Troubleshooting errors.

If your diagnostic utility reports any errors, turn off your PC and remove all but one stick of RAM. Re-run the memory diagnostic for a while with each DIMM by itself until you’ve isolated the module with a problem. Try the troubleshooting solutions in the section below, as applicable. If you have access to another PC that uses the same type of RAM, put your suspect memory in it and run Memtest86 on that computer. If no errors surface, the RAM might be incompatible with the memory controller in the original motherboard’s chipset (for Intel-based PCs) or in the processor (for AMD Athlon 64, X2, Sempron, and FX-based computers). If a DIMM causes errors consistently or intermittently on both PCs, you can bet it’s defective in some way. Contact the reseller or manufacturer about replacing it or getting a refund. Lapses Of Memory Sometimes bad things happen with good RAM. Here’s a list of common problems and possible fixes.

Problem: Errors start only after the PC has been running for a few minutes or during heavy workloads.

Solution: Check that the PC’s fans are all running and that there is decent airflow over the RAM and other devices. Carefully blow out any dust. Also, verify in the BIOS that the RAM is running at its specified voltage, such as 2.2v.

Problem: Your RAM works with one motherboard, but not another.

Solution: Check the motherboard manufacturer’s site for compatibility with specific brands and model numbers of RAM modules. Note that some motherboards may be compatible with particular sticks of memory only at slower timings (such as a CAS [column address strobe] setting of 4 or 5) or FSB (front side bus)/system bus/Hyper- Transport speeds, such as 667MHz. Timings refer to how often (usually in CPU clock cycles) different operations happen in the RAM, whereas the FSB/system bus/HT speed describes the rate of data transfer between the RAM and the CPU. You may be able to change some or all of these settings in the BIOS. Other boards may require you to slightly increase the voltage to the DIMM slots in order to get the RAM to run stably.

Problem: The RAM is approved for your motherboard, but it’s still causing problems.

Solution: Try different DIMM slot(s). Consult the motherboard’s documentation to determine which slots should work best with the number and size of your RAM module(s).

Problem: You can’t run your RAM in dual channel mode, which allows the CPU to access both sticks simultaneously for a slight performance gain.

Solution: Both the motherboard and processor must support dual channel memory access. For example, a 939- pin Athlon 64 CPU supports dual channel, but a 754-pin Athlon 64 CPU can’t. Also, you must place the pair(s) of DIMMs in particular slots, which are color-coded on some motherboards. Dual channel mode may not work well unless you use identical RAM modules.

Problem: The metal heat spreader covering the module doesn’t touch all the chips.

Solution: Your best option is to send the RAM module back for replacement, if it’s still under warranty. If your warranty coverage has run out, you can try removing and reseating the heat spreader. Buy some double-sided thermal tape from an enthusiast site such as FrozenCPU .com. Next, carefully work off the heat spreader’s clips with a small screwdriver. Remove the metal heat spreader halves, then clean the old tape residue from it and the DIMM’s chips with isopropyl alcohol. If either heat spreader piece is bent, straighten it so that it will make better contact with the chips. Apply new thermal tape to the heat spreader halves, then attach them to the RAM module in the correct positions. Squeeze the spreader halves firmly over each pair of chips to help the thermal tape adhere, then reattach the spreader’s clips.

Basic Troubleshooting Firewalls

Keeping safe online can be explained in two easy steps: Keep the bad stuff out and the good stuff in. Firewalls can do both, which makes them a vital piece of software in today’s age of hack attacks, adware, and spyware of every kind. A firewall is like a moat around your computer. It screens inbound and outbound traffic to determine if it should pass, keeping malicious code such as virus attacks from getting into your system and keeping private data from getting out when keylogging programs and other nasty codes try to steal it. Windows XP (Service Pack 2) comes with a built-in firewall called the Windows Firewall. But many notebooks and desktops come preloaded with third-party software from Symantec (www.symantec.com), McAfee (www.mcafee.com), CA (www.ca.com), Zone Labs (www.zonelabs.com), and others. To see which firewall you have (or whether you have one at all), click Start and All Programs and look for the vendor’s name.

When the firewall stops working, so does your Internet connection or even your whole computer. But there are ways to fix it, and most of them are simple. Who’s At Fault? First things first. Before you get started, you need to know what’s truly causing your problem. Is it your firewall? Your ISP (Internet service provider)? Your phone line? The best way to determine if your firewall is playing tricks on you is to turn it off and see if your problem persists. If the problem disappears, you know what the culprit is. If the problem persists, remember that many things can prevent you from viewing a Web site, sending or receiving email, using a chat program, streaming a movie, or sending photos to Flickr (www.flickr.com) or My- Space (www.myspace.com), all of which are tasks governed by firewalls because they involve the transmission of data over the Internet. For instance, if you can’t view a Web site, the problem could be the settings in your Web browser or a problem on the Web site itself. Some Web sites use ActiveX and JavaScript types of code that give a Web page advanced features but also give hackers a way to exploit your computer which your browser may block for safety. (To check your security settings in Internet Explorer, including your ActiveX and JavaScript settings, click Tools, Internet Options, and Security.) The Nitty Gritty If you think your firewall is at fault, try the steps below to fix the most common problems. If you don’t find what you need, try your software’s users guide, Web site, or support line, since most firewall problems are well-known to the companies that make them.

Problem: I can’t send or receive data on my computer.

Solution: A firewall keeps the bad stuff out and the good stuff in, but sometimes it can keep programs you need from sending and receiving the data they need to function. In that case, the program is said to be “blocked.” Often you’ll see a pop-up window explaining this and prompting you to unblock the program or continue to block it. For instance, if Windows Firewall has blocked a program, it will show you a message reading, “To help protect your computer, Windows Firewall has blocked some features of this program.” The message has three buttons: Keep Blocking, Unblock, and Ask Me Later. If you know and trust the program that’s trying to send or receive data, just click the Unblock button, and the problem is solved. (NOTE: The Windows Firewall only blocks incoming data. Only third-party firewalls, such as the firewall in Symantec’s Norton Internet Security or McAfee’s Internet Security Suite, will block data from leaving your computer as well as invading it.)

Problem: I need to unblock a program, but I’m not prompted to do so.

Solution: Most firewalls will show you an alert when a program tries to send or receive data over the Internet, prompting you to block the program, unblock it, or defer your decision. If you don’t see an alert, you’ll have to unblock the program directly. The procedure varies slightly from program to program, but it’s largely the same. For instance, to unblock a program using the firewall in Norton Internet Security, look for the Norton icon in the System Tray (the set of icons in the bottom-right corner of your screen, next to the clock). The icon, which differs slightly from version to version, looks like a globe combined with a grid. When you’ve found the icon, double-click it to open the Norton control panel. Next, click Personal Firewall and then Configure. Click the Programs tab. In the Manual Program Control section, Click Add and then browse to the program you’d like to add. (Most programs can be found in C:\Program Files, the default location for Windows software.) From there, just follow the prompts to return to the Desktop and reboot your system.

Problem: I can’t print to a networked printer or access documents on another computer.

Solution: Sometimes your firewall will keep you from using a network resource, such as a printer or a document store, on your small or home office network. If your company gave you the computer and the IT department installed your network and firewall, it’s best to let someone from your company resolve this problem. You’re not passing the buck; you’re just being careful because you might change a setting that unwittingly opens your corporate network to attack. If you’re using your own network and have more leeway to alter your software’s settings, you can fix the problem fairly quickly. If you’re using the built-in Windows Firewall, which is the software most likely to block a printer or file share, open the Windows Security Center by clicking Start and Run and typing Wscui.cpl in the Open box. Then click OK. In the Windows Security Center window, click the Windows Firewall link at the bottom, choose the Exceptions tab, and select the File and Printer Sharing option from the Programs And Services list. Click OK and close the Security Center window and reboot your computer. This will give you access to shares that were blocked, but there’s a catch: Using the File And Printer Sharing exception on any computer that’s directly connected to the Internet can give hackers access to the shared documents on your network. To guard against this, you can double-click the File And Printer Sharing option in the Programs And Services menu and click the Change Scope button in the Edit a Service dialog box. In the Change Scope dialog box, make sure that My network (subnet) only is checked and follow the prompts to return to the Desktop and reboot your system. But even that can expose you to unneeded risk. A far better way to fix the problem is to use a third-party firewall that will give you full access to your network, without exposing your machine to the dangers of the wild, wild Web. By Microsoft’s own admission, the Windows Firewall is not designed to give you full protection, merely to add a basic layer of defense to Windows.

Problem: I can’t turn my firewall on.

Solution: Two things will keep you from using your firewall: The first is a faulty installation, which you can often fix quickly. The second is more worrisome. Spyware and other malware can turn off or completely kill your firewall as part of its plan to hijack your system. If you think your firewall did not install properly, uninstall and reinstall it using the directions that came in your software’s users guide (or see the problem below on uninstalling your firewall). On the other hand, if your firewall installed correctly and worked fine until you clicked a suspicious Web site or opened a specious email, use a spyware/adware detector to clean your system. Norton, McAfee, Zone Labs, and LavaSoft (www.lavasoftusa.com) all make well known programs that can remove most but not all malware from your system. You can also contact your firewall vendor to see if it offers a fix. For instance, McAfee’s firewalls can be attacked by spyware that very subtly edits the Windows Registry to disable it. (The Registry is a master database of program settings in nearly all versions of Windows.) It alters the following Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ Winlogon\Notify\Sens- Logn to read as follows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ Winlogon_disable\Notify\ SensLogn In the second key, there’s an extra word (“disable”). Rather than fix it yourself, it’s better to contact your support team because even the smallest change to the Registry can result in disastrous effects. Once you’ve run a spyware tool or a utility from your firewall vendor, you may have to reinstall your firewall because malware can leave it so damaged that you need a fresh copy. If the problem still persists after all these steps, contact your firewall vendor again to seek help.

Problem: My firewall turned off Internet Connection Sharing.

Solution: ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) is a Microsoft program that lets you share one Internet connection among many computers. Some firewalls turn it off when they install, along with connection sharing programs from any vendor. One solution is to repeat the ICS setup. But first check with your firewall vendor; some make tools you can download to reestablish your ICS connection quickly. You can download the tools from the vendors’ Web sites. Also be careful about the effects ICS can have on your firewall. Some vendors note that you can install their firewall on the ICS gateway (that is, the computer that’s directly connected to the Internet) and guard all computers that share its connection from malicious inbound traffic. But if you want to guard against outbound traffic, you’ll have to install the firewall on every ICS computer you want to protect.

Problem: I can’t uninstall my firewall.

Solution: Firewalls can be hard to uninstall. Spyware, adware, and hack attacks can try to alter or remove your firewall from your system, so firewall vendors make the programs stick to it. The best way to remove a firewall is to use the Add Or Remove Programs feature in the Windows Control Panel because it triggers the firewall’s builtin removal process. If the Add Or Remove Programs feature doesn’t work, consult your users guide or vendor’s Web site to see if there are different ways to remove the software. For instance, you can remove certain McAfee programs, including the McAfee Personal Firewall Plus, with a program called the McAfee Removal Tool that you can download from www.mcafee.com.

Problem: I have two firewalls running at once.

Solution: By all means, turn one off. Using more than one firewall does not make your system any safer. It just makes it harder to manage inbound and outbound traffic by setting rules, policies, and exceptions because you now have twice as much work. Most experts suggest you use a third-party product over WinXP’s built-in firewall because the Windows version only protects against malicious inbound traffic. If you’ve unknowingly installed a piece of spyware that begins to send your personal data over the Internet, Windows Firewall has no way of protecting against it. (The firewall in Windows Vista does protect against malicious outbound traffic, but users have to configure the protection themselves because it’s turned off by default.)

Problem: I can’t configure my firewall. All the options and advanced settings are grayed out.

Solution: This is an occasional problem with the Windows Firewall. It means that you’re not logged on to your system as an administrator and don’t have the right permissions to alter sensitive system settings. To fix the problem, log off and then log back on as an administrator. If you’re using a corporate desktop or notebook, your account may not have administrator’s rights, and you’ll have to ask your IT department to do the work for you. (It’s possible your IT group did this to keep you from changing your settings and leaving a hole in the network.) If you can’t alter the advanced settings of firewalls from Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro (www.trendmicro.com), Zone Labs, and others, you should run antispyware and antiadware programs on your system to ensure a hack attack is not the root of your problem.

Problem: I can’t connect to my office VPN.

Solution: A virtual private network lets you send encrypted information through the Internet to your office computers, keeping it safe even though it moves through a highly public set of networks. On occasion, your firewall will conflict with your VPN software, leaving you without a connection to the office. If this happens, contact your help desk or IT department and notify them of the problem. If you alter your firewall or VPN settings, you could unknowingly open a hole in your corporate network.

Problem: I keep losing my Internet connection.

Solution: If you can’t keep a connection, check your modem, phone line, or any software that governs your connection. But there’s a chance your firewall is the nosy culprit. Some ISPs save money by disconnecting idle users to keep them from chewing up modems and bandwidth. To determine if a user is idle, the ISP sends a heartbeat message a small packet of data to test your connection to your machine. Some firewalls anti block heartbeats because they tend to use protocols that hackers also exploit. Zone Labs is one such firewall, but you can instruct it to permit heartbeats. If and when your ISP cuts your connection, open the Zone Labs Log Viewer by clicking the Alerts & Logs button in the Zone Labs interface. Then peruse the list to find the disconnection alert and note the Source DNS in the Entry Detail field. (DNS stands for Domain Name System, the method computers use to translate domains or Web site names into a set of numbers, and vice versa. Once you’ve found the DNS information a series of four numbers separated by dots add it to Zone Labs’ Trusted Zone. If you can’t find the DNS number you need, call your ISP to ask for the DNS number of the server that sends out heartbeats. Tell them why you need it, too, since it’s not every day that someone asks them for private network data. If you keep your firewall in good working order, you can trust it to keep you safe from the threats that mar an otherwise wonderful Web.

Basic Troubleshooting Email

Email has become as much a part of everyday life as cell phones, Google, and Paris Hilton news. There are a wealth of options for those who want to swap messages with friends, family, and colleagues email applications range from free, open-source options to simple Web-based types, such as Hotmail (www .hotmail.com) or Yahoo! Mail (mail.yahoo.com), to the most ubiquitous of all applications, Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, or OE, (www.microsoft.com). Like any software, email programs have their glitches in terms of message handling, security, storage space, and general operations. Fortunately, they also tend to be fairly straightforward applications, which can make troubleshooting easier. Working Status The first step in identifying potential problems is to understand the version of the email program you are using and how it operates normally. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be using Outlook Express. To identify the specifications of Outlook Express on a system, navigate to the Help drop-down menu and click About Microsoft Outlook Express. A pop-up box will come up with the version of the application. (In our case, we’re using Outlook Express 6.) Normal operation of any email program, including Outlook Express, is fairly straightforward: Emails can be written in a message field and sent without difficulty or received in a timely fashion and formatted in such a way that reading it all is just a matter of scrolling down the page. More high-level functionality includes making sure an address book is working or that identity protections are in place, but again, problems in those spheres will result in an error message. In other words, no OE system messages tends to mean that all is well. Problem set although it would be nice to zip through life with no error messages ever, Outlook Express is an application and, like any piece of software, can have difficulty in combining with specific system settings or in transferring or storing data. Here are some common problems in OE and how to get rid of them quickly. Message Handling

Problem: Server error messages come up when I send and receive mail.

Solution: There are a number of messages that might crop up related to the server while it is trying to deliver or send mail. These might include: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it. The server could not be found. There are several areas to check when the server is involved, with the first being firewalls. Often, firewalls are configured to restrict the type of network traffic that it considers suspicious or to only allow certain applications to send information over the network. If using a firewall from McAfee (www.mcafee.com) or Symantec (www.symantec.com), you’ll have to check the application permissions. For example, with McAfee, that would involve right-clicking the McAfee icon, navigating to Personal Firewall, and then clicking Internet Applications. What will appear is a Permissions list of the applications that are allowed to access the Internet. If Outlook Express is not checked for approval, select it and then restart the computer. (NOTE: Keep in mind that with some troubleshooting fixes, it might be necessary to temporarily turn off security features on the system. If this is the case, be sure to put security measures back into place or restart the computer, so it can boot up with the proper security settings after mending the problem.)

Another common error message is: Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for this include server problems, network problems, or a long period of inactivity. What might be happening is that server is timing out before messages can be sent. Basically, the connection opens for a certain amount of time, but the server isn’t leaving the window open long enough. To fix the problem, go to the Tools menu in OE and click Accounts and then the Mail tab to view the list of accounts. Highlight the POP3 account in question and click the Advanced tab to view your current settings. Microsoft recommends gradually increasing the timeout setting using the slider until you find the right setting for your machine.

Problem: You receive an error when opening messages or sending to people in your address book.

Solution: When there is a problem in message handling that isn’t server related, error messages may include: There was an error opening this message. The Address Book failed to load. Outlook Express is incorrectly configured, please re-install. Some of the recipients for this message are not valid. Please verify the names. If the message in question contains an attachment, the first step would be to ask the sender to retry without the attachment. The system, and particularly the firewall, could be blocking the message because it finds it suspicious. With all three error messages, a fix might be to remove and reinstall Outlook Express. If using Windows XP Home, click Start and Run. In the text box, type appwiz.cpl and click OK, which will cause a screen to appear with Add Or Remove Programs. Navigate to Add/Remove Windows Components. In the list that appears, click to clear the Outlook Express checkbox and click Next. Outlook Express will be removed. Run through the same process to add it back in: Go to Start, Run, type appwiz.cpl, and instead of removing Outlook Express, check the box, click Next, and it will be added back in. Once the installation is done, click Finish. This will reinstall the application using default settings and hopefully reset the application and its components. (NOTE: Don’t attempt to remove Outlook Express from a computer running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, which relies on the email application to run properly. For example, automated messages meant for managing the server could be stop-ped if Outlook Express is reinstalled.)

Problem: An attachment you received has been blocked.

Solution: If the sender attempts to resend a previously blocked message without the attachment, and it gets through fine, the difficulty might be that Outlook Express is blocking the attachment. To get it through, go to Tools in the OE menu bar and select Options. In the Options window, select the Security tab and uncheck the option for Do Not Allow Attachments To Be Saved Or Opened That Could Potentially Be A Virus and click OK. Before doing this, make sure that virus protection is in place, however. After you receive the attachment, change your settings back to ensure no unwelcome attachments make it through. In a workplace, changing attachment security settings is not possible because Microsoft administrators consider some file types to be too dangerous to let onto a system. These might include file extensions such as .EXE, .CMD, and .MSP.

Problem: The messages in my Inbox aren’t in the order I want them.

Solution: Outlook Express gives you the option to select how you would like to arrange the messages within your folders. To change the arrangement of your messages, click Tools and Sort By. In the resulting drop-down menu you can choose to arrange your messages by Priority, Attachment, Flag, From, Subject, or Received. At the bottom of the drop-down menu, you can also select Sort Ascending or Sort Descending for each of the categories. So, for example, if you want your messages to display with the most recent messages at the top of your Inbox, click Tools, Sort By, and Received and select the Sort Descending option. This menu can also be helpful if you want to find a specific email or group of emails. You an easily select the criteria you’re looking for, such as From or Subject, to find the email in question and then change your settings back to what you prefer as the default once you’ve identified the email you need. Storage Challenges

Problem: You receive a message notifying you that your storage limit has been reached.

Solution: Many email programs are building more storage into the system for users, but large attachments, such as photos and video, can still bring a mailbox to its limit. After receiving a message about storage limitations, the easiest tactic is to do some digital housecleaning. Delete some messages, focusing specifically on those that have attachments. Another option is to download attachments to the hard drive, so you can delete the email. To do this, select the message with the attachment, go to the File menu, and select Save Attachments. If the email has more than one attachment, you will have the option to save just one of or all of the attachments. Once that option is chosen, you can save the attachment anywhere, such as on a CD or to the Desktop. General Operations

Problem: My file is too large to be sent over email.

Solution: With the growth of video content, PowerPoint files, and other media-rich applications, it’s increasingly common that large files present a challenge for email users. Whereas photos and images can be sent separately, something such as a PowerPoint presentation can’t be broken down into components. Fortunately, with compression software, it doesn’t have to be. One particularly popular option is WinZip (www.winzip.com), made by Corel. The latest version, 11.0, can be purchased online for $29.95 and has a number of intuitive features. To “stuff” a file and make it smaller for emailing, open the WinZip application, and a screen will appear with options that include New, Wizard, Add, and Extract. The easiest way to Zip a file is to using the WinZip Wizard. When you open WinZip, the Wizard may open automatically. If not, click the Wizard button and select Create A New Zip File when you’re asked What Do You Want To Do?. Click Next and follow the instructions to create your new Zip file. After you’ve saved the file to a folder of your choice, you can attach it to an email as you would any other file and send. Other choices for compression include PKZIP ($29; www.pkware.com), StuffIt Standard ($24.99; www.stuffit.com), and ZipGenius (free; www.zip genius.it).

Problem: Web links don’t work from inside an email message.

Solution: Problems with Web links can occasionally be an issue with the type of browser being used, but more often it’s associated to the way the email program interacts with the browser. One solution might be to download the latest version of your preferred browser, whether it’s Firefox (www .mozilla.com), Internet Explorer, Opera (www.opera.com), or any of the other browser options. Some users don’t keep their browsers up-to-date, and settings that are revamped in Outlook Express can conflict with older versions. Because OE is a Microsoft product, it might be prudent to utilize the company’s newly refreshed IE 7 browser, which you can download at www.microsoft.com/windows/ie. The Web site will guide you through the downloading process. After the installation, make sure that IE is the default browser so that when Web links appear in an email, it will use IE to open them. To do that, select Control Panel from the Start menu, double click Internet Options, and click the Programs tab. In the Default Web Browser section, make sure the Tell Me If Internet Explorer Is Not The Default Web Browser box is checked and click OK. The next time IE is opened, it will ask to be the default browser. Click Yes. Sources Of Help For many general questions, including those related to security, storage, or message routing, answers may be found by accessing OE’s Help function, which can be accessed by pressing F1 or by clicking Contents And Index in the Help menu. You can access Help files by using the Content, Index, and Search tabs. The Contents tab is organized by subject, and the Index tab contains an alphabetical list of subjects. If you are unsure where to start, use the Search SOFTWARE Email If you use Internet Explorer as your browser, setting it as your default browser in Internet Properties will help to ensure that links within your emails will open properly. Reference Series / Fix Your Own PC 155 tab to help you narrow down topics that might be helpful. Another choice if problems keep occurring with Outlook Express is to consider buying repair and recovery utilities, available though the Microsoft site and developed by companies such as ScanDBX (www.scandbx.com), DataNumen (www.datanumen.com), Recovery ToolBox (www.oemailre covery.com), and Accurate Solution (www.accuratesolution.net). The ScanDBX tool, for example, is designed to repair damaged OE files and installations, while DataNumen’s Advanced Outlook Express Repair is geared toward file recovery.

Web Mail In addition to Outlook Express, many users opt to have Web-based accounts as well, either as a supplement to OE, or as their sole email. Providers such as Hotmail or Yahoo! sometimes act as a “junk mailbox” for users who want to limit the amount of spam and e-newsletters that are delivered to their primary accounts. Much more simplified than a fullfeatured application such as Outlook Express, Web mail tends to be fairly stripped down and straightforward. Users can employ tools to limit junk mail, set a different reply-to address for messages, create custom filters that send incoming messages to specific folders, and get alerts on a mobile device whenever there’s a new message. For Hotmail, settings can be tweaked, and troubleshooting can be done by selecting Options from the upper-right corner of the Web page. That will bring up a page with a number of features to access, and the one usually most helpful when there are email difficulties is Mail Display Settings, located under the Mail tab.

Another helpful section can be accessed through the Help link in the lower-right corner of the screen. Click Common Problems With POP Accounts to access subsequent screens to help you identify what the difficulty might be, such as trying to access an MSN email account from behind a corporate firewall. Yahoo! is currently testing a beta version of its forthcoming Webmail, which looks more like Outlook Express than previous iterations. In terms of its current mail application, however, it resembles Hotmail, including having its Options link at the top-right corner of the page. But Yahoo! trumps its online competitor in terms of having more complete troubleshooting information in its Help section, including the opportunity to contact customer care directly. Other email programs, such as Google’s Gmail (www.gmail.com) and Apple’s Mac Mail (www.apple.com), also put their troubleshooting tips into a section called Help and give tips on creating different mail settings as well as fixing any problems that crop up. In general, whether using Outlook Express, a subscription service such as Mac Mail, an account from a local ISP such as Comcast (www.comcast.com), or just a vanilla Web-based app such as Yahoo!, email can be a boon for communication, and in some ways, it doesn’t matter which software you pick.

After all, a message is the same whether sent through Hotmail or Outlook Express. But tapping into the troubleshooting power folded into every application will definitely make sure those messages don’t get lost in the digital ether.

Basic Troubleshooting Browsers

Stagnant for years, the Web browser is seeing a new wave of excitement crest as major versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox have been released recently. While early browsers were limited to the display of Web pages, modern browsers are more properly thought of as frameworks for viewing and interacting with a variety of sites, including Web-based applications such as email and rich media such as video not just traditional HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) pages. Users are excited about the features and functionality that the new browsers offer, but these updates open the door to a different set of software issues and problems. Over the next few pages, we’ll show you how to fix common kinds of browser errors, as well as how to determine if the problem is really with your Web browser in the first place. We’ll focus on troubleshooting the latest versions of the most popular browsers for Microsoft Windows XP Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox 2 two free programs that control over 90% of market share by most estimates. While we won’t explicitly consider other operating systems, Firefox has versions available for other operating systems, so some of the information presented herein may be applicable to those versions. As well, some of the general tips may be applicable to other browsers, such as Opera and Safari. Product Information Since your browser is a piece of software, you can easily obtain the version number to aid you in your troubleshooting.

To determine your browser version, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Help menu and select About Firefox . .(for Firefox) or About Internet Explorer (for IE 7).

2. In the window that appears, look for the version number immediately under the product name. Earlier versions may have slightly different selections in the Help menu; if so, look for an About option or an option that appears like it. If you don’t see anything like these, you likely don’t have a current version of your browser. Working Status Your browser depends on a stable, unimpeded connection to the Internet. If your browser does not appear to function, it may be your online connection rather than your browser that is actually at fault. If you have current versions of both Firefox and IE installed on your PC and why not, since they’re both free? when one browser isn’t working, start the other one and see if you can reach the Web. If you can’t reach the site you’re trying to reach, then try to reach another big site that will likely be up examples include www.google.com, www.yahoo .com, and www.microsoft.com. If you can reach any site through another browser, you can eliminate the possibility that your Internet connection is malfunctioning. Also, check the network connection icon in the System Tray (the area next to your computer’s clock) to make sure that the network connection is up. Another way to verify your Internet connection is through this simple test: Click the Windows Start button on your Desktop. Select Run . . . In the Run window’s “Open” text box, enter the word command, and then click OK. In the Command window that appears, enter the command ping www.google.com and then press ENTER. (If you get a security check from your firewall, give permission for the connection.)

You should get several lines of text, including a number of lines that say something along the lines of “Reply from 209.73.186.238: bytes=32 time=34ms TTL=51.” (The numbers in the response will vary.) If the number after “time” is relatively low for instance,under 100 for most modern connections the problem is not your Internet connection. If you get a response like “Ping request could not find host www.google .com. Please check the name and try again,” try entering the command ping www.yahoo.com. If you get an error with that one as well, then you likely have a bad Internet connection. If you get a set of responses that include “Request timed out” and something like “Reply from 209.73.186.238: bytes=32 time=34ms TTL=51” and/or you have a number after “time=” that’s over 200, then this means that your Internet connection may be up, but it may be slow. If this happens with only one site, it indicates a problem with the Web site you’re trying to reach. If you get that kind of result with multiple sites, then the problem is probably with your Internet connection or your Internet service provider not with your browser. To troubleshoot an Internet connection, see “What To Do When . . . You Can’t Go Online”. Problems & Solutions

Problem: Issues with browsers earlier than Firefox 2 and IE 7.

Solution: Upgrade. The latest version of Firefox and IE offer many security and functionality upgrades. If you don’t upgrade, you will not experience the full benefit of the modern Web. If you can’t upgrade to IE 7 (e.g. you have a pre-Windows XP PC), upgrade to the latest version of Firefox. If your PC can’t run either Firefox 2 or IE 7, then you should seriously consider upgrading your PC the security benefits of these browsers make this a great reason to upgrade your PC. The only reason that you shouldn’t switch is if you have certain applications that will not run in Firefox 2 or in IE 7. Examples of this might be a proprietary system at work that works in only one browser. (In general, you should never upgrade a work system without first talking to the appropriate IT professional at your employer.) If you have to use a certain browser version for a particular application, then consider using that browser for only that reason and using the latest version of Firefox or IE for everything else. If you are using IE on a pre-XP system, at the very least, make sure that you have the latest version of IE by using Windows Update.

Problem: Browser won’t start.

Solutions for Internet Explorer: Try each of these steps and, after each, see if IE starts correctly.

1. Reboot. First restart your computer and see if the browser will work after rebooting.

2. Check for malware. Update your antispyware and antivirus software and do complete antivirus and spyware checks on your PC. If malware is found, remove it and then try to start IE. If it starts, the malware was probably causing the issue.

3. Try a different home page. Click the Start button and select Control Panel. (Control Panel may be in the Settings menu.) Select Internet Options. In the window that appears, under the General tab, change the Home Page box to about:blank. Click OK. Try to start IE and browse to another Web site but not your original home page; if it works, the problem is with the home page you are using. Try troubleshooting with the plug-in section below.

4. Clear all cached data. Go to Internet Options as described above. In the General tab, under Browsing History, click Delete. Click Delete Files and then confirm by clicking Yes. Click Delete Cookies and then confirm by clicking Yes. Click Delete History and then confirm by clicking Yes. Click Close and then OK in the primary window. Try to start IE; if it works, you’ve likely solved the problem.

5. Disable unused extensions. Go to Internet Options as described above. On the Programs tab, click the Manage Add-ons . . . button. Disable any add-ons that you don’t use by clicking on the add-on listing and click the Disable radio button. When you have disabled all of the add-ons you don’t use, click OK, and then click OK in the Options window. Try to start IE. If it works, one of the add-ons was the problem. Re-enable each of add-ons in turn by following the steps above, except click the Enable radio button for each. After you enable one, try to start IE. If it fails, then you know that extension was at fault.

6. Use Default Settings. Go to Internet Options as described above. Go to the Advanced tab. Click Restore Advanced Settings. Then click Reset. Confirm that you want to do this by clicking Reset in the window that appears. Click OK and try IE again. 7. Reinstall. If none of these steps work, then reinstall IE

7. First, download the executable at www.microsoft .com/windows/ie /downloads. (If you don’t have another browser installed, use another system to download the executable, then copy it to your primary PC.) Then, if you can, uninstall IE 7. Click the Start button and select Control Panel /Add Or Remove Programs. (Remember, Control Panel may be nested in the Settings menu. If IE 7 came installed with your PC, you may not be able to uninstall it using the Add Or Remove Programs window. If this is the case, then skip this step.) Then, click on the listing for Internet Explorer 7 and click Remove. After clicking through the removal routine, run the IE 7 executable that you downloaded.

Solutions for Firefox: Try each of these steps and, after each, see if Firefox starts correctly.

1. Reboot. First restart your computer and see if the browser will work after rebooting.

2. Check for malware. Update your antispyware and antivirus software and do complete antivirus and spyware checks on your PC. If malware is found, remove it and then try to start Firefox.

3. Try starting in Safe Mode. From the Start/ All Programs (or Programs)/ Mozilla Firefox menu, select Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode). If you can get Firefox running in Safe Mode, try steps 4 and 5 under the “Problem: A page does not behave correctly . . .” section if that doesn’t help, continue with step 4.

4. Clear all cached data. Click the Start button and select My Computer. Go to the folder C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Username]\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\ Profiles. Under each folder in Profiles, delete the Cache folder. Then go to C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Username]\ Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\ Profiles. Delete the History.dat file from each folder in the Profiles folder. Try to start Firefox.

5. Remove extensions and plugins. Using My Computer as shown in Step 4, delete the contents of the C:\ Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\Extensions but not the folder itself. Delete the contents of the C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\Plugins folder but not the folder itself. (If Firefox is installed in a different folder, you will need to change the C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox above to correspond to the folder in which you installed Firefox.)

6. Reinstall. If none of these steps work, reinstall Firefox. First, using IE, download the executable at www .mozilla.com. Uninstall Mozilla. Click the Start button and select Control Panel/Add Or Remove Programs. Then click on the listing for Mozilla Firefox and click Remove. After clicking through the removal routine, run the Firefox executable that you downloaded.

Problem: A page does not behave correctly the formatting is messed up or it just doesn’t work properly. If you have a problem with a specific Web page, it is generally a configuration problem, or there may be an incompatibility with the browser you’re using.

Solutions for Internet Explorer:

Try each of these steps in turn and see if it corrects the problem.

1. If you have Firefox installed, try it for the Web site in question. This can allow you to work around the problem if nothing else helps, as some sites work better in Firefox than in IE.

2. Reboot. First restart your computer and see if the browser will work after rebooting.

3. Check for malware. Update your antispyware and antivirus software and do complete antivirus and spyware checks on your PC.

4. Clear all cached data. Follow the cache clearing instructions in the “Browser won’t start” section above.

5. Pop-ups. Select Internet Options from the Tools menu. Then click the Privacy tab. If the Turn On Pop-up Blocker box is unchecked, go to the next step. Otherwise, click the Settings button immediately next to Block Pop-up Windows. In the window that appears, enter the domain of the Web site that you are having a problem with in the Address Of Website To Allow box and then click Add. Click Close, then OK.

6. Reset Security. Click Tools/Internet Options. Click the Security tab. Click on Internet Zone if it’s not already selected. Set the Security Level For This Zone selector to Medium-high. If the Reset All Zones To Default Levels button is active, click it. Click the Privacy tab. If the Security slider is set to a setting higher than Medium, then set it to Medium. Click OK.

7. Upgrade. Make sure that you’re using the latest version by going to win dowsupdate.microsoft .com and downloading the latest updates.

Solutions for Firefox:

Try each of these steps in turn and then try using Firefox to see if the step corrects the problem.

1. If you have IE installed, try it for the Web site in question. This can allow you to work around the problem if nothing else helps, as some sites will not work in Firefox no matter what you do.

2. Reboot. Restart your PC and see if the browser works after rebooting.

3. Check for malware. Update your antispyware and antivirus software and do complete antivirus and spyware checks on your PC.

4. Clear your cache. Select Clear Private Data from the Tools menu. Select Cache and Authenticated Sessions only, and then click OK.

5. Check for updates. Select Tools/ Check For Updates. The window that appears will tell you if there are updates to be downloaded. If there are, follow the instructions in the window and update your Firefox.

6. Popups. Select Tools/Options. . . Then click the Content tab. If the Block Popup Windows box is unchecked, then you are done with this step. Otherwise, click the Exceptions button immediately next to Block Pop-up Windows. In the window that appears, enter the domain of the Web site with which you are having a problem and click Allow. Click Close, and then click OK.

7. Javascript and Java. Select Tools/Options . . . , then click the Content tab. Make sure that the Enable Javascript and Enable Java boxes are checked. Click OK.

8. Accept Cookies. Click Tools/ Options . . . . Then click the Privacy tab. Make sure that the Accept Cookies From Sites box is checked, then click the Exceptions button immediately next to Accept Cookies From Sites. Check the list to see if Firefox is blocking cookies from the problem site. If it is, highlight the listing for the problem site. Click Remove Site. Click Close, then OK.

9. Remove Cookies. Click Tools/ Clear Private Data. Select Cookies only, and then click OK.

Problem: Music, video, or some other media won’t play in a Web site.

Solution:This is almost always a plug-in-related issue. A plug-in (or add-on) is a helper program that extends a browser’s capabilities. The steps to correct a plug-in issue are similar in both IE 7 and Firefox. IE and Firefox will often prompt you with a bar at the top of the window telling you that a plug-in is needed and giving you instructions to install it. If this doesn’t happen, most Web sites indicate what plug-ins are needed to run the site and include a link to download the latest version. Go to the site in question and download the updated plug-in version. Exit your browser, and then install the plug-in. If you still don’t know where to go to install the plug-in, see the Web sites addons.mozilla.org for Firefox and www.ieaddons.com for IE for more information. These sites include links to download and install all of the major plug-ins for the various browsers.

Basic Troubleshooting Antivirus Software.

If you are using any of the most popular AV (antivirus) software programs, including Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan, AVG Antivirus, BitDefender, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, F-Secure Anti-Virus, or Trend Micro PC-cillin, and you haven’t already run into problems, chances are, at least statistically speaking, you will soon enough. For most computer users, AV software is the first line of defense from viruses that rampage about, seeking to destroy data or simply make life miserable. AV software detects, identifies, and eliminates computer viruses and other malware that proliferate on the Internet. Life is good when your AV software is working and up-to-date. But when your AV software conflicts with other programs or refuses to remove or isolate a detected culprit, you’ll be tempted to disable the software because it’s not doing the job it was intended to do. AV software can also eat up precious system resources and make your computer lag like a snail, when you want it to work now.

AV software usually works behind the scenes, so there aren’t any obvious signs reporting everything that is happening while the software is doing its job. This is a good thing, because it lets you sit back, relax, and watch your AV software do the job you paid it to do. Virus Updates Windows makes it fairly easy for you to identify the type of AV software your computer is using. The best place to go if you are using Windows XP Home Edition, including Service Pack 2 (if you are still using Service Pack 1, it’s a good idea to run your Windows Update to download Service Pack 2), is the Windows Security Center. The Security Center detects and lists currently installed AV software (including third-party software). The Security Center also works behind the scenes, constantly checking the state of your AV software. To get to the Windows Security Center, click Start and Control Panel. Click the Security Center icon (in the Classic or Category view). The Windows Security Center dialog box opens. Notice the three security essentials: Firewall, Automatic Updates, and Virus Protection. To best protect your computer, Microsoft recommends all three of these security essentials remain on. Click the Virus Protection selection to expand a description of the AV software running on your computer. While the Windows Security Center can detect most types of antivirus software, it does not detect all antivirus types, as some antivirus programs do not report their status to Windows. If you are sure that your computer is running AV software and the Security Center is not detecting it, check with the AV software manufacturer to see if the software is supported. If the software is supported, you may need to uninstall and reinstall your AV software and update Windows to allow Windows to report your AV software properly. The Security Center isn’t the only place to find out what type of AV software you are using. Click Start and All Programs (or Programs if Windows is using the classic Start menu). In the list of programs, look for the word “antivirus.” (Refer to the first paragraph of this article for the names of some common AV software names.) One other way to find out what antivirus program you’re running is to hover your mouse pointer over the icons in the Taskbar’s System Tray area (the area in the bottom right of your screen that includes the system clock) and wait a brief moment for a yellow description box to appear. The box should include the word “antivirus.” Once you’ve found the antivirus program, right-click the icon, and a Properties menu appears. The menu should include choices to open the AV software or to activate the program options. AV software from most major vendors will download and apply updates, also known as virus definition files, on a regular basis. These updates are necessary to protect your computer from new threats that evolve on the World Wide Web.

Most computer manufacturers include a trial version of AV software on a new computer. And if you like the software you are using, you can renew (on an annual subscription basis) the software when the trial period expires. Identifying Problems Even if you have antivirus software installed on your PC, it doesn’t always mean it is functioning properly or getting regular updates from the Internet. The Windows Security Center makes it easy for you to verify that your AV software is functioning as it should be. To verify that your AV software is functioning properly, click Start and Control Panel. Click Security Center (in the Classic or Category view). The Windows Security Center dialog box opens. Check the Virus Protection category. If it’s shaded blue and includes a green light and the word ON, your AV software is reporting that it is up-to-date and that virus scanning is on. The Security Center will also report the name of the software your computer is running. If the Virus Protection category is shaded red, your virus protection is turned off. If this is the case on your computer, click the Recommendations button and follow the on-screen instructions. You can either turn on your installed AV software or obtain another antivirus program. If the status in the Security Center indicates that the antivirus program on your computer needs attention, but you know that it is installed and functioning correctly, you can override the Security Center’s monitoring by clicking the Recommendations button in the Virus Protection section (should be shaded red). Click the checkbox marked I Have An Antivirus Program That I’ll Monitor Myself. If you choose this option, be advised that Windows will not send any alerts indicating that the AV software is out of date. If you prefer to have Windows alert you (or not alert you) about your antivirus program, you can also modify the Alert Settings in the Windows Security Center. If you modify these settings, you are either telling Windows to stop alerting you altogether about the status of your AV software or you want Windows to alert you if your computer is at risk. To modify the Alert Settings, in the Resources section on the left side of the Security Center dialog box, click the last link in the list titled Change The Way The Security Center Alerts Me. Click the Virus Protection checkbox to have Windows alert you if your computer may be at risk because of your AV software settings. Uncheck the checkbox if you do not want Windows to alert you about your AV software. Common Problems & Solutions There are literally dozens of problems that can happen to AV software, and most are specific to the program you have installed. We’ve identified a few of the more general problems and outlined their solutions.

Problem: My AV software is conflicting with other programs.

Solution: It happens all the time. You are trying to install a program and you receive an error related to your AV software, and the installation stops. Or perhaps you have installed a program and all of a sudden that program stops responding, or your AV software stops working. AV software is powerful, and it can easily conflict with other software programs, including Office applications, drivers, and even Windows itself. To avoid further conflict, temporarily disable your AV software. When the AV software is disabled, you can finish installing your other program (or reinstall if necessary) or uninstall the program causing the conflict. Most AV software programs can be disabled by right-clicking the AV program icon on the Taskbar and selecting Disable from the menu. Just be sure to turn your AV program back on once you’re done installing or reinstalling the applications. You can also try running your AV software updates to check for a new version. Sometimes the manufacturer will discover a bug, so it updates the software to include the fixes for those bugs, which might resolve the conflict you are experiencing.

Problem: I am running two AV software programs on the same computer, but I’m still getting virus and malware alerts.

Solution: Most AV software manufacturers admit that their software isn’t 100% bulletproof. In other words, certain malicious code types can bypass some signature- and heuristic-based technology. Although it’s not recommended, you may be tempted to run two antivirus programs on the same PC. If you want to do this, be aware that there’s a difference between an AV monitor and an AV on-demand scanner. An AV monitor is the part of AV software that constantly checks files before they are executed. An AV on-demand scanner is the part of AV software that runs on a scheduled basis, checking all files for viruses. If you have two antivirus programs installed on the same computer, you shouldn’t run two AV monitors at the same time. AV monitors wire themselves deep into Windows and scan files before they load for execution. If two AV monitors are running simultaneously, they can interfere with each other, causing the computer to hang or slow down. The solution here is to disable one of the AV monitors. For most AV software, this is accomplished by right-clicking the Taskbar icon and then choosing to disable the AV monitor (for example, if you are using Norton AntiVirus, choose Disable Auto-Protect). Disabling the AV monitor does not mean you are disabling the entire AV solution; you’re only disabling the part that automatically scans files before they are executed.

Problem: My AV software has flagged something as potentially dangerous, but it can’t isolate or remove it.

Solution: As we’ve said before, not every AV program is bulletproof. Sometimes intelligent or brand new viruses can squeeze into your computer before your AV software gets a chance to automatically update itself with the latest virus definitions. Chances are your computer has contracted a virus, and your AV software does not know how to handle it. While the software detects suspicious activity, it needs the proper virus definition file to rid your system of what it has contracted. There are several possible solutions to this problem. The first thing you should do is manually update your virus definition files. Along with automatic updating, any good AV software will include an option to manually update the latest virus definition files. When you open Norton AntiVirus 2006, for example, there’s an option on the upper left of the screen to run a Live Update. This update will check for the latest virus definition files, as well as the latest Symantec products and components you have installed. After the latest virus definition files have been downloaded, run a full system scan on your computer to see if your AV software eliminates the culprit it found. If the AV software still fails to remove the flagged file or files (and you are already infected), or if the file your AV program identified is not a virus but is, for example, a worm, Trojan, or backdoor file, the file will most likely not be disinfected and will need to be removed by a program that deals with these types of culprits. Because viruses and other malicious code are becoming smarter, AV software manufacturers are continually developing softwarebased removal tools that do the tedious job of removing infections for you. Removal tools aid you in repairing the damage that may already be done. Check your AV software manufacturer’s Web site for a removal tool section. The AV program will also frequently tell you the name of the malicious program it found, even if it can’t remove it. Try entering the name of the malicious program into a search tool such as Google (www.google.com) to find a removal tool available online. If the flagged file still shows up, it could be that the infected file is one Windows is using. Make sure you shut down every program (other than your AV software) before you run a full scan on your system. If this fails to remove the virus, Windows will have to be run in Safe Mode, or at least be running in a minimum configuration to get rid of the virus. To get into Safe Mode, reboot your computer and watch the on-screen messages. You’ll be given a specific key to press to enter Safe Mode. Press the key when prompted. Some types of viruses automatically start on boot up and cannot be cleaned because the infected files are being used by the computer. Removing these types of viruses requires special procedures; consult your AV software manufacturer’s Web site for specific instructions on how to do this. A word of caution: This usually requires editing the Registry, so be sure to follow your manufacturer’s details explicitly.

Problem: My AV software is using too many of my system resources.

Solution: Some AV software programs are known to drag a computer down because they are resource hogs. It’s no fun when you expect good performance from your computer and the one program that you don’t want to care about actually bothers you. Some antivirus programs take more system resources to run than others, but sometimes your system may be lending itself to the problem. Verify that your system meets the minimum system requirements of the AV software. If you can’t find the information on the software packaging or instruction manual, you can usually find the same information on the manufacturer’s Web site. Be aware that system requirements typically increase with newer versions. Perhaps your hard drive is the cause of the problem. An almost-full hard drive will slow down any system. You should free up as much hard drive space as possible by removing unnecessary programs, deleting temporary files, and defragmenting your hard drive. You can use the built-in Windows Defragmenter or third-party software such as Diskeeper 2007 Home (www.diskeeper.com). You should also scan your hard drive for possible corruption. A hard drive with bad sectors will throw any program out of kilter. You also may want to consider buying more RAM. Adding more memory (make sure you don’t exceed your system’s capacity) can improve the performance of all your programs. As a last resort, if speed is your No. 1 priority and you can part with the AV software that is slowing you down, investigate other options that may not be so taxing on your system. A few of the lighter products available include those from BitDefender (www.bitdefender.com), Kaspersky (www.kaspersky.com), and F-Secure (www.f-secure.com).

Basic Troubleshooting External Storage

The large storage capacity and portability of external hard drives and flash drives make external storage an extremely convenient way to back up, transport, and swap files. Many of us now rely solely on external storage to back up our internal hard drive or to transport multimedia libraries on our key chain. However, when the external storage device you’ve come to depend on is operating poorly or not at all, it can be frustrating and inconvenient especially if the drive contains important work documents or the entire contents of your hard drive. The following troubleshooting tips can help you restore and improve your external storage drive’s swapping and storing capabilities. Malfunction Junction When troubleshooting an external hard drive or flash drive, it’s wise to search the Internet for known incompatibilities relevant to your device and to visit the manufacturer’s Web site to make certain you don’t need any special software or drivers. To find the appropriate download, you need to know the drive’s name, model number, or serial number and its storage capacity. Typically, external hard drives display this identification above the bar code on the bottom of the drive, and flash drives include a name and model number in the accompanying packaging or user’s guide. Operating systems created after Windows 98 don’t require you to install any drivers to recognize external storage drives. Therefore, you can trace the majority of detection problems to a misconnection or incorrectly configured port. If you’re experiencing sluggish file transfer and drive access, the problem is more likely because of inadequate USB or FireWire hardware within your computer. While you can resolve both detection and slow drive problems, an external hard drive that exhibits grinding noises or extremely hot running temperatures may be on its last legs and you should remove data from the drive as soon as possible. The Computer Isn’t Detecting My External Drive

Problem: My external storage device isn’t listed in My Computer.

Solution: Partially connected USB or FireWire connectors (or devices that are inadvertently unplugged) are a common cause of undetected drives. The plug may appear firmly seated, but you should disconnect and reconnect the USB or FireWire connector to ensure the drive is plugged in. If your external storage drive connects to a USB or FireWire hub, ensure the hub has power and that its connector is plugged into the computer. Note that some external storage devices work poorly or not at all when connected to a hub; try connecting the drive directly to a port on the computer. If the drive still isn’t detected, test an external hard drive’s cable by switching it with another USB or FireWire cable.

Problem: My external storage device is connected but not recognized by Windows.

Solution: If you use an external hard drive, ensure the AC power cord and any subsequently connected power strip securely plugs into the power outlet and that both are switched on. Eliminate the port as the source of the problem by connecting your flash drive or external hard drive to another port. If the external storage isn’t recognized in another port, open Device Manger to determine if your port or drive has a system conflict. Select the Start button, Settings, and then click Control Panel. Double-click System, select the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button. Click the plus sign (+) next to Universal Serial Bus Controllers for a drive that connects via USB and the plus sign next to IEEE1394 Bus Host Controllers for a Fire- Wire connected drive. A yellow exclamation point signifies the port has a driver conflict, and a red “X” indicates the port has been disabled. Right-click and select Enable to reopen a disabled port. To resolve a port conflict, right-click and choose Uninstall for each controller until all the USB or IEEE 1394 Controllers are removed. After you uninstall each controller, restart your computer and it will reinstall the proper Bus Host Controllers. To check for an external storage conflict, select the Disk Drives heading and find your external storage drive. If the drive has a conflict, you may need to install its included software and proprietary driver for the computer to recognize the device. If the drive still can’t be detected, uninstall the external drive and then reboot the computer to facilitate its detection.

Problem: My flash drive works fine at home, but isn’t recognized on my work computer.

Solution: Many office networks use mapped network drives that override Windows’ drive lettering system for removable devices. Through the Disk Management utility you can manually assign a drive letter to your flash storage device. Right-click the My Computer icon, select Manage, and then double-click Disk Management. Right-click your flash drive and choose Change Drive Letter And Path. Select an unused drive letter from the dropdown list and click OK. You should now see the flash drive listed under that drive letter in My Computer.

Problem: My computer runs Window 98 and it won’t recognize my external storage device.

Solution: To use any USB device on Win98, you need to update your installation of Windows 98 via the Windows Update Web site. Some USB devices have problems in Win98FE (First Edition) and most work better in Win98SE (Second Edition). You’ll also need to install the Win98 driver that came with your accompanying software. FireWire devices only work in Win98SE, and you’ll need to download a FireWire update before you can detect your FireWire drive. I Can’t Read/Write Data To My External Storage Device

Problem: My external storage device shows up in My Computer, but I can’t access or write to the drive.

Solution: The drive may be incorrectly formatted for Windows or have a corrupt partition. Windows 2000 and XP feature a utility called Disk Management that analyzes your external drive and assigns it an Online, Healthy, or Unreadable status. Open the utility by right-clicking the My Computer icon and selecting Manage. Under the Storage heading, double-click Disk Management to view your external storage drive’s status. If it has an Unreadable status, you need to format the drive to remove the corrupt partition or incompatible Windows file format. Before you do, attempt to transfer the drive’s data onto another computer because formatting completely erases the files on the drive. To format, simply right-click the external hard drive and click Format.

Problem: My external storage device works with Windows, but I can’t access it on Macintosh operating systems.

Solution: You drive is most likely formatted in the NTFS (NT file system) file format. To use external storage on both Windows and Macintosh operating systems, it must be in the FAT32 (32-bit file allocation table) format. You’ll need to reformat the drive and choose FAT32 when prompted for a file format. To reformat the drive, right-click it in My Computer and click Format. My External Storage Works Slowly

Problem: My new external storage device is USB 2.0 compatible but my files don’t transfer any faster than they did with the USB 1.1 external storage device.

Solution: At 480Mbps (megabits per second), USB 2.0 can transfer up to 40 times faster than USB 1.1. But both your computer and any connected hub must have USB 2.0 hardware to perform the higher-speed transfer. If you’re unsure of the computer’s USB capabilities, look under the Universal Serial Bus Controllers in Device Manager. USB 2.0 is denoted by either Standard Enhanced or USB 2.0 Enhanced. If your computer doesn’t support USB 2.0, you can install an add-on card to take advantage of the greater transfer speed. Note that for Windows to support USB 2.0, you must install Service Pack 2 for WinXP or Service Pack 4 for Win2000.

Problem: My FireWire external storage device transfers slowly.

Solution: FireWire 800 (also known as IEEE 1394b) can only transfer at 800Mbps when used with a 9-pin to 9- pin FireWire cable. A 9-pin to 6-pin cable allows for backward compatibility between older FireWire devices, but it only transfers data at 400Mbps. A major benefit of FireWire devices is that you can connect them in a chain, meaning you can connect your digital camcorder to your external hard drive and expect both to communicate with your computer. However, the entire FireWire chain shares the same bandwidth, and if multiple devices are active, you can significantly reduce your transfer speed. If you must daisychain FireWire devices, connect the external hard drive to the computer and place the slower FireWire devices at the end of the chain. In this fashion, your external drive’s data won’t have to pass through the slower devices.

Problem: My external storage drive accesses data slowly when it’s full.

Solution: You can improve your external drive’s performance by running Windows’ Disk Defragmenter utility to better organize the files on your drive. Select the Start menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter. In the Disk Defragmenter window, select your external drive and then click Analyze. Although Windows may indicate the drive doesn’t need to be defragmented, doing so may still improve its performance. Check Disk (or ScanDisk as it’s known in older versions of Windows) is another helpful utility that locates errors and bad sectors on your drive. Open My Computer and find the icon for your external storage device. Right-click the icon, select Properties, and then click the Tools tab. Click the Check Now button and select Automatically Fix File System Errors and Scan For And Attempt Recovery Of Bad Sectors. During the repair, Check Disk may stop to give you the option to save unrecoverable data. This data is an indecipherable jumble of characters that won’t provide any usable files don’t recover the data and let Check Disk continue the repair. External Drive Produces Errors

Problem: Windows reports my USB or FireWire flash drive is write-protected.

Solution: Some flash drives have a write-protect switch located on the side of the drive that locks data from being written to it. Use a ballpoint pen or small object to unlock the drive’s write-protection. It’s also possible to trigger write-protection by unplugging a drive in the process of writing data. Although it’s typically fine to remove an idle flash drive, the Safely Remove Hardware tool in the taskbar is designed to stop Windows from accessing the drive. You can click this icon, even after the error has occurred, to remove the write-protection from the drive. If the drive is still protected, you may need to connect the flash drive to another port and reboot your computer to reset the flash drive’s settings.

Problem: Windows reports that my external storage is full even when it has more than enough free space.

Solution: If your drive uses the FAT32 file format, Disk Is Full or Not Enough Space error messages can occur when you transfer files larger than 4GB. Although FAT32 can’t work with files over 4GB, the NTFS file format can. Win2000 and XP feature a converter tool that lets you convert a drive from FAT32 to NTFS without removing any files from the drive. Before running the converter tool, Windows advises you to back up the drive’s data because an error during the conversion process could corrupt it. Click the Start menu, select Run, type cmd, and then click OK. At the DOS prompt, type convert (drive letter): /fs:ntfs and press Enter. For example, if your external drive’s letter is E, type convert E: /fs:ntfs to change it from FAT32 to NTFS. After you enter the command line, you may be required to enter the drive’s volume name, which will be listed in My Computer next to the external drive’s letter. Past Basic Troubleshooting Most external hard drive and flash drive manufacturers maintain substantial online databases that can help you resolve difficulties. If you experience a problem we didn’t have room to cover in this article, see if your drive’s manufacturer covers the problem online. Should you need to call the manufacturer’s tech support line, have your product identification handy and outline any steps you’ve already taken to solve the problem. This information will not only help expedite the troubleshooting process, but it will also provide the tech support agent a better understanding of your problem.