My Latest Computer Adventure
It's been a while since I wrote about a computer adventure.
Largely because I don't have so many these days. That's no testament to my prowess; it's just that computers don't require us to make many decisions about their management these days.
I remember installing Windows 3.1 again and again. And yet again. I remember searching for hours, even days, for solutions to setup or operating issues with Windows 5.0. Even Windows 98.
Now, with Windows XP, I rarely have much to do. Granted, Windows Vista users aren't so happy - and the biggest chore they face is UNinstalling the lousy Vista OS and down-grading to Windows XP (if they can).
I was recently given a new computer at work, however, and I ran into a problem I have never encountered.
I have a nifty little tool - called (with a distinct lack of creativity), "Move It On Over." It's actually a USB device that hooks two computers together, treating one of them as your "local" computer, and one as a "remote" drive. You can then just drag and drop data from one to the other. Any downloaded .exe files (programs) can be easily moved from one computer to the other, as well. Obviously, you'll still have to install software that was originally installed from a CD or DVD.
With all my data moved over, I began to install programs.
Yes, I disobeyed the old rules. I did not turn off my virus protection program; I did not turn off all programs running in the background. Not recommended procedure when installing programs on a computer.
And it so happens that the virus protection program installed on this computer is Kaspersky. Not one of my favorites. Like the more recent incarnations of Norton, Kaspersky attempts to do too much, and ends up not only annoying you, but treating your programs and normal processes as potential threats.
There are several programs I run that are essential to my day to day work. One of them is a prototyping tool that allows me to create very low-fidelity versions of websites (clickable) so that we can test the structure and function of the site before it's actually built.
With this, and several other programs installed and ready to go, I attempted to launch this program. It crashed - with notification that a .dll file in the .NET framework could not be found. Trying to run other programs (some, but not all), I got the same result - in each case, something in the .NET framework path was failing.
Usually the fix for this is to locate the missing or non-working file and insert it in the path specified. However, in this case, it simply led to another missing file.
I tried the usual fixes - uninstall and reinstall the software - t his time, with the virus protection program not running. This didn't help. I tried uninstalling Kaspersky - but I was forbidden from doing so! (But that's another story! Kaspersky has it's own uninstall routine and you must use this.) I tried uninstalling the .NET framework, but was also forbidden from doing so. (At least, in the Add/Remove Programs interface.)
What I learned is that the .NET framework will be installed with programs that use it. Essentially, it is a library of tools that programmers can use to assist them in creating functionality for a particular piece of software. So when you install that software on your computer, you're installing the .NET framework along with it. If the .NET framework is corrupted - or uninstalled - the software will also cease to work (it will call for a piece of code from the .NET framework, and be unable to find it).
Turns out the person who did the initial setup on my computer installed some programs and then wiped some software, too... I am assuming in the wrong order. That is to say, it appears there is an issue with uninstalling the .NET framework and trying to run the KAV (Kaspersky anti-virus).
I can't say that I totally understood the mechanics of what was going on. I do know that downloading and re-installing the .NET framework 2.0 worked. Most instructions told me to uninstall the existing .NET framework, but as I said, I was unable to do that. I took a chance and hoped that reinstalling it would overwrite the corrupted version - and it did.
The moral of the story:
1. Do install software in safe mode, or at the very least with all background programs off.
2. Do not uninstall stuff you're not familiar with. So if you install iTunes, for example, uninstall iTunes. Don't uninstall something else whose name is not familiar to you. If the software offers an uninstall option (typically found in the Program group under that software's group), use that before resorting to the Add/Remove Programs option.
3. Rely on your anti-malware software to identify spyware, and again, see rule #2 (don't uninstall stuff you're not sure you can and should).
Largely because I don't have so many these days. That's no testament to my prowess; it's just that computers don't require us to make many decisions about their management these days.
I remember installing Windows 3.1 again and again. And yet again. I remember searching for hours, even days, for solutions to setup or operating issues with Windows 5.0. Even Windows 98.
Now, with Windows XP, I rarely have much to do. Granted, Windows Vista users aren't so happy - and the biggest chore they face is UNinstalling the lousy Vista OS and down-grading to Windows XP (if they can).
I was recently given a new computer at work, however, and I ran into a problem I have never encountered.
I have a nifty little tool - called (with a distinct lack of creativity), "Move It On Over." It's actually a USB device that hooks two computers together, treating one of them as your "local" computer, and one as a "remote" drive. You can then just drag and drop data from one to the other. Any downloaded .exe files (programs) can be easily moved from one computer to the other, as well. Obviously, you'll still have to install software that was originally installed from a CD or DVD.
With all my data moved over, I began to install programs.
Yes, I disobeyed the old rules. I did not turn off my virus protection program; I did not turn off all programs running in the background. Not recommended procedure when installing programs on a computer.
And it so happens that the virus protection program installed on this computer is Kaspersky. Not one of my favorites. Like the more recent incarnations of Norton, Kaspersky attempts to do too much, and ends up not only annoying you, but treating your programs and normal processes as potential threats.
There are several programs I run that are essential to my day to day work. One of them is a prototyping tool that allows me to create very low-fidelity versions of websites (clickable) so that we can test the structure and function of the site before it's actually built.
With this, and several other programs installed and ready to go, I attempted to launch this program. It crashed - with notification that a .dll file in the .NET framework could not be found. Trying to run other programs (some, but not all), I got the same result - in each case, something in the .NET framework path was failing.
Usually the fix for this is to locate the missing or non-working file and insert it in the path specified. However, in this case, it simply led to another missing file.
I tried the usual fixes - uninstall and reinstall the software - t his time, with the virus protection program not running. This didn't help. I tried uninstalling Kaspersky - but I was forbidden from doing so! (But that's another story! Kaspersky has it's own uninstall routine and you must use this.) I tried uninstalling the .NET framework, but was also forbidden from doing so. (At least, in the Add/Remove Programs interface.)
What I learned is that the .NET framework will be installed with programs that use it. Essentially, it is a library of tools that programmers can use to assist them in creating functionality for a particular piece of software. So when you install that software on your computer, you're installing the .NET framework along with it. If the .NET framework is corrupted - or uninstalled - the software will also cease to work (it will call for a piece of code from the .NET framework, and be unable to find it).
Turns out the person who did the initial setup on my computer installed some programs and then wiped some software, too... I am assuming in the wrong order. That is to say, it appears there is an issue with uninstalling the .NET framework and trying to run the KAV (Kaspersky anti-virus).
I can't say that I totally understood the mechanics of what was going on. I do know that downloading and re-installing the .NET framework 2.0 worked. Most instructions told me to uninstall the existing .NET framework, but as I said, I was unable to do that. I took a chance and hoped that reinstalling it would overwrite the corrupted version - and it did.
The moral of the story:
1. Do install software in safe mode, or at the very least with all background programs off.
2. Do not uninstall stuff you're not familiar with. So if you install iTunes, for example, uninstall iTunes. Don't uninstall something else whose name is not familiar to you. If the software offers an uninstall option (typically found in the Program group under that software's group), use that before resorting to the Add/Remove Programs option.
3. Rely on your anti-malware software to identify spyware, and again, see rule #2 (don't uninstall stuff you're not sure you can and should).
Comments