CHKDSK Error: Cannot open the volume for direct access

When starting up your computer (Windows XP) if you get a message like:

Cannot open volume for direct access.
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Windows has finished checking the disk.

when trying to run CHKDSK on the local drive, then follow the steps below.

Microsoft's only solution is to install SP2 however, this will only fix the problem if there is another line "IFSUTIL: Can't open drive. Status returned = c0000043." is present. Most of the time, however, this line is not present and other steps are required.

Note: This solution has not been tested on Windows Vista, however if the above problem occurs, trying the following solution should not damage your system.
Note 2: You may want to print this solution because you will be required to restart in the middle.

-- Basic Solution --
1) Goto Start -> Run
2) Type "cmd" (no quotes)
3) Type and execute in the Command Prompt window: "chkdsk /F" (no quotes)
3a) If you were trying to perform chkdsk on another drive then type "chkdsk /F" then your drive (ex: "chkdsk /F D:")
4) When it asks if you want to check the volume on the next system restart, press "y" and return
5) Goto Start -> Run
6) Type "msconfig" no quotes
7) Goto the "BOOT.INI" tab and check the box labeled "/SAFEBOOT"



8) Press Apply, then Close
9) When it asks if you want to restart, choose "Restart"
10) The chkdsk Scan should now successfully run
11) When the scan is complete, login, and once again goto Start -> Run
(If a System Configuration dialog comes up, click "OK" [see below] )
12) Type "msconfig" (no quotes) again
13) Once again, goto the BOOT.INI tab and this time, uncheck the "/SAFEBOOT" option
14) Click Apply, then Close, and then Restart

If you get the following window, when you computer starts:


Check the box next to "Don't show this message..." and click OK

Afternote: You will have to do this everytime you want to run chkdsk on the local drive.

If the above solution did not work, please send me an email:

or comment below. If it did work, Congrats! More fixes will be added as time goes on....

The full potential of netsh.

I have not been around much to have been posting some new errors. I have received many emails over the past few weeks and I have been trying to reply (usually in under an hour) and get everyone's problems fixed. Remember you can email me at:


Now time to move on to: Netsh.

Netsh is a command-line based tool that can be used to locally or remotely administer a computer. I recently stumbled upon it when I was searching for a way to set DNS servers via the command-line. Various "things" you can do with Netsh will be shown below:

Set IP Address/Subnet/Gateway
netsh interface ip set address "<name of connection>" static <ip address> <subnet> <default gateway>

Set DNS Server(s)
netsh int ip set dns "<name of connection>" static <ip address> primary
To Set More DNS Servers:
netsh int ip add dns "<name of connection>" <ip address>

Set Connection To DHCP
netsh interface ip set address "<name of connection>" dhcp

Set WINS Server(s)
netsh interface ip set wins "<name of connection>" static <ip address>
To Set More WINS Servers:
netsh interface ip add wins "<name of connection>" <ip address>

Those are just some basic examples. I hope that you can benefit from this command as much as I recently have been able to!

-James Hartig

WordPerfect Freezes/Hangs On Print Of a Document

Having a problem printing documents from WordPerfect? When you go to print a document, does the program just freeze/hang and just stop responding?



Solution 1: Clear Cache
(Note: This did not work for me, but supposedly it should for some people)
1) Goto the "File" menu along the top bar, then select "Print"
2) Click the "Status" button along the right side (screen seen above)
3) Clear all of the documents in the list by selecting each one and pressing the 'Delete' key (or holding it down)
4) Try to print again

Solution 2: Add PrintServer To Startup
1) Goto "Start" -> "Run"
(if there is no Run command... do the following)
1a) Right-Click on the Start and select 'Properties'
1b) Next to the "Start Menu" selection click "Customize"
1c) Scroll Down and find "Run Command" and select the check box
1d) Then Goto Start -> Run

2) Type in the Run box: "msconfig" (no quotes)
3) In the "System Configuration Utility" box that came up, goto the "Startup" Tab



4) Look for something that relates to "PrintServerxxx" (where xxx are numbers between 100 and 150)
4a) If there is something that has that name, then this solution is not for you
4b) If you don't see anything relating to that, then continue
5) Close the "System Configuration Utility"
6) Right click on "Start" and either choose "Explore All Users" or "Open"
7) Navigate through: "Programs" -> "Startup"
8) Right click somewhere in the folder (the large white space in the window) and choose "New" -> "Shortcut"
9) Click "Browse"



10) Navigate through: "My Computer" -> "Local Disk" -> "Program Files"
10a) If you installed Word Perfect Office then navigate into the "WordPerfect Office xx" (where xx is the version of your software) folder
10b) If there is no "WordPerfect Office" folder, then open the folder "Corel", then your type of installation folder (ex: "WordPerfect Family Pack 4" or "WordPerfect Family Pack 5"
(Note: Depending on where you installed WordPerfect, you might have to try different drives under "My Computer")
11) Open the folder "Programs" then select a program related to "PrintServerxxx.exe" (where xxx is a number between 100 and 150) ((also, there may not be a .exe))
12) Press "OK"
13) Press "Next >" then "Finish"
(Note: If any Firewall or Security software alerts you that a "Startup Entry" was added, the just allow or click ok)
14) Restart your computer
15) Try to print your document again

The second solution worked for me when I went to fix my Grandparent's computer. Hope it works for you!
As usual, you can email me (I usually respond within hours) or comment here if you have any problems or questions.

Hope that helps!
-James Hartig

OOo-dev cannot be started: corrupt configuration data

Today, when I started up my computer, I was greeted with the following message:



Which stated that: "OOo-dev cannot be started due to an error in accessing the OOo-dev configuration data."
Also, it provided some useful information, such as: "The following internal error has occurred: /org.openoffice.Office.Recovery". This will be very handy later on.

Similar Errors:
"OpenOffice cannot be started due to an error in accessing the OpenOffice configuration data"
"OpenOffice cannot be started due to an error in accessing the OpenOffice.org configuration data"

"StarOffice cannot be started due to an error in accessing the StarOffice configuration data"
(if this is your error, after running the %APPDATA% (step 3) , open the folder "StarOffce7" [or something similar] then continue with the normal steps)

Solution 1 (if there was an 'Internal Error' message)
1) Goto Start -> Run
2) Type in "%APPDATA%" (no quotes)
3) In the new window that popped up, open up "OOo-dev3" or "OpenOffice2" (or something similar [with "OOo" in it or "openoffice" in it] )
4) Navigate through the following folders: user -> registry -> data
5) Now, the following depends on what was displayed as the error message.
6) Follow the folders as the error was shown (the last 'part' is the file)
example: if "/org.openoffice.Office.Recovery" then open the folders org -> openoffice -> Office

7) For my error message (shown above) I went (from within the data folder) through:
org -> openoffice -> Office

8) In the folder, now look at the last part of the string which is the filename.
example: if "/org.openoffice.Office.Recovery" then work with the file Recovery.xcu
example 2: if "/org.openoffice.Office.Common" then work with the file Common.xcu
9) Now take that file, and rename to something else (Recovery -> OLD.Recovery).
10) Start OpenOffice and it should fix the problem and load correctly!

11) If not, then continue through the next solutions.

Solution 2 (if there wasn't any 'Internal Error' message)
1) Goto Start -> Run
2) Type in "%APPDATA%" (no quotes)
3) In the new window that popped up, open up "OOo-dev3" or "OpenOffice2" (or something similar [with "OOo" in it or "openoffice" in it] )
4) Navigate through the following folders: user -> registry -> data -> org -> openoffice -> Office
5) Once in the 'Office' folder, delete everything except the "Common.xcu" file.
6) Try to start OpenOffice
7) If it loads correctly, congrats! If not, continue.


8) It seems like it still didn't work for you. Now go ahead and delete the "Common.xcu" file in the "Office" folder.
9) Try to start OpenOffice again
10) It should work now, but if not, continue to the next solution.


Solution 3 (if the above ones won't work)
1a) Restart your computer (or if you are too impaitent, continue)
1b) Goto Start -> Run
2) Type in "%APPDATA%" (no quotes)
3) In the new window that popped up, open up "OOo-dev3" or "OpenOffice2" (or something similar [with "OOo" in it or "openoffice" in it] )
4) Locate the folder: "user".
5) Rename the folder to "user2" (no quotes)
6a) Start OpenOffice, it should bring up a Configuration Wizard, follow the steps and your done!
6b) If you want, you can now go back and delete the created "user2" folder.
7) If it still doesn't work, I have no idea what has happened and you should continue your search somewhere else. (you can email me, but I cannot guarantee any fixes with OpenOffice)

Questions or Problems? Email me @


Hope That Helps!
-James Hartig

Windows Audio Driver Failure

If your Windows audio driver has stopped working all the sudden and you know for sure it is installed then there is a quick fix to this. This may not always work due to corrupt driver and you may need to reinstall the driver. Also if you have received the following error messages, this fix might work:
1. - "Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program, or it might not be functioning properly."
2. - "iTunes has detected a problem with your audio configuration. Audio/Video playback may not operate properly."
Or any other error in a program warning you that your audio may not work properly.


How to fix problem:
Click Start > Run > Type "services.msc" and press "OK"
Then scroll down to "Windows Audio".
Right Click on "Windows Audio" then click "Start" or "Restart".

If this does not fix your audio problem then you probably have a corrupt audio driver and you may need to reinstall it.

Myspace Music Player White Blank Not Loaded

If you have opendns and myspace music player's are not working, it is because opendns blocks lads.myspace.com!

I have flagged the site for review and I will post back if any problems still arise.

If you want to fix this problem and you have a opendns account pointing to your home ip, then you can login and goto settings. Then under filtering, choose whitelist and enter "myspace.com" (no quotes).

I will post back with any replies or fixes I can find.

Sorry he couldn't provide an all around fix,
James Hartig

Firefox Download Day Started Off Rough

This is similar to my other posts at http://jameshartig.blogspot.com.

Firefox download day started off rough, with servers failing and website failures. They are serving out 13gb/s of data at roughly 14,000 downloads a minute.
You can track all of the downloads at http://downloadcounter.sj.mozilla.com/

Updated Progress of the download failure and startup and be read and monitored on My Personal Blog Post

The following are notices about Firefox 3:

Sliverlight 1 doesn't work with Firefox 3
However, Silverlight 2 does (http://silverlight.net/GetStarted/)

Download Firefox 3 from http://getfirefox.com
Automatic updates will not work for a while yet, so get your new version today!


Hope the Mozilla server trouble is over and we can get a world record here!!

Keeping You Updated,
James Hartig

Installing Themes SP3 Problem

After installing SP3, was your XP theme reverted to the original XP theme? Or in other words, are you not able to install a theme on XP SP3?

Windows has disabled unsigned themes for Windows XP SP3 and does not allow you to install them for security reasons.

Heres how you fix it:
Download and Install WindowsXP SP3 UxTheme Patcher here: http://pcsofts.cn/application/windowsxp-sp3-uxtheme-patcher-v12.html

This patch modifies a system file to allow you to install your unsigned themes.

Firefox Download Day June 17, 2008

Firefox Download Day is June 17, 2008
Mark Your Calendars! The link to the site is above (the banner).

On this date you will be able to download Firefox 3, the newest and best browser on the planet. I will be looking forward to testing Firefox 4 soon!

June 17, 2008 is also the day I can get my temp. drivers license.

In unrelated news...
Firefox 3 RC3 was just released.
Download Here


Just keeping you updated.
James Hartig

Redirect Problem: “This page has an unspecified potential security risk. Would you like to continue?”

This is a redirect post for the following problem.

When trying to open a file, folder, etc. you get the following message from Internet Explorer...

“This page has an unspecified potential security risk. Would you like to continue?”

The solution on page...

Windows XP Problem: "Your current security settings do not allow this action"

should work, but if not, try

Windows XP zip Problem: "Your current security settings do not allow this action"

If that still will not fix your problem, then continue your search, or email me @


Hope That Helps!
-James Hartig

Received Error: "Data Execution Prevention" on Application: Windows Explorer

Received something similar to the following?

Received it only once?
Your fine! If it keeps happening, return here.

Received it multiple times?
Continue.

This problem is very vague and I am working on a complete fix to the problem, however it is kind of hard!

Solution 1 (if you remember what you did!)

1) Write down what you did to receive the popup,
it is most likely a program launch, right-click (note where too! it is very important!), folder open, etc.

This is where we part solutions...

Solution 1a (application launch)
(The "Application" is probably modifying something in the Windows environment)

Options: (Sorry, however I am at a loss here)
1) Upgrade Program
2) Don't Launch
3) Contact Vendor (be sure to be specific!)
4) Uninstall Program

Solution 1b (right-click/folder open)
(It is probably a problem with a context handler [=the things you click on in a right-click menu])

1) Download ShellExView (I recommend the ZIP)
2) Run and locate, via the "My Computer, Desktop, Control Panel, File Extension, etc." columns where the DEP error occurred
example: if it happened when you right-clicked on the Desktop, sort by the Desktop column
example2: if it happened when you right-clicked on a file/folder, sort by the File Extension column and find the file ext. or * or Folder

3) Disable any suspicious, unknown and/or obsolete handlers (Be careful!, especially when disabling any "Microsoft" handler as I would recommend not to!)
4) If the error comes back, try again, this time with different ones
If not, then your done! (note: depending on how many you removed or how much time you have, you can go back and enable one-by-one and see which one it was)

Most likely it is the context handler problem (Solution 1b).

Solution 2 (if you don't personally care about DEP and its protection)
(My opinion would be to try the ones above and then resort to this Solution)

Option 2a (simple, for beginners)
(NOT FOR WINDOWS VISTA!!! and Windows Server 2008)
1) Goto System Properties
a) Press (Windows Key + Pause/Break)
b) Right-click on My Computer and select 'Properties'
c) Control Panel -> System (or if not classic, Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> System)
2) Goto "Advanced" tab
3) Under the "Startup and Recovery" section, click Advanced

4) Click "Edit" next to 'To edit the startup options file manually, click Edit.'
5) In the notepad window that opened, change the /NoExecute option to...

Options:

"/noexecute=alwaysoff" = Disables DEP. Attempts to enable DEP selectively are ignored. ALSO DISABLES PAE!!
"/noexecute=optout" = Disables DEP. However, can be enabled for certain programs via administrator.
"/noexecute=alwayson" = Enables DEP for the operating system and all processes.
"/noexecute=optin"= Enables DEP for the operating system and all processes, but administrators can disable.

Example:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

--would change to--

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptOut

6) Save and Restart Computer

(FOR VISTA!!! and Windows Server 2008)
1) Start -> Run
(if there is no Run command... do the following)
1a) Right-Click on the Start and select 'Properties'
1b) Next to the "Start Menu" selection click "Customize"
1c) Scroll Down and find "Run Command" and select the check box
1d) OK then Goto Start -> Run

2) Type and Execute "cmd"
3) In the CMD window,
"bcdedit /set nx" then one of the following options (Optout recommened)

Optin

Enables DEP only for operating system components. Administrators can enable DEP on selected executable files by using the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT).

Optout

Enables DEP for the operating system and all processes. However, administrators can disable DEP on selected executable files by using System in Control Panel.

AlwaysOn

Enables DEP for the operating system and all processes. All attempts to disable DEP are ignored.

AlwaysOff

Disables DEP. Attempts to enable DEP selectively are ignored. ALSO DISABLES PAE!!

4) Restart

Remember: If you are unsure, comment or email me! If you do this incorrectly your computer may not boot correctly or at all!!


Hope This Helps!
-James Hartig

GoogleDesktop.exe Virus?? Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Bandlord.nrd

I just received the following from ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite.



I don't know if its a problem with ZoneAlarm or with Google Desktop. I have emailed Google about the problem and will post the response once it is received.
I received this right after updating Google Desktop to the latest version. It seems that they have vastly modified the executable process because GoogleDesktop.exe has shrunk from almost 2mb to around 29kb.

Response received,

Hi James,

Thank you for your note. Although we can't comment on the accuracy of
results in specific anti-virus programs, please rest assured that Google
Desktop doesn't install malicious or unknown software onto your computer.
When you download and install Google Desktop, you're getting just Google
Desktop. If you'd like further information regarding the results of your
anti-virus scan, we recommend directly contacting your anti-virus
program's online support center.

That said, if Google Desktop is being flagged by your anti-virus software,
we'd appreciate if you could tell us more about your system by running the
simple diagnostic program at [URL]. When you run this
program, it will automatically copy the output into your computer's
clipboard. To send us the diagnostic, paste the output into a word
processing document (right-click > "Paste") and attach the file to your response.


We appreciate your assistance.

Regards,
The Google Team

I have sent back the required file and have also contacted ZoneAlarm about this situation.

ZoneAlarm Response,

Hello James,
Thank you for contacting ZoneAlarm technical support.

I understand that you are receiving a scanning status message about Google Desktop.

Since this product indexes your hard drive, this is an appropriate warning from ZoneAlarm.

If you would like to stop receiving this warning, please click the option to have this always ignored, and then click the
apply button.

If my answer did not resolve your issue, or you would like further assistance on this issue, please reply to this email.
By replying, and leaving the subject line intact, your response will come directly to me. If you have a separate issue you
would like assistance with, please submit a new request using the website at:
[URL].

Thank you for choosing ZoneAlarm Security!

Jeremy
Technical Support
ZoneAlarm, A Division of Check Point Software

Sent response to Google. Awaiting Email...


-James Hartig

Windows XP SP3: Endless Rebooting/Not Booting Solution Link

This is just a post referring users to

https://msinfluentials.com/blogs/jesper/archive/2008/05/08/does-your-amd-based-computer-boot-after-installing-xp-sp3.aspx

where a fix is posted about Windows XP SP3 and the solutions to an "endless rebooting" problem and also some situations where Windows doesn't boot at all.


Hope That Helps!
-James Hartig

Windows XP SP3: DNS server not working. Internet Sharing Client. Disable, then Enable

Windows XP SP3 Problem With Internet Connection Sharing and DNS with Clients
This fix is for the following conditions...
a) You have recently installed Windows XP SP3
b) You have enabled Internet Connection Sharing and have configured a host computer and client computer
c) You have recently disabled/enabled the Network Connection to which is being shared on the host, or have a USB network device and have removed/inserted it
(if you have not done that, this fix will most likely not work!!)
d) You cannot connect to websites, DNS is failing, etc.

Solution 1 (Very Simple!)

1) Shutdown host
2) Shutdown client
3) Turn on client
4) Turn on host


Solution 2 (If shutting down host, is not an option!)

1) Goto Run-> cmd (on the host)
2) Execute (type and enter) "net stop sharedaccess" (no quotes)
3) Turn Off Client Computer
4) Go back to cmd window on host, execute "net stop sharedaccess" (no quotes)
5) Turn on client

Please note that this must be done whenever you are enabling/disabling/removing/insterting the Internet Connection Sharing device.

If you don't want to, submit a Hotfix Request at
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

or just download the fix here (direct hotfix from Microsoft, not modified, no spyware, no viruses, nothing!)
NOTE: This HotFix will only work for Windows XP SP3 (32-Bit) with the above problem (Especially 'c'), DON'T TRY THIS ON ANYTHING ELSE!!
http://fastest963.us.to/windowsfixes/sp3dnsfailedhotfix/WindowsXP-KB951830-x86-ENU.exe

(Note: For anyone who cares, it is a problem in the file Ipnathlp.dll)

Hope That Helps!
-James Hartig

Windows Service Pack Install Error (Q327101): Core System File (Kernel) Files Modified

Note: This will not work on Windows Vista and/or Windows Server 2008 as they do not have a boot.ini and I am working on a fix via the command line.

When trying to install a Windows Service Pack, you may receive a error resembling the following...

"Windows has detected that a core system file (kernel) used to start this computer is not a Microsoft Windows file. Due to this modification, the Service Pack will not be installed."

This may seem like a big deal, however it isn't! The problem is that you most likely have a Windows modification program that changes your theme or boot screen. Microsoft says that you need to uninstall any software to fix this problem, but that isn't necessary.

Simple and Only Solution

1) Goto System Properties
a) Press (Windows Key + Pause/Break)
b) Right-click on My Computer and select 'Properties'
c) Control Panel -> System (or if not classic, Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> System)
2) Goto "Advanced" tab
3) Under the "Startup and Recovery" section, click Advanced

Windows XP

4) Click "Edit" next to 'To edit the startup options file manually, click Edit.'
5) In the notepad window that opened, remove the option /Kernel= and the file
Example (if you have Tuneup Utilities):

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center Edition" /fastdetect /kernel=TUKernel.exe /NoExecute=OptIn

--would change to--

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

6) Save the file and restart
(NOTE: IF YOU ARE UNSURE, COMMENT OR EMAIL ME!!!, IF YOU EDIT THE FILE INCORRECTLY, THE SYSTEM WILL FAIL TO BOOT!!)

7) Try installing Service Pack again.

That's All!

Hope That Helps!
-James Hartig

Remember: If you are unsure, email me or comment!!

Something Gone Wrong? Something Not Working?

Have a Windows Problem that you cannot seem to fix?
Have a look in the Event Viewer!

To Access The Event Viewer

1) Goto Start -> Run
(if there is no Run command... do the following)
1a) Right-Click on the Start and select 'Properties'
1b) Next to the "Start Menu" selection click "Customize"
1c) Scroll Down and find "Run Command" and select the check box
1d) OK then Goto Start -> Run

2) Type in the Run Box, "eventvwr.msc" (no quotes)
2a) If Windows responds with a "Windows Needs Permission To Continue." and it is for "Microsoft Management Console", click 'Continue'
3) Typically you will find all of the major incidents in "System"
4) If you see a problem (indicated by a red X), Right-click and choose 'Properties'

Windows XP

Windows Vista

5) Take Note of the "Event ID:"
6) Copy some of the information in the description and then execute a Google search
note: be sure to include information like "windows xp event [event id goes here]" also, paste some of your information like the following example!

I will be showing a problem that I recently had and have produced a fix for...

With that information I would search on Google for
"windows xp event 4321 The name could not be registered on the Interface with IP address not allow the name to be claimed"
then looking through the results I would click on

Windows Fixes: Cannot connect to Windows network? Event 4321

Thats all!

Hope that helps
-James Hartig

If you couldn't find anything, email me the whole description, ID and maybe

Cannot connect to Windows network? Event 4321

Receiving Event 4321: NetBT
The name "<workgroup name>:1d" could not be registered on the Interface with IP address <client's IP address>. The machine with the IP address <another computer's IP> did not allow the name to be claimed by this machine.

Solution 1

1) Turn off all devices on network
2) Unplug router
3) optional: turn off modem (cable, DSL, etc.)
4) count to 60 then turn back on modem
5) plug back in router
6) Turn back on computers
7) Check for 4321 error and windows network connectivity

Solution 1a

1) Check firewall
2) Firewall of pc <another computer's IP> can be blocking requests from <client's IP address>
3) Add internal network range (ex: 192.168.1.1 -> 192.168.1.255) to Trusted (or similar zone)
4) Also, make sure NetBIOS is not disabled or blocked by your firewall
4a) If "NetBIOS" is not listed as an option, try allowing/enabling the following ports:
TCP 2869
UDP 1900

Solution 2

1) Change names of all computers and possibly the workgroup name too
2) Turn off all computers after name change
3) Turn back on, one at a time
4) Check for error and connectivity after each computer is on

Solution 3

Note: This could screw up your network shares. I will explain more at end (skip there first if you are unsure)
Note2: Designed For Windows XP

1) Goto Network Connections from Control Panel
2) Choose Properties From Your Network Connection

3) Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" then press Properties
4) In the "General" tab, press Advanced
5) Goto The "WINS" tab and choose "Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP"

6) Press OK, and Again and again until you are out
7) Restart Computer
8) Repeat on other computers on network

Note: Instead of being able to access a computer by its name (ex. //home1) you now must access its IP (ex. //192.168.1.2), in which case I recommend using a static IP for your computers, see post below.


Hope that helps!
-James Hartig

Recommended: How to create a internal static IP address for your computer.

By default, Windows uses DHCP (See Wikipedia Entry) for its way of retrieving an IP for your computer.

Note: This will not work if you are connected directed to your modem! Also, this is only recommend for people with a network of various computers.

Steps To Make Your Computer Static (Windows XP)
1) Open Control Panel > Network Connections or
Control Panel > Network and Internet Connections > Network Connection
2) Right click on the "active" Connection and choose Status
Should be like "Local Area Connection"

(Note: For some reason, on some systems, the status screen will not open? Try double-clicking on the connection or follow the instructions below...)

3) Goto the Support tab and click on Details...
(Picture Below)

-- Alternate Way To Status Screen --
1) Goto Start > Run > cmd
2) Run ipconfig /All
3) Look at the correct information under the device you tried to open the "status screen" for
(Picture Below)
-- End Alternate Way --

4) Whether you are looking at the cmd window, or the status window, write down the boxed data (IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, DNS Server(s))
(Note: The information in the following examples do not represent "your" data, they are plainly examples)

Status Window

CMD Window

5) Go back to the Network Connections screen
(Open Control Panel > Network Connections or
Control Panel > Network and Internet Connections > Network Connection)

6) Right-click on the network connection you just looked up and this time choose properties.

7) Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

8) Click Properties
9) Choose "Use The Following IP Address" and fill in the appropriate information
10) If there was more than 2 DNS servers listed, put in the first 2 in and then select ok
11) Go back into "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" Properties and then choose Advanced
12) Click Advanced in the bottom right corner of the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties" window

13) Goto the DNS tab,

14) In the Add window, type the extra DNS servers that you were unable to enter in before
15) Select OK, and again until you are out of the windows
16) Restart Might Be Required

Steps To Make Your Computer Static (Windows Vista)
1) Open Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center
2) Under the "Network" Section, across from "Connection", press "View Status"

3) Click on Details...
(Picture Below)

4) Whether you are looking at the cmd window, or the status window, write down the boxed data (IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, DNS Server(s))
(Note: The information in the following examples do not represent "your" data, they are plainly examples)

Status Window

5) Go back to the Connection Status Window and click "Properties"

6) Press "Continue" on the "Windows needs your permission to continue." window

7) Select 'Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)'

8) Click Properties
9) Choose "Use The Following IP Address" and fill in the appropriate information
10) If there was more than 2 DNS servers listed, put in the first 2 in and then select ok
11) Go back into "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" Properties and then choose Advanced
12) Click Advanced in the bottom right corner of the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties" window

13) Goto the DNS tab,

(Windows Vista screen is identical)

14) In the Add window, type the extra DNS servers that you were unable to enter in before
15) Select OK, and again until you are out of the windows
16) Restart Might Be Required


Congrats! Your Done!

Hope That Helps
-James Hartig

Before Installing Windows XP SP3, "Access Denied", "SP3 Failed To Install"

Before Post: Note: If you install SP3, you cannot uninstall IE7 or IE8, so if you are planning on uninstalling either in the future or at all, do it before installing Windows XP SP3!

Note2: Please stop all spyware/anti-virus software (if you feel insecure, disconnect your internet), as these might prohibit the install to save/create files and/or registry entries!

Try to install Windows XP SP3 and receive a "Access Denied" error or an "SP3 Failed To Install" error?
Similar Errors: "The Installation can not continue please click ok to undo the changes." "Windows has been partly updated and may not work properly."
This fix will fix errors in other installations/programs also, running the "reset.cmd" regularly will prevent other problems and is beneficial.
Thinking about installing Windows XP SP3 and want to not receive this error?

Here's a poorly Photoshop example... (note: your error may look different)

Preventing Access Error Problems With SP3

1) Download SubInACL
2) Install it to 'Program Files\Windows Resource Kits'
3) Make Sure subinacl.exe is in the folder 'Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools', if not move it
4) Download reset.cmd (right-click 'save link as...')
or follow the following steps

How to make your own reset.cmd

1) Open Notepad
2) Paste the following...

cd /d "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Resource Kits\Tools"
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subdirectories %SystemDrive% /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
subinacl /subdirectories %windir%\*.* /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f
secedit /configure /cfg %windir%\repair\secsetup.inf /db secsetup.sdb /verbose

3) Save as reset.cmd (check the picture below)

-------Done------


5) Double-click the reset.cmd on your desktop and wait for it to finish (this may take several minutes)
6) Install Windows XP SP3!!

Congrats! Your Done!

Hope this helps,
James Hartig

Something unusual not listing? How to take a screenshot.

Can't seem to find an answer for your unusual problem with a Windows XP/Vista computer?

Send an email (including computer specs, all possible information, steps to produce problem, and if possible, screenshots) to



Don't Know How to Make A Screenshot??

Follow These Easy Steps...

1) Click on the window you want to take a screenshot of (make sure its focused on)
2) Press Alt+Print Screen (also can be Alt+SysRq)
3) Open up an image editor, like paint, and then paste
4) Save (jpg/png) and your done!

Thanks!
Hope that helps!
-James Hartig