Is there software or some automated method to audit the entire startup process of a Windows XP computer to find why startup is slow? [more inside]
posted by joshrholloway on May 15, 2009 - 11 answers

My replacement hard drive went bad after just one day. I think the motherboard's the culprit. Need informed opinions. [more inside]
posted by Gyan on Apr 24, 2009 - 7 answers

I want to reinstall xp but i dont have an xp disc. Can I just click on winnt32.exe? [more inside]
posted by jcwilliams on Apr 17, 2009 - 3 answers

I just want to mask off part of my XP desktop with immobile, box-shaped graphics that float above all open windows, all the time. [more inside]
posted by Rykey on Dec 29, 2008 - 6 answers

What is the simplest way of transferring old outlook express mails to gmail? I've set it up so that new mails received are forwarded automatically to gmail but moving old mails is proving more difficult
posted by conrad101 on Aug 25, 2008 - 2 answers

I'm helping out an elderly lady who is using a laptop with XP which is showing signs of unreliability. It is now permanently sat on a table so it doesn't get moved around. She is especially concerned about a failure leading to a loss of outlook express e-mails. This person is easily confused by all things computer related so it has to work with minimum intervention and be as simple as possible. I was thinking of using an external drive and Acronis true image 11 home. I would set up True image to mirror on to the external drive. I was also thinking of automatically forwarding all outlook express mails to a web mail account - yahoo mail - as she has a yahoo account already. Being able to read from a webmail account would allow uninteruped service should anything go wrong. Is there anything wrong with this?
posted by conrad101 on Aug 18, 2008 - 11 answers

Computer 1 (XP SP2) and Computer 2 (XP) are connected to a router. I want to transfer and manipulate files from one on the other. I don't want to use File and Print Sharing. Any solutions? [more inside]
posted by daksya on Aug 2, 2008 - 12 answers

short history: I started to get blue screens on my outdated laptop so I decided to just buy a new one. My new laptop came, I installed a fresh version of xp, rebooted, and plugged my old external in. I got the "Installing drivers for you new hardware" bubble in the task bar then after opening the external drive none of my files were there, but there was the four following: clean (Windows nt command script) install (folder ) windows (folder.. with a windows installation I didn't do!) $$ rename (text document) 230 gigs gone :( The only thing I can think of is the initial blue screens on my OLD laptop were caused by a virus that had infected my external drive? This had all my school notes, notes on books I've read, photos, backups of my old laptops partitions, all that kind of stuff from the past 3 years. I'm feeling kinda, sick, pissed off, and am wondering what the crap could have happened? Any help on this one would be VERY appreciated.
posted by debu on Jan 11, 2008 - 17 answers

I'm running XP SP2, and I'd like to setup my laptop to do a couple of things once it comes out of hibernation. Pretty much everything I want to do is scriptable, but I have no idea how to trigger the scripts. [more inside]
posted by Spoonman on Dec 5, 2007 - 6 answers

Is Dell Support lying when they say that their new XPS laptop is not WinXP-compatible? [more inside]
posted by Fferret on Nov 26, 2007 - 13 answers

BSODFilter: I tried to install a RAM upgrade in my girlfriend's Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop, and got nothing on screen after powerup. So I replaced the old DIMM, and got the BSOD -- the file that was missing was a driver for the Intel video adapter. Long story short, it's still not working. [more inside]
posted by YoungAmerican on Aug 2, 2007 - 10 answers

Help me to fix/setup/keep running a network of 4 computers the easy way. [more inside]
posted by djstig on Jun 3, 2007 - 4 answers

Windows XP / Explorer: MPG and WMV file thumbnails constantly crash Explorer, sometimes taking the entire OS with it. How can I fix this? [more inside]
posted by bradn on May 11, 2007 - 2 answers

Network oddities with XP, MSN and skype. [more inside]
posted by tomble on Dec 26, 2006 - 3 answers

How can I "clean" my PC as thoroughly as possible without formatting? [more inside]
posted by zardoz on Sep 4, 2006 - 9 answers

TechSupportFilter: having problems with an ata harddrive [more inside]
posted by willmillar on Aug 23, 2006 - 9 answers

Please recommend or disparage your supposedly "quiet" or "silent" XP desktop computer; unlike some recent posts here, pre-assembled rather than home-brew. Have you used a Dell XPS 400 or Dimension 5150 in a quiet bedroom? I'd appreciate advice based on recent personal experience. I'm aware of endpcnoise and quietpcreview. [more inside]
posted by Dave 9 on Jun 25, 2006 - 22 answers

Windows XP: Annoying window "re-draw" animation, make it stop! [more inside]
posted by bradn on Apr 18, 2006 - 11 answers

Help me help a friend's business getting his network and Microsoft Retail management system up and running. [more inside]
posted by mic stand on Mar 28, 2006 - 2 answers

I'm getting the blue screen of death right after reinstalling windows XP and the drivers [more inside]
posted by BigBrownBear on Mar 2, 2006 - 4 answers

My DVD and CD Drives will not recognize or burn blank media, any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by KneeDeep on Feb 13, 2006 - 5 answers

I am looking for a file management tool that will help me clear some space on the hard drive of my WinXP laptop. [more inside]
posted by falameufilho on Nov 5, 2005 - 10 answers

Windows XP reinstall troubles. I'm fixing a laptop for a friend of mine, but in the middle of Windows XP Pro reinstall, the installer stops at 35 minutes remaining, while 'Installing Devices'. [more inside]
posted by armoured-ant on Sep 29, 2005 - 9 answers

I am looking for a fault-tolerant file copying freeware/shareware (WinXP) for copying very large directories (> 100GB) from volume A to volume B. By "fault tolerant", I mean that the process won't die if a particular subdir or file won't copy, it will just keep on chugging and log the problem. This kinda sounds like is a prettified, Windows equivalent of rsync. Anyone?
posted by everichon on Aug 9, 2005 - 15 answers

I'm a self-admitted computer freak, and I primarily run Windows XP. On average, I have at least 5 windows open. I have a 20" flat panel, and I want to display multiple programs at once in a simple fashion. Is there software that can do this? Or should I, as I'm planning to do now, purchase another monitor?
posted by creeront on Jul 23, 2005 - 16 answers

In Windows XP SP2. The little yellow window that pops up in the lower right hand corner when you print something and says "Document sent to printer." HOW DO I KILL IT? [more inside]
posted by selfnoise on Jun 2, 2005 - 4 answers

In WinXP SP2, I can no longer drag and drop files from one folder to another, or from Explorer onto applications. Nothing happens, either right- or left-clicking. To move files around I have to cut and paste. Any idea how to get my drag and drop back?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on Mar 26, 2005 - 3 answers

After a few hours of Google researching over the weekend, I could not find a simple, understandable guide for formatting my hard drive and re-installing Windows XP. I'm more interested in the actual process and less interested in being reminded to "backup everything." Does anyone know where I can find such a resource?
posted by LouMac on Feb 7, 2005 - 19 answers

What PC games don't require any installation whatsoever? Or put another way, what PC games could I burn to CD/DVD and play on a system that I don't want to copy any files to? Linux-plus-games-on-a-DVD suggestions are also welcomed, although I would prefer games that would run on an existing XP installation.
posted by Jairus on Jan 22, 2005 - 12 answers

Hope I'm not opening a can of worms here. I'm jumping into the Linux ring for the very first time. There are a ton of distributions and I was wondering if there were any that the community would recommend for a noob like myself. So far, I've downloaded Mandrake and RedHat images but there are a ton of other out there and I wonder if I'm missing something better? I'll be dual booting on a WinXP pro box (Intel) so I'm looking for something that is relatively easy to install in this situation.
posted by KevinSkomsvold on Jan 15, 2005 - 30 answers

Saving a file on Windows XP, I use Explorer to select the folder I wish to save to. When I navigate the directories, clicking on an appropriate folder I occassionally move the cursor over filenames. As I mouseover filenames, Explorer replaces the default name of the file I wish to save with the name of the file I mouseover. Can I modify Explorer to prevent this filename replacement? [more inside]
posted by quam on Jan 2, 2005 - 7 answers

XP/Dell Lapop Question: Why do white fields display a sickly blue on my screen? [+] [more inside]
posted by LarryC on Dec 29, 2004 - 9 answers

Laptop Clean XP Install:
1] My (on board?) sound card is unrecognised. How do I find out what drivers to use?

2] What programs do you really think I need? I already have VNC, VLC, Firefox, Thunderbird and AVG installed. What else should I add? (Freeware/OS appriciated but not needed.) [more inside]
posted by twine42 on Dec 16, 2004 - 8 answers

Are any flavors of Linux currently more adept at exploiting the AMD64 chip than others? I know that Gentoo has a robust package available. Last I check with Debian, they had one version better suited for the Intel, but were working on AMD-specific one. To compound my problem, I hope to add VMWare once it's up and running (to run WindowsXP as a virtual 32-bit OS).
posted by RavinDave on Nov 26, 2004 - 9 answers

So say one's high-school age brother is playing way too many video games and completely neglecting school work. Is there a way to limit his Windows XP accounts to log-ons between certain times? What would you say would be the best way to mechanically limit acccess to his account, or offending games/programs? [more inside]
posted by The Michael The on Nov 24, 2004 - 15 answers

I've just bought a Lacie 160 gigabyte firewire drive. It's to be plugged into a Windows XP machine, but also to be written to and read by a Mac OSX machine. I want to format it with the FAT32 file system, but Windows won't let me. Is there a way to force the drive to format as FAT32? [More inside...] [more inside]
posted by skylar on Oct 28, 2004 - 5 answers

Is there any way to recover files saved under a temporary profile in Windows XP? (MI) [more inside]
posted by brookedel on Oct 21, 2004 - 4 answers

I need a search tool replacement for the built-in windows XP search, or suggestions for it. I have a lot of files on different drives in different directories (C:\AA F:\BB ...) and I when I want to find a specific file that I know is in one of those directories, I have to select and search each directory one at a time. (searching all folders on all drives would take too long.) Anyway to make this quicker?
posted by Iax on Oct 18, 2004 - 7 answers

I've just bought a new cell phone with bluetooth and I want to connect it to my PC. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by davehat on Sep 30, 2004 - 2 answers

Is there a way for the computer/a program to search for multiple duplicate files on a computer?

I also remember a program that used a pie chart to show you what is taking up the most space on the computer? What files and folders?

Help!
posted by agregoli on Jul 22, 2004 - 9 answers

Is there a way to hide a DOS window when it is minimized on a Windows XP toolbar? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by ajr on Jul 22, 2004 - 5 answers

If I will install a new motherboard, processor and new RAM, what should I do to keep all my old settings? Will Repair Install from Windows XP Boot CD suffice ? Or should I try this ? [more inside]
posted by Masi on Jul 19, 2004 - 3 answers

IDE hard drive conundrum: "Error loading OS" (more inside) [more inside]
posted by luser on Jul 6, 2004 - 13 answers

Early this morning I was woken up to my computer speakers making a very loud, awful static noise. I got out of bed, shut them off, turned on the monitor, found that my computer was restarting itself, and went back to bed. This afternoon when I got home from work I turned the speakers back on and they were still making the static noise AND I discovered that my second hard drive was no longer being recognized. So I restarted the computer and now everything is fine -- what's going on here? (Windows XP Home) [more inside]
posted by TurkishGolds on Jun 21, 2004 - 1 answer

I have a screwed up driver situation on my pc. I've tried everything i can think of, and i need help. it was suggested i look here.

Here's the PbP:

- My DVD player (Sony DDU1621) on my WinXP box wouldn't open. it would just whirr and blink, so i removed it, uninstalled it, and then reinstalled it.
- While I was checking the connections, i accidentally unplugged my harddrive ribbon. I had XP installed on the second drive in a daisy-chain, and when i replugged everything, my computer started up in win98. But my DVD drive worked.
-- The goal here was to install Linux, so i figured i didn't need XP anyway, and while i was downloading the linux iso (onto another box), i set out to totally clean out the harddrive that used to have XP on it, so i could get it ready for Linux.
-- Two hours later, i went to actually begin installing Linux, and suddenly the DVD drive won't open again.
-- I have now physically removed and replaced the DVD drive at least a dozen times. Sometimes the F drive shows up in My Computer, sometimes it doesn't. When it does show up, it still doesn't work (when i click on it it gives me an error alert saying there is a problem with the device).
- When it doesn't show up , i go to Install New Hardware, and it lists Sony Proprietary CD-Rom Controller. When I select it, i get an update window that says 'This device is already installed, but it has a problem.' There are no updates available (i'm not currently online and all of the networking software was installed into XP), and so i just click OK, and nothing has changed.
- I cannot find another driver for this device. I found something listed on DriverGuide, but it was just some batch that callibrates audio and video input.
- I found another DVD drive, this time a cheap one called a MadDog BKM-52X16, and i replaced it. but my win98 device manager doesn't detect it and still brings up the Sony Proprietary CD-Rom Controller as the only option when i run Install New Hardware.

so all i need is to get a cd drive recognized so i can either reinstall xp, or go ahead and install Linux -- both of which, of course, would solve the problem. but so long as i can't read a cd, i can't do either. so i'm stuck.

help would be deeply appreciated.
posted by milkman on May 1, 2004 - 4 answers

The current MeFi thread on Sphere reminded me... Does anyone use a replacement desktop system on XP? Which one and why did you choose to use it? [more inside]
posted by twine42 on Apr 16, 2004 - 9 answers

What program will let you import registry and email information from one hard disk to another, using windows XP pro? The built in version won't let me, because both disks are in one machine.
posted by Keyser Soze on Mar 29, 2004 - 3 answers

On Windows XP Pro, when I enable "Show common tasks in folders" under folder options, Windows Explorer will sometimes crash when I open a folder. [M.I.] [more inside]
posted by signal on Mar 15, 2004 - 6 answers

I have a PC that I use to test web sites on Windows browsers (my main computer's a Mac). I tried to upgrade to Windows XP, and the XP installer seems to have wrecked the hard drive. Should I replace my hard drive or buy a new computer? [sketchy details inside] [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha on Jan 27, 2004 - 8 answers

Any easy way to uncompress about 400 zip archives in a Windows XP directory? I thought I was smart but this problem has made me feel dumb.
posted by johnnydark on Jan 14, 2004 - 10 answers