Resources

Unfortunately, Microsoft has confirmed that certain issues or problems do exist with some of its products. Fortunately, there are steps that we can take to resolve some of these issues. Most of the problems require simple solutions. Read through the material presented here and follow the strategies suggested one at a time until the problem is resolved.

Windows Explorer

The reasons behind Windows Explorer hanging are numerous. Knowing exactly why this is happening is often difficult to discern. For example, one of the issues that will lead to Windows Explorer hanging is when Internet Explorer begins to hang. This can create a chain reaction that begins with Internet Explorer hanging and continues with Windows Explorer hanging. Additionally, corrupted files, incompatibility with newly installed software applications as well as other issues can result in the faulty functioning of Windows Explorer. Use the suggestions listed below in an attempt to resolve these issues.

IE Explorer

Internet Explorer can hang for any number of reasons including:

• Insufficient memory is available.
• The Internet cache has not been cleared.
• Dynamic content is being accessed.
• The latest version of IE is not being used.
• The latest service pack or update has not been installed for IE.
• The latest service pack or update has not been installed for the operating system.
• Spyware, adware, or a virus is present on the computer.
• Use the suggestions listed below in an attempt to resolve these issues.

Resolutions to Stop Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer from Hanging

Since I am not sure which operating system or version of Internet Explorer you have, along with the fact that the problem could result from any of a number of issues, I am going to list the most common solutions to this type of problem. Follow one at a time, starting with the strategy that seems as though it makes the most sense for your particular situation.

• Obtain the latest version of Internet Explorer.
• Make sure that you have the latest update for Internet Explorer.
• Make sure that you have the latest update or service pack for your operating system.
• Scan your computer for spyware, adware, and viruses.
• Clear the Internet cache.
• Boot up in safe mode and restore your computer to a previous date.
• Install additional memory for the computer
• Update the drivers for your operating system

Check that the Disk Drive is Clear

The first thing to check is that there isn’t a disk in the disk drive. If a CD or DVD is left in the drive, the computer might think that you want to boot from the disk, and if the disk isn’t a recovery operating system CD, the computer can get confused and turn itself on and off trying to access the disk.

Start Up in Safe Mode

Once you have checked the drive, let’s try to start up your computer in Safe Mode. Turn the computer off, then when you turn it back on press the F8 key repeatedly as soon as you see the initial manufacturer’s screen. If this is successful an Advanced Options page should open and you can use the keyboard arrows to navigate to Safe Mode and then press Enter.

Run Chkdsk

If you are able to boot into Safe Mode, you should run Chkdsk to check the disk for corrupted files and other errors that might be responsible for the problem and solve any problems that it finds.

1. Click Start, then Run, and then, in the Open dialog box enter cmd and then Enter.
2. In the next dialog box enter chkdsk /f and then Enter.

Use the Windows XP Recovery Console

This should solve your problem, but in the event that it doesn’t, you can also run a recovery console with your Windows XP operating system disk. Put the recovery disk into the disk drive and turn the computer off, when you reboot, press F8 repeatedly and choose the option to Repair the operating system.

Consider Reformatting Your Hard Disk Drive

If you still have no luck with this process, I might have to advise you to consider reformatting your hard disk drive, which will allow you to reinstall your operating system, but you will lose everything that you have saved and stored on your system. If any of the processes about give you even limited access to your computer, you should try to save your data to reload after the reformat. You will also need to reinstall any added drivers for external devices or enhanced cards.

Troubleshooting a Disfunctional CD/DVD Disk Drive

OK - first of all, let’s try to troubleshoot the failing disk drive. There are some known issues with disconnects and other problems with some recent Microsoft Service Packs and CD ROM drives. If your computer is running Windows XP, you want to make sure that the computer has Service Pack 3. You haven’t mentioned whether or not the computer will connect online, but if it can, download and install this service pack first to see if it helps with the disk drive. You can also try to open the Device Manager and see if there is anything wrong with the drive, or if there are settings that you can adjust.

How to Reformat your Hard Disk Drive

Before reformatting, backup all data as reformatting the drive will remove everything. To reformat the computer, you want to put the recovery CD into the disk drive. For now, don’t worry about the computer reading it, just put it in the drive and turn the computer off. Turn the computer back on and press the “C” key repeatedly while it boots so that it will start up from the disk, leaving the hard drive free to clean. The laptop should boot from the disk, and start offering you prompts to format the hard disk drive.

Reformat Using an External Disk Drive

If the computer doesn’t recognize the disk or won’t load from the drive, you can try loading the recovery CD into an external disk drive. The computer doesn’t have to load the CD, as much as read from it, which will open the BIOS settings and allow you to boot from the disk. This should all be possible from the external drive, assuming that the BIOS settings allows for this process. Putting the recovery disk in the external drive and then follow the same steps, turning the computer off and rebooting while pressing the “C” startup key.

Reinstall the Operating System and Drivers

The settings will then guide you through the process of formatting the hard disk drive, which will result in a clean drive and a virtually blank slate to reinstall the operating system onto. The wizard is fairly straightforward and shouldn’t give you any problems. You won’t need the driver disk until the operating system has been reinstalled and you are reloading the external devices and cards. You should advise your friend to install some virus and adware security programs, such as AdAware and Avast, which are both free downloads.

There are a few ways to get your system back to factory condition, but restoring your computer may not get rid of all of your virus problems. After you restore the PC, make sure to run some quality antivirus and anti-malware programs to keep your system up and running smoothly.

Back Up Data

Before you restore your computer, you need to back up any data you may need later to a CD or other external device. Everything that was added after you purchased your computer will be lost, so back up everything you want to keep.

You should also find your drivers and list them so that you can easily download them after you’ve restored your system. Do this by going to Start, then Control Panel. Click on System and then the Hardware tab. You will see Device Manager. Write down all of your devices so that you can go to the manufacturer’s websites after your restore and install new drivers. You can also purchase a product such as Driver Genius to backup your device drivers to CD for later restoration.

System Restore

You can do a system restore as long as you have active restore points that are old enough. Many PCs only keep restore points for 90 days, so you need to see if yours go back further. To check this, go to Start and then All Programs. Click on Accessories and then System Tools. Choose System Restore. You will see an option to “Restore my computer to an earlier time”. Choose this and see how far back your system restore points go. If you have one that is near the time that your computer was purchase, go ahead and restore to that point. Your system should now be cleared of everything that was added after you purchased it.

Restore from CD

If you don’t have any old system restore points, you will need to restore your computer from your Windows XP disk. Put it in your CD drive and start the computer. It should boot from the CD - if it doesn’t, you might have to get into BIOS and change the boot order so that it looks in the CD drive first. Once the disk is running, you will see a “Welcome to Setup” message. When you see “To Setup Windows XP now, press Enter”, do so. It will copy files to the hard drive and reboot.

If your computer didn’t come with restore disks or you can’t find them, you can legally download an installation disk as long as you have a licensed copy of Windows from a site like bootdisk.com.

After you have installed your new copy of Windows, make sure you go to Microsoft and download a copy of the latest service pack to get all of the upgrades that you need.

Hopefully, by following these directions, you can get your computer back to a place where it is useable again. Don’t forget to run good anti-malware programs. We have a good review article here if you need suggestions for quality software.

The Temporary Profile

Typically, this problem will arise when the user profile has been deleted accidentally. Since it no longer exists, the user will log onto a temporary profile that does not allow changes to save. Fortunately, this problem can be solved by reinstating the original user profile.

Modifying the Registry

However, in order to remedy this situation, you need to make some changes to the registry. This modification can lead to additional problems if it is not done correctly. Before you attempt to solve this problem, make sure that you are comfortable making these changes in the registry. If you are uncomfortable doing so, you should have someone who is knowledgeable about computers make the changes. One step that you should take before doing so is to back up the registry. This will allow you to restore the registry so that you can use the computer should you make a mistake while modifying the registry.

Backing Up the Registry

To find out how to back up the registry, you should read the following article from the support database of Microsoft:  Article 322756.

Restoring a User Profile

Follow these steps:

1)      Log in to an administrative user account other than the problematic one.

2)      Back up the data that is stored in the current user’s profile folder (the profile that is giving you problems) if you can find it. Look in the following location for it:

3)      %SystemDrive%\Users\Username.

4)      Click Start.

5)      Type regedit in the box that pops up.

6)      Press enter. You might need to enter the administrator password if one has been set.

7)      Look for and locate the following registry subkey:            HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ProfileList

8)      Under this subkey, you need to delete the subkey that looks like this: SID.bak. SID refers to the security identifier or SID of the user account that is experiencing the difficulty. This subkey, SID.bak should point to the original profile folder with a ProfileImagePath registry entry.

9)      Once you locate and delete this key, exit the Registry Editor.

10)  Log off the computer.

11)  Log back onto the computer. Your profile folder should exist again.

Why Upgrades Hang

Problems with upgrades can occur for any number of reasons. The update itself could be faulty. The computer registry could be damaged. Computer resources could be low. Plus, the computer could be infected with spyware or a virus. Read through the following options and try each one that you haven’t already tried.

Boot Up in Safe Mode and Use System Restore

Booting up in safe mode used the least amount of resources, files, drivers, etc and so it is often the best way to start your computer when having problems with it. To boot up in safe mode, turn your computer’s power button on and immediately begin pressing the F8 key on your keyboard. Select “Last Known Good Configuration,” using your arrow keys and press enter.

Once you get your computer on in safe mode, use System Restore. Using System Restore should bring your computer back to normal functioning. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Start.
2. Click All Programs.
3. Click Accessories.
4. Click System Tools.
5. Click System Restore.
6. Select the option: “Restore my computer to an earlier time.”
7. Click next.
8. In the dialog box that pops up, select the date that you would like the computer to be restored to. You should pick a date prior to the day that the problem began to occur. Make your best guess if you can’t remember the exact date.
9. Click next.
10. Verify your choice in the next box that pops up.
11. Close all open programs and click next.
12. Your computer will shut down and reboot. At the page with the title, “Restoration Complete,” click ok. Repeat the process if this does not solve your problem and select a different, earlier date.

Run a Virus Scan

Viruses and spyware have a known ability to mess with the manner in which computers operate. Therefore, running a reliable anti-virus/anti-spyware application is going to be one of the first troubleshooting strategies that you should try. If you don’t have such an application, I recommend trying Anti-Virus Plus. In order to follow this suggestion, you will probably need to follow the above suggestions for booting up in safe mode and using system restore first.

Upgrade Problems in Windows Vista

If the operating system that you are using is Windows Vista, you can use your Windows installation media in order to repair the system. Simply follow the prompts and select the repair feature. This should fix your operating system without destroying any of your saved files.

General Solutions

Updating software is a necessary part of modern technology. Unfortunately, problems sometimes occur when initiating upgrades on our computers. In order to have the best experience when updating computer software, you should follow these suggestions:

• Close all open programs before initiating the update.
• Free up the computer’s memory by deleting unwanted files, documents, and applications.
• Empty the recycle bin.
• Uninstall the last update that you performed on the computer and try reinstalling it.