Runtime error 203 is a problem you are probably unfortunate enough to have experienced, if you’re reading this article.  Don’t worry–it probably doesn’t spell immanent disaster for your computer.  At least not yet it doesn’t.

Runtime error 203 may simply stem from a problem with the particular program you’re running.  Nevertheless, it might also say something about your system’s integrity as a whole.  Read below to find out information about its symptoms, causes, and cures.

Runtime Error 203 Symptoms

• You receive a message stating, “Your computer is low on memory, save your documents and close all programs.” If you don’t close everything up, it’s very likely that you’ll get an error message and your computer will slow down considerably.  (Your computer was probably already running slower than usual.)
• Your computer slows down right before you receive the error message. This is typical of many runtime errors.  This is not unusual, so it doesn’t mean that your problem necessarily originates from malicious software like viruses (although they could be a factor).
• You get the runtime error 203 message, then whatever software you were running at the time shuts down. This can be highly frustrating.  When the problem is this or the above, however, you may get off easy because it’s probably just a problem with the software.  However, you may also have a problem with your registry.
• Your computer displays the “Runtime Error 203″ message, then crashes. This is a great big red flag out of nowhere.  If this happens, then it’s seriously time to think about uninstalling the program, then running anti-virus software and a registry scan.

Where do these memory problems comes from?

Runtime error 203 is typically a memory-related problem and can come from a variety of sources.

• You have a copy of the test or beta version of certain software.  You may have gotten the program by mistake, or downloaded it from a torrent site.  Unless you bought the program directly from a merchant, there’s a good chance you have a beta version.  There’s also a good chance that:
  • You have spyware on your computer.  This error usually comes from too little memory being available to complete the current tasks on your computer.  You’ll do yourself a favor if you run a check for viruses and spyware on your computer.

• You have registry errors.  Most computers do.  At the very least, a large amount of files is left over from software updates and bad uninstalls.

If you’ve got (or have ever had) spyware or viruses on your computer, then they have probably left behind files in the registry that may be slowing your computer down.  Run a free scan for runtime error 203 and keep your registry in shape.

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Seeing multiple error messages on a computer is never a good thing, so you’ll want to fix PC errors promptly.  In case you haven’t the foggiest idea how to fix PC errors, we’ve come up with a maintenance guide that will take care of most of the basic ones and many of the more pesky varieties.

And if some of your errors were caused by a super slow machine that just begged you to click on multiple things, leading to a computer freeze, you’re in luck.  Most of these fixes will add speed to your PC, too.

The Basics of Error Repair and Prevention

First off, back up your files!  If you are experiencing multiple error messages, this should be your first instinct.  Computers are delicate machines and sometimes parts fail for no reason.  So, do everything you can to keep your data safe.  Then move on to the actual maintenance.

Virus and spyware protection come next.  If for some reason only known to you and God, you do not have virus protection installed, then we almost guarantee that rectifying this situation will take care of the majority of your errors.  Malware slows down PCs too, so you’ll increase speed by taking care of this basic step.

If you do have these programs installed, make sure that your updates are current to check for the latest hacker creations.

Using the Registry Tools of the Trade

Microsoft includes a few tools that will help to make the most of your computer.  They fix errors, they increase processing speeds, they leap tall buildings in a single bound.  Well, let’s stick with the first two–important enough.

The two most important of these tools are the Check Disk Tool and the Disk Defragmenter.  The former rearranges saved data and program files to use space most efficiently on the disk and save it from having to spin to multiple locations.  The latter searches for and repairs various errors on the hard drive.

Your computer’s Help section should contain instructions for running these tools, or you can find them online.  Just make sure to leave the computer alone while running either tool.  Trying to use the computer may cause the process to restart or produce further errors (not what you’re going for).

Get Your Computer Squeaky Clean

For a little advanced cleaning and for persistent errors that continue after the above suggestions have been performed, add a registry cleaner to the maintenance regimen.  It will remove obsolete entries from the registry and repair those that have been corrupted, which will fix the majority of PC errors.

Once you use a registry cleaner to fix PC errors, your computer won’t have to wade through massive amounts of old data to get to what it needs.  And that means faster processing.

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We say a lot about registries, and achieving and maintaining a clean PC registry is at the top of our priority list.  Actually obtaining that clean PC registry can be a bit mystifying, so we’re offering some suggestions that will smooth out the process and leave your registry squeaky clean in no time.

Tip 1: Don’t Ignore the Registry

The Windows registry system is used every time you turn on your PC and multiple times during each computer session.  New entries are constantly being made and are seldom deleted.  Often if they are deleted, their removal is incomplete.

Even with all this activity, the registry has no self-cleaning setting and your computer does not come with a tool to declutter the registry manually.  However, this doesn’t indicate that maintenance should be forgotten.

On the contrary, a bloated registry full of old and corrupted entries from no-longer-existent programs and old settings creates computer errors like the blue screen of death, DLL errors, program crashes, and general processing slowness.  Registry cleaning should be on your list of regular monthly computer maintenance, along with defragging, and using the Check Disk tool.

Tip 2: Leave the Manual Edits to a Professional

You may be thinking of attempting to manually clean your computer’s registry in the interest of saving money (and possibly time, if you were considering leaving your machine with a technician).  Unless you are an out-of-work and bored computer tech, don’t attempt this.

The occasional edit using the proper precautions and the right step-by-step instructions can turn out fine.  A major housecleaning session?  Not only would it be time-consuming, the registry is extremely hard to navigate and one wrong move may make it so that your computer can’t even boot up.  Even a registry back up won’t help you at that point.

Tip 3:  Use a Trusted Registry Cleaner

If we’re nixing the manual method, then we have to give you another option–the registry cleaner.  These programs scan your registry and find all of the errors at once.  Once they uncover all of the errors, you will be able to review the errors and then repair them.

Here’s an extra tip: don’t play with your computer during the repair process.  You don’t want to be creating new entries while the registry cleaner is working on your registry.  This can slow or stop the process.

And it will only take two minutes anyway.  If you regularly use a registry cleaner to obtain a clean PC registry, you will be amazed at how much speed your PC gains and how much more smoothly it runs.

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Do you want to speed up programs on your computer because your computer slows way down when you run more than two or three programs at a time?  There are several ways to speed up your PC or laptop without breaking the bank.

Use the free tools that Windows provides for system upkeep.

You can make sure all of your software runs faster by using the tools that Microsoft puts on your system.  All versions of Windows come with a disk defragmenter, available in “System Tools” under the Accessories menu.  It’s a good idea to use this tool at least once or twice every month.

It’s also a good idea to check for Windows updates on a regular basis.  This doesn’t just help your computer run faster–it also keeps it safer (though not immune) from viruses and spyware programs.

Check for viruses and spyware on a regular basis

It could be that certain unwelcome software on your computer is causing your programs to run slowly.  In this case, you may be able to speed up programs dramatically by performing a couple of scans with free software.

There are several free anti-virus and anti-spyware programs available online that will do a good job of keeping your computer safe if you use them regularly.  While the upgraded versions often have features that are worth the price you pay, the free versions will work fine just as long as you remember to use them on a regular basis!

It’s best to have at least one anti-virus and one anti-spyware program on your computer.  These days, many programs combine both functions.  Any computer will be safe with three of these programs installed on the hard drive.

Having more than three of these programs in operation on your computer will likely slow down system functioning, without offering a significant increase in protection.  The most important thing isn’t quantity or even quality; the most important thing about these programs is whether or not you remember to use them every week!

Keep your registry clean so that your Windows system doesn’t get bogged down.

One of the prime culprits of slow computer function is a cluttered or damaged registry.  Unfortunately, this is also the least known!

The Windows registry can accumulate damaged, out of date, or erroneous files over time.  This happens for a variety of reasons that usually have nothing to do with the individual computer owner.  Speed up programs on your PC or laptop by running a free registry scan.

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Trying to finish a task, like saving a final version of a PDF file or something similar, is not fun when you come across an “out of memory” error.  In order to keep from seeing the “out of memory” error and keep your programs functioning efficiently, follow a few of our guidelines.

Memories…  When You Run out of Memory

There are various types of memories–physical memory, random-access memory, and virtual memory–which all work together to store your data and allow you to access it.  The physical memory stores your files, the random-access memory (RAM) helps you retrieve what you need quickly, and the virtual memory, a quirky combination of RAM and physical memory, extends the amount of RAM you have into the physical kind to allow you to run more and bigger programs.

In order to stay on top of how much memory you need, you can do a few things to monitor the amount you are using.  First, if your machine is running more slowly than it used to, Microsoft says this can be a tip-off that you are getting low on space.  Also, that CTRL-ALT-DEL combo will bring up Windows Task Manager, which will show you how much memory you’re using with any given combination of programs.

Types of Memory Errors and What to Do

Various scenarios can trigger an “out of memory” error.  It might be that you have simply used up what you have, in which case, the easy solution is to get more.  This may be in the form of physical disk space (install another hard drive?) or allowing more RAM space on your disk (which can be configured).

Sometimes an “out of memory” error really means you have too much of one type of memory.  If your machine is set to have too much RAM, then not enough virtual memory will be available for larger tasks like saving files to the physical memory.  For a detailed instructions to reconfigure this, search the Microsoft Support Center.  But be warned, it involves editing the registry–make sure you’ve backed up the registry first.

So You Think You Have a Memory Error

It may be that the signs you’re noticing are not really “out of memory” errors after all.  Unless you actually have had an “out of memory” error message occur on your PC, it may be that the slowness you are experiencing is actually a symptom of registry errors lurking on your machine.

Since no tools are included with your PC to clean out the registry, it holds onto old data and errors until you do something about it, which slows the computer down.  Run a registry cleaner to fix the “out of memory” error and remove computer slowness.

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If you’ve had your computer for more than a couple of months, you’re probably at the point where you want to speed up loading time for your programs or your computer in general.

Defragment your hard drive.

It’s easy to defragment your hard drive–and this can really speed up loading for your files, programs, and operating system.  Fortunately, this is just about the easiest maintenance you can perform on your computer.

• Click on the Start menu.
• Select “Accessories” (you may have to click on “All Programs” to see this).
• In the Accessories menu, select “System Tools”
• Click on the Disk Defragmenter
• Run it!

Do this at least once a month.  If your computer sees heavy use, go ahead and run it every week or two, even if it tells you that you don’t need to.  This will speed up loading for everything on your computer and help keep it running smoothly.

Root out all spyware from your system!

These days, spyware is just a fact of life for most people.  It doesn’t have to be.

Spyware eventually appears on most computers as a way for advertisers to keep track of various marketing information.  Some spyware is actively dangerous to your computer, while other spyware “merely” slows your computer down.

There are a variety of anti-spyware programs on the market today. Some offer free versions, while others are free (with a donation box, of course!)

Download one or two of these programs and run them every week or so.  Every time you catch and delete a new spyware program, you’ll be glad you did.

Make sure your registry is clean and in good working order.

Spyware, adware, and other malicious programs can leave errors on your computer that anti-spyware and anti-virus programs do not remove. These problems usually reside in the Windows registry, which is a routing database for all the “action” files for all of your programs.

Malicious programs often leave behind their malicious traces in this database, as anti-spyware and anti-virus programs do not also act as registry cleaners.

In addition, this database can become cluttered and damaged from a variety of factors over time.

A cluttered, damaged, or out-of-date registry is the most common culprit for slow-loading, slow-running computers.  Most reputable registry cleaners offer free scans to anyone interested.  Speed up loading times on your computer by scanning your computer today!

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While the occasional OCX or DLL error your computer encounters may seem rather harmless, there are a number of reasons why taking the time to fix these errors is a good idea.  Fixing OCX and DLL errors will mean that whatever program produced the error will work properly again, and the additional benefits to addressing these errors should motivate you to take care of the problem.

Benefit #1: Restore Favorite Programs

The obvious reason to address OCX and DLL errors is to allow whatever program encountered the error to function again.  These errors may affect the inner workings of the program and you may be taking the chance of losing data if you continue to run the program without resolving the issue.  If you cannot access the program at all, then it is essential that you obtain replacement files or take another action to fix these errors.

Benefit #2: Protect Other Programs

OCX and DLL errors are registry file errors.  Files contained in the registry are essential to the inner workings of your PC and are often shared between several programs.  Because of this overlap, if errors occur in one program, errors may also be found in other programs that need access to these files.  Fixing OCX and DLL errors will ensure that other programs continue to function optimally.

Benefit #3: Prevent Further Registry Error Damage

Experiencing OCX and DLL errors on your PC is a symptom of a cluttered and corrupted registry.  This often indicates the presence of other errors in the registry, especially if you have not performed regular registry maintenance on the computer.  Additionally, allowing erroneous entries to remain in the registry may get in the way of other information and cause new errors.  Addressing errors as they arise will prevent this from happening.

Benefit #4: Increase Speed to Your PC

When a computer’s registry is full of corrupted files and old entries that are no longer useful, it takes the computer longer to access useful data.  If your computer experiences a general slowness in processing speed, it may mean that your registry is clogged with too many old or broken files.

Cleaning out your registry using a registry cleaner will ensure that all the registry errors on your PC have been addressed and will improve the speed of your computer considerably.

Benefit #5: Prevent Future Errors

After using a registry cleaner to fix file errors, you can set the program to scan your computer for registry errors at regular intervals.  It will fix the errors it finds and keep your computer running at top efficiency. Use a registry cleaner to fix OCX and DLL errors, and you won’t have to worry about the effects of registry errors again.

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We have made some references to the disk defrag tool, and it’s again time that we explain the whys and wherefores.  In short, doing a defrag session on your PC will increase speed and decrease processing time for your PC.

Fragmentation: Why It Happens

Files get fragmented, or saved in multiple places, because there just often isn’t enough space on the hard drive to save files in contiguous blocks.  You delete old programs, and then you install a new program or save another file, but the new content is usually a different size from what was deleted.  So the computer breaks up the program or file on the hard drive over several different “chunks” of space.

The effects of this are seen when it takes a long time to call up that file.  The disk is forced to spin to several different places in order to load all of the file.  This just takes longer than if the file were all in one place.

Make a Defrag Date with Your PC

Fixing file fragmentation is called, appropriately, defragmentation.  Windows PCs come with a Disk Defragmenter Tool already installed.  It can be a lengthy process, so plan to do this when your computer won’t be needed for a while.

The defrag tool is found by going to Start, then Programs, then Accessories.  Click on System Tools and choose Disk Defragmenter.  Follow the instructions, do not disturb your machine, and enjoy a faster PC when the process is through.

A Defrag Duo

A great accompaniment to defragging your PC is to also run your registry cleaner.  It will clean up old registry entries and fix corrupted ones, which will also boost the computer’s speed.  The dynamic duo of computer speed and efficiency is to run a registry cleaning tool in conjunction with the defrag tool.

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It happens sooner or later with every computer; the need to clean up hard drive space.  No matter how large your hard drive is, extensive use will start to fill it up.  Old programs, useless data, pictures of someone else’s high school prom, they are all sitting there taking up space you could use for something else.  Worst of all that data is slowing your system down.

Manual Clean Up

There are ways that you can clean up your hard drive on your own.  Clean out all the temporary internet files and cookies.  Then remove all the programs that remain on your computer out of habit–old games, old utilities and the like.

Transfer photos and documents you rarely use to alternate media, like CDs or Flash Drives and delete them from your hard drive.  Finally, empty out the recycle bin and run defrag.

You will find with all that junk gone and the drive defragmented, your computer speeds up and has more room to store new things.  Of course, if you are actually approaching the drive’s limit you may want to get a new drive, either external or internal.  The results are usually worth it.

Computer Clean Disc

Windows programs typically come with their own clean up utility; Windows XP is no exception.  Under the My Computer icon you will find the Properties folder.  In there, opt for the general tab and choose disc cleanup.  The rest is handled by the computer which will assess what you can remove and give you the option of choosing to do so or not.  This can free up a bunch of space.

Registry Cleaners
Downloading a good registry cleaner is another way to speed up your computer and clean up hard drive space.  This program will search for missing or damaged files in the OS registry and replace or repair them.  It will also delete fragments of old programs, search for viruses and other malware.  In a matter of minutes your computer will be optimized for use.

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If you like to copy your favorite music onto your own CDs but have a really full hard drive, you may encounter an error called buffer underrun.  This can occur when your burner is faster than the data being made available, or when the hard drive and the CPU are occupied preventing the data stream from flowing freely.

The result is the same regardless of the source.  The CD you were burning can now be lobbed at the nearest trash can and you will need to start again.

Prevention
To prevent this from happening again you have a few choices.  First, shut down any additional programs you are running.  Sometimes the CPU can get mired down if too many things are running.  Second, completely load the music to your hard drive before you attempt to make a copy.  Third, consider downloading and installing a buffer underrun protection program.

This program will allow the laser writing the disc to stop and then continue writing where it left off.  The delays between writings are very small and usually aren’t noticed by most listeners.  For rewritable discs you can use the UDF file system.  It will break up the data in to smaller packets which can be written in more manageable bursts.

Simultaneous Burning

If you insist upon burning while you download or upload, make sure you have a sufficient buffer and opt for a slower burn speed.  By letting your computer load the music more quickly you have a better chance of completing the load before you burn.

Speed up your entire computer

Another choice is to speed up the whole computer.  By downloading a registry cleaner you encourage your computer to run at optimal speed.  With the registry cleaned, temp files under control and the system optimized you will have fewer problems with buffer underrun.  Download a copy today and see how well it works.

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