Windows & Network Troubleshooting

Problem: Windows pops up a message saying, “A HI-SPEED USBdevice plugged into a non-HI-SPEED USB hub.” Cause: This problem generally occurs when one plugs a USB 2.0device into a USB port, the reason being the lack of proper drivers. Solution: In you’re using Windows XP, make sure you have installedthe drivers for proper functioning of the USB 2.0 hub. Most motherboardsrely on Microsoft-certified USB drivers for USB 2.0. You candownload the USB 2.0 drivers from Microsoft’s Web site, or you caninstall Windows XP SP2. Problem: Your Flash drive is 512 MB, but it can’t store data morethan 256 MB Cause: This is a common problem with most cheap Flash drives.Though they are advertised as 512 MB and show up as 512 MB in thesystem, they have a bad memory chip that doesn’t allow copying ofdata more than 256 MB. Solution: Don’t take chances with Flash memory. Buy a Flash driveonly from a reliable and known manufacturer.

Problem: Your drive reads data very slowly. Cause: This could occur if the drive is old, and the laser pickupassembly weakens. It might also happen when the pickup lensgathers dust. Solution: Get a lens cleaning kit and clean the lens. If that doesn’twork, it’s time to get a new drive! Problem: Your CD-RW drive ejects and reloads the disc duringoperation Cause: This isn’t a problem; it’s a mechanism to clear the drive’sbuffer. All CD-RW drives are provided with some buffer memory tosmooth out the writing process. While some drives have a way toclear it out, some aren’t provided with any, in which case the drivemight pop out the disc to clear the buffer memory. Solution: Before buying a drive, make sure it has a way to clear outbuffer memory. To find out what drives have this feature and whichones don’t, ask someone who already has the drive model you’recontemplating buying. Problem: Your CD-ROM drive immediately ejects an empty disc. Cause: This can be either a software or a ha...

Problem: You can’t access the full capacity of a hard drive that’slarger than 8.4 GB. Cause: This a common problem with older computers when thehard drive is upgraded. BIOSes on older machines were writtensuch that they could only recognise hard drives of up to 8 GBcapacity. When one tries to attach a higher-capacity hard drive,the system either recognises it as an 8 GB drive, or fails to recogniseit altogether. Solution: The most commonsolution to this problem is toflash the motherboard BIOS.However, since such motherboardsare really dated, it isquite unlikely that you’ll beable to get hold of new BIOS. Ifyou’re lucky, you might find anew BIOS on the manufacturer’sWeb site. If you don’t, you have the option of installing anIDE-PCI card—a card that fits into the PCI slot and offers two IDE connectorsfor hard drives. These IDE-PCI cards have a separate BIOS,which allows you to attach higher-capacity hard drives. It shouldn’t cost more than Rs 500. Problem: FDISK in Windows 98 miside...

Poor performance: The throughput of a wireless LAN (WLAN) is said to be around 54 Mbps for 802.11g and 11 Mbps for 802.11b. If your computer is using the 802.11b standard and the source is using 802.11g, you will not receive speeds in excess of 11 Mbps. Apart from this simple mismatch, problems with WLANs abound: high utilisation, coverage holes, obstructions, interference and bad access point placement can also affect the speed of the net­work. WLANs work on the radio frequency and use air as the medi­um. Since air has a time lag while sending and receiving signals (as compared to copper), it causes high collision rates and retransmis­sion. These collisions result in noise, which in turn affects network speeds. Gadgets such as microwave ovens affect the performance of a WLAN as well. Other objects include cordless phones that run on the 2.4 GHz frequency, as well as other WLANs. If there are other WLANs within the area, change your WLAN to non-conflicting channels. It’s im...

Wake on LAN: Check if the system you are trying to wake up is connected to the power source. Check for loose cables and for the Wake up on LAN setting in the BIOS (this should be enabled). If you don’t find the “Wake on LAN” setting in the BIOS, your mother­board doesn’t support this feature. Cannot access a system: If you’re trying to connect to a Windows NT/2000/XP-based system and receive a message that the system cannot be found, it’s probably not a network prob­lem—it’s just that the user name might not be listed. To over­come this, just add the user name to the Windows NT, 2000 or XP-based system. System locks up after installing network card: Sometimes, when you install a new LAN card, your system could hang. If that hap­pens, open your machine’s cabinet and remove the LAN card. Clean the LAN card’s golden connectors as well as the PCI slot on the motherboard. Re-plug the card and make sure that the card sits properly in the slot. Now restart the system in Safe...

Missing Protocols In Windows 95 and 98, to check if TCP/IP is installed on your com­puter, go to Network in the Control Panel. If the protocol is installed, it should be listed under the installed Local Area Network properties. If not, you need to reinstall it by clicking the Add button. Select “Microsoft” as the manufacturer, and under the network protocol, select the TCP/IP protocol. You’ll need to reboot the system. If you’re using Windows ME/2000/XP, go to Control Panel > Network and Dial-up connections > Local Area Connection. Here, go to Properties. If the protocol is installed, it should be listed under the network adaptor properties. It is important to note here that a network adaptor is different from a dial-up adaptor. The dial-up adaptor gives you access to the Internet, and not to the LAN. If you don’t see the TCP/IP protocol here, click the Add or Install button, select the protocol and click OK. Once installed, you will need to reboot your system for the changes to ...

The most common problem you might face in networking is when you are not able to see other computers on the network. In this situa­tion you need to follow the following steps. The Device Manager in Windows XPFirst, check if your network card is properly installed. Verify that your network card is properly inserted in the motherboard slot and that the card’s resources are properly set and not conflicting with other hardware. Also check that there are no loose network cable con­nections. If you have connected your home network to a hub or switch, check if the cables are connected properly and that the hub or switch is powered on. It is important to note that the maximum allowable distance from an adapter to the hub is 100 metres. To check if the network cable is properly connected to the back of the computer, look if the LEDs on the network card are proper­ly illuminated. If there is a solid green/yellow LED, or if the light is blinking, it indicates that the card is connected...

Problems One of the common problems many people face is the inability to play some downloaded movie files or video CDs. There might be an error message stating that a particular codec is missing and needs to be installed before the file can play correctly. In many cases, the player will not give any kind of error message, leaving you mystified. Assuming that your CD and DVD drives are working without trouble, the culprit would be the lack of a supporting codec. What are codecs? “Codec” stands for “Compression-Decompression algorithm.” In raw uncompressed form, multimedia files take up a huge amount of space. To minimise the space used, the multimedia video and/or audio files are encoded using a particular codec. When you want to listen to or view the file, a video/audio player decodes the infor­mation in the file using the specific compression-decompression algorithm. When a multimedia player (like Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc.) doesn’t play a particular file, the problem is us...

The screen blanks after it is idle for some time evenwithout the screensaver Cause: This could be due to the Power Management settings in either Windows or the BIOS. The settings control when the moni­tor should blank out after a period of inactivity. Solution: Disable Power Management (ACPI) in the BIOS. If required, disable it in Windows as well. (Right-click on the Desktop, select Properties, and click the Power Management but­ton on the Screen Saver tab). ‘Not Enough Video Memory’ error message comes up Cause: This message would appear when you have run out of both RAM and virtual memory. Solution: Increase the virtual memory of your system. Virtual memory should be at least 1.5 times your physical RAM. In Windows XP, right-click My Computer and select Properties. Click the Advanced tab, and click Settings under Performance. Select the Advanced tab. Under Virtual Memory, click Change. Select Custom, and set Initial equal to the amount of RAM you have and Maximum to 1.5 t...

Read This First Many problems with video (graphics, display, etc.) cards, and general Windows stability, can be due to incorrect soft­ware drivers. Before looking anywhere else, ensure that you have the correct drivers for your video card. This will save you many hours of needless frustration. If your card is onboard and part of the moth­erboard chipset you can visit the motherboard manufactur­er’s Web site to download the latest updates for the video drivers, or get it from the motherboard CD. If you have an add-on card, get the latest updates from the card manu­facturer’s Web site or the CD that came with the card. The screen flickers, causing eye strain and fatigue Cause: The computer ‘paints’ the screen with the image several times a second—this is known as the refresh rate. If the refresh rate is set too low, it can cause visible flicker, which can be a strain onthe eyes. Solution: Right-click on the Desktop, select Properties, go toSettings > Advanced, and look f...

Modern monitors are especially robust and in most cases, you would upgrade the PC before thinking of changing the monitor. Troubleshooting is relatively easier than the rest of the PC for the simple reason that it is an independent ‘box’ with no user-service­able parts. Warning Do not try to open the monitor yourself. There are high voltages inside, and it is best left to a monitor professional who knows what he is doing. There’s no power to the monitor Cause 1: There actually is no power being supplied to the monitor. Solution 1: By far the most common mistake people make is to for­get to check the power cables! Sometimes, when monitors are moved around, the power connectors come off or become loose. Plug all cables in tight and check if the power returns. If it is con­nected to a UPS or stabiliser, check if there is power supply from that unit. Also check the power cable; try using another cable which you know works, to see if power is restored. Cause 2: If the power ca...

Some of the main reasons for flash BIOS corruption are incom­patible add-on cards, aborted flash updates due to power fluctua­tions (laptop users note: don’t flash while on battery, ensure you are plugged into a live wall outlet), or improper BIOS images. If your flash attempt fails, don’t panic! Such failures are often reliably recoverable, as most newer BIOS codes today include a Boot Block Protection option. A BIOS of this type has two distinct parts. The first Boot Block part contains information needed to initialise only critical system devices such as the floppy drive, processor, memory and ISA video devices. This part is write-protected and can­not be overwritten by flashing. The second part is the flashable part, known as the System Block, and contains all the information need­ed to initialise other system devices such as video, storage, COM ports, input devices, other peripherals, and performing the POST. To recover from a corrupted flash, you need to be able to...

Warning Never Flash The BIOS Unless Absolutely Essential! In the old days, when you wanted to upgrade/update your BIOS, you had one of two options: change the mother­board or replace the chip with a newer model. With the introduction of EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) it has now become possible to update the BIOS via software. Taking advantage of the capabili­ties offered by EEPROM, mother­board manufacturers have begun releasing new versions of the BIOS with greater frequency these days. There are many reasons that an update to the BIOS may be required: the new version offers better stability, compatibility or performance; new technical break­throughs require new features in the BIOS; a device attached to the computer may not function with­out the newer version; and increas­ingly, flashes fix some problems in the earlier version of the BIOS! Just as the PC motherboard has a BIOS chip, so do other hard­ware components and p...

These are some of the most common Stop Messages along with their cause and suggested resolution: Stop Code: STOP 0x0000000A IRQL_NOT_LESS_EQUAL Code Meaning : Faulty device drivers, or services from backup util­ities or virus scanners Recommended Resolution: Remove, disable or stop the offending drivers, backup utilities or anti-virus programs. Get updated soft­ware from the manufacturer. Stop Code: STOP 0x0000001E KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED Code Meaning: Some driver files may be causing a problem. Recommended Resolution: Remove, disable or update the driver-file listed in the error message. Verify if new hardware installation is correct. Stop Code: STOP 0x00000024 NTFS_FILE_S YSTEM Code Meaning: Usually caused by disk corruption in the NTFS file system or third-party disk defragmenters. Recommended Resolution: Use hard disk diagnostic software to verify that the hard disk is working. Remember to always Use Microsoft-certified disk defragmenters. Stop Code: STOP 0x000...

One of the most dreaded error messages for a Windows user is the blue screen, or the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) as it is pop­ularly known, which suddenly pops up informing you that something is seriously wrong with Windows. What this screen essentially means is that Windows has crashed and needs to reboot to recover. Usually, you will be able to recover and con­tinue without any problems, but it can sometimes be a hair-rais­ing experience—like when you’re pressed for time and have to get that PowerPoint presentation ready for your boss! Windows 9x/ME In Windows 9x/ME this error is less serious but more common. You can usually recover from the error by simply pressing [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del] and restarting the computer, or by switching off the PC and switching it back on. However, the error message will contain very little information that you can use in troubleshooting. Problems causing the BSOD The BSOD is the main way for virtual device drivers to report a problem. The err...

There are many reasons that a Device Manager will list a device as unknown and hence, there is no foolproof way to troubleshoot the error. Some of the causes for Unknown Device error are: oThe hardware does not have the requisite software drivers, and Windows is not able to determine the device type oThe driver is not compatible with the OS and hence it is not able to inform Windows about the hardware. This is common if a Windows 9x/ME driver is installed on Windows 2000/XP. o Each hardware component should normally communicate a basic device ID to Windows. If the hardware does not have this device ID or Windows does not recognise the device ID of the hardware, then the device is listed as unknown. o Programs can also install virtual devices. Usually, these virtual devices act as a bridge between the software and some hardware function. Sometimes, device driver software for hardware is installed in a non-standard way. When the hardware along with driver software is removed, all the ent...

Additionally, a problem code explaining the problem is displayed for the device. The next step is to understand what each of these error codes mean and apply the recommended resolution. The list of problem codes and the recommended resolution are as follows: Code 1 Code Meaning: The device is not configured correctly. Recommended Resolution: The software drivers for the device have been incorrectly installed or incorrectly configured. Select the Driver tab and click the Update Driver button. This will launch an update Wizard. Follow the instructions and locate the correct driver for the device to install it. Additionally, you could try removing the device from Device Manager and reinstalling it using the Add Hardware Wizard. Verify from the hardware documentation/manufacturer’s Web site that the device will work with your OS. Code 2 Code Meaning: (Not applicable to Windows XP) Depending on the type of device, this could indicate either a problem with the BIOS or a problem with load...