Welcome to I.G. Headquarters

"Bringing real people to your virtual world."


Do a Google Search for instant results on queries at our website or even the entire internet!!! Your Choice...

Google

THANK YOU FOR VISITING & WELCOME TO I.G. HEADQUARTERS!! "BRINGING REAL PEOPLE TO YOUR VIRTUAL WORLD"

Let's start this off with a warm welcome! Hi there! How are you? We are really glad to have you with us! However, before you surf our website - here's a little tip: Like all websites, everywhere you go, in various locations and on various pages of all websites, the fonts often change sizes. This change in font sizes can make it easy to read in some places or harder in the next. We have a solution that may interest you. Do you have a "scroll-button mouse" (That's the little, rubber 'wheel' between the left & right clickers)? Well, here is the trick to being able to read text easily no matter where you go on the internet... On your keyboard, you can "press & hold" the 'Ctrl' button - located either to the right or left side of your keyboard (We prefer using the left side "Ctrl", but that's up to you), then "scroll" that little, rubber scroll button one way or the other. Watch your screen as you scroll, because the scrolling should change the sizes of all the fonts on the page to fit a more comfortable read. No scroll button? That's OK. This can also be accomplished without a scroll button mouse. For Internet Explorer and Firefox users: in the upper, left hand of the window, you will see the menu bar (File, Edit, View, History, Favorites, etc...). Click on "view", then click or point to "text size". Choose the size more appropriate for you. This works at ALL websites - not just ours. There's no need to squint when you don't have to, right? Surf to Enjoy - Enjoy to Surf. Be safe and have fun!
 In the meantime - we are offering you this free gift as a "Thank You for visiting us"... It is a little 'E-Book' called; "A to Z Guide about interesting websites" It includes safe websites for kids as well as useful PC tips & tricks too). To claim your E-Book, just click anywhere within this brief yellow and blue paragraph to download your own E-Book! We hope you find it useful. Enjoy your visit at I.G. Headquarters!

 Click and find out... HOW CAN YOU GET YOUR COMPUTER FIXED FOR FREE?  Click and find out...


Looking for someone to chat with? Looking for anyone to join you within the shoutbox? Let's see how many people are here...

 How many people are online at this website at the same time as you?
 
Here is a great little gadget that is designed to keep track of the number of people that are visiting the I.G. Headquarters website at the same time as you. We put this here in hopes that it will help all of you to see if you can start up a conversation with one another in the shoutbox. It can be frustrating to use the shoutbox - saying "Hello?" - only to wait and find that no one is present... Or worse, that your 'Hello' gets answered 5 minutes later by someone who thinks you're still there... This way, everyone can avoid the mishap by seeing the number of people online below this paragraph. If you wish to have the most current and accurate number - simply "refresh" the web page and the current number of visitors should show. We welcome you all to our website and to our shoutbox! If any of our staff are online, they will surely converse with you and even help you with any questions you may have.

IGHQ SHOUTBOX!!!! Chat with others online or even our staff if available!


Please be kind and courteous to one another within the shoutbox. Feel free to discuss whatever your interests are, but let's keep it clean for the sake of others. The shoutbox is monitored from time to time by our staff, who are more than willing to speak to any of you - should you wish someone to "chat" with. You may determine the number of people on our website by using the visitor counter above the shoutbox. "Refresh" the page for a more current and accurate count. We hope you enjoy your time here, and if there is anything we can do to help make your visit more pleasant - feel free to drop us a line at any one of the "dark orange submission forms", located on many of our webpages. Have a great day!

Welcome to the I.G. Headquarters Home Page! Our "Little Virtual World" on the Internet!!!

GREETINGS & SALUTATIONS TO ALL OF OUR VISITORS AND GUESTS!!!!

So, what is "I.G. Headquarters & just exactly what do we do? We are a multi-purpose and multi-service company. Although we primarily deal with computer service and repair - we also deal with computer training, website design & building, PC & website consultation, software creations (Some of the software's you will find here are created by us). In this general area of services, I.G. Headquarters is run by PC Service / Repair Shop Owners & Technicians who volunteer their free time to help other people with computer service and repair needs. Any certified technician / shop owner who wishes to volunteer their time to help others may contact us -  and through a series of questions and brief testing, may become part of our volunteer team. The idea is to get you the PC service you need for free. Now, this is going to sound really strange, but our company also deals with surveillance, investigations, photography/video, background checks and skip tracing and many more cool "spy stuff".... In this general area of service, we have volunteer Detectives, Law Enforcement and Investigative Companies who give their free time to help others regarding this side of the business, also free of charge. But this does not mean that they perform surveillances and investigations for others free of charge.... The volunteer services performed in this area of business is to help point you in the right direction, give you tips or advice regarding the use of one of our toolbars, called "The Net Detective Toolbar". Please do not confuse this with "The Net Detective Program", by the Fontana Partners. The name may be spelled similar and may seem similar - but THEY CHARGE FOR THEIR PROGRAM, SOFTWARE & SERVICES..... WE DO NOT. There is a big difference between the way we do business and the way they do business. By now you're probably thinking "Why in the world do you perform services from one end of the spectrum to the other?". Well, for years - we've been tinkering with gadgets and electronics, working with computers and building our own "hidden cameras" and many other types of surveillance equipment as we were involved in the area of Law Enforcement. Catching the "bad guys" and putting them away - chipping in our efforts to help do our part in creating a better world... Yet, at the same time, everyone knows that wonderful feeling of "Helping Someone in need". You know what we mean - mowing the neighbors lawn for them, taking out the trash for the little, old lady next door, fixing your friends PC and putting your gifts to good use... EVERYONE HAS GIFTS / TALENTS in which we perform exceptionally well - the trick is finding your place in this world and making good use of it. Be it for profit or for free. We chose to use our gifts and talents to help and serve others.... Our gifts / talents are put to use in many areas. Years ago, fascinated by electronics, gadgets and technology, we learned very early about how many different types of electronics things work. We've stripped computers down to the bone and separated the parts, categorized them - organized them and put them back together in a manner with the idea to create the ideal computer. We've done this many times with outstanding results and it's just plain "fun" to work with your hands - to produce something of value out of things that were once thought of as "outdated" or "obsolete". We designed this website for the sole purpose of doing the ONE THING that gives us our greatest high.... HELPING PEOPLE. But it's not just helping people - it's the fact that we do it for FREE. That's right. FREE. We will even extend our efforts in other areas as well as we can to the best of our abilities to not only help people by providing services - but products too! We've built computers just for the purpose of giving them away, designed software so that people can do what they like most, free of charge. Watching movies online, getting free drivers for your computers, printers, cameras, storage devices, dongles, routers, modems, etc.... Whatever you need - we do our best to help you find it - BUT TO FIND IT FREE OF CHARGE...

We have some decent software downloads on our website. We like to collect software that REALLY grabs our attention, software that packs a punch or does something of good value. Some softwares, we have created ourselves, while others were obtained from our years of surfing the net. ANY software that you find on our website is software that we are all currently using on our own computers or have used on our computers at one time or another as it fit our needs at the time. We've tested it, installed it, uninstalled it, used it, threw it around the room, beat it to death and just about everything you can think of just to find out how worthy it was or how fun it was or if it stood up to the "Power User" type of PC user as well as the "Gentle & Easy" type of PC user. When it comes right down to it - we even have software programs for little babies and kids who don't know any better but to bang on the keyboard with their hands or heads!!!!! The cool part is that they can't mess up your PC by banging on those keyboards either - cause the software was designed to protect your PC from those little rug rats who climb up on your chair while you're in the kitchen grabbing a soda and they're laughing away as they pound on your keyboards like a set of drums!!!  However, you must now be warned: Most (Probably 96% - 97%) of the software you find on this site is made by other manufactorers and publishers. And these guys have their own privacy policies, rules, regulations, or other editorial justifications for their links or software downloads. We'll let you know which software is ours - but nevertheless - whatever you download and install... You must do so at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for nor can we provide support for any modifications that you do to the software here or anywhere.... WE WILL, of course offer you any support you need in fixing your PC if you mess it up - but we just need to tell you that whatever conditions or policies that come with the softwares you download.... It's up to you to follow their rules.  Microsoft®, Windows®, and Windows NT® are all registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Corporation in no way endorses or is affiliated with ig-headquarters.com. All other trademarks of any other software or links are the sole property of their respective owners..... ig-headquarters.com is NOT responsible for the quality or performance of any of the software applications (Except for our own stuff), programs or services included anywhere in these linked websites, web pages or the actual program's pages, text files or help files. I.G. Headquarters cannot be held responsible for damages or problems of any kind which may result from their use. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you read the section towards the bottom of our home page that is titled: "The Frustrations of the installations / uninstallations of ANY SOFTWARE PROGRAM". That is probably going to be one of the most important things that you will have ever read about computers.... About understanding WHY your computer breaks down and that it is not always right to blame most PC problems on programs that you have tested or tried to use. You will be quite surprised at what you will find by reading that article.

Let it be known that you agree to all of these policies the very moment you finish reading this or click on any links or download / install any programs / files, etc, etc, etc....

Yeah, that sounds scary - and some of you are probably leaving already. But hey, We have to say all that because we're only providing a free, non-profit, voluntary service. We're doing all of this work just to do something nice for you. We've got access to more than 15 years worth of software for every version of windows (IBM PC compatable, that is... Not Mac - sorry to all you Mac users) and those of you who stay will find that a great deal of these programs and links are REALLY COOL! So... Be safe, DO NOT FORGET TO READ what you choose to click on or download, READ ALL WINDOWS OF ANY SOFTWARE INSTALLATION PROCESS (As well as all windows of the "uninstallation process)  -  WHY? -  Because sometimes when you intend to install just ONE program, you get two or more...... Because sometimes programs tell you that they are going to change your search engine, or computer settings or even your "fonts" - and you might not want that to happen... Because programs can sneak in little boxes that you either have to "put the check in the box" or that you have to "take the check mark out of the box" in or to authorize or even "prevent" them from making changes that you might not want them to make. We can all sometimes get into the habit of just clicking "next" or "ok" cause we're either excited and want to see the program and use it - or because we've seen these installation & uninstallation windows so many times that we get tired of reading them..... We forget how important they really are.... Excercise wisdom and have fun! A little helpful info: Although many of you are experienced web surfers and do not need to be told this - Any wording you see in color (Any other color different than the general color of the surrounding paragraph or words) or any wording you see underlined or in bold or even both or even all three options... This usually means that it is either a "link" to take you somewhere or a download link (Except for the area above describing the policies of this website). It doesn't always have to be blue in color either. Anyway, another hint of this is that when you point to it or rest your pointer on it, you may see your mouse pointer change shape slightly (Depending of course, on your desktop theme or choice of icons / pointers you use). Not everyone knows this - so just another way of showing a little 'sensitivity'. Before we forget  - there is something important that we must share with our potential customers... Please remember that our technicians and representatives are REAL PEOPLE who take time away from their paying jobs and families just so they can offer someone help when they need it. 95% of all computer problems / issues that we have experienced helping "new customers" with over the years have been problems directly related to the way that the computer owner runs and maintains their computer. Yes - we know that seems outrageous, but it is really and honestly true. There are areas of our website where we have articles written that can help you understand your computer much better than you do now.... We tried our best to write these articles in terms and descriptions that we hope will be the best way to give you a more "clear mental picture" of what happens when you install or uninstall ANY COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROGRAM. In most cases, we have learned that the greater number of people who have read our articles have been able to understand their computers much better. In addition, to this very date - 100% of all customers who have followed our recommendations for proper PC maintenance with the help of our technicians in regards to "proper & efficient settings & options" have reported their computers to be "running like new"... And that they stay that way with continued proper PC maintenance and use.

There is a part of our services that we empathize the most with our customers.... And that is the fact that a PC that is not working right can be frustrating to deal with. Trying to fix, adjust or repair a PC problem without success can push some people to the point of anger. The worst part is that people do not realize that the problems they experience with their PC are mostly a direct result of they way they use and maintain their PC. WOW - DID THAT FREAK YOU OUT OR WHAT??? Yeah, we know it's not always easy to hear, read or even believe - because people actually prefer to believe that their PC problems are a direct result of some other computer software or program... And that is where trouble mostly begins. Sure - there are many PC programs out there that are truly harmful to a computer. But those types of programs are actually very few and far between. Truly harmful programs are mostly programs that come without license agreements or have false EULA licenses. These types of bad programs usually come from websites that do not posess any type of "certification" as a trusted, verified or proven website. Look at the very top and bottom of our web pages... Do you see the little, white box that says "Starfield" in it? It has a small, horizontal bar going through it that says "Domain Origination Certified". It has a diagonal stamp in it that says "Certified". Some similar website and software  certificates come from other companies like "Veritrust", "Truste", etc.... The point is - people do not always know about looking for these types of certifications.... And for those who do know, sometimes they just aren't looking or paying attention. And for people who download and install uncertified software from uncertified websites - you're just rolling the dice and taking chances. It's easy to become angry, thinking it's the program that caused your troubles... Often times, when people come to us for PC assistance, they forget that we are here to help. They forget that we volunteer our time to help when we could be home at peace with our families or putting in time at our jobs to earn money to make a living.. Sometimes, this same anger is taken out on our technicians or customer service representatives... Please do not take this the wrong way - but if a customer cannot control their anger or language during the course of our volunteering help to serve you - then we cannot obligate ourselves to continue service. So please.... We beg of you, whatever your troubles may be - no matter how severe - please keep in mind that we only have the best intentions to serve you and to help you to the best of our abilities. We are here for the sole purpose of helping you and providing you with the things you need or desire. We understand completely how frustrating computers can be - especially if there is an error within it. Whatever computer problems you are facing - please take into consideration that we are helping approximately anywhere from 10 to 50 other people or more each and every hour that are either experiencing the very same problems as you or even worse. This does not include the great numbers of people that are also contacting us at the same time just for simple advice - people who are just looking for answers on which port in the back of their computer they can plug their USB mouse into..... People who are just wanting to know if it's "OK" to put a DVD in their computer to watch a movie on their PC.... People who even just call in to say "Thank you" for help we provided them with the other day... There is no problem too small for us to help you with. As for problems that are large, not every "BIG" problem can be fixed by email, chat room or instant messaging...There can be issues that cannot be handled except to have the troubled PC physically here in our shop to examine... It all depends on the severity of the issue at hand. So, if you feel anger creeping up on you, if you feel it grabing you and squeezing you as if you were going to explode - think about the fact that you are dealing with your single issue while our technicians are dealing with dozens, even a hundred issues within a single day. Then imagine what kind of pressure that would have on you.... Perhaps then you might think better of the kind of day our tech's "voluntarily" put themselves through..... All because they care enough to stick around - just to help you.

However, there are more ways to fix your computer issues other than contacting our tech department.... All over our website (And even on our home page) there are many sections that give step-by-step instructions on how to take advantage of the automatic repair and maintenance functions that are built right into Windows.... We even have other step-by-step instructions on how to use non-windows programs for service / repair and maintenance on your PC. We get literally hundreds of emails continuously from people who have reported their gratitude for posting such instructions on our website as it helped them overcome the problems they were having.... Even though our typical response time to any computer service request is 24 - 48 hours (72 hours tops), we respond to several emails on a daily basis where we are contacting a customer who put in a request for help to fix their PC - only to find that they had already completed the repairs all by themselves because they saw one of the step-by-step service / repair / maintenance features on our website. Sometimes, people do not have enough faith in their abilities to accomplish a task like "fixing a computer problem". Sometimes, people think that computers are far too complex that they should try to handle it on their own. You would be quite surprised at what you can accomplish!!! Yes, computers are very, extremely complex. But we do try our very best to explain them in a manner that we hope you can relate to and understand. You are much more intelligent than you give yourself credit for. If you read every article on our website from the very beginning to the very end - we know that you will eventually come across an article or two that you may not fully understand... But we also know that after you had actually accomplished reading from the beginning to the end - that you will be a much better computer operator - a much more efficient computer user - a much more established and skilled individual with computers and computer technology. There is enough information on our website for a person who only knows the basic functions of the mouse and how to turn a PC on or off, a person who only uses a PC to go online and get their email - - - enough information on our site to turn that kind of a person into a much more proficient, knowledgeable and educated computer user. We've seen it happen. Even many of the family members of the volunteer technicians who knew little or less about computers have achieved goals worthy of mention in the areas of computers. You have the ability to be anything you wish as long as you can open your mind to the possibility. There is a phrase similar to this one that is commonly used with customers that request help with PC issues. Having convinced themselves that their issues were directly related to some software program they installed or uninstalled - they were angry and expressed a desire to write the author of the software to express their disappointment... But as we have said - most PC problems are the result of the way the computer has been used and maintained.... That the software they installed or uninstalled was not the issue. As long as you can open your mind to the possibility that you are wrong. As long as you can open your mind to see what ALL SOFTWARE installations and uninstallations can do to a computer (Even Windows installations / uninstallations)... Then you will have become one of the members of "The Educated Class". To be educated is to open your mind to learn. Hey - we all once thought the world was flat..... That you would fall off the edge if you went too close. We once thought that traveling to the moon was impossible.... Man has, since the beginning of time, expressed that he was certain of a great deal many things in life... And as we have evolved and grown through the years, decades and centuries we have proven ourselves wrong about a great deal many things... We know better now because we have opened our minds to the possibilities.... And thus, we have learned... We have achieved... For those of you who have placed your trust in us, we thank you for the PRIVILEGE of being able to serve you and help you with your PC and PC related needs. For those of you who are looking to us for help for the first time, we are glad to have the PRIVILEGE to serve you as we work hard to earn your trust. Thank you for visiting the I.G. Headquarters website! We are very happy to have you here and we welcome you openly.

How can you know for sure which website is safe and which is not????



Before you decide to install WOT - there is something you should know... Like all software programs, WOT comes with an "options, settings or preferences" section in which you may control what you know to be safe instead of using WOT's "GENERAL" settings.... Newly installed computer software programs are like human children; they need to be taught and receive guidance so that they may learn and become strong, intelligent and knowledgeable. You see, with WOT's general settings - you may come across websites that are safe, but using WOT under WOT's general settings may tell you that they are not..... The cool part is that WOT's general settings are OVERLY PROTECTIVE, so you do not have to worry about WOT telling you that a website is safe when it really isn't. Websites like this one have a certification that gives you the satisfaction of knowing that the website has been deemed safe and that the webmaster has genuine contact information, should you need to contact the company that owns the website you're visiting. Some sites post this certification once: some do it more. We post ours on the top and bottom of our web pages. So if you are at a site that is certified and WOT is telling you that there is a problem, you have the option to "teach" WOT - telling the program the difference between safe and unsafe. The more you surf and teach, the more WOT learns. ALL of the links in our navigation bar at the top of our website are safe. Furthermore, we don't practice posting links leading to potentially dangerous websites. NOW - knowing this information we just told you and verifying our certification, if WOT has anything overprotective to say regarding links from our site to another site (Except for links or addresses that we offer clear warnings of to keep you from danger) - you know the difference and can teach WOT, making him smarter each time.

WOT is a free service that provides web site reputation information for users. You can download it as a simple add-on for your browser that determines the trustworthiness of websites based on direct testimonies from the users themselves. 

The testimonies are compiled into a general indicator of a websites trustworthiness, which you can easily view through a reputation icon on your browser window. Once you have downloaded WOT, you can easily verify a site’s reputation by checking the colour of the WOT reputation icon, which will be displayed on the leftside on your browser’s address bar. The colour coding is intuitive, green indicates trust and red indicates no trust or potential danger. Using WOT is as simple as that. Other WOT features work just as easily – Welcome to the WOT portal to experience it yourself! Learning from the testimonies of others can significantly boost your surfing security. WOT offers you that extra level of security, for example, when you need to decide whether it is trustworthy to buy or sell something through a site, or if you want to know if a site tends to spam you without permission. There’s lots more for active users – share your knowledge and be among the first in creating a better web! Firefox users may download/install WOT by going to our [PC Downloads PG - 2] . Once there, scroll down and you will find WOT within the "Add-ons" section for Firefox Browser users. To download and try WOT for Internet Explorer, you may either click on the WOT logo above - or you may CLICK HERE

How to use System File Checker (SFC.exe) to fix and repair Windows problems

How to Use SFC.EXE to Repair System Files



The purpose of this guide is to teach you how to use the System File Checker (SFC) to examine and repair corrupt operating system files.

In doing this, the SFC tool may replace some of your files that were updated by Windows Update. The only way to check this (and to update any of the files) is by visiting Windows Update and allowing it to check your system for updates and update as needed.

References:

Description of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 System File Checker (Sfc.exe)

Microsoft Windows XP - Repair overview

Instructions:
  1. Locate your Windows installation CD. If you don't have one, you'll need to locate a directory on your system that's named"i386" (without the quotes). This directory may be on a hidden partition on your hard drive. In which case you will need to enter into the "File & Folder Settings" & "Toolbar Taskbar Settings", usually located within the control panel. From there you will need to alter some changes by "showing hidden & system files". This will make it easier to find.

  2. Go to Start, then to Run, and type in "SFC.EXE /SCANNOW"ť (without the quotes - and with a space between the SFC.EXE and the /SCANNOW). The press Enter. (For VISTA, go to Start and type in the above information, then go to the top of the box and right click on SFC.EXE /SCANNOW and select "Run As Administrator")

  3. The program may (or it may not) ask you for your Windows XP installation CD - please insert it at the prompt. If it doesn't ask you for the CD this means that it wasn't necessary to replace any files.

  4. In the event the the system asks you for the CD, you must visit Windows Update immediately after the scan is completed (Please note that there won't be any confirmation dialog - the program will just exit without telling you anything).

  5. If this doesn't repair the problem with your system other troubleshooting procedures are required.

What is the System File Checker (SFC) command on a Windows 2000/XP/2003 computer?

The System File Checker tool gives an administrator the ability to scan all of the protected files to verify their versions. The System File Checker tool also checks and repopulates the %SystemRoot%\System32\Dllcache folder. If the Dllcache folder becomes damaged or unusable, you can use either the sfc /scanonce or sfc /scanboot command to repair the contents of the folder.

You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to run System File Checker.

System File Checker Tool Syntax

Open a command prompt and type SFC followed by one or more of the following switches:

For all W2K, XP and Windows Server 2003 systems:

The /scannow command scans all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions. This command also repopulates the DLLCache folder with the most recent versions of protected files. This requires access to the Windows installation source files and also the installed Service Pack files. You are usually prompted for the location of these files during the scan operation.

The /scanonce command scans all protected system files once. This command requires access to the Windows installation source files.

The /scanboot command scans all protected system files every time that you start your computer. This command requires access to the Windows installation source files.

The /cancel command cancels all pending scans of protected system files.

The /enable command enables WFP for normal operation.

The /purgecache command purges the file cache and scans all of the protected system files immediately. This command requires access to the Windows installation source files. This command is required after you run the /cachesize=x command.

The /cachesize=x command sets the file cache size in megabytes (MB). This command requires a reboot followed by a /purgecache command to adjust the size of the on-disk cache.

This command sets the SfcQuota DWORD value to x in the following registry key:

MORE INFORMATION

The System File Checker tool gives an administrator the ability to scan all of the protected files to verify their versions. The System File Checker tool also checks and repopulates the %SystemRoot%\System32\Dllcache folder. If the Dllcache folder becomes damaged or unusable, you can use either the sfc /scanonce or sfc /scanboot command to repair the contents of the folder.

System File Checker Tool Syntax

Sfc [/Scannow] [/Scanonce] [/Scanboot] [/Revert] [/Purgecache] [/Cachesize=x]
/Scannow: Scans all protected system files immediately and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files.
/Scanonce: Scans all protected system files one time when you restart your computer. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files when you restart the computer. The SfcScan DWORD value is set to 2 in the following registry key when you run this command:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
/Scanboot: Scans all protected system files every time you start your computer. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files every time you start your computer. The SfcScan DWORD value is set to 1 in the following registry key when you run this command:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
/Revert: Returns scan to the default setting (do not scan protected files when you start the computer).The default cache size is not reset when you run this command. This command is equivalent to the /Enable switch in Windows 2000.
/Purgecache: Purges the file cache and scans all protected system files immediately. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files.
/Cachesize=x: Sets the file cache size to x megabytes (MB). The default size of the cache is 50 MB. This command requires you to restart the computer, and then run the /purgecache command to adjust the size of the on-disk cache. This command sets the SfcQuota DWORD value to x in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
For additional information about the Windows File Protection feature, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

System File Checker also checks and repopulates the cache folder. You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to run System File Checker.

If you're a "Vista" user and you still cannot get System File Checker to work...

Try this:

The SFC utility allows administrators to perform a scan of all protected resources to verify that they are the correct version. If SFC should find any incorrect versions in any of these protected resources, SFC will replace them with the correct versions.

Here's how to use the System File Checker:

  1. Click the Windows button>> All Programs>> Accessories.
  2. Right click the Command Prompt option and then select "Run as administrator" from the resulting menu.
  3. With the Command Prompt window showing, type in: sfc /scannow [Enter]
  4. You will now receive a message that states the scan will now begin. If SFC should find any rogue files that need to be replaced, you may be asked to insert your Windows CD. If the SFC scans without finding any problems, you will receive the following message: "Windows resource protection did not find any integrity violations".
  5. Close the command prompt window.

USE THIS SUBMISSION FORM FOR HELP, CUSTOMER & TECHNICAL SERVICES & MORE!!!!

Need help? PC advice? USE OUR "FORMLOGIX" DARK ORANGE SUBMISSION FORM FOUND BELOW!!!! Computer problem or even just a request, you can contact us anytime. We are here to help you. Perhaps you'd like us to post more downloads, add more options to our toolbar softwares or add a movie to our movie page. Even if you need help ASAP for anything PC related or related to our website or software, we'll help you as quickly as possible and for FREE!!!! We need LOTS of detail on what you need from us, especially if your filling out this form due to a computer problem. Because we know very little about your brand of computer, the model name & number & your version of windows, etc... We cannot accurately diagnose what will clear the matter up unless we have enormous amounts of details. Every brand of computer, every model of that brand and every version of Windows all have a different means of repair and diagnostics. Giving the right advice for the wrong brand of computer or the right advice for the wrong version of Windows can hurt rather than help. So great amounts of details are very important.

We like to perform our services for you safely. We ask of you if you could help us to understand more about your computer and the version of Windows you use. If it is a recurring problem or a new one. Descriptive illustrations, interpretations or clarifications in step by step of the way the problem reacts with your computer. This might help us focus on a specific area of your computer more clearly... We have plenty of software tools & diagnostic advice to fix whatever has happened to your computer - even you have such things built into your computer - capable of returning it back to its original state. First, we need to know by what means you would like us to help you... We NEVER give out any personal information to anyone about our customers. Any information we receive from our customers is guaranteed safe as we always destroy our files after repairs are complete. We offer our customers help in several ways. Choose which one is best for you. There are several ways in which we can offer you our assistance:

1. BY PHONE. This is the best, quickest and easiest way that we have been able to assist our customers. Our customers simply use the formlogix online form to email us the smaller details & provide us with a phone number and a day & time that you wish us to call you. The call and the tech support is entirely FREE. You must have access to your computer. The technician that calls you can email you any necessary FREE computer maintenance softwares and help you through the installation process, providing you with step by step instructions to fix the problems at hand. 99.9% of Customers who choose this option have their problem resolved within the first call... Most calls have the problem resolved within 3 to 10 minutes or less.

2. BY INSTANT MESSENGER. However, you would need a secondary computer to maintain the "instant messaging connection" between you and the technician. If you do not have a secondary PC and still wish to conduct communication through instant messaging - we can accommodate you - although you should be forewarned that the assistance we provide may then become a bit limited. Customers (With a 2nd PC) choosing this option usually have the problem resolved within the first day. Most sessions are resolved within 30 minutes to an hour & a half (If you have a 2nd PC). Results from customers with only 1 computer can take longer.

3. BY EMAIL. This is a slow form of assistance as it may take some time to communicate through the email process. The more severe the problem, the longer it would take to effect repair by this method. Customers choosing this option usually have the problem resolved within the first 1 to 3 days (If they are quick to respond). Most sessions are resolved within the 2nd or 3rd day unless the problem is more severe.

4. BY REGULAR MAIL. Through this method, you are sending your PC to us for repairs. Your only cost is to send the computer to us. We pay the return postage. There is a form we send you via email that you must print out, fill out and send back to us. The form is a basic contract agreement that you are giving us permission to work on your computer. After we receive the completed form, we will then email you the repair center address to mail your computer to (We also give you the repair center phone #). It is your responsibility to insure your computer and to request a signature return receipt as proof that it has arrived here to us. We then perform the same function at our expense as we mail it back to you after repairs have been made. Customers choosing this option usually have the problem resolved and their computer returned to them within 1 to 7 days or less after we repair it.

5. IN PERSON. Mostly local citizens and businesses of the nearby communities primarily bring their computers in personally. Every once in a while we get the odd few who have come from more than 1 - 4 hours away to do so. If a computer is brought in by hand, you fill & sign the service agreement & we give out a service ticket and then have a technician check out the computer for an estimate on the time for repairs. We then phone the customer to let them know how long it will take and when it will be ready for pick up. Sometimes, for special customers who cannot physically come to the shop - we pick up their PC's at their homes. (During such a pick-up, if the residence of a customer who's computer has already been repaired lives close by - we don't mind dropping off their computer for them as long as it's not too far out of the way.)
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HERE ARE SOME OF THE PROPER STEPS TO TAKE WHEN SENDING US INFORMATION ABOUT THE TYPE OF HELP YOU NEED (If you can think of more information to tell us - the more detail you give, the more helpful we can be):

A. What Brand of Computer are you using as well as model name and number (Dell, HP, IBM, Compaq, Gateway, etc...)?

B. What type of web browser are you using, Firefox or Internet Explorer (Or other..)?

C. Gadgetbar Users: If you click on the "Armor Links Menu" of the Gadgetbar - you will see a list of 10 (Ten) software programs which have been branded as "Highly Recommended Maintenance Programs"... How many of those 10 programs do you have installed on your computer?

D. What version of Windows are you running (Windows 3.1, 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista)?

E. Do you have all of the required "critical", "recommended" & "optional" software updates downloaded and installed from the Microsoft Windows Update Website?

F. Are all softwares on your computer properly updated and have all current updates?

G. Have you tried using Windows "System File Checker" (Check our home page at www.ig-headquarters.com found further below that page on how to run that on your PC)?

H. Have you tried using Windows "Disk Cleanup", "Scandisk (A.K.A. Error-Checking) " or "Windows Defragmenter" on your computer lately (Directions for those too may be found on our home page)?

I. Click on Start, then click on run. Type "msconfig" (Without the quotation marks) in the line and press "enter" on your keyboard. The configuration utility window will come up. Click on the "startup" tab and count how many boxes have checkmarks in them and how many do not. Remember to include that information when emailing us or using the form on our website.

Download and install the program called "Hijack This 1.99.1", which can be found on our website on the "PC Downloads PG. 1", found on the navigation bar at the top of the page. The software program will be found further towards the bottom when you get to that page. After downloading and installing, open the program and click on the button that says "Do a system scan and save a logfile". The log file will save the scan on Windows notepad. On that Windows notepad that pops up with all the information from your scan, click on "File", located in the upper left-hand corner. Then click on "Save As". Another window will open. In that window, on the line near the bottom that says "File Name", type the words "Hijack This logfile" (Without the quotation marks) and save it to your desktop. Then email it to us as an attachment at: ig.headquarters@yahoo.com . This will help us to see which programs are causing trouble on your computer.

HERE IS THE FORMLOGIX SUBMISSION FORM... BE AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE AND WE WILL HELP YOU ASAP!


Computer Services and Repair - PLUS, our creation > "The Gadgetbar Toolbar"

PC Service & Repair: As previously said, we will try anything to help you fix, service and repair problem issues with your computer Free Of Charge. Be it by mail, email, phone, instant messenger, our toolbar chat room, our website shoutbox or by other similar means necessary. However, if we are not able to accomplish repairs due to the problem being more severe than expected, then the PC must be brought or sent to our shop for a closer physical examination. Under these circumstances, this takes away valuable PC Specialists Volunteered time to others through our free services. It is at this moment when we must issue service shop charges. However, we assure you that we do everything possible to be certain that our shop charges are well under the normal. Our goal is to always try to remain at least ten dollars below the local competition. This particular part of the business end of our facility is necessary as we do not yet receive the level of donations that is strong enough to maintain utilities costs, insurance, various expenses and sometimes parts costs. The Specialists still, however, volunteer their time. Without a staff payroll - this helps us to focus our finances on the customer. Oftentimes, a customer who's computer must come to the service shop directly need not pay for parts due to this. In many cases, there have been donations to the point where all PC related services physically performed within our shop have been free. Then came along "The Gadgetbar Toolbar". Our Gadgetbar Toolbar creation allowed us to reach more people in need of services and repair. People beyond our town, beyond our county, beyond our State and even beyond our Country. Gadgetbar gave people access to programs for free. Programs that normally cost money. Of course, when it comes down to the actual use of the Gadgetbar Toolbar - the more clever the mind that operates it - the more that can be accomplished free of charge. For example: Within the Gadgetbar Toolbar is more than one means for you to literally "scan" your computer and your computer's software to detect whether or not your software requires any driver updates. The scanning service is free, naturally. If your computer is discovered to have any outdated software, the scan results show you exactly "which" programs were out of date, then they also give you information on the name of the file needed to complete the update - however - the program requires a purchased, registered activation to provide you with the updated file... But, like we said - it gives you the actual "File Name" that you need for the specific program on your PC that requires the update. This is where the "cleverness" comes in. We have created a menu within the Gadgetbar Toolbar called the "Drivers & More Menu". Within this menu are all of the respectable FREE driver websites, including Manufacturer's websites (Manufacturer's websites also give away driver updates free of charge). With the file name, you can easily locate and download the file from one of the free websites immediately - updating your computer or computer related hardware at no cost to you.

Using another example: Norton Internet Security programs have been known to be among some of the best Antivirus programs that you can get for your computer. But it costs anywhere from forty-five to sixty-five dollars, maybe more. The following year after your purchase, your purchased antivirus program is now obsolete as it is outdated. Now, you can probably get a discount of 10% - 20% off the renewal purchase price because of your former years purchase, but why would you spend your money all over again when you can get it done for free through the Gadgetbar. Gadgetbar gives you access to Norton Internet Security Antivirus program and allows you to scan your computer free of charge. It even gives you detailed results of what it finds and the exact locations on your computer where the detected and infected files are. This is, once again, where your clever mind comes into play. Instead of paying for the program to have your detected or infected files removed, Gadgetbar has several ways for you to take advantage of where you can have those detected and infected files removed free of charge. And if you're a reasonably experienced computer user, you can take the scanned results list and go through your hard drive - removing your detected and infected files manually - costing you nothing at all. This is just the tip of the iceberg too. The Gadgetbar Toolbar gives you access to other places on the internet where you get "Live PC Service Representatives" to personally assist you in resolving whatever computer issues or troubles that you may have, ALL FREE OF CHARGE. The Toolbar has a "PC Scan & Fix Menu", a "Spyware Scan & Clean Menu", a "Virus Scan & Remove Menu", a "Hacker Scan & Test Menu" (Several options for scanning all ports and access to your PC from the internet or even from a network), a "Firewall Scan & Test Menu", a "Drivers & More Menu", a "Mixed Scans & Tests Menu" (Offering multiple options to scan & test your PC against other threats of the internet), a "Security Scan & Test Menu" (Offering multiple options to scan & test the level of security of your computer and your computer connection), a "Pop-Up Blocker Scan & Test Menu" (Offering multiple options to scan & test your PC against multiple types of popups), an "Armor Links Menu" (Offering you a COMPLETE list of recommended PC maintenance programs that you should have on your PC to keep it running like brand new for a very, very long time), an "INFO FAQs Menu" - Offering multiple locations on the internet that offer you many types of solutions to fill out and send reports to the proper authorities if you are attacked, stalked or troubled on the internet by another individual or company. This same menu offers you solutions and tips to prevent and avoid Identity Theft and protection of any credit cards that you carry. The toolbar also offers you multiple types of diagnostics programs for every part of your PC, making certain that it is in good running condition.

Beyond this - The Gadgetbar Toolbar is not an "all work - no play" toolbar.... No, it does indeed offer you many forms of entertainment and release. It has a "Clock", an "Email Notification Center", where you can program numerous email accounts into it. As you receive email, you may set the toolbar to scan your accounts for email every minute or all the way up to every hour. You may use the default email notification sounds or use one that you like or even made yourself. There is a popup blocker, a weather station which will display the weather forecast and current conditions in your town and up to two additional locations. They may be changed at your convenience. The toolbar provides it's own chat room, where other toolbar users may meet with you or you may talk privately with someone who also has the toolbar. It offers a feature called "The Infinity Button", in which every time you click the infinity button, a website is randomly  selected for you to see. You may rate the website you see by clicking any one through 5 of the visible stars. The fewer the stars, the less the chance you will ever see the site again. The higher the stars - you may see the site again on rare occasion - but rarely. You may save what you like to your favorites folder and click "send to a friend" whatever you like and wanted to share the experience with another. You may also "suggest" a website. You selection / suggestion will be reviewed, and if it passes Google's rules, then it will be added to the database - .you may even see it if you click on the infinity button again. And when you do see it - check the stars to see how other people rated your suggestion. Then, there is a "New & Unusual Websites Menu", offering you 4 other submenus of some of the most strange and unusual websites of the internet. Then, There is a "Gadgets Menu", where you may play online or offline games, play with some of it's gadgets or use some of it's features - like: a calculator, a 'to do' list, top 10 videos, a unit converter and more! Then, there are two menus left: "The Free Online TV Menu" & "The Free Online Movies Menu". Watch your favorite shows and episodes or your favorite movies or even new releases! Lastly, there is a toolbar radio. Listen to local radio stations in your area or listen to other stations from all over the world and in every category of music! The toolbar even offers a service called "Grouping". Which means that you may also have access to any other I.G. Headquarters toolbar without having to download it. Whatever toolbar you pick to use - it will simply display it onscreen! Furthermore, anyone on the internet who has ever created their own toolbar - using the very same software may ALSO be added to your list of toolbars to use through this "Grouping" feature. Collect as many as you like and even build a database of all of your favorite toolbars! The best part is that you will only see ONE TOOLBAR AT A TIME, so that it does not take up extra space on your screen.

If you happen to have more than one favorite toolbar and would like to display it simultaneously with any other favorite toolbar - simply download it separately and install it separately and you may see and use both simultaneously! There is a search feature on the toolbar, and the primary search engine is Google - however, you may change search engines to use another. Whichever toolbar that you display, clicking the toolbar logo will transport you to the website of the Author or Company that created it. Which means that you may visit other sites through the toolbar other than I.G. Headquarters! We almost forgot - The Gadgetbar Toolbar also allows you to surf the internet "Anonymously" so that you are not detected and completely invisible to anyone on the net! That feature is found within the Gadgetbar's Logo Menu.  There's a lot more to it too... But we'll let you examine it for yourself! ENJOY!

For those of you who already have our Gadgetbar Toolbar and would like to "ADD MORE TOOLBARS" to the Gadgetbar's "Grouping" feature - "CLICK HERE TO BROWSE FOR TOOLBARS TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION"

HOW TO ADD ANOTHER TOOLBAR TO YOUR TOOLBAR COLLECTION - USING "GADGETBAR'S GROUPING FEATURE".......

First - you should know that by adding another toolbar to the grouping feature will not take any more space from your screen. It doesn't work that way. You will only see and be able to use the toolbar of your choice - the toolbar that is showing on your browser. If you actually wish to use & see multiple toolbars all at the same time For instance, you don't want more than one toolbar allowing the combination of using the toolbar's search engine with the browsers search bar. You don't want two toolbars that display the weather or email notification to be doing that all at the same time. It takes up RAM memory, power, resources.... So if you install multiple toolbars individually, then you need to actually install them each individually. But if you install them individually - then be certain that you have checked and re-checked the settings, options and preferences of each toolbar so that they are not all trying to perform all of the same features at the same time. (We're not talking about "Adding toolbars" with the grouping feature), then be certain that you organize the settings. Don't forget that often times, people run programs like Spybot's "Tea Timer" or Ad-Aware's "Adwatch" and other similar programs.... So, read the instructions carefully. Pay close attention to your settings and remember the settings of programs you are already using. THIS NEXT PIECE OF INFORMATION IS REGARDING ALL SOFTWARE PROGRAMS: If you start getting some "weird results" before or after the installation / uninstallation of ANY SOFTWARE PROGRAM - then remember - it's not necessarily the fault of the program that you're experiencing problems... It could very well be because you forgot about restoring the settings before uninstallation..... It could very well be the fact that you forgot that you have some other program performing a specific function, then, by installing another program that performs a similar function - they clash & cause problems.... There are literally HUNDREDS of calculations, settings, options, preferences of other software programs that are not always easy to remember or keep track of. So, if you install / uninstall a software program and immediately start having problems - it's not the fault of the program that you just installed / uninstalled... It's human error. And it's an error that we all make quite frequently. Please be careful. You might want to read our section further below which is labeled: The Frustration of The Installation / Uninstallation of Any Software Program. There, you will discover the complexities of the way that computers respond to

SWITCHING FROM ONE TOOLBAR TO THE NEXT: You may need to open the logo menu and click "REFRESH TOOLBAR" to help speed up the switching process. The less powerful the computer and internet connection, the slower the change-over. You may need to "select" the toolbar you want showing on your browser more than once before it actually appears... This is not a glitch in the program - it's just a matter of "what kind of toys you have" that makes a difference in power, which creates the best and smoothest switch from one toolbar to the next. For example; a computer with the biggest, baddest, fastest Pentium or AMD "DUO CORE" Processor, the most RAM memory and the biggest and best video card and a "T2 Internet Connection" will make the switch-over much faster than a computer with a lesser processor, less RAM or lesser video card and "dial-up" internet service. Even the best of the best computers can make a slow switch-over if your internet connection isn't fast. ADDING ANOTHER TOOLBAR USING THE GROUPING FEATURE: The addition of another toolbar using the grouping feature is very easy, really.... And much safer than individual toolbar installations, because there is less to remember regarding maintenance of the settings, options & preferences. When you come to any website that has a toolbar that has been built with the same program that we used to create "The Gadgetbar" & "The Net Detective" toolbars - you 'should' get a notification window that drops down just below the toolbar logo (If you do not wish to see the notification window, you may put a check mark on the box provided with the notification).... If you should ever change your mind, you may always change the notification setting within the "toolbar options" - located within the logo menu. ANYWAY,  to "add a toolbar", click on the little box with the white cross in it, located just in front of the toolbar's logo. A menu will drop down, showing you a list of toolbars that you may add to your collection. NOT EVERY TOOLBAR AUTHOR OR COMPANY will grant you this feature. So, if you do not see a toolbar listed, but you see it on the web page... That means that the toolbar Author / Owner / Company is not allowing you to take part in the "grouping" feature with their toolbar.

For those of you who already have our Gadgetbar Toolbar and would like to "ADD MORE TOOLBARS" to the Gadgetbar's "Grouping" feature - "CLICK HERE TO BROWSE FOR TOOLBARS TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION"

Disk Cleanup, Scandisk And Defrag In Windows XP

Is your PC running a bit slow or sluggish? You might just require a quick "clean-up", scandisk or defragmentation. Allow us to show you how.


Using Disk Cleanup, Scandisk And Defrag In Windows XP


If you use your computer a lot you should clean up your temp files daily and check your hard drive with the error checking selection in XP (ScanDisk in earlier versions of Windows) about once a month. You should also check to see if your drive needs to be defragged at least once a month. If this is not done your computer can slow down,

Disk Cleanup

Step 1 

To clean up your temp files on your drive (which will slow your computer down if these files get too big), Click on Windows Start, then "My Computer", when selections appear for your drives right click on Local Disk (c:) then left click on properties then click on Disk Cleanup next to the graphical display of your hard drive capacity.

Step 2 

After you click on Disk Cleanup, Another window will be displayed. Make sure you have a check mark in Temporary Internet Files, Temporary files and the recycle bin.  Click on Ok and these temp files will be cleaned up on your drive.

 

ScanDisk (Error Checking)

Before using ScanDisk now called error checking in Windows XP or Defrag make sure you close all your programs that are running. You can do this by pressing the Ctrl Alt Delete keys. Click on each item to highlight it and then click on end task for each program except for Explorer and Systray. You will have to keep doing this for each program one at a time until they are closed.

(Note - Safe Mode)

You can also run your computer in safe mode by pressing and holding F8 while your computer is booting and then selecting Safe Mode with the up and down arrow keys keys on your keyboard then pressing the enter key.  Running your computer in safe mode will only load those files necessary to run windows. Some people do their disk cleanup, scan and defrag in this mode in older versions of Windows.. This is the method I had used on my old computer to run my scan and defrag and other programs did not hinder Defrag or Scandisk from running.  I have no problems with my new computer and XP running Error checking or Defrag in the normal mode.

Step 1 

Click on Windows Start, then move your mouse cursor to  "My Computer", when selections appear for your drives right click on Local Disk (c:) then left click on properties then click on tools.

Step 2

Click on the Tools tab

Step 3

Under Error-checking, click on the Check Now Button.

Step 4

A new box will appear called "Check disk options".  Put a check mark in both of the options.

Step 5

After you click Ok, a box will pop up saying you cannot run disk check at this time, and do you want to start it the next time your computer restarts. Click on OK then restart your computer.

Defrag

You should run error checking on your drive before running defrag.

Step 1

Click on Windows Start, then move your mouse cursor to  "My Computer", when selections appear for your drives right click on Local Disk (c:) then left click on properties then click on tools.

Step 2

Under Defragmentation, click on the Defragment Now button.

Step 3

After you click on ok, the previous display will be shown again, just click on OK again to start the Defrag for your Drive C.

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If you've tried all of that - and it didn't help much, there may be a problem beyond those methods of maintenance. Try system restore. Be certain to save and back up any important data to CD, Floppy, Flash drive or memory disk (Whatever you have for storage)

Windows XP: How To Use System Restore


If your computer starts acting funny you may be able to restore your system settings back to when it was running good if you are using Windows XP. You can also create restore points. Restore points are good if you are installing a new program or changing a windows setting and you are not sure how your computer will run with the new change, You can make a restore point right before you do this and if your computer does not run right you can use the system restore to take your computer back to when it was running good.

Step 1  

Left Click on Windows start, click on programs then Accessories, System Tools then System Restore.

Step 2

Next just follow the prompts

See also Windows XP Expert Zone article 

Windows XP System Restore Is Easy to Use

LEARN HOW TO SEND A FAX WITHOUT A FAX MACHINE OR SPECIAL SERVICES.....

Faxing in Windows XP

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If you're running Windows XP, you can finally donate that old fax machine to a local charity and use the desk space for something more valuable—like a box of doughnuts. An easy-to-use fax service is built into Windows XP so you can send and receive faxes from your computer.

There are a number of advantages to moving to a Windows XP-based fax system, the main one being no wasted paper. No need to print documents before faxing them. You can read, save, delete, or attach incoming faxes to e-mail—all without using a single piece of paper. Of course, you can print them too.

Although you don't need a fax machine, you'll need a phone line, a modem, and a scanner to send and receive faxes from your computer. For faxing, the modem and scanner don't have to be anything special. Even a 33.6 bps modem will dispatch a multi-page letter in a minute or two. As to the scanner, faxes are sent in black and white and usually at a default resolution of no better than 150 X 150 dpi. Any working scanner can manage that.

Setting Up and Configuring Windows XP Fax

The fax service isn't automatically installed in Windows XP. To install the fax component:

1.

Open Control Panel, and click Add or Remove Programs.

2.

Click Add/Remove Windows Components. Select the Fax Services check box, and then click Next. The Windows Component Wizard takes care of the rest.

Note:  If you don't have a modem already installed, take care of that now. Make sure the modem is connected to a phone line and the phone line is connected to a working jack. (You'd be surprised how often folks overlook these details.)

After the fax component is installed, the next step is configuring it. You configure the Fax service in the Fax Console, the center for faxing tasks. To configure the Fax Console:

1.

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, point to Fax, and then click Fax Console.

Fax Console

2.

On the Tools menu in Fax Console, click Configure Fax, which starts the Fax Configuration Wizard. Click Next to start configuring your fax information.

3.

On the Sender Information page, include your name or your business name and your fax number. Everything else on the page is optional.

4.

On the Select Device for Sending or Receiving Faxes page, your modem will be selected, unless you have more than one, in which case, select the right one. Specify send and receive options, and whether you'll manually answer incoming faxes or answer automatically when received.

5.

On the Transmitting Subscriber Identification (TSID) and Called Subscriber Identification (CSID) pages, enter your business name and fax number. These fields really matter when you're running special fax routing software. Most software of this kind depends on TSIDs to determine where to direct an incoming fax. See the bottom for "How to configure and Enable the Fax service in Windows XP" more information.

6.

On the Routing Options page, specify how incoming faxes will be handled. All faxes are stored automatically in the Fax Console, but you can also print a copy or store a copy in a local folder or on your network.

When you want to change or verify any of these settings, simply run the Fax Configuration Wizard again. To open the wizard, on the Tools menu of the Fax Console, click Configure Fax.


Sending Faxes from Your Computer

You can fax a document that's stored on your computer or you can scan a document and fax it by sending to your fax printer. In this section, I'll explain how to fax a document from your computer. If you can print a document, you can fax it.

The Windows XP Fax service uses the Windows Address Book (WAB) as its default address book for fax numbers. When you install Outlook 2000 or Outlook 2002, the fax service switches to the Outlook Address Book (OAB) as its source for fax addresses. So you don't need to maintain two address books—just one will do.

To fax a document stored on your computer:

1.

On the File menu of the document, click Print.

2.

In the Print or Print Setup dialog box, in the Printer name box, click Fax to open the Send Fax Wizard. (When faxing from an Office program, on the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Fax Recipient. An Office Fax Wizard asks for specific information and then hands the process over to the Send Fax Wizard.)

Print Setup dialog box

3.

To supply the recipient's fax number, click Address Book, and select one or more recipients just as if you were sending them an e-mail message.

4.

If you've already set up Dialing Rules, skip ahead. If you haven't, click Dialing Rules. If you need to dial an extra digit to get an outside line, or use a special carrier code, or dial an area code even for local numbers, add those settings here, and then click OK to return to the fax sending.


Very Important: Telephone numbers must be in the canonical form in which a U.S. number would appear as +1 (626) 555-1212. If you use even a slightly different form such as (626) 555-1212 or 1-626-555-1212, the dialing rules won't be applied and the fax transmission will fail.

5.

Select a cover page. Choose from the list or specify no cover page at all. Personally, I forego cover sheets unless I'm sending to a big corporation where it might get lost or the document needs some clarification. If you're into cover sheets, you can download additional fax and transmission covers from the Office Template Gallery.

6.

Specify when the fax should be sent as well as the fax's priority. Priority only matters if you're stacking up a number of faxes to be sent at a particular time. In that case, the order of sending will be determined by the priority you set.

7.

Finally, you're presented with a screen recapping the details of the fax and offering a chance to preview it. If the fax is a multi-page one, you'll be able to preview only the first page.

If you're sending the fax right away, the Fax Monitor, shown below, will start when the dialing does.

Fax Monitor


Faxing Scanned Documents

The second way to send a fax is to scan a document and then send it to your fax printer. The software that came with your scanner can help you set up this kind of fax and send it directly to your fax printer. However, you can also fax from a scanner using the tools in Windows XP:

1.

Open Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, click Scanners and Cameras, and then double-click the icon for your scanner to start the Scanner and Camera Wizard.

2.

On the Choose Scanning Preferences page, click Grayscale picture, and then click Preview to start the scanner.

Scanner and Camera Wizard

3.

Provide a name and location for the scanned document.

4.

Open the folder that contains the image file, right-click the image, and then click Print. The Photo Printing Wizard opens.

5.

Select the check box for the image to be faxed.

6.

Select Fax as the printer you want to use.

When you finish the Photo Printing Wizard, the Send Fax Wizard opens and you proceed as described in the procedure for sending a fax from your computer.


Faxing from Outlook

To send faxes from Outlook, you have to add the Fax Transport Service as an e-mail account. To add Fax Transport Services in Outlook 2002, follow these steps:

1.

On the Tools menu, click E-mail Accounts.

2.

Click Add a new e-mail account, and then click Next.

3.

On the Server Type page, click Additional Server Types.

4.

On the next page, Fax Mail Transport is selected. Click Next to finish adding the account.

(For Outlook 2000, on the Tools menu, click Services, and add Fax Mail Transport there.)

To send a fax from Outlook, follow these steps:

1.

On the Standard toolbar, click New.

2.

In the blank message form, on the Standard toolbar, click Accounts, and then click Fax Mail Transport.

3.

Enter your message, click Send, and the fax modem will connect and transmit the fax message.

You can't automatically have incoming faxes transferred to your Outlook Inbox when you're using Windows XP. Received faxes can go only to the inbox of the Fax Console and to another folder, if you specify one. (See the Knowledge Base article, Windows XP-Based Fax Service Does Not Transfer Incoming Faxes to Your Inbox in Outlook 2000 or Outlook 2002, for more information.) However, if you copy incoming faxes to a folder, you can send them as attachments to e-mail messages just as you would any other file.


Troubleshooting Fax Transmissions

Sometimes the fax doesn't make it. When that happens, you'll want to try again. You can specify how many times to retry, how many minutes apart the attempts should be, and request notification of the success or failure of the transmission. These settings are amazingly well hidden, so just follow me:

1.

Open Printers and Faxes, right-click the Fax printer, and then click Properties.

2.

On the Devices tab, click Properties.

3.

On the Send tab, specify the number of times to retry sending a fax and how long the program should wait between each try.

4.

On the Tracking tab, set options for notifications and when the Fax Monitor should open.

On the Tracking tab, there's also a Configure Sound Settings button. No point in going there because it doesn't matter what those settings are. The settings for fax events in Sounds in Control Panel take precedence.

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Receiving Faxes

After you've installed and configured the fax services, receiving faxes is as easy as falling off a log. Easier.

When you configured the Fax service, you specified how you wanted the faxes answered and where they should be deposited. By default, the Fax Monitor opens automatically when the modem detects an incoming fax. You can change when and why it opens on the Tracking tab of the Fax Properties dialog box (mentioned in the procedure for troubleshooting fax transmissions).

To view an incoming fax, go to the Fax Console, and click Inbox. Double-click an entry to see the fax in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Faxes are image files in the TIFF format, so they can't be edited as a text file can be. But you can view, rotate, and perform basic tasks with your fax document without opening an image-editing program. To print a fax, right-click it, and click Print. To send a fax as an e-mail attachment, right-click it, point to Send To, and then click Mail Recipient.


Faxing Options for DSL or Cable Modems

You can't use your DSL or cable connection for faxing. A new technology, Voice over IP (VoIP) will undoubtedly make this possible in the future. VoIP is an inexpensive alternative to traditional telephone communication that operates over the public switched telephone network (PSTN). VoIP covers computer-to-computer, computer-to-telephone, and telephone-based communications. For more information about VoIP, read the Voice-over-IP Overview and the VoIP FAQ from DSL Reports.

If you're without a modem or you don't want to tie up your phone line, an Internet-based fax service might work best for you. Visit the sites of Internet faxing services, among them eFax, and Faxaway and read their FAQs. Which service you choose depends on your pattern of fax usage. Some have excellent international rates, for example, but if you don't send faxes to other countries that probably doesn't matter to you. Also some services require that you use their software to read incoming faxes.


How to enable and configure the Fax service in Windows XP

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to enable and configure the Fax service in Microsoft Windows XP. The Fax service gives you complete faxing capability from Windows XP. You can use the Fax service to send, receive, track, and monitor faxes.


Requirements

A computer that is running Windows that is equipped with a modem to use the Fax component.


Install the Fax component

By default, the Fax component is not installed during Windows Setup. To install the Fax component, follow these steps:
1.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add or Remove Programs under Pick a category.
2.Click Add/Remove Windows Components to start the Windows Components Wizard.
3.In the Components list, click to select the Fax Services check box, and then click Next. Setup installs the Fax services. If you are prompted, insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD, and then click OK.
4.Click Finish, and then click Close.


Configure the Fax service

To configure faxing capability in Windows XP, follow these steps:
1.Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, point to Fax, and then click Fax Console.

The Fax Configuration Wizard starts.
2.Click Next, type the information that you want to appear on your fax cover page, and then click Next.
3.Click the modem that you want to use in the Please select the fax device list.
4.If you want to disable the ability to send faxes from this computer, click to clear the Enable Send check box.

Note By default, the Enable Send check box is selected.
5.Click to select the Enable Receive check box if you want the computer to receive faxes.

Note When this check box is selected, you can click Manual answer if you do not want the computer to automatically receive faxes. By default, automatic answering is enabled.
6. Click Next.
7.Type the Transmitting Subscriber Identification (TSID) that you want to use in the TSID box.

Note The TSID is mandatory in some areas. This identification information typically appears in the header area of a fax that you receive. This information helps you identify the fax machine where the fax originates from. This information typically includes the sender's fax number and business name.
8.Click Next.
9.Type the Called Subscriber Identification (CSID) that you want in the CSID box.

Note The CSID that you type is displayed on the fax machine where the fax originates from. This number helps you confirm that you are sending the fax to the correct recipient.
10. Click Next.
11.Click to select the Print it on check box if you want each of the faxes that you receive to be automatically printed. When you select this check box, you can select a specific printer where you can print the fax you receive.
12.Click to select the Store a copy in a folder check box if you want to create an archived copy of each fax. When you select this check box, you can specify the storage location for the fax copy.
13.Click Next.
14.Confirm the configuration settings in the Configuration Summary list, and then click Finish.

The Fax Configuration Wizard closes and the Fax Console window opens. The computer is now configured to send or receive faxes.


Change the Fax configuration

You can start the Fax Configuration Wizard from the Fax Console window. To start the Fax Configuration Wizard, follow these steps:
1.Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, point to Fax, and then click Fax Console.
2.In Fax Console, click Configure Fax on the Tools menu to start the Fax Configuration Wizard.