Go2Support

"16 Bit MS-DOS Subsystem" Error Message When You Install a Program

2008-06-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

To resolve this issue:

1.	Click START, RUN, type regedit, then click OK. NOTE: In Windows XP, Regedit.exe and Regedt32.exe have been integrated into a single program that combines the features of the two registry editors in Windows 2000.
2.	Locate and select the following value: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control\ VirtualDeviceDrivers\VDD
3.	On the Edit menu, click Delete.
4.	On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Multi-string Value.
5.	Type VDD in the Value Name box, and then press ENTER.
6.	Quit Registry Editor.

"16 Bit MS-DOS Subsystem" Error Message When You Install a Program

2008-06-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

To resolve this issue:

Click on START, RUN, type in REGEDIT then click OK.

1.	NOTE: In Windows XP, Regedit.exe and Regedt32.exe have been integrated into a single program that combines the features of the two registry editors in Windows 2000.
2.	Locate and select the following value: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control\ VirtualDeviceDrivers\VDD
3.	On the Edit menu, click Delete.
4.	On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Multi-string Value.
5.	Type VDD in the Value Name box, and then press ENTER.
6.	Quit Registry Editor.

Windows XP Repair Installation

2008-04-10T22:00:00.002-07:00

Q. How do you perform a re-installation of Windows XP, sometimes called a repair installation?

A. Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. For more information about how to do this, refer to your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer. Then insert your Windows XP Setup CD, and restart your computer.

1.	When the Press any key to boot from CD message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.
2.	Press ENTER when you see the message To setup Windows XP now, and then press ENTER displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen.
3.	Do not choose the option to press R to use the Recovery Console.
4.	In the Windows XP Licensing Agreement, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
5.	Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press R to repair Windows XP.
6.	Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

2008-04-10T22:00:00.001-07:00

Cannot activate XP Pro after upgrading from XP Home

2008-03-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Q. I recently upgraded from Windows XP Home to XP Professional. I have been using XP Professional for about a month now. But now, it says that Windows must be activated to log on (I already activated Windows!). I click on activate now, and it says that Windows is already activated. After I click OK, it logs off and I am unable to log back on. PLEASE HELP!

A. Assuming that you did in fact use a legitimate copy of XP Professional from a reputable retail outlet to perform your upgrade, then I would ask if you changed any hardware on the pc before you upgraded to XP Pro. If so, this would prevent you from activating the Pro upgrade.

If you have not added any new hardware before activation and you are using a legitimate Microsoft product, then the easiest solution is for you to phone, email or chat with Microsoft support http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&x=13&y=11&prid=3518&gprid=185522 and tell them exactly what you did and have all the corresponding evidence to support your case such as the XP Pro CD in hand because they will ask you for identifying numbers from the CD to verify its legitimacy. Once this is confirmed, they will give you free instructions on activating XP Pro or issue you a new product key.

Don't worry. As long as everything is legit, MS is very much willing to assist you with your product activation. Their email response is 24 hours or less. Chat is within minutes. The above link gives you both options including the MS support phone number.

Free antivirus software

2008-03-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Q. What is a good free antivirus software that I can download?

A. Our personal favorite is AVG which is made by Grisoft and is available for free download at www.free.grisoft.com for better protection than money can buy. We wouldn't use anything else!

Windows Updates no longer work after performing a "repair installation" of Windows XP

2008-01-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

Q. After performing a repair installation, my pc will no longer perform windows updates. How do I fix the windows update issue?

A.
1. Stop the Automatic Updates service. To do this, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
b. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
net stop wuauserv

2. Register the Wups2.dll file. To do this, follow these steps:
a. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
regsvr32 %windir%\system32\wups2.dll
Note For a computer that is running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
regsvr32 %windir%\syswow64\wups2.dll
b. Click OK on each verification message that you receive.

3. Start the Automatic Updates service. To do this, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
net start wuauserv

4. Exit the command prompt. To do this type exit, and then press ENTER.

5. Restart your computer. You should now be able to perform windows updates.

Control Panel Will Not Open

2008-01-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

Q. When I try to open control panel, it either does not appear or does appear and I cannot open it. How do I fix this problem?

A.
1-Click on Start button

2-Click on Run Type regedit
3-Open key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and Delete NoControlPanel and NoRestriction.
4-Reboot

How to take ownership of a folder in Windows XP

2007-12-20T18:14:00.000-08:00

Note You must be logged on to the computer with an account that has administrative credentials. If you are running Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, you must start the computer in safe mode, and then log on with an account that has Administrative rights to have access to the Security tab.

If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. By default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File sharing when it is not joined to a domain.

To take ownership of a folder, follow these steps:

1.	Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
2.	Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
3.	Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
4.	In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.
5.	Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message: You do not have permission to read the contents of directory `folder name`. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control? All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes. Note `folder name` is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of.
6.	Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents.

Remote PC Repair

2007-10-15T20:54:00.001-07:00

Q. What is a good remote pc repair option that I can use to fix a friends pc remotely over the Internet?

A. I highly recommend HelpdeskVNC which is available at www.helpdeskvnc.com. The price is very reasonable and the technical support is great. There are other remote pc repair options available but they generally offer only a small portion of the features available with HelpdeskVNC. HelpdeskVNC also offers a free trial of their software so you can try before you buy!

How to run "System Restore" from a command prompt in Windows XP

2007-10-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Q. How do I run System Restore from a command prompt in Windows XP?

A. Here are the steps:
1. Restart your computer using the "Safe Mode with command prompt" option.
2. Type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe at the command prompt and press ENTER.
3. Follow screen instructions to restore your computer.

How do I know if my hard drive is full?

2007-10-05T01:24:00.000-07:00

Q. How can I tell how much hard drive space I have available on my computer?

A. Simply double-click the My Computer icon and then right-click on the Local Disc "C" drive and then left-click on Properties. Here you will be able to view how much space you've used as well as how much free space you have available on your hard drive.

Lost Internet connection after removing spyware from my PC.

2007-10-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

Q. I removed a spyware program called "newdotnet" from my pc and now I cannot connect to the internet. How do I restore internet access?

A. The Newdotnet program attaches itself to the winsock file within Windows and once newdotnet is deleted, your Internet connection may no longer work. This means that your winsock file must be restored. To do this, you must go to another computer with Internet access and download the WinsockXP fix at www.snapfiles.com/get/winsockxpfix.html to a floppy, flash drive or CD and then run the program on the affected PC. This will rebuild the winsock file and restore your internet connection.

Enable Spell Checker in Vista's Windows Mail

2007-10-02T04:11:00.000-07:00

Q. How do I enable spell checker in Windows Mail?

A. Open Windows Mail.
1. From the main toolbar, click Tools.
2. From the drop down menu select Options.
3. In the Options window, click the Spelling tab.
4. Under the Settings option, place a check in the box marked "Always check spelling before sending" option.
5. Click OK to close the Options window.

How much memory does my PC have?

2007-09-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

Q. How can I tell how much memory (RAM) my PC has?

A. Right-click on the "My Computer" icon and then left-click on Properties. Here you will find the amount of memory (RAM) you have installed in your PC.

How do I use the Registry?

2007-08-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Q. I have uninstalled my old anti-virus program from my computer so that I can install a different anti-virus program but every time I try to install it, it says that it won't install because my original anti-virus program has not yet been removed. I was told that I needed to edit the registry. How do I do that?

A. It sounds like you deleted the program from some place other than Control Panel, Add/Remove programs and it left residual portions of the program scattered throughout the System Registry. This is a very common problem and in this case, you'll likely need to go into the System Registry to manually delete all Registry KEYS associated with the original program. However, I must caution you that this is not recommended for novice users and should be attempted by advanced users only. Improper editing of the Registry could cause serious damage to your Windows Operating System! Because of this, we will only show you how to access the System Registry, rather than give instructions on how to edit it. The purpose of this Q. and A. is to help you to understand the reason why you are having the problem that you are having. The variables are unlimited and we would not want you to cause more damage than is already done. We recommend that you take your computer to a pc repair professional to have this issue resolved.

In Windows XP, click on Start, Run, type in REGEDIT and click OK.

What is the Registry?

2007-08-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

Q. What is the Windows System Registry?

A. The Windows System Registry is a database that stores records, settings and options of everything that you do on a Windows based PC. Whenever you make changes in Control Panel, install new hardware or software to your computer or add new users and profiles, these changes are stored in the system registry. Below is an example of the basic structure of the system registry.

What is System Restore?

2007-08-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

Q. What is System Restore?

A. System Restore is a very useful feature built into Windows XP that allows you to restore your computer back to a point in time before you started experiencing problems with your PC.

What is Safe Mode?

2007-08-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

Q. What is Safe Mode?

A. Safe Mode is a diagnostic utility built into the Windows operating system that allows you to make repairs to your computer that would otherwise be impossible in Normal Mode. For instance...Let's say you load a new program on your computer and when you restart your pc, your system hangs and refuses to boot into Windows normally. You can usually boot into Safe Mode which will boot your pc with only the minimal amount of drivers needed to boot your pc into Windows. In Safe Mode, your normal colors will be limited because your video drivers have only been partially loaded.

If the program you loaded somehow became corrupted for whatever reason, your pc will generally boot into Safe Mode because its only loading the minimum files necessary to boot into Windows. This means that the corrupted program that you previously installed will not be accessed during the boot process which allows you to go into Safe Mode and reverse any damages that were caused by the install. Now, once inside Safe Mode, you can go into Control Panel and Add/Remove programs and uninstall the faulty program. Alternately, you can do a System Restore from Safe Mode to a time before you installed the software/program that is causing you problems.

Generally, if your pc is able to boot into Safe Mode, your problems are most likely software related as opposed to hardware related, such as in a bad hard drive or bad memory.

Deleting Temporary Internet Files

2007-08-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Q. How do I delete my Temporary Internet Files in Internet Explorer?

A. Open up Internet Explorer 6.0 and click on the Tools menu at the top of the browser and click on Internet Options. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click on Delete Files. Do the same for the Delete Cookies button. In Internet Explorer 7.0, click on Tools, Internet Options, go to the Browsing History section and click Delete. Here you can delete the files of your choice or all of them at once.

What are Temporary Internet Files?

2007-08-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

Q. What are Temporary Internet Files?

A. Temporary Internet Files are created and stored on your computers hard drive each time you access a website on the Internet. The storage of these files helps to facilitate and speed up the browsing experience by accessing the files of sites you've previously visited from a central location on the hard drive (Temporary Internet Files Folder) rather than having to reprocess these files on the web each time you return to the same site. This feature can improve network performance but if the files are left unattended they can drastically slow down your browsing experience and take up unnecessary hard drive space if you do not delete them from time to time.

What is a System Defrag?

2007-08-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Q. What is a System Defrag?

A. The day you unpack your new computer and start using it, it slows down more and more as each day passes by. The reason for this is because as you use your computer, the files that are called upon to open up your favorite file or program are scattered about your hard drive the more you use your pc. Each time you call upon a file to be opened, the hard drive has to search all over to find these files that are no longer grouped together as they were when you first loaded the program onto your hard drive. What defragmenting does is search the hard drive for these related files and gathers them up and returns them back into a small cluster so that the hard drive can access them more quickly. This in turn speeds up your pc because the hard drive does not have to search such a broad area to access the files needed to open up and run your programs.

How to run a System Defrag?

2007-08-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Q. My computer is running Windows XP and has slowed down a lot over the last few months. Someone told me I should run a system defrag on my pc. How do I do that?

A. Yes. If you don't know how to do a system degrag, it is safe to say that you are probably long overdue. Just click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. When the window opens, click on Defragment and do not use the computer until the process is complete. It would help to disable any screensaver or power saving features you may have enabled but this is not required for a successful defrag.

How to use System Restore

2007-08-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Q. I installed a new program on my pc and now my computer is not working right. How can I get it back to the way it was working before?

A. You may use the "System Restore" feature in Windows XP to restore your pc back to its original configuration before you made changes to your pc. To use this feature, click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then System Restore and click Next. Now select a highlighted date that was before your system began to have problems. Follow the wizard until the pc automatically restarts itself. When the pc has restarted, your computer will have been restored to a previous good condition.

How to boot into Safe Mode

2007-08-19T02:51:00.000-07:00

Q. How do I boot into safe mode?

A. Restart your computer and wait for the monitor screen to go black. As your pc restarts, start tapping the F8 key very rapidly (before any text appears on your monitor) until a list of several boot options appear on the screen. If you are unsuccessful the first time, simply repeat the procedure until you see the list of boot options. Use your arrow keys to highlight safe mode and hit the Enter key. If Internet access is needed, select the safe mode with networking option.

How to delete an identity in Outlook Express

2007-08-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Q. I want to delete an identity in outlook express but it's asking for a password that I don't remember. How can I delete the identity?

A. You must go into the system registry to delete the identity. Simply click on Start, Run, then type in REGEDIT and click OK. Now go to HKEY CURRENT USER, then click the plus sign to expand the identities. Now, click on the long string of numbers that appear under the identity to highlight them. On the right window pane you will see the name of the identity. Once you have identified the identity you want to delete, go back to the left window pane, right-click on that identity and click delete.

Increasing Startup Speed in Windows XP

2007-08-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

Q. My computer takes a long time to boot up. How can I make this process faster?

A. You may shorten startup time by editing the startup folder in the "system configuration utility." Simply click on Start, Run, then type in MSCONFIG and click on OK. Now click on the Startup tab and remove check marks from any item that does not need to be loaded during the Windows boot process. This does not delete the program. It only stops it from loading at startup when you reboot your pc. This process is completely reversible.

100% FREE PC REPAIR!

2007-01-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

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Getting help is easy. Simply click on the "Live Support" button when it states that we are online and we'll repair your computer instantly via remote support over the Internet at zero cost to you! If we are unavailable at the time of your request, simply click on the support icon and leave a detailed message describing your issue and we'll contact you as soon as humanly possible.

The only limitations to our free computer repair is that we will not support virus removal, spyware removal or adware removal as these services generally require several hours to resolve and we simply do not have the manpower to dedicate this much time to a single repair. Having said that, we will gladly assist you in eradicating these issues on your own.

The only thing we ask in return for our time and efforts is that you be kind enough to leave a positive comment on our site after we've assisted in resolving your issue. Your comments will tell others that we're good at what we do and that we can be relied upon to provide them with the best information we have to offer!

**Although computer services are provided free of charge, we do accept donations as they will greatly contribute to covering some of our expenses and to keeping this site free. --- Go2Support Staff