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Post by Ruthie on Nov 30, 2009 14:11:52 GMT
It's my turn for a bit of computer brain picking! I have a audio/visual file on my pc which I used to be able to play (it's feedback from one of my course assignments). Tried to play it today in Windows media player (WMP). Got a message which siad the file has an extension, MP4, that is not recognised by WMP but it would try to play it anyway. It would play the visual but would not give me sound (no prob with sound on MP3 files) so after a bit of googling etc I came up with RegCure which is a download to clean your registry. The blurb said if there are registry problems the PC may not play MP4. So I downloaded the "free" download and it did a scan in which it found 1033 problems in my registry  Trouble is, for it to repair these alleged problems I have to register and pay $29.97. If it was in GBP I'd somehow feel better about it but I'm naturally distrustful of stuff like this. Anyone heard of this or any other software which can repair registry errors? Is it worth having? Or...is it time for me to call a man in to overhaul my pc? Hope someone can help!! |
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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 30, 2009 14:49:51 GMT
Quick Times play MP4 files easily but as far as the RegCure is concerned - unless you know exactly what you are doing, I would leave well alone with any Register cleaner and if you do decide to use one there are some on the Web that are free and good - RegCleaner is one, for example.
RF
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Post by Ruthie on Nov 30, 2009 15:50:32 GMT
Thanks RF! I had uninstalled QT but have installed it again and, eventually, managed to get my file to open with QT and play OK. I was also concerned about downloading a register cleaner in case it did something which messed things up so I guess I won't bother at this time. It's a bit worrying though....1033 errors. No wonder my PC is slow sometimes!
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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 30, 2009 16:50:04 GMT
It depends on the criteria that the Reg cleaner was using - 1033 sounds a lot but it may be a lot less...
There are a few things that can slow a PC down and large programs (MB's) on a PC that hasn't really got the power to deal with them is one, Malware slows things down very quickly and an overfull cache.
I would make sure that you clear your cache on a regular basis and do a defrag, even when it says that you don't need to. Clear your *temp files as Malware loves attaching itself to them.
If you have done all of that I would consider asking an "IT" man to give your PC a once over.
RF
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Post by Spruance on Nov 30, 2009 16:50:16 GMT
Yes as RF says you need to really know what you are doing before you make any changes to your registry so I would be inclined to leave well alone. Besides Quicktime, you could try VLC Media Player which is a free open source multi-media player and which is what I use to play MP4 files. You can download it via the link on VideoLan's website... www.videolan.org/ |
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Post by Chuckles on Nov 30, 2009 18:50:47 GMT
Ruthie, you tend to find with a lot of these PC fix/cleaning sites they tell you that you have thousands of errors in an effort to get money out of you. I tend to agree with what has been said "unless you know exactly what you are doing, I would leave well alone with any Register cleaner" It would be interesting to know what other members have used and can recommend  |
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Post by Ruthie on Nov 30, 2009 21:36:55 GMT
Thanks everyone! I didn't register for this. I subsequently found that the "errors" it did cure were all my cookies so I had to log back on to every forum I'm a member of!! As for on line banking.....took me ages to find my security number because I'd put it in such a secure place  OK, I'm going to overtake Chuckles by a few lengths in the numpty stakes now...What is a cache? I have no idea! I clear my temp files and history regularly and defrag but I really have no idea what a cache is  |
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 1, 2009 8:06:53 GMT
Cache is basically and very simply - short term storage and a collective name for your Temp files, Temp Internet Files, History, Cookies etc.
As you noticed, once your Cookies are deleted you have to log in again to here and other forums. I hate to admit it but I clear my whole cache everyday when I log out. That means that I have to log in everyday and set up my tabs etc.
No-one needs to go to the lengths that I do to maintain a quick and well running PC but a full cache can cause a lot of problems.
RF
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Post by Ruthie on Dec 2, 2009 19:43:47 GMT
Thanks RF! Oh good, that means I clear my cache regularly too. Must defrag tomorrow..........
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