Several users have reported an issue in which web links (hyperlinks) no longer work in Outlook 2007 and Word 2007. Users experiencing this problem may receive the following error message:

“This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions if effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.”

This problem is generally caused by a corrupt Internet Explorer registry key. As such, the first thing you should try is resetting web settings in Internet Explorer. In Internet Exploer, click the Tools menu, click and select Internet Options. In Windows XP, go to the Programs tab, and then click the Reset button. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, click the Advanced tab then select reset. Apply the changes.

If that doesn’t work, you will need to edit the registry, following these steps, as described by Slipstick Systems:

1. Start, click Run, type Regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html
3. Right click the value for the .html key and select Modify…
4. Change the value from “ChromeHTML” to “htmlfile” (or from FireFoxHTML to htmlfile)

Repeat this process for each of the following keys:

• [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.htm]
• [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html]
• [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.shtml]
• [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.xht]
• [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.xhtml]

Fixes

Change network setting to home or work If you have your group set to “Public” in the Network and Sharing Center in Windows Vista SP2, the system will be undiscovrable by Windows XP machines on the network. Open your Control Panel, then select Network and Sharing Center, and change the setting to either “Work” or “Home.” Make sure that all computers are using the same group.

Make sure Network Discovery is turned on In Windows Vista, go back to the Network and Sharing Center in the Control Panel, and make sure that the “Network Discovery” option is set to “On.”

You may need to restart your computer after applying these changes.

Here are a few tips that can dramatically increase the speed of a slow Firefox 3.5:

Change maximum number of requests If you’re using a broadband connection, chances are that you can speed up Firefox by allowing it to perform multiple simultaneous requests to Web pages instead of performing one request at a time. To do this, type about:config in the URL bar (where you would normally enter a Web address) then look for the following entries, and make these changes:

• network.http.pipelining – set this to “true”
• network.http.proxy.pipelining – set this to “true”
• network.http.pipelining.maxrequests – set the integer value to 20
• network.dns.disableIPv6 – set this to “false”

Quit then re-launch Firefox after making these changes.

Reduce history Having tons of items stored in history can slow down Firefox’s launch and operation speed significantly. Navigate to Tools > Options, then click on the “Privacy” tab. The default setting is 90 days. Reducing this number to 5 or 10 days can result in a substantial performance boost.

Remove extensions and themes then re-add them, one by one Some extensions and/or themes may conflict with Firefox 3.5 or cause performance issues. You can isolate the problematic items and eliminate them permanently by uninstalling all of them then adding them back one by one to identify the culprit(s). Follow these steps, as published on MozillaZine.

1. Click Tools > Add-ons
2. Click on the Extensions or Themes button on the top
3. Click on the extension or theme you want to uninstall
4. Click Uninstall
5. Restart Firefox

In fact, just reducing the number of extensions or themes installed can have a beneficial effect on speed.

• “Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close”

The first thing you need to do, if this problem occurs as soon as your system starts up or whenever you click on any file or try to perform any other action, is download a copy of Universal Explorer, an alternative file viewer. This will at least allow you access to the system so that you can make changes and begin troubleshooting.

Next, begin with the following potential fixes:

Turn off DEP In some cases, Data Execution Prevention may be causing the crashes to occur. Turning this option off for Windows Explorer may leave your system more vulnerable to viruses and other malware, but may allow your system to function properly until you can find another workaround. To turn off DEP for Windows Explorer, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button
2. Open the Control Panel
3. Open System
4. Select the “Advanced” tab
5. Under “Performance,” choose Settings.
6. Select the “Data Execution Prevention” tab.
7. Select the option “Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select.”
8. Click “Add…”
9. Find Windows Explorer, which is generally located in c:\windows\explorer.exe and select it.
10. Restart your system and check for persistence of the issue

Note that if Windows Explorer keeps crashing during the above steps, you can open the command line and type bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff and accomplish the same effect.

Disable Shell extensions The site HelpWithWindows suggests that errant shell extensions may be to blame for Windows Explorer crashes, especially in cases wherein the issue occurs upon right-clicking certain files.

Download and install the tool ShellExView. It will show the description, as well as version details, company information, location, file name and more of any installed shell extensions and allow you to disable them.

Start by disabling all third-party shell extensions, then restarting your computer. If Windows Explorer doesn’t continue crashing, you know that a shell extension is to blame. Start re-enabling them one-by-one or in groups until you identify the culprit, then leave it disabled.

Switch antivirus software As we have noted, the presence of two overlapping antivirus or antimalware/spyware/firewall tools can cause various conflicts. Users should install one (and only one) strong anti-virus package and make sure it’s up-to-date.

In addition, certain antivirus packages can conflict with installed system software while other antivirus packages are not.

If you have already tried the aforementioned workarounds, completely remove or disable all antivirus/spyware software (Norton 360, ZoneAlarm, AVG, etc.). In fact, you may need to uninstall the packages–simply disabling may not work.

Next, re-install one and only one solid antivirus/spyware tool. If the crashes still occur, uninstall that package and try a different one.

After upgrading to Windows Vista SP2, you may experience an issue in which you receive the error message “Windows Explorer Has Stopped Working” followed by a sudden quit of Windows Explorer or a disappearance of all on-screen windows, or a message that says “Windows Explorer will restart.”

Fix

This problem can often be solved by creating a new user account. To do this, follow these basic steps:

(note that if you can’t even get to the control panel to set up a new account, you can try booting in Safe Mode then creating a new user account [using the steps below] and logging into it, then restarting. To start in safe mode, tap the F8 key on your keyboard repeatedly as the computer is starting up. Select safe mode with networking. Once the system is booted in safe mode, you may be asked to install updates–do so. )

Instructions for creating a new user account:

1. Click Start and select Control Panel
2. Click “User Accounts”
3. Under User Accounts and Family Safety, select Add or Remove User Accounts
4. Click Create a new account
5. Choose an account name and type it in
6. Select standard or administrator
7. Click Create Account
8. Select the account again and create a password if desired
9. Log in to the new account and check for persistence of the issue

Potential fixes

While many users still experience these issues after applying this fix, Microsoft has released a downloadable hotfix that may resolve the problem in some cases.

You may also want to try deleting the INFCACHE file then restarting. Instructions for this process are as follows:

Open a Windows Explorer window and type c:\windows\inf then press return, and locate the file “INFCACHE.1,” then follow these steps:

1. Right-click on INFCACHE.1 and select “Properties”
2. Click on the “Security” tab, then click “Edit.”
3. Click “Add,” then type the name you would like to give to the user group.
4. Set the new group to “Full Control” then click OK.
5. You can now delete the file INFCACHE.1

You should now restart your computer and check for proper operation of the device. You may need to re-download the device(s) driver from the manufacturer website.

For more potential fixes, see our previous coverage regarding USB problems.

Fix

The solution for this problem, as discovered by Ilja Herlein of the NetSetMan forums, is as follows:

1. Click Start
2. In the search box (or in or in “Run”) type regedit then press enter to open the registry editor.
3. Navigate to HKLM > System > CurrentControlSet > Services > Tcpip > Parameters > Interfaces
4. Select the CLSID of your network adapter that you are currently using.
5. Open the value “DefaultGateway” (double-click it). You will see a list of all the gateways that has disappeared.The first line will likely be empty. Manually remove this first empty line, then click OK.
6. Restart your computer.

Feedback? info@windowsfixup.com.

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Some users are unable to put their systems to sleep after updating to Windows Vista SP2, despite proper power management settings. There are a number of potential fixes for this issue.

Check media settings Sharing of certain files, specifically media files, can sometimes prevent proper sleep.

First, in Windows Media Player, check for options to share (in Tools > Options > Library). Eliminate these, then re-try sleep.

In the Network and Sharing Center, click ‘media sharing’ and turn off any options listed there.

Also, in power options, navigate to advanced settings, then check the settings in ‘multimedia settings.’

Update your drivers Check manufacturers’ websites for the latest driver editions for any third-party devices that are connected to your system. Many manufacturers have updated their drivers for basic compatibility with Vista SP2.

Graphics card drivers are notorious for causing sleep issues, so run Windows Update or check the manufacturer’s Web site for any of these updates.

Disconnect external (USB, etc.) devices Aside from your keyboard, mouse, monitor and network connectivity, try disconnecting any external USB, FireWire or other peripherals then re-trying sleep. You can reconnect the devices one by one and check for compatibility issues.

Several users have reported an issue in which a blue screen of death (BSOD) accompanied by the error message “Multiprocessor_Configuration_Not_Supported” appears after attempting to install either Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7.

This error generally indicates that the system has multiple processors, but they are asymmetric in relation to one another. However, many users are receiving the message on systems with only one processor or systems with only one dual-core processors.

A reliable workaround for this issue has not yet been discovered, but, in some cases, a BIOS update may resolve the problem. Here are instructions for updating the BIOS on Intel motherboards, and here are instructions for other motherboards.

• Uninstall Windows Vista SP2, per Microsoft’s instructions.
• Download and run the Microsoft System Readiness Tool.
• Reinstall the Windows Vista SP2 update via the standalone installer.