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When I try to transfer my pictures from my camera to the computer, it turns my computer off. Can anyone help me?

Camera Software vs. Windows Explorer

Are you using the software that came with your camera to transfer the images from your camera to your computer? If so, I’m wondering if the problem might be related to incompatibility with the software or perhaps memory issues. Let’s start with the software and see if you can transfer the photos directly.

First, while your camera may have come with software for your computer, it’s not necessary to use the included software. You might try using an alternate program or Windows Explorer. For example, connect your camera or insert the memory card into a compatible memory card reader (if you have one) and the right click the Start button and click on Explore. This opens Windows Explorer. From there, look for your camera or memory card in the list. It will most likely show up as a drive letter such as E or F. Click the drive letter and you should see a series of folders.

Depending on your camera, you may need to navigate through several different subfolders before you find the actual photos. Once you find the folder containing the images, click Control + A to select them all and then drag and drop to your Pictures folder on your computer. This will copy all of the images from your camera to your Pictures folder.

If you want to try different software, such as Windows Photo Gallery, look for an “import from camera” feature. In Windows Live Photo Gallery, simply go to File > Import from Camera.

Memory Issues

Photo editing is a memory intensive process. I also wonder if memory issues might be crashing your computer when you launch the digital camera’s software and attempt to transfer the photos. Try closing all running programs beforehand and see if the process can proceed now that more memory is available. If so, consider adding additional memory and limiting the number of programs running at once when you need to work with your images.

Camera Connection Type

Another thought is how the camera connects to your computer in the first place. Most come with USB connections. Have you tried using an alternate USB slot? Does your camera have a removable memory card? Depending on how the camera is connected, your computer may have to load device drivers for it, which could also be interfering with operations and crashing your computer. Updated device drivers from your camera manufacturer may solve this problem, so it’s worth checking with the manufacturer’s Web site for both software and device driver updates.

My PC resets itself without warning or an error message. Have you any ideas?

Problems with computers that experience continual rebooting often require a variety of troubleshooting strategies in order to correct the problem. It could be related to the computer’s hardware or software. Try the following suggestions to see if you can get to the cause of your PC resets.

Disable Automatic Reboot Option for Computer

If you disable the automatic reboot option on the computer, it might generate an error message and provide you with a more tangible reason behind the PC rebooting itself.

To disable the automatic reboot option:

• Navigate to “Start.”
• Choose “Explore.”
• Right click on “My Computer.”
• Choose “Properties.”
• Choose “Advanced.”
• Choose “Settings” in the section for “Start Up and Recovery.”
• Clear out the entry for “Automatically Restart.”
• Follow each of the generated prompts and restart the computer when finished.

If an error message is generated, follow the suggested troubleshooting tips for it. If not, try the following suggestions.

Heating/Cooling of the Computer System

Random PC crashes can occur if the computer is not cooling down properly due to a fan that isn’t working properly or lack of circulation. Check the computer tower and make sure that air can circulate around it and that the vents are not blocked or filled with dirt. Overheating can lead to PC crashes or rebooting problems. If the fan isn’t working, have it replaced. If the computer is filled with dirt and grime, use a can of compressed air to clean it.

Check the Power Supply

If the power supply for your computer is damaged, this situation could lead to PC crashes or rebooting. While the computer is turned off, check the cables for the power supply and make sure that everything looks as it should. Check for frayed wires, loose wiring, or any sign of a bad connection at all. If you discover any of these signs, have the power supply replaced.

Virus/Spyware

Since the presence of spyware or viruses can lead to random problems with the computer, scan your computer with an up-to-date anti-spyware/anti-virus application such as Anti-Virus PLUS.

Use “System Restore”

Use the installation disk that came with your computer to complete “System Restore.” Insert the disk from a cold computer, turn the computer on, follow the directions to boot from disk, select the “Repair” option.

Additional Tips

If you are still experiencing problems with your PC rebooting, try each of these tips.

• Clean the computer registry. A reliable registry cleaner that you can use is RegCure. You can also choose to defrag your computer by following these steps: Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter.
• Use the “chkdsk” utility to repair missing files and correct errors on the hard drive. To do so follow this path: Turn the computer on in “Safe Mode”>Start>Run>Type “cmd”>Type “chkdsk / f”>Enter.
• Update the operating system.
• Clean up your computer by deleting unwanted files and emptying the recycle bin.

My PC is freezing up and taking longer than it should to load up pages from anything I try to run. I have run the disk scan, cleaned up my computer with a virus and adware scan, and defragged. Nothing has helped.

Everything you’ve done so far is a good start - there are a few more things you can do to help with the freezes and optimize your performance with the system that you have now.

Clean it Out

Defragging the system is a great thing to do to improve performance - have you also emptied the Recycle Bin and deleted any temporary Internet files? You can go to Start and then choose Accessories. Click on System Tools and then Disk Cleanup. Select the disk you are cleaning and then delete anything in the Recycle Bin, the temporary Internet files and temporary files. You should also take a look at your system and delete any unused software that may be taking up space.

Check CPU

Are there processes that are taking up CPU time? You can check to see what’s running by getting into the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del. View the processes to see what is running and how much it is taking up.

Registry Cleaner

A good registry cleaner will go through the registry files and delete anything that is partially installed, fragmented or incorrect. We recommend RegCure as a great choice that has a lot of support to go with it.

Overheated Computer

Overheating in your computer is a common cause of freezing and poor performance. You can check the CPU temperature by using a program like RealTemp. It is a download that will monitor the temperature inside your computer so you can troubleshoot any heat issues. If you find that you are having an overheating problem, check out this Filetonic Overheating PC article.

RAM

You should also see if you have enough memory for today’s computing needs. For anyone running Windows XP, you should have a minimum of 512MB, and possibly 1GB of RAM. If you need more information about increasing your memory, see our Filetonic Troubleshooting Ram article.

Startup Items

Another step is to limit the number of “Startup Items” you have. Each program that launches takes up memory and system resources. It’s not uncommon for computers to launch multiple programs, even if they won’t be used because many installers place a shortcut to the program in the Startup Items folder by default. Go to Start > Run and type msconfig. Click the Startup Items tab and remove the checkmark in non-essential programs such as QuickTime, Microsoft Office, etc. These programs will still be available to launch as needed, but won’t be hogging resources when not being used.

In addition to the troubleshooting that you’ve already done, checking these issues should help you increase your performance on your PC.

 If your computer system is encountering frequent fatal errors that cause it to close unexpectedly or become unusable, like the blue screen of death (BSoD), there are a few troubleshooting steps to take to diagnose the problem and set about repairing the damage. In the old days, if your computer was behaving badly, it had to be taken to a technical specialist but these days there are a number of software programs available for both download and purchase online that walk you through finding and solving personal computer errors yourself.

The first thing to do if you are experiencing frequent crashes and stalls is run a virus scan program. The virus scan will look at all your files and make sure that they are not infected with a virus, Trojan, worm, or other malware, that could damage your system and seriously interfere with its performance.

In the case of a virus infection, destructive code spreads through the system, corrupting files and rendering programs unworkable. Check your antivirus software and make sure that you have the most recent updates available from your software producer’s website and scan your system routinely. As well, it is a good idea to maintaining up-to-date virus definitions for your antivirus security software to prevent an infection on your computer in the first place.

Another reason you might be experiencing system crashes might be related to your computer’s registry. The registry is a catalogue of all the system preferences and references needed by the operating system, hardware and other programs in order to work. Every time your computer executes a function, and every time that information comes into or goes out of your computer, the registry makes a note. Over time and in the normal operation of your computer, the registry becomes cluttered with bits of useless or redundant information. For example, pieces of uninstalled programs, broken or bad links and old copies of files are stored on the registry and impede its function.

There are steps to follow to edit your registry manually but, unless you really know your way around your hard drive, and are comfortable finding data pieces on your registry, you might consider using a registry scan. Available online for download, as well as for purchase, registry scans read the code on your registry, identify the redundant and useless information and offer the user the option of deleting it. Before you alter your registry, either manually or with a scan, make sure to back up your registry in case something goes wrong, in which case you might have to reinstall your operating system. Once your registry is clean and you are virus free you will notice a big improvement in your computer’s performance and reduce the odds of error messages. Features of this type of software may include manual settings, complete registry scans, quick scans, and a user-friendly interface. Registry scan software programs can be pre-set to periodically scan your system at a time that is convenient for you.