I have been doing PC consulting here in the Southport area since early 2000. In that time I have accumulated a lot of somewhat random factoids about Microsoft Windows XP and its problems and foibles. When I go to a client's home or office, I often see problems that I have previously handled and have learned how to fix.
On the other hand, I still run across problems that I have never seen before, and at that point I have to start doing some research (usually online on the Internet) on the assumption that perhaps someone has seen the problem before and can shed some light. I have to confess that Google is one of my prime tools - it is as good at finding solutions to PC technical problems as it is for searching for an article on bicycle adjustment or shopping for stuff. Interestingly, Google seems better at indexing and displaying search results for Microsoft's own Knowledge Base website than Microsoft is! As with any Google search, the key is learning how to properly phrase the search keywords.
When I do find a potential solution to the problem this way, the next step is to implement it. The first thing to do is to take a system checkpoint (more on that later in this column) and then apply the fix. As often as not, the fix involves changing items in the Registry - the single compendium of all Windows XP settings. But editing the Registry is difficult and if done wrong can stop your PC from booting up or create other problems.
Microsoft seems to have recognized that situation, and have come up with something new that I just stumbled upon the other day. Now contained in many of the Knowledge Base articles is a box that says "Download Guided Help". What this does is to download into your PC a small program that either makes the fix directly, or guides you through it. I have tried it once, with excellent results - i.e. it fixed the problem! So if you are going to try to fix a problem yourself, this new feature can make it easier and safer to do.
On the subject of creating system restore points, there is some misunderstanding of what this does and how to use it. I have noticed some of my clients attempting to use this feature incorrectly, so perhaps a few words are in order. You can create a checkpoint by going to Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / System Restore. All you have to do is to specify a name for the checkpoint for later reference.
But restoring your system when troubleshooting a problem is not always the best choice. The issue is that this checkpoint facility only checkpoints certain things about Windows and does not, in general, restore your user files. And restoring to a previous checkpoint reverts all system settings, not just the individual thing that might be your problem.
System Restore is best used before you are going to make some change to the system, either system settings or perhaps installing a new device driver. Create the checkpoint, make the change, and then if all is OK you are done. If the change does not work, go back to the checkpoint as soon as possible.
I have seen people attempt to go back to checkpoints that are weeks or months old to attempt to fix a problem. It may do so, but you need to realize that doing this will revert many other settings that you may have made in the interim. My advice is to be very careful before using System Restore checkpoints that are old.
(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport - Oak Island area. You can visit his Website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail questions or column ideas to him at bsc@bobseidel.com. For specific inquiries, please call Bob Seidel Consulting, LLC at 278-1007.)