Tutorials

How to Fix Backup Error 0x81000019 in Windows 7 This tutorial will help show you some ways to deal with the backup error 0x81000019 which prevents you from creating a Windows System Image. USN journal files can accumulate in the system reserved partition. If you don't have 40-50MB of free space then shadow storage copy in this partition can't occur and you get 0x81000019 errors when making a system image. Try This First First try clearing the USN journal files:1) If System Reserved has less than 50MB of free space then continue or else go to Option Two. 2) Assign a letter to system reserved with Disk Management eg F: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/82994-drive-letter-add-change-remove-windows-7-a.html 3) From a command...

How to View and Change the "Computer Name" in Windows 7 Computers on a network must have a unique computer name so they can identify and communicate with each other. If two computers have the same name on the same network, it creates a conflict for network communications. This tutorial will show you how to view and change your computer name in Windows 7. You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to change your computer name. It is recommend that you use only Internet-standard characters in the computer name. The standard characters are the numbers 0 through 9, uppercase and lowercase letters from A through Z, and the hyphen (-) character. Computer names cannot consist entirely of numbers, nor can they contain...

How to Open and Set "Customize Start Menu" Settings in Windows 7 This will show you how to customize the links, icons, and menus look and behave in the Windows 7 Start Menu using the Taskbar Start Menu Propertes page settings. Display as a link - When the Start Menu button is clicked on, it opens a window for it. Display as a menu - When the Start Menu button is clicked on or hovered over, it expands a menu for it. EXAMPLE: Customized Windows 7 Start Menu Through Customize Start Menu Property Settings1. Right click on the Start button and click on Properties. 2. Click on the Customize button. (See screenshot below) 3. To Customize the Start MenuA) Dot, check, and uncheck the settings for how you want them to look and...

How to Set WaitToKillServiceTimeout to Speed Up Shut Down Time in Windows This tutorial will show you how to set the WaitToKillServiceTimeout to how long the system waits for services to stop after notifying the service that the system is shutting down in XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. When the WaitToKillServiceTimeout value of this entry expires, the system notifies the user that the service has not stopped. The user can either force the service task to stop or continue to wait. If the user waits, this WaitToKillServiceTimeout value specifies the interval between repeated user notices that the service has not stopped. If all services stop before this WaitToKillServiceTimeout value expires, the system shuts down; it does...

How to Show and Access Hidden and Ghost Devices and Drivers in Device Manager This will show you the devices and drivers from programs you no longer use, it will free up some disk space, not to mention help resolve potential conflicts between drivers that are no longer needed. You do not want delete any Generic Volume Shadow Copy Drivers or Non-Plug and Play Devices before you make sure of their functions as you could disable the PC entirely or at the least some programs / apps will fail to function. Let's get started! 1) In the Windows 7 start menu right click computer and select properties, in the "System" window that opens in the upper left pane select Advanced System Settings. 2) In the system properties window that...

How to Use Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor This will show you how to download and use Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to get a report to see if your computer can run Windows 7. When the report is finished you will see which upgrade options are available and get guidance on fixing the system, program, and devices issues it finds before you install Windows 7.Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will run on the following 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems: Windows 7 Vista XP with SP2 .NET 2.0 Framework or higher is required to be installed with XP. Before scanning your PC with the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, be sure to plug in and turn on any USB devices or other devices, such as printers, external hard disks, and scanners, that you regularly use with...

How to Create a "Screen Resolution" Shortcut in Windows This will show you how to create or download a Screen Resolution shortcut that opens directly to the the screen resolution settings window. EXAMPLE: Screen Resolution NOTE: This is the same settings for when you right click on a empty space on the desktop and click on Screen resolution. To Download a "Screen Resolution" Shortcut 1. Click on the Download button below to download the Screen_Resolution.zip file. https://www.sevenforums.com/attachments/tutorials/27029d1252395803-screen-resolution-shortcut-create-screen_resolution.zip 2. Click on Save, and save the .zip file to the desktop. 3. Open the .zip file and extract the Screen Resolution shortcut to the desktop. 4...

How to Associate a File Type or Protocol Default Program in Window 7 This will show you how to associate a file extension type or protocol to open with a program you select by default in Windows 7. These Default Programs association settings are a per user setting and not applied to all users. The program that you select as the default for the file extension type or protocol must support opening that file extension or protocol for the program to be able to open it. For example, a .TXT will open with Notepad or Wordpad, but it will not open with MSPaint. Restore Default File Associations Using a Download 1. Go to the link below to select a file extension to download a .reg file for to merge and restore it's default associations...

How to Create a Hibernate Shortcut in Windows This tutorial will show you how to create a shortcut for Hibernation on the desktop. This can then be moved anywhere you like. You will need to enable hibernate for this hibernate shortcut to work. Otherwise it will put your computer to sleep instead. Step 1: Right click on the desktop and select New -> Shortcut Step 2: Type this into the location field: C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState 0,1,0 Step 3: Name it whatever you would like: You now have your Hibernation shortcut! Step 4 (optional): Change the icon to something meaningful. Right click on the shortcut, and select Properties. In the Shortcut tab, choose "Change Icon". You can use the...

How to Enable or Disable Transparency in Windows 7 This will show you how to enable or disable tranparency for windows, the Start Menu, and the taskbar in Windows 7. The Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic editions do not have Aero Transparency included in them. You will not have the Transparency option if you have a Basic and High Contrast Theme instead of a Aero Theme. Aero Requirements to be Enabled in Windows 7 NOTE: If Aero is not enabled, then Transparency will not work even when enabled. 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor 1 GB of system memory A graphics card with support for DirectX 9 graphics with at least 128 MB of memory. The graphics card must support Pixel Shader 2.0 and the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM). You must...

How to Copy Your Region and Language Settings to New Users and Welcome Screen This will show you how to apply your currently logged in administrator account's Date and Time formats, location, keyboard input language, and display language "Region and Language" settings to new user accounts, Welcome screen (log on screen), and system accounts (local system, local service, and network service) in Windows 7 and Windows 8. The other user accounts that this is appied to will still be able to also manually change these settings for their user account though. You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this tutorial. Here's How: 1. Open the Control Panel (icons view) in Windows 7 or Windows 8, and click on the...

How to Turn Windows Defender Real-Time Protection On or Off in Windows 7 Windows Defender real-time spyware protection runs in the background and alerts you when spyware and other potentially unwanted software attempts to install itself or run on your computer. This will show you how to turn real-time protection on or off in Windows 7. By default, real-time protection is turned on in Windows 7 Windows Defender.If you installed Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), then it will disable Window Defender and MSE will be used by default instead. The release of the Microsoft Safety Scanner has resulted in confusion about the available anti-malware tools provided by Microsoft and questions about when they should be used. Read more at...

Help Diagnose Graphics Card Problems This tutorial will show how to get a great deal of information on exactly what is happening with a graphics card which is having issues. Here's How: 1. First download GPUZ to your desktop 2. Right Click and empty spot on your Desktop, and create a new folder. You can name it anything you want. I name mine GPUZ Sensor Log. 3. Open GPUz, and click on the Sensors tab as shown below. 4. In the bottom Left corner, put a check mark in the Log to file box. Immediately a Dialog box will open. Navigate to your desktop, and select the folder you just created, the one I named GPUZ Log. 5. Leave GPUz open, and run a Stress program or a game that will always make your card crash, or cause...

How to Change the Default Index Location in Windows 7 and Windows 8 The Index keeps track of the files on your computer and stores information about the files, including the file name, date modified, and properties like author, tags, and rating. The index is used to make searching for files in Windows much faster. Instead of looking through your entire hard disk for a file name or file property, Windows scans the index, which allows most results to appear in a small fraction of the time that a search without the index would take. This tutorial will help show you how to change the default index location to be saved where you like in Windows 7 and Windows 8. You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in...

How to Start Firefox in Safe Mode Description: Firefox has a "Safe Mode" function, similar to Windows "Safe Mode". It allows you to temporarily (or "permanently") disable add-ons, toolbars, etc. This can be handy if you are troubleshooting problems (e.g. faulty add-ons). Actions that you can perform in "Safe Mode": Disable all add-ons Reset toolbars and controls Delete all bookmarks except for backups Reset all user preferences to Firefox defaults Restore default search engines How to start Firefox in "Safe Mode" Step 1a - Quick Method Hold the "Shift" key and click on the Firefox icon in the "Start Menu" (or on the pinned "Taskbar" icon). This only works for single click items (it doesn't work with double click icons). Go to...

How to Use "Run as different user" Context Menu Item With or Without Shift+Right Click This will show you how to be able to use the Run as different user context menu item with or without Shift+Right Click on BAT, CMD, EXE, MSC, and MSI files for all users in Windows 7 and Windows 8. You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this tutorial. EXAMPLE: "Run as different user" with or without Shift+Right Click in the Context Menu Here's How: 1. Shift+Right Click "Run as different user" in the Context Menu NOTE: This is the default setting. A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below. Shift+Right-Click_Run_as_Different_User.reg...

How to Add "Open with" to Context Menu of BAT Files in Windows This will show you how to add Open with to the right click context menu of BAT files for all users in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. You will need to be logged in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial. EXAMPLE: "Open with" in BAT Context Menu and Open with Here's How: 1. To Remove "Open with" from the Context Menu of BAT Files NOTE: This is the default setting. A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 3 below. BAT-remove_Open_with.reg http://www.sevenforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=179955&stc=1&d=1319056293 2. To Add "Open with" to the Context Menu of BAT Files A) Click/tap on the...

How to Turn "ActiveX Filtering" On or Off in IE9, IE10, and IE11 ActiveX is a technology that allows web developers to create interactive content on their sites, but it can also pose a security risk. As you browse the Web, you may encounter webpages that don't work properly unless you install an ActiveX control. ActiveX controls are powerful browser plugins that enable many rich web experiences. However, many of these controls are written by 3rd parties and Microsoft cannot guarantee their quality or safety. Internet Explorer allows you to use ActiveX Filtering to block ActiveX controls for all sites to browse the Web without running any ActiveX controls, and then be able to turn them back on for only the sites that you trust...

How to Trace what Windows Update a Manifest File Originated From This is an advanced method for solving Windows Update issues (outlined in CheckSUR logs). I would highly advise against doing this unless you're sure about what to do! In CheckSUR logs, you will sometimes see errors about missing manifests. In this tutorial, I will show you how to trace what update that manifest originated from so that we can source a clean copy. Here is an exemplar CheckSUR log with missing manifests: Checking System Update Readiness. Binary Version 6.0.6002.22574 Package Version 15.0 2012-08-03 20:17 Checking Windows Servicing Packages Checking Package Manifests and Catalogs Checking Package Watchlist Checking Component Watchlist Checking Packages...

How to Turn Windows 7 BitLocker To Go On or Off for Removable Drives BitLocker To Go is used to encrypt and password protect any removable external hard drives and USB flash drives. The drives must be formatted using either the exFAT, FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS file system and must be at least 128 MB. This will show you how to turn on or off BitLocker To Go to encrypt or decrypt a entire external or USB Flash drive in Windows 7.External hard drives or flash drives encrypted by BitLocker Drive Encryption - BitLocker To Go can be used on any computer you connect them to by unlocking the encrypted drive with a password or a smart card. You can use the BitLocker To Go Reader application to provide users read-only access to...