Saturday, January 26, 2013

Know Your Error Messages




Computer Care: Know your error messages, real and phony



Arthur_GlazerBy Arthur Glazer
glazer.tech@gmail.com

POSTED: January 12, 2013 2:00 a.m.



POSTED: January 12, 2013 2:00 a.m.
Anyone who uses a computer eventually gets error messages. These annoying pop-ups can often be intimidating, leaving the user frustrated. Google, at least has a sense of humor with their, “Aw snap, Google has crashed” and “Jim, I think he’s dead.” Most messages though, leave you exasperated, wondering what to do next.

If you encounter a messages like, “NTLDR is missing,” or “No bootable device” and the “Can’t boot to hard disk,” you may simply have a CD in the optical drive. The system is attempting to read that disk before it gets to the hard drive. Since there is no boot information on the CD, it fails. Take the CD out and reboot. 

The system will then read the boot sector on your hard drive and boot as usual.
“A network cable is unplugged,” is a common error message for wireless users. Click on your network icon and right-click the icon in that group with the “X” on it (your Ethernet connection) and choose “Disable.” That message, along with icon in your taskbar will disappear.

If you suddenly get a message saying, “No Internet Access,” it’s usually one of three things: the connection from your ISP, the modem/router or your computer.

First try to reboot your computer. If that fails, reset your modem and router by unplugging them for 30 seconds. If you have a modem and a router, plug in the modem back in first. After the LEDs stop flashing, plug in the router and retry your Internet connection.

If that too fails, it may be your ISP. Your house or even entire neighborhood may be without a signal. Call your ISP and tell them you did a system reset and still have no Internet access. Ask them to ping your modem. If they can’t, they’ll probably send a technician out.

Know the difference between hard drive storage and memory. Your hard drive stores your data permanently and will eventually fill up. Memory is temporary storage. If you get a message telling you that your hard disk is low or full, you need a larger drive, a second one or need to clean out the one you have.

Windows also uses that drive to create a virtual swap or pagefile that it uses like RAM. If you run out of physical storage space, Windows will not be able to create that pagefile and the system will slow down.

If you get a message advising you Windows needs to adjust your virtual memory settings, allow it to do so. If you set it manually (better), set the virtual setting to about 1.5 times what your physical memory is.

The dreaded “Blue Screen of Death” warns of serious errors, usually warranting a technician’s expertise. These BSODs have STOP codes with numbers. If you Google the number after the word “STOP” (like 0x0000007B), it will at least advise you whether it is a hardware, software, Windows or motherboard issue.

It may be as simple as bad or loose RAM, a device driver in need of an update or as serious as a corrupt installation of the operating system. Often the best way to fix these errors is to (gasp) reinstall Windows.

Error messages that warn of impending doom are usually telling you the computer is infected with malware, those messages being the infection. Windows does not tell you of registry errors. If you didn’t run a scan and the warning isn’t coming from an installed antivirus or Internet security app, it is bogus and should be ignored.

There are many malware infections that use intimidation factors to scare the user. Ignore messages like, “You have 692 registry errors. Click here now to repair them.” Shut your computer down after you write down any identifying information from that pop-up. It may be a real program (probably not), but usually is just a ploy to get your credit card number.

There is not much you can do other than calling a technician. This type of malware can’t be removed via conventional methods. These infections often get worse the more you click on them.
Messages that come from your installed apps should not be ignored. If your antivirus app for example, advises you not to go to a certain website, by all means, don’t go there. If your security app finds malware, allow it to remove those rogue programs.

Windows Update messages will appear if you don’t have the “Automatic” option chosen. It’s not always the best option, especially if you don’t use Internet Explorer.

I choose to have it advise me when updates are available and it lets me choose which ones to download and install on my schedule instead of its schedule.

Learn how to react to error messages — which ones to follow and which to ignore. If you get duped into reacting to spurious pop-ups, you may end up with more trouble than you wanted to deal with and a doorstop instead of a computer.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

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