Monday, November 17, 2003		Dr Tribune

Q I have an assembled PC with Windows XP and configuration-Intel P-III (833 MHz), 128 MB RAM, 815e mercury motherboard, 20 GB hard disk (Seagate) and an internal modem (Motorola SM56 speakerphone modem). I have a BSNL Internet connection. My problem is whenever I connect to the Internet; the connection is always established at 26400 BPS or slower rate. Earlier, it was connected at 44,000 BPS or higher rate. Also no Website opens and an error message is displayed, "This page cannot be displayed." My phone line works properly. The machine connects to the Internet with the same Internet connection at 44,000 BPS or higher rate at all my friends’ home, all Websites are displayed and no problem occurs.

A First of all, I would like to say that there is no official driver for Motorola SM56 PCI modem for Windows XP and whatever driver you get are third party drivers. So, it is difficult to comment on this as the third party driver settings are not known. However, speaking in general, please check the COM port speed and set it to 56,000 KBPS and then try. Also please make fresh Internet connection icon and this could solve your problem.

Q I have Celeron 1GHz with Mercury 815e Intel chipset, 128 MB RAM and 40 GB hard disk. There are two problems in my computer: First is whenever I start my computer, it displays the message, "Press F1 to continue" and also displays: "CMOS check, some error, press F1." I contacted my computer vendor who advised me to change motherboard battery. I changed the battery five to six times, but the problem was never solved. The second problem is that two folders have been created in my hard disk – Folder.htt and Destop.ini. They appear in hidden folders also. If I delete them, they resurface. Nobody has been able to give me a proper solution.

A Regarding your first problem, it appears that other than the checksum error, you are also getting some error message related to the failure of any device. I request you to kindly write back the exact problem. However, from the description of your problem, it appears the solution lies in changing the motherboard (CMOS) battery. Since you have tried changing the battery, now you should load the failsafe settings or default settings in the BIOS feature setup. I think this will solve your problem. Also please check the keyboard connection as sometimes you get an error message asking you to press F1 if the keyboard is not properly connected. Regarding your second problem, your computer is virus-infected and you should scan your computer thoroughly by an updated virus scanner and search the sites of Trendmicro, McAfee or Symantec for the tool to remove the virus from your system.

Q I have Compaq Presario 5000, 667 Pentium III with 320 (64+256) MB RAM. My computer hangs after 5 minutes of booting (irrespective of OS and hard drive). The same problem persists if I boot with Linux 2003 server or WinXP or with someone else’s hard drive. I tested the processor and RAM chips by swapping it with other systems. It seems my Intel 810e motherboard is having some problem. Please tell what can be the problem. Is it heating problem with some chip? What should I do and whom should I contact?

Abhinav Sarna

A You have rightly said that there could be a problem in your motherboard. However, before reaching this conclusion you must first adopt the process of elimination and rule out other smaller possibilities. First, you should check out the power source and proper earthing of current. On many occasions, it has been observed that lack of proper earthing has resulted into similar problems. If possible, go for good earthing for your electrical supply, even if you have it already. Secondly, check out if the SMPS fan is working properly. Normally, SMPS is more prone to faults than the motherboard or processor. If SMPS fan is choked then also this kind of problem may occur. If you are sure of this then look out for the CPU and system fan speed in Compaq utilities. This will eliminate the possibilities (or establish) of any faults in CPU fan, which might be causing excessive heating of CPU thereby resulting in hanging of system. If at any stage you detect a fault, you can blame it for the problem. If everything else is ok, then you can suspect some errors in the motherboard.

Q I have the P III 833 MHz system with Intel genuine motherboard, 64 MB RAM, 20 GB HDD with Windows ’98 SE as operating system. Many times you have recommended low-level formatting as the solution to the problem of bad sectors on the hard disk. I would like to know the method for the same as some bad sectors have developed on my hard disk. Secondly, what is the method to uninstall Windows ’98 SE?

A Low-level formatting is the process of outlining the positions of the tracks and sectors on the hard disk and writing the control structures that define where the tracks and sectors are. The option of low-level formatting is normally being provided in the BIOS feature setup. But in recent times, since the complexity of hard disk has gone up substantially, so this option may not figure in some systems as all new hard disks are low-level formatted for life. However, I would like to say that low-level formatting is an expert’s job and it need some utilities and other tools. So, unless you are an expert, you should not try. Regarding your query for uninstalling Windows ’98, the only way to uninstall Windows ’98 is manually, which is again a tedious task. The other option includes formatting the partition, which has the OS.

Q I got Dell II, 450 MHz notebook computer with 128 MB RAM and Win XP operating system. When I try to connect the ADSl modem with my PC, it gives a message saying: "Power Surge on Hub port." When I disconnect the modem and reconnect twice or thrice, it works well. But after working for say 10 to 15 minutes, it just stops working. This means that no Web page is displayed and a message, "the page can’t be opened" appears. What could be the problem as my notebook works well with dial-up connection? I had installed the network and ADSl drivers two-three times, but the problem persists.

A Please ensure that the line running from the wall jack is properly connected to the input jack of the DSL Surge Supressor. Also make sure that the line running from the port labeled ADSL on the back of the ADSL modem is properly connected to the Output Jack on the DSL Surge suppressor. I hope taking care of these points should solve your problem. Also you need not install network or ADSL drivers, as they are not the trouble causing points in your case. Incidentally, if you have the C 400 model, then please write back, as I have learnt that there are some issues related to this model with the USB port, which returns this problem.

Q I have P III 800 MHz Vintron computer with Windows Me. Since last few days, whenever I try to shut it off, it hangs with the result that I have to switch it off and on restarting, it scans to check errors. Secondly, whenever I try to check the properties of C: or D: or of CD ROM, the screen goes blank and then the message, "Some error has occurred. Press any key to continue or Alt +Del + Ctrl to restart," appears. Please advice.

Rajinder Singh

A There could be many reasons for the shutdown problem. For example, the Fast Shutdown registry key is enabled. There is a damaged Exit Windows sound file. A program or terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) program may not close correctly. An incompatible, damaged or conflicting device driver is loaded. There is an incompatible Advanced Power Management (APM) or Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) setting. There is an incompatible Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) configuration setting. The computer contains incorrectly configured or damaged hardware. There is a video adapter that is not assigned an IRQ in real mode. Firstly, load the fail-safe setting or the default setting in your BIOS feature setup. This may solve your problem. However, if the problem still persist then figure out the program, which has caused this problem and removing the same could help. There is another solution, which you can try to fix this problem. You can search for the keyword restore in Help>Search to fix this problem. Click on Start> Help and in search box enter restore. Lastly, you can also reinstall Windows without formatting to solve this problem. Regarding your second problem, please scan disk your hard disk in through mode followed by defrag.

Q I have a Celeron 1.7 GHz board with VIA 845, 40 GB HDD that has four partitions. The operating system is Windows ’98 SE. A few days ago, a virus in drive F: halted. For that I formatted F: and ran virus scan. I ran the setup of Windows ’98 SE too. After that it showed an error on opening drive from my computer. The message that I get is: "A Runtime Error has occurred. Do you wish to Debug? Line:0 Error: Object Required : ‘FSO." If I click yes or no button it shows the folders and files of the drive. After that if I open any folder, the same error occurs again. Please suggest

A Your PC seems to be infected by REDLOF virus. However, you should thoroughly scan your system with an updated virus scanner or scan your PC online on sites like www.pcpitstop.com for any other virus on your system. If this above mentioned virus is discovered, then you should first stop the virus from masquerading further by disabling web content. You can do this by opening My Computer, then click on any folder once. Then click on Tools in the main menu and select folder option from the drop-down menu. Now select General tab and then under Active Desktop select Use Windows classic folders. For clearing the virus, check out the website of Symantec, McAfee or Trend micro for downloading the tool to remove this virus.

Q I have P4 PC, 56 KBPS modem. My OS is Win XP. My problem is that the PC was affected by MSBlast. On connecting, my BSNL Internet connection, a one-minute countdown starts everytime. I downloaded the required patch and the countdown doesn’t appear now. But my Net connection has slowed down. Most of the sites do not open and the Net speed is just 14 or 19. What is the real cause and remedy for my problem?

A As I have mentioned in the past, you have to download the security patch from the Website of Microsoft and as per the instruction to load that security patch, you have to run the virus removal tool. Once the virus is removed, the system gets normal. Regarding slowing down of the Internet speed, I would suggest you rescan PC for any traces of virus left on your system. Or else, there could be problem in your telephone line, which is causing the problem. Please rescan your computer and then let me know.

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