As you may remember from a recent issue, I had to buy a new computer because my old one dropped dead during the time I was having my web site problems. So I ordered a new, faster computer and am loving it. Its 2-3 times faster than my last one and for the most part, it has been working well.
My computer came equipped with Windows XP SP1. Where I went wrong was updating it with Service Pack 2 and some of the other security upgrades before I installed my programs. After I did that, two problems showed their head.
First, after installing Microsoft Outlook for my e-mail, the program would not retain my passwords for my mail accounts. If I left the program running all the time, I didn't have a problem after I first entered my passwords. But if I exited the program and later restarted it, I would have to re-enter my passwords again. That can be irritating, especially if you have three mail accounts.
Finally, after trying everything I could think of, I checked out Microsoft's web site, specifically their Knowledge Base. Bingo!! I found the problem and the solution. It required me to go into the Windows XP Registration file and make some changes, which is always a dangerous adventure as one small misstep can wreak havoc with your computer.
I followed their steps very carefully, double and triple checking the registration entries and deletions exactly as they spelled them out in the Knowledge Base article. At the end, I rebooted my machine with no problems and opened Outlook. And...you guessed it...it still would not remember my passwords. I decided to try Outlook Express, but it produced the exact same results.
As I said, I think where I made my mistake was to install all the updates to Windows XP before I installed any software. One of the security updates is what caused my problem, according to Microsoft. On our other two computers running Windows XP, the updates have caused no problems, probably because Outlook was installed first.
Rather than spend the rest of my life trying to fix my problem, I decided to try another e-mail program...Mozilla's Thunderbird. And guess what...it remembers my passwords just fine. As you may remember, I tested out this e-mail program before. The only reason I discontinued was because their junk mail program didn't do an effective enough job for me . But since I moved my web site and e-mail server off site, my new hosting service filters e-mail and my junk mail problem has pretty much disappeared anyway.
The second problem had to do with a hard drive. A year or so ago, I bought an external hard drive that is connected to my computer via firewire (IEEE 1394). The connection is fast and the drive has worked flawlessly. It stores a lot of our data and all the computers in our house have access to it so all data is stored in one place and is easy to back up.
After connecting it my new computer, I noticed that occasionally it would drop off the network, or my computer would stop seeing it altogether. After I few days, I decided something was wrong and began to analyze what was happening. After my problem with Outlook, I decided to go right to the Knowledge Base at Microsoft.
And I found the answer. One of their articles described my condition to a tee. It also said that the problem was caused by something in XP's Service Pack 2. And they had what they called a "hot fix" for it. They don't have the hot fix on their website and the only way to get it was to talk directly with a Microsoft technician.
Now here's where I got mad for a day. According to the article, in order to talk with a Microsoft tech, it cost $245, payable in advance! To e-mail a technician for support is cheaper...only $94, again paid in advance. According to the article, the technician may decide to waive these fees, but there is absolutely no guarantee. Whoa!!!
After seething about these events overnight, I went back to Microsoft's very large website and clicked on another link I found for tech support. On this page, it said I could contact Microsoft for free about my problems. What??
Being confused, I decided to try this new link. I sent them an e-mail describing my problem. In less than 12 hours, I got a very nice response from a Microsoft technician named Kelly who put the hotfix up on the web for me with a location link and a password.
And so far, their fix seems to have worked, but I will need a few days more testing to make sure. I am grateful for Microsoft's quick response, but still a little confused about the two very different ways to get Microsoft's help.
I am still loading software onto my new computer, so who knows what new problems may arise. I just hope my problems and my experiences with Microsoft will be helpful if and when you buy a new computer.
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