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| Thread ID: 35603 | 2003-07-16 23:36:00 | HELP - Computer crashes when trying to open "Add or remove programs" | somebody (208) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 160451 | 2003-07-16 23:36:00 | I've been clearing out unused programs from my computer, but this morning I've been forced to restart my computer about 10 times. Every time I try to go into the Add or REmove Programs applet in Control Panel, the computer freezes up completely. Some background info on my computer: WinXP Home, SP1 Athlon 1.4ghz, 256mb RAM Yesterday: Transferred settings from my old (corrupt) user account to a new one. (It is the new one having the problems at the moment) Today: Ran Winguides' Registry Mechanic - 377 problems found, most fixed - did not have registered version. Any ideas on the cause for this constant crashing? It's really annoying, because nothing moves - you can't hear the hard drive churning away or anything. |
somebody (208) | ||
| 160452 | 2003-07-17 00:18:00 | cleaning the registry can be very dangerous you really need to back up prior to any tweaking , I keep a image of my C: for that reason so a reinstall only takes about 10 mins | kiwibeat (304) | ||
| 160453 | 2003-07-17 01:50:00 | Once the registry starts playing up, rather than trying to fix it, do a re-install of OS and apps. Have all the driver Disks handy. Keep the system clean from all other applications at the moment. Download all patches from for the OS, and then from your component websites. e.g leadtek for graphics, then nvidia or ati for the latest Avoid beta at all costs for stability. Once your system is running. Make a fullbackup of it. Then install your applications: Office, Mediaplayers, tools etc. It is also best to have 2 users levels. Administrator for installation of Fixes, Programs and Hardware: And User Level for daily usage. |
KiwiTT (4082) | ||
| 160454 | 2003-07-17 02:01:00 | I agree with KiwiTT but rather than a reinstall I would go the whole hog and do a format first. It makes your computer feel like brand new again. You do need to plan it though, and make sure you have all your data backed up. |
Susan B (19) | ||
| 160455 | 2003-07-17 02:11:00 | Yeah, I forgot to add that :8} | KiwiTT (4082) | ||
| 160456 | 2003-07-17 22:29:00 | Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I was originally considering a format/reinstall (still am), but other users of this computer disagree with me, and don't want me to go remotely near formatting it. I have formatted/reinstalled Windows before however, with no success (faulty hardware caused setup to crash). At the moment Windows doesn't crash when I open Add/REmove programs. It crashes when I open Internet Explorer - have had to hit reset about 10 times so far this morning. It is finally opened without crashing, and I am at Windowsupdate to get the latest patches/updates etc. After cleaning out about 4gb of junk off this computer (unused programs, my stash of unused files etc.), the computer seems to be more stable than it used to be, but still crashes very often. I also can't do a reformat/reinstall, as I cannot find a driver for my modem. I found this out the hard way, after accidentally uninstalling the modem driver. I used to have it on CD (the computer manufacturer told me it was on the "Windows XP 3 CD ROM", so he copied the driver onto CD for me), but somehow I have lost that CD. I have tried using generic drivers from the manufacturer's website (Conexant), which work, but it causes the modem speaker to be "always on", so you hear what you hear when you pick up the phone, and the internet is connected, but about 3 times louder. I'll have to hunt down the proper driver somehow... |
somebody (208) | ||
| 160457 | 2003-07-17 22:42:00 | Have a look at [url=http://www.modem-help.co.uk/help/index.html[ modem help[/url]. You may have to do a bit of digging among the modem by manufacturer/model # then by chipset to come up with the exact match. There's lots of usefull info on each chips idosyncrasies and help on fixing the modem speaker volume. Cheers Murray P |
Murray P (44) | ||
| 160458 | 2003-07-17 22:44:00 | Sorry, try, modem help (www.modem-help.co.uk) | Murray P (44) | ||
| 160459 | 2003-07-18 02:16:00 | Thanks Murray. I'll have a hunt around that site. |
somebody (208) | ||
| 160460 | 2003-07-18 02:34:00 | Good News - I managed to find a folder on my hard drive which the modem drivers had been copied to. I don't know how they got there (because I certainly didn't put them there), but they are there, and seem to be the right drivers. They were in the C:\Program Files\UIU\Setup\ directory, which seemed a bit strange. | somebody (208) | ||
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