PC Hardware Annoyances

PC Hardware Annoyances

by Stephen J. Bigelow
Released November 2004
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596007157

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Book description

Operating a personal computer requires more than just dealing with the PC itself. As anyone with even a modicum of computer experience can attest, there are all types of hardware devices which you must become familiar with disk drives, printers, monitors, and sound cards, just to name a few. And, naturally, each is fraught with its own set of bugs and snares. PC Hardware Annoyances, the latest installment of O'Reilly's highly successful Annoyances series, aims to optimize these peripheral systems by offering easy fixes to their most annoying traits. With over 40 titles to his credit, author Stephen Bigelow identifies all those annoyances that make you cringe in frustration. Then, through the use of snappy, entertaining, and practical solutions, he shows you how to clear each obstacle one step at a time. After that, the rest is up to you. Designed for PC users of all levels, this handy guide doesn't bore you with long dissertations on the workings of the technology at hand. Instead, it offers straightforward, easy-to-understand troubleshooting solutions. For maximum ease of use, PC Hardware Annoyances is broken up into several broad hardware categories. They include desktops, laptops and PDAs, graphics, sound, hard drives, CD/DVD drives, network, and printers and scanners. And while you may not use each of these accessories currently, chances are it's only a matter of time before you'll need their technological services whether it's for work or recreation. What makes PC Hardware Annoyances especially timely is the growing trend among computer owners to simply upgrade their PCs as they age, rather than replacing them altogether. With peripheral devices becoming increasingly affordable, there's no reason not to. But as with any do-it-yourself project, trouble lurks around the corner if you don't have the right guide. Having difficulty setting up your color inkjet printer? Trying to burn a music CD? Is your modem misbehaving? The remedy: PC Hardware Annoyances, of course!

Table of contents

  1. PC Hardware Annoyances
    1. Introduction
        1. IS PC HARDWARE ANNOYANCES RIGHT FOR YOU?
        2. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
        3. CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS BOOK
        4. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
        5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    2. 1. Desktop Annoyances
      1. SETUP ANNOYANCES
        1. CABLING AND IMAGE QUALITY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. WIRELESS KEYBOARDS NEED ATTENTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. OVERCOMING REPETITIVE STRESS PROBLEMS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. DETECTING USB DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. THE BIG CHILL: STOPPING SYSTEM FREEZE-UPS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. NEW HARD DRIVE JAMS THE SYSTEM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. WISDOM OF NEW MOTHERBOARD DRIVERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      2. KEYBOARD ANNOYANCES
        1. RESURRECTING A DEAD KEYBOARD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. WAKING NARCOLEPTIC USB KEYBOARDS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. STOP KEYBOARD S-S-S-STUTTER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. UNSTICKING A STUCK KEYBOARD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. SYNCHRONIZING A LOST WIRELESS KEYBOARD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. MULTIMEDIA KEYS WON’T LAUNCH PLAYER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. KEYBOARD SHUTDOWN SNAGS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. ENDING WIRELESS CROSSTALK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      3. MOUSE ANNOYANCES
        1. MAKE MOUSE TRAILS EASIER TO FOLLOW
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. MOUSE HELP FOR SOUTHPAWS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. STOPPING MOUSE STALLS AND SKIPS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      4. STARTUP ANNOYANCES
        1. SHAVING SECONDS OFF STARTUP TIMES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. THAT SON OF A *BEEP* CODE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. USB BOOT PROBLEMS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. BOOTING FROM A CD DRIVE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. HANG-UPS STOP THE OS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. FIXING A STICKY DRIVE LIGHT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. CLEARING A FORGOTTEN CMOS PASSWORD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. DEALING WITH INVALID MEDIA TYPE ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. SYSTEM WON’T WAKE FROM STANDBY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      5. BIOS/CMOS ANNOYANCES
        1. GETTING THE TERMINOLOGY RIGHT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. SHORT-TERM CMOS BATTERY LOSS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. CORRECTING SYSTEM SETUP ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. CMOS CHECKSUM CAUSES CONCERN
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. FIXING AN INACCURATE PC CLOCK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. CLEARING CMOS WITHOUT A JUMPER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. RECOVERING FROM FAULTY BIOS UPDATES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      6. MEMORY ANNOYANCES
        1. SHUFFLING RAM IN AN UPGRADE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. HANDLING AGGRESSIVE MEMORY TIMING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. NO MEMORY UPGRADE GOES UNPUNISHED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. LATENCY AND MEMORY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. BIOS UNDERREPORTING RAM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. NEW MEMORY AND SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. MEMORY SPEEDS DON’T WORK TOGETHER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. DDR: THE NEXT GENERATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. HANDLING SPD ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      7. PROCESSOR ANNOYANCES
        1. IDENTIFYING A PROCESSOR
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. PICKING A NEW PROCESSOR
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. PROCESSOR UPGRADES OFFER MEASURED IMPROVEMENT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. KEEP PROCESSOR FAMILIES SEPARATE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. SECOND CPU NOT ALWAYS A BENEFIT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. FANNING THE CPU FIRE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. LOOKING OUT FOR PIN #1
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. TWO CPUS REPORTED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. CPU STUCK IN ITS SOCKET
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. INCORRECT CLOCK SPEED REPORTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. PRESERVING BENT CPU PINS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. ERRATIC OPERATION CAUSED BY CPU HEAT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. ERROR-PROOF OVERCLOCKING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. AGGRESSIVE OVERCLOCKING CAUSES SYSTEM PROBLEMS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      8. CARD AND PORT ANNOYANCES
        1. RECOGNIZING UNKNOWN SYSTEM DEVICES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. UNDERSTANDING AGP VOLTAGES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. NEW AGP PERFORMANCE UNDERUTILIZED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. THE INSIDE STORY ON IRQ SHARING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. OLD AGP CARD DAMAGES MOTHERBOARD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. CARDS CAN CREEP OUT OF SLOTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. UNDERSTANDING PCI EXPRESS COMPATIBILITY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. USB DEVICE NOT RECOGNIZED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. USB ONLY PROVIDES LIMITED POWER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. IDENTIFYING THE USB PORT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. PESKY ZIP DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. USB DEVICES MANAGE POWER DIFFERENTLY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. NOT ALL USB PORTS WORK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. USB DEVICES ONLY WORK BRIEFLY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        15. FIREWIRE DRIVE DISCONNECTS UNEXPECTEDLY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        16. NOT ALL EXTERNAL DEVICES USE POWER SWITCHES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      9. MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES
        1. RECOVERING FROM A VIRUS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. IMPROVING YOUR ODDS OF UPGRADE SUCCESS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. STOPPING EXCESSIVE FAN NOISE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. SURVEYING PC HARDWARE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. DON’T BUY UNNECESSARY CLEANING SUPPLIES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. TROUBLE CAPTURING THE MOMENT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. MAKING THE CUT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. FIXING FOULED FILES ON THE HARD DRIVE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. FIXING FAULTY CONFIGURATION DATA
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. REGAINING CONTROL FROM A SYSTEM CRASH
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. CREATING A PASSWORD RECOVERY DISK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. SQUASHING THE WINDOWS XP BUG REPORT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. ENABLING AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. AVOIDING REDUNDANT PATCH DOWNLOADS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        15. TURN IT OFF OR LEAVE IT ON
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        16. FIXING DLL CACHE ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        17. PREVENTING PERNICIOUS PC POWER-DOWNS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
    3. 2. Laptop and PDA Annoyances
      1. SETUP/STARTUP ANNOYANCES
        1. USE THE CD/DVD SPINDLE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. LAPTOP STUCK IN HIBERNATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. NOTEBOOK WON’T HIBERNATE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. COMMON-SENSE THEFT PREVENTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. LIGHTEN YOUR LAPTOP LOAD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. AN EASIER WAY TO SYNCHRONIZE FILES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. IGNORING A CUMBERSOME TOUCHPAD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. SYSTEM HESITATES WHEN DRIVE SPINS UP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. LIGHTING YOUR DARK KEYBOARD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. ESTABLISHING WI-FI CONNECTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. NON-STANDARD FEATURES KILL WIRELESS CONNECTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. LOCATION CAUSES POOR WIRELESS PERFORMANCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. POWER MANAGEMENT BLOCKED AFTER SHARING CONNECTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. DVD FRAMES LOST WHEN MOBILE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      2. BATTERY ANNOYANCES
        1. MAXIMIZING BATTERY LIFE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. CREATIVE CHARGING IMPROVES BATTERY LIFE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. CHECK FOR BAD BATTERY INSERTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. IMPROPER AC ADAPTER CAUSES BEEPING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. USING UNIVERSAL AC CHARGERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      3. LCD ANNOYANCES
        1. IDENTIFYING MANUFACTURER’S PIXEL DEFECTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. IMPROVING A DINGY DISPLAY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. LCD IMAGE CUTS OUT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. A CLEARER VIEW OF COMPLEX IMAGES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      4. PC CARD ANNOYANCES
        1. FITTING PC CARDS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. SCSI DRIVE IGNORES LAPTOP ADAPTER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. LAPTOP FAILS TO SEE LAN CARD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      5. PDA ANNOYANCES
        1. REPLACE WORN STYLUS TIPS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. IMPROVE ERRATIC FILE SYNCHRONIZATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. SYNCHRONIZING THE PEN AND INK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. LOST STYLUS MUST BE REPLACED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. PDA DISPLAY GOES WHITE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. CALIBRATE YOUR PDA FOR YOUR GESTURES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. PDA APPLICATIONS SEEM SLOW
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. USB DEVICES KILL BATTERY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. MAKING WIRELESS PDA CONNECTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. NEW APPLICATIONS MAY NEED NEW CONDUITS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. OVERCOMING PDA CRASHES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. SAVE PDA POWER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. GETTING THE PDA TO CHARGE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. HANDLING BIG FILE TRANSFERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      6. MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES
        1. EASING A DIFFICULT DOCK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. SELECTING A RUGGEDIZED PC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. COOLING A HOT LAPTOP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
    4. 3. Graphics Annoyances
      1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
        1. IDENTIFYING UNKNOWN GRAPHICS CARDS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. CHECKING VIDEO RAM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. NO PICTURE WITH DVI CABLING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. STABILIZING A FRAME WITH VSYNC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. TURBO CHARGING AGP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. NETMEETING DISABLES AGP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      2. DRIVER ANNOYANCES
        1. VIDEO PLAYER NEEDS CODECS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. ENSURING A MINIMUM DIRECTX VERSION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. FIXING AN EXPIRED MESSAGE FOR DIRECTX 8.1
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. NEW DRIVERS CAUSE PROTECTION ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. FINDING MISSING FEATURE TABS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. OVERCOMING HARDCODED DIRECTX
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. NEW DRIVERS DON’T WORK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. GAME STUTTERS IN OPENGL MODE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. FINDING INVISIBLE 3D OBJECTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. DRIVER UPDATES CAUSE WINDOWS ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. NATIVE WINDOWS DRIVERS MIGHT SKIMP ON FEATURES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      3. UPGRADE ANNOYANCES
        1. TROUBLE REMOVING OLD AGP CARD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. NEW AGP BREAKS DVD PLAYBACK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. ODD SOUNDS AFTER NEW VIDEO INSTALLATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. OVERCOMING AGP MODE LIMITS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. NEW VIDEO CARD CAUSES SYSTEM HANG-UPS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. RELUCTANT WINDOWS XP DRIVERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      4. DESKTOP ANNOYANCES
        1. LOCATING THE TIMID TASKBAR
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. IMPROVING DESKTOP PERFORMANCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. SHARING A WINDOWS DESKTOP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. BRIGHTENING A DARK IMAGE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      5. MONITOR ANNOYANCES
        1. OVERCOMING DISPLAY FLICKER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. STOPPING THE SHIMMER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. WEIRD COLORS IN THE DISPLAY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. IDENTIFYING LINES IN THE CRT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. MY CRT WHINES LIKE A BABY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. SOUND UPSETS SCREEN COLORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. MAINTAINING COLOR PURITY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. DISPLAY LIMITED TO 16 COLORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. STOPPING FLICKER IN LCD DISPLAYS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. MAINTAINING THE RIGHT SCANNING RANGE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. NO DVD OUTPUT TO AN EXTERNAL MONITOR
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. MONITOR IMAGE DISTORTED IN STANDBY MODE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      6. 3D ANNOYANCES
        1. FIXING A POOR FRAME RATE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. 3D CARD IS RUNNING SLOW
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. THE IMAGE SEEMS TO RIP OR TEAR
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. WRONG 3D COLORS AND TEXTURES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. UNLOCKING HIDDEN 3D CARD FEATURES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. STREAMLINING GRAPHICS PERFORMANCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. WINDOWS SHOWS TWO VIDEO SYSTEMS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      7. VIDEO CAPTURE/PLAYBACK ANNOYANCES
        1. ELIMINATE DROPPED FRAMES DURING CAPTURES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. VIDEO PREVIEW NOT AVAILABLE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. TV OUTPUT UNAVAILABLE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. TRANSFERRING VIDEO TO TELEVISION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. NO TV IMAGE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. COPY PROTECTION KILLS DVD PLAYBACK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. TV OUTPUT SEEMS SCRAMBLED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. NEW DIRECTX KILLS TV TUNER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. SECONDARY DISPLAY BLANKS TV WINDOW
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. AUDIO MISSING FROM CAPTURES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. CAN’T ADJUST THE RECORDING VOLUME
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. CAPTURE DEVICE NOT DETECTED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. RECORDING CAPTURES OVER 2GB
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. LIMITED CAPTURE RESOLUTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        15. VIDEO AND AUDIO OUT OF SYNC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        16. RECORDING DEVICES INTERRUPT TV OUTPUT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        17. TV PLAYBACK SHIFTS MONITOR FREQUENCIES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        18. CLEARING UP BLURRY TEXT ON TV
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        19. DVD MOVIE COLORS ARE WASHED OUT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      8. PLAYER SOFTWARE ANNOYANCES
        1. PLAYBACK CONTROLS SEEM DISABLED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. WMP REQUESTS VIDEO DECELERATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. WATCHING OVER YOUR PARENTAL CONTROL
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. NO PLAYBACK IN FULL-SCREEN MODE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. FIREWALL CUTS OFF STREAMING PLAYBACK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. TRAFFIC AFFECTS STREAMING PLAYBACK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. MUSIC DOWNLOADS CAUSE CONNECTION ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. UNEXPECTED ERRORS IN REALPLAYER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
    5. 4. Sound Annoyances
      1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
        1. FIGURING OUT YOUR SOUND CARD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. AUDIO PORT CONFUSION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. GETTING THE MOST FROM POSITIONAL SOUND
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. ENABLING THE STANDARD JOYSTICK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. ENJOYING SURROUND SOUND
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. GETTING EAX TO WORK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. DEVICE DISAPPEARS AFTER BIOS UPGRADE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. MULTIMEDIA PLAYER ASKS FOR A CODEC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. HEADPHONES DISABLE INTERNAL SPEAKERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      2. SETUP ANNOYANCES
        1. CAN’T USE AC-3 AUDIO
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. GETTING SOUND WITH TV OUTPUT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. DEALING WITH EXCESS EFFECTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. SURROUND SPEAKERS NOT WORKING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. HELPING THE HEARING IMPAIRED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. ELIMINATING AUDIO DISTORTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. TAKING STATIC OUT OF THE SOUND
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. REDUCING MICROPHONE SENSITIVITY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. ENABLING A TROUBLESOME MICROPHONE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. CLEARING UP GARBLED VOICE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      3. SPEAKER ANNOYANCES
        1. MANAGING SPEAKER HUM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. WRONG JACK IMPAIRS SOUND QUALITY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. REDUCING UNWANTED SOUND INTERFERENCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. SPEAKER APPLET INTERRUPTS OTHER PROGRAMS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. SOUND AT ONLY THE FRONT CHANNELS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. NO SOUND FROM CENTER SPEAKER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. DIGITAL SPEAKERS DON’T WORK AT HIGH SAMPLING RATES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      4. CD AUDIO ANNOYANCES
        1. GETTING CD MUSIC TO WORK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. CONFIGURING DRIVES FOR DIGITAL AUDIO
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. GETTING ERROR-TOLERANT PLAYBACK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      5. MUSIC PLAYER ANNOYANCES
        1. CAN’T INSTALL MULTIPLE MUSIC PLAYERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. REVENGE OF THE CODECS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. MP3 PLAYER NOT RECOGNIZED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. MP3 PLAYER DOESN’T SEE ALL MUSIC FILES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. CAN’T SEARCH LARGE MUSIC COLLECTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. MP3 PLAYER ABSENT FROM MY COMPUTER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. PC WON’T SEE MP3 PLAYER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. FILE TRANSFERS SLOW AFTER FORMATTING MP3 PLAYER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. GETTING MORE BATTERY LIFE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. HANDLING IPOD FILE EXCLAMATIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
    6. 5. Hard Drive Annoyances
      1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
        1. DRIVE GOES MISSING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. DRIVE SPACE SHORTFALL
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. MAKING A DRIVE IDENTIFICATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. NEW DRIVE HANGS THE SYSTEM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. FDISK REPORTS WRONG DISK SPACE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. DISK SHOWS LESS SPACE IN SYSTEM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. DRIVES WON’T PLAY NICE TOGETHER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. USING CABLE SELECT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. PIO MODE REPORT IS FALSE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. SILENCING THE LOW DISK SPACE ALARM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. ADDING SERIAL ATA DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. RECOGNIZING SCSI DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      2. PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES
        1. GETTING PEAK PERFORMANCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. RECOVERING DRIVE PARAMETERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. DRIVE WON’T SHOW IN WINDOWS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. A FIX FOR SLOW DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. NEAT CABLING CAUSES PROBLEMS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. UNMOUNT EXTERNAL DRIVES FIRST
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. FAST EXTERNAL DRIVES SEEM SLOW
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. POOR OPERATION FROM INTERNAL DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      3. MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES
        1. DRIVE PERFORMANCE AND VIRTUAL MEMORY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. HANDLING HARD DRIVE NOISE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. CHECKING AND CORRECTING CORRUPTED FILES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. NEW INSTALLATION MAKES DRIVE DISAPPEAR
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. NEW BIOS BOUNCES ATA DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. STOPPING USB DRIVE AUTOPLAY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. XP VOLUME IS TOO BIG
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. BETTER TOOLS THAN DEFRAG
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. DEFRAG RESTARTS UNEXPECTEDLY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. FULL DRIVES WON’T DEFRAGMENT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. EMPTIED FILES MIGHT BE UNRECOVERABLE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      4. BACKUP AND RESTORE ANNOYANCES
        1. BACKUP TOOLS SHOULD SPAN DISCS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. RECOVERING FROM NEW DRIVERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. DISABLING SYSTEM RESTORE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. OVERCOMING A BAD RESTORE POINT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. MIGRATING TO A NEW DRIVE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. LOW SPACE SUSPENDS SYSTEM RESTORE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. GHOST WON’T IMAGE TO USB DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. GHOST IS FINICKY WITH CD-RW MEDIA
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. FRAGMENTATION STOPS GHOST DEAD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
    7. 6. CD/DVD Drive Annoyances
      1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
        1. IDENTIFYING UNKNOWN DISCS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. MASTERING THE DVD REGION CODE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. READY LED VERSUS BUSY LED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. DRIVE FIRMWARE FLASH FAILS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. NEW FIRMWARE IMPROVES PERFORMANCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. NEW FIRMWARE NIXES DRIVE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. STOP DISC THEFT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. NEW DRIVE NOT RECOGNIZED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. LONG TIME TO AUTO START
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. DISABLING AUTOPLAY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. USB DRIVE DOESN’T SEE DISC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      2. PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES
        1. NO SPACE AFTER FORMATTING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. MOVING TO 80 MINUTES AND BEYOND
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. MIXING AND MATCHING DISC FORMATS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. QUASHING NOISY DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. PERKING UP A SLOW DRIVE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. CABLING FOR CD AUDIO
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. TEMPERAMENTAL DRIVE TRAY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. OVERCOMING CRC ERRORS IN DISC WRITING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. CLEARING UNNEEDED DISCS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. WRITING AND REWRITING IN HIGH SPEED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. HANDLING SOFTWARE EJECTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      3. PLAYBACK ANNOYANCES
        1. DIRTY DISCS DISTORT VIDEO
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. REMOVING POPS AND CLICKS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. HANDLING DISC READ ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. DISABLED HEADPHONE JACK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. USING HYBRID DISCS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. READING NEW DISCS ON OLD DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. SEEING ONLY THE LAST SESSION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. FILLING A BLANK DVD WINDOW
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. ALTERNATIVE AUDIO CABLING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. READING REWRITABLE DISCS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      4. RECORDING ANNOYANCES
        1. LOST DVD SPACE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. OVERCOMING PMA ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. VIDEO FORMAT NOT SUPPORTED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. REDUCING DISC USE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. FINALIZING AND CLOSING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. DEALING WITH BUFFER UNDERRUNS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. CAN’T RECORD ON-THE-FLY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. FINDING THE RECORDING SIDE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. BURNED MUSIC WON’T PLAY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. DVD WON’T WRITE CDS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      5. REWRITING ANNOYANCES
        1. INTERCHANGING “+” AND “-” MEDIA
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. DISC LIFESPAN
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. REWRITABLE DISC SHORT ON SPACE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. SOFTWARE INCORRECTLY REPORTS MEDIA
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. REWRITING AT 32X
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. XP DOESN’T ERASE RW FILES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. DVD FILE SIZE LIMITS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      6. BURNING SOFTWARE ANNOYANCES
        1. ELIMINATING MUSIC GAPS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. HANDLING PARAMETER ERRORS WHILE BURNING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. TRACK ORDER CHANGES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. PLUG-INS EXTEND BURNING FEATURES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. WINASPI DRIVER ERRORS IN NERO
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. DRIVE SPEED DROPS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. HANDLING SCSI TARGET ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. CAN’T READ CDS ON ANY SYSTEM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. KEEP SNOOPERS OUT OF DISCS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. TROUBLE COPYING DVD MOVIES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. DISC SCRATCHES IMPAIR COPYING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. HANDLING DIRECTCD ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. SOFTWARE DOESN’T RECOGNIZE DRIVES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. RECOVERING LOST RW FILES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      7. DVD PLAYER ANNOYANCES
        1. MP3 PLAYBACK FROM DVD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. DRIVER UPDATES BREAK DVD PLAYER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. MACROVISION WARNING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
    8. 7. Network Annoyances
      1. CONFIGURATION ANNOYANCES
        1. FINDING DETAILED NIC INFORMATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. UNDERSTANDING NETWORK NUMBERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. LOOK FOR FIRMWARE UPDATES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. BE CAREFUL WITH CROSSOVER CABLES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. CAN’T KEEP THE SAME IP ADDRESS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. WRONG TIMESTAMP ON EMAIL
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. MODEM ISN’T RECOGNIZED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. CONFIGURING MULTIPLE DIAL-UP CONNECTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. CONFIRMING V.92 MODE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. MODEM CHANGES COM PORTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. QUIETING A NOISY MODEM SPEAKER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. NEW CABLE MODEM ISN’T WORKING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. DUN PASSWORD ISN’T SAVED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. CONNECTION FAULT PAUSES PC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        15. NEW DEVICE DISABLES NIC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        16. POWER LOSS STOPS INTERNET ACCESS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        17. REDUCE NETWORK DELAY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        18. LOCATING AN ELUSIVE MAC ADDRESS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      2. MODEM ANNOYANCES
        1. MODEM WON’T DIAL OUT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. MODEM DROPS CONNECTION AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. BROWSING PROBLEMS WITH EARTHLINK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. ISSUES WITH MOH AND ID
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. USB MODEM SHOWS NO LIT LEDS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. PC UPGRADE DISABLES MODEM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. INCOMPATIBLE AT COMMANDS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. V.44 DOESN’T IMPROVE ALL TRANSFERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      3. CABLE ANNOYANCES
        1. STREAMING DATA GETS CHOPPY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. SPEEDING UP THE BROADBAND CONNECTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. CHECKING BROADBAND SECURITY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. BI-DIRECTIONAL DATA RATES IMPAIRED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. FORBIDDEN WEB SITES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. CABLE MODEM GOES MUTE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. SLOW CABLE MODEM COMMUNICATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. ROUTER NOT DISTRIBUTING IP ADDRESSES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. TURNING OFF A HOT MODEM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      4. DSL ANNOYANCES
        1. USING A SPLITTER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. HANDLING DSL DISCONNECTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. PREVENTING DISCONNECTS WITH PPPOE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. DSL AND CABLE DISTANCES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. DSL INTERNET CONNECTION FREEZES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. DUN ERROR WITH DSL CONNECTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. DSL ROUTER IS INACCESSIBLE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. LINK LED WON’T STAY ON
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. DIAGNOSTIC LEDS SPELL TROUBLE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. PHONES INTERFERE WITH DSL
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      5. WIRELESS NETWORKING ANNOYANCES
        1. CORDLESS PHONES INTERFERE WITH WIRELESS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. DEALING WITH WIRELESS SIGNAL PROBLEMS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. KEEPING YOUR WIRELESS CONNECTIONS PRIVATE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. STRONG SIGNAL WON’T CONNECT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. NO WIRELESS SIGNAL STRENGTH
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. WIRELESS ACCESS POINT DOESN’T RESPOND
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. CAN’T CONNECT TO AVAILABLE NETWORKS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. NO IP ADDRESS FOR WIRELESS USB NIC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. XP HOTFIX KILLS WIRELESS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. SHARED CONNECTIONS SEEM SLOW
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. SELECTING ONE OR TWO ANTENNAS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      6. GENERAL NETWORKING ANNOYANCES
        1. LINK LED ON AND OFF
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. DIAL-UP AND BROADBAND TOGETHER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. HARDWARE SHARING REQUIREMENTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. PREPARING TO SHARE CONNECTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. CREATING A VPN CONNECTION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. DISABLING MESSAGE SPAM
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. NETWORK CANNOT GET SYSTEM TO POWER UP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. IDENTIFYING NEW PCS ON THE NETWORK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. HANDLING WEB TIMEOUT ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. REPAIRING NETWORK CONNECTIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. CONFIGURING A STATIC IP ADDRESS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. ENABLING SERVICES BEHIND A ROUTER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. ACCESSING A ROUTER WITHOUT A PASSWORD
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. DISABLING PPPOE IN BROADBAND
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        15. HANDLING NETWORK FAILURES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      7. PRINTER AND FILE SHARING ANNOYANCES
        1. TRASH THROUGH A PRINT SERVER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. SHARING FILES AND FOLDERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. RESOLVING PRINT SERVER IP CONFLICTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. PRINTER TAKES A LONG TIME TO START
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. WPS PRINTER WON’T PRINT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      8. FIREWALL ANNOYANCES
        1. FIREWALLS ON THE CHEAP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. STREAMLINE FILE SHARING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. DOMAIN SLOWS LAN STARTUP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. FIREWALL CUTS OFF THE INTERNET
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. MAINTAINING AN ISP HEARTBEAT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. RESTORING A DISABLED VPN
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. MAKING THE MOST OF SECURITY SETTINGS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. ENABLE VOIP ACROSS THE FIREWALL
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. AVOID FIREWALL AND ANTI-VIRUS CONFLICTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. NORTON WON’T LOAD DURING BOOT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. NIS BLOCKING OUTLOOK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. NIS CUTS OFF SECURE WEB SITES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
    9. 8. Printer and Scanner Annoyances
      1. SETUP ANNOYANCES
        1. ENABLING A STUBBORN PRINTER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. NEW PRINTER ISN’T IDENTIFIED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. WAKENING A NETWORK PRINTER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. WEIGHING A DRIVER UPDATE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. SPECIAL CABLES NOT NEEDED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. FINDING THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAPER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. PRINTER OUTPUT CUTS CORNERS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. PRINTER PUMPS OUT BLACK PAGES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. PRINTER DISCOVERED ON EACH BOOT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. SHARING PRINTERS THROUGH A NETWORK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. PRINTER POPS UPS BREAKER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. MULTIFUNCTION UNIT WON’T RECEIVE FAXES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. NEW PRINTER RAM NOT RECOGNIZED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        14. RESOLUTION IS LIMITED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      2. PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES
        1. CLEAR THE QUEUE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. GETTING TOP PRINT SPEED
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. GETTING THE MOST FROM TONER AND INK
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. THE PRINTER SPEWS GARBAGE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. STOPPING MULTIPLE COPIES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. HALTING AN UNWANTED PRINT JOB
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. HTML UPSETS PRINTING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. REVERSING MIRRORED PRINT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. DEALING WITH INSUFFICIENT SPACE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. CLEANING UP DIRTY FONTS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. PRINT JOBS DON’T CLEAR THE QUEUE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      3. MAINTENANCE ANNOYANCES
        1. NEW DRUM STILL WANTS REPLACEMENT
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. OVERCOMING PERSISTENT TONER ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. SMOOTHING OUT LIGHT STREAKS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. CLEANING UP INK SPILLS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. INSTALLED INK CARTRIDGES ARE MISSING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. THE JAM THAT WOULDN’T DIE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. JAMS IN THE DUPLEXER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. TONER RUBS OFF
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. PAGES SEEM GRAY AND DINGY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. DEALING WITH HP DRIVER ERRORS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      4. COLOR PRINTER ANNOYANCES
        1. FIXING NOZZLE MISFIRES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. OPTING FOR DEEP CLEANING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. HEADS WON’T ALIGN
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. COLORS SEEM WRONG
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. COLOR IN THE GRAYSCALE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. COLORS APPEAR GRAY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. STOP INK FROM SMEARING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. INK DOESN’T FILL PROPERLY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. DISCARDING INK CARTRIDGES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. MORE INK FOR THE MONEY
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      5. PAPER ANNOYANCES
        1. AVOID BAD PAPER TYPES
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. SEVERAL SHEETS FEED AT ONCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. STOP ENVELOPE CRUMPLING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
      6. SCANNER ANNOYANCES
        1. PC DOESN’T SEE THE USB SCANNER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        2. SCSI CONNECTION CAN’T INITIALIZE SCANNER
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        3. THE SCAN BUTTON FREEZES THE PC
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        4. SCANNING OPENS ANOTHER APPLICATION
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        5. GETTING MORE RAM FOR SCANNING
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        6. MANAGING THE SCANNING LAMP
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        7. SCANNING TO UNCOOPERATIVE APPLICATIONS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        8. MANAGING MOIRÉ
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        9. GETTING THE BEST PHOTO SCANS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        10. SCANNING FOR WEB PERFORMANCE
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        11. WHITE DOTS ON THE SCAN
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        12. GETTING CRISPER SCANS
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
        13. MATCHING COLORS IN THE SCAN
          1. The Annoyance:
          2. The Fix:
    10. Index
    11. Colophon

Product information

  • Title: PC Hardware Annoyances
  • Author(s): Stephen J. Bigelow
  • Release date: November 2004
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596007157