FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  427 (10/08/04)

Q

I am puzzled by the fact that despite the fact that my Windows ME computer has been set up to automatically download updates I no longer receive them. A few years ago these updates appeared regularly and then about two years ago they suddenly stopped. What is going on?

Norman Evans, Stonehouse, Glos.

A

Windows ME was officially 'retired' on December 31st last year, see: http://support.microsoft.com/

default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];LifeWin. It is now very unlikely that there will be any further updates, though Microsoft has pledged to provide technical support until 2006.

Q

I followed the steps in Boot Camp 337, to enable the Recovery Console but I was unable to make the last part work, to copy files and when I click the Add button there is no choice of Group Policy. Did I do something wrong?

Pete Taylor

A

We should have mentioned that this trick only works with XP Pro but no harm will come of installing Recovery Console if you are using XP Home and it may even prove useful if you have problem with your PC, as explained in the articles mentioned in the web links.

Q

Recently, my neighbour fitted a CD-RW into my old Windows 98 PC that I was passing on to my daughter. The new drive replaced the original CD-ROM, it was installed in an empty bay and the old drive was disconnected. The CD-RW works fine and all was well until she tried to play a music CD, then she found she had no sound, we also realised there was no sound at all from the computer i.e. bleeps and such. Do you think it is likely that there is something that has not been plugged back in or could you suggest any other possibilities?

Judith Doyle, via email

A

In order to play music CD on a CD-ROM/RW drive it must be connected to a socket on the motherboard or sound card by an ‘audio cable’. This is often forgotten when a new drive is installed, or in your case, probably left connected to the old drive. Incidentally, there’s no need to disconnect the old CD-ROM drive, in fact it can be quite useful to have two drives, for copying discs or playing music. They can share the same data cable and the only thing you need to do is make sure that the ‘jumpers’ (small connectors on the back of the drive) are set so that one drive is the Master and the other is the Slave.

Getting back to your problem, a complete loss of sound could have a number of causes, so start with the obvious and check the connections to the speakers -- it’s easy to plug them into the wrong socket on the back panel, and check the speakers are actually working. Turn the volume up and dab the plug with your finger and you should hear a click or buzz. You should also make sure that the PC’s audio settings haven’t been disturbed by clicking the speaker icon and checking the various sliders and mute buttons. You can see if the sound card is working properly by right-clicking My Computer then the Device Manager tab and look for any yellow exclamation marks next to ‘Sound video and game controllers’. If you spot one highlight the item, click the Driver tab and the Update Driver button, which will ask you for the driver installation disc that came with your PC. Otherwise I’m afraid it’s a lid off job (make sure the PC is switched off and disconnected it from the mains supply). You should try reseating the sound card (if it has one), in case it was dislodged when the new drive was installed.  

Q

I am running Windows XP and the PC has recently slowed down. On checking in the System Log in Event Viewer I can see that the system appears to be trying to connect, every twenty seconds or so, to a server (which I don't have!)  The message reads 'Access denied attempting to launch a DCOM Server using DefaultLaunchPermssion’.

The Microsoft website advises shutting down the server from Task Manager, and then trying again. I don't have a server, any ideas please?

Helen Mines, via email

A

First make sure that your PC is fully patched with the all of the latest Critical Security Updates by going to Help on the Start menu and clicking Windows Update under ‘Pick a Task’. This particular vulnerability, which affects something called the Distributed Component Object Module (DCOM) was supposed to have been fixed a while back but apparently it doesn’t always work, so even if your PC has been updated it can still be liable to attack. If so you should download a little utility called DCOMbobulator, which is available from security guru Steve Gibson’s web site at: http://grc.com/dcom/. This will tell you if your PC is at risk, and fix it for you.

Q

I have recently installed XP on my computer and every time I try to start Windows Media Player a message comes up saying ‘wmplayer.exe - entry point not found’ with the additional comment, ‘The procedure entry point 'GetIUMS could not be found…’. Media Player is then constantly interrupted by this message, which really makes it unusable. What have I done wrong and can System Restore fix it?

Steve Ratcliff, via email

A

It’s not your fault, there’s a bug in Windows Update caused by Windows Media Player trying to access or download a Service Pack file. There is a cure and that’s to keep selecting OK, until the update is complete and the error message goes away. According to fellow suffers

see: http://forums.windrivers.com/showthread.php?t=58747,  it does eventually work but it can take several dozen attempts. Otherwise try downloading this fix from the Microsoft website