Many freezes under various versions of Windows are the result of problematic third-party system services. Forget registry cleaners and other paid tools for “cleaning out” your system; a simple procedure can get you back to the basics and, likely, freeze-free. From that point, you can add back the services you desire and check for continued system stability.
Follow these steps:
- Click the Start button and type MSCONFIG then press enter in Windows Vista and Windows 7 (in Windows XP, click the Start button, then click “Run” and type MSCONFIG then press enter)
- Go to the startup tab
- Uncheck any third-party and nonessential startup items. Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, then click Disable All, and then click OK. Apply the changes and press OK, then restart the system if it does not happen automatically.
- If the problem not occur, go back to MSCONFIG and start re-enabling items in groups. Enable a few items, then restart and check to see if the problem. If it does disable some of those items then restart again. Keep enabling items until you find the culprit, then leave that service turned off permanently or uninstall it.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 22nd, 2009. 1 Comment. 
Several users have reported an issue in which wireless connectivity (WiFi) suddenly stops working in Windows Vista. There are a variety of causes for this problem, but two primary fixes.
Fixes
Make sure wireless service is started First, make sure the wireless service is started.
- Click the Start button then type services.msc in the search box and press enter
- Right-click the WiFi icon and get the menu of settings
- Make sure the service is set to start automatically
If the service is started, and wireless still doesn’t work, move on to the second fix:
Modify regedit
- Click the Start button and type regedit in the search field then press enter
- Find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE]\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ndisuio
- Change Start to “0×000000002 (2)”
- Restart
Filed under Internet Explorer 8, Windows Vista by on Apr 22nd, 2009. Comment.
Several users have encountered a problem in which, after updating to Windows XP SP3, the system will not boot.
Fixes
The first step in fixing this problem is to boot in safe mode. To do this, tap the F8 key on your keyboard repeatedly as the computer is starting up). Select a method of safe booting from the menu (first try with networking; if the crash still occurs, try without networking).
Next, try removing any external devices from your computer and restarting normally (not in safe mode). If the system boots normally, either remove the offending device(s) or try installing updated drivers (usually available from manufacturers’ web sites) before re-attaching them. If the system does not boot properly, startup in safe mode again.
Next try applying any updated drivers for your system while booted in safe mode. Check the website of your computer’s manufacturer for any new releases. Try booting normally (not in safe mode). In particular, some HP systems need a specific driver — available here — to work properly with Windows XP SP3.
If that fails, startup in safe mode again.
As a last resort, remove Windows XP SP3 per the instructions in this Microsoft document.
Filed under Windows XP by on Apr 23rd, 2009. Comment.
If various games and other applications quit immediately after launch, a simple system setting may be to blame. Toggling the setting, which may be automatically done by some driver updates, resolves the issue in many instances.
Fix
Open the control panel. Next, go to Hardware and Sound>Sound. In the recording tab, enable Stereo Mix.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 23rd, 2009. Comment.
[Updated Sun., April 26th; 1:30 PM PST]
The unofficial release candidate edition of Windows 7, available to authorized beta testers, has leaked. The new release, build 7100, includes a number of significant enhancements and resolves some bugs extant in previous releases. It also provides some significant feature enhancements.
What’s new
- Better performance Several users have reported increased speed from Windows 7 build 7100, particularly with regard to startup times and gaming performance.
What’s fixed
- Erroneous “Read-only” message Previous builds of Windows 7 would sometimes state that Office documents were “read-only” when users attempted to save them, when in fact they were not read-only. This bug has been fixed in Windows 7 build 7100.
- Dropped connections Windows 7 build 7100 fixes an issue in which the Internet Connection would persistently drop when using some WiFi cards.
- Spotify, an online music discovery service, now works. It had issues with previous Windows 7 builds.
What’s broken
- ThinApp Users report that VMWare ThinApp (virtualized applications distributed as a single executable) still do not work with this build of Windows 7.
- Windows Media playback On some systems, Windows Media has problems playing back .mov and mkv files after the Windows 7 build 7100 update. In some cases, this issue can be resolved by removing the K Lite codec pack and instead installing CCCP.
- McAfee VirusScan Some users have reported problems with McAfee VirusScan Enterprise and other editions of the antivirus software after updating to Windows 7 build 7100.
- Upgrading If you had a previous, pre-release version of Windows 7 installed, you cannot directly upgrade to Windows 7 build 7100. However, there is a workaround.
- Upgrading If you had a previous, pre-release version of Windows 7 other than build 7077 installed, you cannot directly upgrade to Windows 7 build 7100. However, there is a workaround.
- DAEMON Tools Lite Several users have reported that DAEMON Tools Lite v4.30.4 causes an endless BSOD loop after the update to Windows 7 build 7100.
Noticed any other improvements or changes? Drop us a line at info@windowsfixup.com.
Filed under News, Windows 7 by on Apr 24th, 2009. 3 Comments.
Users are noting a variety of issues after updating to the Windows 7 Release Candidate, build 7100:
Bugs
- Blue screens (BSODs) Some users have reported an increased incidence of BSODs after the update to Windows 7 build 7100. Some of these cases may be related to a conflict between the Kasperskey antivirus software and new security updates included in the OS, which we covered previously. See our fix here.
- Taskbar Thumbnails do not appear properly The thumbnail previews of items in the Windows 7 taskbar may not appear properly in the new build of Windows 7, coming up blank. This generally occurs directly after the user switches themes.
- Decreased Graphics Aero score A number of users have reported a significant drop in their systems WEI (Windows Experience Index) Graphics Aero score after the update to Windows 7 7100. This means that either Microsoft changed the scoring methodology, or a difference in drivers or some configuration file has resulted in an actual score reduction.
- Wireless signal bars never displayed Some users have reported an issue in which wireless signal bars are never displayed in the status portion of the taskbar. Instead, the “networks available” icon is persistently displayed.
- Windows Media Player problems Several users have reported that music tags are missing or songs display the wrong titles in Windows Media Player under Windows 7 build 7100.
If you are experiencing similar issues, or have any other bugs or fixes to report, please let us know.
See our previous coverage “Windows 7 RC Leaked: What’s New, What’s Fixed, What’s Broken” for more.
Filed under News, Windows 7 by on Apr 27th, 2009. 1 Comment.
Mozilla.org has released Firefox 3.0.10 for Windows, the latest release of the open-source Web browser. The release notes state only that this update:
- “Fixed a major stability issue.”
However, some users are reporting dramatically enhanced performance, particularly with regard to JavaScript.
If you are having issues after this update or have other feedback, please let us know.
Filed under News, firefox by on Apr 27th, 2009. Comment.
Microsoft today released Office 2007 SP2, the latest edition of the company’s productivitiy suite. The new release is cumulative, meaning that it includes fixes included in Office 2007 SP1 and other public updates, security updates and hotfixes that were issued through February 2009.
The new release can be downloaded here.
What’s New Among the major enhancements in this release:
- Word improved .pdf and .xps output; better integration/performance with Outlook
- Excel: improves the charting mechanism (better parity with Office 2003, improved robustness, and targeted performance improvements); adds a chart object model to Word and to PowerPoint
- Outlook Speed boosts, including faster startup, shutdown, and switching between folders; better search reliability; fewer duplicate RSS items
- PowerPoint faster file resaves; better .jpeg, .png and .gif image quality; fixes several printer-specific problems.
- Speed improves application performance when many graphic objects are present, especially for Excel 2007
- Miscellaneous OpenDocument Format (ODF) support: “SP2 lets you open, edit, and save documents in version 1.1 of the ODF for Word, for Excel, and for PowerPoint. Users of these Office programs can now open, edit, and save files in the OpenDocument Text (*.odt), OpenDocument Spreadsheet (*.ods), and OpenDocument Presentations (*.odp) formats.”; built-in “Save As PDF/XPS” support
If you are having any problems after the update, please let us know.
Filed under News, Office 2007, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 28th, 2009. 1 Comment.
The RTM (release to manufacturing, or final) edition of Windows Vista SP2 has leaked to file-sharing networks, signaling that the update will soon be available for public consumption. Among the notable enhancements in SP2:
- Windows Search 4.0: “improved indexing and search relevance; helps find and preview documents, e-mail (including signed e-mail messages), music files, photos, and other items on the computer.”
- support for the 64-bit central processing unit (CPU) from VIA Technologies
- support for Bluetooth v2.1 and Windows Connect Now (WCN) Wi-Fi Configuration
- ability to record data to Blu-Ray Disc media
Before installing the update, see our previous coverage with tips for preparing your system for Windows Vista SP2.
Filed under News, Windows Vista by on Apr 28th, 2009. Comment.
Earlier today, Microsoft released Service Pack 2 for Office 2007 (see our previous coverage for a list of what’s new). Users are experiencing a range of issues with the update, ranging from minor to major.
Problems and fixes
Corrupt downloads/will not install Some users appear to be getting corrupt or otherwise problematic download files. When downloading Office 2007 SP2, ensure that the file size is 290MB. If it is smaller, you may have a corrupt, unusable file. Here, again, are the officialdownload links. You might also try this link.
Outlook won’t launch Office 2007 SP2 has broken Outlook for a number of users, who are unable to launch the program after the update. This may be due to Outlook add-ons or newly incompatible Outlook connectors. Try removing any Outlook add-ons then re-launching.
A temporary fix for this issue, if the aforementioned doesn’t work, is to open the Office folder and find the Outlook .exe file. Right-click it and select “Run as Administrator.”
Exchange connectivity Some users have lost Exchange server connectivity after this update. We are continuing to investigate this issue.
Uninstalling the update If you are having serious problems after installing Office 2007 SP2 and wish to remove the update, note that this is the first service pack to support uninstall of client patches through both the command line and the use of the Microsoft Service Pack Uninstall Tool, which you can download here.
Filed under Office 2007, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 28th, 2009. Comment.