After connecting to the internet, it takes around 75 seconds for my Internet Explorer home page to appear. All the usual messages appear, including ‘Verified username and password’. A few weeks ago the page only took 10 seconds to display. The only difference is that I recently changed my email address due to spam. The computer is running Windows 98. Can you help? (more…)

Recently, after installing Ahead InCD I have had some trouble with Rundll. The computer is loading an infinite number (or a veritable plethora) of copies of the program and thus, without intervention (CTRL-ALT-DEL) the computer will never complete the boot process. I made a small Visual Basic Application that prevents it running altogether but it is only a very rudimentary solution and it slows the computer markedly. How can I ensure that Rundll will only load once? Also, msconfig is not working properly. It opens correctly but refuses to save any settings. Can you help with these two problems? The computer is a 166 MHz Dell Optiplex GXMT 5166 running Windows Me. (more…)

Every time I play a sound file the computer speakers make a horrible crackly popping sound. The sound also occurs with any movement on the computer (e.g., scrolling with mouse, visualisations on media player). Updating the drivers does not fix the problem. The computer is a brand new P4 2.4 GHz with a GeForce 4 MX 440 and CD-RW & DVD-R running Win XP. (more…)

When I try to install the Windows XP upgrade on my computer the setup runs ok until the device installation where the following error messages appears: ‘kernel_input_page_error. Please disable bios shadowing or caching’. Followed by: ‘Fault in WINSYS32.SYS’. I can’t disable BIOS shadowing and caching this is not an option in the BIOS setup. The computer is a Pentium 4 2.4 GHz with 224 MB of RAM running Windows 98 SE. Can you help? (more…)

When a modem engages the telephone line (to use the Internet) is it possible for something such as a relay device to operate which disconnects all the other devices on the line, thus eliminating any interference from them while the modem is connected to the internet? (more…)