Even with fast connection, streaming videos may balk

Q: I have Windows XP and AOL as my Internet provider. My problem is with trying to watch Web videos, like YouTube. They hesitate all the time. I have never been able to see them straight through. They start, go a few seconds, then stop, start and stop. It is that way all the way through.

— Nancy Cerullo, Oak Harbor

A: The most likely cause of your problem is a slow Internet connection. Is the problem encountered only with "streaming" video? Streaming video is video being downloaded from a Web site as you watch it. YouTube recommends a connection of at least 500 kilobits per second to watch videos on the site, but don't expect to have hiccup-free playback even at higher speeds.

If you have the problem not only with streaming video but also with videos that reside on your hard drive, it may be a lack of system resources on your computer, particularly system memory. Having a graphics adapter with sufficient onboard memory can also increase video-playback performance.

Q: I have an HP computer with Windows. It comes with Microsoft Works 8. Works has a calendar function I use a lot. About a month ago, it would not open during boot up. I get the following error message: "Microsoft Works 8 has encountered a problem and needs to close. Send/don't send error report." I always elect to send the error report.

I have sent some 50 error reports to Microsoft over the past month. I have received no response from Microsoft.

Drive D on my computer is the drive for backup files from Windows XP. I also have created backup disks for the operating system. I am wondering how to reload MS Works from the backup disks without having to reformat the hard drive. Can you help me?

— Bill Wilkinson

A: Don't expect Microsoft — or any other vendor, for that matter — to respond just because you send in an error report. Those reports are clues to the programmers to use in trying to resolve problems with the applications. It may take quite some time before any fix is available.

As for reinstalling Works 8, that well could solve the problem. But you should do that from the application installation disks rather than from any backup. If you had mirrored your entire operating system to a backup — including changes made to configuration files, such as the Windows registry — restoring the entire system might be possible.

But if you created the backup after the problem with Works arose, the corrupt file or driver that is causing the problem is likely to be in the backup as well. Accordingly, my recommendation would be to reinstall Works from its installation disks.

Q: I am running Windows XP and when I try to open some files by double-clicking them, the search window comes up. I have to right-click on the file and then click Open. I noticed that Search is on top of the options in the dialogue box. Also some of the files are displayed in blue. What did I do and how do I get back to Open when I double-click on a file?

— William Schumacher, Castle Rock

A: Microsoft has confirmed that this a problem that can occur after users have done a certain procedure in the Windows Explorer file association utility. The procedure inadvertently changes a setting in a Windows registry that results in the behavior you have observed. Detailed instructions for correcting the Windows registry are available at support.microsoft.com/kb/321186/en-us.

Questions for Patrick Marshall may be sent by e-mail to pmarshall@seattletimes.com or pgmarshall@pgmarshall.net, or by mail at Q&A/Technology, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.