problems...

[Guest]

i have just bought a new system that i thought would do the simple things i
wanted ie storage 4 digital photos web browsing and the odd game. P4 3ghtz
Win xp sp2 from the word go i had problems installing the software that came
with the camera.(kodak easy share) i had previously installed it on another
computer running xp with no problems but when i attempted to install it on my
own it stopped 3/4 through installation with a corrupt file??? i then
attempted it again with the same msg appearing at the same time. very
annouyed i shutdown the computer. i woke up next morning and successfully
installed it. i changed nothing but can't understand why this happened 2 my
new system.

i bought a music cd from hmv it had a video clip on it i thought cool i can
check it out on my comp. no i couldn't i inserted cd no autoplay. tried
exploring the cd but ended up not responding and ending the program. then i
could not eject the cd after restarting startup stopped on detecting IDE...
started reading cd and froze. i was stuck until i disconnected the power
turned it on and luckily it opened while detecting IDE. few days later i
tried installing a game counter-strike condition zero. inserted cd clicked
install then nothing.. waiting and waiting but no response. tried installing
manually... same problem. it eventually decided to work for some unknown
reason after hours of frustration. but it plays music cd's without video's
perfect. it even autoplays.

and currently having problems with my modem or IE. at first i was
continually getting the error "the page could not be displayed" and went down
all avenues i knew 2 fix the problem without reinstalling my modem driver.
but it didn't work. so i uninstalled the driver hoping XP would reinstall
after reboot. but when entering windows i got a BSOD(slowly learning the
'talk') and it restarted automatically. then everything was ok XP installed
drivers and away we went. then i couldn't even log in with error msg 692
hardware problem with modem... so i tryed reinstalling it again successfully
reinstalling but still same problem. so i contacted my manufacturer and he
made new connection reinstalled modem and it was fine. still i get the 692
error msg occasionally or incorrect port settings or simply can't dial up
without reinstalling modem.

is my cd-rom/burner faulty? is my modem faulty? does it sound like my whole
system is faulty? what can i do?

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Be sure the software you are installing has been updated for SP2. SP2 was
more that just a set of patches and many device drivers had to be updated.
You should go to the manufacturer's website for the latest updates. You may
want to restore the computer to the condition you got it in to get rid of
software conflicts and then research driver and software compatibility and
availability before installing your add-ins again. I think you tried to
install too many outdated drivers at the same time.

 

[Pop]

See inline comments preceded by: ===>

i have just bought a new system that i thought would do the simple things i
wanted ie storage 4 digital photos web browsing and the odd game. P4 3ghtz
Win xp sp2 from the word go i had problems installing the software that came
with the camera.(kodak easy share) i had previously installed it on another
computer running xp with no problems but when i attempted to install it on my
own it stopped 3/4 through installation with a corrupt file???

===> In general, it's best to provide the following information for widespread problems as you have:
Computer brand Dell, Gateway, Bizme, etc.? Where bought? XP Home or Pro? Is XP OEM or retail? Were applications pre-installed? Size of hard drive/s, and amount of RAM? What CDs came with the computer purchase, especially the XP and Applications/Drivers CDs and any "restore" or "maintenance" CDs.

===> First, try to get the EXACT wording of any error messages, especially for problems such as this. It's necessary here to know what the error message was to suggest a truly useful "fix".
Second, just to verify, are you certain that it's XP with SP2? It's possible it's not.
To be certain, right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop and then click Properties from the list that drops down. If not already selected, select the General Tab. There, it should say some thing like "XP Professional, version 2000, SP2" or similar. The SP2 is what you're looking for. If it's SP2 or no SP's are listed, it's very likely it's NOT SP2.
Regardless of SP2 or not, have you gone to windows update to be certain you have all the current hot fixes. There should be a Windows Update choice when you click on Start, in the fly-up menu that appears. When you get to that web site you'll be asked for permission to scan your computer to see what updates you need. Give the permission and after a bit of time, a screen will come on telling you what Critical Updates are not installed on your computer. You only "need" the Critical Updates; don't worry about anything else for the time being.

i then

attempted it again with the same msg appearing at the same time. very
annouyed i shutdown the computer. i woke up next morning and successfully
installed it. i changed nothing but can't understand why this happened 2 my
new system.

===> This has the smell of a hardware problem. Same for the other similar instances you mentioned. In this case, it sounds like when you first started the computer, the software installed OK. However, yesterday, the computer was warmed up and had been running much longer, and the install didn't work.
If you had to use the camera as part of the install process, you of course would need to be sure its batteries are not low.
In addition, and sometimes this one turns out to be the true culprit: If you are running Antivurus software (Norton, McAfee, many other names), be sure to turn it OFF before yo do an install. This is not just for this problem, but for when you install ANY program from a CD, your hard drive, or floppies, peripherals, etc.. If you are connected to the internet, of course you do not want to disable your antivirus. Always keep this tip in mind whenever you install software.

i bought a music cd from hmv it had a video clip on it i thought cool i can
check it out on my comp. no i couldn't i inserted cd no autoplay.

===> That almost sounds like the Autoplay is turned off. It should be turned on by default; did you maybe turn it off? It could be a problem with the CD drive though.

tried

exploring the cd but ended up not responding and ending the program.

===> What was the error message? How did you "end" the program?

then i

could not eject the cd after restarting startup stopped on detecting IDE...
started reading cd and froze. i was stuck until i disconnected the power
turned it on and luckily it opened while detecting IDE.

===> Whenever you have experienced a problem with your computer, you should at LEAST do a Restart. If a problem doesn't go away by doing a Restart, then do as you did here, and actually power down the computer.
I assume you used the click Start, Shutdown, Shutdown method, right?
If you know about Task Manager, it's NOT always a good idea to assume that it's correct when it says a program is "not responding". It's often wrong, depending on what it's trying to do. I always give the computer a good 30 to 45 seconds after it indicates "not responding", an quite often, the program will be able to get itself restarted, and suddeny the "not responding" switches to "running". There are even many legitimate operations with some softwares that will get the "not responding" message, which is not true, but is because it's doing something and can't or didn't get back to the task manager o tell it it's still running. So, going forward, assume that "not responding" means it's not responding at the moment; it might respond in a few more seconds, though. AFter awhile, you get to know the quirks that cause that, and you no longer worry about it. However at the moment, it might be meaningful.

few days later i

tried installing a game counter-strike condition zero. inserted cd clicked
install then nothing.. waiting and waiting but no response. tried installing
manually... same problem. it eventually decided to work for some unknown
reason after hours of frustration. but it plays music cd's without video's
perfect. it even autoplays.

===> Again, that feels like maybe, not definitely, a possible hardware problem.

and currently having problems with my modem or IE. at first i was
continually getting the error "the page could not be displayed" and went down
all avenues i knew 2 fix the problem without reinstalling my modem driver.
but it didn't work.

===> That message would not have anything to do with your modem drivers, though it didn't hurt anything reinstalling them. That particular message is telling you that it cannot get the server you are trying to contact, to send any information to your computer. It could be caused by anything from a bad modem connection to bad phone wiring to problems at the telephone company. I assume you must have an analog telephone line for the modem? What kind of modem? Internal? External? Brand? Etc.?


so i uninstalled the driver hoping XP would reinstall

after reboot. but when entering windows i got a BSOD(slowly learning the
'talk') and it restarted automatically. then everything was ok XP installed
drivers and away we went. then i couldn't even log in with error msg 692
hardware problem with modem... so i tryed reinstalling it again successfully
reinstalling but still same problem. so i contacted my manufacturer and he
made new connection reinstalled modem and it was fine. still i get the 692
error msg occasionally or incorrect port settings or simply can't dial up
without reinstalling modem.

===> That was the right way to handle it. Did the mfgr have any comments about the other problems you are experiencing?

is my cd-rom/burner faulty?

===> It's possible, but pretty hard to tell. IFF it's a hardware problem, there are other thngs that can go wrong to cause the same problems you talk about. Usually the "plan" is to first prove it's not software related, before going after hardware. I do have to admit I'm suspicious of the burner drive though, IFF I've understood you correctly.

is my modem faulty?
===> No, I don't think so. That sounds like setup problems. I'd suggest contacting your ISP Tech Support on this one to get all the settings correctly entered.

does it sound like my whole

system is faulty? what can i do?

===> No, it really doesn't, but ... there might be something that needs repair.

Assuming it's still under warranty as it sounds like, then my opinion would be to make a list of these specific problems, stated as clearly as you can make them, and have him check out the computer and repair anything that needs repair or setup. For best results, tell him you'd like it set back up to be just like it would be when it was delivered to you so that you have a fully defaulted machine, in a known state, and you'll be able to use that as a starting point if you still run into problems. Be sure to explain the intermittancy of the problems and, if he'll let you, deomonstrate the problems to him so he can see for himself. That's a way to minimze the "no fault found" that sometimes newbies get when they bring back a computer.
If the seller is a willing person, perhaps a simple phone call where you describe everythng to him would suffice and he could walk you thru all the steps to get it going right. It'd be unusual for him to do that, but it never hurts to ask: All they can do is say "no", right?
If you have a neighborhood guru or friend, maybe ask them to stop over and check it out with you. He might be able to point out something simple that you've missed. From my side at the moment, not turning off the antivirus software during installs of software comes to mind.

If you come back here, in addition to the above, try to answer the following questions, because it's possible you have a virus, trojan or other malware on the computer:
-- Which antivirus software do you use?
-- Which Firewall are you using?
-- Which programs are you using to protect yourself against spyware and other malware?
-- Have you checked for updates on ALL of them, including XP?
And anything else you think might be relevant.

Regards,

Pop