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Pickups in Markham, ON and Richmond, BC now available!!! Free Local UPS Ground Shipping on all orders over $50.00CDN to all Canadian provinces.**Frequently Asked Questions
Operating System
| Recent | CD-ROM | Hard Drive | Miscellaneous | Monitor | Motherboard | Operating System | Processor | Sound Card | Video Card |
| Date:7/13/2010 12:01:51 PM |
| I had Microsoft Office 2007 installed on my computer, but I need the backup disks. Where can I get these? |
| They can be downloaded from Microsoft directly at www.microsoft.com/office/backup. |
| Author: loyalty@pccanada.com |
| Date:4/23/2009 5:22:41 PM |
| Is there an Administrator account that I can activate in Vista? |
Vista regulates via UAC what every user can and can not do. There is, however, a hidden Admin account that can be enabled. One benefit being that you don''t have to answer to the UAC any longer. Here''s how:1: Logon to Vista using your usual account. 2: Search bar, type CMD, right click and choose RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR 3: Type: Net user administrator p@ssw0rD and press Enter 4: Type: Net user administrator /active:yes and press Enter 5: Switch user, or logoff 6: Log in as Administrator, password would be p@ssw0rD as indicated in #3. |
| Author: adamb |
| Date:4/1/2009 1:34:30 PM |
| I’ve lost my Windows CD or Certificate of Authenticity! How do I get a replacement? |
| Microsoft provides copies of media (CD’s) or can issue you a new COA if you’ve lost yours. Go to: https://om.one.microsoft.com/opa/Validation.aspx?StoreID=b19f4ce9-dfcb-44e4-9abe-1c9dfbad47d0&LocaleCode=en-us&JavaScriptOn=yes Fill out the form with the information requested and submit. Microsoft will contact you with a reciept and shipping info. |
| Author: Adam |
| Date:4/1/2009 1:26:04 PM |
| My system won''t boot into Windows anymore, and I don''t know where my COA is! How do I get my product key off my already installed (albeit, damaged) Windows?? |
| If your Windows has become corrupt sometimes your only answer is to do a repair install or wipe the drive for a fresh install. If you''ve misplaced your XP COA, then you won''t be able to repair or reinstall Windows. If you need to obtain your XP or Vista key, then read up on this article; it''s proven to work! http://www.dagondesign.com/articles/windows-xp-product-key-recovery/ |
| Author: Adam |
| Date:4/1/2009 12:20:49 PM |
| I recently upgraded some hardware in my system, and now when I attempt to load into Windows Vista, it says that I cannot log in without activating; the problem is, it''s already activated and won''t allow me to activate because it''s already activated! What can I do?? |
One of the problems with Microsoft''s Activation process is that when particular hardware on a system is upgraded, Windows sees the change as a possible system change-over and will lock that system. Since you''re only allowed to use the Operating System on one system at a time, then it will lock you out until the "other" activated system has been disabled. Usually there is a grace period of about 3 days that you are granted to properly activate. There is a workaround that will let you reset the counter so that you can get back into Windows and properly activate your system.First, choose Reduced Funtionality Mode". Internet Explorer will open. Go to the Address Bar and type in: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe Windows will open a Command Line box. Type in: slmgr.vbs -rearm and then hit enter. Type EXIT and then reboot your computer. This doesn''t always work; it will depend on the situation that you are locked out, but it is a solution many of the times it occurs. |
| Author: Adam |
| Date:5/16/2005 2:28:40 PM |
| I recently had a spyware/adware appliction on my computer and now
I can''t change the desktop wallpaper or the screensaver anymore as the
tabs for these options are missing. How do I get them back? |
| After removing the spyware, double check that everything is gone by
scanning with another application. When you are sure its clean, start the registry editor (click on the start button, click on the run
button, and type "regedit" in the entry field)
Go to the following registry key: If there is a DWoRD Value such "NoDispScrSavPage" with a data value of 1 this will disable the screen saver tab. Change the value to 0 or delete it to see the tab again. There will most likely be several items here as Microsoft provides this feature for schools and business to disable these features so that no one can change the system settings without authorization. The spyware application does this to show you the spyware wallpaper. Remove all the NoDisp... entries, there will be several, as well as the wallpaper setting and style. You should now reboot, and the missing tabs should be back where they belong. |
| Author: richard@pccanada.com |
| Date:1/19/2005 2:55:50 PM |
| Media Center loads without a problem, Audio is all configured and plays
great, I can load DVD''s with 3rd Party software, BUT when I go to play DVD
with MCE DVD Player it says Codec''s are not loaded I did a DXDIAG and I got
NO Errors at all. DVD''s play flawlessly on 3rd party but would like to get
full benefit from MCE 2005. what can I do to make this setup work? |
| Windows MCE 2005 doesn''t ship with MCE compatible MPEG2 decoders. Third party software may use its own MPEG2 decoders that aren''t MCE 2005 compatible - so they''ll play back DVDs fine within their own software, but won''t allow DVD (or Live TV) within MCE 2005. Solution is to install an MPEG2 decoder that IS MCE 2005 compliant. NVidia, Intervideo and others all provide them. There is a utility on the Microsoft site (DECCHECK.EXE I think it is called - MPEG2 decoder check utility) which allows you to see how many MPEG2 decoders you have installed, whether they are MCE compatible or not, and also allows you to select the default decoder used by Windows. |
| Author: winston@pccanada.com |
| Date:9/28/2004 7:26:19 PM |
| I just installed Microsoft Service Pack 2 for Windows XP on my new Pentium 4 computer, and now it locks up when starting windows, what can I do?
|
| In most cases this system lock up is part of the internal security updates from Microsoft and conflict with the microcode in the Pentium 4 Prescott, and Celeron D processors. Certain combinations of CPU, Motherboard, and BIOS revisions will result in the system locking up after the SP2 has been installed. The easiest fix is to upgrade the BIOS firmware in the computer to the latest revision from your motherboard''s manufacture. The second, and more involved method is to disable all L1 and L2 cache in the BIOS of your motherboard (please note, this will make your system **EXTREMELY** slow). It should boot, eventualy, and from there you can download and install the official Microsoft fix found here: If this does not fix the problem you may need to downgrade the c:\windows\system32\drivers\update.sys file to the SP1 or to the original file. In order to do this, you will need either a second system to mount the drive in temporarily or a means of reading NTFS while in DOS. You will also need a copy of the update.sys file. Once you have access to the hard drive, simply copy the old version of the file over top of the updated one, and your system should now boot into windows without any further problems. More information available at: http://cquirke.mvps.org/sp2intel.htm |
| Author: richard@pccanada.com |
| Date:8/3/2004 10:23:43 AM |
| What are the ''Windows Key'' shortcuts? |
| The Windows logo key, located in the bottom row of most computer keyboards is a little-used treasure. Don''t ignore it. It is the shortcut anchor for the following commands:
Windows: Display the Start menu |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:8/3/2004 10:21:28 AM |
| Can I Temporarily Assign Myself as Administrative Permissions? |
| Many programs require you to have Administrative permissions to be able to install them. Here is an easy way to temporarily assign yourself Administrative permissions while you remain logged in as a normal user. Hold down the Shift key as you right-click on the program’s setup file. Click Run as. Type in a username and password that have Administrative permissions. This will also work on applications in the Start menu. |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:8/3/2004 10:19:59 AM |
| Can I Change Web Page Font Size on the Fly? |
| If your mouse contains a wheel for scrolling, you can change font size on the fly when viewing a Web page. To do so: Press and hold Ctrl. Scroll down (or towards yourself) to enlarge the font size. Scroll up (or away from yourself) to reduce the font size. You might find it useful to reduce font size when printing a Web page, so that you can fit more content on the page |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:8/3/2004 10:18:30 AM |
| How do I get the "Administrator" name on Welcome Screen?
|
| To get Admin account on the "Welcome Screen" as well as the other usernames, make sure that there are no accounts logged in. Press "ctrl-alt-del" twice and you should be able to login as administrator! |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:8/3/2004 10:09:10 AM |
| How do I add more Add/Remove optional features in Windows XP? |
| To dramatically expand the list of applications you can remove from Windows XP after installation, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting the correct drive letter for your version of Windows) and open the sysoc.inf file. Under Windows XP Professional Edition RC1, this file will resemble the following by default:
[Version] Signature = "$Windows NT$" [Components] Fax=fxsocm. dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7 [Global] The entries that include the text hide or HIDE will not
show up in Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, do a global
search and replace for ,hide and change each instance of this to , (a comma).
Then, save the file, relaunch Add/Remove Windows Components, and tweak the
installed applications to your heart''s content.
|
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:8/3/2004 10:02:32 AM |
| How do I rip high-quality MP3s in Windows Media Player 8?
|
| The relationship between Windows Media Player 8 and the MP3 audio format is widely misunderstood. Basically, WMP8 will be able to playback MP3 files, but encoding (or "ripping" CD audio into MP3 format will require an MP3 plug-in. So during the Windows XP beta, Microsoft is supplying a sample MP3 plug-in for testing purposes, but it''s limited to 56 Kbps rips, which is pretty useless. However, if you have an externally installed MP3 codec, you can use WMP8 to rip at higher bit rates. But you''ll have to edit the Registry to make this work.
Fire up the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ MediaPlayer \ Settings \ MP3Encoding Here, you''ll see sub-keys for LowRate and LowRateSample, which of course equates to the single 56 Kbps sample rate you see in WMP8. To get better sampling rates, try adding the following keys (Using New then DWORD value): "LowRate" = DWORD value of 0000dac0 "MediumRate" = DWORD value of 0000fa00 "MediumHighRate" = DWORD value of 0001f400 "HighRate" = DWORD value of 0002ee00 Now, when you launch WMP8 and go into Tools, then Options, then Copy Music, you will have four encoding choices for MP3: 56 Kbps, 64 Kbps, 128 Kbps, and 192 Kbps. Note that you will not get higher bit rate encoding unless you have installed an MP3 codec separately; the version in Windows Media Player 8 is limited to 56 Kbps only. Find the appropriate location in the Registry... ...add a few DWORD values... ...And then you''ll be ripping CDs in higher-quality MP3 format! |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:8/3/2004 10:00:00 AM |
| When I try to reinstall Windows XP, it crashes at the very begining of the install, and complains about line numbers in the configuration, what can I do? |
| This problem is often caused by an older motherboard which does not fully support ACPI. You can try upgrading the BIOS firmware, or you can disable it in the startup for the Windows XP installer, by pressing the |
| Author: richard@pccanada.com |
| Date:5/31/2004 10:09:42 AM |
| Why does my PC thrash even when it is idle? |
| Provided you have more than 256 MB of main memory, you can edit the registry to force Windows XP to keep its data in main memory. Open Regedit. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management. Select the DisablePagingExecutive value to ''1'' Note: Only edit the registry if you have it backed up, or are very comfortable make changes to your registry! |
| Author: greg@pccanada.com |
| Date:5/29/2004 3:33:28 PM |
| How Can I Reduce The System Restore Size Setting? |
| If you have a 120GB Hard drive, with Windows XP System Restore, you would lose 10GB of space. If you reduce the size in which System Restore operates, you will not degrade the functionality, just reduce the amount of times per month you can use the feature. To reduce the amount System Restore takes up, do the following... Right click "My Computer" and choose "Properties". Afterwards select "System Restore", choose the "Settings" tab and move the slider to reduce the amount of space System Restore uses. |
| Author: greg@pccanada.com |
| Date:5/29/2004 3:18:30 PM |
| How do I back up my registry? |
| To back up your registry, use this procedure... Select "Start", choose "Run" and enter the word "regedit". Highlight the "My Computer", then select "File", and click on the "Export" option. At this point name the file as you wish (ie; myregbackup.), and make sure to save it with the .reg extension. Backing up the registry on your own eliminates the System Restore feature, which will free up 10% of your total Hard Drive space. |
| Author: greg@pccanada.com |
| Date:5/29/2004 10:26:17 AM |
| My system shuts down after only being on for a few minutes, and sometimes give me an error message saying there is a problem with the LSASS. How do I fix this? |
| This is caused by a new virus called the Sasser Worm. The virus is able to infect and cause problems on any Windows 2000 Pro, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Pro, and related operating systems. No files need be downloaded or run to infect your system as it attacks through a flaw in the Microsoft LSASS susbsystem (Local Security Authority Service Subsystem). Simply connecting to the Internet is enough to catch this virus. The removal requires a special tool from Microsoft which can be downloaded here to remove the virus, and then an update for the LSAS files from Microsoft. Run the removal tool, if it detects the virus, it will automatically delete the program, and then run the Microsoft update. Once the update is done, run the removal tool again to ensure you were not reinfected while waiting for the software to finish running. If the second check finds nothing, your system is now clean and safe from this virus, otherwise repeat the clean and patch until the second check is OK. |
| Author: don@pccanada.com |
| Date:7/16/2003 6:16:24 PM |
| How do I remove MS Messenger from Windows XP? |
| If you want to be rid of MSN Messenger for good, follow these steps: - Close MSN Messenger; make sure it''s not in the system tray. - Click the start button, then click on Run. - Type the following: RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove - Click OK and a little box will appear deleting the files associated with MSN Messenger. If you want MSN Messenger back, you will need to download it again. |
| Author: Don Cote |
| Date:6/6/2003 7:14:50 PM |
| I am running Win98/ME with more then 512Mb or ram and my computer is unstable. Why? |
| If a computer that is running any of the versions of Windows that are listed above contains more than 512 megabytes (for example, 768 megabytes) of physical memory (RAM), you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
-You may be unable to open an MS-DOS session (or command prompt) while Windows is running. Attempts to do so may generate the following error message:
- The computer may stop responding (hang) while Windows is starting, or halt and display the following error message: More information is available at Microsoft. |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:2/7/2003 1:25:20 PM |
| I need a Boot Disk, where can I find one? |
| There are a number of places, here are just two; http://www.mybootdisks.com and http://www.bootdisk.com. |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:2/5/2003 2:03:40 PM |
| Have you missplaced your Microsoft Windows or Office CD? |
| You can order a replacement of your media by calling 1-800-325-1233. |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:5/2/2000 |
| How can I enable Windows Media Player (WMP) to play DVDs? |
| If your computer has the hardware-based support for playing DVDs, you can make the following registry change to enable WMP to play DVDs: 1. Run regedit.exe. 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\Settings. 3. From the Edit menu select New, String value. 4. Enter a name of EnableDVDUI for the new string value, then press Enter. 5. Double-click the new value and set it to Yes. Click OK. 6. Close regedit. 7. To start playing DVDs, select File, Open, DVD, then click Play. |
| Author: PCCANADA |
| Date:4/2/2000 |
| My computer constantly crashes when I go into windows, the most common error that I get is VXD VMM (01)+ when I try to play games or view web pages. I''ve tried replacing the memory but it hasn''t helped. Any suggestions to resolve this problem? |
| The best thing to do in this situation is update your VIA 4-in-1 drivers, these are located on Via''s Website. Updating your drivers should stop this situation from occuring. |
| Author: Brad O''Brien |