Beta Software Can Go Bad
By Tim Henderson, The Miami Herald
Jan. 23–Q: Since the first of the year, every time I restart my computer, I get a Windows Defender Error. I installed all of the updates for Windows Defender, and I still get that error. It says, “Application failed to initialize . . . A problem caused Windows Defender to stop.”
STAN FLANDERS,
Miami
A: How about that — the same thing was happening to me, too, and I tried ignoring it and hoping it would go away, but it didn’t.
This question prompted me to look further, and it turns out that the trial or “beta” versions many of us were using expired Jan. 1. Even though we’ve been updating it all along, you now have to go back and download it again now that it has been formally released. It’s available at www.microsoft.com/down
loads.
As part of the installation it will delete the old version of Defender. Another symptom I noticed was that I would be notified of Defender updates, click OK to download and install them, but the same update would reappear as “ready for download.” So I guess having the old version makes everything go screwy.
Q: When I set up my e-mail on my home computer, I did not put in a password. It works fine without it when I am home, but if I am away from home and try to access my e-mail account on the Web, I can’t do it without a password. How do I insert a password at this stage?
ANONYMOUS
A: This is something that comes back to bite a lot of people.
When you set up an e-mail account, you have to have a password, but you can set it up so it remembers the password and you never have to enter it. That’s handy, but eventually you DO have to reacquaint yourself with it.
Usually online e-mail services will offer an option to remind you of your password if you’ve forgotten it, using some other information from your account, or your mother’s maiden name or something like that.
Q: When I try to install Norton Internet Security, I get errors about problems “authenticating the Microsoft Windows Installer” and about the “cryptographic service.” What’s going on?
MIKE,
Miami Lakes
A: Why do error messages never tell you what you need to know? According to Symantec, the way to fix this is to rename a file, called MSIEXEC.exe, forcing the Norton installer to use a version of that file that it expects.
The best walkthrough I found was posted at www.mcse.ms/message2279622.html.
TODAY’S TIP: Buying a new computer today means buying more unnecessary junk software than ever before, all set to load automatically, making the most powerful machine slow as molasses out of the box.
How can you tell what’s important and what’s trash in your Startup folder? Two sites, www.pacs-portal
.co.uk and www.whatsrun
ning.net, will help you decipher the function of each program and help you decide whether to keep it or toss it.
Send your questions to thenderson@MiamiHerald
.com. For previous columns, go to www.MiamiHeald.com/business.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Miami Herald
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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