Prompt Message to Reactivate Windows

Sometimes you will encounter a program will make Windows want or need to reactivate itself. This is one way that you know there is an internal issue that needs to be resolved. This problem of installing a new program is a common issue that often occurs with computer that has the initial version of Windows Vista.

You may also receive an Activation Error 0xC004F02A that usually occurs when you attempt to restore a Vista image that was created during a certain volume licensing installation. These issues have since been resolved since Vista came out however they still do pop up on some PC’s.

It is important to note that Microsoft stopped offering support on April 13th of 2010 for Vista operating systems without any service packs installed. In order to receive support for your Windows Vista make sure that you have Service Pack 2 installed on your PC.

Certain changes, additions or deletions of hardware are allowed to take place by Windows without requiring you to restart your computer, but other more complex changes or multiple changes can cause something in Windows to trigger the need to reactivate itself. If you are being prompted to reactivate Windows, the best solution is to take advantage of the Microsoft Patch.

The Microsoft patch offers an easy solution to a frustrating problem of being prompted to reactivate Windows. The patch can be found on the Windows Support website. Follow the directions offered to apply the patch which in turn should provide a long-term solution to issues that have popped up on your PC with Vista installed.

Live Gaming Failure

Gaming has become a social phenomenon, but it is hard to be use games for socialization purposes when your live gaming fails to initialize. Windows offers several error messages that communicate that there is a problem with the game load. You may encounter the problem if you are running the Games for Windows Live program as a dedicated server on a Windows Vista, XP or a 2003 computer.

The following errors commonly indicate that there is a problem:

• System cannot find the path specified.
• Live gaming on Windows failed to initialize.

Solution One

Uninstall and then reinstall the game, this may solve the problem immediately.

Solution Two

If the first option is unsuccessful, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Games for Windows Live software. To do this, go to add/remove programs in Windows XP or Programs and Features in Windows Vista and Windows 7. When the list of programs is populated select Microsoft Games for Windows Live and uninstall or remove this. Follow the instruction prompts on your screen which will walk you through the entire process.

Once you uninstall the program you will have to reinstall the Games for Windows Live Software. Next go to the Microsoft website and download the latest update. When the update is complete follow the instructions on your screen and close all other programs. Restart your computer and attempt to start the game again.

Solution Three

The problem may occur because another gaming application is running on the same machine which may cause a repeated conflict. Ensure that you have downloaded the latest Windows updates to allow you to run your gaming programs properly.

Updates can be installed by going to the Windows website. Always allow updates to be installed when you are prompted to do when they are available, this will prevent having to troubleshoot through error messages. Do not ignore the message prompts for updates in the future, this will ensure that you are up to date with the latest software for your computer.

Hopefully one of these three solutions will remedy the issue. If not you may need to adjust your settings or contact Microsoft Support for further assistance.

What Does the Red X Mean?

We have all seen that little red X at some point or another in our computer journey. The X shows up when you open a web page or an e-mail and there should be a picture or a graphic of some sort. Interestingly enough, that little red X can be caused by any one of about 15 different reasons.

Below you will find the most common reasons for the infamous red X. Sometimes you can make a few changes on your end to eliminate the red X, while other times this is completely out of your control as a user. Here are a few simple steps that in many cases will eliminate the red X and allow you to view pictures.

Reasons You Can’t Control and Possible Solutions

1. The image on the web page you are viewing has changed or the picture has been removed.
2. The website you are trying to view is either offline, busy or has a technical issue.

The best thing you can do in these situations is try a few times to open the link or contact the website and inform them of the issue if possible.

Reasons You Can Control and Possible Solutions

1. Your e-mail browser is unable to display the type of image being displayed. To attempt to open the image hold your mouse over the X and right click. Select show picture if this option is available.
2. The “show picture” setting has been turned off or your Internet security settings are set too high. Open Internet Explorer and click tools, internet options and advanced tab. Check “show pictures” under the multimedia tab and click ok. To change your settings, open internet explorer and click tools, internet options. Click security, click default level and then ok.
3. Your hard drive may be getting full. You will need to delete your temporary Internet files to prevent seeing the red x in the future. To do this with Internet Explorer 6 and older versions open Internet Explorer, click tools, internet options and select the general tab. Click delete files under the files listed in temporary Internet files. Select the delete all offline content and then ok. Internet Explorer 7 users will open internet explorer and click on tools, delete browsing history, delete files and click ok.

If none of these solutions work the cause may be something a bit more complex. You can do an Internet search for more troubleshooting options, contact the website or your operating system support for further assistance.

Anti-virus Conflicts

An effective anti-virus program is essential to the health and overall functioning of any computer. Not only does it prevent you from being the victim of a malicious virus that could ruin your system and corrupt your documents but it will proactively scan your system and alert you to potential risks ahead of time.

Many people think that two is better than one but not in the case of your anti-virus programs. Having two anti-virus programs will not protect your system better but it may actually make it run worse. When you have two different anti-virus programs running on your system one program acts as if the other program is an intruder and attempts to fight it off as it would a virus. This can cause an array of problems with your computer system.

Running two different anti-virus programs can cause any of the following common problems:

• Computer errors.
• System slow downs.
• Program or computer freeze up.

The good thing is that if this problem does occur it is an easy fix. Simply uninstall the programs and reinstall one program.

Renewing your Anti-virus Program

You will have nothing to worry about if you are simply installing an update to your current anti-virus software that comes from the same manufacturer. Simply follow the manufacturers instructions for download and the current version will override the existing version and your system should run smooth and be protected.

Changing Anti-virus Programs

When you update or change your anti-virus software and are changing from one manufacturer to another, such as from Norton to Viper you first have to uninstall the existing anti-virus program from your system before installing or downloading the new software.

To do this you would go to Add/Remove programs on your system and uninstall your current anti-virus program. Once the program has been removed follow the instructions to install your new anti-virus software.

Take care if you are downloading software from the internet without an existing anti-virus program on your computer, this leaves you vulnerable to a virus. In the event that you have to do this you may want to consider purchasing a CD to eliminate having to download from the Internet.

Explorer.exe has Generated Errors

Following an upgrade from an older version of Windows to a newer version, it is not uncommon that you may receive an error message at your first log on. Errors are very common when users upgrade to XP. When the error message appears the Windows Error Reporting utility runs and creates a file that attempts to tell you what the error. Once you know the error code you can begin to troubleshoot through the issue.

The error will read: Explorer.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. Typically you will see the error message and your desktop will not appear at all or will appear blank. This happens because the Task Manger is already using all of its resources for upgrade and there are no resources available to display the desktop.

Here are two commonly used methods to fix the explorere.exe errors and allow your computer to run properly:

Method #1

• When you receive the error message press CTRL, ALT, DEL at the same time.
• Click on Task Manger.
• Click New Task.
• Type the word control and press Enter.
• Double click on Add/Remove Programs.
• When the list populates, click on the Clean Sweep program.
• Remove this program.
• When all steps are complete restart the computer.

Method #2

• Restart the computer.
• At the Boot menu press the F8 key to start Safe Mode.
• Select the Safe Mode Command.
• Change to the %SystemRoot%System32 folder.
• Rename the Apitrap.dll file to Apitrap.old.
• When all steps are complete, restart the computer.

One of these methods should be successful in repairing the error. If all else fails contact your Windows Support resource that can be located either with your operating system information or online.

The Black Screen Caused by Windows Operating System Lockdown

We have all heard of the infamous blue screen of death or have encountered the blank screen on our PC but the black screen is not quite as well known may crop up for many Windows users. The black screen appears to be specific to Windows 7, Vista and XP is obviously very disruptive to users.

The cause for the black screen is due to a change in the Windows Operating Systems lock down of the registry keys. The lock down invalidates a few of the many key registry entries and causes the black screen to appear at boot up. This is an internal issue that the user cannot prevent but can easily repair with a patch if it is to occur. The patch is available through Microsoft and is said to repair the issue easily and quickly in only a few minutes.

If you have symptoms of the screen take the following steps to repair the issue.

• Restart your PC.
• Logon and make sure your internet connection is working properly.
• When the black screen appears press CTRL, ALT and DEL keys at the same time.
• Click Start Task Manager when prompted to do so.
• Click the Application Tab.
• Click New Task.
• Enter the following command: C\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
• Click OK and the Run when prompted, this will begin the download. Allow the patch to download completely.
• Restart your PC and this should eliminate the issue.