COMPUTER HELP AND TIPS.

Showing posts with label Windows XP Support. Show all posts

How to manually configure Windows XP in Clean Boot State

Manually starting XP with a clean boot (advanced user only) This section is intended for advanced computer users. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to ask someone for windows help or contact Support

Step 1: Start the System Configuration Utility

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. The System Configuration Utility dialog box is displayed.

Step 2: Configure selective startup options

1. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Selective Startup.
2. Click to clear the Process SYSTEM.INI File check box.
3. Click to clear the Process WIN.INI File check box.
4. Click to clear the Load Startup Items check box. Verify that Load System Services and Use Original BOOT.INI are checked.
5. Click the Services tab.
6. Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.
7. Click Disable All, and then click OK.
8. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

Step 3: Log on to Windows

1. If you are prompted, log on to Windows.
2. When you receive the following message, click to select the Don't show this message or launch the System Configuration Utility when Windows start check box, and then click OK.

Notes

You have used the System Configuration Utility to make changes to the way Windows starts.
The System Configuration Utility is currently in Diagnostic or Selective Startup mode, causing this message to be displayed and the utility to run every time Windows starts.
Choose the Normal Startup mode on the General tab to start Windows normally and undo the changes you made using the System Configuration Utility.

Step 4: Optional step to disable features
If the clean boot fixed the error, you do not have to perform this step.

Important If your problem is not fixed and you do have to follow this step, it permanently removes all restore points from your computer. The System Restore feature uses restore points to restore your computer to an earlier state. If you remove the restore points, you can no longer restore Windows to an earlier state.

This step temporarily disables Microsoft features such as Plug and Play, networking, event logging, and error reporting.

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
The System Configuration Utility dialog box is displayed.
2. Click the General tab, click to clear the Load System Services check box, and then click OK.
3. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

If these steps helped you start your computer in a clean-boot state, you are finished. If these steps did not help, go to the “Next Steps” section. If you have to return your computer to a normal startup state, go to “Steps to configure Windows to use a Normal startup state”.

How to manually configure Windows XP in Clean Boot State

You have used the System Configuration Utility to make changes to the way Windows starts.
The System Configuration Utility is currently in Diagnostic or Selective Startup mode, causing this message to be displayed and the utility to run every time Windows starts.
Choose the Normal Startup mode on the General tab to start Windows normally and undo the changes you made using the System Configuration Utility.

User Account item can not open in Control Panel

This post provide windows XP support to fix If you can not open User account item in control panel on windows xp based computer. You may not be able to open the User Accounts item in Control Panel on a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer. Additionally, you may receive an error message that resembles the following:

Wrong number of arguments or invalid property assignment

To fix this problem, use the regsvr32 command to register the .dll files. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following commands, press ENTER after each command, and then click OK when a message says that the registration is successful:

Regsvr32 jscript.dll
Regsvr32 nusrmgr.cpl
Regsvr32 /i mshtml.dll
Regsvr32 themeui.dll
Regsvr32 Vbscript.dll

How to configure Windows XP to start in a clean boot state

This post provide support for configure Windows XP to start by using a clean boot. You can also Create Multiple Boot system with Windows XP

To configure Windows XP using clean boot You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to configure Windows XP to start by using a clean boot.

Manual steps to perform a clean boot in Windows XP

Step 1: Start the System Configuration Utility

Click Start, click Run, type msconfig , and then click OK.
The System Configuration Utility dialog box appears.

Step 2: Configure selective startup options

1. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Selective Startup.
2. Click to clear the Process SYSTEM.INI File check box.
3. Click to clear the Process WIN.INI File check box.
4. Click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.
5. Click the Services tab.
6. Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.
7. Click Disable All, and then click OK..
8. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

Step 3: Log on to Windows

1. Log on to Windows.
2. When you receive the following message, click to select the Don't show this message or launch the System Configuration Utility when Windows start check box, and then click OK:

You have used the System Configuration Utility to make changes to the way Windows starts.

The System Configuration Utility is currently in Diagnostic or Selective Startup mode, causing this message to be displayed and the utility to run every time Windows starts.

Choose the Normal Startup mode on the General tab to start Windows normally and undo the changes you made using the System Configuration Utility.

How to set a system restore point in Windows XP

Sometimes, a new program can make your computer behave unpredictably, and uninstalling the program does not help. Windows XP has a feature known as System Restore that can help. You can use System Restore to select a time when your computer is working as you want. This is known as a system restore point. Then, if something goes wrong with your computer, you can use the system restore point to restore your computer back to when it was working. When you restore your computer, you will not lose any recent work, such as documents and e-mail. This post describes a brief step-by-step method and technical support that is easy to follow for setting up a system restore point in Windows XP.

Setting a restore point lets you select a point in time when your computer is working as you want. Then, you can use the restore point to undo any unwanted changes to your computer in the future.

This method is rated: Easy.

To set up a restore point, follow these steps:

1. Close any programs that are open.
2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. The System Restore Wizard opens.

Note If the System Restore Wizard does not open, the System Restore feature may be turned off. To turn System Restore on, see the "More Information" section in this article.
3. Click Create a restore point, and then click Next.
4. In Restore point description box, type a description for the restore point. Use a description that is easy to understand. If you are creating a restore point before you install specific software or hardware, you could use that information in the description.

Note The date and time are automatically added to your restore point. Therefore, you do not have to use them in your description.
5. Do one of the following:
* To finish creating this restore point, click the Create button. The System Restore Wizard notifies you when the restore point is created.
* To stop creating a restore point and to return to the Welcome to System Restore page, click the Back button.
* To stop creating a restore point and to exit the System Restore Wizard, click the Cancel button.
6. When you are finished, click the Close button.

How to Enable DualView in Windows XP

DualView is an extension of the multiple-monitor feature in Microsoft Windows 2000. Some high-end display adapters, and many portable computers, support two interfaces to the same display adapter. In portable computers, this functionality involves the internal display and the external connector for a monitor or other display. DualView enables the two interfaces to display different outputs at the same time.This post provide technical support tips to Enable DualView in Windows XP Operating System

Likely scenarios for DualView include the following:

A user has a portable computer in an office and needs to view data from two programs at the same time. By connecting an external monitor to the portable computer, the user can use both monitors simultaneously from the same computer.

An IT administrator discovers that there is limited expansion space in a computer center. DualView allows the administrator to connect two monitors to one system by using just one display adapter that has two output connectors, as opposed to using multiple adapters.

Follow the steps to enable dual view

1. Right-click on the desktop, and then click Properties.
2. From the Display properties window, select the Settings tab.
3. Select the Display Monitor, and then select the Extend my Windows desktop onto the monitor option.

How to create the registry key to restrict access to the registry

The Security permissions set on this key define what Users or Groups can connect to the system for remote Registry access. The default Windows installation defines this key and sets the Access Control List to restrict remote registry access as follows:
Administrators have Full Control

The default configuration for Windows permits only Administrators remote access to the Registry. Changes to this key to allow users remote registry access require a system reboot to take effect.

Follow the instruction

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) and go to the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
2. On the Edit menu, click Add Key.
3. Enter the following values:
Key Name: SecurePipeServers
Class: REG_SZ
4. Go to the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurePipeServers
5. On the Edit menu, click Add Key.
6. Enter the following values:
Key Name: winreg
Class: REG_SZ
7. Go to the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurePipeServers\winreg
8. On the Edit menu, click Add Value.
9. Enter the following values:
Value Name: Description
Data Type: REG_SZ
String: Registry Server
10. Go to the following subkey.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurePipeServers\winreg
11. Select "winreg". Click Security and then click Permissions. Add users or groups to which you want to grant access.
12. Exit Registry Editor and restart Windows.
13. If you at a later stage want to change the list of users that can access the registry, repeat steps 10-12.

Windows XP support for the Opteron processor

This post outlines the computer support policy for using 32-bit Microsoft Windows XP with the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Opteron processor.

Microsoft Product Support Services will support x86-based Windows XP Home and Professional versions when they run on AMD Opteron-based systems. The level of support for Windows XP on specific hardware is determined by one of the following criteria:

Whether the hardware and drivers have completed the Microsoft Hardware Logo Program
Whether the hardware is listed on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)

To download the latest Windows HCL, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx

For more information about the support of non-HCL hardware, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Microsoft support policy on hardware not on Windows NT HCL

Note the following about AMD64-based systems:

AMD64-based systems can run both 32-bit versions of Windows and any 32-bit application that is supported by x86-based systems.

32-bit versions of Windows on AMD64 cannot execute 64-bit code. Running 64-bit code requires a 64-bit operating system.

AMD64 processors cannot run Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for Intel Itanium processors. The differences in architecture between the two processors prevent each from running Windows XP compiled for the other one.

How to use System Restore to restore Windows XP

Get further information about Windows Operating system and computer support for troubleshoot computer. This post discuss about how to perform System Restore, to perform System Restore you must be logged on to Windows as an administrator. If this is your personal computer, you are likely already logged on with an administrator account. If this is a computer that is part of a network at work, you might have to ask the system administrator for help.

To use System Restore to restore Windows XP to a previous state, follow these steps:

1. Log on to Windows as Administrator.
2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
4. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next.

Note A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.
5. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
6. Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Restoration Complete page is displayed.
7. Click OK.
If you successfully restored your computer to a previous state, and the computer is performing as it should be, you are finished.

If the restore process completed successfully but the computer is still not performing as you want, go to the "How to undo a system re installation after you perform a System Restore" section. If you received an error message and the restore process did not finish, or if you cannot run System Restore.

How to undo a system restoration after you perform a System Restore

You have performed Restore System to restore Windows XP in previous state. If the system restore done successfully but computer is still not performing as you want then you want to undo a system restoration. To undo the restoration, follow these steps:
1. Log on to Windows as Administrator.
2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Undo my last restoration, and then click Next.

Note A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.
4. On the Confirm Restoration Undo page, click Next. System Restore restores the original Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
5. Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Undo Complete page appears.
6. Click OK. You can now run System Restore again from a different restore point.

Users keep Microsoft Windows XP alive

Last year Microsoft announced that they would be pulling the plug on Windows XP, users frustrated many who were not big fans of the Windows Vista operating system. However, since this story to many people still using Windows XP on PCs and laptops allowing downgrade rights to Windows Vista.

With the release of Windows 7 scheduled Oct. 22, perhaps this is the end for Windows XP, unlike Windows Vista requirements 7 is not particularly good hardware necessary to install and run the operating system as well.

From the July 21 order OEM downgrade rights, it seems that ending the life of Windows XP, the only way you can get a license of XP will be the purchase from a supplier who still has a balance of it, demand XP license retailers will probably have to sell.

Microsoft is said to still offer XP for Netbooks, this is because some Netbooks hardware will not run any more advanced operating systems sufficiently.

Users keep Microsoft Windows XP alive

How to Use the Roll Back Driver

Use the device driver rollback feature to reverse the consequences of having installed an invalid, incorrect, or corrupted device driver by restoring the previously installed driver. This post provides Windows XP support to use Roll back Driver

To use the Roll Back Driver, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Copy and then paste (or type) the following command in the Open box, and then press ENTER:
devmgmt.msc
3. Expand the appropriate hardware category that contains the problematic device. Double-click the device for which you want to restore the driver.
4. Click the Driver tab, and then click Roll Back Driver.
5. Restart your computer.

New Feature In Windows 7 : Virtual WiFi Technology

After the research of almost a decade the researchers from the Microsoft support has released a new technology in the Windows 7 called as V WiFi (Virtual Wi-Fi). It is a technology which virtualizes wireless adapter into as many wireless adapter depending upon the requirement, and make the machine to think that it has many wireless adapter in it thus provides the ability to connect to multiple hotshots simultaneously i.e. it allows a single wireless adapter to act like two, two NIc in one machine.

This Virtual Wi-Fi feature will make it easier to set up a mesh network where every system in the network act as a repeater i.e. one adapter grabs a signal and another passes it another.

The Virtual Wi-Fi (VWIFI) feature has been included in Windows 7 for the first time which is in its RC1 Phase of evolution. Although no drivers are reportedly available to take advantage of the feature so this feature is still waiting to come out and play.

Some users wonder why more than one wireless card would be needed inside your computer. There are a very few circumstances where multiple wireless adapters would be needed. For instance, users could connect to one wireless network and use the virtual adapter to turn their machine into a hot spot that other computers could connect to and share the internet access.

Another good usage scenario for the technology would be connecting to a wireless network while also connecting to a wireless ad hoc network at the same time. Istartedsomething reports that supporting Virtual Wi-Fi is going to be a requirement for WLAN drivers sporting the Windows support Certification Logo. The drivers will be coming to add support for the feature.

The feature is described as, “On Windows 7 and later, the operating system installs a virtual device if a Hosted Network capable wireless adapter is present on the machine. This virtual device normally shows up in the “Network Connections Folder” as ‘Wireless Network Connection 2’ with a Device Name of ‘Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport adapter’ if the computer has a single wireless network adapter. This virtual device would be used exclusively for performing software access point (SoftAP) connections. The lifetime of this virtual device is tied to the physical wireless adapter. If the physical wireless adapter is disabled, this virtual device will be removed as well.”

The caveat to the technology is that only one virtual adapter can be created.

Source:
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/new-feature-in-windows-7-virtual-wifi-technology-940097.html

How to Create FAT32 Drives

This post provide windows operating system support to creat FAT32 drivers.In Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, and Windows Me, if you run the Fdisk tool on a hard disk that is over 512 megabytes (MB) in size, Fdisk prompts you whether or not to enable large disk support. If you answer "Yes" (enabling large disk support), any partition you create that is larger than 512 MB is marked as a FAT32 partition.

Windows 98 and Windows Me also includes a FAT32 conversion tool that you can use to convert an existing drive to the FAT32 file system. To use the conversion tool,

Follow these steps:
1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Drive Converter (FAT32).
2. Click Next.
3. Click the drive that you want to convert to the FAT32 file system, and then click Next.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Switch the Mouse Buttons for Left-Handed Users

This section I am going to discuss computer repair services and tips to Change Windows XP's mouse button orientation to better-suit left-handed users.

In Windows XP, the left mouse button defaults to selecting or double-clicking items. The right mouse button pops up alternate menus depending on where the mouse pointer is positioned. Left-handed mouse users may find this irritating, finding the right mouse button easier to click than the left. If so, you can make the right mouse button act like the left one, and vice versa.

Follow the Steps:

1. First, open Windows XP's Mouse Control Panel.

2. On the "Mouse Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box that follows, select the "Buttons" tab.

3. Check "Switch primary and secondary buttons".

4. When done, press "OK" to close the dialog box.

How to change Langauge In Windows XP

Some time you need to change your default language. Suppose at the installation time you choose the Arabic as default language and you want to change English. This post provide Step by step technical Support to Change your Default Language.

Follow the Steps

1. Open My Computer
2. Control Panel-> Classic View
3. Open Regional and Language Applets Option
4. Go to Language Tab-> Details
5. Choose the language from drop menu
6. Apply and OK.

How to Conserve Battery Power in Windows XP

This post provide some tips to Conserve Battery Power of your laptop if you are using Windows XP. This Windows XP support tips help you to conserving Battery Power.

Is your battery powering your Windows XP laptop requiring a recharge almost constantly? Here are some things you can do to cause Windows XP to use less power:

1. First, check your battery to make sure it is completely holding its charge. This normally can be done by first completely charging your battery, turning your computer completely off, unhooking the battery, then performing a test on the battery by pressing a button or looking at a small display as per your computer manufacturer's instructions.

2. Stay offline when necessary. Network communications may put a drain on battery power.

3. Unhook USB devices whenever not in use - they can zap power.

4. Disable all background processes that you don't need, such as the clock or a background disk defragmenter. DO NOT disable firewalls or antivirus software as removing these programs can cause a security risk!

5. Change the screensaver to the "Blank Screen" screensaver. There's no need wasting power displaying fireworks or marquee text when your computer isn't doing anything important.

6. Though you shouldn't disable your antivirus software, don't schedule complete system scans until your computer is plugged in. Same for spyware scans.

7. Most importantly, when your computer is not in use, either shut it down, put it in standby, or hibernate it.

How to undo a system restoration after you perform a System Restore

You have performed Restore System to restore Windows XP in previous state. If the system restore done successfully but computer is still not performing as you want then you want to undo a system restoration. To undo the restoration, follow these steps:

Log on to Windows as Administrator.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Undo my last restoration, and then click Next.

Note A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.
On the Confirm Restoration Undo page, click Next. System Restore restores the original Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Undo Complete page appears.
Click OK. You can now run System Restore again from a different restore point.

How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Professional

Windows XP Professional is the professional-grade version of Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. Some features that are included on the Professional version that do not appear on the Home edition include remote desktop, file system encryption, multiple language support and personal web server. Some issues you may have to troubleshoot in Windows XP Professional include start-up difficulties, shutdown problems and error messages. this post provides operating system support to fix windows XP professional.

Analyze the error code by logging onto the Microsoft Support website. If you receive an error message, you can look up the code as well as the fix for the Windows XP Professional operating system. Some examples include 0xC0000218 and 0x000000C2, both stop errors.

Return the computer to a restore point. Restore points can be used to return your computer to a former version before the Windows XP error occurred. Open the "System Tools" menu found under "Accessories." Choose the "Select a Restore Point" option and browse the list of past dates and times that restore points were created. Highlight any point that occurred prior to the operating system issue and click "Confirm Restore Point Selection."

Access the last known configuration of Windows XP Professional that worked. To do this, press F8 at start-up. Highlight "Last Known Good Configuration" and press "Enter."

Restart your computer in Safe Mode to troubleshoot Windows XP Professional. Once in this mode, you can change or delete drivers to fix the OS issue. To start in Safe Mode, press the F8 key during start-up. Choose "Safe Boot" from the "Windows Advanced Options" menu.

Reinstall the Windows XP Professional software. You may need to reinstall the OS if you are unable to troubleshoot the issue with less-aggressive methods. To reinstall Windows XP, make a back-up disc of your programs and files. Then insert the original installation disc and follow the instructions provided by the on-screen wizard that pops up.

Your Windows XP Problems Resolved

Undoubtedly, Windows XP is a good operating system. But sometimes you may find certain issues with your computer running on Windows XP OS. Some of the randomly discovered issues are slow startup, SVCHOST.EXE error, blue-screen error, slow internet browsing, registry related error, shutdown issues, generic host WIN32 error and upgrade issue.
Most random issues of your Windows XP, like slow boot performance, slow browsing, blue-screen are easy to fix, with some basic tips and tricks. They just need your proper attention. For example, you should be habitual of defragmenting your hard disk on regular basis, scanning your PC with effective virus scanner every month, cleaning your windows registry with registry cleaner tool. Also don’t open any e-mail attachment, which comes from unknown destination, because it might be a source of virus. Keep your anti-virus program updated and to get effective results, contact your tech support provider without any delay.
When you keep working for a long time on your computer, your hard disk get cluttered with innumerous temporary files, Windows registry get flooded with invalid entries as a consequence of which, your system starts freezing or becomes totally unstable. You can fix hard disk related issues of your Windows XP, by using the disk defragmenter tool available in System Tools. You can access it as: Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter. You can customize the tool to do partial or complete defragmentation. The process takes some time, so have patience.
To counteract the invalid entries in your XP operating system, you can go for online registry cleaner software, which can automatically fix Windows XP’s registry. You can also perform manual tweaking of corrupted Windows registries, if you are confident with your tech skills. The Windows XP Support platform is a comprehensive and resilient operating system for the Home and Business PC user.
However, if you fail to fix any of the Windows XP issues, you can contact some authentic organization, which is offering support for Windows XP. For regular support you can avail some suitable subscription too.