Troubleshooting

Program Doesn't Show Up

A program I'm trying to kill doesn't show up in the Add or Remove Programs applet. How can I remove it?

This often is the case with programs that don't announce themselves thoroughly to Windows as they are being installed. You have to find the program on the hard disk and eliminate it using the Windows Explorer. Finding a program is often as simple as browsing to the Program Files folder, opening it, and looking around for a folder holding the program in question. Often, deleting the folder is all you have to do. Look for an "uninstall" application there first because it will do a more complete job of removal than just killing the folder, most likely, because some stray DLLs and other support files may be scattered about, not to mention shortcuts in your Start menus that you'll want axed.

As a second (and possibly quicker) means of discovering the location of an unlisted program, you can use its Start menu shortcut to lead you to the application's source. Open the Start menu, and click your way to the application. When you see it, right-click it. Now choose Properties from the context menu. Then click Find Target to go directly to the folder where the program resides. Then you can start your dirty work.

If you're trying to kill a program that seems to start up all on its own when you boot up, choose Start, Programs, Startup. Anything in this group autoexecutes upon bootup. Right-click the offending item, and choose Delete. This trick doesn't remove the program from your hard disk, but it prevents the program from starting at boot time.

No Battery Icon in System Tray

I don't see a battery icon in the system tray. My laptop seems to be brain dead about batteries and power conservation.

Be sure APM is enabled for the computer via the Power Options applet in the Control Panel. Also, make sure the computer complies with APM (check your BIOS settings).

Cannot Connect

My modem isn't connecting for some reason.

More often than not, modem problems are caused by incorrect phone numbers and/or a bad phone line connection. Assuming Windows detected and installed your modem, don't get esoteric in your troubleshooting. Just as you're most likely to find a lost item where you think it should be, it's the silly things that keep modems from workinga bad or incompletely inserted phone wire, bad wall jack, or splitter; or a phone number that's missing an area code (or has an unnecessary area code) being dialed. Another typical goof is to specify an external access number (typically 9), which might be necessary at the office but not on the road. Check the properties for the dial-up networking connection you're trying to use. Also, of course, double-check the user ID and password. You might be dialing in and physically connecting just fine, but the remote server is kicking you off because of incorrect user ID or password.

Finally, recall that a number of troubleshooters are built into Windows XP. One of them is for modems. Choose Start, Help, and in the right pane, click Troubleshooting.

It's Not Here

My camera or scanner doesn't show up.

Sometimes starting with the obvious is easiest. Does the device have power? Is your scanner or camera plugged in and turned on? Check the power cables and the data connection. Does the camera have a good power source? Digital cameras eat up batteries at a ravenous rate. Either use fresh batteries or an external power source. (I recommend getting nickel-metal hydride batteries for digital cameras. They work much longer than normal alkalines or Ni-Cad batteries.) If the connection is an infrared one, make sure the camera and computer IR sensor are lined up properly.

Some devices don't connect correctly unless they're turned on. See your device documentation if you need more information.

As per my usual admonition, check your cables! Make sure you have the correct type of cable plugged into the correct ports on both the device and your computer. See your scanner or camera documentation for more information. Your device may be connected to a port that is disabled. A serial port, for example, is often disabled to allow an internal modem to work.

Next, check to see whether the driver for your device is installed. Virtually all cameras and scanners are Plug and Play these days, so Windows XP should install the drivers for them automatically. However, you might need to install drivers for some devices manually. See the section in this chapter covering the Scanners and Cameras applet for details on installing a driver. If that doesn't help, and the device is listed as installed (in Control Panel, Scanners and Cameras), try removing it and reinstalling it via that applet and then reinstalling it (by clicking Remove and then Add).

Using DOS Programs with a Mouse

Why is the mouse pointer still on the screen while I'm in DOS?

Lots of folks still run DOS programs, even under Windows 9x, NT, 2000, and now XP. Most DOS programs are keyboard driven and don't require a mouse. Normally, however, when you run DOS programs in a window, the mouse pointer sits annoyingly on the screen, even though it's useless.

You can hide the mouse pointer when running an MS-DOS program, assuming you don't need it. To hide it, right-click the title bar of the MS-DOS window to display the menu, and then click Hide Mouse Pointer. (If the program switches between character-based and graphics modes, you might need to hide the mouse pointer again.) When the mouse pointer is hidden, you can't see it inside or outside the program's window. To display the mouse pointer, press Alt+Spacebar, and choose Display Mouse Pointer from the resulting menu.