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This is a section of my page dedicated to miscellaneous computer "tricks".  By that, I mean this page will have various computer problems and their solutions.  
Most of it will consist of software-related issues, and their fixes.  If you know of any "tricks", and would like to share them, 
email me, and I will post them, anonymously or giving you full credit - it's up to you.















Upgrade From Windows XP Home To Windows XP Professional






    

  • Problem:

      

      

      

    • While attempting upgrade, during reboot, computer displays "Setup is inspecting current configuration" message briefly and then the screen blanks out, and computer freezes.  A hard reboot is 
required to reset computer.

      

    

  • Suggested Solution(s)

    

      

    • 1.  First thing to consider:  You cannot upgrade Windows XP Home Edition with SP1 to a Windows XP Professional Editon without SP1.  On their page, Microsoft says they do not support that upgrade.

    • 2.  A particular piece of hardware (most likely a video card, but others are possible) is conflicting with the install.  The only way to determine if this is the problem, and which piece of hardware is to 
blame, is removing the hardware and retry installation.

    • 3.  I've also seen the problem be as simple as USB devices (keyboard, mouse, printer, etc...) causing the install to halt.  Temporarily unplugging these devices during install will allow the program to complete.

    













Upgrade From Windows XP Home To Windows XP Professional






    

  • Problem:

      

      

      

    • While attempting upgrade, during reboot, computer displays "Missing or Corrupt HAL.DLL file" error.

      

    

  • Suggested Solution(s)

    

      

    • 1.  This may be due to the boot.ini file being misconfigured.  The hal.dll file just happens to be the first file the install looks for and cannot find.  Boot from your Windows XP Pro cd (if that is possible).  At the first screen, choose R=repair option.  Type the number of the location 
that contains the Windows program(s) you wish to repair.  Normally this is #1.  Type bootcfg /list to examine the current entries in the boot.ini file.  Then type bootcfg /rebuild to repair the file.  
Type exit, and attempt the install again.



    











Corel Wordperfect 7






    

  • Problem:

      

      

      

    • On startup, the error message "WPWIN7 caused an ivalid page fault in SHELL32.DLL" is displayed.

      

    

  • Suggested Solution(s)

    

      

    • 1.  Change the default save-to directory to a different (any) directory.

    • 2.  Create a folder on the desktop for Word Perfect 7.  Move all Word Perfect files into this new folder.  Change shortcuts to match new location.

    • 3.  Add a switch - /X to the startup file.  This will prevent any default changes from being made (changing save-to directory, etc.), but this is 
the only solution I have found that works!

    • 4.  You can simply move the error message window out of your way.  The program performs fine even with the error window open.

    • 5.  I received a tip from someone that if you install WordPerfect 7 before installing any of the Windows Updates, WP7 works perfectly.  Of course, 
this is assuming you have done a re-install of Win98.

    • 6.  If all else fails, try un-installing and re-installing the wayward program.  It's always worth a try!

    













Microsoft Outlook Express






    

  • Problem:

      

      

      

    • Outlook Express Loads Very Slowly (this applies to WIN98SE OE 6, but may also be relevant for other operating systems and versions)

      

    

  • Suggested Solution(s)

    

      

    • 1.  Uninstall and re-install OE.

    • 2.  In the SYSTEM32 directory, rename pstorec.dll and pstorerc.dll to different names (pstorec.bak.dll, for instance).  And then re-install OE.

    • 3.  If you have MSN Messenger installed, rename the start file in the MSN directory.

    • 4.  The file IMAGEHLP.DLL, under the SYSTEM32 directory may be missing.  McAfee virus scan is notorious for removing this file during an un-install or update.  Use 
your Windows program disk to restore this file.  Go to START/RUN and then type "sfc" (without the parentheses).  From there you should be able to figure out the rest.

    • 5.  
      NOTE:  Before doing any registry editing, make a backup copy of your registry!!  This is extremely important.  One mistake and Windows may cease to function!!
      
Using regedit, delete the ProtectedStorage key from the following registry entry:  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services.  Then click START/PROGRAMS, and choose MS-DOS Prompt.  Type the following exactly: 
c:\windows\system\pstores.exe -install  This will re-install the ProtectedStorage key.



      

    










Well, you get the idea now!  Don't be bashful, send me your "trick" fixes and share your knowledge!













				
    











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