After entering a search term into Google the results are shown, as you would expect, and I then click on a returned result to visit that website. Sometimes the selected website is loaded but, more frequently, all action seems to pause and then the address bar shows “www.com.au”. After that, the address changes to something else and a totally unexpected website opens. The new website usually has some loose association with my search In an attempt to combat this problem I purchased and loaded a security program, and when this didn’t solve the problem I paid to have technical support associated with the security program operate my computer remotely. However, nothing has fixed the problem. Using Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer does not make any difference. The computer is running Windows XP. (more…)

Whenever I start-up my laptop computer the following error message appears: “C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\oclwjqp.dll is not valid win32 application”. I have no idea what this error message means or how to stop it from appearing. Could this also be causing a different problem on my computer where iTunes will not load, or is that a separate issue? (more…)

Advast Antivirus identifies the following four files that it is “Unable to scan: Incorrect Function”:
• C:\WINDOWS\installer\$PatchCache$\Manager\00002119F20000000000000000F01FEC\12.0.6425\FOUNDRY.THMX
• C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepositopry\usbport.inf_72bc7c47\usbport.sys
• C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepositopry\usbport.inf_35521f61\usbport.sys
Advast cannot repair, move, move to chest, or scan these files. If I select “Delete” it advises that the “File was marked to be deleted during the following system start…” but after restarting and completing another scan the same errors are found. What are these files and what action should be taken to correct these errors? (more…)

I subscribe to the BigPond Security package which includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall protection, content filtering and privacy protection for my Windows XP computer. However, a while ago I noticed that the firewall protection on BigPond Security was not active. I am unsure how long this has been the case but when I checked the Control Panel and the Windows Firewall settings it said that the settings cannot be displayed because the associated service is not running. I clicked “Yes” to start the Windows Firewall and Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) service but an error was returned that the ICS service could not be run. Restarting the computer has not cleared the problem so it seems like my computer is not running a firewall at all. (more…)

Twice I have received a phone call from “Antony” purporting to be from “Windows”. He says that they have had a large number of error messages from my system recently and wants to help me to find the cause. He then asks me to press the CTRL + Windows + R key combination on the computer. I am already suspicious – why should anyone from Microsoft want to speak to me on the phone? How would he know my telephone number anyway? He doesn’t know what version of Windows I am running and has to ask me (I am using Windows XP, by the way). So I politely say that I do not believe that anyone from Windows would want to talk to me, I am going to ignore his instruction and I am going to put the phone down. Was I being paranoid or sensible? Also, what does the CTRL + Windows + R key combination do? (more…)