Fixed Windows update cannot currently check for updates because the service is not running. You may need to restart your computer

If you try to search for Windows Updates and you are using Windows Vista and above you may get this error:
"Windows update cannot currently check for updates because the service is not running. You may need to restart your computer"

There are two fixes that seem to solve this problem the last one worked for me.

1. If it was caused by a corrupt windows update folder then we need to rename it and then allow windows update to create a new fresh folder (note you will have to install a lot of updates again)

First step is to deactivate the windows update service you can do this by clicking on start and in the run/search box type in cmd  and then right click cmd and choose Run as Administrator.

When cmd opens type net stop wuauserv and press enter you will get a success message.

Leave cmd open for now you, can minimise it.
Lets go to My Computer and navigate to C:\Windows and find the folder named SoftwareDistribution,
right-click this folder and choose rename and name it SoftwareDistribution.old and press enter.

Next step is to go back to cmd and type the following net start wuauserv ,press enter and then type exit to close cmd for good.

You can restart the computer and see if it helped.

If you still have the same problem try the next procedure.

2.This involves updating the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver and you can download the file from here:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02219204&cc=nl&lc=en&dlc=en&product
even though it's for HP , I have a Toshiba and it installed and worked fine since most laptops have the same Intel chipset.

Hope this helps anyone and good luck.

net stop wuauserv

net stop wuauserv

clicking on Firefox shortcut icon opens Internet Explorer browser instead.(solved)

When clicking on the mozilla firefox shortcut icon on the desktop or start menu Internet Explorer opens instead, also any links you try to open from programs such as messenger also open in Internet Explorer but in the homepage.
This was a tricky problem even reinstalling firefox didnt really solve it and all the shortcuts pointed to the correct path and firefox was my default Internet Browser.
The correct solution was to fix the Windows OS Default File Association types

You can download them here:
http://malwaretips.com/threads/default-file-association-fixes-windows-xp-vista-7-and-8-tested.12701/

I was using Windows Vista so I did all the registry fixes  like .exe, .com etc and after logging off and on again all was resloved.

Windows 7 64bit does not use all the memory installed

Had a laptop with windows 7 64bit edition and 4GB of Memory installed but the system would recognise 4GB but it said only 3GB is usable.
The problem here is that windows 7 has limited the usable memory to 3GB in the startup settings.
To fix this click Start ,type msconfig ,select the Boot tab and then select Advanced options , and uncheck the  Maximum memory option if activated click OK when done.
Then Apply and restart the computer.

Problem solved.

How to completely remove AVG Anti-Virus from your PC.

If you cannot uninstall AVG Anti-Virus the normal way  then you will have to use the AVG Remover to remove AVG completely from your computer.
Here is the link:
http://www.avg.com/ww-en/download-tools

Windows Live Messenger 2009 is not responding error windows xp

In Windows XP while trying to open windows Live Messenger 2009 or earlier you will get an error saying that Windows Live Messenger is not Responding and that it has to be closed.

After reading the steps listed on the Windows Live support page:
http://messenger-support.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!8B3F39C76A8B853F!15940.entry
The option that worked for me was to uninstall Adobe flash player and Adobe shockwave player and then reinstall them.
You can do this by going to the Control Panel ,Add/Remove programs and uninstall them from there.
Or you can use the uninstall tool:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html
Then install the latest version from Adobe.com and Messenger should work.

Windows Live messenger data execution prevention error Vista

If you have an Acer laptop with Windows Vista installed you might get the Data Execution Prevention error while trying to run windows live messenger.

The fix is to download an update for the eDataSecurity application.

http://support.acer.com/acerpanam/notebook/0000/Acer/Aspire1300/Aspire1300faq61.shtml

0xC00D002F error when trying to edit music file in windows Vista

A recent user was trying to edit a music files Genre from the windows Vista music folder but when trying to do this error 0xC00D002F would appear.
The solution seems to be to use the built in Advanced Tag Editor in windows media player ,to do this open media player and click on the media library option then find your file that you want to edit and under the Title section right click on the song and choose Advanced Tag Editor ,editing should now be possible.

The menu looks like this
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/images/howto/AddAlbumInfo12_ATE1.gif

invalid boot.ini file loading from C:\windows Windows XP

Before Windows XP loads the following message is briefly shown invalid boot.ini file loading from C:\windows and then windows loads normally.

The following steps from Microsoft worked a treat for me ,first make sure that your CD ROM drive is the first boot device.

1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer.
2. When you receive the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM.
3. When you receive the "Welcome to Setup" message, press R to start the Recovery Console.
4. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you have to use from the Recovery Console.
5. When you are prompted, type the administrator password, and then press ENTER.
6. At the command prompt, type bootcfg /list, and then press ENTER. The entries in your current Boot.ini file appear on the screen.
7. At the command prompt, type bootcfg /rebuild, and then press ENTER. This command scans the hard disks of the computer for Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows NT installations, and then displays the results. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to add the Windows installations to the Boot.ini file. For example, follow these steps to add a Windows XP installation to the Boot.ini file:
   
   1. When you receive a message that is similar to the following message, press Y:
      
      Total Identified Windows Installs: 1
      
      [1] C:\Windows
      Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
   2. You receive a message that is similar to the following message:
      
      Enter Load Identifier
      This is the name of the operating system. When you receive this message, type the name of your operating system, and then press ENTER. This is either Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.
   3. You receive a message that is similar to the following:
      
      Enter OS Load options
      When you receive this message, type /fastdetect, and then press ENTER
   4. Type Exit  and windows will load normally.

Missing icons on desktop Windows XP

All the desktop icons have vanished only the taskbar is shown ,now what!
In this case there is a simple fix:
Right click the desktop and in the context menu select Arrange Icons By and make sure Show Desktop Icons is ticked.

If you want to only add the My Computer ,My documents ,Network icons on a new installation or computer then follow the steps in this article:
http://mycomputerdidwhat.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-add-my-computer-my-documents.html

Error: Action failed for registry key AVG antivirus error

When trying to install the free AVG antivirus I received the following computer error:
Error: Action failed for registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows: creating registry key

After some research it seems to be a permission problem ,to solve this do the following:
Click Start ,Run and then type regedit and then OK.
Now navigate to that key in the registry ,start at the top left side and click to expand the keys one by one.

Starting with HKLM (which is short for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.)


And then Software ,Microsoft ,Windows NT ,CurrentVersion ,Windows.

On the Windows key right click it and choose the option permissions.

On the permissions tab click on the Advanced button near the bottom right.

On the Advanced menu make sure all the users are set to Allow and not Deny ,if they are set to deny then select that user and click on Edit ,then click and mark the full control checkbox.

Restart the computer and AVG will now install.

If you get an access denied error when trying to change these settings then the best would be start the system in Safe Mode and then log in with the administrator account and try the steps from there.

Change your current antivirus to Panda Antivirus Pro 2010 and forget these problems.
Free trial period too :)

Philips printer and fax drivers.

Philips doesn't support their faxes nor printers since 2002 as it was bought by Sagem ,so all support is done through them.
To get drivers for your philips product go here:
http://support.sagem-communications.com/site/page_accueil.php?site=1&pays=uk

No Audio Output Device is installed error after installing Windows Vista SP1

After installing the vista SP1 update you might notice that there is no sound and the speaker icon on the system tray displays the following message No Audio Output Device is installed ,what seems to work is to remove the audio driver from Device Manager.
To do this click Start ,Control Panel ,System and Maintenance and then Device Manager on the left pane.
On the Device Manager dialogue box click on the Hardware tab and then Device Manager ,expand the Sound ,video and game controllers section ,right click on the current sound device(Realtek ,Via ,soundblaster etc.)and choose uninstall ,do not check the option Delete the Driver Software for this device unless you have the installation CD or software for your sound device.
After doing this restart the computer and Vista will reinstall the device and the sound will work again.

Will my new motherboard work with my older CPU and Ram?

If your older motherboard has packed in and your tight on a budget replacing the motherboard is the best option.
But is it compatible with your current CPU or Ram memory?
The best way to do this is to look at the motherboards specifications on the box itself or even better go to the manufacturers website ,there you can see its CPU support list and also what Ram memory it can handle that way you can be certain that it will boot up.
The major factors are the CPUs FSB(Front Side Bus) e.g. 400 ,533,800,1066 ,its L2 memory cache e.g. 512kb,1mb and the CPU Speed e.g.1.8 ,2.4 ,3ghz ,this can be clearly seen on the CPU chip itself on the flat top surface.
The Rams speed is also very important e.g. DDR 266,333,400 MHz and the newer DDR2 533,667,800 more info

Windows XP error "It is Now Safe to Turn Off Your Computer" when shutting down

when trying to shut down a newly formatted Windows XP computer you might get the It is Now Safe to Turn Off Your Computer error ,here is how to fix it.

Microsoft has various solutions for it ,this one works for me in most cases.

Open Control Panel, and then double-click System.
Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
On the View menu, click Show Hidden Devices.
Expand Non-Plug and Play Drivers.
In the NT APM/Legacy Support branch of the device tree, you will see the item NT Apm/Legacy Interface Node. It will show a red X to indicate that it is disabled.Right-click NT Apm/Legacy Interface Node, and then click Enable.

The computer should now shutdown.

How to remove VirusResponse Alert / VirusResponse lab 2009 popup message in Windows Vista

A user got infected with a virus /spyware that installed this annoying program called VirusResponse Alert (which may also be installed as VirusResponse lab 2009)and it would load on startup to scan the system and showing fake results , in some cases a pop up can appear on the taskbar saying that the computer is infected and click here to protect yourself.

The following method worked for me to remove this program ;
I updated Windows Defender ,my Antivirus program and downloaded Combofix.
I then rebooted into Safe-Mode and ran my Antivirus program ,Windows Defender and then Combofix and followed the onscreen instructions when finished Combofix rebooted back into normal windows to finish the removal.
Behold no more VirusResponse Alert problem.

Note: if you don't have Windows Defender you can use a program like Spybot search and destroy.
Try to stay away from the ones that ask you to purchase the product in order to remove the infections ,why pay when there are good ones for free :)

UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME BSOD when starting Windows XP BSOD

If you get this blue screen of death (BSOD) error when booting windows XP there is a fix.
Boot off your windows XP setup disk by making your CD/DVD drive the first boot device in the system Bios.
Then press any key when prompted to ,at the blue Welcome to Setup screen , press R to start the Recovery Console.
Now select the installation that you want to access by pressing the correct number(dont just press the ENTER key), type the Administrator password if you have one or just press ENTER if you dont.
At the command prompt, type CHKDSK/R , and then press ENTER.
When finished with the scan type FIXBOOT and say Yes to write a new Bootsector ,type EXIT to leave the Recovery console and reboot the machine.
Windows should now load correctly.

HP director not working after installing Internet Explorer 7

After installing Internet Explorer 7 the printer software program HP director does not open anymore when Clicking it.
The fix is to go to the HP support site and download a patch for your program.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00802504&dlc=en

Then it will work fine.

0x800106ba Windows Defender error Windows Vista

When starting a Windows Vista computer you get a message saying that Windows Defender cannot be started and error code 0x800106ba is shown.

After much web searching and trying many options one thing I found worked for me.
Go to Control Panel then select System and Maintenance and then clicking Administrative Tools then finally select Services.
I scrolled down to Windows Defender service and to my surprise it was deactivated and stopped.
To fix this I double clicked that service to open it, then chose the option to start automatic on start up, then I was able to click on the Start service button.
I then clicked on Apply and Restarted the computer ,windows Defender started up fine.

Change your current antivirus to Panda Antivirus Pro 2010 and forget these problems.
Free trial period too :)

How to repair Windows XP

First you must make sure your CD/DVD drive is the first boot device.
This can be done on system boot up by entering the CMOS setup by pressing the key shown( usually a message saying press xxx to enter setup) and changing the first boot device to CD/DVD drive then save and exit.

Make sure your Windows XP CD is in the drive ,when the Press any key to boot from CD message is displayed you must press a key on the keyboard to boot from the CD.
The CD will load system files and when done the main blue screen will appear with three options choose the one that says To setup Windows XP now by pressing the ENTER key.
Do not choose the option to Repair windows by pressing the R key as that will take you to the Recovery Console.
After pressing ENTER you will be shown the Windows XP Licensing Agreement press F8 to accept and continue.
On the next screen you will see your current installation and you will have the option to Repair Windows by pressing the R key ,press it and windows will start the repair process.
Follow the instructions and enter the required details when prompted.

You must keep your CD in the drive until the process is complete.
Some installations require you to input your 25 character Windows XP product key (this is usually stuck to your computer box or under your laptop).

cannot install Adobe flash player as it always asks to install even after installation

Every time I went to a flash site using Internet Explorer Adobe flash player would ask to install the flash player ,I installed it then closed and restarted the browser.
Then went back to the site and same problem ,this time I installed it again and now completely restarted the whole computer only to find the same problem.
Of all the steps that Adobe offered to solve the problem from here:
http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_19166&sliceId=2

The Adobe Flash Player uninstaller worked for me:
http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_14157&sliceId=1

The other steps could work for someone else as every installation can be different.