Category: Beginners

We’re sorry Thunderbird had a problem and has crashed

PCRepairMan

Thunderbird crashes repair fixIf you see the error “We’re sorry Thunderbird had a problem and has crashed”, all is not lost. I’ll take you through some fault-finding stages that may help.

Here’s what the window looks like on most computers:

Thunderbird had a problem and has crashed

Yikes, not great information there and submitting information to Mozilla doesn’t help you in the short term, although it helps them to develop the software better.

OK, the first step I take is to download and install the excellent free MozBackup from here:

https://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/download.php

Close all open programs and run the tool. Create a backup accepting all the default options (this backs up everything).

Now we can work on the program without risk of losing data. Download the latest version of Thunderbird from here:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all.html

Now we are going to run the installation program and install it to the exact same location your existing one is in. Note, we are not uninstalling the existing version. If you are not sure of the location, accept the defaults. The installation program will not tell you it has detected an existing version but that’s OK.

 

Thunderbird reinstall after crash

 

For reference, I have done this countless times and the last was overwriting a version 8 with version 9.  If you are running a really old version then there may be a compatibility issue but I haven’t found anything that version 9 can’t successfully overwrite yet.

Restarting Thunderbird after the reinstall

Now we can start Thunderbird. It may prompt to update plugins which you can accept or disable those you don’t use. You should find your data exactly as you had before. In my experience, you only need to fill in your SMTP server details (if at all). If you have anything missing you can run MozBackup to reinstate it.

Install any plugins or add-ons that aren’t there that you previously had such as Spam filtering (via an Internet Security package or other such as SpamFighter etc).

Job’s a good’un and you should now have a fully functioning Mozilla Thunderbird without the “We’re sorry Thunderbird had a problem and has crashed” window!

PC freezes at chkdsk.sys

PCRepairMan

Fault: PC freezes at chkdsk.sys

This is a common fault that we see in our workshop. It can occur in safe mode and normal mode but with normal mode the PC often fails to load windows and just keeps restarting itself. This happens on desktop PCs and very often on laptops as they suffer knocks and bumps to the hard drive and battery failure.

The problem is the disk itself in 99 percent of cases.  Whether it can be fixed is down to a number of factors but, in short, here’s how we go about testing it and repairing the fault. I’ll presume that you wish to recover data (documents, images, emails etc) from the disk as most of our clients do. We have a great success rate in recovering data and getting Windows running again with this method.

First, we set the host PC’s bios to start from CD.  If you don’t know how to do this then take a look at my article How to change the boot order of a PC.

Next, we’ll pop over and get a copy of the excellent HDD Regenerator, downloadable here (link opens in a new window). This is the single most useful disk checking tool out there at the moment. It’s not free but it will give you the best chance of data retrieval. Also it’s a tool that is very useful to have in your repair arsenal and you can fix other PCs with it too. I’ve written a full review of HDD regen here. You’ll need to use another PC to create the bootable CD or DVD with but as you’re reading this I’ll presume you have access to one. HDD regenerator can also create a bootable flash drive but for maximum compatibility use the CD.

Next we boot the dead PC with our CD (or Flash drive) and enter the HDD regenerator interface. Tell it to scan the correct hard drive (often there’s only one anyway) and let the program do its stuff, all automatically. Allow an hour or more to scan a drive of about 160GB on a typical Windows XP machine. Newer PCs have better, faster processors and more RAM but they often have bigger drives so a typical scan can take a few hours.

Remember, what the program is doing is a sector-by-sector analysis of your hard drive and moving data from bad areas of the drive to good. This takes time, often we see scans running for several hours, but it will ultimately help you to be able to recover your data and in most cases get Windows restarted. You can also leave the scan running overnight, you don’t need to sit and watch it!

After the chkdsk.sys error repair

With the drive finally scanned, the program reports how many bad sectors it found and you simply press ‘Esc’ to quit the program.

Restart your PC, removing the CD on the initial restart, and make it your first job to backup those files you thought you had lost!

Reference: chkdsk.sys fault when computer starts causes PC to hang or freeze

Midnight Commander tutorial

PCRepairMan

Midnight Commander tutorialMidnight Commander is a great free file manager but the problem is people are overwhelmed by the interface. Here is a quickie Midnight Commander tutorial so you can navigate and get to the files you want.
All files and directories can be moved, copied or deleted and their contents viewed by using the F keys on your keyboard. Make reference to the options list on your screen. Use a combination of F key, cursor and mouse to navigate around the screen.

 

Midnight Commander Select Files

In the directory panes, select single files simply by using your cursor keys to get to them.  Select multiple files by using your Insert key to highlight and press Insert again on any file to deselect.
You can filter for groups of files: the + key will bring up a selection box into which you can enter wildcards. A wildcard selects all files of a certain type, for example:

*.doc

would select all files that have the ending “.doc” in a given directory.

 

Midnight Commander File Operations

You can view contents or edit files using the F keys on your keyboard and press Enter (or double-click) on a file to execute or open it with an external program if you have this installed in the environment you are running in.  Since most people will be using this from a boot CD then you may not be able to open any file. If using Linux then you need to have the program installed in your distro to open the corresponding file.

There are two ‘file’ menus. F9 is for accessing operations such as changing permissions or ownership. F2 deals mostly with zipping and extracting files and subdirectories.

Note: In Midnight Commander if you are moving or copying files, it will first assume you are doing this to the opposing directory, but gives you the option to change the destination.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Notepad PlusPlus search up and down annoyance

PCRepairMan

With Notepad++ freshly installed, the default behaviour for the search function is to select either “Up” or “Down” directions.  This for most programmers is hugely annoying because the document start or end is reached before all instances of the word or phrase are found.  Find and replace uses the same functionality too.

Fortunately, there is a fix.  You should tick the “Wrap around” checkbox as I have highlighted below.  This will then give you the (correct?) full search behaviour.

Notepad plus search up down loop find replace

Hope this helps shave a few minutes off your day and saves some RSI on the wrists!

How to change boot order to start from CD or USB

PCRepairMan

Often, we need to change a PC or laptop’s boot order to start from CD, DVD, USB, external hard drive or floppy disk.  It’s not difficult to do this but timing is important.

Turn on or restart your computer and watch for a message during the startup screen about which key to press.  It’s usually Del, F10 or F2 and you need to press this key as soon as you see the message on screen. The window of opportunity is really quite small – about 2 seconds – before the computer loads the operating system (eg Windows).

Now, if you have done this correctly you will see another screen loaded.  If you have gone on to the Windows load screen, you will need to wait, shutdown and try again. Don’t be tempted to turn the computer off on the button or at the wall socket as this will cause even worse problems.

The new screen you see is called the BIOS screen. It will look like this, although not exactly as many manufacturers will have different setups.

phoenix-bios-boot-order

This allows control over the hardware in your PC such as CD/DVD, USB, memory, processor, hard disk drives etc. It is generally a blue background and navigation is done using the keyboard cursor keys (the arrows) and not the mouse. Navigate to the ‘boot’ area and change the order of the boot sequence so that your CD boots first. In the example above, the hard disk boots before the CD ROM so this would need changing. Save and exit the bios screen. This restarts the computer. Make sure you have a CD in the drive that you wish to boot from. Do likewise if you wish to boot from USB (some older BIOS systems do not support USB booting).

PCRepairMan’s top tip:

Note that many BIOS systems look confusing at first but they usually have helpful prompts for how to navigate and change values stored in them. In the screenshot above, you can see the bottom of the page shows Arrows to move, Enter to select, Page Up/Down to change values, F10 to save etc.

With a new boot order set, your computer will look to that device to start every time. This can be a problem after the fix, when the PC is set to boot to usb and you plug in a non-bootable USB, for example a printer. The BIOS can look at the printer and hang, waiting for it to do something.  If this happens, simply change the boot sequence back to your hard drive first and this will resolve it.

 

 

Email settings for Tiscali UK

PCRepairMan

email-settings-pop-imap-tiscali-orange-talk-bt-02-plusnetHere are the current email settings for Tiscali users.  Tiscali has been taken over by TalkTalk but users are still advised to use the old ‘legacy’ settings listed below.

Please bear in mind that there are 2 main types of email client setup, one which uses Pop3 and the other which uses IMAP. In short, IMAP “synchronises” your PC or phone with the Tiscali server and keeps emails on both while POP3 downloads all emails to your PC or phone. If you are setting this up on an iPhone, I’d recommend using the IMAP service. You can even use your PC on IMAP as well as your phone so everything syncs nicely.

Tiscali email settings for Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, iPhone and iPad

Anyway, here are the current Tiscali email settings. I’ve included FTP and Webspace to make it a definitive list, but these aren’t needed to setup your email:

 

Login[email protected]
Incoming email (POP3)pop.tiscali.co.uk
Incoming email (IMAP)imap.tiscali.co.uk
Outgoing email (SMTP)smtp.tiscali.co.uk
FTP serverftp.myweb.tiscali.co.uk
Webspace addresshttps://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/directoryname

Cheapest Kaspersky Pure and registration renewal

PCRepairMan

kaspersky-pure-2011-2012-cheapest-renewal-priceKaspersky Pure is a super-solid internet security package. Introduced in 2009, it has rapidly become the de-facto standard that all other packages are judged by. Detection rates are second to none and there is a built in antivirus, antispyware, parental control, firewall, anti-spam, safe run option and many more features.

My little-known method is to purchase an older Kaspersky software version that is fully licensed (from the offers below) but then  download and install the latest Kaspersky Pure Trial from here. It will be a trial version but turns into the full version on activation. To activate, you can simply use the purchased licence key (from an older version) to activate the latest version when you are  prompted. There is absolutely no need to install the older version at all (if you did it would just upgrade to the latest anyway). See here for some live deals on older versions and discounts on new ones too.

I highly recommend this security package over all others, with excellent detection rates and easy installation. PC performance is good post-install, and it runs happily on XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

When the licence expires, take a look at this article to see a clever way you can renew for less money:

How to register Kaspersy Pure with a new product key

 

Kaspersky registration upgrade method

Because Kaspersky offers a free upgrade to this version from all previous ones from 2009 onwards, this is a completely legitimate method. Importantly, you will save LOTS of money without needing any underhanded pirate serial codes that only last for a few weeks. With Kaspersky prices being anything up to 85% cheaper in the deals below, it makes serious sense and you get the best security suite currently available.

Note: Please make sure that you purchase the correct licence for the number of computers you are installing Kaspersky on, ie the 3-user licence is for up to 3 separate PCs where the 1-user licence will only allow use on 1 PC. Also check that the product you download and install is the same as the product you have purchased the older version of, eg “Kaspersky Pure” not “Kaspersky Internet Security” or “Kaspersky Antivirus”

Personally, I’d go for the Kaspersky Pure package rather than just the antivirus as there will be a very small difference in cost but there’s a huge amount of extra functionality.

If you do use my method, please either drop a little donation in the tin, ‘Tweet’ or Facebook ‘like’ this article or just give me a link back to help others save some cash!

It’s worth checking out prices in my shop too as we often have great deals on Kasperky Pure in our antivirus store:

Buy discounted antivirus packages now

Do you have Norton products installed instead? If you wish to carry on with those, then be sure to checkout these:

Cheapest Norton Internet Security renewal Cheapest Norton Antivirus renewal Cheapest Norton 360 renewal

Run a disk check from Recovery Console – Windows XP chkdsk

PCRepairMan

Instructions how to run check disk from Windows recovery console (Windows xp).

  • If your PC is a laptop, ensure that your charger remains plugged in for the duration of this process
  • With your PC powered up, insert the Windows XP installation or recovery CD-ROM into the drive, and then restart the computer.
    Note: Cancel any messages or boxes that come up in Windows when the CD is inserted.
  • When you see “Welcome to Setup”, press R to start the Recovery Console.
  • Type in your administrator password and press Enter when prompted. If the administrator password is blank (many are) then just press ENTER.
  • At the recovery console command prompt type in:
    chkdsk /r
  • Press Enter
  • Do not interrupt this process and allow up to 2 hours for it to complete (although most PCs will be quicker than this)

 

Windows XP Recovery Console chkdsk command explained

So what does chkdsk actually do?  Well it checks your internal hard drive for errors.  These errors can stop your operating system (Windows) from starting or allow it to start but then crash shortly afterwards when it hits a bad area of the drive.

Here are a few of the ‘switches’ that can be used with chkdsk

   /F         Automatically fixes file system errors

   /X         Fixes file system errors on the disk but dismounts the volume first

   /R         Looks for and attempts to recover bad sectors

   /V         Displays the name and path every file on the disk 

   /L:size    FOR NTFS ONLY - Changes the log file size to a specified number of kb

   /C         Skips directory corruption checks 

   /I         Skips any corruption checks which compare directory entries to the
              FRS (file record segment) in the volume's MFT (master file table)

This is a verbose explanation but generally, in my experience, it is sufficient for most PC drive problems to run a chkdsk /r and this can be easily done from the recovery console if you have the XP CD ROM.

Dell Inspiron and Dimension – access the recovery partition

PCRepairMan

Many emails about how to access the recovery partition on Dell Inspiron and Dimension PCs.  I have noticed that Dell don’t give this information unless you pay for their premium tech support so here we go, hope this helps a few people…..

Most PCs I have tested can do this method providing the hard drive has not been changed and the original recovery image – hidden by default – is intact. I have used this method on PCs as old as 2003 but older ones may work too.

Note: This process is destructive to your data. Ensure you have all you need backed up like serial numbers for software (Office etc), address books, emails, photos and documents.

  • Power the computer on
  • When the Dell logo appears, press and hold the left <Ctrl> key then press the <F11> key
  • Release them both at the same time
  • The Dell Restore by Symantec window should now appear. If you get a keyboard error then restart the PC and try again. Note, if the PC is in the process of booting it is important that you wait for the boot to finish before shutting down or you risk adding corruption onto the hard disk drive.
  • Click the Restore button or use the <Tab> key to highlight the button and press the enter key.
  • A caution message appears advising that all data will be lost. It will be!
  • Click the Confirm button or press the <Tab> key to highlight the button and press the enter key.
  • The Progress window appears.  This can take up to 40 minutes to complete.
  • After a successful restore,  a message stating The system recovery process was successful appears.
  • Click on the Finish button or press the <Tab> key to highlight the button, then press the <Enter> key.

The computer restarts and your software should be as it was when you first received your computer.  Spend a bit of time uninstalling all of the 30-day trial rubbish and uninstall any security suite that was offered at the time as it will be old and superceded. Make sure you update the system to the latest service packs and security updates using Windows Update.  Install a decent antivirus and the best antispyware and your system will be as good as new. Or better!

 

Restore Acer laptops and desktops from the recovery partition

PCRepairMan

acer-laptop-discount-prices-onlineThe following is my procedure for restoring Acer laptops and desktops to factory settings. You will need to ensure that laptops are plugged in at the mains charger as this is critical.

  1. First off, locate the Alt key to the left of the space bar, and the F10 key on the top row of keys.
  2. Power the computer on and wait for the Acer logo to appear (the splash screen).
  3. Hold the  Alt and F10 keys down together when you see the logo.
    It should load the Windows logo then state “Please wait a moment…..” with the Acer logo showing.
  4. At the “eRecovery Management” menu it will ask you how you wish to restore.
  5. Click on the restore option you would like to use, bearing in mind that restoring the C partition means you will lose all files not backed up.
  6. When prompted for the password use one you created. If you didn’t create one then use 1234
  7. Allow the recovery to finish and it will automatically restart the computer

How to Recover your Acer system from within Windows

  1. Click on Start, All Programs, Acer Empowering Technology.
  2. Click on Acer eRecovery Management.
  3. If prompted to create a password, create the password and set your password hint
    Don’t lose this password!
  4. When the Acer eRecovery Management loads click the button labeled “Restore”.
  5. Click on “Restore system to factory default”.
  6. The unit will restart and start the restore.
    It should state “Please wait a moment…” with the Acer logo in the upper left hand corner.
  7. At the eRecovery Management menu it will ask you how you wish to restore.
    Click on the restore option you would like to use.

How to Make Recovery DVDs

These are really useful if ever your hard drive dies. The reason is that the recovery image is stored on the hard drive itself and as such will “die” with it. Replacing your hard drive means that you will need to get an image from somewhere if you don’t have these discs, eg reinstall using a fresh copy of Windows and then install and update all the drivers on your pc, not easy for beginners

  1. Click on Start, All Programs, Acer Empowering Technology.
  2. Click on Acer eRecovery Management.
  3. If prompted, create a password and password hint.
    Don’t lose this password!.
  4. When the Acer eRecovery Management loads, click the button labeled “Burn Disc”.
  5. Click “Create Factory default disc”.
  6. Follow the instructions and put in the required Blank DVD or Blank CD media to make a set of Recovery Media Discs. Bear in mind that you will need about 3 DVDs but more like 17 CDs!