Those interested in obtaining a Microsoft certification (such as Microsoft Certified Professional) are most likely aware of the need to sit for one (or multiple) Microsoft exams. These exams are not cheap, with most costing you about $180. However, at the time of writing Microsoft are offering Second Shot. This means that if the worst-case scenario occurs and you fail a Microsoft exam you can re-sit the exam again for free. You need to sign-up for Second Shot before registering for your exam, and details can be found at: www.microsoft.com/Learning/Mcp/Offers/Secondshot/Default.Mspx .

Having installed Windows XP Service Pack 3 on my three home computers, which all have D-Link wireless network cards. Now the following messages appear on the computers: “The procedure entry point apsSearchInterface could not be located in the dynamic link library wlanapi.dll” and “The procedure entry point apsInitialize could not be located in the dynamic link library wlanapi.dll”. When I click OK everything seems to work correctly. What do these messages mean and how can I stop them from appearing? (more…)

I have attempted to download Windows XP Service Pack 3 several times but without success. The first time I attempted to download the Service Pack through Windows Update a message appeared informing that I need to insert the original Windows XP CD, which I do not have as Windows XP came pre-installed on the computer. After a few more attempts at downloading the Service Pack it commenced downloading which completed and the installation commenced. However, the installation appeared to hang only after progressing a few percent after 4 hours. After this time I was forced to stop the installation. How can I get Windows XP Service Pack 3 to install on the computer? (more…)

The Disk Defragmenter utility has mysteriously disappeared from Windows. I usually found this utility by going to the “Start” menu > “All Programs” > “Accessories” > “System Tools” but the shortcut no longer appears. Can this shortcut be restored or can the Defragmenter be accessed through a different method? (more…)

If you regularly burn ISO images onto CD (e.g. Linux distributions) then finding a lightweight and easy to use application to burn the ISO images can be a challenge. Fortunately there is a very nifty program called ImgBurn which does exactly that – it supports burning images to CD, DVD, HD-DVD, and also Blu-ray discs. It also supports a variety of image formats including ISO, IMG and NRG file formats. Additionally, you can even build an image file from files and folders on your computer and then burn that to a disc. ImgBurn is available for free download from