10 Reasons Why PCs Crash And You Must Know

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1 Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip [this is quite hold article, I need to update some stuff here]. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

md5sum.exe introduction

After you download all the Shorten (.shn) files for a particular disc or show, you want to verify that the files are not corrupted or otherwise unusable before you burn them to disc or host them on your file server. We do this by checking the downloaded Shorten (.shn) files against an .md5 file. An .md5 is a simple text file that contains a "fingerprint" of each Shorten file.

When you perform an md5 check, you are comparing the fingerprint from the files you downloaded to the fingerprint of the files on the server you downloaded from. If the md5's (fingerprints) match, you have an uncorrupted Shorten file.

 md5sum.exe - 48KB         88170 Downloads since 9/29/00

Windows 95/98/Me: Download md5sum.exe to c:\windows\command

Windows NT/2000: Download md5sum.exe to your c:\winnt\system32

 

Open an MS-DOS window and go to the directory of the show you want to check. When you are in that directory, type:

md5sum -c [filename].md5
 

You must insert the name of the .md5 file [without the brackets]. Below is an example of a successful md5sum check:

   

On the other hand, if a track does not pass the md5check, you will see the following:

If any Shorten files do not pass the .md5 check, you should delete the offending file(s), and try re-downloading. Then run the .md5 check again. The file(s) should now pass the .md5 check.

If the same files fail an .md5 check more than twice, you should contact the FTP Siteop you downloaded the files from and let them know what tracks are giving you a problem. They may be hosting a corrupted track without knowing it.

Open an MS-DOS window and go to the directory of the show you want to create an .md5 file for. When you are in that directory, type:

md5sum *.shn > [filename].md5
 

NOTE: You must insert the name of the .md5 file [without the brackets]. Example:
 

md5sum *.shn > ph94-06-26d1.md5

An .md5 file will be created and placed in that directory. Please remember to adhere the etree.org naming scheme when naming .md5 files!

Please remember to always .md5 check your Shorten files before burning!

  
Special thanks to bruce@gridpoint.com and the PCP community for compiling this special version of md5sum. Documentation and graphics by Mike Wren.


 

Learn how to build a desktop computer or PC

Learn how to build your own computer or PC.  Allows you to customize to meet your exact needs!  Sorry the quality is a little bit crappy.

Parts...
Cooler Master Elite 310 Case
Asus P5Q SE Plus motherboard
Intel Quad core Q8200 2.33 GHZ 4 MB cache 1333 MHZ FSB
Kingston PC8500 2 GB RAM 1066 MHZ
XFX GeForce 9800 GT 512MB GDDR3
Samsung 500 GB SATA HD 7200 RPM 16 MB buffer
Antec 500 W power supply
Samsung 22x SATA dual layer DVD burner
2x Antec 120mm ball bearing multiple speed fans

Music by:  incompetech.com
Song: Deliberate Thought
For use under Creative Commons license 3.0

What is Java ?

Data recovery walk through.. Guide How to !!

To recover files from a drive containing deleted files or folders, follow these steps:

Key Features:

• Recover deleted files/folders even after recycle bin has been emptied or use of Shift+Del key.
• File recovery from Missing or Lost folders.
• Recognize and preserve long file names when restoring files & folders.
• Multi-Disk Drive Support - Performs FAT/NTFS, EXT2/EXT3 recovery on all IDE, EIDE, SCSI and SATA disk devices.

1. Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, install it and launch it. Click the "Deleted File Recovery" button on the main window of Data Recovery Wizard.

2. Select the file types you want to recover. Tick 'Search all lost files automatically' to find all lost file types. Tick 'Ignore bad sectors' to skip bad sectors when scanning.

3. You can see the list of all volumes found on your computer, select the exact drive and press the "NEXT" button to search. If you are familiar with file system details, you can change "Option" before pressing the "NEXT" button.

4. Data Recovery Wizard will read file system on selected volume and search the files. This step may take some time depending on the size of disk space. You have to wait until scanning is finished.

5. After this scanning is finished, you'll see file/folder tree.

Note: If you are not able to get the desired results after Deleted File Recovery, go back to home window and select the option "Complete Recovery" or "Partition Recovery".

6. The "Search files" or "Find file by name" option makes finding the file you need much easier. You also can check the quality of the data in the container by the "File Preview" option.

7. Select the files or folders that you want to recover and press the "NEXT" button.

8. Select a directory and press the "NEXT" button to save the files.

Caution: Saving file(s) to the partition or drive where you are recovering data, for it may result in overwriting data and permanent data loss!

Please see "Deleted File Recovery" for more details.

The demo version of Data Recovery Wizard gives you a much fairer idea about chances of data recovery from your hard disk before deciding upon the purchase.

One-To-One Tutorials in Computing

Give One-to-One Tutorials in Computing (in Person or over Skype). Tutorials - Operations Systems (Windows [XP, Vista and 7], Linux, Mac) Also .. Programming (Java and Python). Web Development (HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL) - WordPress and Joomla. Windows management and Simple Networking.
£7.50 per-hour ... Contact on 

e-mail: info@mydreamwave.com
tchize@itechreload.co.uk
Skype: Tchize_black1

How to remove Antimalware PC Safety virus

In Specialists in recrimination art .. How to remove Anti-Malware PC safety virus software...

Antimalware PC Safety is a rogue antispyware program from the Virus Doctor rogues family as Strong Malware Defender, AV Security Essentials, Home Security Solutions, Anti-Malware Lab, etc. Thus program may look legitimate malware removal tool, but remember, its only an imitation! In reality, the malicious software blocks legitimate Windows applications, detects fake infections and displays various fake error messages that your computer is infected with a lot of viruses in order to frighten you into purchasing this useless application. 

Do not pay for the bogus software! Simply ignore all that it will display you and remove Antimalware PC Safety from your computer as quickly as possible!

Antimalware PC Safety promoted through the use of advertisement which pretends to be an online malware scanner. This advertisement will state that you computer is infected and all you have to do in order to cure your computer is install the software. Important to know, this online scanner is a fake and cannot detect any viruses or infections on your PC. The results that are displayed are totally fabricated!

Once started, Antimalware PC Safety will configure itself to run automatically every time when Windows loads. Next, it will add a few entries into the HOSTS file so that when you open Google, Yahoo or Bing, you will be redirected to various misleading websites. The rogue will also drop several fake malware files that absolute harmless but, later during the scan, they will be detected as security threats. 

Of course, the scan look realistic and legitimate, you should never trust it! Antimalware PC Safety want to trick you into thinking that your computer in danger and make you believe you must buy the full version of the software. Remember, the program pretends to be an antivirus software, but in reality is unable to detect or remove any infections and nor will be protect you from legitimate future threats. So you can safely ignore the false scan results.

While Antimalware PC Safety is running, it will block the Windows Task Manager and most antivirus and antispyware tools. Moreover, it will display a variety of fake security warnings and alerts that attempt to make you think your computer is infected with all sorts of malicious software. Some of the alerts are:

System alert
Antimalware PC Safety has detected potentially harmful software in
your system. It is strongly recommended that you register
Antimalware PC Safety to remove all found threats immediately.

System warning
No real-time malware, spyware and virus protection was
found. Click here to activate.

Warning! Identity theft attempt detected
Hidden connection IP: 128.154.26.11
Target: Microsoft Corporation keys

Warning
Warning! Virus detected

As you can see, all of these warnings states the same: the system is infected. In case you want to fix it, Antimalware PC Safety will prompt you to pay money. However, like false scan results above, all of these security messages are just a fake and has been displayed to trick you into purchasing so-called full version of the fake security program. So, you should ignore all of them.

As you can see, the program is a totally scam. It is neither able to detect, nor to remove any threats from the system. Antimalware PC Safety has been created with one purpose is to steal your money and leave you in a trouble. Thus, do not be fooled into buying the program! Instead of doing so, follow the removal guidelines below in order to remove Antimalware PC Safety and any associated malware from your computer for free.

Use the following instructions to remove Antimalware PC Safety (Uninstall instructions)

1

It is possible that the rogue will not allow you to run a malware removal tools, then you will need to reboot your computer in Safe mode with networking.

Restart your computer. After hearing your computer beep once during startup, start pressing the F8 key on your keyboard. On a computer that is configured for booting to multiple operating systems, you can press the F8 key when the Boot Menu appears.

Instead of Windows loading as normal, Windows Advanced Options menu appears similar to the one below.

Windows Advanced Options menu

When the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, select Safe mode with networking and then press ENTER.

2

Antimalware PC Safety virus changes Internet Explorer proxy settings to use a malicious proxy server that will not allow you download or update security software. So, you should complete this step to fix this problem.

Run Internet Explorer, Click Tools -> Internet Options as as shown in the screen below.

Internet Explorer – Tools menu

You will see window similar to the one below.

Internet Explorer – Internet options

Select Connections Tab and click to Lan Settings button. You will see an image similar as shown below.

Internet Explorer – Lan settings

Uncheck “Use a proxy server” box. Click OK to close Lan Settings and Click OK to close Internet Explorer settings.

3

Now you should download Malwarebytes Anti-malware and remove all Antimalware PC Safety associated malware.

Download MalwareBytes Anti-malware (MBAM). Once downloaded, close all programs and windows on your computer.

Double-click on the icon on your desktop named mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MalwareBytes Anti-malware onto your computer. Once installation is complete, you will see window similar to the one below.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Window

Now click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for Antimalware PC Safety associated malware. This procedure can take some time, so please be patient.

When the scan is finished a message box will appear that it has completed scanning successfully. Click OK. Now click “Show Results”. Make sure all entries have a checkmark at their far left and click “Remove Selected”.

3

Antimalware PC Safety may change the Windows system HOSTS file so you need reset this file with the default version for your operating system.

Please download OTM by OldTimer from here and save it to desktop. Run OTM, copy, then paste the following text in “Paste Instructions for Items to be Moved” textarea (under the yellow bar):

:Commands
[resethosts]

Click the red Moveit! button. Close OTM.

4

Your system should now be free of the Antimalware PC Safety virus. If you need help with the instructions, then post your questions in our Spyware Removal forum.

Antimalware PC Safety removal notes

Note 1: if you can not download, install, run or update Malwarebytes Anti-malware, then follow the steps: Malwarebytes won`t install, run or update – How to fix it.

Note 2: your current antispyware and antivirus software let the infection through ? Then you may want to consider purchasing the FULL version of MalwareBytes Anti-malware to protect your computer in the future.

Antimalware PC Safety creates the following files and folders

%UserProfile%\Application Data\Antimalware PC Safety
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Antimalware PC Safety\cookies.sqlite
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Antimalware PC Safety.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Antimalware PC Safety.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Antimalware PC Safety\Instructions.ini
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Antimalware PC Safety.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Antimalware PC Safety.lnk
%CommonAppData%\[RANDOM]
%CommonAppData%\[RANDOM]\HS[RANDOM].exe

Antimalware PC Safety creates the following registry keys and values

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run | Antimalware PC Safety