a couple of annoyances

I've got a couple of annoyances one of which may be a problem. First and foremost I am running Windows XP sp3. First annoyance is no autoplay window comes up when I put in any type of cd/dvd. I DO have autoplay turned on, I have checked both the drive properties and the registry. What can be done about this. Second annoyance is I'm trying to install Sim City 3000 but no setup window comes up when I hit install on the autoplay window nor when I hit setup.exe in the D:/setup/english folder though it does start wowexec.exe and setup.exe . I end up ending those two process via task manager and end up getting the error message: The request to end the selected 16 bit task has timed out. The Win 16 Subsystem my be unstable. Pres OK to terminate the Win 16 Subsystem or Cancel to leave it running. After restarting I get about half dozen: Data execution prevention from Generic Win 32 host process. What could be causing it, how can it be fixed, and is this a minor or major problem?

I don't have any suggestions for your first problem, though it seems to be fairly common. As for the second one, try fiddling with DEP.

Here is some info I've accumulated on DEP and how to work with it to resolve some problems:

Several OSs have no-execute or execute protection. Microsoft has added this as well in SP2 with data execution prevention (DEP). This prevents code execution in memory regions already marked as storage. This is a powerful tool against buffer overrun exploits.

If a program is failing and you want to disable DEP to see if that is the cause. Here are the steps. (Just disable DEP for the program in question… don't disable it for your whole system.)

• Click Start
• Select Control Panel
• Select System
• Click the Advanced tab
• In the Performance region select Settings
• Click the Data Execute tab in the dialog box that opens
• Select Turn on DEP for all programs and services except for those I select
• Click Add.
• The open dialog box will open. Browse and select your application.
• Click Open
• Click Apply
• Click Ok
• Reboot

Above from: http://www.tech-recipes.com/windows_tips566.html

If that doesn't help, try disabling DEP completely and see what happens. See here: http://www.zensoftware.co.uk/kb/article.aspx?id=10002

Did Autoplay work before you applied SP3?

I did what you had told me to do but it was like shooting a brick wall with rubber bullets, no use. EDIT: Yes autoplay worked before SP3.

Hmmm, you could uninstall SP3, see if that resolves the problem. That will take you back to SP2 + all updates you had applied.

Also, take a look at this post on Annoyances.org. Perhaps the value in the registry key it mentions is messed up on your computer?

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/1182376024?s

Edit: That key should not even be there, so just check to see if it exists or not.

Also read this MS article: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?…kb;en-us;330135

Removing the regitry key: no luck Uninstalling SP3 and updating SP2: YAY it works. Now to figure out why I can't install Sim City 3000 Another problem popped up. Yesterday before uninstalling I was able to watch youtube videos with little or no pausing, but now when I try to watch them its pause galore.

Give Dia-a-fix a try. Let it fix everything. Won't hurt and has fixed problems like this before.

Nope nothing

Are you having any slow responses at any other time on the internet or is it only You tube videos?

Do you have the same problem if you use Mozilla Firefox instead of IE?

How does it work if you boot to Safe Mode with Networking?

Just youtube videos. I currently use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. It's still slow even in safe mode.

Give Winsock Fix a try then.

It can often cure problems after the removal of Adware components or improper uninstall of firewall applications or other tools that modify the XP network and Winsock settings. It can create a registry backup of your current settings, so it is fairly safe to use.

Also, how is your hard drive free space?

Well I found out what the cause of my slow youtube videos where and why I didn't look at this in the first place I don't know. My wireless router/dsl modem has a habit of randomly restarting during the night and this was the cause of it all. Sorry I took your time but it was with good intentions. And I do look forward to coming to What The Tech for any future problems that I may have.

Not a problem, just glad you have it all working.

Got one question concerning my internet connection. I've got 512k dsl package from the local isp and have a comtrend ct-5361t wireless router/dsl modem. After it does one of its random restarts my connection speed is usually between 150 and 200k. To get it to where I think it should be 490k+ it takes on average 6-12 restarts on a good day, 12-24 restarts on a not so good day, and several hours on a bad day. During this whole restarting scramble if I see a "spike" in the connection speed i.e. one connection speed is 159k and after I restart it its at 498 I generaly can't get anywhere on the internet. But if it goes up in "steps" i.e. 190 > 255 > 347 > 498 after restarts it usually has no problem. So my question is: Does my router settings affect my connection speed, is it luck of the draw as to what I get, or is it something my ISP has done on there end to give me a lower connection speed then what I think I should have? PS. before I forget we still haven't figured out why I can't install sim city 3000