Common PC problems - Part 2

NETWORKS AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

I have just bought a wireless access point and want to use it with my three computers at home. Is there a simple way to copy the wireless network settings across the computers?
Windows XP Service Pack 2 makes it easy to do this. When you set up one computer Windows will offer to save the settings to a USB key. You can then run this program on the other computers.

Since upgrading to Windows Media Player 10 I have not been able to find the list of online radio stations.
You can find a very comprehensive list here.

I have a picture on my computer I would like to set as wallpaper on my mobile phone. Both have Bluetooth but I don't know how to make them talk to each other.
Make sure that Bluetooth is enabled on your phone. Double-click on the My Bluetooth Places icon on the Desktop and click on View devices in range. Double-click on the icon for your phone. Now drag and drop the picture file that you want to transfer onto the inbox icon. Be sure to check if your phone asks you whether or not you want to receive the file.

I am trying to network my computers and they don't seem to be talking to each other. How can I check that they are connected properly?
Most network sockets have a couple of lights just above the socket. If you are using the correct cable there should be one light on all the time, which is normally green. The other light, often yellow, flashes to show that data is being transferred.

I have just upgraded to broadband and have a wireless router with a built-in firewall. Although I can look at web pages I cannot use AOL Instant Messenger any more. What can I do?
Your firewall may be blocking AIM but it is simple to fix. Click on the Setup icon on AIM and select Sign On/Off on the left-hand side of the window. Click on the Connection button and then Auto Configure.

My new wireless router offers an option for WPA as well as WEP. Will this make my network more secure?
WPA is more secure than WEP technology in preventing hackers from accessing your wireless network. Unfortunately, every device on the network must support WPA for you to be able to use it. Either upgrade your wireless adapters or stick with WEP.

I want to connect my old computer to my new one to run the File and Settings Transfer Wizard because of the amount of data that needs transferring between them. Do I have to set up a network or are there any other ways?
You can connect your computers with a variety of different cables. If you use a crossover network cable you can use the network sockets without needing anything else. Alternatively you can use a special serial or parallel cable. Click on the Start button, then All Programs, Accessories, Communications and finally New Connection Wizard.

I have set up a network but can't access any folders on one of the PCs. What have I done wrong?
The most likely reason for this is that the firewall on the computer is blocking your requests. If you are using ZoneAlarm add this computer to the trusted zone. If you're using Windows Firewall, go to Start menu, select Control Panel, then click on Security Center. Select Windows Firewall and click on the Exceptions tab and tick 'File and printer sharing'.

HARDWARE AND COMPONENTS

When I am playing games my PC speaker starts bleeping and then my computer turns itself off. It works fine again when I turn it back on. What is going on?
This problem means that your computer is overheating and it has turned itself off to prevent any damage. Make sure that your system unit is in a well-ventilated area and not under a desk. If this problem persists you may need to fit new fans inside your case.

I want to use my notebook computer to watch DVD movies but I was disappointed to only find a single stereo output on the notebook. Is there any way I can get surround sound?
You can buy a special sound card from Creative that plugs into the PC Card slot in the side of your notebook. Alternatively you can buy sound cards that use a USB or FireWire plug to connect to your computer. You can also use these products with a desktop computer if you don't want to open it.

I keep a lot of music on my computer to listen to as I work but I am beginning to run out of space on my hard disk. Is there a way I can get more space without opening up my computer?
You can buy external hard disks that connect with USB or FireWire sockets. Have a look at our group test of external hard disks.

I am trying to run Scandisk on my hard disk but it will not let me, saying that it needs to have exclusive access to some files and I should run the scan at startup. Is there any risk to my files?
Windows cannot properly check or fix files if they are being used. Click Yes in the dialogue box and Windows will automatically scan the disk when you restart your computer.

To try and improve sound quality from my PC I plugged in my hi-fi speakers. Putting them next to the monitor produced all kinds of colours and distortions on the screen even though I have moved the speakers away again. Have I broken my monitor?
As monitors and speakers both use magnets they can interfere with each other. There should be a degauss option on your monitor, either with its own button or in the monitor setup menu. Select this and your display issues should be resolved.

My USB memory stick has stopped working since I installed a new hard disk drive. How can I fix it?
The new hard drive has taken the drive letter that the USB key was using and so Windows cannot display it in My Computer. To give the key a new letter, click on the Start button, right-click on My Computer and then click on Manage and Disk Management. You can see your USB key listed in the bottom half of the screen as a removable disk. Right-click on this entry and select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Click on the Change button and select a new letter in the window that appears. Click on OK, then on OK in the next window and close the Computer Management screen.

I have just installed new drivers for some hardware in my computer but they are not working as well as the old ones. Is there an easy way of removing them?
Windows XP saves the previous drivers just in case something goes wrong. Click on the Start button, right-click on My Computer and click on Manage. Click on Device Manager, right-click on the device that is causing the problem and select Properties. Click on the Driver tab and then on the Roll Back Driver button.

DISK DRIVES AND BACKUP

I have some home movies on a CD but it won't work in my DVD player. What is wrong?
Make sure that you have 'finalised' your discs by selecting Disc-at-once as the Write method before trying to play them on the DVD player. This also applies to DVDs. If you're using a DVD disc, make sure that your DVD player is compatible with the kind of discs you are using, whether it is DVD+R, DVD-R or DVD-RAM.

I use a USB external DVD writer but the writing speed is much slower than advertised. What could be causing this?
USB sockets have a maximum amount of data they can share with the computer so if you have too many USB devices plugged into the same group of sockets your computer won't be able to copy information to the DVD writer fast enough. Unplug some devices when you are writing to DVDs.

What codec should I use when I make movies for CD or DVD?
You should always use the best quality codec available. Your video-editing software should be able to tell you how much space will be needed.

I am trying to play a DVD movie but I get an error message telling me that I have the wrong region. What does this mean?
DVD movies are only supposed to be sold in particular parts of the world. Make sure that you buy Region 2 movies unless you have a multi-region DVD drive. Look at www.rpc1.org for more information.

WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 2

I have installed Service Pack 2 (SP2) on my computer, which is protected with Norton AntiVirus and Internet Security. Even though I know both are working, I keep getting warnings that I am not protected. How can I stop this?
Symantec has released a patch for the Security Center that fixes this problem. Run LiveUpdate to install it and remove these messages.

I am about to install SP2 but I have noticed that some of the updates already installed on my computer are marked as 'Service Pack 2'. Do I still need to install SP2 or should I uninstall them first.
These updates are only part of SP2 so you should still install it but you do not need to uninstall them first.

I have just reinstalled Windows XP from scratch, do I need to install Service Pack 1 before SP2.
No, all of the Service Pack 1 updates are included with SP2 so there is no need to install it.

I am worried that some of my programs will stop working after installing SP2. Is there any way I can check before installing it?
Most of the software problems only apply to very old software. Other problems can normally be solved by reconfiguring the firewall. Click here for a list of known software problems with SP2.