Quick tips
Solving a variety of tech problems
Random freeze part 2
Regarding my earlier email about random freezes, by the time you responded, the whole PC had broken down: When I power on, the fans light up, and so does the RGB, but nothing else lights up, and the ROG logo does not light up when the machine is off. It was supposed to be on all the time.
About the corrupt RAM, I have seen several blue screens with the stop codes “SYSTEM_THREAD_ NOT_HANDLED” and some other memory management error. I mainly play Terraria and Geometry Dash on the PC. I could try buying a new set of RAM from a different manufacturer, or is it the mobo? Finally, to answer your earlier question, I have a 750W PSU. RECTOR-STINGRAY
APC responds: At first glance, the blue screen errors would suggest that your RAM is the problem, but it might also point to a failing drive (or even just a drive that needs a good run-through with the Disk Check tool). The fact your PC appears to have “broken down” would point towards the RAM, processor, or motherboard, though – key components required for the PC to get as far as the POST screen. We can’t give you a definitive answer as to which is the culprit, but he can show you the steps he’d follow in your position.
First, the cheapest and easiest component to test is the RAM – and the blue-screen errors would suggest this is the best place to start. If your PC could get beyond the POST screen, we’d recommend you create a Memtest86 bootable flash drive (www.memtest86. com) on another PC, then boot from that to grill your RAM and hopefully confirm the diagnosis with test failures.
Assuming you can’t even get as far as the POST, you may still have one quick diagnosis option left. If you purchased your RAM as a pair of 4GB sticks, try removing one and seeing if your PC will now boot; if it doesn’t, try the other. With a bit of luck, only one stick will be corrupt, and you’ll be able to boot using the working stick. If so, your solution would be simple: Replace the RAM with sticks known to be compatible with your mothrboard (there’s a comprehensive list at https://bit. ly/MPCoctRAM).
If you only have one stick of RAM, or trying the above test fails to work, you’ll have to make a decision about which parts to swap out: We would probably order more RAM first in the knowledge that if it doesn’t fix the problem, you could either return the RAM or keep it to boost your PC’s memory later.
One final thing: Your motherboard should issue a short beep when it starts – if you’ve never heard this, then have you connected it to the case’s system warning speaker (consult page 1-20 of your motherboard manual for details). Once connected, you should hear a series of beeps at startup – one continuous beep followed by several short beeps: Two indicates memory failure, three no monitor detected, four for hardware component failure, which would indicate a problem with the motherboard or processor.
If you decide to replace the board, a direct swap is the simplest option because your current Windows installation won’t be affected, and you can be up and running again quickly. Hopefully, you’ll still be under the manufacturer’s warranty, so RMA it.
Tame default apps
I have a pet peeve against Microsoft. Seems that every update, the default apps for specific file extensions get changed to what they want and totally ignore what I want them to be. Specifically, I mean HTM, HTML, and PDF. Can you suggest a way, hopefully via a script, to set the defaults to the ones I want?
BAD BIG DAD
APC responds: We share your pain. Part of the problem is down to the fact that Windows often leaps in when older programs attempt to grab the file associations – this behavior has been blocked since Windows 8 (allegedly for security reasons), and when Windows detects this, it moves swiftly to reset the defaults back to its own choices. If you’re lucky, the next time you doubleclick a file of that type you’ll be given the opportunity to make your choice of app from the drop-down menu, but if not, you’ve got to right-click the file and choose “Open with > Choose another app” to set it to your choice of program again.
Workarounds have been developed that tweak the Registry or run command-line tools, but tend to break from one version of Windows 10 to the next. Another trick that might work is to remove the Microsoft apps that Windows tries to revert to: Photos, Groove Music, Films & TV, Edge, and so on (basically, the option marked as “Recommended for Windows 10”
under Default Apps). Not all can be removed through “Settings > Apps > Apps & Features” so you’ll either need to Google for the commands required to manually remove them using PowerShell (for example, “Get-AppxPackage *photo* | Remove-AppxPackage” for Photos), or use a third-party uninstaller such as IObit Uninstaller Free (https:// bit.ly/MPCOctiobit).
Screensaver images
I have two unrelated questions: first, I have a collection of screensavers on discs from Second Nature Software. When I try to install these, it tries to validate from the website. The problem is that the company has been out of business for a long time and the website has been shut down. Is there any way to bypass the validation? Second, I keep getting requests to update Java. Is Java even needed any more? If needed, should I be installing the updates?
RICH T
APC responds: Second Nature’s screensaver is basically a slideshow of individual pictures, stored in its own proprietary SNX format to prevent people copying the files. If the pictures are visible on the CD as SNX files, then copy them across to a suitable folder on your hard drive.
Next, download and install the free sampler version of the Second Nature screensaver from a reputable site like https:// downloads.cnet.com –Google “Second Nature Screen Saver” to locate a link.
During setup you’ll be prompted to enter your email address – this goes nowhere, or you can add a fake email if you prefer. Once the program is installed, launch the tool from its Notification area taskbar icon, click the “Collections” button and choose “Create Collection.” Make sure “Second Nature Images” is selected as the file type, then browse to the folder containing your SNX images and click “Select.” The images should then be added to the program, which you can use as your screensaver.
As for Java, if you’re sure you have no programs on your PC that require it to run, simply remove it. Should you later need it, go to www.java.com to download the latest version. If you plan on keeping it, make sure you install the latest updates for security reasons, as well as to fix bugs.
Ventoy gets blocked
I tried to install Ventoy just now but kept getting blocked by Acronis
Ransomware. It said an attempt was being made to alter the MBR, and it blocked it. Not knowing enough, I respected it and pulled out of the install. Is this is an okay thing to happen?
DAVID THIEL
APC responds: Ventoy is 100 percent legitimate. The problem here is Acronis Ransomware 2018, and the way it works to protect your PC from potential ransomware attacks. It doesn’t rely on definition updates, but instead works on heuristics – namely, the behavior of your apps. It analyses a program’s actions, then compares it with a database of malicious behavior patterns – if it spots something that appears to match ransomware behavior it’ll block it. Clearly Ventoy’s attempts to modify your USB flash drive’s MBR are misinterpreted as malicious.
You can instruct Acronis to trust Ventoy. Right-click the Acronis Taskbar Notification area icon and choose “Manage processes.” Click “Add Application” to browse for and select “Ventoy2Disk.exe,” which will automatically add it to the Trusted list (you can reverse this later by rolling over the program entry and clicking “Block”). Note, you’ll need to repeat this every time you update Ventoy – make sure you do this before attempting to update your flash drive, or you may end up losing everything on the disk.
Non-booting laptop
My daughter’s Dell Inspiron N5040 laptop went from booting normally on the C drive to not booting at all and only showing an error message for drive X. As she no longer has the original Windows 7 installation discs, I tried the Lazesoft Recovery you’ve mentioned including its
“final solution” but to no avail (message says it cannot fix it). What caused the HDD drive to change from C to X, and how do I fix this? MANUEL A TRUCCO
APC responds: When you boot into the recovery environment, it automatically assigns your Windows partition the X drive letter – so whatever problem your daughter has, that’s not it. First, use Lazesoft Recovery’s driveimaging tools to make a failsafe backup of the drive’s contents, so they’re protected.
Assuming you’ve worked your way through the whole gamut of repair tools offered by Lazesoft with no success, your final option is to wipe the drive and start again from scratch. You can try restoring the laptop to factory defaults by selecting “Repair Your Computer” followed by “Dell Backup and Recovery.” If this is missing, contact Dell directly to see if it’s possible to purchase replacement recovery discs. Otherwise, you’ll need to source your own copy of Windows 7 (or later) to install a fresh copy of Windows on the drive and start from scratch. Inspiron N5040 drivers are still available for download from Dell’s support website should you need them.
Confused by logging
Last issue, you said to turn on logging by selecting “Logging” under options. I don’t see that option in Open Hardware Monitor 0.9.5. What am I missing?
AL KRAYBILL
APC responds: Apologies, Al. The option is “Log sensors.” Once switched on, the log file is stored in the “Open Hardware Monitor” folder.