Quick Fixes
Illustration: Glenn Mitsui
24. (ME, XP) Turn back the clock: If your PC is acting strangely, use System Restore to return Windows to an earlier, stable state. Select Start, Programs (All Programs in XP), Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, click Restore my computer to an earlier time, Next, and follow the instructions.
25. (ME, XP) Put a finer point on it: Whenever you're planning to make any changes to your system, be sure to create a restore point before you begin. Open System Restore as described above, select Create a Restore Point, click Next, and follow the instructions. Bonus tip: Manual restore points aren't needed when you install software, updates, or device drivers; Windows creates them for you automatically.
26. (XP) Customize your restorations, part 1: To choose which drives System Restore monitors for changes and how much space it reserves for its backups, right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Click System Restore, select a drive, click Settings, and set the controls to your taste.
27. (ME) Customize your restorations, part 2: Adjusting the space System Restore uses for its backups in Me is slightly different: Right-click My Computer, choose Properties, Performance, File System, and under Hard Disk, drag the 'System Restore disk space use' slider to the desired amount. Bonus tip: Click Disable System Restore under System Properties' Troubleshooting tab to turn System Restore off.
28. (ALL) Seek solutions in Safe Mode: If something stops Windows in its tracks or causes it to misbehave, reboot and press F8 before Windows loads (you may have to press it a few times to find the moment that gets a response). This brings up the Advanced Options menu. Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode, and press Enter to launch Windows using a minimal set of drivers. With luck, you can undo whatever you did to cause the problem, and then restart Windows normally.
29. (2K, XP) Revert your Registry: If Safe Mode doesn't solve the problem, access the Advanced Options menu as explained in tip 28, but this time select Last Known Good Configuration and press Enter. This launches Windows using the last version of the Registry that led to a successful start-up. No files are removed.
30. (2K, XP) Copy your error messages: When Windows tells you something's gone haywire, you may want to preserve the error messages to send to a support tech or your local PC guru. To do so, just press Ctrl-C to copy the message to your Clipboard, open a new e-mail to your tech helper, press Ctrl-V to paste the error alert text, and then send the message on its way.
31. (ALL) Get the big error picture: If you can't copy just the error message's text as described above, press Alt-Print Screen (the name of the latter key may be abbreviated on your keyboard) to capture an image of the error message box. Paste the image into your e-mail application (if it supports graphics) or into your word processor. You can also paste the screen into Windows' Paint imaging utility by opening that program and choosing Edit, Paste. Save the picture as a bitmap (.bmp), JPEG (.jpg), or other file format that you can send as an e-mail attachment to your friendly neighborhood Windows repairperson.
32. (ALL) Find help in Google Groups: To find help online, enter some or all of the text from the Windows error message into Google's main search box. If that doesn't help you find a fix, click the Groups tab on the Google search results page to see archived discussions that may relate to your problem.
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