How to enter the BIOS or CMOS setup

Because of the wide variety of computer and BIOS manufacturers over the evolution of computers, there are numerous ways to enter the BIOS or CMOS Setup. Below is a listing of most of these methods, as well as other recommendations for entering the BIOS setup. Note: This document does not help if

CMOS

Alternatively referred to as a Real-Time Clock (RTC), Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM) or CMOS RAM, CMOS is short for Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor. CMOS is an on-board semiconductor chip powered by a CMOS battery inside computers that stores information such as the system time and date and the system ha

ESC

    1. Short for escape, esc is a key located on the top-left of a computer keyboard that allows a user to cancel or abort operations. Computer keyboard help and support. 2. Escape is also shorthand for an escape character, an escape is a single backward slash ( \ ) in Linux, programming, and r

No display on the monitor

    Tip: The following is monitor troubleshooting and not for users who get readable picture when it is first load but then gets distorted when opening Windows. Monitor is not on Make sure the monitor is on. If no power LED (green or orange light) is seen on the monitor display try pressi

Windows error "Data or no disk loaded" with audio CD Bad or non audio CD is inserted Windows error "Data or no disk loaded" with audio CD Bad or non audio CD is inserted

  Make sure the CD you have currently in the computer is not bad or being misread by the computer by inserting another known good audio CD into the computer. If another audio CD works it is likely either that the CD is dirty or may be an enhanced CD incompatible with the CD Audio player. Steps on

What should I do when a computer freezes?

  This document contains recommendations on what to do if the computer freezes or dead locks. If your computer has stopped responding, follow the steps below to attempt to get the computer to unfreeze. Tip: If you are concerned about an important document that hasn't been saved, the program you ar

Not a valid Win32 application

File is corrupt, bad, or missing If the file or program you're attempting to run is corrupt or missing, Windows will be unable to execute the file properly and sometimes generate this error message. Download files If you downloaded this file and verified it is complete and compatible with your versi

Missing Microsoft Windows .dll files

  This document is meant to be a solution for users who are encountering missing .dll errors or other error messages related to .dll files. Before trying the recommended resolutions to resolving these errors, we suggest if you're getting a single missing .dll error, that you search for that .dll f

How do I fix the Windows blue screen errors?

Before fixing a Microsoft Windows blue screen or blue screen of death error (BSoD), you must first identify what error it is, as there are multiple types of blue screen errors.   Note: If you are getting a blue screen and then your computer immediately reboots without being able to read the t

How do I fix the Windows blue screen errors?

Before fixing a Microsoft Windows blue screen or blue screen of death error (BSoD), you must first identify what error it is, as there are multiple types of blue screen errors.   Note: If you are getting a blue screen and then your computer immediately reboots without being able to read the t

Computer turns off without warning

  Tip: This document is for computers that remain off and not computer's that turn back on (restart) or computer's that turns off almost immediately after they are turned on. Caution: Some of the steps below require you open your computer. While in the computer, be cautious of ESD. Heat related i

Windows restarts without warning

  With the introduction of Windows XP Microsoft designed Windows to automatically reboot each time an error occurs such as a BSoD. Although this may be nice for errors that do not occur often, users who have a re-occurring error may want to identify the error to troubleshoot it. Below are the step

Regaining computer hard drive space

  Below is a full listing of steps on how you can regain or free up computer hard drive space on your computer. Click on one of the links below to jump to the steps for the operating system running on your computer. Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7 usersMicrosoft Windows 95 users MS-DOS an

Why do Windows programs stop responding

A computer, operating system, software program or driver may stop responding or cause other programs to stop responding because of several possible reasons, such as a confliction of software or hardware resources between two programs, lack of system resources, or a bug in the software or drivers.

Issues relating to msgsrv32

Tip: If you are unable to boot into Windows because of the MSGSRV32 error, follow the steps below in Windows Safe Mode. Resource conflict or issue Before attempting any of the below recommendations, verify the computer has no conflicts or errors in Windows Device Manager. If conflicts or errors ar

80486

  A computer processor developed by Intel as an upgrade to the 386 processor series and commonly referred to as the 486 or i486. The 80486 has 8k of memory cache built into the processor with 32-bit databus architecture and was available in clock rates ranging from 20MHz to 33MHz. The 486 was available a

Vaccine

Alternatively referred to as inoculate, vaccine when referring to computers is another name for a software utility designed to protect computers from computer viruses. These software programs are more commonly known as an antivirus and anti-malware program

Divide error

Note: This document also applies to the error messages "Divide by Zero", "Divide by 0" or "Divide Overflow" error messages. The divide error messages are caused when the computer or software attempts run a process that attempts to perform a mathematical division by zero, which is an illegal operation. This

Stealth virus

A stealth virus hides itself from anti-virus software after infection, either by making the computer appear as though it has not lost any memory or that the file size has not changed.

Non resident virus

A computer virus that does not store or execute itself from the computer memory. Executable viruses are an example of a non resident virus.

Multipart virus

A multipart virus is a computer virus that infects the master boot record as well as executable files on the hard drive.

MBR virus

A MBR virus is a computer virus that modifies or infects the Master Boot Record, causing the computer to lose CD-ROM support or cause Microsoft Windows to run in compatibility mode.

Polymorphic virus

A polymorphic virus creates an infection in a computer that is known as a polymorphic infection. A polymorphic virus is one that creates copies of itself, with variations in each copy to fool a virus detection program and user. The variations are typically different encryption methods in the virus file co

Overwrite

1. In general, overwrite is a term used to describe when new information replaces old information or data. 2. One of two typing settings on a keyboard, overwrite mode allows new input to replace existing characters. The Insert keyboard key is commonly used to toggle this mode, enabling or disabling it. If you'v

zoo

1. When referring to a computer virus, a zoo is a location, such as a website, that contains a collection of computer viruses. 2. Zoo is a computer filename extension and compression program.

Logic Bomb

A logic bomb is a piece of code inserted into an operating system or software application that implements a malicious function after a certain amount of time, or specific conditions are met. Logic bombs are often used with viruses, worms, and Trojan horses to time them to do maximum damage before being notic

Executable virus

An executable virus is a non resident computer virus that stores itself in an executable file and infects other files each time the file is run. The majority of all computer viruses are spread when a file is executed or opened.

Macro virus

A MAC or Macro virus is a computer virus that spreads to other computers through software programs that utilize macros. For example, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel are two popular and widely used programs that are capable of executing macros. Macro viruses written for these programs can spread by

DIP

  1. Short for Dual In-line Package, a DIP is a chip encased in a hard plastic casing with pins along each of the sides of the plastic casing. The picture is an example of a DIP found on a computer motherboard that has been soldered into place. Below is an illustration of a comparison between a DIP

Voltage drop

  1. Alternatively referred to as a brownout, dip, sag, voltage reduction, and voltage sag, a voltage drop is any decrease in voltage, typically under one second. Longer reduction in voltage is called undervoltage. Power line sags often occur during the summer and when too much equipment is plugged int

some common error codes and how to fix them

 Windows Error Codes and How to Fix them While working with an operating system, it is not uncommon to encounter errors. Some errors that occur frequently on a Windows system are compiled in a common Windows error codes list. It may not be difficult to fix the common Windows errors