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A couple days ago I logged into my computer only to notice that there was no startup sound and when I tried to watch a video on YouTube there was no audio. My computer doesn’t seem to want to play .wav files. I have been to several forums in search of a solution and nothing seems to work. I’ve even gone so far as to do a system recovery but to no avail. I’ve messed with the registry, installed and reinstalled drivers and nothing works. Is there any more that can be done or is my computer just shot?

First, do any sounds play through your sound card? If it’s strictly .wav files that are giving you trouble, we’ll look into file associations and see if we can get those files to play properly once again. If nothing plays, then we’ll need to troubleshoot the sound card and its settings.

Since audio isn’t working with YouTube either, I suspect the problem is with your sound card. Hopefully an updated device driver is all that’s needed. My sound card frequently fails right after a Windows Update. Upon rebooting, it always returns. This happened the other day after an automatic Windows Update. So, do me a favor and reboot your computer before trying any of the following steps.

Setting File Associations

First, let’s check to be sure that .wav files are set to open with an actual program such as Windows Media Player. Go to Start and right-click it. Now, choose Explorer. Enter *.wav in the Search box and a list of .wav files will appear. Right-click any one and choose Open With. Choose Windows Media Player and make sure that it is set as the default program for this type of file.

Check the Sound Scheme

Windows is set to play specific .wav files on specific events. For example, that little chime that you hear as Windows starts up is a .wav file. The sound scheme can be changed and turned off completely. If it’s turned off, turning it back on should solve your computer’s problem with playing .wav files for system events. To check this, go to Control Panel and click on the Sound icon. Click the Sounds tab and find the Sound Schemes section. Make sure that it is set to Windows Default.

Sound Card Issues

If there’s more going on with your sound than the inability to play .wav files, then it could be a problem with your sound card or the sound card’s settings. I’m sure you’ve already checked the obvious such as the mute button and speakers. Have you checked the sound card in Device Manager yet? That should be the next step. Go to Control Panel > System > Device Manager. Now, look under the Sound and Video Controllers category for your sound card. Is there a yellow warning icon next to it? If there is, double click the sound card and see if the error message reveals any clues. It could be a simple matter of updating the driver. To update the driver, click the Driver tab followed by Update Driver. From there, choose Automatic and let Windows check for an updated device driver. You will need to reboot once a driver has been installed.

I can’t seem to open any DXF files. Which program in Windows Vista could be used to open DXF files?

What are DXF Files?

DXF files are “Drawing Exchange Format” files. These are vector image files often used in conjunction with computer aided design programs. In fact, the DXF format was developed by AutoDesk, a leading computer aided design software developer. This is a text based format that was designed to make AutoCAD documents more compatible with other programs.

Opening DXF Files

Obviously, if you had AutoCAD software from AutoDesk, you’d be able to easily open the DXF files. However, this isn’t the case and AutoCAD software isn’t exactly cheap. You have several other good choices, though.

AutoDesk Design Review

This free viewer from AutoDesk also allows you to print, measure, and markup the DXF documents. This product is compatible with Windows Vista.

SolidWorks eDrawings Viewer

This viewer is free and is capable of opening DXF files. However, according to the SolidWorks Web site, Windows Vista is not listed as a system requirement. In your case, I’d skip this option but for those readers who have Windows XP, the eDrawings Viewer would be a good choice.  

OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice.org’s Draw application is compatible with DXF files. The Open Office suite is similar to Microsoft Office in that it has a word processor, spreadsheet application, and a presentation program. The difference is that it is open source software and therefore it is free. Download OpenOffice from OpenOffice.org and use the Draw program to open your DXF file.

DXF File Converters

Several DXF converters are also on the market including the DWG to PDF Converter which converts DWG and DFX files to the PDF format. This product offers a free trial version which may be enough for your immediate needs. However, if you have long term DXF conversion needs, you’ll need to buy the full version.

Professional Image Editing Software

If you already have an image editing program such as Corel Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Illustrator installed on your computer, use that to open the DXF files.

When I go into my notepad, all I get is a bunch of mumbo jumbo that I can’t even understand. Also I have tried going into my Control Panel hitting on Security and Notepad launches with all these numbers and letters. The only thing I can understand is at the top of the Notepad page it reads, “This program cannot be run in DOS.” I don’t understand what has happened but it is very frustrating. I seem to have lost my ovoo, too.

I need to open a file with the file extension XLS.

The XLS File Extension

The XLS file extension is most often a spreadsheet file made by the Microsoft Excel program though other spreadsheet programs are also capable of creating and opening XLS files. Excel spreadsheets can contain multiple sheets and seemingly endless amounts of data as well as formulas, charts, forms, tables, and groupings.

The XLS file extension, while still popular and widely used, has been superseded by the new XLSX file extension which was introduced with Microsoft Office 2007.   

If you have any version of Microsoft Office installed on your computer, you will be able to open the XLS file with Excel. Other XLS-compatible programs include OpenOffice.org’s Calc program and Microsoft Works. However, if the file had been in the new XLSX file format, then you’d need to update your earlier version of Office with the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack or open the file with Excel 2007.

XLS File Viewer

If you do not have Excel or a compatible program on your computer and are not interested in downloading a huge program such as the OpenOffice.org suite simply to view a file, your best bet is to download the free Excel File Viewer from Microsoft. This viewer will allow you to view both XLS and XLSX files. You can open, view, print, and copy Excel data using the viewer but you cannot modify the spreadsheet, edit data, save the file, or create a new spreadsheet with it. After all, it’s a viewer, not the fully functional version of Excel.

Using Google Docs to View an XLS File

Another option is to use Google Docs to view the file. This is really easy, especially if you already have a Google account. Sign into Google, go to Documents, click Upload, and upload the XLS file. Once uploaded, double-click it and it should launch in a new window. While the Google spreadsheet application is a little different than Excel, it will display the spreadsheet just fine - and you will be able to edit the file if desired.

If I have Excel 2007 on my PC, can I read a file from a person who has Excel 2008 on an apple computer?

In short: yes!

Excel’s XLSX Format

Microsoft first introduced the Office Open XML format with Microsoft Office 2007. The programs in this suite now save files in this new format by default. For example, Word 2007 saves documents as .docx files rather than the older .doc format and Excel saves spreadsheets as .xlsx files instead of the old .xls file. Not only are the new formats designed to improve data management, file sizes, and data recovery, they are also designed with interoperability in mind.

Excel 2008

Along came Excel 2008 for the Macintosh. With its arrival came the pleasant surprise of complete compatibility with Excel 2007. This means that Windows and Mac users can freely share their spreadsheets without having to convert them first! You and your associate should be able to share your .xlsx files without any problem.

The Downside of XLSX Files

Ah, but there’s a catch. While Excel 2007 and Excel 2008 users can share their files easily, it’s not necessarily as easy to share your XLSX files with Excel 2003 users. This is because older versions of Excel are not necessarily equipped with Office Open XML format compatibility. Many Excel 2003 users have upgraded their software with the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, but others haven’t. You may run into compatibility issues with these users.

If so, your associates can either install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack or you can send them a copy of your spreadsheet in the older .xls format. Creating an .XLS file is as easy as clicking the Office button and choosing: Save As > Excel 97-2003 Workbook.

Likewise, your associate who runs Excel 2008 may have issues with his associates running Excel 2004 as Excel 2004 isn’t compatible with the new format. While this isn’t really any of our concern at the moment, Excel 2004 users can update their software for compatibility with Excel 2007 and 2008 by going to this Microsoft Knowledgebase Article 953824.

All my programs ask me what I want to open them with. How do I get them back to normal?