Windows XP Device Manager Error Codes

This device is not configured correctly. (Code 1)
This device has no drivers installed or is improperly configured. Update the driver(s) by clicking Update Driver, which starts the Hardware Update wizard. If updating the driver does not work, see your hardware documentation for more information.

 

The driver for this device might be corrupted, or your system may be running low on memory or other resources. (Code 3) If the driver is corrupted, uninstall the driver and scan for new hardware to install the driver again. To scan for new hardware, click on the Action menu in Device Manager, and then select Scan for hardware changes.
If your computer does not have enough memory to run the device, you can close some applications to make memory available. To check memory and system resources, right-click My Computer, click Properties, click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Performance. You may need to install additional random access memory (RAM). On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
This device cannot start. (Code 10)
Device failed to start. Click Update Driver to update the drivers for this device. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use. If you want to use this device, you will need to disable one of the other devices on this system. (Code 12)
Two devices have been assigned the same input/output (I/O) ports, the same interrupt, or the same Direct Memory Access channel (either by the BIOS, the operating system, or a combination of the two). This error message can also appear if the BIOS did not allocate enough resources to the device (for example, if a universal serial bus (USB) controller does not get an interrupt from the BIOS because of a corrupt Multiprocessor System (MPS) table). You can use Device Manager to determine where the conflict is and disable the conflicting device. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
This device cannot work properly until you restart your computer. (Code 14)
Restart your computer.
 
Windows cannot identify all the resources this device uses. (Code 16)
The device is only partially configured.
To specify additional resources for this device, click the Resources tab in Device Manager. If there is a resource with a question mark next to it in the list of resources assigned to the device, select that resource to assign it to the device. If the resource cannot be changed, click Change Settings. If Change Settings is unavailable, try clearing the Use automatic settings check box to make it available. If this is not a Plug and Play device, check the hardware documentation for more information. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
Reinstall the drivers for this device. (Code 18)
The drivers for this device must be reinstalled. Click Update Driver, which starts the Hardware Update wizard. Alternately, uninstall the driver, and then click Scan for hardware changes to reload the drivers.
 
Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)
To fix this problem you can first try running a troubleshooting wizard. If that does not work, you should uninstall and then reinstall the hardware device.
A registry problem was detected.
This can occur when more than one service is defined for a device, if there is a failure opening the service subkey, or if the driver name cannot be obtained from the service subkey. Try these options:
On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
Click Uninstall, and then click Scan for hardware changes to load a usable driver.
Restart the computer in Safe Mode, and then select Last Known Good Configuration, which rolls back to the most recent successful registry configuration. As a last resort, you can edit the registry directly. For more information, see the Registry Reference in the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit at http://www.microsof t.com/reskit.
 
This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed. (Code 24)
The device does not appear to be present. The problem could be bad hardware, or a new driver might be needed. Devices stay in this state if they have been prepared for removal. After you remove the device, this error disappears. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
This device is disabled because the firmware of the device did not give it the required resources. (Code 29)
Enable the device in the BIOS of the device. For information about how to make this change, see the hardware documentation or contact the hardware vendor. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)
Windows was unable to load the driver. Try updating the driver for this device. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate driver may be providing this functionality (Code 32)
The start type for this driver is set to disabled in the registry. Uninstall the driver, and then click Scan for hardware changes to reinstall or upgrade the driver. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard. If the driver is required, and if reinstalling or upgrading does not work, change the start type in the registry using the registry editor. For more information, see the Registry Reference in the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit at http://www.microsof t.com/reskit.
 
Windows cannot determine which resources are required for this device. (Code 33)
The translator that determines the types of resources required by the device has failed. Contact the hardware vendor, and configure or replace hardware. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
Windows cannot determine the settings for this device. Consult the documentation that came with this device and use the Resource tab to set the configuration. (Code 34)
The device requires manual configuration. Change the hardware settings by setting jumpers or running a vendor-supplied tool, and then use the Resources tab in Device Manager to configure the device. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
Your computer's system firmware does not include enough information to properly configure and use this device. To use this device, contact your computer manufacturer to obtain a firmware or BIOS update. (Code 35)
The Multiprocessor System (MPS) table, which stores the resource assignments for the BIOS, is missing an entry for your device and needs to be updated. Obtain a new BIOS from the system vendor. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.
 
This device is requesting a PCI interrupt but is configured for an ISA interrupt (or vice versa). Please use the computer's system setup program to reconfigure the interrupt for this device. (Code 36 )
Interrupt request (IRQ) translation failed.
Try using the BIOS setup tool to change settings for IRQ reservations (if such options exist). The BIOS might have options to reserve certain IRQs for peripheral component interconnect (PCI) or ISA devices. For more information about changing BIOS settings, see the hardware documentation. On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.

WINDOWS XP SHUTDOWN & RESTART TROUBLESHOOTING

"With its rock-solid foundation and ground-breaking new features, Windows XP Professional won't quit working, even when your workday is done." — Microsoft
(Did they know what they were saying?)

Shutdown problems in Windows XP can be caused by many factors, just like earlier versions of Windows. These included: a damaged exit sound file; incorrectly configured, damaged, or incompatible hardware; conflicting programs, or an incompatible, damaged, or conflicting device driver.
For a step-by-step troubleshooting method that applies to all versions of Windows 9x, see the generic Windows Shutdown Troubleshooter. Some of its steps may be found to apply to Windows XP as well, though many will not.

REBOOT INSTEAD OF SHUTDOWN
Most Win XP shutdown problems reported thus far have been that it reboots when shutdown is attempted. This may be a global symptom emerging from several distinct causes, because, by default, XP executes an automatic restart in the event of a system failure. Therefore, more or less anything compromising the operating system during the shutdown process could force this reboot.

Disabling the "restart on system failure" feature may permit the exact cause to be isolated: Right-click on My Computer, click Properties, click the Advanced tab. Under "Startup & Recovery," click Settings. Under "System Failure," uncheck the box in front of "Automatically restart."

Here are some things that have produced this reboot-instead- of-shutdown symptom:

• By now, the Roxio/Adeptec Easy CD / Direct CD software is well documented as being the major cause of this undesirable shutdown behavior. SOLUTION: Roxio has released new drivers ( here) to solve this problem in both the Platinum and Basic editions of Easy CD Creator 5. As expected, at least half of the Win XP shutdown problems went away with the release of these patches.
  
  One warning about this patch comes from correspondent Bert Smith: Be sure to read the directions! "Roxio Easy CD Creator Platinum 5.0 can be a real hassle to get working under Win XP," Bert wrote, "and there is the risk of your computer not booting if you blindly go ahead and install it without first consulting the Roxio Web site." Bert also mentioned that Roxio's "Take Two" backup program (normally part of Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum) is uninstalled when the Roxio patch is applied.
  
  
  • Direct CD. Many Easy CD users (but not all) found that installing Easy CD 5.0 does not cause the shutdown problem, provided they do not install the Direct CD component.
    
  • UDFRINST. Several people solved this reboot-on-shutdown problem by deleting the UDFRINST file. This file is part of the Roxio CD-RW software for systems not using Direct CD.
    
  • CDRALW2K.SYS. Correspondent Larry Blumette identified the CDRALW2K.SYS file (version 1.0.0.1048) as the Roxio file causing his shutdown problems and error conditions. When he deleted or renamed this one file, his problems went away. (Of course, you lose your CD functionality that way, too.)
    
  • Video Pack 5. Roxio's Video Pack 5 causes the same problem because it contains includes the main parts of Easy CD 5. SOLUTION: Uninstall Video Pack 5 and also delete CDRALW2K.SYS (Tip from Christian Männchen). However, this solution may also have the side-effect of disabling access to your CD or DVD drive. SOLUTION TO THE SIDE-EFFECT: Apply one of the repair methods in MSKB Article 270008, Code 31 Messages Occur After Removing Adaptec Easy CD Creator 4.02c in Windows 2000 (Tip from Peter Kingsley).
• Whether or not APM is enabled makes a difference — but the effect could go two ways. Some users report that XP reboots on shutdown if APM is enabled, but shuts Windows down just fine if APM is disabled. Other users report exactly the opposite behavior. According to Jack Dunne, this is similar to a known Windows 2000 problem. The issue seems related to the computer's specific hardware or BIOS — so, as with all NT operating systems, stick to the Hardware Compatibility List where possible.
  
• USB Connections As can be seen from remarks in the Misc. Hardware Issues section below, several different USB-related issues can impact shutdown. One of the most concrete examples was a "reboot on shutdown" problem contributed by correspondent Rick Bross. If his several USB devices (PDA cradle, flash card reader, etc) were plugged into the motherboard' s USB ports, his computer would reboot on an attempted shutdown; but when, instead, he plugged them into an external USB 2.0 hub, shutdown went just fine. (This was with Win XP Professional SP1 on a Supermicro X5DAE dual Xeon motherboard. The same devices plugged into an Asus A7M-266D dual AMD 2000MP system on the same OS worked without problem.)
  
• "Wake on" power settings Power-management settings that have the computer "wake" on LAN, USB, modem, or (for that matter) probably anything else may also trigger a restart after shutdown. Correspondent Simon Wei provided this tip after a friend of his found an old old Logitech USB mouse would trigger "wake on USB" after every Windows shutdown. Their solution was to remove that particular mouse and all worked fine. The principle is much more far-reaching than this one example.
  
• Hidden "wake on" power settings If you have an Ethernet card integrated into your motherboard, you may have hidden "wake on" settings that are harder to find. Site visitor Jim Porter found that his Asus P5GDC-V Deluxe motherboard had a "wake on" setting in Device Manager | Properties | Advanced rather than in the BIOS or Power Management settings. (The Asus P5AD2 and P5GD2 boards have this also.)
  
• Y-SB3 Logitech Internet Keyboard can also cause this problem. If you use it as a simple generic keyboard, there's no problem; but, if you install the Key Commander software that drives the special Internet functions, Win XP will restart instead of shut down. Unfortunately, Logitech has decided that they will not be updating this driver for this keyboard. (Tip from Jan K. Haak.)
  
• Logitech MouseWare 8.6. Windows reboots when shutdown is attempted. The software caused a BSOD with KBDCLASS.SYS. Removing the software solved the BSOD the problem. (Tip from Pablo Cheng.) MouseWare 9.0 and 9.1 also have been linked to reboot-instead- of-shutdown in Win XP. Removing the software resolves the problem. (Tip from Aswin Kindts, Greg Williams, and others)
  
• Webstar DPX USB cable modem. In the one case known to me, the problem was solved by switching the modem's connector from the USB 1.1 port on the motherboard to the USB 2.0 PCI card. (The modem was provided by Telewest Broadband, manufactured by Scientific Atlanta.) (Tip from Ann L. Goonan.)

SHUTDOWN HANGS ON "SAVING YOUR SETTINGS"

During shutdown or reboot, Win XP may hang (stop responding) at the "saving your settings" screen. During such a hang, there is no response to Ctrl+Alt+Del; the mouse may or may not work. The problem may be intermittent.
This is a known bug in Windows XP, for which Microsoft has a supported fix. To learn how to get this patch, see MSKB 307274, "Windows XP Stops Responding (Hangs) During Windows Shutdown." The necessary patch is included in Windows XP Service Pack 1, and also is now available on the Windows Update site under "Recommended Updates" for Win XP Professional, titled "Restarting Windows XP." However, to find it, you may need to reconfigure how Windows Update appears for you, by enabling the Windows Update Catalog as follows: At the Windows Update page, click Personalize Windows Update at the left, and then Enable the Windows Update Catalog. Save your settings. This adds the Windows Update Catalog link in the left box. Click this link, then click Find updates for Microsoft Windows systems. Pick Windows XP in the drop-down list, click Search, take Recommended Updates, and find the "Restarting Windows XP" patch which references Q307274.
As a workaround, newsgroup correspondent "lou" resolved this problem by dismantling the Windows XP logon Welcome screen. In the Control Panel, click User Accounts, then click "Change the way users log on or off." Uncheck the box that says "Use the Welcome screen." This removes the initial logon screen with individual icons for each user and, instead, pops up the classic logon prompt that requires each user to type a user name and password.

SBLive: DEVLDR32.EXE PROBLEMS

In the early days of Win ME, one of the biggest culprits for shutdown issue was the Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live. History repeated itself in the Beta phase of Win XP. SOLUTION: The SBLive drivers in the released version of Win XP solved the shutdown problem for most (but not all) SBLive users.

Here's the commonly reported problem scenario people encountered: On attempting shutdown, nothing at all appears to happen for a prolonged period of time. Eventually, an "End Task" window appears, wanting to terminate DEVLDR32.EXE. No matter what one does, one ultimately is locked out of shutting down other than by a power switch shutoff. (NOTE: This problem exists with the SBLive in Windows 2000 also.)

You may have to do a couple of extra steps to get rid of old files so that the new drivers will install correctly (especially if you installed the final version of Win XP on top of one of the Beta versions), or to remove troublesome support software. Correspondent Sean Caldwell summarized his steps: Shutdown Windows. Remove the Creative card. Reboot in Safe Mode. In the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 folder, delete the DEVLDR file. Fully shutdown the computer before rebooting.
Some users report that the DEVLDR problem continues to plague them even with the new drivers. If installing the new drivers doesn't solve your shutdown problem, try these solutions:

• Correspondent Martin Sladek wrote: "I've run into the very same problem with SBLive Value drivers. The problem was so severe I ran without the software all together. Since then, SBLive 5.1 came out, and I had installed the 5.1 version of the software in Windows 2000 Pro. I've not had a single problem since."
  
• But updating your drivers in Win XP may not be as easy as one would hope. Some problems especially appear where multiple users are enabled on the system and one switches between users during a single Windows session. There may be numerous files with the same name (but different version numbers!) variously located in the I386, SYSTEM32, and SYSTEM32\REINSTALLB ACKUPS\0000 folders. These may conflict with each other. If you rename DEVLDR32 (ver 1.0.0.22) in SYSTEM32, another one will replace it. (First, you need to press Ctrl+Alt+Del and end DEVLDR in Task Manager). But if you use DEVLDR32 (ver 1.0.0.17) from the I386 folder, this problem doesn't occur. Reboot when finished to reinaugurate the disabled service. (Tip from Terence Shortt, aka tbone8200 on dellTalk.)

MISC. HARDWARE ISSUES

In addition to hardware issues mentioned under other specialized topics on this page, many users have written identifying specific hardware as at the root of the Windows XP shutdown issue. Here's what they have reported:

• CD-ROM DRIVE: Samsung 24x. Correspondent Y. Leroux has identified the culprit in his shutdown problem, but doesn't yet have a permanent solution. If his Samsung CD-ROM drive is empty, Win XP hangs on shutdown. To work around the problem, he either leaves a CD-ROM in the drive, or leaves the drive door open. He wanted to share this tip with others (thanks, Y.). Does anyone have a permanent solution for this one?
  
• DVD-RW DRIVE: Pioneer DVR-106 or DVR-108. Correspondent L. Frankenberg traced his shutdown problem to this hardware. Correspondent Bob Berberick found the same for the DVR-108, and reported that a firmware update for the DVR-108 now available from Pioneer resolved his problem. It would probably be worth trying the firmware update for the DVR-106 as well, though I have no reports from anyone as to whether this solves the shutdown problem.
  
• MODEMS: Intel Ambient HaM Modem. Causes Win XP to hang at shutdown. Previously, this was only resolved by disabling the modem. SOLUTION: Intel subsequently issued updated drivers that resolve this issue. They can be downloaded here. (Tip from Mark Gillespie.) However, a new problem with the Ambient Ham was introduced in Windows XP SP1, detailed below.
  
  

  NOTE: The same problem has been reported for the Creatix V.90 Ham PCI Modem. Correspondent Gert Verheyen wrote that Creatix has an updated driver and, more importantly, detailed instructions about manual removal of the old one and installation of the new one. Go to the Creatix support page and click on V.90 HAM (internal) at right. The removal of the old driver first seems to have been the critical detail.

• MODEMS: Billion BIPAC PCI Passive ISDN-card. Reboot instead of shutdown issue conjoined with BSOD error message STOP 0x000000D1: DRIVER_IRQL_ NOT_LESS_ OR_EQUAL in file SERIAL.SYS . Previously, this was only resolved by disabling the Billion ISDN card. SOLUTION: Billion has now released a new driver 3.24 that solves this problem, available here. (Tip from Leo Foederer.)
  
• MOTHERBOARDS: Asus P2B-F, P2B-VM, or P2L97. Causes a shutdown problem because Win XP Setup doesn't enable ACPI by default. SOLUTION: Manually enable ACPI during a Win XP install or reinstall. Correspondent Bill Anderson (based on a solution by "Willy") gave a lengthy description of how to do this, edited a little for space reasons. (Thanks also to correspondents Ward from Belgium & Tony Gray.)
  
  
  1. Boot the computer from the Win XP CD-ROM.
  2. Win XP Setup says it's checking hardware. Soon after, at the bottom of the screen, it offers the opportunity to press F5. (If offered the chance to press F6, press F5 instead! – Tip from Mick Stone) Do this at once, and cross your fingers! [ Various users report difficulty with this. Apparently, sometimes it works; sometimes not. It may be in the timing of exactly when you press the key. You may have to try repeatedly, or try pressing F5 and F6 repeatedly. – JAE] When successful, you'll see a two-paragraph instruction that begins, "To specify additional SCSI or other mass storage devices." Press <ENTER> to brings up a small window that appears to contain only two options, but, in fact, contains more (use the arrow keys to scroll up). If this windows doesn't appear at this point, you need to start over and do more pressing of F5!
  3. When the small window does appear, use the up-arrow to choose "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)." (It's the third from the top of the list.)
  4. Next, you may see that two-paragraph SCSI/mass storage instruction again. If so, press <ENTER>. Many drivers will load, then you should see the Win XP installation screen. If you are running this after Win XP is already installed, choose the Repair option.
• MOUSE: Logitech. If you have a Logitech mouse, and an outdated version of the MouseWare software installed, you may receive the following error message on a blue screen at shutdown: STOP 0x000000D1, (0x0000002b, 0x00000002, 0x00000000, 0xEEEE1b01) IRQL_NOT_LESS_ OR_EQUAL Kbdclass.sys. SOLUTION: Update the Logitech MouseWare software. (Reference & more information: MSKB 810980.)
  
• VIDEO CARDS: Hercules 3D Prophet 4500 and all other video cards based on the Kyro II video chip. Causes restart and shutdown issues (or, in some cases, only restart issues) until the video adapter is removed. SOLUTION: New XP-specific drivers are now available from Hercules. At present, they remain uncertified (PowerVR, who makes the Kyro II chip, is working on that), but they reportedly work just fine. Download the Kyro II drivers here. (Tip from MS-MVP Don Lebow.)
  
• USB Devices. If you have one or more USB devices attached to your computer, you may receive the following error message on a blue screen at shutdown: Stop 0x000000D1 (0x00000040, 0x00000002, 0x00000000, 0xfc96a9dc) . SOLUTION: Upgrade to the latest Win XP service pack. (Reference & more information: MSKB 317326.)
  
• USB: Keyboard or Mouse + Selective Suspend. Some USB input devices (such as a USB keyboard or mouse) do not support the Selective Suspend power management feature. When these devices are used with Selective Suspend turned on, the computer may hang during shutdown, or otherwise not shutdown correctly. WORK-AROUND: Disable power management for your USB hub: Open Device Manager (click Start, click Run, type DEVMGMT.MSC, click OK). Double-click to expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Double-click USB Root Hub. Click Power Management. Uncheck the box "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." OK your way out. NOTE: Doing this may significantly reduce laptop battery life. (Reference & more information: MSKB 315664.)
  
• USB: Lexar Media Combo Digital Film Reader (USB). There is a problem with the SAUSB.SYS file, apparently part of the Win98 SE driver set for this device, retained during an upgrade to Win XP. Deleting the file solved the problem. The newer version 4.3 SAUSB.SYS driver from Lexar's Web site works perfectly, and does not cause a shutdown problem. (Tip from correspondent Eric Brown.) Though one correspondent reported that the even newer version 4.5 driver (SAUSBI.SYS ) also can be used in Win XP , Lexar says this driver doesn't work on XP. One correspondent has confirmed that this matches his experience in trying (unsuccessfully) to use 4.5 on both Widows 2000 and XP.
  

"STOP" ERROR MESSAGES AT SHUTDOWN

Some users, when attempting either to shutdown or restart Win XP, get an error message similar to the following: STOP 0x0000009F: DRIVER_POWER_ STATE_FAILURE
Stop Messages literally means that Windows has stopped. (Which isn't the same as saying it has shutdown!) See Knowledge Base Links: STOP MESSAGES for much more information that the brief remarks below. Most Stop Messages indicate hardware issues; some are caused by troublesome software or a system service problem. The links page just mentioned provides a 10-step approach to troubleshooting STOP Messages in general, then itemized analysis on the most common of these. (STOP messages are identified by an 8-digit hexadecimal number, but also commonly written in a shorthand notation; e.g., a STOP 0x0000000A may also be written Stop 0xA.)
Here are a few that may affect Win XP shutdown and restart. Stop 0x9F and Stop 0x8E are two of the most common of these at shutdown, and generally point to a bad driver. Stop 0x7B on restarting means Win XP lost access to the system partition or boot volume during the startup process, due to a bad device driver, boot sector virus, resource conflict, boot volume corruption, or other problem listed here. Stop 0xC000021A can when on restart after a system administrator has modified permissions so that the SYSTEM account no longer has adequate permissions to access system files and folders.
MS-MVP Jim Pickering advises the following as one approach to these problems: Restart the computer. Press F8 during the restart and select " Last Known Good Configuration. " If you catch the problem when it first occurs (meaning you likely have installed only one or two drivers or new service), this will return you to a previous working condition. System Restore provides an alternate approach, especially if you need to go back further than the last known good configuration, and Device Manager provides a tool for rolling back to an earlier driver.

SHUTDOWN WORKS, BUT IT'S REAL SLOW

1. If it appears that Win XP is not shutting down, give it some time. Some users report a minute or longer for shutdown to visibly start. Generally, this is a consequence of software that is running when shutdown is attempted. It also may have something to do with particular hardware. If you experience this problem, be sure to close all running programs before attempting shutdown and see if this solves your problem. If so, then you can determine, by trial and error, which program(s) are involved.
   
2. Newsgroup correspondent "Sarah" provided one specific solution for this. In Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services, stop the Nvidia Driver Helper service. (You can also get this by launching SERVICES.MSC from a Run box.) Many other newsgroup participants quickly confirmed that this solved this "extremely slow shutdown" problem for them (it's the most successful solution for this problem to date). According to correspondent Gan Ming Teik, downloading and installing the new version 23.11 Nvidia driver also solves this problem.
   
3. Correspondent Ron Spruell found that disabling the Terminal Services service reduced his shutdown time from over 2 minutes (hanging at the "Windows is shutting down" screen) to about 10 seconds. To disable Terminal Services, follow the steps in the prior paragraph for launching SERVICES.MSC. Please note that Terminal Services is required in Windows XP for running Remote Assistance, Fast User Switching, and (in XP Pro) Remote Desktop.
   
4. Correspondent Graeme J.W. Smith reported a more obscure cause of slow shutdown: In Win XP Professional, the Group Policy Editor has a security option to clear the pagefile at system shutdown. The same setting also forces the hibernation file to be wiped at shutdown. These processes take long enough that users may think that shutdown has hung. To change the setting, click Start | Run, type GPEDIT.MSC, click OK. Drill down to Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Security Settings | Local Policies | Security Options. In the right pane, find "Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile." NOTE: Since someone actually has to have set this policy, the problem will be pretty rare, but is worth mentioning. However, Forum participant "roadrunner" reported that the personal security app Privacy Eraser automatically enables "Clear virtual memory pagefile," and, therefore, may be the cause of a slow shutdown.
   
5. The Gear Software Security Service (GEARSEC.EXE) , which enables iTunes for Windows to read and burn CDs, has been reported by many users to cause Windows XP to hang at the "Windows is shutting down" screen for as long as 20-30 seconds. WORK-AROUND: Stop the service prior to shutdown. One way to to this (suggested by "Thornburgh" ) is to create a batch file with the one line net stop gearsecurity . You can either launch this batch file manually, or (in Win XP Professional) use GPEDIT.MSC) to specify this batch file as the shutdown script (under Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Scripts | Shutdown ). Gear Software's forum has a thread on this issue here. (Tip from correspondent "Andy")
   
6. MS-MVP Gary Thorn discovered that the Event Log can slow down Win XP shutdown. Disabling event logging removed the slowdown. If this works for you, then the real troubleshooting begins: finding out, by trial and error, what item that is being logged is causing the actual slowdown. (In Gary's case, the Telephony service was causing the problem.) To disable the Event Log, launch the Services console as detailed in No. 2 above, and disable Event Log (right-click on Event Log, click Properties, under Startup Type select "Disabled").

POWERDOWN ISSUES

"Powerdown issues" are quite distinctive from "shutdown issues." I define a shutdown problem as one wherein Windows doesn't make it at least to the "OK to shut off your computer" screen. If Windows gets that far, or farther, then it has shut down correctly. However, the computer may not powerdown correctly after that. This is a different problem, and I encourage people reporting these issues to make a clear distinction in their labeling.
When Windows XP won't powerdown automatically, the APM/NT Legacy Power Node may not be enabled. To enable this, right-click on the My Computer icon, click Properties | Hardware | Device Manager | View . Check the box labeled "Show Hidden Devices." If it's available on your computer, there will be a red X on the APM/NT Legacy Node. Try enabling it and see if this resolves the powerdown problem (Tip from Terri Stratton). Or, to check the other side of the APM/ACPI coin, open the Power Options applet in Control Panel. If there is an APM tab, make sure the "Enable Advanced Power Management Support" box is checked. ( MSKB 313290)
This should resolve the powerdown issue in most cases. However, other factors can sometimes interfere with correct powerdown functioning. In that case, consider the following tips:

• Try some of the solutions on my Shutdown & Restart Shortcuts page. If you really have a hardware inability to powerdown, these won't solve it; but for some other underlying causes of powerdown failures, they just might.
  
• If you change the default power settings in the BIOS, it can lead to a powerdown problem. Restoring all BIOS power settings to default will likely fix it. (Tip from Kelly Theriot)
  
• Sometimes, not all appropriate Registry settings are made when you enable all the right power management settings in Windows. You can force the critical Registry setting with the "ShutNTdown" Registry patch. Please follow sensible Registry editing protocol. Backup your Registry before the change (or run System Restore to create a restore point). After installing it, test Windows shutdown. If the fix doesn't work for you, remove it by restoring the Registry to its prior state. (For those who want more background information, the fix provided by this patch is based on information contained in MS Knowledge Base article 155117 for Windows NT 4.0.)
  
• On some hardware, power management features simply don't work right. This is exceedingly rare on Windows XP when compared to any earlier version of Windows but, on some machines, especially if no BIOS upgrade is available, there seems no conclusion to reach except, "Yes, you're right, it doesn't work, so don't use that feature." Accordingly, several correspondents have noted that their Win XP computers will not powerdown correctly unless they have Turn Off Monitor, Turn Off Hard Disks, and System Standby all set to "Never" in Control Panel | Power Options. (Tip from Dan Mitchell & others)
  
• How old is your power supply? Correspondent Andrew Walsh had a computer that wouldn't power down after a Win XP shutdown until he replaced the power supply that was a few years old. Presto! His problem was gone.
  
• Correspondent "Snake" restored powerdown functioning by disabling his CD-ROM's AutoRun feature. The fastest way to do this is with the "Disable AutoRun" Registry patch that you can download here.
  
• If you have Office XP installed, the culprit may be CTFMON.EXE. This module provides the Alternate Language Bar and provides text input service support for speech recognition, handwriting recognition, keyboard, translation, and other alternative user input technologies. When you close all Office programs, this module stays active. Removing it can cause serious problems with your Office XP products, but you can effectively disable it by setting the installation state to Not Available in Office XP Setup. This isn't as easy as it sounds though — several steps are involved. For full instructions, plus more information on the file and its function, see What Is CTFMON and What Does It Do? (Tip from Jay Jones)
  
• VIA Apollo Pro 133 motherboards have a "USB Keyboard support" BIOS setting that can interfere with proper power management function if it is enabled — especially with respect to preventing powerdown during attempted shutdown, and also preventing the computer from waking from Stand-by. SOLUTION: Disable it. This was originally reported on the Chaintech 6ATA2, and confirmed on other VIA Apollo Pro 133 boards. (Tips from "Zef," The Netherlands, & Robert Lin)
  
• Toshiba laptop (model not specified). Problems of Windows XP not powering off nor going into standyby were solved by uninstalling (then reinstalling) the Toshiba Power Saver software and Toshiba Hotkey for Display Devices. After doing this and a reboot, the problem was gone. (Tip from David Flitterman)

NEW PROBLEMS INTRODUCED BY SERVICE PACK 1 (SP1)

Some new shutdown and powerdown issues have arisen in Windows XP SP1. Here are the ones I know about:

• HIBERNATION/ STANDY PROBLEM WITH NERO SOFTWARE. If you have Nero CD-burning software (versions 5.0-5.5) installed on your computer, and invoke Standby or Hibernation modes more than once in a Windows session, the computer will hang on the "Preparing to..." screen and not go into Standby or Hibernation. SOLUTION: Uninstall Nero completely, and keep your eyes open for a new version of the program down the road. (Reference: MSKB 331506.)
  
• WITH SP1, DON'T REMOVE SCSI ADAPTER WHILE IN STANDBY. Service Pack 1 for Windows XP introduced a new (but pleasingly rare) shutdown problem: If you remove certain kinds of SCSI adapter while the computer is in Standby, the computer may not shut down properly. There is a "hot fix" for this available from Microsoft. (Reference: MSKB 330172.)
  
• SP1 + AMBIENT HAM MODEM + POSSIBLE IRQ ISSUE. Site visitor Mike Redman wrote that, after installing SP1, his computer would hang on the shutdown screen. Neither the mouse nor Ctrl+Alt+Del would respond. Either uninstalling SP1 or removing his Intel Ambient Ham 50.sys (unsigned driver) internal modem would solve the problem. FINAL SOLUTION: Moving the modem from PCI slot 4 to slot 5 and reinstalling the drivers. He wrote, "This may be an IRQ problem which SP1 was supposed to fix."
  

NEW PROBLEMS INTRODUCED BY SERVICE PACK 2 (SP2)

Some new issues have arisen in Windows XP SP2. Here are the ones I know about:

• AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATE INSTALLATION. Windows XP SP2 checks at shutdown for any Windows Updates have been downloaded and not installed, then offers to install them as part of the shutdown process. Understandably, this can cause a very slow shutdown on that one occassion and, if something goes wrong, can even hang shutdown completely. To see if your shutdown problem is caused by this issue, look for error 0x80248011 in any of the Windows Update log files, particularly %windir%\SoftwareDi stribution\ ReportingEvents. log. If present, this indicates a corrupt local metadata store for Windows Update. SOLUTION: Click Start, click Run, type SERVICES.MSC, click OK. Stop the Automatic Updates service. Rename the c:\Windows\Software Distribution folder to c:\Windows\Software Distribution. old. Restart the Automatic Updates service. (Tip from MS-MVP Bill Castner.)
  
• REBOOT ON SHUTDOWN WITH HARDWARE-ENFORCE DATA EXECUTION PREVENTION. If your computer uses hardware-enforced DEP, as the 64-bit AMD processors do, and you installed hardware that requires the MPEGPORT.SYS driver, there is a conflict. At shutdown, the driver tries to run from the same memory space DEP monitors. A 0xFC Stop message occurs. If your computer is set to automatically reboot on a system failure, it will simply reboot instead. The solution is a new driver. Microsoft provides a work-around in MSKB 878474.
  

OTHER KNOWN ISSUES & HINTS...

• BIOS UPGRADE. As with every new operating system that comes along — especially one that is as much of a "step up" as Windows XP is from Windows 9x — the recommendation is made to be sure your BIOS is updated. Many people have reported that this has solved their shutdown problems (and had other advantages) with Win XP, just as it has in earlier versions of Windows.
  
• "ShutNTdown" REGISTRY PATCH. Download the "ShutNTdown" Registry patch mentioned above under powerdown issues. Please follow sensible Registry editing protocol. Backup your Registry before the change (e.g, run System Restore to create a restore point). After installing, test Windows shutdown. If the fix doesn't work for you, remove it by restoring the Registry to its prior state. This is not the appropriate shutdown fix for most machines, but does help some users with Windows shutdown problems, and not just with powerdown issues as one might suspect.
  
• UNSIGNED DEVICE DRIVERS. Some users have found that Windows XP won't shutdown properly if unsigned device drivers are used. This is simply a variation of the broader device driver issue: Hardware manufactures have not yet released all necessary device drivers for Win XP. This will continue to be a problem for the next few months; it already has been reduced to a very minor cause of Win XP shutdown problems.
  
• SIGNED DEVICE DRIVERS ON TOP OF UNSIGNED ONES. Good advice on a variation of the above comes from correspondent Attila Szabadkai. For his SBLive 1024 sound card he had originally installed non-XP drivers, then updated these with digitally signed XP drivers downloaded from Creative Labs. Result: He got a 0x0A Stop Message at shutdown. SOLUTION: He removed all drivers, and put back only the digitally signed one.
  
• PROGRAMS HANG / BECOME UNRESPONSIVE. Sometimes programs don't close down correctly, or hang for some other reason during the Windows shutdown process. This freezes up, or at least significantly delays, Windows shutdown. For example, a few people have reported an error message that EXPLORER.EXE has become unresponsive during shutdown when they have used Win XP's native CD-burning capabilities during that Windows session. If Windows is hanging because it can't force a program to terminate, one solution is to disable the automatic end task logic (AutoEndTask) . Use this registry patch to force that setting change. (Be sure to back up the Registry first.)
  
• PACE INTERLOK ANTI-PIRACY SOFTWARE. According to the MS Knowledge Base article Computer Hangs During Shutdown Because of Resource Conflict, PACE InterLok anti-piracy software installs a driver (TPKD.SYS) that uses the same IRQ as the Standard Floppy Disk Controller device. This can cause Win XP to hang at a blank screen (with mouse and keyboard nonresponsive) when you try to shutdown or restart. Additional symptoms may be that the floppy drive doesn't show in My Computer; the Standard Floppy Disk Controller device in Device Manager may display the error status "This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use. (Code 12)"; and/or when trying to shutdown from Safe Mode you get the error message, STOP 0x0000009F Driver_Power_ State_Failure. The solution is to get the updated TPKD.SYS file from PACE.
  
• QUICK-SWITCHING USER ACCOUNTS. One reported quirk affecting shutdown is the three-account shuffle. Windows XP gives the ability to rapidly bounce between user accounts, with Win+L. If at least three user accounts exist, and you quick-switch through all three, and then log off all three in reverse order — "backing out" in an orderly way — then the machine may hang on shutdown. There may be other variations of account shuffling that cause this, but this one, clear example was provided by newsgroup correspondent John Ward. Microsoft has now identified something similar as a bug, in MSKB 320008, "You May Not Be Able to Shut Down Your Windows XP Computer." The situation they describe is that only one user is logged on, quick-switching is used, and "Windows is under heavy stress." A supported patch is available; see the article for details.
  
• USING SHUTDOWN SCRIPTS & 802.1x AUTHENTICATION PROTOCOL. This combination can cause Win XP to take in excess of 10 minutes to shutdown normally. (IEEE 802.1x is an authentication standard for both wireless networks and wired Ethernet networks.) Here's how the dominoes fall: The 802.1x authentication protocol stops after the user logs off. Shutdown scripts run after the user logs off. If the script is on a network share and the connection is no longer available (since authentication has terminated), the script can't run. The default time-out for shutdown scripts is 10 minutes. So the computer sits there 10 minutes before continuing with its shutdown. (Reference: MSKB 311787.)
  
• MISMATCHED RAM. Correspondent Morten Bech reported that a combination of PC-100 and PC-133 RAM was the source of his shutdown problem. When he resolved the mismatch (by removing the PC-100 RAM), he also resolved the shutdown problem. A general reminder of a great general tip: You will get the best results if all RAM in a particular computer matches in all respects!
  
• CHANGE NTFS TO FAT32? MOVE THE PAGEFILE? Correspondent "Curiefleas" wrote that his reboot-on-shutdown problem was solved when he used a third party partitioning program to convert his NTFS partition to FAT32. It isn't clear why this would be the case, but the tip was worth passing along. In a possibly related vein, other correspondents have reported a shutdown problem in XP either being caused by, or resolved by, relocating the pagefile! Is there some common issue involving substantial moving of the hard drive's contents? These two hints intrigued me in light of a seemingly dissociated shutdown problem reportedly occurring in Win ME only immediately after a defrag. These all may be unrelated to each other — or not. I list them here as part of the ongoing data collection.
  
• SHUTDOWN PROBLEMS IN WINDOWS NT/2000. In researching known causes of shutdown problems in earlier versions of NT-family operating systems, most of what I found referred to problems that were resolved in later versions. There is no reason to suspect their recurrence. For example, there were quite a few shutdown issues identified in NT 3. x that didn't survive to NT 4.0. Very predictable causes were involved most often, especially difficulty with some 16-bit applications or specific hardware incompatibilities. Very few shutdown failure scenarios are documented for Windows 2000. All that I found were conflicts with specific software, specific hardware, or drivers. While these three frame a wide set of possibilities, they are sufficiently narrow to be very encouraging when joined with what we are seeing with Win XP. If approved compatible hardware and software are used, including XP-specific drivers, we see almost no shutdown problems at all. If other hardware or software is used... well, that gives us a starting place to focus our investigations.
  
• SHUTDOWN PROBLEMS IN WINDOWS 9x. As stated at the beginning, I recommend that, if nothing above resolves your Win XP shutdown problem, try those troubleshooting steps that have worked for Windows 9x operating systems to help us establish a track record of exactly what does and does not apply, from that protocol, to the emergent scenarios in Windows XP.

Speed up Windows XP's defrag operations

Did you know that you can speed up a defrag operation in Windows XP by restarting the system beforehand?

 

A simple way to speed up a defrag operation in Windows XP is to restart the system before you launch Defrag. This allows the operating system to clear out the swap/paging file and reset it to the default size. This lets Defrag focus strictly on the necessary data on the hard disk, without having to stop and manage a huge swap file loaded with unneeded data.
Another approach to speeding up a defrag operation in Windows XP is to configure them to occur immediately upon startup. Fortunately, you can do so easily with a simple registry edit. Follow these steps:

1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) .
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentV ersion\RunOnce.
3. Right-click the RunOncesubkey and select New | String Value.
4. Name the value Defrag and press [Enter] twice.
5. Type Defrag.exe c: /f in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
6. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows.

The defrag operation will begin when you type in your password and press [Enter]. (Keep in mind that values added to the RunOnce key are removed immediately after the command has been run.)

Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Professional editions.

Vista Only: Add "Remove Temporary Files" and "Run Disk Cleanup"

Add "Remove Temporary Files" and "Run Disk Cleanup" to right-click menu

Through several registry modifications, you can create an enhanced "right-click" menu for the Recycle Bin. The new options will allow you to delete the temporary files in the following two directories: %UserProfile% \AppData\ Local\Temp and %SystemRoot% \Temp. Additionally, another menu will be created that will allow you to run the disk cleanup utility. Please be aware that this change requires making a change to the Windows Vista registry

 

Note: Editing the registry has the potential to cause serious (and unrecoverable) damage to your PC. If you are at all uncomfortable editing the registry, please do not attempt the following.The first step is to create a registry file. You can do this by opening Notepad (Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> Notepad) and copying and pasting the following:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

 

[HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040- 5081-101B- 9F08-00AA002F954 E}\shell\ Delete]

 

@="&Remove Temp Files"

 

[HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040- 5081-101B- 9F08-00AA002F954 E}\shell\ Delete\Command]

 

@=hex(2):43, 00,6d,00, 64,00,2e, 00,65,00, 78,00,65, 00,20,00, 2f,00,63, 00,20,00, 25,\

 

00,53,00,79, 00,73,00, 74,00,65, 00,6d,00, 44,00,72, 00,69,00, 76,00,65, 00,25,00, \

 

20,00,26,00, 26,00,20, 00,63,00, 64,00,20, 00,25,00, 53,00,79, 00,73,00, 74,00,65, \

 

00,6d,00,52, 00,6f,00, 6f,00,74, 00,25,00, 5c,00,54, 00,65,00, 6d,00,70, 00,5c,00, \

 

20,00,26,00, 26,00,20, 00,64,00, 65,00,6c, 00,20,00, 2a,00,2e, 00,2a,00, 20,00,2f, \

 

00,66,00,20, 00,2f,00, 71,00,20, 00,26,00, 26,00,20, 00,28,00, 66,00,6f, 00,72,00, \

 

20,00,2f,00, 64,00,20, 00,25,00, 25,00,61, 00,20,00, 69,00,6e, 00,20,00, 28,00,2a, \

 

00,29,00,20, 00,64,00, 6f,00,20, 00,72,00, 64,00,20, 00,22,00, 25,00,25, 00,61,00, \

 

22,00,20,00, 2f,00,71, 00,20,00, 2f,00,73, 00,29,00, 20,00,26, 00,26,00, 20,00,63, \

 

00,64,00,20, 00,25,00, 54,00,45, 00,4d,00, 50,00,25, 00,20,00, 26,00,26, 00,20,00, \

 

64,00,65,00, 6c,00,20, 00,2a,00, 2e,00,2a, 00,20,00, 2f,00,66, 00,20,00, 2f,00,71, \

 

00,20,00,26, 00,26,00, 20,00,28, 00,66,00, 6f,00,72, 00,20,00, 2f,00,64, 00,20,00, \

 

25,00,25,00, 61,00,20, 00,69,00, 6e,00,20, 00,28,00, 2a,00,29, 00,20,00, 64,00,6f, \

 

00,20,00,72, 00,64,00, 20,00,22, 00,25,00, 25,00,61, 00,22,00, 20,00,2f, 00,71,00, \

 

20,00,2f,00, 73,00,29, 00,00,00

 

[HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040- 5081-101B- 9F08-00AA002F954 E}\shell\ Erase]

 

@="&Run Disk Cleanup"

 

[HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040- 5081-101B- 9F08-00AA002F954 E}\shell\ Erase\Command]

 

@=hex(2):43, 00,6d,00, 64,00,2e, 00,65,00, 78,00,65, 00,20,00, 2f,00,63, 00,20,00, 43,\

 

00,6c,00,65, 00,61,00, 6e,00,6d, 00,67,00, 72,00,20, 00,2f,00, 73,00,61, 00,67,00, \

 

65,00,73,00, 65,00,74, 00,3a,00, 36,00,35, 00,35,00, 33,00,35, 00,20,00, 26,00,20, \

 

00,43,00,6c, 00,65,00, 61,00,6e, 00,6d,00, 67,00,72, 00,20,00, 2f,00,73, 00,61,00, \

 

67,00,65,00, 72,00,75, 00,6e,00, 3a,00,36, 00,35,00, 35,00,33, 00,35,00, 00,00

Save the file with the name RecycleBin.reg and close Notepad.
Double-click RecycleBin.reg to add the changes to your registry.
If you did not Disable UAC, you will have to grant access, click Continue:

You will then be greeted with the following warning message, click Yes:

After the new registry values have successfully merged into your registry, you will be greeted with the following dialog, click Ok:

Right-click on the Recycle Bin and you see will now see two new options:

The two commands will require administrative privleges to run. When you click Remove Temp Files a Command Prompt window will appear briefly as the temp files are removed

Vista: Remove the Windows Mail splash screen

Can I disable the Windows Mail splash screen in Windows Vista?

Windows Mail is the Windows Vista equivalent of Outlook Express. Although it's got a fast search feature, good junk mail filtering and it's got Microsoft Help and Support Newsgroups installed by default, loading it seems to be a bit slow because of the lame splash screen.

In order to disable the really crappy Windows Mail splash screen and enable Windows Mail to load up much faster do the following:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) .

Note: As always, before making changes to your registry you should always make sure you have a valid backup. In cases where you're supposed to delete or modify keys or values from the registry it is possible to first export that key or value(s) to a .REG file before performing the changes.

2. Locate the following key in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Windows Mail

3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
   

   "NoSplash"=dword:00000001

4. Close the registry editor.

The 10 worst ways to communicate with end users

  1  Inappropriate nonverbal communication
Our words may say "Absolutely, yes, of course I don't mind helping you change the toner cartridge," while our facial expressions, tone, and body language simultaneously scream, "You complete and utter gimboid, do you honesty think that I spent four years in school, have an IQ of 167, and earned 53 technical certifications just so I could change your toner cartridge? Would you like me to breathe for you too?" It's not necessary to be a behavioral psychologist to know that tutting under your breath, rolling your eyes, and suppressing little smirks combined with your apparently kind words, sends a patronizing, insulting message to the user. Instead, if you are frequently asked to perform such seemingly menial tasks as changing toner cartridges, turn it into an opportunity to educate and empower the user.

 2  Showing off
Just because we happen to know all the correct technical terms and concepts does not mean we should use them when communicating with users. Providing instructions that are overly technical and contain far more information than users need is not the most effective means of conveying our message. Instead of impressing a user with our superior knowledge, it alienates and belittles them and makes us seem supercilious and pompous. For example, telling users to clear their cache and delete their objects to solve a browser issue may be technically correct. But the chances are, if a user knows how to carry out these instructions, he or she has already done it. Try giving the user click-by-click instructions on how to perform these tasks, perhaps accompanied by a single line of explanation in terms the user can relate to. Aim to impress with your attitude instead of your knowledge.

 3   Losing patienceIf William Langland had not coined the expression "Patience is a virtue" in 1377, I am firmly convinced that it would have been invented by an enlightened support tech sometime during the latter half of the twentieth century, just as humans were being introduced to computers in the workplace. Even though the computer literacy of the general working population has steadily improved over the intervening years, there always seems to be at least one user who simply doesn't get it, and whose persistence in demanding help for the same problem stretches our patience to its breaking point. Calling the user a brainless twit and bashing him or her over the head with a gel wrist relief may provide a moment of immense satisfaction, but it's likely to result in a miffed user and an unemployed support tech and should, therefore, be avoided at all costs. A better alternative is to develop techniques for (a) preventing such situations and (b) handling them appropriately when they do occur.   

  4 Being dismissive
Imagine going to see your doctor because you have a mysterious green knobbly growth in your arm pit  and all he does is pat you reassuringly on the back and tells you not to worry but do come back in a month or two if it hasn't gone away. How would this make you feel? What if the doctor didn't even look at the growth? This is precisely how we make the users feel when we fail to engage with their problems, dismissing them with platitudes and vacuous reassurances. Even though we may be 100 percent certain that Bob's computer isn't really taking twice as long to boot up and that Marcie must be imagining that high-pitched whine, telling them not to worry about it and to let you know if the problem doesn't go away achieves absolutely nothing except to make them feel stupid and insignificant. Whether a computer problem is real or perceived makes little difference to users. All they know is that they have a problem that needs to be resolved. Even merely perceived problems can be fixed with some sensitivity and a little creativity. However insignificant the issue, by engaging in the problem and treating users with respect we increase their confidence in us and open the lines of communication.

  5   Failure to inform
This may seem like stereotyping, but in general geeks are not natural communicators, at least not when it comes to communicating with members of our own species. Unfortunately, the ability to meaningfully communicate with fellow human beings is a prerequisite for being effective in our role as support techs. In many organizations, the support tech is the user's prime interface with the IT department. Support techs function as Babel fish, translating between geek and human, and are ultimately responsible for ensuring that users are kept informed and up to date. Constant communication is a critical part of fulfilling any work order, from acknowledging its receipt all the way through the process to a follow-up phone call to make sure the user is satisfied with the work performed. Often, a user can accept a delay provided he or she knows about it in advance and can plan accordingly.

  6  Lack of documentation
Not providing the users with consistent, clear, and easy-to-follow instructions is another way in which we frequently fail to communicate. Various aspects of our jobs require us to write user-consumable documentation, such as instructions for new procedures, explanation of corporate computer-usage polices, and manuals for new employees. Before distributing new documentation, test it out on a few users. Well-written documentation, kept organized and up-to-date, should ultimately save you time, as it provides users with an immediate resource for answering their questions.

 7    Lying
What should you do if you're asked to perform a task you find laborious or boring? Or what if you're asked a question to which you don't know the answer? What if the answer to a user's inquiry is something that will make them unhappy or that they don't want to hear? In such circumstances, bending the truth or misrepresenting the facts can be alluring, especially if the lie seems harmless and the chances of being caught are small. Is lying to the user ever justified? Sometimes it's necessary to simplify the facts to give users an explanation they can comprehend, but this is different from deliberately lying to avoid work or save face. Many years ago, I worked with a senior support tech who was in the habit of blaming Microsoft for everything. When users came to him with a problem he could not immediately resolve, he would tell them it was a Microsoft issue and they just had to live with it. After awhile, users stopped going to him with their problems and he took to bragging about what a great job he was doing, as his users had so few issues. This situation continued until the next IT reorg, when he was assigned to a different group of users who were more computer-savvy and accustomed to being treated with more respect. A few weeks later, the tech was out of work due to the high level of complaints and his declining skills. In short, when presented with a problem we can't resolve, for whatever reason, it's far better to be direct with users and help them find a resolution by some other means rather than mask our ignorance or unwillingness as an insoluble technical issue.                                              

 

  8    Giving too much informationHonesty may be the best policy, but this does not mean it's appropriate to overburden the users with too much information. A mother of five grown-up boys once told me that in her experience, the average teenager will tune out all but the first three sentences of any lecture... so you want to pick those sentences carefully. It may be unfair to compare users with teenage boys, but the principle still applies: Limit communication to what's absolutely essential and don't expect users to absorb too much information at once. It's possible to fail to communicate by overcommunicating, in terms of both frequency and detail. If we e-mail everyone in the company every time the slightest imperceptible change is made to the users' environment, many of the users will simply ignore the messages. Before long, work orders to set up inbox rules deleting messages from the IT department will start flowing in to the help desk. Limit mass e-mail to the users who will actually be perceptibly affected by an upgrade, downtime, or some other change. If the impact is for a limited period of time, such as a lunchtime reboot of the e-mail server, set an expiration date and time on the message. Be careful not to overwhelm users with details or explanations that aren't relevant to them. For example, if the e-mail server needs an unexpected reboot at midday, give the users the time, expected length of outage, what it means for them, and what--if anything--they need to do. Users don't need to be given full explanation of why the reboot is necessary, although a single sentence summarizing the problem may help them appreciate the urgency and is more likely to elicit their cooperation.

  9   Not providing training
Training is not restricted to sitting in a classroom for three days learning how to create a PowerPoint presentation. Support tech-provided training can be as simple as a 30-second demonstration to a single user on how to add a contact to his or her address book or as complex as a multi-day onsite class on advanced report writing in Crystal. Even if providing training is not part of the support tech's formal job description, it's almost impossible to effectively fulfill the job function without training users. Some techs deliberately avoid educating users because they regard knowledgeable users as a threat to the integrity of the network or to their jobs. Although these concerns should not be dismissed as mere paranoia, they aren't valid reasons for failing to improve the computer literacy of users.

 10   Failing to listen
Communication is a two-way process. As support techs, we need to actively listen to our users. By definition, our role is to support our users, to enable them to perform their job functions, something we can hope to do only if we have a thorough understanding of their needs. As time allows, listening can be a proactive process, with the support tech spending time with users to learn their routines and to see where technology can be applied to improve productivity or safety. Opportunities for user feedback can be created through feedback forms, satisfaction surveys, follow-up phone calls, and even brown bag lunches. Although it may not be possible or even desirable from a business standpoint to implement all of the users' requests, without making a concerted effort to align the IT function with the business directive, it's all too easy for the IT department to become wholly self-serving and to perceive the users as little more than an inconvenience.

Take charge of Windows XP with these 10+ power tips

1. Disable  Windows  XP's  Error  Reporting  notification 

Note:  This  tip  is  for  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Professional.

 

 When  Windows  XP  encounters  a  severe  error  that  has  the  potential  to  crash  the  operating  system,  it  immediately  halts  the  offending  program  and  displays  an  error  message  that  says  the  application  has  encountered  a  problem  and  needs  to  close.  Then,  the  operating  system  prompts  you  to  send  an  error  report  to  Microsoft.  You  can  avoid  having  to  click  the  Don't  Send  button  by  disabling  Error  Reporting.  Here's  how:  

 

1. Press  [Windows][Break]  to  display  the  System  Properties  dialog  box. 

2. Select  the  Advanced  tab  and  click  the  Error  Reporting  button. 

3. When  you  see  the  Error  Reporting  dialog  box,  select  the  Disable  Error  Reporting  option.  (If  you  don't 
want  to  see  any  type  of  error  message,  clear  the  But  Notify  Me  When  Critical  Errors  Occur  check  box.) 

4. Click  OK  twice  ―  once  to  close  the  Error  Reporting  dialog  box  and  once  to  close  the  System  Properties  dialog  b ox. 

 

2. Automatically  run  a  batch  file  when  you  open  a  Windows  XP  command  prompt 

Note:  This  tip  is  for  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Professional.  

Caution:  Editing  the  registry  is  risky,  so  make  sure  you  have  a  verified  backup  before  making  any  changes.  

 

You  probably  run  the  same  few  commands  each  time  you  start  using  the  command  prompt  in  Windows  XP.  For  example,  perhaps  you  first  switch  to  the  root  directory  and  then  clear  the  screen.  You  may  have  put  these  commands  into  a  batch  file  and  saved  the  file  to  the  C:\Documents  and  Settings\{username}  folder  so  that  when  you  open  the  command  prompt,  you  can  simply  type  the  name  of  the  batch  file  to  issue  the  commands. 

 

You  can  save  yourself  from  typing  any  commands  at  all  if  you  add  the  path  and  name  of  the  batch  file  to  a  special  key  in  the  registry.  

Here's  how  to  add  them: 

 

 1. Launch  the  Registry  Editor  (Regedit.exe) . 

2. Go  to  the  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Command  Processor  key. 

3. Double‐click  the  AutoRun  value  to  access  the  Edit  String  dialog  box. 

4. In  the  Value  Data  text  box,  type  the  path  and  name  of  the  batch  file.  Be  sure  to  enclose  the  text  in 
double  quotes  ―  for  example,  "C:\Documents  and  Settings\greg\ go.bat". 

5. Click  OK  to  close  the  Edit  String  dialog  box  and  close  the  Registry  Editor.  

 

Now,  your  batch  file  will  automatically  run  every  time  you  open  the  command  prompt  window. 

 

3. Configure  Windows  XP's  MS‐DOS  Editor 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Windows  XP  Professional. 

Windows  XP  comes  with  another  text  editor  besides  Notepad  ―  it's  called  the  MS‐DOS  Editor,  and  it's  commonly  referred  to  simply  as  Edit.  It  has  features  similar  to  Notepad,  as  well  as  additional  features,  such  as  the  ability  to  work  with  multiple  text  files  and  change  the  background  and  text  colors.  Since  Edit  is  a  DOS‐based  application,  you  can  easily  configure  it  to  work  just  like  a  Windows  application.  Here's  how: 

 

1. Use  Windows  Explorer  to  locate  the  Edit.com  file  in  the  \Windows\System32  folder. 

2. Right‐click  the  file,  drag  it  to  your  desktop,  and  select  the  Create  Shortcut(s)  Here  command  from  the  shortcut  menu. 

3. Right‐click  the  Shortcut  icon  and  select  the  Properties  command  from  the  shortcut  menu. 

4. Choose  the  Program  tab  and  select  the  Close  On  Exit  check  box. 

5. Click  OK  to  finish. 

Now  you  can  double‐click  the  Shortcut  icon  to  launch  Edit.  When  you're  finished  using  it,  you  can  close  it  by  clicking  the  Close  button  in  the  upper‐right  corner  or  by  using  the  Exit  command  on  the  File  menu. 

 

4. Download  free  hard  disk  imaging  utilities  for  Windows  XP 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Professional. 

Windows  Vista's  hard  disk  imaging  utility,  Complete  PC  Backup,  allows  users  you  to  create  an  image  file  that  contains  the  complete  contents  and  structure  of  a  hard  disk.  If  you  want  this  capability  in  Windows  XP,  you  don't  have  to  pay  for  a  third‐party  utility,  such  as  Acronis  True  Image.  If  you  have  a  Seagate  or  Maxtor  hard  drive,  you  can  get  a  free  copy  of  the  original  equipment  manufacturer  (OEM)  version  of  Acronis  True  Image.  Seagate  provides  this  tool  for  migrating  your  files  from  an  older  Seagate  or  Maxtor  hard  disk  to  a  new  one.  You  can  also  use  the  tool  as  a  backup  utility  by  downloading  either  the  Seagate  DiscWizard  or  Maxtor  MaxBlast  software.  After  you  download  and  install  either  of  these  OEM  version  packages,  you'll  be  able  to  quickly  and  easily  create  a  complete  image  backup  of  your  Windows  XP  hard  disk  just  like  you  can  in  Windows  Vista.  

 

5. Reposition  Windows  XP's  Quick  Launch  toolbar 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Windows  XP  Professional. 

If  you  think  that  Windows  XP's  Quick  Launch  toolbar  takes  up  a  lot  of  room  on  the  taskbar  at  the  top  of  your  screen,  here's  how  you  can  easily  move  the  toolbar  to  any  other  location  on  the  desktop: 

 

1. Position  your  mouse  pointer  over  the  vertical  bar  on  the  left  edge  of  the  Quick  Launch  toolbar  until  your  cursor  turns  into  a  double‐headed  arrow. 

2. Drag  the  Quick  Launch  toolbar  to  any  location  on  the  desktop  ―  you  can  anchor  it  to  the  top,  left,  or  right  edge  of  the  desktop. 

3. Once  you  position  it  where  you  want,  you  can  right‐click  on  the  toolbar  and  select  the  Always  On  Top  command  so  that  you  can  always  access  the  Quick  Launch  toolbar  just  like  you  can  the  taskbar.    

 

6. Find  and  download  new  fonts  for  Windows  XP 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Windows  XP  Professional. 

 

Windows  XP  provides  a  host  of  fonts  you  can  use  to  enhance  your  documents  both  onscreen  and  in  printed  form.  When  you  install  certain  applications,  you'll  find  that  even  more  fonts  have  been  added  to  your  operating  system.  Even  so,  you  may  still  have  a  longing  for  more  fonts.  Check  out  Dafont,  which  offers  a  huge  repository  of  fonts  available  as  freeware,  shareware,  demo  versions,  or  public  domain,  that  you  can  download  and  install  at  will.  If  you  know  what  you  want,  you'll  appreciate  the  fact  that  the  fonts  are  sorted  alphabetically,  by  author,  and  by  themes.  If  you're  just  browsing,  check  out  the  new  fonts  and  top  100  sections.  What  makes  this  site  even  more  intriguing  is  that  you  can  type  in  your  own  text  and  see  what  it  looks  like  in  any  of  the  available  fonts. 

 

7. Reset  Internet  Explorer's  window  size  in  Windows  XP 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Windows  XP  Professional.  As  this  is  a  function  of  Windows  XP,  it  will  work  on  all  versions  of  IE. 

 

If  you  typically  maximize  a  too‐small  Internet  Explorer  window  in  XP,  every  subsequent  time  you  launch  Internet  Explorer,  its  windows  may  remain  too  small.  By  default,  Internet  Explorer  is  supposed  to  open  at  the  same  size  it  was  the  last  time  it  was  closed.  However,  sometimes,  the  default  setting  gets  out  of  whack,  and  you  need  to  manually  reset  it.  Here's  how:  

 

1.. Launch  Internet  Explorer. 

2. Click  one  of  the  window  corners  and  drag  it  out  to  completely  fill  your  screen.  Do  not  use  the  Maximize  button. 

3. Press  [Alt]  to  view  the  menu  bar  (if  you  are  using  Internet  Explorer  7). 

4. Press  and  hold  down  either  [Ctrl]  or  [Shift]  while  selecting  Exit  from  the  File  menu.  Do  not  use  the  Close  button.  Now  when  you  launch  Internet  Explorer,  it  should  open  in  a  full  window.  If  it  opens  in  the  same  small  window,  repeat  the  steps  but  hold  down  the  opposite  key  in  step  4;  that  is,  either  [Ctrl]  or  [Shift].  

 

8. Create  a  custom  Control  Panel  in  Windows  XP 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Windows  XP  Professional. 

 

To  simplify  access  to  the  tools  in  Windows  XP's  Control  Panel,  Microsoft  created  the  Category  View,  in  which  the  Control  Panel's  tools  are  organized  into  categories.  If  you're  an  old‐school  Windows  user,  you  can  still  switch  back  to  the  Classic  View,  in  which  all  of  the  Control  Panel's  tools  are  available.  If  you  admire  the  simplicity  of  the  Category  View  but  prefer  the  Classic  View,  you  may  want  to  create  your  own  custom  Control  Panel  that  combines  the  best  of  both  views.  Here's  how: 

 

1. Right‐click  the  Start  button  and  select  the  Explore  command. 

2. Go  to  File  |  New  |  Folder. 

3. Name  the  new  folder  My  Control  Panel. 

4. Right‐click  your  new  My  Control  Panel  folder,  select  the  Properties  command,  choose  the  Customize  tab,  click  the  Change  Icon  button,  and  select  an  icon  that  will  differentiate  this  folder  from  all  the  rest  on  the  Start  menu. 

5. Open  your  new  My  Control  Panel  folder  and  then  open  the  original  Control  Panel  and  select  Classic  View. 

6. Drag  and  drop  your  favorite  tools  from  the  original  Control  Panel  to  your  new  My  Control  Panel  folder. 

7. Close  both  your  new  My  Control  Panel  folder  and  the  original  Control  Panel. 

Now  when  you  need  to  use  your  favorite  tool,  just  click  Start  |  All  Programs  and  at  the  top  of  the  All  Programs  menu,  select  the  My  Control  Panel  folder.  You'll  see  your  favorite  tools  in  an  easy  to  access  drop‐down  menu.  

 

9. Viewing  non‐present  devices  in  Windows  XP's  Device  Manager 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Windows  XP  Professional. 

 

When  troubleshooting  driver  problems  in  Windows  XP,  one  of  the  first  places  you  may  look  is  Device  Manager,  which  provides  detailed  information  about  every  piece  of  installed  system  hardware.  But  with  devices  such  as  removable  USB  drives  becoming  more  and  more  common,  you  may  need  information  about  devices  that  are  not  currently  connected.  Device  Manager  recognizes  these  as  non‐present  devices.  Here's  how  to  get  information  about  them:  

 

1. Go  to  Start,  right‐click  My  Computer,  and  select  Properties. 

2. In  the  System  Properties  dialog  box,  select  the  Advanced  tab  and  click  the  Environment  Variables  button. 

3. In  the  Environment  Variables  dialog  box,  locate  the  System  Variables  panel  and  click  New. 

4. In  the  New  System  Variable  dialog  box,  type  DEVMGR_SHOW_ NONPRESENT_ DEVICES   in  the  Variable  Name  text  box  and  type  1  in  the  Variable  Value  text  box. 

5. Click  OK  twice. 

6. To  view  the  non‐present  devices,  go  to  Start,  right‐click  My  Computer,  and  select  Manage. 

7. Click  Device  Manager,  pull  down  the  View  menu,  and  select  Show  Hidden  Devices.  

 

10. Forcing  Windows  XP's  Disk  Cleanup  to  delete  all  temporary  files 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Windows  XP  Professional.  

Caution:  Editing  the  registry  is  risky,  so  make  sure  you  have  a  verified  backup  before  making  any  changes.  

 

If  you've  ever  run  the  Windows  XP's  Disk  Cleanup  utility,  you  probably  discovered  that  your  temporary  files  occupy  a  significant  amount  of  space.  You  might  select  the  Temporary  Files  check  box  to  allow  the  Disk  Cleanup  utility  to  delete  the  files  in  the  Temp  folder,  but  the  Disk  Cleanup  utility  will  not  remove  all  of  the  files.  The  reason  for  this  oddity  is  that  the  configuration  for  the  Disk  Cleanup  utility  does  not  allow  deletion  of  files  accessed  in  the  last  seven  days.  By  altering  the  LastAccess  value  in  the  registry,  you  can  configure  the  Disk  Cleanup  utility  to  delete  all  the  files  in  the  Temp  folder  regardless  of  the  last  accessed  date.  Here's  how: 

 

1. Launch  the  Registry  Editor  (Regedit.exe) . 

2. Go  to: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentV ersion\  Explorer\VolumeCach es\Temporary  Files 

3. Locate  and  double‐click  the  LastAccess  value. 

4. When  you  see  the  Edit  DWORD  Value  dialog  box,  change  the  Value  Data  setting  from  7  to  0  and  click  OK. 

5. To  complete  the  operation,  close  the  Registry  Editor  and  restart  Windows  XP. 

Changing  the  value  to  0  will  force  the  Disk  Cleanup  utility  to  delete  all  the  files  in  the  Temp  folder  every  time  you  select  the  Temporary  Files  check  box. 

 

11. Speed  up  Windows  XP's  Search  Companion 

Note:  This  tip  applies  to  both  Windows  XP  Home  and  Windows  XP  Professional.  

Caution:  Editing  the  registry  is  risky,  so  make  sure  you  have  a  verified  backup  before  making  any  changes. 

 

One  reason  Windows  Vista's  Search  tool  is  so  fast  is  that  rather  than  searching  your  whole  hard  disk,  it  searches  only  the  Documents  folders.  So  the  next  time  you  pull  up  Windows  XP's  Search  Companion,  click  All  Files  And  Folders  and  select  My  Documents  from  the  Look  In  drop‐down  list.  This  prevents  the  Search  Companion  from  searching  the  entire  hard  disk.  If  you  want  to  search  documents  stored  in  the  root  folder,  you  can  still  speed  up  the  process  by  removing  system  folders  from  the  search.  Click  All  Files  And  Folders,  open  the  More  Advanced  Options  panel,  and  clear  the  Search  System  Folders  check  box.  If  the  Search  Hidden  Files  And  Folders  check  box  is  selected,  clear  it  too.  If  your  hard  disk  contains  a  lot  of  ZIP  files  (or  compressed  folders,  as  Windows  XP  calls  them),  the  Search  Companion  will  search  through  each  of  those  as  well,  albeit  more  slowly.  To  prevent  the  Search  Companion  from  searching  through  compressed  folders,  either  move  all  of  them  to  the  root  folder  and  then  configure  the  Search  Companion  to  search  only  the  My  Documents  folder  or  disable  Windows  XP's  support  for  compressed  folders. 

 

To  disable  this  support,  access  the  Run  dialog  box,  type  the  command  regsvr32  /u  zipfldr.dll   in  the  Open  text  box  and  click  OK.  You'll  then  need  to  restart  the  system  for  the  change  to  take  effect.  (To  re‐enable  Windows  XP's  support  for  compressed  folders,  use  the  command  regsvr32  zipfldr.dll.) 

 

12. What  if  the  Search  Companion  is  disabled? 

If  you've  disabled  Windows  XP's  Search  Companion  interface  and  are  using  the  Windows  2000  Search  interface  instead,  you'll  need  to  make  the  following  adjustments  to  this  tip: 

To  search  My  Documents,  select  My  Documents  from  the  Look  In  drop‐down  list. 

 

To  remove  system  folders  from  the  search,  click  Search  Options,  select  the  Advanced  Options  check  box,  and  then  clear  the  Search  System  Folders  check  box.  (If  the  Search  Hidden  Files  And  Folders  check  box  is  selected,  clear  it  too.) 

 

To  prevent  the  searching  of  compressed  folders,  you  can  use  the  same  technique  as  you  would  for  the  Search  Companion.