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 11-10-2000

Question	Submitted by Brandi
On my computer, when I use Internet Explorer, the drop down box underneath the address field fills up with the addresses of websites I've been to. How do I get rid of them? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Chad Cappellini
With Internet Explorer open go to tools then Internet options, in the box that pops up click the "clear History" button then click yes and all the pages in the drop down menu will be gone.
Solution 2	Answered by Geoffrey Lo
Hey there, If you want to clear one by one, you can open the history and clear the ones you don't like... If you want to clear them all at once hold down ALT & ENTER on the desktop when highlighted at the Internet Explorer icon and click on "Clear History".

Question	Submitted by Anthony
Here's an annoyance: I notice the Eject/Unplug Wizard pop up because I have a "removable disk" almost every time I turn on my Win 2k. I can't find something similar on your website. Have you ever heard of this?
Solution 1	Answered by Brian Lyttle
Anthony, Have you installed the latest drivers for your Removable Disk drive. Windows 2000 seems to be using it's own built-in features to handle the device - these are very generic services. Providing a little more information about the device - e.g.. Name, Manufacturer, Model, Connection Type (USB, Parallel, 1394 etc) - would help to provide a better answer in future.

Question	Submitted by William Lee
Hello, I was wondering when the consumer edition of windows 2000 is going to be released. William Lee
Solution 1	Answered by Brian Lyttle
William, There won't be a 'Consumer' version of Windows 2000. As far as I know there will be a 'consumer-oriented' version of Windows. NET, which is expected to be available by Q2 of next year. I suggest you keep an eye on http://www.winsupersite.com/default.asp for the meantime. If you require a quality, desktop OS then I do suggest Windows 2000 Professional edition. You should check out the Windows 2000 website at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/guide/professional/overview/ to see if meets your requirements.
Solution	Answered by Andrew Funderburk
The consumer version of Windows 2000 got scrapped in favor of Windows ME. The next OS, Whistler, which is based on Windows 2000, will have a consumer version. By the time it comes out, it might be called Windows.NET 1.0, or something to that effect. The Whistler line up, as of right now, will be just like the Windows 2000 line up, but with one right below Professional aimed at the consumer market. All will be based on the same code base.

Question	Submitted by T. M.
Most Beneficent Windows Wizards, Could anyone tell me what in the world is MUEEXE.EXE? My nephew's machine just started refusing to run any applications at all, citing the missing file named MUEEXE.EXE that Windows says it needs to run all apps. I have searched my own C: drive, and the Windows CD but have found no such file. Microsoft's "Knowledge Base" also came up with nothing. Help me Obi Wan, you're my only hope.
Solution 1	Answered by Marc Strickland
This response was to large to post. You can go here and unzip the answer. Good Luck

Question	Submitted by Ann Chow
Hi, I bought a new HDD and tried all day to install Win 98. The installation got stuck at Scandisk 75% claimed that there were bad clusters. Kept fixing bad clusters and the Installation would not move ahead. BTW- It took several hours to get to 75%!! The disk was formatted at DOS and LBA in BIOS is on. There must be a better way. Hope you can help.
Solution 1	Answered by Marc Strickland
If your new hard drive has bad clusters, return it and get a new one!

Question	Submitted by Unknown
Hi, I am new to computers. I am using windows 98. My colleagues have access to my computer which is giving me problems. I want to know the procedure to secure my computer with a password so that it does not open windows without the password.
Solution 1	Answered by Matthew Sabean
Go to Start / Settings / Control Panel / Click Passwords / Click Change Windows Password. If no password has been used leave Old Password Blank. Type in new password and same for Confirm New Password. Close box and re-boot system. It will now ask you for that password in order to open windows. I hope this has helped.
Solution 2	Answered by Geoffrey Lo
Since you are new to computers, there is no point saying this, but I'll just tell you anyways... When you do what Matt tells you, you still can log in without a password by pressing "ESC" or clicking on Cancel. In order to close this security leakage, you must go into the Registry and change a key (forgot which) that forces a valid password and denies creations of accounts.
Solution 3	Answered by Craig Catapano
I have heard many approaches to system security in Windows 95/98/ME. By far the most reliable and easy to use in my experience in a Freeware Utility called Desktopshield 2000. On Bootup, your pc will need a password to enter the desktop. Even more importantly, if you wish to step away from your pc for a few minutes, simply engage the "Desktop Lock" and your off to a break safely knowing your pc is secure from curious eyes. Its small, easy to use and any user will be pleased with its benefits. Download it from their website @ http://www.crosswinds.net/~steff3/index.htm Look under their product section for a complete description. I personally recommend this program for all users. Watch for Desktopshield 2001 soon Enjoy and Best Wishes

Question	Submitted by Diane Johnson
I have Microsoft Windows 98SE operating system. I recently did the fat 32 file compression. Now most of my software will not work. It says win (user.exe fault) I even reinstall several software package and they still will not work. HELP!!!!!!!!!! thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Win98SE should definitely support Fat32 file system. Run a defrag and see if you are ok. If not, what you can try and do is uninstall the software that doesn't work any more. Run a defrag after the uninstall...reboot, run regclean and then reinstall the software. If still doesn't work, then maybe a format??? Also, what is your HDD capacity and does your mobo support large disks fat32?

Question	Submitted by Roger
Hi! Have an HP 8300 and Win98. After doing a defrag last week I now get a message at start up that says 'sector not found reading drive C" Abort/retry/fail. After pushing fail get a message that says the system ini file refers to a device file that no longer exists and I should uninstall or install the associated application. At the end C:\realtime\system\viapoxd.vxd Any suggestions on how to fix this? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Bad sectors on the hard disk. Run a thorough scandisk to mark out bad sectors. Then reinstall the application. Or if you feel this app does not exist anymore on your PC and the PC otherwise runs smoothly, after the scandisk, delete the offending line from system.ini

Question	Submitted by Roger
Started by: Matt Sent: 11/2/2000 11:00 AM 1 Replies Hi! When booting up and accessing my outlook 2000 all of my calendars/messages/tasks etc. have disappeared. Is there a file where I can restore this information? How do I retrieve it? Have no idea what made this happen as all the other programs seem fine.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
If the data is gone I fear you cannot get it back unless it was backed up.

Question	Submitted by Bob
I recently installed Windows Media Player 7. It has now made itself the default player to play my CD's. I went into Folder Options and File Types and according to that Winamp is my default player for CDA files. In Windows Media Player I unchecked the option for playing CDA files. During installation I didn't see an option to configure it to play CDA files (although it offered every other choice i.e.. wav, wm, au, mpg). How can I stop it from taking over as my default CD Player?
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Well just start Winamp and as it to register itself as default CD player. Click on the winamp menu button/Options/Preferences There under file types check the box for associate with audio CDs

Question	Submitted by Lee
I'm having a problem with Windows 2000 recognizing, my new hard disk. It appears as though its installed properly, but in the Disk Management program it shows my hard disk as present but it has a "NO ENTRY" sign stuck to it, and there doesn't seem to be any visible way to format or partition this new disk, these options are just disabled or not available for this disk.
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Win2k won't recognize FAT16 partitions. How have you partitioned this disk. NTFS should be best. Try using a Partition manager to do this.

Question	Submitted by Philip
I need help in deciding on what AMD processor to buy, I don't quite understand the speeds of different chips. Is the Thunderbird 750 faster than a Duron 800? And if so how about a Thunderbird 700 and the Duron 800? What would be the best choice for me to purchase since they all three are within $20-$30 of each other? Please help. Regards
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
You will always get superior performance with the Thunderbird as compared to the Duron. The Duron is a stripped down version something like to compete with Intel's Celeron. So it is a lower end processor than the thunderbird.
Solution 2	Answered by Craig Catapano
Dear Philip, Comparing the Duron to the Thunderbird is easy. Go with the highest MHZ Thunderbird you can afford. For a great Comparison of recent prices go to www.pricewatch.com Review of the Duron 750 http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1314 Review of the Thunderbird 1 Gig/800 MHZ http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1252 Review of the Duron (On Release of,etc) http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1261 Review of the Thunderbird 1.2 Gig\Duron 800 http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1336 I hope this helps. Best Wishes

Question	Submitted by Paul
I have 2 viruses on my computer, the problem is there working files the Norton anti virus will not quarantine them so imp just enquiring on were and how I can download and replace those files . the virus is a Trojan virus and the files are c:\WINDOWS\keyhook.dll and c:\WINDOWS\explore.exe
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Why do you want to quarantine them. Why not delete them? Remove the references to them in the registry, then reboot and delete them. Or you could then delete them from DOS
Solution 2	Answered by John Lampson
Which version of windows are you running? if win 98 run msconfig and (I can't exactly remember how to do it) but there is an option in there to restore system files let it run through to check for corrupted files if those two aren't listed then extract them from your CD. If running Win ME you can safely delete the two files and Pc health will automatically restore those two files from your setup files that are on your hard drive. That should take care of the problem.
Solution 3	Answered by Travis Rendell
Yes MSCONFIG would be a good start, unless you are on Windows ME, it doesn't exist because of the built in file protection. To run MSCONFIG go to Start>Run and type MSCONFIG, and run it.

Question	Submitted by Todd Chapman
At one time, I thought I saw an article in PCWorld about installing the Full version of Windows from a Windows 95 or 98 Upgrade CD. From what I remember, it goes something like this: If, for some reason, you need to format your hard drive and reinstall Windows, you can do so by using your Windows 98 Upgrade CD. During setup, the Windows installer will scan your system for a previous, qualifying version of Windows to upgrade from. A message will come up stating something like "No existing version of Windows found on this machine". At this point, you simply remove your Windows 98 Upgrade CD, insert your Windows 95 Full Version CD, hit enter and let the installer find your Windows 95 Full version, then the installer should prompt you to re-insert the Windows 98 Upgrade CD, and the installation will begin. Am I crazy, or does this actually work?
Solution 1	Answered by Mean Drake
Well never tried it but have been taught that this is the way it works
Solution 2	Answered by Travis Rendell
I haven't ever done this either. But I saw somewhere that it asks for your original OS disk too. So if you are installing off of a 98 Upgrade CD, you will be asked for your 95 CD, just for verification.
Solution 3	Answered by John Lampson
Todd, I've done this and it works.
Solution 4	Answered by Robert Gara
I have done this as well. It does work!

Question	Submitted by Chuck
Hi, I am running Win Me, and I have the latest version of aol 5.0 which uses the windows dial up connection. After a few minutes when I sign on, a screen pops up. It says auto disconnect, do you want to close the connection to aol L2TP, and it has a check box that reads, don't use auto disconnect which I check. Then, you can click on stay connected or disconnect. Once I get rid of the screen, it doesn't come back until I sign on again. It's pretty annoying. Any ideas? Thanks in advance
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
I am not an AOL user. But AOL version 6.0 was just released, I would recommend upgrading, for its new features, and it might fix your problem too.

Question	Submitted by Jerome
I've been searching for answers to this problem with no response from Netscape or Microsoft...I installed Win Me full version on a clean hard drive ..also I installed the Intellipoint software for Win Me and have the latest Netscape Communicator 4.76. Problem: since installing Win Me the forward/back functions for browsing do not work under Netscape; however, they do work with IE 5.x. Is there anywhere in the registry to fix this or any other possible solutions? Even the older versions of Netscape and Intellipoint have the same symptoms.
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
Try reinstalling intellipoint. And uninstalling Netscape, then reinstalling it. You seem to have a unique problem (don't you hate that).

Question	Submitted by Harrison Family
Hello, I am having a couple of annoying problems with Windows Millennium. The first is with a consistent "ICSMGR.EXE has caused invalid page fault in kernel32.dll" I get this whenever I boot my machine. I will attach the fault log below. I have update every driver I can find and still get the error. Oddly once you click OK to that error ICSMGR starts and appears in the system tray. It also work fine. Any ideas? Date 10/26/2000 Time 16:27 ICSMGR caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL at 0187:bff6bb07. Registers: EAX=00000000 CS=0187 EIP=bff6bb07 EFLGS=00000246 EBX=00000029 SS=018f ESP=0066f36c EBP=0066f380 ECX=00000029 DS=018f ESI=6001c050 FS=1a6f EDX=00000029 ES=018f EDI=60016f34 GS=0000 Bytes at CS:EIP: ff 76 04 e8 8a 87 ff ff 5e c2 04 00 56 8b 74 24 Stack dump: 00000029 60009e84 6001c050 00000030 00000029 60000000 6000934b 00000009 00000000 00000029 6000930d 00000029 0066f3ec 6001bdc0 600092d0 00000029 I get this exact same error whenever I close helpctr.exe. This is unusual, but not fatal The next thing is that when I tell Windows to arrange icons by name My Documents is always on top instead of My Computer. Suggest are appreciated.
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
You might try reinstalling Windows (That does not mean reformatting). That should hopefully fix it. As for the icon thing. That's the way Windows ME is. Its the same in Windows 2000. I find it annoying as well. I just swap the two.
Solution 2	Answered by Craig Catapano
Greetings Harrison Family, Your error on bootup is related to your installation of Internet Connection Sharing. Without going to the full re-install of Windows Millennium, I would recommend simply re-installing ICS through the add/remove applet in the Control Panel. remove it, reboot...then reinstall it. check your network settings and re-do them as needed as well. As for as your Icon Issue, I would recommend TweakUI to handle that for you. It can be downloaded from SoftSeek Then under the Desktop tab, you can choose whether My Documents Or My Computer appears first on the Desktop Enjoy

Question	Submitted by shrop
Is there a way to search the Question and Answer Database?
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
Unfortunately, no. Very few questions we get are duplicates. So your best off just asking us about what ails ya.

Question	Submitted by Tyler Eike
I have had windows me installed since the release date in September and I have noticed that the restore feature has taken up 1.5 Gigs on my primary partition... I know it is a great feature but when it is using so much disk space it does become troublesome.. I am a technician for a major manufacturer of pcs and I have heard of this before from customers.. Is there any FIX for this problem or is there going to be a patch released possibly? I have found a workaround for it. If you go into safe mode you can delete the _restore directory without any errors. But workarounds just hide the problem for a while and it is bound to reoccur. Good Day.
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
The backups are hidden files in the directory. If you cannot delete them from the Restore program (I am not sure if you can do this off hand), open up the directory, and show the hidden files. Then delete them. Off hand I do not know if they are named by date or not. So if it isn't important, just delete them..
Solution 2	Answered by Craig Catapano
Dear Tyler, The _Restore Folder size can be easily "Minimized" to 200 MBs by doing the following. 1) Go to My Computer on the Desktop 2) Right click and choose "Properties" 3) Then go to the "Performance" Tab 4) Then choose the "File System" button 5) You will then see a slider showing.... by Default, ME sets this all the way to the Right thus taking ALL the space IT can. 6) Slide this Slider all the way to the left and ME Restore will now be "Restricted" to a mere 200 MBs 7) Each time a File or Folder is deleted, Windows Immediately adds this "data" as a backup in _Restore effectively nullifying any "Space" savings. I am surprised you were able to delete anything from inside this folder under "Safemode" , you should have received an error that the file was in use by another application (mainly Windows) Perhaps MS will eventually realize that this added feature is more of a harddrive "hog" than the additional benefit. Good Luck

Question	Submitted by Unknown
Hi, I can send mail but I can't receive it, when I click on send/receive mail I get this message If I click on the Outlook icon it brings up a box that says, c\program files\outlook express\msimn.exe not valid Win 32 application, I have win 98se. Thank you.
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
Try reinstalling Internet Explorer, which includes Outlook Express. To do this, go to Start>Settings>Control Panel. Locate Add/Remove Programs. Open it and locate Internet Explorer and Tools. And you should be able to reinstall it from there, by clicking the button to the right and following its directions.

Question	Submitted by Nick
I clean installed Win ME on an IBM aptiva (AMD K62 300). After running continuous for a while(a few hours), things get very choppy and slow. simply playing solitaire takes forever. this is a very consistent problem. I've disabled just about everything I can with selective startup and end-task. Everything worked fine with Win98. I can't figure out what is causing it.
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
Try defragmenting your hard drive. This may help a little. Windows 98 has issues with memory management, but it shouldn't be crawling after only a couple hours of uptime.
Solution 2	Answered by Craig Catapano
Easy one Reboot as needed. Windows ME can get sluggish over hours of opening and closing programs,windows,folders etc Its a great OS but if your running anything less than 64 MB of Ram (128 MB recommended "Real World suggestion) you can easily run into this symptom often. Good Luck

Question	Submitted by Sean
Hi, Is there a way to disable or change the behavior of the way IE (and Windows) opens new windows? I use both IE and Netscape in a non-maximized window (I have a nice big monitor) and frequently open new window from both browsers. When NS opens a new window it 'cascades' it one level from the window that spawned it. When IE opens a new window it cascades it one level from the last newly opened window. Is there ANY way I can make IE behave like NS when opening new windows? Regards
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
I am afraid not. IE is closely integrated with Windows itself, therefore it acts like it in several ways. This is one of those ways.

Question	Submitted by Franky
Hello I've just installed Win ME on my system and I made myself a 500 meg partition just for swapping, as you might think, I play allot of game and I like to optimized my system so I told Win ME to swap only on that drive and I also told him to take all of the 500 meg, this way my swap file never brakes up. My question is how do you disable that stupid low disk space warning that pop ups every time I empty out my recycle bin ? Thanks for your time...
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
Right Click on the Recycle Bin. Try playing with that slide bar a bit for that particular partition.
Solution 2	Answered by Craig Catapano
If your swap files IS the entire partition, or close to it, ME will give you this message. I would recommend leaving 10% free space on your swapfile partition. This will end your grief. Good Luck,

Question	Submitted by Eli Hareli
Is there a Windows 2K - Japanese version? Does it replace Win NT-J? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
I am not familiar with NT-J but Windows 2000 has full language support for many different languages, including Japanese.

Question	Submitted by Unknown
I have mouse in a box optical mouse from Microsoft connected to a built in USB port. I also have all the latest drivers installed and Microsoft certifies 100% compatibility with ME. Also I have exchanged the mouse at the store twice, so I don't think it is defective. These are my steps: 1)I plugged the mouse in USB port. 2)Turned on computer. 3)Computer recognizes mouse it works perfectly. 4)I go into Internet explorer. 5) Go to a few web sites. 6) 5 Minutes later the LIGHT on the mouse switches OFF all of a sudden (meaning the connection I guess has been severed). 7) And The MOUSE POINTER IS STUCK in the place it was and will not move again!! 8) I shut down the IE manually, and restart the computer. 9) The same cycle happens over and over again!! Please help is there something wrong with Windows ME, or my USB port, or something else?? Thank you
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
I do not know how to permanently fix your problem, but when it locks up try this: Since its USB this means its hot swappable, which means you can plug and unplug devices while the computer is turned on. So when it locks up just unplug it and plug it back in. That might make its work again. Good Luck.
Solution 2	Answered by Travis Rendell
I am not 100% sure how to solve this, but I'll tell you what's wrong... You know optical mice have 100,000 hours of lifetime? To lengthen the lifespan, the makers (Microsoft in your case) inputs a feature that shuts off the optic when not used.

Question	Submitted by Glen
when my system goes into power saving mode, it hangs when I try to wake it up with my mouse. my os is WinMe
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
Your system's Bios may be configured wrong. GO into the bios when the computer boots and search around for power saving features and see if Stand Bye mode is disabled somewhere. Otherwise I suggest just disabling it in Windows. Some computers are known to have issues with this.

Question	Submitted by Philip
Hi there, This is actually more of a hardware question than a windows question, but here goes. I have a PII-266 64 mb ram PC running win98se, and installed an 8x hp cd-writer a couple of months ago (9100i). My system meets hp's recommended minimum requirements for this burner. I always get buffer under run errors when I try to burn at 8x, but reset to 4x and it works just fine. I have tried to shutdown all other programs, maximize system resources, clear out temp directories, defragged the hard disk, set write ahead to zero, turned of power mgmt and screen savers, made disc images before burning,etc. A helpful hp tech spent about 45 min on the phone trying every other possible thing too, but it didn't correct the problem. So she concluded that I needed hardware upgrade, but wasn't sure which would offer the best chance of improvement: more ram, faster cpu, newer bigger hard drive, new motherboard, etc. My question is, which of these will help ? My Intel SE440BX motherboard will only support up to PII-450. So is it worth investing in any upgrades, or do I have to live with 4x ? A related question is when I try to copy a cd from my Toshiba CD-rom to the cd-writer, it defaults to an excruciating 1x. Can I find a cd-rom that will extract faster ?
Solution 1	Answered by Travis Rendell
Try fiddling with your Windows memory cache before upgrading. If you do not know how to do this, get the program called Cacheman. I am sorry I do not know a download location off hand, but a simple internet search should find it. Try it to help with your underbuffering error before spending money on upgrades.
Solution 2	Answered by Geoffrey Lo
Hey there, It's not a problem with your CPU's speed, I use a 166 for a CD Writer and no problems. I think 64 MB RAM is a little tight... Also, try not to run any programs while writing CDs and disable Scheduled Tasks and Antivirus programs... the hard disk buffers are normally only 256k to 4mb so upgrading to a bigger cache HDD will help as well. But it's best to try memory and disabling unused programs first.

Question	Submitted by Khawar Wahab
Is there a way to manually add something to the OS loader in Win2k? I was running win2k pro. I decided to install WinMe on a separate partition. My partitions look like this 5GB Win2k (primary, NTFS) 4GB WinMe (primary, FAT32) rest is my data (Extended, one logical, NTFS) If I make any of the primary partitions active I can boot into the respective OS without a problem. It's just a hassle to do it every time. Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by John Lampson
Khawar, I believe the best way to do this is to install BootPart from http://www.winimage.com. Make the FAT32 drive your master and the active partition. Windows ME cannot see NTFS partitions. After switching the drives around, run BootPart from a bootable diskette and follow the directions to add an entry for NT/2000. This should work. If not, e-mail me at johnl@activewin.com and we'll go through the rest of the troubleshooting toolkit.

Question	Submitted by Bob
When I boot up my Windows 98, I get the Microsoft Networking box that has a name and asks for the password for that name. I use CoreComm as my ISP dial-up provider and have no use for the MSN Networking box. How can I disable the MSN Networking prompt? Hopefully, sometime soon, I plan to switch to the cable company's ISP service. Would this affect the decision to remove the MSN dialogue box?
Solution 1	Answered by John Lampson
Bob, If the prompt that you are referring to is the Microsoft Networking Client, here is how you fix this problem: Boot into Windows and do a search for "*.pwl" and delete any files that you find. Reboot and when asked for a password, leave it blank. Upon subsequent reboots Windows will not ask you for this information.
Solution 2	Answered by Timothy Muessig
To get rid of the logon name and password when booting up in Win 95/98/Me go to Control Panel and double click on Networking. Click on the "Client for Microsoft Networks" and then click remove. Close the networking box and the computer will ask you to reboot. Let me know if you have any questions

Question	Submitted by a. rad
dear sirs, hellow to you and thanks for your help. that's kind and nice of you. I should be grateful if you very kindly answer to my below question: how I can put a password for a directory or folder in a way nobody can access to its content(subfolders). regards
Solution 1	Answered by John Lampson
Hi! You don't specify whether you have Windows 95/8/ME or Windows NT/2000, so here's both: Windows 9x: Install File and Printer Sharing and choose to share the folder. Assign it a password. This will only work if this folder is to be accessed across a network. For local security, you'll have to acquire a third-party solution. I recommend looking through www.hotfiles.com for something that will work. Windows NT/2000: Right click on the folder you want to secure and choose Security/Permissions. Remove the Everyone group from this folder and only assign access to those users or groups that need access. Should you need more assistance, e-mail me.
Solution 2	Answered by Craig Catapano
Dear Mr. Rad, You didn't say what operating system your running, but if using Windows 95/98/98SE/ME, I recommend a freeware Utility called Desktopshield 2000. Perhaps overkill for your situation, but this utility effectively eliminates "unauthorized Users" access to you entire pc. Simply download it from their Website: http://www.crosswinds.net/~steff3/index.htm I highly recommend this small, user friendly utility for anyone seeking security for their PC. Good Luck

Question	Submitted Antonio
Hi! I'm an Italian student and I have a little problem with my win: I think I've missed some file of the register: dfs.vxd and vredir.vxd. How can I do? thanks Antonio Hi! I'm an Italian student and I have a little problem with my win: I think I've missed some file of the register: dfs.vxd and vredir.vxd. How can I do? thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Robert Gara
Hi, I could use a little more information. Is it telling you that these files are missing when you boot up the computer before you get to the Windows desktop?
Solution 2	Answered by Craig Catapano
Dear Antonio, You didn't mention what Operating System your running, but If using Windows 98 or 98 Second Edition. These files can be easily restored. Provided you can get to the desktop under a "Normal" startup or to "safemode" by hitting F-8 on bootup and choosing "Safemode" option, with your Windows CD handy you can do the following. Go to Start,Programs,Accessories,System Tools, Then system Information. Then on the Toolbar you will find "Tools", a drop down list will then be visible and select "System File Checker" Once this opens, you will see 2 choices, the 2nd or bottom choice will allow you to replace missing or corrupted Windows files. Simply type in dfs.vxd Then a box will open asking the To and From locations 1) Restore TO C:\Windows\System (This being a "default" windows install" 2) Restore From D:\Win98 (this being your CD Rom letter and the folder "Win98" The files will then be "Extracted" from your windows CD and properly replaced Repeat this procedure with vredir.vxd and Reboot. This this put you back in shape Good Luck Contact me in you experience further problems

Question	Submitted by Sean
I am having trouble with huge downloads - take Microsoft's DirectX sdk or anything of that size. My primary partition is full (that's where Win98 is installed) and when I try to download, good ol Disk Cleanup pops us asking me to free up some space. I have a second drive with 14.3GB of space on it. Is there a way to change the location of the \Windows\Temp directory to my other drive? Many thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Robert Gara
I don't think you can move that file but why don't you Cerate up your own temp file on your other drive. That is what I have done. Every download goes straight to D:\Downloads

Question	Submitted by Tim
Well, it really isn't corrupted, but I installed a Beta of DirectX8 on my Win2K machine. The beta has expired and keeps popping up little reminders every time I use something that uses DirectDraw, etc. I must have had rocks in my head to install the beta, it is a bit out of character for me to do something to my system without a path back. Anyway, how do I go back, or can I? You help is very much appreciated.
Solution 1	Answered by Robert Gara
DirectX 8 will be posted to the Windows Update site in about two weeks. If you can wait that long your problem should hopefully be solved.

Question	Submitted by Norman Walsh
I would like to know what the ipix plugin is ? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Craig Catapano
Dear Norman, The Ipix plug-in is used by many web sites today to view 3D images. For example , Real Estate sites, Travel Agencies, etc to give a feel of being "inside" the media. go to their site to download the small plug-in at www.ipix.com\download.html Enjoy Good Luck

Question	Submitted by Jay
Is there a registry key that I could delete that would force Wiindows 95 to "rediscover" all system board devices without trashing anything else? This would be especially handy for M/B upgrades.
Solution 1	Answered by Charles Putman
Win95 wasn't as "smart" as Win98/WinMe/Win2000 at recognizing new hardware. A new motherboard is a major upgrade and would most likely require a clean install.
Solution 1	Answered by Craig Catapano
Dear Jay, Start your pc in "Safe Mode" by hitting the F-8 key repeatedly at bootup. Once at the Desktop, do a search for these 2 files located in C:\Windows\Inf directory. 1)Drvdata.bin 2)Drvidx.bin Delete those, then go to Device Manager under My Computer/Properties..Scroll till you locate "System Devices" under there you will see "Plug and Plug Bios" highlight that, and choose "Remove". Then Reboot, this will effectively MAKE windows re-detect every device in your pc from the beginning. Be warned, I would back up you registry first, and be prepared to re-setup your Display properties etc. This may sound a bit drastic, but a far cry from a "Clean Install" You will be prompted for all drivers, be prepared Good Luck

Question	Submitted by Jiro
Hi guys and gals. I just got a Gateway with a fresh install of Windows ME. The first problem was that my modem wouldn't work. I had to take out the modem card then start up , then install a fresh driver. The problem that I have now and have had from the beginning is that the joystick twitches all the time. I have uninstalled it . I have used different drivers. I have calibrated it until I am blue in the face. I used a different joystick, same problem. Is there any patches for joystick twitch? Thanks
Solution 1	Answered by Charles Putman
Which soundcard? If it's the SB Live, download the Liveware 3.0 drivers from Creative Labs. These should correct any joystick problems associated with the Gateway WDM drivers. After downloading, uninstall the Gateway drivers.

Question	Submitted by Jane
Help me please! I was messing about with the screen options and now my icons are to big and the screen picture is to large so that I have to scroll left all the time. I was in Settings for "display" and used the button on the monitor as well. So I have no idea how to put it right. I have windows 98 and internet explorer 5.0. My computer is a Gateway. The monitor is an EV700. I have tried adjusting the horizontal and vertical position to no avail.
Solution 1	Answered by Craig Catapano
Dear Jane, go to your Display settings, Set your 17" Monitor to 1024x768 and 32 bit Color. Then go to the Advanced Tab and make sure you have the Desktop Icons on "Small"...After raising the Resolution you may wish to retain it at "Large" Icons, your choice. Also make sure your Refresh rate is set to 85Mhz for less Eyestrain. On a side note check the date of your video drivers under the Device Manager tab under My Computer's Properties. If you get stuck email me. BTW, as a proud Gateway owner, you are entitle to 24/7 Tech support for as long as you own your pc. Use it! Good Luck Jane,

Question	Submitted by Mike
Hello; I recently fdisk'd my hard drives, installed Win98 SE OEM, followed by Windows 98Plus!, then the Windows Me upgrade. When I went to update my drivers, and chose the "will provide diver location", my Internet choice was gone. How do I gee that back? I have 4 items that the Windows update cannot find drivers for, nor can they seem to be identified, so I want to be able to have my computer once again use m internet connection to locate drivers. Thanks.
Solution 1	Answered by Charles Putman
Best recommendation would be to download all drivers first and save to a ZIP disk or burn to a CD (hopefully you have access to one of these). Recommend doing a clean install as Plus 98 may create some problems w/ WinMe.

Question	Submitted by Carrie
after running Norton antivirus on computer....it tells me that there are 2 masterboots on my computer. it does not come up with an error message...I have no virus', etc. I believe this happened when I went from 95 to 98B upgrade.....but I'm not completely sure. another way I found this out is I went and changed my wallpaper on my desktop...rebooted...the old wallpaper came up first then it changed to the new wallpaper....I did this several times changing the wallpaper and the same thing occurred. this is why I'm thinking the two have something in common. the other thing I've noticed is that when I reboot it takes allot longer than it did before. I was hoping someone could help me with this. thank you.
Solution 1	Answered by Andrew Funderburk
About the only way to fix this is to back up any important data that you have on your hard drive, like money files, etc., reformat your hard drive and do a completely new install from scratch. If you go deleting one of the boot records, you could end up causing more trouble than you've got now.

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