Every now and again my computer displays the following message: ‘DTOLE caused an invalid page fault in KERNEL32.DLL’. When the message appears I try to close the box but the box remains on the screen. I can continue to do various tasks in the background by moving the box, even though the box remains on the screen. DTOLE appears to be related to my HP printer (OfficeJet Pro 1150C). How can I resolve this problem? A second problem is the ‘Dial-up Connection’ box that regularly appears even though I have not initiated any action to go online. Sometimes the box will appear several times in quick succession. The computer is running Windows 98SE.

You are correct in saying that the DTOLE error is related to your printer. In fact, this problem has been recognised by Microsoft (see support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q192969). The cause of the problem is the HP PictureLink software included with your printer drivers. To fix this problem you will need to download the latest version of the software from the HP website at www.hp.com.au. Click ‘Support & Drivers’ and on the next page ‘Home & Home Office - HP branded products’. Alternatively, the Microsoft suggested workaround is to remove the HP PictureLink shortcut (Hppicture.lnk) from the ‘Startup’ programs group. However, it is still recommended that you obtain the updated software.

Regarding your second problem, this issue can be resolved by setting Windows so that it does not automatically dial your internet connection when some program on the computer requests an internet resource. To do this, go into ‘Internet Explorer’ > ‘Tools’ menu > ‘Internet Options’. In the window that appears, click the ‘Connections’ tab. In the ‘Dial-up and Virtual Private Network settings’ window enable the option ‘Never dial a connection’. Click OK. From then on, Windows will only dial a connection when you double-click on the dial-up networking icon for your connection.