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How To Reinstall Windows on a DELL Computer

Troubleshooting Slow Performance of DELL Computers

Windows 7 How-To Issues

Windows Vista How-To Issues

Windows XP How-To Issues

Microsoft Office How-To Issues

MICROSOFT Help & Support for XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Windows Live / Windows Phone / IE

How To Fix Problems With System Restore - XP, Vista, or Windows 7

How-To Fix Windows / Microsoft Related Issues :

How-To Troubleshoot Windows Update Problems

How to troubleshoot automatic shutdown for XP : Alternative # 1

How-To Correct Automatic Log-Off After XP Log-In
 
Boot to the Recovery Console in Windows. Go to the command prompt. Type:
 
CD System32
Copy userinit.exe wsaupdater.exe
 
Exit to the Recovery Console. Login to Windows. Open the Registry Editor.
 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Winlogon
 
Change the USERINIT value to C:\Windows\System32\userinit.exe,

Restart the computer.

Multiple Software Tutorials About How-To Use

 
How-To Disable Automatic Chkdsk Each Time The System Starts
 
Step 1. Start > cmd > chkntfs /x c: d:
 
Step 2. Doublecheck inside the Registry if the command line was set to
            default....autocheck autochk*
 
Note:    Inclusion of /x switch will add a /k parameter prior to the asterisk
            and the /k parameter excludes volumes from being checked for
            the presence of a "dirty disk" . Advice: start backing up the drive.
 
Step 3. Restart the computer in normal mode. It should not run chkdsk

Scan Registry - Microsoft Certified

It is advisable to scan the registry whenever you notice that Windows shows symptoms like crashing, slow performance, or is simply unstable, after some time of good performance.

Try the How-To Geek articles ! Click on this link, then select your OS or specific Application.

Speed Up Microsoft Windows XP

Increase Vista Startup Speed

Additional Step To Have Quick VISTA Startup
 
Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services >
Select and STOP Superfetch

Vista won't shutdown ? ( See # 13 to force quick shutdown. )

How to improve Vista Performance ( in general )

Part 2 - Improve XP or Vista Speed

Vista SP1 FAQ + Answers

How to Manually reinstall Vista in DELL computers

How to remove some locked-up files in Vista - FREE Revo Uninstaller

Resolve Bluescreen Errors

How to remove Error Message: "Missing File C:\WINDOWS\system32\kernel.dll.vbs" and similar Registry Error Messages

How to overcome "Access is Denied" when you try to delete unwanted files.

  • Download Process Explorer
  • Note the file name or folder you're trying to delete 
  • Run Process Explorer > Find > Find Handle > Enter the file or folder name in "Handle or DLL Substring" Dialogue box
  • Click on Search
  • Right Click on the handle and then click "Close Handle" > Press Yes when promoted.

Now you can successfully delete the file or folder you are trying to delete.

How to fix registry problems in Windows... Windows Installer Cleanup Utility WHAT IS THE WINDOWS INSTALLER CLEAN UP UTILITY? The Windows Installer Clean Up Utility is a tool that can be used to remove Windows Installer configuration management information if a problem occurs. *** NOTE: The Windows Installer Clean Up Utility should not be used to remove the 2007 Microsoft Office System installation information. *** The Windows Installer configuration management information can become damaged if any of the following issues occur: - The computer's registry becomes corrupted. - A registry setting that is used by the Windows Installer is inadvertently changed, and this change results in a problem. - The installation of a program that uses Windows Installer (for example, Microsoft Office 2003) is interrupted. - There are multiple instances of a setup program running at the same time, or an instance of a setup program is "blocked."

How to reset Winsock in Vista.... Start > cmd > Run as administrator > Command Prompt > netsh winsock reset

How To recover from login failure due to forgotten or lost password using XP --- without System Restore option . . .

Wired or Wireless Networking Setup & Troubleshooting :

Verizon DSL Home Networking

How-to Troubleshoot Linksys, Westell, Actiontec Gateway, Versalink Routers

HOW TO SPEED UP THE SHUTDOWN TIME OF XP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( by Otis F. Cooper, over 20 years of PC Repairs Experience
http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/article45.html )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
To modify the time Services on your computer will close,
open the Registry by clicking on Start and Run as mentioned earlier.
Type Regedit in the Run box and look inside for the registry key named
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ System\ CurrentControlSet\Control.

Now right-click the "WaitToKillServices Timeout" file
and when it opens, you will notice the shutdown value
in the value data box.To speed up the service shutdown times lower the value.
 
The values in the WaitToKillServices Timeout file may be 20000 which is 20 seconds.
You can lower the value to 10000 which would be 10 seconds.
If the value in the box is 1000, the value is 1 second and 250 would be .25 seconds.
 
Lower the value to a point and reboot your computer
and allow it to run a few minutes.Then shutdown Windows XP to see
if a noticeable difference in shutdown is evident.
If you're not satisfied, you can repeat the value lowering steps to improve shutdown.
 
 
You can also option to have tasks running on XP to automatically shut down
to speed the process.This feature is used to end such applications as
Microsoft Word rather than such Services as Instant Messenger.
 
To use this feature, the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\ Desktop" key is
the one to find after you open the Registry Editor.
Double click AutoEnd Tasks and in the value data box change the 0 to 1.
Reboot the computer and it will now be able to close
any non-responding applications without delay.
 
When an application fails to respond during shutdown,
a dialog box is displayed prompting you to either
press the End Now button or you can wait.
Enabling AutoEnd Tasks should close these tasks.
You will be able to get up from your desktop or laptop much sooner.

 

How To Revive VISTA Hibernation Features That Can Be Configured ( if and when it gets lost )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Dr. Tom of WindowsNetworking.com , tshinder@windowsnetworking.com
  1. Click Start , click All Programs, and then click Accessories.
  2. Right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
  3. Type powercfg -h on, and then press ENTER
  4.  Restart and then configure the Hibernation Feature.

Do you want to downgrade Vista to XP without reinstalling windows ! It is possible.

PC Repair Flowchart for Hardware Troubleshooting - 1

PC Hardware Troubleshooting Flowchart - 2

How to troubleshoot POWER SAVE MODE issues. . .
from experiences by Tomas M. Barrameda II
 
1. Check for connections to the power source.
2. Swap cables.
3. Check if the Power Surge Protector is not overloaded or old.
4. Run Monitor Self-test
5. Reseat connection to the video card.
6. Run HW diagnostics -- not the quick test.
7. If all HW passed, continue SW troubleshooting with
    a) Inspect if there is a display adapter driver update
    b) Try entering F8 > Enable VGA Mode
    c) Adjust resolution if the system can enter Windows
        with the native driver
    d) If b or c is not available, delete NVRAM and reload defaults
    e) Return to F8 > Safemode with networking
    f ) Attempt at OSRI if all SW troubleshooting steps fail.
        But first backup data.
 
8 ) If all SW troubleshooting, including OSRi , failed, the most likely
    problem is either the motherboard or PSU or both. HW diagnostics
    may not have captured the defective part , and it is sometimes not
    a basis for correct conclusions.
 
Additional Notes: 
a) Power Save Mode problems can be sometimes resolved by simply adjusting the monitor VGA or DVI mode, whenever a user sets up the cable connection of monitor to tower.
b) Another technique involves testing of hardware ( oftentimes
Video Card and/or Memory Modules ), using diagnostic codes
-- beep codes and/or diagnostic lights.  Also test the power cable and video cable.  Find one good memory module.
Test each memory slot of the motherboard.

How to and Why debug Windows Errors...

When not to use Windows Debugging Tool ...
 
1 ) When the system cannot boot into any mode of  Windows;
2 ) When the Stop Error occurs before Windows gets to the desktop on on the very tail
     end of a shutdown;
3 ) When multiple Stop Errors occur in succession;
4 ) When a specific Stop Error points towards a hardware issue, such as,
     UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME.

HOW TO CHANGE WINDOWS FORMAT FROM FAT32 to NTFS ....
 

If an error message states that Windows can't be installed to the partition you chose, and Show details reveals a dialog box that says "Windows must be installed to a partition formatted as NTFS," then your computer’s hard disk is likely formatted using the older FAT32 file system.

To convert your hard disk to the latest version of NTFS

  1. Cancel the Windows 7 installation, and remove the installation disc.

  2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as….

  3. Select The following user, choose a user with administrator permissions, type the password, and then click OK.

  4. At the command prompt, carefully type convert <drive>: /fs:ntfs where <drive> is the letter associated with your Windows XP installation. For example, if Windows XP is on your C: drive, type convert c: /fs:ntfs when you type, be sure to include a space immediately before /fs:ntfs.

    Picture of convert.exe in Command Prompt

  5. Press Enter.

  6. When asked if you would you like to force a dismount on this volume, type Y, and then press Enter.

  7. When asked if you want to schedule the drive to be converted the next time the system restarts, type Y, and then press Enter.

  8. Close the Command Prompt window.

  9. Click Start, click Turn Off Computer, and then click Turn Off. (You need to shut down the computer completely rather than simply clicking Restart.)

  10. Turn on your computer. Windows will proceed to convert the hard disk to NTFS and then restart your computer. Do not use your computer during this time.

  11. When Windows XP starts again, return to step 2 under Perform a Custom installation of Windows 7.

 

How To Get Technical Support for HP Computers