HOW DO I RUN THIS?  THANK YOU, Dpaul

Dear Dpaul,

I can give you directions for running scandisk, but before I do, I want to warn you. On an older computer (or any computer for that matter) that is prompting you to run a disk scan, it is an indication that there are problems with your hard drive.

Since the hard drive is where all your information (documents, pictures, music, etc…) is stored, you need to make sure you have your information backed up! Even before you scan your hard drive, you should back up. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing all information on the drive.

Now, for directions on running the scan in Windows XP:

1. Double click on “My Computer” on the desktop.

2. Right click on your hard drive icon in the “My Computer” window.

3. Click “Properties” in the context menu that appears.

4. Click on “Tools”.

5. Under “Error Checking” click “Check Now” then click “Start”.

Your computer will probably need to restart and run the check before it goes back into windows. It will prompt you for this with a small dialog box. Just click “Yes” and then restart your computer.

I hope the scan finds and is able to fix any problems you are having with your disk.

Elizabeth

It’s Your Turn: What do you think?
…. Share your experience in the comments box below.

Thank you, Robert

Dear Robert,

I have seen this problem a few times on a couple of computers, and both times the only fix was to do a clean install of Windows.

This is not a setting that you can change, but most likely a symptom of software rot. Let me explain what that is. When your computer was new, it had a fresh installation of Windows, and it ran the way it was supposed to. Over time, you have used the computer, made changes to it, and started it up then shut it down hundreds of times. Occasionally, small mistakes are bound to happen. Over time, these mistakes build up, and cause your computer to either slow down, or sometimes features will stop working completely. Many computer techs refer to this as, software rot.

Software rot can only be fixed by doing a clean install of Windows. You need to reformat (erase) the hard drive and then install Windows and all your programs. Your HP computer either has a set of recovery disks, or a special recovery program on the hard drive that will erase the hard drive and put the computer back in the same condition it was in when you first bought it. Then all you need to do is install all the windows updates, set your email back up, and restore the files that you backed up. This is a service that I frequently do for my customers.

Elizabeth

Betty

Dear Betty,

Here is what I would do if it was my computer.

I would back up all my data and important files like pictures, music, address book and documents.

I would then erase the hard drive and install Windows XP on the now clean, hard drive.

Then, I would install the antivirus of my choice (I prefer AVG over Norton) before I put back the files that I backed up.

I know that not everyone knows how to backup, format and re-install an operating system, and that it costs money to have a computer shop do it for you, but this really is the only way to get your computer functioning at its best.

Is there a way to remove Panda from your computer if you can’t do it from “Add or Remove” in the Control Panel? Yes, there is, but it involves deleting files manually from your hard drive, and removing entries from your registry. This is a time consuming job, and a dangerous one. (not dangerous to you, just your computer  ) If you remove the wrong registry entry, or delete the wrong files, your computer will not be able to boot into Windows and you would end up having to do that re-install of Windows I mentioned earlier.

Hopefully, you are comfortable doing a clean install of Windows, if not, make a list of the files that you would need backed up, and call your local computer repair shop for an estimate. Compare that estimate to the cost of purchasing a new computer before you decide to go ahead. You might be surprised at how prices have changed since 2005.

I even found a coupon for you from HP:

Stackable $50 off coupon for the purchase of a customized HP Pavilion Notebook or Desktop configured at $1,000+. Use code: NBDT50C115!

Elizabeth

Kay

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Dear Kay,

No, you should not remove service pack 2. According to Microsoft, you need to have the 2nd service pack installed in order to install the 3rd service pack. This way, they didn’t have to include everything that was in SP2 all over again in SP3.

I am glad to see that you are installing your windows updates and service packs. They are important to keeping your computer running securely.

Elizabeth

I think I accidently deleted my recycle bin from the desktop!!!

I was trying to delete the items in the bin, however, I must have clicked on “Delete the Recycle Bin”. It did ask me if I wanted to delete and of course I wasn’t paying attention and hit “OK”.

Where do you think It went? Can I retrieve it?

I have looked thru all the programs and can’t find it to restore!!!

I tried to delete a picture from the picture gallery and it went somewhere???

Do you have any suggestions on how to find or retrieve my Recycle Bin? I am using a media laptop computer.

Elderly lady in New York State, Gerry

Dear Gerry,

After reading your question, I tried to delete my recycle bin, but was not able to.

As long as your computer is working correctly, I can show you how to put the Recycle Bin icon back on your desktop.

If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, follow these directions:

1. Right click on a blank spot on your desktop, and then click on “Personalize”

2. On the left side of the window, click on “Change Desktop Icons”.

3. In the dialog box that appears, click in the small box in front of “Recycle bin” to place a check mark in the box.

4. Click the “OK” button at the bottom of the window to close the dialog box and save your changes.

If you are using Windows XP, follow these directions:

1. Click on the “Start” button, point to “All Programs” point to “Accessories” and then click on “Windows Explorer”.

2. In the Windows Explorer window, find the “Recycle Bin” in the left hand column.

3. Make sure your window is not maximized so that you can also see part of your desktop.

4. With your mouse, drag the “Recycle Bin” from the window to your desktop.

5. This will create a shortcut to your recycle bin on your desktop.

Elizabeth

Martie R.

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Dear Martie,

Your computer could be slowing down because there are too many programs loading when you turn it on, but there could also be other reasons why it takes 4 minutes to load. I will give you directions for clicking off the programs you don’t want to start, but before I do that, lets consider some other reasons why your computer might be slowing down.

1. Your computer might be slowing down because of something called “software rot”. Since you have Windows XP, it could very well be 5 to 10 years since Windows was installed, and over time, small bits of data can become corrupt as they are read from the hard drive, and then written back to the hard drive. If software rot is causing your problem, and everything else is fine, doing a clean install of Windows will fix your problem.

2. Your hard drive is too full: A full hard drive that does not leave room for Windows to work, will cause the computer to be extremely slow. It is easy to check and see if this is the problem. Click on “start” then on “My Computer”. Right click on your hard drive and click on “Properties”. You will see a pie chart showing you how much of your hard drive is full. If it is more than 7/8 full, this could be the source of your problem.

3. Your hard drive could be failing: One of the classic signs of impending hard drive failure is a drastic slow down of the entire system. Make sure that you have your files backed up!

4. Not enough RAM to support newer programs: Often people notice that their computer has slowed down right after upgrading to the newest version of Internet Explorer installed Windows updates, or some other program. You can usually upgrade your RAM, they are small sticks that are fairly easy to install.

5. Too many programs loading when your computer starts: This is the problem that you were talking about in your question. Here is how to fix it.

a. Click on “Start”, then click on “Run”.

b. In the run box, type, MSCONFIG and press the “enter” key on your keyboard.

c. In the System Configuration window that opens, click on the “Startup” tab.

d. Click to remove the check marks from items that you don’t want starting when your computer starts. Be sure not to turn off your antivirus program.

e. Click the “OK” button to close the dialog box and save your changes.

I hope this solves your problem.

Elizabeth

Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Respectfully, Robert

Dear Robert,

The Registry is part of almost every version of Windows, the only exception was Windows 3.1 many, many years ago. The registry is simply a large database of settings that your computer needs to run smoothly. It holds information about your hardware, and settings that you can change.

Microsoft did not create the registry for the average computer user to access directly. Instead, they created the Control Panel as a way for users to make changes to many of the settings that are contained in the registry.

You can take a look at all the settings in your registry, but before I tell you how to do that, I must warn you that making any changes directly to the registry can be dangerous and result in your computer not working at all!

Windows comes with a program called the Registry Editor. You can access this program in XP by going to “Run” and then typing in “regedit”. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, just tap the windows logo key and type, “regedit” (don’t type the quotation marks).

When the registry editor opens, you can then look through all the settings. Again, don’t change ANYTHING unless you know what you are doing!

Most of the time, a computer will run fine for years without needing to have the registry cleaned out. If you think you need to clean yours up, try using a program like

CCleaner at: http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
Or Registry Mechanic at: http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-3030483-10540128

CCleaner is a free program that is made for cleaning out temporary files, but also includes a lightregistry editor, while Registry Mechanic is a paid program that is made just for optimizing your registry.

I hope this answered all your questions.

Elizabeth

Donnie

Dear Donnie,

This is actually a fairly common problem with XP computers, and usually the only way to solve it is to format the hard drive and do a clean install of Windows XP, then it will usually take the updates.

You could also try to locate a CD with Service Pack 3 on it, and install the service pack from the CD. This sometimes works when the downloaded version is not working, but not always.

You can also download the service pack from Microsoft’s website and then install it. Again, this sometimes works, but not always.

Microsoft has an article on their website that explains how to download the service pack, and how to order it on a CD. Here is that website:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389

If these two steps don’t work, the one remaining option available to you is to format the hard drive and install Windows XP. This is something that you will probably have to take to your local computer shop. I do this for my customers quite frequently. Make sure you tell the person who will be working on your computer what information you need backed up, and provide them with the disks and licensing information for your programs like Office, and your antivirus program.

Elizabeth

I’m using Windows Vista on a laptop. HELP Gerry

Dear Gerry,

This was one of the first things that happened to our family many years ago when we got our first computer! Back then, I had to restore the system using a tape backup, but today, I can help you get your settings back with a much simpler and faster method.

Go back to the Control Panel where you made your changes, and change your settings back to the way you want them to be.

Now, we are going to move your window around with the keyboard.

Start by pressing the “Alt” key and the spacebar. A small menu should pop up near the top of your window.

Now, press the letter M and use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the window around on the screen.

When you can see the “OK” button, press the “Enter” key on your keyboard, and click on the “OK” button.

Elizabeth

Tami

Dear Tami,

Here is how you make the background of your icon text transparent:

1. Click on “Start”, then click on Control Panel. 2. Click on the System icon. (You might need to click on “Performance and Maintenance” first) 3. Click on the “Advanced” tab. 4. Click on “Settings” 5. Under the Visual Effects” tab, click to remove the check mark from “Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop” 6. Click OK twice to save your settings and close the windows.

Elizabeth