Windows

1. Remove a program properly. If a program was manually deleted from the computer, there may still be files remaining on the system. These files can cause error messages to occur. Go to the Control Panel from the Start menu and click 'Add/Remove Programs.' Find the program in the list; click on it and click 'Uninstall.'
2. Start the computer in Safe Mode. Turn the computer off completely. Turn it back on and press the 'F8' key repeatedly until the Advanced Options Menu is displayed. Select 'Safe Mode' and log on.

3. Perform the action being carried out when the error last occurred. Safe Mode allows the system to run without unnecessary applications running in the background. If the error does not occur in Safe Mode, there is likely a program that is causing the error.
4. Uninstall programs added before the error began to occur. Remove the programs one at time by going to 'Add/Remove Programs' in the Control Panel, as described in Step 1. Use the computer normally between each uninstall. Determine which program was problematic when the error no longer occurs after a program is uninstalled.
5. Return the system to an earlier time when it was working properly. Go to the Start menu. Point to 'All Programs,' 'Accessories' and 'System Tools.' Click 'System Restore.' Follow the prompts to restore Windows XP to an earlier date when you know the errors were not occurring. Restart the computer when System Restore is complete.

Add a Default Printer
1. Plug a printer into your computer, plug in the power cord and turn it on.
2. Go to 'Start' > 'Control Panel' > 'Printers and Faxes.'

3. Click 'Add a Printer' and follow the instructions on the screen to add a default printer.
Install Updates
4. Go to 'Start' > 'Control Panel.'
5. Click 'Windows Update' to see if there are any updates available for your computer.
6. Click 'Check for Updates' and then download and install any recommended files.
Scan the Registry
7. Download and install a Registry cleaner. (See Resources.)
8. Open the program and direct the program to scan your Registry. It will find any files that are damaged.
9. Direct the program to fix the Registry errors automatically. Restart your computer when the program is finished fixing or restoring any corrupted files.

1. Press the Windows button. Type 'regedit.exe' in the 'Start Search' field in Vista and Windows 7. Press 'Enter.'
2. In Windows XP, click the Start button, then select 'Run' and type 'regedit.exe' in the 'Open' field. Click on 'OK.'

3. Navigate to the following registry path on the left side of the window:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >> SOFTWARE >> Microsoft >> Windows >> CurrentVersion >> explorer >> MyComputer >> DefragPath
4. Right-click on the registry entry 'default' on the right pane of the window.
5. Click on 'Modify.' Type the following in the 'Value Data' field:C:\Windows\System32\dfrgui.exe
6. Click 'OK.' Exit the Registry Editor. Restart your computer, and open the Disk Defragmenter to ensure that it is functional.

1. Click the 'Start' button and select 'Search.'
2. Type 'cmd' into the search box, then right-click on the command line icon that appears in the left pane. Click 'Run as Administrator' in the menu that displays.

3. Type 'bcdedit /debug off' and press the Enter key.

1. If you have Windows installer 3.1 installed already, uninstall it. This can typically be done from the Add/Remove programs section in the Control Panel. Check the box for 'Show Updates'. Find the item in the list, and click on 'remove'.You may have to reboot once finished.
2. Download Intall the Windows Installer from the Microsoft Download site. You will have to validate your copy of windows to download the package.http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=889482fc-5f56-4a38-b838-de776fd4138cdisplaylang=en

3. Install Windows Installer 3.1 that you downloaded. You may have to reboot.
4. Try windows update again, it should resolve the error.

1. Launch Windows Movie Maker.
2. Click 'Tools' on the toolbar at the top of the application window. A drop-down menu appears.

3. Click 'Options.' A new window opens. Click on the 'Compatibility' tab. Several video filters may be listed here. These filters are associated with other software programs that may be conflicting with Movie Maker.
4. Deselect all filters that end with an '.ax' extension. When you mouse over each filter, you'll be able to identify which filters end in .ax.
5. Click 'Close.' If any conflicts existed between Movie Maker and the filters you disabled, this should resolve the problem. Windows Movie Maker should now run without freezing up.

1. Verify whether your CD is in good condition without scratches.
2. Using your spare computer, find an image of your version of XP. These can easily be found on torrent sites. Bear in mind that downloading a disk image for your version of XP is legal as long as you have a valid key (usually located on the side of your computer.) If your computer came from a large manufacturer such as Dell or HP, your version must be an OEM as well as matching your key for 'Home' or 'Professional.' Most Windows XP torrents are labeled as such. Alternatively, you can order a new disk from your manufacturer or from Microsoft for a small fee.

3. Burn the image you downloaded to your new disk.
4. Reinstall Windows XP by using the new disk. Type your validation key when asked.

Check Your Firewall
1. Click 'Start,' then 'Control Panel.' Click 'Classic View' in the left column, if applicable.
2. Open 'Windows Firewall.'

3. Click on the 'Exceptions' tab. Find your Web browser. Check the box next to it. Repeat this for all web browsers you use.
4. Click on 'Add Program' if you do not see your Web browser. Scroll to your Web browser, highlight it and click 'OK.'
5. Click on 'Add Port.' Enter 'HTTP' (no quotes) for the 'Name' and '80' (no quotes) for the 'Port.' Click 'OK.'
6. Click 'Apply,' then 'OK.'
Clear the Windows DNS Cache
7. Close all programs.
8. Click 'Start,' then 'Run.' Type 'Command,' and press 'Enter.'
9. Type 'ipconfig /flushdns' (without quotes) in the command box. Press 'Enter.'
10. Enter 'ipconfig /registerdns' (without quotes) in the command box. Press 'Enter.'
11. Close the command box, and try to load a website again.
Clear Your Cookies and Cache
12. Click 'Tools,' then 'Clear Recent History,' if using Firefox. Click on 'Cache' and 'Cookies.' Remove other check marks. Select 'Everything' in the 'Time range to clear' drop-down menu. Click 'Clear Now.'
13. Select the 'Tools' icon in Chrome. Select 'Options.' Click on the 'Personal Stuff' tab. Select 'Clear browsing data' in the 'Browsing Data' section. Click on 'Empty the cache' and 'Delete cookies.' De-select all other items. Choose 'Everything' in the 'Clear data from this period' drop-down menu. Click 'Clear Browsing Data.'
14. Click 'Tools,' then 'Delete Browsing History' in Internet Explorer. Select 'Temporary Internet Files' and 'Cookies.' De-select all other items. Click 'Delete.'

1. Access the BIOS of the computer by pressing the key that appears in the on-screen instructions. Depending on your computer, you can often the BIOS by pressing either the 'Del' or 'F2' key.
2. Once inside the BIOS, set the optical (CD-ROM) drive as the first boot device. Press the 'F10' key to save the changes and exit the BIOS. Insert the Windows operating system disc into the optical drive. Restart the computer. The 'Press any key to boot from CD' message will subsequently appear.

3. Press 'Enter.' Windows will boot into the Setup from the CD. After the Setup has loaded, boot into Recovery Console by pressing the 'R' key. Recovery Console will appear. You will be prompted to choose the type of installation that you want to log onto.
4. Type the number beside the primary Windows installation. Usually this is denoted by a number 1. Press '1' and then press 'Enter.' If you have a password for your computer, you type it after 'Type the administrator password' appears. If not, simply press 'Enter.'
5. At the C:\ prompt, type the following: 'CHKDSK /P' (without quotes). This will check the disk for errors and fix any errors found. Then type 'FIXBOOT' (without quotes) at the C:\ prompt. When the 'Are you sure you want to write a new boot sector?' prompt appears, press 'Enter.'
6. Type 'Exit' (without quotes) at the C:\ prompt. If the drive has been flagged as 'dirty,' a surface scan may be initiated upon reboot. The computer will reboot into Windows. Remember to change the boot order back to the hard drive.

1. Reboot the computer, and disable the automatic restart during a BSOD error. Right-click 'My Computer,' then 'Properties' and then the 'Advanced' tab. Click 'Settings' under 'Startup and Recovery.' Uncheck the 'Automatically Restart' under the 'System Failure' section. The process applies to most versions of Windows, including XP and 7.
2. Recreate the issue. Open the programs you were using and attempt to generate the issue. A majority of the time, you will be unable to recreate the issue. The next BSOD error that occurs will not reboot your computer automatically, giving you time to write down the technical information.

3. Write down the first aspect of the error. The second section will have a sentence without spaces, such as 'PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.' This is what caused the computer to crash. The page fault error implies a possibly damaged memory module. 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE' indicates that the drivers for a storage device or hard drive were incorrectly installed. Most other common errors involve the word 'DRIVER' pointing at a faulty driver.
4. Copy down the impacted file name. The section under 'Technical Information' lists the exact error in coded message. The first section is programming language. The second section will list a file. The standard file listed will be a combination of letters and numbers followed by '.dll' which is a device driver data file. For example, 'ati3diag.dll' may be displayed.
5. Open the 'Search' engine for the computer. Click 'Start' and 'Search' for Windows XP. Click 'Start' for Windows 7. Type the file name into the search engine to locate the file folder that holds the file. Some files will be in a 'win32' folder which is a generic Windows folder. The majority will be housed in file folders specific to a program. The program will need to be uninstalled and reinstalled.