Error Messages n Way out

Error Message: VFAT Device Initialization Failed

When you start Windows, you may receive the following error message on a blue screen:

VFAT Device Initialization Failed

A device or resource required by VFAT is not present or is unavailable. VFAT cannot continue loading. System halted.

CAUSE:
This error message can occur when any one of the following conditions exists:
The Ifshlp.sys file is missing from the Windows folder.
The Config.sys file contains a line pointing to a previous version of the Ifshlp.sys file.

The following Ifshlp.sys statement was deleted from the Config.sys file after reinstalling Windows : DEVICE=:\\IFSHLP.SYS
where is the drive containing Windows and is the Windows folder.

For example, if Windows is installed in the WINDOWS folder on drive C, the line will read: DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS

The [Paths] section in the Msdos.sys file is incorrect. See the contents of the Msdos.sys File

A Winboot.ini file from a previous incomplete installation is present in the root folder of the boot disk.

RESOLUTION:
To resolve the problem, use the method in the appropriate section below.

Ifshlp.sys File Missing from Windows Folder

If the Ifshlp.sys file is missing from the Windows folder, Use WinSafe's DOS command WINSAFE or extract a new copy of the file from your original Windows cabinet files to the Windows folder.

For information about using the Extract tool, at the Windows prompt type "Extract /?" or see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: ARTICLE-ID: Q129605

TITLE : How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

Config.sys file points to Previous Version of Ifshlp.sys file

1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows " message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. Use any text editor (such as Edit.com) to open the Config.sys file.

3. Remove the line that loads Ifshlp.sys. (Windows automatically loads this driver when you start your computer.)

4. Save and then close the Config.sys file.

5. Restart your computer.

Ifshlp.sys statement was deleted from the Config.sys file after reinstalling Windows

When reinstalling Windows , Setup will delete the Ifshlp.sys statement in the Config.sys file and not replace it. To add the Ifshlp.sys statement back to the Config.sys file, follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows " message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. Use any text editor (such as Edit.com) to open the Config.sys file.

3. Add the following line to the Config.sys file:
DEVICE=:\\IFSHLP.SYS

where is the drive containing Windows and is the Windows folder. For example, if Windows is installed in the WINDOWS folder on drive C, add the following line: DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS

4. Save and then close the Config.sys file.

5. Restart your computer.

Incorrect [Paths] Section in Msdos.sys File

1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows " message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. Type the following line at the command prompt: Attrib -s -h -r msdos.sys

3. Use any text editor (such as Edit.com) to open the Msdos.sys file.

4. Verify that the following lines in the Msdos.sys file are correct

[Paths]
WinDir=
WinBootDir=
HostWinBootDrv=C

where is the folder containing Windows . Note that if you are using disk compression software (such as DriveSpace), you must change the drive letter in the "HostWinBootDrv=" line to the drive letter of the host drive.

5. Save and then close the Msdos.sys file.

6. Type the following line at the command prompt: Attrib +s +h +r msdos.sys

7. Restart your computer.

Winboot.ini File Present in Root Folder of Boot Drive

1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows " message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. Delete the Winboot.ini file in the root folder of the boot drive.

3. Restart your computer.
Windows9x /ME Internal Stack Overflow Errors


Stacks are reserved memory that programs use for processing hardware events. A stack overflow occurs when there is not enough space in memory to run the hardware interrupt routines. Changing the "STACKS=" line in the Config.sys file, eliminating terminate-and-stay-resident program (TSRs), and eliminating hardware conflicts are all possible corrections for this problem.

When Windows delivers an error message related to an internal stack overflow, it is because there is not enough space in memory either set aside or available to handle the calls being made to the system hardware. There are several things to consider when troubleshooting this problem:

1.The startup file Config.sys may not be properly configured for the Windows installation. First try removing the following lines, If you still have a problem try the following values:

STACKS=64,512 ;(this is the maximum allowed)
FILES=60
BUFFERS=40

If you are using the dual-boot capabilities of Windows, the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files may not contain the correct configuration to run Windows. When you are dual-booting between Windows 3.x and Windows, these files may not have been renamed back to Config.dos and Autoexec.dos.

Examine the Config.sys file to determine if files such as Himem.sys or Emm386.exe are being loaded from a folder other than the Windows folder. If so, boot Windows using the Safe Mode Command Prompt Only option. Rename the Config.sys file to Config.dos and the Autoexec.bat file to Autoexec.dos and the restart the computer.

2.Some TSRs may be interfering with Windows. Disable any non-boot device drivers in the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files. If you are installing from Windows 3.x and getting a stack overflow error, check the Win.ini and System.ini files for non-Windows-based programs or drivers loading.

3.There may be an incompatible hardware configuration. Check the port and IRQ settings of the network card, sound card, and modem. Make sure that there are no COM2/COM4 or COM1/COM3 conflicts and that no devices are sharing IRQs. Disable or remove conflicting devices.

4.The computer may need a BIOS upgrade. Check the BIOS version and contact the manufacturer of your computer for information about a BIOS upgrade.
WinPopUp is Annoying


Sometimes on a bad boot you may start getting WinPopUp messages in a Dos Window, when in fact nothing is wrong.
Disable it
Go to your Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Windows Setup, Accessories, and go down to the bottom of the list. Uncheck the Winpopup. It may or may not work for you, but I have seen it take care of problems in the past
Windows Protection Errors; Try This Before You Format and Re-load


Here's an option to try before reloading Windows. Boot into safe mode and use RegMedic and the R and R All Hardware. If you do not have RegMedic installed then you will have to delete everything you can under device manager. If there are duplicate entries they can cause protection errors. Then boot into normal mode and run the hardware installation wizard. You won't be able to load very many things until the primary IDE controllers are loaded but once they are you should be able to load all of the device drivers. I've had this work many times.
Advanced Power Management (APM)


Advanced Power Management (APM) is a wonderful energy-saving feature that many computer systems now come with. During idle periods, this feature switches your computer to suspend mode, reducing the amount of energy it consumes without completely shutting it down. But did you know that enabling this feature on a Windows system causes the Windows clock to lose time? When your computer switches to suspend mode, the Windows clock can slow down and possibly even stop. Fortunately, APM doesn't affect the underlying system clock, so the time loss on your Windows clock isn't permanent. Simply restarting your computer will restore the correct time on the Windows clock. But if you have to reboot your computer to reset the clock after every suspend mode period, it's pointless to enable APM in the first place. Here's how you can keep APM enabled without stealing time from the Windows clock.

Two causes, two solutions

There are two possible explanations as to why a conflict between APM and your Windows clock might exist. The first is likely to apply to older computer systems. On such systems, the BIOS (basic input/output system) might be providing support only for an older version of APM. If this is the case, you should try upgrading your computer's BIOS to resolve the conflict. Your computer manufacturer should be able to provide a BIOS upgrade for your system. The second explanation for a conflict between APM and your Windows clock is that you might not have installed Windows APM support. If you enabled APM in your computer's CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) settings after Windows was already installed, this explanation is the more likely one. In this case, you'll have to reinstall Windows in order to install APM support.

Once you've installed Windows APM support, check to make sure this support is enabled. To do so, right-click the My Computer icon, choose Properties, and click the Device Manager tab.

The System Properties sheet's Device Manager tab lets you verify that Windows APM support is enabled.

Next, expand the System Devices branch by clicking the plus sign next to it. Then, double-click Advanced Power Management Support. In the resulting dialog box, click the Settings tab and select the Enable Power Management Support check box, if it isn't already checked. Finally, close all open dialog boxes and then click the Start button and choose Suspend.

Conclusion

If your Windows clock freezes along with the rest of your system in suspend mode, you now have two possible explanations for this problem. You also have two resolutions, so you don't have to choose between saving energy and marking accurate time.
ERROR "In use by unknown device"


"In use by unknown device" means that something that is not plug-and-play compatible (perhaps in your BIOS or Config.sys or autoexec.bat) is using the resource. Since it's not plug and play compatible, Windows can't tell who is using it.

Error Message: Windows Cannot Find Autorun.exe

When you are viewing drives in My Computer, one or more of the drives may have an incorrect icon associated with it. When you double-click the icon to view the contents of the drive, the following error message may be displayed:

Program Not Found
Windows cannot find Autorun.exe.
This program is needed for opening files of type 'File'.

You are then prompted for the location of the Autorun.exe file.

The reason is: An Autorun.inf file exists in the root folder of the drive.

To fix this: Delete or rename the Autorun.inf file in the root folder of the affected drive.

The Autorun.inf file is used with CD-ROMs to automatically run specified programs. When a non-CD-ROM drive contains an Autorun.inf file, AutoPlay is started when
you double-click the drive's icon. AutoPlay attempts to load Autorun.exe (which is not present) to read the Autorun.inf file.

If the Autorun.exe file is also present in the root folder, the actions specified in the Autorun.inf file are carried out if possible.

Error Message: Incorrect MS-DOS version

After you install Windows and restart the system, it returns to an MS-DOS prompt with the following error message:

Incorrect MS-DOS version

There are two possible reasons, either you attempted to reinstall Windows using a different version of Setver is being loaded in the Config.sys.
Enter the name of Command Interpreter (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM)
This problem can occur if SETVER.EXE is being loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file and has a setting indicating that COMMAND.COM should look for a version of MS-DOS earlier than 7.0.

Boot the system with the Windows Startup disk and do the following:

1. Change to the WINDOWS directory by typing the following:

cd\

2. Rename the SETVER.EXE file by typing the following:

ren setver.exe setver.old

3. Remove the Windows Startup disk from drive A, then shut down and restart the system. (Windows loads at this point.)

4. Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.

5. Change to the Windows directory by typing the following:

cd\

6. Rename the SETVER.EXE file again by typing the following:

ren setver.old setver.exe

7. Remove the COMMAND.COM entry by typing the following:

setver command.com /d

8. Restart the computer to make the SETVER changes take effect.

The above procedure allows SETVER to maintain compatibility with existing MS-DOS-based applications.

When Windows is installed, the new SETVER.EXE assumes the settings of the currently loaded SETVER.EXE in an effort to maintain compatibility with existing MS-DOS-based applications.
You do not have permission to access the Registry

If you get a message like You do not have permission to access the Registry during an installation of some software, it is time to clean out the Key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ SharedDLLs. This Key can be not more the 64KB. You will find that many files in the list that are really not Shared files. Files extensions like BMPs, DEPs, CNVs,SCRs, and so on, that can be removed. HLP files should be in the Help Key not the SharedDLLs Key. Clean out this Key and then attempt to install the software.

Illegal Error Occurs when the Screen Saver is Stopped

Try this: go into Control Panel, to Add remove software. Go into the Windows Setup Tab, highlight Accessories, and choose details. In there, uncheck screen savers. Press OK, then Apply. This will uninstall your Screen Savers.

Once that is done, go back into Screen savers, and recheck it. You will need the Windows CD to load the screen savers again. Finally, select the 3-D text SS. This will reinstalled them.

How To Recover Missing System Files

Sometimes mistakes happen. Whether the result of a false positive from antivirus software or a misunderstanding of a file's function, on occasion a valid system file can be inadvertently deleted or quarantined. Sometimes, the results can seem disastrous - a looping blue screen each time you try to boot up the PC. Other times, a stop error with a cryptic message may be the result. Here's how to replace the missing file(s) to get your system operational again.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 10 minutes

Here's How:
Start your computer with the Windows Setup floppy disks or with the Windows CD-ROM.
At the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press F10 or press R. (Windows 2000 users will need to press F10 or R and then press C).
You should now see a list of installations and the prompt "Which Windows Installation would you like to log on to?"
Select the appropriate number for the Windows installation that you want to repair.
Type the administrator password and press Enter. If the administrator password does not exist, just press Enter.
From the recovery console, issue the following command:

expand D:\i386\filename_ C:\(destination)

specifies the path of the folder to which you wish to extract the file.
After the file has been extracted, type exit to leave the recovery console, remove the Windows Setup floppy or Windows CD-ROM and restart the system normally.

How to Make own XP start-up sound

The standard Windows startup sound is shorter that it’s load time, making it a less than ideal indicator of when your machine is ready to use. If you time your startup and make a sound file which is of a similar length to the load time, you are able to use it as an indicator of when your machine is ready for action, giving the start-up sound a real purpose.

This time varies greatly from computer to computer, and changes according to what operating system you are using and what programs and tasks you have running at startup.

Even if you do not want a long startup sound, it is worth placing silence before the sound you currently use so that the startup sound comes to an end at the right time.

Vista has a predefined startup sound which cannot be changed. This is part of their branding. You may want to get around this by changing the login sound instead of the startup sound, though this will not be covered in the article.

This article will show you how to edit or change your current Windows XP startup sound so that you can use it as an indicator of when your machine is ready to use, or to add a personalised touch to your computer. It can also be a nice wakeup call when you get into work as music can lift your spirits and get you in the right frame of mind.

Using a startup sound will slow down your startup minimally, but as computers are so powerful these days, this will not be easily noticed.

It is worth book marking this page or printing it out before continuing as you will need to reboot your computer a couple of times whilst you set this up, if you want to follow all the steps in this article.

Timing your startup:

Reboot your computer and start the clock from the login screen, or from where you hear your current startup sound playing.

Time how long this takes before you can start loading up programs of your own. Ensure that all the usual icons are in the task tray. To test that you have completely booted up, try loading a program and see if it takes the usual time. If the program loads up as quick as usual, you know your boot up was complete. This is something you will have to play with and figure out.

This is not a perfect science as your computer may do different things on different occasions, so we cannot be completely accurate, but we can get close.

This number can be anywhere from a few seconds to at most a few minutes (hopefully not, for your sake). This is the length of the startup sound you will want to make.

Find a Tune:

Find a song or sound sample that you would like to use as your startup sound. Copy it to a place you can easily access. You are only able to use WAV files, though other formats can be converted easily. I will be using the default Windows startup WAV file, and converting a MP3 file for this article to cover a couple of scenarios.

If you want to edit your current sound, these can be found in the “C:\Windows\Media” directory. Copy the file to an easy to access location and rename the file. Ensure you leave the original file intact.

Editing the original Windows Startup File:

Load the file up in a sound editing program. I recommend Audacity as it is quick and easy to use, as well as being free. Find out more about it here.

Here is a thumbnail of the default Windows XP startup sound as shown in Audacity.

To add silence to the beginning of the file, so that your final sound file is the length of your boot up, follow the next few steps.

Click on “Generate”

Select “Silence”

Enter the duration of the silence you would like to add to the file, before the Windows sound starts. As the Windows startup sound is roughly 4 seconds long, and your boot up is 30 seconds, do the math and add 26 seconds of silence.

Click on “File”

Select “Export”

Name the file and save it to your “C:\Windows\Media” Folder, ensuring that you do not overwrite the original.

Scroll down the article to see how to make Windows play this file at startup.

Editing your own Startup File:

Find an MP3 of a song you like and load it into Audacity. I can’t really go into a detailed tutorial of how to use the program but it is easy.

Find a segment of the song which you like and crop out the rest, making it roughly the length of your computers startup. You can do things like fade in/fade out effects or chop and change various parts of the song, so all you listen to each morning is the parts you really enjoy. 30 seconds can be enough time for an intro, a verse and a chorus depending on the type of music you listen to.

Once you have done this, export the file to WAV format and copy it to the “C:\Windows\Media” folder.

(Updated 13/09/07) When I initially tried this out a while back, I did not come across any problems playing a long track. The test file I used for writing this article was 19 seconds. I am not sure what has changed, probably just my memory.

If your file is longer than around 20 seconds, you may find that when you test your new startup sound, it cuts off at around this mark. There is a workaround for it, and that is to save your file at a lower bit depth.

To export your wav file in a lower bit depth:

Click “File”

Click “Export”

In the “Save as Type” pulldown menu, select wav

Click “Options”

In the Format Pulldown, select “Other”



For the header select WAV. The encoding you can play around with to find what best suits you. I have successfully had a song play for 1m:30s using Unsigned 8 bit PCM, and the quality was not too bad at all. Most machines should be completely loaded up well before this. Your filesize should now be no more then around 10MB.

Changing your Windows Startup Sound:

Open up your Control Panel

Click on “Sounds and Audio Devices”

Go into the “Sounds” Tab



Scroll down to “Start Windows”

Click “Browse”

Select the file you have just changed.

You can test it by pressing the play button to make sure you have the right one.

Restart your computer:

The final step is to test out your new creation. Restart your computer and see how it all sounds and if it is the correct length. Try to open a program immediately after the sound sample is finished and ensure that it loads up swiftly.

Deleting Hard Drive Data vs. Physically Destroying Hard Drive

You own a computer and then purchased a new one. After moving all of your important data to the new computer and deciding to sell or donate the old computer you are faced with the question of deleting the data or destroying the hard drive. One one hand, if you delete the data and reinstall the operating system the next owner can quickly use the computer. If you destroy the hard drive, another drive would have to be installed for the computer to be useful again.

What if the hard drive lands into the wrong hands? Your tax return, financial records, intimate photos, and more could be used against you.

With the 2007 NBA Playoffs on TV this month, an interesting connection has arose. It seems the San Antonio Spurs guard, Bruce Bowen, and his wife have filed a lawsuit against a local computer firm when their hard drive and data ended up on another person's computer. The recipient of the hard drive contacted Mr. Bowen and informed him of the breach of privacy. To read more about this incident visit the news article. As a computer consultant myself, I see a huge breach of computer privacy with this case and I foresee Mr. Bowen winning the lawsuit easily.

Now what can you do to avoid a similar situation as Mr. Bowen's? First you have to decide if you want to permanently erase the data or destroy the drive. If you decide to permanently erase the data, you have several options. However let's go over what you DON'T want to do.Don't just delete your data and empty the recycle binDon't just format the hard driveDon't just format and reinstall Windows or another operating systemWhy don't you want to do the above? It seems this would be enough to make sure your data isn't compromised.

Let's take a step back and understand how data is stored on a hard drive. When information is written to a drive, the location of the information is stored in a file that resembles a table of contents for a book, On computers running DOS and Windows operating systems, the File Allocation Table (FAT) or the Master File Table (MFT) holds this information. When a file is deleted, the FAT or MFT table is updated to tell the computer the space on the hard drive is available, however the actual data is not deleted until it is overwritten with new data. This is why you read about computer forensic teams, the FBI, and other law enforcement being able to recover data to solve crimes or incriminate individuals. Using software undelete tools, you can restore files that were accidentally or otherwise deleted. In more severe case, services such as Drive Savers are used to recover data that has been physically or electronically destroyed.
Baring any of these extra efforts, you can use the procedures below to erase or destroy your data so the average individual won't be able to recover anything from your computer hard

drive.Using Wipe Utilities
In order to prevent data from being recovered, you should use data wiping software to completely erase the information to Department of Defense (DOD) standards. I recommend the following free tools to sanitize or wipe a hard drive of information:

Darik's Boot and Nuke - a program that can be booted from floppy or CD to completely erase a hard driveEraser by Heidi Computers LimitedActive@ KillDiskIf you plan on giving your computer away, selling it, or otherwise disposing of it, please destroy the data on it by using one of the above wiping utilities.

Degaussing a Hard Drive
An extra step is to degauss the hard drive. Degaussing is a process whereby the magnetic media is erased using a reverse magnetic field to scramble the electronic data and make it unreadable. Unfortunately degaussing machines are rather expensive ($2000.00 or more) and are not realistic purchases for the average consumer. However, you can send your hard drive to a degaussing company like Garner Products or SEM and for a few dollars can have your hard drive completely degaussed and/or destroyed. If your data security is important enough, this is a wise step.

Physically Destroying a Hard Drive

Physically destroying a hard drive is by far the most effective method for the average person to ensure the safety of their data. However, please wear protective glasses and other gear if you decide to physically destroy a drive yourself. It can be a dangerous activity that I don't recommend to everyone. Also, as a precaution, wrap the hard drive in a towel so the parts don't fly off and do more damage.

Whether its smashing the hard drive with a sledgehammer, drilling holes into the drive, tearing the drive apart and destroying the platters, shredding the drive, or other methods your sensitive data will be safe.

For the most security, I recommend doing as many of the above procedures (wiping the drive, degaussing it, and destroying it) as you can. If a drive is wiped, degaussed, and destroyed the chances of recovering the data is almost nil.

Conclusion

If a computer store, consultant, or other qualified computer tech tells you your hard drive is crashed and the data is unrecoverable, ask for them to return the original drive to you. This way you can physically destroy and dispose of the drive to your satisfaction and avoid situations like Mr. Bowen's where your data suddenly appears on someone else's computer screen.

edit any web site

edit any web site take any web page (YAHOO.COM)paste this code in address bar

javascript: document.body.contentEditable='true'; document.designMode='on'; void 0

then press enternow ......
editand EnjoY

How To Create An Internet Radio Station

How To Create An Internet Radio Station If you've ever wondered how internet radio stations work and/or wanted to create your own, this tutorial will show you how. It is actually very easy, and you can set up your own radio station and begin broadcasting songs in about 10 minutes.

http://rapidshare.com/files/60045701/Radio