If you decide to take an initiative to understand the problem, it is possible that you may ultimately discover that what was looking exceedingly difficult was actually quite easy to resolve. This is especially true for software-related errors because once you identify the problem correctly; the solution is usually only a few minutes away. Today, we will demonstrate smart ways to deal with a common issue on your PC – DLL error.

Dynamic Link Library or DLL files are an integral part of your computer. Almost all applications on your computer use DLL files in large numbers and it is impossible to imagine a Windows computer without DLL files. These files comprise code libraries and functions that can be called by applications whenever required to perform some specific tasks. They save time and space by making processes faster and applications slimmer. Example of a DLL error messages is:

“Error loading ctmbha.dll. A dynamic link library (DLL) initiation routine failed.”

The main function of this DLL file is to help in controlling the audio of your PC’s motherboard.

Common causes of DLL error are:

1. Hard disk problems that may generate DLL errors, such as ntdll.dll error.
2. Missing DLL files.
3. Broken, invalid or corrupt DLL files.
4. Device driver problems or hardware malfunction.
5. Infections from malware.
6. Registry problems.
7. Improper application uninstallation or installation.
8. Conflict among the DLL files.

Fixing DLL Errors

Despite their complex names and sometimes complicated error messages these errors can be quickly resolved. An intelligent place to start fixing errors is to search the error message on the internet. Better still, if you can get hold of a website that specializes only in fixing DLL errors. This will make your life easier and you will know step by step procedure to solve the error that is harassing you.

The most common of DLL error messages may include errors caused due to missing or corrupt file. It is a good idea to confirm whether the file is actually missing or it is saying so because a malware has blocked its access. In this case, use an antimalware tool to scan and remove any malware infestations from your computer.

Next, try searching for the file in your computer and Recycle Bin, if it has been deleted by mistake. If it is not there, you may have to reinstall the application or copy the file from its original source.

If obsolete or missing drivers are behind the problem, you will need to find the appropriate driver and replace it. You can use a reliable driver scanner tool to do this task for you. In other cases, the files of an application that you may have downloaded may already be corrupt, missing or broken. In such cases, you need to uninstall the application and check the files before you try to install the software again.

Finally, the root of many DLL errors lies in the Windows registry. So, it is extremely important to scan and clean your registry now and then to get rid of these potential sources of DLL errors with the help of a reliable third-party registry repair tool.

Startup product review site Test Freaks is a fantastic idea for a website. It is essentially a haven for critics to express their opinions on products they have bought, and for shoppers to get an idea about their product’s qualities (and lack of) from previous buyers, before a purchase is made. Often the manufacturer’s description isn’t enough - they’re obviously going to heap praise onto their products!

I was very impresed with the usability of the site, and I really like how the search function gives you both product and category matches as you type into the bar - a very neat touch.

The product page gives you a heap of useful information from reviews, ratings (expert and user), a gallery, pros and cons, and impressively, links to websites on the Internet where the product is being sold at the best prices.

A couple of issues I had with the site was the fact that a product I was looking for (a popular Sony TV) wasn’t in the database. I guess you can’t expect everything to be there, but certainly in order for this to be a huge success, users must feel they can depend on it for any product.

Another small issue I felt was the design. While very usable, I felt the colour scheme of dark oranges and greens, and lack of excitement generated from quite a basic layout didn’t do justice to the qualities of the service. It makes the site look quite home-made rather than a serious commercial application. I think a white/grey + blue or red colour scheme similar to that of their competitors Pricerunner would be a step in the right direction.

Overall though, I was very impressed with the amount of reviewers on the site and the catalog of products that are on there. It does what you want it to and deserves to be very successful. While on the subject of reviews, I’d give it 5 stars. *****

It is not very difficult to maintain a computer and keep it free from problems. The following are a few simple steps that you can perform to achieve this goal.

Update your Software

Manufacturers of computer software and device drivers release regular updates and security releases to patch up any security loopholes and vulnerabilities in their products. These updates also help in incorporating new features in the software you are using. If you fail to install these updates, you expose your system not only to several malware programs that are built around these vulnerabilities, but may also encounter outdated file related errors and problems, such as ccsvchst.exe high CPU usage problems.

This is the reason why, you must take care to update your software on a regular basis. To update Windows and other Microsoft products, you must ensure the Windows Automatic Update feature is always enabled. To keep your drivers updated, you may use a reliable driver scanner tool to automatically scan and update your outdated drivers.

Prevent and Remove Malware

Malware usually comprise malicious software, such as virus, Trojan horses, worms, adware and spyware. If you suddenly start receiving errors, such as the exe error or runtime error, especially when you are trying to start your applications, chances are that your PC is infected with a malware.

To prevent and remove malware programs, it is essential for you to have antivirus and antispyware tools on your computer. To ensure that these tools are working efficiently, you must update them every time new definitions are released by the tool manufacturer. Also, be sure to schedule both tools to perform a full system scan to detect malware on a regular basis. If possible, you must schedule the scan on a daily basis.

Disable Unwanted Programs

When you buy a new PC, it usually comes installed with several programs that you may never use. Some of these are enhancements that you don’t actually use. An example is the audiodg.exe beeping issue that is quite common with Windows Vista users. The worst thing is that many of these programs load at system start up, feed on your system resources and deteriorate the performance of your computer. To prevent this from happening, it is essential that you disable unwanted startup programs. Listed below are some of the methods that you can use to do this:

• Use the option available in the related application to prevent it from loading at system startup.
• Use System Configuration Utility to disable unwanted startup programs.
• Use a good third-party startup program manager tool to manage your startup programs.
• Uninstall software that is not essential for Windows to run and that you no longer require.

Scan and Clean your Registry

The Windows registry is used to store all configuration information related to hardware, software and user profiles on your computer. Registry problems start occurring when your registry bloats up due to the accumulation of a large amount of unwanted entries within it. Because a bloated registry tends to get fragmented and corrupt the chances of system slowdowns and errors are quite high. To prevent these issues, you need to scan and clean your registry on a regular basis.

One set of computer problems that you can fix yourself is EXE errors. These errors are related to executable files of various computer applications and are known to occur on most computers at some point in time. You will need to learn the methods to prevent as well as troubleshoot EXE errors in order to tackle this problem. You will also need to employ certain software tools that will help you solve this problem.

For Windows users, Microsoft has made things easy as it provides hotfixes for errors related to various Microsoft applications on their website. For instance, if you are experiencing mmc.exe problems on your computer then you can visit the Microsoft Support website for a remedy to this problem.

There are many processes related to Microsoft applications, such as msmpeng.exe that by default run all the time on your PC. However, these processes can, at times, consume a huge amount of your system’s resources and may cause your computer to function at a snail’s pace. You can fix the problem by changing the setting of the program that is eating your resources to Manual from the Services management console window. Also, if you do not use the application then you may choose to disable the concerned process. For instance, you may safely disable the consent.exe process if you are not using this application but suspect it of causing trouble on your machine. You may disable startup programs by using the System Configuration Utility or a third-party startup program manager.

You may also receive exe errors if the driver files are outdated or corrupt. You can fix this by downloading and installing updates from the driver manufacturer’s website. Exe errors may also arise if there is any physical problem with your hardware components or its related driver. We recommend you use an efficient PC diagnostics tool to ensure your hardware components are devoid of any physical problems.

As all your programs reside on a hard disk, any problem with your hard disk may also cause exe errors. If you suspect this is the reason behind exe errors on your system then you may run the chkdsk command to ensure that your hard disk is in good condition. Next, remove the unused programs using the Add or Remove Programs utility and delete the unwanted files with the help of the Disk Cleanup tool. Finally, defrag the hard disk using the Disk Defragmenter tool to make the hard disk contiguous.

You may receive exe errors if your program files are infected with a virus. To prevent and remove viruses from your computer, it is important that you use advanced virus and spyware scanner tools. Also, keep these tools updated with the latest virus definitions and security updates and schedule regular scans to ensure no virus remains on your computer.

For a healthy and error-free computer, it is essential that you maintain a clean, compact and error-free Windows registry. You can ensure this by regularly scanning and cleaning the registry using an advanced registry cleaning tool.

If you have been working with computers for a while now, you may have had the misfortune of experiencing PC startup problems. These errors can be quite scary as one is not sure of the cause of the problem. Startup problems can be of various kinds and show different symptoms. You could encounter some error messages including exe file errors while booting. Some users may find that their computer keeps rebooting after every few minutes or even shutdown while starting. All in all, startup problems can be very annoying for users.

PC startup problems usually indicate the presence of a virus but there are a host of other reasons that can be behind these problems too. Other reasons, although not very common, include problems with the power connection, dust inside the CPU and malfunctioning memory chips. You need to cover all the possibilities while troubleshooting for startup problems before rushing to a computer expert for rescue.

Many programs load automatically when you start your system, consuming important system resources. Therefore, it is imperative that you keep only the essential programs in your system startup sequence. Non-essential programs, such as qttask.exe hamper the system startup process, especially when the files are corrupt or outdated. For instance, qttask.exe problems may display various error messages at system startup. You may use the System Configuration Utility that comes built-in with Windows to disable non-essential programs at system startup. If you find this utility confusing then you may use a third-party startup program manager tool to manage your startup programs.

You may also encounter startup problems if your software contains outdated or corrupt files. For instance, you may experience svchost.exe errors at system startup if the files of the Automatic Update utility on your computer are corrupt or some of the dependent services are unable to start. You can fix this problem by replacing the bad Automatic Update files on your system with healthy files on your CD.

Virus infections may also cause startup errors. It is important that you use an efficient security tool to shield your computer from malicious programs, such as viruses, spywares, and adwares. Also, schedule regular full system scans, and keep your security tool updated with the latest virus definitions and security updates to protect your computer from the latest malware.

You may also face system startup issues due to bad drivers. You may use the Device Manager utility, which is a built-in feature in Windows to identify the hardware that is causing the trouble. After you have identified the hardware, uninstall its driver and reinstall it to replace the damaged files. If outdated driver files are causing the error then you can download and install the latest updates from the driver manufacturer’s website to repair the error. Alternately, you can use a good driver scanner tool to ensure your drivers are always up-to-date.

Registry problems may also cause startup errors. In fact, a severely damaged or corrupt registry may even prevent your computer from booting. To prevent this situation, you may use an advanced registry cleaning utility to keep your system registry compact and error-free.

Now that you have seen some of the common causes of application errors, let’s have a look at some of the tips that you can use to prevent them.

Tip # 1: You must install only legitimate versions of software on your computer and stay away from pirated versions. Pirated software, especially the ones you download from the Internet can be infected with malware. If you frequently download freeware and shareware applications, you must do it only from reliable web sites.

Tip # 2: Check your installation files and the external media from which you are installing to ensure that there are no problems with it. Scratched CD/DVDs and bad downloads may cause problems with your applications.

Tip # 3: Before installing a program, ensure that your PC meets the minimum requirements for that program to run. If your PC fails to meet these requirements the application may fail to run and generate errors.

Tip # 4: Many times, when you install programs, such as instant messengers, some additional packages, such as Internet Explorer toolbar may come packaged with it. If you are not careful while selecting your options, these packages may install and unnecessarily put an extra load on your PC. So, when you install anything, be careful and select only those options that you need.

Tip # 5: Get yourself good virus and spyware scanners tools. Keep these tools updated and schedule them to run regularly to ensure that your PC stays free from viruses. For better protection, choose tools that provide real-time protection. This way, your computer will always be ready to combat viruses and other malware that may damage you applications.

Tip # 6: To prevent application errors due to a damaged and corrupt registry, you must scan and clean your registry on a regular basis. A simple and efficient method to do this is to use a good registry cleaner tool.

Tip # 7: Make sure to install the latest updates and service packs to ensure that any bugs in the applications on your computer are patched up. Updates also help in incorporating new features and securing your PC from malware. Some of the tools that you can use to update software are Automatic Update—built-in Windows tool, update tool built into third-party applications, and third-party driver scanner tools that help update your drivers.

Adam

Today, one of my Ebay items I was selling was due to end after having been on sale for seven days, and literally a couple of hours before it was due to end I received an email from Ebay stating that the item had been removed from sale as a result of ‘keyword spamming’.

Apparently the use of the word ‘As New’ at any point in the title is considered  to be “using brand names or other inappropriate keywords in an item title or description for the purpose of gaining attention or diverting buyers to a listing”.

A couple of points:

• Why wasn’t this breach made more while going through the listing proceedure? Surely Ebay could invest in software which detects if these words are used, which could then automatically inform the user?
• Why wasn’t I informed earlier? This item has been on sale seven days and it had bids placed on it. They could have contacted me a long time ago which would have given me time to adjust the listing without effecting the bidders.

I know that Ebay have got to have rules and regulations and I’m sure it’s mentioned in their user agreements and policies, but when something so simple and unharmful can cost a user a sale,  instant removal of a listing with no prior warning is a poor method of managing the issue, on top of the bad usability to start with.

If you’re clearly taking the piss with a page title then fine, but I think lesser punishments and warnings would be more suitable for people who make a mistake for the first time. Read Ebay’s largely unknown keyword spamming tutorial here. I’ll not complain because believe it or not the 10p listing fee isn’t a big deal, but I thought people should know what Ebay considers ‘keyword spamming’.