Without software, a computer is basically useless. After all, the whole reason we buy computers is to run programs. Some are games; others are utilities that protect us from malware or our own mistakes. Most are applications we need to get a job done.
And they can all cause grief. Here I answer questions from three readers suffering from program problems.
Don't hesitate to send me your questions--about programs or other technology issues. You can reach me at answer@pcworld.com.
One of My Applications Takes Forever to Load. Why?
--c370872, from the PC World Answer Line Forum
Some programs--Adobe's Photoshop Elements, for instance--just load slowly, and there's nothing you can do about it. Ask around and check online forums to determine if your program is one of those. If it is, your options are simple: Replace it with a faster program, or learn to live with it.
But if you're the only person with the problem, there's probably a solution.
Answer Line Forum contributor smax013 points out, "It is possible that something got 'corrupted' and a reinstall might help." But simply uninstalling and reinstalling the application may not be enough, since the uninstall routines that come with most programs seldom remove everything they should. (And no, using Control Panel's Add and Remove Programs applet won't help; it's just another way to launch a program's own uninstaller.)
Revo Uninstaller automates the process of removing all the little odds and ends from programs you don't want anymore.
To thoroughly remove an application, you need to uninstall it, remove left-over files that the uninstaller leaves behind, and then clean the Registry. If that sounds scary, try Revo Uninstaller. This freebie runs a program's own uninstaller, then scans the hard drive and Registry for leftovers. It doesn't get everything, even in its Advanced mode, but as near as I can tell, it cleans out the important stuff.
And it automatically creates a restore point before each uninstall. That takes care of the first rule of messing with the Registry: Back it up, first.
A portable version of Revo Uninstaller is available and doesn't require installation. It's nice that properly uninstalling stuff doesn't require you to install something else.
The Startup Programs configuration menu lets you enable and disable the apps that launch automatically on boot to help you troubleshoot your slowdowns.
If an uninstall and reinstall doesn't help, look for a conflict with another program--probably one that runs automatically every time you boot. Select Start, Run, type msconfig, press Enter, and click the Startup tab for a list of all such autorun programs. (Revo Uninstaller also has a very nice AutoRun Manager.) Look for anything suspicious or something you don't need, and try unchecking it. Then reboot and see if that solved your problem.
Or you can take the extreme approach:
Create a restore point. In XP, select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore; click Create a restore point; and follow the wizard. In Vista, select Start, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter. Click the System Protection tab, and then the Create button.
Go to msconfig's Startup tab as described above, and uncheck everything.
Reboot and try the program.
If that fixes the problem, return to msconfig and recheck half of the autorun programs. Reboot and try again.
Whether that fixes the problem or not, it will cut in half the number of autostarters that you must test to see if they're causing the problem. By a similar process of elimination, you can halve the number of suspects again to only a quarter of your autostarters.
Continue until you're down to the one program that's causing the problem. (My thanks to forum regular smax013 for suggestions that improved this process.)
By the way, forum contributor rgreen4 correctly guessed that the culprit was Norton Internet Security--which came bundled with c370872's computer and conflicted with the MacAfee security program he preferred. For details, go to our forum.
How Do I Read a File That Windows Doesn't Associate With Any of My Applications?
--gale17, from the PC World Answer Line Forum
If double-clicking a file gives you an error message rather than an application, try the drag-and-drop test, as follows:
Make an educated guess about the file type based on the context in which you received the file. For instance, if it comes as an e-mail attachment purporting to be a report or a screenplay, you've probably got a word processing file.
Launch the appropriate application for that type of file (word processor or spreadsheet, say), and drag the file to the menu/toolbar portion of the application's window. If the file opens and displays something meaningful, congratulations. You guessed right, and your application supports that particular file format.
Or try to identify the file type with a visit to FILExt - The File Extension Source. Enter the mystery file's extension into the text box, and the site will tell you what type of file it is and, as well, offer some possibly helpful links.
If FILExt doesn't know the extension, use your favorite search engine. It may lead you to a helpful page.
Once you've identified the file type and the program that likely created it, go to the vendor's site and look for a free viewer program or a demo version of the application. For instance, Microsoft offers free viewers for most Office programs.
If you have an image file you can't view, XnView can probably open it up for you.
If you believe it's an image file, download and install XnView. This free utility displays a number of formats, including Photoshop's own .psd, and can convert images between them. It also comes with a basic editor.
Microsoft Office can read documents and images in a number of formats--if you've installed the right filters. To see what filters you've installed and to install others, follow these steps:
- Select Start, Run; type appwiz.cpl;and press Enter.
- Select Microsoft Office… and click Change.
- In the resulting wizard, select Add or Remove Features, and click Continue (Office 2007) or Next (earlier versions).
- If you get a page with check boxes for the Office applications, plus another check box called Choose advanced customization of applications, check that box. That changes the Update button to Next, so you can click it.
- In the resulting feature list, expand Office Shared Features, then Converters and Filters. Select what you want, then click Update (or Continue).
Earlier versions of Microsoft Office can read Office 2007 files. You just need the filters from Microsoft. You can find a forum discussion of this question at the PC World Forums.
Can I Resell Software I'm No Longer Using?
--John Keinath, Savannah, Georgia
According to Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, a noted expert on copyright and fair use, "The law of copyright would not block someone from reselling [software]. But independently of copyright, the End User Licensing Agreements for many products purport to block an owner from reselling the product."
So all you need to do is check the EULA that you effectively signed with a click when you installed the software. That's easy--provided you're an extremely talented contract lawyer with a high tolerance for boredom.
Since I don't qualify, I checked with four major software vendors. Representatives from Microsoft, Symantec, and Sonic told me it's okay to sell used software--provided that you uninstalled the program from your own PC first. And you can't sell the old version of a program after upgrading to a new one, since buying an upgrade isn't the same as buying a whole new copy of the program (unless, of course, you buy a full new version instead of a specially priced upgrade version).
But not all vendors agree. An Intuit representative warned me that "users are not allowed to resell copies of [Quicken] according to our End User Licensing Agreement."
Can they stop you? "I think it would be bad public policy for [such license agreements] to be enforced," says Lessig, "but I don't know whether courts will enforce them."
My thanks to all the folks on the Answer Line Forum for their input on this tip.
