fix

Infopackets Reader Beth R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am using Windows 7 and the USB 'Safely remove hardware' icon in my tray bar seems to have disappeared. I understand that USB drives need to be 'safely removed' or they can corrupt, which I would ... like to avoid. What can I do to fix the USB 'Safely remove hardware' so it comes back? " My response: There are a few things you can try in order to fix the USB "Safely remove hardware" icon - I'll explain a few approaches below. The fix below will work on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 . How to Fix: USB 'Safely remove hardware' icon missing The ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Rachel P. writes: " Dear Dennis, As per your recommendation, I have installed Malwarebytes Antimalware Free on my system and I do a full system scan every 30 days or so. Today I tried to launch Malwarebytes Antimalware Free ... ("MBAM") and it gives me an error, stating that it is 'Unable to start' and 'Unable to connect to service' , with an option to click 'OK' and nothing else. I don't know how to fix this. Can you please help? " My response: I have run across this issue a few times with my clients, but resolving it is not always the same. I asked Rachel if she would like me ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader George M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I upgraded to Windows 10 a few months ago - however, just recently when I right click on a file, the 'Open with' option is missing from the menu. For example, normally when I right click on a video ... file, I have the option to 'Open with', and then I can choose Video Lan Player, or Windows Media Player, etc - but that option is no longer available. I have searched the web on how to fix the broken 'Open with' option but NONE of the fixes online work! Can you please help? " My response: I contacted George and asked if he would like to connect to ... (view more)

Microsoft has criticized Google for revealing details of what the search giant has dubbed a "critical" security flaw in Windows. The two companies dispute whether Google gave Microsoft enough time to fix the problem before going public. The ... controversy lies in the fact that Microsoft has yet to release a fix for the problem and has not even said if one exists. The bug applies to 32-bit editions of Windows and allows an unauthorized local privilege escalation. The effect is to undermine a security feature known as " sandboxing ," which is designed so that if a hacker ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Pat P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently had to rollback Windows 7 because the system appeared to be corrupt. The rollback worked. However, now whenever I try to open MS Office it starts up with a message that it is configuring MS ... Office, then says 'MS Office requires validation'. I chose the option to activate on line (or by phone), but then all I get after that is a message that MS Office could not be activated because the product key is invalid. What do I do now? " My response: I did have this exact same problem a few months back with another user. The scenario was ... (view more)

I've been repairing computers now for over 23 years and for the last few years, I began offering my computer repair service online . One of the most popular repairs I do today is to fix Windows Update; sometimes, however, Windows Update is too far ... corrupt that it requires a complete reinstall of Windows in order to fix the issue. The same can be said in other situations where Windows is too far corrupt that it cannot be repaired even by someone with as much experience as I have . Based on this, users ask me "Why is my Windows corrupt?" and "How can this have happened?" I thought I'd write an ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader "AJ" writes: " Dear Dennis, After having a conversation with Microsoft tech support yesterday, I realized that I was scammed. I took necessary steps to cancel credit card. I do not do business on my machine - just communication ... with friends, etc. I do see that the techs that took my money have done some work on my computer and it seems to run a lot better. Question: is it still harmful to leave my computer as-is, or should I hire another tech to clean my machine again? The people that took my money also gave me their phone numbers so that I can be in contact with them at ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim N. writes: " Dear Dennis, Ever since I upgraded to Windows 10, I have no sound. I have looked at all of my speaker / headphone volume settings, and have searched Google for 'windows 10 sound not working' and 'windows 10 sound ... drivers', but nothing seems to apply to my situation - my sound simply does not work. I realize that this is a very common problem, but having no sound in Windows 10 is driving me nuts. Is there a simple fix for this or should I go back to Windows 7? " My response: I can tell you that based on my experience, the sound in Windows 10 cuts out ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Marion writes: " Dear Dennis, I am running Windows 10 and my Windows Mail won't work; every time I load Windows Mail it just freezes. For example, normally when I load Windows Mail, the left hand side of the screen displays my ... Accounts, Inbox, Sent items, Drafts, and Archives - however, almost all of these headings are completely blank. If I move my mouse over top of each section it will show its heading, but I know that isn't right. I can only see a few items in my Sent box but no mail comes through the Inbox. Any ideas? " My response: I contacted Marion and she agreed to ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'David' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows 10, and the updates keep failing. Also, when I try to update Creative Cloud (to upgrade my Adobe Photoshop), it gets to 54% complete and then I receive a message stating that 'Another ... installation is in progress' error. I also received a very strange error message when attempting to install Classic Shell: 'User System has previously initiated an install for product (Microsoft Office). That user will need to run that install again before they can use that product. You current install will now continue.' I click OK and it will ... (view more)