I've a WinXP Professional OEM install disc that I'd like to (and tried to) install on VMWare Fusion on my 24-inch iMac (running OS X 10.5). But so far, it's a no-go. Is there some kind of restriction on installing OEM versions of Windows in a virtual environment and/or on a Mac? [more inside]
posted by jrchaplin on Nov 29, 2009 - 9 answers

How can I use my external hard disk drive to regularly backup my Windows XP laptop in as simple a manner as possible? Ideally, I would want something that works like Time Machine on the Mac—I would really like something I can set and forget. Free solutions are best, obviously, but I'm willing to buy software for this. [more inside]
posted by grouse on Nov 25, 2009 - 12 answers

What's killing my wi-fi connection? [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Oct 2, 2009 - 17 answers

How can I get XP onto my laptop... if I only have a 3.5inch drive, and my BIOS is one version away from letting me boot by USB? [more inside]
posted by ZackTM on Oct 1, 2009 - 14 answers

How do I backup my gmail account and get all of my older gmail messages into Thunderbird on Windows XP? [more inside]
posted by davidstandaford on Sep 13, 2009 - 2 answers

What is up with my music files' titles turning into nonsensical four-letter titles? [more inside]
posted by ishotjr on Sep 8, 2009 - 8 answers

Win XP corrupted system and SAM files... disaster in process, need expert input and recommendation for a data recovery service I can trust. [more inside]
posted by FauxScot on Aug 24, 2009 - 10 answers

What's a simple way in windows xp to prevent a user from doing anything but using one program? [more inside]
posted by kraigory on Aug 11, 2009 - 30 answers

Can you recommend a mini-spreadsheet program for Windows XP, preferably freeware? It will be running on a tiny laptop in a place with no internet access, so OpenOffice is too big and online solutions are too... online. [more inside]
posted by No-sword on Aug 7, 2009 - 19 answers

After cleaning up my WindowsXP Professional OS (Dell) to give to my son, all of a sudden The nag screen comes up and tells me I have three days to 'activate' my product! I bought the program new years ago, and have legally installed it on three of my Dell machines with no problems. WTF? It appears that I turned off the restore function and automatic updates, I wonder if that has anything to do with it? Any hiv-ers know why this occured? [more inside]
posted by ~Sushma~ on Aug 6, 2009 - 15 answers

I'm in Windows XP. Whenever I manage files in various apps, like "save as" or "open file," there's that stack of location icons on the left such as My Recent Documents, Desktop, My Computer, My Network Places, etc. I want to destroy the My Recent Documents and My Network Places locations and add a custom folder or drive to that stack of location icons--or whatever the heck you call that. There must be a way! (Apologies if this has been asked, but I don't even know what that stack of icons is called so I can't search for it...)
posted by Ky on Aug 5, 2009 - 9 answers

Can anyone recommend a Windows XP screensaver that is (1) easily deployable across an organization (2) serves pictures or text from a central data store, either a URL or a networked folder, that's preferably free? [more inside]
posted by cameradv on Jul 28, 2009 - 3 answers

I have a few Macbook Pro systems at work that we've installed Windows XP via Bootcamp on. We've done this with previous Macbook models in the past. This time, however, there is an audio problem: the audio on the XP side is so low it's close to non-existent. Is anyone familiar with this problem? Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix it? [more inside]
posted by strangememes on Jul 22, 2009 - 11 answers

Can you recommend a guide for and/or some details about backing up all the necessary network settings to get a Windows XP machine back onto a Windows Server 2003 server/domain after a wipe? [more inside]
posted by chudmonkey on Jul 21, 2009 - 5 answers

Blue Screen of Death hell and I don't know where to start... is it software? Hardware? HDD? RAM? Drivers? Any pointers would be appreciated! [more inside]
posted by ClarissaWAM on Jul 8, 2009 - 21 answers

Does anyone have any experience with a Philips Marconi Eclipse 1.5 MRI scanner? Can it be run from a Windows-based machine? [more inside]
posted by humannaire on Jul 1, 2009 - 11 answers

Easy Windows XP question, yet hard to google: Is there anyway to set the 'select file' dialog boxes used by virtually every program to sort by Modified Date instead of Name? [more inside]
posted by ZackTM on Jun 25, 2009 - 1 answer

Trouble reinstalling BootCamp Manager in Win XP SP3. Error 2753. [more inside]
posted by siclik on Jun 16, 2009 - 1 answer

Is there a way to navigate folders on the Windows XP desktop? That is, I want to be able to click folder A on the desktop and have the desktop switch to displaying folder A's contents.
posted by long on Jun 12, 2009 - 16 answers

Looking for a free Windows program that will batch convert a bunch of BMPs to PNGs without making the colors darker. [more inside]
posted by Dreamcast on May 17, 2009 - 8 answers

How can I migrate files/application settings from Windows XP to Windows 7 RC 1? [more inside]
posted by Nelsormensch on May 9, 2009 - 2 answers

In Windows XP, what is the best way to keep Internet Explorer versions 6, 7, and 8 all installed simultaneously? [more inside]
posted by kidbritish on May 3, 2009 - 19 answers

How can I make my old laptop speak Chinese? Properly, to the same standard as a laptop from Hong Kong? [more inside]
posted by almostwitty on May 3, 2009 - 3 answers

How can I triple-boot OS X, Windows XP and Ubuntu on my Macbook? [more inside]
posted by ilumos on May 2, 2009 - 6 answers

How can I erase all my network places in Windows XP (one computer XP Pro, one computer XP Home) and start again? The trouble is that some places that used to work don't work any more, and I don't know why. Also, when I try to create new places, some work, and some don't. [more inside]
posted by feelinggood on Apr 23, 2009 - 3 answers

.mp3 and .wma (played with Media Player on Windows XP) files seem to have amalgamated into a file named 'USBC°ïæå.' of varying size. Any clue why and how to fix it? [more inside]
posted by sparklejess on Apr 21, 2009 - 8 answers

n00bfilter: formatting hard drive, need all the help I can get! Specifically with Windows XP. everything inside... [more inside]
posted by alona on Apr 9, 2009 - 15 answers

My install of Windows XP got borked by a virus that necessitated the deletion of a number of .exe files needed by the operating system. I was kind of hoping to do this without re-formatting my C: drive, so I've been selecting the option to Repair the C:/Windows installation. It says that it successfully copies its setup files, and then restarts the computer. Upon restarting, it shows me a black screen with a mouse pointer but does not continue the install. [more inside]
posted by RobotHero on Mar 28, 2009 - 4 answers

My desktop PC is powering down overnight randomly and I can't figure out why. Windows XP Pro SP3. [more inside]
posted by desjardins on Mar 27, 2009 - 21 answers

I just reformatted an XP laptop and installed Service Pack 3. I don't use Internet Explorer for browsing - do I need to upgrade to IE7/8 anyway, just for in-built security? Or can I safely leave it at 6 if I don't use it to browse? Apologies if this question seems really, really dumb.
posted by ravcasleygera on Mar 19, 2009 - 18 answers

A Visual Basic 6 (ugh) runtime file distributed with our internal Access database has been killed by a recent Windows security update. It's hard to gather support information (especially since VB6 is about 8.7 million years old) and so I was wondering if anyone out there can help me track down a more recent copy of the runtime file in question—msflxgrd.ocx—or otherwise fix the problem? [more inside]
posted by bcwinters on Mar 9, 2009 - 8 answers

How do I convert/import a dbf (2.4 gb) to a mysql database? [more inside]
posted by special-k on Jan 26, 2009 - 7 answers

My laptop's been infected by something that is interfering with all the usual solutions. Please help! [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Jan 25, 2009 - 30 answers

windows-xp-sata-filter: My old gigabyte mb w/athlon thunderbird cpu has no sata built onto it, so I bought a pci sata card. Doing this is probably already asking for trouble due to age and compatibility whatnot, but in addition to putting the card in, I want to use the sata drive I'm connecting as a new primary boot device. The XP Sp2 install went fine pointing to the floppy disk with sata drivers on it, (which is what gives most folks the problem) but on reboot, it gives me a vague error. Should I just give up and buy new system guts? [more inside]
posted by bitterkitten on Jan 25, 2009 - 5 answers

What does it mean when a used laptop is advertised as having Windows XP installed and coming with a COA sticker? Without having a Windows install cd, is there any benefit to having such a sticker? Would it, for example, permit one to call MS and obtain a new install disk for Windows XP?
posted by washburn on Jan 15, 2009 - 11 answers

Double whammy! Persistent "ghost" floppy drive, and slow, halting performance, all on my parents' PC. [more inside]
posted by curagea on Dec 27, 2008 - 8 answers

Is there any way I can create desktop wallpaper that has a link to a specific web site? [more inside]
posted by Joleta on Dec 17, 2008 - 5 answers

First-time Windows user. Brand new Asus Eee running Windows XP. Will installing Ubuntu get rid of these nasty viruses? [more inside]
posted by rebekah on Nov 23, 2008 - 17 answers

My home-built computer running Windows XP will not enter Stand By or Hibernate mode. Why? [more inside]
posted by digitaldraco on Nov 23, 2008 - 9 answers

Is there any way to view a list of failed incoming faxes in Windows XP using the built-in fax service? [more inside]
posted by reddot on Nov 22, 2008 - 2 answers

Why does sound playback "drag" sporadically on my recently built (decently powerful) PC? [more inside]
posted by steeb2er on Nov 6, 2008 - 4 answers

My laptop's right-arrow key is remapping itself. Any tips for diagnosis or repair? [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Oct 25, 2008 - 10 answers

I just got a notification on my Windows XP laptop to install Service Pack 3. Thing is, I already have SP3 installed. Is this a necessary update? A redundant Microsoft goof? Or something more sinister? [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Sep 20, 2008 - 6 answers

I'm having a close friend house-sit next week. I want to keep my porn and kinky stuff in a safe location where she doesn't need to see it. It won't be a huge shock, since I'm out of the kinky closet, but it'd be awkward, to say the least. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 19, 2008 - 26 answers

How do I make iTunes on Windows XP stop stuttering? [more inside]
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Sep 18, 2008 - 10 answers

Accidentally unplugging my external hard drive during use seems to have erased all the files in that directory. How can I recover them? (Windows XP. Easy and free preferred.) [more inside]
posted by stuart_s on Sep 18, 2008 - 8 answers

Is it safe to install Windows XP Service Pack 3 yet? [more inside]
posted by NoMich on Sep 18, 2008 - 19 answers

For a new iMac running Windows XP, I need to mirror/clone the display so it shows the same on the monitor and a projector. The graphics driver (for an ATI Mobiity Radeon HD 2600XT) doesn't support mirroring, but the iMac does it automatically. But the monitor and the projector have very different aspect ratios, and the same screen size gets applied to both. Is there a way to set two different screen sizes? There's nothing under the display preferences. Any third party software that would work?
posted by hydrophonic on Sep 9, 2008 - 6 answers

A Dell PC was originally equipped with Windows ME. Somebody later installed, instead, an unauthorized copy of XP. The machine was given to me, and I legitimated the XP install by paying Microsoft for a "Genuine Advantage Kit." Will Microsoft let me use that kit's CD to install XP on a different machine (perhaps an Apple) if I get rid of the first machine? Thanks.
posted by Dave 9 on Sep 8, 2008 - 3 answers

Help me with a weird Windows install problem. [more inside]
posted by Electrius on Aug 21, 2008 - 10 answers