Tutorials

Disable Explorer Folder View of Cab and Zip Files in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 By default, Windows handles ZIP files just like folders. ZIP files will show in the navigation pane of Windows Explorer, and if selected in the navigation pane, you will see the ZIP file's contents in Windows Explorer just like a folder. If you have a 3rd party ZIP program (ex: 7-Zip, etc.) installed, then this can be an annoyance to you and you may want to turn this feature off so ZIP files will only open in the program instead of Windows Explorer. This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable ZIP folders (compressed and cab folders) from having their contents expand and show in Windows Explorer like folders for all users. Compressed...

How to Do a Repair Install to Fix Windows 7 This will show you how to do a repair install (aka: in-place upgrade install) to fix your currently installed Windows 7 and preserve your user accounts, data, programs, and system drivers.Do a Repair installation if: A System Restore did not help fix your Windows 7. There is no other easier option left that can fix your Windows 7. You DO NOT want to do a Clean reinstall of Windows 7. You DO want to preserve your user accounts, data, programs, and system drivers. ITEMS THAT WILL BE RESET TO DEFAULT OR AFFECTED: Sounds Services Visual Effects Settings Device Drivers - Be sure to have these handy to reinstall. They do not always remain after the repair (upgrade) install. You may lose...

How to Restore Default Location of User Folders in Windows 7 and Windows 8 This will show you how to restore the default location of all or a single user folder of your choice in Windows 7 and Windows 8. If you have duplicate user folders instead, then you will need to backup the contents of the duplicate user folders, do OPTION TWO below, delete the duplicate folders, then you may need to restart the computer a couple of times first before the default location is restored. Windows 8.1 Update released on April 8th 2014 via Windows Update, renamed SkyDrive to OneDrive. CONTENTS: Option One: To Restore Default Location of User Folders in Properties Option Two: To Restore Default Location of User Folders using a BAT file...

How to Recover from an Infinitely Looping Startup Repair Loop without Reinstalling Windows If you've ever experienced a Startup Repair that continously loops and fails to fix the problem of not being able to load windows, even in safe mode, then you'll know that usually the only way to recover from this when System Restore does not work is to do a clean install of Windows. Until now. This tutorial will show you how to use the System Recovery Options provided by Windows to recover your system to a working state so that you don't have to risk losing data by performing a clean install. The instructions presented withing this tutorial must be followed correctly, or you can damage your Windows 7 installation even further. This...

Restore Default Windows 7 File Extension Type Associations The downloads below will allow you to restore the Windows 7 default registry entries and program associations of the selected file extension type.This can be helpful for example when a file extension type opens with the wrong program by default, has the wrong icon, or is missing or corrupted in the registry. Downloading the .reg file for the selected file extension in the tutorial below, will restore that file extension back to default for all of these items above. Since there are so many default file extension types in Windows 7, it may take a bit to have a complete list of them below. If the file extension type you need to restore is not listed below yet, then please...

How to Create a Portable Microsoft Fix it Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services (MATS) is the engine that drives Microsoft Fix it solutions. The online Microsoft Fix it Solution Center offers solutions to common issues; for most solutions you can simply press the green Run Now button and let MATS diagnose and repair the issue for you. Alternatively, you could download the MATS to run it offline; and many solutions provided a Let me fix it myself section. In August of 2013, Microsoft made the entire MATS / Fix it catalog portable. This greatly simplifies troubleshooting issues where Internet connectivity is not available or a machine cannot connect to the Internet. The catalog and engine can be put on a Flash drive and...

How to Overwrite Deleted Data using the "Cipher" Command in Windows The Windows cipher command line tool is predominantly used to manage the encryption status of NTFS volumes. A lesser known function of this command is the ability to securely overwrite free disk space. Files deleted on a volume are only marked for deletion and can still be recovered. By using the cipher command, the free space occupied by the deleted files are securely overwritten resulting in a more secure system in which the previously deleted files cannot be recovered. The advantage of using the cipher command is that it ONLY overwrites free disk space - the remainder of the volume is untouched. The cipher command can be run from a booted system without the...

How to Run a Program in Compatibility Mode in Windows 7 Compatibility mode allows a older program written for an earlier versions of Windows to possibly run in Windows 7. You can also use Compatibility mode to always have a program to Run as an administrator. 32 bit Windows has emulation for 16 bit programs built in. 64-bit Windows only has emulation for 32 bit programs. If the program ran on 32-bit Windows 7 and not 64 bit, then chances are it's a 16 bit program and you may have to use something like DosBox or XP Mode to be able to run it in 64-bit Windows. If changing the Compatibility settings does not fix the problem, go to the program manufacturer's website to see if there is an update for the program. To see if your...

How to Import Vista and Windows 7 Contacts and Contact Groups into Windows Live Mail This will show you how to import your contacts and contact groups from Vista into Windows Live Mail that is in Windows 7. If you already have your contacts saved (step 2), then Windows Live Mail will automatically import them after installing and opening Windows Live Mail the first time. You can get information on how to download the latest version of Windows Live Mail here. In Contact Groups from Vista Windows Mail, only the contacts that are also included as normal Contacts will be imported into Windows Live Mail. Contacts that were created for the Contact Group only will not be imported into Windows Live Mail. You will need to write these...

How to Activate Windows 7 by Phone Activation is the required process of ensuring that Windows 7 on your computer is genuine and used according to the Microsoft Software License Terms. If you are unable to activate Windows 7 online or do not have the internet, then this will show you how to activate Windows 7 by phone instead with your entered product key number.Genuine Windows is a recurring process that checks your product key to ensure it's being used with the hardware it was paired with during activation. If the product key is found to be non-genuine, or not valid, it's likely that the product key is either being used on another computer or is counterfeit. Try doing the Diagnostics and Validate Windows options. For more...

WordPad Workaround The problem is that WordPad doesn't let you choose a default font, it's always Calibri 11, line spacing 1.15, and 10pt spacing after paragraphs. You can't change WordPad, but you can easily open new .rtf documents with default settings of your choice. Create an .rtf template file (Note: For now, this is called "template.rtf", but you can name it anything you want.)1. Open a WordPad document. Type a space with the space bar. Click Ctrl+A to select the space. (Note: If there is no "space" to select, your changes will not persist.) 2. Make your changes to font, size, line spacing, etc. 3. Click on the WordPad dropdown (top left corner). 4. Select "Save as" > "Rich Text Document" to your Desktop, naming it...

How to Create a System Image Backup in Windows 7 A system image is an exact copy of a drive. By default, a system image includes the drives required for Windows to run. A system image would include all NTFS formatted partitions with an operating system installed on it (ex: C ), as well as the System Reserved partition. These system partitions cannot be unselected. It also includes Windows and your system settings, programs, and files. You can use a system image to restore the contents of your computer if your hard disk or computer ever stops working. When you restore your computer from a system image, it's a complete restoration—you can't choose individual items to restore, and all of your current programs, system settings, and files...

How to Fix Gadgets not Displaying Correctly in Windows 7 If you have gadgets that are displaying on your Windows 7 desktop improperly as black, white, blank, or just messed up, then this will show you how to fix them. You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this tutorial. If you have a 3rd party firewall program installed, then also check to make sure that the gadgets are allowed in the firewall and are not being blocked in that program's exception settings. EXAMPLE: Gadgets not displaying correctly Automatically Using a BAT File Download NOTE: This does the same thing as in OPTION TWO below, but automatically. 1. Click on the Download button below to download the file below. Reset_Gadgets.bat...

How to Reset All Folder View Settings to Default in Windows 7 This will show you how to reset all folder view settings and navigation pane width back to default for all folders and libraries in all folder templates in Windows 7. The included folder view settings that will be set back to default will be all Group by, Sort by, Arrange by arrangement , Icon Size, or View arrangement settings. This will also reset all folder templates back to default unless you used "Apply to Folders" as below. If Apply to Folders was used to set folder views and templates, then this tutorial will not reset them to default since "Apply to Folders" makes what you set the new default. Instead, you will need to use Reset Folders to be able to reset...

Make Windows 7 bootable after motherboard swap, or bootable after swapping hard drive to new machine. Software described Paragon P2P Adjust OS. This procedure describes how to do it. Procedure can be used in case of: Windows 7 Installation - Transfer to a New Computer doesn't work. You forgot to SYSPREP. You can't SYSPREP because your motherboard died. You simply don't want to use SYSPREP. Download "Paragon Adaptive Restore 2010" from Paragon Adaptive Restore 2010 on my DROPBOX. Burn the ISO to CD/DVD using Windows Disc Image Burner or ImgBurn. Set CD/DVD as first boot device in BIOS. Do the following: Boot the computer from Paragon Windows PE 3.0 based CD/DVD. Accept the end user license agreement, otherwise you are not able to...

How to Change Icons in "Devices and Printers" with Custom Icons This tutorial will cover how to change the icons in Devices and Printers with a custom icon of your choosing and be device specific, eliminating resource hacking and/or overwriting Windows 7 default icons. You'll need to be familiar with making multi-resolution icons to complete this tutorial. Many tutorials already exist, and one can be found at SevenForums here. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the procedure before moving onto this tutorial. The icons used in this method must contain the following sizes: 256x256 32bit + Alpha 48x48: 32bit + Alpha 48x48: 8bit 256 48x48: 4bit 16 32x32: 32bit + Alpha 32x32: 8bit 256 32x32: 4bit 16 24x24: 32bit...

How to Restore your Windows.old Folder into a New Installation This will restore the files and folders from the windows.old folder. This means that any documents, settings, and programs will be restored to their previous positions and settings. It will look similar to your previous installation, but not exactly the same! There will be some differences! YES, this works in Vista, as well as Windows Seven. The instructions are EXACTLY the same! For more information, see also: How to restore a Windows 7-based computer to a previous Windows installation by using the Windows.old folder Make sure you: Know how to boot from a CD/DVD. Know how to install Windows from a DVD, over an existing installation. Make sure that the free...

How to Create a "Forgotten Password Wizard" Shortcut in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 This will show you how to download or create a Forgotten Password Wizard shortcut that can be used to create a Password Reset Disk in Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8. You will have to need to have a USB flash drive connected to your computer before you will be able to use the Forgotten Password Wizard shortcut. EXAMPLE: Forgotten Password Wizard To Download the "Forgotten Password Wizard" Shortcut 1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below. Forgotten_Password_Wizard.zip http://www.sevenforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=136492&stc=1&d=1296845843 2. Save the .zip file to your desktop. 3. Open the .zip file and...

How to Have "Always use selected program" Always Checked or Unchecked in "Open with" This will show you how to have the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file check box to always be checked or unchecked by default in the Open with dialog box in Windows 7 and Vista. You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this tutorial. This option was found and created by Daniel Martín at the source website below: How to display the "Open With" dialog box with the "Always associate this program" checkbox unchecked by default | The Hows and Whys of Windows EXAMPLE: "Open with" with "Always use selected program" Always Unchecked by Default To Have "Always use selected program" Check Box Always Unchecked...

How to Rebuild the Icon Cache in Windows If one or more of your icons are not displaying correctly, or that your icon cache is corrupted, then you might consider rebuilding the icon cache to reset and reload the icon images into the icon cache in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. This will not help with any of the following icon issues: A shortcut's icon that is not displayed properly due to the source of the shortcut being moved or deleted. You may need to recreate a new shortcut directly from the source (ex: program's exe) file to replace it instead. All icons for a specific file extension display the wrong icon. This may be due to setting the wrong association for what program to open the file extension instead. You can restore...