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Requesting help from any Freeper who may know of a solution... We had a power outage overnight. When I tried to reboot this morning, my desktop didn't come up. When I select the "Restore Active Desktop" command, it fails with the error message: "Internet Explorer Script Error" and the details "An error has occurred on the script of this page" referencing Line 65, character 1, and error message: Object doesn't support this action; Code: 0. And it provides a URL followed by "Do you want to continue running scripts on this page?" with the default to "Yes". After hitting enter,...

I need help on installing a Windows XP upgrade to a Windows ME machine. The computer is a Micron Systems IBM-compatible machine with 640.0 mb RAM and a 667 MHz CPU clock. I'm getting the following error after the Windows XP setup restarts the computer: A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps: Check for viruses on your computer. Remove any newly-installed hard drives or hard drive controllers....

Windows Vista can be run for at least a year without being activated, a serious end run around one of Microsoft's key antipiracy measures, Windows expert Brian Livingston said Thursday. Livingston, who publishes the Windows Secret newsletter, said that a single change to Vista's registry lets users put off the operating system's product activation requirement an additional eight times beyond the three disclosed last month. With more research, said Livingston, it may even be possible to find a way to postpone activation indefinitely. "The [activation] demands that Vista puts on corporate buyers is much more than on XP," said Livingston....

I have decided a short guide is in order for anybody who is wondering about Upgrading to Vista or purchasing a new PC with Vista. I will do this in a question/answer format to make it easier on my pre-coffee morning mind. The very first question everybody should be asking themselves is, Do I need to?If XP is working fine for you and your computer is working fine, don't upgrade. Adopting early on usually means that you will have to deal with the craziness of incompatibilities with some of the older software you may have or some of the older...

Daily Techno-Babble offers a breathless "three reasons why Windows Vista is sinking like a rock," and while the story has a point, I don't really think that "limits on how Vista can be used under virtualization" is really the thing about Vista that is scaring away that many would-be users, nor are Microsoft's DRM provisions on high-definition video much of a big deal yet, as few users care about high-def on their PC right now. Don't get me wrong: I think all of these are factors that make Vista a poor OS, but they aren't the primary reason that it's...

Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said Thursday that Wall Street's current expectations for revenue from its newest operating system may be too "optimistic." "I'm really excited about how enthusiastic people are about Vista, but I think some of the revenue forecasts for Vista in 2008 are overly aggressive," Ballmer said in a meeting for financial analysts. "(Vista) is primarily a chance to sustain what (Windows) revenue we have -- not every release is a revenue growing opportunity.". . . Ballmer also responded to a question about a series of commercials made by smaller computer maker Apple Inc.. . ....

I recently formatted and reinstalled Windows to my computer, a Pentium 4 2.3ghz system. Before a reboot I installed Nvidia drivers and installed my HP printer. During the install of my printer it had a conflict with my external hard drive. I turned off the external hard drive and finished the install and went to reboot. Right before the reboot an error message with a red X symbol came up and counted down to 30 seconds to turn off. Once it turned off I went to reboot and it would not boot. I hear no POST beeps, the fans turn...

Vista is 'more secure' says Gates Vista features Windows Vista is "dramatically more secure than any other operating system released", Microsoft founder Bill Gates has told BBC News.Mr Gates said the security features in the new operating system were reason enough to upgrade from Windows XP. Microsoft launched Vista in London, with more than 100m computers predicted to be using it within 12 months. Mr Gates also defended the pricing of Vista, which is twice as expensive in Europe compared to the US. The technology leader called the launch a "big day" that would bring a new digital workstyle...

I received a few e-mails over the weekend from readers who took issue with advice I recently gave to a Web chat participant who asked what he should do to help an elderly friend who was having PC trouble. The questioner said the woman knew nothing about computers and that her Windows machine was besieged with pop-up advertisements. I probably get two or three variations on this question in the course of each Web chat, and I usually ignore them in favor of more targeted questions because of the difficulty in diagnosing what precisely may be ailing the questioner's computer....

After five years of starts, stops, executive shuffling, feature rethinks and delays, Windows Vista is finally complete. It’s available to corporations already, and starting Jan. 30, it’s what you’ll get on any new PC. Its programmers, who probably haven’t seen their families in months, will have an especially merry Christmas this year. So after five years, how is Windows Vista? Microsoft’s description, which you’ll soon be seeing in millions of dollars’ worth of advertising, is “Clear, Confident, Connected.” But a more truthful motto would be “Looks, Locks, Lacks.” Looks Windows Vista is beautiful. Microsoft has never taken elegance so seriously...

I have a two-year-old eMachine T3092 running Windows XP Home Edition. Over the past six months it has become progressively slower until it now takes 30-60 seconds to open a new screen or start an application. I use Norton Antivirus, Spy Sweeper, and BlackIce Firewall. I suspect the problem is simply too much extraneous crap in it. Is there a product that can clean-up Windows and my files to get it up to speed again? Thanks.

Like Apple, Microsoft is also acting upon competitive pressures -- but Apple is going after Goliath while Microsoft is trying to protect its flank. It feels threatened by open source software, such as Linux. Linux and programs that run under it are also typically much less expensive than Windows and Windows programs. "Warning: Flying Pig Sighted" and "Hell Freezes Over" were among the many headlines of computer publication articles and online posts about two recent even s that have shaken the computer world. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) , Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) , and the Linux community, longtime adversaries offering largely incompatible...

2008 will be a critical year for Apple, Microsoft, and the Linux contingent. If Apple can't significantly expand its presence by then in the PC market it is likely going to be finished with this segment. Its likely path in that case will be to focus more aggressively on the consumer electronics market it currently dominates.I mentioned last week that I was planning to attend the Linspire-sponsored Linux Desktop Summit where the discussion would include reasons the folks who build PCs don't want to do Linux. Indeed, some of the commentary at the event related to Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and...

Today, Andy Tanenbaum has officially announced the release of MINIX 3.0, the third stable version of this rather legendary operating system. The launch of v3 has been accompanied by a new website and a new logo. From the new website: "MINIX 3 is a new open-source operating system designed to be highly reliable and secure. It is based somewhat on previous versions of MINIX, but is fundamentally different in many key ways. MINIX 1 and 2 were intended as teaching tools; MINIX 3 adds the new goal of being usable as a serious system on resource-limited and embedded computers and...

SALT LAKE CITY -- There have been so many announcements, so much activity, such a hurried pace to the Brainshare 2005 conference that I think many may have overlooked the big story. It was thrown out in an almost offhand manner during Novell CEO Jack Messman's keynote address on Monday: Longtime Microsoft partner Novell is migrating all of its own 6,000 Windows desktops to Linux. I asked to speak to an executive who could tell me about the migration, and CIO Debra Anderson was kind enough to make herself available in spite of her own hectic schedule to tell the...

Gartner: Worms Jack Up the Total Cost of Windows May 5, 2004 (2:58 p.m. EST) By Gregg Keizer, TechWeb News Dealing with widespread worms like Sasser raises the cost of using Windows, a research analyst said Wednesday. Mark Nicolett, research director at Gartner, recommended that enterprises boost spending on patch management and intrusion prevention software to keep ahead of worms, which are appearing ever sooner after vulnerabilities in Windows are disclosed. This is part of the carrying cost of using Windows, said Nicolett. The cost of a Windows environment has gone up because enterprises have to install security patches very...

Bill Gates on Monday offered the first public look at Longhorn, the next generation of the Windows PC operating system that he said would be Microsoft's "biggest release of this decade and the biggest since Windows 95." However, the Microsoft chairman gave no timetable for the launch of the software, which has already slipped to a later timetable than originally thought. With Longhorn now not expected before 2006, Microsoft faces a gap in its new product cycle that has left a question over its growth rate in the meantime. Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer, has called Longhorn a "bet the...

Despite a rash of gushing news stories about the successes of Linux and Mac OS X on the server and client, respectively, Microsoft's Windows operating systems continue to dominate its OS rivals in both markets, and a recent report notes that usage of Windows is actually growing in both markets as well. Market researchers at IDC say that various versions of the Windows desktop and server OSes currently dominate their respective markets and will continue to do so for at least the next four years. IDC credits Microsoft's volume licensing programs for the company's ability to grow share during a...

China's Red Flag Linux to step onto global stage Alliance with HP strengthened as prelude to worldwide expansion of development effort TAIPEI, Taiwan -- An alliance between Hewlett-Packard Co. and Chinese Linux developer Red Flag Software Co. Ltd. established last month should lead to cooperation between the two companies on technology development and marketing of Red Flag Linux to companies in China and around the world. The announcement, made in Beijing on Aug. 20, strengthens a long-standing relationship between the two companies and represents a milestone in Red Flag's plans to expand its business outside the world's most populous country....

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