Welcome to the second batch of answers from our Help Request Service! Today, we're looking at Windows Media Center, backing up your data and getting rid of problems with Windows Update. If you have a question or need help, please drop us a line.
"I'm unable to view my videos. I can hear voices in the background, but there's just a black screen or coloured visualisations.
If I try and use Windows Media Center to view videos it says Can not play video. One or more codecs required to open this content could not be found"
Henry Sutherland
It sounds like you need to install a specific codec for the particular type of video you are trying to watch. To identify what codec you need, simply download gSpot and drag and drop the video into the application. It should identify the codec you need. Then simply do an internet search for the codec and install it. Your video should play without a problem!
"After configuring Media Center, I have no sound. I don't think I need Media Center and want to uninstall it. It doesn't show up as an installed program. How can I undo this and get my sound back? Also Realtek audio was installed and I uninstalled that, but it still shows up even the uninstall was suceccful. What should I do?"
Mary Spilger
Windows Media Center is an integral part of Windows Vista unfortunately, and it sounds like you have an onbound Realtek sound card, so you probably need the software installed.
Your sound problem could be due to Media Center selecting a different playback device than what you were using. Right-click on your speakers icon and select sounds and click on the Playback tab. If your system is set up correctly, you should see a green audio bar next to the audio device with a green tick next to its icon. If a green audio bar is active on a device that isn't ticked, right click on it and 'Set as Default Device'.
"When I open a document, it opens narrow and long, this has suddenly started to happen, how can I adjust it to open as a full page each time."
Maureen Butler
This is quite a common problem, as windows sometimes seemingly resize the default settings without asking you. The common mistake when confronted with this is to click on the 'maximise' button. If you adjust the window manually and close the pane down, you should fine the document will open with these dimentions.
"I have a 1.72ghz dual core laptop with 1gb RAM, 256mb ATI Radeon X200m graphics card using Windows Vista, but it seems slow. I had a 1.6ghz Centrino solo 1gb RAM, 128mb laptop using Windows XP that seemed to run quicker. Any ideas? I have done virus kills and spyware and all that. The only thing I think it could is this new machine runs a 533mz FSB. My other had a 667 mhz FSB."
Mark Pruden
The problem has less to do with your Front Side Bus (FSB) and more to do with the additional power that Windows Vista needs, as opposed to Windows XP. Whilst 1gb of RAM is more than adequate to run Windows XP, you ideally need a bit more for Windows Vista to function at optimum efficiency.
"I keep being told to download the Malicious Tool upgrade. I do, it says successful, but the next time I boot up it wants the same download again? Please help!"
Robert Kassl
I presume you're referring to update KB92798, which has caused a few problems. Your best solution is run Windows Update and click on Check for updates, then when Windows Vista finds the updates click on View available updates.
Right-click the update you don't wish to install and click on Hide update. This will remove that option.
However, to actually install this update, you'll need to go to Microsoft Support and manually download the file and install it. Then go back into Windows Update and show the file. It should be all up-to-date.
"I have a program by the name of Micrsoft Picture it Platinum and it will not work with Windows Vista Ultimate. What can I do to make it work?"
Jack
It entirely depends on the version of Microsoft Picture It Platinum you have. The 2002 version should work by setting compatibility to Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1. You can also try and run Picture It! in a Virtual Machine if you have enough RAM to do this.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid the series has now been discontinued and is no longer supported by Microsoft. If you have an earlier version, all I can do is suggest looking into its successor, Microsoft Digital Image.
"I downloaded several screensavers, then unstalled them because of one thing or another they still show on my screensaver settings but dont work. I did a search and find them but I can not delete the files. It says cannot find this item try again, and will not delete it. What can I do to clean up my machine?"
Jack
If your screensavers are still installed on your computer, you should be able to find them in C:\windows\system32. If you search this directory for *.src, you should find them there and be able to delete them.
"I have a HP Scanjet 2100c that i've have had for a few years now. Is there anyway it can be made compatible with Windows Vista Home Premium. I checked on line for drivers but cannot download them. I would be grateful for any help. "
Jacqueline Cooper
Bad news on this one, I'm afraid. HP have no plans to release drivers for the HP Scanjet 2100c running in Windows Vista. Some people have had luck using the default drivers Windows Vista installs, but unfortunately it looks like you might need a new scanner.
"I have a HP PC running Windows Vista Home Basic. I am having problems playing video and dvds. The problem i have is when i play video the picture is choppy and seems to pause a lot the audio from video and dvd`s works fine"
Jay Craze
This could be caused by a number of things. Firstly, you should make sure your graphics drivers are completely up-to-date by visiting the nvidia or ATI website and downloading the relevant files.
Secondly, it's worth checking to make sure your DVD playback software is compatible with Windows Vista. Even if software runs on Windows Vista, it doesn't necessarily mean it's optimised and can cause trouble.
Lastly, try moving the DVD contents to your hard drive or watch some video through the same playback software that's on your computer. If the playback is still choppy, it's worth downloading something like Videolan or Media Player Classic that have great MPEG 2 decoders.
"I tried backing up my computer when I first bought it and somehow I filled the D: drive. I now know whatever I did wasn't necessary, but how do I empty it? Also, how do I backup my computer daily without using Discs. "
Dale
Truthfully, you shouldn't really touch anything to do with the D: drive, as it's setup to enable you to restore your computer to the factory shipped condition in case anything goes wrong.
To get rid of the low space warnings, go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Disk Management and right click on the D: drive. Then select Change Drive Letter Paths, click the Remove button and Okay the confirmation box, then click Okay and close Computer Management.
This will not harm the data on the restore partition, and you can always re-assign the D: letter do it, should you need to access it again.
Backing up your computer is slightly different to what your D: drive is currently doing. To do that, I'd recommend getting an external program like Professional Backup that makes the process simple.