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Hassle free upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7

Oct 12

Posted by Admin in Operating System, Windows 7, Windows XP | No Comments


While the Windows XP users were left wandering by Microsoft through their product upgrade path for Windows 7, luckily there are others outside who understand the plight of end users. Microsoft has clearly stated that Windows XP users will not be able to upgrade to Windows 7 and will have to reinstall all their existing applications to work on Windows 7.

Laplink has a multi-purpose data and application movement tool that can make your transition to Windows 7 extremely easy. It’s simple steps do not require technical assistance and an average home pc user can follow the on screen prompts to backup and transition all applications to Windows 7. The tool basically allows you to select the applications that you wish to migrate and creates a small backup for these. After upgrading to Windows 7, you need to run the utility again and boom you are done. This tool supports all major application that a home/office user may have on their machines. This tool can also be used if you are planning to buy a new PC and were wondering how data and applications will be migrated. PC Mover can move data/applications across a network, Laplink USB cable, WET (Windows Easy Transfer) cable or any other removable media that can be used on both the PCs. What’s more, it also maintains user information and access control information. You can find detailed information on this tool on Laplink website.

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Tags: 7, application, backup, data, Microsoft, transfer, Upgrade, windows, XP

Windows XP Error: STOP 0×000000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM

Sep 4

Posted by Admin in Troubleshooting, Windows XP | No Comments


You may encounter a blue screen stop error while starting your Windows Vista Operating System. This usually happens when the computer is unable to access booting files or the File System. If you encounter this message, follow the steps below:

  1. Restart the Computer
  2. Tap the “F8” key while the computer is restarting to get to the Startup Options screen
  3. From this options screen, use the arrow keys on the keyboard to highlight “Safe Mode” and then press “Enter” key
  4. Once you reach the desktop of your Windows XP computer, click on “Start”à “Run” and type “chkdsk c:/f” and press the “enter” key.

This will launch the disk checking wizard which will look at the Hard Drive on your computer for any bad sectors. If there are many bad sectors, you should take back-up of your data and replace the hard drive.

 

If above steps do not work, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the “Safe Mode” as described above
  2. Double Click on “MY Computer” or click on “Start” and then click on “My Computer”.
  3. On the next screen, right click on the primary hard drive partition and on the pop-up menu, click on “Properties”.
  4. On the next screen, click on the “Tools” tab
  5. Click on “Check Now” button in the “Error Checking” box

Make sure that you check the option for “Scan and attempt recovery of bad sectors” on the Check Disk options screen. You can also select “Automatically Fix” file systems check box.

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Tags: 0x000000024, Error, Microsoft, NTFS_File_System, Stop, windows, XP

Windows 7 Hibernation Error: STOP 0×000000A0 Internal_Power_Error

Sep 3

Posted by Admin in Operating System, Troubleshooting, Windows 7 | No Comments


If you are using Windows 7, you may encounter a STOP error when you attempt to put your computer in Hibernate mode. This mode allows users to save battery / power on their laptop/desktop machine. This allows users to store the open programs and files status on the hard drive which is recovered instantly once you resume from the Hibernate mode.

This issue has been confirmed by Microsoft and happens if the current Hibernate file is not large enough to accommodate current memory contents.

If you encounter this issue, follow the simple steps below:

  1. Click on “Start” and click on “All Programs”. Now Click on “Accessories” on the Start Menu
  2. Right Click on “Command Prompt” and on the pop-up menu, click on “Run as Administrator”

If you are prompted to enter an administrator password, please type the password and/or confirmation for the same.

  1. You will now reach a command prompt window with a blinking cursor. On this screen type “powercfg /hibernate/size 100”
  2. It will take you back to a blinking cursor without any message. Now type “exit” to get out of command prompt.

 

These steps will resolve the issue by increasing the size of Hibernate file on your computer.

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Tags: Hibernate, Microsoft, STOP error, Windows 7

Upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows Vista gets stuck at 62%: Solution

Sep 3

Posted by Admin in Operating System, Troubleshooting, Windows 7 | No Comments


If you have attempted or are planning to upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows Vista, you may encounter an issue during the upgrade process. The upgrade may get stuck at 62% with no error messages. It will stay at 62% for a very long time.

If you encounter this situation, follow the steps below:

  1. Restart the computer. This step will roll back the upgrade and you will be able to boot into Windows Vista installation.
  2. Once on the Windows Vista desktop screen, Click on “Start” and Right Click on “Computer”
  3. On the pop-up menu, click on “Properties” and then click on “Advanced System Settings”
  4. On this System Settings screen, click on “Environment Variables” button

Vista System Properties

5. On the next screen, click on “New” button under “System Variables”

6. On the new window, you will see options to enter Variable Name and Variable Value. In these boxes, type the following information:

  1. Variable Name: MIG_UPGRADE_IGNORE_PLUGINS
  2. Variable Value: IphlpsvcMigPlugin.dll

Now click on “OK” and return to the desktop screen.

 

Now restart the upgrade process. This time it should go ahead with the installation process.

If you still face this issue, please leave a comment or submit the details using the “Request Solution” tab on this page.

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Tags: 62%, Microsoft, Setup, Stuck, Upgrade, Vista, Windows 7

Windows 7 Cracked

Aug 21

Posted by Admin in Operating System, Windows 7 | No Comments


Like Windows Vista, Windows 7 has been reportedly cracked by some Chinese blogs, before its retail release due in Mid September. This is a huge setback for Microsoft which has been reporting that their new Operating System scores high on security.

This hack has been created using an RTM (Release to Manufacture) version of Windows 7. Microsoft releases all its Operating Systems to computer manufacturers much before the retail release to ensure that manufacturers test their hardware with the new OS and are ready to provide computers to consumers with latest OS bundled at the time of retail launch. A Lenovo machine was apparently used to create this hack.

The leaked ISO image file was available on some chinese blogs and sites. It retrieves the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) SLP key along with the activation key to provide an activated copy of Windows 7. This happens because OEMs are allowed (in most cases) to sell pre-activated computer systems with specific SLP keys, common to all their systems. It has been said in these blogs that this is a master key and can be used to activate Windows 7 on any computer from any manufacturer.

Microsoft has confirmed the reports and communicated that they will blacklist the leaked key and will safeguard interest of genuine customers. Microsoft also said, again, that if Windows 7 is installed using this crack, it will be prone to virus and spyware infections and will not be able to install Windows updates and fixes.

Source: Neowin.net

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Tags: crack, hack, Lenovo, Windows 7

Windows XP does not start after installing Windows Vista as a dual boot option

Aug 17

Posted by Admin in Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments


You may be unable to log into Windows XP after installing Windows Vista and making your computer a dual OS / dual boot machine. This primarliy happens when Windows Vista is installed in unallocated space on the hard drive that existed in front of the Windows XP partition. To resolve this issue, follow the steps below:

(Please note that you will need administrative rights on your login to perform these steps.)

  1. Boot the computer into Windows Vista
  2. Right click on the “Start” button and on the pop up menu, click on “Explore“
  3. Click on ”Organize” option and then on the drop down menu, click on “Folder and Search Options“
  4. Click on the “View” tab
  5. In the advanced settings area, click “Show hidden files and folders“. Click on the checkbox next to “Hide extension for known file types” to uncheck it and then click on “Hide protected sytem files (Recommended)” to uncheck it. Click “yes” to confirm that you want to display operating system protected files and then click on “OK”
  6. Locate the Windows XP drive by using the “Computer” panel browsing (Start–>Computer)
  7. Now locate “boot.ini” file. Right click on it and click on “properties” on the pop up menu
  8. On the boot.ini properties window, click on Security tab and then click on “Advanced“
  9. Click on the “Owner” tab and then click on “edit“. If you get a prompt to enter administrator password, type your password to continue to the next step.
  10. In the change owner list, Click your alias or leave the default option selected. Now click on “OK” 4 times.
  11. Now right click on boot.ini file again and click on “Edit” on the pop up menu
  12. On this window, modify the Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) path to the correct Windows XP partition

These steps will solve your issues with Windows XP booting and allow you to enjoy both the operating systems compleltely.

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Tags: boot, dual, Error, issue, Microsoft, Vista, windows, XP

Windows Update Error 0×80073712

Aug 13

Posted by Admin in Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments


Microsoft has released 2 major security loophole fixes in past 2 months. This leads us to believe that the security risk in our daily computing life is increasing every day. To ensure that our computer remains safe from these unwanted threats, all of us want to keep our computer updated with latest updates from Microsoft. Unfortunately, windows updates are not 100% successful everytime on all the machines in the world. This is one of the most common error that is thrown to users who attempt to run Windows update manually or get this message after they restart the computer post automatic updates has finished installing the updates. To resolve this issue, follow the steps below:

  1. Browse to Windows Folder. This is usually c:\Windows
  2. Double click on the winsxs folder
  3. Locate the file pending.xml and rename it to pending.old
  4. Restart the computer and try installing the updates again

In most cases, during the rename process, you may get “Access Denied” message. If this happens, follow the steps below:

  1. Right Click on pending.xml
  2. On the pop up menu, click on Properties
  3. On the Properties window, click on Security tab
  4. On the Security tab, click on Advanced and then click on Owner tab
  5. In the Name list, click on “Administrator” or click on the “Administrators Group” and then click on OK.
  6. Click on “Add”
  7. On the “Enter the object names to select (examples) list”, type Everyone
  8. Click on OK
  9. In the “Group or Username list”, click on “Full Control”
  10. Click on OK

After the above steps, you will be able to rename the file “pending.xml”

I hope this will allow you to resolve this issue, if it ever occurs on your computer. Keep your computer updated & safe.

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Tags: Error, install, Microsoft, update, windows

Remove Content Advisor password from Internet Explorer

Aug 13

Posted by Admin in Troubleshooting, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments


Content Advisor option in Internet Explorer can be a boon and a big problem at the same time. In my last post, I mentioned how to set this up. This post is about getting rid of it. Though it can be misused, but this is purely for the purpose of administrators.

If you remember the password and want to remove the content advisor password, follow the steps below:

  1. Open the internet explorer window
  2. Click on “Tools” and from the drop down menu, click on “Internet Options“
  3. On the Internet Options window, click on “Content” tab
  4. Click on “Disable” button. It will prompt you for the password. Please enter the existing password and click on “OK“

If you intend to change the password, on the “Content Advisor” window, click on “General” tab and then click on “Change password“. You will be prompted to enter existing password and new password.

 

If you have forgotten the password, you can either use the “Hint” that Content Advisor would have prompted you to enter. If this doesn’t work or if you did not set up a hint, the process is a little more complex. You will have to play with Windows Registry to fix this. Follow the steps below to get rid of the Content Advisor password if you don’t remember the password:

  1. Click on “Start” button and on the start menu, click on “Run”. If you are using Windows Vista, type “Run” in the Search box and click on the RUN option after the search is complete.
  2. On the run box, please type “Regedit” and click on “ok”
  3. This will launch the registry editor window of Windows
  4. On the left pane of this window, you will see some entries with a “+” sign before them
  5. On this left pane, locate & click on the + sign next to “HKEY_LOCAL_Machine”
  6. On the expanded list, locate & click on the + sign next to “Software”
  7. On the next expanded list, locate & click on the + sign next to “Microsoft”
  8. On the next expanded list, locate & click on the + sign next to “Windows”
  9. On the next expanded list, locate & click on the + sign next to “Current Version”
  10. On the next expanded list, locate & click on the + sign next to “Policies”
  11. Under Policies tree, you will see a folder “Ratings”. Click on it.
  12. On the right pane of this window, you will see a key. Right click on the key and on the pop up menu, click on “Delete”
  13. Exit the registry editor window.

You have successfully deleted the password for Content Advisor. Now restart the comptuer and launch Internet Explorer again. Go back to “Tools”–>”Internet Options”–> “Content”–> “Disable”. It will prompt you to enter the password. Do not enter anything and click on “OK”.

This will resolve all your issues with Content Advisor feature in Internet Explorer.

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Tags: advisor, content, explorer, IE, internet, Microsoft, password, remove

Restrict web access for kids: Internet Explorer

Aug 13

Posted by Admin in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments


With internet becoming the backbone for education, a new problem has emerged in every home with Kids. How to restrict access to explicit content for kids? Microsoft has addressed this concern through a tool in Internet Explorer called “Content Advisor”. As the name suggests, it filters sites that contain content that you have specified and does not allow user to access such sites unless they have a password to allow access.

You can set this up very easily. Just follow the simple steps listed below to activate this on your computer:

  1. On the Internet Explorer window, Click on “Tools” and on the drop down menu, click on “Internet Options“
  2. On the Internet Options window, click on “Content” tab and then click on the “Enable” button
  3. On the “Ratings” tab on the next window, you will see a host of details that content advisor can work on to block any webpage access. There is a bar on this page, which is set to “None” which means no exception. You can move the bar to the right to decrease the level of restriction.

There is another tab “Approved Sites” on the Content Advisor window, that allows you to enter a list of websites that will be viewable irrespective of the type of content or rating of the website.

There is another tab called “General”. On this tab, you can see the following options:

a. Users can see websites that have no rating: This essentially means that if a website that is being accessed has no rating, it should be made visible. For details of rating system, click on the buttons–”Find Rating systems” or “rating systems”.
b. Supervisor can type a password to allow users to view restricted content: This allows users to gain unrestricted access for a specific session of Internet Explorer. If you close IE and reopen it again, the security will prompt for a password again. In case you select this option (Selected by default since administrators may want to retain access to restricted sites.)If a restricted site is accessed, user will get a prompt to enter a password. If incorrect password is provided, it will restrict the page view.
To create a password, click on the “create password” button and enter the password on both the boxes.

 Please ensure that the password is kept safe. Else you will not be able to get access to restricted sites yourselves.

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Tags: access, advisor, content, IE, internet, Microsoft, password, restrict

Windows XP: Install NT Backup utility

Aug 13

Posted by Admin in Windows XP | No Comments


The default installation of Windows XP Professional will install NTBackup utility on the computer. However, this utility is not installed by default in Windows XP Home edition. Unlike common belief, this utility is available on the installation disc for Windows XP Home edition as well. Its not installed by default though. In today’s environment, where everyone tends to store critical information on computer, it is essential to have a backup utility.

If you are using Windows XP Home and interested in installing the backup utility, follow the steps below:

  1. Insert the Windows XP installation disk in the CD/DVD drive of your computer
  2. This should launch the Windows XP setup screen automatically. If this window does not appear, go to “My Computer“, right click on the CD/DVD drive and click on “AutoPlay” option on the pop up menu. This will launch the setup screen.
  3. On the setup screen, click on “Perform Additional Tasks“
  4. On the next screen, click on “Browse this CD“
  5. This will take you to a folder list where you will see a list of files and folders. On this window, double click on “VALUEADD” folder.
  6. In this folder, double click on “NTBACKUP”. This will launch the installation of Ntbackup utility
  7. Follow the installation steps and this will add this utility on your computer

Once installed, this utility will be available to you through Start–>All programs–>Accessories–>System Tools–>Backup.

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Tags: backup, install, Microsoft, ntbackup, Recovery, restore, utility, windows, XP