Emergency for Rx Windows XP: What to Do When Your Computer Needs Repair
Simon Petravick, Coleen S. Troutman · Journal of accountancy online/Journal of accountancy · 2005
Microsoft's Windows XP operating system contains an assortment of emergency tools that can come to your rescue if your computer doesn't run right--or won't run at all. Rest assured, you don't have to be technically proficient to use them, but some are hidden deep in the operating system so you'll need some guidance, and patience, to access them. We'll go through the things that generally go wrong with computers and their symptoms, and then show you how to fix them. WHEN INSTALLATIONS GO BAD One of the most common problems that mess up computers is an application or a program upgrade that's defective or has been installed incorrectly. It can stop the new program from running, make the computer run erratically or make it crash other applications. When such symptoms appear immediately after you've installed the software, chances are it's the culprit. The solution is to uninstall the program. Notice we've said uninstall, not delete. While it's possible to remove the software with Windows Explorer, there's a good chance you will not get rid of all of it. When you install an application, it not only creates a folder for itself on your hard drive, it also installs or adjusts several tiny programs in other folders--typically in your Registry, the central brain of the operating system--and that's not a place you should tinker without expert guidance. So Windows Explorer's delete action probably will not fully remove the offending software. Caution: Do not confuse Windows Explorer with Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is the Microsoft Web browser that gives you access to the Internet. Windows Explorer is a utility that lets you move, erase, copy and rename files (see screenshot of both icons). To correctly uninstall a program, go to Start, Control Panel and Add or Remove Programs (exhibit 1, page 81). The Add or Remove Programs screen shows a list of all your installed programs. To remove one, highlight it and click on the adjacent Change/Remove button. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PLAYING HARDBALL After the uninstall finishes, reboot your computer. If the original problem persists, you'll need to take more dramatic action--launching a function that's called System Restore. Every 24 hours, or whenever significant changes are made to your computer, XP makes a copy of all the essential controlling software--except the data files. Thus, if the addition of a program or a change in the computer's setup is causing the problem, you can command the computer to return to an earlier, healthy condition. System Restore is buried deep in XP; it takes five steps to access it. Click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and System Restore, opening the welcome screen (exhibit 2, below). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Advisory: It's a good idea to always create a manual restore point before you make any major change in your computer. Do that from the welcome screen (exhibit 2) and click on the Restore my computer to an earlier time. Then click on Create a restore point and follow the menu. To return the system to a prior state, click in the radio button for Restore my computer to an earlier time and then on Next. That brings up the Select a Restore Point screen, which includes a calendar showing the dates (they are in bold type) that are available to revert to (exhibit 3, page 82). Select a date just before the problem surfaced and click on Next. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The restoration process closes all open applications and reboots the computer. When the restoration finishes, you'll get a confirm message. If the computer still does not work properly, you can from System Restore and select an earlier date and repeat the process. DEVICE DRIVER PROBLEM On occasion, when you upgrade device drivers--programs that allow your computer to communicate with components such as a disk drive or modem--you'll find that the component suddenly won't operate correctly. …