IT Solutions

After setting up Skype then adding more ram to my laptop I started getting an error at shutdown that said “IO Device Notification” not responding .  Found that by editing the registry key HKEY _CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop, then change the value for AutoEndTasks from 0 to 1 and then reboot… fixed the problem.

Chances are that  your DNS settings on the client computers where all pointing to the server for this information.  In order to get the clients back on the Internet you need to add a secondary DNS entry. 

Windows XP:

1. Right click “My Network Places” on the desktop and select Properties
2. Right click your “local area connection” icon and select Properties
3. Double click Internet Protocol [TCP/IP]
4. Enter the secondary DNS IP address (You may need to get this from your IT person or use something like 4.2.2.2 from AT&T]
5. Click OK and close windows.
6. You should now be able to surf the web.

Check with the manufacturer of the machine or your manual that came with it for beep error codes for a clue. You may have bad memory. There is a utility called memtest which a free bootable iso. You simply download the program and burn it to a CDR. You then boot to the disk and run the memory tester. If you find an error then you need to remove one of the DIMMS to determine which one it is if you have a pair installed on your motherboard. Depending on the beep code it could be something else but its a place to start.

The first thing you want to do to determine if this is a virus or a corrupt Windows OS at this point is to boot the computer in SAFE MODE. Do this by hitting the F8 key just after you see the BIOS screen but before the Windows logo. If you see the Windows logo you have missed your opportunity and need to try again. Hitting the F8 key several times just after the BIOS comes up will likely get you to the safe mode menu. Select Safe Mode.

If the machine boots all the way into windows with out trouble then chances are you have a corrupt driver loading in normal mode and to double check this theory you want to disable start up items. Go to Start>Run and type msconfig. Click the “Startup Tab” click disable all start up items, try rebooting and see if you can get all the way into Windows in normal mode. If this fails, then reboot into safe mode.

If you have an anti virus program or anti spyware you should run it in safe mode. Unfortunately you may not have the latest definitions for those programs unless you are really good about keeping them up to date. If by any chance you have Spybot installed and just not updated you can download the includes file from their website to updated it from a thumb drive and then scan.

If all else fails you could try doing a safe re-installation of windows which will preserve your files. If you can get into safe mode then you should definitely grab your sensitive files and copy them to a USB drive right away. This is a start

I am always looking for better and faster ways of doing things on a PC.  I came across these shortcuts and use them everyday:

·
Windows + D: Minimize or
restore all windows

·
Windows + E: Display Windows
Explorer

·
Windows + F: Display Search for
files

·
Windows + Ctrl + F: Display Search for
computer

·
Windows + F1: Display Help and
Support Center

·
Windows + R: Display Run dialog
box

·
Windows + break: Display System
Properties dialog box

·
Windows + shift + M: Undo minimize all
windows

·
Windows + L: Lock the
workstation

·
Windows + U: Open Utility
Manager

Malware bytes and Spybot…

I have found that this is a good combination to use when searching for Trojan’s and Malware.  The paid versions offer the ability to operate in realtime memory.  If you already have a subscription to something like NOD32 running in memory then you should be fine with the free version of Malwarebytes unless your the type of person too that is too busy to remember to manually run a scan a couple times a week.  ESET does a pretty good job albeit sometimes it misses a thing here and there.  This is where Malware Bytes and Spybot come in handy.  If you run a manual scan of Malware Bytes and Spybot at least once a week you will probably find a minor threat.  Sometime ESET will detect something that it cannot remove for some reason but at least it detected it then you can use the other products to remove the infection.  ESET keeps getting better and I still think its better than the other name brand options out there.  If you interested in a good price we offer discounts sometime in our store.  To download Malwarebytes go here or www.malwarebytes.org.  Click the FREE product.  You will either be sent to a sponsored link or a Malwarebytes direct link, either way its the same thing.  To get Spybot click here or go to www.spybot.com and get the 1.6.2 version which is current.  After installing each product make sure to update.

On Malwarebytes there is a tab called update.  If you go too long without an update the program will download a large update that may require it to close and re-open.  If this happens run update one more time to make sure you got all the updates.  It may do a second smaller download to accomplish this.  Run the scan after all the updates.

For Spybot, uncheck un-needed items during the installation.  Like, you don’t need additional languages (unless you know you need it) nor additional skins.  Only need “download updates”.  Un-check Tea Timer and only check create icon on desktop.  This will give you a stream lined install.  Click through the Wizard that pops up after installation and go to start using the program.  Click updates and choose a server in the USA.  I recommend not using the “Tea Timer” as it really hogs resources and if you already have a product like ESET running in memory you don’t need the Tea Timer.  After downloading updates click exit and run a scan.

This little problem has been such an annoyance.  Tried many suggestions found on the web from using CTRL+1 to enable single line spacing (this must have been used in an older version of Outlook because it had no affect on my machine) to clicking on the paragraph setting to change the line spacing for multiple lines and switching the parameters from auto to 0 (which by the way does not stick when re-opening).  My problem with this was not consistent however.  My problem was only when replying to an email that was html formatted and had double line spacing to begin with.  My reply would inherit the double line spacing.  I could have just used SHIFT + ENTER to get by but this was annoying as I want consistency.  I tried to locate the Normalemail.dot in C:\documents and settings\user\applicationdata\microsoft\templates (per advice I found on the web) but all I found here was normal.dot for Word.  I did not have a normalemail.dot on my machine.  Normal.dot files recreate themselves when you launch the program again (Word or Outlook depending on the .dot)  I ended up “fixing” my problem by going to Tools>Options (Mail Format Tab) and unchecking use Word for editing email.  Even though this fixed the problem it should not be this way.  There should be a way to easily make Outlook understand that if Word is the editor and you want your emails formatted in HTML with out double line spacing you can make it so without having to jump through hoops.