Solutions: Uninstalling what the uninstaller left behind

Q. When I start my computer, I get this message: "Cannot find a device file that may be needed to run Windows or a Windows Application. The Windows registry or SYSTEM.INI file refers to this device file, but the device file no longer exists. If you deleted this file on purpose, try uninstalling the associated application using its uninstall or setup program. If you still want to use the application associated with this device file, try reinstalling that application to replace the missing file: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VSHINIT.VXD." Please tell me how to reinstall this file. I'm not able to view e-mails with pictures and I don't know how it got deleted.

A. These files are components of the McAfee Antivirus or the McAfee Safe and Sound application. It is a known problem that their uninstall program does not remove these files. You'll need to use the registry editor to correct the error messages. Make sure you properly backup the registry before attempting changes, then:

1. Click Start, Run and type: RegEdit

2. Locate the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD

3. In the right pane, click Fbwin95 or Vshinit once to select it, then press the Delete key.

4. Quit Registry Editor, then restart your computer.

Disabling onboard video card

Q. I put a new video card in a PC that has an onboard video card. The new card had more memory and better graphics handling. I deleted the onboard card from My Computer and deleted the references from the Registry. The new card works fine, but every time I reboot, my computer wants to install the onboard card. How do I stop that?

A. You need to check the motherboard specifications. Most onboard video adapters have either a selector switch on the motherboard (or set through the BIOS settings program) to disable the onboard adapter or the board automatically detects the added adapter and disables the onboard video card. It sounds as if your board is the type that does not detect the additional adapter. You will need to set the motherboard switch or BIOS setting to disable the onboard video.

Getting permission for Access

Q. I was excited to see that you discussed Access in your special Windows XP column Feb. 4. Unfortunately, when I got to RegEdit, I had \\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, but it was not followed by Licenses Key and I could not find that portion of the address under the RegEdit directory and subdirectories.

A. The answer that was printed was specifically for Windows 2000/XP. If you're using another version, check the following Microsoft link for other possible causes/solutions: support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q191224. Also, reinstalling Access sometimes fixes this problem.

Spell checkers

In the March 4 column, a reader asked if spell-checking addon products are available for Microsoft and other applications. One reader wrote to recommend products from the AutoSpell company (www.spellchecker.com), which sells various spell checkers.

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