Windows 7 computer housekeeping Windows error messages explained
Nearly every day you'll get some sort of alert or error message from your computer. Windows isn't the sole culprit. It needs to talk with and manage a large number of programs and devices.
And everything from your photo-editing programs to your word processor may flag up their own warnings, usually when they need updating or can't open a file.
Key to error message ratings
Threat rating: high stop and take notice, you need to act
Threat rating: medium read the message carefully, then proceed
Threat rating: low a benign alert, OK to continue.
ISSUE: Your screen darkens and you see a User Account Control warning
Threat rating: medium
Microsoft introduced User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista and it still exists in Windows 7.
When one of these messages pops up, your screen will appear to freeze and a warning message appears onscreen.
While it may seem alarming, UAC adds an important layer of protection for your PC, by preventing unauthorised access to critical areas.
You may see a UAC prompt when you install new software or attempt to change system settings, for example. In these cases it is safe to click Yes or Continue as prompted.
Scroll down for a step-by-step guide to dealing with UAC.
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ALERT: A message about Windows updates appears in the Notification Area
Threat rating: medium
By default, Automatic Updates is switched on. This ensures that Windows’ vulnerabilities are addressed as soon as Microsoft identifies them.
However, you may see an alert of some kind in your Notification Area (bottom, right of your screen). In Windows XP, for example, you may see a yellow shield icon with an exclamation mark. This means Windows has found new updates to install.
Similarly in Windows 7 and Vista, you may see a blue square with an orange halo around it. In both cases, Windows will eventually install the updates.
To speed this up you can click the icon and install the updates. You may need to restart your computer, and may see a message in the Notification Area, click Yes or Restart Now.
WARNING: Low virtual memory
Threat rating: medium
When you're working on lots of programs and files at the same time, your computer may run out of physical memory. It will then start using something called the virtual memory or paging file.
If you start to run out of this, you may see a low virtual memory warning; this means you need to make the paging file bigger.
To do this in Windows 7 and Vista, go to Start, right-click Computer and select Properties.
In the window that opens, click Advanced System Settings. Under Performance, click Settings. Choose the Advanced tab and click Change under Virtual Memory.
Remove the tick from the 'Automatically manage' tickbox. Select Custom size and in the two boxes underneath this option, enter increased amounts for both Initial size and Maximum size. Click OK three times to exit.
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ERROR MESSAGE: You see a 'Program not responding' message
Threat rating: medium
Programs and applets can appear to stop working. Click the close button (the red cross in the top corner of the program window) and you may be met by a Windows error message with the words, 'The program is not responding' (or similar).
Often the program may just need a little time to sort itself out so, in Windows XP, click Cancel and, in Windows 7 and Vista, click the Wait for the program to respond option.
If the program fails to come back to life after a few moments, then click the Close button again. This time select End Now or Close the Program. Windows 7 sometimes prompts you to Check for a solution and restart the program.
ERRORS: General Windows, program and driver errors
Threat rating: high
Windows will happily present you with warnings and prompts from politely informing you that you have unused icons on your Desktop to more worrying error alerts that often display error codes – this may look like '0x80070241', for example.
There could be a number of reasons behind the warning, from faulty hardware to a corrupt driver or program compatibility issue.
As a general strategy, start by running an internet search for the error, typing in the code exactly as it is written in the message.
This should point you towards relevant technical help pages as well as posts from forum users who have experienced the same problem and who may have potentially discovered a solution for it.
ERROR: 'The blue screen of death'
Threat rating: high
Known affectionately as 'the blue screen of death' this type of error occurs when Windows stops working and your Desktop is replaced by a blue screen.
Blue screen crashes can happen for a number of reasons, including faulty memory, overheating or driver issues.
Sometimes all that's needed is a restart but if you keep getting blue screen errors, then it may be a sign that there's something wrong.
In and amongst all the information on the screen you should be able to see a stop error code – it will look something like '0x0000001e'.
Typing this into an internet search engine, such as Google, should provide you with some clues as to the root cause of the problem. If you have installed new hardware recently, try uninstalling it.
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Dealing with user account control (UAC)
Step 1 Recognise UAC alerts
If, after clicking on something, your screen goes dark and presents you with a small message window asking you whether you want to continue, it is almost certainly User Account Control. It should say 'User Account Control'.
It's usually fine to click Continue or Yes when prompted.
Step 2 Turn off UAC alerts
In Windows Vista you don't really get a lot of control over the UAC, apart from turning it on and off.
To do this, go to the Start menu and then to Control Panel. Select User Accounts and Family Safety, then User Accounts and click Turn User Account on and off.
Click Continue, remove the tick in the box and click OK.
We really don't recommend turning UAC off, however.
Step 3 Manage UAC in WIndows 7
Windows 7 users get more control over UAC alerts.
Go to the Start button, and then to Control Panel, System and Security and click on Change User Account Control settings.
Use the slider to select a level.
We recommend one of the middle two settings and strongly advise against the 'never notify' option.
This guide originally featured in Which? Computing magazine. Sign-up for your trial for more helpful computing tips and tricks.
