OE won't print, also other problems

I am back in Dodge cause I see some things here that worry me a little

W95 as well. Different PC (486) as well. so not OS... but the W95 PC that's shown it is dual boot and I have never once seen this happen under W3.11

I may be way off base here but, are the two machines Networked. ?

Ever tried to select a file in Windows Explorer etc. etc. etc.]

If I understand correctly both machines are doing the same thing. If that is correct I would very much suspect some sort of Virus or Trojan that has gotten passed from one machine to the other.

And if it should be on both machines you may never get rid of it. Until you disconnect and clean each one separately.

I do not see any other way that two machines with different OS could do the same thing.

If they are Networked do you have File and Printer Sharing bound to TCP/IP ?

Also if they are Network and F&PS is bound to TCP/IP the possibility does exist that SOMEONE ELSE may be controlling your machine. Especially if you have been running IE without the Updates from MS.

IE & OE are loaded with holes for malicious code to get thru.

BillyBob

 

If you are on a Cable or DSL Modem have you been running AV & Fiirewall software FULL TIME ?

If not it iwould be very easy for somone to get to your machine.

BillyBob

 

Hi BillyBob

just picked up your latest: to unworry things a little, although the new ISP is NTL, our internet connection is very much dialup, 56k PCI modem.

there used to be a Direct Cable Connection / Interlnk between the two machines but it hasn't been in action for a long long time thankx to fried COM port on the Compaq (thanx to moulded mains lead with no earth - another very long story)

after the crashes, one of the first things I did was to do an AV scan on the Compaq, found nothing, Signatures updated every day (if new list has been published) - at the time of the problem signatures were <24hr old.

I don't run real time protection usually as it makes the machine too slow to use for music - but we religiously virus-bust all email attachments, everything like that, if floppies ever come into the house they get special treatment.

also, although I cannot swear to it, I'm reasonably sure that I first noticed this before we went on the internet.

on both machines it will only show if they are being pushed too hard - hence my mention of the hourglass earlier.

**edit
I think you could maybe say that the mega-crash really pushed the PC hard
**

my best guess is that it's more like - eg a screensaver's running and you hit a key to restore the display - if its a cursor key - you can end up with 'K' - its just that that cursor key generated two bytes, the first one kills off the screen saver (thus disappears), the second one is 'K' so if Notepad's the top window, you get a K appears on the notepad

**edit
I think this oddity may well be lurking around all over the place, but most PC won't show it as they're faster than ours (and probably don't get thrashed like this poor old Compaq) - or maybe most people get it once a year or so if they're unlucky - then put it down to "Oh well its just one of those Windows things, reboot and it will go away ". It fascinates me coz I'm starting to suss a pattern, also a cure/reset for it - that's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of.
**

hope this allays fears somewhat?

we were thinking of getting broadband but haven't got the RAM for it, they won't do it if you have less than 64MB, we only have 32MB

Best Wishes, HJ

 

ahh sussed why I was thinking of 'K' only actually it should have been 'k'; keyboard sends 0x00 then 0x6b for AltF4
and 0x6b is 'k'
that's why I'd seen it a lot...
'K' is from cursor left, again knocking out the 0x00 which is the first byte sent, eaten by turning off the screensaver, leaves 0x4b which gives 'K'
ATB, HJ

 

Thanks for the info. But I am still searching for a common cause.

we only have 32MB

That would expalin the slowness but I do not see why it would make the keyboard type the wrong letter.

If that means what I think it does. ( No Earth ground ) HHHMMMMMM !!!.

Could that be the start ( or cause ) of the keyboard problem(s) ? May have fried more than the COM Port.

Have you by any chance tried a different leyboard ?

By both machines acting up the same way indictates to me a COMMON cause and that * might * be it.

The 32meg of RAM would explain bieng slow but I do not think it would cause the keyboard broblem.

that's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of.

Me, myself and I would like see you get there too

BillyBob

 

Hi BB

several keyboards here don't worry. Only one COM port is fried. Didn't get further than the 1488.
No ports fried on the other PC
Can give thorough details but trying to cut post size down! - am hardware engineer, have scope and roughly what you'd expect in a mini-lab environemnt. Like a cretin I thought that a shop-bought moulded lead would be OK. Should have tested it. But the CapsLock thing predates the COM port blowup anyway.
Main point is, I'm totally convinced that there's nothing fundamentally "wrong " with this behaviour, rather that it has a perfectly logical cause - and would indeed seem to have a "reset" or "cure" that may even work 100% of the time. The other 1% might well be my error - it doesn't happen very frequently (even on the Compaq)

That was why I gave the screensaver example earlier - coz it has a totally logical explanation. This is a bit more tricky and certainly harder to cause, but when it does it the behaviour is pretty well repeatable.
That, plus the fact I don't want to fill too many screens (yet again) - plus like I said this is the wrong forum - it's absolutely nothing to do with either OE or IE - I'd really like to get to the bottom of it surely but where would be best? From the nature of the beast this is bits, bytes and interrupts stuff. The reason why I keep going on about 0x417 and INT16 is that if I can get those answers next time it goes wrong, I've split it: either really low level, between the keyboard and its low memory status byte: or between status byte and Windows or other higher level stuff. As yet I just don't know - but it should be possible to fire up the debug prog - switching an affected task can go dramatically wrong, but the Start button, and starting (or closing) a task is far less dodgy.

And, I'd like to glean a bit more information. Whilst typing this I've thought of one other blindingly obvious thing that I haven't tried yet - almost embarrassed to admit to it! CapsLock effective reversal, but I've never thought to try numbers (not numeric side keypad just normal numbers on the main keyboard) - like, do they reverse at the same time as the letters do? I must at the very least find the answer to that one (if I can) next time it does it. That would tie it to either the CapsLock function or the Shift function... Probably won't do it for ages now of course...

Let me know if you're interested enough to continue and if so where - I've taken this far too far off forum topic already.

Very Best Wishes and once again thanks to all, HJ

 

addition to the cumulative list of things to do after uninstalling AOL:

Uninstalling had indeed created a couple of oddities (understatement) so following the good suggestions above about regcleaner, and repaired IE - OE I uninstalled, and then reinstalled the version which had worked fine before - improved the situation a bit - but I still couldn't get OE to start up an internet connection if none already existed.

IE worked fine. OE worked fine if there was a connection already present. But wouldn't work with its own settings whichever way I tried them - even when it said it was sharing the same settings as IE (which was OK)

Tweaked just about everything in sight to no avail.

Eventual solution: deleted the DUN entry and rebuilt it afresh with a slightly different name, then swapped the accounts over to the new entry. That did the trick.

Prior to the uninstall I'd found that I was forced to use the AOL software for one last task - could do the email independently OK etc as mentioned above - but there were a few web pages on the AOL server which needed their links adjusting to point to the server we are now using. Even though AOL state that you can use another FTP client to do it, it appears you have to be signed on with the appropriate screen name to get access no matter whose FTP you are using - I suppose you don't get write access to the folder on the server otherwise? something like that?

It might have been this last run of the AOL software that nobbled the DUN entry (for the other ISP), or it might have been the uninstall process itself. Sorry, I just don't know which.

Hope this is of use to somebody sometime: Good Luck all, Hugh.