I know, Haystack. But this is for product registration/activation with NIC MAC address locking. And if I haven't added a product key to the database in the first place, they can crack as long as they like but it won't get them anywhere.

In that respect, 32 characters is OTT.

Apropos of nothing....

On a photographic site someone has just suggested to speed up their browsing:-

Try this:
In IE, go Tools > Options > Security > Resticted Sites > Sites
Add “http://*.doubleclick.net."

Seems to work on that site and also here - and that's using Opera and not IE.

Could be imagination, but still worth a quick try chums.

TP

How do I install windows, if I cant bootup anything with out it crashing blue screen, or keeps getting missing files when setup starts to install from cd directory, is it time to get Windows 7

Had a problem with a Dell laptop about 3 months ago when it was a month out of warranty. Decided to get it sorted yesterday and called Dell. It is a known problem with the graphic chip being too close to something hot on the M/B so the display goes funny. They are sending an engineer today to replace the M/B free of charge and with 5 year warranty.

As long as the engineer arrives on time this afternoon service from Dell has been excellent.

RG

Do you mean that you are booting the computer from the Windows setup CD and getting the blue screen crash?

Optimist,

I got infected with the virus I got a few weeks ago from my main PC, tried to boot in safe mode, dos boot and last know config etc none of them worked, so tried to install the XP windows the came with the pc, it started great then it kept saying cant find file in disk, please select directory to install from, this keeps going on and on for lots and lots of files, then it tries to start windows xp to finish installaltion and I get the blue screen saying drives are missing for different devices

All I want to try and do is install a Windows to try and get a PC back up and running but I cant get it to the PC try run any software with out thes problems

If you have booted the computer from the setup disk and it still crashes then you must have a hardware fault.

Have you tried a complete reformat of the HD, then re-install from that? If you still get the blue screen then it's def a hardware fault.

Do you mean that you are trying to install from an XP installation copy that resides on your hard disk or are you using a CD?

Optimist, sometimes I get hardware fault error when it tries to install and does a reboot to install more windows files

Seymour Clearly, havnt do a reformat yet trying to keep as much as my data as possible.

Haystack, I am using the Windows XP CD that came with the PC

RG

Are you booting the machine from the CD or running it from within Windows?

Optimist, booting from CD, cant get any from Windows or any other access to be able to use PC

If you need your data then you really should take the HD out and install it as a slave drive on another machine, then interrogate the drive and copy all your data files over. It doesn't sound as though a reinstall over the original copy of XP is ever going to work.

I read somewhere else (on this thread?) that a lot of games patches / cheats are ways of getting viruses and malaware onto your machine. I think you really need to be very careful in future!

Seymour, Think it was when I installed a antivirus software to do it it wanted to uninstall my firewall because of conflict with it, and when it did that I got attack hacked ;-(

RG

It does sond as though you need to do a full format of the C drive although I aggree in part with SC's comment that you should install a new hard drive and keep all of your data on the old one.

As you appear to have had severe virus problems, I suggest that to be completely safe you boot the computer from a live Linux CD and copy all of your data to a USB drive. Be careful what you copy and use a Linux based AV checker on the drive. This is a bit OTT for most viruses but at least it should keep you safe.

A new HDD is always a good idea, 50 buys you a bigger, better and faster drive, but if you want to reformat the drive you can do that with the setup CD. When it asks which disk you want to use, you can delete the partition or partitions and then create and format a new one.

When you have it up and running, do not connect to the internet except through a firewall router, then only conect to Microsoft until you have all the service packs and updates installed. Make sure you install IE8 as that is currently the most secure. After that, you can install your AV program (one only please!) and then enable file sharing if you want to.

I lost my broadband connection earlier today, normally I just go and use my backup Pipex

But not installed the Alcatel Speedtouch USB Manta (green) ASDL Modem, I found the disk and installed software etc, windows then finds new hardware and tries to install drivers, by connecting to Internet, I tell it no use drivers available from windows it does but for some reason it will not load the drivers correctly on start-up and keeps telling me the modem is not plugged in, which of cause it is

How do I sort this out?????

RG

No wonder you are having virus problems!!

The only safe way to connect to the internet is to use an Ethernet/Wireless firewall router.

USB modems are just not safe. Throw it away.!!!

Optimist, my normal connection is through a wireless router by Virgin Cable, I use my modem to connect to Pipex when the cable goes off ;-)

RG

Imagine that you are going hang gliding, you gret to the top of a cliff and realise that your glider is U/S.

Do you:-

A. Go back down and decide to try another day?

B. Jump off the cliff without your glider, stretch your arms sideways and hope to get down OK?

;))

PS.

I suggest you get a different ISP. My broadband has never been down for more than a few minutes and then only rarely.

Optimist I have two different ISP one is Virgin Media cable, the other is Pipex telephone which connects using the USB modem