Archive for December, 2009

Windows XP Mode

This application from Microsoft allows you to run older XP compatible applications that do not natively work in Windows 7! Windows XP Mode needs Windows Virtual PC installed in order to function. Furthermore, with Windows Virtual PC, you can work with multiple operating systems at the same time

1. Download both utilities from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx
2. It is recommended to download and install a tool that checks your hardware compatibility with Windows XP mode – Hardware-assisted virtualization (HAV)
3. Start by clicking Windows XP Mode first, then Windows Virtual PC
4. Double click the downloaded Windows XP mode executable file to start the first part of the installation
5. Use the default settings to install both applications
6. The second installation is in the form of a windows update – use default settings as well Read more…

Advanced Recovery Methods

The Advanced Recovery Methods link found in Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Recovery will help you recover your system to a usable state. There are two methods:-

The first method recovers your system from a previously saved image. If your last image backup is old, then you need to perform a backup of your files prior to the recovery process. However, this utility allows you to do that during its execution. If you have never performed a backup image then, this option is useless.

The second method reinstalls windows from the original installation media. Again, the process allows you to back up your files before the actual installation. If you have opted for this option then you might use a pre-build system image from your hardware manufacturer that makes life easier and speeds up the installation. Read more…

System Image Restore

Sometimes, when your system is heavily corrupted or you need to replace the system hard drive, your only option to recover the system is to boot from the Windows 7 installation DVD media and follow these steps:

1. Make sure that you have a previously backed up image of your system on an external medium
2. Connect this medium to your system Read more…

Advanced Boot Options

The Windows boot options allow you to use repair tools in case the system has loading problems. Press and Hold the function key F8 when the computer is booting from a restart or a power on. If the computer fails to boot from the hard drive, then use the Windows Installation DVD media. The following is a brief explanation of the boot options:

Repair Your Computer - more system recovery tools & diagnostics
Safe Mode – Loads a base system with a minimal set of functions
Safe Mode With Networking – Loads a base system with basic functions including networking
Safe Mode With Command Prompt – Loads a base system with basic functions and a command-line interface
Read more…

System recovery options

This option in the Advanced Boot Options  gives you further tools to diagnose and repair your system. To access this mode press F8 while booting either from the hard drive or the windows installation DVD media. Select Repair Your Computer option, select a keyboard input method and enter the administrator user password to load these options:

Startup Repair:- Fixes boot problems. Apart, from loading this feature manually, Windows may automatically boots to it if it had starting problems during a previous restart

System Restore:- It’s another option that leads you to a system restore process. It allows you to recover from incorrect system configuration changes that prevent your computer from booting up. In this case, you need to boot from the windows installation DVD media Read more…

Windows 7 Editions

There are six different editions!

Starter:- Supports a maximum of one physical processor (single or multi-core). Does not support the Windows Aero user interface, DVD playback, Windows Media Center, IIS Web Server and Internet connection sharing. Does not support enterprise features such as joining a computer to a domain, AppLocker, DirectAccess, BitLocker, Remote Desktop Host, BranchCache and EFS (Encrypting File System). Available from retailers and hardware manufacturers. Read more…

Boot Configuration Data – BCD

Windows 7 boot mechanism is made up of the Windows boot manager (Bootmgr.exe), Windows operating system loader (Winload.exe) and Windows resume loader (Winresume.exe).

The boot configuration is stored in the BCD store and the Bcdedit tool provides a common interface for managing boot options. You must be a local administrator in order to perform configuration changes to your boot options.

• From the command prompt – (Start menu Search box type cmd and click the cmd icon on top)
• Type bcdedit /? to list the help for this utility.

For example the option bcdedit /set vga on,  would load windows with a low resoltion VGA display driver on reboot.

Recovering Renamed and Deleted Files using Shadow copies

First, you need to remember the location of the deleted file such as, the parent folder and secondly, if a deleted file is still in the Recycle Bin then this should be your first and only step to restore your file Also, this article is assuming that no backups of files exist!

The following steps explain how to recover a deleted file that is not present in the Recycle Bin: Read more…