I have just installed a new application and I keep getting error messages. What shall I do?
There is no universal prescription what to do in such cases but most likely the new application is causing the errors. There are many things you can do but it depends on the type of the application and on the type of the errors you are getting. One possible solution is to uninstall the application and see if everything is OK. However, in some cases this will not help much because your Windows is already messed up. You can try the System Restore feature and restore your Windows to the state prior to the application installation. If this doesn’t help either, you might have to reinstall your Windows and never install the problematic application again.
Why do Blue Screens of Death Happen?
Blue Screens of Death (BSOD) are one of the most severe errors in Windows. Unlike many other errors, which are irritating to see but they are not dangerous, Blue Screens of Death are very severe and they tell you about a serious problem. Blue Screens of Death happen because of many reasons but among the most common are: faulty hardware, problems with the operating system (i.e. Windows itself), bad device drivers, applications, especially system applications, different types of software/hardware conflicts. When you get a BSOD, you should always try to discover what exactly caused it – i.e. which piece of hardware, which driver, etc. and take the adequate measures to remove the hardware, driver, etc. after the first 1-2 BSODs because if you don’t react quickly, it is possible to lose a lot of information.
I get different messages. Some are error messages, while others are warnings and information ones. What’s the difference between them?
Diversity is not bad, even when Windows error messages are concerned. Error messages are the way in which Windows communicates with you. Depending on the severity of the error, there are several groups of messages. Error messages report errors and that’s why they are the most important ones, especially if they report a stop error, which is the most severe form of error.
Another group of messages are the warnings. Though technically they are not exactly error messages because they don’t report an error, they look very much like error messages and they also tell you something. Warnings tell you about events, which shouldn’t have happened but which are not as dangerous as the events that trigger an error message.
The last group of messages in Windows are the information messages, which also do not report an error but simply tell you something useful to know.
Most Windows error messages are cryptic and I don’t understand them. Where can I look for additional, easier to understand information?
You are not the only one, who thinks that Windows error messages are cryptic and hard to understand. There are many sites where error codes are explained (though not always in plain English) and you can check there. The sites in the Resources section are such places and you might start with them. Alternatively, you can just search with Google and see what you will find. One more way to deal with cryptic error messages is to copy the text of the error message and send it to your support department, who might be able to understand what the error message means and how to react.
I want to delete, move or rename a file and I get an Access Denied error message. What’s wrong?
Error messages, which tell you that access to a particular resource is denied are among the most common error messages you will see. Many times this error message is an error – i.e. there is absolutely no reason why you are denied access to a file but sometimes this error message is for a reason. One of the cases when this message really means something is when you are trying to delete, move, or rename a file, which is owned by another user. If this is the case, check if you are the owner of the file. Don’t worry – even if you are the owner, you still could be getting the Access Denied error message!
Another case when you will see the Access Denied error message is when the file is locked or is in use. In this case unlock the file (i.e. close it) and try again to delete it, move it, or rename it. If closing the file doesn’t help – for example because the file is locked by the operating system, by another application, or by a virus, try restarting Windows and see if after that you will be able to perform the operation you intended to.
What does Microsoft Error Reporting mean? Why do I have to send information to Microsoft when an application crashes?
Microsoft Error Reporting was introduced in Windows XP and its purpose is to make it easier for Microsoft developers to detect when, why and how errors with applications happen. When an application crashes, Windows gathers all the information about the crash in an Error Report and offers you to send it to Microsoft. Many people feel reluctant to do it because they are afraid that the report might contain more than just error data and that is why they prefer not to send the report. If you find that the Error Reporting feature is irritating, you can always turn it off and it will not bother you anymore.
I get messages that a particular operation can’t be performed because a required file is missing. What shall I do?
Messages about a missing file are very common in Windows. You can get messages about various missing files but what they all have in common is that when a file is missing, this means that a particular operation can’t be performed. When system files are missing, you won’t be able to launch a particular program or perform a particular action.
You might wonder why all of a sudden a file disappeared. Even if you haven’t deleted a file it still might be missing because of viruses, installation of new programs and many other reasons. In some cases the file is not missing but the program can’t find it where it expects it to be and that’s why it reports it as missing. If you want to check if a file is really missing, copy the name of the file and try to search for it. However, be extremely cautious because you can do a lot of damage, if you accidentally delete, move, or rename a file, so just search and do nothing else!
Can poorly written applications lead to error messages and can they crash my computer?
Yes, they can. In fact, poorly written applications are the main reason for crashes. There are many programming errors, such as stack overflows, page faults, access violations, etc., which cause programs to crash and very often your whole system becomes unstable because of such applications. Therefore, it is really vital that you choose carefully what applications you install on your computer and if problems appear, pay attention to them right away. Most often you can’t do anything to prevent a poorly written application from crashing and that is why you should be very cautious when installing new programs, especially drivers and system software.
