Bay of Isles Computers Technical Support Archives

Bay of Isles Computers

63B Dempster Street
Esperance WA 6450

Ph: 08 9071 5542
Fax: 08 9071 5549

boic@boic.net.au

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Top Ten Tech Support Problems: SOLVED!

Thanks to Microsoft Communique March 2001

1. I keep getting illegal operation messages

These messages are generally displayed when you have performed an action that an application doesn't allow or doesn't understand. Often the pop-up message will alert you to what you have done incorrectly. Look up the action you are trying to perform in the Help menu or ask a co-worker. The latter can be a valuable resource when it comes to solving problems. If they perform similar work to you, they have probably met the problem before. If these methods don't help, then you need to consult someone with more expertise.

2. Why is my computer frozen?

There are three main reasons why your PC may not appear active. They result in the computer executing slowly and thus appearing "frozen".

The first happens when there are problems with the network, or when high volume on the network results in it slowing down, which slows down each action that has to interact with the network - including things like saving to a network drive and reading emails. If your workmates are experiencing similar situations, then notify whoever is responsible for the network that your area has a problem.

If your workmates are not experiencing similar situations, then the problem is probably local. If you started an application or program just before the computer froze, your PC may be having trouble loading this software. Some programs take a few minutes to load, expecially if you have an older PC; however, if the application hasn't loaded after five minutes, the best thing to do is to terminate the load.

If you have Windows 95 or 98, hit Control, Alt and Delete together, then select the program name from the list (often it is an abbreviation of the name). Click the End Task Button. You may be prompted a second time whether you really wish to terminate the program, so again click the End Task (or OK) Button.

If you are running Windows NT, hit Control, Alt and Delete together, select Task Manager, from the Applications Tab select the offending application and click End Task. If you are prompted again, click End Task again.

Now that you have terminated the application, you can either try to load it again or consult your PC Help people to see if there are known issues with the software in question.

If freezing happens immediately after you open a file, it could be that the file you are opening is quite large and is stretching your system's resources, especially if the computer is running other applications at the time. Check the size of the file through Windows Explorer (you may need to terminate the loading of the file in the same way as terminating an application above). If the file is greater than 5 Mb (depending on the file type) this could be your problem. Close any applications that you don't need to reduce the load on the system and try opening the file again.

3. Why won't my computer shut down properly?

If your computer won't shut down properly, it could be that one of the programs is having trouble closing down. You can attempt to terminate it manually using the methods outlined above, although success depends on how far through the close-down the computer is.

4. Where is the email someone sent me xx hours ago?

If you are having trouble finding an email, you need to try to remember if you deleted the file or have simply misplaced it. If you have deleted it and are using Outlook, you are in luck. Outlook by default moves deleted emails to the Deleted Items folder. When this folder is emptied depends on your network and personnel settings. Some companies empty Deleted Items Folders each night, others leave it to users to empty their own.

If you have misplaced the email, try sorting through your Inbox or any other folder where you may have moved the email. Outlook allows you to sort by clicking on the description bars above the Inbox list. Clicking on the Received tab sorts the email by the date received, allowing you to view them from newest to oldest. You can sort through your mail via the characteristics displayed in the Inbox, such as Subject and From, so if you know when or from whom you got the email, it should be easy to find.

Another way is to use Outlook's Find and Advanced Find options, where you can specify words or phrases to search for and specify which section of the email to search in - for example: the subject line, the main body and so on. If you can remember what the email was about, you can search all of them for a word that apears in the main body of the message.

5. This file/email/Web page won't print

If you are having trouble printing, you first need to check your printer drivers. They are located in the Start menu under Settings, then Printers. There should be an icon for the printer in your area; if one doesn't exist, create one using the Add Printer icon.

If you have a printer existing, double-click on the icon. This shows the queue of documents waiting to print. If this queue is very long, your file may just be waiting to print; check to see if it is in the queue and be patient.

If there are no documents in the queue, check the printer itself; check that there are no error messages on the display plan. It may be that the printer is out of paper or the paper has jammed in the machine. Also check that cables are firmly connected to the printer.

If the PC has the driver for the printer, and the printer is working as you expected (again, are your co-workers having problems?), it's time to consult the PC Help team.

6. Can I look at xx's emails or files?

Generally, no. System security usually means that only the owner of the file or a system administrator can view files that are saved on a personal directory on a desktop machine. For this reason many companies encourage users to store business-related documents and files on a shared network directory.

Emails are normally only accessible by the owner of the account. System administrators could access an employees's email system with permission from particular managers. If you need to share email with another member of staff, Outlook allows you to create accounts that can provide access permission to multiple users. Ask your PC Help team how this can be done.

7. Can I access my email from outside?

If your company has a dial-up server, the answer is probably Yes. If such a server exists, you will need to set up a Dial-up Networking link, which contains the phone number and details of the dial-up server. When you dial into the server, you will be prompted for your network identification and password. Once accepted, as long as you have the same email software on the PC that you are using at work, you can perform all of your normal email functions. Check with your PC Help team to see of your company has this facility and for the set-up details.

8. What is the maximum email size that I can send?

The maximum size often depends on our employer's system set-up, but sending larger emails can cause you problems in a number of ways.

Companies often have limits on the size of outgoing emails. A common limit is 4 Mb but, depending on the nature of your business, this can be higher or lower. Also, some systems hold off sending large emails until after office hours. Even if your company doesn't have an upper limit on outgoing email, the company of the recipient may have a limit on the size of incoming emails, meaning that the recipient may not receive the files you are sending.

At best, sending larger emails - anything more than 2 Mb - will be slow. If possible, try zipping files to decrease their size using WinZip or a similar program. If files are still large after being zipped, many of these compressing programs allow you to zip files into multiple files of a set size.

If you are trying to send larger files within your company or organisation, try copying the file to a shared network drive and make sure the recipient has access to this drive.

9. My computer takes forever to boot up. Why?

The time taken to start up your PC primarily depends on what software it is trying to load and what hardware it has available to load it. If your PC automatically starts up several programs or applications when booting up, it will take longer than if your are simply starting Windows.

Under the Start menu, choose Programs and then StartUp. You will see a list of applications that Windows will automatically attempt to start each time you turn on your PC. Items like Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar and Office StartUp are fine because they are part of the standard start-up configuration; some people may also have Outlook listed. Having one larger application like Outlook in your StartUp should not cause significant delays; however, if your were loading Excel, Word, Access and Outlook, start up would be delayed, particularly if you have a PC with limited memory.

To Remove Item from this StartUp menu, go to the Start menu, choose Settings and then Taskbar. Then select the Start Menu Programs tab. You'll notice three buttons in the dialog box: Add, Remove and Advanced. These allow you to remove applications that you do not wish to start when the PC is turned on and add those that you do.

10. Why is the Internet going slowly?

There are many reasons why your Internet connection is running slowly, ranging from local to worldwide issues. Initially the problem could be with your local network: if there is high volume on your local system, it will slow down each user's connection.

Your network's connection to the outside world can also affect your Internet response time: if you have a modem connection as opposed to a cable connection, your response time will be slower.

The Internet is basically a huge number of computers linked up and accessible to each other. Australia is connected to the rest of the world primarily via massive underground cables. If a cable is damaged - as Telstra's was late last year (2000) - the amount of information that can be transferred is limited, thus increasing the time it takes for your PC to receive the data.

The site your are viewing can also increase your response time. If your chosen site has many large graphics, either pictures or movies, it will take longer to load than a site that contains basic pictures and text.

The official Microsoft Support page features a wealth of helpful options for those attempting to find answers to their computer problems.