10 reasons why PCs crash that you must know

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy,” it says. “Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications.”

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1. Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow ‘!’ appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as ‘IRQ holder for PCI steering’. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is http://www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.


2. Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.



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3. BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer’s display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to ‘yes’ to allow Windows to do this.).


4. Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.


5. Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card’s manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.


6. Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( http://www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( http://www.symantec.com).



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7. Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer’s performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer’s default settings and you may be able to carry on.


8. Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don’t do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from http://www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message “Starting Windows” press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn’t work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.


9. Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from http://www.computernerd.com or http://www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.


10. Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

Beware of the Keyloggers, Ensure about your Data Privacy now!

I am sure that you would have heard about keylogger. Many of you might be of the notion that keylogger is a software, but this is not so. Keylogger could be hardware or software. It is meant for both legitimate and illegitimate jobs, but most of the times, it is used by the bad guys to spy on other's information.

If you do not want anybody to have an illicit access to your information, you need to know to catch hold of this kind of process that might run in your system without your knowledge. Here is how, you can have a check on this process.

Hardware keylogger:

Hardware keylogger is the device that needs to be connected to the keyboard port. If you happen to locate it, you can have it disconnected, so that the keystrokes are not traced.

An alternate method of having the hardware keylogger installed is by soldering it into the circuit of the keyboard. To make sure that you do not have it soldered into the keyboard, you need to disassemble the board and find if there is any such thing fixed.


Software keylogger:
There are innumerous Software keyloggers that can be found online. Certain virus or malware programs have the ability to install keyloggers in your computer while running in your system. Most often, the keyloggers are used to have the credentials of important accounts, such as bank, social media, etc.

There are few things that you can do to identify a software keylogger and here they are!

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1) Run an antivirus program
You can run an antivirus program to find, if there is any keylogger installed in your system. You can land on the computer review sites to find which product is the suitable one to detect a software keylogger.

2) Get rid of the malicious files
Run your antivirus and anti-spyware programs almost daily, so that these programs protect you from the malware that is capable of running and sliding keylogger into your system. Make sure that the detected malicious files are either quarantined or removed from the system.

3) Update antivirus software regularly
We would suggest you to schedule updates for your antivirus program on a daily basis. If the virus definitions are open to updates more often, then there is less chance that your computer will be attacked by the trouble making malicious files.

Hardware keyloggers are easy to find when compared with the software keylogger. However, you can make use of updated antivirus or anti-spyware to get rid of it.

Forget Your Windows 7 Password? Create Windows 7 Password Reset Disk

Suppose if you forgot Windows 7 password, you would try to find solutions to recover or reset it through the internet. Soon you would find one solution—using Windows 7 password reset USB disk, which is most mentioned by people. So here in this article, I will show you the exact ways to create a Windows 7 password reset disk.

Theoretically, a password reset disk Windows 7 can be made with a CD/DVD or USB flash drive. Since USB flash drive is more convenient to carry and safer to preserve, here I highly recommend creating a Windows 7 reset password with USB to prevent your computer from being locked. Below are guides on how to create a Win 7 password recovery USB.

Situation 1 :)
If you haven’t forgotten your Windows 7 password yet. At this situation, you can easily make such a password reset USB disc for free to prevent your computer from being locked.

Now follow the below steps:

1. Insert the prepared USB flash drive into your computer.

2. Type “reset” in the Windows search box and select “Create a password reset disk”.

3. When the “Forgotten Password Wizard” appears, click “Next”.

4. Select your USB flash drive and click “Next”.

5. Once the wizard finishes creating the reset disk, click “Next” then “Finish”.

6. That's it. Job Done!


Don't Miss: How to recover saved WiFi password?




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Situation 2 :)
If you have already forgotten your Windows 7 password. Many computer users actually didn’t take any precautions against Windows 7 password forgotten problem before they find they’ve lost or forgotten the password. So if you don’t have such a password reset disk when you forget or lose your Windows 7 password, you need to seek for other ways to make one and then use that to reset Windows 7 password.

Here’s how to create a reset password Windows 7 USB with Windows Password Recovery Enhance:

You need to do the below steps in another system in order to recover your system.

1. Download and install PC Login Now's iso file.

2. Burn the ISO file to CD (Use Magic ISO).

3. After you have created a bootable disk, Insert that disk into the DVD Drive and Restart your computer.

4. Set the BIOS to boot from CD. (Mostly not required if your system automatically detects the disk on your DVD Drive).

5. The software then automatically runs.

6. Use PC Login Now to finish the job.

Note: Download-file is an ISO file named “PCLoginNow_Free.ISO” which should be burned to a CD before using it.

7 Tips To Get More Out Of Your WiFi Router

Wireless routers are a bit like relationships. You don't notice the problems until things go really wrong and they send you crazy. This behaviour is normally accompanied by naming calling and huge sighs! And at times, you can't understand what has gone wrong – but you blame the router anyway!

However, sometimes is not the routers fault – it is yours. It's about time you accepted the blame and fix things pronto!

1. Did you read the manual?

Remember all the times you wished your other half came with instructions? Yet you expect your router to perform miracles automatically! In your defense, we’ve all done it, but just like your partners, routers are all different and need a little TLC. A quick read of the instructions will make sure you treat it right! If you didn't get a manual with your router you can download users guides from the supplier’s website.

2. You didn’t learn the basics

You will be amazed how much better you get on with your wireless router if you have a basic understanding of its needs. This all may sound very complicated and techy, but the truth is its child´s play.

3. You never change

It´s easy to get stuck in your ways, but you have to keep things fresh. Keep your router up to date, your ISP will often allow you to upgrade to a new model for free if it becomes their standard issue for new customers, additionally firmware updates from the manufacturer can help find and fix any bugs and generally improve the performance of your device.

4. You’re using the wrong technology for your needs

You might want to consider exactly what you need from your service and if your expectations are reasonable. Are you a seriously competitive online gamer? Chances are you should be connecting to your router with a wired Ethernet connection. Always on the move for business but need to stay plugged into the web? You’re going to need a service specifically for international wireless roaming. Take some time to think about what you actually need from your service before committing to a plan.

5. You’re embarrassed to be seen with it

Wireless routers are not the sexiest device you will ever own, but its what´s on the inside that counts! And tucking your box in the corner out of the way may not be the best place to keep it. Ideally, it needs to be in range of all devices you use it for, and preferably an open space where it can breathe.

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6. Something is interfering

This problem is more common than you realize. Routers work from a 2.4 GHz band – the same as many other household devices such as cordless phone, microwave and baby monitors. It could be that they are interfering with your router and affecting its performance.

7. Interfering neighbors

One of the most common interference patterns for routers comes from next door. The chances are your neighbors connect over the same frequency as you and just like your own household devices. Might be sharing the same 2.4 GHz frequency as you.

Naturally, if you live in a densely populated area, you could have any number of rivals competing for space on this limited band. The only real solution for now is getting a router that operates on dual bands simultaneously. Newer routers will often run on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands at the same time, allowing the latest WiFi devices to connect on the much less congested 5 GHz band. Of course the other thing to consider is that your neighbors may be intentionally reducing your bandwidth by hogging it for themselves!

7 Steps to Clean Up PC Quick and Easy

Would you like to have a Regular computer maintenance program that involves a list of how to clean up your PC from the inside out? Would you like to do that without ever having to take it into the shop for one of those expensive "tune ups". Here's what you need to do.

1. Clean up your PC. This is like any other chore. You have to dust it off and clean it up.

2. Update your programs and applications.

3. Uninstall programs that you no longer use. And be sure that you aren't running anything like 2 antiviruses at the same time.

4. Reclaim space in your hard driver. Condense and clean up with the tools that Windows gave you like Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter.

5. Organize your folders so that you don't automatically lump everything into a Download folder as soon as you get it.

6. Back your files up to a Cloud file storage.

7. Consider setting a schedule with a regular program to do this for you like a registry cleaner.



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That's all you have to do to keep it running smoothly or to prevent any major disasters if something bad does happen.

How To Convert File System from FAT/FAT32 to NTFS without losing Data

Converting a drive from fat/fat32 for better performance is very easy, just follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt(Open Run Dialog Box, press Win+R and type 'cmd' and press enter).

Step 2: Type the following command
convert d: /fs:ntfs

Step 3: This command would convert your d: drive to ntfs.
If the system cannot lock the drive, you will be prompted to convert it during next reboot.

Step 4: Normally you should select yes.

Conversion from fat/fat32 to ntfs is non-destructive, your data on the drive will NOT be lost.

Note: Be aware that converting to ntfs will make that partition of your drive unreadable under dos unless you have ntfs utilites to do so.
We'll not be responsible for any data loss, use this trick at your own risk. To avoid data loss, just perform the steps carefully!