graphic programs.

The Trojan Horse tactic is the most popular means of introducing Viruses in the computers. Hopefully, many virulent codes which reside in the trusted software can be detected by scanning new software before it is executed for the first time. But Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically.

Best Ways To Protect Your Computer From Computer Viruses

VIRUS (Vital Information Resource Under Seize) is software use to infect a computer. And it is one of the best ways to destroy the data and applications stored in your computer. Now-a-days, computer is become the most useful device in the society. Many people are becoming familiar using computer at office, school, and home. It is necessary for regular user to know how to protect their computer from virus. Here are some very useful ways to protect your computer from computer viruses.

1. Many people don’t want to install anti-virus program. They don’t want to spend money on this type of applications. But believe me, to protect your computer, it is necessary to use a high quality ant-virus program. There are many anti-virus programs available in the market. You can use one of them by knowing its capability. Or you can purchase one antivirus program by viewing the top 10 antivirus report which published yearly.

2. Keep updating your operating system and make sure your computer is up to date. Many hackers and programmers work to find out the security holes in operating system. And they discovered and prepare an update to rectify those security holes. However, hackers use these security holes to access your machine. It is good practice to keep your computer up to date.

3. Make sure that your anti-virus program is always turned on and scanning all the incoming and outgoing email messages. And schedule scanning of your complete system once in a week. It is very good practice to protect your computer.

4. Update your anti-virus program time to time. Most of the anti-virus programs come with yearly subscription.

5. Don’t open any web link which is given by unknown user in instant message. Some times, these links takes you to any website which contains a virus and which tries to install virus on your machine. However, your browser makes sure and not allows the web server to install virus on your machine. If you accidentally allow the browser to install the virus or if you are using normal browser which not protect your computer from viruses then this could be lead to virus attack.

6. Generally, many viruses come into your system through network (Internet). If someone not using internet then also there is a chance of being virus affected. We use USB drives, CDs which contains viruses. It is best practice to scan these devices before using on your computer.

7. Beware of email attachments. Don’t open email attachment received from unknown person. It might contain virus which can hang your computer or might damaged very useful data which is stored on your computer.

8. Be cautious before downloading any freeware software. It might contain virus in hidden form which slowly spread in your computer.

Faults/Errors Rectifications in Computer System

Computer System is not the absolute device. There are many issues computer has. Some of them are very easy to rectify but there are many issues which needs some troubleshooting steps to resolve. I have tried and list out some troubleshooting steps which might resolve the issue. Give is the list of faults/errors and methods are given to rectify those errors. I hope you will find this article very useful.

Error 1 :- SET DEAD (No indicators glowing):

Steps to perform:-

Check power supply cable
ON/OFF switch
Power supply
Power supply output units

Explanation:- Check power supply input cable condition and ON/OFF switch position. Cable may be internally open or ON/OFF switch may be defective. If the input path (cable and switch) is normal check power supply condition. The power supply inside may be effective. Check power supply line filters, rectifier unit, SMPS output transistor ,transformer and input/output voltage fuse condition.

Error 2 :- NO DRIVE DETECTION(HDD)

Steps to perform:-

Check Hard disk,
Cable,
Supply and I/O cards condition,

Explanation:- Check hard disk condition, Hard disk may be internally fai¬lure or hard disk primary slave jumpers may be misplaced, if the jumpers and hard disk condition is normal check hard disk supply. The hard disk supply may be disconnected or supply may be bsent. If the supply is normal check hard disk BUS cable continuity and condition. Cable may be internally open or cable connection may be reverse posi¬tion, if the cable condition and connection is normal check ID card condition, ID card may be defective or ID card Jumpers may be misplaced. Check and replace ID card. If the ID card Built-in mother board (PCI mother board) check CMOS setup, ID card address. If the address is normal, check ID card connectors. If the connectors, address and jumpers condition is normal insert new ID card in I/O port.



Error 3 :- NO COMPORTS WORKING

Steps to perform:-

Check comport connections,
Comport jumpers,
ID card condition.

Explanation:- Check comport connections, the comport connections may be in reverse or comport address may be defective in CMOS setup. If the address and connections is normal check I/O card condition, I/O card may be defective or I/o card jumpers may be defective. If the I/O card is built-in motherboard, check comport address and comport connections. If the address and connections is normal insert new I/O card in I/o port and disable on-board comports in CMOS setup.


Error 4 :- NO LPT WORKING

Steps to perform:-

Check LPT port cable,
LPT port address,
BUS cable,
I/O card condition.

Explanation:- Check LPT port cable continuity and condition, port cable may be internally failure or cable may be in reverse, if the port cable is normal check LPT address in CMOS setup. The address may be defective correct the address. If the address and cable is normal, check I/O card condition and I/O card LPT jumper setting. I/O card LPT jumper setting may be misplaced or I/O card may be defective, check and replace I/O card.

Error 5 :- SERIAL AND PARALLEL PORTS DEAD

Steps to perform:-

Check I/O card,
I/O card jumpers,
I/O card condition.

Explanation:- Check ports connection, port address and port jumpers settings, port address jumper settings may be defective or port cabling may be defective. If the jumpers and cabling is normal check and replace ID card.


Error 6 :- NO LIGHTNING (display information) BUT BEEPING SOUND IS NORMAL

Steps to perform:-

Check monitor,
Monitor supply cable,
Video display card,
Display card condition.

Explanation:- Check monitor indicator is glowing or not, if it is not glowing check monitor ON/OFF switch, monitor supply cable and monitor power supply path. If the indicator is glowing check video display card connection and condition. The display card connection may be defective or display cable may be internally failure. If the display cable and connection is normal, check display card condition. The display card may be loose contact or card may be defective or the video display card memory may be failure (VRAM).

Error 7 :- FDD NOT WORKING

Steps to perform:-

Check floppy drive,
Cable, Supply,
I/O card condition.

Explanation:- Check floppy disk condition, Floppy disk may be inter¬nally failure, Check floppy disk supply. The floppy disk supply may be disconnected or supply may be absent. If the supply is normal check floppy disk BUS cable continuity and condition. Cable may be internally open or cable connection may be reverse position, if the cable condition and connection is normal check ID card condition, ID card may be defective or ID card Jumpers may be misplaced. Check and replace ID card. If the ID card Built-in mother board (PCI mother board) check CMOS setup, ID card address. If the address is normal, check ID card connectors. If the connectors, address and jumpers condition is normal insert new ID card in I/O port.


Error 8 :- NO CD-ROM DETECTION

Steps to perform:-

Check CD-ROM supply,
CD-ROM condition,
BUS cable,
CD-ROM driver software.

Explanation:- Check CD-ROM supply condition and cable connection, the cable connection may be in reverse or the cable connector may be internally failure. If the cable and supply path is normal, check CD-ROM condition. CD-ROM may be internally failure. If the CD-ROM path is normal, check CD-ROM drivers software. The driver software may be improper installation or CD-ROM accessible MSCDEX.EXE file may be corrupted or AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files may be defected.

Error 9 :- MEMORY IMPROPER CHECKING

Steps to perform:-

Check memory,
CMOS setup

Explanation:- Check memory condition and socket connections. The socket connections may be defective or memory type may be mis¬matched. If the RAM and socket Connections is normal check CMOS setup memory parity check condition.

Issue 10 :- AUTOMATIC REBOOTING

Steps to perform:-

Check reset switch,
Reset jumper,
System file condition,
System files may be affected with virus.

Explanation:- Check system reset switch, the reset switch may be loose contact or switch may beinternally affective. If the switch connections and condition is normal, check reset switch jumper in mother board. The reset switch jumper may be in ON condition. Change the jumper connection from reset mode to normal mode. If the reset jumper condition is normal check the system files and software files. In the files may be defective. Scan all files (including system files) by using any virus scanner software.

Issue 11 :- SYSTEM HANGING

Steps to perform:-

Check system bootable files,
CMOS setup.
Mother board,
CPU heat shrink fan.

Explanation:- Check system files condition, the system files may be affected with virus or IO.SYS or MSDOS.SYS files may be corrupt¬ed. If the both system files is normal check COMMAND.COM file area. The COMMAND.COM area may be modified. Scan all files by using any virus scanner software. If the system files and COMMAND.COM is normal, check CPU, Heat shrink fan. The heat shrink fan may not be working.

Issue 12 :- SYSTEM SPEED BECOME A LOW

Steps to perform:-

Check system bootable files,
CMOS setup,
Mother board,
CPU heat shrink fan.

Explanation:- Check system files condition, the system files may be affected with virus, IO.SYS or MSDOS.SYS files may be corrupt¬ed. If the both system files is normal check COMMAND.COM file area. The COMMAND.COM area may be modified, scan all files and COMMAND.COM area is normal, check CPU, heat shrink fan, heat shrink fan is not working.

Issue 13 :- FLICKERING INFORMATION

Steps to perform:-

Check monitor connection,
Supply cable,
Monitor control card (display card).

Explanation:- Check monitor signal cable, the signal may be defective or monitor brightness control may be loose contact. If the monitor and cable condition is normal check input supply cable. The input supply cable may be loose contact. Check and replace supply cable. If the supply path is normal check video display card connections, check video display card connected I/O slot. The connected I/O slot may be loose connection or the I/O card may be defective. Check and replace display card. Before replacing the display card, check VRAM condition.

Issue 14 :- SYSTEM NOT BOOTING (system files and COM files is normal condition)

Steps to perform:-

Check hard disk partition tables,
CMOS setup,
CMOS setup boot sequence.

Explanation:- Check CMOS setup boot sequence condition and hard disk mode. If the mode and sequence is normal check hard disk condition. The hard disk may be affected with virus. Boot the system from externally (through fresh bootable floppy). After booting the system scan the hard disk and hard disk partition tables by using any virus scanner, the partition tables may be affected with virus. After scanning the hard disk and partition tables, restart the system by using power ON/OFF switch.


Issue 15 :- FDISK COMMAND NOT WORKING

Steps to perform:-

Check hard disk,
Fdisk (Format Disk) command, (using any format disk usage)
Hard disk partition table condition.

Explanation:- Before using FDISK command scan the hard disk by using any virus scanner, after completing the scanning check hard disk partition by using FDISK command, after scanning also FDISK command is not working check FDISK command and hard disk mode in CMOS setup.

Issue 16 :- FLOPPIES NOT READING BUT NO FDD ERROR

Steps to perform:-

Check floppy disk condition,
CMOS setup FDD reading setup.

Explanation:- Check floppy drive condition, the floppy drive reading head motor may be failure or reading head may be defec¬tive. If the reading head motor and head is normal, check floppy drive drum motor. The drum motor may be not rotating. Check and replace floppy disk drive. Before replacing the floppy drive, check CMOS setup floppy reading address.

Issue 17 :- SET DEAD BUT ALL INDICATORS GLOWING

Steps to perform:-

Check mother board supply,
CPU condition,
Pulse goods signals (P.G signals).


Explanation:- Check power supply output P.G signals and mother board input supply connections ( +5v, 12v, -5v, -12v, P.G sig¬nals and ground). In this input connections any one supply connection may be absent. If the supply condition is normal check CPU and BUS control IC's. The CPU may be internally fai¬lure. Check and replace CPU. Before replacing the CPU check BUS control IC's and memory IC's.

I know the issues or errors are not the complete error list. There are many errors which are not addressed in this article. If your computer showing any error or if you are experiencing any issue which is not addressed in this article then please contacts me. I will do my best to help you.

Thanks,


******

Volume controller (icon) disappears from System Tray

Issue: Volume controller disappears from the Task bar in Windows XP.

Symptoms:The volume control disappear from the task bar and if you try to check the check box of Place the Volume icon on the Taskbar on the Properties of the Sound and Audio controllers, the below error message will be displayed:


Exact error message:


Windows cannot display the Volume control on the taskbar because the Volume Control program has not been installed. To install it, use Add/Remove programs in control panel.


Solution:

Step 1: Download and save the sndvol32.exe file on the desktop from the below link:


http://www.relaxingsoftware.com/sndvol32.exe

Select the entire link starting from the http up to sndvol32.exe and Copy it. Open a new internet explorer window and paste in address bar and hit enter.

Step 2: Right click on the downloaded file” sndvol32.exe”.

Step 3: Click on start and click on My computer. Or Open My computer from the desktop. Double click on the C drive. Double click on the Windows Folder. Double click on the System32 folder.

Step 4: Click on the Edit on the top and click on paste.

Step 5: Now Click on Start and click on control panel and select the check box of "Place volume icon in the taskbar". Click on Apply and Ok. Now the Volume icon will be displayed on the task bar.