Log in ....Tribune


Dot.ComLatest in ITFree DownloadsOn hardware

Monday, August 20, 2001 		Dr Tribune

Q. I have an Intel P-I, 32 MB RAM, 8 GB HDD assembled PC. I am using Windows ’95 as my operating system. The problem that I face is that my computer takes a lot of time to shut down. Whenever I shut down my PC it takes about 2 to 3 minutes for the message to come, that is ‘It’s now safe to turn off your computer.’ I defragged my hard disk and also scanned it a number of times but to no avail. Please help

— Amit Kundra, Ludhiana

A. The shutdown process in Windows ’95 under normal circumstances is quite fast. However, if it is slow then it indicates some problem. While shutting down Windows ’95 performs many functions, which includes the transition of all protected-mode drivers back to real mode, the completion of all disk write functions, flushing of the disk cache, and the closing of all currently running programs, which includes running the close Window code for any applications that are running. Thus if there is any problem with any of the functions mentioned above, then the shut down process would take longer than normal time.

 


Normally slower shutdown or hanging of the PC at shutdown screen in Windows ’95 could be caused by an incompatible, damaged, or conflicting device driver, a damaged exit sound file, or incorrectly configured or damaged hardware. In order to fix this problem, ascertain the cause by following these steps. Check out the programs loaded in the start up folder for any possible errors. Secondly, also check out if the shutdown problem is caused by a command line loading automatically from the Win.ini file or by a command being loaded in the Autoexec.bat or Config.sys file. This problem can also be caused by a memory conflict that still exists when Emm386.exe is not loaded from the Config.sys file. Disable all exit sound file as any damaged sound file can also slow down the shutdown process. Also disable the Advanced Power Management (APM) for locating the

shutdown problem. Please check out if a Windows ’95 device driver is causing the problem, or if a device installed in your computer is configured incorrectly or is not functioning properly. By addressing all these possible causes you can solve the shutdown problem.

Q. I recently purchased a Pentium Celeron PC. My download speed is slow and I even checked my telephone line that I found okay. Is there any software that can boost up my connection? From where can I find this software?

Puran Singh

A. Please write full details of PC, including the hardware and software in order to help us solve your problem. With the kind of information provided by you it is difficult to find a solution. Regarding the speed boosting software, I am personally not very convinced as they some time cause other problems. So as a first step, I would suggest you to tune your PC rather than using software.

Q. I have P III, 733 MHz Zenith computer with 20 GB HDD, 64 MB RAM,
52X CD ROM. I have a problem that whenever I play music while working on MS Word the system produces a harsh sound. Also, it does not open the .jpeg files directly.

Anuj Kumar

A. Please write back the details of your operating system and also the type of files that creates noise while you work in the MS Word. Also please mention, the player that generates this sound. Please furnish all details for possible solution of your problem. Generally speaking try to use any other player (different from the one you use currently) and check if the same problem still persists. If the problem disappears, then you can continue using the new player. However, if the problem still persists, then you should uninstall the sound card drivers from the control panel>System>Device manager and then switch off your PC for a while. Switch on the PC back and then detect the hardware using the Add/Remove Hardware feature in control panel, if Windows does not detect it directly. Reinstall the necessary drivers again and then restart your system. This method would solve your problem.

Q. Please let me know how to get my Yahoo! Hotmail, Rediffmail, E-patra, Indiatimes mails in my Outlook Express. Please send me the POP 3 and SMTP server addresses of all these so I get all mails through these accounts in Outlook Express. Please reply by e-mail. I shall be highly thankful to you for this.

Suresh Duggar

A. Outlook Express is designed to configure Hotmail account in it. You can configure a Hotmail account by adding new identity. When on the second step, you are prompted to choose your e-mail account. Then you can either choose the existing Hotmail account or can sign up for the new one. All you need to do is follow the instructions and your Hotmail account will be configured. You can also configure the Yahoo! e-mail account in Outlook Express by choosing your Yahoo! e-mail ID in the Step 2 mentioned above instead of your Hotmail ID and use the SMTP and pop address as smtp.mail.yahoo.com and pop.mail.yahoo.com. Follow the rest of the instructions and your Yahoo! email account will be configured. However, it has been noticed that the SMTP address i.e. for sending the e-mail does not work well, so you can also choose to use the SMTP address provided by your ISP. As far as other e-mails mentioned are concerned, they all are Web-based mails and thus cannot be configured in Outlook Express.

Q. I have an assembled PC with the following configuration — Pentium III, 866 MHz, 810 E Intel Motherboard, 52x Samsung CD drive, 128 MB SD RAM, 1.44 MB FDD Samsung, 20 GB hard disk, Logitech mouse, SM 56 PCI Speakerphone Internal Modem. I have installed Win ’98 and an upgraded version of Win 2000. My problem is that in Win ’98, the modem works properly but in Win 2000, the modem is not installed and whenever I try to install it, my system automatically gets restarted without getting shut down or giving any message. Another problem is that last week I had loaded a movie CD that was seen by us so many times. After two days my system has started hanging. Whenever I press Alt+Ctrl+Del, it gives message AVSEQ (Not Responding). When I defragmented my system I found an error. Then I performed scandisk and there was problem in the booting. The system worked properly for some days and then last day when I was working offline, the system was stalled again. There was again the same problem in booting and the message that was displayed was that Internet Explorer Not Responding. Please help. I am worried.

Vivek Trehan, Sangrur

A. You have not clearly mentioned what exactly was the problem while defragging and booting. This information is critical in solving your problem. It is difficult to assume the problem unless you mention it clearly. So, for a perfect solution, please write your problem clearly, completely in terms of exact error message. Going by the information you provided, your first problem can be solved by uninstalling the modem from the device manager (My Computer> Control Panel> System> Device Manager). Restart your system, and the Windows 2000 will automatically detect the modem and also install the driver for it properly. From now on your modem will work properly. Regarding your second problem, there appears to be a problem in advance sequencer (AVSEQ), which is causing the error in Internet Explorer. In the light of the information provided, the best solution would be to reinstall Windows (without uninstalling).

Home
For all your computer-related problems contact Dr Tribune at drtribune@tribuneindia.com

Top