Tech help req: Windows

Subject: Tech help req: Windows
From: Giac
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 10:53 AM

Okay, so I'm techno-challenged. A couple of days ago, as I watched, the little "button" showing that a window was open disappeared from the task bar at the bottom of the screen. I think the technical phrase to describe the situation is "running programs do not appear on task bar."

My Windows version is ME and I've been well pleased with it. I followed suggestions from various sources, including reloading ME (twice), have done a couple of virus sweeps, and pulled out a lot of hair. I can restore the screen by keying ALT-Tab. However, this is annoying and I want my buttons back.

Any suggestions. The real world has failed me, so I'm turning to Mudcat. Music related? Uh, tra la la, la la la freakin-LA!

Thanks - Mary

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 11:29 AM

Buy a Mac

Wilfried

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: MMario
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 11:40 AM

This is a new one on my...

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 11:47 AM

Has your machine been shut down since then? (or even 'off-line' ?)
Sign-off, log-out, shut down, power off!
This sequence will often restore your previous working parameters, and does no harm(I believe).
It is probably more commonly used in the UK where 'permanent connections' are still the exception rather than the rule.

Nigel

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 12:03 PM

I'm not too familiar with WinME, so controls may be somewhat different than in my systems; but the following should be common to any Windows program.

When you say that the icon for an open window disappears, do you mean the icon for the "active" window (that you're working in), or one that has been minimized (or is behind the "active window")?

If you work in "sized" windows - not fully maximized, it's pretty easy to accidentally close one that's behind the one you're working in since you may have a number of "size buttons" (top right of the window) visible.

The "three-fingered-salute" Control-Alt-Delete should open Task Manager where you can look to see if the program that lost its icon is actually still running. If the program has closed, then it is expected that the Task Bar icon will disappear. (While you have Task Manager open, you might check to see that Systray is running.)

If you have a single program with more than one window (Word with two or more documents open, for example), the icons for the individual documents appear within the "Word Window," and may not be visible if the doc you're working on is "maximized." You may need to resize the top document to be able to see them.

It's also possible to lose the whole task bar, and it may not be obvious since most individual program windows have their own "status bar" at the bottom - looking something like a mini-taskbar. If - perchance - you don't see the "Start" button, move your cursor to the bottom until you get the double-headed "resize" cursor, click and drag up to bring the "real" Task Bar into view.

Unfortunately, reinstalling Windows will not normally replace files that "look good" to the installer. If an individual file is "trashed," it may remain as-is after reinstalling. Nearly all versions of Windows have a reasonable selection of tools for more specific checks of system condition, but I'm not familiar enough with WinME to offer much help beyond the trivia above.

John

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 01:51 PM

For general reference - you can frequently get good answers at Windows Millennium Edition Support Center. It helps to have an error message to search on, which is not the present case; but at least its the "official" place to look.

Q312932: Solving Problems in Windows Millennium Edition (Part 2 of 2) describes how to restore your computer to an earlier state when it was working properly. This should normally be a "first shot" procedure in case of any major difficulties. Note that reinstalling Windows may have deleted files needed to do this.

For reference - the first half of the above article is at Q312930: Solving Problems in Windows Millennium Edition (Part 1 of 2), and may be interesting when you've got things fixed.

Icons Randomly Change to Different Icons describes several ways to restore the "icons cache file," which could(?) relate to your problem. A method involving editing the registry is included, but should be avoided if one of the other methods works.

Often, mysterious things happen when we do something on purpose without knowing all the consequences. On the chance that its a "simple setting," you might want to look at Customizing Windows for Personal Use (1 of 3). The other two parts of this article are "clickified" in this one.

Still looking - this one's a puzzle.

John

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Giac
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 02:59 PM

Thanks for all the input!

Actually, I wasn't doing anything (literally), but reading info at a newspaper site, which I have visited many times with no problems. The only things open were the dialer, which I always minimize, and the browser. The browser window "button" (the site I was perusing) suddenly flickered and went away. Puzzled, I clicked where it had been. As I did, the dialer button did the same thing.

Several weeks ago, I lost a window and my local guru told me about right-clicking on the system tray to get the menu that includes "cascade windows." However, when I brought up the menu this time, the cascade option and three others were not available -- in very light type.

Yes, Nigel, it has been shut down, whole thing. Because my electric service is so sporadic at times, I just don't leave things running. I did try rebooting at the time of the incident, to no avail.

John -- thanks for all the info. I'll pursue the help center option. As for system restore -- the system has set the restore date to the last time I reloaded ME, so it does not go back to a time prior to the problem. I do appreciate all the suggestions.

Mary

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Giac
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 09:40 AM

OK -- problem solved. I thought it was fixed yesterday, but resumed this morning. Thanks to a Microsoft message board, and a guy named Greg who had the same snafu, the fix was found.

I hereby confess my naivete in assuming (that's right: ass) that a "free" game download was safe. It was not. The game is called Santa's Revenge. It put a folder called "media" in C:\program files\common files. In the folder was an uninstall, which actually worked. However, it also had added "pmedia" to the taskbar. Found that out by going into MSCONFIG. Once all this was dealt with and I rebooted, my taskbar is back to normal.

Thanks to all who tried to help.

Mary

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 04:31 PM

Glad to hear the problem's solved.

Also - thanks to Mary's question, I've found out some more about WinME and some of my own stuff.

A couple of things I'll keep in my fixit file - that might be of interest, but I didn't get a chance to post:

Windows 95, 98SE, and ME can suffer from "icon file corruption" that can cause "random changes in which icons show" on the desktop. The quick fix is to go to control panel and change screen resolution, apply, then change back. This forces rebuild of the icon file and should solve the problem.

The same programs, plus NT4, can "lose" taskbar items if you "force-close" IE when it locks up. The suggested fix is to log-off as user (we never do that on single user machines, and on WinME you may have to install the button to do it) and then reboot. Just rebooting without a logoff doesn't rebuild the user data, and taskbar/icons can stay lost and/or erratic.

I also found that I can cause erratic taskbar behaviour by deliberately building a bunch of "dead" temp files in Windows\Temp, but I couldn't get quite the same thing described. Temp files that don't die when they should are one of WinX's notorious "leaks," and they do need to be manually cleared sometimes.

John

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 06:18 PM

I suppose this is as good a place as any to tack on another question.

I am using a borrowed computer at present, operating system is Windows XP, which may be totally irrelevant.

Anyway, my problem is that the SHIFT 2 , which should print an inverted comma ("), prints a @ sign.

Conversely, the key which should print a @ sign prints an inverted comma. (")

Also, I cannot print a pound sign. When I press SHIFT 3 I get the hash sign (#).

There has to be a simple fix, hasn't there ? ....

Murray

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 07:48 PM

Your # problem. In the States, # is called a pound sign. You prob. have a North American font up on your borrowed machine.

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 08:01 PM

Yep. shift 2 does print the @ sign. I don't use these combinations since @#& etc. are on my keyboard. There is a way to change but, being a Luddite I dont know how. Ask John.

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 08:06 PM

Undoubtedly, I do have a North American font.

I want to be able to print a "£" sign, which is what a pound sign really looks like, whatever it may be called in the States (always puzzled me, that did ...)

SO how do I change it?

Murray

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 08:25 PM

North American telephones have the # sign, which seems to have been introduced in 1980. When following machine-generated instructions, you will hear, among other things, "enter your 10 digit 'phone number followed by the pound sign." Don't ask me why. It is also used in recipes (add 1# beans). It once indicated number (No.).
I thought Britain had gone to the Euro, eliminating the money pound sign.

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 08:36 PM

Quite a few "special" characters can be entered using the Alt-ASCII method. Results may vary though with what program you're in when you do it.

The "pound sterling" sign (curly L) has ASCII value 163. With NUMLOCK turned on, hold down the ALT key while you enter 0163 on the "NUMPAD" and you should get £.

Usually, the leading "0" isn't required, but the "official" instructions say you should include it.

This method usually works for any character with an ASCII value from 32 thru 255, regardless of whether the character is, or is not, on your keyboard.

Having a "North American font" isn't the whole answer. If you are used to a euro or other "language" keyboard, the keyscan codes produced when you press a given key will be different, so just changing the font won't normally get you back to what you're used to. You have to change keyboards AND reset the operating system to agree with the hardware.

John

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 09:10 PM

Re the #:

The "Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Writing" demands that this character be refered to ONLY as "number sign" unless in reference to telephone usage, where it is called the "pound sign."

Colloquial US usage most commonly calls it the "pound sign," although it is also frequently called the "number sign."

The "New Hackers Dictionary" (a highly recommended sourcebook) gives common "pronunciations" of number sign; number; pound; pound sign; hash; crunch; hex; or mesh. Less common names are grid; crosshatch; octothorpe; flash; square; pigpen; tic-tac-toe; scratchmark; thud; thump; or splat.

"Knowledgeable" US users (if we admit to there being any)will refer to the £ mark as the "pound-sterling" or "British pound" mark when necessary to be specific.

I guess it depends to whom you speak.

John

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Ed.
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 09:59 PM

Here in the UK, I've only every heard # referred to as 'hash'

Ed

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 10:23 PM

Ed -

It appears that the Unicode name for the character may be "hash," although I haven't checked. It's labelled "hash mark" in at least one of my html tables, although it doesn't "answer" to &hash; when you code it, you have to use #. The curly L pound sign can be coded £ or £ in html.

Fontographers do have very specific names for each character, but unfortunately many of them are not commonly known or used.

John

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: tremodt
Date: 28 Sep 02 - 11:16 PM

whenit says you have too many windows what can you shut down or which ones do you HAVE to keep after you press control alt \delete

thanks

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 01:19 AM

RO1SIN -

Usually, if you have to resort to the three-fingered salute, it means that one of your programs has stopped responding. Close that one, since you probably can't save what's in it anyway.

After that, you can probably just close the stuff on the TaskBar (at the bottom), and may be able to save your work - if needed - by closing normally instead of through the "Close Program" box.

The only things normally required to keep Windows running are Explorer and Systray; but if you've locked up, you're usually ahead to close everything and reboot.

John

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 04:01 AM

GUEST, Britain has not gone over to the Euro, although many other European countries have.

The pound sign is still alive and well (except on my keyboard , where I have a hash sign (#) where the pound sign should be.)

Murray

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 11:36 AM

£ still alive. £ will not dive.

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 11:39 AM

Should have been in hmtl practice; just checking to see that both £ and £ print out.

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 11:41 AM

Odd- I left off the ; at the end and they still printed out the symbol.

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: DMcG
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 11:43 AM

I'm not sure if the "/@ problem is still outstanding or not. If you have the keyboard set to American in the control panel but you arer using a British keyboard, this is exactly what happens. I expect the XP method of changing this is ever-so-slightly different from other systems, but in Windows 2000, use Start/Settings/Control Panel then the "Keyboard" icon.

Subject: RE: Tech help req: Windows
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 12:13 PM

Fortunately, D McG, with the help of Pene Azul I have been able to rectify the problem, and the characters now print as shown on the keyboard. It was indeed as you say, American setting with a British keyboard.

Murray