You get an error message when trying to install Windows Updates on your Windows XP or Windows 2000 computer.

Problem: A problem on your computer is preventing updates from being downloaded or installed.

Here’s how to solve the problem:

1. Click Start > Run and type regsvr32 wuapi.dll

2. When you receive the message that the DLL has been registered, click OK and perform the same steps for each of the following commands under Start > Run:

regsvr32 wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32 wuaueng.dll
regsvr32 wucltui.dll
regsvr32 wups2.dll
regsvr32 wups.dll
regsvr32 wuweb.dll

Disable the feature that highlights programs that have just been installed.

4. Check or uncheck the box for Highlight Newly Installed Program and click OK then OK again.

When you click on the Shut Down option, your computer restarts instead of shutting down.

1. Click Start > Run and type REGEDIT

2. Click the plus sign next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
then System
then CurrenControlSet
then Control
then click CrashControl

3. Double-click on AutoReboot on the right side and change the value from 1 to 0.

Close regedit and restart the computer. Now the computer should shut down normally instead of restarting.

What to do if you get an error message when trying to play a game:

2. If prompted, type username and password that has administrator rights or click Allow.

A common virus disables the Show hidden files and folders function in Windows XP. Here is how to enable it again.

The symptom of this problem is every time you select the Show hidden files and folders options under Folder Options, the screen just flashes when you click OK and the hidden files and folders are not unhidden. You can fix this problem with a registry hack:

1. Click Start > Run and type REGEDIT

2. Click the plus sign next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER
then SOFTWARE
then Microsoft
then Windows
then CurrentVersion
then Explorer
then Advanced

On the right side, double click the hidden value and give it a value of 1.

You should now be able to enable hidden files and folders.

Make services shut down faster in Windows XP and Windows Vista.

3. Double click the WaitToKillServiceTimeout key. The default value is 20000 which is 20 seconds. You can change this to 8000 or 8 seconds.

NET SEND commands don’t usually work once Windows XP SP2 has been installed because SP2 disabled the Messenger Service. This service needs to be re-enabled on the sending and receiving computers in order to use it. You might get the error:

Be sure to perform these steps on both the sending computer and the receiving computer.

Windows setup freezes or restarts the computer at the point when it is “Installing Devices”.

3. Restart the computer and continue installing Windows.

When you try to use Internet Explorer under Windows XP you get the error:

The page cannot be displayed. Additionally, you may have no IP address or no Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, and you may be receiving IP packets but not sending them.

Fixing Winsock 2 may fix this problem.

1. Click on START>RUN

2. Type the following command:

netsh winsock reset catalog

This should reset Winsock 2 registry entries. See if you have the same problem.

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When you run Windows Automatic Updates under Windows XP you get the error:

You may also have an event in the Event Log that says the following:

Faulting application svchost.exe, version 5.1.2600.2180, faulting module msi.dll, version 3.1.4000.2435, fault address 0×00012780.
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Many people don’t know that they cannot upgrade their existing Windows XP Professional installation to Windows Vista Home.

I also found that I’m not the only one that is shocked by this. Everybody I work with was planning to get the Home version of Vista because they don’t feel the need to have all the other features that are sold with the Ultimate and Business versions, but the only choices for us are the Vista Business or Vista Ultimate editions.

Add the option to Open with Notepad to the right-click menu.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad\command]
@=”notepad.exe %1″

There can be a problem in Windows where the options to Rotate Clockwise or Rotate Counter Clockwise are grayed out when you right click on a JPG, GIF or any other type of image file.

You should then be able to select the Rotate Clockwise and Rotate Counter Clockwise options the next time you try.

You get an error when accessing Network Properties:

et CPU priority for each of your applications or processes that are running. This is very handy for handling applications that take most of your resources. It works in Windows Vista and Windows XP.

5. Click Yes to the Task Manager Warning.