Posted on 1-2-2002
New
Experience - Illegal Operation
by Michael Smith*
"You have performed an ILLEGAL OPERATION, the program will be
shut down!"
But I didn't do anything! Really, I was just sitting here. :-(
You did update Windows, right? And have the current drivers
for all of your
other hardware and software, don't you? How important is it?
Well if you
are experiencing a lot of crashes this may just be the cure.
Very few
people understand what happens in Windows when you install new
software and
hardware.
Since Bill Gates wants to be the boss, obviously he put everything
into
Windows to make it work with Microsoft products. Now all the
other
companies that sell you things have to make theirs for the Gates
configuration. Some are not too good at it and some are just
careless. For
those you get the Blue Screen of Death. Ever see this one? "You
have
performed an ILLEGAL OPERATION, the program will be shut down!"?
Then a
whole bunch of numbers and stuff even a Geek may not understand.
It's an issue of shared files not getting along in your computer.
One says
"I am going to decide how this operation is done" and the other
one says
"no you're not!" So the one with the newest info may win but
you get blamed
for it because the program didn't do it the "Gates Way" and
the result is
that the program could not start.
Now you get a new program out of the box, put it on your computer
and guess
what? The program probably has a whole ton of updates available
to make it
get along with Windows. Windows has a whole bunch of new updates
to screw
with the other companies but "You performed an ILLEGAL OPERATION".
Feel a
little insulted? I do. Then there are some companies that really
don't want
your computer to cooperate with Windows. They want a piece of
the Giant and
guess who pays for it? Yup, we do.
I won't mention any names but AOL and Netscape are 2 of the
biggest
offenders. After that comes Real Player and a list a mile long.
But let's
not make the problem too simple. Several companies are out to
get each
other and at your expense. Yeah, right. They tell you it is
someone else
that is the cause and that company swears that it is another
one. So here
you are caught in the middle and nobody has bothered to tell
you that
something as simple as downloading the latest updates and drivers
just
might solve the problems they are busy blaming each other for.
Here are a couple of solutions for you. First try and find out
what all
your hardware is. Printers are easy, the name and model are
on the front.
But what about your CD ROM, Audio System, and monitor? A lot
of times, they
just don't have that information available. Yup even keyboards
can have
updated drivers. Drivers? Updates? Hardware? Software?
All of your Hardware runs with Drivers. You can find out the
model
information and a lot more about them from the "Control Panel".
From your
START button find SETTINGS, click on that then CONTOL PANEL.
Once in the
CONTROL PANEL scroll down to SYSTEM and double click. The first
window will
give you the information on the maker of the computer and Processor
plus
how much Memory you have installed and the version of Windows
you have.
Next click on the DEVICE MANAGER tab. You will see a listing
of the DEVICES
in your computer. By clicking the + beside each item you can
see what you
need to find out what the product is. You don't need to open
the SYSTEM
DEVICES unless you are just curious. Now you get to play detective.
Go get
'em, Columbo!
In most cases you can just do a search for the manufacturer
and go straight
to their site. Drivers will usually be found under SUPPORT and
should have
download and installation instructions. You should check for
updates at
least every 6 to 8 weeks if not more often. Software updates
are not as
hard. Most of the programs have a link in the Help menu to go
to their site
and some even have an update link.
But before you start updating 3rd party software (Not Microsoft),
you
should get the latest updates for your version of Windows. Hey,
guess what?
Gates made this one easy! Click on the START button then go
up near the top
of the column and you will see Windows Update. Sheer genius!
Just click it.
You will have to be connected to the Internet first. When the
browser opens
just click on the Products Updates and your computer will be
searched for
what needs to be updated. From there it is only a matter of
following
pretty simple instructions (simple? from Microsoft?). It really
is pretty
easy to do.
One more little thing before I leave you with all this confusion.
I use a
program for all my Software that isn't Microsoft from ZDNet
called, you
guessed it, Updates. updates.cnet.com There is a small download
and then it
will search your hard drive and give you a report of all available
updates
for your software. Then you have the option to download the
updates. Best
of all it is FREE! Subscribe, download the program, get your
updates and
they'll e-mail you a reminder to keep up with them.
Your life will be a lot easier and maybe you won't see so many
of "The Blue
Screen of Death" or "You have performed an ILLEGAL OPERATION,
the program
will be shut down!" Cause ya didn't. It ain't your fault.
Mike Smith, esm
* Mike Smith, of CM/YMTC, http://cmymtc.com
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