Q. I receive the error message “Application Has Failed to Start Because Framedyn.dll Was Not Found” when I try to access Properties under My Computer. I use Windows XP.
Sriram Munde
This may happen if the file %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Wbem\framedyn.dll is missing or damaged. It can also happen if the Windows Path variable does not point to %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Wbem folder.
To correct this problem, you need to replace
the framedyn.dll file and correct the Path
variable. Select Start > Run and go
to %systemroot%\system32\dllcache.
Copy framedyn.dll. Then open %systemroot%\system32\wbem. Paste the file you copied (click Yes when prompted to replace the existing file). To fix the Path variable, open System Properties in the Control Panel. Select Advanced tab > Environment Variables. Under System variables, click Path and then click Edit. If no Path variable is listed, click New and type Path in the Variable name box. Type the following in the Variable value box: %SystemRoot%\system32; %SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\wbem and click OK thrice.
Teething Problems
Q. I have Windows Vista installed on my computer. A few days ago, I enabled the AHCI feature in my BIOS and have since not been able to access my SATA Sony DVD-Writer. What could be wrong?
Prakash Taiwade
There is a bug in Vista that causes the missing SATA optical drive problem in AHCI/SATA mode. Microsoft has released a hotfix to correct this problem; find more about it at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928253. There is no direct download link for the patch, though, and you need to request the hotfix from Microsoft Online Customer Services at http://go.microsoft .com/?linkid=6294451.
Keeping Track
Q. Whenever I save any file on my office computer, the “Date Modified” of the folder changes to the date and time at which I copied the file. Is there a way to prevent this from happeningsuch that the original date of creation of the folder would not change?
Manish Kundur
In a drive with an NTFS file system, the timestamp of the last access of a folder is updated whenever it is accessed or updated (such as a file being saved inside it). There is a way to prevent this from happening. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem. Modify or create a DWORD value with the name NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and set its value to 1 in order to suppress the updating of the last access timestamp of folders.
Wiped Out…?
Q. My 160 GB SATA hard drive crashed and I reinstalled Windows XP on it, only to find that all my older files were gone. And then, my son unknowingly formatted the hard drive! I have not been able to recover anything using Recovermyfiles. Is there hope at all?
Deepak Reddy
There is still a chance to recover your files. You can try using a software such as Ontrack Easy Recovery Pro from www.ontrackdatarecovery .com or R-Studio data recovery software from www.r-studio.com. You need to purchase one of these to be able to recover the data; the demo versions available from the sites will only allow you to see what they can recover, but you’ll need to buy a license to actually recover the data.
Bona Fide Users Only!
Q. I tried to install Windows Media Player 11 and IE 7 from your DVD, but it asks me to connect to the Internet. I don’t have an Internet connection; is there a way to install it anyway?
Ravi Dabgotra
There is no way to install Windows Media Player 11 without an Internet connection because it is part of the Genuine Windows program, which requires you to validate your copy of Windows online during the installation. But you can install Internet Explorer 7 without the need to validate online. You need to download the new installer for Internet
Explorer 7 from www.microsoft.com/windows/ downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx.