Problems with home computer

B

Bronte

Registered User
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I've 3 pc problems.

I've a hotmail account and for a few weeks now it will not show any incoming mail. I hit send/recieve and an error message comes up. How do I fix this. When I log onto another PC there is no problem.

McAfee keeps popping up to 'update now or later' how do I stop this.

Podcasts from RTE. When we download these if you pause it causes it to stop altogether sometimes. How do you fix this.

Please bear in mind I need baby instructions as I don't understand anything very technical. Thanks
 
Bronte, you don't say what operating system you are using.

In relation to the hotmail issue, I would suggest that you clear your cache, cookies, temporary files etc. (in Internet Explorer got to Tools>Internet Options and have a look at the General tab). Try logging in then.

With regard to your second problem, do you have another antivirus product installed other than McAfee? I would suggest that you uninstall McAfee and install Microsoft Security Essentials. This has two advantages: no more annoying pop-ups and MSE is free!

However uninstalling av software is more complex. In Windows 7 you can use the Windows uninstall utility. However with an earlier OS, Google search 'McAfee Removal Tool', install and let it remove it for you.

What program (I simply refuse to use the term app!!) are you using to play the Podcasts?
 
McAfee - This is an easy one. Take the pc into the garden, douse it with flammable liquid, add a lighted match and stand well back! Give it an hour or two and McAfee should never bother you again! Apologies for being flippant but I’ve come to realize that McAfee are as much part of the problem as they are a solution to any PC problems!
http://www.pchell.com/virus/uninstallmcafee.shtml has instruction on how to manually uninstall and links to McAfee’s own automatic removal tools.
Of course this solution means McAfee is removed.
If on the other hand you want to continue using McAfee you need to log into your McAfee Account at McAfee.com and update.
Hotmail - Not sure what to do! Maybe it is connected to your McAfee issues?


HTH
 
Hi Paul, by operating system do you mean like Windows 7, that's what we have.

Not sure why we had McAfee but it ran out months ago and we never renewed it but the pop ups keep coming so I'll print out your instructions for my other half to do. I don't want to touch the computer, just want it to work.

Not sure what you mean by the programme for podcasts. My OH goes into RTE on the internet, to the programmes and just plays. ie directly from the computer to the TV. Don't think he does anything else.
 
Hi Crugars, I do feel like chucking the PC sometimes. The day we bought it and got it home we discovered it didn't have word or excel and then had to go and buy that, we are really clueless. In our house my OH is responsible for this wonderful computer as he wanted a home pc (he has a work laptop but it not allowed to go onto certain websites that are not work related).

The McAfree thing is going on for months and months. But the hotmail is about a month so I don't think the two are linked.

I cannot understand how you buy something to do a job and it ends up giving you grief. (There have been other issues !)
 
Ok, just asked my OH. It's RTE player for the TV programes, like Brendan O' Conner. These are the one's that stall if you hit pause. And sometimes it means he has to close the RTE player and start again.

The podcasts then are via itunes, that would be Marian Finucane etc. To listen back to radio programmes.
 
If McAfee is out of date and not being used then uninstall it. AVG is a free anti-virus that you can download without too much issue if you don't want to go to the expense of buying anti-virus software - the likes of Norton or Kaspersky. Have a chat with friends to find a reliable, good computer guy in your area, we found ours through the staff at Harvey Norman - and fingers crossed they will be able to help with your other issues.
 
Not to be flippant but perhaps an evening course might be useful to come up to speed with the computer.
 
The McAfee dialog will always appear once you put it on once. Just click no thanks each time or remove as suggested. Can you give the exact error you get from hotmail ? Try pasting it into a google wondow and see if a solution comes up. There is a chance that your hotmail account has been hacked.
 
Yes, sounds like McAfee came pre-installed with your computer as part of the bloatware package that most manufacturers insist on having on their products.

Just uninstall it and then download Microsoft Security Essentials and you will never have to worry about anti-virus again...
 
I would wonder why your husband/whatever is not doing the posting here? Its very hard to offer any help when you give very vague information e.g.

Bronte said:
I've a hotmail account and for a few weeks now it will not show any incoming mail. I hit send/recieve and an error message comes up. How do I fix this?
Click to expand...
What is the exact error text?

Bronte said:
McAfee keeps popping up to 'update now or later' - how do I stop this?
Click to expand...
Very simple, uninstall McAfee (as its rubbish) and install a free anti-virus like AVG or Avast. Note only install ONE of these, AFTER you have uninstalled McAfee.

Bronte said:
Podcasts from RTE. When we download these if you pause it causes it to stop altogether sometimes. How do you fix this?
Click to expand...
I would assume ye are using internet explorer. Stop using this as its also rubbish. Install Chrome/Firefox and try the RTE player again.
 

Hi Bronte.

1) Your email problem sounds like you are using Outlook or Thunderbird to read your emails rather than a webpage? If so can you please detail the exact error.

2) Remove Mcafee. Hit the windows button and type in "Change or Remove a program". Select Mcafee in the list and uninstall. You should have an Antivirus... I recommend and use the free Microsoft Security Essentials, I used to use Avast and AVG before it came out. Get it here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/security-essentials-download UNINSTALL MCAFEE and reboot your PC first!

3) I suggest you try downloading Firefox and using it as your internet browser to try the RTE player and see if that resolves the issue for you. Download here. http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ If not download the newest version of Flash.
 
As mentioned above, are you really using hotmail? As far as I know, Hotmail doesnt even have a Send/Receive button.....
 
Here is my progress and thanks to everybody who has helped me so far.

McAfee pop up removal

My only real success I went on to the McAfree website with no joy, but following the advice on here I eventually found where the programes were stored and deleted it from there, but I was overenthusastic and decided to clean up the programes by deleting a load of them, I thought it was a good idea and would create more space and delete things I've never heard of and thought it might fix the emails. I'm now banned from 'fixing' the laptop by my OH

RTE player

This is the reason I'm banned. As Galway hospital was in the news yesterday we wanted to watch the news on RTE but apparently I'd deleted a program that allows us to do that, I'd thought you just go into the website of RTE and play the news but apparently not. I guess my OH will manage to get the player back if he manged to install it in the first place.

When he does that I hope the problem of TV programes have a problem if you pause them might be solved.

Antivirus produce

Also following the advice on here I went to install Microsoft as it's free and sounded easy from what you guys suggested. And I managed it to find that low and behold it was already on the PC. (presumably my OH did this) Just so I know for again, when installing I was given the option 'run' or 'save' what is the difference, do you do one first and then the other?

Hotmail

Some of you think I don't have hotmail but I most definitely do. As in Inbox, windows live mail. Or windows live messenger.

I couldn't find 'tools' but I did find the history and delted all the cookies there.

The error problem is as follows:

Unable to send or receive messages for the hotmail.co XXX account

Server Error 4102, server mail services.live.com, Windows live mail Error ID xxx

So as suggested by some of you I googed this, and server error 4102 does exist and there was a lady who had a solution but I couldn't figure out how to fix it. On any other PC my hotmail works on my PC it says I cannot 'send or receive' but I can send and cannot receive emails for a few weeks now.

As my OH has banned me from fixing the PC he tried last night to fix it for ages and I as far as I can tell he didn't suceed as he's just about as good as myself on the PC stuff. We're avoided talking about it as he was a bit miffed I'd deleted the RTE player. But any help would be great.

PC education

You guys are techies/internet/pc savvy people. Not one clue do I have. I've done loads of training, even once went on a course on how to do a webpage and I was bottom of the class so it's a no no for me. I just want the PC to work, to do the things it's supposed to without me having to know why. Like my car. It works and I don't care how it works as long as it works. With a PC it's like absolutely everything is complicated. All we need is word, excel, the internet, RTE TV programmes and itunes. Last month the toolbar disappared etc. Why do things disappear etc. It drives me insane. Currently the tab for the internet has disappeared but we have a 'web' button which helps.

Browser

One of you suggested we use Firofax or Chrome instead of internet explorer. How do we do that. At the moment when I hit the internet explorer I have it set to google.ie to come up first as for some time a thing called babylon was there and I hated it.
 
This is the best post I've read in ages! It is a study on the difficulties that some people have with ICT that (dare I say younger?!?) people take for granted.

Bronte, from reading your post it seems to me that you would find a tablet device such as an iPad a significant relief to use. Not so much for Office programs perhaps, but certainly when it comes to internet, mail, RTE Player etc. I think you would enjoy using one without all the faff that goes with using a PC.
 
Hi Bronte... have you any friends / relatives who are "computer savvy"? I would guess that you only need to sit down for a few hours with someone to go through the basics & for that person to go through your computer once every few months to keep it up to date in relation to virus protection, latest windows updates, keeping it running smoothly.

Treating it as you say ,like a car, is really what you need. I do that for family & a few neighbours... saves me the "have you a minute to look at the computer questions"...

It's hard to go through specifics in such a forum... deleting the programs above as you have isn't a good idea... they are still installed on your machine, but can't function now... I would recommend that they be cleaned out using the computers "uninstall option" before trying to install them again... "rte player" being an example, so for e.g. start -> all programs -> control Panel -> add/remove programs
that will list all thats installed on your machine (be careful here).. then choose the programs you no longer need, e.g. McAfee & click "uninstall"... hopefully the uninstall software won't have been removed from your earlier clean up.
If it was removed, then you have a "recycle bin" on your desktop (the screen you first see when you log in). You can double click that to open it, locate the folders you removed & you can highlight it & click "restore". You should try the above with "mcafee" first, if that "works" for you, then try another...
 

Based solely on this, IMO its pretty clear both you and your OH have no idea what ye are doing when it comes to using a PC or PC maintenance.

I would suggest bringing it to a PC repair shop as by now programs have been installed/uninstalled, God only knows what state its in. Tell them what programs ye want/need on said PC. If you dont know this, tell them what ye want to be able to do using the PC, such as use Word/Excel, watch RTE player, use iTunes etc and they should be able to set it up for ye.

A computer course including doing a website is useless and too in-depth, you need "An idiots guide to PC usage" type course (no offence intended, I mean like the book title).
 
It appears that you use Windows Live Mail Desktop to access hotmail. Can you just connect using the browser (See my previous mail) ?
 
elcato said:
It appears that you use Windows Live Mail Desktop to access hotmail. Can you just connect using the browser (See my previous mail) ?
Click to expand...

Yeah sounds like the connection from desktop to hotmail server is not configured or else the login is wrong.

I see no reason hotmail wont work if you are
1) Able to connect to the internet
2) Are using hotmail directly on the internet, via www.hotmail.com
 
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