Maintaining Windows

A stitch in time saves nine, so why not prevent trouble before it occurs with these tips?

1. Microsoft Update

Select Start > All Programs and Windows Update. This opens Internet Explorer pointed at the Microsoft Update site. You may be prompted to download and install the latest version of update software. Click Scan for updates. The software examines your Windows installation to find out which updates you already have.

2. Selecting Updates

In the left hand pane, you’ll see a list of updates found under different categories. All critical updates and service packs are already selected for you. To select updates under other categories, click the relevant link and select add.

3. Review your Updates

Choose Review and install updates. Here you can press remove to get rid of any unwanted items. Click Install Now and accept the Licence Agreement. Your updates will now download. Once downloaded, the updates install automatically. Restart your computer.

4. Update CD

Go to the Windows Update catalogue and download the most recent updates to your hard drive. Burn these to CD. If you need to reinstall Windows, you won’t need to download the updates again.

5. Get Advice

Use Microsoft’s Support site to track down solutions to problems your PC has developed. Browse to http://support.microsoft.com for a range support and services.

6. Knowledge Base

Microsoft’s site includes the Knowledge Base, which you can search if you can describe the symptoms of your computer problem. You’ll be in the company of many IT professionals.

7. Updating A Driver

1. Device Manager

Right click My Computer on the Start Menu and choose Properties. Open the Hardware tab and click Device Manager. Browse to the item of hardware you want to upgrade, right click it and choose Update Driver.

2. Hardware Update Wizard

This starts the Hardware Update Wizard. Change the default from Install the software automatically to install from a list or specific location. This is because you want to point Windows to a specific driver.

3. Install The Driver

Click Next. Check Search removable media if you have the driver on floppy or CD. Otherwise check include this location and browse to the driver file. Once you’ve supplied the right location, click next to install the new driver.

8. Roll Back

If a driver upgrade fails, open Device Manager from the Hardware tab of System Properties. Double-click the entry, switch to the Drivers tab and click Roll Back Driver.

9. Unknown Devices

Don’t know what drivers you need? Check your PC or motherboard manual (or the manufacturer’s website for support information). Still no luck? Use the free Unknown Device Identifier tool to help you, get it from www.zhangduo.com/udi.html

10. Unsigned Drivers

If you want to err on the side of caution, set Windows to block all unsigned drivers, although you may not be able to get some hardware working. To do this, click Driver Signing under the Hardware tab of the System properties, choose Block and click OK twice.

11. Deleted Devices

When you take out a hard drive or a graphics card, Windows keeps the settings in the registry in case you put it back. In Device Manager, choose View > Show hidden devices, right –click the offending entry and choose Uninstall.

12. Fix Boot Problems

If Windows crashes when booting, you’ll be shown the boot menu: try Last Known Good configuration. This should work in most cases.

13. Disk Check On Boot

If Windows asks to check your disk drives as you boot, this may be because a check was scheduled or because your drives developed errors. Run the check to correct them.

14. Schedule It

Use Task Scheduler (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks) to automate maintenance tasks like defragmenting your hard drive.

15. Restore Points

Create a System Restore Point before installing any major software or hardware. This gives you the opportunity to roll back to this time if you run into any problems.

16. Rescue Disks

Many system utilities and anti-virus programs give you the opportunity of creating rescue floppies or CDs, take the time to create these, as one day they could save your bacon.

17. Keep Up To Date

Virus checkers and system tools are only as good as their most recent update. Check regularly for new files and install them as soon as possible.

18. Error Reporting

If you’d rather Windows didn’t report program errors and crashes to Microsoft, click Start > Run, type msconfig and press Enter. Switch to the Services tab, uncheck Error Reporting Service and click OK, restarting when prompted.

19. Remove Devices

Never just unplug a USB device from your PC, especially a removable drive. Use the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area first.

20. Use A Back-UP Tool

Windows XP Pro users get the Windows Backup tool by default, but Home users need to install it from their CD. Browse to the VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP directory to find ntbackup.msi

21. Product Key

Should you ever need to reinstall Windows you’ll be prompted for your product key. If you’ve lost it, use the free Belarc Advisor tool (www.belarc.com) to retrieve it.

22. Video Problems

If you can’t play a certain video file, chances are you’re missing a codec. Download the Windows codec pack from www.free-codecs.com, which covers most types.

23. System Admin Tools

The System Administration Tools are shortcuts to essential maintenance utilities like the Computer Management Console and Event Viewer. Access them through the Control Panel.

24. Create A Shortcut

Place a shortcut to the tools on the Start Menu: right-click the Start button and choose Properties. Click Customize > Advanced tab and scroll down the list, selecting “Display on the All Programs menu and Start menu”. Click OK twice.

25. Check Your Drive

Errors on your hard drive can also cause delays or loss of data. Regularly run Microsoft’s Error Checking, which is also part of windows. Open My Computer from the Start Menu and right-click the drive that you suspect has problems. Choose Properties > Tools tab. Under Error Checking click Check Now.

26. Automatic Errors

For the most thorough scan, tick Automatically fix file system errors and scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors before clicking Check Now. The first of these options corrects file system errors. these aren't physical problems.

27. Bad Sectors

These are areas of the drive that have damage that may or may not be possible to fix. If it isn't fixable, these areas will be marked and not used.

28. Reboot To Check

If you tick either option, you may need to reboot your computer for the test to take place. With these options left clear, the test can run and report back without rebooting, but it can’t fix errors.

29. Add Or Remove Components

Many built in tools in Windows aren't found on the Currently Installed Programs list of Add or Remove Programs Control Panel; instead, click Add/Remove Windows Components button to access them.

30. View Hidden Files

Windows hides certain files and folders to protect them from accidental deletion, to access these, open My Computer, choose Tools > Folder Options > View tab and select “show hidden files and folders”.

31. File Associations

Review which programs open which files by default by switching to the File Types tab and scrolling down the list.

32. Free Up Space

One way to free up space without deleting files in Disk Cleanup is to select the Compress old files option, this automatically compresses files that have not been accessed for more than 50 days.

33. FAT32 Or NTFS?

If your still using the FAT32 file system (open My Computer, select your hard drive and view file System under Details to find out), convert to NTFS for greater stability and reliability. Back up your data before you begin.

34. Convert To NTFS

Click Start > Run, type cmd and hit enter. Type convert c: /fs:ntfs, where c: is your drive letter (including the colon) and press Enter. When prompted, type in the drive label, you’ll find it by right-clicking your drive and selecting Properties (the box at the top): if it’s blank press Enter.

35. System File Checker

To ensure that all your system files are correct and haven’t been corrupted or replaced, choose Start > Run and enter cmd into the open bar. In the command line window, type sfc /scannow. You may need to insert your windows CD to restore system files so have it handy.

36. Reveal Hidden Components

By default, Windows is set to hide certain components from the Windows Components Wizard, but you can display any or all with a little hacking. Open the Windows\Inf directory and look for the hidden sysoc or sysoc.inf file. Drag a copy to your desktop (hold down [Ctrl]), then right-click the original, choose Open with…and select Notepad. Choose Edit > Replace. Enter hide under Find what:, leave Replace with: blank and click Replace All. Save the file and they’ll all be visible when you next click Add/Remove Windows Components.

Windows 7 Tips And Tricks 2

1. Put a “Pin Up” of the Folders You Use Most . Windows 7 allows you to “pin up” the folders you use most on your taskbar. Simply hold your mouse over the favourite folder, right click, and drag it onto the taskbar. Windows 7 automatically pins itself to the Explorer Jump List. To open the folder, right click on the Explorer icon and select the folder you want.

2. Double-Up Your Windows. When working within an application, sometimes you just want more of a good thing. To open another window of the same application (assuming the app can run more than one instance), simply hold Shift and click the taskbar icon. You can also middle-click your third mouse button for the same result.

3. Clear, Crisp Display—It’s In Your Control. Windows 7 makes it easy for you to adjust your display settings, making text and images easier to view in all the various locations where you work on your computer. Your laptop display may look fine at work but a little dark at home. Adjust the text and image settings easily with two snappy applets: Clear Type Text Tuning and Display Colour Calibration. Run cttune.exe and dccw.exe, or look them up in the Control Panel.

4. Order and Reason for Your Taskbar. You can decide the order that
your icons show up in your taskbar by simply dragging them to the
order you desire. And for the first five icons, you can launch them with
a simple keystroke: Any of the first five icons can be opened by pressing
+ 1, +2, etc.

5. Taskbar Traversing. While we’re on the subject of taskbar shortcuts, use +T to shift your attention to the taskbar. Your machine will make its active screen your taskbar menu, and you can use the arrow keys to select the application you’re interested in. Just hit Enter to launch it. Naturally, to exit this trick, press Esc.

6. BitLocker To Go Protection. BitLocker has become a saving grace when it comes to increased laptop security. Windows 7 has taken security even farther with its BitLocker To Go feature, which allows you to encrypt removable USB devices and external disks. To enable BitLocker or BitLocker To Go, right click the drive in Windows Explorer and select “Turn on BitLocker…” This can also be managed centrally via Group Policy, so IT administrators can require the USB drive be encrypted before files can be written to it.

7. Your Own Personal Help Desk: Windows Troubleshooting Platform.
We’ve all experienced minor issues like Windows Aero not displaying or sound controls not functioning. Don’t get stuck in the mud just because your computer seems to be. Windows 7 can save you from having to bite the bullet and call the help desk for every problem that comes up, thanks to the new Windows Troubleshooting Platform. It’s easily accessed by typing “fix” or “Troubleshoot” in the Start Menu. A list of Windows Troubleshooting Packs allows you to choose from what might be giving you trouble, and the trouble-shooter will faithfully attempt to clear up the problem.

Windows 7 Tips And Tricks 3

1. Change the Scenery. Windows 7 allows you to personalize your desktop
background to suit your many moods with a new shuffle feature for your desktop.
You can program your desktop background to shuffle through your favorite images
and get a change of scenery as often as you like. To enable the shuffle feature, right click
on your Desktop and select “Personalize,” then “Desktop Background.” Choose
the folder where your favorite images or photos are stored and select as many as
you like. Make sure you check the “Shuffle” box, and choose how often you’d like
your images to shuffle. It’s a simple way to keep your desktop looking fresh and fun.

2. Crunch The Numbers. The new Windows 7 calculator is a number cruncher’s dream.
New functionality allows the user to not only calculate in the Standard and Scientific
modes, but also in Programmer and Statistics modes. And that’s not all! Ever need
conversion formulas for temperature, weight, area, or time? Finding the unit
conversion option makes it a snap and takes all the work out of the user’s hands.
There are even templates for gas mileage, lease estimations, and mortgage
estimations.

3. Smart Printing. Windows 7 allows for several default printers in several locations.
Your computer will choose the correct printer for where you are. No need to reset your
default or remember what the printer name is; Windows 7 will figure out whether
you’re at home or at work with Location Aware Printing.

4. Shake It Up. Remember the Etch-a-Sketch where you would shake it to make things
disappear? Windows 7 uses the same shake concept to help you manage your windows. Windows 7 Aero®Shake allows you to clear the inactive windows from your desktop by “shaking” over the window you’re working. Hover your mouse over the title bar of your active window, left-click and shake from side to side, and all your inactive windows will disappear. To bring them back, repeat the procedure and shake everything back into
view.

5. Clean Your Desktop! And Order It Too. You’ve always been able to auto-arrange your
desktop icons by right-clicking on the desktop and choosing “Sort By.” Now Windows 7
makes it even easier. To auto-arrange the desktop icons according to your default
settings, simply press and hold F5. Order is instantly accomplished.

6. Right-Click Mania. In Windows 7, right-clicking may just be your secret friend. There are many ways the right-click can simplify your computing experience. Here are just a few:
a. Right-click any empty spot in your desktop, and you have the control to change the screen resolution.
be. Right-click any of the icons in the Taskbar to “Unpin this program from the
Taskbar.”
c. Last but not least, right-click the Taskbar Explorer icon to access your most
frequently used folders.

7. Unveil Your Hidden Drives. Want to see the drives that aren’t currently in use when you
open My Computer? To display empty drives, click Computer → Alt to see the toolbar →
Tools → Folder Options → View (tab) → Uncheck “Hide empty drives in the Computer folder.” And they magically appear!

Fix stratup and shutdown problems

Fix startup and shutdown problems.

Startup and shutdown problems aren't usually related – if your PC doesn't shutdown properly it tends to be annoying, but on the other hand a start up problem can lock you out of Windows XP completely, which could be cause for panic !

Fear not, however because armed with the right troubleshooting techniques you can get back into windows without putting your data at risk, plus discover how to go about fixing shutdown problems.

Cant boot, wont boot

Not all boot problems are catastrophic, but the most pressing concern is when windows is unable to start successfully. you may find it reaches a certain point in the process before inexplicably restarting, or it may throw up a blue screen with a STOP error on it.

Either way it’s bad news. When you first restart after encountering an error like this, Windows will throw up a boot menu that’s designed to help you get around the problem. It will apologize for not loading successfully and give you a number of options to choose from.

If Windows fails to start successfully, the boot menu gives you more startup options.

It may seem silly, but the first you do is choose “Start Windows Normally”. Sometimes a glitch that prevented you from loading Windows can resolve itself. so the next time you boot it’s gone. If this is the case, breathe a sigh of relief, but be wary: the problem may resurface or be indicative of something else.

The next option to try is “Last Known Good Configuration”. This restores the settings that enabled Windows to boot successfully last time, and in most cases will fix your problem. If you installed any hardware or software, or made changes to the way programs run or behave, you’ll find these have been lost. However, as the most recent changes to your system are likely to have caused the problem, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Try installing the program or piece of hardware again – if the problem persists, visit the manufacturers web site for more help and support.

Safe mode fixes

If “Last Known Good Configuration” doesn’t work, then try booting into Safe Mode. You’ll see there are three choices: basic Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, and Safe Mode with Command Prompt. All three load only a basic set of drivers and services, plus no start-up programs are loaded, so in most cases you will at least be able to access your PC in this mode.

If you choose the Networking option and you’re physically connected to your network by an Ethernet cable, you’ll have access to the Internet if you connect through your network (as well as the network itself).

If you can get into Safe Mode, log on as either your own user account or the master Administrator account. You’ll then have a number of options to try. If you suspect a virus or similar piece of malicious software, you may be able to manually run your security tool and see if it can detect and remove the problem.

You can also launch System Restore from safe mode. Launch System Restore by clicking Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.

System Restore may offer a quick and easy solution to your start-up woes

If you can’t even get into Safe Mode, try Safe Mode with Command Prompt. This bypasses the basic Safe Mode interface to give you access to just the command prompt itself. If this works, launch System Restore using the following command: %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe Once done make sure “Restore my computer to an earlier time” is selected before clicking Next. Choose the most recent Restore point and see if that eradicates the problem; if necessary reboot into Safe Mode and try earlier Restore points until you find one that works. Be warned: the further you go back , the more unrecognizable your system will be after the Restore has been performed: your data will be untouched, but programs, hardware, updates and settings installed since that Restore Point will either stop working or vanish completely from your system.

Wont boot at all

In the worst case scenario you wont be able to boot into any flavor of Windows at all, even safe mode. When this happens there are two symptoms that point to a corrupt Registry: first your PC continually restarts when you try to start it regardless of the option you choose in the Boot menu. If your PC doesn't automatically reboot, you’ll get a STOP error referring to the Registry or a missing or corrupt file.

In these circumstances your only course of action is to recover your system manually. You could attempt a repair installation of Windows following the step by step guide below – if your PC came with a recovery disc, try booting from that and looking for a repair or non-destructive option (if no option exists, do not proceed – a full destructive system recovery will wipe all of your personal files and settings).

The upside is that you should be able to boot into Windows again; the downside is that all of your updates – including any service packs you’ve applied – will have been removed. Not only will you need to visit Windows update to download them all again , but you may also need to reinstall some of your programs again in order for them to work properly.

1. Boot from Windows CD

If you have a genuine Windows installation CD, reboot with it inserted, and press any key when prompted to. Let setup load the initial files, then press enter at the welcome screen.

2. Choose to repair Windows

Accept the license agreement by pressing F8, then wait. When asked if you would like to repair Windows, make sure your current installation is selected before clicking R. Windows will now delete a load of files.

3. Let Windows repair itself

The rest of the process is identical to what happens when Windows installs from scratch.

Hardware problems

If you can’t get your PC to even recognize your hard drive – you’ll get a boot failure message appear before Windows even begins to load – then you may have a dead drive to deal with. If the drive has been making funny noises recently, this is the likely scenario, and the downside is that your data is now inaccessible unless your willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to a data recovery specialists to get it back.

Sometimes drive cables can become loose, so it’s worth opening up your case and making sure everything's securely plugged in before assuming the worst.

memory is another problem that can manifest itself in start-up problems. If you suspect memory is the cause of your problems download the free diagnostic tool on a working PC from http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp – you can then transfer this to a floppy disk or CD, and boot from it on your malfunctioning PC. It’ll then test your memory and report any problems it finds.

Faulty memory should be replaced as soon as it’s been spotted. If you have more than one memory stick in your PC, try different combinations of memory in conjunction with the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool to track down the faulty module.

If all else fails – you’ve recovered your data, determined there's no hardware issues, but still can’t get Windows to boot again – then bite the bullet and reinstall Windows XP from scratch.

Fix shutdown problems

Most Shutdown problems have been fixed by updates available through Automatic Updates (click Start, right click My Computer and select properties, Control Panel, then switch to the Automatic Updates tab). If your PC is fully up to date, but you still encounter shutdown problems, read on.

If your PC restarts instead of shutting down, then the likely culprit is a STOP error, By default Windows is set to restart when it encounters one of these, but if it’s preventing you from shutting down you need to take matters into your own hands.

First, force Windows to display the STOP error instead of restarting: open the System Properties Control Panel, switch to the Advanced tab, click Settings under “Startup and Recovery” and untick Automatically restart before clicking OK twice. When you next shutdown Windows, the STOP error should pop up. Make a note of it, and then visit http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.htm for more advice.

If your PC hangs during shutdown – in other words, it reaches a certain point in the process and then just stops for five minutes or more without powering down or displaying an “it’s safe to turn off your computer” message – then the problem could be caused by a program or process currently running on your PC. When your ready to shut down, try to end as many running programs as possible, including those that have icons in the notification area in the taskbar. If Windows can now shut down, you’ve traced the culprit to one of these programs.

If this doesn’t work, try running a diagnostic startup as described earlier and then immediately shut down. If Windows is able to do so, then something that starts with Windows and runs in the background is to blame. Once identified using the same techniques described for troublesome start-up entries, uninstall the program or look for an update or additional help at it’s website.

If this doesn’t work but your able to access Task Manager (press Ctrl+Alt+Del), then try ending individual processes from the Processes tab. Make a note of any processes that refuse to disappear, and do a search on Google to find out more about that process when you next start Windows. If all else fails at this point, and you have access to the shutdown menu try turn off computer from this menu.

Shutdown problems are numerous, and while non critical in the sense that you’re able to run Windows again afterwards, may be indicative of deeper problems with your system. For additional shutdown advice visit

http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm