ActiveWin: Ask AW

Welcome to AskAW! This section of our web site lets you submit questions about any problems/queries that you may have about Windows. Be it from a little icon that annoys you to hardware freezing your PC, we will try and help you out. You can submit your questions by e-mailing us at askaw@activewin.com. You can browse through previous questions over at our Archive Page. Who knows what you might find.

Here are the answered questions for 08-24-2001

Question 60	Submitted by Cliff
I have just formatted my hard drive and reinstalled win98 se when you go through the control panel /systems/devise manager there are no usb icons available could you please give me any advise. Many Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Steve Cohen
check to see if the usb ports are activated in the bios.

Question 55	Submitted by Justus
Does Active Desktop work with NT? I loaded NT from the original CD and upgraded to SP6a, then installed IE 4.0 and (btw: kept recieving security warnings during install) active desktop wasn't installed. So I upgraded to IE6, and still no active desktop! Is it something with NT or what? All I need is the quick launch bar again, anyway to do that? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Steve Cohen
I just did this. After installing NT4 you must install ie4 and say yes when it asks you to install the active desktop feature. Since you are alrweady at IE6, you have several options. First try to uninstall IE6 back to the previous version IE4. If that works, reinstall IE4 with the active desktop, then go to IE 6. If not there is no way to do it without reformatting.

Question 59	Submitted by Adam
I have been experiencing problems when clicking on media links from some websites. When I click an mp3 or mp2 file ie6 will open a blank document (in the same window as the website - not a new window) that has an image placeholder in the top left corner and it doesn't end up playing the song. The only thing I can do is right click and chose "save target as". This is not a life or death problem by any means, but it is relatively annoying. If you have any advice I would really appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Just use windows media player to reassociate these file types with itself

Question 57	Submitted by Eleni
Dear sir I have a simple question I have a Dell Pent4/1.4ghz/128RDRAM/60gb/winME with IE 5.5 but I am not too happy with the IE..I would like to upgrade to 6.0 but I was told that I can not do so with WINDOWS ME..and that I am stuck Some others said that I can upgrade to 6.0 What is the correct answer and how do I upgrade (step-by-step) please...I hope that the upgrade would be ..free? Regards
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
You CAN upgrade and the upgrade is free. Just wait till the elease the final version. Currently it is preview release 2.

Question 56	Submitted by ?
I need to know where I can find the file:"BWCC.DLL."; it is required by windows to run a clip art file collection. Without this file, my entire clip art volume is useless to me! Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Get it from a friend who has the same version of office. Put it in the same folder and if it still does not work use the regserv32.exe to register the file type to windows. Of course these sort of fixes do not always work. You might have to reinstall/Repair office installation.

Question 54	Submitted by Dan
Hi, I am currently running XP RC2 and have been unable to use my Yamaha CDRW8824E drive to burn cds’. All worked fine with Win 2000Pro. I have tried using the Windows CD burn utility, Nero 5.5, and CD Creator 5.02. The sfw. Will not recognize the new blank CD’s. And I have tried many. The drive will however read CDs’. Any suggestions before I pull the plug on Win XP? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
It might not be WinME to blame. The software I believe is not yet ME compatible. Why not try to burn CDs in XP using its own Media Player that is supposed to have CD burning capabilities built in.

Question 53	Submitted by ?
I wish to access clip art files which have been downloaded from a C-D to my hard drive. Every time I attempt to open the clip art files, a warning screen appears with the following message:"Windows requires the file "BWCC.DLL" to open the requested pitcures. How can I download this file? I can't find it anywhere on my computer. Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
I do not have the file too but my Insertion of cliparts works fine. What are you trying to do? Open them separately by doubleclicking on it?

Question 51	Submitted by David
Can you upgrade Windows 95 with the full version of windows 98. I tried but get the following message. "Your computer already has an operating system installed, which cannot be upgraded by this version of Setup. Please obtain the Windows 98 Upgrade." Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
well the version you have is not the Full but the OEM version. For installation on new formatted disks. You can theoretically get this to work but you will need to format your disk and reinstall all your apps in win98. If you are willing...drop me a line and we'll get you going.

Question 49

Submitted by Ivan

I need to edit boot.ini to remove unwanted OS entry resulting from re-installation. My command read as follows: attrib c:\boot.ini -r -s When I go to command prompt and enter commands to change read-only attribute so I can edit file, I get message: "Not resetting hidden file -c\boot.ini" If I try to edit anyway, I get message: "You cannot modify a read-only file." I am logged with full administrator privileges. I am wondering if there is a global permissions somewhere that prevents even administrators from changing file attributes? If so, I cannot find it. Many thanks.

Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Hey the PCs is practically telling you what you're doing wrong. Boot.ini is a hidden file too. so you'll have to attrib - h it before you attrib - r it. :-) Remember to undo these then.

Question 50	Submitted by Peter
Hello. I like to send video e-mail created with a piece of software I have. This software makes an .exe file and Office XP won’t let me send it or at the other end, allow the file to be opened. Is there a way around this? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Office Xp has this thing about exe files. Why not use it sending web based mail? As an attachment. to an address that will be checked using the browser and not the office xp mail client (Outlook)

Question 25	Submitted by Paul
Hi! I am hoping that someone with your service can help with my problem. First, let me start by saying that I have only had a computer for about 3 months, and can only email, search the internet, and downloaded the Paltalk, and use it. Other than that, all the rest is like a foreign language to me! I have read all the manuals and things that came with it, but I don't understand computer talk, therefore, I cannot find a solution to my problem. My computer is a Compaq Presario, it has Windows Millineum, and I use a local ISP. My questions are: I receive the error message, "lexplore has caused an error in MSHTML.DLL., lexplore will now close. If you have problems, please try restarting your computer", which I have done. It usually occurs whenever I connect to my ISP, and open Paltalk, and also when I close everything down, and put the computer in sleep mode. The second error message I received was when I went to get back on after I had it in hibernate overnight. It said something about hidserve has caused an error, hidserv will now close. Can anyone help me with these problems, I have no idea what to do. Any help will be appreciated!
Solution 1	Answered by Steve Cohen
This link may have the solution to your problem http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q169/7/47.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=tech&FR=0&qry=error%20in%20MSHTML.DLL&rnk=3&src=DHCS_MSPSS_tech_SRCH&SPR=IE Hope it helps

Question 18	Submitted by ?
I have windows Me on a 7850 HP it has cd-cdrw, someone told me i could still play DVD's even though my pc doesn't saycd-dvd-cdrw. IS this possible,if so how? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Steve Cohen
Not possible unledd you have a DVD drive.

Question 1	Submitted by Josh
i have a conflict of IRQ's between my TNT2 and my Ethernet card. both want to share IRQ 11 is this a problem, and how should i fix it? i have problems with system freezes especially when starting 3d applications. System Information report written at: 08/10/2001 03:37:14 AM [Conflicts/Sharing]Resource Device IRQ 11 3D Blaster RIVA TNT2 IRQ 11 Linksys LNE100TX Fast Ethernet Adapter(LNE100TX v4) thanks for any help
Solution 1	Answered by Steve Cohen
If you have a pc from a manufacturer you probably cant change irq's in the bios. If you have a home built machine you may have some hope. However, regardless of the above 2 situations, the easiest thing tio try is to try the vid or nic cards in different pci slots.

Question 6	Submitted by Alex
Hello,When I go to defrag, it stops at around 60% and then it looks like one line chasing the other. Are there any solutions to this? I have the latest version of ME, hard drive is 32 GB, memory is 320MB and possessor is an Intel pentium 3 800 MGz. This is on a Compaq 1800t Lap Top.Thank you
Solution 1	Answered by Steve Cohen
Its a pretty big drive. If the PC is not locked up, let it finish overnight.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Also try this...Boot into safe mode. Then disable the task scheduler too if still running. Use the CTRL-ALT-DEL to shut down all apps except Explorer and systray (including antivirus programs). Then run scandisk. Make sure you have standby disabled in the Powerettings.

Question 42	Submitted by Kathy
Dear Sir: I have a friend who recently install a HP CD-writer into her computer. Since installing the CD-writer hardware and software, each time she gets on the internet using a modem with Internet Explorer as her browser, the connection shut down after just a few minutes (maybe 5 minutes). She has contacted her ISP and in fact switched ISPs over this issue. She has contacted HP, who indicated that she was crazy to consider it may be linked to the installation of the CD-writer. At this point, she cannot even get on the internet long enough to write this email for herself. She is operating under Windows98. I recommended she remove the CD-writer and put her system back to its original configuration in order to isolate the problem. Although she has not done that yet, I was hoping you may be able to provide her with some recommendations. Any information that you can share will be greatly appreciated. This person works out of her house for a consulting firm and is truly in need of some immediate help. Thank you!
Solution 1	Answered by Steve Cohen
It may be a coincidence but try updating the modem drivers or try a different modem.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
The CD-Writer is unlikely to cause this. Probable causes are a noisy phone line or improper modem drivers. Is she getting timed out? Meaning is it that if the internet connection is actively transferring data she is ok but if the data transfer ceases, then after a while she gets disconnected?

Question 45	Submitted by Quinten
hi there I recently managed to install my cd-writer on windows 2000. I was looking for a good cd-writing program, and went for easy cd creator 4. I went to the roxio website and downloaded a few patches for EZ CD creator 4. Among it was a .reg file, which I apparently needed to install if I had IE5.5 (which I do) (the file "ecdc_v402x_ie55_reg-up.reg" on http://www.roxio.com/en/support/ecdc/ecdcupdates.jhtml) Without further thinking, I downloaded and double clicked the file, seemingly it caused no problem. But then I saw suddenly both my cd-rom drives are GONE in the 'my computer' window. In the device manager, both cd rom drives now have a yellow " ! " mark next to them, and both drive properties tell me "Your registry might be corrupted. (Code 19)" I have NO idea what this is. I tried installing new drivers, but my drivers still worked fine. I tried uninstalling the drives and then re-installing them, no luck. (I end up with the same situation) The troubleshooter tells me to go back to a previous registry configuration, but I haven't got one. Of couse NOW I learn I need to back up my registry once in a while. I'm getting nearly desperate here, I've been breaking my head over it for hours and hours, and simply formatting my hard drive and re-installing win2000 isn't an option as I've got gigabytes of data which would need to be backed up, but I can't because my CD-writer isn't recognised. Eternal gratitude, shrine websites and religious ceremonies will be dedicated to anyone who can help me. thanks in advance
Solution 1	Answered by Steve Cohen
I myself encountered the same exact problem but with WinXP beta 2. I know there is a registry fix either on roxio's support page or microsoft technet but i cant remember where I found it. try roxio first, im pretty sure it was there and the fix worked and both of my drives upon reboot. UPDATE Just found the solution http://ask.roxio.com/cgi-bin/roxio_tic.cfg/php/enduser/
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Just open up that reg file in Notepad and see what keys in your registry were changed/added. that should also give a clue. You can however try the Roxio solution posteed above by my colleague.

Question 43	Submitted by Sal
How can I disable the CTRL-ALT-DEL option to login to Windows NT/2000. Basically, boot right to the login prompt. Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Control Panel>Users and passwords...Look on the advanced tab.

Question 39	Submitted by Renato
I got a virus and it got attached to this file Windows/Start/Exec. I had to delete because it could not clean it up. Is ist possible to get Just this file from you or is it anyplace in the internet where I could down load only this file. Thank you for your help.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
This is not a proper file name. Also this is not the way you remove viruses. Why not laod a proper antivirus program and let it do the work for you.

Question 36	Submitted by Zorak
Hello, I'm not sure this is the right place for this, but I can't seem to find anyplace better. I'm working with a Win2000 system on a Micron Millennia C504-300, purchased from Costco (http://support.micronpc.com/apps/srvrhub.asp?Hub=CO504-D300). The problem is that whenever any window gets minimized, the HD light comes on and the system stalls for anywhere between 3-10seconds. It doesn't happen every single time, but probably 60% of the time. During that time, I'm still able to move the mouse, but can't do anything else. AMD 1.2G 256M DDR SDram win2k ATI all-in-wonder radeon (primary monitor) 32M PCI MagicVideo TNT2 So, 2 monitors are being used, and the original videocard that came with the system was replaced by the ATI (AGP). A couple people have told me that the following 2 things might have something to do with it: 1) NTFS partition 2) The HD does not use DMA...the 'DMA if available' option is selected, but the PIO is shown as what is being used. In the interest of information overkill, here are some bios settings. I have the most recent version.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Try doing away with the animated Minimizing of Windows. Might have some problem with your display adapter.

Question 34	Submitted by ?
my record on windows 98 doesnt work. ive got a mic in, ive tried to do something in the sound options but it wont record a sound.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Double click the speaker icon in your system tray and make sure mic is not set to mute. Also see if it is pluged in correctly.

Question 15	Submitted by ?
MSN messenger asked me to upgrade this morning. Once i did a new program tried to get through my firewall. What is Microsoft QMgr? it is loadqm.exe... i did a google search and couldn't find much. I appreciate your help.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
It integrates Passport with MSN messenger.

Question 23	Submitted by Matthew
when i download a picture from www my computers internet wizard downloads it into a feature on cumputer called image preview. i cannot bring the picture up. Even if i download the picture to a disc it still files under image preview and when i open it it says there is no image to preview. i have microsoft windows ME.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Basic question...how are you downloading images.....All you do is RIGHT-click on a visible image on the web page and from the popup menu select save Picture as and you get a file save dialog box. Navigate to the folder you want to save ot to and click Save (Or OK)

Question 19	Submitted by Ryan
I have Windows95 on my computer and for whatever reason, when I do the ctrl, alt, delete command to reboot the computer, it doesn't restart the computer. It usually goes to a blank screen. After waiting awhile, I use the reset button (soft boot) to restart the computer. What's the problem? Can I "fix"? Thank you.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Thats no way to reboot. Click Start and select shutdown>restart

Question 2	Submitted by Anna
Recently I installed in my Windows Me the tool TWEAKUI; this has caused the replacement of Start/Settings/Control Panel by Start/Settings/Dial-up Networking. I have lost completely access to Control Panel. This I cannot do by any other route, like right-clicking the Desktop and select properties. In all cases I get the following warning: "THIS OPERATION HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO RESTRICTIONS IN EFFECT IN THIS COMPUTER. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR" I checked the System with Norton Antivirus 2001, fully updated, and the result was no virus found. What can I do?
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Particularly vexing problem isn't it. However you can access your control panel and get at your tweakUI icon even in windows explorer. Just expand all the my computer folders and you'll find control panel below the CD drives. There you can find tweakUI and undo your changes. I hope you haven't used tweakUI to not display the tweakUI icon in control panel. That would be suicidal :-)

Question 35	Submitted by Thomas
To whom it may concern. I am setting up win2k with service pack2 installed on a new laptop for my boss. I am experiencing that outlook express is not remembering the password for the mail accounts. I think I read somewhere that I have to delete the password string in the registry and store it new. Where exactly do I find it?
Solution 1	Answered by Candy Baker
Try Control + Alt + Delete, that brings up the Task Manager and also this is where you can reset the password. In Outlook Express you set up the Account name and the Password for the email accounts.

Question 30	Submitted by Alison
VMM(01) + 0000C81A Err: OE: 0028: C00D81A Can't find this solution on web. Can you help?
Solution 1	Answered by Candy Baker
What version of Windows and Outlook Express/Internet Explorer are you running. What happens before this error occurs? Have you tried to reinstall Windows or download from Windows Update all the latest updates, critical updates, and security patches. They can correct a multitude of errors.

Question 31	Submitted by Nitin
Hello I have a peculiar problem. A win2k Professional machine does not allow the local administrator to logon with the message "local security policy prevents....." How is this possible? Is there a way out.
Solution 1	Answered by Candy Baker
Go into Settings > Control Panel > Users & Passwords, highlight Administrator, check User must enter a password to use this machine. Shut down restart and then Uncheck the box saying Administrator must use password to use this machine.

Question 13	Submitted by ?
Dear Sirs, My problem has just started,I have been trying to run scan-disc/maintenance wiz,and defrag.I have done the part where I close all the programs in the box,exept for explorer and systray,but every time I put on one of the above programs,the system just locks up and I have no alternative but to turn off the power to the machine by switching off the socket.I have windows ME,tiny 64k pc,would you have any advice for this novice-newbie? Thankyou
Solution 1	Answered by Candy Baker
First go into Control Panel, Display, set it to run No Screen Saver. I would then do a thorough Disk Defragments, if you have errors on the hard drive it will then tell you to do a Scan Disk. On the Disk Defragment. If you have further question, here is a big hint. Go to the start button, when the menu pops up and go to Help, the whole Windows book is in the word help. This will save you going out and buying any books. It is all in your computer. Isn't it wonderful. Good luck.

Question 41	Submitted by Shelia
I have 2 computers running Windows ME and neither have an option to "install new fonts" in the fonts folder. I've tried copying to the folder but they are not recognized by any programs. How do I install new fonts in Windows ME ?
Solution 1	Answered by Candy Baker
This is fun installing new fonts. If you have a CD with Fonts Folder, put it in the CD rom drive. Go to Start - Settings - Control Panel - Fonts. That is you folder. Open it up. Go to File - Fonts- Install new fonts. There is where you tell it what drive the fonts are on that you want to install. It will load them up and you highlight the ones you want to install. If you are trying to move them from another computer you cannot cut and paste, but you can copy and paste them to a diskette or zip drive, then put that diskette or zip into the machine you want to install.

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