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Posts Tagged Microsoft

MSN Messenger does not minimize to TaskBar in Windows 7

Dec 18

Posted by Admin in Uncategorized | No Comments

If you have just installed MSN Messenger and wondering why it won’t minimize to Notification area (The area on the taskbar next to system clock), don’t worry. There is nothing wrong with your computer. This behaviour is by design. Unfortunately, for users, its intrusive and painful.
Luckily there is a workaround for this. Follow the steps below to fix this issue:

1. Go to C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger folder

2. Right click on msnmsgr file and on the pop up menu, click on Properties

3. On the next window, click on Compatibility tab

4. Check the box for “Run this program in Compatibility mode for:”

5. On the drop down box below this checkbox, select “Windows Vista”

6. Click on “Apply” and then click on “Ok”

Now launch MSN Messenger and it should minimize to taskbar. Enjoy connecting to the world with MSN.

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Tags: Messenger, Microsoft, MSN, Windows 7

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

Microsoft Unveils its Thinnest Bluetooth Keyboard

Sep 9

Posted by Admin in New Technologies | No Comments

Microsoft has unveiled its thinnest keyboard ever, the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000, made exclusively for Laptops and Desktops. It’s a stylish, clean and refined product, offering comfort with Microsoft’s Curve layout. The keyboard also features a portable Bluetooth number pad.

Microsoft 6000This keyboard is just a few millimeters thicker than a AAA sized battery and tapers down towards the front making it light and easier to pick up. It provides comfortable and ergonomic typing experience through Microsoft Curve layout, unlike flat laptop keyboards. It also addresses the biggest pain points of notebook customers, a missing number pad. This keyboard features a stand-alone number pad, which can be used a feature with notebook machines. This number pad comes with a carrying case for enhanced portability and will be sold separately also. 

Microsoft has unveiled its thinnest keyboard ever, the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000, made exclusively for Laptops and Desktops. It’s a stylish, clean and refined product, offering comfort with Microsoft’s Curve layout. The keyboard also features a portable Bluetooth number pad.

This keyboard is just a few millimeters thicker than a AAA sized battery and tapers down towards the front making it light and easier to pick up. It provides comfortable and ergonomic typing experience through Microsoft Curve layout, unlike flat laptop keyboards. It also addresses the biggest pain points of notebook customers, a missing number pad. This keyboard features a stand-alone number pad, which can be used a feature with notebook machines. This number pad comes with a carrying case for enhanced portability and will be sold separately also.

Source: Microsoft

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Tags: 6000, bluetooth, Keyboard, Microsoft, thin, thinnest

ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER(0×80070057) on upgrading Vista to Service Pack 2

Sep 9

Posted by Admin in Troubleshooting, Windows Vista | No Comments


Security is a key concern in today’s computing environment. With multiple vulnerabilities identified in Microsoft Vista and XP Operating Systems in past few months, it is impreative for users to ensure that all updates and Service Packs are installed on their machines.

The Error_Invalid_Parameter (0×80070057),  primarily happens due to a conflict with old Application Compatibility Update for Windows Vista & Windows 2008. You can resolve this by following either of the 2 steps mentioned below. Please note that you may also get another error “One or more drivers may be incompatible. The driver listed below might be incompatible with Vista Service Pack 2. Check to see if a solution is available, and then restart the installation after the problem is resolved”

STEP 1: Install the latest update for Application Compatibility for Windows Vista and Windows 2008 and then install Service Pack 2.

STEP 2: Uninstall the Application Compatibility Update for Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 2008, install Service Pack 2 and then install the latest update for Application Compatibility. To uninstall the update, follow the steps below:

  1. Click on “Start” and then click on “Control Panel”
  2. Under “Programs” section, click “Uninstall a Program”
  3. In the Task List in the navigation pane, click on “View installed Updates”
  4. Now click on “Update for Microsoft Windows (KB 972036)” and then click on “Uninstall”
  5. Click on “Yes” when prompted for confirmation
  6. Restart the computer when you are prompted for it.
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Tags: 0x80070057, 2, Driver, Error_Invalid_Parameter, incompatible, Microsoft, Pack, Service, Vista, windows

Windows XP Error: STOP 0×000000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM

Sep 4

Posted by Admin in Troubleshooting, Windows XP | 1 Comment


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 0x000000A0 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

Vista Error after installing Service Pack 1: 0×800410003

Aug 31

Posted by Admin in Troubleshooting, Windows Vista | No Comments


Microsoft Windows Vista may throw an error right after installing Vista Service Pack 1. This is usually a blue screen error with error code 0×800410003. If you encounter this error after installing SP1 on Vista, follow the steps below:

  1. Restart the computer
  2. While the computer is booting, tap the “F8” key to get the startup options screen
  3. On this screen, select “Safe Mode with Command Prompt“. Please note that your mouse would not function on this option screen. To select this option, use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select the option and press “Enter” once the option is highlighted.
  4. You will have to provide an “Administrator” password to login now.
  5. This will take you to a command prompt window with a blinking cursor. On this screen, type “net stop winmgmt” and press the “Enter” key
  6. Now type “DEL c:\Windows\System32\wbem\Repository\*.*” and hit “Enter“
  7. Restart the computer again

This should resolve the Blue Screen issue on your computer.

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Tags: 0x800410003, Blue Screen, Error, Microsoft, Service Pack 1, SP1, Vista, windows

How to Perform Repair Installation of Windows XP

Aug 26

Posted by Admin in Troubleshooting | No Comments


Repair installation of Windows XP means replacing all the system files with original files on the Windows XP installation disc. Since all these files are restored, you will lose any Windows Updates or Service Packs that you have installed after the computer was set up. However, if you are using a disc that has the Service Pack files on it, you will have a service pack installed system after the repair installation.

To perform Repair Installation, follow the steps below:

  1. The computer must be set to boot from CD/DVD drive. For this, you need to enter BIOS and set the first boot device in Boot Priority / Sequence to CD/DVD drive.
  2. Once done, you need to insert the Windows XP installation disc in the CD/DVD drive and restart the computer.
  3. While rebooting, you will see a prompt on the screen to “Press any key to boot from CD”
  4. When you get this prompt, press any key on the keyboard.
  5. This will initiate a booting process from CD. The setup will load a lot of files before taking you to a screen with some options to select. You will not be able to use your mouse on this screen. The selection has to be made using the arrow keys on the keyboard.
  6. Press the “Enter” key when you get the message to “Press Enter to setup Windows XP now”. Do not press “R” since this will take you to Recovery Console.
  7. You will get a License Agreement prompt. On this screen, press the “F8” key on your keyboard to accept the license agreement.
  8. Now you will get an option to select the Operating System installation that you want to repair. Select the correct option (usually there is only one installation, unless you have a dual boot set up) and press “R” to initiate the Repair Installation.
  9. Follow the instructions to complete the process
  10. The computer will reboot once the process is complete.
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Tags: boot, installation, Microsoft, Repair, Windows XP

NTLDR Missing or Corrupt: Solution

Aug 26

Posted by Admin in Troubleshooting | No Comments

 
NTLDR is an abbreviation for NT Loader. This is the boot loader for all Windows based Operating systems on NT technology, like Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. It is run from the primary hard drive, but can be executed from a removable media like a CD-ROM. This requires boot.ini file to be present to function properly.

 

This error usually appears in the following formats:

“NTLDR is Missing

Press any Key to Continue”

 

“NTLDR is Missing

Press Ctrl Alt Del to restart”

 

There are various causes for this error message:

  1. PC is booting off a CD-ROM or USB drive or any external drive/device
  2. Corrupt files and file configuration
  3. Corrupt sectors on Hard Drive
  4. BIOS problems

 

Solution

  1. Restart the computer to check if the problem still occurs. If this is intermittent, there is a high probability that the connection to the hard drive is loose.
  2. Check if you have a floppy drive or CD/DVD in the CD/DVD drive. If you have any, try booting the computer without these disks.
  3. Check the settings in BIOS. You should check for detection of Hard Drive on the BIOS Screen. A sample screen looks like below:

 BIOS1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bios2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure that you have something listed against IDE Primary Master / Hard Drive / First Boot Device, depending on the BIOS that you have.

 

4. If the above steps don’t help (in most cases they don’t), try to extract and restore the booting files from Windows installation Disc. If you don’t have the disc, you can borrow the disc from someone else. This does not violate the piracy norms set by Microsoft. To do this, follow the steps below:

  • Set the First Boot Device in BIOS to CD/DVD drive. Enter the Windows installation disc in the drive and restart the computer. You will see a prompt to “Press any key to boot from CD”. At this prompt, press any key on the keyboard to boot from CD.
  • On the selection screen that comes after the setup has loaded all the files, press “R” to go to recovery console. You may be prompted to enter your administrator password on the screen here.
  • The next screen will look like a command prompt, with a black screen and blinking cursor. On this screen type the following commands:

                                                                                       i.      Copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\

                                                                                     ii.      Copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\

 

Here, d: refers to the CDROM drive and c: refers to the partition in which Windows is installed on your machine.

  • If you get a prompt to replace the existing file, press “Y” to confirm
  • Once this is done, take the Windows disc out of the drive and type “exit” to restart the computer.

 

This should replace the existing corrupt files with a set of new files. On restart, your computer should boot properly without any error message.

 

 5. If these steps also don’t resolve the issue and you still get the same NTLDR missing message, boot from the Windows installation disc and go to the recovery console prompt again (As explained in first few steps above). On the recovery console, follow the steps below:

  • Type “bootcfg” and press Enter
  • You will get a prompt to “Add installation to Boot List?” after you press Enter key. Type “Y” to say Yes and press Enter key again
  • You will get another prompt to enter the name of the installation. On this prompt, type “Windows XP Professional” or “Windows XP Home” depending on the version of OS that you are using and press Enter.
  • You will get another prompt to enter OS Load Options. On this screen type “/Fastdetect” and press Enter Key again.
  • Now take the Windows installation disc out of the drive and type “exit” to restart the computer.

These steps will reconfigure the Boot.ini file on your computer.

 

6. If you are still getting the NTLDR missing message, you will need to go to the Recovery Console again and attempt to fix the Boot Sector on the hard drive. This command will rewrite the boot sector information. To do this, follow the steps below:

  • Go to the Recovery console as described earlier
  • On the command prompt, type “FIXBOOT” and then press the Enter key
  • Once the process is over, take out the Windows installation disc and type “Exit” to restart the computer.

This should resolve the issue if the issue is with Boot Sector information on hard drive.

 

7. If you still face the NTLDR Missing message, the problem could be with the Master Boot Record (MBR) on the hard drive. To fix this, follow the steps below

  • Boot to the Recovery Console as described above
  • On the command prompt, type “FIXMBR” and press Enter key
  • This will rewrite the existing MBR on your hard drive. Please note that if you have installed any recovery software, it will not function in pre boot state if you perform this step.
  • Once the process is over, take out the Windows installation disc and type “Exit” to restart the computer.

 

8. If the problem still exists, you will have to perform Repair Installation of Windows.

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Tags: boot, bootcfg, console, corrupt, Error, fixboot, fixmbr, MBR, Microsoft, missing, NTLDR, Recovery, Repair, Windows XP