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I would like be able to make my PC quieter. Could you please tell me, what is the main culprit for noise? I know there are two fans inside the case. Is the noise caused by the power supply fan, the case fan or something else?

Noisy computers are fairly common, which makes them no less annoying. Most of the time the noise is harmless, but it is worth investigating to make sure there are no outstanding problems.  You’re on the right track with the fans - most of the time, computer noise is caused by the fans inside the case.

Possible Cooling Problems

It’s possible that your computer is overheating and that the fans are running constantly. Gaming, videos and graphics can put stress on the computer and cause it to run hot. First, take a look around the computer - is it sitting on a soft surface like a carpet or bedding? There needs to be some airflow on and around the unit.  It should be sitting on a hard surface or elevated just a little off the floor. Check the vents on the side and make sure they aren’t blocked by anything and that air can flow in and out of the unit.

Temperature Check

If you’re sure there is adequate airflow, you can monitor the PC’s internal temperature in BIOS or download a program that will let you easily see the information. There is a lot of controversy about what is a “safe” temperature, but you can find some temperature recommendations by CPU type and then looking at this chart on Technibble.

Keep it Cool

In addition to good airflow, there are other things you can do to cool down the computer. You will need to take the case off, so if you’re not comfortable rooting around in your computer, you might want to get some tech help. Take the case off and get a can of compressed air. Blow the dust off the fans, the heatsinks and the power supply. Make sure the vents are clear of dust and debris. You can also set up a desk fan outside the unit to pull hot air out, but then you have to deal with that fan noise as well.

Heatsinks

You may want to see if you have enough heatsinks.  There are two kinds of heatsinks. An active heatsink is a device that attaches to the processor for attracting and dissipating heat from the unit that it is attached to and into the air to be distributed with a fan. A passive heatsink works the same way, but does not have a fan attached to it. All heatsink devices need to have some sort of thermal compound on it. This compound creates a seal between the heatsink and the part of the unit that it is cooling. Most new heatsinks have a rubber thermal compound pad that is already attached while others will require that you use a thin layer of thermal paste. If you remove the heatsink from the unit, you need to put more thermal compound on it, even those that came with a pad. Make sure you apply only a thin layer - too much will stop the heatsink from working properly.

A noisy fan means that the computer is working as it should - make sure that the fans are clean and working properly and that you have all of the cooling measures in place that your computer can hold. Once your computer is cooled properly, the fans will probably not run as often and the noise should subside. 

Incredimail problem: I have been trying to find an answer for this for about 4 days now. I called my ISP and they of course said uninstall it. When I open Incredimail it wants to know if I want to “Download -Open or Save. It does the same thing when I try to send. I had ESET on my computer and had to use their uninstall program to get rid of it. I was wondering if that took out something I needed. I have uninstalled Incredimail and reinstalled it (it didn`t help). I have asked for help all over and no one seems to know what the problem is. I have Vista Home Basic 32-bit, FireFox, and IE for browsers.

Incredimail can be difficult to uninstall. If all of the files haven’t been uninstalled properly, then the reinstallation of Incredimail will not work properly. Incredimail can also offer some incompatibility issues with other programs. Without knowing for sure which problem you are dealing with, you’ll have to go through each one of the following suggestions until you find out which one solves the problem for you. Start at the top with the directions for ESET as that is the most likely solution to your problem.

Incredimail Problems: ESET Security Setting

If you are using the ESET Smart Security application, you might be experiencing a common problem between this application and POP3 accounts. The security settings are high to disallow the intrusion of spam. This creates problems with certain email applications including Incredimail. What you need to do is to adjust and possibly even disable the NOD32 email protection. Try this fix:

1. Click the ESET icon (should be located in the system tray) to open the program or follow this path: Start>All Programs>ESET>ESET Smart Security or ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
2. Press the “F5” key to show the Advanced Setup dialog screen.
3. Search for the following in the display: Antivirus and antispyware>Protocol Filtering.
4. Select the option labeled, Applications marked as Internet browsers or e-mail clients’ option.
5. Select “Antivirus and antispyware>web access protection>’HTTP’>web browsers   from the Advanced Setup dialog screen. Make sure that the only entries are for the web browsers or email clients that you use.
6. Select POP3>email clients.
7. Look for the slider in the following area: Email protection>POP3>Compatibility. Once you find it, slide it over to the left.
8. Select OK to save the changes that you have made.
9. Try to use the Incredimail application. If it still does not work, repeat these steps only this time move the slider all of the way over to the left and try again to use Incredimail.

Incredimail Problems: ESET Real Time Protection

ESET has been known to freeze up email applications due to its real time protection capability. This causes the program to freeze or act oddly in the manner that you have stated. Excluding Incredimail from the real time protection might be the fix that you need. Follow these steps:

1. Click the ESET icon (should be located in the system tray) to open the program or follow this path: Start>All Programs>ESET>ESET Smart Security or ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
2. Press the “F5” key to show the Advanced Setup dialog box.
3. Search for the following in the display: Antivirus and antispyware>Exclusions. Now, select “Add” from the bottom of the dialog box. This generates the “Add exclusion” box.
4. Search through the directory and select the main exe file for Incredimail in order to exclude it. This file should now appear in the exclusion field.
5. Select ok.
6. Select ok again.
7. Go back to the Advanced Set up and select Antivirus and antispyware>web access protection>HTTP>web browsers.
8. If Incredimail is listed, then you should double click on the box that is next to it to generate a red X. Click ok. If you don’t see it listed, select Add from the bottom and search for the .exe file for Incredimail. If you see it double click it to generate the red X. Click ok.
9. Reboot your computer.

Incredimail Problems: Use the Repair Feature

The Incredimail program has a repair feature that can be used at anytime when you are having problems with it. All of the information that you already have in the application is saved during the repair process too! If you haven’t already tried this strategy, do so now. Just follow these steps:

1. Click on Start.
2. Select Programs.
3. Search for and select Incredimail.
4. Select the Uninstall Incredimail Option.
5. Select the Repair Incredimail Option that is listed.
6. Select Next.
7. It is necessary to restart your computer at this point.

Adobe is offering updating. I have a feeling someone told me that Adobe slows down my computer. Do you recommend downloading this update?

Adobe Updates

Adobe, like just about all software developers, periodically updates its software. These updates typically include enhancements to the software such as new features as well as bug fixes. For example, the most recent update for Adobe’s popular Reader (Adobe Reader 9.2 update) program was issued on October 13^th. It addresses “critical vulnerabilities” described by Adobe as vulnerabilities that can cause Reader to crash and potentially allow hackers to take over the compromised system. This same update includes fixes for known problems with several Adobe products including:

• Reader causes Firefox to crash
• Inconsistent printing behaviors
• Documents with certain types of digital signatures crash Adobe
• Not enough memory error messages
• Macro security errors when Microsoft Outlook 2003 is opened

Updating Adobe

It’s easy to update Adobe, especially when you receive a notice in your computer’s “system tray” area notifying you that an update is available. If you see a notice in the system tray, simply follow the prompts to update your Adobe products. If not, you can manually check for updates by launching the program and going to the Help > Check for Updates menu option. You may have several Adobe products such as Adobe Reader and Adobe Photoshop Elements. Adobe usually makes it easy to update all of the installed products at once. For example, when you use the Help > Check for Updates option, the Adobe Updater runs and displays a list of how many updates are available. Click on the Show Details link and you will see which programs updates are available for. Select the updates that you want to apply and then click the Download and Install Updates link.

Adobe and System Slowdowns

Now, about the system slowdown portion of your question. A product such as Adobe Reader isn’t inherently slow in itself but it can contribute to overall sluggishness if it is set to run at all times. When your computer has too many programs running at once, then yes, Reader could be adding to the computer’s sluggishness. The solution isn’t to ignore crucial updates but rather to remove Reader (or any other program that loads automatically) from your computer’s startup list. Do this by going to Start > Run and then typing in: msconfig

This opens the System Configuration utility. Now, click on the Startup tab. Find Adobe Acrobat in the list and remove the checkmark in the box. Click OK and then either reboot your computer or exit without restarting. The next time you power on your computer, your computer will load as normal, but it won’t load Adobe. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use Adobe at any time; it just means that it’s not automatically running at all times.

I have reformatted my Acer TravelMate 4020. At first, it was normal, but when I restarted again, it opened but nothing appeared on the screen. I heard the start up sound but the screen was blank. Does it have something to do with BIOS because that was the last one I installed?

Reformat Blank Screen Error

This error could be as simple as removing the Windows recovery disc from the disc drive or a bit more complicated. Let’s start with potential cause number one before exploring the other options.

Recovery Disc Blank Screen Error

When reformatting the Acer, did you use a recovery or Windows installation disc? If so, when you rebooted, the computer may be confused because it has found a bootable disc in the drive. Make sure that all disc drives do not have discs inserted and then reboot your computer.

No such luck? Let’s see if you can start your computer in Safe Mode.

Starting the Computer in Safe Mode

Try pressing the F8 key as you reboot the computer. Does Windows load in Safe Mode? If so, you may be able to access some advanced troubleshooting and diagnostics tools such as Disk Management.

However, since you just reformatted the computer, if the problem is not related to a disc being present in one of the drives, it’s probably easier to reinstall Windows rather than try to troubleshoot the first reinstallation. Reboot your computer with your recovery discs or Windows installation discs in the drive. These are bootable discs, so you should see a screen with instructions for restoring the computer to its factory condition.  

Advanced Microsoft Help

The Acer TravelMate 4020 comes in both Windows XP and Windows Vista versions. If you have Windows XP, the following Microsoft Support article may be useful:

Computer Stops Responding with a Blank Screen when Starting Windows XP

If you have Windows Vista, the installation CD has a “startup repair” tool that you can try which Microsoft describes here:

Windows Vista Startup Repair Tool

Hopefully your computer is simply refusing to load because it’s confused by the disc in its drive and will come to life once you remove the disc and reboot. If not, a reinstall may be in order.

The Geek Squad replaced both of my DVD players over a year ago. Since then I cannot use either of the DVD players/recorders. When I try to play a CD or DVD, the computer freezes up and then crashes. I’ve tried and tried to find the problem, but still no luck. What good is a computer without a DVD player? Not sure if it is a hardware or software program. A tech from my cable company said the DVD players were working correctly.

Troubleshooting DVD Drive

At this point, it’s probably too late to have the Geek Squad come back out and double-check their work. In fact, Best Buy’s Geek Squad’s warranty is 30 days. So unless you want to pay the Geek Squad again, you’re likely on your own. The problem could be as simple as a jumper setting needing to be set or you may need to update the DVD drives’ device drivers. Let’s explore the options.

The Device Manager

First, let’s see if your computer recognizes the DVD drive. The Device Manager is just the tool for our initial investigation. Go to the Control Panel and click on the Device Manager. Click the plus sign next to DVD / CD-ROM drives. Are your DVD drives showing up? Is there a yellow caution sign next to either drive?

Now, double-click on one of the drives to view more information. The first screen you will see is the status tab. Does the status message indicate a problem or is “the device working properly”? Write down the manufacturer and model number of the drive as later you may need to search for updated device drivers. Do the same for the other drive.

If the devices do not appear in Device Manager at all, you will need to open the computer case and make sure that the drives are properly connected. One should be set as a master and the other as a slave. These settings are typically set using jumpers on the drives. In addition, the drives should be physically connected to the motherboard. If you are comfortable opening your computer’s case, you can manually inspect the drives yourself. Make sure to take appropriate safety precautions including unplugging the computer and grounding yourself.

If the devices appear in Device Manager and error messages are present, follow the instructions provided by the Device Manager to troubleshoot the problem. If not, let’s try updating the device drivers.

Updating Device Drivers

One easy way to quickly “freshen” up a malfunctioning drive is to uninstall it in Device Manager and reboot the system. This forces Windows to detect “new” hardware and install the latest device drivers. Simply right-click the drive in Device Manager and choose Uninstall. Reboot the computer and let Windows reinstall the software.

Windows uses drivers in its plug and play database. If you’d rather check with your drives’ manufacturers, you can do so by visiting the manufacturers’ Web sites. Use the information you wrote down earlier to search for updated device drivers for your drive. You’ll need to download and install these drivers according to each manufacturer’s instructions. Use extreme care to select the correct drivers for your model as well as for your operating system.

Is there any way to save my MSN history directly to an online location?

Saving MSN Histories

MSN Messenger, now known as Windows Live Messenger, has a feature for saving message histories. This feature is not turned on by default. If you want to save your histories, you must go into the Tools > Options menu and click on the Messages option. Once in the Messages section, find the Message History section and place a mark in “Automatically keep a history of my conversations.” Just below that, you’ll see an option labeled “Save my conversations in this folder.” Typically, you would browse to a location on your C drive and select it as the storage folder for your MSN histories. However, you want an online storage folder, so we’ll need to get creative.

Creating an Online Storage Drive

Several online storage and backup services allow you to map your online storage account as a network drive on your computer. You will need to sign up for an account with one of these services that feature “virtual network drives.” A virtual network drive appears on your computer as a drive letter just like your regular hard drive and CD drives. For example, if you had an OnlineStorageSolutions account, your computer would have a local drive letter, let’s say the “H” drive, that is mapped to your online storage account. So, instead of choosing the C drive and a subfolder to store your MSN history, you would instead choose the drive letter for your online storage account, in this example the “H” drive.

You will first need to find an online storage account that allows drive letter access. While a number of online storage services offer free personal accounts, finding one that allows uploading of files via a drive letter for free is tougher. OnlineStorageSolutions charges $19 per year for this service.

Another option is to try the free account offered at DropBox.com. DropBox offers 2 GB of free online storage. It works by synchronizing the local “DropBox” folder with your online account. In this case, you would instruct MSN Messenger to save the history file in your DropBox folder. From there, Dropbox would upload it to your online DropBox account.  

Accessing Your Saved MSN Histories

Once set up with an online virtual drive, your MSN histories will automatically be stored online where you can access them from any computer. Accessing the MSN histories will depend on the online account that you have set up for this purpose. For example, if you use DropBox, you’ll need to sign in to the DropBox.com Web site with your user name and password where you can then access your files.