Common Causes for Windows Vista Crashes

Has your new Windows Vista system already started crashing? If yes, then it is important for you to know what causes system crashes and try to resolve or prevent them from happening. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the common causes of Vista crashes and how you can avoid them.

Registry problems are one of the main causes of several Windows Vista errors and system crashes. This is because the registry is a central hierarchal database repository that comprises all information related to hardware and software configuration, system setup, and user preferences. Now, whenever you install/uninstall applications, change system configuration, or perform any other activity such as browse the Web, open and create new files, and so on, information is accessed, added, or removed from the registry. In the process, quite often some unwanted information, such as outdated, incorrect and invalid entries make their way into the registry and unnecessarily corrupt, damage and fragment its files.
A damaged and fragmented registry, full of invalid and corrupt entries, tends to generate errors on your Vista system and cause frequent system freezes and crashes.
The best way to fix registry problems and restore the registry to a healthy state is by using a reliable and efficient Vista registry cleaner tool. This tool automates the process of scanning the registry for errors and repairing them. When you repair registry errors, many Vista errors, related to DLLs, drivers, and other system files are also fixed and your system is restored to a healthy state.
Registry cleaners also enable you to defrag the Vista registry. When you defrag the registry, the following things happen:

• All fragmented registry files are consolidated and reindexed, speeding up the time the registry takes to provide the required information to the programs and drivers accessing it. As a result, the performance of your Windows PC becomes better and the chances of Vista crashes are minimized.
• When you uninstall applications or when unwanted registry entries are removed when you repair the registry using the registry cleaner tool, deleted entries may leave behind their place holders or empty registry keys. These empty keys unnecessarily increase the size of the registry and make it unstable. Defragging the registry using a registry cleaner tool helps you in getting rid of these unwanted, empty entries and enables you to decrease the size of the registry.

Before you perform any registry repair task, you must make sure that you back up the Windows Vista registry first. This is possible by using your registry cleaner tool. Using the backup and restore option of a registry cleaner tool, you can both backup and restore the Vista registry with just a few mouse clicks.
Many Vista errors such as mci32 vista errors occur when programs installed on the Vista system need DLL files that are not shipped with the Vista operating system. If your system crashes or generates errors for such files, then to resolve the issue, you will first have to copy the missing DLL file to its location on the disk and then register it by running the “regsvr32 /i <FullDLLName>” command.

How to Correctly Uninstall a Program

Although the front-end or the part of the Windows system you see is quite simple and user-friendly, the operating system is quite complicated behind the scenes. And, a simple error or mistake can cause severe damage to your PC. Therefore, it is important that in the process of enjoying the computing experience on your Windows computer, you take proper care of it. For instance, one of the most important tasks that many computer users fail to do is to use legitimate procedures to uninstall programs from their computers. This is a very important task, because whenever you install programs on your computer several files and registry entries are added. And if you fail to uninstall your application using the correct method, many orphan files, registry entries, and programs shortcuts may be left behind. This orphaned data unnecessarily clutters your computer, and eventually leads it toward frequent system errors, freezes, and crashes.
In this article, we are going to introduce you to the proper methods that you may use to uninstall programs from your computer and prevent uninstall errors that occur due to incorrect removal processes.
Method #1: Use Add or Remove Programs
Most of the programs, especially the ones installed using the Windows Installer utility, add an entry in the Add or Remove programs list. Therefore, when trying to uninstall programs, this is the first method that you must opt for.
For example, if you want to uninstall office 2007 or remove a Norton product from your computer, you may perform the following steps:

1. Open Start menu, and then select Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, select the Add or Remove Programs link.
3. Scroll down the Currently installed programs list and select the option to uninstall Office 2007 or the Norton product you want to remove.
4. Next, select the Change/Remove button to uninstall the selected program.
5. Restart your system after the uninstallation process is complete to ensure that all registry entries and related programs are removed from the system.

Method# 2: Use Program Uninstaller
Although Add or Remove Programs is usually the most commonly used utility to uninstall programs, it is usually not efficient in performing a complete uninstallation, especially when you are trying to uninstall large applications such as Norton and Office 2007. This is the reason why separate uninstaller programs are available for these programs. For instance, you can download the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility and Norton removal tool on your computer to remove Office 2007 and Norton products from your computer.
Method #3: Use the Program Uninstall Option
Many programs do not add their uninstall option in Add or Remove Programs. The uninstall option for these programs is usually available in their program folder and a shortcut to it is usually added in the Start menu as Uninstall Program_Name. For instance, if you want to uninstall WinZip from your computer, open Start menu, point to All Programs, select WinZip and then select the Uninstall WinZip option.
Because programs add a number of files and registry entries, it is recommended that after you have uninstalled your program, you scan your registry and the hard disk for any left over information and remove it from the system. To remove unwanted and orphan entries from the registry, you may use a reliable registry cleaner tool to scan and remove these entries. Also, use the Disk Cleanup tool included in your Windows XP or Windows Vista computer to remove unwanted program files from the system.

10 steps to speed up a slow Windows PC

J King has a slow-running Dell and wonders if he should consider reinstalling Windows

Slow-running computers can be incredibly frustrating. Photograph: Lucidio Studio Inc/Corbis

I have a slow-running Dell that's about five years old. It has been protected by Norton Symantec throughout its life and, after a recent full system scan, Norton declares it to be in good health with all threats under control. On the other hand, I am told that slow running is what happens when a PC is full of viruses, and I should consider reinstalling Windows. Which of these is right? And if my PC is clogged up, what is the point of Norton Symantec? It would be nice to be able to make an accurate diagnosis.
J King


A PC running Microsoft Windows XP should continue to run at the speed it did when you bought it. They never (or very rarely) do in real life, for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that both the operating system and the applications change as security holes are patched and new features are added. Today's updated XP SP3 needs more resources than the original version, launched in 2001. To run Windows XP SP3, a browser and one main program nowadays you should have at least 1GB of memory and at least 1GB of free hard drive space.
Also, new PCs "feel" fast because they usually are much faster than whatever you had before. As the months go by, the new speed feels normal and you start to notice delays when things are not as fast as you'd like. Unless you are the sort of person who actually benchmarks new PCs, then you won't really know how much it has slowed down, if at all. (Windows 7 and Vista have reliability and performance monitors that help.)

It is certainly true that malware can make a PC run slowly, and you should double-check Norton's opinion by running an alternative as a one-off test. I'd suggest Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware: see my recent post on Removing spyware from Windows for further help. But your PC may also have slowed down because it's running lots of background programs installed by apparently reputable companies such as Adobe, Apple, Google and many others, including Microsoft. Anti-virus software generally cannot protect you from software that you install deliberately.

At this point, you can try to solve the problem either by debugging your current Windows PC or by reinstalling the Windows XP operating system. (You can also not solve the problem by taking a different route, such as buying a new PC or installing Linux. These will replace your current problems with a different set of problems. However, I'm a stickler for answering the question you actually asked.)
Both debugging your current PC and reinstalling Windows XP will take time and effort. Usually, debugging is quicker, while reinstallation produces better results. (The reinstallation is quick: downloading Windows updates, reinstalling all your applications and restoring your data can take a long time.) I'd suggest you follow this clean-up routine and see if it speeds up your PC, because at least you will have some tools to help you monitor and control your PC.
1. Check that you have all the latest Windows updates then back up your whole PC, or at least any data that you have not already backed up. Create a Restore Point so you can go back to it.
2. Go to Add/Remove programs and uninstall any software you no longer use. Ideally, uninstall all copies of Java and then install the latest version.

3. Download and run CCleaner (free) to delete temporary files and clean up your PC, including the Windows Registry.

4. Run Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, as mentioned above. (You can also run it in Safe Mode.)

5. Restart your PC and check your hard drive for errors. The quickest way is to click Start and type chkdsk /r in the Run box.

6. Download and install AnVir Task Manager Free. This will enable you to go through your PC's startup programs and services and block any that you no longer want to load. It will also stop programs from inserting things into your startup routine without your permission. You may need to identify some startup programs using Pacs-Portal or Bleeping Computer. See the Services Guide for Windows XP at The Elder Geek for other information. Hover your mouse over Task Manager Free's SysTray icons to see if you are short of memory or if something is using a lot of resources.

7. Download and run Sysinternals' Process Explorer 12.04. This is like Windows Task Manager but much more powerful. Look through all the applications and processes that are running on your PC and see if any are consuming unusual amounts of the CPU and other resources. If one application is stealing 90-100% of the processor, everything else will run very slowly. Note that svchost is not in itself a problem: it simply hosts other services that are run from dll files (dynamic-link libraries).

8. Based on your findings from 6 and 7, you may want to turn off some Windows services (set them to run on demand), and update or change some applications. Historically, Norton has been seen as a bit of a resource hog, but I'm told that Norton Internet Security 2010 has been much improved. You could consider replacing Norton with the free Microsoft Security Essentials to see if it makes a difference. Google's Chrome is a more lightweight and more secure browser than Firefox or IE. Apple's iTunes for Windows is bloated and slow, and lumbers you with QuickTime, Bonjour, and attempts to install the Safari browser. Check the website AlternativeTo for ideas and comments on various options. (It also covers Linux, Mac, iOS, Android and other operating systems.) If you can't find a better alternative, uninstall then reinstall the program that's creating a problem.

9. Defragment your hard drive. Windows has a built-in defragger, but Auslogics Disk Defrag 3.1.8 is an excellent alternative.

10. (Optional) Old PCs can accumulate vast amounts of dust, carpet fibres and other detritus that can clog fans and so on. Turn off your PC and unplug it from the mains, take the lid off, then gently blow the dust out. Make sure that the fans spin freely, and that all the cables are pushed firmly home. Static electricity kills chips, so you should wear an ESD (electrostatic discharge) strap. If not, make sure you ground yourself to make sure you are not carrying a static charge. Either way, keep your fingers well away from the motherboard.

Your aged Dell should now be running better. If not, you may have to resort to a memory upgrade, or reinstall Windows XP. For reference, I have a five-year-old Dell desktop bought at Easter 1985 (see my column from April 14). It still runs Windows XP SP3 perfectly well, though 1GB is very tight on memory. (A 4GB upgrade cost me about £40.) The idea that Windows needs to be reinstalled every two years or so is no longer true, if a PC is well looked after, though I used to do reinstalls with DOS-based versions from Windows 95 to ME.