This may keep your computer running flawlessly!

[jaddams]

When I bought the full Karaoke Suite from MTU, The first program I installed was MicroStudio because I wanted to try it right away. I quickly imported one track and proceeded to play it back.

The music skipped and my slight disappointment didn’t last long. I learned, from a quick trip to the Forum, to decrease the hardware acceleration tab because I was using an Audigy card from Sound Blaster. Since then, MicroStudio and all others MTU programs that I have (Kpro, Vogone, Keyrite and Hoster have been running without problems!

I have become very active in the Forums trying to help others. I keep seeing, basically the same problems with different wordings. ASPI Drivers, CD writers, unable to install, music skipping, etc.)

Why is this happening?

All of us are running some version of Windows and the same MTU programs, AND I can assure you 100%, that the entire Karaoke Suite runs perfectly from Windows 2000 and XP (home or pro).

All programs, including MTU’s have very specific requirements. If you meet those requirements there is no reason why your products would malfunction.! I’d venture to say that problems reported on these MTU.Community Forums are:

1. 85% hardware or applications drivers related.
   
2. 14% is related to the Windows Operating System
   
3. 1% may be related to a bug in Microstudio or other MTU software

Although Microsoft comes number 1 on the list of companies we love to hate, it produces very flexible and good Operating Systems.

In the good old days (about 20 years ago) when we bought an IBM or IBM compatible, we took it home and there was nothing on it, just an ugly metal box with a hard drive, one or two floppy disks and other related hardware. The Operating System came in one or a few diskettes. We had to format the hard drive, install the OS and any application software. There were no CD ROMS, no graphics, and no mouse, not even color.

Today, we buy a computer, take it home, and plug it in, turn it on and we are in business. AND because it’s a BRAND name, we think it must work with everything we throw at it.

This is where we go wrong!

Thousands of bugs have been found in Windows and other thousands are yet to be found. As surprising as this may sound, this is not such a great number considering that:

When Windows 2000 was released, it had OVER 30 MILLION LINES OF CODE written by more than 2000 PROGRAMMERS most of them working independent from each other in a particular section of the overall program.

Since then, Microsoft has released over 9 MILLION ADDITIONAL LINES OF CODE in the forms of service packs, critical upgrades, recommended upgrades, etc. (read bugs corrections. )

Windows XP with over 55 MILLION LINES OF CODE when it was released on October 1, 2001, has been better and yet Service Pack 1 and 2 have been out for a while now along with countless other critical updates, recommended updates, service patches and additional drivers. Anyone running Windows 2000 or XP is reminded, almost daily, to run Windows Update for the latest patches. You can't do these updates if your computer is NOT directly on-line to the Interent.

It is imperative that you keep the following tips in mind when seeking technical support from MTU or ANY other company.

1. Make absolutely sure that you have checked for AND installed ALL critical and recommended updates for your computer.This is true not only for the Operating Systems but for Video drivers, Sound card drivers, Motherboard firmware updates, Hard Drive firmware, etc.)
   
   
2. Visit your hardware manufacturers' websites ocassionally to check for new upgrades for your version of Windows.
   
   
3. At least read the manual topics relating to specific requirements to run a particular software.

If you do these things, your calls or emails for technical support will decrease, AND…

…If you do this regularly, your computer(s) will run without problems, other than a component going bad from time to time. I run three trouble-free computers under Windows 2000Pro and Windows XP Pro

Best regards,
Jon

P.S. Don’t forget to back up regularly. It is not a matter of IF your computer will fail, but WHEN it will fail!

[kjzone]

jaddams...........Your above article is EXCELLENT.

I want to call to everyone's attention a FREE PROGRAM.....

CALL "BIG FIX"

http://www.bigfix.com/website/

THIS PROGRAM IS PERHAPS "BETTER" THAN WINDOWS UPDATE.

NOT ONLY DOES IT FIND THE WINDOWS UPDATE PROGRAMS BUT THE HOT FIXES AND SECURITY. DOWNLOADS THEM AND INSTALLS THEM AUTOMATICALLY. The program "Gathers" information about
the components installed in your computer and finds what ones haven't been installed that Microsoft Recommends.

THEIR MOTTO "FIX IT BEFORE IT FAILS"

After you download the program you "Subscribe" to various Utilities the main 2 are (1) Your Operating System (if you have Win 98 you subscribe to Win98) and (2) FIXLET CENTRAL. All others are optional depending on what other programs you have on your computer.

I BELIEVE YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF FOR DOWNLOAD AND USING THIS PROGRAM ON A WEEKLY BASIS TO KEEP YOUR COMPUTER RUNNING IN TOP NOTCH CONDITION.

ANOTHER WORTHWHILE "FREE" PROGRAM IS CALLED "BELARC ADVISOR"

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

The Belarc Advisor builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, including Microsoft Hotfixes, and displays the results in your Web browser. All of your PC profile information is kept private on your PC and is not sent to any web server.

GET IT........YOU WILL BE AMAZED!!!! IS ALL I CAN SAY

(KJZONE)

[jaddams]

Thank you Kjzone for your kind words and great links.

If you download the programs recommended by KJZone (above,) you will never wonder, what’s in your computer. In my opinion, those programs are A MUST HAVE for every computer user. I downloaded and ran them on all my computers!

[George]

Right Kjzone, but that's where this old boy gets lost. Using the illustration, how can you make a backup of say 1.05 from the chip in the burner, then install 1.06 and find out you can no longer copy, and then change it back to 1.05 when it's flashed into the chip in the burner?

George

[kjzone]

George.........

Most companies like Plextor have prior versions of their firmware available for download.

Best to go and get them, store in reserve, before they no longer make them available at their Website.

[jaddams]

Geoge,

KJzone is right. In fact when you are flashing a BIOS [writing a new version into the "Flash RAM" that stores the BIOS operating software for the drive], one of the options you have is to make a copy of your current BIOS version so you can reinstall it in case something goes wrong with the new installation.

Jon

[George]

Kjzone,

Thanks, went to the Plextor site. Lucked out. Firmware available for all 4 burners including old 8/4/32. Downloaded and saved to disc. Didn't know you could overwrite newer firmware with an older version on the chip in the burner. Try to learn something new every day, and got it out of the way early today.

Thanks again,

George