WINDOWS NETWORK AND ONLINE ERROR MESSAGES
Error: The network path was not found.
Remedy: The file or folder you selected is on a computer that can't be found on the network. Make sure the network cables are plugged in at both ends and that both computers are turned on and working properly. Otherwise, make sure you have typed the name of the file or folder correctly; remember that network addresses use backward slashes (\) instead of the forward slashes (/) used in web addresses.
Error: Cannot open internet site.
Remedy: Windows uses a program called Winsock to connect to the internet. If you are using the wrong version, you may get this error in Windows 98. Click on Start, then on Settings, then Control Panel. Double-click on the Network icon, and click on Configuration. Click on any entry that contains the phrase TCP/IP and click on remove for each one. Then close the dialogue boxes and agree to restart the computer when you are asked. When it restarts, go back into the Network control panel, then click on Configuration, then Protocol, and Add, now select Microsoft from the list on the left. Click on TCP/IP in the right-hand list and click on OK. If it asks you about a version conflict, choose No each time. Then follow the prompts and restart the computer.
Error: An error occurred while reconnecting F: to \\computername\drive. This connection has not been restored.
Remedy: When this message appears in Windows 2000 or XP, it means that your computer is set to connect to a location on a network that is unavailable. Make sure your computer and the computer on which the location is kept are connected and working normally. You can try manually connecting to the network location by opening My Computer and selecting Map Network Drive from the Tools menu. Choose a drive letter from the drop-down list, click on Browse to search for the location on the network, and follow the prompts.
OFFICE ERROR MESSAGES
Error: The document caused a serious error the last time it was opened. Would you like to continue opening it?
Remedy: If a particular document causes problems more than once, Excel will display this the next time you try to open it. First, you should try opening the document on another computer to make sure it works. If so, you can remove it from Excel's list by clicking on Help, then About Microsoft Excel, and clicking on Disabled Items. To remove a file, select it and click on Enable, then close the dialogue box.
Error: A runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug?
Remedy: This message in Internet Explorer, followed by a line and error number, may not seem to have much to do with Microsoft Office. But Office 2003 can sometimes turn on a feature of Internet Explorer called Script Debugging, which is pretty irrelevant to the average computer user. To turn it off, open Internet Explorer and choose Tools, then Options, and click on the Advanced tab. In the list, find the Browsing heading and make sure the entry marked Disable Script Debugging is selected and the entry marked Display a notification about every script error is not selected. Then close the dialogue box and restart Internet Explorer.
Error: The margins of section X are set outside the printable area of the page. Do you want to continue?
Remedy: Most printers can't print right to the edge of a page; they need margins to hold the paper in place while it is being printed on. This message in Word indicates that you have set your page margins outside the area on which the printer can print, so some of your work might be cut off. After clicking on No, find the offending section, and click on File, then Page Setup and choose the Margins tab, then click on OK. A similar message to the above will appear. Click on Fix for it to set the correct margins automatically. Make sure your document still looks correct with the new margins and try printing it again.
Error: X is read only. Do you want to save changes to a different file name?
Remedy: A document marked as read-only can't be saved with its original name. This might be because it's a copy of a document that another user is currently working on or because it has been marked as read-only so it can't be modified. You should save it with a different file name but remember what this is to avoid confusion with the original.
INTERNET AND NETWORK CONNECTION ERRORS
Error: 403 - Forbidden
Remedy: The page could be configured to let only certain people access it. If it is supposed to be a public page, it has been set up wrongly by the site's administrator. Try contacting them to have it fixed.
Error: 404 - Not Found
Remedy: This is the most common error message on the internet. You may have typed the page address wrongly, or it may have moved or been removed. Try another part of the website, or run a web search.
Error: This page cannot be displayed.
Remedy: This is usually the same error as above. If it keeps happening, check that your connection settings are those required by your internet service provider, and contact them to make sure there are no problems with your line.
Error: Outlook Express removed access to the following unsafe attachments?
Remedy: This message, which appears when you read some emails, is caused by a security setting in Outlook Express that aims to stop viruses. If you want to disable the protection, go to the Tools menu and select Options, then click on the Security tab. Make sure the box marked 'Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus' is not ticked, then click on OK, and reopen Outlook Express. In future, however, be careful when opening attachments.
HARDWARE, DRIVE AND STORAGE ERRORS
Error: The disk in drive A is not formatted. Do you want to format it now?
Remedy: If the disk has files saved on it, this means it has failed. Try using it in another disk drive or computer. If you can get at the files, copy them off straight away and bin the disk. Otherwise, there is not much you can do.
Error: Copy: The disk in the destination drive is full. Insert a new disk to continue.
Remedy: This can happen when Windows makes an inaccurate measurement of the size of a file you are saving to a disk. If it is a small file, save it on the hard disk and try reformatting the disk by going to My Computer, right-clicking on the disc and selecting Format. You will lose all the data on the disk, so make sure you have copied it elsewhere first.
Error: There is no dialtone.
Remedy: Make sure that the modem is plugged in and switched on if necessary, and that no one is using the phone line. If you use an answering service that changes your dialtone when you have a message, you may need to clear your messages before dialling out.
Error: Burn process failed at?
Remedy: This CD-writing error will be followed by a speed. It could be that the CD you are trying to burn is damaged, or that something interrupted the writing process. Try again with another clean disc and ensure, especially with older computers, that no other programs are running and that the screen saver has been disabled (click on Start, then Settings, then Control Panel, then double-click on Display, click on the Screensaver tab and change the screensaver to None). If it doesn't work after a couple of tries, the drive may have failed, so contact the manufacturer.
Error: Sync error/no signal
Remedy: This may appear on your monitor if the cable becomes unplugged, the computer is turned off, or if it cannot display an image from the computer. If everything is switched on and plugged in, try rebooting in Safe Mode by pressing F8 as the computer starts, as soon as it has finished its initial checks. When Windows loads, open the display control panel (right-click on the Desktop, select Properties and click on the Settings tab). Make sure the resolution is set to something your monitor can handle (see its manual for details).
No more mystery messages
Don't let error messages bamboozle you. You are likely to run into problems from time to time but after reading this guide you should be better equipped to deal with them next time.
Error messages can be frustrating to decipher and deal with but, before you take a sledge-hammer to your PC, take a deep breath, keep a clear head, make a note of what the computer is telling you, and see if you can find a solution.
Most of the errors you're likely to be faced with are fairly common and can be easily fixed with a little patience and know-how.
Take note
When you see an error message, it may be tempting to click on it quickly to get rid of it and try to get on with your work, but it's worth taking in what it says.
If you haven't seen the message before, make a note of it: select the text in the dialogue box with the mouse, then press and hold Ctrl and press the C key to copy it, open up the Windows Notepad and press and hold Ctrl and press the V key to paste it. Otherwise, simply write it down.
You can then try looking it up in Computeractive or entering some or all of the message into a search engine, such as Google. Try the manufacturer's website, online forums such as Computeractive's Readers to the Rescue or the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
You might find that simply restarting the computer and trying again works; some errors are rare one-offs, caused by specific situations, and restarting effectively wipes the computer's short-term memory, allowing it to start afresh.
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