Windows hang on start up – even in Safe Mode

This happened in a computer that I had cleaned from hundreds of infections 3 months ago and had not been used after that cleaning. It didn’t want to enter Windows. It started very slow… ended with hang in “Applying Computer Setting”. Once it could reach enter the user desktop, but it stopped there.

As usual, my first step is “System Recovery”, but it didn’t work at all. When I click, it start to boot.

Next step is go to Safe Mode. It hardly went through. After repeating, then it went through but stop with driver/MUP.SYS; I boot from Windows CD -> Repair Concole, and type “disable MUP.SYS (as suggested by some others); but it responded “the service could not found”.

I didn’t expect about malware. But anyhow, the most important is saving the data. So, after long struggle, I took the hard drive and attached it in my other computer. First, I scan with Symantec End Point (since this is the one installed in my computer). I was quite shocked when it started catching the malware. Here they are:

After saving the important data, then I installed it back. I tried again to start Windows, but it still stacked. So, no more wasting my time, I reinstalled the Windows. Quite big job, with installing all the drivers and applications; but no way. Now it works well.

I remember one advice from my friend, “If you have trouble with your Windows, the first thing to do is virus scanning”. If the virus attacks the system so that it can’t boot, the simple thing to do is attach to other computer and scan it. Of course it is a problem for one who has only one computer. In this case you must have a bootable live CD. You can learn it from here. With live CD you can save the data you need.

Computer can’t log-in the domain

One of the clients computer couldn’t log-on. It kept in saying could not find the username in the domain or domain is not existing. It didn’t accept all users in the domain. After few searching, I remember that yesterday I had cleaned the server from unused computer clients. I checked it, and it’s true that I made mistake. I deleted the name of that computer from the active directory computer list.

I created a new one in the active directory list in the server. But it didn’t work.
I log in with administrator – local computer account then change the name of the computer, expect that it will log in and create automatically the computer name, then reboot and try log in with the domain user account. It didn’t work.
Finally I back to admin account, change the computer to WORKGROUP. (right click “my computer” -> properties-> computer name -> change.
After reboot, still with admin account, I change the computer back to the original domain.
After reboot, everything goes well. But I have to transfer the data and profile from the old one to the new one. Open C:/ and click “document and setting”. Look the folder of the old one and transfer what is needed to the new one.

Convert Open Office Doc to Microsoft Word

I have Microsoft Office and our office work with Microsoft Word. We receive  Open Office Document from other very seldom, so I don’t want to add the burden to my computer with installing it. Once we received an Open Office Document (with extension .odt), we have to open it and we don’t have time enough to ask the sender to convert and resend it. With Open Office, we can easily convert it to Microsoft Word by “Save as” menu – but in reality it is not so easy for everybody. So, instead of giving instruction and ask to convert it, I tried to look for another way.

Then I found a site that provide an online converter.   It worked very well and fast. I upload my +/- 150 KB document and it was converted and ready for download in less than 20 second.  I think this is a good solution for incidental needs. You can find that online service in this link. This service is limited for files with maximum 450 KB size.

Internet Explorer can’t download picture

I have a photo gallery in my website. There are about 20 pictures. In the data in my web-statistic, there were always error 404 (page not found) of two pictures from that gallery. I really wondered about it. When I open the gallery in my local file, no problem. Through internet, it was openned perfectly by Firefox, but not by Internet Explorer.

After spending lot of times for tracing, finally I discover that the problem is the file name. The file name had a German character umlaut (ü). So, I changed the file name and everything goes well. Seems Internet Explorer (even the IE7) can’t recognize the umlaut.

Can’t connect internet through network

This morning I set up a new laptop with windows XP Pro. Seems an easy job for me, since I know Windows XP pro very well.

When I plugged the LAN cable, it directly recognized the LAN connection that I saw the sign in the right bottom corner of the screen. But I couldn’t get the internet. I open “internet options” and set “automatically detect” for the network connection. It’s still failed. I changed the setting with manual proxy setting and it did not help.

Then I tried using the wireless connection. It also directly recognized the connection, and after put the wireless ID, the internet could be connected easily.

I openned the “LAN connection” and do “repair” (click “show all connection” -> right click the icon of LAN connection then click “repair”). I expected that it would reset the IP and DNS. The internet still did not work.

Finally I found that the problemwas the IP and DNS setting. It was set to certain IP and DNS those were really not match with mine. Maybe it was set by the seller, since it is a brand new computer. I changed it to “optain IP address automatically” and also “optain DNS server automatically”. The setting is in Control Panel -> Network Connection –> icon of LAN connection “properties” –> select “Internet Protocol TCP/IP” –> properties.

So, in resume, if you want to connect your computer to internet through network, check this:

1. If the system tray doesn’t say that it is connected to LAN, the LAN connection might be disabled. Check in the Control Panel -> Network Connection. This problem is very rare.
2. If it is connected correctly. Check through : Start ->Run ->cmd -> ping …. (IP of the server). If it doesn’t work, it might have wrong IP setting. Check the IP through Internet protocol TCP/IP properties.
3. Check the setting of internet connection through: Control Panel -> Internet Options -> tab “Connection” -> network setting. Check the automatically optain IP and DNS. You might also set manually if the automatic doesn’t give luck.
4. Then, your computer should be ready to go to internet. Anyhow, if there is still problem, it might come from other cause. I ever experienced that my internet explorer couldn’t go to internet, but Firefox yes. It was a crash between my proxy server with the antivirus setting. At that time I used Norton 2003.

How to choose a video editor software

So far, the most complete features’ video editor software is Adobe Premier Pro – but as we know, the price is also the most. There are many good simple video editor software, even the free ones. For me, I don’t need such sophisticated one like Adobe Pre Pro, but I need something more than just put clips one after the other.

This is the features I consider in choosing a video editor software:

1. Source :

• what formats does it supports? I prefer one supports .VOB.
• Is it include still picture? How about transparency effect? How about the animation effect of .gif? Movie maker keeps the animation of .gif pictures.
• Some have “scene separation” features. Means, if we import a clip, it can be automatically divided to its scenes (in small clips).

2. Output movie :

• what formats?
• how is the quality?
• does it include “burning software”?

3. Effects:

• Transition : how many transitions are available?
• Text : with animation? How is the customization?

4. Overlay: Most of simple video editor software doesn’t support this. For me, this is an important feature. I found it in AVSvideoeditor.

5. Editing :

• Trim
• Rotation
• Crop :Rotation & Crop are very rare in simple video editor software, but we can do it in a freeware named VirtualDub. VirtualDub is my favourite one.
• Other filter effects

6. Audio :

• formats supported : if not so many choices, we have to use another software to convert audio format. Not so hard, but add another work.
• voice record
• audio mix feature

If we don’t want to spend any dollar, we have to be more tricky using several freeware. But it doesn’t mean we can get the better one by giving up some dollars. Few days ago I got a free copy of avsvideoeditor from giveaway of the day, and I am happy enough with that software. I saw the price is very reasonable, but I can’t give up VirtualDub for Rotation and Crop editing. With Adobe Pre Pro, everything is possible, but I prefer to work a little bit more that pay so much… unaffordable for me….

Types of CD and DVD

Many of my friends contact me with the same problem. Why I can’t run this CD in my computer? In fact, her computer doesn’t have DVD drive and what she has is a DVD – not CD.

CD is an abbreviation of Compact Disk, and DVD is Digital Versatile Disc. Both CD and DVD use the laser technology to “make pits” on the disk that carry the information, but the specification of the “pits” are different – with different wavelength of ray. So DVD has more storage capacity than CD and it spins about 3 times faster than DVD. You can just read the information on the disc if it is CD or DVD.

Then, along with the development of technology, we can find many types of CD and DVD.

Types of CD :

1. CD ROM : (ROM = Read Only Memory). You can only read and can’t write on it. Example : music CD, movie CD or software CD that prepared by the company.

2. CD-R : (CD Recordable). You can record data by burning on it but you can’t delete the data. You can only burn it a single time or multiple times if using multisession mode up to the maximum capacity of the CD – or up to finalization of the CD. You can read the capacity information on the CD.

3. CD-RW: (CD Rewriteable). You can record and also delete data in this CD. Usually you can erase until a few hundred times.

Types of DVD :

1. DVD-ROM: (Read Only Memory) – similar with CD-ROM

2. DVD-R: This is the oldest and the most common. Basically similar with CD-R, but with bigger capacity (DVD-R is 4.7GB compared with CD-R 650-700MB).

3. DVD+R: (read: DVD plus R) is newer than DVD-R. If you have an old machine, it might not support DVD+R, or only one of them. But most modern devices support both formats.

4. DVD -/+RW : (DVD Rewriteable) You can read,write and erase with the similar way for CD. Note that there are two types, +(plus) and – (minus).

5. DVD-RAM: (Random Access Memory). Provides similar capabilities of DVD-RW but with much higher lifetime (approx 30 years) and multi erase up to 100,000 times instead of about 1000times. The drive for DVD-RAM usually can read also DVD-/+R/RW but the opposite is not always.

6. DVD Dual Layer: DVD + technology gives possibility to have multiple layer. DVD Dual Layer has twice capacity of the common one (single layer).

7. HD-DVD : High Definition DVD – this technology give higher capacity but not popular.

8. BD-R/RE : To burn on it, it uses blue laser ray instead of red. Blue Ray Disc has the Recordable (BD-R) and also the Rewritable (BD-RE) types. The single layer has 25 GB capacity and the double has twice.

If I talk about capacity, it is all regarding the normal disc with radius 12cm. There are also the mini discs with capacity 8 cm, of course with smaller capacity.

So, if you play or burn any disc, you have to know if they are compatible one to each other: the disc itself, the hardware (player or driver) and also the software (the driver).

Embed flash video in web page

Adobe Dreamweaver has an easy way to embed flash video (.flv) in a web page.

Open the web page, then click Insert and choose Flash video; you will get the dialog box for the setting. Everything goes automatically. What you have to do is just upload it to your web server.

USB port doesn’t function after Windows installation.

After installing Windows, everything seems okay. But when I put USB device in the port, it didn’t work – not recognize at all.

Right click My Computer –> properties –> hardware –> device manager. We can see yellow error sign in USB Bus. Sometimes the sign is a “question mark sign”.

This is the solution. Turn off the computer, put the USB pen drive in the port, then turn on. Sometimes it automatically detect and activate the USB ports.

If not, then go to Control Panel –> Add hardware. A wizard will come out, click next –> follow the instruction to automatically detect. It will automatically activate the USB port.

Sometimes you have to put your Windows CD if the automatically detect can’t found the driver in your computer.

Then if you see the Device Manager (through right click My computer –> properties –> hardware), you will not see anymore the yellow error sign.

windows hang on click “shut down”

My friend’s new computer has Windows XP SP3 – connected in a Network, in the beginning seemed everything okay. For Antivirus, it had Symantec End Point 11. After just a few weeks, it always hang right after she click “shut down”. The pointer was able to be moved by the mouse but the windows just freezed. I opened the task manager to see if there was a “strange process”. Nothing strange. I could stop individual process but I couldn’t shut down from task manager window. The only way to shut down is turn the power off.

First suspect is malware. I uninstall Symantec. As it’s already uninstalled, the “shut down” worked well. I continued installed Spyware Doctor and run scanning. Nothing caught. As the Spyware Doctor installed, the “shut down” doesn’t work again. After I uninstalled it, the “shut down” worked again. Then I install AVG antivirus, and run full scanning. Nothing! Seems the “shut down” problem came when an antivirus/anti spyware was installed. Without antivirus, it worked well. I became more sure that it might be from a virus. I run hijackthis, also found nothing.

Then (almost frustrated), I reboot the Windows and enter Safe Mode without network. Let the computer in the safe mode for some minutes and try to shut down. IT WORKED! I reboot to normal mode, and it worked well. Try and try again, it worked. The only problem, it always start with checkdisk that I always cancelled. I don’t like to do checkdisk since often I had more problem if windows automatically change the suspected corrupted files. I think, better I use System Mechanic to repair all the errors those might be there. I installed System Mechanic 6 and do the repairs and optimization, include hard disk defragmentation. I found one error that it could not repair. I just ignored it and try to reboot. It stuck again so I had to shut down by turning off the power. And again the checkdisk came, which I cancelled.

After that forced rebooting, I tried again the “shut down” process. Now, it works. I could shut down by click the shut down button. But in booting, always ask checkdisk. To solve this, I go to Start –>Run, then type cmd and Enter. In the command prompt, I type chkntfs /x C and Enter. Everything works well now. Anyhow, I am still curious about the problem. My friend could not explained what/how the problem started. I thought the windows did auto repair while in the Safe Mode.

After a few days, the problem came again. I set the checkdisk to default by run chkntfs /d and Enter. I let the check disk run once, and the next boot it didn’t ask again. But the hang in shut down still exist. Finally no way, I REINSTALL WINDOWS XP. In the process of reinstalling the drivers, I suspect a driver of the webcam might be the culprit. But I can’t blame it. I will run the computer without that driver. If it is okay, then I reinstall that driver so see the effect.

The computer was new, and this problem came after one month running well