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Online Tools June 1998 • Vol.4 Issue 6 |
Error Messages What They Mean, How To Fix Them, How To get Help | ||
 Sooner or later, every computer user will have work interrupted with an indecipherable message, courtesy of Windows 95 (Win95). Called error messages, these love notes from Win95 are a warning that some type of error has already occurred inside your PC. And no matter whether you're a PC novice or a computer whiz, your heart will skip a beat, your breath will catch in your throat, and doomsday scenarios will run amok. Some Win95 errors are simple to fix. Others require a complete Win95 reinstallation to resurrect a dead PC. Some situations look catastrophic, but are easy to fix. How can you tell which is which? Ah, there's the rub. The answer is often you can't. For example, if, after an error message appears, you can properly exit the application and reboot the system, chances are it's a simple computer glitch and nothing to fret about. If, on the other hand, the same problem persists, or the application won't open, or your computer won't start, you don't need psychic abilities to know your future will contain a few hours of troubleshooting. At best, getting the help you need—either by calling technical support or by searching Microsoft's World Wide Web site—can be time-consuming and tricky. At worst, it can be time-consuming, tricky, and even dangerous as the wrong advice can quickly make matters worse. Further complicating this "get help" scenario is that Win95 error messages are often misleading and many have nothing to do with the actual problem, cautions William Goldstein, a Los Angeles-based computer consultant. So what do you do when Win95 goes ka-blooey? We've talked to Microsoft technical support engineers and scoured Microsoft's online information sites to zero in on how to solve some common Win95 problems. We'll also show you how to prevent many PC problems using special utilities that come with Win95 or that can be downloaded free from Microsoft's Web site (http://www.microsoft.com).
 Solutions To Five Common Problems. Win95 technicians report that most Win95 problems can be traced back to poor installation; out-of-date, conflicting, or missing device drivers; or missing system files that were accidentally deleted or never installed. Other Win95 error messages occur when—just like bumper cars—two or more programs smack into each other with disastrous results. There are so many possible error messages that not even Microsoft can keep track of all of them. However, here are five of the most common Win95 error message situations and troubleshooting solutions. Installation blues. Most Win95 technical support calls deal with installation, says one Win95 technician. So if you've successfully installed the operating system or bought a new system with Win95 already on it, you're way ahead of the game. If you're considering switching from Windows 3.x to Win95, you can avoid most hitches simply by ensuring your PC meets—or better yet, beats—Microsoft's minimum requirements to run Win95. Solution: Make sure you have plenty of hard drive space, disengage memory managers such as QEMM, and select the Typical installation during the Win95 setup. Frozen applications. Every now and then, a program will inexplicably lock up and refuse to respond to keyboard commands or mouse clicks. Congratulations, you've just experienced a computer rite of passage called a crash! In most cases, you can close the halted application without rebooting Windows—although you should expect to lose whatever you were working on, or at least whatever information was inputted after the last time you saved the file. Solution: Press the CTRL-ALT-DEL keys at the same time. Look for the words "not responding" next to the frozen application in the Close Program dialog box. Highlight the offending application, then left-click the End Task button. In some instances, another window will appear informing you that the program is not responding properly. Left-click End Task. If the application closes, go into every other open program, save your work, and exit Win95. Then restart, because Win95 might have become unstable when the initial application crashed. If the frozen application does not close, see if Windows will let you switch to the other open applications (if mouse clicking fails, try using the ALT-TAB keys), save your work, and exit by left-clicking the Start button, selecting Shut Down, and then selecting Restart The Computer? before left-clicking the Yes button. If the application continues to freeze, call the software publisher and see if a software fix is available. (For more information about conflicts between Win95 and software, see "The Upgrade Downside: Windows 95 Compatibility Problems With Applications" in this issue.) Illegal shut down. Similar to frozen applications, this is where a program such as Microsoft Internet Explorer suddenly stops working and, instead of freezing, simply shuts down. This happens when the program performs an illegal operation—a command that Win95 doesn't like or understand. Solution: In most cases, you can simply restart the application. A safer solution is to reboot the system, then see if you can duplicate the situation that caused the program to suddenly shut down. If the program works, don't worry about it. However, technicians say you should make a note of the problem just in case it happens again. Their motto: "Once is a glitch, twice is a trend." If the application continues to close down or works erratically, call the manufacturer and check for software or driver updates before calling Win95 technical support. General Protection Fault. GPFs usually occur when running older Windows 3.x programs that, for some reason, are having trouble running under Win95.
Fatal Exception Error. Win95 technicians call it the BSOD—the blue screen of death. That's because Win95 doesn't announce the problem with a good-looking gray box decked out with a red or yellow icon. Instead, your monitor suddenly switches to a blue screen crammed with hexadecimal stack dump codes as indecipherable as Linear-B hieroglyphics. All hardware and software is locked. "There's nothing you can do; there's no way to fix it," admits one Win95 technician. "Your only resource is to shut down your computer, start it up again, and hope you haven't permanently damaged your system." In most cases, BSODs are linked to conflicts caused by duplicate .DLL files—Win95 device drivers—stored in memory. Chances are, it happened while running two or more programs. Solution: Reboot your computer, then try loading one application, work in it for a few minutes to ensure the problem doesn't reoccur, then shut it down and reopen the other application to see if the problem reappears. If you can successfully run each program separately, try loading them together. If the problem reoccurs, you can assume something in one program is conflicting with the other. Before calling Win95 technical support, call the publishers of the crashing programs and check if either has a software update, patch, or new driver. Here's a tip: Try pressing the ENTER key. About 20% of the time, it will return you to Win95, advises computer consultant Goldstein. Then, as quickly as possible, save your work (if you can), exit, then restart Win95. Insufficient Memory Error. "There is insufficient memory to run this application." This error message implies that you don't have enough memory to run an application. But the error, in fact, is insufficient graphic device interface (GDI) resources. It's caused when a program is closed but fails to relinquish all its resources. Most often, the culprit is a Windows 3.x program. Solution: Restart your system, which flushes everything out of memory. A better solution is to upgrade the older application. A third alternative is to use Win95's Resource Meter (discussed later) to keep an eye on GDI resources. When GDI ratings dip below 50%, you can close some open applications to free up system resources, but your best solution is to restart Windows. If the problem persists, call the software publisher for an update. An Ounce Of PC Prevention. Of course, the easiest way to avoid Win95 error messages and problems is to keep your PC in tip-top shape. Technical support engineers report that by following these simple maintenance tips, you can optimize PC performance, reduce the number of Win95 error messages, and be better prepared to deal with a serious Win95 problem. The following companion utilities are on the Win95 installation CD-ROM, some are on the diskette versions, and all can be downloaded from Microsoft's Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/software/accessories.htm) for free. ScanDisk. Win95 comes with several disk diagnostic and repair utilities. The most useful, ScanDisk, can find and repair problems with files and directories on your hard drive. It can be found on the Start menu by selecting Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools. ScanDisk also fixes problems related to long file names (longer than the eight-character file names plus three-character file extension found in Windows 3.x). For best results, check for disk errors at least twice a month. (For more information about ScanDisk, see "Organizing & Storing Data With Windows" in this issue.) Disk Defragmenter. Also called a disk optimizer, this handy utility helps your hard drive run faster by keeping files neat and tidy—and easier for the system to access. Over time, your data can be stored in nonconsecutive order throughout your hard drive. So when you want a file, the hard drive must search the entire drive to collect bits and pieces of the file. The result: Applications take longer to load. The solution: defragment your hard drive at least once a month. Like ScanDisk, Disk Defragmenter can be found by selecting Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools. (For more information about Disk Defragmenter, again see "Organizing & Storing Data With Windows 95" in this issue.) Here's a tip: Instead of running ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter one at a time, a quicker way is to double left-click My Computer, right-click the C: icon, and when the shortcut menu appears, select Properties, then the Tools tab. You'll see buttons to start ScanDisk (Error-checking status) and Defragmenter (Defragmentation status), plus the status of when these operations were last performed. Backing up isn't hard to do. No matter which applications you're using, save your work often. For added safety, copy important files to diskettes. When it comes to computers, it's always better to be extra safe than extra sorry, technicians warn. The same philosophy applies to every program and file on your hard drive. If your hard drive crashed, could you restore important files, or would they be lost forever? If you perform regular backups, your chances of completely losing important files can be reduced greatly. Win95 includes a rudimentary backup program called—you guessed it—Backup, that can copy all or some of the files on your system in a compressed format to another drive, a diskette, or a tape drive. If you make a backup before changing settings or installing new hardware or software, you can always put things back the way they were and start over if something doesn't work properly. Backup can be found by selecting Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools. Monitor system resources. System Monitor tracks the performance of your system's components in a series of useful charts. Information includes microprocessor and memory usage, and the size of the disk cache and swap file. Although the information might not make any sense to you, a Win95 technical support engineer can use it to spot performance-inhibiting problems. System Monitor can be found by going to Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools. Resource Meter. The handy Resource Meter, which resides on the Taskbar, tracks System, User, and GDI resources. In Win95, the more applications you have open and running, the more system resources are gobbled up. Problems occur when you run out of resources. Resource Meter can be found by selecting Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools. Create an emergency startup diskette. A bootable diskette can boot up your system and edit important files in case something goes horribly wrong and you can't start Win95 from your hard drive. It's one of the first things a technical support engineer will ask for when you call for help. To create a bootable diskette, open Control Panel, double left-click Add/ Remove Programs, select the Startup Disk tab, and left-click Create Disk. Back up your registry. Every program you install or uninstall makes changes to the Win95 registry. Just in case one of the programs doesn't play well with others, it's a good idea to make regular backup copies of two files: User.dat and System.dat. Unfortunately, because these files are big, you can't use Windows Explorer or even DOS copy commands to copy those files. You'll need the Cfgback.exe file, which is buried on the Win95 CD-ROM in the d:\other\misc\cfgback folder. Using Windows Explorer, copy Cfgback. exe to C:\WINDOWS and Cfgback.hlp to c:\windows\help. When you've finished, use Explorer to find Cfgback.exe and double left-click it. When the Configuration Backup windows appears, type a file name under Selected Backup Name, then left-click the Backup button. Save important files. Computer consultant Goldstein recommends storing important backup files on a separate folder in your hard drive called BACKUP and then creating a shortcut on your Desktop to automatically run a simple program called a batch file. To create a batch file, open Notepad (go to Programs, select Accessories) and type the following: @echo off copy c:\autoexec.bat c:\backup copy c:\config.sys c:\backup copy c:\windows\win.ini c:\backup copy c:\windows\system.ini c:\backup copy c:\windows\user.dat c:\backup copy c:\windows\system.dat c:\backup When you're finished, save the file as Save.bat. To run this file straight from your Desktop, open Windows Explorer, find the file, right-click it, select Copy, then right-click any empty space on your Desktop and select Paste Shortcut. Your Save.bat file will magically appear on your Desktop. Goldstein also recommends creating a restore batch file. If it is stored in the C:\WINDOWS directory, it can be run only with the Restore command from a DOS prompt if your system breaks down and you can't get into Win95. Using Notepad, type the following: @echo off copy c:\backup\autoexec.bat c:\ copy c:\backup\config.sys c:\ copy c:\backup\win.ini c:\windows copy c:\backup\system.ini c:\windows copy c:\backup\user.dat c:\windows copy c:\backup\system.dat c:\windows Save this file as Restore.bat. Check your PC regularly for viruses. While Win95 comes with plenty of utilities, it doesn't include antivirus protection. McAfee's (now Network Associates) VirusScan (800/332-9966, 408/988-3832; http://www.nai.com/products/antivirus/virusscan) offers comprehensive virus detection, deletion, repair, and prevention. (For any antivirus software to be effective, you must download monthly updates, which generally cost extra.) Because you have to pay for monthly updates anyway, consider the deal offered by TuneUp.Com (http://www.tuneup.com). The company's monthly Internet subscription fee includes monthly virus updates plus a PC TuneUp diagnostic utility. Even better, you can ask their technical support staff computer questions by E-mail and get a response usually within about four hours during regular business hours. If you need help but can't find a specific Web address in a users manual or help file, check out the Client Server Management HandiGuide from Positive Support Review at http://www.supporthelp.com. This service offers information about several companies. Never delete application programs manually. When you install a Win95 application such as Netscape Navigator, bits and pieces of the program are installed in different files in folders scattered throughout your hard drive. More importantly, many programs make undocumented changes to your system files. Deleting an unwanted program using Windows Explorer can leave stray bits and pieces of the program strewn all over your hard drive and gum up the Windows registry. A safer alternative is to use the Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. You also can use a professional program such as CyberMedia's UnInstaller (800/721-7824, 310/581-4700, http://www.cybermedia.com/products/uninstaller). Never delete system files. Save your old changes before tinkering with new ones, just in case they don't work like you expected. Rename old files or move them to a diskette or another directory. Then, before deleting the old ones, make sure everything on your system works with the new system files. Don't change computer settings when you're tired. Technical support technicians say most users make mistakes when they're tired. Make sure you're well rested before undertaking any crucial computer changes and leave enough time to complete them. Nothing in the wired world takes 15 minutes. Finally, if you think you've messed up, stop! In most cases, "trying to fix it" only makes a Win95 problem worse. Close all programs before turning off your PC. The easiest way to lose your work or damage or corrupt files is to turn off your PC while using an application. Always save your work, exit out of each program one at a time, and shut down Win95 before turning off your PC. Before You Call Tech Support. Don't throw in the towel and throw yourself at the mercy of a technical support staff until you try these last-ditch, do-it-yourself alternatives. Get the message. When an application suddenly crashes or something goes awry, Win95 usually displays a gray termination box with an error message. Before you left-click the Close button, left-click the Details buttons. Although it won't make any sense to you, copying down this information—or at least the first two lines—can prove invaluable for the technician answering your support call. Reboot after a crash and try again. Always restart your system after a problem. For best results, physically turn off the PC rather than merely rebooting. This completely clears all data from memory. In many cases, this will solve your problem. If it doesn't, your PC is no worse for trying. Plug in, turn on. As ridiculous as it sounds, check to see if everything is plugged in and turned on. If you feel comfortable doing so, start by opening your computer and making sure all boards and chips are seated properly. Is the fan working? Many Win95 error messages such as "component busy, not installed" could mean a bad or unseated memory chip or that something as simple as a fan has stopped working. When you're satisfied, close the lid, then make sure all cables are securely plugged into their correct positions and all external components (modem, printer, tape backup, monitor, etc.) are turned on. Start up in Safe mode. If Win95 isn't running properly, try starting it up in Safe mode, which bypasses your system files. Turn off your system completely, wait about 10 seconds, then turn it on. When you see the Starting Windows display, quickly press the F8 key. Select choice 3: Safe mode. If your system starts and your applications work, a likely culprit is a device driver tucked somewhere in a system file such as Win.ini or System.ini. You'll still have to figure out exactly what the problem is. It's a nice stop-gap solution, however, if you're on deadline or if it's late at night and you don't want to pay for afterhours technical support. Too many drivers. If you've just installed a new piece of hardware and your system starts acting up, the problem could be as simple as Win95 loading the old driver and the new one. For example, the driver for your new Hewlett-Packard laser printer conflicts with the driver for your old Lexmark laser printer. The solution: remove the old driver. Right-click My Computer, select Properties, then left-click the Device Manager tab. Then left-click the plus sign (+) next to any item to see a list of installed devices. For printers, select Ports. If both device drivers are listed, highlight the old one, left-click the Remove button, left-click the OK button, exit out of Win95, and restart. If that doesn't solve the problem, check the hardware manufacturer or Microsoft's Web site for new drivers. Win95 troubleshooting wizards. The Win95 Help system has several troubleshooting wizards designed to walk you through and resolve common hardware conflicts, such as modem, printer, and other problems. Left-click Start, then select Help. Left-click the Contents tab, then double left-click Troubleshooting. Win95 Help system. Also check the rest of the Win95 Help system. To find a particular topic, select the Index tab, then type the first few letters of the topic you want help on in the text box. Win95 will automatically display matching entries in the list box. If you don't find what you're looking for, select the Find tab and try searching again. Win95 Resource Kit. For the inside scoop on more technical issues, go ahead and scope out the Win95 Resource Kit. Look for it on the Win95 CD-ROM in the D:\ ADMIN\RESKIT\HELPFILE folder and then double left-click the Win95rk.hlp file. Uninstall new software. If you've just installed a new software program and Win95 mysteriously stops working, try uninstalling it and see if the Win95 problem disappears as well. If it does, call the offending software publisher. Go online. When it comes to solving problems with Win95, you'll find a lot of help in the form of software updates, patches, and new drivers for your software and hardware at Microsoft's Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/windows). The company's fabled Knowledge Base searches for text by keywords—though you'll probably have limited success tracking down answers to serious problems. One of the best ways to keep informed about updates and bug fixes for Win95 and every other product loaded on your hard drive is with CyberMedia's Oil Change (http://www.cybermedia.com/products/oilchange). Oil Change scours the Web and displays a list of available updates with a description of each, including the problems it fixes and the release date. To update, you simply left-click the Retrieve button, and Oil Change logs on to the vendor's Web or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site, downloads the file, and in most cases, automatically installs the program. Read a book. There's an arsenal of Win95 books loaded in the computer section of your favorite bookstore. Some of the best include "The Big Basics Book of Windows 95" (Que); "The Way Windows 95 Works," by Simon Collin (Microsoft Press); and "The Windows 95 Bible," by Alan Simpson (IDG Books). Ask a friend. Certainly the cheapest way to get help fast is by making friends with a few power users already familiar with the inner workings of Win95. Just remember their computer friends are calling too. Be prepared to grovel and offer generous bribes. Win95 error messages can cause some legitimate panic, but if you stay cool, these problems do not have to be devastating to you or your computer. by Michael Cahlin |
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