Trouble Shooting Windows Error Messages ( Part 3 )

Memory Test Failed

Error message when you first Bootup, try shutting down your Computer, unplug it from the wall plug for a couple minutes, plug it back in and restart it, this will clear some of the Memory Chips. Memory Test Fail, it is telling you that the Mother Board or memory on a Hardware Card has failed. Also try going into Safe Mode, hold down the F8 Key, just before the Windows Startup Screen and go into Safe Mode. Go into your Device Manager and check for any yellow exclamation marks on your Hardware Devices, if one has a problem, check it's Properties for conflicts or Remove it and have Windows Refind it and reinstall it, have your Drivers Disk if one came with the Hardware and the Windows CD handy, in case Windows asks for them.

Content Advisor Error when trying to open Internet Explorer

Go to Find-type in-ratings.pol-rename it to ratings.old Open IE go to the Content Advisor and open it ( do not type in a password or user name!!!)remove all the information in every section of it. Then close IE and reopen it, the error message should stop. Don't use it again, it messes up for some reason, even if you have the password it messes up.

Missing Operating System Error

Check this page for Information Microsoft Knowledge Base Missing OS, You can try copying the System files from the Windows Startup Disk to the C: Drive. Start the Computer with the Startup Disk, at the A: prompt type sys a: c: this will copy the system files from the A drive to the C drive. It can't Boot up because it can not find the boot files or they are corrupted.

Restoring the Registry

If for some reason your system has crashed bad, such as a Virus or a bad download. Windows makes 4 backups of your Registry, they are cab files, rb000-1-2-3. If your system crashed bad, Reboot, when the Computer first boots up and before the Windows Screen loads, press the F8 Key, you should get a black screen with 6 choices, choose 6. Safe Mode Command Prompt Only, at the prompt type : scanreg /restore ( there is a space between scanreg and the / )a screen will come up giving you the 4 cab files, the backups will be Dated, if you had not rebooted after the crash, pick the one with that days date, click once on the file, then click the restore button. If you tried to reboot after the crash pick a later dated file. Programs that were installed after that cab file was made, will no longer be valid, remove them and reinstall them. The cab file is a copy of Windows Registry, the brains of your Computer, each program that is installed, puts Keys in the Registry, that tells Windows what to do with their files. When you Restore an older Backup of the Registry you are removing those bad or good keys from the registry. Without those Keys programs cannot run.