Problems with XP - solved

[Freda]

I recently bought a new PC with Windows XP installed, and I'm having several annoying problems with it.

I tried asking Microsoft, but after twenty minutes or more of getting the runaround on their site they finally refused to let me contact them. I hope someone here can help.

1) The older versions of Media Player allowed me to select specific tracks on a CD and also gave the option of beginning again at the start when the CD came to an end. The XP version doesn't seem to have that option. I recently downloaded the latest upgrade and that was exactly the same in that respect.

Are those options available and I'm missing them? Or if they aren't, has anybody had any success asking Microsoft why sensible options have been removed?

2) I found out I could get a DOS command line by running the CMD command, but it won't give me a full screen for the DOS program I need to run. Is there any way to get a full screen? And if not, has anybody had any success... etc etc as prevous question?

3) Just now I tried to switch off the sounds XP keeps making whenever I do anything. But although I found the correct tab for the sounds it wouldn't let me make any adjustments. Can anything be done about this one as well?

Many thanks.

Edited September 27, 2009 by Freda

[Zxian]

I'm wondering about the fact that "they refused to let me contact them". I've contacted them several times about many different topics, and they've never refused to talk to me.

1) Windows Media Player (either version 9 or 10) should show the tracks

on the CD in the playlist to the right of the window. I'd check to see if this playlist is hidden.

2) The CMD window is not a DOS-prompt like you have in Win98. Windows XP does not have any DOS capabilities. There are some DOS-emulators that you might be able to find that will allow you to use basic DOS-based applications, but in general, you're out of luck.

3) Can you select the "No Sounds" profile? Does it give you an error message, or simply revert back to the old settings?

[jaclaz]

2) I found out I could get a DOS command line by running the CMD command, but it won't give me a full screen for the DOS program I need to run. Is there any way to get a full screen? And if not, has anybody had any success... etc etc as prevous question?

Once you have opened the "Command Prompt" window, (and yes, it is not actually DOS), you just press ALT+ENTER to make it full-screen (ALT+ENTER again to switch back to window).

As said, some DOS applications WILL work, others WILL NOT.

A good working emulator you can try is DOSBOX:

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/news.php?show_news=1

though aimed to games, it will run an incredible number of other DOS programs.

Don't forget a GUI frontend to it:

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.p...DOSBoxFrontends

jaclaz

[cheezus420]

Once you have opened the "Command Prompt" window, (and yes, it is not actually DOS), you just press ALT+ENTER to make it full-screen (ALT+ENTER again to switch back to window).

Nice... Good tip!!! I swear I learn something new every day Thanks for that tip

[Freda]

Thanks for that. The ALT+ENTER tip is especially useful.

I managed the solve the problem with the sounds. For some reason the option I wanted was there when I went back to it the next day. I think my brain must have been addled by the other problems when I couldn't find it.

Regarding media player, I can get the list of tracks easily enough, but what I can't do is specify the order in which they play, and more importantly I can't tell it to automatically play the CD again when it reaches the end. I have to start it up again manually. Those options were perfectly straightforward on older versions of media player.

I downloaded the latest media player from Microsoft only to find there was no real difference from the one I already had. I might try running an older version from a previous version of Windows. I can't understand why they've made it worse, but it certainly isn't the first time they've done that.

Regarding Microsoft wanting to be inaccessible - I've managed to contact them in the past, but this time they seemed to have gone to great lengths to make sure they weren't available.

It does have to be said that on the occasion when I contacted them a few years ago they refused to help because the version of Windows was `out of date' - meaning they'd brought out Windows 98 and wouldn't provide any support for 95. My question was very simple (I needed a DOS path to some files that Windows wouldn't give me access to and which were clogging up my hard drive), and they went to more effort refusing to help than it would have taken to provide the DOS path.

On that occasion I got my anti-virus software to display the path that Windows wouldn't show, and solved the problem that way. I can't say I was very impressed, though.

Edited September 11, 2005 by Freda

[gamehead200]

2) The CMD window is not a DOS-prompt like you have in Win98. Windows XP does not have any DOS capabilities. There are some DOS-emulators that you might be able to find that will allow you to use basic DOS-based applications, but in general, you're out of luck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How about command.com ? ;}

[Freda]

This is getting unbelievable.

I recorded a piece of music and burned it to a CD. Every note is played by me, mixed and mastered by me. No-one else has had anything to do with this CD at any point.

So why when I play it on Windows Media Player does it get listed as something called `18th Street Lounge' by somebody called `DJ Farad'?

Editing the information on the Library tab doesn't make any difference. It's listed correctly on the Library tab but still displays on the Now Playing screen as this DJ Farad thing.

Of course I don't need to be told by Media Player what the piece is and who plays it, but it's still very annoying. And who the hell is this DJ Farad anyway?

[Zxian]

Regarding media player, I can get the list of tracks easily enough, but what I can't do is specify the order in which they play, and more importantly I can't tell it to automatically play the CD again when it reaches the end. I have to start it up again manually. Those options were perfectly straightforward on older versions of media player.

To specify the order, right click on the tracks, and select Move Up or Move Down. I know it's not really ideal, but it works. As for playing the CD again, simply select Repeat from the Play menu.

How about command.com ? ;}

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

*shudders*... don't go there. Every time I've tried to do something DOS in XP, I end up more frusterated than I started.

This is getting unbelievable.

I recorded a piece of music and burned it to a CD. Every note is played by me, mixed and mastered by me. No-one else has had anything to do with this CD at any point.

So why when I play it on Windows Media Player does it get listed as something called `18th Street Lounge' by somebody called `DJ Farad'?

Editing the information on the Library tab doesn't make any difference. It's listed correctly on the Library tab but still displays on the Now Playing screen as this DJ Farad thing.

Of course I don't need to be told by Media Player what the piece is and who plays it, but it's still very annoying. And who the hell is this DJ Farad anyway?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No clue man...

[coconut]

try winamp

[Freda]

Microsoft really are being absolute bastards. I tried their technical support again. This time I managed to get as far as inputting my product code, and they refused to provide any help, saying I should contact my supplier - like Acer are likely to be able to help with a Windows Media Player problem.

I've e-mailed Acer anyway.

Media Player has now decided my piece of music is by Cat Stevens. I took the file off the CD and burned it onto a completely new one, which worked for a day. Then it added Cat Stevens' name the same way it had added DJ Farad before.

What are the chances Acer can help with that? Slim, I would have thought.

What concerns me is that if I make copies of my own music and distribute it, the CDs may have someone else's details on simply because Windows keeps adding this wrong information automatically.

For all I know it may be doing that simply because I've got Windows XP, even if I never play the CDs on Media Player. Media Player may just be reporting what Microsoft decide to do to my CDs just because I'm using a PC to burn them.

Edited October 1, 2005 by Freda

[yinbin]

2) I found out I could get a DOS command line by running the CMD command, but it won't give me a full screen for the DOS program I need to run. Is there any way to get a full screen? And if not, has anybody had any success... etc etc as prevous question?

Once you have opened the "Command Prompt" window, (and yes, it is not actually DOS), you just press ALT+ENTER to make it full-screen (ALT+ENTER again to switch back to window).

As said, some DOS applications WILL work, others WILL NOT.

A good working emulator you can try is DOSBOX:

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/news.php?show_news=1

though aimed to games, it will run an incredible number of other DOS programs.

Don't forget a GUI frontend to it:

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.p...DOSBoxFrontends

jaclaz

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good idea! Thank you very much.

[Freda]

Windows XP problems continue. This software really is far worse than 98, but I'm stuck wth it.

I'm also stuck with another really stupid Microsoft problem, and any advice would be welcome.

Although I can still run my word processor I can no longer print from it because - guess what, could it be a Microsoft-generated problem? Right again - Windows refuses to run the printer files. So to print I have to copy the text into Word and save as a Word file first.

I've avoided using Word ever since it first appeared, but I have to use it occasionally. There are a lot of irritating things, some of which can be turned off. One major problem that makes it all but unuseable is that it keeps automatically changing things I do - formatting stuff, changing letters to capitals and so on.

Presumably there's an option to turn this `feature' off, but I can't find it in the menus or in Help, and the two inch thick Word book I have doesn't mention it.

Is there a command that says to the software in effect `look, just don't do anything unless I tell you to - got it, thicko?'

If there is, please tell me what it is. Please.

[net_user]

i think we have a id ten tee here

[Zxian]

Windows XP problems continue. This software really is far worse than 98, but I'm stuck wth it.

I'm also stuck with another really stupid Microsoft problem, and any advice would be welcome.

Although I can still run my word processor I can no longer print from it because - guess what, could it be a Microsoft-generated problem? Right again - Windows refuses to run the printer files. So to print I have to copy the text into Word and save as a Word file first.

I've avoided using Word ever since it first appeared, but I have to use it occasionally. There are a lot of irritating things, some of which can be turned off. One major problem that makes it all but unuseable is that it keeps automatically changing things I do - formatting stuff, changing letters to capitals and so on.

Presumably there's an option to turn this `feature' off, but I can't find it in the menus or in Help, and the two inch thick Word book I have doesn't mention it.

Is there a command that says to the software in effect `look, just don't do anything unless I tell you to - got it, thicko?'

If there is, please tell me what it is. Please.

Well... there's no reason why OpenOffice can't print from Windows. I've done it just the other day...

As for Word itself, it's called Autocomplete or Autocorrect. Dig through the options in Word to find it. It's there...

I think that this is more of a PEBKAC rather than an XP problem. XP is different than 98 - plain and simple. It takes some getting used to, but it's much more powerful than 98. For a modern computer you'd be insane to run Windows 98 on it. If you don't like it, install Linux and have fun configuring that.

[Mr Snrub]

Although I can still run my word processor I can no longer print from it because - guess what, could it be a Microsoft-generated problem? Right again - Windows refuses to run the printer files. So to print I have to copy the text into Word and save as a Word file first.

If Word prints fine, it is not a problem with Windows - the problem is with the 3rd party word processor.

I've avoided using Word ever since it first appeared, but I have to use it occasionally. There are a lot of irritating things, some of which can be turned off. One major problem that makes it all but unuseable is that it keeps automatically changing things I do - formatting stuff, changing letters to capitals and so on.

You don't mention what version of Word you are using, and as this is an application (not XP) problem this should have gone into a different forum.

This would be the appropriate place to ask, give your version of Word and describe your problem:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=121

I have Office 2003 and it sounds like you are describing "AutoFormat", the settigs for automatically formatting text, smart tags and spell checking, etc. are in the menu option Tools / AutoCorrect Options - could be in a different place if you are using an older version.

Microsoft are quite correct in pointing you to the OEM for support - if you buy a retail copy of Windows you are entitled to Professional support and can contact Microsoft directly.

The OEMs get massive discounts on every copy of Windows they preinstall because they take the responsibility for supporting the end users - so yes, you do have to contact Acer/Dell/HP/whoever if you have a problem with the OS that came with the machine.

You have paid the OEM for support, not Microsoft.

If the OEM cannot help you with your problem then they should have a support contract with Microsoft to be able to get your problem resolved.