Since I get alot of people asking for help about various computer-related problems I have decided to create a thread so myslef and people can share their problems and members can offer solutions to them.

Please also note that nobody here ( that I know of ) is a computer expert in repair so if you have a serious problem such as a hardware crash or system shut down then I advise consulting a proffesional in the area of expertise.

Moderate problem advice although can be offered, such as people to contact etc to help with the problem.

If you any questions about computers in general then ask away also. :)

Great idea Pete!

My computer is always messing around and causing me problems! So it's great to have a help thread.

Thanks :)

What a brilliant idea Pete! Now I know you're there to help me if anything goes wrong with my computers. :P

Thanks Pete! I always ask you for tips haha

A few FAQ solutions:

Q Computer doesnt do anything when it boots up - it just constantly beeps

A There are a number. Some could be to complex to explain.

One is that you have hardware conflict. In this case, a card is dead or not working, and the amount of beeps or the speed of the beeps are sent by the CPU to indicate to a proffesional techniction which peice of hardware isnt working.

If this is not the reason, somtimes preforming a system restore can solve the problem. By restoring the operating system to a earlier date it can heal the problem, on the assersion the reason is not a haedware failure.

More than often, ALWAYS consult a engineer if this problem occurs.

Q When I connect to the internet, I can only acess a few pages or none load

A Again, there is more than one reason for this. The most common one is the browser is down or there is a problem with your internet provider. A common way to overcome this problem is to re-start your computer, thus totally resetting your modem and browser RAM.

If this fails to fix the problem, check your firewall settings and ensure nothing is blocked that should be allowed. Also, having your cookies cleared can help, as most older browsers have a limit to how many they can hold before problems occur. But some sites need this function enabled for anything to work.

Q When I load a peice of software I get am System16/32 subset message

[B][/B]A[B] The message tells you the software you are using is too "old" for the version of Windows you are using.

There are 3 logical solutions:

1 Run the Programme Compatability Wizard and see if Windws can temp change some settings to run older software.

2 Use an older Operating system. Win 16 is anything before WIndows XP Win32 is Vista.

3 Install a DOS BOX which is pretty good at using old software,

Il add more later, if you have any yourself, please add them :)

Ok I need help.

Everytime i try to sign into MSN Messenger my computer freezes. It's so annoying! <_<

That happens to me LOADS
Well, msn freezes
i havnt figured it out yet
I just restart my laptop.

Quite a common problem Luke. Possible reasons are:

# Programs running underneath have not finished updating so it slows down your processor

# You have too many applications or windows open when you sign in so the memory from Windows has no option but to dump

# Msn software has stalled or crashed - signal was not sent to the server.

Possible solutions:

# Make sure your running the latest msn for your version of windows - older versions running on newer versions will run slower due to the drag factor of newer operating system ( ie: Vista ) - so ensure the one you afre running is compatable and if there is an update that is stable go for that one - it should reduce the freezing or stop it altogether

# Go to your taskbar and right click - open task manager and manually close MSN then try to login again - somtimes this fixes the problem - manually closing a program can somtimes be faster than waiting for Windows to do it for you if it crashes.

# If the entire computer locks up - do what Tommy said and re-start. *Microsoft should send you an option to report the error when the computer re-boots - do that when you get back online.

# If it continually happens over a prolonged period of time, then consider emailing MS tech support and asking them for a patch to overide the login timer.

Another option is to try reinstalling MSN.