Monday, July 14, 2003		Dr Tribune

Q. I have Zenith PC with the following configuration — P IV, Intel processor, Intel 845glly motherboard, 128 MB SDRAM, Motorola 56.6 KBPS modem, 40 GB hard disk. While loading a game from the CD which came with Digit June 2003 edition, Playware, I got a problem. Everything on my screen now appears upside down (head down and legs up). Even the cursor is also inverted. Is this a virus or was some program attached with the game. Even this mail is being written by me on the upside down screen. Please help.

A This problem can be solved in two simple ways. First reinstall the graphic card (AGP) driver after uninstalling first and this will solve your problem. The second option is to check out the display properties by right clicking on the desktop and selecting properties. Depending upon the AGP card you have to check out the properties and adjust rotation of screen. This will thus solve your problem.

Q. I have a Pentium IV processor with 256 MB RAM and 40 GB disk space with 866 MHz Intel processor. I had Win ’98 OS and wanted to have two OS. So recently I installed Win XP. But after installation when I restarted my system, it opened Win XP straight away. I want to know what happened to Win ’98 OS? My second problem is that I used to play a game called ‘Smackdown’ on Win ’98 OS with the help of a software called ‘Bleemer!’ But with my new OS when I start my game it gives the message "C:/windows/bleemer/is not valid for win 32.application." Please tell me whether it is because of the OS or is there some other problem.

A Your fist problem is related to the boot menu as installation of Windows XP has overwritten the entry for Windows ’98 operating system. Now to solve this problem, edit the boot.ini file C:\ boot.ini. However before you edit Boot.ini files, you need to take two precautions. First, change the attributes to show all in the folder options to show all hidden files. Since boot.ini is a hidden file, so it would not be visible by default. Secondly, before you make any changes take a back up of your boot.ini file so that if something goes wrong you can replace it with the original. Now to edit boot.ini file, take off the read-only attributes, then open it with notepad and add entry for Windows ’98 along with Windows XP. If you find it difficult, then you can also use third party bootloader software for dual booting purposes. Regarding your second problem, it appears your game is quite old and not supported by Windows XP. So it is primarily because of operating system.

Q. I am using Windows ’98 licensed version and my system hangs time and again. The computer also gives the message of fatal exception error. Can you please suggest a solution?

Venkat, Mumbai

A Please write back the exact error message that you get, as there could many types of fatal exception error messages. So, in the absence of this information it is difficult to say, what is the exact cause of your problem. However, as a general solution you should check out the system for bad sectors, by running scandisk in thorough mode. This will make it amply clear whether the problem faced by you is associated with hardware or software. If there are bad sectors found on your system, then you can blame them for this problem, but in case you do not find bad sectors, then please write back with the exact error message and other necessary details.

Q. I have a Celeron-based assembled computer with 40GB HDD and 128 MB RAM. My problem is when I start my PC, recycle bin indicates some files in it but when I check recycle bin, it contains nothing. When I select empty recycle bin from file menu of recycle bin, it sends a message, "Are you sure you want to delete these 9 items but recycle bin shows no files in it. Please solve my problem.

A Make sure that the recycle bin does not have any hidden files. You can explore the contents of the recycle bin and can check them out if there are any hidden files in it.

Q. I have an assembled PC with following configuration: P III 500, VIA Apollo Pro VT82c691 ATX motherboard,192 MB RAM, 8.4 GB HDD, 6326 AGP Card with 8 MB RAM, Motorola SM56 PCI speakerphone modem, Yamaha sound card, Pixel view play TV Pro Card with remote, LG Max CDD and Sony CD writer and ATX cabinet. I also have HP 3200C scanner, HP Laser Jet 6L Gold and HP Desk Jet 840c printers. Since last three and a half years I have been using this system with Win Me. Recently I installed Win XP OS on my system and I have been facing the following problems:

1) My system does not shut down automatically. After giving the Shut Down command it stops at the message "It is now safe to turn off your computer" and then I have to switch off the power supply from UPS to shut it down. Please tell me what is the problem and the solution to the problem.

2.) I am unable to get XP driver for my HP LaserJet 6L Gold printer. I have searched the Internet and HP’s site for suitable driver but I could not find it anywhere. Please tell me from where I can get this driver.

3.) I have downloaded the XP driver for my TV tuner card from its manufacturer’s site. I have selected the same model’s driver [PV-BT878P+ (Rev.4c)] to download and to install. But it is not working very well as it was with Windows ME. The picture quality is also poor and distorted. The speed of frames is also slow. I don’t understand what the problem is. Please help.

Abhinav Ashok, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.

A Regarding your first problem, please load the default settings in the BIOS feature set up and also restore the power management setting to default. I hope this will solve your problem. Regarding your second problem, there is a driver for HP Laser jet 6L in the printer setup option under Windows XP, you can use this driver to connect HP Laserjet 6L to your computer. Regarding the third query, if you are sure that you have downloaded the correct driver for your TV tuner card and it is still not working, then you should contact the manufacturer through e-mail and inform about your problem.

Q. I have an assembled PC having configuration: P III, 866 MHz, 128 MB SDRAM, Vintron 810e Intel chipset motherboard 56 KBPS modem, Win ’98 SE. My problem is that sometimes when I start my PC, the display screen does not appear. Hard disk indicator continues to glow. Even on pressing the reset many times, it does not begin to function. Sometimes upon pushing the processor slightly the PC boots. On occasions while the PC is working it hangs and the same problem occurs. Please tell me the solution.

A Please unplug the PC from power and then open it by removing its side panels ( outer covers). Now unplug all cards, memory (RAM) and processor and plug them back one by one. Blow out if you find any dust or other dirt in your system, I am sure this will solve your problem.

Q.I have an assembled computer with the following configuration: Intel Pentium 3 processor—866 MHz, 128 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD, Mercury motherboard — 810e and Intex internal 56k modem. I have 5 partitions — C: Win ’98, D: Win 2000, E: Songs (750) and other files, F: CD ROM and Linux. I have no games installed on my computer but nearly 17 software loaded. I purchased this computer two years ago. My problems are:

1) I want to delete Linux (Mandrake) but its files are hidden and I don’t have its CD. So how should I proceed?

2) I’m not able to defragment drive C: but drives D: & E: were able to defragment. While defragmenting, C: it oscillates between 0 and 1 per cent for hours and that to for errors. Also, I’m facing many problems. While operating the system hangs automatically. The speed of system decreases day by day. What should I do?

3) I updated Norton anti-virus 2002 but it was not completely updated. As such I’m not able to detect virus in my system. How can I update it or will I have to reinstall? If yes, from which site?

A Regarding your first problem, Since the Linux partition would be different from the normal partition so you would need Linux CD to boot from it and then under the disk druid format a partition having Linux on it and then format it as VFAT partition. Once you restore VFAT on this partition, you would be able to use it under Windows. Try using some other Linux version to boot and run disk druid. Regarding the second problem, first run scandisk in thorough mode to check out it you have bad sectors. From the description of your problem, it appears that you have bad sectors on your hard disk, which is causing this entire problem. In fact, your next problem of slow speed could also be associated with bad sectors. Regarding Norton Antivirus, it’s not a free product, though you can download and try the trial version of it from www.symantec.com. But for using it beyond the trial period you will have to buy it.

Q.I have assembled P III processor, 933 MHz, Tomato motherboard and Windows XP, Win ’98 SE loaded on it. Since the past three months, my system is giving me a problem. When I work on the system it shuts down automatically and sometimes restarts. After restarting, it gives message on the main screen before entering the Windows: "Warning! CPU has been changed. Please enter CPU speed CMOS set up and remember to save before exit." In the CMOS setup, I have checked each and everything, I have also tried to load optimised defaults, load safe defaults but in vain. Previously this problem occurred after 2-3 weeks but now the frequency has increased. Please help.

A These are two different problems, actually. For sudden shutdown or restart, please check out the power source for any loose connection, spikes and improper earthing. Taking care of these points should solve your problem. Regarding your problem of warning message, change the battery on the motherboard with a new one and then load set up defaults in the BIOS feature set up and this will solve your problem.

Q. I have Pentium III with 20 GB HDD with two partitions:

1. When I start my system after booting, it hangs. When I restart, the system gives me a message: Disk boot failure. I boot it through CD. I saw there is no partition present through FDisk and all my data had been lost. What is the cause? A virus?

2. I have my mailing account on Hotmail. I had configured my Outlook Express. Whenever I try to check my mail through Outlook Express, the Net connection breaks down. What’s the cause?

A There could be many reasons for the problem mentioned by you and one of the probable reasons could also be your hard disk failure. However there could be other problems as well. For example, wrong jumper setting on your hard disk, or wrong hard disk connector connected to the hard disk. Check out these points one by one and also make sure that if you have connected it as primary IDE, then it should be connected with the cable, which comes from the primary IDE socket. Similarly, also make sure that the jumper settings are also in line with the state of hard disk. If these things are found correct, then try using a boot disk to boot your system, because this could also be due to system failure rather than hardware crash. If your system is booted with bootable medium, then you can repair your booting files to fix this problem. If all this fails, then you can not rule out the possibility of a boot sector virus in your system, and would require necessary remedial action. You should first work out all options mentioned above and then become suspicious of virus. Regarding your second query, check out the settings in Outlook Express for effective solution of your problem.