Occasionally computer users discover that Flash content on the web does not display as expected in their web browser of choice and at this point they may simply need to make sure that they have actually installed the correct version of the Adobe Flash Player. One example is that you are unable to view YouTube movies on your laptop computer. This can occur on new or refurbished laptops as this will be a third party application issue not relevant to the computer hardware.

We often use a specific process which will typically resolve this particular laptop performance issue. You may even find that you can view Flash content through Firefox but not Internet Explorer. This also helps narrow down the cause as well.

Keep in mind that there are various versions of the Flash player which are available for free download from Adobe. The thing you want to make sure of at this point is that you happen to be getting the correct version for your browser. For example if you are using Internet Explorer on new or refurbished laptops under 200 then you would want to be sure to download and install the version of Flash which is specifically designed for Internet Explorer. If you are using Firefox then you would need to get the version designed for Firefox and so on.

Sometimes users will have an issue where despite the fact that Adobe Flash appears to have been installed on the laptop they are unable to view flash web content on sites such as YouTube for example. In reality the application may not have properly installed itself and a common cause for this situation is that the security software installed on the laptop may have interfered with the proper installation of Flash. The Flash program will appear to be installed, which it is to a point with no error messages, yet it will not function correctly due to an overall incomplete installation.

If it is verified that the correct version of Flash for the particular web browser being used on the refurbished laptop is indeed acquired, here are the steps which we will often use in order to resolve this issue.

• We will download the Adobe Flash Player uninstall tool from this location: http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/current/uninstall_flash_player.exe and then run the tool on the laptop.
• Once the tool has ran we will restart the laptop and then temporarily disable any security software running on the laptop. We will then install the proper version of Adobe Flash onto the laptop.

This is a common way that laptop technicians will attempt to resolve the issue when YouTube movies won’t play and of not being able to view Flash web content on a computer. Also, the security programs will need to be re-enabled after this process.

Tags: laptop error message, laptop performance, Laptop Tech, laptop tech tips, laptops under 200, refurbished laptops

The Windows XP and Vista operating systems are often configured to automatically restart when a system failure occurs. However if the laptop restarts then it does not give you enough time to actually see the error message before the system restarts, and often the error message is extremely important to efficiently diagnosing computer issues.

The actual error message can be a great help so to prevent the system from automatically restarting you can follow these simple steps in XP.

Right click My Computer > click Properties > Advanced tab > Settings under Startup and Recovery > and remove the check mark from Automatically Restart in the System Failure section.

This may or may not be set by default in Windows XP depending on which Service Pack is installed on the particular refurbished laptops under 200 but it is good to check just in case you ever need to actually see the error message Windows is providing you before it automatically restarts. The error codes are often referred to as stop errors and when you have access to them it can be surprisingly easy to identify what the cause of the issue is simply by researching the code provided.

The system failure screen is known as the BSOD or Blue Screen of Death in the world of computer technicians and Windows operating system users alike. This is the dreaded screen you see which is all blue and has lots of cryptic looking wording in white letters on the screen. As bad as it sounds it can actually be quite easy to resolve the issue on laptops under 300 dollars as well as brand new ones when you know exactly what the error code being displayed is.

You can follow the steps in this laptop tip to see if the check mark is there meaning it will do the automatic restart, or if the check mark is not there meaning it will leave the error on the screen so you can get the necessary error code as well as information you need to help you begin to resolve the issue causing the system failure.

Tags: laptop error message, laptop performance, laptops under 200, laptops under 300, operating system, used laptops, vista laptop

If you ever find that your laptop computer will play sounds in some applications but not in Windows Media Player you may find these laptop tech tips may help you to resolve the issue. You may receive a laptop error message such as "Windows Media Player cannot play the file…" or even "You do not have a sound device installed on your computer…"

This situation can be caused by several reasons and is often due to a conflict with the file. Other times it may be that the sound card is not working as it should due to the drivers not being installed properly.

Occasionally there may be an issue with the compatibility of the current version of DirectX and your version of Windows Media Player.

Check and make sure that the drivers are properly installed for your sound card or device. Make sure that these drivers are not missing or corrupt in the Device Manager. Try to reinstall the most recent drivers for the device by scanning the Windows Update web site or by going directly to the sound device's manufacturer's web site. Occasionally a simple driver update can fix the issue on laptops under 300 dollars just as well as on more expensive models.

Of course in order to do the above you will have to verify that a sound device does exist within the laptop. If one does exist yet it is somehow corrupt you should still be able to address the issue through the Windows Device Manager.

I have found that sometimes another program will be using the sound card or device at the same time and is actually preventing Windows Media Player from accessing it. Try closing all other programs currently running on your laptop computer and then attempt to play the file again in WMP.

If these laptop tech tips do not resolve the issue you may want to check and see that the version of Microsoft DirectX installed on your laptop computer is compatible with your sound card or device. You can download the most current version of DirectX by going to the Microsoft website and then you will be able to install the latest version. These laptop tech tips are often part of what we use to troubleshoot this particular situation and we hope that they may come in handy for you as well.

Tags: laptop error message, Laptop Tech, laptop tech tips, laptops under 300