Slow machine

SYMPTOMS

When you print on an LPT printer port, 100 percent CPU usage occurs until the print job is completed. This slows down other programs until the print job is completed. In some case, other programs may slow down enough that they seem completely unresponsive. This behavior affects all power users who have many programs running at one time.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because Windows 2000/XP does not have interrupt support for LPT printers.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, print to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) printer port. If the printer does not have this capability, use a parallel-USB cable.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

Labels: General, Reference, Tips, Troubleshoot, Tutorials

An IT low point

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Track the behavior of your system

"This utility provides you with a canned set of preconfigured counters that you can easily use to monitor the reliability of your system over time. An overview of Windows Reliability Monitor and show you how to use its System Stability Chart to track the behavior of your system over its lifetime."

Labels: General, Reference, Tips, Troubleshoot, Tutorials

Microsoft to the rescue

Guided Help is a program that you can download from some Microsoft Knowledge Base articles. Depending on the task, Guided Help can automatically perform the task that is described in the article, or Guided Help can guide you through the steps to perform the task yourself.

Guided Help performs the steps by interacting directly with the Microsoft Windows user interface, or by using functions that are included with Guided Help. For steps that interact with the user interface, you see the steps occur on the screen.

For some tasks, you can select to run Guided Help in one of the following ways.

• Do it automatically: The whole task is automatically completed while you watch. You might be prompted for input if input is required.
  
• Show me step-by-step: Guided Help points on the screen to where you must click or type to perform the task.

Labels: General, Reference, Troubleshoot, Tutorials

May you never need it

The Windows Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. The diagnostic includes a comprehensive set of memory tests. If you are experiencing problems while running Windows, you can use the diagnostic to determine whether the problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of your motherboard.

Windows Memory Diagnostic is designed to be easy and fast. On most configurations, you can download the diagnostic, read the documentation, run the test and complete the first test pass in less than 30 minutes.

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Some clues

"You've finished your report, presentation, or cost analysis using a Microsoft Office program. The information is rich with data and detail. Now comes the final step: printing it and showing the world your hard work on paper. This is the point at which printing can give you a headache. Right when you want to wrap up your work, project, or school assignment, questions start popping into your mind"

Labels: General, Reference, Troubleshoot

Open, but hidden

1. Hold down the Alt key and tap the Tab Key. When you see the desired window, let go of the Alt key.
   
2. Hit Alt+Spacebar
   
3. Hit M and then use the arrow keys to get the window to the right spot.
   
4. Hit Esc when it's near the right spot.
   
5. Now drag on the edges of the window to size it. (do not use the Maximize button)

Labels: General, Reference, Troubleshoot

I said shutdown!

" Have you ever tried to shut down Windows, only to have the shutdown sequence hang, or to have the computer reboot instead of shutting down? Shut down problems are one of the most common types of problems with the Windows operating system. At the same time though, they are also one of the problems that is most seldom resolved because shut down problems tend to take a back seat to more serious issues. Troubleshooting operating system shut down problems is easier than you might think though. In this article, I will share some techniques with you that you can use to resolve shut down problems on machines in your office."

Labels: General, Reference, Tips, Troubleshoot, Tutorials

A collectors collection

• Red Hat 8.0
• Windows 10 Service Configurations
• Windows 2000 Professional and Server
  
• Windows 2003 Enterprise Server
  
• Windows Me
  
• Windows Vista
  
• Windows XP Home
  
• Windows XP Professional

Labels: General, Reference, Tips, Troubleshoot, Tutorials

Source list

"A virus is a type of program that can replicate itself by making (possibly modified) copies of itself. The main criterium for classifying a piece of executable code as a virus is that it spreads itself by means of 'hosts'.
A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or carrying it on a removable disk. Additionally, viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

Viruses are sometimes confused with worms. A worm, however, can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host. Many personal computers are now connected to the Internet and to local-area networks, facilitating their spread.

Today's viruses may also take advantage of network services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, and file sharing systems to spread, blurring the line between viruses and worms."

Labels: General, Reference, Troubleshoot, Tutorials, Virus