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Microsoft regularly updates their software and operating systems, as do other product developers. However, there is a difference between an update and a service pack. In fact, there’s more to the story with other updates including hotfixes, security updates, and critical updates.

First, updates are broadly released fixes for specific non-critical, non-security related problems and bugs. While the updates aren’t critical, they do fix specific problems and annoyances and are worth installing, especially if you are experiencing periodic computer problems.

Hotfixes are specific, cumulative packages of product updates that address a specific issue or bug in a product. They are not necessarily widely distributed. For example, hotfixes may address issues a single customer, such as a computer hardware manufacturer, is experiencing in which case the related hotfix would be distributed to that manufacturer.

Like standard updates, security updates are broadly distributed. These updates correct product-specific, security vulnerabilities which are rated according to the severity of the underlying problem. These updates are either: low, moderate, important, or critical.

Critical updates are non-security related updates that are considered more important than standard updates. These aren’t to be confused with security updates with a critical rating.

Service packs are released less frequently than updates and hotfixes. Instead, think of service packs as collections of previous updates, security updates, critical updates, and hotfixes released since the product’s introduction. In addition to these cumulative repairs, service packs also tend to incorporate new features or design changes.

Once a service pack has been released, the operating system or related software is often referred to with the service pack edition following the original name. For example, Microsoft recently released Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. You’ll hear references such as “requires Windows XP Service Pack 3″ or “This computer is running Windows XP Service Pack 3.” In this context, abbreviations such as SP1, SP2, and SP3 are also used.

Keeping your computer updated is important to protect your computer from security threats as well as repair known issues. You can set up automatic updates so that you don’t have to worry about manually checking for updates. You can also specific what types of updates to apply. All of this is done through Automatic Updates (Windows XP) or Windows Update (Windows Vista). These tools are found in the Control Panel. In XP’s Control Panel, look for Security Center > Automatic Updates. In Vista’s Control Panel, go directly to Windows Update.

An updated computer is usually better protected than one left unpatched. However, updates and service packs have been known to cause a few headaches. Microsoft usually resolves these in time.

 I’m guessing you are also running Windows Vista? Internet Explorer errors such as this one have been reported. No matter what operating system or version of Internet Explorer you are running, this is annoying. My IE 7 browser has done the same on occasion but not continuously.

Several computer users have reported that a conflict with other programs such as OmniPage, Yahoo Browser, and Yahoo Install Manager interfere with Internet Explorer while other users have suggested that a simple Internet Options “reset” will do the trick. While the list of reported possible software program interferences is unsubstantiated, if you’ve recently installed a new program (OmniPage or otherwise), consider the possibility of a conflict.

If you suspect a conflict, go to the software developer’s Web site and search for product updates. Likewise, make sure you have the latest version of Internet Explorer along with the latest updates. The involved vendors may be aware of the issue and could have already issued a fix. If so, apply the fix and solve your problem.

Microsoft reports a known issue with the Migo Digital Vault program causing Internet Explorer errors of this nature. In addition, third party programs such as Reno and Spydawn are also known to cause this problem. For detailed instructions covering a Digital Vault solution, view the Microsoft Knowledgebase article.

Resetting the default Internet Explorer settings may also solve your issue. First, go into the Control Panel by clicking the Start button and choosing Control Panel option and then choose Internet Options. Next, click the Advanced tab and then the Reset button.

Other fixes that may work for you include disabling the phishing filter, un-enabling “protected mode,” and uninstalling Internet Explorer add-ons.

To disable the phishing filter, go into Internet options >Advanced once again. This time, scroll down to the Phishing section and disable the phishing filter.

To disable “protected mode,” go back into Internet Options, this time clicking the Security tab and unchecking the box labeled “Enable Protected Mode.”

Finally, managing add-ons may solve your Internet Explorer failure problem. Go into Internet Options once again and click on the Programs tab. Now, click on Manage Add-ons and delete or disable add-ons as you troubleshoot your way through the problem.

These are among the most common possible solutions to Internet Explorer constantly stopping and restarting. Other possible causes include too many programs running in the background, computer viruses, and spyware which are briefly addressed in the Microsoft Knowledgebase article reference above. If none of these tips work, consider downloading Mozilla Firefox as an alternative so that you can at least surf the Internet in peace.

Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation

What do you do when you can no longer log on to Windows as an administrator? When a computer has separate user accounts, the “My Documents” folder and other settings are placed in user-specific folders. This makes it convenient for users to access their documents but presents a problem should a user account become corrupt.

A Filetonic reader wrote in saying that the administrator logon has been lost along with the My Documents folder. Renaming another computer as administrator didn’t work because the name “already exists.”

In this case, it sounds to me like the user can log on as a different user. This gives us some options. First, I would create a new user account and give it “administrative” privileges because you may need to be logged on with appropriate credentials to do some of these tasks. Naming the new account Administrator isn’t an option but we can name it Administrator2 or any other name for that matter. So long as the account has administrative privileges, that’s all we need.

Next, I would take advantage of System Restore and restore the computer to a previous state - before the administrator account was lost. If the account disappeared two days ago, I’d restore the system to a point in time before that particular date. System Restore repairs system files and doesn’t affect data files. You won’t lose data or programs by using this utility.

System Restore can be found by going to the Start button and then choosing: Programs >Accessories >System Tools >System Restore. Follow the prompts to restore your system settings.

If no previous restore points exist or the restoration didn’t solve the log on problem, it’s time to move to the next step and see if we can’t find the My Documents data in question. Go to Windows Explorer by right-clicking the Start button and choosing “Explore.” This opens a window listing all folders and files on the computer. We’re looking for “Users” because each user is assigned their own special folder which contains their unique data.

For example, the path will look something like this:

C:\Users\User Name

On my computer, my administrative account name is my name, so my computer looks like this:

C:\Users\Celeste Stewart

If I were to set up multiple users on my computer, I’d have other User folders such as:

C:\Users\User 2 and C:\Users\User 3

Each of these User folders contains their own separate My Documents folder. If you can find the My Documents folder under the appropriate User folder, you can simply drag and drop it into the new User folder created under the new User account. This will solve the problem of the lost My Documents data.

Microsoft has a Knowledgebase article detailing further steps should you need to restore the log on password and other scenarios surrounding lost Administrator logon issues.

If you can’t logon to Windows at all because you have forgotten the administrative password and have no other user accounts, that’s a whole different issue that we will tackle in coming days.

Not to be confused with Internet Explorer, the popular web browser also made by Microsoft, Windows Explorer is an aspect of the Microsoft Windows operating system. Windows Explorer classifies information about the files and folders on your computer and is used to organize and classify; rename, move and copy them. Windows Explorer is the graphics application that provides the interface between the user and their documents.

Without getting too complicated, common problems with Microsoft Windows arise from shells, or shell extensions, components of the graphical interface. The shell is the part of the program that can initiate or start up another program or provide menus for viewing file or folder directories. On Microsoft Windows, Windows Explorer is the shell. It creates the desktop, the icons and menus and task bars that make up your computer monitor desktop environment.

Without knowing more about the specific problem and the error messages you are getting, its hard to diagnose exactly what’s going on with your computer, but there are a few issues that I can detail, along with possible remedies.

When you right click on a file using Windows Explorer, you get a menu listing your options, including open, print, edit, cut, copy and so on. Some applications that are external to Windows will add their own, specific options to the menu, that are known as third party shell extensions. If you get one of a few possible error messages that end with “Windows Explorer needs to close”, there is most likely a communication problem between the shell and/or an extension and/or the program it is trying to communicate with. There is a free, downloadable program that will scan for and list all the shell extensions on your computer, called shelexview, and through trial and error you can remove the extensions until you have isolated the culprit and can then remove it.

If an extension search doesn’t identify the problem, there might be a virus of some kind on your system. If you have recently downloaded any applications or files from a website or an email, a computer worm might have infiltrated your system. There are numerous online virus scans available and you should run one or two to check for infection, as well as spyware and adware scans. As well, it is a good idea to look for patches and updates for your security software.

There are also some good tips you could consider to keep your operating system in good shape and prevent problems from occurring in the future. First, run a disk scan to find any problems on you hard disk. First, right click the drive in the My Computer menu and select Properties. Then choose Tools and then Error Checking. You will most likely have to restart your computer for the scan to begin. Depending on the version of your operating system, the steps and specific commands may differ.

For advice or solutions more directed towards your specific problem, refine your troubleshooting query to include the specific command that results in the program error, as well as details of the error message if there is one.

When I purchased my Vista laptop, I too had to copy files from an XP machine to Vista. In my case, I already had a small wireless home network so all I needed to do was connect the laptop to the network and copy files from my XP machine to the laptop. I did have to turn on file sharing for my XP’s hard drive and make sure it was visible on the network but once done, it was a simple matter of copying from files from one computer to the next. Granted, it took some time but it was easy. If you have a network, you can do something similar.

If not, other options are available. If you have XP Service Pack 2, you can use Microsoft’s Windows Easy Transfer tool to transfer files as well as settings to your new Vista computer. First, you’ll need to download the Windows Easy Transfer tool from Microsoft and install it on to your Windows XP computer. Your Vista computer already has the necessary software installed.

Once installed, you will need a transfer method. Available methods include: a USB Easy Transfer cable connecting both computers, a network connection, a USB flash drive or external hard drive, or a recordable CD or DVD.

One advantage of using the Windows Easy Transfer tool over copying and pasting files from one computer to the next is that you can also transfer user settings such as user accounts, e-mail accounts and settings, Internet favorites, and other settings and preferences. Best of all, you can transfer music files including playlists and album art.

Once you have the software installed and a transfer method ready to go, you will need to start the software on the new computer and tell it “This is my new computer.” Sounds silly but it’s important that the software understands the source and destination. You can find the Easy Transfer tool by clicking Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Windows Easy Transfer. Follow the prompts to get started.

Next, go to your old machine and navigate to the file called migwiz.exe (you will have created this on your Vista machine) and double click it. Follow the prompts. Microsoft has detailed instructions posted in their Vista Migration Step-by-Step Guide should you need further help.

While getting the music files from one computer to the other is fairly easy, getting them to play is another matter. If you have music files that have DRM (Digital Rights Management) licenses, they may not play at all! For example, if you purchased albums with licenses restricting playback to your local computer only, the DRM won’t necessarily recognize your new computer as being a replacement computer. This restriction is designed to stop music piracy but can be frustrating when replacing computers. You may be able to solve this buy contacting the music store and explaining the situation. I had a similar issue with music I purchased from Wal-Mart music and they issued me new licenses. However, I had no luck with Sony Connect music.

Hopefully, you’ll transfer your music files over and have no further issues.

 Microsoft Windows Vista has huge memory requirements along with other intense hardware requirements. If you’re thinking about upgrading an XP machine to Vista, your computer will most likely need more than a few upgrades. Even if you have hardware capable of handling Vista’s demands, the hardware drivers will probably need a device driver update to make it compatible with the Vista operating system.

Before you run out and buy the Vista upgrade, it’s smart to find out the system requirements and evaluate your current computer for compatibility. In addition, consider the software and your peripherals. Are they Vista compatible? If not, you will need to update software (if the developer offers a Vista compatible update) or purchase new software. Your peripherals such as printers, scanners, may not be Vista compatible either, requiring additional device drivers or replacement.

Vista comes in several editions with each edition having its own hardware and memory requirements. As far as memory goes, not only does Vista require a great deal of system memory, it also requires a large amount of graphics memory.

If your system is configured where system memory is shared for graphics memory, you must ensure that enough system memory is allocated for the Vista operating system. For example, Vista Home Basic requires at least 512MB of RAM with at least 448 MB dedicated to the operating system. This doesn’t leave much left over for graphics and other tasks.

Vista Minimum Memory Requirements

Vista Home Basic:

• 512 MB of system memory
• 32 MB of graphics memory

Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, and Vista Ultimate:

• 1 GB of system memory
• 128 MB of graphics memory (and a Windows Aero graphics card)

Keep in mind that these are the minimum memory requirements. Vista does far better when it has significantly more memory than these minimum requirements.

While your computer may have the minimum memory requirements, does it meet the Vista’s other minimum hardware requirements? To make it easier, use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor found on the Microsoft.com Web site. This free tool analyzes your Windows XP computer’s current hardware, software, and other settings for compatibility with Vista.

If your computer is Vista compatible, you can upgrade to Windows Vista but expect a few glitches along the way. For example, you may need to update your device drivers or software. If your computer is borderline compatible, the Upgrade Advisor will suggest steps that you can take to make it Vista ready such as installing a new graphics card. Use common sense when buying new hardware as it doesn’t take long before your investment in upgrades costs more than buying a new, better-equipped Vista computer.