Error says zipped file is bad

By JOHN TORRO

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 6, 2001

Q. I am having a problem unzipping a file. I've tried two unzipping programs but to no avail. When I get the program 99 percent unzipped, I get the message: "Bad CRC 58e228f5 should be ec666532. Correct and try again."

A. If you can, get another copy of the file you're trying to unzip. CRC stands for Cyclical Redundancy Check. A bad CRC means that the bits and the order of the original file do not match the copy you are trying to open. This could have happened for a number of reasons while you were downloading this file to your PC. Assuming the integrity of the original file is intact, another download may be more successful.

Memory hogs

Q. Periodically after my kids have played games on the computer, my system appears to run out of memory and my programs start acting flaky. When I press Ctrl-Alt-Del, I see many lines that read MSIMN. What does this mean, and is there a way I can keep this from happening?

A. MSIMN is the main executable program for Outlook Express. I'm not sure why there are so many copies. Try checking the PC at bootup, then periodically to see if there is any particular action that starts initiating these copies.

Freaky keyboard

Q. My keyboard at home freaks out. Problems include typing double letters, all caps, no caps, no shift functions or not typing at all. Any of these can occur without notice. What could be causing this?

A. Try a different keyboard on your computer. If this solves the problem, buy a new keyboard (anywhere from $15 and up). If you still experience problems, boot to Safe Mode and see if the problems persist. If this solves the problem, there may be a start-up program that intercepts and interprets the keyboard signals for some special purpose program (many of the "Internet keyboards" use this type of program/driver). If so, either reinstall the software or disable it. Check any documentation you may have. Last, there may be a problem with the keyboard connection on the motherboard. A reputable local PC repair shop should be able to tell. If this is the case, the option would most likely be a new motherboard (approximately $100).

Waking a sleeping monitor

Q. My monitor switches to sleep mode when it is turned on. We hooked up the monitor to another computer and found that it worked, so we guess that the problem lies elsewhere. It was suggested that we add a new video card, but this did not solve the problem.

A. Go into Control Panel, Power Options and make sure the "Turn off Monitor" selection on the Power Schemes tab is set to Never. If problems persist, you may need to turn off the Power options in the BIOS (the program that controls the motherboard operations). Most computers give you access to the BIOS by pressing either the DEL or F1 keys while booting. If you're not comfortable doing this, find someone who is. Also check your PC's documentation regarding the BIOS and making changes before attempting this.

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