Since your computer is having difficulty reading the CD in the disk drive, you might want to run CD Diagnostics. This utility will check your audio CD and optical drive and generate results and possible troubleshooting ideas for you.

Simply open your iTunes on your computer. Select “Run CD Diagnostics” from the Help menu. Place your CD in the drive and click on “OK.” In a few moments, you’ll see some results pop up in a new dialog box and hopefully, some troubleshooting tips will be there as well.

File Association Change for CD

In some cases, downloading iTunes will change the file associations on the computer. If this happens, then your computer won’t recognize the CD. This might be the case here. If you want to change the program that opens the CD, follow the directions listed here (for Windows Vista operating system):

• Open the “Control Panel.”
• Select “Programs.”
• Select “Make a file type always open in a specific program.”
• Wait for the list to generate.
• In order to change the default program that opens a specific file type, click on the file extension and select “Change Program.”

Uninstall iTunes and Reinstall iTunes

In case you had a faulty installation of iTunes, you should uninstall it and then reinstall it.

Update the Firmware

Occasionally, it is necessary to update the firmware (internal software) for the CD drive. To do so, check the website for the manufacturer of your computer first and then check the website for the manufacturer of the drive. Install any available updates using caution.

Repair iTunes Installation if Necessary

If you installed any CD burning software on your computer after you installed iTunes, then you need to repair your iTunes software. CD burning software includes Audible, Napster, and a variety of online music store software. Follow these steps to repair your iTunes installation:

• Close iTunes.
• Click “Start.”
• Select “Control Panel.”
• Select “Uninstall a Program” from beneath the heading “Programs” of you might need to click on “Programs and Features.”
• Select “iTunes.”
• Select “Repair.”
• Select “Repair” a second time.

Stop MSN at Startup

The easiest way to stop MSN from running at startup without disabling MSN altogether is to do it in MSN itself. Launch MSN - although it sounds like you don’t have to do that manually - and go to Tools, then click on Options. Go to General and find the option that says “Allow automatic sign in when connected to the Internet”. Uncheck this option and exit MSN. Try starting the computer again and MSN should have disappeared.

Edit the Registry

There is another way to do this if you are comfortable with getting into the registry or if you know someone who is. The registry is where the program instructions are stored for your computer, so it is important that you back up your files and that you know what you are doing before you mess around in there. With that warning out of the way, go to Start and then Run. You will see a dialog box - type in regedit. Find: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. You will see a line that contains MSMSGS. Right click on that and choose Delete. This will stop MSN from running at start up but won’t disable it for good.

Sign Out

It sounds like she is accessing MSN from a shared computer. Please tell her that she should always log off of MSN rather than just shutting down the screen. If she doesn’t, MSN will save her information and other people can get into her account and change her password or send instant messages on her account so that it looks like she is sending them. She simply needs to go to File and then Sign Out. She should also make sure that she unchecks Remember Me, Remember my Password and Sign me in automatically. Make sure that if she uses MSN on someone else’s computer she also signs out and keeps her password under wraps. I’m sure you and the family aren’t going to do her any harm, but you never know who has access to other computers. It may sound far-fetched, but I’ve gotten more than one question relating to people who have had their MSN account hijacked.

I too have a Toshiba with Windows Vista, so I’ll assume our computers are similarly equipped. My computer came with InterVideo WinDVD for Toshiba as the built-in DVD player, so I’ll use that as an example. Other DVD players should have similar controls, but the instructions may vary slightly.

Viewing DVDs in Full Screen Mode

First, look at your small window, in the upper right corner. Just as most windows, you should see a series of icons, with symbols that look like a dash, a box, and an X. The dash icon minimizes the screen to the Taskbar; the box icon makes the screen full size or restores it to its default setting; and the X icon closes the window completely. Try the maximize/box icon and see if this restores the screen to full size. If these icons are not visible, right-click anywhere on the DVD playback screen. A popup menu should appear with a variety of options including video playback controls, DVD information, and other settings. Find Player/Toolbar and click it. This will put the toolbars across the top and bottom of the screen where you’ll find these icons in the upper right corner.  

If this maximizes the screen, great! But, it may not be permanent. To make sure the WinDVD Player opens in full screen in the future, it’s time to make a few adjustments within the WinDVD software.

Setting the Default Screen Size for Viewing DVDs

Once again, right-click the DVD player’s screen so the menu appears. Before going into the Setup screen, I want you to experiment with the Display Type settings. Change the screen to Normal if it’s on Pan Scan, or Pan Scan if it’s on Normal. This will change how the video fills the available window. Choose the setting that you prefer. Now, look for Setup in the list and click it. Next, go to the Video tab and make sure that “Start up in Full Screen Mode” is enabled. Close the program and restart it. It should now start in Full Screen mode.

Why did this setting change? That’s hard to say. Perhaps it was never set or inadvertently changed. Hopefully, it will remain as it should from here on out.

Related Article:

Resizing Windows

Why Movies Freeze on PCs

A variety of scenarios can lead to movies freezing while you are watching them on your computer. In some cases, the freezing is intermittent behavior and in other cases, the freezing is constant. In many cases, the sound is perfect or quite close to it, yet the video is choppy or completely frozen. In the worst case scenarios, both the video and the audio are messed up. All of the following factors play a part in the quality of the movie that you are attempting to view on the computer:

• Streaming
• The connection speed
• The popularity of the movie
• The computer resources that are available at the time

Streaming

Video Streaming is the term coined to describe the action that provides the sequence of the movie images as they are sent over the Internet for your personal viewing pleasure. This is affected by the availability of the bandwidth being used to transmit and receive the movie. If the required bandwidth is greater than the available bandwidth, then the movie is buffered and the result is a choppy presentation or freezing of the images that you see.

Connection Speed

In general, a dial up Internet connection is also going to lead to this type of freezing activity with the movie presentation. Even high speed and DSL Internet connections can still result in choppy movie presentations depending on the other factors as they are explained here.

Popularity of the Movie

The popularity of the movie at the time that you are viewing can also lead to a poor presentation. The more popular the movie is or the greater the demand for it is at the time that you are watching it, the more likely it is that you are going to experience problems viewing it. To remedy this, you can try to select a viewing time when the demand will be less.

Computer Resources

The computer resources that are available at the time can also negatively impact the viewing presentation of the movie. Whenever you intend to watch a movie on your computer, you should close out all other applications in order to have the best experience possible.

Uninstall Old Versions of Adobe Flash

Depending on how long you have had the computer, it is possible that you might already have an old version of Adobe Flash on your computer. Open your browser and look through your options to find out whether you already have a version of Adobe Flash. If you do see it listed, use the instructions (Uninstall Adobe) posted on Adobe’s website to uninstall it.

Reinstall a New Version of Adobe Flash

Once you have any old versions of Adobe Flash or incomplete installations of Adobe Flash, it is time to reinstall it using the directions on the Adobe website at Adobe Flash Player.

Check the System Requirements for Installing Adobe Flash

Before you do so, it is vital that you check the link listed on that web page for “System Requirements.” If your computer does not have the required specifications, then your attempted download of Adobe Flash will not work properly.

Instructions for Windows Vista

Users who have Windows Vista and have experienced problems with their installation or lack of installation for Adobe Flash should follow the directions on the Adobe website for uninstalling and reinstalling the application. It is possible that the installation began without completing.

If completing those steps does not work, then the following set of directions can be used:

1)      Open the “Search” function on the computer.

2)      Go to “C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\

3)      Right click on the file “FlashUtil9b.exe or FlashUtil9e.exe

4)      Restart the computer.

About DSC files

DSC files are image information files that are associated with pictures taken with Nikon CoolPix cameras and are stored on the memory card along with the image file. Unlike the image file that contains the photograph, the DSC files are only information file and do not contain images. It is also possible that the Nikon is saving photos with DSC in the file name but that have a JPEG extension following and are, in fact, image files.

How to Open DSC files

To open DSC files, you will need to use the Nikon digital camera software program for Nikon CoolPix, but opening these files will not get you any closer to any photos. If you want to view the information files, installing and updating the Nikon software on the computer on which you want to view the photos will allow the computer to open the files. If you don’t have the original software disks that came with the camera, you can visit the Nikon website and find the Nikon CoolPix software program and updates.

Camera and Memory Stick Compatibility

I hope that your PC is displaying only some DSC files in addition to your photo image files, or you might not have successfully captured photos. Most of the time photography experts recommend formatting digital camera memory cards before using them in other cameras. It is possible that the camera you used your memory stick in wasn’t compatible with it, or vice versa.

Nikon and Nikon CoolPix

You didn’t mention whether the camera and the memory stick are the same brand - in this case Nikon - but if they aren’t, then the incompatibility might account for the missing image files. It is possible that the DSC files stored on the memory stick are the camera’s attempt to record the images, but might mean it was only able to record information concerning the photos that you were trying to take. In addition to Nikon, in this case it seems that the files are specifically related to Nikon CoolPix, which might create a further incompatibility if, for example, the memory stick was made only for use in this camera model, or if the camera was made to use only a specific memory stick.

Moving the iTunes folder from one location to another can be a bit of a challenge for anyone who hasn’t done it before. One of the most important points is to understand how iTunes manages your media content.

Media Content and iTunes

Once a media file has been placed in the iTunes library, iTunes identifies it by its specific location. If you move the file, it is possible that iTunes will lose track of the file since it can no longer identify it with its original location.

Transferring iTunes Folder with a CD or DVD

If you have iTunes 7 or 8, a backup feature exists that allows you to place your entire iTunes library to a CD or DVD so that you can move it to another computer. Of course, you need to have a compatible CD burner or DVD burner to do so. To create a back up disc:

1)      Open your iTunes.

2)      Select “File.”

3)      Select “Library.”

4)      Select “Back up disc.”

5)      Select one of the following choices from the dialog box, “iTunes Backup” that pops up: “Back up entire iTunes library and play lists” or “Back up iTunes Store purchases.”

6)      Insert a blank CD or DVD.

7)      Select “Back Up.” Your iTunes will scan the disc and begin to burn your files.

8)      Select “Data Discs” and insert additional discs if the first one does not have enough room. You will receive a prompt notifying you of this.

9)      Transfer the files to the new computer.

Transferring iTunes Folder with an iPod

An iPod includes a high capacity hard drive, allowing you to move all of your music files from an old computer to a new one. This is only possible if you are using iTunes 7, so you will need to update to it if you haven’t already done so. Visit this link in order to see a full set of detailed instructions on how to transfer your iTunes folder using your iPod:

Transfer iTunes Using iPod. It will explain how to do each of the following:

• Switch iPod to manual use
• Enable disk use
• Place all of your music together.
• Make sure you have enough room on your iPod
• Free up space on your iPod
• Copy the iTunes folder to the iPod
• Prepare your iTunes for your new computer
• Backup any music that currently exists on the new computer
• Copy your music to the new computer
• Add the music that currently exists on the new computer back in
• Free up room on the iPod to allow you to put music back on
• Switch the iPod back to automatic update.

A Filetonic visitor explains, “I’m running Windows XP and my Internet access is an AT&T Mercury connect to my desktop. I have looked for help from service dept. where I purchased the computer and AT&T. The problem is when playing videos say on Youtube the video plays for about 2 minutes and then locks up where the buffering line has stopped. The other night while trying to watch a video I right clicked the desktop, went to properties and there was a window with some general certificate info. I clicked on certificates. A notice came saying this type of document does not have a certificate. I clicked OK and then OK in the properties window. Magically videos played in full all night. I also was able to listen to Live 365 (radio Cipollina) and videos at other web sites. Problem solved. NOT. Tonight I go to Youtube play one video everything is OK. Go to Live 365 - Radio Cipollina and the sound quits after about two minutes. Try the properties thing no luck. Go back to Youtube try the properties thing no luck even after several attempts. The computer plays videos at the service shop while on a land line. Tests have been run at speedtest.net and that looks fine. It just loads so much content usually about 2 minutes and stops. The buffering line get well ahead of the streaming content it just stops and when the video gets there it freezes up. I’m desperate any ideas?”

Seems to me that you’re on the right track by looking at your computer’s speed and the AT&T Mercury in particular, the test at speedtest.net not withstanding. The fact that it plays videos just fine at the store using a landline just reinforces that theory. The Mercury is a nifty little device that may not be living up to all of the hype, so you may have to look into other options if you want to stream audio and video on your desktop.

AT&T Mercury

The AT&T Mercury is tiny little USB device that is designed for mobile computing-just plug it into your USB port on your laptop and you have instant wireless access. As it is primarily for laptops, I’m not sure why you are using it on your desktop-do you have other options, or do you live somewhere that you can’t use another Internet provider? While it is advertised to have speeds up to 1.2Mbps, many forums have described the At&T Mercury as ‘fast dialup’ which can play havoc with streaming video. Cellular wireless is not going to be as fast as DSL, and it is subject to many external variables and interruptions. If you don’t have any other options, there are a few things you can try to boost your wireless performance.

Clear the Cache

Clearing the browsers cache can often improve video streaming, particularly if you are having hang ups in the middle. I’m not sure what browser you are using, but generally these are the instructions:

1. Go to Start and then Control Panel
2. Click on Internet Options and choose General.
3. Choose Temporary Internet Files. Choose Delete Files and click Ok.

By clearing the cache, you may clear the way for your streaming video and audio.

Give AT&T a Boost

Because the Mercury is wireless, where you are located has a big impact on its performance. For under $50, you can buy an antenna for AT&T Mercury at this website. Although I have not used one, it is said to boost signal strength and comes with a longer cable so that it can be positioned at different sites around the room so that you can try to find the best location.

In my opinion, the general certificate information was simply a coincidence and you happened to be getting good signal strength that night. If you have other options, and streaming video is important to you, you might want to invest in a different Internet provider.

Adobe Premiere 6.0 and earlier versions required “rendering” before being able to preview your work if your clips included transitions, layers, and other effects. Rendering is the process where the effects are applied to the clips and you can see them. In short, it compiles and delivers the finished item for display. Rendering is a time-consuming process requiring tons of computer resources and plenty of time. In general, the larger the video and the more complex it is, the longer it will take to render - and that’s just to show you a preview. Fortunately in Adobe Premiere 6.5, the preview feature no longer requires extensive rendering. Rather, you can preview your work in real time, effects and all. But upgrading isn’t necessarily the solution.

Common Premiere Rendering Errors

• Out of memory - Rendering requires tons of resources, so render often rather than waiting until your project is further along. Check your computer’s memory settings and make sure to close any other running programs when working in Premiere. In addition, if you have a multi-monitor setup, try using just a single monitor and see if that helps.
• Software bugs - Occasionally, bugs in the software can cause rendering errors. For example, in a an earlier edition of Adobe Premiere, if a clip was included on the time line in reverse speed, timeline items loaded from that point forward wouldn’t load properly. Time lapse heavy videos also tend to cause timeline rendering crashes.
• Mixed file formats - Many video editing software products, Premiere included, experience rendering failures if clips are of mixed types, such as some being AVI clips and others being MPEG clips. In searching the various Premiere forums, video formats not playing nicely with each other appears to be a common issue.
• Corrupt project file - File corruption happens and when it does, symptoms like render failures occur. Try opening a new project an importing your existing project file into it.
• Rendering errors after copying the Premiere project files - If you happen to use multiple computers and have copied or transferred your project file to another computer, rendering the timeline will fail if you have not also transferred the underlying audio and video files represented in the timeline. During the editing phase, you’re not actually working with the original files, but rather clips and links. If the source files are not present, then the rendering will fail.
• Oversized still photos and images - Do you have any large, say over 3000 pixels wide - still images in the timeline? This has been discussed on several user forums as a cause of timeline corruption. Remove the large image file and replace it with a smaller version. You’ll need to use Photoshop or a similar image editing program to change the image size, but it may just do the trick. While you’re add it, reduce the DPI of images to 72 DPI to match the video’s DPI, otherwise, these large images are much too large and hard for Adobe to work with - and it’s overkill because video is only capable of so much.
• Full scratch disks - Check to see if your scratch disks are sufficient for your project. Scratch disks represent disk space where Adobe stores much of the data used in creating projects. Remember, data requirements are huge, so if your scratch disks don’t have enough free space, problems are inevitable. You can adjust these settings by going to the Edit> Preferences> Scratch Discs menu option.   

Adobe Premiere is a powerful video editing tool with impressive features. As a former video editor who cut my teeth on clunky, and extremely expensive, 1-inch, ½-inch, and ¾-inch videotape editing systems, I am amazed at what software in this price range can do. However, Premiere’s not perfect and users run into trouble all the time. Below are a couple of user forums that you may want to check out:

• CreativeCowForum
• Adobe forums

You’ve spent lots of money downloading legal copies of your favorite songs. You’ve also invested plenty of time ripping your CDs to your computer’s hard drive. The thought of losing all those songs - those many, many gigabytes of music - is unbearable. If you had to start over, you would have countless hours of work ahead of you all over again.

The good news, though, is that you can create secure backups of your digital music collection before any horrible things happen to your hard drive. Just a little effort and a small monetary investment can preserve your massive collection of files for years to come.

The Dual-Drive Method

This one is simple: store your music files on two hard drives. If you don’t have dual hard drives in your computer, you can buy an external hard drive for 100 bucks or less. The advantage of the external hard drive is that, if you use it just for backup purposes, you can disconnect it from your computer and store it in a safe place. That way, if there’s a fire or flood, all of your precious data will be safe.

The Flash Drive Method

For smaller music collections, a few USB flash drives can back up all of the important files. Flash drives are good solutions because they’re very small. You can easily store them in even the tiniest data safes.

The CD-R Method

If you burn your music collection as a data CD (not as an MP3 CD or audio CD) you can get more music on each burned disc. Several CD-Rs should be sufficient to hold most, if not all, of your music.

The DVD-R Method

This is identical to the CD-R method except that you use your DVD burner and blank DVDs.

When you’re going to burn backup files to a disc, check your computer’s media player. There might be an option within the software that allows you to quickly and easily burn the data discs. You might find an option that will allow you to easily burn only newly added music, which is a great way to save time and space.

The MP3 Player Method

Send your entire music collection to your super-sized MP3 player and you’re finished! The added benefit of this method is that you have all of your music with you no matter where you go.

The Off-Site Storage Method

If you’re fortunate enough to have access to a computer network with enough hard drive space to accommodate your digital collection, you can store backups of the files on the shared hard drive. This is a very fast way to backup your music. The other big advantage is that you don’t have to work very hard to retrieve the backup copies if something goes wrong on your hard drive.

These are the most popular backup methods. One of them is sure to work for you. Be sure to back up your music collection on a regular basis so that you won’t have much, if any, to replace if you experience a computer problem.

You can also search the Internet for third-party software to make your media backup chore a little easier and neater. With the right program, you can avoid backing up duplicate copies of files; automatically schedule backup of new files and more.