Manu
You cannot increase bandwidth with a single phone line using two modems. You need to get a second phone line, or migrate to broadband-‘broadband’ prices are falling by the day. If you get another phone line, then you can download a software called MidPoint Teamer from http://snipurl. com/cujv
HOT keys!
Q. We have Windows 98 SE and Windows XP Pro in the C and D drives respectively on a Pentium 4 1.7 GHz. First, XP only works in the ‘Last known good configuration’ mode, and not in Safe or Normal modes, after repeated reboots and normal boots. When it boots in Normal or Safe mode, after some time, the screen goes black showing some junk characters on the screen, and a countdown timer at the end of the screen which counts up to 100, after which the computer reboots.
In ‘Last known good configuration’ mode, the computer starts and works fine, but initially shows a message in an alert box:
“.DRI_KBFilter
The system cannot find the file specified.”
Second, when we run setup again to correct the problem with Win98 SE, setup proceeds just beyond ‘Detecting hardware’ and reboots. After that, Win98 SE does not boot and shows the following message-
“Error: NAV AutoProtect is unable to start!
SYMEVNT.386 is not loaded. You may need to re-install Norton AntiVirus to correct the problem. Press any key to continue.”
R C Behera
This is a keyboard driver problem. There are two ways to solve this. You can either update the drivers for the DriTek multimedia Hotkeys from http://snipurl.com/cuk4 Or, you can completely remove the Hotkeys from your Startup. To do this, go to Start>Run. Type in “msconfig” and click OK. In the window that opens up, click on the ‘Startup’ tab. Clear the checkbox next to ‘cpatr10’. Click OK. Now restart your machine-it should work fine.
Duplicate DLLs
Q. I often get the following error message:
“Error Number: 0x8007025
Incompatible version of the RPC stub
Setup will now terminate.”
How can I correct this? Also, your December 2004 Digit CD works at first and after some time, when I click a link to install something, it does not work properly. It opens IE6 and nothing happens after that. My system details are: Intel 845g chipset, a Pentium 1.6 step2 processor, Windows 98, 128 MB of RAM, and a 40 GB HDD.
G Gurumoorthi
This happens when, while installing a program, you get duplicate copies of the Oleaut32.dll, Olepro32.dll, Asycfilt.dll, and Stdole2.tlb files, which creates an incompatible environment. If Office 2000 or an Office 2000 component is installed on your computer, obtain and install the Office 2000 Service Release 1a (SR-1a) from http://snipurl.com/cuk6
If Office 2000 or any of its components are not installed, then obtain and install the ‘mcrepair.exe’ tool from http://snipurl.com/1oua Restart your computer and everything should work fine.
My PC Lies About RAM!
Q. I am using a Pentium 4 2 GHz. When I start the computer it shows “Main Processor: Intel Pentium (R) 4 2.00 GHz (100 X 20.0)”.
However, when I go to the DirectX diagnostic tool (Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Information>Tools>DirectX diagnostic tool), the following system information is displayed:
“Operating System: Windows 98 (4.10, Build 2222) A
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Memory: 224MB RAM
Page File: 115MB used, 1708MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 6.1a (4.06.03.0518)
DxDiag Version: 4.06.03.0518″
Why is this so, and why does the RAM show up as 224 MB instead of 256 MB ?
Prashant Chordiya
The version of DirectX you are using is outdated. Upgrade to DirectX 8 or later, and your problem should be solved. The RAM is ‘missing’ because you have a 32 MB shared memory graphics adapter onboard. This is the memory that the system reserves to show you the display on the screen and also during playing games. If you do not play too many games then you can reduce the size of this from the BIOS.
Q. My machine hangs when I use Photoshop 6.00 or 7.00 for a few minutes. My machine configuration is: an Intel Pentium 4 2 GHz, 256 MB RAM, an 80 GB HDD with four partitions of 20 GB each, and Windows 98. In the virtual memory settings, I have selected ‘Let Windows manage my virtual memory settings’. I have changed the ‘Memory and Image cache’ setting in Photoshop this way:
Cache levels: 4
RAM maximum used by Photoshop: 55% Plug-ins and Scratch Disks:
First: Startup
Second: C:
Third: D:
Fourth: None
History states: 20
When using Photoshop I always keep WinAmp and all other software closed, and also try to keep a maximum of two or three files opened at a time in Photoshop. In spite of that, when I use Photoshop for 10 to 15 minutes, my machine hangs. I also used Windows 2000, but the problem persisted. Please help!
Prashant
This is most likely an overheating problem. It is possible that your CPU fan or heat sink is malfunctioning. To keep a check on the temperatures, you can download a free utility called Motherboard Monitor, which will monitor your CPU temperature, fan speed and so on. You can set up alarms if the temperature exceeds the desired levels. You can download this from http://snipurl.com/cujz
We also recommend that you get your system checked for the heating problem by a qualified technician, and if required, replace the CPU fan with an Intel certified fan.
It’s Hot In Here
Q. I have a D915GAV motherboard with an Intel Pentium 3.0C GHz processor, 512 MB of DDR RAM and an 80 GB SATA HDD. I use a KOB-115 cabinet with a 250 W power supply. My system heats up quickly-within an hour from the time it starts, and the Intel Active monitor pops up windows alerting me of the temperature. Normally when I start the system I check the temperature using the Intel Active monitor, and it shows the processor temperature as 58 degrees Celsius and system zone 1 and 2 as 42 degrees Celsius. After an hour, these temperatures rise. Should I change the system cabinet? If so, can you please tell me about a cabinet-a good and economical one-suitable for this motherboard?
Vishwanath
It need not be just the cabinet. It is possible that your CPU fan is not up to the mark. Get that checked and if required, change it to an Intel certified fan. Make sure your cabinet is properly ventilated. You could add an additional fan for more ventilation. Make sure the cables inside are neatly tied up, as that increases air flow and leads to more efficient cooling. If your cabinet is too small and the components are getting cluttered inside, then you could look at upgrading your cabinet to one from brands such as Antec or Odyssey. Antec cabinets could be slightly expensive, but getting one would rid you of your overheating blues!
Sasser Strikes Back!
Q. I have dual-booted my PC with Windows 98 and XP. Whenever I connect to the Internet in XP, I get the message ‘LSA encountered problem’, and my PC restarts. There is no such problem with Windows 98. What do I do?
Via e-mail
You have the Sasser worm or one of its variants. Simply download the following files from another computer and run them on your system. Stinger, which can be found at the McAfee Web site, will find and repair this problem. Download it from here:
http://snipurl.com/1syv
Now, at the following page:
http://snipurl.com/cuk0
Scroll down to where it says ‘Download the 841720 package now’. Download and run it. This should fix your problem. If, however, you do not have access to another computer, follow these steps: Go to Start>Run, and in the box type in “cmd”. In the DOS prompt that appears, type in “shutdown -i”. Make sure to enter a space between ‘shutdown’ and the hyphen. Press [ENTER]. The Shutdown Settings window will appear. In the first box, click Add, and type in your computer’s name (To find out your computer’s name, right click on My Computer and click on the tab that says ‘Computer Name’). Beneath, in the box that says ’20’ (seconds), type in ‘9999’. In the box beneath that, which says ‘Comment’, type in anything and click OK. This will increase your time on the Internet to 2.45 hours. You can then connect to the sites listed above and download the tools to clean your system.
| MS DOS Error In XP Q. My machine’s configuration is: a Pentium 4 2.4 GHz, an Intel 865GBF original motherboard, 256 MB of DDR 400 Zion RAM, a 40 GB Samsung HDD (7,200 rpm). I am using Windows XP professional with FAT32. Other software on my machine include Office 2000, Norton AntiVirus 2005, AutoCAD 2000 and AutoCAD 2004.
Everything was fine, and one fine morning I received a peculiar error, in the screen alongside. I cannot find any solution for it and it is not possible for me to format and reload XP because there is a huge amount of data in there. Bishwajit Laha First try re-installing the MS-DOS based application that causes this error: Go to Start>Run. In the Open box, type in “cmd”, and click OK. At the command prompt, type in the following commands, pressing [ENTER] after each command: expand CD-ROM Drive Letter:i386config.nt_ c:windowssystem32config.nt expand CD-ROM Drive Letter:i386autoexec.nt_ c:windowssystem32autoexec.nt expand CD-ROM Drive Letter:i386command.co_ c:windowssystem32command.com exit Now try re-installing the program. Save the file as ‘Autoexec.nt’. Now locate the ‘Config.nt’ file, and copy it to the %SYSTEMROOT% System32 folder.
Do the same with Autoexec.nt and command.com, and restart your computer. This should fix your problem. |
“Pixel Shader”?
Q. I have an Intel 2.4 GHz P4 CPU with 256 MB of RAM and a GeForce4 128 MB. While playing Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, my machine gives an error: “Inadequate pixel shader support.” Also, in 3D Mark Pro, it gives a Direct3D error with a ‘pixel shader’ problem. How can I play the game?
Avik
Your graphics card does not support pixel shader-a graphics function that calculates effects on a per-pixel basis, giving ambience and a look of realism to the displayed image. You would need to upgrade it to at least a GeForce4 Ti card. If you are upgrading, go for a higher-end card, say the GeForce FX5950. If you are looking for a slightly cheaper card, try the GeForce FX 5200 or the FX 5700, or the 9600 Series from ATi.
Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade!
Q. I have a Compaq Presario 3600m machine with a Pentium 4, 1.5 GHz processor, 128 MB of SDRAM, and an nVidia Vanta graphics card with 16 MB of memory. My problem is, of late, no games seem to work on my PC. The error messages mainly show that my hardware does not support my games. Max Payne 2 was the last game that worked fine. After that, whether it is NFS Underground, Doom or FIFA 2005, it does not work. Will I have to buy a new computer, a new processor, or a new graphics card?
Anjan Jyoti Bora
The problem lies mainly with your RAM and your graphics card. You have not mentioned what motherboard you are using, but we think it will not support DDR RAM. The best solution would be to go for a complete overhaul of your system, wherein you upgrade to a P4 2.4 or 2.8 with at least 256 MB of DDR 400 RAM, and a decent 64 MB graphics card, say a GeForce 5700 Ultra. That should let you play all the latest games at fairly decent settings. For a full comparison and specification, check out the graphics cards shootout in the January 2005 issue of Digit.
If you do not want to go in for a complete overhaul, you could go in for a GeForce4 Ti card, which should let you play quite a few of these games at the minimum settings. Make sure to check what AGP slot your motherboard supports-8x or 4x. 8x is backward compatible with 4x, but there is no point in buying an 8x card if you cannot use it to its full potential.