Guide to Dual Monitors system in Windows

One of the reasons that computers are getting cheaper is because monitors are getting cheaper. The video hardware that drives them is also more affordable than ever before. Microsoft realized that when they released Windows 98 and built in support for multiple monitors. That support continued with 98SE, 2000 and ME. If you use NT, you're not out of luck, but this article won't help you. Your best alternative is to use a dual headed card, like the Matrox G450, one with two monitor outputs.

Getting dual monitors to work correctly seems to be a hit or miss affair. In many cases, it's just a matter adding a second video card and monitor and rebooting the computer. In other cases, you need to do some cyber gymnastics to get things working correctly.

The process is the same no matter which version of Windows you are using. First, be sure that your system is working correctly. Boot into safe mode and verify that you have only one video adapter and monitor showing in the Device Manager. If there are more, but you only have one adapter and monitor, you'll need to remove the extras.

Once you're sure that your video setup is working fine, turn off the system and look inside. Remember that you'll need a video card for each monitor that you plan to run under Windows. That means that your system must have a free expansion slot for each one. You may find that you have problems with IRQ sharing or DMA channels, depending on your motherboard and video card, although many video cards seem relatively intolerant of IRQ and DMA conflicts. Install your video card in the appropriate slot, and then connect the monitor.

Restart your system. If all goes well, your computer will boot the same way that it always has…the second monitor will still be dark. If your system prompts you to login, do it. You may need to install drivers for your second video card, depending upon whether or not Windows has built in drivers or not. Just follow the on-screen instructions.

Once the drivers are installed, check the Device Manager to make sure that the display adapter is properly detected:

Once the drivers are installed, open the Display Properties window. In the settings screen, you should see something like this:

You'll see that a second display is shown. Click on the grayed out display marked as "2". The window will change slightly to look like this:

You can then change the desktop resolution and color depth. Once you've done that, click your mouse on the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" to enable it. Remember that the resolution, color depth and refresh rates of each monitor adapter combination don't have to be the same. The window should look something like this now:

Click on OK and your second monitor should activate itself as an extension of the first:

You'll find that you can change the relative geometries of the two monitors by moving their respective boxes around in the Settings window.

What if things don't work?

If you can't get your second monitor to work at all, there are a couple of steps that you can take. In some systems, you need to change a BIOS system to allow the PCI display adapter to initialize first, instead of the AGP adapter. You should be sure that both of your display adapters are supported by the version of Windows that you are using.

Also, be sure that the display parameters (resolution, color depth, etc.) are within your monitor's limits. Windows allows you to select different display parameters for each monitor, so even though one might have lower performance than another, you'll still be able to use it.

Windows 2000 driver support for older PCI cards may be a little iffy. Many popular cards do have drivers, but just about as many don't. Also, remember that your computer has only one AGP slot, so you can only use one AGP card. The rest have to be PCI or ISA.

And speaking of ISA video cards, I'd really recommend against using one. You'll find that your video resolution and color depth are very minimal and you may create more problems with IRQ sharing than you want to get into. Also, of course, many newer motherboards don't have ISA slots.

If you have a motherboard with one of Intel's i815 chipsets, you may have onboard AGP video. While it might be tempting to use the built in video and get a separate PCI card for the second display, please let me talk you out of it. Almost any AGP card that you buy, even the cheapest one, will outperform the video from these chipsets. If the onboard video is your main video source, put your money into a new video card before you consider adding a second monitor.

Dual monitor setups are a great way to expand your desktop without buying a monstrously expensive large monitor and, in most cases, it's very easy to do. A little preparation before you do the job should result in a whole lot of fun at the end.

Fix System32 Errors

What Causes System32 Errors?

Your Windows System32 folder (C:\WINDOWS\System32) contains essential operating system files that Windows needs to run smoothly. These files include drivers to run your hardware components, Windows shell extensions, and system restore points among many other critical components. System32 errors can be the result of corrupt or damaged core system files (such as Config.nt, autoexec.nt, and command.com), install and uninstall files and settings, and downloaded file components needed to run new software.

Corruption in your System32 directory can happen very easily, especially without regular Windows system maintenance.

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How to manually troubleshoot System32 errors:

The sheer number of System32 files can make troubleshooting file-by-file a difficult task. However there are a few tips that can help in some cases.

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For Windows or file system-related System32 errors, the following steps may help:

• Disk Cleanup. Disk Cleanup may help with certain System32 errors. To access disk cleanup, use the following click path:
  Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools and choose Disk Cleanup.


• Try running the program that's giving you a system32 error message in "Compatibility mode". Occasionally, running an older program (pre-Windows 2000 Pro or XP) can return system32 errors of different kinds. Windows XP has a "compatibility" mode that allows Windows to run that particular application as if it were an older version of Microsoft Windows. To run a program in compatibility mode, click
  Start > All Programs > Accessories > Program Compatibility Wizard
  Follow the easy guide steps to run the application like an older version of Windows. This may resolve the system32 errors when you're trying to run a specific program.

Alternatively, you could try to manually replace and edit the files in your System32 folder, but this is can be very dangerous to the rest of your Windows File System. The interdependencies between files and components stored in the System32 folder are vast, and there's a very good chance that further damage to your Windows PC could result with manual editing.

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STOP Errors in Windows XP and Windows 2000 (Blue Screen of Death)

What are Windows Blue Screen of Death STOP Errors?

STOP errors and they’re associated error codes (i.e. 0x0000001E) most commonly show up during Windows boot. They usually indicate a corrupt file system or incompatibility with a particular piece of hardware you have installed. These errors are a very serious and can render your computer unbootable.

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What causes STOP errors and Blue Screens of Death?

If you have recently installed a new piece of hardware into your computer such as a new video or sound card, USB or controller card, or even new RAM chips, you may encounter a Blue Screen and STOP error.

Additionally, severe damage or corruption to your Windows installation or system registry can result in Blue Screens of Death and STOP errors.

Less often, damaged or dying hardware such as your CPU processor, RAM memory, or hard drive can return Blue Screens and STOP errors.

What do STOP Error Codes Mean?

Each STOP error code has a specific meaning. That is, it has a specific code tied to it that pretty much only Windows programmers understand. They descriptors may look something like this:

Stop 0x0000000A or IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Stop 0x0000001E or KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

Stop 0x0000002E or DATA_BUS_ERROR

As you can see, without a Computer Science degree, it’s tough to figure out what actions to take as a result of the descriptions attached to the various STOP error codes.

How to manually fix STOP errors and Blue Screens of Death:

In the case of hardware that causes Blue Screens of death and STOP errors, safely removing any recently installed hardware may relieve the error.

For Windows or file system-related STOP errors and Blue Screens, the following steps may help:

• Restart Windows (if your computer is frozen you may need to do this via pressing and holding down the power button to manually shut the computer down, then pressing it again to restart.)

• As Windows is restarting, continually tap the “F8” button until a boot menu appears with a number of options you can use your arrow keys to navigate to.

• Select “Last Known Good Configuration”

Windows will hopefully restart with the last configuration of settings that worked. This may resolve the Blue Screen and STOP errors in some cases.

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This will help with many STOP errors you are likely to see, including 0x00000019, 0x0000001E, 0x00000024, 0x00000050, 0x00000051, 0x0000006F, 0x0000007A, 0x0000007B, 0x0000007E, 0x0000007F, 0x0000009C, 0x000000C2, 0x000000C5, 0x000000D1, 0x000000EA, 0x000000ED, 0x000000F4, 0x1000008E.

FIX Windows Fatal Exception Errors

What is a Fatal Exception Error?

Fatal exception errors often occur during your computer’s shutdown process, when you boot your computer, or when you launch a program in Windows. These annoying errors often read like this:

• ‘A fatal exception KRXZ has occurred at 0000:xxxxxxx3’

Fatal exception errors usually appear due to software programs trying to do things like this:

• A program attempts an 'illegal operation', not understood by the operating system


• A software program tried to get access to “junk” or non-working sections of a program's source code


• The permissions for accessing a certain area of software program code aren’t set up correctly

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What causes Fatal Exception errors?

In the above scenarios, your computer rejects what a software program is trying to do, and lets the Windows operating system know it isn’t happy. Windows then gives you a fatal exception error dialog message.

How to manually fix Fatal Exception errors:

Fatal exception errors are very difficult to troubleshoot.

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Usually, these types of Windows errors are not recoverable and you have to manually restart by doing the following:

1. Press and hold down your computer’s power button for about 5 seconds.
2. You will notice the computer manually power down.
3. Once it’s fully shut down, press and release the start button on the computer to restart Windows.

Fatal exception errors can be caused by certain kinds of settings, including those in the Windows registry system, that are loaded automatically when your computer starts. Keeping your Windows registry clean and controlling the number of programs that load at Windows startup can help greatly.

PC optimization programs like RegCure (free download) can help you easily control what programs Windows is allowed to load automatically at startup and optimize and compress your registry system for optimum performance.

How Cybersquatters Make Money?

Getting clicks and traffic by accident appears to be big business. And by ‘big’ I mean worth MILLIONS of dollars! While typosquatting is unfortunately not a new online marketing practice, its use and, moreover, its ABUSE has grown significantly and exponentially since 2000.

Cybersquatting means registering, trafficking in or using a domain name with the intent to profit in bad faith from the goodwill of a trademark that belongs to someone else. It commonly refers to the practice of buying up domain names that use incorporate the names of existing businesses with the intent to sell the names for a profit to those businesses. The term derives from squatting, the practice of building some kind of home or dwelling or in some way using someone else's landed property without their permission.

Typosquatting, although very similar to cybersquatting, has a slightly different, but much more serious purpose: it is employed by people who want to divert traffic to their websites. Typosquatters typically purchase a domain name that is a variation of a popular domain name with the expectation that some of the traffic for the original web site will stray to theirs by capitalizing on web surfers´ misspellings of those popular domain names.

How can large companies, with all their IT experts, not foresee something like this happening? How come they allow tons of opportunistics to make revenue every time innocent Internet users mistype the original brandnames or trademarks? The answer is, cybersquatting originated at a time when most businesses were not savvy about the commercial opportunities on the Internet. Since opportunities like these rarely knock on one’s door more than once, these so-called ‘entrepreneurs’ reserved and registered domain names corresponding to the names of well-known businesses with the intent of selling the names back to the companies when they finally woke up. Commercial domain names are obtained from companies that are authorized to ensure that a domain name you want is unique (no one else already has it) and issue it to you if it is. However, these registries make no attempt to determine whether the domain name is one that rightfully ought to go to someone else. The principle is ‘First come, first served.’ Panasonic, Fry's Electronics, Hertz and Avon were among the first targets of cybersquatters. Well-known products, sports and political figures and other celebrities are also among the victims. Today, although the practice itself is growing, opportunities for cybersquatters are rapidly diminishing, because most businesses now know that nailing down domain names is a top priority. Although trademark laws may offer some protection, it is often cheaper to buy the domain name from the cybersquatter than it is to sue for its use: these processes cost money, and though you may be able to recover your costs and attorney fees if you win, there is no guarantee; it's completely up to the judge. Examples of domains sold by cybersquatters to companies include drugstore.com, furniture.com, gardening.com, and Internet.com. Cybersquatters may also regularly comb lists of recently expired domain names, hoping to sell back the name to a registrant who inadvertently let their domain name expire.

How do you know if the domain name you want is being used by a cybersquatter? As a general rule, first check to see if the domain name takes you to a legitimate website. If it takes you to a website that appears to be functional and reasonably related in its subject matter to the domain name, you probably are not facing a case of cybersquatting. But if you own a trademark and find that someone is holding it hostage as a domain name until you pay a large sum for it, you may be the victim of cybersquatting. You can sue to get your domain name -- and possibly some money damages -- under a 1999 federal law known as the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act or you can initiate arbitration proceedings under the authority of the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and win the name back without the expense and aggravation of a lawsuit. The ICANN arbitration system is considered by trademark experts to be faster and less expensive than suing under the ACPA, and the procedure does not require an attorney.

Typosquatting, however, is a much more dangerous practice because it is commonly used by pornographers. Typosquatting is based on the probability that a certain number of Internet users will mistype the name of a web site (or its URL) when browsing the web. Typosquatters usually register several possible typos for a brand name or web site known for its high traffic, then monitor to see how many clicks per day each of their typo domain names receives, and finally use the information to sell advertising for the web sites that receive a high volume of accidental traffic. Ironically, advertising revenue might come from selling ads to the original site's competitors or by providing redirect pages to related products or services.

There are multiple ways in which typosquatters may turn typos into revenue. When surfers mistype popular URLs, squatter companies throw up ads in hidden browser windows, making money off of ads few people see. As a consequence, companies such as AT&T Corp. and The New York Times are paying for ad impressions even though the ads are buried. Finally, when visitors try to close their browsers or otherwise leave the web site in question, there is one more attempt at monetizing the mistake. Another browser window usually pops up, with a different web site’s name. This one contains more advertisements. It’s a never ending story that sure gets on the nerves of most of us!

The success of companies that practice Cybersquatter points out some serious flaws in the Internet's domain name system and in two of the web's most prominent revenue models: Affiliate Programs and Advertising Reselling. Advertising resellers such as 24/7 Media Inc., Advertising.com Inc. and iBoost Technology Inc. contract with large advertisers and then automatically feed ads onto thousands of web sites. The automated method of placing ads on sites can make tracking where those ads end up a very difficult task.

Needless to say, typosquatters do not think there is anything wrong with using people’s errors to grow traffic. However, it is a whole different story when typosquatting is employed by pornographers to attract children to their websites. Until now, there have been few methods of stopping pornographers and others abusing the domain name system from misleading children and adults into accessing sites masquerading as popular legitimate sites. Many adult web sites misrepresent their content or the nature of their sites by registering domain names that are intentionally confusing, using page coding designed to mislead search engines, distributing false advertising to promote site traffic, or hijacking visitors of another site.

The problem is particularly serious when children are involved. Just as adults do, children get spam and unsolicited instant messages with graphic sexual images, content, or links to pornographic sites. Statistics show that 20% to 30% of traffic to adult sites is comprised of children. Many masquerade as messages from trusted friends or web sites. Children also may be tricked into visiting a pornographic site when they search for age-appropriate words or phrases on a search engine. Even if you find it hard to believe, depending on the type of marketing or advertising model used by a particular web site, there may be no incentive to filter children. In fact, targeting children may be an effective way of increasing ad revenue. The name of the game is web site traffic where adult sites are concerned. So they cannot rely just on keywords to increase traffic.

As part of the Amber Alert legislation, typosquatting is now a crime in the United States. Porn network czar John Zuccarini was the first person charged under the new typosquatting law by the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York and pleaded guilty in 2004. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Until the enactment of the Protect Act (most commonly known as the ‘Amber Alert’ legislation), stopping typosquatters was a civil matter, or perhaps (under extraordinary circumstances) a consumer fraud matter. The sites Zuccarini has been found to have cybersquatted include those referring to Nicole Kidman, Backstreet Boys, Encarta and others. His manipulation of Aaron Carter's and Britney Spears' names is among his more recent abuses. Courts have already held that there is no legitimate purpose for Zuccarinin registering and using the typo-domains other than to trade on the popularity of the underlying domain names, celebrities and products involved.

In summary, cybersquatters and typosquatters are unethical companies and individuals that want to profit from your family’s and your own confusion and spelling mistakes. If you want to help protect your children and others online, drop by http://www.Anti-SPAM-League.org website and report those who are engaged in these and other unscrupulous online marketing practices. Become a member for free and sign up to receive our Newsletters with useful and valuable information on how to handle abuses on the Internet. Also, look for more articles on related topics on our web site. You will learn how we can really make a difference by working together with consumers and companies to preserve Internet users’ freedom and privacy while promoting loyal advertising and good art on marketing practices.